posted writers forum april 99 - XPERITUS

The "KickerKids"
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A bonfire piercing the darkness of the 
Martian night.  The roar of engines cutting 
the silence.  These were sure signs that 
another late night rally was underway as 
Martian youth rebelled against both the 
pragmatism of the older generation as well
as the Martian environment itself.   

Among the generation just coming of age at
the time of the rebellion were those whose 
love of machines, speed, risk, and 
independence found its expression in the 
contruction of wheeled vehicles built to
run fast and loud.  2, 3, or 4 wheels, it 
didn't matter, as long as it was quick.

With an affected contempt for anything with 
legs, wings, or treads, they built their
"gins" using whatever they could get their 
hands on.  Speed was the only virtue, with 
admiration going to those who could do the 
most with less.  They proved just as 
resourceful as their parents in scrounging 
parts to construct their vehicles. Though 
these were hard to come by, they were 
generous to each other, trading or giving 
parts as needed to get another driver back 
on the road.

This subculture was short-lived, however, 
and went into decline as rebellion activity 
increased.  Imperial Police confiscated and
destroyed vehicles whenever found.  Others
were appropriated by rebel units, always 
short of spare parts.  Some drivers 
considered old enough for combat duty 
eventually found themselves in HERCs, like 
the notorius Matt "Turbo" Turobi.  Others 
too young for battle could be seen 
contributing their valuable skills as 
techs.  There were even a few who ended up 
as couriers or "gophers". 

Members of this last group were generally 
extreme drivers who had participated in "rat
racing" before the war.  These high speed 
races through old mining tunnels had 
practically zero margin for error.  The 
limited illumination from headlights just 
didn't provide enough time to react, and 
they would spend hours in the tunnels, 
learning the features and layout.  Hurtling 
through the darkness, surrounded by solid 
rock, and holding your life in your hands 
was the ultimate trip for these adreneline 
junkies.  So, during the rebellion, when 
radio silence was often necessary to avoid 
attracting Imperial patrols, drivers who 
knew their way around the tunnels made 
valuable couriers who could ferry orders, 
small parts, and sometimes even a passenger 
(a brave one!).
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