[center][h1][b] Race Nürburgring, Nürburg, Germany [/b][/h1][/center] [hr] Alexander was pleased to see that Scarlett and Anna did well at the home race. The fan zone was hopping. Alexander was amused to see that the fan zone was getting more attention than the race itself. The biergarden was particularly popular. The Drunken Dragon was very popular with local fans who had been following the pub’s connection to Team Valkyrie. It was not a surprise to see the German fans at least happy holding a pint of beer. He was also pleased to see that the fans had embraced the junior team and were seeking them out in the fan zone when they were there for autographs and pictures. The Delta Hyper special had certainly helped raise the Junior Team’s popularity with fans and the general public. Sami Liponnen and Tohad been asked for interviews by a lot of the media wanting to update fans on the junior league performance. The Delta Hyper special had sparked a greater interest from the fans which in turn was raising interest with sponsors and media trying to capitalize on that interest. Alexander sighed knowing that he was not the only team to benefit from his actions but he couldn’t be upset that the entire Junior League was seeing benefits from it. Alexander watched the German Grand Prix with memories of the past flowing through his head. He smiled remembering him and Audrick battling it out on the famous track. He had fond memories of the Carousel from his F1 days. It was simply not quite the same in a Formula AG ship. The tactics were different for getting through it. He was disappointed in Dorian’s performance. He had given him the support and space to try his idea but he could clearly see that the setup was working against Paul. He sighed and felt a greater push than ever to solve their speed problem which meant overhauling the engine. He had work to do when he got back to the office. He needed to prioritize hiring those engineers he needed. He would reach to Lipusv and see if there was any in house support he could call on in the meantime. [hr] [center][h1][b] Team Valkyrie Headquarters Monday August 7, 2094 Aachen Germany [/b][/h1][/center] Alexander had reviewed the background reports submitted by Wulfric the head of security. He had sent out emails inviting the chosen five to meet with him. He contacted Meridian Aerospace first. He and the CEO had exchanged some emails and had a meeting over teleconference. They had already exchanged contracts for a research and development partnership on ship engines. They would help develop an engine for their ship that would help them enter a smaller ship market whereas they currently specialized in large cargo and passenger transports. This would allow them to break into the luxury air and space craft market. The partnership would include sponsorship endorsements and they would provide engine expertise, parts, and design. The engine designed for the team would be exclusively owned by the team but Meridian Aerospace were allowed to take what they learned in partnership with the team to build small engines for luxury aircraft and spacecraft. The engine design might incorporate similar ideas and technology but would not exactly mirror the engines for the racing ships that were designed for speed. Alexander’s next contact was Radian Security Systems. In exchange for a sponsorship endorsement through the end of the year, Radian Security Systems would do a security assessment and upgrade Team Valkyrie’s security systems and processes under Wulfric’s supervision. The contracts had already been signed. Their personnel were scheduled to begin working at Team Headquarters in a week. They were sending a 5 person team to do the job. The new computer systems for headquarters from Banshee Microsystems were being installed over the weekend. The timing for the security overhaul was perfect. They could then test the new software and computer system for cybersecurity issues. Alexander felt better knowing that the Team’s secrets would be secure and safe from future predation by anyone that Brendel might have sold information too. Alexander contacted the remaining sponsors that had cleared Wulfric’s background check for meetings. Immersia Entertainment wanted to build an immersive gaming experience for Formula AG fans. They needed some support from one of the Formula AG teams to make that a reality. They were interested in helping make the experience as real as possible for fans while keeping the experience within tolerable levels in regards to realistic feedback. In return Immersia was going to pay them a shit ton of money and help them overhaul and improve their current simulators the pilots were using. The contracts had been signed and they would begin work after the race in Hawaii. Wizard Technologies was a standard sponsorship package seeking endorsement advertising from the team that would include Dorian and Paul. It was again a lucrative sponsorship deal. They also requested a space in the Fan Zone for the Singapore race. Zeus Limited was still mulling over the contract. They were interested in a sponsorship but had not pulled the trigger yet. Alexander got the impression they were shopping between teams. [hr] Alexander had a leisurely lunch in the cafeteria. He was glad to see the atmosphere had changed at the headquarters after he brought Brendel and Maier to justice. There was a positive can do vibe supportive vibe among those who worked there now. People stopped to say hello and check in with him. They often asked how things were going in the big office with a chuckle. Everyone seemed happy and content. They didn’t seem afraid to bring any issues to him. One of the engineers stopped to tell him about a supply issue they were experiencing for proprietary parts for some of the antigravity components. Alexander promised to look into it. He would check with Lipusv to see what the hold up might be. Cavan had stopped by to remind him he couldn’t perform miracles and there were still several key engineering positions that needed some support if he wanted him to continue working