LadyAmber

DELTΔ HYPER (Anti-Gravity Racing, Cyberpunk/Solarpunk RP)

DELTΔ HYPER

Kais Zenix and Paul Mulder

@MrSkimobile

---

After the crash at Silverstone, Paul had flown home to Belgium for a few days. Paul didn’t keep a private residence of his own. He didn’t see the need and it would be a waste of money since he spent most of his time traveling or at headquarters. He had a private apartment in one wing of his mother’s ancestral home. The Mulder Family Estate was a historic residence outside Brussels that sat on 25 acres of property. The large family estate had been restored and updated through the years. The property was a short 15 minute drive outside Brussels. Paul’s apartment was cleaned and maintained when he was not there by his mother’s staff. His father had shared his passion for collectible cars, which were stored in a climate controlled secured garage built on the grounds. His apartment had its own outside private entrance and the grounds had security and was gated. He and his mother both had their privacy but could spend time together when they were both here without tripping over each other. Paul was never more grateful for the peace, quiet, and privacy of his family’s home. Paul had ordered his digital AI assistant to monitor his phone calls. He had a short list of people that Paul was willing to talk to.

This was a good time for him to work on the Fundraising Gala for the Mulder Foundation and spend some time hanging out with his mother. Working on the gala was low key and would occupy his mind and time while his body was healing. His mother had been receptive and cleared her evenings to spend time with him. Paul had flown home on Monday morning after sleeping in and taken it easy the first day. He had checked in with the Foundation Monday afternoon to see how the planning was going. Things were going just fine without him. He hoped to rope a few more of his fellow pilots into helping with the fundraiser. He had woken up Tuesday morning feeling stiff and like someone had worked him over like he was a heavy bag. He decided to try some light yoga and stretching this morning. He was still sore and tender in spots but the movement was helping the stiffness and tightness in his shoulders and back. He had a massage therapist come in and spend some time on his neck and back afterward. He then lounged around in a hot whirlpool bath and felt almost human afterwards.

Paul had managed to send Kais a private text through the driver group chat the Monday after the Silverstone Grand Prix. He wasn’t sure how receptive Kais would be to his proposal. He understood enough from watching Kais at interviews that he didn’t really like the attention or the press. Paul admired Kais’ strength and skill as a pilot. He smiled remembering how awkward he could be at times. He always seemed on the edge of violence or anger. Paul wondered if it was a result of his time as a soldier. He saw the same thing in Alexander occasionally. Maybe this would help soften his image a little. Kais got as much crap from the media about his supersoldier past as Hyeon-Ae got about her rigid public persona. Kais certainly didn’t help his situation with the media but Paul couldn’t help but feel that Kais simply didn’t care what other people thought or no one had ever taught him how to deal with them. He didn’t seem to understand other people well.

Paul was still determined to befriend as many of the rookie pilots this year as he could. They might all be competitors but there were things that only another Formula AG pilot would understand. The pressure to perform, to win, pressure to appear the way sponsors and your team wants you too. It was a lot of pressure where other people had expectations of you and often didn’t see you as a person but more as a tool or asset. Paul smiled as he thought about the grumpy ex-soldier. He was certainly keeping Amy on her toes. He sent the private message off to Kais.

Paul Mulder: Hey Kais, I have a proposition for you. I am putting together a fundraiser and awareness campaign for the Mulder Foundation. It is a nonprofit that was started by my mother Alicia Mulder to honor my father after he died. They provide funds to help low income kids with financial support to pursue sports including racing. They also provide art supplies to children’s arts programs in Europe. Is this something you would like to be a part of? Bea Ward is doing an art piece that will be printed and auctioned off at the Charity Gala. The design will also be on t-shirts for sale to the masses. Hyeon-Ae has offered to donate some signed Zygon stuff for the auction. You would be mentioned in the press as a sponsor and donor. You don’t have to attend unless you want to. The charity gala is being planned for the Friday between the Spa and German races. It will be held in Brussels.

Kais hadn’t expected this. Few people asked for his participation in these kinds of events. He supposed it wasn’t the best PR to have an association with someone that still had the image of a fallen-upwards drone-beast to a lot of people. But Paul was Paul, and Kais felt that meant there was no ulterior motive at least. He remembered their conversation after the Tokyo race, how he talked fondly about his mother. Kais sighed as he read the message. For some reason he still couldn’t shake the resemblance with a certain other person in his past. Trying to drag him out of his shell. And how that ended for him… Kais wondered what to do. He was sure they had enough security at the venue, at least, though with the events and revelations during the last few races in mind, maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to be there, just to keep an eye on things. Especially with a certain someone being involved... Plus, if there was anyone Kais would want to guard from whatever it was he was involved in now, if necessary, it would be Paul. And there was something else… The fact that it was for his mother and father somehow spoke to him. And so, Kais answered:

Kais: Hello, Ace.

Kais: I’ll come check it out.

Paul: “I would love to have you join us. I will wait to hear back from you.”

[Some days later]

Paul was still at home on Wednesday when he heard back from Kais. He was moving better today. He had done some laps in the pool after a yoga and stretching session. The light exercise helped to ease the stiffness and soreness from the injuries from the crash. He had been video conferencing with Dr. Montgomery the team’s medical lead and restorative medicine doctor, Sasha Volkova the team’s physical therapist, and Agnes Poulsen his trainer. They had approved of the exercises and were monitoring his progress. They wanted him to come back to the campus but understood his request for some personal time away after the accident. Alexander had backed his request so they had backed off. He was due to leave and return to headquarters at the end of the week. Paul had needed this respite. He had seen how worried his mother had been and knew that him being here and watching his recovery had reassured her. Paul had just been sitting down to his desk to work after his workout, massage, and hydrotherapy session when his phone indicated an incoming call. He smiled as he saw a video message from Kais. He clicked accept.

Kais: How’s this:

Kais: [Picture of a motorcycle. It’s not exactly prestigious-looking, a bit of a mechanical Frankenstein’s monster, to be honest. And for some reason, it’s been spray painted completely white]

Kais: Got it back from the shops this morning.

Kais: I don’t do art, though.

Kais: So you’ll have to supply the kids to paint it at the event yourself.

Kais: And try Nora. I think she knows how to handle a spraycan. She could teach them.

Kais: And hey, in Monaco? You did good.

Paul looked over the picture at the white bike in confusion before he continued to read Kais’ message. His smile bloomed as he understood Kais’ intention. Paul’s smile and good mood were infectious as he got more excited about the upcoming event. Paul knew that Kais struggled with the media attention. This would be a good way to show another more human side of him to the world. The kids would love to meet one of the AG racers. Paul’s excitement about the idea came out as he contacted Kais back.

Paul: “The kids will love that! Do you want to come join the kids and meet them as they paint the bike? I can of course reach out to Nora and see if she would like to join in on this as well. The media would love that you know. We could get pictures of you with the kids working together to paint the bike. We could use them in the promotion of the event and we can auction off the bike at the Gala. You are going to come to the Gala right?”

Paul finally wound down enough for Kais to reply and answer him. His excitement was palatable.

Kais... hadn't quite expected that. He had done some photo-ops before, but those were mostly with cats. He didn't think he'd have one anytime soon with actual human beings (Layla being the one exception, and even then technically questionable), let alone kids. In short: this was something entirely out of his ballpark, but Paul’s enthusiasm felt inviting, and with Beatrix’ comments on how she made her art still in his mind -just go with what strikes your fancy, don’t think about it too much-, Kais was curious to try. If push did come to shove, after all, children were tiny, he could handle them. Even with Beatrixian underthinking.

Kais: Wasn't my first thought. But I’ll give it a shot. I’ll be there.

Kais: See you then.

Paul smiled at Kais, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He knew this would do wonders for Kais’ public image. The kids would absolutely love it! Now he just had to convince Nora to join his media zoo for a cause campaign. He would message her next.

Paul: “Thank you Kais. I truly appreciate your support with this. I will make the arrangements for you and get you the details.”

Kais had already disconnected after a brief nod to him. Paul shrugged and decided no time like the present to hit up Nora.

@sylvan @NitroNora

Paul sent Nora a private message through the pilot chat app. He smiled into the camera as he made his appeal.

Paul: “Hello Nora! I am reaching out to ask for your help with a personal project. I am working on putting together a fundraiser for the Mulder Foundation. I have been reaching out to my fellow pilots to ask for their support. The Mulder Foundation was started by my mother to honor my father’s memory. It supports sports and arts programs for low income children across Europe. They even sponsor a few upcoming racers. I was hoping you would be willing to lend your presence and talents to this endeavor. Kais Zenix has agreed to join me in this. He is donating this motorcycle.”

He sent her a picture of the all white motorcycle that was a custom rebuild. A very nice Frankenstein monster in steel and chrome.

Paul: "Kais suggested that the children paint the motorcycle before it is auctioned off at the Gala. I suggested that he join with the children to paint it. He suggested I contact you to help with that. He said that you might know you were around a paint gun. So what do you say Nora? Will you come help me help some kids out? I think Kais might need some backup with the wee ones.I think I heard him mumble something about ankle biters.”

Paul’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Come join us to paint the bike and you will have a front row seat to all the glorious chaos that happens. I also think you will have a good time. You can donate your own thing to the Gala and are welcome to attend. I am happy to include you in all the press as well. It helps out those children whose parents can’t afford to pay for a sports uniform or a ship to race in.”

Paul’s face became more serious and exuded his sincerity. ”I am glad you are okay. Let me know if you want to talk about the details. I hope to hear from you.”

DELTΔ HYPER (Anti-Gravity Racing, Cyberpunk/Solarpunk RP)

Silverstone Grand Prix, Race Weekend

Alexander had done his rounds with the teams’ sponsors that had come to Silverstone. Zap Sport’s Drinks and I Can’t Believe It's Not Meat were making a small killing as vendors to fans at Silverstone. Alexander had stopped and checked in with BioCHO as well. Enigma Lux had a presence in the Valkyrie Fan Zone selling the high end line of fan gear created by them. Alexander had stopped by to thank Artie’s team for their support and to see if they needed anything. Alexander had to admit that the fan gear collaboration with Enigma Lux had become a quite lucrative sponsorship deal for Team Valkyrie even if the cost was him walking down a fashion runway. Alexander sported a rare smile as he thought about the fact he would never have met Lena without them. She had a modeling engagement in Milan this weekend and couldn’t be here with him. He missed her already. Thinking about her, he used his neural interface to connect with his tablet to send her a quick message wishing her luck with her event.

