[color=gold][center][h1][i][b]DELTΔ HYPER[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [color=gold][center][h2][i][b]Lunar Race[/b][/i][/h2][/center][/color] [center][h2][i][b][color=00aeef]Alexander Knight[/color] [color=fff200]Paul Mulder[/color] [/b][/i][/h2][/center] [hr] Alexander had done his best with what he had on hand. The sad truth was that the directional thrusters were susceptible to clogging by the Lunar dust. He had tried everything he knew to help relieve the problem but the underlying design was flawed. They were designed to give exceptional thrust but the calibration on them was delicate. They managed to make it about halfway through a race before lunar dust began clogging them up or jamming the calibration on them so they misfired. Alex was frustrated as he had really wanted the Lunar race to be a good experience for Paul and Dorian. The team could use some much needed distraction from all the legal proceedings and gloom and doom predictions from the media and the threats from sponsors to pull out. Alex was grateful that Enigma Lux and Orion had decided to stand with the team. Alex was under pressure from the European Union Space Agency and other sponsors for a win. They wanted the bad press from the CEO to go away. Alex regretted that the team had to go through all the rumor mongering and speculation from the media and the court of public opinion. Alexander had been there before. He knew he could weather this storm. He was worried about the impact to the team. He couldn’t in good conscience let the man walk away free. He had harmed who knew how many people through the years. Alexander had done his best to give both Paul and Dorian a pep talk. He was honest about the issues with the directional thrusters that helped the ship stay on the surface and turn in zero gravity. [color=00aeef]“Expect them to work till about half way through the race. If you can keep them on even if at a low flow it will help keep them from clogging. It is the calibration feature that keeps clogging. Dust builds up inside it and pushes it out of the true center. That is what is causing the issue with them. I have glued a fine mesh over them to help prevent dust from accumulating on them. I am not sure how much help it will be. Or how long it will hold.” [/color] Alexander looked both pilots in the eyes before dropping his eyes to the ground. [color=00aeef]“I feel like I have let you down. Just go do your best. That’s all I can ask.” [/color] Alexander should have talked one of the other engineers into coming with him. He sighed and patted both pilots on the back before helping them into the cockpits and sealing them inside. [color=00aeef]“Good luck Paul and Dorian.” [/color] [hr] Paul was still tense and frustrated with the ship. He knew that Alexander had done the best he could. He was also frustrated with himself. He had trained hard for this race on the simulator. It was another thing to get here and experience the environment and how difficult it was to navigate in. It was like all his instincts had been turned off without gravity. He had a lifetime of navigating gravity, windspeed, the impact of air flow over his craft. It felt counterintuitive to use the engines to move the craft forward and relying on small directional thrusters to keep the ship on the track. He would get a handle on how the ship handled in zero g and then the thrusters would misfire and he would find himself fighting to keep the ship on the track once more. Paul couldn’t help feeling like it was a sign he didn’t belong at this race. His confidence had taken a hit as he trained on the moon this week. He had done his best to block out what was happening back on Earth but he was being bombarded with interview requests. It seemed like everyone that had ever met him was asking what he was going to do next. Paul went through his pre race checklist. Only this time he was in a spacesuit. The gloves on his hands sealed for pressure against vacuum felt a little bulky compared to his normal suit. He went through the checklist and came up green. [color=fff200]“Radio check Alexander. I am showing green on all systems. Mulder is ready for the race.” [/color] Paul heard Dorian checking in with Alexander as well and going through his checklist. Alexander wished them luck one more time and then it was simply wait till start. Paul was in his poll position, in place behind Nora Kelly with Bea Ward behind him. Tension and energy seemed to be rife at the starting line. There was a sense of urgency and seriousness among the pilots. Usually there was some joking overheard on the radio as pilots joked around with their team prior to the race start to bleed off tension. There was none of that today. Almost as if all the pilots knew how much more dangerous this race could be than on Earth. Then it was time as the countdown started. [center][color=green] 5 4 3 2[/color] [color=red]1[/color][/center] Paul hit his engine thruster and the ship shot off the starting line. He once more experienced a few moments where he had to dial the ship back in. The ship was not responding like he was used to in gravity. The ship was faster without wind resistance from the atmosphere. His muscle memory for flying on the moon taking critical moments to kick in. Paul cursed as the front of his ship danced loosely as he went into the first turn. Paul used cussing at his ship to relieve stress in the moment. [color=fff200]“Stop acting like a god forsaken FORD. I will trade you in for a Yugo!”