[color=gold][center][h1][i][b]DELTΔ HYPER[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [center] [h1][b] Round 18 of Formula AG Sunday 19th of November Race Day Wadi Rum AG Circuit, Wadi Rum, Jordan, Arabic Union 1500 Arabic Time [/b] [/h1] [/center] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Against the Grain[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://pie.yt/?v=https://youtu.be/HgzGwKwLmgM?si=ar9MniremaC6SUCt&pieshare=1] Don’t Stop Me Now - Queen [/url][/b] Paul knew that he simply didn’t have enough speed to compete on the straights with some of the other teams. The team had come up with what they felt was the best strategy for him. He knew Dorian’s ship was trying out a custom build just for this track. Paul was going to lean into what had been working for him. He was going to overclock his ELS and go into the race with a full capacitor and battery. Due to the heat at the race, Konrad had him doing the IV drip with electrolytes before the race. It would help his body cope with the heat. His suit was designed with environmental controls to help his body handle the extreme temperatures between the heat from the ship and the heat in the desert. He knew he would feel like a wrung out dishrag by the end of the race. The heat could really tank your body and the way your body regulated heat. His nanites could help support that by increasing the right hormones and enzymes but it would take a toll on his body later. There was always a cost to messing with his body like that. Paul had not done as well in qualifying as he would like to. He had spent his time in his geodesic tent room going over video and photos of the race track. He went over the data from his qualifying run. He tried to identify places where he could pick up some time. Find a smoother racing line. He was determined to do the best he could. His goal was to at least finish in the points. He needed at least one spot to make that happen. Even with the IV electrolytes, Paul downed a few of the Zap sports drinks before the race. He had a light lunch heavy on lean proteins and some fruit for energy. He had wished Dorian luck before the race. He was very impressed at how well Dorian was doing here in Jordan. Before Paul knew it, it was time for the race to start. He was in his ship at the starting line waiting for the start. [color=red]Five. Four. Three. Two.[/color] [color=green]One.[/color] Paul hit the throttle and had a great start. There was a huge dust cloud thrown up by all the ships starting at once. The ships blew the dust that had been blown onto the track away revealing the mag tracking underneath as the ships screamed away from the starting line. Paul was starting behind Cassie Neves with Dorian behind him. Paul saw an opening as Cassie misjudged the first turn after the straight and had to hit her brakes to make the turn. Paul kept his racing line smooth and graceful and slung through the inside hugging the edge of the track as he blew past Cassie in the corner. Paul smiled as he passed Hyeon-Ae who had a similar issue as her partner. Han had recovered faster but Paul managed to slip past. He deployed his ELS and leeched off Han’s ship as she came after him trying to retake the lead. Paul dumped his overclocked capacitor and pulled away from her. He released the ELS lock as he managed to pull away from her. He set his sights on Jenny Lowry as he found himself approaching the tail end of the leaders. Paul found himself in a chaotic section of the race. Leaders were losing spaces and making mistakes. He found himself in an ELS train. He deployed his ELS and defended aggressively and made swift adjustments to take advantage of the quickly reshuffling order as the leaders changed position back and forth between the straights and corners. Paul found himself passing Ava Villarosa. Then Dorian found his way past Paul and sling-shotted past Jenny Lowry. The duo tag teaming Lowry’s ship to leach her energy and slow her down. The boost helped Dorian who was then battling Atlassi for the next position leaving Paul to battling back and forth with Jenny Lowry Paul eventually pulled ahead of Jenny Lowry. Paul’s ELS strategy and aggressive defensive driving allowed him to hold on for the P8 finish behind Hamid Atlassi. Paul slowed his ship down and pulled it into the paddock. He thrust his fist into the air in triumph. He beat his goal for this race. He performed better than he had any right too. Paul knew the biggest part of that was luck; the other factor was having the skill to capitalize on the other pilots’ mistakes and equipment failures. He was helped out of the ship by a smiling Konrad. He climbed out and Konrad immediately handed him a Zap drink and began taking his vital signs. He draped a wet cloth over his head to help cool him down some. Once Konrad was satisfied he would be okay after cooling down. Paul turned to the team that was celebrating a good outcome at a circuit they expected to do poorly at. [color=fff200]Paul: “Thanks everyone! I couldn’t have done it without you. Let’s hear it for my teammate, Dorian! Who ruled on the track today! You proved your skill today my friend.” [/color] Dorian beamed at him, still celebrating his unexpected P6 placement. There was pandemonium in the Valkyrie paddock as the team celebrated