LadyAmber

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

If anyone would like to collab or have any player character crossover plots, hit me up. I am game!

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

City of Free Sail
Shepherd's Island
New World Colonies, Antillean Archipelago
Late Spring, Year 1621 A.A. (Anno Aeternus)

Images of Dona Sofia’s home. AI generated

Dona Sofia de Moreda y Cartagena's Home.


Dona Sofia de Moreda y Cartagena in her office.

Sofia closed the business ledger she had been reviewing. She kept a close watch over her businesses and managers. Now that she had caught up on what had to be taken care of she could indulge herself. She was itching to return to the sea. Sofia had been born into wealth and privilege. The only child of a minor noble that had married into more wealth. She had lived a life of ease and comfort until her life seemed to come to a cruel and brutal stop. Rarely did a day go by that she didn’t wake from nightmares of flame and smoke. The images of her dead and terrified children’s faces haunted her. The ghost and memories of her beloved husband were felt wherever she looked even though she had to rebuild their home. The anger and desire for revenge burned deep within her and consumed her thoughts. The practicalities of everyday life were most insistent though. Her stomach rumbled as she had forgotten to eat again.

Sofia sighed as she stood and stretched. She was about to go to the kitchen when her butler, Kingsley Chapman knocked once and then opened the door to her office.

Kingsley: “Pardon the interruption madam but there is a Monsieur Leblanc here to see you. He presented a letter of introduction from the president of the Exchange.” Kingsley handed over the letter in question. “I put him in the sitting room. What would you like me to tell him?”

Sofia resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sigh again. She had no idea who Monsieur Leblanc was but she suspected why he was here. She had been inundated with men offering their business expertise or to court her. Sofia was no fool and knew they just wanted access to her assets and money. They all sought to “help her in her time of need”. She read over the letter and examined the wax seal. The letter appeared to be genuine. Mr. Leblanc had taken a route for an introduction that she could not politely refuse. She nodded to Kingsley before deciding what to tell him.

Sofia: “That will do Kingsley. I will see what he wants and send him on his way.”

Sofia left her office with Kingsley leading the way. She was perfectly capable of navigating her own home but Kingsley was a stickler for formalities. He was kind hearted and loyal. His formality often helped her keep others at bay. She hid a smile as Kingsley opened the doors into the sitting room with a flourish and stepped to one side and bowed as he announced her to her guest. Kingsley’s formal tones tried to impress the importance of his employer on her visitor. Sofia couldn’t have cared less. But Kingsley’s ways always amused her.

Kingsley: “Dona Sofia Ines de Moreda y Cartagena.”

A handsome gentleman close to her age rose to his feet to greet her. He was dressed in rich red and gold toned damask. He smiled at Sofia and gave her a courtly bow as he bowed with his large foppish hat in a grand gesture. Sofia hid her instant dislike of the foppish fellow. He was wearing the latest fashion and had an excellent tailor. However she could tell his suit had been tailored to enhance his weak and thin frame. His suit jacket had been padded along the shoulders to give the appearance of a stronger fitter man. His mustache was oiled and waxed into a curvy shape that looked like it wouldn’t budge in Noah’s flood. His eyes were cold and calculating even as his expression appeared warm and inviting. His smile sent a shiver down her spine. He came towards her looking to close the distance between them. Sofia stiffened even as Kingsley stepped between them.

Kingsley's voice was stiff and strong with displeasure: “You will retain a proper distance Monsieur or you will be escorted from the premises.”

Leblanc: “Non. How silly of me. I was just so surprised by Dona De Moreda’s beauty. I have heard of the lady surely but rumors rarely prove to be true. Pardon my slip.” He gave another stately bow in apology.

Sofia’s eyes narrowed as she watched the man. “Please state your business Monsieur Leblanc.”

Leblanc: “Of course. Pardon my rudeness. My name is Monsieur Michael Leblanc and I represent Leblanc family business interests here in the Antillean. I represent the local family branch of Leblanc Shipping. Perhaps you have heard of us?”

The man raised an eyebrow in the query. When she didn’t reply he continued.

Leblanc: “Non? How unusual. We are one of the largest shipping companies based in Vallé D'Or. Our clients are the wealthiest and most powerful in the region. They demand discretion and a quick turn around. We understand that your husband is dead and you are running his business interests now. We would like to take that burden off your hands. We would like to buy your husband’s company and ships.”

His tone implied that she should be grateful that they were willing to do her this favor. He reached into an inner coat pocket and pulled out a heavy sealed packet that bore some Vallé D'Or noble house seal. He handed it to Kingsley.

Leblanc: “The details of our offer are included in the packet of information. I will be in Free Sail for a month. I am staying at the Golden Cove Hotel. I can be reached there. I look forward to hearing from you after having reviewed our very generous offer. Would Mademoiselle be interested in having dinner with me?”

Sofia frowned and barely contained the sigh and scowl that she wanted to use. She inclined her head regally in his general direction. She managed to keep her tone civil but it was cold.

Sofia: "Monsieur Leblanc, You should know that I am not looking to sell my late husband’s company at this time. I have plans indefinitely. You will not be hearing from me. Now please leave my estate. Don’t come back.” She gave him a polite smile and waved towards the door to indicate he should leave.

Leblanc looked perplexed and stunned at her answer. Anger threaded through his voice and hatred filled his eyes as he regarded Sofia. He gave her another beseeching smile and look as his tone seemed to be conciliatory.

Leblanc: “Madam, you have not even read the offer yet. I was assured by the Exchange President that you would be interested in my offer. I am sure you must be lonely now that your husband and children are dead. Tis not seemly that a woman of your station lower herself to run a business. You should rewed and live such matters to your husband.”

Sofia’s eyes spat fire and her anger would no longer be contained. “The President of the Exchange, while an important figure in the area, has no power over my choices. My business does very well. I have no need or desire to sell my late husband’s company. How dare you imply that you know what I need or feel. Get out of my home. Don’t come back.”

Leblanc looked angry and took a step towards her threateningly.

Kingsley once more stepped between them. His tone was firm. “Monsieur Leblanc, you have outstayed your welcome. Madam has asked you to leave.” Kingsley took a threatening step towards the man.

Leblanc scowled and stormed off in a twirl of rich damask cloth. His heeled shoes made tapping noises on the tile as he left. The man was carrying on in his native tongue as he left. He was openly angry now.

Kingsley followed the man to ensure he left the property. He climbed into his waiting carriage still ranting in his native tongue.

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Scallywags Den Tavern - AI generated

Inside the Scallywags Den

It was some time later before she managed to slip away unnoticed. She was dressed in dark clothes, pants, leather boots, and had her mask pulled over her face. The light cloak had a deep hood that threw her face into shadows. Her sword and dagger hung from her hip, swallowed by the folds of cloth. The cloak billowed in the soft breeze from shore as she made her way to the tavern she had bought, the Scallywags Den. It was staffed by people completely loyal to her. When she began looking for who had killed her family, she ran into others who needed help along the way. She had rescued some from slavery and worse. Others, she simply offered them a job with decent wages. In a place like Free Sails, the opportunities favored the wealthy or able bodied. Those without resources or able bodied lived hard lives, eking out a living however they could. She paid them well to keep their ears open. Her best informant was an old one eyed sailor with a peg leg named Salty Pete. He was old and had a stooped back. He couldn’t work on sailing ships anymore. He had been tossed aside as worthless and was forced to beg in the streets. He had been sick and dying when she had come across him lying in a gutter near Scallywags. She nursed him back to health and offered him a job. He continued to beg in the streets and nurse a tankard of ale at Scallywags. He put his ears to work for her. She made sure he had a safe place to sleep and at least one meal a day. He stayed at Scallywags and helped provide security to Maggie.

The tavern was run by Maggie MacDugan. She had rescued Maggie’s daughter from slavers. Maggie had sworn herself to Maria Rose, La Conquistadora. None of them knew her real identity as Dona Sofia Ines de Moreda. None of them had seen her face. Maggie ran Scallywags for her. Maggie collected the rumors and whispers that came through the doors of the tavern. She passed her information they learned as sailors came in to drink.

The Scallywags Den had a reputation for good food and drink, a game of chance, and the occasional bar brawl. It was cleaner than you would expect for a dockside bar. The furniture was sturdy and held up well to the occasional brawl. They often attracted a musician passing through which would provide entertainment to the masses. There was always a game of cards or dice to be found inside its walls. The barmaids were nice to look at but you didn’t touch without permission. Maggie didn’t let it get too out of hand. The patrons helped with security as they appreciated the low prices, excellent rum, and Maggie’s excellent cooking. There were always a few of her crew around to help Maggie if she needed a little muscle. The tavern gave her a way to pay for information and collect whispers in the dark. The Scallywags Den paid for information if the tip was good and the street urchins and people who lived in the shanties knew that. So did the sailors who patronized the tavern. Maggie was known to offer up a pint of ale and a meal for a good rumor or two.

Sofia slipped down the alleyway behind the tavern. She was pleased to note that while the alleyway smelled of refuse and rotting fish it was empty. She slipped quickly through the back door of the tavern using her key. She stepped into the main floor of the tavern noting that business was steady. She hung back in the shadows of the alcove to the stairs until she caught Maggie’s eye and then quietly went up the stairs towards Maggie’s office and slipped inside. She took a seat in her office and tapped her hand impatiently on the arm of the chair.

Maggie slipped inside but a few minutes later. Her brogue accent snapped with amusement and irritation. “Good evening Maria. I see you are as patient as always.”

Sofia gave a wry smile because she knew Maggie was right. “I don’t have time for patience. Spread the word to the crew. I would like to sail with the tide on the morrow. Any news for me?”

Maggie chuckled and nodded. “I heard that another ship came into port from the east. A merchant who was attacked and had their cargo taken at sea by pirates. Several of the crew came in to drown their woes in an ale. They claimed the pirates that attacked them took their ledgers, cargo, and freed some indentured servants but let them go with enough food and water to make it back to shore. They didn’t give the name of the pirate ship or crew though. It was a bit unusual so I thought ye would be interested m’lady.”

