Note: I have two teams because I’m one of the hosts of this challenge. I’ve wanted to have the Highway Hooligans come back, but Shift Happens is essential to this challenge.
Team Shift Happens
Our usual suspects when it comes to starting intergalactic automotive shenanigans, Team “Shift Happens” has gone through quite a lot in the last year. How much? A lot.
The Crew:
Kaylie Malradi
Race: Panthirian Tigrilan
Age: 104 Earth Years (70 Panthirian Years)
Height: 6’5" (195.5 cm)
Weight: 190 pounds (86.2 kg)
Of the crew who hasn’t had much changing in her life, Kaylie is still the owner of Twin Suns Towing & Garage. What is new in her life is that now there’s an Aerodrome just a bit further out back. Still happily married to Jayde, she’s just doing the best she can despite several agencies “stealing all of her good workers.”
Jayde Malradi
Race: Aetheriian Leoni
Age: 55 Earth Years (36 Aetheriian Years)
Height: 8’5" (256.5 cm)
Weight: 397 pounds (180 kg)
Jayde, like Kaylie, hasn’t really had a huge amount of changes in his life… Up until very recently, at least. His love for adventuring resurfaced, and he signed on with an agency, ARRD (Asset Recovery, Removal, and Destruction), to satisfy that need. In his downtime from the agency, he still works on fixing cars… Or slinging curses to people who deserve them.
Kayden Grayson
Race: Panthirian Tigrilan
Age: 104 Earth Years old (70 Panthirian Years)
Height: 7’8" (233.7 cm)
Weight: 422 pounds (191.4 kg)
Another one who hasn’t seen a lot of change in his life, except a surprise for the better. See… Kayden found a partner in the last year, an unexpected new arrival who escaped from a darker time in her world’s history. The two haven’t made things official yet, but they are definitely partners.
Sariya Rahmuran-Valdiya
Race: Aetheriian Jaguar Valraadi
Age: 104 Earth Years old. (69 Aetheriian years)
Height: 6’10" (208.2 cm)
Weight: 252 pounds (114.3 kg)
Escaping from the Second War of Magic was always Sariya’s plan. Her ability to “open-rift” (Opening the Rift without use of a doorway or frame) with large vehicles made her incredibly important to the Valraadi Air-Force. When her morals clashed with her orders, she escaped to Earth, sadly without her plane. There, she ran into Kayden and his family, and quickly became one of the family.
Lauren Grayson
Race: Panthirian Tigrilan
Age: 62 Earth Years old. (42 Panthirian years)
Height: 6’0" (182.8 cm)
Weight: 175 pounds (79.3 kg)
The cute-yet-fiesty younger sister to the twins, Kayden and Kaylie, Lauren showed up one day and just got involved in Twin Suns Towing & Garage. You need a car painted, she’ll whip something up. Just… Don’t ask her to surprise you - It will surprise you, and you probably won’t like it. Also amusingly the smallest person in the house, playing with a much larger partner in the same house.
Manikihali Timberfeld
Race: Gray Aetheriian + Dyre Wolf Hybrid
Age: 50 Earth Years old (33 Aetheriian Years)
Height: 8’8" (264.2 cm)
Weight: 625 pounds (272.1 kg)
Manikihali, otherwise called Mani by his friends, stepped right out of the same Rift gate we’re all planning to use to go to Holsia this time. He’s way out of his depth as a battlemage from the First War of Magic, making him roughly equivalent to a Roman Legionary stumbling into today’s world. Given his past, questions of the bedroom nature shouldn’t be asked around him - He will give you advice… It’s no surprise, then, why Lauren gets along well with him.
Malavera Caller-of-the-Moons
Race: Orthrian Khalan
Age: 359 Earth Years old (51 Khalara-5 Years)
Height: 8’2" (249.3 cm)
Weight: 519 pounds (235.4 kg)
“Weren’t you… shorter last year?” Yes, Malavera was. Then he got himself into a bit of trouble, some of his past caught up to him (Turns out, being a notorious gangster in the 1920’s through the 1960’s is fine, but being the infamous hacker was what almost got him caught), and the ERA (Extraterrestrial Resettlement Agency) offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse. Now he’s their “Information Management Specialist” as well as Kaylie’s tow-rig dispatcher, and the owner of Mooncaller Mining Company. The extra height isn’t the only thing new in his life - Meeting his Daughter was also an… experience.
