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Message-ID: <41485asstr$1048669804@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: "Scott" <Scottturnitred@hotmail.com>
Reply-To: "Scott" <Scottturnitred@hotmail.com>
Subject: {ASSM} A Story - Storm Riders 
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 04:10:04 -0500
Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail
Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d

My childhood was spent inside my father's ship. All his business was done in
space, so we rarely set foot on a real planet. When we did land, it was on
some dark, cold moon. Sometimes when his ship was in orbit, I could see
storms on a planet's surface. I used to watch the lightning flashes and
imagine the loud, sharp thunder. My face would be glued to the large
observation window, as I watched the swirling clouds and all the brilliant
colors.

"Please take me down there, Dad," I used to say and point at the clouds. "I
want to see the storms."

It was very dangerous for my dad to land his ship, but one day he finally
agreed to take me to the surface of a real planet. He flew us through the
clouds and landed just below a dark, rolling thunderstorm. When I got out of
the ship, I felt something cool brush across my face.

"What was that?" I asked as I waved my hands in front of me.

"Just the wind," my dad said.

I had never felt the wind. I thought it must have been magic. All day I
watched the storms and felt the wonderful soft wind on my face. My dad made
a small kite and showed me how to fly it. The wind that day was strong and
it broke the string and my kite was sucked up into the storm. I watched with
amazement as the invisible winds blew my kite all around.

"I want to fly like that kite," I said to my dad.

"Well son, maybe someday you can," my dad said as he smiled at me and rubbed
the top of my head.

 From that day forward, the magical winds were always on my mind. When I
later heard about storm riders, I new exactly what I wanted to do. For the
last twenty years I had done little else. I had become the finest storm
rider in the galaxy, and I was going to Oretus to prove it.

The huge storms on Oretus occurred once every ten years. These unique and
powerful winds drew the finest riders from all over the galaxy, from both
sides of the border. Fortunately, Oretus was a worthless planet claimed
neither by the Empire nor the Alliance. No one ever came to Oretus except
when the third and fifth moons were aligned. While those moons remained
aligned, the green skies of Oretus darkened and the winds blew in a most
marvelous way. The races of Oretus brought out the bravest and the best and
the violent winds separated the talkers from the champions.

Most storm riders rode for teams, but I rode alone. I traveled to Oretus
with a group of Alliance riders who called themselves the Juggernauts.

When we arrived, I unpacked my gear and set up camp a hundred meters from
the Juggernauts. Less than two hundred meters from my camp the Imperial
teams had set up their tents. The tent closest to me bore the unmistakable
purple markings of an Imperial royal house.

The Imperial teams had the biggest tents, the most riders, and the best
medical. To me, none of that really mattered. What counted was how they rode
the wind, and they rode it very well indeed. At most contests Imperial
riders set the standard. They seemed to win all the big team races. They
were the best, and they acted like it. Despite the war, I respected them. We
were all riders, no matter which side of the border we called home.

I had just finished unpacking when one of my buddies from the Juggernauts
came to talk.

"Evil green sky," he said as he looked up. "It's going to be wicked."

Danny was a top rider, but not the very top. He had great technique, but he
lacked the natural ability to become one with the storm. I could always see
it in the eyes of the very best riders. They had that something special.
They could let their minds go and flow with the wind.

"You going to the big party?" he asked as he nodded at the row of Imperial
tents.

"Are you going?" I asked.

I couldn't believe Danny would mix with Imperial riders. His father was an
Alliance general, and two of his brothers had been killed in the fighting.
Hatred for the Emperor ran deep in his family.

"There'll be lots of wild babes," he said. "Besides, I need to show those
Imperial pigs I'm not scared."

Strom riding games attracted a wild bunch of groupies and just about any
rider could find a willing woman. Since this was the biggest contest of all,
there was bound to plenty of girls at the Imperial party.

"Sure, I'll go," I said.

I put on my dress uniform and Danny went back to his tent and put on his. My
dress uniform was dark satin blue and with white highlights, Danny wore the
solid red of the Alliance. When we neared the Imperial tents, we could hear
live music. The Imperial teams had brought their own band.

"That's ridiculous," I thought. "How can they afford to bring a band?"

As we approached the music, we encountered Imperial riders walking around.
Many had never seen the dark green skies of Oretus. They walked with their
women and made bold promises about their performances. They knew by my
colors I was an independent. Danny made his feeling clear by wearing that
red uniform.

"Hey Rebel!" someone yelled. "Enjoy it while you can!"

We kept on walking. Danny was not bothered, even if I was.

The organizers promised there would be no military at these games, but
outside the big Imperial tent, were the band was playing, there stood
several Imperial troopers. The troopers had no visible weapons, but they
didn't need them. Their presence was sufficiently intimidating. Amazing
enough, they let Danny and me pass.

