[center][h1][b]Thursday August 17th
New Hilo, Hawaii Island, Republic of Hawaii, Federated American States
That afternoon[/b][/h1][/center]
[color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Solarpunk[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color]

After they had made it back to civilization after their surreal surfing adventure in the idyllic Waimanu Valley, Paul had gotten some food. He had wandered around checking out the food truck scene being trailed by two of his security guards. He had a few lovely hours where he got to do whatever he wanted. Then he had to report to the Team Valkyrie Fan Zone. The marketing team had managed to pull off a minor miracle to come up with something that fit the guidelines that Coalescene had demanded from FIAR and the Republic. Teams were not allowed to promote any sponsors; they were to promote themselves, their stories, and their lives. Team Valkyrie had managed to secure a local community center that doubled as event space for their Fan Zone. They had brought some extra security and general helpers with them to help facilitate the tour and interactive experiences. 

The team took advantage of the team plane and brought the Team Valkyrie Wings of the Past, Present,and Future Tour out of storage and added to it. The tour already highlighted and detailed Dorian’s career so they simply updated his season. They highlighted Paul’s wins and rookie season. They included clips and pictures of the Junior Team. The traveling interactive tour included 3d holograms of a selection of ships past and present. Guests could ask for more information about the ships or for a particular favorite. It would show them a lifesize hologram they could explore. They had exhibits that highlighted technology changes in antigravity racing along the way. This included information about the crash that took the life of Paul’s father Audrick Mulder and the safety innovations in the sport that crash had inspired. 

They honored the F1 racing roots of the team from the past with images of F1 cars and former drivers from the former racing teams. There were video displays of racing montages from past races. Then there was the draw that brought fans out in droves. They had brought virtual reality simulation pods with them. They had taken the online virtual reality experience and made it portable and more immersive by loading it into the mobile full immersion pods. The safety features allowed fans to experience the races without the biofeedback that is actually experienced by the Formula AG pilots. The biofeedback was significantly reduced to make it accessible and appropriate for all ages. It was more immersive than a simple VR headset though with haptic feedback. They had brought four pods which had long lines. They were definitely the most sought after experience in the fanzone outside the meet and greet lines for the pilots on hand. The Junior Team members were also on hand in the fan zone which seemed to be quite popular with the teens and young adults of the island. 

They had recreated the food court experience in the fan zone with a focus on sharing team favorites. There was a Belgian street vendor selling waffles and frites. For those who sought sweets, there was a Belgian chocolate maker on hand selling gourmet chocolates. They talked the Drunken Dragon into joining them to promote one of the team’s favorite hangouts. They brought pictures of the engineering team hanging out at the local pub, drinking, shooting pool, and playing darts. They brought the drinks inspired by the team for the islanders to enjoy.The Pub created a new beer in honor of Paul and Bea’s race at Spa, The Mad Biermaiden. The pub’s twist on beer, a brew that combined methods for mead and beer using hops and honey. There was of course the drink that started it all Valkyrie Fuel, a cocktail featuring honey mead and Fireball. They also brought a fun non-alcoholic drink for kids called Wizards Punch that was purple and fizzed and bubbled, a combination of lemon lime soda and raspberry sorbet topped with a little cloud of cotton candy. Wizards Punch had been a new creation for Cavan’s children who occasionally visited the Pub with their parents for dinner. There was also a German beer booth. To ensure Dorian was represented, there was a cheese and wine booth featuring a tasting menu from France. It was as if a carnival and car show had descended on the small event center. There was off course Team Valkyrie fan gear and prizes being given away every hour.  

Paul smiled as he signed autographs, took pictures, and chatted with fans. He looked over and Dorian was just as busy and happy to be the center of attention. Paul chuckled and looked around feeling good about what the team had done to showcase the team and teach them about the team’s history and where they came from. They got to see what was happening now with the team. They got to see the next generation of racers with the Junior Team members. The Fan Zone would be open most of the day on race days. Paul would only be at the Fan Zone a few hours each day. There was of course the media here checking out what they had done differently for this race. Paul chuckled as he accepted yet another lei from a blushing fan. He took a picture wearing it with her. He waited till she was out of sight before discreetly taking it off and dropping into a box underneath the table that was overflowing with other leis and gifts from fans. He could probably feed half the island with the amount of Kulua roasted pig and poi from islander fans. Everyone wanted to feed him. Food must be the love language of the islands.  

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