Sofia’s interest was piqued and she nodded. “That is a new one. I had not heard of a pirate taking the ship’s log and business ledgers. Keep your ears open if anyone can name the ship or pirate crew responsible. I would like to talk to them. Maybe they would have information on the Crimson Demon crew.”

Maggie nodded. “Of course. I will get word to the crew that you want to sail with the eventide on the morrow.”

Sofia nodded and tilted her head to the side. She didn’t want to give too much away but she had a suspicion there was more to Leblanc than what he had shown her. She had reviewed their offer after he left. Their offer would have been snapped up by most widows who didn’t understand business. On the surface it looked like a great offer but the devil was in the details. They wanted business contacts, they would own not only the name but all the assets that came with the business including all the ships. Their offer was a joke when one considered the cost of a ship. Their offer was laughable. She would have to give up all rights to the name and all property that belonged to the business. Their contract stipulated all assets would have to be handed over. Most didn’t realize that included the money that kept the business solvent. They wanted to try and claim all her monetary assets by claiming them as business assets.

Sofia: “I want more information about the President of the Exchange and a businessman staying at the Golden Cove Hotel, Monsieur Micheal Leblanc. Ask Gabriella to approach Mr. Leblanc to learn more about him and why he is here. I believe that she is the best choice for this.”

Maggie nodded. “I will let her know that you will be paying for the information.”

Sofia smiled and nodded. “Thank you Mags.”

Sofia rose to her feet and slipped back out into the night.

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

@AndyC Let me know if you need any edits. Posted to Character Sheets.

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

Captain Maria Rose "La Conquistadora"

Captain Maria Rose “La Conquistadora”

^{"Dead men tell no tales—smart women write them."}

C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________ La Conquistadora Dona Sofia Ines de Moreda y Cartagena _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y _________________________________________________________ Dona Sofia Ines de Moreda y Cartagena _________________________________________________________ Age: 30 | Relationsh Status:Widow _________________________________________________________ Affiliation(s) Los Vigilantes | Nationality: Castille N O T A B L E A B I L I T I E S & T O O L S N O T A B L E A B I L I T I E S & T O O L S _________________________________________________________ [+] - A B I L I T I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Navigation ◼ Sailing ◼ Reading & Writing - T O O L (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Custom Montoya Rapier ◼ Trident Parrying Dagger ◼ Bodice Dagger ◼ Sextant ◼ Brass Spyglass Detailed Descriptions: Custom made basket hilt Montoya rapier. The sword is slightly thinner and lighter and perfectly balanced for a woman. It is a beautiful and expertly crafted sword with strong and flexible steel. The handle is a rose with thorny vines. She uses a trident parrying dagger with the same design on it. It was made by the same craftsman and is high quality. She uses the dagger to trap and break her enemies’ blade. She wears a half mask that matches the roses and thorny vines on her sword. It hides her real identity. The silk mask is attached to a long scarf that ties her hair out of the way when she goes into battle. Pewter Sextant used for navigating at sea by the stars. Brass Spyglass that collapses and has a leather carrying case. Bodice Dagger. It is a small slender blade that is worn between her breasts and rests in a sheath that hides the blade completely and slides into her corset. - N O T A B L E S K I L L S & T A L E N T S N O T A B L E S K I L L S & T A L E N T S _________________________________________________________ [+] - S K I L L (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Expert Swordswoman - Montoya School ◼ Navigator & Cartographer ◼ Accounting & Trade ◼ Naval Warfare & Tactics Detailed Explanation: Expert Swordswoman - Montoya school - uses rapier with trident parrying dagger Navigator and Cartographer - She learned to navigate by the stars using charts and landmarks. She learned to create her own charts and her own observations to existing charts on prevailing currents, shoals, and other seafaring obstacles. Accounting & Trade - She was taught the basics of accounting and trade from her husband Naval warfare and tactics- her father taught her to sail and discussed naval warfare and tactics with her. - T A L E N T (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Beauty & Charisma ◼ Ambidextrous, natural agility and dexterity for swordplay. ◼ Intelligent Detailed Description: She is a beautiful and charming woman. Her charisma is natural and has been a boon in dealing with others. It has been a factor in her success as a leader and while navigating the intrigue at court and in politics. While she has studied and practiced hard to develop her skill with a blade, she is ambidextrous and has a natural coordination and talent for it. She possesses a keen intellect that aids her in tactics and business. -

T H E S T O R Y S O F A R... T H E S T O R Y S O F A R... ________________________________________________________________________________________ She was born Dona Sofia Ines de Alvarez y Cartagena. She was the only child of Don Fernado de Alvarez. Her father was a minor Castillian Noble who had served in the King’s navy with distinction. Her father married the love of his life and was devastated when she died giving birth to Sofia. Sofia reminded him of the love of his life and doted on her. He spoiled her and taught her things that were considered unseemly for a woman of her class. Don Fernando did not care as it gave him the opportunity to keep his daughter at his side. He took her to sea with him and taught her everything he knew about sailing and naval warfare. Don Fernando taught her how to use a blade. She began training at a very young age. She was an expert and could beat him by the time she was a teenager. She was young and fell in love with a minor noble who was a self made man. He had built a merchant fleet and built his fortune on trade to the new world and the riches to be gained from the east. Her father would never deny her and saw her happily wed to the love of her life, Don Rodrigo de Moreda. Her name changed to Sofia Ines de Moreda Y Cartagena. She went with her husband as he sailed the world on business. He taught her everything he knew about business. He had been expanding his holdings in the Antillean Archipelago. He had set up offices in the town of Free Sail. He had expanded his shipping fleet to include 6 ships. His prize vessel had been a wedding gift from her father, a modified Castillian Galleon that was sleek, fast, and had a large cargo hold but still had enough guns to protect itself and be a terror on the high seas. Rodrigo’s business, The Silver Bear Traders grew in wealth and influence over the years. Sofia lived a life of privilege and wealth. She was a happy woman who settled down to raise their three children. Rodrigo had built a huge manor house in Free Sail for his family. It was called the Silk Rose due to its opulence and beauty. Sofia’s favorite place was the gardens where he had roses brought in for her from Castille. Sofia had three children, two sons, Juan and Roberto, and one daughter Maria Rose. While Sofia and her family had been happy and living a good life, others were jealous of Rodrigo’s success and plotted his downfall. Late one night a crew of assassins and cutthroats attacked their home. Rodrigo and her children were killed. Sofia had fought like the devil to protect them. She had been shot in the back and hit over the head. They had left her for dead as the villains took what loot they could before setting her home on fire. Sofia woke up surrounded by smoke and fire. She barely made it out of the house alive. Sofia swore that those who had killed her family would pay. She used the wealth and assets her husband had left her to accomplish this. Her initial investigations and bribes led her to those who had done the deeds. It had taken her two years to hunt them all down. She had bought a dockside tavern and used it as a base for her investigations. She staffed it with people she knew to be loyal to her. She staffed with people she had rescued from dire straits and injustices of their own. She had created a persona to hide her identity, Maria Rose, La Conquistadora. She wore a golden silk mask of roses and thorns to hide her face. It was as she was exacting her revenge on the last one that she learned they had been hired to do it. They had been hired to kill her family and make it look like a burglary. She wanted the people who had signed the orders. Her latest clue said that the crew of the Crimson Demon pirate ship were the ones who hired those sent to kill her family. Sofia began to build a network of spies, thieves, and cutthroats of her own. Her elusive goal to find who had ordered the death of her family. She takes her ship out as La Conquistadora seeking answers on the high seas. She used the ship to lure pirates in and take them out as she searched for information on the Crimson Demons. P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) ________________________________________________________________________________________ As a player, what do you hope to accomplish and where do you want the character's story/stories to go? The character works to right injustice while she seeks the answer of who ordered the death of her family. The seemingly charming noble lady that was widowed and continues to run a shipping empire by day. Emerges as a vigilante seeking justice for the death of her family. She refuses to let injustices go when she finds them. She uses her wealth and knowledge to build her own criminal underworld network. I want the story to lead from one good lead to another, one adventure to another as she explores the seedy underbelly of Free Sail. What is the thing your character wants more than anything in the world- what would they fight, kill, or die for…and just as importantly why do they not have it yet? The character wants justice. She wants to kill those who ordered her family killed. As she investigates that crime, she is exposed to more injustices of the world. She can’t right the wrong done to her yet, but she can help others. Fighting under her alias Maria Rose, La Conquistadora, gives her a way to vent her rage. It gives her purpose. The people who ordered her husband’s death are well connected in the Exchange. They ordered his death because they had hoped to kill off the business. They were upset that the Silver Bear Traders were cutting into their business. The members of the Exchange that hired the folks to kill Rodrigo and his family were smart and used multiple cut outs to prevent the crime from being linked to them. Every time she thinks she has found the answer, it leads to yet another person. The loss of her family has hardened Sofia. She no longer lives a happy content life of prestige, coddled and naive about the world. She has witnessed the cruelty of the world first hand. Having the ability to do something about it, well that is all that keeps her sane.

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^{All formatting originates via the work of Lord Wraith}

Have At You!!! A Game of Swashbuckling Adventure

I am interested and have finally finished a concept that I think will work. Thoughts?

