[center][h1][b]Tuesday 9th May 2094 Team Valkyrie HQ[/b][/h1][/center] 11:00am [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://youtu.be/YMDrTMnm1IE?feature=shared] Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood - The Animals [/url][/b] [hr] While Leopold had been running the board of directors meeting to lure Brendel out for authorities, Alexander had met with Katherine in Wulfric’s office. The only office in the building Alexander was absolutely sure was safe to have a secure meeting. Katherine had been shocked but she recovered quickly as Alexander explained what he wanted to do. Katherine was on board with the plan. It was her idea that Alexander should do a personal video explaining the events to the public. She wanted to frame it as a personal message from Alexander that was backed by the team. Alexander and Katherine watched the fallout of the meeting together in Wulfric’s office. Alexander felt that Katherine had to know everything so she could run damage control. Her job was the public relations and marketing for Team Valkyrie. There really was no positive spin in a situation like this. Brendel and Maier had both been part of the leadership team at Valkyrie which makes their crimes appear to be sanctioned by the team even through ignorance. It was not the kind of thing that made a corporation look good. Alexander was expecting there to be some fallout. He was hoping to minimize it. He knew part of that meant controlling as much of the narrative as possible. Katherine was surprised at Alexander’s willingness to put his face to the message. The events really had nothing to do with Alexander. He had merely been a catalyst that revealed what was happening behind closed doors. Alexander had spent a half hour coming up with the appropriate messaging and filming it in the Media Room. Katherine had then released it with a press release from Valkyrie even as government investigators and agents were crawling all over the building. Alexander was very grateful that he had managed to finish getting the Mitchells settled in and squared away yesterday. Human Resources was in chaos at the moment. All the human resources staff had been isolated and were being questioned in a conference room on that floor. He hoped Valerie, the new head of the human resources department, was handling the situation well. He felt bad that he couldn’t warn her what was coming but they had to keep it to the need to know. Any hint of what was coming and they feared Brendel would have bolted. He had the connections to disappear. Alexander wanted to see Maier and Brendel charged and behind bars. They needed to suffer for what they had put others through. Alexander knew that this would bring a great deal of scrutiny and attention to the team by authorities. He hoped that after the team weathered this that the team would bounce back stronger. He had no doubt that they could and would weather this current crisis. The only thing he didn’t know was how long it would take and how bad the repercussions would be. Alexander was beyond stressed and worried. He had wrapped up the immediate work with Katherine. He would need to meet with the rest of the leadership team but he would have to wait till they were done being questioned by investigators. Alexander’s biggest worry was how all this chaos was going to impact Cavan Mitchell. Katherine assured him that she had things well in hand for now. He took off for Engineering. He wanted to explain personally what was happening to Cavan. He hoped he took the explanation well. [hr] Cavan had spent yesterday getting his family settled. He had spent hours at human resources filling out paperwork and doing his training on the company’s policies and procedures. Cavan was a little amused but respected the fact they provided training on how to avoid harassment, how to report it, and how to spot it. They had even quizzed him on the very lengthy employee handbook. He had felt like he was back in college. He almost asked the young woman processing his hire paperwork if he got graded on the quiz. He didn’t think she would find it amusing. He had been shown his office. He had unpacked some things he brought with him. He preferred his own set of tools. He had a collection of trade manuals and books that he referenced from time to time. A few awards for his glory wall. A few pictures of him with pilots in front of ships. The photos showcased his career so far. In the middle of it all was a large picture of his family. They reminded him why he was here. They had moved in what they needed to be comfortable here in between trips to Sheffield. They hadn’t brought much for them since the apartment came fully equipped. They had needed essentials and had brought some comforts of home with them. Pictures of their family and friends. Some decor to make the place their own. Some toys and entertainment for the children. His wife had brought her photography equipment. She was going to start exploring her passion once more. Cavan knew he would miss England but his family seemed excited about the change and supportive. He knew it would be an adjustment but he had a good feeling about it. Cavan and his wife had enrolled the children in school on Monday. Once they had gotten that chore out of the way they had all gone to the store to get some essentials. The team had let them use one of the company vehicles. That had been an adventure all by itself. The school was close enough that the children could