Alexander had started being more intentional with the Team Valkyrie Junior Formula AG Team. He had tasked the team’s trainers with ways to better support the Junior Team. They were building custom training routines for their drivers to complete while at home or traveling.The Junior team didn’t live at the Campus and were rarely there. Alexander was trying to change that within reason. If they wanted these drivers to develop into professionals they needed to do more than go to races. The team’s nutritionist was working with Chef Jacques to provide them with appropriate meals while the team’s physical therapist worked with the team's physical trainer Agnes Poulsen to develop physical training routines for each of their junior drivers. The Junior team typically came to campus for a bootcamp in the off season. Alexander is arranging for them to have smaller bootcamps over shorter breaks so that they can get more training on campus. He tasked Katherine’s team with developing a course on how to handle the press for their junior drivers. He tasked the HR team with developing a course to teach the Junior pilots how to vet and find a good manager to look after their personal interests. He had the legal team prepare a workshop for them on the importance of having contracts vetted by a legal professional they trusted before signing anything.

If Alexander was going to do this, then he was going to do it right. If they said they were preparing these drivers for professional careers and putting the team’s name on it. Then Alexander wanted it to be the best academy out there. Meeting Scarlett Collins of their Junior Team reminded him that not all their Junior Pilots had the same resources growing up. Racing was an expensive sport and was typically closed to those of lower financial means. There were skills that professional pilots were going to need that had traditionally not been taught by the academy. Alexander wanted to make sure they were all set up for success. He tasked the medical team to discuss the variety and types of augmentations that Formula AG racing teams were using on their pilots. He wanted them to have a realistic idea of the pros and cons of each type and what the implementation involved. He didn’t want the Junior team pilots to be taken advantage of after they left the academy. Valkyrie didn’t have space for them all. He knew some would go to other teams. With the new changes, Alexander was hopeful that all the Team Valkyrie Junior Team would start to show improvement in skills.

Alexander began to covertly work on his plans for long term change for next season once more with Leopold’s blessing. They were actively searching for new research and development partners to take the team to the next level. Alexander had a meeting with Yuhara Shinichi of Shinichi Bionics to discuss updating the team’s pilots to her new neural interface and helping to push the legal certifications through with the help of the European Union Space Agency. Alexander felt they were a good match. He could help her and they could help his team. Alexander was pretty certain that Johanna would be in favor of this and interested in the space applications for Yuhara’s special approach to cybernetics. Alexander had a meeting scheduled next week with Robyn McIntyre of Banshee Microsystems. Paul had filled him in on the young lady’s attempt to use a VIP ride to vet a new microprocessor chip she was working on. Alexander was interested in working with her. He wanted to upgrade the team’s computer systems. He no longer trusted them after what he found when investigating the former CEO. He worried that their systems were compromised and that Brendel could sell backdoors to their competitors. It was an itch he couldn’t scratch. His worry might be baseless but Alexander believed in preparing for the worst. It would set his mind at ease to put this worry to rest. After his conversation with Paul, he believed that there was a mutually beneficial partnership there for the making. Alexander grinned, happy to finally be making some progress on his plans. Now if he could only find a decent engine engineer he liked and could trust to build a new engine for the next generation of ships.

---

Alexander had wished both his driver’s luck before they had climbed into their ships for the race. Alexander knew most Team Principals would be in their posh private boxes for the race. Alexander preferred to be in the middle of the action in the paddock. He would watch the team’s race engineers and listen in on a headset. He rarely intervened as he trusted his team to do their work. He felt more comfortable here with the team than with the sponsors, suits, and other people who had no real idea of what it took to get on that podium. Alexander was watching the monitors intently as the race started. Paul was moving up through the pack. Dorian had a bad start but was at least holding for now. Alexander smiled noting the improvement especially in his ELS defense. It had been his biggest weakness at the beginning of the season. Alexander watched as Paul pushed aggressively to overtake the Zygon ship on the outside. He was in position when Cassie’s ship made an aggressive move to shut him down, the ship drifting further than she probably intended due to its poorer handling. Alexander saw it coming as neither pilot yielded.

Alexander froze in terror as Paul’s ship made contact with the Zygon ship and went flipping into the barrier. The ship came to rest upside down and there were pieces of the ship all over the track. Alexander closed his eyes and swallowed the panic that was trying to overwhelm him. He knew the ship had massive safety features for this reason. The crash looked worse than it could be. The cockpit area of the ship was still in one piece. The debris all over the track were those extra bits and sensors all over the ship. They were designed to crumble and break so that they didn’t impale the driver or crucial systems. The barrier technology was designed to keep the pilot alive and prevent accidents like the one that took the life of Paul’s father Audrick.

Alexander sat down in a chair hard as memories of that crash overlaid the present in his mind. Alexander found himself using some of the techniques his therapist had been teaching him. He purposefully focused on the differences to prevent being sucked into that painful memory. There was no blood. The cockpit was intact. There was movement now as Paul was helped out of the side hatch on the cockpit. Paramedics and emergency rescue personnel were already responding. Paul was obviously injured and shaken a little as he was being helped and steadied by a person on each arm. He was stumbling a little. Paul raised an arm and waved at the crowd who let out a collective cheer of relief at seeing he was okay. Alexander found himself taking another deep breath. He was okay. He pulled off his headset and began to run towards where he knew Paul would be arriving. He wanted to make sure he was okay. His mother might let him live yet. He would make sure Paul contacted her as soon as possible to reassure her.

---

Alexander was exhausted. It had been a long and trying day. He had a lot to deal with after Paul’s crash. He had first met Paul as he came in off the track and stayed with him as he got medical treatment. Alicia had called him while Paul was being checked out by the doctors. Alexander reassured her of what was going on and that he was with Paul. He told Alicia he would have Paul call her after the doctors were done with him. Alexander continued to deflect people away from Paul giving him a chance to get his wits about him before having to deal with other people.

Paul had a mild concussion, some strained muscles in his shoulders, and some bruising. Paul didn’t have a brain bleed but the force of having his head shaken around caused some bruising and swelling on his brain. His brain basically hit the skull from the force exerted on his body. The restraints and the neck support brace had helped minimize that. The repulsor barrier technology on the cockpit had kept it together protecting him further. Paul had been monitored for a while after being given some painkillers and medication to reduce the swelling and inflammation. He would heal quickly and be back to normal in a few days. He was under strict orders to rest with no strenuous activity for a few days.

Alexander had run interference with the press for the moment. He wanted to give Paul time to get back on his feet and be thinking clearly before he had to deal with them. Paul would have to do the Delta Hyper interview as it was a contractual obligation. Alexander had sent Cavan a message to begin building Paul a new ship and get it ready for Canada. They had resources to rebuild the entire ship. This kind of thing happens in racing. They never wanted to have to do it but the team could. Alexander was grateful for Lena's calm and caring voice as she checked in on him later in the day. He wished she was here but hearing her voice before he climbed into bed was a balm that he had not known he needed.

---

Team Valkyrie Characters

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5…

DELTΔ HYPER (Anti-Gravity Racing, Cyberpunk/Solarpunk RP)

Sunday 16th June, 2094
Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England
Race Day

Paul went through his normal race day routine. He went through his final checklist with Carmella and made sure all systems were working.

Paul: “All systems green. Ready for the race to start.”

Paul was sitting in his starting position in P7. The ship alive and purring the engines warmed up. Paul in sync with the ship. Paul taking those precious moments before the race began to appreciate how lucky he was to get to do this for a living. He lived a truly blessed life. The ship felt like an extension of his body. Paul was beginning to note that he was seeing gains from the neural interface cognitive training that the training team had come up with. He was processing the vast amounts of data the ship sent him faster and easier. The response time between his thoughts and the ship were getting faster. Paul continued to train like a demon possessed to improve between races. He worked on ELS and overtaking skills. He had improved a great deal but he knew that to stay competitive he had to push not only his competitor’s limits but his own as well. Paul’s skills were improving. You could see it when looking at video recordings of his performance. His racing lines were becoming cleaner and his ship’s moves more graceful. Paul knew that even though he had been racing for a long time, he was at the beginning of his professional career in racing. There was still a lot to learn that only came with experience and pushing your limits and finding out what you were capable of.

Paul unconsciously kneaded the material of his racing gloves to ensure fit and flexibility for handling. He was focused as the countdown finished and he hit the throttle. The entire field of ships leaping into action at once in an almost eager surging wave. The leaders breaking away at the front of the pack. The first few corners showed the competitive nature of this track as positions changes and overtakes were already taking place. Paul kept right on Hyeon-Ae’s fins. He kept his racing line clean, maintaining good control of his ship. Paul had started the race behind Hyeon-Ae with Bea nipping at his heels with Layla in front of Hyeon-Ae and Cassie in front of Layla. The atmosphere of the race was electric with tension and excitement as pilots frustrated from the tight conditions at Monaco let loose at Silverstone trading positions and paint.

Paul stayed on Hyeon-Ae’s tail building up his ELS system. Hyeon-Ae pulled away from him on the Wellington Straight. She had to slow to maneuver through the Brooklands curve before the Luffield corner. Paul saw his opportunity as he caught up to her at Brooklands. He made his move in Luffield and slipped past Hyeon-Ae on the outside, his better handling allowing him to take the corner faster. He then went charging after Layla who Carmella informed him was 0.5 seconds in front of him. He did his best to close on Layla as she pulled away from him in a faster ship. He was slowly gaining on her through the smaller curves. He caught up with Layla at Stowe and went flying past her at Vale as Paul dove down and hugged the inside curve of the track as Layla’s ship drifted to the outside edge needing the extra room to make the turn.

Paul’s confidence was high as he now had Cassie in his sights. He was making up time in the corners charging his ELS. He was defending well and managing to keep ELS from hitting from the rear as he charged towards the Zygon ship in front of him. Paul knew it was going to be tight. He was charging hard down the outside catching up to Cassie as she slowed for the corner. There was enough room for a ship on the outside. Paul made a calculated decision to go for it. He charged for the opening he saw for Cassie to aggressively defend trying to shut him down. The Zygon ship drifted further into his space due to its poorer handling and Cassie’s aggressive maneuver. Paul didn’t have any time to avoid the collision as the ship drifted into the racing line he was taking. While Paul had been aggressively trying to overtake Cassie, Cassie had been just as aggressive in defending. Neither of them were willing to yield the line. The resulting collision knocked his ship off the mag track and sent it hurtling through the air and flipping before landing upside down and sliding into the barricade by the edge of the track.

