Insex - Remastered - Cowgirl - Marathon 1- 4 -

“You idiot,” Kaelen laughs, crying. “You could have won.”

Kaelen arrives at the Insex compound with nothing but a worn jacket and a datapad showing his sister’s face. He’s assigned a strider—a scarred, grey-blue creature named Vespa —who has thrown every rider for two seasons. Soran is tasked with “breaking” Kaelen’s spirit to save him the trouble.

Kaelen looks up. “She’s scared. Not mean.” Insex - Remastered - Cowgirl - Marathon 1- 4

One evening, Soran watches Kaelen braid sage into Vespa’s mane. He walks up and wraps his arms around Kaelen from behind.

That’s the first time Soran laughs in a year. It’s ugly, rusty—but real. “You idiot,” Kaelen laughs, crying

“Still think I’m scared?” Kaelen asks.

But Kaelen doesn’t try to dominate Vespa. He sits outside her stall for three nights, reading aloud from old Earth horse manuals. On the fourth morning, Vespa places her antennae on his shoulder. Soran watches from the shadows, something cracking in his chest. Soran is tasked with “breaking” Kaelen’s spirit to

Soran snaps, “She’ll eat your face, mechanic.”