Name: Beatrix Viola Kendal Ward
Alias: Bea (to most people), MadBea (social media tag)
Team: Carrera Condor
Driver Number: 18
Nationality: British
Gender: Female
Age: 20
SPACER

Backstory:
A child of Frederick Henry Ward, an industrial mogul and owner of Pridwen Solutions, formerly of aerospace and defense fame currently dealing in agricultural machinery and civilian aerospace, and his corporate lawyer Akela Hawthorne-Ward. Beatrix has been racing since she was six, starting with sailing hydrofoils, graduating to hoverkarts at 10, various British regional Rallye Championships at 14, the European Rallye Championship at 16 and finally the Junior Formula Anti-Gravity series at 17. Despite a double win and regular top five finishes in the regionals and finishing P3 overall in the European Rallye and good results in Junior Formula Anti-Gravity, she didn’t make the cut for any of the Formula AG teams that had seats open for the 2093 season while also out of a drive in the Junior series.

Bea instead spent the year racing limited schedule in the European Rallye Championship with the intent to try for Formula AG again next year while her father greased some wheels behind the scenes. Her signing now granting access to select Pridwen Solutions patented technology for the team, Carrera Condor unceremoniously threw one of their current drivers under the proverbial bus mid-season and announced Beatrix would take his seat next year, after which simulators and advertising for the new team as well as getting used to working with her future race engineer, a former Formula AG multiple race winner whose career had been cut short by an injury ensued.

Personality:
Never one for the ‘proper lady’ thing her dear father hoped for, although obliging him on important occasions to make him happy, Bea is an unfiltered adrenaline junkie, having been interested in racing things on land, sea and air since she was five. Racing isn’t just a hobby for her despite what some detractors claim, having poured her heart and soul into it since her Rallye days. Being very passionate about racing, sometimes she can get a little... overenthusiastic in the cockpit, with some choice words she's had for other drivers or the team's own vehicle over the team radio having secured places in the fans' memories and one or two even ascended to memehood. Bea also has an artistic side, doing her own helmet designs among other things.

Bea sees people who aren’t smiling as a problem that needs to be fixed immediately. An outgoing social creature, she’s made use of her personality and interests to promote civilian and agricultural products of Pridwen Solutions in the past and has been using social media for the past few months to give her audience an entertaining and informative look under the team’s hood, though carefully scrubbed of anything they want to keep under wraps. An excitable ball of inexhaustible energy, getting her to sit still for a 10 minute interview is a feat worthy of legends and no one has yet managed to get her to take one completely seriously.

Racing DNA


Controversy : Despite some success in the Junior Formula AG series as well as other racing ventures, many see her as a nepo baby corpo princess whose daddy bought her "a pony" in the form of a race seat and expensive augs and gear.
Some people also take issue with the fact that her family's fortune came from the defense sector, Pridwen Solutions only having pivoted to agricultural machinery and renewable energy when the defense market was about to stall.
But the number one group of people cursing Bea's name and lineage are the fans of Joaquin Ibanez, the driver she replaced at Carrera Condor for the 2094 season, essentially pissing off a sizable chunk of Argentinian racing fans simply by existing.

MISC
Theme Song
Likes: Adrenaline highs, large dogs, singing, sweets.
Dislikes: Dirty racing, two-facedness, liquid breathing.
Other Information:

• Her father is and always will be her number one fan, although her mother is not at all pleased by her choice of career or Frederick's support of such a dangerous endeavor. Bea’s older sister, Evangeline, considers her to be mind-numbingly irresponsible and utterly insane, but that doesn’t get in the way of a good sibling relationship.
• She’s fairly outspoken about her support of employee protections and anti-trust laws, though she can’t resist pointing out Pridwen Solutions workplace safety measures and employee benefits as positive examples which sometimes gets her written off as dressing up advertising for her father’s company as activism.

Name: Ulrich Falkner
Alias: The Panzer
Nationality: German
Team: Miller Motor Racing
Gender: Male
Age: 23

Personality: When it comes to off the track, Ulrich is a generally jovial and cheerful fellow to be around. He believes that anything that needs to be said can be said when it's time to race and once it's done there's no need to harbour ill feelings to one another, sometimes much to the chagrin of the trash talkers in the sport. He's always happy to chat to fans or provide interviews, sometimes having to remind himself of his busy schedule that the racers must keep to. Some may perceive this as a rather laid back attitude when it comes to trying to reach the pinnacle of Formula AG but that could be further from the truth.

During training and meetings, Ulrich is all business and will put 100% of himself into all endeavours to become better, faster and stronger. He believes that all the modifications in the world are for nought if your body can't handle it so he respects this doctrine to the letter, even abstaining from drugs or alcohol even while he's partying it up in clubs when it's time to relax. With this tenet and the general standing of Miller Motor, he does not envy those with more mods and implants than him though he recognises their importance.

On the track, Ulrich's attitude somehow gets even more serious. Though his chatter tends to take up most of the team radio, often audibly speaking his mind aloud through each and every manoeuvre and talking to himself or comments about or towards other racers especially when locked in an ELS battles. This usually puts his radio in quite a few highlight reels and online compilations, and he'll allow himself shouts of elation or disappointment once he's crossed the line... Afterall, gotta find someway to vent all that adrenaline. His emotions, though displayed, do not betray his driving sense and his patience upon playing defence before seizing the moment to surge forward is what has earned him the nickname "The Panzer." Insults, energy leeches, criticisms, they all bounce off of the hull of Ulrich's spirit.

Backstory: Born as the eldest of three children to his father (a Civic Engineer) and mother (a Professor in renewable energy solutions), Ulrich has had the incredible fortune of being brought up by a loving, close knit family. His brother and sister (aged 17 and 14 respectively) grew up as close to Ulrich as he had done with their parents. During his childhood, Ulrich's love for racing and all things fast blossomed as his father had recently re-found his tapes from the 274th German Mosel Rally. From the first roars of the engines of old, young Ulrich was hooked. As soon as the first tape ended, Ulrich proudly proclaimed that was what he wanted to do and begged his father to put on the next one.

Thus began a lifelong obsession that Ulrich pursued with every step. Schooling and education was focused towards AG engineering and an understanding of ship technology as well as pursuits in physical athletics that could've afforded him a scholarship to the University of Stuttgart. And somehow, with the financial backing of his family, Ulrich got his chance to join the Junior AG program in Europe after a short stint in Junior Rally. His talents defensively and a mind to jump through the narrow windows quickly afforded him the opportunity to rise up through the Junior ranks.

Though it would've made sense to join European based teams, Ulrich made a surprising move to Miller Motor. He's cited in an article about being "very excited about the potential of the Miller Motor Company and their willingness to invest in not just young talent such as Max Wedgewood and himself, but the future as well." Unbeknownst to him, his father would later come to him revealing his secret. The fortune required to give Ulrich his kickstart into the world of racing was afforded by huge gambling debts which was now being called upon... Now Ulrich has a whole new reason to race, and his positive attitude is now at risk of becoming a charade.

Racing DNA



Controversy: While secret for now, his father's debt is becoming a heavy weight upon his shoulders and despite not enjoying a lavish lifestyle outside of the Formula AG events there are questions being raised as to where exactly his money could be going.

MISC
Theme Song: Groove District
Likes: Racing, ELS battles, fan meets, hugs.
Dislikes: Snarky comments, veiled insults, and currently his father.
Other Information: Ulrich has a Pudelpointer dog called Hugo, who accompanies him on tour and acts as an unofficial mascot of his pit crew.

His racing suit sports the same colours as Miller Motor, accompanied with all of the sponsors as well as a German flag sewn in as a badge.

Name: Han Hyeon-Ae
Alias: Renaissance Han, Joseon Han (political ads), HHA:Zygon (social media handle)
Team: Zygon
Gender: Female
Age: 23



Personality:
Hyeon-Ae is better than you, and she is happy to make sure you know it. She exudes a refined air of deliberate confidence that oftens borders on arrogance, but still carefully measures who is watching and listening before committing to any faux pas. More likely, she will use her extensive knowledge and etiquette to undermine her peers, either trying to ‘humbly’ outshine them, or embarass them by highlighting their flaws.