It was rocking in that tent. There were buffets of food along the walls,
drinks were everywhere, and there were lots of wild crazy women. The band
played loud, powerful rhythms and most everyone danced. There must have been
five hundred people in that tent and they were all having fun. The riders
knew it was a deadly game and they partied like it was their last night. For
many it would be.

It was easy to recognize the Imperial riders, as they all wore similar
uniforms: solid white with two large, red eagles painted on the back. Their
tanned, hard bodies looked good in their tailored uniforms. As my eyes
wandered about the tent, I saw a few other racers from outside the Empire.
They each nodded at me and I did the same. They were all human. An alien
racer would never show up anywhere around Imperial humans. Those two groups
didn't mix. I grabbed a fresh Nyman yellow ale from a passing waiter and
leaned against a tent pole. The Nymans were disgusting thugs, but they made
a great brew.  I was staring at the legs of a dancing woman when Danny
elbowed me.

"Look over there," he said and pointed to the far corner of the tent.

I looked around until I saw what he meant. Standing alone, in front of two
huge troopers, was a young woman dressed in an Imperial rider's uniform. I
was surprised, as very few women were riders. Not many women had the upper
body strength required to control the sail. From what I could see, this lady
was certainly fit and strong, but she didn't look like she could handle a
sail in violent, three-hundred-kilometers-per-hour crosswinds.

"She's too small," I said as I leaned over to Danny. "The sail will jump
her."

"Maybe," Danny said. "Check out her legs."

At the bottom of each leg a thin purple band was sewn into her uniform. This
was no ordinary rider, so I looked even closer. She was very trim, but not
tall. Her short brown hair was thick, and she had a light blue scarf tied
around her forehead. She wasn't talking to anyone and she wasn't dancing.
She was looking straight at me.

"Who the hell is she, Danny?" I asked.

"Go find out," Danny said and gave me a push.

I took my Nyman ale and walked over to her. She could see me coming, and she
waved off her guards. Before I got to her, she moved towards me.

"So you're Smuggler," she said in a very direct manner. "I hoped you would
be here."

I went by the nickname "Smuggler" because that's what my dad had been. I
also liked the way it sounded.

"I've seen all your rides," she said. "Did you bring any new tricks?"

It was so loud in there that I could barely hear, so I motioned for us to go
outside. One of the guards tried to stop her, but she just brushed him
aside. He looked at me with a look I understood.

"Hurt her and you die," his eyes told me. He wasn't joking.

I grabbed another Nyman ale and we walked outside into the cool air. The
largest Oretus moon brightly lit the night sky. Protus was full as it hung
just above the horizon. The oxidized iron ore of the moon's surface caused
it to give off a dull, dark red reflection. The green clouds had blown off
and the sky was clear. A clear night meant violent storms tomorrow.

We walked away from the tent until the music faded away. When she turned to
face me, the light of the red moon reflected in her shining brown eyes. I
was surprised someone born to a royal house would be a rider.

"Why do you." I started to ask, but she cut me off.

"Because I love the wind," she said.

For a minute we just looked at each other. I don't know what she saw in me,
but I know what I saw in her. In the light of the moon I could see her
clean, beautiful face and I could feel fresh energy radiating from her. She
was a great athlete in top form. She was exactly the kind of woman who took
my breath away. As stunning as she was, I had to wonder if she had the power
to be a rider. I had to know.

"Do you mind?" I asked as I reached over to feel one of her arms. She shook
her head.

I finished off the ale and put down the glass. Then I lightly grabbed both
her biceps. She was very firm but not muscular. I ran my hands over her
shoulders and then down her back to her hips and finally down her thighs.
She reached out her hands and felt my muscles. Her palms moved slowly and
her fingers penetrated deeply. She probed me as she touched. We kept our
eyes fixed on each other. She moved a little closer and I did the same. For
a while we stood still looking into each other as our hands slowly moved up
and down. I had wanted to test her power, now I just wanted to feel her.
Finally she broke the silence.

"You wonder if I am strong enough," she said. "You wonder if I can handle
the sail."

I put my hands on her arms and applied pressure.

"These winds are violent," I said. "Unpredictable."

"Are you worried about me?" she asked.

I ran my hands over her lovely body.

"Well, I..."

"Worry about yourself," she said as she leaned forward and quickly kissed
me.

Before I could say anything, she turned and walked briskly toward the tent
with the purple markings.

"See you tomorrow, then," I called to her.

She waved but she didn't look back.

I tuned back and walked to the Imperial Party tent. Danny had cornered a
nice looking lady and was making progress. I waved at him and headed back to
my tent. Tomorrow was the first day. I needed my rest.

