[color=gold][center][h1][i][b]Valkyrie AGR Headquarters[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Wednesday March 15th, 2094[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://youtu.be/b7k0a5hYnSI?feature=shared] Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield[/url][/b] [hr] The days since the team had gotten the simulator up and running had not been spent all in training.The marketing team had used the time at headquarters to schedule in time for the pilots to meet the needs of their sponsors. Paul and Dorian had time scheduled for photoshoots that took place at team headquarters on the test track. They were shooting product endorsement marketing materials for Zap, a sports drink manufacturer that was one of their bigger sponsors. There were the typical product placement photos with them in their race suits by the cars holding the drinks and drinking them. The company had gotten some b roll film of the ships on the track for their commercials. They filmed the pilots climbing out of their ships and asking for a Zap as if they had just finished a race. They said their cheesy marketing line. It was not creative and was pretty typical but it still sold. They take a drink and give a satisfied sigh before saying “Ahh that was just what I needed. A Zap to pick my energy up.” It had taken Paul and Dorian a few takes to get through it without laughing. If it had been a race, they would have had to wait for help before they got out of their ship. Some of their technicians helped to ensure they were properly plugged in and all safety restraints were in place before every race. Paul and Dorian found the commercials unrealistic but hey they got paid for doing them. The following day they repeated the exercise but this time for their sponsor that sold vegetarian meat substitute products. Their name was ironically, I Can’t Believe It's Not Meat! This time they were shot in the grassy central park area of headquarters. The sponsor had set it up to look like a backyard BBQ or tailgate party. The two pilots were in jeans and team race t-shirts. They had to take a bite of their bratwurst and say the company’s tagline with excitement. “I Can’t Believe It's Not Meat!” Well at least those commercials would come across as funny. They could laugh about them. Their products were actually pretty good as well. That made it easier for them to get behind the product and sell it. Paul had fun shooting that commercial. He liked being outside in the sunshine. It was a good break from training. Too much training and they could lose their edge. These were the biggest sponsors that Paul had worked with so far in his career. [hr] Alexander was curious about why Felix had requested a meeting. Alexander had been kept apprised of the modifications the team was making to the ships to get them ready for Africa. He received daily updates on what was happening with the ships and their performance. The team had managed to boost the engine’s thrust power which in turn had made the ship faster. Then they had to work on the stability and handling. There were minute modifications that they had worked on till each ship was dialed in. The engineers and mechanics had managed to eke out another 20kph out of the craft. The pilots had been testing the changes out in the simulator. Trial runs had been scheduled on the test track today. Then the pilots would get at least a few days of practice in with the updates before they headed to Africa for the next race. Mabel led Felix into Alexander’s office. Alexander recognised that mischievous look on Mabel’s face. He kept his suspicions to himself as he rose to his feet and greeted Felix with a handshake. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “Hello Felix. I wanted to let you know that Katherine said nice job on getting the team some additional exposure on social media. She also wanted to relay her thanks that she didn’t have to bail anyone out of jail or pay for damages to the property.”[/color] Felix gave Alexander a sheepish smile and a shrug. [color=fdc68a]Felix: “I took a page out of your book. We called all the engineers and mechanics and decided some alcohol to help loosen everyone up and some place neutral to get to know one another would help. And well…. It worked.” [/color] Alexander looked surprised at his answer. Mabel carried a tray of coffee cups with a carafe of coffee on it. She held the tray out to Felix with a smile. Mabel spoke in an innocent voice with a deadpan delivery. [color=f6989d]Mabel: “Would you like some Libation Lubrication.”[/color] Felix startled a little doing a double take his gaze landing on Mabel with wide eyes. Mabel giggled and set the tray down. She prepared her own cup of coffee as she spoke. [color=f6989d]Mabel: “I did tell you that I saw the security tapes Felix.”