I am experienced roleplayer returning to online roleplay after 10+ year break. I have missed roleplaying and the creative outlet it is for me. I am interested in casual roleplay. I consider myself a decent writer and I will put effort into my writing. I am not into writing a novel for one post though. Descriptive, character building, engaging, yes. I will always write at least 2 paragraphs unless it is a quick fire session revolving around dialogue over private messages. I am a fairly laid back person and don't want to be a grammar nazi. I believe in quality over quantity. Roleplaying is a hobby and a escape from real life pressures.
Genres I am interested in: Fantasy Middle Ages Science Fiction Vampires Shapeshifters Crime Drama
Fandoms I am interested in: Pokemon Harry Potter Anita Blake Dragonriders of Pern Star Wars
I don't mind roleplaying romance but I am not looking for smut. It has to make sense for the roleplay. I am okay with a fade to black moment instead of roleplaying it out. For me its about the story and the character. I am open to roleplaying it out.
I am in the Pacific Standard Timezone. I work full time and will be seen in the evenings and weekends online.
Chuck had come up after Freya. He cleared the decking and moved into the shadows as he looked around for any more guards. He watched Freya as she dragged the guys she had dropped behind some piping. Chuck’s dopey grin got bigger as she winked at him. He winked back before his head on the swivel, checking the area out. Once the team had all assembled on the decking. The small number of guards meant that the guards were probably on rotations in small squads of four. It wouldn’t be long before more came along.
Chuck was very amused when he heard Adam tell Freya. "Death by snu-snu, Frigga? That's new."
Chuck couldn’t help but add: “Yeah but what a way to go!” He snickered suddenly, having the best time. They might be under pressure to save the world but nothing was going to ruin his good mood.
Adam called them together and gave out orders.
Adam: "Divider here. Algal labs are that way. Command is this way. If that merc is around, be really, really fucking careful. Boaro knows the horror stories, if she comes out, expect a hell of a fight. If it's in our way, clear it out. No friendlies on deck. I trust you guys to get it done. Once you've secured it, dump the counteragent and stop anything that moves. Me and Freya will get air support to lend us a hand, because it's going to be intense."
Chuck acknowledged his orders with a nod to Adam. It looked like he was with Ban and Ebrima to take out the algae lab. Chuck turned to his two teammates.
Chuck's voice came over comms: “I think the best plan is for two of us to distract the personnel and guards while the third goes for the tank. I should be on the distraction team. Ebrima is great on the long gun and overwatch. I suggest Boraro takes the high ground. I will take the center. And Shimura goes for the toxin tank.”
Chuck and his team had been moving towards the algae farm while talking. He paused outside the entrance waiting for his teammates to weigh in on the plan. Then all hell broke loose as the flood lights came on and “intruder alert” blared over the loudspeakers all over the base.
Chuck laughed as he pointed at the guards coming towards them.
Chuck: “What is this an episode of Star Trek?! Hey look guys, red shirts!”
Chuck didn’t wait and ran towards the four man squad in an eager anticipation of battle. He decided to go old school due to the cramped quarters. Besides their numbers so far they didn’t have anything that could scratch him. He let out a battle cry and put his hand to hand combat and martial arts skills to work. It had been a while since he had fought like this. His heavy armor protected his body and made it a weapon that easily harmed anyone not in heavy armor. Kevlar vests didn’t protect from kinetic damage. Chuck was strong enough that he could pull limbs off and dent helmets. He punched one guard in the throat while delivering a spinning back kick to the chest of another which launched the guard backwards about 10 feet where he came to a sudden halt when his body met the steel wall. Chuck quickly used an arm sweep to knock the gun out of the hand of the third guard before twisting and slamming his armored first into the next guard chest causing his chest to concave.