I crawled into my sleeping bag and thought about the royal Imperial rider. I
didn't imagine she would be sleeping in a bag on the ground. My body heat
warmed up the bag, and I slowly relaxed. The whipping sounds of the wind
against my tent helped my imagination.

I thought of standing on a platform ten thousand meters in the air knowing I
was about to jump. I knew that as I fell, the only thing that could save me
was my sail and my knowledge of the winds.

"There are three good winds," my old teacher would say. "The downy, a
violent wind shear which will drive you fast at the ground. The climber, a
sharp updraft that will lift you into the sky. The thruster, a powerful
horizontal rolling wind which will drive you straight ahead. And remember,
there is one bad wind, the swirler. A rider caught in the violent circular
winds of a swirler is in deep trouble."

For the past eight years, I had made every major race in the galaxy. I lived
to ride before the wind. I loved to catch a powerful blast with my open sail
and feel my body hurl through space. I had learned the winds could be
mastered and used. For me,  riding the winds with an open sail was pure joy.
It was my childhood dream come true. I put the pillow under my head and
rolled on my side. The bag was warm and my thoughts were at ease as I slowly
found my way to sleep.

Before sunrise, loud rolling thunder from the developing storms woke me. I
dressed in my solid blue competition suit and put on my gloves. I checked my
sail one last time; all was ready. When I went outside, I could smell the
hot food being prepared at the Imperial tents.

"I wonder how it tastes," I thought as I ate my cold protein bar.

Off to my right, the Juggernauts were getting ready. Before each race, they
met in a circle and held hands. They adhered to some religion passed to them
from their parents. I never really understood it, but they believed it.

Danny came over after they broke up.

"Wow, man you went right after her!" he said with his big smile.

"We just talked," I said.

"Talk my ass! You do know who she is, don't you? I mean didn't you see the
guards and all?"

"She's just another rider," I said

"Listen, dumb ass, that girl is Eliza Mantenuffel! Do you hear what I am
saying? She is the daughter of Field Marshal Mantenuffel," he said with such
passion, as if I should know who this Mantenuffel was.

I never kept up with all that military stuff. It just didn't concern me.

"Watch your ass, buddy. That's all I am saying," Danny said as he headed
back to the Juggernauts.

All us riders gathered our sails, and we all met at staging area. The
organizers of these races used and old Imperial transport as the jumping
platform. Today there would be three heats. Each heat had ten races with
each race consisting of two riders.

There were three cameras on eighteen different drones, which followed each
rider and recorded every move. All riders had a set of nodes sewn into their
competition suits, which fed telemetry into a computer. Every move was
tracked and recorded. The riders went out two at a time to increase the
competitive sprit. Riders were judged on time aloft, average speed, the
distance covered, and the difficulty of the maneuvers. Staying alive was a
bonus. No machines allowed, just the rider, the winds, and the sail. There
was no means of rescue, no parachute, no help of any kind. Each rider jumped
and landed, one way or the other. The judges watched and awarded points, and
there were no rules.

Eliza and I were in the first heat. Danny was in the third.

I and the other riders in the first heat put on our sails. The sail had two
parts that caught the wind. The upper part spanned across the rider's back
and was attached to the arms with three loops: one loop in the hand, one on
the forearm, and one on the biceps. Each leg had a smaller sail used for
guidance. The sail was lined with a set of thin fibers, which would react to
the most subtle hand pressure. Close the hand, the sail collapsed, open the
hand and the sail expanded. Fully extended, the sail measured two meters
below and above each arm and one meter out from the hand. Sails were made of
an extremely light, but very powerful material, which almost never ripped.
The sail was designed to catch and hold the wind.

As I moved towards the transport, Danny ran over to me.

"Chase the devil!" Danny said as he firmly clasped and shook my hand.

I loaded onto the transport, and it rose ten thousand meters and hovered. We
waited for a fresh storm to break loose. Soon the signal came that a big
storm was developing. The first two riders stood at the platform and jumped
into the storm.

I moved to the platform and watched them fall. They had jumped into a big,
green storm with loud crosswinds. The first rider passed though a dark gray
cloud. As he came out, a light blue haze started to form over his back and
helmet. Static electricity was building and there was only one way this
could end. Before he had a chance to unfurl his sail, the sky was turned
white by a brilliant flash of lightning. The young Imperial rider was blown
into a million pieces. I closed my eyes and turned away.

When I looked up, Eliza was staring at me. She and another Imperial rider
were next. They moved past me onto the platform and waited for the signal.
Her body fit tightly into her white suit. She had strong legs and a perfect
round, firm ass. She looked back to see if I was looking at her. When our
eyes met, she smiled.

