[center] [h1][b] Sunday 22nd October, 2094 Ballycastle Complex, Muller Cay, nr Australia 0800 AEST [/b] [/h1] [/center] Paul had gotten in an early workout in the hotel gym. After the issues that the team had encountered in Argentina, Paul was wary of pushing his security very far. He would have loved a run along the beach but he knew working out in the hotel gym would be easier on his security team. They could secure the gym for him and control who came in and out much easier. Paul was surprised when Alexander came to join him for an early morning workout. Paul found himself pushing harder in Alexander’s presence. The man greeted him with a warm good morning and simply went to the treadmill and began his run. Paul was a little surprised that Alexander maintained such good physical conditioning after being out of the sport for so long. Paul moved from the treadmill to the other machines to get some weight training in. He kept his workout light since it was a race day. Alexander wrapped up his workout and had a towel provided by the hotel wrapped around his neck and was wiping away sweat. Alexander’s breathing had already settled back down so he could talk without sucking in air. Paul had finished his workout and had put his own towel to good use. He was surprised when he wiped his face to look up and see Alexander giving him an intense look. Alexander smiled at Paul and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. [color=00aeef]“I thought you might want some company. I appreciate you making things easier on your security staff. I wanted to see how you were doing. You do know that what happened in Argentina will not happen at every race? You can go sightseeing. Your security is there to handle fans that might get unruly or violent. Australia is very different from Argentina. Don’t let that experience stop you from interacting with your fans or exploring the world, Paul. One of the best perks of being a Formula AG pilot is traveling the world and getting to experience things that few others do. If this is bothering you, feel free to talk to Dr. Ingold about it.” [/color] Paul probably looked as surprised as he felt. He had not known that he had been subconsciously trying to avoid the same situation that they had faced in Argentina. He had only been to the fanzone for his contracted time where he usually went out and about and ran into fans as he explored the areas around the race. Paul had really enjoyed his diving experience on the Great Barrier Reef. That experience made him want to explore more of Australia. Maybe he would come back and explore the outback some. It wasn’t until Alexander brought to his attention that he realized all the ways he had changed his behavior since Argentina. He felt his shoulders relax and the tension he had unconsciously carried across his shoulder releasing. Paul: [color=fff200]“I didn’t even realize that I was acting out of character for me. I hadn’t realized how much that experience impacted my behavior. I think I was unconsciously trying to protect my security guards from injury after 4 of them got hurt getting to the airport. I didn’t want to make their job harder. I have been a bit of a recluse lately.” [/color] Alexander gave him a knowing smile. [color=00aeef]“Well now that you are aware of it, you can decide what to do about it. Good luck today. You are in a great position. This track doesn’t favor us too much. You have your work cut out for you. Try to relax before the race.”[/color] With that Alexander gave Paul a little salute and disappeared through the door. Paul stared at the door Alexander had disappeared through. He opted to go back to his room for a shower. [hr] Paul thought about what Alexander had said. He explored his feelings about it as he meditated. He consciously went through a routine that Dr. Ingold had developed with Agnes where he relaxed one group of muscles at a time releasing tension and stress. He was calm and relaxed when a knock broke him out of his meditation. Paul got up and walked over to the door to open it. He looked through the peephole even though he knew his security were monitoring the hallway outside his door. He knew no one would get close unless they had been cleared by security. Paul was a little surprised to see Dorian. Paul opened the door and motioned for Dorian to come in. Dorian was looking dapper in a high tech workout outfit. The high fashion high tech gear came from one of the team sponsors, Hood Tech Sportswear. They were sponsoring the Junior team but had approached Dorian and Paul with smaller individual endorsement contracts. Paul was still undecided about the contract. It looked like Dorian had decided to sign. Paul had to admit their gear was nice. Paul: [color=fff200]“Good morning Dorian.”