The crash happened quickly and Paul’s senses were reeling as his body was flung around inside the cockpit against the restraints. The ship was hit from the side sending him into a lateral flip. His entire body being shaken and thrown against the restraints at high force. Paul blinked as he tried to figure out what had happened. His HUD had red flashing alarms all over it. He could hear Carmella screaming in his ear asking if he was okay. Paul was confused and disoriented. Blood was rushing to his head from being upside down. Paul could hear his heartbeat and thought that was odd. It was weird how his heartbeat sounded so loud and the rest was just a hushed and blurred background noise. After about 30 seconds it was like the world was done holding its breath and noise came crashing back into his head with awareness. He had crashed. Pain blinked thinking it was too bright as the flashing lights in his HUD sent pain through his head. He groaned and managed to hit the emergency release in the center of his restraint harness. He fell down into the canopy. He rolled over and managed to pull his legs free. He knelt and groped for the side latch clumsily. He felt so odd like his brain had been disconnected from his body. He managed to open the side hatch and went to bend over to go through it to have his head jerked back. He was confused for a moment as he ran his hand to the back of his head and found the cord that connected his neural interface to the ship. He managed to unclip it and release it. He then fell out of the side hatch as it released. He crawled out. He blinked as the light once again sent searing pain through his head.

By this time, the medical personnel were responding. They began leading him off the track. He stumbled along being pulled between two burly paramedics. He waved at the crowd to let them know he was okay. He certainly didn’t feel okay but he knew fans and other drivers would wonder how bad he was injured if it at all. He stumbled off the track and out of sight whisked away for medical treatment.

---

Post Race Interviews

---

Paul had been checked out thoroughly by the team’s paramedic that traveled with them to races, Konrad Badowski. Konrad accompanied him to the local emergency room where Paul was poked and prodded to ensure he didn’t have any broken bones. He did have a mild concussion from his head bouncing around. He didn’t hit anything but he had been thrown so violently his brain had bounced around in his skull. His neck was stiff and sore and he had bruises all over his body but especially where his body had been thrown against his restraints. Paul had thanked the doctor who gave him something for the pain. He had the worst headache. Paul had been released after treatment several hours later.

All Paul wanted to do was crawl in bed and go to sleep. His body felt sore and his head ached. He felt like a used dish rag that someone had wrung out. But obligations came first. For the first time this season, Paul looked disheveled and shaken up as he took his seat gingerly on the Delta Hyper couch. Paul just wanted to get through this so he could sleep. He already knew what they were going to ask him.

Aurora: "Paul, a disappointing result for you. Cassie seemed to think there was nothing she could do- was that a rookie error from you or did she defend too aggressively?"

Paul wearily sighed as he answered looking directly into the camera.

Paul: “I haven’t had a chance to look at the footage of the race but I would argue that we both played a role in the crash.” Paul shrugged and looked over at Aurora. “I want to win just as much as the other drivers.”

Paul gave Aurora a lopsided smile.

Paul: “I might be a nice guy but I want to win. I was charging hard and aggressively going for the outside line. Cassie was aggressively defending and trying to prevent me from passing her. Neither of us wanted to concede the line. I had the outside line and was halfway past her when contact was made to the side of my ship. Racing incidents happen. What we do isn’t for the faint of heart. Cassie and I will face each other again.”

---

Social Media

Team Valkyrie AGR @TeamValkyrie:

Dorian Hornfleur took 7th place at Silverstone. Team Valkyrie wanted to let fans know that Paul Mulder did suffer some minor injuries in the crash but is recovering quickly and you will see him back in action for the Canada Grand Prix.

---

OfficeDrone#12: Silverstone was certainly exciting.
SuperfanAGR54: Disappointed with Mulder’s performance at Silverstone.
DantheMan: Can the team even rebuild a ship before Canada?
BatDave: I am still Batman.
Superfan2075: Rookie error by Mulder.
DadBod89: I think Paul’s answer was the right one. Racing incidents happen.
Hater101: Paul was stupid to try that overtake. He caused the crash.
Papabear34: Paul’s crash hurt the team’s points.
Nana2050: It is good to hear that Paul will be okay.
GeorgeFly: Paul has been a very consistent pilot. I am more inclined to believe his version of events.
ValkyrieFan56: Can the team be ready by Canada?
Weedhead81: The grass is always greener and sweeter on the other side.
SexyM@m@5: Can we talk about Dorian’s stellar comeback?
Paulmulder4eva: At least Paul is okay. I was so worried about him.
Britball12: Paul didn’t have the skill to pull off what he was attempting. It was a classic rookie mistake. It’s sad that it cost Cassie too.
!YouSlow!: Paul’s crash drama shouldn’t overshadow Dorian’s racing comeback glory!
Bertha: Paul has been skating all season. What about the points it cost Cassie?

---

Team Valkyrie Characters

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5…

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP) (COMPLETED)

Fireteam Anvil

Chuck "Boomer" Simmons

Samantha "Chaos" Dalton

Battle of the Giants

The battle against the two mechs had begun. The Kanatariio siblings were tag teaming Laura while Chaos and Boomer took on Zulu.

Samantha was recovering her balance as Chuck had entered the fray to take Ingwe’s attention. Samantha was analyzing the mech’s weaknesses and trying to decide how they could exploit them. That damn trophy system took their hardest hitting weapons out of play. Samantha thought about how trophy systems worked. They were power hogs. Maybe she could overload it and disable it that way. Samantha was quick to note that Chuck had used the information she had given him as he targeted the mech’s joints. Samantha grinned as Chuck’s second hit locked up the mech’s leg.

Samantha’s grin become feral as her eyes narrowed on her target. She quickly explained the plan to Chuck. She didn’t want to catch him in the crossfire.

Samantha: “Boomer I am going to begin aiming for his shield. I am going to try and overload his trophy system to take it down. Keep up the pressure on the joints.”

Chuck grinned and swung Lucile like a baseball bat. “Happy to oblige Chaos. Batter up!”

Chuck swung at the damaged leg joint again. If he could immobilize the mech that would also get them an advantage.

Chaos checked what kind of ammunition she had. She smiled as she remembered the grenade launcher. There had been some electric antipersonal shock rounds. She let Chuck take Ingwe’s attention as he could move faster than she could in the mech. She moved to the other side to give Chuck more room to fight.

Chuck managed to get one more hit on the damaged mech joint. Ingwe used his shield to block Samantha who was on the other side of the mech as he stabbed at Chuck with the spear. Chuck ducked and dodged however he was not fast enough to get away completely clean. The spear scraped across the surface of his armor scratching it. It would have opened him up if he had not been in armor. His heavy plate was holding up. He felt the kinetic energy of that hit though. Chuck managed to stay on his feet but only with the structural and synthetic tension support of his armor.

Chuck gritted his teeth baiting Ingwe to come after him. He tried to keep his attention on him and away from Samantha.

Chuck grinned as he used his loud speakers so that Ingwe and Laura could hear him.

Chuck: “Frigga is too much woman for you to handle. Not to mention she has impeccable taste. You would have never been enough man to satisfy her Ingwe. Besides, Frigga doesn’t need my protection from you. She has already defeated you once.”

Chuck blocked an angry swipe of the spear with Lucille. The reverberation from the impact was felt through his entire body.

Samantha managed to work her way to Ingwe’s other side, splitting his attention between her and Boomer. She began to fire the antipersonnel shock grenades at Ingwe. They were being pulled off course attracted to the trophy system in his shield. She fired them as fast as she could until she ran out of them. She only had 5 of them. Hopefully that was enough.

The grenades landed close enough to the shield that the energy discharge was collected by the shield; the metal of the grenades attracted and influenced by the trophy system. The grenades exploding were bright and made her see spots even as her helmet’s HUD darkened the display to protect her eyes. She was blinking to see around the spots.

Chuck’s helmet display automatically darkened to protect his vision as Samantha struck. Chuck dodged the incoming attack ducking below the Zulu’s swing as the grenade struck. He managed to dance out of the way as the electricity danced over the Zulu mech’s shield.

Samantha grinned as she saw electric sparks and smoke come from the circuitry in Zulu’s shield. Samantha backed away and began to give her space to fire some of her heavier long range weapons.

Samantha: “Boomer I believe his trophy system was damaged at least by that last attack. I am moving to ranged to see if I can hammer him with more damage.”

Chuck’s gritted his teeth as he blocked Ingwe’s strikes. His feet sinking in the ground at the strength of the blow. Chuck yelled, managing to push the spear back a little. The sound of servos whining could be heard. The beauty of Chuck’s armor was that it was assisted by his own strength and not reliant on its own mechanical strength. It was a synergy of both. If his armor broke he still had his personal strength to rely on.

Samantha began targeting the mech’s weakest points which were it’s joints the cockpit. She backed away and began releasing missiles on the Zulu mech. She used her guns to target the joints as she began to move her mech from side to side running and keeping a distance from the Zulu mech. She was trying to hit him from the rear while Chuck was fighting the Zulu mech head on.

Chuck put his whole body into a twist as he aimed at the bottom of the mech’s leg. Maybe he could knock it down or make Ingwe stumble. There was another horrendous sound of metal tearing as armor plating dented and broke. The Zulu Mech didn’t go down but it wobbled.

Samantha began targeting the mech’s weakest points which were its joints and the cockpit. The heaviest armored part of the mech protected its power core. She backed away and began releasing missiles on the Zulu mech. She used her guns to target the joints as she began to move her mech from side to side running and keeping a distance from the Zulu mech. She was trying to hit him from the rear while Chuck was fighting the Zulu mech head on.

Ingwe seemed to come alive and begin to fight harder and Chuck was hard pressed to dodge and block. The fight began to speed up as Samantha’s guns began to tear into the mech’s rear armor. Chuck was beginning to tire; they had been fighting and running for a while now. Ingwe was fresh to the fight. Chuck was barely able to match him in the mech. Only his training, size, strength, and armor had allowed him to go toe to toe with the mech. The mech didn’t get tired though. Ingwe let out a triumphant yell as he managed to stab his spear into Chuck’s side. The spear was caught on Chuck’s armor. The spear punctured through his armor due to the force being exerted. The spear going through Chuck’s armor and was lodged into his side. The spear pierced his side and moved downwards past his lower ribs. Chuck stumbled back taking the spear with him. He fell down a few steps later. His HUD ringing and flashing with alarms and his armor's medical suite began shooting him full of drugs and running diagnostics. Chuck's side was on fire and he was having trouble breathing. The force of the blow coupled with the penetration of the spear doing massive damage to him. His armor mitigating some of that damage.