Chuck made that heavy armor look more like spandex as it moved with him. Chuck’s close combat skills are not hidden by the heavy armor he wore. He looked like a mixed martial arts pro wearing sports wear but in reality was clad in heavy high tech armor that shouldn’t move that way. Most would think that his armor restricted his movements and he would move more like a robot. Chuck made looking badass in armor easy while scaring the shit out of the guards attacking him. His armor shrugged off a few pistol shots that managed to land on him.
Sunday March 5th, 2094 Auckland, New Zealand_-_Aotearoa Race Day
Grid Photo
Paul had just wrapped up the smack talk with Bea and was headed towards the exit when he was approached by Kofi.
Kofi voice was full of warmth and his expression a friendly one as his slightly accented voice called told him.
Kofi: "You really are your father's son. Good to have you in the grid, Paul! Me and Dorian were watching your junior racing, not often a son of a legend comes in...I am glad you found home."
Paul was a little uncomfortable when Kofi smiled and put an arm around his shoulder. It was an invasion of his personal space from someone he didn’t know very well. While Paul was used to that behavior from fans, he was surprised to experience it from another pilot. It made him uncomfortable and he did his best to hide it.
Kofi: "There will be a lot of talk. But you stay true to you, yes? Don't ever let them grind you down. Media, yes? And I'll tell you now. You're now an AG pilot, so there is action But, just be you and it's easy. Do not overthink....the rest you'll put to the fiyah."
Paul was surprised at the advice from Kofi but he supposed he shouldn’t be. Kofi was billed as the gentle giant among the racers. He was that genuinely nice guy in a sea of back stabbing sharks. He smiled and patted Kofi on the back. “Thank you Kofi. I will be sure to keep your advice in mind. Good Luck out there!”
Kofi left him after patting him on the chest and left chuckling. Paul made his way off the pontoon platform.
Before the Race
Alexander saw Aurora making her way through the team paddocks. After he was chastised by the head of marketing, he knew he would need to give a sound bite. He waited for her to make her way into the Team Valkyrie paddock. He had been reviewing the course information and making sure the pilots had been well taken care of. Their ships were ready, physicals had been cleared, pilots had access to the information he had on the course. They could review the turns and memorize as much of the track as possible before the race. There had not been much time for him to make any changes. All he could do is support their existing routines. There was not much time left before the race started and he couldn’t think of anything else to do other than wish the pilots luck.
Alexander approached the fiery looking reporter. He gave her a warm welcoming smile. He extended a hand in greeting to her. He could see the camera drones that followed her. He guessed that they probably never turned off.
Alexander: “Good Morning Aurora. I wanted to apologize for my abrupt departure during our previous interview. As you know my return to racing was a surprise to everyone, including me. I had literally just gotten started and was working on getting caught up. I was exhausted and needed some rest.”
Alexander paused and wondered if he should say anything. He decided to get ahead of any rumors. The media was probably already digging into his personal life. It wouldn’t take much for them to find out about his daughter’s accident. Safety features in vehicles these days have made traffic accidents less frequent. The drunk driver who had hit his daughter happened to be in a vehicle with the safety features had been hacked and turned off. He would be sure to call his ex-wife and let her know that the media might come snooping around. It was inevitable anyway with his return to racing.
Alexander gave Aurora a tired look that was full of love and warmth as he thought about his daughter. Grateful he had been able to give her this chance for recovery and a life.
“You see the truth of the matter is, my daughter had been hit by a drunk driver and was in the hospital. I had not gotten much sleep the week prior. She was in ICU and then when we knew she was going to pull through, she had to undergo multiple surgeries to support her recovery. I had just come in on a red eye from the states. I promise, I will be more available for interviews in the future. I wanted to personally invite you to attend the press conference I have the marketing team arranging next Wednesday at Team Valkyrie AGR Sport headquarters in Aachen, Germany.”
Alexander didn’t miss the gasps and looks of shock on some of the team faces around him who had been listening in to what he had to say to Aurora. He was pretty sure the gossip mongers would be hard at work. He suspected the whole team would have heard about the status of his daughter before the race started.
