[b][center][h3][code]Thursday 16/06 Formula AG Pilot GroupChat[/code][/h3][/center][/b] [color=fff200][b]Paul [/b][/color] Dorian and I are headed to the Pub Jen recommended The Fox Inn in Farthinghoe. Feel free to join us! Last night to relax before all the fun tomorrow! Come join us! [color=fff200][b]Dorian[/b][/color] As the boy wonder said, we have a reservation for 7pm. Come hang out with us! [hr] [center][h1][b] Friday 14th June, 2094 Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England 1400 GMT (Earlier that day) [/b][/h1][/center] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://youtu.be/QtXby3twMmI?feature=shared] Coldplay - The Adventure of a lifetime [/url] [/b] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]La Chauffeur[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] Paul was in his racing suit and preparing to take out his VIP when Dorian came back in with Maxine Lomas. Paul gave his teammate a genuine smile that hid his amusement as he watched the tough footballer regain her equilibrium as she climbed out of the AG ship. Paul and Dorian had been asked to accommodate a few hot lap VIPs at Silverstone. Alexander had launched a special Team Valkyrie victory tour through Europe and online using VR to capitalize on the team’s positive press after their win at Monaco. The fans were loving every minute of it. Scarlett Collins from Valkyrie’s Junior AG Team had been asked to help with that project. She had called Paul to tell him how excited she was. Scarlette was being introduced to Formula AG fans on a much larger platform than she was used to. She told him that Katherine’s team had taken some time to give her additional media training. Paul greeted Dorian warmly. Paul waited politely for the ground crew to push in the stairs and for Dorian to pop the canopy and help Maxine down. He stood politely to one side holding his helmet as Dorian did the obligatory photo op with Maxine with the ship behind them. Dorian walked towards Paul with a smile. He stepped forward and gave him a quick bro hug and a smile as Dorian pulled back nudging him. Dorian chuckled as he asked: [color=00a651]"Paul, find a passenger as big as a deal as Maxine, non?"[/color] Paul laughed and blushed a little. [color=fff200]“Nope. I think I got the VIP of a computer company. No one is as famous as your national treasure.”[/color] Paul graciously smiled at the famous footballer and turned his attention to her. Paul: [color=fff200]“Did you enjoy yourself Maxine?” [/color] Paul had a passing thought that they should add Maxine to the security roster. He bet going out for drinks with her would be an experience in itself. Maxine: [color=f7976a]"A pleasure to meet you, Paul, this is incredible! Thank you both for showing me around the garage!"[/color] Maxine yelled over the roaring sound of another two-seater ship going out, the whine converting into a full blown roar when it left the pit. Paul smiled and nodded to Maxine. [color=fff200]“Our pleasure Maxine. I have to go check in with my VIP. Catch you later Dorian.”[/color] Paul waved as he moved to the second tandem Formula AG trainer ship that Valkyrie had brought with the team with this very idea in mind. Paul went to the other ship that had ground crew around it. The stairs were set up and there was someone waiting for him in a racing suit with a helmet. The person had their back to him and he couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman. The person was short with a slight lanky build. Hairstyle was no longer an indicator of gender as both men and women wore their hair long and short. The person’s hair was cut into a sleek raven black bob with neon purple streaks in it that had some holographic and lighting effects woven into it. Paul’s thoughts drifted as he walked towards the VIP waiting for him. Paul preferred to keep his hair natural. He just used a style that worked with his thick wavy hair. Paul was blessed with the kind of hair that always looked styled no matter how messy it was. He was grateful since he almost always was camera ready and he didn’t have time to fuss with a hair regime. His blonde hair looked golden in strong sunlight. He knew he was attractive but he tried not to let it go to his head. His mother had been serious when she told him she would have him chemically castrated if he got some poor girl pregnant because he was sowing his wild oats. She had driven the point home that he would not be cleared medically if he showed up with some STD. Even with modern