Samantha screamed out in fury seeing Chuck go down. The Zulu mech had smoke pouring out of it as it turned towards her now firing everything it had at her. She began firing everything she had with tears in her eyes. She aimed for the cockpit. She wanted Ingwe dead this time. She didn't want to lose anyone else. She recognized just how broken she was after everything she had come through. She had come to be close to those who fought next to her. Those who fought next to her where brothers and sisters. It was almost unbearable to think she would lose more of them.

DELTΔ HYPER (Anti-Gravity Racing, Cyberpunk/Solarpunk RP)

Saturday 15th June, 2094
Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England
Qualifying

Paul pushed the ship as hard as he could. He kept his racing line as neat and clean as possible. The ship’s superior handling and stability made the corners and chicanes a thing of beauty to navigate. Sadly the ship lacked the speed of some of the others. Paul could only make up so much time in those corners. He was beginning to understand Dorian’s frustration from earlier in the season. He had to race the ship he had. Paul felt comfortable that he had done everything he could to eke out every ounce of speed in the ship. He saw his time posted after he pulled into the paddock. He pulled the ship into the paddock and shut it off. He popped the canopy as one of the pit crew rolled the stairs over for him to climb out easier. He hopped down and went to talk to Carmella, his race engineer.

Paul: “It’s handling great but we need more speed if we want to be competitive. I might be currently in fifth place but I doubt I will stay there. Talk to Cavan to see if he can get us any more speed without messing with the handling.”

Carmella nodded, making notes on her tablet. “I will pass on your notes.”

Paul grabbed a Zap drink and chugged it to help with the heat from racing the ship. The engines put out a great deal of heat and climate control would just slow them down and add extra weight. Besides that is why pilot suits had cooling technology built into them.

He sighed as he watched Hyeon-Ae best his time. He frowned. He had managed to beat her in almost every race so far this season. He would go work on overtakes and ELS in the trailer. He would need all the skills he could muster to stay competitive here at Silverstone. He had just wrapped up another training session when Carmella came and gave him the news that his final position was P7. It wasn’t horrible but after tasting the podium, it felt like failure. Could he make up for the ship’s lack of speed with skill? He would certainly try. He couldn’t help but smile as he remembered what it felt like to drive Lauda’s Ferrari. That was a once in a lifetime experience that not many people could say. Silverstone was worth the trip just for that.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Eight: The Chain

Peer to Peer

---

@MrSkimobile

Paul was once more sitting on the Delta Hyper couch in front of Aurora. He smiled at Aurora and for the cameras.

Aurora: "So, we have a bit of a change of plan again. Because today on Delta Hyper, after we've gotten to know you, your thoughts on your team-mate, and now....maybe we put you in the hot seat. Would you like to open the envelope, please?"

Paul took the envelope and read the question. He put the envelope down as he took a few moments to think of what he would want to ask and of who.

Paul gave a mischievous smile and looked into the camera before answering.

Paul: “My question is for Kais. He is a beast on the race course and seems very tense all the time. What does he do to relax? Do you have any hobbies? What do you do when you are not racing or training?”

Paul waited as Aurora revealed Bea’s question to him.

Bea: ”If there was one area you could expand the scope of the Mulder Foundation into, anything at all, what would it be? Or would you leave it as it is because that’s how your mother intended it?”

Paul smiled as this was an easy question. “The Mulder Foundation is my mother’s passion project. I wouldn’t change the scope of what they do. If I could expand the Mulder Foundation, it would be to increase the number of children they can help. I would love to see it get enough funding to expand to help children all around the world and not just Europe. The Mulder Foundation does it best to help as many children as possible but funding always limits the numbers we can help achieve their dreams. As a matter of fact Bea and Hyeon-Ae have both graciously agreed to help with a fundraiser for the Mulder Foundation. Bea is creating a custom artwork that will be auctioned off at the Fundraising Gala happening after the Spa Grand Prix. The art will be put on t-shirts that fans can buy from the Mulder Foundation website. The bulk of the profits will be going to the Mulder Foundation. The planning stages are almost done. So be sure to check out the Mulder Foundation Website for more information and dates! Thanks for the question Bea!”

---

Media Before Silverstone

Soundtrack: Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey - When You Believe

---

The Mulder Foundation needs your help to support children’s sports and art programs across Europe. The Mulder Foundation is proud to announce its 15th annual fundraising gala. Tickets are $100 per person and will include dinner and dancing and an auction. Auction materials will include signed memorabilia from Formula AG Team Zygon, custom art by Bea Ward, one of Audrick Mulder’s racing helmets, and a trip around the track in a Formula AG ship piloted by Paul Mulder. Formula AG Fans will be able to purchase t-shirts featuring Bea Ward’s art from our website. Tickets and t-shirts will be going on sale soon. Be sure to follow us on social media for updates!
[Link to the Mulder Foundation Website]

---

Social Media

---

Paul Mulder @ValkyriePaul:

Hello Formula AG Fans. In case you missed my announcement on Delta Hyper, it is time for the 15th annual Mulder Foundation Fundraising Gala. For those who don’t know, the Mulder Foundation supports arts and sports programs across Europe for low income children. Low income children often get left out of these experiences due to a lack of funding. That is where the Mulder Foundation steps in providing supplies and equipment to these programs. There are multiple ways to support the Foundation. You can give a donation directly, you can purchase one of Bea’s amazing t-shirts from the Mulder Foundation Website, or you can purchase a ticket to attend the gala and auction. I will be attending the gala and you might see a few other Formula AG drivers hanging around as well! The Mulder Foundation was started by my mother to honor my father. I hope to make this year’s event extra special. Help me help others!
[Link to the Mulder Foundation Website]

---

Team Valkyrie Characters

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5…

DELTΔ HYPER (Anti-Gravity Racing, Cyberpunk/Solarpunk RP)

Thursday 16/06 Formula AG Pilot GroupChat

Paul
Dorian and I are headed to the Pub Jen recommended The Fox Inn in Farthinghoe. Feel free to join us! Last night to relax before all the fun tomorrow! Come join us!
Dorian
As the boy wonder said, we have a reservation for 7pm. Come hang out with us!

---

Friday 14th June, 2094
Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England
1400 GMT (Earlier that day)

Soundtrack: Coldplay - The Adventure of a lifetime

La Chauffeur

Paul was in his racing suit and preparing to take out his VIP when Dorian came back in with Maxine Lomas. Paul gave his teammate a genuine smile that hid his amusement as he watched the tough footballer regain her equilibrium as she climbed out of the AG ship. Paul and Dorian had been asked to accommodate a few hot lap VIPs at Silverstone. Alexander had launched a special Team Valkyrie victory tour through Europe and online using VR to capitalize on the team’s positive press after their win at Monaco. The fans were loving every minute of it. Scarlett Collins from Valkyrie’s Junior AG Team had been asked to help with that project. She had called Paul to tell him how excited she was. Scarlette was being introduced to Formula AG fans on a much larger platform than she was used to. She told him that Katherine’s team had taken some time to give her additional media training. Paul greeted Dorian warmly.

Paul waited politely for the ground crew to push in the stairs and for Dorian to pop the canopy and help Maxine down. He stood politely to one side holding his helmet as Dorian did the obligatory photo op with Maxine with the ship behind them.

Dorian walked towards Paul with a smile. He stepped forward and gave him a quick bro hug and a smile as Dorian pulled back nudging him.

Dorian chuckled as he asked: "Paul, find a passenger as big as a deal as Maxine, non?"

Paul laughed and blushed a little. “Nope. I think I got the VIP of a computer company. No one is as famous as your national treasure.”

Paul graciously smiled at the famous footballer and turned his attention to her.

Paul: “Did you enjoy yourself Maxine?”

Paul had a passing thought that they should add Maxine to the security roster. He bet going out for drinks with her would be an experience in itself.

Maxine: "A pleasure to meet you, Paul, this is incredible! Thank you both for showing me around the garage!" Maxine yelled over the roaring sound of another two-seater ship going out, the whine converting into a full blown roar when it left the pit.

Paul smiled and nodded to Maxine. “Our pleasure Maxine. I have to go check in with my VIP. Catch you later Dorian.”

Paul waved as he moved to the second tandem Formula AG trainer ship that Valkyrie had brought with the team with this very idea in mind. Paul went to the other ship that had ground crew around it. The stairs were set up and there was someone waiting for him in a racing suit with a helmet. The person had their back to him and he couldn’t tell whether it was a man or a woman. The person was short with a slight lanky build. Hairstyle was no longer an indicator of gender as both men and women wore their hair long and short. The person’s hair was cut into a sleek raven black bob with neon purple streaks in it that had some holographic and lighting effects woven into it. Paul’s thoughts drifted as he walked towards the VIP waiting for him.

Paul preferred to keep his hair natural. He just used a style that worked with his thick wavy hair. Paul was blessed with the kind of hair that always looked styled no matter how messy it was. He was grateful since he almost always was camera ready and he didn’t have time to fuss with a hair regime. His blonde hair looked golden in strong sunlight. He knew he was attractive but he tried not to let it go to his head. His mother had been serious when she told him she would have him chemically castrated if he got some poor girl pregnant because he was sowing his wild oats. She had driven the point home that he would not be cleared medically if he showed up with some STD. Even with modern medicine bacteria and viruses found a way to mutate and change. There was always some new STD on the horizon.

He had also been taught from a young age how people would try to manipulate and use him because of his heritage and wealth. Even with the extra training on how to deal with being in the public’s eye all his life, he had learned some painful lessons about that the hard way. He wondered if he would ever get over the trauma from his former relationships. He had thought he had found love and instead he had been blinded by hormone driven lust manipulated into believing the girl just wanted to love him. She had been carefully conning him into giving her access to his allowance. She had known that with his training and competition schedule that he didn’t have much time for romance. She had manipulated his feelings making him feel guilty for not spending time with her. She would get him to buy her extravagant apology gifts.

His best friend at the time had tried to warn him but Paul had lashed out at him. He had pushed him away telling him he was jealous of Paul. Paul regretted losing that friend later. His mother had confronted him with a dossier on his girlfriend. She had her investigated. It had been a humiliating and painful lesson as his mother showed him pictures of her with other wealthy men. Hanging all over them and kissing them. Then she had shown him the surveillance video from his apartment where she had let herself in using his code. She had wandered through the apartment and had placed some hidden cameras in the bedroom and living room. The time and date stamps were from the day before. Paul had been out of town at a race. She had told him she couldn’t come with him to the race. She normally begged to travel with him. That should have been his first clue. She had been hinting that she was preparing a special evening for them. Paul had felt gutted as he watched her placing the hidden cameras. Paul had felt so violated. After that experience he started seeing a therapist but he no longer trusted his feelings about people. It left him lonely and unable to really open up to other people. He kept his real feelings close to his vest. He didn’t really let his walls down for many people. He hid his feelings behind a happy relaxed attitude and front. Others would never realize how driven or how private he truly was.

