New Definition to Space Opera

The tracks of light that raced circled the moon were like that of a science fiction electrical board. The lights and flashes of the space racers made the starry nights not seem so lonely. Perhaps it was the stuff of dreams that brought forth the wonder of the effortlessness of the slick racers. There was noise even in the vacuum of space. Noise was what made the racers go. The Radio waves that blasted the main stadium were from the band Ronnie Miller’s Radio Racers. The metal band was one of ten that made the racers roar to life. 

Ronnie Miller was the man that figured it all out. He was an astrophysicist that had a hobby as a metal drummer. One night, while he was drumming away with his headphones on, he began to feel like some of his samples began to gain life. The samples came from an asteroid that had fallen into orbit with Earth. Shuttles were sent up and collected samples. Ronnie was one of the few men that had received a sample for study. The ore seemed to react to sound waves and even better to radio waves. It was as if it had a will to live. Ronnie Miller’s band began to produce music and found that engines made of this ore could transcend the limits of gravity. Ronnie started a new form of entertainment at the same time as viable space travel and made limitless energy that goes along with the human race. 

Though Ronnie could not pilot the Space Racer, he was the maestro of the band that provided the life of such a beautiful race. Other genres were tried but heavy metal seed to appeal the best to the heavy ore. Ronnie was given the pleasure of naming the ore. Radiogen was what he said it was. Radiogen provided the means for interstellar travel as long as one played music along the way. Soft classical music made the Space Racer more maneuverable, rock music caused the Space Racer to have an  intermediary speed, but Heavy metal music was for racing at top speed.

Ronnie had the means to power a racer, it was the piloting skills of Kayle Mouss that would win races. She had her start in North Carolina, racing her father’s stock car at the age of fifteen. She was all for country music but she got a taste for speed metal after seeing her first Radio Race. Kayle loved the speed of the racing machine; she thrived on the sense of life and vibrations as the swift apparatuses soared through the stars. 

When Kayle first met Ronnie, he was going through pilots like tissue paper. There was none that could keep up with his music. Kayle was twenty-five when she met Ronnie. They had met on Luna, after a disastrous Radio Race. Twenty crashes and five deaths. Ronnie Miller’s band had the climax of the race and the speed and tempo had forced the pilots to actually maneuver and anticipate the other pilots moves. For the pilots of the Radio Racers, provided very little than the entertaining visual spectacle the bands that played.

Kayle did some trials with Ronnie on his Luna ranch. Even with classical and rock, Kayle did superbly but the speed metal is where she truly excelled. Her piloting of the racer made even the artist stare up in wonder. As if the wonder of seeing the races was new all over again. The twists and spirals of the one racer were made to appear as five. The town of Collins nearby saw the racer and awe and wonder struck the townsfolk; they thought that a race was taking place and they were missing it. Ronnie stopped when he looked up and saw the beauty of Kayle. Her lines and color made old movies seem absolutely cheesy. 

Entertainment was worth billions, mankind’s most profitable work. Radio Racing would now be worth more than trillions. People would come from all over the system to see Kayle and her magical machine and hear the accelerando tones of Ronnie Miller’s metal. Luna would be the reimagined birth of entertainment for the Traveler’s age.

The tracks were laid out, the guide cables around Luna were set. There were hundreds of pilots. Kayle may have been the youngest and most talented, but she was also the most inexperienced. Rick Cannon and the Cannonballs, best bass speed on Venus. Roxy Red and the Demonic Batch from Mars, Red had a guitarist that had multiple split fingers from the speed that he strummed. There were several bands from Earth. The Homeland Fighters, for example, had some local government funding them. Nothing compared to the vast resources that Ronnie had on Luna. Due to Kayle joining Ronnie’s band a rename was in order. They went with the Mouss Racers, simple, eloquent and easy to remember.

Kayle was idling around the starting area. She and the other five hundred competitors were awaiting the starting music of alternative rock. The smooth jazz was that of a relaxing sort, just something to ease the crowd and pilots before the ensuing madness of the race. 

All the music was played live. The Radiogen responded to all music, but the races were more lively when slight mistakes were made. The active bands made sure that a concert was as lively as possible for the crowd was in the billions. Not only those that had traveled to Luna, but also those that watched from home, work or in travel. Radio Racing was not an event to miss. 

To say that Kayle was nervous was understatement. She was terrified. Pre-race jitters Ronnie had told her, he got them too. Kayle didn’t think that was it. Who was she? A rookie placed with all these fantastic racers and movers. Why did Ronnie so willingly agree to allow her to race for him? 

“Because you are fearless.” 

What sort of words could make her dance with the impossibly fast music. Ronnie knew that Kayle was a daredevil. In fact, he was counting on her recklessness to win fans and hearts.

The music went silent. The smooth jazz was gone. The starting band gathered their instruments. A seamless recording of William Tell started in and that was the signal to get to the starting lineup. The quiet noise leading up to the crescendo of the start. 

The track went around the moon and was tracked by A.I. monitors. The goal was to complete thirty laps around the moon. One lap for every degree of the heavenly body. With asteroid fields and speedways, not to mention the wreckage of a starliner emitting electric bursts every now and then, the course was set. 

The starting band prepared their first notes, just some odd strumming to warm up the radiogen for what was about to transpire. The host got up to the microphone and made his announcement to the gathered crowds, race technicians in orbit, racers, and the millions more gathered around the solar system.

“Ladies and gentlemen, old and young. Welcome to today’s race! Your racers and bands are here, Ronnie Miller and the Radio Racers will be the end so expect an explosive finale. This race will consist of thirty laps around the moon. The music will be represented from all over the Solar system. Each lap should take one hour for even the safest flyers. But we did not halt business and traffic for safety today, no, we the people expect fast races and duels that will be worth telling future generations about. So without any further ado, Maestro, prepare your band and take our imaginations toward the stars!”

Kayle could feel the drum roll pick up speed and knew what was about to come. Medieval Death was the name of the starting band, and they sucked so hard that there was guaranteed to be at least four wrecks at the start of the race. People roared to life and the race began.