[/color] Mabel turned to Alexander to share what she found so funny. [color=f6989d]Mabel: “You see Alex what Felix hasn’t told you was that they bonded very well over darts, pool, and alcohol. Sometime that evening they all ended up back here in the workrooms working on something together. They continued their drinking game though. When they appeared to get stuck, there was a general consensus for Libation Lubrication… being more alcohol. Their antics were quite entertaining to watch. I feel that should be their personal department motto. It is very catchy, don't you think?”[/color] Alexander didn’t fight the smile. He did manage not to laugh. He was grateful that he was not the but of one of Mabel’s jokes for once. Alexander’s tone was amused as he indicated the seats and reclaimed his behind the desk after pouring a cup of coffee. He was trying to give Felix a little time to recover from Mabel’s idea of fun. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “Well as your boss, I can’t say I approve of any slogans that encourage drinking on the job. As a coworker and fan, I think it's great! Who came up with that one?”[/color] Mabel just chuckled as she took one of the seats in front of Alexander’s desk. She sipped her coffee and set the cup down on the edge of the desk. She grabbed her tablet to set it up to take notes for the meeting. [color=fdc68a]Felix: “Uh Maximillian Gruber our electrical systems expert coined it. The rest of the team liked it and well… let’s face it we were all drunk off our asses.”[/color] Felix looked a little embarrassed but seemed to be recovering well. Alexander smiled and sipped his coffee. He was pleased to note that Felix looked more confident and at more ease when speaking with him. He didn’t sound as stilted and formal as he had in the past. Mabel gave them both an expectant look. [color=f6989d]Mabel: "Are we ready to start the meeting? I am assuming you want me to take notes.”[/color] Alexander nodded at Mabel’s question. They had worked together long enough that Mabel would know what information he would have her researching to follow up on the information from the meeting. Felix took his seat and prepared himself a cup of coffee. He added sugar and cream the way he liked it. He allowed himself a good long drink before he reached for his tablet. Felix looked at Mabel and took his embarrassment like a champ. She might have embarrassed him but it was only in front of Alexander and she had still taken care of everyone who was still here the next morning with a hangover. He gave her a smile and saluted her with his cup. [color=fdc68a]Felix: “Well played madam. Well played indeed.”[/color] Mabel gave him a genuine smile and a little chuckle. She gave Felix a saucy wink before turning back to Alexander. Alexander just laughed and shook his head. He turned their meeting back to business. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “Alright Felix, you asked for this meeting. I want to commend you and the team on the progress you have been making. I was worried there wouldn’t be much you could do before the next race. What’s going on?”[/color] Felix smiled and looked excited as he set his cup down. He opened up his tablet and sent a set of detailed 3 dimensional plans for a new ship design to the holographic projector on Alexander’s desk. Alexander leaned forward in interest. His knowledgeable eyes noted significant changes. This was an all new design not a tweak to a current model. [color=fdc68a]Felix: “Well sir, as I mentioned we were all playing darts and pool. I was on my third beer by this point. I was shooting darts with Colton Mathews, our aerodynamics expert. We were debating the differences between our ships designs and that of the darts we were throwing. That sparked a debate about basing a new ship design along those same aerodynamics. We had attracted the attention of the rest of the team. We all began to give our input. We quickly realized we were all inspired but didn’t have a good way to take notes and run simulations. So we paid our tab and came back to the office. We spent the rest of the evening hammering a new ship design based on all of our ideas. We have spent the last few days refining them into a completed design set for you to look over. This was the result.” [/color] Mabel looked interested and just saved the designs to her tablet for later work. She would start sourcing any special materials or components that might take time to get. Alexander spun the ship and was examining the designs more closely. He gave Felix an encouraging smile. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “Well don’t keep me in suspense. Explain what the team came up with.”