walk. Mary had walked them to school this morning to help them acclimate and be sure they made it to class alright. The children had gone off to school excited to make new friends. Mary had gone off exploring with her camera. Cavan had spent most of his morning familiarizing himself with his new office. He had been wandering from team member to member introducing himself and finding out what they were working on. He was eager to jump in but Knight was supposed to be here sometime this morning to introduce him to the team and let him know what needed to be done. Cavan had a good idea what needed to be done but he was not familiar with Valkyrie’s ships which meant he could oversee but would have a ton of questions for the engineers and mechanics currently doing the work. Cavan was getting anxious when a tired and harried looking Alexander Knight finally appeared in Engineering bay. Cavan smiled and went to greet him. Cavan smiled and shook Alexander's hand warmly as he titled his head and chastised him lightly. [color=7bcdc8]“Well look what the cat dragged in! I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about me.” [/color] Alexander winced and a pained look crossed his face. Knight motioned towards Cavan’s office. [color=00aeef]“I need to speak with you first in your office. I have some news I need to share with you.” [/color] Cavan frowned since he didn’t miss the worried look in Alexander’s eyes. He nodded and led the way into his office. Cavan didn’t miss it when Alexander closed his office door behind him. He took a seat on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms and waited for the other shoe to drop. He could tell something serious was going down. Alexander sighed and collapsed into the chair in front of Cavan’s desk. He ran his hands absentmindedly through his hair. Alexander straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath and began to explain today’s event. He knew Cavan would need some context since he had not been here for Alexander’s first day in office. Alexander looked up and met Cavan’s eyes and just began to share the truth as he knew it with a man who had just uprooted his family to come bail the team out. He had no clue how Cavan would take it. Especially after how he was treated at Fitzroy. Alexander’s voice held frustration, anger, and worry as he told the sordid tale of the corruption he had found living at the heart of the team. Alexander: [color=00aeef]“Cavan I am going to back up and give you some context. I want us to be able to trust one another. I am going to share some very sensitive information with you. Then we are going to have to go out there and share what’s going on with the rest of your team. The timing for all of this is absolutely horrible but then they say bad news heeds the devil’s timeline and the devil is singing and dancing all over this team. When I was hired, I insisted on a contract that gave him full control over the racing team’s decisions. To be frank after my experiences when I left racing, I didn’t have much trust in corporate leadership. I had worked with the board president before Leopold Koch. I was given an opportunity to be crew chief and asked to do it by Alicia Mulder. I was good friends with her husband and Paul’s father. She was worried that Paul would be sucked in and mistreated by uncaring leadership. She didn’t want them forcing experimental modifications on him. She understands racing is dangerous but its those hidden dangers she was worried about. I swore when I left I would never come back and she knew that. She offered me the only thing that could entice me to come back. My daughter Arianna had been in a nasty car accident. She is now a quadriplegic. The only way for her to have any chance of a decent life was heavy augmentation. Alicia offered to get her the best mods available and get her into the trial if I did this for her. I said yes. I know you understand the importance of family. I had to do it. She is my only child.” [/color] Alexander had relaxed into his story now. He took a deep breath and continued. [color=00aeef]“My first full day in the office was, well let’s call it eventful. Meetings with the medical team uncovered long term system abuse by the head of the medical team. I had to subdue him with an arm bar and have him escorted from the building. My female mechanics informed me that they were being harassed by other male members of the team. Engineering was doing alright. Felix just needed better support. One of the board members made a sexist remark about my bringing my executive assistant with me at a working team lunch. My first day in office and I almost decked a board member who was replaced the next day. Later that day I discovered that there were significant abuses of power happening by the head of human resources, Bernard Maier. We fired him and his primary accomplice and began investigating his activities. That led myself, Leopold Koch, the board president, and Wulfric Gunderson, our Chief of Security, to discover ties between Maier and the CEO Peter Brendel. Then out of the blue I heard a rumor that Felix had been offered a contract with another team and that he was going to leave us after Luna. I confronted Felix because he is a good man and a great engineer. I didn’t want to lose him. I point blank asked him why he was leaving. He indicated it had to do with how he was treated by the CEO. Our investigation into Maier was being stonewalled by the CEO’s office. After discussing