Alexander gave Aurora a smile that softened his whole face and lit up with love.
Alexander: “My daughter is on her road to a full recovery. I didn’t want to leave her till I knew she was out of the woods. I would ask the media to give her privacy while she heals. She has enough going on at the moment without fending off interview requests. She will talk to folks when she is ready. Prayers and good wishes are always welcome though.”
He waited to see what questions Aurora might have. He hoped giving her an interview exclusive with such a juicy tidbit might redeem him in her eyes.
Alexander was on the headset looking into the monitors in the Team Valkyrie Paddock. He knew the mechanics, pit crew, and engineers all had a monitor with computers to give them data being streamed from the ship to their stations so they could keep track of the action. Alexander had worked to develop a dashboard that gave him the overview he needed to do his job during the race.
Alexander used his comm to speak to his pilots just before the race.
His comm came alive as his voice filled the ears of Dorian as the preflight checks were being finished. “Good luck Dorian. I hope you have a good race.”
He signed off after getting a brief acknowledgement from Dorian.
His comm came alive as his voice reached Paul during the preflight checks. “Good morning Paul. I wanted to wish you good luck. Take a deep breath and remember Valkyrie chose you for a reason. You are good enough or you wouldn’t be sitting in that seat. Just run your race. You got this.”
And before much longer it was race time.
Dorian waved at the camera drones that were focused on him in the cockpit just before the start of the race. He then focused on his instruments as the countdown began. Adrenaline flooded his body as the race began. Right out of the gate he was battling to keep his position. The ship was handling well. The response time was better than his qualifier. The speed was pushing him back into the seat and the g forces were throwing him against the restraints as he sped through the course. He cursed as he lost speed on the long straight way. He cursed a blue streak as he saw Wedgewood pass him. He did his best to chase the leaders but he just couldn’t close the gap that came from the straight aways.
Paul smiled and waved at the camera drones that were focused on getting shots of him in the cockpit. He blew a kiss to the camera with a wink. He placed a closed fist over his heart which his mother would know was for her. He had the biggest and brightest smile on his face. Joy thrummed through him to know she was finally in his corner for this race. It gave him confidence. Paul was in the absolute last poll position due to technical problems during his qualifying round. He had nowhere to go but up. He felt more relaxed after Alexander’s little pep talk. He had been expecting Alexander to put pressure on him to perform instead he offered supportive advice. He was surprised that the cheesy tactic had worked.
He put his ship through its final checks. His engines started and the feeling of power thrilled him. As it always did, Paul’s thoughts turned to his father. He felt as if his father was sitting in the cockpit with him. A warm feeling came over him and his joy exploded into action as the race began. Adrenaline dumped into his system as he began to move through the pack.
Paul was driving like he was one with his machine. The ship was handling like it was on rails. He battled his way through the pack. He fell back again during the straight away. He just couldn’t get enough speed to hold off some of his competitors. He fought hard to continue to move up and at least maintain his gains.
Before he knew it the race was over. He got nowhere close to the top of the pack but was satisfied with the gains he had made. Paul had managed to gain 7 spots. That was respectable in such a skilled tight pack as this racing season was.
Aurora: "Paul, amazing work today finishing 13th in your first race, pulling the ship from last on the grid with a series of brave overtakes and showing off the Valkyrie's sublime cornering skills. Tell us, how did it feel weaving through the back of the pack?"
Paul was still dressed in his flight suit and had his helmet under his hand. He had a joyful and excited look on his face as he smiled at Aurora.
Paul: “Well Aurora, I had nowhere to go but up after starting dead last. I am happy with my performance. I am sure I will only get better as the season continues. It is a new ship and I am excited to work with Alexander Knight to see what changes might be coming to Team Valkyrie AGR. My ship was handling great, allowing me to squeeze more speed in and out of those turns and corners.”