medicine bacteria and viruses found a way to mutate and change. There was always some new STD on the horizon. He had also been taught from a young age how people would try to manipulate and use him because of his heritage and wealth. Even with the extra training on how to deal with being in the public’s eye all his life, he had learned some painful lessons about that the hard way. He wondered if he would ever get over the trauma from his former relationships. He had thought he had found love and instead he had been blinded by hormone driven lust manipulated into believing the girl just wanted to love him. She had been carefully conning him into giving her access to his allowance. She had known that with his training and competition schedule that he didn’t have much time for romance. She had manipulated his feelings making him feel guilty for not spending time with her. She would get him to buy her extravagant apology gifts. His best friend at the time had tried to warn him but Paul had lashed out at him. He had pushed him away telling him he was jealous of Paul. Paul regretted losing that friend later. His mother had confronted him with a dossier on his girlfriend. She had her investigated. It had been a humiliating and painful lesson as his mother showed him pictures of her with other wealthy men. Hanging all over them and kissing them. Then she had shown him the surveillance video from his apartment where she had let herself in using his code. She had wandered through the apartment and had placed some hidden cameras in the bedroom and living room. The time and date stamps were from the day before. Paul had been out of town at a race. She had told him she couldn’t come with him to the race. She normally begged to travel with him. That should have been his first clue. She had been hinting that she was preparing a special evening for them. Paul had felt gutted as he watched her placing the hidden cameras. Paul had felt so violated. After that experience he started seeing a therapist but he no longer trusted his feelings about people. It left him lonely and unable to really open up to other people. He kept his real feelings close to his vest. He didn’t really let his walls down for many people. He hid his feelings behind a happy relaxed attitude and front. Others would never realize how driven or how private he truly was. Paul’s attention was brought back to the here and now as his VIP turned around to greet him as he approached. It was a petite elfin looking woman. She had a thin willowy build. Her features were delicate and her face was dominated by a pair of large blue eyes. Paul was stunned as she didn’t seem like that type that would seek the adrenaline rush of a trip around the track in an AG Ship. She looked really young as well. She looked like she was maybe 18. Paul managed not to frown as he worried if she could handle the physical stress of the g forces that would be exerted on her from the ship’s speed. Paul knew that the Team took safety seriously so she must have been cleared for the track. Paul stepped up and shook the hand she had extended with a gentle shake. One of Katherine’s marketing people did the introductions, Thomas Taylor who was in charge of public relations. Thomas: [color=c4df9b]“Hello Paul. Allow me to do the introductions. This is Miss Robyn McIntyre the founder and CEO Of Banshee Microsystems. Miss McIntyre has passed the physical but we would ask that you keep the g forces under 6 gees if possible. She has signed all the relevant waivers and disclaimers. She is good to go.” [/color] Paul nodded as he listened carefully to what Thomas had to say. His eyes never strayed far from the face of Miss McIntyre who looked frustrated by Thomas’ words. Robyn: [color=bc8dbf]“Now Thomas I signed the relevant documentation and I want a real experience in the ship.” [/color] Paul frowned at her request. [color=fff200]“Miss McIntyre, this is for your own safety. Pilots undergo training and augmentation that allows us to handle the g forces exuded by these ships. I am happy to give you a great experience but not at the cost of you being injured from it. I promise to give you all I feel you can take. This may seem like precautions but let me give you a comparison. Most standard roller coasters pull between 4 and 6 gees. Pilots in a Formula AG ship pull 7 gees and up.”