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Character Sheet

Character Sheet Format

Captain Maria Rose "La Conquistadora"
Captain Maria Rose “La Conquistadora”

^{"Dead men tell no tales—smart women write them."}

C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T C H A R A C T E R P O R T R A I T _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y C H A R A C T E R S U M M A R Y _________________________________________________________ Dona Sofia Ines de Moreda y Cartagena _________________________________________________________ Age: 30 | Relationship Status: Widow _________________________________________________________ Affiliation(s) Los Vigilantes | Nationality: Castille N O T A B L E A B I L I T I E S & T O O L S N O T A B L E A B I L I T I E S & T O O L S _________________________________________________________ [+] - A B I L I T I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ ABILITY Navigator Sailing Reading and Writing - T O O L (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ TOOL Custom made basket hilt Montoya rapier. The sword is slightly thinner and lighter and perfectly balanced for a woman. It is a beautiful and expertly crafted sword with strong and flexible steel. The handle is a rose with thorny vines. She uses a trident parrying dagger with the same design on it. It was made by the same craftsman and is high quality. She uses the dagger to trap and break her enemies’ blade. She wears a half mask that matches the roses and thorny vines on her sword. It hides her real identity. The silk mask is attached to a long scarf that ties her hair out of the way when she goes into battle. Sextant for navigating. Spyglass Bodice Dagger. It is a small slender blade that is worn between her breasts and rests in a sheath that hides the blade completely and slides into her corset. - N O T A B L E S K I L L S & T A L E N T S N O T A B L E S K I L L S & T A L E N T S _________________________________________________________ [+] - S K I L L (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ SKILL Expert Swordswoman - Montoya school - uses rapier with trident parrying dagger Navigator and Cartographer - She learned to navigate by the stars using charts and landmarks. She learned to create her own charts and her own observations to existing charts on prevailing currents, shoals, and other seafaring obstacles. Accounting & Trade - She was taught the basics of accounting and trade from her husband Naval warfare and tactics- her father taught her to sail and discussed naval warfare and tactics with her. . - T A L E N T (S) ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ TALENT She is a beautiful and charming woman. Her charisma is natural and has been boon in dealing with others. It has been a factor in her success as a leader and while navigating the intrigue at court. While she has studied and practiced hard to develop her skill with a blade, she is ambidextrous and has a natural coordination and talent for it. She possesses a keen intellect that aids her in tactics and business. -

T H E S T O R Y S O F A R... T H E S T O R Y S O F A R... ________________________________________________________________________________________ She was born Dona Sofia Ines de Alvarez y Cartagena. She was the only child of Don Fernado de Alvarez. Her father was a minor Castillian Noble who had served in the King’s navy with distinction. Her father married the love of his life and was devastated when she died giving birth to Sofia. Sofia reminded him of the love of his life and doted on her. He spoiled her and taught her things that were considered unseemly for a woman of her class. Don Fernando did not care as it gave him the opportunity to keep his daughter at his side. He took her to sea with him and taught her everything he knew about sailing and naval warfare. Don Fernando taught her how to use a blade. She began training at a very young age. She was an expert and could beat him by the time she was a teenager. She was young and fell in love with a minor noble who was a self made man. He had built a merchant fleet and built his fortune on trade to the new world and the riches to be gained from the east. Her father would never deny her and saw her happily wed to the love of her life, Don Rodrigo de Moreda. Her name changed to Sofia Ines de Moreda Y Cartagena. She went with her husband as he sailed the world on business. He taught her everything he knew about business. He had been expanding his holdings in the Antillean Archipelago. He had set up offices in the town of Free Sail. He had expanded his shipping fleet to include 6 ships. His prize vessel had been a wedding gift from her father, a modified Castillian Galleon that was sleek, fast, and had a large cargo hold but still had enough guns to protect itself and be a terror on the high seas. Rodrigo’s business, The Silver Bear Traders grew in wealth and influence over the years. Sofia lived a life of privilege and wealth. She was a happy woman who settled down to raise their three children. Rodrigo had built a huge manor house in Free Sail for his family. It was called the Silk Rose due to its opulence and beauty. Sofia’s favorite place was the gardens where he had roses brought in for her from Castille. Sofia had three children, two sons, Juan and Roberto, and one daughter Maria Rose. While Sofia and her family had been happy and living a good life, others were jealous of Rodrigo’s success and plotted his downfall. Late one night a crew of assassins and cutthroats attacked their home. Rodrigo and her children were killed. Sofia had fought like the devil to protect them. She had been shot in the back and hit over the head. They had left her for dead as the villains took what loot they could before setting her home on fire. Sofia woke up surrounded by smoke and fire. She barely made it out of the house alive. Sofia swore that those who had killed her family would pay. She used the wealth and assets her husband had left her to accomplish this. Her initial investigations and bribes led her to those who had done the deeds. It had taken her two years to hunt them all down. She had bought a dockside tavern and used it as a base for her investigations. She staffed it with people she knew to be loyal to her. She staffed with people she had rescued from dire straits and injustices of their own. She had created a persona to hide her identity, Maria Rose, La Conquistadora. She wore a golden silk mask of roses and thorns to hide her face. It was as she was exacting her revenge on the last one that she learned they had been hired to do it. They had been hired to kill her family and make it look like a burglary. She wanted the people who had signed the orders. Her latest clue said that the crew of the Crimson Demon pirate ship were the ones who hired those sent to kill her family. Sofia began to build a network of spies, thieves, and cutthroats of her own. Her elusive goal to find who had ordered the death of her family. She takes her ship out as La Conquistadora seeking answers on the high seas. She used the ship to lure pirates in and take them out as she searched for information on the Crimson Demons. P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) ________________________________________________________________________________________ As a player, what do you hope to accomplish and where do you want the character's story/stories to go? The character works to right injustice while she seeks the answer of who ordered the death of her family. The seemingly charming noble lady that was widowed and continues to run a shipping empire by day. Emerges as a vigilante seeking justice for the death of her family. She refuses to let injustices go when she finds them. She uses her wealth and knowledge to build her own criminal underworld network. I want the story to lead from one good lead to another, one adventure to another as she explores the seedy underbelly of Free Sail. What is the thing your character wants more than anything in the world- what would they fight, kill, or die for…and just as importantly why do they not have it yet? The character wants justice. She wants to kill those who ordered her family killed. As she investigates that crime, she is exposed to more injustices of the world. She can’t right the wrong done to her yet, but she can help others. Fighting under her alias Maria Rose, La Conquistadora, gives her a way to vent her rage. It gives her purpose. The people who ordered her husband’s death are well connected in the Exchange. They ordered his death because they had hoped to kill off the business. They were upset that the Silver Bear Traders were cutting into their business. The members of the Exchange that hired the folks to kill Rodrigo and his family were smart and used multiple cut outs to prevent the crime from being linked to them. Every time she thinks she has found the answer, it leads to yet another person. The loss of her family has hardened Sofia. She no longer lives a happy content life of prestige, coddled and naive about the world. She has witnessed the cruelty of the world first hand. Having the ability to do something about it, well that is all that keeps her sane.

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^{All formatting originates via the work of Lord Wraith}

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

Fireteam Anvil

Chuck "Boomer" Simmons

Samantha "Chaos" Dalton

Battle of the Giants: Blood, Grit, and Brotherhood

Something inside Samantha snapped and gave way as she unleashed all her pent up pain and fury on Ingwe and his mech. Ingwe’s attention was pulled temporarily by Jamie as he ran forward and unleashed on the Zulu mech. Samantha took advantage of the distraction. She moved forward and fired her gun into the large smoking hole in the Zulu mech that Jamie’s missiles had opened in it. The Zulu mech staggered as an explosion rocked it causing it to topple to one side.

She reached down and pulled the spear out of Chuck. The tip was protruding out his side. She pulled it the rest of the way through. She felt that would cause the least amount of damage.

Chuck cried out in pain as the spear was quickly pulled from his side. He could suddenly breathe better. Some of the pressure gave way where his armor had been pinned by the spear. He was bleeding heavily but his suit could now access the site and shot a foam into the cavity to seal his wounds. The pain killers and medications to support his system and help prevent shock were finally kicking in. Chuck checked his HUD. He turned off the alarms with a blink. His armor had been pierced and shredded on his side where the spear had struck. He was going to need surgery if he lived long enough to make it to medical care. His armor’s updated medical suite was working hard to keep him alive. His vitals were stabilizing. The sealing spray and foam stabilized his broken ribs and the hole in his side.

Samantha saw the foam as it oozed out and hardened over his armor. Satisfied he would stabilize she turned her attention back to the Zulu mech. Ingwe was pinned in the cockpit and was struggling to free himself. She used the spear and let out a guttural cry as she hurled it with all her might at Ingwe pinning him through the chest with the spear. She hit the end of the spear sending it all the way through the Ingwe and the Zulu mech pinning it to the ground. She then unleashed the mech’s metal fists on him. Pieces of the mech broke off and flew in a shrapnel cloud as she destroyed Ingwe.

Samantha was screaming and crying as she continued to hit the Zulu mech blindly. Her words were punctuated by the crunch of metal.

Samantha: “NO ONE HURTS MY FAMILY! THAT WAS MY BROTHER!”

Chuck managed to get to his feet now that the hole in his side was plugged. It hurt and he felt a little woozy from the loss of blood. He managed it. He knew the inability to move in a fight would lead to death. He needed to get up. He managed to wobble over towards Samantha. He noted that the cockpit was now almost a flattened bloody metallic paste. He tapped Samantha’s mech on the side.

Chuck: “I think you got him, Tiger. I think Frigga might need some help.”

Samantha whirled as felt and heard the tap on her shoulder. She turned yelling and swung out in reflexive action. Chuck managed to fall back to avoid the blow but he was back on the ground again.

Chuck: “You know what. I will stay down here this time. It’s safer.”

Samantha cried out as saw Chuck moving.

Samantha: “Boomer!”

Samantha rushed to his side. She did her best to patch him up but his armor had already taken care of it. There was not much more she could do.

Chuck: “Help take down the other one.”

Samantha nodded. “You rest easy bro. I got this.”

Chuck was in too much pain to register that she called him bro. He just nodded.

Samantha turned towards Laura. She skirted around behind Laura who was currently focused on Frigga and Athena. She began to fire into the rear of the mech. She targeted the flamethrower’s tank. She was trying to cause it to explode.

just want to say hi and make some friends

Howdy Wheels! Nice to meet you.

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

Friday June 30th, 2094
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal, Canada
Practice Race

Alexander Knight

Soundtrack: The Score - Unstoppable

Alexander was in for a long day. He was in the Valkyrie paddock for the practice runs for the Team Valkyrie Junior League Pilots, Scarlett Collins and Anna Hausmann and his Formula AG pilots, Paul Mulder and Dorian Hornfleur. Alexander had met with their Zap Sports Drink representative about extending and expanding their Team Sponsorship to include their Junior Academy pilots. Alexander had introduced Scarlett and Anna to the representative. Alexander could tell that both pilots were nervous. Scarlett did alright but Anna was going to need some training and coaching. She was so nervous she babbled and sounded like a squirrel hyped up on caffeine. The Zap Sports Drink representative was interested in the idea but was not sold on the amount that Alexander was requesting to put their name on the junior team. It was a starting point. Alexander expected that he would probably have to work harder and find more sponsors to come near the funding the major league team received. He wanted to make things easier for their Junior League Pilots and help them get more training and support. It made sense to start with existing sponsors who were already working with the team. The team already had the logos and a relationship with them.