Valkyrie AGR Sport Social Media
TeamValkyrieAGRSport: A press conference is scheduled at Valkyrie’s Headquarters in Aachen Germany next Wednesday at 10:00am.
Follow Team Valkyrie on social media to find out about exciting changes coming to the Valkyrie AGR Team! #TeamValkyrieAGR #VakyrieDorian #ValkyriePaul
Get your Team Valkyrie AGR gear @valkyrieagrsport.gear.com. New gear for rookie pilot Paul Mulder. Show him some love and support!
#TeamValkyrieAGR #FormulaAG
Superfan2075: Disappointing start to the season by team Valkyrie. Paul shows promise though.
Britball12: Team Valkyrie sucks!
Paulmulder4eva: Paul was looking great while killing it! RT if you agree!
Weedhead81:[message removed by content filters]
Hater101: At least Dorian made it into points. Team Valkyrie needs to get their sh!t together or I am changing teams! #ragequit
Mombaby: Me and U Dorian!
Weedhead81:[message removed by content filters]
BatDave: I am Batman.
GeorgeFly: I hope they have a better showing in Africa. #disappointed
Nana2050: I am glad to hear that Alexander Knight is back. I was a fan in AGR when he was a driver. He is great! #longtimefan
Valkyrie AGR Sport Paddock Morning Before the Race
Alexander Knight
Alexander felt more rested after getting a solid 8 hours of sleep. He was up at 6am and had called his ex-wife to check on his daughter’s progress. He relaxed to hear that things were going fine. She was continuing to heal and her body was accepting the augmentations that would give her a future and better quality of life. His daughter had been in with the therapists so he was unable to talk to her when he called. He would call her after the day was over. He turned his attention to what he needed to get done today.
He called room service and had them send up a hearty breakfast. Now that his daughter was out of the woods, his appetite had returned. He would need the energy today. It was going to be a long day. While he was waiting on room service he called the head of the engineering team and the pit crew to check on the ships. He wanted to know what they had done to fix the issues that Paul and Dorian had yesterday at qualifying. They didn’t pick up so he left messages for them.
By that time his breakfast was there. While he was eating breakfast, there was a knock at the door. He opened the door to find one of the hotel staff standing there with a box in their hands.
“Delivery for you Mr. Knight.”
The young man passed the box to him and held out an electronic pad to get his thumb print.
“If you could verify delivery sir.”
He held the device out to him and he placed his thumb on the reader. The young man smiled at him and clicked a few buttons and turned the machine back around to him.
“Would you like to tip sir?”
Alexander signed and clicked one of the preset tip boxes and confirmed it with his thumbprint. It would be charged to the room. The young man gave him a big smile and wished him a good day and good luck before leaving and closing the door behind him. He set the box on the desk and opened it. Inside he found a new team uniform with his name embroidered on it and a team hat. He shouldn’t be surprised that Leopold had managed to get it to him. He put it on and headed to the team’s paddock to check in with them.
He entered the paddock and it was the typical chaos you see on the morning of a race. The pit crew were making sure everything they needed to do their job was in its place and stocked. The engineers were working with the mechanics team to make sure the two ships were ready to go. Engineering interns were eager gophers trying to learn all they could. It looked like bedlam to any inexperienced outsiders. To Alexander’s eyes, it was a well choreographed ballet.
He headed into the crowd of people. Many of them had not yet met him. They knew about the change in Crew Chief but didn’t necessarily recognize him as he entered the paddock. Security had stopped him and verified his identity before letting him proceed. Alexander nodded and smiled. He was grateful to see that security was doing their job properly. Alexander enjoyed the anonymity he had since most had no idea who he was. He was just another team uniform in the large racing team. He listened to the conversations around him as he made his way around the paddock to the different staging areas.
He shamelessly eavesdropped on his team to hear what was going on.
He was listening to a group of mechanics going over Dorian’s ship.
Mechanic Zane: “I can’t believe we are double checking these adjustments on the steering actuators again. We had already worked on them yesterday after the qualifiers.”