The signal came and she jumped. While she fell, she kept her hands tightly
to her chest so she could feel the winds. Only a fool unfurled quickly. She
fell hard and fast into the teeth of the storm. I could see she was passing
through violent swirls. The other jumper opened his arms too quickly and was
caught in a powerful circular spiral. If he didn't get his arms closed, they
would surely be broken. He disappeared into the clouds. I thought he would
be lucky to survive.

Eliza fell quickly and was soon out of my sight.  From the monitors being
fed by the many tracking cameras. I could see her calm face as she judged
the winds. After she had fallen two thousand meters, she found the wind she
wanted. She flung open her arms, and her sail grabbed the wind. Her timing
was perfect and she caught a climber, which thrust her upwards at great
speed. The winds were blowing and Eliza was flying.

She didn't fight the wind; she merged with it. She used finesse, not power.
Her movements were graceful and timed. When a gust would seek to trap her,
she moved, and rolled, and played with the wind. She was having fun, sailing
and twisting and soaring she flew. In the middle of all that raging power
she was calm and relaxed. She was the master of the winds. It was sensual
the way her beautiful body glided through the thunder and the bright flashes
of lightning. For ten minutes she flew; up, then down, and sideways, like an
angel in the heavens. She took all that the storm had to give. As the winds
finally fell away, she glided to the surface and made a perfect running
landing.

"Wow!" I said.

I was next, so I went to the platform. I could see the starter hesitate as
the next storm grew in intensity.

"Hold on," he said. "HOLD ON! Wind over three hundred kilometers an hour.
Wait for the next one."

I didn't come to Oretus to wait. I looked into the boiling green clouds and
jumped.

The second I was out, I felt a powerful thruster so I opened my arms and
rode it. The wind blew my sail forward and blasted me along.

"GOD DAMN!" I screamed.

This was why I was alive! As the winds blew my body through the sky, I felt
that magic feeling come over me. No cares, no worries, nothing but the mad
pulse of the raging winds over my body and across my face. A good rider
could feel the wind change in his toes, but I could feel it change before it
changed. I rode that first thruster and then caught a powerful downy. On a
downy you had to hope a climber was waiting down there somewhere, if not,
you hit the ground real hard. I was very high, so I had plenty of time. I
dove down at speeds that made most riders pass out. As the ground rushed up
to my face, I caught a good climber and rode it back up all the way above
the transport. These winds were fantastic! I rode and rode until the storm
would carry me no further.

As the winds died away, I drifted down and sailed horizontal to the ground.
At about ten meters, I pulled up and lost my speed. As I dropped to the
ground I ran my feet so I landed running. What a fun ride!

The ground transport picked me up and drove me back to the staging area. I
could see the looks on the faces of some of the new riders. They were
impressed by my performance.

"That wasn't even my best," I thought.

At the staging area I took off my gear. I was folding my sail when I heard
Eliza's voice behind me.

"Impressive," she said.

When I turned to look at her, my mind was not on my ride, but on hers.

"Where did you learn to fly like that?" I asked. "I've never seen those
moves."

She smiled and said nothing. One of her teammates called to her.

"We'll talk later," she said as she turned and walked away.

I walked back to my tent and undressed. I checked my sail for damage and
then put it away. I lay down for a minute and thought about the way Eliza
rode those violent gusts. I guess I must have dozed off because the next
thing I heard was Danny yelling at me to get up.

"Hey, man! You're number one in the individuals! You blew the judges away
with that high power ride. I watched the replay, it was a classic."

"I had good winds."

"Good winds my ass!' Danny yelled as he slapped my leg. "I had a good run,
but not like you, baby."

I rose up and dressed in my casual uniform. Danny wanted to hang around, but
he had to get back to the Juggernauts. I stood outside my tent and watched
him walk back to his group.

"You really tore it up today, man!" Danny yelled as he walked away.

I looked up to see the sky was clearing. There would be serious storms made
tomorrow. As I turned to go back in my tent, I saw Eliza walking towards me.
She had changed into a casual uniform with a thin zipper running up the
middle. She had that zipper pulled down a little further than maybe I would
have expected.

"Hey there," she said with a smile.

"I can't get your ride off my mind," I said. " I have never seen anything
like it."

"Thanks! Maybe someday I'll be famous like you."

"Famous?"  I asked a bit puzzled.

"Don't you know? Every kid in the Empire has that poster of you at the Nimba
competition. The one with you racing out of a black cloud with the lightning
strike behind your head and that wild look in your eyes."

I knew about that poster, but I never suspected anyone really looked at it.

"I don't know anything about that," I said.

She moved closed to me and put her index finger on my chest. She looked up
at me with those deep brown eyes of hers.

"So I finally meet the famous Smuggler. You don't look as crazy as you did
in that poster."