Alexander stayed in the paddock and paid special attention to Scarlett and Anna’s practice laps. Scarlett was currently ranked 5th in the Junior League while Anna was in 10th. Alexander hoped to help coach both women and help them improve their skills. Alexander had reviewed the reports by the team trainers, their ship data, and video of their races so far this season. He carefully reviewed all their data to find key skills they could work on that would help propel their careers forward. He had a plan in place to teach them the marketing, public relations, and business side of formula antigravity racing. As a former pilot, he was well qualified to identify where their skills were lacking on the track. His focus had been on long term planning and had to be on Paul and Dorian.

The long term health and sustainability of the team required him to look closer at the junior league academy pilots as well. Alexander had reviewed the program and found it lacking. Currently potential junior academy pilots applied for a spot in the program and only ten were chosen to attend a four week Team Valkyrie summer boot camp. Those ten pilots competed all the way through boot camp with two winners receiving support for that year of competition in the junior league representing Team Valkyrie. Junior Pilots were given older equipment, some basic support with travel and lodgings, and a much smaller support team. The junior pilots shared one dedicated engineer and one mechanic. When the ships were at headquarters, the entire engineering and mechanic team would support them but the priority was always on the primary team pilots. There was no push to update the older machines for the junior league. They also didn’t currently support any kind of pilot modifications for the junior team. Often junior pilots used their endorsements to purchase and pay for treatments and augmentations. Racing was an expensive sport and most candidates came from wealthy families that could afford to help their pilots pay for augmentations and the things that the team didn’t support. That unfortunately often left talented pilots such as Scarlett Collins who came from humble means without a way to obtain those augmentations that allowed a pilot to up their game into the top tier. Scarlett had lucked into a nonprofit endorsement with the Mulder Foundation that had helped her with a few basic pilot augmentations after she was picked up by Team Valkyrie’s junior league.

Team Valkyrie’s Junior League Academy was good and known for producing future champions and good pilots. It was one of the academy’s that everyone fought to get into. The boot camp training was extremely competitive but the potential pilots chosen for the summer boot camp program almost always excelled after attending, if the boot camp doesn’t break them. The boot camp was nonstop action where the pilots lived at headquarters for 4 weeks and were pushed to their mental and physical limits. The pilots went through classes on theory, tactics, and technology. They had daily physical training, simulator training, and track time. There were no days off. The pilots were scored on physical fitness, mental fitness, performance, and piloting skill.

Alexander knew that most of the team had their hands full with the primary pilots. He was asking them to take on more work temporarily while he found the funding to make the permanent changes to the program that he wanted to see. He wanted them to have more dedicated support team members including a physical trainer or physical therapist that could travel to them and a skilled experienced mentor and teacher to lead the academy. Alexander was going to look for a retired pilot that came from Valkyrie’s Academy or drove for them that would be interested in mentoring and teaching younger pilots. He would begin looking for those who would be interested in the position and vetting them for compatibility. He didn’t want to hire someone who was a great pilot but that sucked at teaching and mentoring. It would require the right personality. He was tempted to ask Florence if she might be interested in the position. He expected that there would be some push back in the beginning but that the team would trust him and work with him till funding and hiring was complete.

Alexander felt this would be an excellent use of interns. Yes, interns had to be supervised but it would be easy to have the interns do the bulk of the work and then have one of the full time team members review it and provide guidance to them. The interns would then be more able to take some of the grunt work off the full time team members’ hands freeing them up to do so. It would also bring more future talent to the team in terms of promising interns in marketing, public relations, physical trainers, nutritionists, physical therapists, medical interns, engineers, and mechanics. He knew he could make this work but it would take a lot of extra work on his part to get it up and moving and pay for the extra people. Interns typically worked cheaper than a full time professional but a paid internship with a letter of recommendation from the team could give them the break they wanted into their dream job. They might discover some amazing talent to bring on board and add to their team as well.

Alexander had managed to get a large endorsement commitment from I Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat for the junior league team. They jumped at the chance to endorse the Junior Academy as well. Alexander was working with a high tech sportswear company called Hood Tech Sportswear that had come to him about sponsoring this year’s Summer Academy Boot Camp. Alexander had been approached by a new sports supplements company that was a start up, Rocket Sports Nutrition. They wanted to sponsor the main team but Alexander was not sure it was a good fit for the main team. The company was just starting out and very successful but he was not ready to tie the Team’s name to the major league team. He compromised and suggested a one year trial as a sponsor for the Junior League Team and they jumped at the chance. Alexander felt that they were a better fit there for now. His plans for the Junior League team were coming together.

He sipped on his third cup of coffee as he gave up trying to peer through the rain to watch the junior pilots on their practice laps. They were slated to run through this morning with the primary antigravity league doing their practice laps this afternoon. Alexander managed to carve out a few hours of his time to meet with the new Junior League Sponsors, introduce them to the junior league pilots and set up some endorsement filming with them for this afternoon. He was grateful that Katherina had loaned a few members of the marketing team to oversee that project. He had smiled when Katherine told him they had been excited to be tapped for the project.

He leaned over the junior team engineer’s shoulder to watch their screen as Scarlett put her ship through its paces. He watched the monitor since he couldn’t see the ship but as a blur in the rain. He followed the action on the cameras around the track and reviewed the data stream as the engineer watched in real time coming from the ship.

Scarlett had some raw talent but she needed more track experience. She was making some very rookie mistakes. Mistakes that only experience taught you from racing on different types of tracks in different types of weather. She struggled in the rain. She was struggling to trust her ship’s optics and equipment and was slower and more cautious because of it. She was slowing too much in the corners and hairpin turns and it was costing her speed and time to regain that speed. Anna was even worse. Anna lacked Scarlett’s focus and was failing to commit to the speed and racing lines in the corner. She backed off every time and Alexander worried that it would be worse if there was another pilot challenging her space. It was subtle and not very obvious but someone who had been racing would spot it. He didn’t want to see her panic and crash because she wasn’t used to trusting her instruments as much. She challenged and defended great in the straight ways but Alexander saw the pattern in the tighter corners. Here in Montreal it was very evident at the Wall of Champions hairpin curve.

The mistakes the pilots were making were common ones that experience would solve as they either got it as their confidence grew or they would never get past this point. Some pilots never managed to push past that final commitment barrier that took them from potential to amazing and top tier talent. The Junior League is where the cream of the crop rose to the top and got the experience to leap this final hurdle. It was where pilots learned to be able to handle the ludicrous speeds and make the daring overtakes that kept fans on the edge of their seats. It was where future champions demonstrated the level necessary to make it in the major league.

He gave both pilots his feedback and told them to review the curves and their choices through the recorded video. He told them to review and practice the racing line they wanted. He told them they needed to spend more time practicing on utilizing their HUD and the ship’s instruments for navigation when they needed to pilot in bad weather conditions. They had to learn to trust their instruments. He told Anna to commit, to pick a racing line and stick it. He told Scarlett to work on her timing. She was committing but a little too late which was costing her like a half second which could let off the throttle and slow a little and then hit it again. For Scarlett it was a timing issue. Alexander left them with his advice as he went on to check on his primary league pilots and check in with other sponsors.

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DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Nine: The Wall of Champions
La Sauce

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Paul had taken off the lacy white apron that the producers had pranked him with. He had gone along with it and hoped he pulled off cool and collected instead of the butt of the joke by owning it. Dorian had flat out refused and had been grumpy and indignant since he saw the food. He had no idea that his teammate was such a food snob but then the chef that made most of their meals at headquarters was a French master chef. Paul had to say that they ate well even with their diets being very restricted and regimented to give them the best nutrition. That included having food prepared to get the most out of the nutrition it provided. They had the best of both worlds with great tasting and nutritious food. Paul didn’t bother to hide his amusement over Dorian’s over the top reaction to the poutine challenge. Paul had enjoyed cooking. He had a great time and Dorian’s antics were amusing to him since his reputation was that of being a gentleman.

Paul glanced over at his teammate and noted he had taken the apron off. Dorian stood with his arms crossed and still looked grumpy.

Aurora brought them over to a table set with a white table cloth. On it was a plate of poutine that was supposedly cooked by the Carrera Condor team of Bea and Ava. The plate of poutine had golden-brown fries topped with garlicky beef stock gravy, toasted cheese and diced stir fried sausage and a sprinkling of spring onions.

Aurora waved to the plate of poutine. “Bon Appetit Paul and Dorian. You get to try the poutine created by Ava and Bea of Team Carrera Condor. Please give their poutine a try and let us know how they did.”

Dorian looked horrified and disgusted. He looked down at the plate on the table and back up to Aurora shaking his head in horror. “Non! Les saints m'aident!” Dorian picked up the fork like it was a spider going to bite him. He took a deep breath and stabbed one piece of potato. He closed his eyes and wrinkled his nose as took the smallest nibble. He chewed and acted like he was dying. He swallowed and grabbed a glass of water. He had tears in his eyes as he walked away mumbling under his breath in French about the fine print in contracts and the sanctity of French cuisine. Paul watched his teammate with amusement and then concern. He hoped he would be okay. He had never seen this side of him before.

Aurora looked at Paul expectantly. He gave her an amused grin.

Paul: “He’s sensitive. He is very serious about his food. I am game.”

He took a big forkful of fries, steak and gravy. He made sure to get a little bit of everything in the bite. He put it in his mouth and began to chew. It was not bad. His eyes watered a little at the amount of garlic in the dish. He picked up the glass of water next to the plate and took a drink. Sadly the overwhelming taste of garlic didn’t go away.