She is incredibly calculating and thoughtful, and her hard training and the capabilities instilled in her has left her with a hunger for power, wealth and attention, even if she does not recklessly pursue these at the cost of her image. Not unlike many others with the same prideful ambition for the top, she is often petty and unpleasant to those who slight her, or those she views as inferior by some internal metric. She will definitely put long schemes into play to get revenge on someone for things others would consider childish. A slight on her is a slight on her prestige, her family, and Zygon, after all, and she defends her territory like a snake.

That aside, her time in the political spotlight gave her a genuine affection for women's rights (and wrongs), and she is outspoken on many civil issues with a matter-of-factly tone backed by intense societal knowledge, making her both a sometimes problematic corporate investment, and a beacon for the masses.

Backstory:
When Hyeon-Ae was five, she already knew she wanted to be a race-pilot. What could her loving uncle do but spend his wealth and influence to make his beloved niece's dream a reality?

At least, that's the official story. Almost everything about Han Hyeon-Ae has been manufactured for maximum appeal. In truth, she was drafted for her genetic markers by corporate agents, and a sob story about her lost parents and her loving uncle and his family was put in place.

She is, in truth, a cog in a push to create a revived eastern cultural powerhouse, coached since birth in her future as a cultural icon, scion of the humanities, and entertainment star. Somewhere along the line, due to the meddling of some dynasty goon, that career was turned towards AG racing. This all included a lot of hush-hush projects and supplemental operations and bio-patches during her growth.

She featured early in developmental training in all stages, and continually blazed a path that earned her some measure of recognition in her youth.

Around and following her 17th birthday she participated heavily in the Renaissance Women of Korea movement, a gender progressivism movement that pushed for women to take the role of cultural rulers, and encourage women to take up academics following a few decades of unstable hiring practices. Her bioengineering and breadth of academic knowledge made her a powerhouse for the movement, and though the ‘renaissance’ refers to the Joseon dynasty, she garnered international acclaim as a woman of the future due to connections with the European terminology.

Following the movement, her corporate overlords have leaned into her image to push sponsorships and public political lobbying that benefits Zygon.

Racing DNA

Overview: Hyeon-Ae is first and foremost a calculated pilot. She does not take risks if the gain is not sufficiently high, and does not necessarily push herself to the limit in every race in the hopes of eking out a win. She is extremely consistent however, and favors beating her opposition as they pile up mistakes or correction errors, while her flawless safer driving makes steady but slow gains.

Skills: Han Hyeon-Ae is well-read in academics, both the natural sciences and liberal arts, and uses this knowledge to browbeat others on the political stage. She is able to lecture economic analysts on the flaws in their presumptions. Given a career other than racing, one imagines she'd be a dangerous political opponent.

Special Trait: Hyeon-Ae is The Woman Of The Future™. She has been bioengineered to outclass the typical person not only in racing, but on most every level. All these sleek, non-technical upgrades integrated into her being has made her an imposing opponent, particularly mentally - both in thought and reaction time.

Controversy : Hyeon-Ae’s past is a scandal waiting to happen. Anyone who looks close enough can tell that facts don't particularly add up, or that government papers don't look like they've been filed properly. Just how much of a fake she is already hotly debated online, but her skills on the field and her unerring confidence in producing results both on and off the field keep the rumors in the shadows; it would be obvious if she was just a dumb idol plant, after all.

Other participants in the Renaissance Movement have previously spoken out about her nasty behavior behind the scenes, and add to the ghost stories about teams of suits following her wherever she went, even at such a young age. It's surprisingly hard to find such people for a confirmation quote after the fact, though.

MISC
Theme Song: Here.
Likes:
Being praised
Sociological theory
Competition
Dislikes:
Unintelligent people
Poor performance / negligence
Her Uncle
Other Information: Does she even like racing? The answer probably depends on who is listening.

---

---

Name: Kais Zenix
Alias: Al-Shihab (The Meteor), @ASZenix (media handle), ZNX-5-01 (wartime serial code)
Team: Al-Saqr Racing - Arabic Union
Gender: Male
Age: 36

Personality: Kais is one of the most grating personalities in the AG racing sphere. His supersoldier genetics and paramilitary past has left him with a more than healthy sprinkling of assertiveness, an unhealthy sprinkling of wartime baggage, and a lack of tolerance for bullshit, specifically yours. Though he has a stoic exterior, he is quick to push back against people whom he feels behave with conceit and hostility, and dislikes a soft touch, preferring to attack problems directly and decisively. It is an open secret that his social media handle is handled by an assistant for damage control, as his guest appearances and fan interactions can sometimes end in interesting exchanges. That said, when you find yourself on his good side (which, disclaimer: isn't the easiest thing to do), he'll go through literal hellfire and back for you.

He himself is plagued by his past and attitude as much as others are, even though he’ll never admit it even to himself. Kais is a man lost in this world at peace, a world of excess, of profilicity and emblazoned vulnerability. It is likely he turned to racing for exactly this reason: to reconnect with those primal parts of him that drive for competence and strength, to find an outlet for those things he buries and hides behind an emotional shield-wall, and to dance with death once more, and this time, to win.

Backstory: Kais Zenix (original serial name classified and unknown to the public) is one of the artificially fast-grown genetically augmented soldiers (colloquially: 'supersoldier') by a mysterious paramilitary group for use by the Masdar al-Nuba, a rebel cell operating in Egypt against the Arabic Union in its formative years. Framed as a conflict over water rights and influence in the region, not much is publicly known about them or their deeper motives to this day, and there wasn’t much post-war interest either, as their fate was the same of most fractured rebel factions in the region at the time: they were defeated and relegated to the ash heap of history, the region unified into the Union, end of story. Until a short time ago, that is, when one of their former supersoldiers entered the Union’s AG racing team of Al-Saqr.

After his time in the rebellion and their defeat, he has been through a thorough incarceration, examination, and rehabilitation regimen, which continues to this day through personal debriefings and psych evals. These included experimental neural stimulation techniques similar to those used in AG simulation training. That said, his training doesn't always take hold as much as his managers would like. Indeed, his nickname 'The Meteor' comes from one of his first races, in which he pushed his ship so far it burst into flames. But is burning out in a short blaze of glory all that is to him?

Racing DNA





Controversy: His mysterious and warlike past often raise questions, both from outside of the team and within, about his morality and the lengths to which he might go to attain victory, as well as the reason for the board to have accepted him in the team to begin with, some of which speculations include blackmail, infiltration and conspiracy. Whatever might be the case, it is undeniable his appearances draw viewers and social media engagement for the team, though not always in the most positive light.

MISC
Speech Color: orange, f7941d
Theme Song: Bayek of Siwa, Assassin's Creed Origins OST - Sarah Schachner
Likes: trivia about the countries he visits, animals, worthy opponents, getting apologies, arguing.
Dislikes: inauthenticity, monotonicity, arrogance.
Other Information: he likes collecting old-world items, usually somewhat obscure or otherwise unremarkable to anyone but him, and he owns a modest collection of experimental and upcycled motorcycles. His signature move in Al-Saqr's junior league has become known as the 'meteor strike'. He still has his old serial name marked on the nape of his neck, a constant reminder of his origin and purpose, even to people who might not otherwise recognize him.

---

Al Saqr Racing Team:

• Layla "Yalla" Al-Nadir: Main racer of Al Saqr. Optimistic and energetic. Transhuman activist, very highly augmented (eyes, limbs, metabolism, neural overclocking). Has worked on the Moon, and is low-key (read: very high-key) in love with it for its (trans)human technical challenge and what it symbolizes. (see also the original post by FourtyTwo in OOC: The Teams > Al-Saqr Racing)
• Nadia Yassine: Electric Engineering Intern. Somewhat timid. Studies at the Paris University, France (with friends Sophie and Alyx). Works with the neural engineering dept for improving Kais' neural interface. Lives with her parents at Abu Dhabi. Father has leg prosthetics from the war.
• Omar Hayawi: Team Principal. To the point, rarely smiles. Shaven head, glasses, rather large beard. Started off as a financial controller at Al-Saqr.
• Hamid Atlassi: Moroccan junior AG racer and loyal Arabic Union test pilot for Al-Saqr.
• Juan Diaz: Head mechanic of electrical engineering, specialized in the AG racers' Energy Systems.
• Remi Tewe: Lead neural engineer.
• Yasif Al-Maadi: Head simulation engineer. Has little to no verbal filter. Likes computationally modeling (and theorizing about) other racers for their simulations. Organizes mezze-and-fun nights with the rest of the sim engineers.
• Dalia Mansour: Head of the propulsion unit developers at Al-Saqr.
• Farouk Al-Najjar: Mechanic and pit crew assigned to Kais' racer. Is learning to play chess. (Not so) Secretly a Bea fan.
• Zeina Salim: Kais' race engineer, providing support and information over the comms during a race.
• Marko Livakovic: Layla's race engineer.
• Salma Nasri: Chief Medical Officer. Very concerned with safety.