what was happening, Leopold authorized Wulfric to investigate the CEO. We found hard evidence of embezzlement, fraud, and harassment going back years. He and his accomplices had managed to steal millions from the team. I found this out yesterday. I made the decision to take that information to the authorities and work with them to arrest Brendel. Brendel has the means to flee and escape punishment. I owe to all the people they screwed over and abused through the years to seek justice for them. I know the team is going to be brutalized in the media. They love anything that includes me and drama. I am a damn magnet for that shit. Brendel was lured to the office today with the promise of an emergency board meeting. He thought they were going to discuss firing me but it was a trap so that authorities could arrest him. He has been arrested. As we speak, the board of directors is discussing how we are going to handle this. Katherine already has our press release ready to go out. I shot a video asking for patience and understanding as I explain what’s happening. Valkyrie will cooperate fully with the authorities. We are issuing an official apology for the unsanctioned actions of these men and making that public. I just feel like all this…” [/color] He struggled to come up with the words. [color=00aeef]“I want to build a solid team that cares for each other and helps each other out. I can’t do that if the people in leadership positions are abusive and dismissive of employees that they feel are beneath them. I can’t build a solid foundation for this team over a rotten foundation. I had to get this out in the open. Those people trusted that their leadership had their welfare in mind. They didn’t and it was wrong. I believe you share my vision for what this team should be and where it needs to go. I believe you are the right man for the head engineering position here at Valkyrie. I am beyond grateful to have you here. But I wanted you to hear about the current shit storm coming down on our heads from me. I hope you still want to be here now that you know what’s been going on behind the scenes. I am hopeful this will be the last bit of drama for a while.” [/color] Cavan had sat there listening. He went through a whole gamut of emotions. He followed along and felt sucker punched to learn about all that had been hidden behind the scenes at the team. Cavan had talked to the engineers and mechanics and other workers. Most of them had a good impression of Alexander. He had not walked into this blindly. He couldn’t deny on a professional and personal level that he wanted to be here. He had missed it and this is where he belongs. He was born to lead a team of engineers on a racing team. He had missed the challenge of always seeking to make it better. Cavan began to pace as he listened to Alexander’s story. [i]How dare he wait till now to let him know that there was a shit storm brewing behind the scene? He waited till he had moved his family![/i] That made Cavan angry. He waited till Alexander was through and then walked up and punched him in the gut putting his whole body behind it. Alexander grunted and the force of the blow knocked the chair backwards with him in it. Cavan stood over him with his hands on his hips and looked down at him. Cavan: [color=7bcdc8]“YOU Bloody arsehole! You waited till I was in and had uprooted my family to share this with me! You want me to trust ya? After that!”[/color] Alexander had the wind knocked out of him. Cavan looked like an avenging Brit with his hat all askew from his frantic habit of playing with his cap to bleed off energy. His cheeks were ruddy from anger and his eyes glinted dangerously. Alexander couldn’t help but laugh even though that hurt at the moment. Alexander: [color=00aeef]“I just found out about the CEO yesterday. I couldn’t share it before he was arrested. It was the right thing to do Cavan. What I have seen so far inside this corporation was that no one was really protecting the everyday workers here like they should. I have been working hard to change that culture and get rid of the worst offenders. I had no idea the CEO was one of the worst.” [/color] Cavan began to laugh as Alexander looked ridiculous on his back in the toppled chair. He bent down and gave Alexander a hand up. Cavan: [color=7bcdc8]“I am still mad at you for keeping this from me. If you want me to trust you, it goes both ways Alexander. Don’t keep anything that can impact the team like this from me again.”[/color] He frowned at Alexander and gave him a nasty side look before smiling again. Cavan: [color=7bcdc8]“I respect you for doing the right thing even when it is hard. I respect you even more for standing up for the workers that others overlooked. That is one of the things that pissed me off at Fitzroy. It has been my experience that if you take care of your team, they take care of you. Corpos and teams like Fitzory are failing because of that. For that reason, I will stay. I will work with ye. Don’t hide things from me again though. I won’t go through this again. I don’t have the patience for it.” [/color] Alexander offered his hand to Cavan again. Alexander: [color=00aeef]“I can handle that. Maybe next time you want to hit me, we can take it to the gym. We don’t want the team to think you are killing me here.” [/color] Cavan threw back his head and laughed. He clapped Alexander on the shoulder before shaking his hand. Cavan: [color=7bcdc8]“I guess we need to talk to the team. How bad is it?”