[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/b3RmLjE3OC5mMTk5MGEuUzJGcGN5QmFaVzVwZUEuMA/creattion-demo.regular.webp[/img]
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[b]Kais Zenix @ASZenix[/b]: 
[i]"The battle is on!"
[Video clip: Kais sits forward at the pre-race party, watching his opponent make their move] 
#AlSaqrRacing #DeltaHyper #FormulaAG #LetsGO[/i][/center]
[hr]
[quote]Sounds like you have your approach down, Kais. We look forward to seeing you charging hard! How about the others on the grid? What have you got to say for the other racers you'll be going toe to toe with?[/quote]

[b][color=f7941d]“Hmm.. There are quite a few of those, …[/color][/b] [i]Glance at the nametag.[/i] [b][color=f7941d]”... Aurora... so let’s stick to the new ones, shall we; if I burn [i]all[/i] bridges we’ll be talking all day and I have a busy schedule, not to mention jetlag.”[/color][/b] Kais said as he started a count on his fingers.

[b][color=f7941d]“MadBea and Nora. Reckless, loud, and proud--sounds familiar. But being a loose cannon only works until someone out-guns you. They’ll learn that soon enough. Ulrich: solid defense, but you can’t be afraid to fight, eh. Also I don’t know how he does it, all that smiling. Hurts my face just to look at him sometimes. I’m scared for Paul Mulder, honestly--I’d rather see him dance with girls, than with death. And Han Hyeon-Ae? I’ve gotten more down the nose stares from her than from anyone, and we haven’t even raced each other yet. But we’ll see how she handles being taken out of her comfort zone.”[/color][/b] 

In the distance, Kais saw the team principal wince. 

[b][color=f7941d]“So what I’m saying is I’m sure we’ll get along fine.”[/color][/b]

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[color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Pre-Race Party[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color]
[b][color=f7941d]“You any good at social stuff?”[/color][/b] Kais asked Nadia during a small break from signing their way through the night. These were possibly some of his most dreaded events, and he welcomed any emotional support animal he could get. And today, Nadia drew the shortest straw. 

[b][color=7ea7d8]“If I was, my security clearance would’ve probably been in by now. Those background interviews were pure hell.”[/color][/b] Nadia responded. [b][color=f7941d]“Shame. That impatient to get inside our brains, huh?”[/color][/b] Kais quipped back. Nadia smiled. With a lot of antigrav ship interfacing being a direct connection between their neurons and the ship's AI, an important part of optimization was the development of ultra low-level electrical circuitry fine-tuned to not only the ship, but also to the driver, their mods, and even to the peculiarities of each individual track. There were some other avenues where neural control was important, but AG Racing was one of the most dynamic ones. Defense and space agencies did research in cooperation with constructors for exactly this reason. And with that came strict security clearances, even for their electrical engineering interns eager to get into their brains.

[b][color=bc8dbf]“Wouldn’t worry about it too much, Nadia, they’ll take just about anyone these days…”[/color][/b] Layla said with a wink, then a quick glance towards Kais, testing the waters with how much she could get away with with him. But yes, their Anti-Arabic League supersoldier turned Arabic League AG racer was living proof of that, indeed. [b][color=bc8dbf]“Did he tell you about that time in the war he pulled someone’s arm off yet?”[/color][/b] Nadia looked aghast. Kais shrugged.

Later that night, a short video clip of a group of fans intensely staring at Kais and another celeb playing a game of holo-chess would come to circulate the internet. They shook hands, and no arms were torn off.

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[color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Grid Photo[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color]
There they all were, dressed to the nines, with Layla and Kais wearing Al-Saqr’s signature racing suits. Just shy of skin-tight, with its weave of dark green, silver linings and joints, and a gold falcon in flight splayed across the chest and back, one might almost mistake them for old-school superheroes, if not for the flanking names of sponsors and collaborators and the scowl with which Kais wore it. Hidden in various folds across the suit were all the bio-amps and bioplasm-pumps, the various sensor, interface and power ports, and the entire length of the neck was hugged by a bulky silver safety and neural-connector collar onto which their custom-fitted gold helmet would be fastened. But possibly the most impressive feat of engineering was that it was [i]almost[/i] comfortable. Shifting awkwardly sandwiched in between the others, hurled at them by one of their competitors, Kais heard a [i]compliment[/i]. 

[b][color=bc8dbf]“Smile Kais,”[/color][/b] Layla elbowed him, [b][color=bc8dbf]“MadBea thinks you’re pretty!”[/color][/b] 

[b][color=f7941d]“I am smiling.”[/color][/b]