Masdar al-Nuba rebels:

• Rami: young rebel (in flashbacks), fiercely disillusioned with the Arabic Union.
• Khaled: older, more experienced rebel (in flashbacks), gruff but cautious.
• Inan (ION-2-02): ex-supersoldier and old teammate of Kais.

Misc.:

• Jackals & Co.: very on-the-nose edgy clothing brand (sponsors Kais).
• Nomad Nutrition: company with the mission to end world hunger, produces long-shelflife foodstuffs like nutri-pastes (sponsors Kais).
• Durrat Glider Celestial: ultra-luxury hover-yacht and cruise company (sponsors Al Saqr in general).
• Silver Line Cybernetics: personalized cybernetics brand with designs that are jewellery as much as functional (sponsors Layla).
• Cryo-Digital: company doing R&D on the digitization of memories, and the creation of 'neuro-vids' (sponsors Layla).
• Lunaspace Engineering Company: lunar mining and extra-planetary colonization corporation (Layla's previous employer).

Kais Zenix is a genetically modified ex-soldier born and bred for a war he lost. Now, decades later, he races for the Arabic League -his former enemy- in the team of Al-Saqr, together with trans-humanist cyborg Layla Al-Nadir, where they are pushed to their mental and technological limits. Kais is motivated by a desire to try and 'make something else of himself', but is still haunted by and struggles with his past, both in terms of trauma and lingering aggressive instincts, and because there seems to be more going on behind the scenes in the Delta Hyper racing tournament - something which seems to connect many of the racers in some strange way.


Episode 1: Finding Their Feet
Race: Auckland, New Zealand
Qualified: 11th
Finished: 9th (2 points)
Summary: Kais Zenix appears as an abrasive personality during his introduction into the Delta Hyper Anti-Gravity Racing Championship. Off-track, a rival racer, Ava Villarosa, approaches him due to their similar military background (her having been a military pilot, and Kais being a lab-bred ex-supersoldier of a defeated rebel faction who fought against the Arabic Union, whom he now, ironically, races for in the Al Saqr Racing Team) and cautions him to 'stay in the light' as there are those who may be interested in 'making a better weapon out of him'. Kais is initially dismissive, and bites back telling her 'they better make him better', because he wants to be 'the light everybody stands in'. After the race, back at Al Saqr's HQ in Abu Dhabi, Kais and Nadia (the electrical engineering intern assigned to him and his craft) push for an unsanctioned upgrade to the 'neural dampeners' to allow for more input/output possibilities on the pilot-ship neural interface, despite the fact that this could trigger unwanted psychological states like seizures due to over-stimulation. Nadia is cautioned by her war-traumatized father about Kais and his past.
Posts: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

Episode 2: Chasing Apex
Race: Cape Town, South Africa
Qualified: 4th
Finished: 7th (6 points)
Summary: Kais prepares for the race, and remembers a military operation against the Arabic Union during the Middle Eastern Water Wars. During the race, Kais is involved in an entanglement between Silver Apex' Jamie Hart (going for a bad overtake, causing a crash), Carrera Condor's Beatrix Ward (whose craft is wrecked during the crash), and himself (whose craft is only slightly damaged). He manages to claw back some positions, but lost his opportunity to push into the top 3 on a track that otherwise favored his craft. In the post-race press conference Kais manages to push Al Saqr's message of disapproval towards Jamie's bad overtake and their view that racing as a sport should not be too regulated but be a venue for humans to push themselves. He is skeptical towards Han Hyeon-Ae's motivations in her offer to throw a party post-Tokyo race, and gets blind-sided by a question on the racers' past backgrounds, refusing to answer. After the race, back in Al Saqr's HQ in Abu Dhabi, Kais and Layla Al-Nadir (Kais' teammate and Al Saqr's primary racer) simulator-practice the upcoming Tokyo track, and during a teambuilding potluck, Kais flashes back to one of the decisive defeats during his past military career. He opens up to Layla about his motivation: he has gone into racing to try to escape his past and his reputation as an ex-rebel supersoldier, to make something else of himself, and seems resigned and willing to being experimented on by Al Saqr to attain that. Layla opens up to him on her own motivations and her optimistic and hopeful views about the future of (trans-)humanity, and their role in it.
Posts: [1], [2], [3], [collab], [4]

Episode 3: The Neon Bath
Race: Tokyo, Japan
Qualified: 2nd
Finished: 1st (25 points)
Summary: During a sponsorship event, Kais approaches Villarosa again to ask for her thoughts on the Jamie affair during the previous race, and to continue their previous conversation in light of it. Ava thinks Jamie feels immense pressure from racing in the same team as the reigning champion Amy Stirling, and made a bad move because of it. She further says she noticed a link between a lot of racers, being from rough, augmented and defence backgrounds, and speculates there are as-of-yet unknown but very interested parties window-shopping how they develop throughout their careers for motives known only to themselves. In Kais' case specifically, to potentially 'make a better version of him, a better weapon'. She then offers him a data card containing captured data on his creation and birth, which Kais looks into and is angered and saddened by. Kais qualifies 2nd for the race, and eventually wins! He is the first to bump Amy off of 1st place this season. And yet he has mixed feelings about it. He is certainly happy, and feels it could mark a new beginning for him, but he also knows the fight has only just begun, that he will now be a target in more ways than one, and what about those migraines from the neural interface upgrade... the upgrade that Amy seems to know about? Then, at Hyeon-Ae's post-race party, he bonds with Valkyrie's Paul Mulder and MMR's Max Wedgewood, but cuts it off before it gets too deep as he feels it 'never ends well', and leaves.
Posts: [1], [2], [3], [collab]

Episode 4: Azzuro Alpina
Race: Marmolada, Italy
Qualified: 2nd
Finished: 3rd (15 points)
Summary: As Layla and the team prepare the simulator and ships for training-and-testing for the upcoming Luna race, Layla reflects on her time at the moon and her motivation for going trans-human, while Kais visits Khaled, an old rebel comrade in Egypt. Kais tells him he has found important information about the war, and asks who of their old supersoldiers have come to visit him (as he had marked Khaled as trustworthy). After the Luna training sessions, during the Italian AGP race, the problems with the neural dampener's dynamic modulator becomes evident as Kais experiences a past memory bleeding into the present. He finishes 3rd, behind Harrison and Nora Kelly, and before the podium ceremony, he emphasizes they finally bumped reigning champion Amy Sterling off the podium, content, yet wary of what it might hold for them.
Posts: [1], [2]

Episode 5: Trading Paint
Race: Portimão, Portugal
Qualified: 8th
Finished: 8th (4 points)
Summary: Hamid, junior AG league racer and test pilot of Al-Saqr tests their in-development drive setup with success. Kais and Layla keep practicing with the neural modulator but start to feel the squeeze: Layla frequently overheats, and Kais keeps getting memory bleeds. During Al-Saqr's review meeting, Omar is determined to push the limits, now that they're only 9 points behind Silver Apex, but Salma Nasri MD states the current developments are dangerous to the pilots, especially Layla. Layla is determined to keep going, however, as they are very close to breakthrough. Kais secretly rebels against Al-Saqr's plan and sets some guardrails on Layla's setup with Nadia. Layla finds out during practice, however, and the two fight: Layla stating she doesn't want her goals of working towards a trans-human future to be held back by other peoples' fears, and Kais stating he doesn't want to see another squadmate go down, but that he will stand down if she chooses to go through with it. After a disappointing qualification, Layla reverts her setup back to her original, with all the dangers it entails. During the race, Amy's ship stalls during takeoff, Ava's ship burns-out, and Kais is stuck behind Han as he tries to gain way, but is constantly thwarted by her. After the race Layla seems out-of-it, having been plagued by massive headaches, and retreats to rest. Kais and Nadia go over telemetry to figure out what happened. They find out Layla had indeed disabled their guardrails, which allowed a massive spike in Layla's subconscious mind to influence her ship's A.I. systems in such a way where it reached out through the race's digital network, and caused Amy's ship to stall.
Posts: [collab], [1], [2]