Mechanic Juan: “I hear that Knight can be a tight ass and that the board gave him complete control. Better get used to it. He is the boss. If he says jump, we ask how high?”
Mechanic Zane replied, sounding grumpy and put out. “Dominic didn’t do this shit. If we told him it was squared away that was the end of it.”
Mechanic Juan: “Well I want to remind you, Dominic is not our boss anymore.”
Alexander walked on, having noted the resentment from the mechanic. He would address the issue back at headquarters. It would be one thing of many he would address and change. They would learn there was a method to his madness. He didn’t have time to stop and hold everyone’s hand today. He needed them to do what he asked. Explanations would come later.
Alexander walked over to the engineering team area and listened in.
Head Engineer Felix : “This solution works. We will switch all the wiring over to this new integrated locking design of yours before the next race. We will implement it at headquarters. This will give us a chance to tear it all down and examine the ships for damage from this race. Good job Kenji!”
Engineering Intern Kenji gave a half bow to felix looking pleased with himself. “Hai, Arigato.”
Alexander was pleased to hear that the head engineer was already addressing a permanent fix to try and prevent the issue that occurred with Paul’s ship from happening again. He inserted himself into the group since he needed to speak with Felix.
Alexander: “Good Morning Felix. Are both ships ready to go?”
Felix looked a little startled to hear the deep voice of Alexander Knight coming from his right. He turned to see the man approaching his group. He nodded and gulped a little. He knew that Alexander Knight was not only a former pilot but also an engineer. He knew there would be no hiding anything from him.
Felix: “We have turned the work over to the mechanic teams with the information about the settings and calibrations for Dorian’s ship. Paul’s ship was gone over last night by both the mechanic and engineering team. It is ready to go. Paul’s ship was tested and recharged. Dorian’s ship needed more work to dial in and fix the issue he was having. It should be ready in about a half hour.”
Alexander nodded as he thought about the information. He would have to remember to bring the team in before a race so that they could calibrate the ships for the individual race track. He appreciated Felix’s professionalism. Felix was doing a fine job so far. He gave the man a confident smile and clapped him on the shoulder.
Alexander: “Keep up the good work, Felix. Make sure Dorian’s ship gets tested when the mechanics are done.”
Felix looked a little surprised but pleased as he muttered in a heavy German accent, “Thank you, Sir.”
Alexander heard excited whispers and mutters behind him as he walked away. He had gone no more than twenty feet when he ran smack into a woman wearing a sleek black business suit and heels. Her brunette hair was up in a twist and she stepped directly into his path. He moved to step around her when she spoke.
Katherine, Head of Marketing for Valkyrie: “I have been looking for you, Mr. Knight. My name is Katherine Dubois and I am the head of the marketing team.” Her brown eyes were intense as she met his. “We need to talk.”
Alexander knew he would eventually have to meet with her. He had been hoping he could put it off till after this race. He suspected Leopold had turned her loose on him in regards to his interview the day before. He had not exactly been cooperative with the press regarding his own interviews, meaning he had been dodging the media like they were playing dodgeball. He refused to back up and give her space since she had stepped into his space. He looked down at her.
Alexander: “What can I do for you Miss Dubois? I am sure you are well aware that I am busy. It’s race day.” He raised an eyebrow hoping he could intimidate the woman to leave him alone.
The woman crossed her arms and looked at him like something she would like to wipe off her shoe. The toe of one high heel tapped against the concrete floor of the paddock.
Katherine: “Mr. Knight, I understand that Crew Chief’s typically don’t have to deal with the media as much as the pilots who are the international superstars of AG racing. However as a former racer and pilot, you know how important it is to woo the media. We need fans which leads to sponsors. We need to capitalize on their interest in your return. Running away from interviews and not answering their questions will only make them seek and investigate harder thinking Valkyrie is hiding something.” She paused and was looking for his reaction. Her eyes were sharp like a hawk’s.