[/color] Paul’s estimate on her age went up with the way she spoke. He couldn’t get over how young she looked. Yet she was supposed to be a CEO? Well tech did seem to be the realm of youth. Robyn looked frustrated still. [color=bc8dbf]“I am going to level with you because I need this. I am testing a new computer chip. I want to test it against real g forces outside of a lab environment. I will accept what you can do now. But if I wanted to test it out in a race… would that be possible?” [/color] Thomas looked surprised since their passenger had not disclosed this. He was at a momentary loss as he watched her pull out a small sleek box about 3 inches wide and 6 inches long that fit into the pocket of the flight suit she was wearing. Paul was surprised and shifted his weight to his back foot. He had assumed from her looks that she was some kind of popstar or social media influencer. He looked over at the surprised Thomas. Paul looked amused to see the media executive at a loss for words since that was literally his job. Paul: [color=fff200]“Well miss McIntyre. If you truly wish to use Team Valkyrie’s services for testing, this is not the venue for it. I am happy to take you around the track today. If you really want to test that chip and get all the relevant data that we could provide you to go with such as the g forces being exerted on from the ship’s data, that would require a contract with the team. You should reach out to Mabel Brown, Alexander Knight’s executive assistant to arrange that. Team Valkyrie has a test track and test pilots on hand to help with requests such as these.” [/color] Robyn looked frustrated and disappointed at Paul’s answer. As she thought through his answer she gave him a brilliant smile. [color=bc8dbf]“I didn’t think that was possible. Thank you Paul. I will reach out to her.”[/color] She looked over at Thomas with a smile. [color=bc8dbf]“Thomas, can you provide me with Miss Brown’s contact information?”[/color] She turned back to Paul. [color=bc8dbf]“Would it be okay if we still go around the track? I will just leave this secured in my pocket. It will still help forward my research along. This was the only thing on the public net that I could find. I know there are labs in space but I wanted to see how well it did in Earth’s gravity first.”[/color] Thomas had simply nodded and bent over his tablet and he sent a ping with the relevant information to her inbox. Thomas smiled at Robyn. [color=c4df9b]“Done Miss McIntyre.” [/color] Paul nodded that it was okay with him. He turned to Thomas who looked relieved. Paul knew this was the kind of unusual request that would have to go through Alexander’s office or the CEO and since Valkyrie was without one at the moment. Leopold and the Board had been handling those duties. This seemed like something Alexander would find interesting and he knew Mabel would be a good gauge of Alexander’s interest. Paul waved towards the ship. [color=fff200]“After you Miss McIntyre.” [/color] Paul made sure her chip was in a secured pocket and that it couldn’t come out with the g forces exerted inside the ship. He made sure her helmet was secured properly and that the safety harness was fastened. He gave her a smile as he tugged one last time on the safety harness. Paul smiled at her as he asked. [color=fff200]“Okay Miss McIntyre I have one final question for you.” He gave her a lopsided grin as asked. “How fast do you like to go and do you like roller coasters?” [/color] Robyn’s laughter spilled into the cockpit with childlike glee. [color=bc8dbf]“I love roller coasters and the faster the better!” [/color] Paul nodded and gave her an answering grin. [color=fff200]“I hope you enjoy your ride.”[/color] He climbed into the pilot’s seat and tugged on his helmet. He fastened his safety harness before plugging in his neural interface which had an opening for it on the side of his helmet. He started up the ship as the ground crew closed the canopy. He took a minute to test the strength of his neural interface and how responsive the ship was. It was more sluggish than his typical ship since this was an older ship and was used at much slower speeds for training and these VIP track experiences. He had not been downplaying the safety of unaugmented people at the speeds their racing ships could go. He would be sure to give her a good experience though. Paul smiled as he told her [color=fff200]“Okay here we go!”