Episode 6: The Dark Side of the Moon
Race: Mare Australe, Luna
Qualified: 3rd
Finished: 5th (10 points)
Summary: Layla has had a breakthrough. The team has updated her ship's digital neural networks so they explore their own optimal connection to Layla's mind, and what's more: Layla's brain has changed in response - her brain and the ship's A.I. seem to be so in-sync, they are merging into one. Because of this, Kais and Nadia confront Layla with her subconsciously seemingly having caused Amy's glitch last race, since she might now be in control of that, and thus dangerous. Layla recognizes the potential of their new developments to fields like medicine and space colonization, though, and goes into secretive talks with external stakeholders to further fund their research, but gets told she needs to show more results, adding pressure for the upcoming Luna race. Kais trains at Hamad International Spaceport to prepare for the Luna trip's micro-gravity environments, where the heavy spacesuit reminds him of his wartime power-armor, and he decides to set up a meeting with another ex-supersoldier at a memorial site. There he shares the data he received from Ava, asking him to dig into it and keep it safe, in the event something happened to him. Layla and Kais then attend a pre-launch event, and take-off to Luna. There, they qualify 2nd and 3rd, and before the race, Layla and Kais do some sponsorship endorsements involving lunar basketball. During the race, Nora Kelly and Ava Villarosa are injured in a massive crash, and in the aftermath Layla and Kais struggle to cope, with Kais keeping himself extremely detached, while Layla fears it was her fault again (though inspections later don't seem to have found them culpable, or even found their modification to begin with). Kais goes to visit Nora in the medical center, then tells Layla that he thinks Nora will be alright, and shares his view on humanity's resilience.
Posts: [1], [2], [3]

Episode 7: The Roll of the Dice
Race: Circuit de Monaco, Monaco
Qualified: ???
Finished: ??? (?? points)
Summary: Nadia gets a permanent function at Al Saqr, and is pressured by Omar to push Layla and Kais in the Monaco race to test the pilot-AI-bond to compensate for their subpar ship for the track. Kais and Ava talk at the Casino de Monaco about her crash on Luna. Ava reveals that the data of Kais' origins was discovered in a leftover data cache in the upgrade they got from Apex. Ava speculates that it might have been bait containing a piece of Amy's setup, laced with a cyber-weapon, which they triggered somehow. Kais states that that might have been them accidentally, through their developments in the AI-pilot bond. The two then speculate what might have been the reason for it, and who might have benefitted from this: sabotage from Apex, an intrusive action from Zygon (Amy's previous team), a ship AI malfunction, or perhaps even FIAR to intervene in unsanctioned developments in the neural link.
Posts: [1], [2]

Name: Alexander Knight
Alias: “The Bullet”
Team: Valkyrie
Gender: Male
Age: 48



Personality:
Alexander comes across as a surly grumpy no nonsense man. He has been through a lot of trauma and doesn’t give a shit what others think. He doesn’t take shit from anybody. He has a very strong sense of ethics and what’s right and wrong. He curses like a sailor and will be the first one to tell you, “If you don’t like how I do things. Then don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!” He is a fair man and will give you a chance to state why you think you are right. He will then proceed to tell you why you will do it the way he thinks is best. You can learn alot from him if you can put up with him. His methods might seem harsh and his attitude stark and uncompromising but he is that way because he cares. Alexander likes to win and he wants everyone to come home at the end of the day. Safety is important to him. Alexander pushes everyone around him to rise to the occasion… to strive to be better. Alexander never wanted to accept responsibility for the lives of others again. His traumatic past haunts him and it can be seen in his eyes.

Backstory:
Family:
Father: Vincent Knight Age: 68
Mother: Elena Novak Age: 67
Ex-Wife: Candace Martin Age: 45
Daughter: Arianna Knight Age 24

Alexander has dual citizenship. His father was from the Federated States, formerly the country of the United States, and the city of Brooklyn, New York. His mother was from the European Union, formerly the country of Estonia and the city of Tartu. His parents met when his father was going to the university in Tartu studying engineering. They got married when his mother became pregnant with him at 19 years old. He spent the first 7 years of his childhood growing up in Tartu surrounded by his mother’s family. His parents got divorced by the time he was eight. He had to admit that his parents got along better after they divorced. They didn’t fight nearly as much. They agreed on more things and his life was more peaceful.

The only hard part was being away from one parent so much of the year. He spent more time with his mother than his father. He lived with his mother during the school year and spent his summers in the US with his father. He loved his mother but she simply didn’t understand him. She wanted him to be a man of culture and art. He couldn't care less about modern art which was her passion. She was always taking him to museums and art shows. She wanted him to dress up and wear a coat and tie. He just wanted to get outside and play in the dirt. He cherished the few months every year when he got to spend time with his father. His father made sure that his time with him was quality time and that he never felt like he took second place to his job or hobby. His father was an engineer that designed engines. His father worked for an aeronautics corporation. They often spent their summer outdoors enjoying hiking, camping, and fishing. They also spent their summers on a project such as restoring classic cars or building hot rods. His father helped him build a soap box racer one year. The next year they upgraded to go-kart racing. In his early teen years, he tried his hand at motocross racing as well. He got into dirt track racing and a youth driver's academy for formula one where he competed on the junior circuit for two years before he graduated high school. He had sponsors on the junior circuit but only a few. He was good and he did well but he didn't receive any offers from any teams. He was outshadowed by a few other drivers and the youth academy was full of talented drivers. He and his father both had the speed bug. If they could go faster, they wanted to.

Because of his unique childhood experience he grew up learning Estonian, Russian, German, and English. When he turned 18 he was faced with some unique challenges. Humanity was trying to reverse the damage they had done to the planet and were actually making progress. There was still a lot of upheaval as world governments sought to work together. Terrorist activity was commonplace. Terrorists used violence to try and force their ideals and mold things to their ideology. Sometimes it was about power and sometimes it was about money. To combat widespread terrorism, the governments and countries involved with NATO recruited heavily from their populations to curb the violence. He felt a duty to help protect others from the chaos that was happening. He went off to fight terrorists at 18. He liked the idea that he was protecting innocents from danger.

He was 19 when he met Candace. His team had been sent in to rescue hostages at UCLA. Terrorists had taken the women hostage at a sorority house just off campus. Candace was one of the girls rescued by his team that night. Alexander began dating Candace. After a whirlwind romance and a wild night in Vegas, he had a wife. He was 22 years old when Candace gave birth to their daughter Arianna. Life was good for Alexander. He had a purpose in life, a woman he loved, and a beautiful daughter. Arianna was 2 years old and his term of service was almost up when his life changed forever.

Alexander and his team were sent to stop terrorists in Florida. NATO had received intel that terrorists were planning to hit a large outdoor music festival in Miami. Homegrown terrorists were unhappy that the government had changed the tax structure and was cracking down on mega corporations to ensure they were paying their fair share. The increased tax revenues were paying for environmentally friendly infrastructure and social service programs. The group was made up of die hard extremists that felt that their business rights were being stomped on. That they shouldn’t have to pay to help reverse the environmental damage they helped cause. Their attitude was that the government was overreaching their authority. Alexander and his team were sent in to help provide additional security at the event. Sadly a member of Alexander’s team had sold out for money to the group. They had planted pipe bombs at the venue’s entrances. They were let in through an underground entrance to the venue and fired on the crowd from the lighting rig above the stage. Alexander was trying to guide the crowd out the exit as panicked people were running everywhere when the bomb at the main entrance went off. Alexander was caught in the blast and thrown 25 yards away. His arms were shredded from the blast. He almost didn’t make it due to blood loss. He made it to the hospital and they managed to save his life but they had to amputate his arms.

Alexander’s recovery was long and painful. His wife was unable to bear looking at his scars and told him she had not signed up to take care of an invalid. She took their daughter and left and filed for divorce. Alexander didn’t blame her. He sunk into depression and his will to fight and carry on left with her. Alexander needed help so he moved in with his father.