[/color] Paul had to focus hard on what he was doing and didn’t care that the censors for the broadcast were doing their best to bleep out his bad language. Paul was doing his best to keep his ship on the track. He saw ships changing places ahead of him. He got the hang of the ship once more and took off in pursuit. He was pushing as hard as he could to try and catch up with those in front of him. He was slowly closing the gap when he began his second circuit. He traded places with Bea a few times. He screamed at his ship as he saw her go past him. [color=fff200]“You waffling piece of sheep turd!”[/color] He pushed his ship after Bea. He closed again with Bea. He managed to take back his spot with a slick move at one of the turns. He gave a triumphant grin as he felt better. He once more charged after Nora while defending from a takeover of Bea behind him. He had to defend against her ELS a few times as well. Paul was grateful to be holding his own. He was gaining on Nora when his thrusters started to act up again. [color=fff200]“Shit!”[/color] He was fighting to keep his ship on the track once more. He gritted his teeth and fought just to maintain his position. He saw Nora pulling away from him as he fell back. It felt like Nora had hit a turbo booster. He gritted his teeth and pushed the speed even as the ship bucked the thruster that was supposed to help push the ship down towards the mag track acting up and pushing the ship to the right instead of down. Paul fought to keep the ship moving forward. He was focused on just keeping his ship moving forward when alarms blared across his console and his ship set down in a hard stop. Paul looked over his instrument panel trying to figure out what the malfunction was. His heart was racing as more adrenaline dumped into his system. Paul called to Alexander over the radio. [color=fff200]“Alexander, my ship shut down. I was fighting to keep it on the track. I have alarms across the dash and it shut down. I don’t know what’s going on.”[/color] Alexander’s voice was thick with worry and tension as he told Paul over the radio. [color=00aeef]“Paul there are two accidents on the track. The race has been shut down. Marshals are en route to the affected ships. Bring it back to the paddock.”[/color] Paul noted finally which alarms had been going. He had been so focused on fighting the ship he had missed which alarms. He felt sheepish and every inch a rookie. He felt like the dumbest rookie ever. He had trained for this. He knew what every alarm on the dashboard meant. It just went to show how tightly wound he was over everything that was happening. He sighed and felt his cheeks burn with shame. He punched in the code to restart the ship and followed the track back to the paddock. He could see other ships that had been behind him heading back in. [color=fff200]“Who crashed?”[/color] Alexander’s voice was bleak as he answered. [color=00aeef]“Bjorn, Nora, and Ava.” [/color] The color drained from Paul’s face. If he hadn’t been fighting with his ship, he might have ended up in the middle of that crash since he had been right behind her. Nora was good. She was scary good. [color=fff200]“How bad is it?” [/color] Alexander hit the transmit button on the radio. He sighed as he answered the young pilot. [color=00aeef]“It is a bad one Paul. Bring it in.”[/color] Paul followed orders but he took his time coming back. He was composed before he made it back to the paddock. He got out of his ship as fast as possible and joined Alexander. He asked to see the replay and what was happening. Paul followed the dramatic rescue as details came to those waiting anxiously at the paddock. He held vigil with the rest of the Valkyrie team as they waited for word that all the pilots had been picked up and rescued from the track. Paul couldn’t quite describe the relief he felt as he found out everyone was alive. It was only then that he allowed himself to find out the race results. [hr] Paul went to see Nora while Alexander and the team were packing up the team’s gear. He saw Kais leaving. He snuck into Nora’s room. He noted the odd plant next to her bed on the nightstand. He had been told that Nora was in a drug induced coma until they could get her planetside for surgery. Paul didn’t know Nora very well. She was one of the rookies he was trying to get to know better. He appreciated that for her racing was about more than being famous and money. He had seen that in her. He felt she was somewhat a kindred spirit. He had hoped she would take him up on his drifting challenge. He had been very jealous of her progress so far this year. She was someone he would forever measure his rookie year against. Her and Kais. They had set the bar high. Nora had always seemed so full of energy that she almost vibrated with it. To see her lying in the hospital bed looking so fragile and