"Glad to hear it," I said.

She moved closer to me and placed her open hands on my chest. I didn't care
if she was royalty or if Danny said to watch out. She was strong and pretty
and she wanted me to pay attention to her, so I did.

I put my hands on her shoulders and pulled her to me.

"Still want to see how strong I am?" she asked as she looked at me with her
big eyes.

"No," I said and kissed her flush red lips.

She may have been a little surprised, but she returned my kiss. Her arms
wrapped around me and she held me tight. The longer we kissed, the more
power we both put in. I could feel her sprit and she tasted wonderful. Her
lips were tender but her tongue was firm. She let me kiss her then she would
move her tongue into me. As we stood there embracing each other, I
completely lost track of where I was and what I was doing. I don't know how
long we kissed, but it was a good while. When I finally pulled back, her
cheeks were red and her eyes wide.

"Wow!" she said.

"Yeah," I said. "Wow."

I was going back for more, when she put her finger on my lips.

"We better go inside," she said.

I opened my tent and we slipped in. That she was rich and I had nothing
didn't matter. We were both riders, and we knew we could die the next day.
Living so close to the edge caused us not to waste any time. As soon as the
tent closed she unzipped herself and popped out of her uniform. When she
did, her wonderful, round breasts emerged and I had to lick them right that
second. I opened my mouth and ran my tongue over her sweet erect nipples.
Her skin was fresh and delicious. A second later I was out of my uniform and
we were both naked. Her warm flesh on mine was like a drug. I couldn't hold
her close enough. As we kissed, we slowly moved around in a small circle.
Sometimes I would stop kissing and pull back to look into her full deep
eyes.

I led her over to my bag, and we lay down on top of it. She was on her back
and her legs naturally opened. I was so hard I wanted to take her right
then, but I had to taste her before I went inside. I kissed my way down the
middle of her belly and she started to pant knowing where I was going and
what I would do.

"Do you like that?" I asked.

"Yes!" she said with a quick exhale.

I opened her lips and put my mouth on her. She was warm, wet, soft, and
sweet. She tasted divine. I licked her softly at first, then harder. She
seemed to like it hard. I reached  my hands up to her nipples. I took both
of them between my finger and thumb and held them for a second. As I pressed
my tongue against her, I pinched her.

"OH!!" she cried out as she raised her legs and rolled her head. As I came
up, she reached her hand down and put me inside of her.

"OH!" she said as I pinched her nipples and penetrated her.

"You like a little pain?" I whispered in her ear.

"From you," she said as she wrapped her legs and arms around me.

I gave it to her hard and she gave it right back. As I went in and out of
her she squeezed my cock and dug her fingers in my back. We went at it for
hours. I made love to her on her knees, on her stomach, and then on her
back. Sometimes I would pull out of her and slap her fine ass until it was
bright red. She liked to have her butt slapped.

A few times I made her get on her knees and take me in her mouth. Whatever I
wanted, she did it.

She liked to lie on her back and be pounded hard, so that's what I did. Each
time we settled into a good rhythm, I could feel her muscles slowly tighten.
The harder I gave it to her, the tighter she would become. Soon her fingers
would dig into my neck and back and she would wrap her sensuous legs around
me and let out a short gasp.

Each time she came, she would roll her head back and squeeze me with her
inner muscles. Her warm hot wet flesh wrapped around my hard cock drove me
wild. When she felt me start to get really excited, she began to rub my ass
with the end of her middle finger. She was kissing me and touching me and
driving me crazy. Finally, I had all I could stand and I blew deep inside
her. She kept her legs open and took all I had. Without realizing it, I
passed out on top of her.

She woke me up by blowing in my ear. I rolled over on my side and she
followed onto my chest. She pulled her warm thigh up onto my legs as ran her
palm over my chest.

"You're different from what I thought," she said.

"So are you," I said. "Tell me, how did you learn to ride like that?"

She lifted her cheek off my chest and looked into my eyes.

"I'm not as strong as you, I can't fight the storm, so I learned to flow
with the wind. It was the only way I could fly."

"It's really beautiful," I said.

She put her warm cheek back on my chest.

"Maybe we could rider together sometime," she said.

"I'd like that," I said. "I'd like that allot."

"What is you real name," she asked as she rubbed her warm palm over my
chest.

"Jason."

"Jason the Smuggler," she said, as she moved in as tight as she could get.
For a while she laid with me and I stroked her soft thick hair. She was
tightly curled up next to me and she felt so very good.

She stayed with me until the sun started to set.

"Hey, I better go," she said as she pulled away from me.

I pulled her back to me for one last kiss. As I kissed her, I ran my hands
over her warm breasts. I didn't want her to go, but I guess she had to. We
both put our uniforms on and I walked her back to her tent.