His father felt there should be an engineering solution to his issue. Cybernetics was a young science and experimental but they had made strides in prosthetics for people with issues such as Alexander’s. Alexander’s father reached out to a close friend of his that worked in Biotech. Alexander was a good candidate for their new technology. Within a week Alexander was prepped for surgery and received state of the art neural linked controlled cybernetic arms. The cybernetic arms were grafted onto what was left of his organic arms and the nerves integrated with the cybernetic wiring to work with his nervous system. Alexander went to see Candace after he had healed. The arms were covered in a synthetic flesh that matched his natural skin tone but there was no hiding the wide band of ugly scarring where the arms were attached. He had fine motor skills and his reflexes were faster than ever. Candace crushed his heart with a second rejection. She told him that she felt like it would feel like being held by a robot. That she couldn’t do it. He wondered if she had ever loved him at all. Alexander was numb and full of pain as their divorce was finalized. At least she was amicable about his visiting rights. He would not let his daughter grow up thinking he didn’t want a relationship with her. Alexander once more sunk into depression uncertain what to do next.

Once again his father pulled him out of his funk. His father took him to a racetrack and paid for a VIP experience so he could get behind the wheel on a real track in a formula one racer. Alexander came alive as the engine’s roar vibrated as he sped down the track. G forces slammed him from one side of the car to the other as he cornered around the track. Luck was with Alexander that day as a billionaire racing mogul happened to be at the track that day. He had paid for time to test his latest personal car. Alexander had just broken the track record in an old car. The mogul offered him a chance at a driving position. He said he would sponsor him for a year in the Junior Formula League with training and mentorship. Alexander took it since he felt alive again. He did well and placed in the top 5 drivers that season. The next year he stepped up in main league as a driver for the guy and did really well.

So began his career in professional racing. He earned the nickname Bullet on the circuit. He spent a few years visiting his daughter between races. Occasionally Candace would bring her to a race to watch him race. Racing began to shift to a new style, anti-gravity racing, and he was offered a spot on the new team. He was now 26. He was no longer the only enhanced driver on the track. He was still performing well with the occasional win and was in the top ten drivers in the league. His best friend was a driver from Belgium named Audrick Mulder. They met at a race and bonded over beers after the race. Audrick was a charismatic, happy guy who liked to have a good time. The media loved him which helped him gain sponsors. He was handsome and a media favorite. He was also some of his biggest competition on the track. They had a friendly rivalry and were often seen pranking one another in the winner’s circle. Audrick once squirted him with a champagne bottle full of glitter. He was washing glitter out of his hair weeks later. He had slapped a sign on his buddy’s back that read “The beer is on me.” Alexander had found where he fit in the world again. He was regaining his stride.

The team he was driving for was Audrick’s team’s biggest competition. The team had hired a new crew chief and a new engineer. The owner was hungry to win the season. They kept trying to get him to drive more aggressively and use shady tactics on the track. Alexander was not happy about it and told them he wouldn’t do it. They were going into the race of the season. He had gone to visit Audrick to wish him luck the night before the race. He was surprised to see one of their team mechanics leaving Audrick’s team garage. The next day during what should have been the biggest race of his career. He was on track to win the season. Audrick’s vehicle jerked hard to the right and lifted off the track. The crash was horrific and his car exploded as it bounced down the track. Audrick didn’t survive the crash. At first Alexander was shocked, then he thought back to what he had seen the night before. He confronted the team owner about what he had seen demanding the mechanic be questioned. In a fit of rage and heightened emotions, he was fired and he knew deep in his soul that his team had been behind whatever the mechanical failure was that caused the crash. Alexander left racing at the ripe age of 28. The owner sued him for breach of contract even though he was fired. He left racing with little to his name.

He went back to college and became an engineer like his father. He went to work at his father’s company and helped develop new technology to help the world. He worked in energy systems and drive systems. He and his father made a killer team. The most positive thing to happen from this is that he got to spend more time with his daughter. He got her over the summer and she spent the school year with her mother. They always spent time together doing things she liked and they went to a race or two with her grandfather. It was a tradition they upheld every year. Alexander didn’t let many people into his life. He had been hurt so badly that he didn’t really trust many people any more. He had not had a serious relationship since Candace. He had a few drinking buddies but no one that he really let in.

Fast forward and now his daughter was going off to college. She had chosen to stay close to her mother and was attending UCLA. Alexander didn’t care since UCLA was a decent school. What mattered most to him was that she was healthy and happy. He got a phone call that no parent wants to get. His daughter had been on her way to class when she had been hit by a drunk driver. He had flown to LA. She was in ICU and it was touch and go for about 2 weeks. She had been in a coma. She had experienced extreme trauma. When she woke up, the doctor’s confirmed their fears that she was going to be paralyzed from the neck down. There were implants that could help but most of the cybernetics available could only help those paralyzed from the waist down. They still couldn’t do much to help quadriplegics. There was a whole lot more damage and information to help with. There were new experimental options but they were not covered by insurance and they were costly. He didn’t have that kind of money. For the first time in years, he had cried and prayed for a solution.

He was in his hotel room that night on the phone with his father when he got a phone call from someone he hadn’t heard from in years. Audrick’s wife Alicia Mulder was calling him. He told his father he would call him back. Alicia was sobbing and begging for his help. She told him that Paul, Audrick’s son, had just been hired to be the rookie driver for team Valkyrie. She was terrified that what happened to Audrick would happen to him. She had called in some favors and she wanted him to be his crew chief and the team lead. He explained why he couldn’t leave and take the job that his daughter needed him. She was in the hospital. She made a deal with him to get Arianna into an experimental cybernetic program for her condition and pay all expenses if he would take the job. Alexander was poleaxed. He had sworn he would never go back to racing and that den of cutthroat thieves. He couldn’t believe she was asking him to do this for her. As a parent and someone who had lived that life, he understood her fears. He sighed and accepted her proposal. It was Arianna’s best chance for a better quality of life. He agreed to take the job but he refused to leave until Arianna had come through her surgery. Now he had to face his future. He walked to the corner store that night and bought a bottle of the best whiskey they had. He proceeded to get plastered and passed out wondering what the hell he had just agreed too.

Racing DNA

Overview:
Alexander always preferred a balanced approach. He felt too many augments could be as big an issue as none at all. He also preferred to start with natural talent and skills and build up. He didn’t believe that more augmentation was necessarily the best for the pilot. He had his own issues and trauma over implants as a guide. The strategy used would depend on the technology and team you had to back that technology up. If you had a top of the line energy system but didn’t have the right person to tune it and help you use it, then it was worthless. He liked reviewing all his options and doing the best with what he had available while looking for better. He believed in getting down to the details, training for all team members, and consistency in performance. The more they all trained on possible scenarios the safer the whole team was. He was a fanatic about safety.

Skills:
Alexander is a motor head and an engineer. He has experience as a pilot. He has skills as a pilot. He understands what it takes to win. He has lines he won’t cross though to make that happen.

Special Trait:
Alexander has a unique point of view because he has been in the driver’s seat and understands the skill, drive, and psychology necessary to win. He also has an engineering background and can understand the technology and explanations and how to implement that tech and tune to help the team push forward. He has experience on both sides of the equation.

Controversy :
Alexander’s exit from racing was controversial. He was sued by the team owner and lost almost everything. His name had been drug through the mud by his former team and the media. He had been so angry at the time, he didn’t try to refute or change public opinion. He had not seen the need to. He had never planned to be back in the limelight again. He was not the most marketable crew chief in the game. He was going to mouth off and say the wrong things in front of the camera at some point. The marketing team has their work cut out for them!He is also fanatical about safety because of his past. He comes across as over the top about it. Others think he takes it too far. In his eyes, he can’t stress it enough.

MISC
Theme Song: Highway to Hell by AC/DC

Likes: Beer, whiskey, racing, speed, classic cars, outdoors, space, swearing,coffee, and dogs
Dislikes: Liars, cheating, hates the spotlight, paparazzi, interviews, being forced into emotional vulnerability, sharing feelings, perky people
Other Information:
Don’t speak to him before he has had his coffee! While he believes in getting an early start, he absolutely can’t be civil before coffee.

Anti-gravity racing is a billion dollar industry not just a sport. Money has a power all its own and many. Power, money, and corruption hide in the shadows of the sport. Alexander has taken over as the Team Principal for Valkyrie AGR Sport. His arrival at Headquarters was dramatic. His first day was particularly trying as he uncovered serious issues that were undermining the Team’s morale and were just plain illegal. Alexander wasted no time in correcting the most egregious wrongdoings happening. He upset a lot of powerful people when he did it. While Alexander’s goals are more altruistic, those who lost minions and power inside the powerful organization that is Valkyrie AGR were not happy to lose some of their control and power. This earned him some enemies while he managed to remove the more obvious ones. There are still those working in the shadows to reduce his influence and remove him so that they can continue enjoying the power he removed from them.