Paul’s attention was brought back to the here and now as his VIP turned around to greet him as he approached. It was a petite elfin looking woman. She had a thin willowy build. Her features were delicate and her face was dominated by a pair of large blue eyes. Paul was stunned as she didn’t seem like that type that would seek the adrenaline rush of a trip around the track in an AG Ship. She looked really young as well. She looked like she was maybe 18. Paul managed not to frown as he worried if she could handle the physical stress of the g forces that would be exerted on her from the ship’s speed. Paul knew that the Team took safety seriously so she must have been cleared for the track. Paul stepped up and shook the hand she had extended with a gentle shake. One of Katherine’s marketing people did the introductions, Thomas Taylor who was in charge of public relations.

Thomas: “Hello Paul. Allow me to do the introductions. This is Miss Robyn McIntyre the founder and CEO Of Banshee Microsystems. Miss McIntyre has passed the physical but we would ask that you keep the g forces under 6 gees if possible. She has signed all the relevant waivers and disclaimers. She is good to go.”

Paul nodded as he listened carefully to what Thomas had to say. His eyes never strayed far from the face of Miss McIntyre who looked frustrated by Thomas’ words.

Robyn: “Now Thomas I signed the relevant documentation and I want a real experience in the ship.”

Paul frowned at her request. “Miss McIntyre, this is for your own safety. Pilots undergo training and augmentation that allows us to handle the g forces exuded by these ships. I am happy to give you a great experience but not at the cost of you being injured from it. I promise to give you all I feel you can take. This may seem like precautions but let me give you a comparison. Most standard roller coasters pull between 4 and 6 gees. Pilots in a Formula AG ship pull 7 gees and up.” Paul’s estimate on her age went up with the way she spoke. He couldn’t get over how young she looked. Yet she was supposed to be a CEO? Well tech did seem to be the realm of youth.

Robyn looked frustrated still. “I am going to level with you because I need this. I am testing a new computer chip. I want to test it against real g forces outside of a lab environment. I will accept what you can do now. But if I wanted to test it out in a race… would that be possible?”

Thomas looked surprised since their passenger had not disclosed this. He was at a momentary loss as he watched her pull out a small sleek box about 3 inches wide and 6 inches long that fit into the pocket of the flight suit she was wearing.

Paul was surprised and shifted his weight to his back foot. He had assumed from her looks that she was some kind of popstar or social media influencer. He looked over at the surprised Thomas. Paul looked amused to see the media executive at a loss for words since that was literally his job.

Paul: “Well miss McIntyre. If you truly wish to use Team Valkyrie’s services for testing, this is not the venue for it. I am happy to take you around the track today. If you really want to test that chip and get all the relevant data that we could provide you to go with such as the g forces being exerted on from the ship’s data, that would require a contract with the team. You should reach out to Mabel Brown, Alexander Knight’s executive assistant to arrange that. Team Valkyrie has a test track and test pilots on hand to help with requests such as these.”

Robyn looked frustrated and disappointed at Paul’s answer. As she thought through his answer she gave him a brilliant smile. “I didn’t think that was possible. Thank you Paul. I will reach out to her.” She looked over at Thomas with a smile. “Thomas, can you provide me with Miss Brown’s contact information?” She turned back to Paul. “Would it be okay if we still go around the track? I will just leave this secured in my pocket. It will still help forward my research along. This was the only thing on the public net that I could find. I know there are labs in space but I wanted to see how well it did in Earth’s gravity first.”

Thomas had simply nodded and bent over his tablet and he sent a ping with the relevant information to her inbox. Thomas smiled at Robyn. “Done Miss McIntyre.”

Paul nodded that it was okay with him. He turned to Thomas who looked relieved. Paul knew this was the kind of unusual request that would have to go through Alexander’s office or the CEO and since Valkyrie was without one at the moment. Leopold and the Board had been handling those duties. This seemed like something Alexander would find interesting and he knew Mabel would be a good gauge of Alexander’s interest.

Paul waved towards the ship. “After you Miss McIntyre.”

Paul made sure her chip was in a secured pocket and that it couldn’t come out with the g forces exerted inside the ship. He made sure her helmet was secured properly and that the safety harness was fastened. He gave her a smile as he tugged one last time on the safety harness.

Paul smiled at her as he asked. “Okay Miss McIntyre I have one final question for you.” He gave her a lopsided grin as asked. “How fast do you like to go and do you like roller coasters?”

Robyn’s laughter spilled into the cockpit with childlike glee. “I love roller coasters and the faster the better!”

Paul nodded and gave her an answering grin. “I hope you enjoy your ride.” He climbed into the pilot’s seat and tugged on his helmet. He fastened his safety harness before plugging in his neural interface which had an opening for it on the side of his helmet. He started up the ship as the ground crew closed the canopy. He took a minute to test the strength of his neural interface and how responsive the ship was. It was more sluggish than his typical ship since this was an older ship and was used at much slower speeds for training and these VIP track experiences. He had not been downplaying the safety of unaugmented people at the speeds their racing ships could go. He would be sure to give her a good experience though.

Paul smiled as he told her “Okay here we go!” He took the ship out for the hotlap to warm up the engines. He explained what he was doing. “This first lap is slow to warm up the engines. If we don’t warm them up first then the sudden shift in temperatures can cause dangerous microfractures in the engines which can lead to a catastrophic engine failure due to metal fatigue.”

Paul was not surprised when she didn’t respond. He hoped that she wouldn’t be one to throw up. Once they came back through the starting gate he opened the throttle. Paul smiled at her whoop of excitement as they took off. He heard her breath catch as he didn’t slow down for the first corner and slung shot around it. He could tell she was having a good time as she cheered, screamed, and laughed at being thrown around in the back seat as he made his way around the track. He was not using close to the speeds that he did when racing or even training but it was more than Thomas had suggested. He had heard her breath catch a few times as if the wind had been knocked out of her. He floored it on the back straight as they came roaring across the finish line. He then left off the throttle and pulled the ship back into paddock row. He powered the ship down as the ground crew approached with the ladder. He had disconnected his neural interface and took a moment before he began to unfasten his safety harness. He then stepped onto the platform at the top of the steps and bent over to help her out of her safety harness. She was pale but all smiles as she stepped out of the ship onto the platform. She did lose her balance a little and Paul caught her before she could fall.

Paul: “Careful take your time to regain your equilibrium and let your blood pressure settle. This is why we couldn’t push the speed higher. Did you like your ride?”

He waited till Robyn seemed stable before withdrawing his support.

She had looked up at him startled as his quick reflexes caught her before she could fall. She had stepped out of the ship and was hit with a dizzy spell. She was looking up into his eyes which seemed so close with her wrapped up in his strong arms. She gulped and nodded gratefully when he let her go. She was worried that he could feel her racing heart through the thick racing suit.

She took a few deep breaths before climbing down the stairs. She took a few steps away from the stairs before turning towards him as he came down the stairs. She pulled off the helmet and tucked it under her arm before shaking out her hair and running her hands through it to straighten it out some. She gave Paul a big smile with excitement still in her eyes. “Yes It was worth it! I had a blast! I will have to do this again someday.”

Paul had pulled his helmet off and had tucked it under his arm as he gave her a warm smile. “I am glad you enjoyed it. I hope it helps you out with your research. Would you like a photo to commemorate the occasion?” Paul motioned towards the professional photographer that was part of the package waiting next to Thomas.

Robyn looked at the waiting photographer and was a little startled to realize they were surrounded by people. The ground crew checking over the ship, Thomas and part of the marketing team and security. Robyn flushed a little and nodded with a strained smile. “But of course.”

She stepped next to Paul and posed with him in front of the ship as the photographer snapped a few photos of them together and then her by herself in front of the ship.

Robyn offered Paul a handshake when they were done. “Thank you Paul for the experience and information. You gave me the experience of a lifetime.”

Paul gave her a smile and a warm handshake in return. “Your welcome. It’s all in a day’s work for me.” He gave her a saucy wink before he turned her back over to Thomas and left for the Team’s private areas.

---

Social Media

---

Team Valkyrie AGR @TeamValkyrie:

Team Valkyrie AGR Sport is proud to announce the Team Valkyrie Wings of the Past, Present,and Future Tour! We want to celebrate the career of Dorian Hornfleur. We want to showcase our past, the present, and highlight our hopes for the future. Come meet some of the Junior Formula AG team who will be the future of the sport. Dorian Hornfluer and Paul Mulder will be making appearances as their schedule allows. The tour will be a live event traveling across Europe over the next month. The live events are being hosted for a small charge to keep it affordable for all fans. Admission is only $10 per person. For those fans who can’t make it in person there is a virtual experience Tour that you can access for free from the Team Valkyrie website. The virtual event will host virtual recreations of past ships and include virtual reality race experiences for fans that will put them in the driver’s seat! For more details click [here].

---

OfficeDrone#12: Wow! That sounds like a great event! I will have to check that out.
SuperfanAGR54: Free virtual racing for fans?! Count me in!
DantheMan: Oh hell yeah! Sign me up. I hope I can make the event close to me.
BatDave: I wonder if they would mind an appearance by Batman.
Superfan2075: It sounds like a desperate play to keep us focused on positive stuff but I have to admit I can’t wait to check it out.
DadBod89: Whooh! My kids are going to love this!
Hater101: Gotta give their marketing team props for deflecting the negative with positive.
Papabear34: Color me impressed by an actual family friendly AG event that I can take my kids too.
Nana2050: I wonder if Alexander will be at any of these events?
GeorgeFly: Darn it I just know I will have to work when the event closest to me is in town. At least they are offering some fun virtual stuff as well.
ValkyrieFan56: I wonder if they list which events Paul will be attending?
Weedhead81: Groovy man! Yes I know its old but you know what they say, anything old is in again.
SexyM@m@5: I wonder if they will tell us which events Dorian might be attending. He deserves this recognition.
Paulmulder4eva: Ohhh I have to check the schedule. Maybe I can finally meet Paul!
Britball12: Well the virtual stuff sounds interesting and fun. Don’t care about the other stuff.
!YouSlow!: Wow! That’s cool. It would be interesting to compare how the ships have changed.
xImFasterthanUx: I will have to check out that virtual reality experience.
AGInthusiast: I can’t help but agree that it is a deflection tactic to focus on the team’s positive news and Dorian’s win. I have to say I am interested in the virtual ship experience.
micheal650004: It’s nice of them to find a low budget way to engage fans with a new experience. I approve.
Bertha: You are all sheep being led away from the negative stuff. This is a distraction to keep you focused on the good stuff while the team is imploding.