Kivenaal Khakrin-Marinseien
Race: Light Aetheriian + Valraadi (Post-Fall) Hybrid
Age: 63 Earth Years old (41 Aetheriian Years)
Height: 8’6" (259.0 cm)
Weight: 538 pounds (244 kg)
The infamous prankster really hasn’t changed much - He’s still Mal’s partner, still works at Twin Suns, and still pulls pranks. However, he’s a little more comfortable with who he is. The orange markings on his wrists are the result of Malavera getting annoyed when their household hosted a couple of deities on vacation. After Malavera had mistaken Xelth for Kivenaal one too many times, the decision was made to give one of the two some distinctive markings. Kiva doesn’t mind - He thinks they look cool.
Takaraya Wintermoon
Race: Khalan (Khalara 5, Genetically Altered)
Age: 176 Earth Years old (25 Khalara-5 Years)
Height: 8’10" (269.2 cm)
Weight: 659 pounds (298.9 kg)
One of the ones who experienced the most changes this year, Takaraya has gone from a mechanic at Twin Suns to a Captain in the Khalan Royal Navy, in command of his own Super Star Destroyer, Last Shadow. He helped in a couple of missions for ERA, and he ended up with a partner, Natalia, as a result. Natalia isn’t here because her idea of fun doesn’t include sitting in a car for hours on end.
Kasiya Wintermoon
Race: Gray Aetheriian + Khalan (20% Khalara 5, 20% Khalara 3, 10% Khalara 9) Hybrid
Age: 71 Earth Years old (10 Khalara-5 Years)
Height: 10’0" (304.8 cm)
Weight: 1378 pounds (625 kg)
Easily the most changed person here from last year. Between switching from a job at Twin Suns to a job at ERA, and then many changes happening over many missions, he’s changed a lot. The “Cliff Notes” version? Went to post-fall Aetherii to help revive the planet, died, and returned to life with magic. Studied magic at Tendragon Academy, blew a potion up in his face, and got four arms out of the deal. Blessed by his patron deity at the time to heal a lot faster and be a lot stronger in his time of recovery. Went to another world to evacuate a population before a nuclear winter could wipe them out, and partially ascended. Now, he’s the Neo-Aetheriian God of Peace and Renewal, and he’s having a bit of a hard time with accepting that. Thankfully, one of the other changes is that he’s recently married to someone who tries to help level him out.
Inaelus Scorched-Root
Race: Light Aetheriian + Orthrian Khalan (Khalara 5) Hybrid
Age: 52 Earth Years old (Ship Born, No Homeworld)
Height: 8’7" (261.6 cm)
Weight: 661 pounds (300 kg)
It’s bad enough knowing you were conceived in a one-night-stand 52 years ago… It’s worse when you find out that your father would have actually loved to know you existed. Inaelus arrived with fury and venom, and now has mellowed out regarding her father - She understands now that he really didn’t know. She partnered up with Kasiya, and she joined up with ERA as an agent, but what really, really made her “Whole fraggin’ solar year” was when her magic awakened and she found out how to use it.
The Vehicle
2004 MHI/AMCW City Shuttle
Big people need a big vehicle. This bus really was picked up for less than $2,000, mostly because it’s a city shuttle bus and thereby it’s geared for city use. Oh, it can do highway speed… With the engine howling at redline. Their trailer is a “box of holding,” but it’s mostly full of food, camping supplies, and tools.
Of course, the big thing notable about it is, well… The declaration that the bus has an AI onboard. Takaraya and Malavera worked together for half a year to write the code, and have been training it ever since. It speaks in beeps, dings, and emoticons on a display in the cab… And is likely to spend much of its time displaying !? :( on the main display on the tight, twisty roads we’re driving this year.