on the new ship design. Alexander sighed after cleaning up his tray and returning it to the wash bins. Alexander returned to his office to review his options. Alexander had reviewed his options for a new Neural Interface Engineer with Cavan. Hiring for the position had been put on hold during Brendel’s trial. The three candidates Gaylord Chaveau, Cillian Kilpatrick, and Daria Krupnik had already found and accepted other positions. A new engineer had caught Alexander’s eye who had written an article about combining older cognitive therapy methods with modern neurological medical interventions with a great deal of success in crafting new therapies that had combined both fields. Juliette Marsman was a Dutch/Finnish engineer working in a research center in Finland. Alexander reached out to see if they might be interested in a position at Valkyrie, after Wulfric completed a background check on them. Alexander felt that they were breaking ground in areas that could benefit the team. Alexander then called in Dorian’s race engineer to have a frank discussion about his future with Dorian retiring. Remy Deschamps was the typical Frenchman. Remy was a very straight forward character, he was charming and polite while maintaining a slight elitist tone. He had the ability to tell you off and make it sound good. Alexander was always amused by Remy’s character. He was so typically and stereotypically French. He had offered Remy three choices. Remy had been a loyal race engineer and that deserved some recognition. He had offered to allow Remy to take a nice severance package or retire early, he had offered to let him take a teaching position in the academy for their junior pilots, or to take a promotion and move to the headquarters Engineering team to help build the new ship. Remy jumped on the chance to get his engineering hands involved with building the new ships. After Dorian retired, he would be moving to the engineering team to help them troubleshoot possible race strategies and setups with the new ship. Remy’s experience would be invaluable in testing the new ships for the various setups required by the different races. Remy was very pleased with the opportunity and change in position. Alexander was pleased to have him stay. It also left the position open so that he could potentially offer it to Max’s engineer. Alexander had told Max it would depend on his background check, NDA, and a personal interview but it was possible to bring his engineer with him. Alexander reviewed the dossier on the latest engineering talent that had been vetted by both Mabel for suitability and Wulfric for background checks. He set up an interview with Isaak Cronenberg to interview for the position of engine specialist. Jacqueline Schultz was on the list to interview for the position of engine specialist as well. Gorm Malmström a Swedish engineer and Régulo Bandeira a Portuguese/Spanish engineer were both interviewing for general ship maintenance and design positions. After checking with Lipusv he had promised more antigravity engineering support from the European Space Agency team. He hoped to have new engineers hired and started after Hawaii. [hr] [center][h1][color=fff200]Social Media[/color][/h1][/center] [center][b][color=fff200]From: Paul Mulder @ValkyriePaul: [/color][/b][/center] This is a message to my fans. I want to apologize for letting you down in Germany. We tried a new setup and it simply didn’t work. I hope to make a good showing at the race in Hawaii. I appreciate your support! See you after Hawaii! The t-shirt was won and shipped. The money was donated to the charity of the winner’s choice, the Rainforest Project in Brazil. Congrats to superfan Francine Dutra Delchiaro. [color=fff200]MagnetoMuppet:[/color]I was disappointed in Paul’s performance in Germany. [color=fff200]Nana2050:[/color]I like that he took accountability for it though. [color=fff200]Hater101:[/color] He should!He lost a place and Dorian lost 3! Unacceptable performance from both of them. [color=fff200]Papabear34:[/color]Nice choice of charity. [color=fff200]HydrofoilHater[/color] Distraction from his poor performance. Mulder sucks! [color=fff200]ThrusterJester:[/color]Poor team performance in Germany. [color=fff200]QuantumQuokka:[/color]No surprise we get two good races and disaster. No consistency. [color=fff200]Bertha:[/color]What else do you expect from Mr. Goody Two Shoes? [color=fff200]ValkyrieFan56:[/color]At least he acknowledged his performance and apologized. That is more than most pilots do. [color=fff200]Nana2050:[/color]I couldn’t agree with you more. [color=fff200]MulderMuse:[/color]So what if he has class and manners. I like it. [color=fff200]Paulmulder4eva:[/color]yeah… and he still looks amazing even when he is failing. [color=fff200]OfficeDrone#12:[/color]Oh please! Go buy a damn poster already! [color=fff200]RumorMill:[/color]That new setup did them no favors at all. [color=fff200]DantheMan:[/color] Yeah they need to throw that one in the trash can. [color=fff200]RumorMill:[/color]@DantheMan I couldn’t agree with you more. [color=fff200]LegacyStan94:[/color]P7 and P8 still got the team some points. [color=fff200]OfficeDrone#12:[/color]It was a boring race after Spa. [color=fff200]SuperfanAGR54:[/color]Yeah I didn’t feel like anything important happened in that race. It was a snoozefest. [hr] [@Starlance] [h2]Pilots’ Group Chat[/h2][Image of a burned-out design lab at the Carrera Condor factory.] [color=fff200][b]Bea[/b][/color] Alright, which one of you did that? [b]@Paul[/b]? [b]@Cassie Neves[/b]? 😛 [color=fff200][b]Ava Villarosa[/b][/color] BEA! Jesus Christ. [color=fff200][b]Paul[/b][/color] Unlike others, I play by the rules. It is more fun to battle you on the track on an even playing field. When I beat you, I want no excuses. I can't wait to meet you again when the world aligns and we duke it out on the track. Spa was a blast! [hider= Team Valkyrie Characters] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5XUgYiVm6KjTpFTWZtJvXc0MX77enkLzINHujKw/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [/hider]