---

Media Before Silverstone

Soundtrack: Justin Timberlake - Can't Stop This Feeling

---

“This is Lilly Stryker from TMZ. We come to you today with some news hot off the presses. Team Valkyrie’s marketing department confirmed that Alexander Knight is dating model Lena Bouras. Is love in the air for the Crew Chief at Team Valkyrie? Well ladies the word is that the man is off the market. There are no rumors about an engagement or wedding but the marketing team confirms he is in a committed relationship with Lena. Lena accompanied Alexander to events surrounding the Monaco Grand Prix. They looked pretty happy to us. Take a look for yourself. (The screen fades into a montage of video and still pictures taken at various events in Monaco). Remember you heard it here first. This has been Lily Stryker with TMZ.”

---

“This is Lauri Ivan with Victory Laps Racing News. We are hearing rumors that Amy Stirling wanted to contest the win by Dorian Hornfleur at Monaco but was shut down by team principal Peter Thatcher.Witnesses said Amy felt that Dorian had illegally blocked her in one of the turns. There was a mention of calling upon the racing stewards. We have not heard that any formal allegations have been filed with FIAR. If the allegations were upheld by race officials it would cost Dorian the win. Is it just a rumor? If it is, it is a spicy one. Remember to listen to Victory Laps Racing News for the latest in Formula AG news. This has been Lauri Ivan.”

---

"This is Hans Keller with Gossip. There is hot news from Team Valkyrie today. The team has confirmed the rumors that Alexander Knight is in a committed relationship with Lena Bouras. In a bold marketing move, the team announced an old fashioned victory tour to celebrate Dorian Hornfleur’s win at Monaco. The racing team is turning it into a family friendly event tour across Europe. They have also rolled out a virtual event for fans who can’t make it to the local events. The virtual offerings have fans salivating over the virtual reality racing simulation. Many are eager to experience that. The Team has assured that the experience is safe for all fans. They have cut the haptic feedback to reduce the neural strain experienced by pilots. They assure that it should still deliver an exciting experience for fans who wonder what it is like to pilot one of these amazing ships. Older fans are being wooed by the virtual museum and the ability to explore ships past and present. There seems to be something for all fans. The Team has kept the costs low to engage as many fans as possible. It appears to be working as it is all fans are talking about. This was a stroke of marketing genius for Team Valkyrie. We did pick up an unconfirmed rumor from Team Valkyrie’s office that the event was the brainchild of Alexander Knight. The new team principal keeps surprising us and the public. What will he do next? Remember you heard about it here first! This has been Hans Keller with Gossip.”

---

Welcome to The Paddock, our popular Formula AG Racing Forum! All Formula AG Fans are welcome to discuss all things Formula AG! This channel is moderated and all participants need to adhere to the Community Guidelines and Terms of Use. This online channel is a place to discuss the thing we are all passionate about Formula AG Racing!

Moderators will flag and censor anyone breaking the community guidelines.
A quick reminder of the most important rules:
Be respectful, no attacking other members.
Share relevant content only.
NO spam or vandalizing the forum.
Respect other members' privacy and guard your own.
DO NOT USE language that is libelous, defamatory, obscene, threatening, offensive, demeaning, derogatory, disparaging, or abusive, or post links to content that contains any of this language.

KingKofiFan: I am a diehard Kofi fan but I can’t wait to check out that virtual reality simulator!
$erwa: Agreed! OMW to Team Valkyrie’s website to check it out.
Jan2084: Interesting. I might have to check that out.
Bertha: You are all falling for their distraction tactics. Sheep to the slaughter.
NoraRules: That is awesome! I wish Southern Cross had thought to do that. I feel like a traitor but I want to check out the simulator.
BadBrad: @Bertha I agree with you. They fall for the candy trick every time.
ApexSuperFan: Hmmm I have to agree it feels like a marketing distraction ploy. Amy almost had Dorian at Monaco. She should have won.
AGInthusiast: Now that is a nice way to thank their fans for their support. I like it!
TeamCondorSF: I have to agree with @NoraRules I have to check out that simulator even if it makes me feel like I am being disrespectful to my team.
Susie: Ohhh I wonder which events the pilots will attend?
Abdullah: I don’t really care about the events but I might have to check out that simulator.
Roberto: Now if I get Team Nordic Call to do this and offer up some of Astrid’s free gin. Now that would be a party!
Merica1: Well I am too far away to attend any of the events anyway. I might have to check out the online virtual offerings though. You know… for research purposes.
Zygonista: Eh it is interesting. I am sure if Zygon decided to do this it would be better.
BadBrad: @Merica1 research purposes… right. (eye roll emoji)
ValkyrieFan56: YES! This is awesome!
SuperfanAGR54: I will have to check out the free online offerings and check it out.
BeaLover: I have no skin in this game. Can’t help my curiosity though. I will have to check out the free online offerings.

Team Valkyrie Characters

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5…

DELTΔ HYPER (Anti-Gravity Racing, Cyberpunk/Solarpunk RP)

The Week After the Monaco GP

Team Valkyrie Headquarters

Alexander Knight

---

Alexander was so relieved that the team had done well at Monaco. The Team had needed that win to calm sponsor and government oversight fears after the indictment of the former CEO Peter Brendel and former head of human resources Bernard Maier. Team Valkyrie had been lambasted in the press for the charges of embezzlement and fraud that had been brought against the two men. Alexander had advocated for complete transparency with the public and cooperation with government and FIAR officials. It had not been a popular decision as the Board of Directors would rather have hidden the extent of Brendel’s crimes. Alexander felt that if they didn’t clear the air now with the public they would pay a bigger price later when the full truth came out. Alexander had taken Lipusv’s warning seriously. She had told him that the team was under scrutiny and that they needed a win. Alexander wanted to capitalize on the wins at Monaco to help alleviate sponsors and investors worries over the pending court case against Brendel.

Alexander was looking forward to his meeting with Katherine Dubois, the head of Team Valkyrie’s marketing department.

Katherine was led into his office by Mabel. The ladies took seats in chairs across from his desk. They both came with their datapads ready to work.

Mabel gave Alexander a smile.

Mabel: “I saw you made the news while in Monaco. I didn’t expect to see pictures of you tossing drunken assholes off a fancy yacht though. The press’ pictures of you and Lena together made me smile though.”

Katherine chuckled as she saw Alexander fidget uncomfortably in his seat.

Katherine smiled as she asked in a casual tone. “I have been asked by various press agencies to confirm your relationship with Lena. How would you like me to answer those inquiries?”

Alexander squirmed in his seat uncomfortable with how the two women had brought his personal life into a meeting about marketing for the team.

Alexander looked at Katherine with a frown. “What do you mean the press wants to know about my relationship with Lena. I introduced her as my date.”

Katherine couldn’t help a smirk at how adorable and protective Alexander sounded.

Mabel just chuckled and looked between Katherine and Alexander.

Katherine: “Alexander by taking Lena and introducing her as your date, it sends a different message about you. It humanizes you in a good way. It also projects that you are secure enough to date and that all the legal issues regarding the former CEO are not hampering you from doing your job. It sends a different kind of message about you to potential sponsors and fans. This is good for the team’s image and gives me another avenue of positive press to push out. I will coordinate with Lena of course. I will arrange for her to accompany you to any company events. So I can push out an official statement from the team?”

Alexander looked like a deer caught in headlights as he looked completely blindsided. He sat there with his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. He felt as if his mind had short circuited and it was buffering.

Mabel cackled with glee.

Mabel: “I think you broke him Katherine. I don’t think I have ever seen him this stumped for words before. He must really like Lena.”

Katherine smiled at Mabel’s rough but loving humor. She asked Alexander in a gentler tone.

Katherine: “Well Alexander, what are your feelings about Lena? Are you thinking about marriage?”

Alexander’s face was flaming red by now which suddenly paled. “God no! We just started dating! It’s too soon to talk marriage.”

Alexander was almost hyperventilating by this point. Mabel took pity on him and leaned over and patted him on the hand.

Mabel’s voice was caring but firm. “Alex! Take a deep breath. Come on, you can do it. In and out, nice and slow.”

Alexander automatically followed Mabel’s advice and words. The panic was finally leaving his face.

Mabel patted Alexander’s hand as she confided in Katherine. “I don’t think he is ready to discuss his relationship with Lena yet. He has some issues about marriage thanks to his ex-wife. He had a panic attack just thinking about marriage.”

Alexander glared at Mabel with a frown. “I didn’t have a panic attack thinking about marriage. We just started dating. If you must release anything, we are dating. We are NOT engaged. We have not discussed marriage. We are two grown adults enjoying each other’s company.”

Mabel winked at Katherine and continued to pat his hand comfortingly.

Katherine did her best to keep a straight face and dutifully jotted down a few notes repeating what Alexander had told her. “Two adults enjoying each other’s company. Dating, no talk of marriage. It is early in the relationship but it is exclusive.”

Alexander snatched his hand back from Mabel and waved a finger at her. “You… You… stay out of my dating life!”

Mabel’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Alexander, I did nothing. Katherine was the one to inform you that the press had questions.”

Alexander sighed in frustration as both hands rubbed across his face. He knew she was right but he couldn’t help feeling like she knew something more. He sighed and got down to the reason he had asked for a meeting with Katherine.

Alexander: “The reason I wanted to see you was to discuss a marketing campaign idea that I had. I want to capitalize on the excitement and positive press from Dorian’s win at Monaco and Paul’s third place podium. I would like to set up a traveling Team Valkyrie fan meet across Europe. I want to highlight and honor Dorian’s career. It would drum up some new endorsement deals for him and remind people that while he is retiring this year, he is still winning. He has won in the past. I want to remind people of that. I would also like to add in some messaging about honoring our roots. We have this tribute happening at Silverstone with historic Formula One race cars. I want to see us honoring Team Valkyrie’s past by including a tribute to our racing roots. We have remnants of what was once Team Ferrari, Renault, and Red Bull as members of our Board of Directors. Let’s highlight those connections. I want Dorian’s career to be the primary highlight and that we expect him to go out a winner. But let’s remind the fans that racing is in our DNA here at Team Valkyrie.”

Katherine blinks at the sudden change of topic but is not surprised. Alexander rarely liked to talk about himself. He took privacy to new heights for such a public figure. Katherine had come to know him since he had come to the team. She liked and respected him. She took a deep breath and focused on what he was saying. Her face lit up with enthusiasm at the idea as she was processing what he was saying.