[/color] Alexander winced. Alexander: [color=00aeef]“Well currently there are government investigators all over the building pulling staff into interviews and seizing documents and evidence for their case against Brendel and Maier.”[/color] [hr] Alexander and Cavan had left his office and made their way deeper into the Engineering Bay. Alexander gave a shrill whistle and called out. [color=00aeef]“Can I have everyone’s attention please? Gather around. I know you are busy but this is important.” [/color] Alexander waited as people made their way over. The background noise faded abruptly as tools, machinery, and chatter ceased. Obviously the rumor mill had beat him. There were a lot of fearful and anxious faces watching him. Alexander sighed and straightened up trying to project confidence as he filled the team in on what was going on. Alexander nodded to the team in greeting as he started. Alexander: [color=00aeef]“Good morning everyone. I will try to keep this as brief as possible. I know there are a lot of preparations happening to get ready for Luna. Especially as we are leaving early for training and to get a week to get acclimated to the gravity and climate there. I will start with the bad news. I can see the rumor mill beat me here.” [/color] He paused and took a read on his audience. Yep word that something was happening had reached engineering. Alexander continued: [color=00aeef]“This morning Team Valkyrie CEO Peter Brendel was arrested for embezzlement, fraud, and harassment. The building is currently crawling with government agents and investigators. Some of them may ask to speak with you regarding your employment here. Tell them what they want to know. Tell the truth. I have seen the evidence. Brendel and Maier will be convicted. I know this will put the team in the crosshairs for government regulators and a media shitstorm. But this was the right thing to do. Everyone that Brendel and Maier hurt at this company deserve justice. We can’t get justice for the injured parties by hiding the malicious acts of these two men. The Team will be releasing a statement to the public with an apology for the conduct of these two men. Again it is the right thing to do. If we want the public to trust us, we have to be honest with them. We can’t hide this kind of shit. It always makes the way out into the light. So we will shine a light on this and expose it for what it is. We will own up that there was a failure in leadership with this team. Then we are going to work hard to figure out ways to ensure this kind of bullshit doesn’t happen again. Things will be chaotic for a bit. I am hopeful we will finally get some drama free time after this. I think I deserve a break, don’t you?” [/color] Alexander gave them a wry smile as they all laughed along with him. He could see the tension lessen and the worry reduce a little. It was still there but at least the fear was gone. Alexander gave them a few moments to absorb that bombshell. He gave them all a big smile before he gave them the good news. Alexander: [color=00aeef]“There is some good news! I want to introduce you all to our new Chief Engineer, Cavan Mitchell. Cavan got his start in Formula AG at Silver Apex. He then was the head engineer at Fitzroy. He left Fitzroy because they didn’t treat their engineers and mechanics well. I promised him we would do better. And we will! So the good news is that I found an experienced engineer to replace Felix. Cavan is not Felix. I am sure there will be changes. Cavan is more of a leader and all hands on deck kind of guy. I like that about him. You will probably be asked to contribute more of your own ideas. Cavan I am sure has some tricks to teach you all. And there is even more good news!”[/color] Alexander waited as they all laughed once more. [color=00aeef]“He is bringing two of his engineers with him that Fitzroy let go. They will be joining us in a few weeks if all goes well.” [/color] This time Alexander laughed as there were cheers throughout the bay. Alexander smiled and looked around for Helga. He spotted her and motioned her forward. [color=00aeef]“Okay folks thank you for all your hard work. That’s all the news I have for now. Cavan will be around to chat with you all in a bit. Helga, can you join us!”[/color] Cavan had stood by Alexander’s side and listened as he made his announcements to the team. He stood with a neutral expression while Alexander explained about the CEO’s arrest. He smiled and waved as he was introduced. He was gratified to see curious looks and a few excited ones. A beautiful petite blonde woman in a Team Valkyrie coverall walked towards them. She smiled at Knight and gave him a respectful nod. Alexander returned it and smiled at the woman. [color=00aeef]“Helga meet Cavan. Cavan this is Helga Stumpf our lead mechanic. While you are in charge of the engineering team, Helga leads the mechanics. So you actually lead this section together. She oversees the mechanics allowing you to focus on the engineers. Both teams work in the same bay because it just makes sense logistically. When I got here they had separate working areas and it was causing confusion, communication breakdowns, and inventory issues. So I will leave you to get to know one another. I know there is a great deal to get done in a short period of time as we prepare the ship for lunar gravity and dust. You will need to discuss which team members will pull the short straws to get the extended stay on the moon. Remember whoever goes has to attend the mandatory training by the ESU. We will be on the moon for a week before the race. Cavan I am not going to ask you to go. I plan to go and will be the onsite engineer in case we need anything. Helga figure out which mechanics you want to send. Let me know so I can get them details on traveling and make sure they have the appropriate gear. Any questions?”