Alexander has reviewed what’s happening with the Team. He has restructured the team which previously had been very siloed into their specialties. The Engineers and Mechanics were merged into one team The Engineering Team is now Co-led by Felix and Helga. The head of the Medical Team was fired and brought up on charges Dr. Zimmerman. Dr. Montgomery has been selected to take over the Medical Team. The head of the Human Resources department was fired and is being investigated for Corporate Espionage and embezzlement. The training personnel and everyone else who works for the racing giant have been moved to a Support Personnel category. Alexander has brought his executive assistant from his previous engineering job to Valkyrie with him. Mabel Brown is now Alexander’s executive assistant. Her appointment has caused some waves at Valkyrie since she had been hired from outside the company jumping over personnel who were already there. Forces inside the team tried to oppose and stop Mabel’s hiring.

Alexander went so far as to make physical interior changes to bring the mechanical and engineering departments together, consolidating resources, tools, materials, and personnel. They now have one larger space where they work collaboratively. This move has already shown benefits in advances and smoother communication between mechanics and engineers. The Engineering team has now bonded together into a new whole. A local bar created a drink and named it after them after a team night out. The results were ideas for a new ship design. The new design focuses on supporting the pilot with faster, more energy efficient engines and new cockpit design to reduce the physical stresses on the pilot.

Alexander restructured how the Medical department worked. They now worked under an elected head who guides and reports back to Alexander. They now have a more open and collaborative work structure. They are also now making use of their talented interns which were being ignored by the previous team lead. The new direction for the Medical department has led to some new ideas in Pilot training and a focus on natural pilot performance enhancement protocols. Only time will show if they are working.

Alexander called in a favor from the European Union Space Agency and has built a new simulator that not only puts his pilots into a race virtually but also simulates the actual g forces and inertia that their bodies experience in a cockpit. This allows them to use the simulator to measure how the physical stresses that the pilots are going through in a more solid and meaningful way. It also allows them to train experiencing those physical forces and how that will impair their performance.



Alexander has the pilots focused on training for each race. The engineering team is making and tweaking the ships as best they can to get the most out of them for each race. They used strategy to finally get some points. They are hoping to do better in Tokyo which is a race their craft should do well on.

Alexander joined the team and came back to racing for his daughter’s sake. Alexander has very mixed feelings about it. He had loved racing but he sure didn’t miss the politics. Alexander is tormented by a crash that killed his best friend. His experience with being pushed into more dangerous and questionable tactics on the racetrack. His belief that his best friend’s death was not accidental and that he somehow was responsible for it haunted his dreams. He had sworn he would never return to racing. Arianna, his daughter, was hit by a car and almost died. She came out of the accident paralyzed from the neck down. Alexander was offered an opportunity to get her experimental state of the art prosthetics that would allow her to have a better quality of life. Standard prosthetics would have allowed her to regain mobility but she would have had to give up being able to feel sensations or have all her limbs amputated replaced by cybernetic ones. This option allowed her to have the option of being able to move her organic body. Rebuilding her nervous system replacing her organic one. Alicia Mulder, Paul Mulder’s mother, agreed to procure and pay for Arianna’s treatment and cybernetics if Alexander would return to racing to mentor and safeguard her son. Alexander agreed as it was the best option for Arianna.

Alexander is divorced. His ex-wife left him because she told him that she couldn’t handle him losing his arms. That his prosthetic arms were like being touched by a robot. Alexander had co-parented his daughter but had no further dealings with his ex-wife. Alexander had always kept this from his daughter. He had not wanted his daughter to resent her mother. Arianna’s mother has shown her true nature. Arianna overheard her mother’s comments to doctors and on the phone. Arianna overhead her mother saying she should have died if she couldn't take care of herself. Her mother was only bringing her home to recover because it would make her look bad since her story had been in the media because of her father. Arianna had asked Alexander to bring her home with him.

Alexander made the arrangements even though it will make him look bad and push back his long term plans for the team by at least 6 months. Alexander has the finished ship design proposals and costs for building them. The Board of Directors have given their okay to move forward but it takes time to build new ship designs. Prototypes had to be built and tested. Designs had to be filed with the Racing Commission. The new ships had to be approved by the league and meet their rules. Not to mention any government regulations as well. Alexander has started sourcing material and is gearing up to recruit the personnel he needs. He has also been making a push for endorsements to bring in the money necessary to pay for new designs. He needs to keep Valkyrie in a positive relationship with the media. Alexander’s decision to bring his daughter back with him and utilize team resources to help her is jeopardizing his reputation.



Alexander confronted Dorian about his lack of performance and poor attitude in Tokyo. He hoped they were both on the same page now. He had completed the contract work necessary to get the endorsement money for the contract so he could begin to hire more engineers. Alexander is grateful to have an influx of capital to work with but he is also dealing with his own emotional turmoil after being in the public's eye again. He has sifted through applications and dossiers and done initial interviews with Dakota Ellis a jet engineer with Pratt & Whitney, Bastijin Velnaar, a Dutch electrical engineer that worked for one of the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturers, and Stephanie Mitsuyo a third generation Japanese American college graduate student who is studying electrical engineering with a specialty in super conductors. Alexander had a visit from Johanna Lipusz, the EU Special Representative for Anti-Gravity Research. She pretty much demanded progress in the form of podiums and wins or else. He was very worried about the or else. He found out that she had the power to threaten Leopold, even he answered to her. They are bringing the top three engineering candidates to Valkyrie Headquarters for a practical skills demonstration. Alexander is hoping that they will find some magic to help them do better in Italy.



After the Italian GP, Alexander heard a rumor that his head engineer Felix Burkhardt was planning on leaving Valkyrie after Luna. Alexander straight up confronted him about it. Felix confirmed it and Alexander let him go. He even wrote him a letter of recognition. He made the decision not to keep him until after later because he felt that was the best tactical decision. He liked Felix and had trusted him. He trusted Felix's integrity but not enough to keep him knowing he was planning to leave. That left Alexander scrambling for a new head engineer. He would have promoted from in house but he didn't have anyone with the right experience to lead that could step up. He had reviewed dossiers on his top three choices and decided to offer the head engineer's position to Cavan Mitchell from England. Cavan started with Silver Apex and had just resigned as the head engineer for Fitzroy. Arianna ran into an issue where she was cornered by press at the Italian GP and was saved by Harrison. Alexander began wooing a new sponsor Quantinium Computers.



Alexander covered the role of head engineer at the Portugal Race. Cavan was in the process of moving his family to Germany. His first official day will be the Monday after the Portugal race. That Monday Alexander is informed that Wulfric's investigation into the CEO has uncovered yet more corporate corruption, embezzlement, fraud, and harassment from the very top. There is a hint that there are ties between the CEO and the former board president but no proof. There is definitive proof that the CEO and Maier were working together to defraud the team. Alexander makes the decision to bring the corruption into the light. Unfortunately it means yet more corruption and chaos for the team. There is a sting set up with authorities to arrest the CEO Peter Brendel. Alexander releases a video to the public asking for their patience and forgiveness. He feels strongly that those injured by the two men deserve some kind of justice even though he knows he is going to face all kinds of backlash from the board of directors, sponsors, and the public. He feels strongly that coming clean now will prevent greater scandal if it were to come out later as the press gets ahold of the court proceedings. He is hoping that the team will weather this latest trauma. He was worried that Cavan would quit over the issue. After expressing his displeasure about being left out of the loop on it, and a strong right hook, he got on with the work of taking over the engineering department. Alexander is slated to go to the moon with the team and will be leaving for training for the journey. Leopold is not happy with some board members. He sent full video of the last board meeting to higher powers wanting them to understand the constraints the team is working under.



