Out of many of the ARK's abandoned locales, the area deemed Meteor Herd could almost be described as the most potentially hazardous. A large mass of debris, mainly consisting of spinning chunks of rock, floated about the space around the cluster of mined asteroids that orbited just below the space colony. There were multiple "levels" to the area, consisting mainly of rectangular platforms and clusters of storage containers that all floated in the air with no seen technology, held together with artificial gravity and other unseen forces. The face of the ARK loomed above it all, a silent behemoth staring down upon its smaller neighbors.

The lowest level was also the largest, the octagon shaped platform cut right out of the surface of a very large asteroid, a tower extending upward from its center, the said structure leading down to the asteroid's molten core, if one were to open the gate-like system that stood in the way. Multiple drilling structures surrounded the central tower, as well as many enormous, metal storage boxes, the mining operation meant to be massive, digging the asteroid inside out for its resources. It was a site, just like the rest of the ARK, abandoned for half a century until woken once more.

This was the site of the gathering racers, and, of course, the starting line. A small group of ships rested on the earthy surface of the platform, people filing out with boards, bikes, and the other assortment of vehicles in tow. Already, a cluster of camera-bots descended onto the unaware racers, lenses gleaming as they awkwardly zoomed right up to pan across the unorganized competitors. Annoyed glares were made, and if one watched close enough, one might catch a glimpse of a suddenly-very-dented camera going flying over the gathered racers, and a short green man dusting his hands off with a look that seemed to dare another of the bots to repeat the mistake of flying too close. Yet the spherical cameras continued to desperately do the job they were assigned, angry green men or no, thousands back on the blue planet that graced the asteroid's horizon already tuning in.

Speaking of which, two announcers of a sportscast were already speaking as the cameras circled the group, sitting comfortably in a booth that sat on the edge of the flat octagon, large windows placed behind them to view out to the starting area.

"Welcome, folks, to the first ever Grand Interstellar Cosmic Rush! I'm your host, Larry Catbob, and joining me today is Choo-Choo the Chao! Any words for the viewers, Choo-Choo?"

"Chao chao, ch-chao chaoooo!"

"I do agree, my floating, blobby friend! This indeed will probably be the most exciting event either of us, and the whole world, will ever see! Now how about we go over the proceedings, shall we...?"

One of the cameras suddenly swerved away from the main group and zipped over the grounds of the mining area, coming to a clearly defined starting line; a tall, gleaming, metal archway on top of an installed steel area, all recently built. The name of the event was clearly lit up electronically on the screen the arch held, blazing lights swiveling around the whole structure and the surrounding area.

"Here, of course, is where the shenanigans will begin. And once the signal is given..."

The camera started to fly forward in a predetermined course, coming to what appeared to be another archway, except this time more darker in color.

"...and our racers will blaze off to the first of many, many checkpoints!"

Larry's words were indeed true as the camera continued to follow the path, a series of identical arches continuing around the platform until suddenly they began to raise up from the ground. Soon, they were completely floating in midair without support, now resembling large rings. The space between them twisting around in a circular path around the main tower.

"Each racer has to pass through each of these rings in order to finish the race. Miss one, and they'll have to backtrack!"

"Ch-Chao chaooo chao chao!"

"Taking the words right out of my mouth as usual, Choo-Choo! Of course, all the racers will probably be doing their best to make sure their opponents don't get through those rings. But, in the benefit for the racers, it seems those things could fit about half of them at one time, wouldn't you say, Choo-Choo?"

"Chao chao!"

The view the camera filmed began to arch higher up above Meteor Herd, heading off into the emptiness of space, and soon, the only thing that could be seen were the flashing beacons of the rings before the orb began to travel back down to rejoin its brethren.

"Don't be thinking our racers will just be zooming through nothing, folks! It may not look like it yet, but this particular race course twists and turns all over the ARK, and knowing Vince, he's probably added a few surprises of his own!"

"Chao ch-chao ch-chao chaooo chaooo chaoooo!"

"Now Choo-Choo, I highly doubt that there will be anything that dangerous! Even though the entirety of the course has been kept under wraps, I only foresee the racers encountering obstacles that will challenge their skill. And speaking of the racers, we should see how they're doing!"

The camera had only moments ago arrived back to the walking racers, none of them traveling in a uniformed group, most just taking their time to get to the starting line despite the urgings of some officials that moved amongst them. In fact, the platform lacked much of the splendor and excitement of most Earthbound races, only racers and employees being currently allowed anywhere near Meteor Herd. The publicity of the entire event relied on the multitude of cameras and the small viewing area reserved in the ARK itself, even though the view would be minimal from the set location.

"Not a very lively bunch, are they Choo-Choo?"

The camera, just like all the others before it, panned over the crowd, descending some.

"Chao chao chaoo...."

"I guess they're just too focused on the race ahead! They do like the toughest group of competitors I've seen in a long time. Perhaps it'll add some pizazz to the race!"

"Chao chao ch-chao?"

"Ahahahaha! No, of course I'm not fond of any specific racer, and I'm definitely not gambling on any of them! You're quite the joker, Choo-Choo. Ha ha ha..."

"Ch-chao chaooo chao."

"Ah ha... wait, what? You actually do have a bet going- holy crap!"