[/color] He took the ship out for the hotlap to warm up the engines. He explained what he was doing. [color=fff200]“This first lap is slow to warm up the engines. If we don’t warm them up first then the sudden shift in temperatures can cause dangerous microfractures in the engines which can lead to a catastrophic engine failure due to metal fatigue.” [/color] Paul was not surprised when she didn’t respond. He hoped that she wouldn’t be one to throw up. Once they came back through the starting gate he opened the throttle. Paul smiled at her whoop of excitement as they took off. He heard her breath catch as he didn’t slow down for the first corner and slung shot around it. He could tell she was having a good time as she cheered, screamed, and laughed at being thrown around in the back seat as he made his way around the track. He was not using close to the speeds that he did when racing or even training but it was more than Thomas had suggested. He had heard her breath catch a few times as if the wind had been knocked out of her. He floored it on the back straight as they came roaring across the finish line. He then left off the throttle and pulled the ship back into paddock row. He powered the ship down as the ground crew approached with the ladder. He had disconnected his neural interface and took a moment before he began to unfasten his safety harness. He then stepped onto the platform at the top of the steps and bent over to help her out of her safety harness. She was pale but all smiles as she stepped out of the ship onto the platform. She did lose her balance a little and Paul caught her before she could fall. Paul: [color=fff200]“Careful take your time to regain your equilibrium and let your blood pressure settle. This is why we couldn’t push the speed higher. Did you like your ride?” [/color] He waited till Robyn seemed stable before withdrawing his support. She had looked up at him startled as his quick reflexes caught her before she could fall. She had stepped out of the ship and was hit with a dizzy spell. She was looking up into his eyes which seemed so close with her wrapped up in his strong arms. She gulped and nodded gratefully when he let her go. She was worried that he could feel her racing heart through the thick racing suit. She took a few deep breaths before climbing down the stairs. She took a few steps away from the stairs before turning towards him as he came down the stairs. She pulled off the helmet and tucked it under her arm before shaking out her hair and running her hands through it to straighten it out some. She gave Paul a big smile with excitement still in her eyes. [color=bc8dbf]“Yes It was worth it! I had a blast! I will have to do this again someday.” [/color] Paul had pulled his helmet off and had tucked it under his arm as he gave her a warm smile. [color=fff200]“I am glad you enjoyed it. I hope it helps you out with your research. Would you like a photo to commemorate the occasion?”[/color] Paul motioned towards the professional photographer that was part of the package waiting next to Thomas. Robyn looked at the waiting photographer and was a little startled to realize they were surrounded by people. The ground crew checking over the ship, Thomas and part of the marketing team and security. Robyn flushed a little and nodded with a strained smile. [color=bc8dbf]“But of course.”[/color] She stepped next to Paul and posed with him in front of the ship as the photographer snapped a few photos of them together and then her by herself in front of the ship. Robyn offered Paul a handshake when they were done. [color=bc8dbf]“Thank you Paul for the experience and information. You gave me the experience of a lifetime.” [/color] Paul gave her a smile and a warm handshake in return. [color=fff200]“Your welcome. It’s all in a day’s work for me.” [/color]He gave her a saucy wink before he turned her back over to Thomas and left for the Team’s private areas. [hr] [color=gold][center][h1][i][b]Social Media[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [hr] [center] [b][color=fff200]Team Valkyrie AGR @TeamValkyrie:[/color][/b] Team Valkyrie AGR Sport is proud to announce the Team Valkyrie Wings of the Past, Present,and Future Tour! We want to celebrate the career of Dorian Hornfleur. We want to showcase our past, the present, and highlight our hopes for the future. Come meet some of the Junior Formula AG team who will be the future of the sport. Dorian Hornfluer and Paul Mulder will be making appearances as their schedule allows. The tour will be a live event traveling across Europe over the next month. The live events are being hosted for a small charge to keep it affordable for all fans. Admission is only $10 per person. For those fans who can’t make it in person there is a virtual