Katherine: “I Love this idea! This is a great way to reconnect with fans. We can highlight older ships and video clips. We could have our training simulation guys build a mock up ship that fans could fly in over virtual reality. We can reduce the feedback so that fans could experience what it is like to fly in our ships but not hurt anyone.” Katherine was typing like crazy as the ideas were firing.

Katherine: “What is my budget? I need to get my team together. Anything else?”

Mabel looked thoughtful and looked over at Alexander. “I saw that Paul did an interview with one of the junior AG pilots. Maybe have some of Team Valkyrie’s Junior AG pilots help out with the tour to help promote the next generation of Team Valkyrie pilots.”

Katherine looked over at Mabel with a glowing smile. “That is a great idea. Tying into the team’s past and the future. Showing we have a bright year ahead of us.”

Alexander looked thoughtful. “I like the idea. Tap Scarlett Collins for this project. I am considering her for Dorian’s seat. I need to know how well she handles the press and the public. As for a budget, I expect this to be a short campaign across Europe and using virtual technology to make the event accessible to more people around the world. I am going to okay $500,000.00 for this. Can you work up a plan with this budget and get it back to me by the end of tomorrow? I will need to run this past Leopold for approval due to the amount.”

Katherine nodded after she finished jotting down a few more items on her notepad.

Mabel looked at Katherine with a smile. “Email me what you need me to take care of or what information you need.”

Katherine gave Mabel and nod before excusing herself and taking off.

Alexander looked at Mabel with an affectionate smile.

Alexander: “Are you satisfied with your meddling now?”

Mabel just smiled at Alexander as she rose from her seat. “Yes. You confirmed you are dating again.” She left without another word to get started on this latest project.

---

Alexander spent the rest of his morning checking in with Wulfric on how the revised security protocols were coming along. He checked in with Leopold on the Board’s progress with the new transparent Team Policy for sponsorships and endorsements. They were already looking to hire a new CEO and were headhunting. The new policy was coming along but was not ready for revealing to the public. It was very different from their previous policies which were to hide all that information citing corporate privacy and team secrets. The board was not sold on Alexander’s idea of transparency about the team’s finances to the public. They were putting in place a system of checks and balances and third party auditors to keep the CEO, HR, and the Board of Directors accountable.

Alexander once more reached out to QCS Computer Systems. The warning that Kais had given him was still in the back of his mind. He still wanted to push forward with hiring new engineers and begin to build a whole new ship design. He had to scrap those plans for this season but he could plan for next year. He wanted new computer systems for the Team. He was not comfortable with having the same distributor as other teams. It made him worry about the security of their software and data. He was hoping to get a computer company as a sponsor to upgrade all their computer systems but especially the ones the racing team used. He certainly didn’t trust the current system that Brendel had backdoors into. He just had to get the Team past the bad press from the CEO. Then he could start moving forward with plans for new ships again and hiring more engineers to make that happen. The court case was taking longer than he thought it would but then Brendel and Maier had the money to hire top notch criminal attorneys as they fought for their freedom. Alexander had a hard time watching any of the news around the trial as he saw Brendel’s fake smug face as he declared his innocence. That he was being framed and slandered by Alexander. Brendel tried to make it sound like he was the victim. Alexander had almost put his fist through the television screen a few times when Brendel smirked into the camera. He felt taunted and worried that Brendel would find a way to weasel out of the charges.

Team Valkyrie Characters

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5…

DELTΔ HYPER (Anti-Gravity Racing, Cyberpunk/Solarpunk RP)

Friday June 4th, 2094
Principality of Monaco

La Phénix

Alexander Knight

---

Alexander had greeted Kais and said what he wanted too. He and Kais had fought on opposite sides of a war. They both had fought for what they believed in and to protect others. In Alexander’s eyes there was no nobler calling than protecting those weaker than you. He understood the toll that came with being a soldier. There was a cost to peace and it was the men and women on the front lines that paid that cost. They deserved respect no matter which side they were on. Alexander knew that Kais had no more control over the methods and where he was sent to fight than Alexander had.

Kais: "We can only hope, can't we?” After a short pause he continued, “Mr. Knight. It's unfortunate we would probably have been on opposite sides back then."

Alexander gave Kais a respectful nod and smile. His lips lifted a little more in a smile as Kais tried to exert more pressure in the handshake. Alexander didn’t react and kept his grip the same pressure.

Alexander: “We might have fought on opposite sides but for similar reasons. To protect others and our way of life. That deserves respect as it comes at a cost. The world found a way to a better time, one of peace. We are no longer enemies. Friendly competitors on the race track certainly though.” Alexander gave Kais an amused look.

Kais surprised Alexander as he changed the subject after giving him a considerate look. “For what it's worth, I think you're doing a good job, with Paul."

Alexander was surprised by the seriousness in his response and the tone of his reply.

"Keep an eye on him, and his associates. Between us, brother to brother, there are strange things going on, on the track..."

Alexander’s eyes narrowed and if anyone was watching his body language they would have noticed his body tighten with tension as an apprehensive chill ran down his spine. He was suddenly a warrior in protective mode as Kais started to walk away. Kais turned and made one last comment to him before walking away.

Kais: "And Mr. Knight... Thanks, for the help back there. Stylish throws too." Kais then finished his drink and walked away.

Alexander’s eyes met Kais and nodded.

Alexander:“Understood, thank you.”

He let Kais walk away watching him leave. There was a mystery and danger here. He would have to investigate. He would have to look into this cryptic warning later. He had a date to retrieve and sponsors to woo.

---

Sunday 4th June, 2094
Race Day
Monaco AGP
Circuit de Monte-Carlo, Monaco
1400 EST

The Racing Riviera

---

Paul was off the starting line with a clean start. Paul was pushing as hard as he could even as Dorian with Amy behind him pulled away from him. Paul pushed distractions away and focused on keeping clean lines. Astrid was pushing him and he was aggressively defending, unwilling to concede even an inch to anyone else. He was pushing to catch up to Amy. Paul focused on what he could control on the track. He kept it tight and in and out of the corners as fast as he could go. He stayed behind Amy, always pushing to catch her.

There came a point when everything else fell away. It was just him and the ship and the track. He felt as if he had merged with the ship. It was simply a joy as he could feel the throttle opened up. Moments like these were why he raced. They were almost spiritual in nature and made him feel as if he could touch the divine. He had precision control as he blocked yet another sloppy and aggressive push by Astrid to overtake him at La Rascasse. Paul had the line and took it moving to block Astrid’s attempt to swing past him on the outside. He shut the door on her line and she ran into the wall. Paul didn’t let it phase him as he continued to hunt Amy. He was giving his all trying to catch the leaders. Paul was frustrated when the cautions were called due to the accidents. They broke his racing flow.

Harrison ended up behind Paul who was pushing him hard. Paul managed to hold Harrison off and defend his position. Paul had enough experience to realize that if it had been a different track, that might have been a different story. Paul used the stability and cornering on his ship to the max. He kept a tight racing line that was fluid allowing him to pick up speed and fly out of the corners. He felt as if he had just gotten back into the groove when the race was over. His engineer was screaming in his ear that he had taken P3. Paul’s fist thrust into the air in a triumphant pump as he yelled out “Yes!” in joy. Paul took his victory lap and followed Dorian into the Valkyrie paddock.

---

Afterglow

---

Paul was all smiles as he pulled his ship into the paddock. The cheers of the team competed with the engines on the ships as they were shut down. Paul was happy for Dorian who had been searching for this feeling all season long as his last season as a pilot. Paul laughed as Dorian was practically pulled out of his ship by the mechanics and engineers in the paddock. Paul managed to climb out of his ship on his own before he too was hoisted up on shoulders by jubilant teammates. He laughed and cheered along with everyone else. The team had needed this win after all the bad press from the trial. It felt as if the team had reached a turning point and broken through all the bad luck that had plagued them since the start of the season.

Alexander was in the paddock watching with a smile. He was letting the team express their happiness and appreciation first. It was nice to see them able to celebrate something positive as a team for a change. He was smiling from ear to ear. He had moved forward as he saw Amy coming towards Dorian. He was guarded but simply watched her approach him. He relaxed as it appeared she simply wanted to congratulate him. He didn’t miss what Amy started to say and frowned. Dorian and Paul both had run a clean race. He frowned as it sounded like Amy was going to contest that. The look on Peter’s face as he intervened was not lost on Alexander as he crossed his arms and watched Peter. Alexander noted what Peter said and the knowing look he had in his eyes. He raised an eyebrow at Peter’s comment. Alexander would allow Dorian to celebrate his win but he would be sure to let him and Paul know that he was not to talk to any FIAR officials or stewards without him at his side. He made a point to send Leopold a heads up in case they needed to get the legal team involved. He wasn’t sure if Peter would press the issue but better prepared than sorry. It pissed Alexander off that Amy and Peter would try to take the win away from Dorian. He had run the race of his career today and he had earned that win.

Alexander waited till Dorian was free and congratulated him. “Congratulations Dorian, That was a hell of a race. That had to be one of your best races in your career. You earned this win. Enjoy it!” Dorian was all smiles and thanked him for finally giving him a ship he could win in. Alexander laughed and turned to find Paul. “Congratulations on P3 Paul. Your father would be proud of you. You ran a clean race.” Paul was all smiles and joy. It was hard to be unhappy around Paul who exudes happy golden retriever energy.

Alexander watched the awards ceremony plotting how he was going to counter Peter. He already had the engineers and technicians pulling the race data of the key moments from both ships. He wanted it analyzed and a solid rebuttal in case charges were made against his pilots. Kais’ warning from the yacht party was in the background of his mind.

---

Cooldown Room and Podium

---

Paul had a Zap sports drink in his hand. He chugged the drink to replace the electrolytes lost in the race. Paul was enjoying the moment but the underlying tension with Amy was not something that went past Paul. He simply didn’t understand it and observed. He didn’t know what to do with it. It was watching replays of the race after in the cooldown room that Paul found out what had happened to the pack behind him thanks to the two wrecks. He couldn’t help thinking that Jamie Hart spent more time wrecking ships than racing. He only placed well in one race and it was due to another wreck. Paul winced as saw Han’s ship get hit. He knew that had to piss off her off. He shook his head not paying too much attention to Dorian and Amy as they traded comments. He was pulled into their conversation when Dorian addressed him.

Paul did congratulate Amy. “Congratulations on P2 Amy. It was a hell of a race.”

Dorian: "Well done, mon amis. This one we did good at, no? Just remember this moment forever. This is your first at Monaco. It will not be your last, and your father, he would be proud."