still seemed eerie to him and wrong. He sighed, not quite sure he knew what to say or even if he would be welcome. He had felt driven to at least check on her. [color=fff200]“Hello Nora. I know we don’t know each other well. I respect the hell out of you though. I am so jealous of how well you are doing so far this season. I can tell that racing for you is more than a way to fame and money. You are really good at it. I kept hoping you would take me up on some of my invitations. I know that danger is inherent in what we do. I know that better than most. I look forward to our rematch once you have recovered. I will not accept anything less. Call me if you need motivation. I am happy to be of help. I want a rematch when we are both whole again. I want to see you in a race soon. Get better quickly now. I don’t want there to be any excuses when I finally manage to beat you soundly.”[/color] He grinned and smiled down at the wan figure in the bed. Yeah that would motivate him. Maybe it would help motivate her. He couldn’t fathom finishing a season without her. It just wouldn’t be the same. She was without a doubt the best rookie of the season. The one we were all watching and hoping to be. He stayed for a few more minutes quietly watching her chest rise and fall. He found the sound of her heart beat echoed by the machinery almost reassuring. He left quietly. [hr] Alexander managed to squeeze out a few minutes before they were due to take off back to Earth. He walked into Nora Kelly’s hospital room after checking in with the duty nurse. He looked down at her and noticed the dips in the covering where her arm and leg should be. He couldn’t help comparing her situation to Arianna’s. Nora’s was a simpler injury for cybernetics to help. That didn’t mean having it forced on you was easy. He should know. He sighed as he looked down at the young woman. [color=00aeef]“Nora Kelly, you were born to be a racer. Your good kid. I want you to remember something. You might need two new artificial limbs. They don’t define you. Nora Kelly is a spunky feisty racer with a give no fucks attitude. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Even those closest to you. Artificial limbs are sometimes necessary. They don’t change who you are deep inside. Hold tight to that. I know you are a fighter. I will see you on the track again. If you lose your ride, come see me.”[/color] Alexander didn’t know much about the young racer. He would hope that someone would be there for Arianna if he couldn’t be. He left her as quickly as he had come. The demands on his time here at Luna as the team principal had been fierce. He felt better having spent a few moments wishing the young woman well. He wished someone had given him the same advice. [hr] The trip back to Earth had been strained with tension. All the racers who had accidents were recovering or expected to recover. Tension among the team was high. They hadn’t done as well at Luna as they had anticipated. Paul had been excited to race on the moon. He had to admit that if he never set foot on the moon again, he would be okay with that. The only thing pushing him to return was that he refused to be defeated by the moon. He knew now that he would need a great deal of training before setting foot back on the moon. He also knew their ships would need to be completely reworked before setting foot on the moon again. He did his best to push the accidents behind him. He couldn’t help but think about his father after everything that had happened on Luna. He approached Alexander and took a seat opposite him. Alexander looked tired to Paul’s eyes. He tilted his head to one side as he tried to decide how to start the conversation. Paul: [color=fff200]“Can we talk about Monaco?”[/color] Alexander was tired. He had to play engineer and team principal on this trip. He had a backlog of forwarded urgent emails from Mabel on decisions that needed to be made by him. She had waited till after the race to send them. He was getting caught up on what he missed while away on the moon. Mabel’s email to him told him he should try to catch up on the trip back. She also ended it with a reminder to get some rest. He had rolled his eyes at that but then smiled. He knew she was screening his email but he still had over 50 items on her to do list to check off. He had been working on his tablet when Paul sat down across from him. He looked up as he heard Paul speak. He nodded and set his tablet down. Paul looked a little nervous and then straightened up his spine and squared his shoulders. [color=fff200]“I would like to race in an alternative livery at Monaco. I want to race in my father’s colors. It would be a good tribute to his memory. Monaco was his favorite race. I want to win at Monaco for him. Our ship should do well there. Will you let me?” [/color] Alexander kept a neutral face as he regarded Paul. He considered the young man’s request. He didn’t see how things could possibly get any worse for Valkyrie. Alexander looked over Paul’s face. [color=00aeef]“I will check into the rules and see what I can do. I think that is a mighty fine idea Paul.”