"When we fly together, will you teach me the loop?" she asked.

"I'll sure try," I said.

She gave me a quick kiss and disappeared inside her huge tent. As I watched
her go in, I wondered if she could learn the loop.

The loop was a difficult maneuver that required great strength, timing, and
all three good winds. The loop started with a powerful climber. The rider
would rise up in an arcing motion and at the peak of the arc, try and catch
a downy. The rider would extend the arc down to complete the bottom of the
circle and then try and catch another climber to arc back up to finish. If
done correctly, the rider made a huge perfect circle in the air.

"I guess she could do it," I thought.

I slowly wandered around and finally ended up with Danny and the
Juggernauts. We talked about their rides and the overall team standings.
They told me twelve riders had been killed that first day.

After an ale or two, I found my way back to my tent and crawled into my bag.
I thought of Eliza sailing through the clouds as I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up to Danny's smiling face.

"Hey man, wake up. We are in the same heat."

Danny and I collected our gear and headed to the assembly area. Danny and I
were in the first heat, Eliza in the second. There would only be two heats,
as there were fewer riders.

As Danny and I boarded the transport, I could see some of the Imperial
riders had changed their boots. They were wearing heavy boots with sharp
metal hooks on the sides. I didn't like that at all. I elbowed Danny and
pointed.

"Watch your back," I said.

The transport rose and we hovered at ten thousand meters. I could see wicked
ugly winds in those boiling green and black clouds. Danny and an Imperial
rider were set to go first. I clasped Danny's hand and held it tight.

"Danny, lay back. These winds are tricky," I said but he wasn't listening.

I slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Chase the Devil, baby. Chase him hard!"

Danny's eyes were wide and his blood was up. He and the Imperial rider stood
at the platform as a wild storm broke. Danny went out head first and drove
at great speed.

"Lay back, Danny, lay back..." He wouldn't have listened anyway.

Danny had something to prove. After falling a thousand meters Danny opened
his sail and caught a climber. His form looked good as he rose. The Imperial
rider was laying back, weaving in and out of the dark green and black
clouds. As Danny reached the top of the climber, he folded in his sail and
dropped down. Danny was going for speed and distance; he knew he would never
win points for his team on style. With textbook skill, Danny caught another
climber. Just as he opened his sail to catch the full blast, the Imperial
rider dove on him from behind and above.

"DANNY!!" I screamed.

The Imperial rider showed great skill as caught the back of Danny's sail
with his hooked boot. A huge tear opened in Danny's sail and he lost his
wind and began to tumble to the ground.

"DANNY NO!"

I turned my eyes away as I didn't want to see him hit. I always knew Danny
didn't have the skill to play out here, but he didn't deserve to be clipped.
I was next, so I didn't have much time to grieve.

I jumped into a very ugly storm. The winds were swirling and mixed and I had
a hard time doing even the most basic tricks. Maybe I was distracted, but
whatever the problem, my ride was not my best.

The ground transport picked me up took me back to my tent. I went straight
inside and threw off my uniform.

"That was a cheap shot," I thought. "Danny didn't deserve that, he just came
here to ride."

I sat alone and brooded in my tent for a couple of hours. I needed to regain
my composure. Just as I was calming down, the Juggernauts' team captain came
to see me.

"We need to talk," the team captain said. I followed him back to their tent.
All of Danny's teammates where inside, and it was quiet like a tomb. As my
eyes passed around the room, I could see the hatred in their faces and I
could feel the pain their hearts. Most of the Juggernauts were sons of
Alliance fighters, and they weren't going to let Danny's death go by.

The team captain took out one of Danny's red uniforms and tossed it to me.

"You, take Danny's place," he said.

I couldn't say no. I knew he had something else to say. He looked around the
room and then at me.

"We're going to clip that Imperial bitch," he said.

To make up for Danny, they were going after Eliza. It was the same old
story, an eye for an eye. Even at these games the children of the Empire and
the Alliance couldn't put aside their hatred. I wondered if this cycle could
ever be broken.

"Wait." I started to say.

"I knew we couldn't count on him," a young Juggernaut snapped. "His dad was
two-faced, so is he."

That wasn't true, but I let it pass because they were all so upset. I took
Danny's competition uniform and put it under my arm.

"I'll help your team, but I won't help with your vengeance. I came here to
ride, killing is for another day."

As I stared to leave, the captain came to me.

"Don't interfere," he said.

I didn't say anything; I just took Danny's uniform and left. As I walked
back to my tent, I raised the fabric up to my nose. It still smelled like
him. When I got back to my tent, Eliza was inside.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she moved towards me. "I didn't know. I would
have told you, I swear."