Paul smiled and shook his head at the emotional Frenchman who had tears in his eyes. Paul gave him a sideways manly hug.

Paul: “You will always be my first Ag teammate Dorian. We might have different racing styles but you have been a decent teammate.” He patted him on the back. Paul’s emotions were running high but for very different reasons. His reasons were much more personal and he kept them to himself.

Dorian continued: "I am going to miss this so much. But you better make the most of it. Come on, let's go."

Paul laughed: “Oh I plan too! You might be retiring but I am just getting started, Dorian. You will have to come cheer me on after you retire. I want you to be there the year I win the championship!”

After that it was time to go accept their awards for winning 1st and 3rd.

Paul clapped and waved his arms like he was Vanna White as Dorian was presented as the winner. He clapped and cheered as loud as anyone else. He wanted to make the moment special for his teammate. Paul then took a bow and waved to the fans when he was presented as the third place winner. He grabbed Dorian’s hand and they raised them together and waved to the fans in the crowd. Paul laughed as he and Dorian were sprayed with Champagne. He did his best to dodge the expensive but sticky stuff. They still had some press to deal with. He wrapped an arm around Dorian’s shoulder trying to share a moment of solidarity and show the fans and the crowd that they were one team striving to win together. The fans roared in approval and the cameras were almost blinding. Paul let the moment soak in. He was standing on the podium at Monaco. Next year he will be on the top step.

---

Delta Hyper Interviews

---

The post race interviews came through thick and thin, as the rookies all got an interview of their own, caught on the way out from the post-podium celebrations. Aurora was back out again, in person with mic and camera drone.

"Paul, congratulations on third, and what an achievement as a rookie to hold your nerve on such a tight, technical circuit. How does it feel?"

Paul smiled as he was sitting on the Delta Hyper interview couch. He had taken the time to at least towel off the champagne so he didn’t drip everywhere. He smiled into the camera as he answered. “Well Aurora, I trained hard for this race. I really wanted to podium here and I achieved that. I want to thank the Valkyrie Team especially our new Chief Engineer Cavan Mitchell for all the work they did to get the ship ready for Monaco. My win here would not have been possible without their work. As to how it feels…. It feels like I am on top of the world!” Paul’s joy and excitement about winning the podium came through loud and clear and was almost infectious as it bubbled over. He had thrown his hands up in a classic triumphant pose as he answered. “Team Valkyrie fans should keep watching. Our winning streak is just starting!”

---

Team Valkyrie Characters

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5…

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP) (COMPLETED)

Fireteam Anvil

Chuck "Boomer" Simmons

Battle of the Giants

Chuck was breathing heavily as he finished taking out his anger on the fire wielding heavy that had been trying to roast Freya. Chuck smiled at Freya, happy to see her uninjured as finished making a pancake of the man who had been attacking her. Before he could do more than ask if she was okay, he heard Wilk giving them new orders to cover the team moving towards the command compound.

The team began moving towards the command compound. Wilk had jumped in the CAV and was using the heavy caliber machine gun in the back to support Skye’s position. He had no trouble covering their advance. Most of the PLA had been routed and was running away from them. The ones still brave enough to try were easy pickings for Chuck with his rifle and marksman skill. He didn’t waste time and aimed for their heads. Kill shots dropped them every time. He didn’t stop running to keep up with the others as he switched out his empty magazine for a full one. Lucille was once again hanging in her sheath on the back of his armor out of the way as she ran and gunned along with the team. They had joined up with Skye and were making their way towards the command bunker when the two huge mechs came out of a hanger towards them. Skye ordered them to take care of whatever was coming towards them, obviously focused on the objective in front of her and refused to be distracted or deterred.

Chuck spoke into his comms. “Boomer acknowledges moving to intercept the unknown targets.”

Chuck followed Samantha as part of the team broke off to engage with the large targets. As they got closer, Chuck’s HUD display began to show the silhouette of the mechs and were analyzing the targets. Samantha warned them that she thought they had a trophy system. Trophy systems would intercept bullets and missiles pulling them off course or cause them to ricochet. Samantha’s warning would help them avoid being hit by their own weapons. As he looked over the battle ground, he noticed that Athena had engaged Laura who had been using a flamethrower to try and hit her. Ingwe was protecting her and they were working as a team as Samantha tried to sneak behind Laura and hit her from behind. Ingwe used his shield to bash into Samantha’s mech pushing it back. Chuck could tell that Samantha’s mech could not go toe to toe with Ingwe on strength. Her mech was designed for ranged combat support. The armor and defenses on Ingwe and Laura’s mechs were strong against ranged attacks. He could see her logic in going for close quarters fighting.

Chuck let his rifle drop to hang on its tactical sling as he pulled Lucille from her sheath. Chuck let out a rough battle cry as he leaped into the fray. He swung Lucille towards the knee joint on Ingwe’s mech. The heavy reinforced mech withstood the blow even as a horrific metallic clang and crunch sounded out as the two impacted. The joint was dented but still functional. He looked up at the mech that was over twice as tall as him. Chuck was 7 feet and ten inches tall. He was tall even for a giant. He was the perfect height to put all his strength behind the blow on the knee joint. The blow did force Ingwe’s mech back a bit. Chuck’s own mighty strength was reinforced by his armor. Chuck had more speed and maneuverability than Ingwe had in the mech. Ingwe had more strength in the mech and height. Ingwe certainly had bigger weapons to call on than Chuck.

Chuck growled up at Ingwe “Haven’t you heard that no means no! Why don’t you pick on someone your size.”

Leave it to Chuck to pick a fight with the giant in the big ass mech. Chuck followed up his swing on the knee joint with a backswing the other way. The knee joint gave a satisfying crunching noise causing it to lock up in a standing position. Ingwe responded by trying to shield bash Chuck like he did Samantha. Chuck laughed and ducked out of the way. He jumped up grabbing the edge of the shield with one hand. You could hear the servos whine in his armor as he pulled himself up using the edge of the shield. He swung Lucille one handed hitting the faceplate on the Ingwe’s mech. There was no damage as Ingwe responded by tilting his shield and pushed Chuck off of it. Chuck laughed as he landed on his feet, bending his knees to absorb the shock.

Chuck: “Getting slow in your old age.”

Chuck targeted the mech’s head as he fired one of his missiles at Ingwe’s mech. The missile was pushed off target by the trophy system and exploded next to the mech’s head. He ducked, catching the edge of the missile’s fireball being so close. His armor’s plating and climate control system brushing off the fire.

Chuck spoke into his comms. “Trophy system confirmed Chaos.”
Ingwe yelled out something in a language Chuck didn’t know. He swung his mech’s foot to kick Chuck. Chuck laughed as he rolled out of the way. “Still too slow!”

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP) (COMPLETED)

Fireteam Anvil

Samantha "Chaos" Dalton

Battle of the Giants

Samantha was worried about the Shadow team as she pushed the mech to its limits to move faster. As she was making tracks towards their location, she was diverted to handle two new threats to the field. Skye ordered her to take out a new threat. Athena also requested help as two huge mechs had joined the fight and it looked like Laura and Ignwe were back. Samantha would have to trust the Archer and Viper would be alright. She knew they each had their jobs to do. She knew that they were both very capable operatives or they would not be a member of Raven Squad. Samantha gritted her teeth. After working as a lone operative she had learned what it meant to be part of a team. She had gotten closer to Purna after working alongside him at Marrakesh. He was a quiet but strong presence in their team. Raven Squad had come to replace the family she had lost and she was protective about losing them. If she had anything to say about it, no one would be dying on her watch today. Even if they were here saving the world, again. Samantha knew that she had to do her part. She had her own role to play in today’s battle. She wished the Shadow team luck before acknowledging her orders. She was already on her way.

Samantha: “Chaos acknowledges orders. I am on my way, Athena. ETA is two minutes.”

As Samantha cleared the edge of the hanger and made her way towards where Athena was marked on the area map, she saw two huge mechs walking side by side towards her. Her eyes widened in surprise as Laura’s mech looked like some kind of home 3d printed action figure. Ingwe’s mech held a massive Zulu shield. She wondered if the shield was a trophy system. That would make them much harder to take out.

Samantha: “Bob, begin analyzing those mechs for weaknesses.”

Samantha sighed as she ran towards Athena. “Well Athena, there is no accounting for taste. I am happy to say that Frigga’s taste in partners has improved.”

Samantha came to a stop next to Athena as she was noting the lay of the land and cataloging what weapons and defenses she could discern on the two mechs. This was going to be a tough fight.

Laura’s voice came booming across the empty launchpad from her mech. "Where's your power now!"

Samantha spoke into Raven comms. “These are obviously custom mechs. I would suspect they have a trophy system so be careful what you fire at. I would recommend aiming for joints to disable its mobility. If we can pierce the tank for her flamethrower, we might be able to disable that weapon or cause the material to explode. Speed and strength will play a factor in dealing with Ingwe’s mech. We need to be tactical about this or we will find ourselves in over our head.”

Samantha chuckled as she heard Athena tell Frigga. "Your ex-girlfriend has a hell of a fucking thing for fire, Frigga! You didn't tell me she was this fucking unhinged!"

Athena jumped out of the way of a spray of fire from Laura’s mech.

Samantha dodged out of the way and moved her mech to the side trying to come up behind Laura and Ingwe. Ingwe saw her though and turned to face her. She tried to hit Laura’s tank with her minigun. Ingwe used the trophy system on his shield to block the shot. He laughed at her calling her a piss ant and weakling. She had been at those fights against Ingwe but she had been in a support role as Freya was the one fighting him. Samantha used her martial arts skills as best she could with the mech. The movements were not as natural and her mech was not set up for fighting like this. She only had ranged weaponry. She needed a melee weapon of some kind. Samantha looked at the area and smiled as she pulled off a long piece of metal railing on the walkway. She would just have to make do. She swung the pipe at Ingwe aiming for the elbow joint on his mech. He once again blocked with his shield laughing at her. The pipe bent around the edge of the shield. Ingwe used his shield to bash Samantha’s mech aside. The strength from the hit was enough to push her back several feet and stumble. She barely regained her footing in time as he pushed the advantage. Ingwe brought up his other arm and fired at Samantha at point blank range with his mini guns. She managed to spin away from the gun as the shots grazed her armor instead of piercing through it.

The battle of titans had begun. Samantha’s mech was smaller than theirs. She tried to fire her minigun into their mech’s joints to disable them. They had a trophy system going that kept knocking her shots off target. She seemed to be able to move faster than them. She kept working to damage areas that would limit their mobility or take their weapons offline.

Samantha: "This ain't going to be easy."