[/color] He gave Paul a genuine smile. [color=00aeef]“I know that was your father’s favorite race. It was the first time he beat me. We met at that race.” [/color] Paul looked surprised. He hadn’t realized that Alexander might have memories of his father at Monaco too. He knew that Alexander knew his father. He kept forgetting that they were not only competitors but friends too. He smiled at Alexander. [color=fff200]“Will you tell me about it?” [/color] Alexander’s eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled. His eyes took on a faraway look as he remembered a past time. [color=00aeef]“I had just gotten signed to Formula 1. I was young and trying to impress this young female journalist. He overheard me telling her I was going to win. He walked right into the middle of my interview. He told me the loser had to buy the beer. I just laughed and told him he was on. Later that night he drunk me under the table.”[/color] He smiled as memories of good times and a good man he had called friend flashed across the back of his eyes. He blinked and seemed to come back to the moment. [color=00aeef]“Cavan will begin rebuilding the ships and checking everything to ensure they are ready for Monaco. If we get the permission, you have my permission to run his colors for the race.” [/color] [hr] [quote] [color=ed1c24]"What was your reaction to the crash?"[/color] [/quote] Paul had suspected this question had been coming. He had been surprised that Delta Hyper had waited this long to interview the pilots after the dramatic lunar race. Paul had his neutral face on with a serious look in his eyes. [color=fff200]“What we do is inherently dangerous. No one likes to see accidents happen but the fact is they are bound to happen. I don’t like seeing people hurt in our sport but all athletes see injuries on occasion. It comes with the territory. I for one wish them all the best and a speedy recovery.” [/color] Paul paused to let it sink in that he was answering about all those who had been injured, not just Nora. He continued his statement. [color=fff200]“It is a simple fact that Nora Kelly is having a stellar Rookie season. If she is going to beat me, I want it to be when she is at her best. I hope to make her work for every win.” [/color] Paul gave a sincere and charming smile to the camera. [color=fff200]“That is my job as one of her competitors. I couldn't be more proud of my fellow rookie though. I can’t deny being jealous that she is having such a great rookie season. I hope to catch up to her but only if she is a 100 percent! It wouldn’t mean as much if I beat her otherwise. It needs to be an honorable and honest win or it doesn’t mean as much.”[/color] [hr] [color=gold][center][h1][i][b]Social Media[/b][/i][/h1][/center][/color] [hr] [center] [b][color=fff200]Team Valkyrie AGR @TeamValkyrie:[/color][/b] Team Valkyrie AGR Sport sends Felix Burkhart good wishes at his new home at Carerra Condor. [/center] [hr] [color=fff200]OfficeDrone#12:[/color] Felix went to Carrera Condor! That was a surprise. [color=fff200]SuperfanAGR54:[/color] Still upset about that. They seemed to struggle at Luna. [color=fff200]DantheMan:[/color] Valkyrie doesn’t seem to be doing well without him. [color=fff200]BatDave:[/color] Like Batman, sometimes it takes time to formulate a plan. [color=fff200]Superfan2075:[/color] Luna was disastrous. Paul did okay but Dorian… [color=fff200]DadBod89:[/color] Yeah what happened to Dorian? He was the pilot with experience. [color=fff200]Hater101:[/color] According to interviews there were technical issues with the ships. I bet they are missing Burkhart now! [color=fff200]Papabear34:[/color] At least the Valkyrie pilots were not part of that series of crashes. Paul was right behind Nora Kelly. [color=fff200]Nana2050:[/color] Prayers answered that the team is home safe. [color=fff200]GeorgeFly:[/color] There is certainly a shroud of uncertainty around team Valkyrie. [color=fff200]ValkyrieFan56:[/color] P7 was not bad for Paul. It was the first time he had raced on the moon. [color=fff200]Weedhead81:[/color] Paul can you tell us if there is weed on the moon? How is smoking weed in zero gravity? [color=fff200]SexyM@m@5:[/color] Well we know where Burkhart went now. I am unsure if it was a step up for him. [color=fff200]Paulmulder4eva:[/color] That was a scary crash. Glad Paul is back on the Earth. [color=fff200]Britball12:[/color] Well Luna certainly showed that Valkyrie needs Burkhart. [color=fff200]!YouSlow!:[/color] Valkyrie disappointed on the moon [color=fff200]xImFasterthanUx:[/color] Burkhart will do well at Carerra Condor [color=fff200]AGInthusiast:[/color] P7 is not bad for Paul. Disappointed in Dorian [color=fff200]micheal650004:[/color] I hope that manage to improve at Monaco [color=fff200]Bertha:[/color] Valkyrie botched the moon as expected [hr] [h2]Pilot’s Group Chat[/h2] Bea: “@Paul @Dorian I swear we didn’t know.” Paul:@Bea “I believe you. Don’t worry Bea. This doesn’t affect anything between us. Burkhart is a stand up guy and a great engineer. Your team is lucky to get him.” [hr] [hider= Team Valkyrie Characters] https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zrLx5XUgYiVm6KjTpFTWZtJvXc0MX77enkLzINHujKw/edit?gid=0#gid=0 [/hider]