[/color] Cavan felt like he had been run over by a tornado. He just laughed and offered a handshake to Helga. [color=7bcdc8]“Helga, it is a pleasure to meet you. I see we already have a lot to do. Would you mind taking me around and sharing what everyone is working on and introducing me?” [/color] Helga just laughed and shook her head at Knight. As always he was moving at light speed around them as they struggled to keep up. [color=00a99d]“Thanks Alexander. I will take care of Cavan.”[/color] Alexander smiled and nodded. [color=00aeef]“I know you will. Cavan fair warning she has a mean right hook and knows how to use those wrenches!” [/color] Cavan blinked at that and looked confused for a moment. [color=7bcdc8]“Alexander I know better than to question if a mechanic knows how to use their tools. Get out of here before you cause any more trouble today!” [/color] Alexander left laughing with a wave over his shoulder. Well at least the engineers and mechanics seemed to take the news alright. He wasn’t ready to hear how the rest of the company was doing. As he left he heard Helga telling Cavan about the bar that had created a drink in their honor. Alexander just laughed and wondered if he should give the Drunken Dragon a heads up. [hr] While Alexander was working hard to improve team morale and help them comply with the government regulators and investigators pouring through the building, Leopold had been waging war with the board of directors. He had managed to convince them that Alexander’s plan was appropriate as it was the law and the right thing to do. The company would need to identify individuals that had been injured parties and offer an apology and some kind of compensation. Leopold had already added to the heavy lift their legal team was going through at the moment. Leopold also shot Johanna Lipusv a copy of the charges and search warrant. A brief summary of findings and the plan of action for moving forward. He also included the raw uncut footage of the board of directors meeting for her to review. He asked for any help she might be as the team is getting ready to leave for the moon. He also noted her colleagues' behavior in the meeting for her to review. He added that he wanted to be transparent about the challenges the team was facing and what they were doing about it. [hr] [color=gold][center][h1][i][b]Media[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [hr] [center] [b][color=fff200]Victory Laps Racing News[/color][/b][/center] Controversy seems to be following Alexander Knight and Team Valkyrie AGR Sport. The announcement by the team of the arrest of the CEO has rocked the Formula AG Racing world. Many are calling for more transparency from the team and for the racing commision to take a closer look at the team. Others are applauding the team’s honesty in their statement and claim it points to good integrity. Victory Laps requested a comment from the racing commision about whether they planned to impose any sanctions or investigate the matter at Team Valkyrie. The racing commision declined to comment at this time. Public response to the announcement has been just as mixed and volatile. [hr] [color=fff200]OfficeDrone#12:[/color] It was a chaotic day at Valkyrie. [color=fff200]SuperfanAGR54:[/color] I like that Knight was open about what was happening inside the team. [color=fff200]DantheMan:[/color] The breakdown in leadership seems like it has been building for a while. [color=fff200]BatDave:[/color] Justice for Valkyrie Workers. [color=fff200]Superfan2075:[/color] If the CEO was doing that, what else has been going on behind the scenes at Valkyrie? [color=fff200]DadBod89:[/color] #JusticeforWorkers [color=fff200]Hater101:[/color] The racing commission should at least investigate to ensure that no regulations for racing were violated. [color=fff200]Papabear34:[/color] #Speechless [color=fff200]Nana2050:[/color] #RespectforKnight [color=fff200]GeorgeFly:[/color] #RespectforKnight [color=fff200]ValkyrieFan56:[/color] I feel duped. My favorite team had this going on behind the scenes? [color=fff200]Weedhead81:[/color] Relax people! Smoke a bowl! [color=fff200]SexyM@m@5:[/color] No response from Dorian [color=fff200]Paulmulder4eva:[/color] No response from Paul either [color=fff200]Britball12:[/color] Corpo Management Sucks! [color=fff200]!YouSlow!:[/color] Disgusted with Valkyrie’s leadership. [color=fff200]xImFasterthanUx:[/color] #RespectforKnight [color=fff200]AGInthusiast:[/color] I just want to hear about the racing. I don’t care about this political BS. [color=fff200]micheal650004:[/color] #RespectforKnight [color=fff200]Bertha:[/color] #ValkyrieFails [color=fff200]Nobody404:[/color]Valkyrie’s troubles started before Knight got there. It is because of Knight that these abuses are coming to light. Please note the person under arrest is the CEO not Knight. Obviously the CEO is the guilty party. [hr] [hider= Team Valkyrie Characters] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5XUgYiVm6KjTpFTWZtJvXc0MX77enkLzINHujKw/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [/hider]