She put her hands on me and looked at me with those deep eyes. I had to
believe she was telling the truth. Eliza had a pure heart, I could feel it.
She led me over to my bag and we lay down. She rolled on top of me and
looked into me.

"Do you want me?" she asked

I put my hands on her shoulders. Of course I wanted her. We both undressed
and we made quiet, soft love. She held me with such tenderness. For a while
I forgot about Danny. We both came, but not like the day before. Danny's
death put a damper on things.

We lay together naked and we grew very close. I lost myself in her warmth.
She fell asleep, but I stayed awake. I knew the Juggernauts were going to
try something. If I told Eliza, I would betray their trust. If I didn't, I
betrayed hers. I couldn't wear Danny's uniform and at the same time betray
his friends. I was caught in the middle.

After a while I woke Eliza and we walked back to her tent.

"Hey, we never have had our talk," she said. "I'm so sorry about your
friend. You do believe me don't you?"

She kept looking into me until I told her what she wanted to hear.

"I do believe you," I said.

"Good. Get some sleep, you're so far ahead, you have to win."

She gave me a real kiss and then backed away to her tent.

"Bye for now," she said.

As I walked back to my tent, I could see a swirling green haze in the sky.
The storms tomorrow would be unpredictable.

I went to my tent and folded Danny's uniform. I crawled into my bag and
thought about what a great guy he had been. I was angry, but I didn't know
at whom.

"That damned Emperor!" I thought. "He has turned us all against each other."

I was losing my focus. I had come her to ride, not to choose sides. I tossed
and turned, but finally managed to get to sleep.

When I woke, it was the last day of the contest. So many riders had died or
been injured, there would be only one heat. I was so far in front, all I had
to do to win was fall off the platform. The overall team contest was still
tight.

I saw Eliza at the assembly area. She was very surprised to see me in that
red uniform.

"Good luck," she said as we boarded the transport.

The first two sets of riders went off without a problem. Eliza was in the
third race. She was matched with an Imperial rider, so I didn't see how she
could get clipped.  I looked over her equipment, and I didn't see anything
wrong. Maybe the Juggernauts had changed their minds.

She and the other rider waited until a wild storm built. On the mark, they
jumped. As I watched Eliza fall, I saw to small skiffs quickly enter the
storm. As I looked closely I could see they were Nyman ships. I could see
the pilots fighting the winds and trying to position their ships on either
side of Eliza. I turned to look at the last Juggernaut rider in the
transport, but he turned his face away.

"The Nymans are going to grab her!" I yelled.

There was nothing anyone could do. I looked down just as Elisa opened her
sail and caught a thruster and blasted forward. She had not seen the Nyman
ships behind her.

"FLY ELIZA FLY!" I screamed. I knew if she saw the Nymans she could out fly
them.

As a Nyman ship moved in close behind her, I saw a sharp bright flash. Using
an energy weapon, they shot a small hole in her sail. I could see her trying
to adjust, but she could barely catch enough wind to stop from falling. The
Nyman ships started to close in on her and she couldn't fly away.

I had known she was a target, but I had done nothing. Now she was out there
all alone, and she needed help. I couldn't just stand here and let the
Nymans take her.

I leapt off the platform. As I dove, I could see one of the Nyman ships
extend a hook and try to grab her. Eliza was trying to avoid them as best
she could. I caught a violent thruster and blew over them. As I did, I
turned back to face Eliza. With my left hand, I made a big loop. I hoped she
understood.

I visualized what I wanted to do and let all thought pass from my mind.

With all my powers I rode the winds up and away from Eliza and the Nymans.
As I rose, I saw blue flashes go past my face. The Nymans were shooting at
me and I had to twist to avoid being hit. When I felt a downy, I dove into
it and plunged at high speed. At the perfect second, I caught a climber and
headed back up. I was flying so fast the Nymans couldn't hit me.

I was now below Eliza and facing her. The Nymans were almost on her. As the
wind from climber pushed me up, I could see Eliza flying straight and true.
She wasn't trying to avoid the Nymans, because she knew I needed her to fly
level. She trusted me.

Just before I crossed her path, I used my hands to break my speed and she
slammed hard into my chest. We grabbed each other and held tight.

"I KNEW YOU WOULD COME! I KNEW IT!" she yelled.

As Eliza held tightly, I let go of her and opened my arms. I used my sail to
catch the wind and guide us down and away from the Nymans.

Our combined weight was more than my sail could handle and were falling
fast. I was sure the Nymans were still after her, but I couldn't worry about
them.  The ground was coming up fast and our time was running out. Maybe we
would die, but if we did, we died as riders.