experience Tour that you can access for free from the Team Valkyrie website. The virtual event will host virtual recreations of past ships and include virtual reality race experiences for fans that will put them in the driver’s seat! For more details click [color=fff79a][here][/color]. [/center] [hr] [color=fff200]OfficeDrone#12:[/color] Wow! That sounds like a great event! I will have to check that out. [color=fff200]SuperfanAGR54:[/color] Free virtual racing for fans?! Count me in! [color=fff200]DantheMan:[/color] Oh hell yeah! Sign me up. I hope I can make the event close to me. [color=fff200]BatDave:[/color] I wonder if they would mind an appearance by Batman. [color=fff200]Superfan2075:[/color] It sounds like a desperate play to keep us focused on positive stuff but I have to admit I can’t wait to check it out. [color=fff200]DadBod89:[/color] Whooh! My kids are going to love this! [color=fff200]Hater101:[/color] Gotta give their marketing team props for deflecting the negative with positive. [color=fff200]Papabear34:[/color] Color me impressed by an actual family friendly AG event that I can take my kids too. [color=fff200]Nana2050:[/color] I wonder if Alexander will be at any of these events? [color=fff200]GeorgeFly:[/color] Darn it I just know I will have to work when the event closest to me is in town. At least they are offering some fun virtual stuff as well. [color=fff200]ValkyrieFan56:[/color] I wonder if they list which events Paul will be attending? [color=fff200]Weedhead81:[/color] Groovy man! Yes I know its old but you know what they say, anything old is in again. [color=fff200]SexyM@m@5:[/color] I wonder if they will tell us which events Dorian might be attending. He deserves this recognition. [color=fff200]Paulmulder4eva:[/color] Ohhh I have to check the schedule. Maybe I can finally meet Paul! [color=fff200]Britball12:[/color] Well the virtual stuff sounds interesting and fun. Don’t care about the other stuff. [color=fff200]!YouSlow!:[/color] Wow! That’s cool. It would be interesting to compare how the ships have changed. [color=fff200]xImFasterthanUx:[/color] I will have to check out that virtual reality experience. [color=fff200]AGInthusiast:[/color] I can’t help but agree that it is a deflection tactic to focus on the team’s positive news and Dorian’s win. I have to say I am interested in the virtual ship experience. [color=fff200]micheal650004:[/color] It’s nice of them to find a low budget way to engage fans with a new experience. I approve. [color=fff200]Bertha:[/color] You are all sheep being led away from the negative stuff. This is a distraction to keep you focused on the good stuff while the team is imploding. [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Media Before Silverstone[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://youtu.be/ru0K8uYEZWw?feature=shared] Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop This Feeling[/url][/b] [hr] [color=ed1c24]“This is Lilly Stryker from TMZ. We come to you today with some news hot off the presses. Team Valkyrie’s marketing department confirmed that Alexander Knight is dating model Lena Bouras. Is love in the air for the Crew Chief at Team Valkyrie? Well ladies the word is that the man is off the market. There are no rumors about an engagement or wedding but the marketing team confirms he is in a committed relationship with Lena. Lena accompanied Alexander to events surrounding the Monaco Grand Prix. They looked pretty happy to us. Take a look for yourself. (The screen fades into a montage of video and still pictures taken at various events in Monaco). Remember you heard it here first. This has been Lily Stryker with TMZ.” [/color] [hr] [color=ed1c24]“This is Lauri Ivan with Victory Laps Racing News. We are hearing rumors that Amy Stirling wanted to contest the win by Dorian Hornfleur at Monaco but was shut down by team principal Peter Thatcher.Witnesses said Amy felt that Dorian had illegally blocked her in one of the turns. There was a mention of calling upon the racing stewards. We have not heard that any formal allegations have been filed with FIAR. If the allegations were upheld by race officials it would cost Dorian the win. Is it just a rumor? If it is, it is a spicy one. Remember to listen to Victory Laps Racing News for the latest in Formula AG news. This has been Lauri Ivan.” [/color] [hr] [color=ed1c24]"This is Hans Keller with Gossip. There is hot news from Team Valkyrie today. The team has confirmed the rumors that Alexander Knight is in a