[center][h1] Delta Hyper Before Qualifying Interview[/h1] [/center] [quote][color=ed1c24]"For your first time on the Moon, you seem to be enjoying yourself Paul! It sounds like you've adapted well to the challenge, and I imagine you're seeking to keep your point lead on Zygon. Has the team got any targets for this season in spite of the changes, or is the sky the limit?"[/color][/quote] Paul smiled into the camera looking relaxed. [color=fff200]“I am enjoying myself on the Moon.” [/color] He leaned forward like an eager kid. [color=fff200]“I am racing on the Moon! How many people get to say that?”[/color] He grinned into the camera and winked before relaxing back into the couch. [color=fff200]“I am doing my best but I can’t deny that racing on the Moon is a bigger challenge than I thought it would be. I am adapting as fast as I can. Well my goal is to win all my races. Of course I want to keep my point lead on Zygon. The team is working hard to remain a contender for the constructors championship. There is still a lot of season left. I like our odds.”[/color] He grinned into the camera. [center][h1][b]Post Qualifying on the Moon[/b][/h1][/center] [b]Soundtrack: [url=https://youtu.be/Xn676-fLq7I?feature=shared] Stronger - Kelly Clarkson [/url][/b] [hr] Paul cursed as he fought the ship. He had learned in gravity and the ship simply didn’t follow what he had trained for. He knew that Alexander had done his best to retrofit the ship for this race. It came down to Paul’s skill and having to unlearn what he knew about piloting the ship. All his skills and experience included gravity, aerodynamics, weather, and wind speed. He had managed to acclimate to the moon’s environment but not enough to be very confident. He still felt like he and his ship were at odds and fighting. The ship was winning. He knew his reaction times were slower as he had to stop and apply what he knew about flying on the moon. Some things were counter intuitive for him. It cost him fractions of a second everytime he had to react in the race. Those fractions added up and were costing him position and time as he made his way around the qualifying lap. He was frustrated and wrung out emotionally and physically by the time his qualifying lap was over. He knew he hadn’t done as well as he normally did. He felt like he had let the team down. It didn’t help that even here on the moon, he was distracted by what was happening with the team. Reporters kept hounding him for another statement. He had never had so much trouble focusing on what he needed to do in the ship before. He was struggling but he didn’t feel like he could ask Dorian for advice as he was struggling worse than he was. Paul had pulled the ship into the hangar after the race. Alexander was waiting for him. Paul sighed as he popped the canopy and climbed out. He pushed off the wing of the ship and floated down to the ground in front of Alexander. His knees easily bending to cushion his landing. Alexander reached out to lend him a hand so he stayed on the ground. The hangar had an atmosphere so the crew could work on the ship. Paul pulled off his helmet and waited for Alexander to say something. Alexander gave Paul a comforting smile. [color=00aeef]“Paul with all the distractions and this is your first time on the moon, I think you are doing as well as can be expected. I wish I had advice for you but I never had the opportunity to race on the moon. Is there anything else we can do to get the ship ready?”[/color] Paul thought about what he had experienced in the qualifying round. [color=fff200]“The thrusters are still firing just a little unequally. It causes the ship to float out to the left when I am turning in that direction. It makes it harder to bring the ship back to equilibrium. I know we have spent the last week trying to dial all that in.”[/color] He shrugged beyond frustrated with himself and the ship. [color=fff200]“I honestly don’t know what else I can do.”[/color] Alexander regarded the young pilot and could see the tension in the way he held his body. [color=00aeef]“Paul, you need to unwind. I can see the tension. If you are too wound up, you are going to make mistakes. You need to find a way to get rid of this tension. Hit the gym, hit the heavy bag. Play a game of chess, get drunk. I don’t know what you need to do, but you have to relax some. Or tomorrow will be more of the same. I will work on the thruster situation and see if I can get them balanced for you.” [/color] Alexander gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze before giving him a smile and motioning him out of the hangar. [color=00aeef]“Now get going. I have work to do.”[/color] Alexander dismissed Paul and turned to find his mechanics. They needed to recalibrate the ship’s thrusters once more. The damn regolith and space dust kept clogging them up and causing them to fire erratically. He was struggling to come up with a solution to fix the issue. Paul sighed and walked away. He was unsure what he could do to relax. He felt like his entire future was on trial along with the CEO. He was frustrated because he couldn’t do anything about it. He was frustrated with his own performance. He knew he could do better. Paul retreated to the team’s plane. He had found the plane to be a little more comfortable and private than the quarters set aside for them on the moon. He still had to do the Delta Hyper interview later. He needed to calm down before then. He took some time to get out of his space suit for a bit. He was in the pressurized cabin in the plane. He got something to eat. He munched on the protein bar and sipped the high protein shake as he squeezed the package it came from. He had settled into a chair with a tablet in his lap. He had settled on some old fashioned games to take his mind off where he was. He played mahjong and solitaire until his alarm beeped telling him it was time to go meet the Delta Hyper team. [hr] [quote][color=ed1c24]"Paul, not the best qualifying for you, but it seems like Dorian was struggling even worse. Do you think you can turn that around tomorrow, based on your comfortable practice sessions?"[/color][/quote] Paul was seated on the Delta Hyper Couch in his racing under suit. He felt very exposed as the suit fit like a neoprene dive suit. It didn’t leave much to the imagination. He put one leg up on his opposing knee. He tried to look casual and relaxed even if he was not. Only the tension along his shoulders revealed how he was really doing. Paul kept a serious expression. His usual playful and charismatic self was missing. [color=fff200]“I can’t speak for Dorian. I have had better runs here on Luna. The team is struggling with a technical issue on the ship from lunar dust. Knight is working on the issue. I hope to have a better showing tomorrow. I have to admit that it is a challenge and a whole new set of skills to pilot a ship on the moon. I had hoped to acclimate faster but we will just have to wait and see. We will all find out tomorrow how the race results shakeout.” [/color] Paul shrugged knowing he had done everything he could so far to put in a good showing on the moon. [hr] [center] [h1][color=fff200]Social Media[/color][/h1][/center] [hr] [center] [color=fff200]Paul Mulder@ValkyriePaul[/color] [/center] [center][color=fff200]Thanks to Enigma Lux, I even look good on the moon![/color] [/center] [Picture of Paul in his racing space suit designed by Engima Lux on the moon with the Earth rising in the background.The shot is majestic with the sunlight catching on the dark gray and golden yellow suit.] [color=fff79a][b]Image liked and shared 89,973 times[/b][/color] [hr] [hider= Team Valkyrie Characters] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5XUgYiVm6KjTpFTWZtJvXc0MX77enkLzINHujKw/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [/hider]