[/color] Dorian gave Paul a rakish grin. [color=39b54a]“So I gave your suggestion some thought. How about wine with cards? We might be able to find some trivia card game or I could teach you how to play Whist or Belote?” [/color] Paul threw his head back and laughed. He had forgotten that he had made the suggestion in the pilots’ chat. Paul smiled at his teammate. [color=fff200]“Well I already know how to play Belote. It is popular in Belgium too.” [/color] Dorian grinned. [color=39b54a]“Well then, we have a date for later tonight after the race then. How are you feeling?” [/color] Dorian’s smile remained but his voice had taken on a more serious tone. Dorian: [color=39b54a]“You have seemed tense and a little distracted since the race in Argentina. You know that not everywhere we go will be like that. You don’t have to stay on alert all the time. That is why we have guards.” [/color] Paul was surprised to be hearing the same thing from Dorian that he had heard from Alexander. [color=fff200]“I didn’t realize it had affected me so much till Alexander pointed it out.” [/color] Dorian tilted his head as he gave Paul an odd look. Dorian: [color=39b54a]“Of all the years I have been doing this, that was certainly one of the more touchy situations I have found myself in. Just remember that is not the norm. Usually the people can’t wait to greet us and get to say hello. Most Formula AG fans are very friendly, usually a little too friendly. Try not to let it change the way you interact with your fans. I don’t know how much attention you have been paying to social media but some fans have noticed you have not been spending as much time in the fan zones. Some of the media and bloggers are speculating that you are showing signs of tension and stress. They are throwing out some pretty wild conspiracy theories. They can take on a life of their own if you don’t counter them.” [/color] Paul’s eyes widened. He had not realized it had gotten that far. He would need to check in with Chelsey, his agent to see what she might have lined up to help combat this recent spate of press. Paul gave Dorian a bright smile. [color=fff200]“Thanks for the heads up Dorian. I didn’t think you cared about my reputation.” [/color] Dorian gave him a bright smile [color=39b54a]“Je suis excité!”[/color] Dorian almost bounced in place like an excited teenage girl. [color=39b54a]“I have learned that good things happen for me when I am around you and the fans are happy. It helps me get more endorsement deals if we are both doing well in the press. I haven’t exactly been placing well in the races. Endorsements by proximity to you are good!”[/color] Dorian gave him a bright unapologetic smile. Paul just shook his head and chuckled at his teammates' antics. [color=fff200]“Alright cards tonight. You bring the wine since you are the designated wine snob between us! You know I would rather have a good Belgium beer.” [/color] Dorian wrinkled his nose up at the thought of Belgium beer. [color=39b54a]“Non wine. I will however agree to Australian grilling. They make an excellent steak. Then I shall trounce you at Belote.” [/color] Paul gave Dorian a playful push on his shoulder. [color=fff200]“You hope you mean!” [/color] Dorian smiled at him and waved as he headed back out the door. [color=39b54a]“We shall see tonight!” [/color] Paul smiled as Dorian shut the door behind himself. He found his mood brighter and he was feeling less tense. He then turned to getting ready for the race. He went back through the turns in the track one more time before getting into his racesuit. [center] [h1][b] Round 16 of Formula AG Sunday 22nd October, 2094 Race Day Ballycastle Complex, Muller Cay, nr Australia Great Barrier Reef AGP 1300 AEST [/b] [/h1] [/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Water Fight[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] Paul was wearing a special race suit that had been designed just for the Australian GP. It was a special fabric that was fire resistant but also could double as a diving suit. The helmet had a special rebreather built into it that would pull oxygen from the water for him to breathe if the tunnels flooded for whatever reason. It was simply a precaution but it meant his livery for this race was somewhat different. His race suit for this race had a dark gray background with beautiful golden colored coral with fish in various shades of blue swimming across it. The helmet mirrored that motif with a decorative fin running down the top of the helmet. It was a fun and majestic look that paid homage to the work that went into revitalizing and saving the Great Barrier Reef. BioCHO had a prominent logo on the hood of his ship for this race. They wanted to remind all Formula AG fans that they were an