committed relationship with Lena Bouras. In a bold marketing move, the team announced an old fashioned victory tour to celebrate Dorian Hornfleur’s win at Monaco. The racing team is turning it into a family friendly event tour across Europe. They have also rolled out a virtual event for fans who can’t make it to the local events. The virtual offerings have fans salivating over the virtual reality racing simulation. Many are eager to experience that. The Team has assured that the experience is safe for all fans. They have cut the haptic feedback to reduce the neural strain experienced by pilots. They assure that it should still deliver an exciting experience for fans who wonder what it is like to pilot one of these amazing ships. Older fans are being wooed by the virtual museum and the ability to explore ships past and present. There seems to be something for all fans. The Team has kept the costs low to engage as many fans as possible. It appears to be working as it is all fans are talking about. This was a stroke of marketing genius for Team Valkyrie. We did pick up an unconfirmed rumor from Team Valkyrie’s office that the event was the brainchild of Alexander Knight. The new team principal keeps surprising us and the public. What will he do next? Remember you heard about it here first! This has been Hans Keller with Gossip.” [/color] [hr] [b][color=00aeef]Welcome to The Paddock, our popular Formula AG Racing Forum! All Formula AG Fans are welcome to discuss all things Formula AG! This channel is moderated and all participants need to adhere to the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use. This online channel is a place to discuss the thing we are all passionate about Formula AG Racing![/color][/b] [color=fff200]Moderators will flag and censor anyone breaking the community guidelines.[/color] A quick reminder of the most important rules: Be respectful, no attacking other members. Share relevant content only. NO spam or vandalizing the forum. Respect other members' privacy and guard your own. [b]DO NOT USE language that is libelous, defamatory, obscene, threatening, offensive, demeaning, derogatory, disparaging, or abusive, or post links to content that contains any of this language. [/b] [color=fff200]KingKofiFan:[/color] I am a diehard Kofi fan but I can’t wait to check out that virtual reality simulator! [color=fff200]$erwa: [/color] Agreed! OMW to Team Valkyrie’s website to check it out. [color=fff200]Jan2084:[/color] Interesting. I might have to check that out. [color=fff200]Bertha:[/color] You are all falling for their distraction tactics. Sheep to the slaughter. [color=fff200]NoraRules:[/color] That is awesome! I wish Southern Cross had thought to do that. I feel like a traitor but I want to check out the simulator. [color=fff200]BadBrad:[/color] @Bertha I agree with you. They fall for the candy trick every time. [color=fff200]ApexSuperFan:[/color] Hmmm I have to agree it feels like a marketing distraction ploy. Amy almost had Dorian at Monaco. She should have won. [color=fff200]AGInthusiast:[/color] Now that is a nice way to thank their fans for their support. I like it! [color=fff200]TeamCondorSF:[/color] I have to agree with @NoraRules I have to check out that simulator even if it makes me feel like I am being disrespectful to my team. [color=fff200]Susie:[/color] Ohhh I wonder which events the pilots will attend? [color=fff200]Abdullah:[/color] I don’t really care about the events but I might have to check out that simulator. [color=fff200]Roberto:[/color] Now if I get Team Nordic Call to do this and offer up some of Astrid’s free gin. Now that would be a party! [color=fff200]Merica1:[/color] Well I am too far away to attend any of the events anyway. I might have to check out the online virtual offerings though. You know… for research purposes. [color=fff200]Zygonista:[/color] Eh it is interesting. I am sure if Zygon decided to do this it would be better. [color=fff200]BadBrad:[/color] @Merica1 research purposes… right. (eye roll emoji) [color=fff200]ValkyrieFan56:[/color] YES! This is awesome! [color=fff200]SuperfanAGR54:[/color] I will have to check out the free online offerings and check it out. [color=fff200]BeaLover:[/color] I have no skin in this game. Can’t help my curiosity though. I will have to check out the free online offerings. [hider= Team Valkyrie Characters] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5XUgYiVm6KjTpFTWZtJvXc0MX77enkLzINHujKw/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [/hider]