Paul: “It was not bad. Just a little overwhelming with the garlic. I bet the extra garlic was Ava’s idea huh? I don’t mind spice but holy garlic Batman! Hey Bea! I guess this proves I am not a vampire. I didn’t go up in flames! I passed the test! The spring onions were a nice finish.”

He laughed as he wiped his tearing eyes once more. His sinuses were clearing up nicely. He gave a thumbs up to the camera with a cheeky grin.

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Saturday July 1st, 2094
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal, Canada (Federated American States)
Qualifying

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Dorian’s qualifying run started out great. He had a great start. He was feeling it. The ship was responding well. The new neural link was faster than his old one. He was not adjusting to his as fast as Paul did. He loved the speed and responsiveness though. It gave him a fresh edge. He was flying and nailing the turns, laying down what felt like a perfect lap. Then he over steered into a hairpin turn. He had then over corrected as he got the ship back on the track. It cost him time as he had to slow significantly to get the situation under control. He had almost binned the ship into the wall. Dorian cursed in fluid French as he got back on the track and completed his qualifying lap. He knew that mistake cost him dearly. The only thing he could do was make it up during the race. He had the skills. He had the right ship for overtaking here in Montreal. He just needed to focus and trust his new interface instead of questioning what it was telling him. It was a rookie mistake.

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Paul breathed out as the countdown to start happened. He was off with a great start. He was loving his new neural interface. He felt like he was one with the ship. Between the new interface and the cognitive training that they had him working on, he was able to use it more effectively. He felt like the ship was more responsive. It responded to his demands faster. With the neural interface support, the rain was a nuisance but he was able to utilize the ship’s cameras, sensors, radar, and lidar to see just fine. The new interface made racing in the rain easier than the last time Paul had to do it. He felt as if it was seeing more and further this time. He was able to keep up with all the data coming in from the sensors this time and his eyes didn’t matter as much. The ship left huge rooster trails of water in his wake as the ship seemed to pierce the rain causing eddies in the ship’s wake.

Paul leaned into the ship’s systems to make sure he put the ship where he wanted it to go. He didn’t let the rain cost him any speed. He chose his racing line and pushed the ship. He feathered the throttle letting off the speed to skate around the corners without hitting the air brakes unless he had to. He loved the higher walls which allowed him to use the antigravity to slingshot the ship around the hairpin taking the ship into a barrel roll to use the speed to sling the ship around the corner. He laughed and let out a squeal of delight as adrenaline and the ship gave him the best roller coaster experience ever. Paul shot over the finish line and almost kept going. He was in a zen-like space when Carmella’s happy and excited voice broke the spell with her excitement.

Carmella: “Congratulations Paul, that was P4 and a new personal best for you in the rain.”

Paul responded as he pulled the ship into the paddock and parked it.

Paul: “Thanks Carmella. Now if I can only hang onto it. We will see after everyone is done.”

Paul unplugged from the ship after shutting it down. He popped the canopy and waited for the stairs to be pushed over before he climbed down. He smiled as he was surrounded by a happy and excited crew.

Paul looked over the mechanics, engineers, and everyone else that helped to put him in the ship. Paul looked out over them from the top step. Paul gave them an excited and grateful smile.

Paul: “Thanks everyone. I wouldn’t be here today without your help. I appreciate you all getting the ship rebuilt in time for Montreal. Thanks for all your hard work. This one's for you!”

They cheered him and pandemonium reigned momentarily in the paddock. He laughed and shook his head as he finished climbing down the stairs. He shook hands and greeted the team that allowed him to be successful on the track. They were professionals though and quickly went back to doing what they did. He walked off towards the pilot’s area with a smile. He had enough time for a quick shower and change before he had to face the press.

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DELTΔ HYPER

Canada Commentary

Paul had taken a quick shower and changed before facing the press pack and his mandatory interview with Delta Hyper. Paul was wearing shorts in a special tech material that wicked away heat and moisture. The fabrics were designed for the heat. He was also in a team racing polo in the same material that had tech that created the team symbol and flashed various sponsor logos on it.

Aurora: "Paul, how are you feeling about the recent string of successful qualifying stints? You seem to be able to extract a few more tenths in the ship over the last few races compared to Dorian, what do you think it is you're finding with the ship this year, or are the team tailoring it more to your liking more than Dorian's feedback?"

Paul threw back his head and laughed but then looked contemplative. He shrugged since it was part of Alexander’s strategy but he didn’t think it was necessarily a big secret. He looked at ease and gave Aurora a mischievous smile as he answered the question.

Paul: “Well Aurora, it sounds as if you have not heard or figured out Alexander Knight’s strategy for the team this year. Knight is having the engineers tune our ship’s to the individual pilot and their racing style. The engineers and mechanics do their best to make the changes we request and Knight is doing his best to support our requests. I have to give our new head engineer, Cavan Mitchell credit for managing to get those changes done. My thanks to him and the team for getting my ship rebuilt and ready for racing here in Montreal. With that said, some of those requests are easier than others to implement. As to why I have been performing better than Dorian, I can’t say. I wouldn’t want to presume to answer that for him. My guess would be that I am younger and more flexible and adjust to the changes faster than Dorian. Or that I can explain what changes I want to the engineers in a way they understand better. Which would result in my ship getting dialed in faster resulting in more practice time. I would argue we get equal attention and support from Alexander and the team.”

Paul shrugged as he honestly didn’t know why he would be performing better than Dorian. It was not his job to answer for his teammate but he certainly wasn’t stupid enough to throw his teammate under the bus or give the screamsheets any kind of fodder. They would try to make Dorian his primary rival and blow it up into a story where he hated the man. Simply put he didn’t. Paul felt Dorian was responsible for his own performance. He had not seen any bad or sloppy habits he had that affected his performance. Dorian was still performing very consistently.

---

Social Media

Paul Mulder @ValkyriePaul:

Hello race fans! I promised you details on the Mulder Foundation Gala. It will be held on Friday July 26th in Brussels at the Art and History Museum in Belgium. The gala will be attended by myself and fellow rookie pilots, Hyeon-Ae Han, Kais Zenix, and Bea Ward. The formal catered event will include a silent auction. My fellow rookie pilots have donated some time and talent to include things in the silent auction. It will be a great evening of food, dancing, and entertainment. All for a great cause, to help underprivileged children in Europe chase their dreams of being an athlete or an artist. You can help support the work the Mulder Foundation does by purchasing a limited edition t-shirt with Bea Ward’s art on it, buying a ticket to attend the event, bidding on the silent auction items, or donating directly. Check out the amazing things lined up for auction. I hope to see you there!

[Link to the Mulder Foundation Website which has a special event page set up for the event. There are pictures of all the silent auction items and descriptions. There is a video of Kais Zenix painting the motorcycle he donated with a group of young excited children. The finished motorcycle is a colorful collage and mix of talents finished with Kais Zenix’s signature in paint on the tank. There is a picture of Kais posing with the bike looking serious with his arms crossed next to it. There is a mix of signed items from team Zygon by Hyeon-Ae, there is a picture of the artwork Bea created for auction. There is a picture of the t-shirts being produced for sale with Bea’s artwork on it and a link to order one. Paul had donated one of his helmet’s for the season that he had signed with documentation of authenticity and accompanying information on the race and a picture of him wearing it. He had also donated a private trip around the race track in one of the team’s dual seat ship’s as a VIP experience. There are other things that have been donated for the auction that include other pieces of art by famous artists, framed photographs from photographers, cruises, a weekend stay in a famous actress’ mountain cabin, a meet and greet with a few different famous singers, tickets to the Russian Ballet, the Vienna PhilHarmonic Orchestra, and a few different musicals around Europe. Most of the silent auction items were very high end collectibles, experiences, tickets, and art. There were some more affordable items. Smaller items had been bundled together into gift baskets. There was something for everyone to bid on in a variety of price ranges. Tickets to attend the gala were limited to 500 and $500 Euro each.]

Paul reviewed his social media post and smiled. He just knew it was going to be a success. The Mulder Foundation had appreciated his additional support in the planning. It was amazing how many businesses were willing to donate their services to charity when asked by a celebrity. Paul had no trouble doing the asking. It was for his mother after all. Paul had managed to get the art museum to host the event, he had put up the event insurance. The caters, decor, event staff, and party supplies had all been donated. Paul had even gotten some advertising by doing some personal recording at local news stations talking about the event.

---

OfficeDrone#12: Wow! Thos tickets are pricey.
SuperfanAGR54: Yikes out of my price range. Nice that there are low income options to support too. I ordered my t-shirt!
DantheMan: Well not my bag of tea. No monkey suits for me please.
BatDave: Batman sends his approval.
Superfan2075: I wish he put as much effort into his racing.
DadBod89: It is nice to see him doing something for other people.
Hater101: That thing will only be attended by the wealthy. It is a way to look for new sponsors and build his personal brand. Hard pass.
Papabear34: Nice to see a young man give back.
Nana2050: I have bought my ticket!
GeorgeFly: Hmm I want to bid on some of the signed stuff. No idea if I will win though. That bike is sweet!
ValkyrieFan56: Oh the silent auction list is amazing! Too bad most of it is out of my price range.
Weedhead81: Hey Paul I don’t see any primo weed on the auction list. Dude what gives?
SexyM@m@5: I wonder if Dorian will be there?
Paulmulder4eva: I bought my shirt Paul! I would be happy to model it for you!
Britball12: Meh. I am with @DanTheMan. It is not my bag of tea. A night in a tuxedo or suit. That sounds more like torture.
!YouSlow!: Now if you were having this outside at a park with grilling at the race track and free rides, I would be there. This is not the typical race fan scene.
Bertha: No wonder he has been doing poorly. He has been spending all his time on this instead of practicing.

Team Valkyrie Characters

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

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

Friday June 21, 2094
Team Valkyrie Headquarters, Germany

Alexander sat at his desk reviewing the plans submitted by the various departments for the revised Junior AG team. Alexander was changing up the supports for the team’s junior league team. If he had to shop for new pilots from the team, then he wanted them to get better training and rise up. He had hopes of taking the Junior League and making Scarlett the Junior League champion this year. His competitors were focused on the primary league. If he begins building a better academy then he will attract better junior league drivers in the future. Alexander was planning for Team Valkyrie’s long term rise and maintaining that lead. His goal was to structure the team in a way to usher in an era of high quality and consistency. He wanted to build a team and program that supported the individual pilots and their growth. He knew from his own experience that it takes more than skill to make a champion. A pilot has to have that drive to be able to push through the pain of training, and push themselves well beyond what they thought they were capable of. It also took resources and education. You can have a very talented pilot but if they can’t talk to the press and handle sponsors they will be a liability. Alexander wanted to build a program that prepared pilots for success at all levels.