the unexpected good results. Alexander was smiling but still had an underlying feeling of anxiety flowing off of him. That was highly unusual for the usually unflappable crew chief. [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Jordan- Podium Ceremony[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] Paul watched the podium ceremony and cheered for both of his competitors and fellow rookies. He looked puzzled when Amy Stirling was not on the podium. Paul wondered if she had needed medical attention after the race. He had not heard anything else about the investigation and the stuff Alexander had asked him about. Paul didn’t connect those two events. Paul yelled out not sure if they would hear him or not. [color=fff200]Paul: “Great race ladies! Way to battle it out till the end!” [/color] [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Delta Hyper Interviews[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] Paul dutifully made his way over to the Delta Hyper Interview area. He was contractually obligated to give his interview. He continued to down fluids after the race. He was still in his race suit sans helmet. He had left his helmet with the crew. His hair was damp from the wet towel he had used to help cool down. The towel was already drying in the heat even as it remained draped around his neck. It was made from a high tech cloth that held water and temperature longer than regular cotton. Paul took his seat on the Delta Hyper couch. He relaxed back into the comfortable couch. He was grateful that there was at least a fan blowing the hot air around. [quote]Aurora: [color=ed1c24]"Paul, an excellent performance from you, carving past a Silver Apex ship and both Zygon ships. Were both yourself and Dorian perhaps got a little lucky there, or do you think you made your own luck, despite a disadvantage on the straights?"[/color][/quote] Paul smiled at Aurora: [color=fff200]“Always a pleasure Aurora. I did much better than I thought I would. My goal was to simply finish in points. I am pleased with how things worked out for me. The team went into this race knowing we would have to work to our strengths and it worked out better than we thought it would. The team prioritized ELS for this race. Dorian and I worked together, tag teaming some ships to give us both the advantage. I would say we certainly used our skill to take advantage of the opportunities that came up for us during the race. I have to give it up for Dorian, his race today was epic! He has proven once again why he is still a serious competitor. I have learned a lot from him.” [/color] [hr] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Hammer Down[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]1700 Arabic Time[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] Alexander was standing at the back of the press conference when FIAR made the announcement about their findings and their decision about what they were going to do about it. Alexander knew there would be repercussions and that some of them would undoubtedly affect his team. He could live with some discomfort and pilot grumbling to keep them safe on the track and away from this kind of immoral and unsafe gain on the race track. It was a step too far. To lose your humanity to win a race? He shuddered to think about the consequences for the racers involved. Alexander slipped out the back while the press were focused on the FIAR officials. He didn’t want to be hounded for an interview. He wanted to break this news to his pilots himself. [hr] Alexander had called Paul and Dorian into a private room inside the Valkyrie Paddock. The two pilots were asked to comply with the FIAR investigation. They all sat facing one another in a small seating area. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “You will both have to undergo additional scrutineering as pilots regarding your neural interface. Remember when I called you in and asked you about the neural interface. Well I was sent some evidence that Silver Apex in particular had modified their pilot’s neural interface. They had overridden the safety protocols allowing the onboard AI to override the pilot’s decisions during races. There was proof that the process was damaging to the pilot. Ethically I had to report it. Even if she had consented to this. The safety implications of what this could cause was huge. FIAR has ruled that Silver Apex has been disqualified from the Constructor’s Standing. Amy and Jenny were disqualified from this race. I am sorry. I know the scrutiny process is invasive, unpleasant, and painful. I would rather see you both endure some unpleasantness than experience something worse on the race track.” [/color] Paul and Dorian both looked pole axed. Dorian had seen racing scandals before, but he had never heard of anything on this scale before. He took in stride as a professional though. He was retiring soon and wouldn’t have to put up with it for long. Paul looked horrified and uncertain. Paul had a hard time understanding how a pilot would willingly go that far to win. Alexander had tried to tell him about some of the unethical things he might find in this industry. He had not wanted to believe him. Alexander looked uncomfortable for a moment. There was a knock on the door. A FIAR official stepped