ecofriendly company. Paul had once more been preloaded on electrolytes to help him with the physical toll of racing and the heat. He had just finished going through his prerace checklist with his engineer Carmella when he heard Alexander’s deep rich voice come across the team comms. Alexander was sitting in the floating paddock the team had been assigned with the rest of the pit crew. He had a headset on and was looking out over the ocean and the sea of monitors that would allow the team to track what was happening during the race. Alexander: [color=00aeef]“Okay team let’s review our strategy. This race is going to be about maneuverability and energy management for us. Paul we have precharged your ELS capacitor to help you out but energy management is going to be crucial for us here. Without the boost from ELS we are going to have a hard time staying competitive on the straits here. Dorian, we did the same for your ship. Dorian if you can even just maintain your position, you will pick up points for the team. You have Ava to battle it out with if you want to advance. That is not going to be an easy fight for you. The newcomer Bealatrix is behind you. We don’t know much about her yet, she is a wild card. Remember to save your ELS for overtakes and straights. Engineers even though the race is underwater, heat management might be an issue in a closed environment such as this. Pay attention to it and ELS management. Be sure to warn the pilots of any issues you see happening. Pay attention to the field and help them identify overtake opportunities. Keep track of the competitors and what they are doing. Let’s help our pilots out. Alright everyone! Let’s have a great race!” [/color] Alexander smiled as he heard cheers echo back to him through his headset. He nodded to the team members near him. He did his best to look confident and like he knew what he was doing. He had been impressed with Dorian’s engineer. He had really stepped up with suggestions for the development team. He had brought some great ideas to them that they were mulling over how they could implement solutions for. Cavan had already given Alexander a favorable report on Remy. There was a calm, excited energy running through the team as the time to the race started ticking down. [hr] Paul was ready. He was calm and composed and his hands rested on the control yoke and the throttle. [color=green] Five Four Three Two One [/color] [color=red]Go![/color] Paul hit the throttle and his ship jumped forward and almost collided with Cassie as aggressively shut him down, throwing down the gauntlet early. Obviously this was personal to Cassie. Paul had to hit his brakes to avoid colliding with her. Paul fell back behind Amy. He tangled with Amy for a few turns before he used the tube mag track to his advantage. Paul let out a joyful whoop as he executed a half pipe maneuver going up and around Amy dropping back down in front of her. Paul triggered his ELS on the next straight to catch back up to Cassie. Paul spent the remainder of the race changing places with Cassie in an underwater ballet. It was late in the race when he heard Alexander give Dorian the order to retire and save the ship. Dorian was having engine issues. Dorian had nothing but bad luck for several races now. Paul didn’t have time to think about the ramifications of that. He was busy defending his position against a very aggressive Cassie Neves. Cassie kept Paul from making any progress on trying to push for the podium. Cassie kept him defending to the point he had no room to gain on Nora Kelly in front of him. Paul and Cassie put on an epic show for the fans of amazing overtakes. Paul went upside down over Cassie’s head at one point and waved at her through the canopy on the way by. It was a tough race but Paul enjoyed the battle with Cassie almost as much as he enjoyed battling Bea at Spa. The final lap had Paul finishing in P4. No podium this time but still good points for the team. It was a shame Dorian had been unable to gain any points or even finish. [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Delta Hyper Interviews[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] Aurora was once again at the Delta Hyper interview booth, mic set up for the pilots, still likely in suits, or at least, down to the undergarment element of it. [color=ed1c24][quote]"Paul, an impressive turn of results, but it seems Dorian has had nothing but bad luck! Tell us about your fight with Cassie, how that felt, and how you pushed each other? Cassie's ex-Valkyrie, so I imagine the rivalry felt quite personal?"[/quote][/color] Paul: [color=fff200]“I enjoyed dueling with Cassie. It was almost as much fun as battling it out with Bea at Spa. Cassie threw down the gauntlet right at the beginning. I got the impression this was personal for her.”