Alexander received a very private encrypted message from Johanna Lipusv, the European Space Agency's Special Rep for Anti-Gravity Technology. Johanna has informed Alexander that the team would be facing not just the German Government's investigation into the CEO's crimes, but an international. Because some of the money that was stolen included public funds invested by several different countries. So when those bonuses and sponsorship money was appropriated, the former CEO broke international laws. This opened the team up to much harsher scrutiny. They are facing a forced and very thorough forensic audit of all Team Valkyrie records. Johanna also insisted that he send Arianna away. She didn't want Arianna's treatment to be a bone of contention and trouble for Alexander. Alexander had been as open and honest and above board as he could with that issue, however he agreed with Johanna. He didn't want Arianna in the middle of the media and investigative shit storm he was going to have to deal with. So he sent Arianna back to UCLA to finish her education. Arianna is currently living in the dorms at UCLA. Onsite investigators would be disruptive to the team. Alexander had no choice but to trust his team as he was needed on the trip to the moon for the Lunar Race. The team needed some positive press badly. However the team was plagued with equipment issues on the moon. Paul placed decently since it was his first time racing on the moon. Dorian's performance was shockingly bad. Alexander understood it was not all his fault. The team had been plagued with clogging thrusters making handling difficult on the moon. Paul had seemed to adjust better to the issues than Dorian. Alexander was facing a shit storm when he got back to the office. On the way back from the moon, Paul requested to use his father's livery at the Monaco race. Alexander enjoyed speaking to Paul about memories he had of his father. Alexander had already ordered Cavan to take the ships back to the chassis and rebuild them from the ground up testing every component. He had already filed the change in livery for Paul with FIAR. He would get his wish to race in his father's colors.

Name: Paul Mulder
Alias: “Legacy”
Team: Valkyrie
Gender: Male
Age: 20

Appearance:
Height: 6’
Weight: 185 pounds
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Languages: English, Dutch, French, and German

Paul is handsome with blonde hair and blue eyes. He has a fit toned physique with long lean muscles and a 6 pack. He is classically handsome. He is just as comfortable in jeans as he is in a designer suit.

Personality:
Paul is an easy going charming fellow. He can fit in anywhere and becomes the life of the party. He oozed charm and charisma. He has the ability to blend in and be a social chameleon. He is just as comfortable sipping champagne in a designer suit and talking about politics as he is in a dance club, or at the gym. He is just as comfortable drinking a beer in a pub with friends and hanging out as one of the guys and always up for a pick me up game of soccer or pool. Paul is competitive and has drive and energy. This part of his personality typically shows itself on the racetrack and in practice.

Backstory:
Family:
Father: Audrick Mulder Deceased
Mother: Alicia Mulder Age: 46

Paul Mulder was only 2 years old when his father, famous pioneering Anti-gravity racer Audrick Mulder died in a fiery crash during the second AGA Racing Season Finale. His father was a happy and laid man who oozed charm and charisma. Everyone wanted to hang out with him. Men wanted to be him and women wanted to date him. His father had started his career in racing as a dirt track racer who qualified for Ferrari's Youth Academy. He spent his teen years racing on the junior circuit and building his reputation and presence. His father was chosen over other racers because he was so marketable and likable and had the skills and reflexes to win on the track. His father had been the whole package. His mother Alicia said he had met her at a dance club. He had been out celebrating a win. According to his mother, his father had charmed her out of a dance and kissed her goodnight declaring that he was going to marry her someday. They celebrated him finishing in the top 5 at Le Mans that year with a wedding.

His mother had been pregnant with him when his father began racing anti gravity racers. His father had been in the top 5 racers and in the competition to win it all when he lost control of his ship in a race. His ship hit the wall head on at over 400kph and exploded in a fiery crash. He grew up with the ghost of his father haunting his life. His mother never remarried or even dated. It was like her life stopped that fateful day. His mother poured all her energy and time into him. He never wanted for anything and grew up in a protected world attending private schools. His mother loved art and was a photographer. She didn’t have to work but photography was her passion. He traveled with her during the summer while she took assignments all over the world. He was well educated and spoke 4 languages. His mother's passion project was to create the Mulder Foundation. It was a charitable organization to honor his father's memory. They had two missions to provide low income children and people with the equipment and training so that they can become professional athletes and they provide art supplies and teachers to children's arts programs across Europe.

He loved his mother but she never understood his need to follow in his father’s footsteps. He grew up idolizing a father he never really got to know. He got to know his father through his mother’s stories, home videos, pictures, old news reels and interviews for the media, and stories from his friends. His mother mentioned that he had been friends with a racer named Alexander Knight. She refused to tell him much about the man. He learned more of the story as he got older and could find the information for himself. He could tell his mother still had resentment and anger towards Alexander. He didn’t know what her issue was with the man. Maybe she resented that he lived that day while his father had died.

He was 13 when he found his father’s journal. He read it and felt like he was getting to know his father all over again. He felt connected to his father. He began racing go-karts. His mother was completely against him trying any racing sport. He could understand her fear but how did he help her understand his need to do it? He felt that his father would understand his need to prove that he could handle the speed and endurance of racing. He loved the thrill and adrenaline that came from focusing his attention on getting the most he could out of any vehicle he drove. He felt as if his father was in the vehicle next to him as he poured on the speed. Those feelings and focus brought him comfort and helped him feel even closer to his father.

He and his mother began to argue about his choice. He insisted his future was in AG Racing. When he was old enough, he began to apply for youth training academies around Germany and Belgium. He was 16 when his father’s name got him an entrance trial. His mother was against his choice but he snuck off to the test anyway. He had all the same natural charm and skill his father had. He didn’t have any augmentations yet but he was still able to perform at the top level on raw talent. Team Valkyrie AGR Sport took a chance that he would become a top level competitor like his father. His mother almost blocked his way and they had a massive fight about it. Her stipulation was he had to finish high school first. His mother gave him his father's journals on his 16th birthday. He never revealed to her that he had already read them.

He was 18 and free to follow his own path now. He was back at Valkyrie in the youth academy. He had spent the last 2 years honing his talent in the Junior league. He had received his first set of augments which was a neural link to improve his reflexes and response times on the track. The neural link allowed him to connect with the vehicle and make minute changes at lightning speed. His neural link also supported and augmented his lungs and heart which allowed him to increase his heart rate and blood flow and lung capacity which helped regulate his blood pressure and breathing during a race. Now was his chance to shine. They had tapped him for the Rookie driver for this year’s season.

Racing DNA

Overview:
Paul never raced his competitors. For him it was about him, the vehicle, and chasing that feeling of connection to his father. The faster he went the more dialed in and focused he got. For him it was about seeking that perfect line when everything was instinctual and just felt right and the rest of the world faded away. It was like a light switch flicking and it was effortless when it was all working as planned. Paul was extraordinary when everything was clicking and going his way. He could be a bit of a wild card because he was either on his game or off. When he was off, he over compensated and tended to get into his own way.

Skills:
Paul was a natural raw talent gifted with great hand and eye coordination and reflexes. He had the ability to dial in and hyperfocus. He had a neural link that allowed him to connect with the vehicle and make minute changes at lightning speed. His neural link also supported and augmented his lungs and heart which allowed him to increase his heart rate and blood flow and lung capacity which helped regulate his blood pressure and breathing during a race. His augmentations allowed his body to handle the physical requirements for racing at this level and the g forces and strain his body would endure.

Special Trait:
Paul’s special trait is that he is handsome and naturally gifted with charm and charisma like his father. He handles the media with charm and a youthful enthusiasm that fans and media alike adore. He has the natural raw talent, skill, and potential to go with it making him a sponsor’s dream driver.

Controversy :
Paul is always being compared to the racing legend of his father. There was always speculation happening if he would live up to the legacy of his father. Comparisons between them were constant. When he didn’t perform well, the criticism could be brutal. Many speculate if he had not earned his spot was given his spot in honor of his father. Some media had even theorized that Valkyrie was banking on the nostalgia of die hard AG Race Fans to bring in sponsors and sell tickets. That he was there for his name not his skills. Paul was under tremendous pressure to measure up.

MISC
Theme Song: Who I am by Ben Fuller

Likes: Women, having a good time, dancing, wine, cats, and running.
Dislikes: Beer, lying, fake and superficial people, and he hates marshmallows. He is scared of dogs but doesn’t hate them.
Other Information:
He both loves and hates being compared to his father. He loves the idea that he is making his father proud. He hates being compared to his father in a negative way. He would hope he is becoming the man his father wanted him to be. He resents when people act like he has not put in the time and sweat to earn his spot.

What has Paul been up to so far:



Paul's ship wouldn't start during his first qualifying race leaving in last position. He managed to move up the pack to 13 place but he didn't earn any points. Paul's team has a new team principal, Alexander Knight. He was not sure about the change at first. He knew what to expect under the old team principal Dominic Rossi. Paul hadn't like Rossi very much but if he wanted to be a professional in this very competitive sport, you had to put up with all kinds of personalities. Paul had an easy going relationship with his teammate Dorian. Paul's mother came clean about what she knew about Alexander Knight when he went home to visit here after the Auckland race. He know knew for sure he could trust Alexander Knight. His mother was supporting his decision to race. He understood her fears better now after learning the suspicions that his father's accident wasn't an accident. He may never know the truth but he would certainly be careful.



