[center][h1][b]Sunday August 20th Moa Tempesta Circuit, Kanaloa Island, Republic of Hawaii, Federated American States 1800 HST [/b][/h1][/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Bloom[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [center][h2][i][b]Amy Stirling[/b][/i][/h2][/center] The sigh came back as Amy looked at the board, the points tally shifting once more, the Brit taking it in. Thinking over her choices. And how Harrison, while stunting the gap, was still a threat to her championship. One that she felt wasn't quite as in the bag as it had been last year. Even if it was just him, it felt like Nora, nay, even Kais, might be chasing her down too. She couldn't let go of any results here, not anymore. "How you feeling?" The voice was from behind, as she looked across to Peter, Amy pulling the wire out of her neck, no longer wanting to be tethered while in chat. "Good, good thanks." She replied, as Peter cut to the chase quickly, sliding across the data interface in front of him. "I'm no expert, Amy....but what is that?" "Neural logs. They're the usual." Amy replied, as Peter scrolled to the right, peeling up the spikes, popping out from the tablet and Peter peeling close. "They're definitely not." Peter's response was almost dry, comic even, in how borderline stupid it would have sounded out of context. Cutting from that to the studio was a decision, to say the least. Sitting in the interview room, the ambience was hard to take, as Amy sat on the sofa, hearing that question come through. "What was it like, finding out that you had some issues with your neural link?" Aurora asked, as Amy, looking more somber than usual, sat up, shaking her head. "It's tricky. I suppose, it was starting to explain things for me. I didn't see it coming, it explained why I was a bit out of it. But it happens. I suppose it's what comes with being pushed hard. I guess my wetware just didn't decide to agree for a few races. Glad we caught it when we did." Amy commented, the feeling being, that was hiding a whole heap of truth that hadn't been shown. [hr] [center][h2][i][b]Florence Mason[/b][/i][/h2][/center] Florence sighed, looking at the data on her tablet, Sally looking across at the dejected looking, former champion's glare. "Well, proof that I'm right?" Florence asked, nodding as Sally took a seat on the soft chair across from her. "Proof you were. You'd have been rinsed. Fair play for holding her up as much as you could. It wasn't our track to be. But, you put up a fight. And we're still there or therabouts for points. A better year hasn't been done in a while." Sally had kind words to say, but Florence knew that maybe just not making the most of Paul's awful day, or Hamid's surge forward, had come to bite. "Maybe. Felt like a risk, and I didn't make it stick enough." Florence sighed, putting tablet down again. "So yeah. Lessons learned. More juice." Florence asked, Sally realising that Florence, despite everything, maturity, changes, still had that unrelenting hunger to push into points. Sally wasn't used to that from either of her pilots. That she almost had respect for. But concern beneath it too. [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Factory Settings[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] In the HQs of each team, before the episode was out, a bit was shown on how logistics behind the scenes worked. From the moment the ships left the paddock, loaded up on cargo planes and various larger anti-gravity carriers, they were inspected, meticulously, checked and assessed in great, if not extraordinary detail. A process that came with plenty of engineering wetwork, despite all the automation, it meant a human was still engaged in the process at detail. Aurora sat with a view overlooking the Pampas outside, the Buenos Aires factory making for a nice backdrop for this particular visit. She was with Leon Alonso, and with Bea Ward, who were on the sofa, that of Carrera's choosing. [b]"Thank you for inviting me around to your factory! So, you took me around and showed us what your culture is like earlier. What would you say it is about Carrera Condor, going from a smaller, backmarker team into top of the midfield feels like? Has it changed, or do you still feel like underdogs, despite what feels like expectations changing surrounding the team at each round?"[/b] ---------- Meanwhile, Aurora had also made her way into the Valkyrie HQ, with the background of historic Valkyrie ships of years gone by as she sat in the main atrium. A brief montage inside, of the white-rooms, manufacturing prototypes, parts, components, and all the juicy engineering porn that made anti-gravity racing what it was, before cutting back to the interview. [b]"Alexander, Paul, thanks for the invite! I was recently at the Carrera Condor factory, who appear to be fast growing to be challenging you, alongside the historic Zygon and Al-Saqr teams. What are your thoughts on how you're being pursued, and how do you plan to react to make sure you keep up the heat on the top three in the constructors this season? Are you looking to continue snatching wins when you can at circuits that suit you, or do you think it'll be a different approach needed for the rest of the season?"[/b] The question went to both, knowing it was a tricky one, but no less getting to the point in the dynamics of the season. ---------------- A last stop on Aurora's globe-trotting behind-the-scenes tour was in Abu Dhabi, the Al-Saqr HQ making an appearance, Aurora touring the simulator and cutting-edge AI facility, albeit being shown absolutely nothing of a certain area.... And on the couch, the sea lapped quiet in the inland water, the sun hung low in the horizon past the mangroves. [b]"Omar, Kais, thank you for hosting me on the island, quite the scene outside! With performance behind you hotting up, are you hoping for a late season lunge into more points, trying to outpace your rivals at all costs? Is it sustainable, or do you think you've found a happy medium?" [/b]