into the room. [color=ed1c24]“Come with me, gentleman.” [/color] Alexander nodded and indicated that they should follow the race official. [color=00aeef]“Go. I will be available if you want to talk afterward. Keep what we discussed to yourself for now.” [/color] [hr] Paul and Dorian were taken into a FIAR controlled medical area. Paul was separated from Dorian. He was in his own medical cubicle surrounded by a few doctors and technicians being overseen by a FIAR official. He was hooked up to a machine that was reviewing his neural interface. Paul winced as they put his neural interface through heavy load testing and probed for any secret compartments of coding. It was painful and he felt violated and exposed at the data they were able to review using his neural interface. The organic nature and deeper link between the interface and the nanite neural interface made the procedure very painful. He felt as if his nerves were on fire and he was screaming before they were done. Paul was finally cleared and allowed to go. He prayed he wouldn’t have to endure this before every race. He left on his own power but barely. He was shaking like a leaf and felt very weak by the time they were done. He didn’t say a word as he made his way back to his room. All he wanted to do was take some pain killers and escape into some sleep. [hr] Alexander was back in the office on Monday. He was preparing for how the team was going to handle this new issue. The press were already hounding the team for a statement. Alexander was leaving that in Katherine’s hands. He honestly didn’t know what to say. Alexander was a little worried. Paul had still not spoken to him since he had been put through FIAR’s testing. Dorian had just given him a look and left him alone. Alexander was worried about his pilots. Alexander was usually quite decisive but he was concerned. He knew this would impact the team. He was worried that his pilots no longer trusted him. He tried to focus and decide on what to prioritize. He had given Paul and Dorian the day off to recover from FIAR testing. They needed some downtime to come to terms with that before they hooked up their neural interfaces again. Alexander received a message from Johnna, Johanna: "Saw the news. Scrutiny will pick up around us, and around your daughter, watch yourself. Could have told me first, Alexander, before this all went out. Both Paul and Dorian aren't going to like the checks- look after them." The message pissed Alexander off. He replied. Alexander: “Johanna, I had Wulfric report the findings to you in person as I was on my way to report it to FIAR. Don’t give me that bullshit that you didn’t see this coming! They have both been cleared by FIAR after the Jordan race but the testing was hard on them. They are recovering today. I am doing my best for them.” [hr] [b][center][h3][code]Sun 19/10/94 Formula AG Pilot Group Chat[/code][/h3][/center][/b] [color=fff200][b]Cassie Neves[/b][/color] Are we not going to talk about the giant fucking elephant in the room? Like, is this chat just going to sit here silent? After we all got a load more scrutineering? [color=fff200][b]Harrison[/b][/color] Yeah that allegation is worrying. Cannot believe it. Can't believe we got held around for another six hours. [color=fff200][b]Astrid[/b][/color] Told you that Amy was a bot. Glad we kicked her and Jen out of the group. Is she coming back? Anyone know what the extent of it is? [color=fff200][b]Wedge[/b][/color] You are fucking cold Astrid lol no idea, but I heard it was suspension until they get to the bottom of it and no idea [color=fff200][b]Dorian[/b][/color] Well someone wins a championship if she doesn't.....doesn't sit well with me. Nora deserves that but even then, feels like the worst scandal I've seen. I booted Jenny out, I feel sorry for her, she's brand new. @Wedge Standard protocol. We did it with Jamie and Layla [color=fff200][b]Ava Villarosa[/b][/color] @Cassie Neves agreed. This is terrifying. [color=fff200][b]Astrid[/b][/color] bet you know something Ava [color=fff200][b]Cassie Neves[/b][/color] @Astrid No, fuck off. Ava and Nora nearly died and if in any way this is connected, this is gonna make me snap. I'm willing to get as much chrome as anyone, we all are. Neural link interfacing past safeguards? No way. At that point, Amy is basically more ship than person. Are you out of your mind? In fact, is that what happened to Layla? @Kais? [color=fff200][b]Wedge[/b][/color] Woah Cass chill [color=fff200][b]Florence[/b][/color] Listen, they didn't know. Don't blame them, they're suspended until further investigation. We can't comment, otherwise the rest of us are going to get screwed. Last thing I want is ending up getting a lot more restrictions that just make it shit to compete. Intrusive testing is messy. It hurts a lot. That's what I'm scared of. [color=fff200][b]Cassie Neves[/b][/color] Says the person from fucking Silver Apex! Florence I knew you were a fucking snitch, you surely had to know? Unless you're a bot too? [color=fff200][b]Kofi[/b][/color] Florence isn't, even if she races like one, but seriously- agree with you Cassie, we need to be united on that. We can't get divided here. Florence- what did you mean? [color=fff200][b]Dorian[/b][/color] Guys chill out Florence definitely isn't she has