Paul had relaxed and supported the changes that Knight was making to their training regime. Paul had to admit that the strategy Knight had discussed with Dorian and Knight had worked. They did better at Cape Town that expected. Paul was grateful for his mother and felt closer to her than ever. He had decided he wanted to do something to show her how much he cared about her. He decided to plan a fundraiser for his father's foundation as a surprise for her. He has started approaching his fellow pilots to contribute to raise awareness and money for the foundation. So far Paul had only approached Beatrix Ward, but it was successful she agreed to be a part of it. They had a side bet going whoever lost had to make a social media wearing the other person's team shirt admitting they lost the bet.



Paul was now training for Tokyo. He was focusing his efforts on energy system deployments and utilizing Valkyrie's superior ship handling to take advantage of chicanes and cornering. Paul knew that Valkyrie should do well in Tokyo.

Paul did alright in Tokyo but not as good as he had hoped. He learned that he needed to spend more time training on ELS systems. He was well paid for the work he did with Enigma Lux but it was not as enjoyable as he had hoped it would be. He had been quite social in Tokyo with three parties and the Enigma Lux party at the fashion show. Paul won his bet with Beatrix Ward and she held up her end of the deal. So he made a post in solidarity wearing the shirt she had sent him. He was feeling a little isolated being such a busy athlete at his age. It was hard to find a group of people who understood the lifestyles and pressures of an AG Pilot. He was hoping to make friends with some of the other pilots. He knew they were competitors but that didn't mean they couldn't be friendly competitors. He was still working on planning the charity gala for his mother's foundation. He met with Hyeon-Ae while he was in Japan. She agreed to be a part of the event.



The Italian GP was a fun race for Paul. He loved the beautiful scenery. There had been another crash this time between Astrid and Han. Astrid was penalized for poor sportsmanship. Paul spent his spare time trying to ingratiate himself with his fellow rookies. Paul was beginning to reap the benefits from the sponsorship money he had earned from the Enigma Lux fashion house. He put most of the profits into savings and invested some.



Paul took part in the rookie go kart race in Portugal. He enjoyed some fun banter with Bea and Hyeon-Ae. He won his first Podium in Portugal taking third place in the race. Now he is training hard for the Luna race.



Just before the Lunar Race, the CEO of Team Valkyrie was arrested for fraud. The upheaval at headquarters was staggering. Paul could move without someone asking for his opinion and reaction to the news. Paul had decided he trusted Alexander Knight. The more he worked with him the more he saw why his father had developed a close friendship with the man. Paul made a statement in support of Knight to the media. Then he refused to engage with the media or social media until after the Lunar Race. Paul trained hard for the race on the moon. He found he was going to need a whole new set of skills for racing on the moon. Alexander kept making adjustments and trying to solve issues as they came up, but the team was plagued by technical and mechanical issues on the moon. Paul's dream of doing well there went right out the window. His performance fell back to the middle of pack. It was a disappointment but he owned his performance. Paul didn't even get to finish the race as two major crashes happened at the same time. One of them saw one of his fellow rookies, Nora Kelly, almost die. She would have died if the other pilot in the crash hadn't come to her rescue. Nora survived but had to replace an arm and a leg. It was harsh reminder that while the sport had become safer, it was still dangerous. Paul's experiences on the moon left him bitter. His first trip to the moon soured his outlook on coming back to race on the moon again. He knew before he did, there would have to be a lot more training and a much better ship. A ship designed to race in zero gravity, and deal with the lunar environment. Paul tried to put the moon behind him. He was looking forward to racing at Monaco. The Monaco race was important to him. He wanted to race in his father's footsteps in the best ship he could. He wanted to win at Monaco. His father had won at Monaco. It was another link to his deceased father. It was the perfect way to honor him. He also worried that controversy happening with the team would affect the fundraiser he was planning for his mother's foundation. Paul was finding little to be excited and happy about it. Staying motivated was a challenge. The lure of walking in his father's footsteps at Monaco was pushing him forward. The media had gotten ahold of photos and video of Paul spending time with Hyeon-Ae in public. They had begun to spread rumors that the two were seeing were each other. Paul had reached out to apologize to her. He was not sure how he was going to handle the press.

Name: Nora Kelly
Alias: Nelly, Sandstorm (Interior Handle), @NitroNora
Team: Southern Cross
Gender: Female
Age: 24
Languages: English, Mandarin, Arabic

Appearance: Nora Kelly stands 5'8" and is fit but not built. Her white hair and odd eyes are the result of cosmetic augs that she got to differentiate herself, her eyes being styled to look like a jet engine cutting through a blue sky. She has a series of tattoos along her back and arms that show off her love of racing, from early AGs to a full back piece that shows an AG streaking into the sky at a near-ninety degree angle. More recently, Nora has gained a series of plugs and induction pads along her body to more fully integrate her with her ship and its systems. She wears revealing, punk-style clothes when not directed otherwise by the team, seeing her body and ink as art to be shown off, not hidden away in shame.

Personality: Nora Kelly is an ambitious woman whos in-your-face attitude and irreverence for the established way of doing things lead to her label as an underdog and black sheep. This reputation only served to strengthen her convictions, however, and is backed by a fierce intelligence and a stubborn nature. These traits allowed her to flourish in the Interior Circuit after being thrown out of the AG Rookie League, with her stubborn pride and adrenaline thrills seeing her meteoric rise through the scene.

Noras pride won't let her settle for second best, and that includes the quality of her opponents. She sees herself as the one who can push the sport to its peak, but at the end of the day what she truly craves is competition. In this pursuit she is always looking to push her competitors and teammates as far as they can go, and to put on a good show to the media while doing so as she plays up her punk nature and pushes an antagonistic vibe against the established norms of the sport.

On the track, Nora is all guts and glory, taking joy in the raw speed and feeding that back into her team, her near-maniacal laughter when overtaking filled with an infectious energy.

Backstory: Nora Kellys racing career started in an AG Rookie program, and everyone thought it would end there when she was thrown out halfway through her first season for overly dangerous racing and disorderly conduct both on and off the track. After being thrown out of the program she still felt the itch to go fast, eventually leading her to Australia's underground racing scene, known locally as the Interior Circuit and filled with a heady mixture of jetbikes, early AGs, and final-gen F1 cars tackling a wide variety of tracks and challenges, all run by the local crime syndicates. To survive in this scene without owing all but your soul in debt and favors you had to be the best of the best, and that's what Nora was; She piloted a wicked fast first-gen experimental AG unaugment against racers tweaked up with black markets Augs and performance enhancers and winning more often than not... even when she was pressured to lose. Nora spent about five years running the Interior Circuit before pressure from the Crew, her sponsor and one of the crime families that ran the interior circuit, eventually lead to her looking for an out. And what an out she found, one that sought her out in the most unexpected of places.

When Nora saw her Uncle walk into the dive bar she'd been sent to by her engineer for a meeting with a mysterious friend, doubly so when her uncle, looking as surprised as she was, told her that the job he'd always been cagey about at family dinners was a talent scout for the Southern Cross AG team. He'd heard of a racer from a friend of a friend, one who went by the nickname Sandstorm after the storm kicked up by her ships unstable AG generators in the desert sands. Imagine his surprise when Sandstorm turned out to be his niece who'd disappeared after being thrown out of Rookie AG. Nora could ill afford to turn down her uncles offer, not when she was facing pressure from the Crew, pressure that others before her had disappeared from. Later that night, Noras life had turned upside down again and she was stepping up to a new stage, one that would lift her higher than ever before.

Racing DNA



Controversy: Noras brief stint in the Rookie league and her years racing the underground Interior Circuit both do little to waylay her image as a loose cannon and dangerous racer. She was also signed on by her uncle, a talent scout for Southern Cross, under mysterious circumstances and a recommendation from a sketchy source. These connections and Southern Cross signing her apparently out of the blue have also raised questions about the teams standards, and about their connections and financing.

MISC
Theme Song: Kickstart My Heart - Mötley Crüe
Likes: Speed, Competition, Heavy Music, Directness
Dislikes: Dirty Racing, Cowards, talking behind someone's back
Other Information: Despite her reputation, connections, and past, the worst vice Nora has ever engaged in is alcohol.