Scarlett had talent but she didn’t have the same resources even other pilots in the program had. She had been relying on sponsorships. There was a lot she needed to learn before she could step up into the main league. In Alexander’s opinion, she would not be ready next season. He believed she needed another season in the Junior League before she would truly be ready for the main league. She needed some experience and seasoning. She had potential but if she was moved up too fast, he believed she would fold under the pressure. Alexander didn’t believe that Scarlett was ready for the level of public scrutiny she would get as she stepped into the spotlight in the main league. She had fans and was recognized in public now but she was still mostly anonymous. She didn’t require security at home yet. She could still go to the grocery store and not be mobbed. Alexander considered what had happened in Tokyo at the harbor. Scarlett needed to be prepared for that level of public adoration. She needed some seasoning in handling the public and media. She needed education on contracts and endorsement deals. Scarlett had been lucky that she had been helped by the Mulder Foundation which had solicited some good endorsements for her. She was included in the Junior League’s team endorsements and sponsors. Scarlett still didn’t have an agent or even know she needed one. Alexander knew it was simply a case of she didn’t know what she didn’t know. She didn’t really have anyone to step in and be that mentor for her. Alexander planned to fill that role. He was going to begin working with the training team when the Junior League team was on campus.

Alexander reviewed the various reports from the different departments. He grinned like a shark as he planned to build new ships for the main team and take this year’s ship designs and hand them down to next year’s Junior League team. He began putting together a revised training schedule for the Junior League Team. He planned some on-campus training camps during the major team’s break periods so he could join them. He built in some down time for the rest of the team but week-long training camps where the Junior League pilots were brought to campus were necessary. They needed to be pushed by the team’s trainers. They needed to use the simulators and the track here to get more hands-on experience. He would pull in his test pilots and offer them a bonus to act as mentors and trainers to the Junior League team in their off time. It would be a win-win for Alexander. His test pilots would get a more active role and more pay. They would be happier and he would get excellent trainers with experience for his Junior League team.

Alexander’s plans for the Junior League Team was to rebrand the academy as the best place to train future champions. Alexander reviewed his calendar for the day. He had several important meetings today. He would be meeting with Jenny Lowry and giving her a tour of the campus and her pitch to join them next year. He was realistic on what he could offer her. He knew Silver Apex’s offer would be the only other competitive offer. He knew they could throw more money at her and they had a reputation for winning. They also had a reputation for being hard to work with and hard on their pilots. He was hoping the camaraderie and wholesome team atmosphere of the team now that he had cleared out the rot at its center would appeal to her. He knew that Cavan was looking forward to meeting her and showing her around. Paul was due back this morning. Paul would be answering any questions Jenny had before he and Dorian met with the medical team.

Alexander had heard back from Lipusv after examining the preliminary data from Shinichi Bionics on their new neural interface and nanite technology. The data had been collected from Arianna’s trial of the new technology. Lipusv’s influence had pushed through the permission for trial implantation of Paul and Dorian. The information gathered by how the technology was used by the pilots might lead to Shinichi Bionics partnering with the European Union Space Agency on applications for humans living and working in space. The preliminary contract for research and development between Team Valkyrie and Shinichi Bionics was blessed and signed off on by Lipusv and Leopold Koch. It went active before the new transparency mandate on sponsorship and endorsements. Though technically this contract was for research and development. It would fall outside of that mandate anyway. The research and development contracts included extensive security measures to prevent the theft of data and the design. A team from Shinichi Bionics would have a secure lab and office space at headquarters.

Alexander liked Shinichi’s new technology as it could lead to long term improvements with very little down time for the pilots. The only surgery would be to replace their current neural interfaces and an injection of nanites. The rest would take place internally as nanites took the building blocks for the body’s enhancement from the food eaten by the pilots. The nanities did the internal building, restructuring, augmenting, and communication. The neural interface introduced the programming and acted as the communication hub for the nanites. The nanites would build a bio-cybernetic interface that followed the body’s own neural network to interface with the technology and upgrades that the nanites introduced. The nanites would work on a cellular level to repair and augment Team Valkyrie’s pilots. The augmentations would happen organically over time. They would respond to programming but the team would take the augmentations for the pilots one system at a time. The technology was more reliable and less invasive than other types of cybernetics. The new neural interfaces were more powerful, faster, and were more intuitive to use. They had hardened encrypted security to ensure the interfaces would stand up to cyberattacks and EMP, they were virtually unhackable. They would track the changes and collect data during training and piloting to see how well the bio-cybernetics compared to traditional cybernetics.

A notification reminder beeps on his computer. Alexander checked the time and closed the extra files he had been working on. He locked his computer terminal. He cleared off his desk and went to the front of the building to meet Jenny Lowry.

---

Mabel and he walked to the front entrance together. He had already collected Jenny’s visitor badge from security. He made sure there would be no issues for her visit to the best of his ability. He had asked Chef Jacques to plan on her joining them for lunch. He would be sure to have something suitably healthy but delicious for the pilot. Alexander expected his pilots to follow a strict diet but he also didn’t expect them to eat cardboard or rely on pasty nasty protein rich nutrition shakes either. He had a nutritionist on the team and a renowned chef for that reason. Between them they managed to keep the pilots and the rest of the employees to healthy delicious food on a daily basis. Alexander rarely cooked for himself now. He had too much to do and he freely admitted that eating Chef Jacques food was not a burden. There were perks to living at headquarters. Jenny would be given a guest apartment on campus for her stay. Team Valkyrie had sent one of their private shuttles for her. They had sent a small security team uncertain if she had a team that traveled with her. They wanted her to feel welcome and secure.

Mabel was waiting with her tablet in hand. She was dressed in an ivory colored pants suit that contrasted with her dark skin. Her gold jewelry added warmth and brought out the copper undertones in her skin. Mabel’s gray hair was tucked under an African inspired turban like hat. She always had a warm regal air about her. The older woman was spry and energetic for her age. Her brown eyes danced merrily.

Mabel: “Cavan has been fussing like an old mother hen over this visit. He put the finishing touches on Paul’s new ship yesterday. Daniel has it on the test track putting it through its paces. Once he gives his feedback to Cavan he will make adjustments. Then he just needs Paul to do a test drive so that he can do some last minute adjustments before getting it loaded for the trip to Canada. He assured me he would have everything done before Wednesday.”

Alexander was dressed in a pair of dark gray dress slacks from Enigma Lux that was paired with a stylish button down with the team logo on the pocket. He was wearing the comfy dress boots that Enigma Lux had given him. He was very fond of the fit of the clothes they had made for him. His long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail to keep it off his neck. His beard was trimmed. They were waiting in the lobby. The driver reported that she had been picked up at the airport and they were on the way. Alexander turned to Mabel with a smile.

Alexander: “That matches what I would expect from Cavan. He was so excited when I told him I was going to give her an offer. I don’t want Paul back in the ship until after he has recovered from the latest surgery. Montgomery needs to clear him first. Dorian as well. I know it’s supposed to be a fairly routine surgery but I want to be sure they have both recovered and are adjusting to the new interface before they climb into the cockpit. That is why we have Daniel on retainer.”

Mabel just rolled her eyes at Alexander. “The contracts with Shinichi Bionics have been signed, sealed, and copies delivered to the relevant parties and the legal team. Their team has moved into the secured lab space and offices on campus that we provided to them. They are happy with their accommodations. Their small team is sharing an apartment on campus. Legal has finished reviewing the proposed contract with Banshee Microsystems. They said they would have an update for us by Monday.”

Alexander nodded as he knew the legal team had a great deal on its plate. He kept adding to their job duties. They grumbled at him but he just pointed out that was why they were on staff. They had gotten used to only being called upon to review team contracts.

Alexander: “That is acceptable. I will need to get Leopold’s and Lipusv involved in that one too. The sooner the better.”

Alexander smiled at Mabel. “Arianna called last night. She said to tell you that her plant is doing well. She said to tell you she would call later tonight.” Alexander’s eyes narrowed in displeasure as he continued in a disapproving voice. “Evidently there is something she feels she needs to discuss with you. She wouldn’t talk to me about it.”

Mabel just grinned at Alexander. “Don’t take it that way Alex. She just needs to talk about something with a woman. It's not like she can talk to her mother about anything. Maybe she is finally going to attempt dating again.”

Alexander growled softly. “No dating! She doesn’t need to date to graduate.”

Mabel just chuckled and winked at Alexander. “And that attitude is why she is calling me and not you.”

Alexander looked worried. “You will fill me in on the details later right?”

Mabel didn’t answer him as she turned to face the entrance. “No. She is entitled to her privacy. Jenny is here.”

Alexander wanted to be frustrated and demand Mabel give him the answers to his questions but he knew better. Mabel was one of the few people who knew exactly how to make Alexander squirm.

Jenny Lowry came in the entrance to headquarters and walked across the lobby to where Alexander and Mabel were waiting next to the security gate.

Alexander stepped forward with a smile and offered Jenny a handshake.

Alexander: “Hello Miss Lowry. Welcome to Team Valkyrie’s headquarters. I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and visit us here. I hope you will enjoy your visit.”

Alexander shook hands with Jenny. Jenny was shorter than Alexander but she was toned and fit just like all pilots were.

Jenny gave Alexander a cautious smile as she shook his hand. She noted that his hand had an artificial feel. He had older cybernetic hands. She couldn’t see how far up they went since he was wearing long sleeves. He was not quite what she expected.

Alexander turned to Mabel and waved a hand towards her.

Alexander: “I want to introduce you to my Executive Assistant, Mabel Brown. If you need anything while you are here, just contact Mabel and she will make sure to take care of that for you.”