a kid, cmon [color=fff200][b]Hamid[/b][/color] eyyy Cassie that is unfair, don't go after Kais like that. Layla has nothing to do with this. Far as I know, she retired of her own volition- she's really private outside of racing. Saw it as a way to get into post-humanism. [color=fff200][b]Cassie Neves[/b][/color] No, she wasn't. I didn't agree with Layla at all but she wasn't ever like that, ever, and you're talking out of your arse because you're paid that way. Is everyone here going mental because all of this is bullshit? [color=fff200][b]Astrid[/b][/color] ngl we all are but you're the only one throwing shit at everyone we have no way of knowing anything until the results come back in and far as they said, Silver Apex tampered with them in a way that's nearly impossible Also, you literally are at Zygon when did you grow a spine, or switch personalities? do they offer that now? [color=fff200][b]Harrison[/b][/color] Cassie has a point, didn't know her well but Layla wouldn't have quit, Jordan felt pretty empty without her, not gonna lie, not my place but she'd have loved it (sorry Hamid). Not seeing her at all is weird. Miss that weird Jordanian. [color=fff200][b]Kofi[/b][/color] everyone calm [color=fff200][b]Florence[/b][/color] @Kofi On that earlier comment- intrusive neural testing is awful. It basically starts to poke around at where the neural link bonds to synapses past motor functions in the temporal lobe (memory) and is very painful. Did it when Silver Apex was rolling in a new interface platform (the one that usually does all of your body's biomonitoring / diagnostics, and hurt the worst when you had it installed). Many of you wouldn't have had it because it doesn't normally happen now in modern systems as it latches to the back of your brain and wires up neurons to it, rather than deep in. Really not looking forward to it. Don't agree with anyone tampering at all, but FIAR are going to open a can of worms. Especially if you have artificial limbs, it's artificed through your temporal lobe too, then it's even worse. Like the worst migraine you've ever had with pins and needles. Feels like you're being pulled out of your own body. [color=fff200][b]Ava Villarosa[/b][/color] Shit. @Bea, can we catch up? I'm worried about Amy tapping into other pilots. @Cassie Neves and @Harrison are right... There is no way it's just Amy. Too much noise around. Some corporate is going to adore this tech. It's way too dangerous. [color=fff200][b]Cassie Neves[/b][/color] @Ava Villarosa you were asking around half the grid with @Kais and now you're wondering if it's anyone else? shit I wonder how Carrera got so good, especially when Bea is friends with Amy, you couldn't even see it inside @Bea you really need to come clean. Tell us what is going on, because you're the only person it seems like who knows her. Beginning to think I made the right call. actually now I think about it that makes a lot of sense, guess you weren't drinking the juice @Ava Villarosa [color=fff200][b]Ava Villarosa[/b][/color] oh fuck you, you saw the facility, puta de hijo, don't DARE say that about us. Bea can answer for herself. You're full of shit, they'll do worse to you in Seoul. You wanted to leave, you think they reward disloyalty? Or are you projecting? [color=fff200][b]Ben Hale[/b][/color] Wait Cassie nearly went to Carrera? [color=fff200][b]Astrid[/b][/color] this is a mess [color=fff200][b]Dorian[/b][/color] Everyone- they'll get to the bottom of it. We're all paranoid right now. We don't know what FIAR will do. Whatever it is, it's for the safety of pilots, and they'll know all of this. If we fight among ourselves, it'll fall apart if any of us speak up to media, for much worse. You all know that the ships don't work without them, and it goes both ways. FIAR have to find a way to make this work and they can't replace us. Right now, our neural links are safe, unless anyone in any way has tampered with them in their teams. Tens of millions of people use it and ours are the most scrutinised, so this is an anomaly. Me and Kofi have got a Pilots Rep meeting with them later. Recommend we don't talk about this and wait this out. Nobody do anything stupid. Any panic and Florence is right, they could get worse. Glad I'm leaving though. This is insane. [color=fff200][b]Wedge[/b][/color] Hopefully this gets dealt with! [color=fff200][b]Cassie Neves[/b][/color] @Wedge admire your optimism @Ava Villarosa sorry if trust is in short supply but I don't buy anything I hear anymore @Dorian did you know something about this? [color=fff200][b]Astrid[/b][/color] amy not winning the title because she's a bot was not on my bingo card [color=fff200][b]Florence[/b][/color] @Cassie chill the fuck out, don't throw anything at Dorian. [color=fff200][b]Dorian[/b][/color] nothing my end [color=fff200][b]Paul[/b][/color] I can confirm the testing sucks! It is painful and invasive. I didn’t like it at all. However, if I have to go through this to prove I am not cheating or being taken advantage of unknowingly, I can’t help but think it is in our best interests. That is all I will say for now. [hider= Team Valkyrie Characters] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5XUgYiVm6KjTpFTWZtJvXc0MX77enkLzINHujKw/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [/hider]