[/color] [color=fdc68a]Felix: “Well it is a completely new design. The new hull will start thin at the front tip and expand into the wings where the steering actuators will be located like the wings of an aircraft. The new sleek design is based on a dart sir. The hull will be made of a new polymer that is strong enough and lightweight. There is a new improved inertial damping system. It will take more energy but be almost 40% stronger and more effective. There is a new cockpit design that will ride in the center of the ship on a series of gyroscopes and gimbals that will reduce the amount of g forces that the pilot experiences. The engine design is a newer more efficient model as well. It will be an elongated design and again the weight will be in the middle of the ship. This will change the center of gravity for the ship and help with stability. The engine is actually a jet engine that feeds into a specially designed turbine. The engine thrust will flow into a concentrated cylinder that has the turbines in the center with a gap directing the thrust past the turbines and out the rear of the ship pushing it along.The engine will run on biofuel and provide the thrust for the ship. The cylinder style rotating turbines will not block the thrust but they will spin from it. This rotation will be generating electricity as the engine runs. It works on a similar principle to some of the early hybrid cars.The ships will have a lot more electrical power available to them as they are constantly generating additional energy. This will allow for more powerful systems on the ship. Other improvements include new wiring to reduce energy loss to distance traveled and material quality. The hull will have energy disruption systems molded into it. This should be able to scatter and break up other ships' ability to leech energy from the ship. It won’t stop it but should reduce the impact of it. The new wiring system will include the interlocking design by Kenji to reduce failures due to connection issues. The energy gathering pods on the bottom of the ship will be made from a new superconductor and made larger so that the ship will be able to suck up and keep more energy from the track.” [/color] Alexander paid attention as Felix went through the design features that the team had come up with. Alexander was impressed with the low profile sleek design. The ship looked fast, stable, and dangerous. Alexander knew building a ship from scratch with the new systems would take time. They had plans but there were always practical things that came about when developing new technology. The engine design in particular would take time and testing to get right. The cockpit design might cause them issues when they went to fit everything together. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “Have you run it through computer simulations yet?”[/color] [color=fdc68a]Felix: “No. We wanted your approval before we started building the simulation models. We didn’t want to waste time if you were just going to scrap it. Dominic was flat against any large changes to the ships.”[/color] Alexander gave Felix a big smile. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “I like it. But I want hard numbers before I try to sell the board on the new design. Put together the computer models. I will need that data to convince them that the expense of 3 new ships will be necessary. Good work Felix. Please tell the team I am happy that their Libation Lubrication was such a successful endeavor.”[/color] [color=f6989d]Mabel: “I will use Felix’s designs and put together a materials estimate for you.”[/color] Felix looked surprised that Alexander was moving forward with the design. Dominic had always shut him down when he recommended taking their ships back to design. He had not felt that was needed to win. It had always frustrated him. He smiled and nodded at Alexander. He was excited about the prospect of finally getting the opportunity to build a new ship design. It was the reason he had come to Valkyrie AGR Sport. [color=fdc68a]Felix: “I will get the team working on it around preparations for Africa.” [/color] [color=00aeef]Alexander nodded: “Great! Did you need anything else?”[/color] [color=fdc68a]Felix: “No. Things are going well. Having all the mechanics and engineers working together in the same space is already helping with miscommunication issues. Helga and I work together well as a team. Things are going pretty good.”[/color] Mabel smiled at Felix knowing he had not been treated very well by the previous crew chief. She was pleased to see his shoulders come down from around his ears. The man had been so tense when she first met him. She wondered if he wore shoulder pads. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “Keep up the good work Felix. I am glad to hear that things are working well so far.” [/color] Felix nodded with the biggest smile on his face as he shut down his tablet. [color=fdc68a]Felix: “Thank you sir.”[/color] Mabel stood and gathered all the now empty coffee cups and put them on the tray. She tucked her tablet under her arm and followed Felix as he left the office. Mabel stopped Felix at her desk. Felix looked confused when Mabel put a gentle hand on his arm and asked him to wait a moment. [color=fdc68a]Felix: “What is it, Mabel?”[/color] Mabel grinned as she pulled a wrapped shirt box from a desk drawer and handed it to him. Felix looked nervous as she handed it to him. [color=fdc68a]Felix: “What’s this?”[/color] Mabel gave him a smile as she told him. [color=f6989d]Mabel: “Open it.” [/color] Felix looked nervous but did as she asked. He tugged on the ribbon before ripping the paper off the plain white box. He opened the box and inside was a black t-shirt. He pulled it out so he could look at it closer. It had some graphics on it. It had a gold dragon sitting on a barstool with a drink in its hand. Old English font read [color=fff200][i]“Valkyrie Fuel the Official Libation Lubrication for the Valkyrie Engineering and Mechanical Team.[/i]” [/color] Alexander heard laughter coming from just outside his door where Mabel’s desk was. He got up and poked his head out to see what was going on. He started laughing as he saw the t-shirt in Felix’s hand. He shook his head in disbelief as he got his laughter under control. [color=00aeef]Alexander: “Well Mabel, I hope you ordered enough for all of them.”[/color] Felix was all smiles as he thanked Mabel. [color=fdc68a]Felix: “Alexander is right. They are all going to want one when they see it.” [/color] [color=f6989d]Mabel: “Felix, that is why I gave you yours first!”[/color] Mabel turned her chair around and sitting in the seat was a large cardboard box. [color=f6989d]Mabel: “I thought you might want to give your team their shirts. Did Katherine tell you that the Drunken Dragon’s posts had gone viral? Your team’s post seemed to be a hit with the fans.”[/color] Alexander leaned against the doorframe. He knew those t-shirts would remind the team that they work together. It was a way to bury the differences between them and present themselves as a unified team. Mabel was once again ahead of him. He would have to thank her later. Alexander suspected those t-shirts would soon become cherished and sought after. He wondered if the other departments would feel competitive and try to come up with their own team mottos. Felix left with a pep in his step carrying the box with his tablet on top and a smile. [hr] [color=gold][center][h1][i][b]Social Media[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [hr] [center][color=fff200][b]The Conspiracy Files: The Conspiracy Files VLOG has decided to investigate the rumors surrounding Audrick Mulder’s death. So far, Conspiracy Files has uncovered that the lead investigator for the Racing Commission retired a few months after the end of the Mulder investigation. Our sources discovered that they had died in a drowning accident while out sailing on a yacht in the Caribbean a year later.[/b] [/color][/center] [color=fff200]Nobody404:[/color] How did the lead investigator, who was making a modest income at the time, retire early to a lavish lifestyle? [color=fff200]OfficeDrone#12:[/color] Wow! Small following. This only popped up on my feed due to keyword filters. Don’t know if I can trust information from a conspiracy theory site. [color=fff200]SuperfanAGR54:[/color] Sad. Using keyword filters to try and up their readership. [color=fff200]DantheMan:[/color] Don’t drink the kool aid! [color=fff200]Superfan2075:[/color] Wow the Drunken Dragon is starting a trend. Others are going to use name filters to try and reach more people. Is there a way to weed out crap like this? [color=fff200]DadBod89:[/color] I don’t know if I trust the source. [color=fff200]Hater101:[/color] #FakeRacerNews [color=fff200]Papabear34:[/color] Wow this old news just won’t go away. [color=fff200]Nana2050:[/color] That is circumstantial but damming all the same. [color=fff200]GeorgeFly:[/color] Who are these guys? [color=fff200]ValkyrieFan56:[/color] #DontFeedTrolls [color=fff200]Weedhead81:[/color] I think they got some bad weed man. [color=fff200]SexyM@m@5:[/color] Wow they only have like 3000 readers. How quaint. [color=fff200]Paulmulder4eva:[/color] Gonna have to agree… the source is suspicious [color=fff200]Britball12:[/color] Break out the tin foil hats if you want to join them. [color=fff200]!YouSlow!:[/color] What is this sh*t? [color=fff200]xImFasterthanUx:[/color] What if they are right? [color=fff200]AGInthusiast:[/color] This is interesting but I am not sure I trust the source.