The atmosphere was jubilant on the flight-deck of Harris Hospital as modest crowds watched the sleek dolphins of the Interstellar Ambulance Group disembark and fly swiftly out of the station on to their honourable mission.

The IAG enlisted the services of The Buckyball Racing Club to come up with a course that would test and hone their skills in the face of increased threats to humanity. After the lessons learned from the great tragedies of the Thargoid attacks on the Pleiades Nebula and the humanitarian efforts of the galactic communities to ferry the injured and refugees to waiting hospital barges, the august medical communities of the galaxy have decided that more needs to be done to decrease transit times and refine methods for scooping escape pods under stress conditions.

The crowds’ energy remained strong over the proceeding days as more and more entrants readied themselves for takeoff. Those that had already finished returning to the executive lounge to tell their stories and drink in the prestige of the event, with the Director of the AIG in attendance to congratulate returning pilots and to hand over a small badge, the silver-winged Cadueus, an ancient symbol of pride and skill of these medical professionals which inducted them into the upper echelons of galactic paramedics.

Vid-screens flicked over to Commanders’ own feeds as they transmitted, with full chatter, the thrill of their daring and speedy arrival at Kelly Legacy – appropriately named for the AIG’s ancient progenitor and fellow paramedic pilot Charles L. Kelly, on then to the surface of Leucos, their SRVs kicking up the red dirt as they searched frantically for the pickup site before speeding to transport a patient between Brady Station and the medical installation at Zelano A4. Then on to a deep-space rescue and back to Harris orbital in the fastest time possible.

The whole event was a testament to the daring professionalism that the AIG represents and the skill of the Buckyball team in planning such a tricky and challenging route.

Cmdr Alec Turner brought home the gold in the end with an impressive time of just under thirty seven minutes and of course was gracious in his victory, always mindful of what this event represented: the bleeding edge of care and swift recovery for those in dire need.

Congratulations to all involved, I’m sure the data and insight gained from events like these will save many lives in the future.

Focko Hoft signing out.