Mabel smiled warmly at Jenny and offered her a handshake. “It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Lowry. Please call me Mabel.”

Jenny instantly liked the older black woman who had a regal bearing. She shook her hand warmly with a gentle touch. “Please call me Jenny, Mabel.”

Mabel smiled and nodded at the permission. She passed Jenny a name badge on a clip.

Mabel: “This is your security badge while you are here with us. You will need to wear this while you are here on campus. It will give you access to the areas you are allowed to visit and your apartment for the evening. It will also allow you to access our team cafeteria. There is food available there throughout most of the day. Your apartment also has a kitchen. If you need anything, just send me a list. It is already stocked with some staples.”

Jenny looked a little surprised. Their headquarters was much larger than what she was used to and obviously had more amenities. Jenny clipped the badge to her shirt.

Jenny: “Thank you Mabel.”

Alexander smiled at Jenny. “Now that we have that out of the way. Your bags will be taken to your room. Are you ready for the tour?”

Jenny nodded and motioned for Alexander to lead the way. Jenny was curious. She looked around and was impressed with the facilities so far.

Jenny followed Alexander as he started the tour with the main floor areas, the onsite daycare center, cafeteria, and gym. The tour continued through the training and medical areas where Paul and Dorian met and spoke with Jenny for a bit. Then he led her into the engineering department where she was greeted by Cavan and a few fellow engineers that had followed him from Fitzroy. Cavan extended an invitation to meet them at their favorite pub for a drink later. They finally ended the tour in Alexander’s office. Jenny took a seat in Alexander’s seating area on the couch. Alexander took one of the plush chairs there.

Alexander waited till Jenny had settled. “Well you know why you are here. So let me talk frankly.”

Jenny just nodded and waved for him to continue. “I would appreciate straight talk. I don’t hear it often.”

Alexander laughed a little and gave her a rueful smile. “There is truth to that.” He paused and looked Jenny in the eyes before continuing.

Alexander: “I have an offer for you. I would like you to replace Dorian when he retires at the end of the season. You have met Paul. His contract will be renewed. So you know who your teammate will be if you sign on with us. I know there has been a great deal of drama and negativity surrounding the team since I started. I am sure it makes you nervous. I don’t regret my decisions. I believe in safety first and supporting the individual needs of the pilots. Instead of trying to force pilots to fit the mold the team wants them too, I believe in building a ship and providing them support to build on their talents. There were a lot of things happening behind the scenes that had to be fixed before I could move the team forward. The team will stabilize now that Brendel, Maier, and Zimmerman have been removed. I will be frank, that offer is the best I can do. I am pretty sure that Silver Apex can and will beat it. If you decide to join us, you will be joining old friends. You will have access to all the support the team can give you. You have seen the facilities. There are long term plans at play. I can’t give you very many details because you may go to our competitors.”

Jenny listened to Alexander’s very direct and straightforward speech. She kept a neutral expression as he touched on the challenges Valkyrie had faced this year. Jenny had enjoyed the tour of the campus. The facilities were top notch and far exceeded what she was used to. The food was excellent. She had been impressed with the training facilities and the simulator. Paul and Dorian had been frank and relaxed when she saw them. Paul looked as if he had already recovered from last week’s crash. She managed to focus on what Alexander shared.

Alexander paused before he stressed the next point. “Team Valkyrie will be competitive next season. If you feel you have to take the best offer, I understand. You have to do what you feel is right for you. I hope you consider our offer carefully. What we lack in pay we make up for in other ways. Valkyrie is being rebuilt into the supportive team structure that it was always meant to be. It will take some time for the team to recover from the bad publicity at the start of the season. The team is already breaking free and stabilizing. Don’t take my word for it. Feel free to talk to your friends about the changes that I have made here. You have seen our facilities and know what kind of support you will receive. I can give you some time to consider and think about it. I will need an answer by the end of summer break though. I have sent you the offer. I am available if you want to talk about it. Otherwise, please enjoy your stay. Feel free to wander around and please hang out with Cavan.”

Alexander rolled his eyes and gave her a put upon expression as if he was in pain.
Alexander: “Otherwise I will never hear the end of his whining.”

Jenny burst out laughing at Alexander’s expression. “I will think about it.”

Jenny rose to her feet and left Alexander’s office. Her security escort led her back towards Cavan’s domain. He had been so eager and happy to show off his new digs here at Team Valkyrie. His workshop was much better than the one he had at Fitzroy.

Jenny reviewed the contract that Alexander had sent her. It was a good contract. It was a nice offer. The pay was better than she had been offered at Fitzroy. The facilities were top notch and she trusted Cavan to be honest with her over the state of the team. It came down to whether she wanted more money and a spot on a winning team but a team notorious for being hard on their pilots or did she want to take a chance on Valkyrie’s future plans without knowing what they were. Valkyrie would have some friendly faces and the food was excellent! Jenny had a lot to think about and discuss with her agent.

---

Paul and Dorian both underwent extensive testing and medical assessments by Dr. Montgomery. Both men’s baseline test results and medical information was shared with the Shinichi Bionics team. The two men had undergone the surgery to update their neural interfaces. Their old interfaces were removed and they were fitted with the new bigger interfaces from Shinichi. The surgery, while delicate, did not take very long. The new interfaces had been installed and synthetic skin sealed the edges while the surgery healed. They had also received an injection of nanites. Both men had been woken up after surgery and baseline calibrations had been completed on the interfaces. They were both sent off to eat. Dr. Jacques and the nutritionist had worked with the Shinichi team to include foods that would have the building blocks they would need for their first updates. They were going to be eating a diet rich in iron and trace minerals for a few weeks. They would start working with the specialists tomorrow to help integrate their interfaces faster and guide the adaptations for the pilots. By Monday, both men should be ready to test the changes in the ships on the track.

---

Initial testing on Monday showed that both Paul and Dorian were showing faster processing speeds between the neural interface and the ship.Paul and Dorian showed faster reflexes and better control of the ship in corners on the test track. It was an obvious improvement. Controlling the ship and processing the masses of data that came through the interface with the ship was so much faster and easier. The difference for Paul was massive. His previous interface felt slow and clunky compared to the fluidity and speed of his new interface. He was eating all the time and felt hungry all the time right now. It was like he couldn’t eat enough. So far that was the one downside that Paul had experienced. Paul hoped this almost flu-like fatigue and lethargic feeling didn’t last long. Other than some minor discomfort the day of surgery, he had experienced very little pain. The Shinichi team said that while the nanites were building they were pulling energy and materials from his body and directing it via the nanites. That it was to be expected. Dorian and Paul felt like they were living in a fish bowl as everything they ate and drank was monitored and measured. Paul sighed as this was the price of progress, a lack of dignity as he marked his urine output on a chart next to the toilet in his apartment. Paul was grateful that these restrictions would be lifted once they left for Canada. He did not want the entire world to know when he had to take a piss.

---

DELTΔ HYPER

Episode Nine: The Wall of Champions

---

La Sauce

Paul and Dorian arrived at the Delta Hyper interview station together but the stage held a… catering tent?

Paul gave Dorian a confused look. “Do you have any idea what the hell is going on?”
Dorian looked just as confused as Paul. “I have no idea, mon amis..”

They took their seats next to each other on the white couch. They had just missed someone going into the catering tent as a flap was moving. Paul shrugged as Aurora gave them that false cheerful greeting of a journalist.

Aurora: “Welcome to Canada Paul and Dorian!”

Paul smiled into the camera. He was in jeans, sneakers, and a team t-shirt for this interview while Dorian was in jeans and a team polo.

Paul greeted Aurora: “It is great to be here in Canada. Thank you for having us Aurora.” Paul knew how to work the media.

Dorian nodded. “Always a pleasure to be back.”

Paul and Dorian were handed an envelope. They opened it and read the instructions together. They wanted them to make their own version of Poutine. Paul laughed and smiled. He didn’t think this was much of a challenge whereas Dorian acted like he had been offended by the suggestion.

Aurora:"Paul, Dorian, we did check your dietary requirements, and we hope this hasn't come up before!"

Paul showed the card to the camera as Dorian began to have a temper tantrum trying to defend all French cuisine.

*Make a bowl of delicious poutine, and use the ingredients in front of you to put your own spin on it.*

Paul smiled at the camera laughing. “I got this!” He looked very confident and happy with the challenge.

Dorian was spitting in rapid French about how sacrilegious it was to put gravy on frittes. That the excellent cheese selection from France should not be buried beneath something as mundane as gravy.

Dorian continued his rant: "****ing Canadians! They put gravy and lumps of cheese on frites? Okay, Paul, you're Belgian so you're weird when it comes to frites, so I know this will be fine for you but....come on! My mother would be screaming! You cannot make Frites pour Francais and just.....argh!"

Dorian’s rant made even Aurora laugh, as it was clear Dorian had a firm view on this from what was an extremely biased French culinary palette, giving Paul a shove in a joking manner.

Paul was laughing as Dorian shoved him, turning this project over to him. “It’s okay Dorian. Belgian Frittes are the way to go here. They are superior to anything Canada has to offer.”

They had been led into the catering tent. They began to inspect what they had available. Paul laughed as an assistant was pulling a white lacy maid-like apron over his head. Paul tied the apron watching as the assistant tried to get Dorian to wear one too. He laughed as Dorian batted the assistant away refusing to put the French Maid apron on. Dorian grabbed a standard apron in a black color and knotted it around his waist.

Aurora continued her instructions to them as they looked over the available ingredients.

Aurora: "Well, we've got you here. We've got the fries all cut up for you, but it's up to you to make the gravy and the cheese curds from what we've provided, and add anything else you think tastes good from the ingredients on the table. Though don't look at that maple syrup....that is for another interview. And just to add to the spice....check the text at the bottom." Aurora left that there, knowing it was almost certain that one of the pilots would be insane enough to pour it in.

Dorian read the fine print while Paul began to gather ingredients.
Dorian: "Wait, other teams are trying our food? Are you actually insane? Putain de merde!" Dorian asked, as Aurora giggled, nodding.