[/color] Paul gave a charming lopsided smile as if to say did we think anything different of Cassie. [color=fff200]“I loved this track and can’t wait to come back and race here again. It’s so beautiful. I was honored to be given the opportunity to dive on the reef.”[/color] Paul wanted to give credit where it was due. The Australian people had a real gem of nature in their backyard. Paul shook his head sadly. [color=fff200]“I feel bad for Dorian. He has had truly bad luck the last few races. I am sure the team will be investigating what happened and why to try and prevent it from happening again.” [/color] [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Media[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] This is Lauri Ivan with Victory Racing Lap News. The rumors we have heard coming from Miller Motor Racing have been confirmed by Team Valkyrie AGR Sport. Max Wedgewood will be piloting for the German based team next year replacing Dorian Hornfleur who is retiring at the end of the season. Max Wedgewood will be joining Paul Mulder whose season has certainly turned around and even put Team Valkyrie in contention for the Constructor’s cup. Remember folks you heard it here first. Don’t forget to follow us for all Formula AG news. [hr] This is Lilly Stryker with TMZ. Team Valkyrie has released a press release that they have secured the contract for Max Wedgewood who will be joining the team at the end of the season. Wedgewood will be replacing Dorian Hornfleur who is retiring. Dorian has had terrible luck lately. Is it bad luck or just proof he is right to retire? Don’t forget to follow us for all the latest news. This has been Lilly Stryker with TMZ. [hr] [@PrinceAlexus] This is Hans Keller with Gossip. Fans welcomed newcomer Bellatrix Olympus to Formula AG as she joins Nordic Call. Fans are already calling Bellatrix the Princess of Formula AG for her style. Fans are curious what the other pilots think about the newcomer. What will the newcomer think about this fan moniker? We will be sure to ask when we interview her next. Don’t forget to follow us for the latest in Formula AG News. [hr] [center][h1][color=fff200]Social Media[/color][/h1][/center] [center][b][color=fff200]Team Valkyrie AGR Sport @TeamValkyrie[/color][/b][/center] Team Valkyrie AGR Sport proudly announces that Max Wedgewood will be joining the Valkyrie Team at the end of the season. He will be replacing Dorian Hornfleur who will be retiring. [center][b][color=fff200]From: Paul Mulder @ValkyriePaul: [/color][/b][/center] [center][color=39b54a]TO @Max Wedgewood[/color] [/center] I look forward to working with you Max! Welcome to the team! [color=fff200]Nana2050:[/color]It is a shame that Dorian has had such horrible luck. [color=fff200]Hater101:[/color] It is not bad luck. It is past time he retired. [color=fff200]Papabear34:[/color]Dorian is a class act. Sad to see him go. [color=fff200]HydrofoilHater[/color]I agree Dorian is deadweight at this point. [color=fff200]ThrusterJester:[/color]It is hard to believe that everything happening to Dorian is simply bad luck. What gives? I mean they do have engineers and mechanics working on the ship right? [color=fff200]QuantumQuokka:[/color] And Valkyrie is back to being a dumpster fire. [color=fff200]Bertha:[/color]I couldn’t agree more. Paul seems to be declining after the Argentina race. Did they really have damage to the ships or was it a convenient excuse? [color=fff200]ValkyrieFan56:[/color]Insiders confirmed the damage to the ships. Should have been repaired for this race though. So why did Dorian have issues? [color=fff200]MulderMuse:[/color]I dug the livery for this race. Just beautiful. [color=fff200]Paulmulder4eva:[/color]Paul looked fabulous in those colors. [color=fff200]OfficeDrone#12:[/color]Rumor has it Cassie Neves was after blood. [color=fff200]RumorMill:[/color]Are they giving Dorian plausibility for a terrible season? [color=fff200]DantheMan:[/color] I believe Knight has more integrity than that. However, there are so many technical issues happening during races. What is going on in engineering at Valkyrie? [color=fff200]LegacyStan94:[/color] Shit happens during a race. [color=fff200]Superfan2075:[/color]Paul finished in P4. He had a great race. It would be nice to see Paul and Dorian both score points in a race for a change though. [color=fff200]DadBod89:[/color] Yes! I loved watching this race! So exciting. [color=fff200]GeorgeFly:[/color]They should definitely do this circuit again. I loved watching the race. [hider= Team Valkyrie Characters] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5XUgYiVm6KjTpFTWZtJvXc0MX77enkLzINHujKw/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [/hider]