There was little Eliza could do except hold on. Our only chance was to catch
a climber to break our speed, but we were falling out of the storm and the
winds were failing. The only thing I could think of was to get horizontal
with the ground and drop Eliza. When she popped open her sail, it would
break her speed and she might have a chance. I leveled off as best I could,
but we were rapidly losing altitude. I needed her to let go at about fifty
meters. I waited as long as I could.

"TURN AROUND!" I yelled to her. I could tell she didn't want to. It meant
she had to let go of me and fall free. We were falling so fast the ground
was coming at my face.

"TURN AROUND NOW!" I screamed at her.

She let go and spun to face the ground. She fell free and popped open her
sail. Even though her sail was damaged, it still caught enough air to drop
her speed. I was traveling fast and I had no wind to stop my fall. I was
able to level off, but I continued to drop. I was going to have to do a roll
landing. I tried to lower my speed as best I could, but the ground came up
to me. I tucked in my sail and rolled onto my shoulder. I formed into a ball
and hit the ground hard. My body rolled and tumbled until my head hit
something and I was knocked out.

When I opened my eyes, Eliza was leaning over me, gently slapping my face.
When I first looked at her I thought I had died and she was an angel.

"Wake up," she said. "Wake up!"

I was dazed; I didn't know where I was. As I slowly gained my focus, I heard
two loud explosions. When I looked to the sky, I saw a massive white sphere
descending through the clouds. As it stopped and slowly rotated, I could see
the giant red eagles on the front. From the bottom of the ship, many small
fighters emerged. They looked like angry hornets buzzing in the sky.

"Can you stand up?" Eliza asked.

With Eliza's help I managed to stand. As I rose, I felt a searing pain in my
left elbow. I could see Eliza had used her great skill to land without
injury.

"You made it," I said.

"You too," she said.

As we looked at each other, a large Imperial military transport descended
from the clouds and landed in front of us. The door blew open and twenty
armed troopers ran out. They surrounded Eliza and me. An Imperial officer
moved over to me and grabbed my left arm and started to pull me away. The
pain was unbelievable, but before I had time to react, I heard a loud voice.

"WAIT!"

I looked over to the transport as a large man in a white uniform draped in a
purple robe emerged. With a quick wave of his hand, he motioned for his men
to back away. Followed by two of his aides, he walked over to Eliza and me.
He looked at Eliza to see she was unharmed. I could tell he was relieved,
but his hard face showed no expression. Then he turned his cold eyes to me.

"Who is this man that pulls my daughter from the sky?"

One of his aides leaned over and spoke into his ear.

"I see," he said. He looked straight at me.

"I'm going to take my daughter home now."

He reached his hand out to her but she stayed next to me.

"You better go," I said.

"When will I see you?" she asked.

"I'll come for you," I said.

"You better," she said.

Eliza started to pull away from me, but I used my good arm to bring her
back. I kissed her right in front of her all-powerful father and she kissed
me back. He didn't bother us. After our embrace, he spoke.

"Eliza, please wait in the ship and let me talk to this young man."

She slowly let go of me and moved away. Her eyes were on me all the way to
the transport. The Field Marshall waved his men away, even his two aides.
Now it was just he and I. He took a good look at my broken elbow.

"That must hurt," he said.

It did hurt, but I held back the pain. The Field Marshall looked at me and I
looked back at him.

"You have a choice, my young friend. A once-in-a-lifetime choice. I can get
you back in the Empire. Do you stay here or do you come home?"

After all the years, the time had finally come to make a decision. I had to
choose a side.  Maybe it was the red uniform, maybe it was Danny's memory,
or maybe it was the faces of all my friends who had died at the hands of the
Emperor. I knew this was a chance I might never get again, but there was
only one answer I could give.

"I stand against the Emperor," I said.

A small crack of a smile came to his hard face.

"You stand against the Emperor?" he asked.  "Here you are with a broken
elbow, no weapons, no friends, no armies, no warships; but you, all alone,
you stand against the Emperor?"

He looked at me and shook his head.

"You hate our Emperor, don't you?"

I knew he could have me killed, but I told him the truth.

"Until my last breath," I said.

He stepped close to me and put his big hands on my shoulders.

"I know just how you feel," he said.

He patted me on the shoulder and pulled his hands away.

"One other thing. When you come for my daughter, use the front door."

He did the best he could for a smile, and then walked back to his transport.

I watched as his vessel lifted up and entered the massive Imperial warship.
The huge rotating sphere slowly rose up through the clouds and out of my
vision.

I didn't win the races of Oretus. Because of my shattered elbow, I was
unable to complete my third ride. The judges ruled my jump with Eliza wasn't
legal.

Over time my elbow fully healed, but I never regained the form I had.
Sometimes Eliza and I ride together in a gentle storm, just to feel the wind
blowing on our faces.

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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