Aurora:"Carrera's is trying Al-Saqr's, Al Saqr's is giving Valkyrie's a go, and Valkyrie's trying Carrera's....you have 30 minutes, best of luck!"

Paul laughed as he tried to get Dorian on board with his plan.

Paul: “Hey get those frites in the fryer. They have to be twice fried to be good frites. How about we make beer based beef stock French Onion soup consommé instead of gravy. We can use Swiss cheese curds if they have them or gruyere. The frites can take the place of the toasted baguette.”

Dorian was still muttering angrily in French but nodded once to Paul and began to drop the frites in the fryer while Paul began building a fragrant beef stock. He chopped up three whole sweet onions as the pan was heating with a little olive oil. He seared a nice thick steak in a pan with some garlic and rosemary. He then pulled the steak off and put it into a warm oven to finish cooking. He then threw in all the onions and began to caramelize them. He then deglazed the pan with a nice Belgian beer. Paul took a sip from the bottle of Belgian beer he had found to use. Dorian was muttering about heathens and that he should have used a good French wine. Dorian had the frites out of the oil and draining in the basket waiting for their second fry. He poured himself a glass of red wine and leaned against the counter watching Paul cook.

Dorian: “I didn’t know you knew how to cook.”

Paul laughed and smiled at Dorian. “We are going to win this competition. My grandma taught me how to cook. She told me all gentlemen should be able to cook at least one meal for the women in their lives.”

Dorian finally smiled at Paul over that comment but he still looked cranky and like he wanted to shove Aurora off the paddock roof. Dorian lifted his wine glass in salute and drank to Paul’s comment.

Dorian followed Paul’s lead and instructions on how to make the frites the way he wanted them.

At the end Paul had three plates filled with Belgian double fried frites that looked perfectly crunchy and golden. They had been covered with sliced perfectly medium steak slices and gruyere curds. He ladled thick beefy caramelized beer flavored onions over the top of it all.

Paul nudged Dorian who was looking less grumpy.

Paul: “Well what do you think?”

Dorian looked it over with a disgusted look on his face. “I am glad you cooked and not me. That looks disgusting! This dish is an insult to French Cuisine. At least I can say it was Belgian instead. What do you call it?”

Paul laughed at Dorian’s grumpy demeanor. His teammate was usually so upbeat and jovial.

Paul: “Cheer up Dorian. I think I will call it Belgian Frites with Steak. We only have to try one of the other teams' offers. I hope they can cook. Is there a medic on standby for food poisoning?”

Dorian took his suggestion seriously and began to look around for a medic. Paul just laughed and shook his head.

---

Friday June 30th, 2094
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montréal, Canada (Federated American States)
1500 GMT

Post-Practice: Canada

---

Paul: “Obviously I have recovered from the crash at Silverstone. My thanks to all the fans who sent well wishes. I am happy to be here in Montreal. Montreal is a fun circuit. The practice went well. I have a few notes for the engineers. They did a great job getting the ship rebuilt and ready for Montreal. My lap times were good. I think I can do better though. The track is fun, fast, and full of turns. It is a joy to race on. We should do well here.”

Team Valkyrie Characters

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

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

From Pole Position to Prison:
CEO Peter Brendel
and Human Resources Executive Bernard Maier of Team Valkyrie
Indicted on Fraud and Criminal Harassment

Soundtrack: Rise Through the Rain - KMP Mood Music Maestro

“This is Hilmar Jokum with EuroNews. Team Valkyrie is in the news again as the team’s former CEO Peter Brendel and head of Human Resources Bernard Maier were indicted on multiple accounts of financial fraud and criminal harassment and discrimination. Peter Brendel received the maximum penalty for financial fraud and was sentenced to five years imprisonment with an additional 2 years for every employee that could prove egregious physical and mental abuse resulting in a lifetime sentence. Bernard Maier was found complicit and was charged as an accomplice to Brendel and also faces a lifetime sentence after he was found guilty of egregious harassment of Team Valkyrie employees. Both men were charged with egregious physical and mental abuse of over 100 former employees. Brendel was found guilty of financial fraud in excess of 5 million Euros. Both men had their assets seized which will be auctioned off and the proceeds split between the victims as reparation. The Team Valkyrie AGR Corporation was fined 1 million Euros for failing to identify and stop the abuses in a timely manner. The team was ordered to pay an additional 5 million in restitution to the fraud victims. In addition to that, they were ordered to adopt a new system to prevent abuse by their executives. The Team had a proposal ready for the Judge and international panel that included an internal checks and balances system for all executives and board members and a new system of financial transparency about the team’s sponsorships and endorsement deals. Moving forward their sponsorships and endorsement contracts will be public with accounting for where that money goes and available to everyone. The Team’s response went above and beyond what the court had expected and it was adopted and praised by the international committee overseeing the case. This has been Hilmar Jokum with EuroNews.”

---

“This is Jessica Smith with Fox News. Team Valkyrie is in the headlines again as the case against former CEO Peter Brendel and former head of Human Resources Bernard Maier were sentenced today by an International Tribunal. Both men were indicted on financial fraud and criminal egregious discrimination and harassment. In lesser news, the former head of their Medical Team, Dr. Julian Zimmerman was sentenced by Germany’s Court system to 20 years in prison and had his medical license revoked. Will this close this ugly chapter in the team’s history? Only time will tell…”

---

“This is Jabari Biko with WorldWide Sports. Breaking news in the Formula Anti-Gravity Racing League as former Team Valkyrie members are sentenced in court today. Former CEO Peter Brendel and Head of Human Resources Bernard Maier received lifetime sentences and seizure of all their assets. The International Tribunal ordered their assets seized and split amongst their victims. The Team Valkyrie Corporation was fined 1 million Euros for not identifying and stopping the abuse in a timely fashion. They were ordered to pay an additional 5 million Euros in restitution to the fraud victims. Will the Team bounce back after this latest round of negative press? What is next for the long standing racing team? This has been Jabari Biko with WorldWide Sports. Remember to follow us for the latest in sports news.”

---

“This is Germain Lothair with Winner’s Circle Vlog. Today an International Tribunal sentenced Former Team CEO Peter Brendel and HR Executive Bernard Maier to life sentences for Egregious Criminal Harassment and Discrimination of Team Valkyrie employees. In lesser talked about news, former Team Valkyrie Medical Team Lead, Dr. Julian Zimmerman was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by Germany’s court system for physical and mental harassment of coworkers. Zimmerman also had his medical license revoked. In an interesting turn of events, Team Valkyrie is going to make their sponsorship and endorsement contracts public! They will be posting their contracts and accounting for where the money is spent to ensure transparency and compliance with contracts. Will other teams be adopting this radical ideology of transparency? While the amounts of lucrative sponsorship and endorsements tend to be made common knowledge and shared, the details of these large transactions have typically been highly guarded secrets and include non-disclosure agreements. There has been no announcements by other teams one way or the other. We will be following this news about this closely. Team Valkyrie will begin this new policy after the summer break.”

---

“This is Lauri Ivan with Victory Laps Racing News. Former Team Valkyrie CEO Peter Brendel and HR Executive Bernard Maier were given lifetime sentences by an international tribunal. The German court system sentenced former team Medical Lead Dr. Julian Zimmerman to 20 years imprisonment and revoked his medical license. Team Valkyrie has announced that they will be adopting a system of public transparency in regards to the team’s sponsorships and endorsement deals. The new policy will be adopted after the summer break in the Formula AG season. Will other teams be following Team Valkyrie’s lead? Brendel and Maier’s defense team have already filed an appeal calling for a mistrial. They are arguing that the two men faced a biased and prejudiced jury due to the media surrounding their case. We will keep you updated as things unfold. This has been Lauri Ivan with Victory Laps Racing News.”

---

Video of Alexander Knight talking to the public. A press release video by Team Valkyrie. Alexander appears on camera in a Team Valkyrie button down shirt. His hair loose and wavy around his head and his beard neatly trimmed.

"Hello Race fans. I am Alexander Knight, team principal of Team Valkyrie AGR Sport. The team has had a rocky start to this season. I can finally discuss the case against former team CEO Peter Brendel, HR Executive Bernard Maier, and former Team Medical Lead Dr. Julian Zimmerman. When I started at Team Valkyrie, I didn't expect my challenges to start at Headquarters. I uncovered the abuses of Dr. Zimmerman in my first week here. Dr. Julian Zimmerman was abusive to employees in his department. Investigating Dr. Zimmerman led to investigating Bernard Maier and the former CEO Peter Brendel. It took time to find and uncover all the connections and abuses. One the evidence had been secured, we took it to authorities. The abuses by Zimmerman were reported to human resources but hidden and dismissed by Bernard Maier. As the investigation continued, we uncovered more abuse and fraud that was ordered by former CEO Peter Brendel. Bernard Maier was complicit and helped Brendel and Zimmerman hide these horrible acts. I could not legally comment on these charges until they had been prosecuted in court. With the help of the Board of Directors and its president, Leopold Koch, these men were legally prosecuted for their crimes. Team Valkyrie AGR Sport does not condone the actions of these men. That is why they were prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The Board of Directors has adopted a new operating model that includes checks and balances for the team's executive officers and Board of Directors to prevent this type of thing from occurring again. We understand that this caused a breach of trust not only with our current sponsors but with the public. I wanted to ensure that we can win your trust back. In order to facilitate that the Team is adopting a new policy regarding team sponsorship and endorsement deals. Any future sponsorship and endorsement contracts will be made available for the public to review. This will include an accounting of where and how that money is spent. This only includes contracts that our team name is involved in. Any private endorsement offers made to our pilots directly will be exempt from this policy as it does not include us. I want the public and any future sponsors to know that they can rely on their money being spent the way they intended it. It is our goal to earn that trust back and keep it the right way. To the employees who suffered at the hands of these men, I offer the team's deepest apologies. All employees deserve to have a safe and positive work environment. To the public and Team Valkyrie fans, thank you for your patience. I know the start to this season has been full of drama and upheaval. I am grateful for your patience and trust. I am hopeful that we can now focus on being competitive, giving you reasons to cheer for us. Team Valkyrie will rise once again with your support."

Team Valkyrie Characters

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