The view from the camera, which had been idly floating amongst the racers along with its counterparts, suddenly witnessed a quick blur. The camera spun wildly as it fell, and as it crashed into the dirt ground, the last thing it saw in its short existence was blotch of green before a enormous boot came spiking down, the screen going out in loud crunch before resulting in blackness.

"...well how about that viewers, seems someone is a bit... uh.... eager to get on with the race. So much, in fact, that he won't let a silly camera get in his way! Eh heh heh... Anyway, folks, its only a few minutes before the start of the race, so don't change that channel! Now here's a few announcements from our sponsers..."






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And so, the race eventually began, racers hopping onto boards and bikes and blasting off the minute the lights went green. The group wound its way around the infrastructure of Meteor Herd, everyone neck and neck as they zipped through the rings and ascended up into space.

The race was fairly uneventful at first, the competitors simply following the flashing lights that marked the next incoming gate. This continued for some time, twisting and turning in the area below the massive ARK, when suddenly they were led straight into a (quite more literal) herd of meteors. Here, the rings were set sporadically across the dense cluster of rock, and the racers who held more coordination were being put into the spotlight.

With camera drones speeding to catch up with the racers, they followed them out as the race eventually led to the 'face' of the ARK itself. Here, the gates swung in curves, guiding the racers along the expansive surface of the ARK. Yet there was a large surprise here. What appeared to be turrets, shining with a brand new metal and recently added, swiveled their overly large cannons towards the group approaching.... and began to fire away.

At first glance, this appeared more of a life-or-death concern, but in the view of nearly every racer, one competitor got hit head on with one of the blazing green projectiles the turrets gave out. The force of it was obvious, but its only effect was to forcibly push the racer off course, causing him to miss the next gate. A wave of relief washed over the others, yet evasive maneuvers were quickly put to the test as the surrounding area was soon ablaze with a multitude of different colors as the turrets open fired.

Meanwhile, near the back of the group, a green blur was accelerating almost recklessly. The racers had been anything but kind when it came to the prize at hand, and the hedgehog had found himself hastily pushed- slash that, forcibly kicked in the asteroid field, and had to make a quick turn back to find the gate he managed to miss in his flailing of limbs to get under control. Now, fuming with anger, Sheffer found himself pushing his Gear to its limits, speeding by other, safer racers as he approached the field of turrets.... while narrowly avoiding a shot that would have connected straight with his head.

It seemed things were getting a bit more interesting the farther they went.

Continuously swiping at his visor to discard some more of the annoying paint, Sheffer dared a quick glance back, noting how a few other racers were slowly creeping up on him while also enjoying the view of flailing bodies floating off into the nothingness beyond the ARK (personnel were on stand-by to save the fellows) after coming to explosive collisions with the turret fire. Urging his Gear faster to save himself from another encounter with his eager and aggressive rivals, the hedgehog darted farther forward, finally starting to gain on the lead racer.

He already recognized the figure and Gear ahead of him; the racer that had oh-so-kindly booted him off the track, and Sheffer was craving for some good ol' revenge. Hunkering low on his board, ignition flared as he began to sneak up on his opponent, dark thoughts crawling through his mind on the off-chance he may be presented an opportunity to send the leader off spiraling into the black abyss.

Yet such scheming was physically interrupted up ahead, an object coming into view that was dazzling enough to distract him from the technicolor-rainbow-variety of colored projectiles being shot at him constantly. It was a giant arrow, floating in space and flashing with neon colors, pointing straight down to the ARK beyond the next ring-gate. Confused to such a marker, he sped forward to see what next surprise lay in the race.

Soon to come to his knowledge, as well as the other racers, was that the space-race-track led straight into the ARK itself. A sizable airlock had been opened, allowing access into a expansive hallway that could easily fit four racers side by side all the way through. Gravity would be rudely reintroduced upon entering, and the hall (along with every unnecessary door and forks in the path cut off with tight barriers in order to keep air pressure within the colony) would deliver many sharp turns and corners, many, many flashing arrows guiding the way. A wreck in these cramped quarters could mean a destructive end for some of the racers, when they would reemerge back into space not very clear from the get-go.

With Juke barreling forward at speeds that spat in the face of speed restrictions, his little boost of ignition didn't just cause havoc for the racers before him, but the ones behind as well. As each racer neared the open hatch of the ARK, all they could possibly find was the sustaining blob of thick smoke hanging in the air, and maybe the faint, flashing outline of the guiding arrow beyond.

Most of the competitors zipped right through the smoke and completely missed the proper entrance, others figured it out just in time and dived right in, and an exceptional few were so distracted that they found themselves with a face full of turret-fire. Either way, the once kept together group was now a scattered mess, and possibly out of sympathy for the changing events from the masters of the event, the turrets ceased fire in order for the chaos to attempt becoming a coherent race once more.

Even though it seemed endless, the maze of halls within the ARK eventually led to an end, spitting out the racers right back into the cold clutches of space. One by one, the few who had dared the gauntlet of closed-quarters shot out of the new opening, the ring-markers leading them away from the face of the ARK.

Yet none could see or sense the ripple that dashed towards them. It was invisible, but its frequency was high, passing straight through all of them. The second it reached their air filled suits, an explosion of sound erupted within them, ringing deep inside their ears, the physical effects quite jarring as well. Some racers who had emerged behind the initial four lost control, clutching at helmets and flailing their legs as the sound remained for what felt like ages.

And just as quickly as it arrived, it silenced itself, the unseen ripple going farther out into space.