Mike "Crazy" Kwiyowski

From Reach

Revision as of 17:03, 1 June 2007

"Him? That bastard is crazy. He pulled over once to ask me directions. He talked so fast I wasn't sure we were talking the same language. He stared at me for about 2 seconds, then plowed off, covering me in sand. The only reason I know it was him was that I saw his face on the vid screen the next day as the winner [of the Trans-Pole]. I had talked to him over 1000 km north of the pole." - Relo Spartan citizen

Mike Kwiyowski was the definitive champion of The Trans-Pole. While few racers have ever entered more than once, Mike has not only entered, but won, 3 times. Even winning one race sets you up for life, as the amount of money you earn would even earn buy you a citizenship in Delta Nova Prime. However, that wasn't enough for Mike.

First Race

Mike's first race is largely attributed to luck. At that point in time, he was barely better than any of the other racers, but he was equipped with information. Through prodigious bribes to the Orbital Colony, he got 30 hour maps of the entire ring of the Equatorial Desert. He discovered a new Twilight Corridor that saved him 3 hours over the current favorite, and with that lead he managed to blast in to the Down Pole 22 minutes before the competition. The victory was not enough for Mike, though. Instead of retiring on his prodigious winnings, he leveraged his prize into upgrading his vehicle and himself, and entered again the next year.

Second Race

This year, Mike had made a number of modifications. First, he had replaced his right arm with an Earth Tech Cybernetic Jack, allowing to him to use muscle spasms to drive the vehicle as opposed to physical controls. Second, he had hooked himself up to a blood filtering system. While the exact specifications are not known, it is believe that it filtered the toxins out of his blood to prevent the need for sleep, and continually pumped him full of adrenaline. Finally, he stripped his vehicle of all armor, making his only weight considerations the chassis, a custom built Thruster Engine, and an Impactor Railgun. While he took some early damage from competitors in the Up Pole, they were not able to damage any of his vital systems, and he plowed into the finish line 4 hours before his nearest competitor, setting a race record.

Third Race

While a few may have a reason to enter in to a second race, it would be crazy to enter in to a third. 1/3 of all Trans-Pole racers never make it to the finish line, and entering a third time is tantamount to suicide. Mike, however, was undeniably insane by this point. Apparently he had become addicted to the adrenaline boost in his system, and rarely strayed from his car for long. It was further modified with a fully Tilum frame to reduce weight, and the Impactor Railgun was removed for favor of a custom RE-7 launching system. Those few who saw Mike say that he was more machine than man at that point. Whenever his darkened windows were rolled down, the cockpit was a mess of computer screens and wires. The windshield was a gigantic transparent screen, overlaying GPS coordinates over the view, each at 50% transparency. Hushed rumors say he cut his own legs off to save on weight. His engine replaced the standard Carbon 122 combuster with a nuclear reactor, providing 200% of the power at the cost of leaving a radioactive trail wherever he went. Through a series of clever shortcuts, Mike beat his previous time by 32 minutes. Coverage shows that he did not stop at any point during the race.

Fourth Race

At this point, many considered Mike the deFacto winner of the race. Leveraging 3 fortunes in to his car provided a tremendous advantage. Howver, this was not the case. Sadly, despite plowing out of the starting line at unheard of speeds, Mike never reached the finish line. His com harness failed early in the race, and he was lost from every tracking program. Lorra Nostra was the colony that last reported seeing him, and to quote the citizens there "Might have seen him. Didn't know a land vehicle could go that fast though." It is believed that his wreckage can be found somewhere in the Equatorial Desert, as he was not seen at any of the colonies in the Southern Hemisphere.

The End?

What was Mike's trick for the last race? Many have speculated that whatever ace he had backfired. Some just say that it was the inevitable vengence of Reach. Some say he finally snapped mid-race, and got himself killed. Whatever the reason, the Mike "Crazy" Kwiyowski has not been seen in subsequent races, and it is assumed that he ate dirt.