Alexander had to give her credit for having the balls to track him down and confront him. His lips involuntarily twitched into a half smile. He was going to enjoy verbally sparring with the lovely Miss Dubois.
Alexander: “Miss Dubois, I understand that which is why I sent you the message to set up a team press conference at headquarters after the race. I am too busy doing my job to entertain every reporter asking for interviews right now.”
He raised an eyebrow curious what she had to say to that. Alexander experienced a feeling of dread as Miss Dubois gave him a smile that said she was only too pleased with his response.
Katherine: “I will use that to announce why you are not taking interviews at this time. However, you will sit and answer the interview questions for the documentary. We are under contract for those. You will wait until Aurora has finished her questions before you leave next time.” She gave him a regal nod before walking away.
Alexander watched her walk away without giving him a chance to respond. He couldn’t even argue with her because she was right. Damn it! He walked right into that one. He smiled as he watched her figure disappear into the crowd. He was definitely going to enjoy trading barbs with her. She also exhibited the strength and fortitude to deal with him. He had to admit she was perfect for the job. He laughed as he went to check in with his pilots.
Alexander made his way through the paddock to the area on the other side of the paddock where the team trailers were parked. There was a dedicated trailer that the pilots used as a preparation space and dressing room. Alexander was stopped by team security and had his credentials checked. He was pleased to see them doing their job appropriately once more. The area around the team trailers were cordoned off with temporary barriers with gates manned by security. He knocked on the trailer door as a courtesy before stepping up into the trailer. He shut the door behind him.
He took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dimmer lighting inside the trailer. As his eyes adjusted he could see that Paul and Dorian were sitting on the couch in the main area of the trailer. They each had a private dressing room at the back of the trailer. The men were wearing jeans, sneakers, and team t-shirts and baseball caps.
He smiled and nodded to them both. He took a seat across from them on a separate couch.
Alexander: “Good morning gentlemen. How are you feeling this morning?”
Dorian shrugged as he regarded Alexander. “It’s race day. Excited as always and eager to be on the track.”
Paul was unsure what kind of answer Alexander was looking for and just gave him a grin. “Good. I am looking forward to racing today. I slept well.”
Alexander nodded, accepting their answers. He could see for himself that both had clear eyes and looked alert and well rested. He had witnessed racers who had been allowed to race who never should have been allowed on the track. He would not have that on his conscience. He was grateful he wouldn’t need to worry about clearing racers who had no sleep or were strung out or hungover.
Alexander: “Good I am glad to hear it and confirm it. I know that the team has given your schedule. You have an hour to go hang out with fans in the fanzone before you need to come back and suit up for the race. The fanzone will be opened up to all fans this morning. Not just those who could afford to attend the exclusive Pre Race Party. This is your chance to get the common fan on your side. I understand the marketing team will be taking full advantage of this. There will be photo and video drones up watching everything. I am sure the media will be around as well. Remember they are watching you.”
He paused to let that sink in. He knew Dorian was familiar with how things worked. Paul was used to how things were done in the junior league but the media and fan presence would be more intense in the big leagues. He wanted him armed with that information and not surprised.
Alexander noticed that Dorian had rolled his eyes at him. He could just suck it up. He was doing his job of checking on the health and mental wellbeing of his pilots. It was his job to ensure the pilots got to their engagements and that everything went smoothly. Alexander turned his head to look at Paul.
Alexander: “Paul expected there to be more people and media than you are used to. The tension and excitement and intensity of the fans and media will be stronger than you are used to.”
Paul frowned as he looked at Alexander once again resenting that he was being handled as if he didn’t have a clue what to do. “I have handled fans and media before you know.” Paul looked resentful and rebellious as he retorted back to Alexander.
Alexander looked at both pilots and sighed, shaking his head.
“Let me make something very clear to both of you. My job is to make sure that this entire team is working together to win and make Team Valkyrie AGR Sport the best team it can be. I would be failing in my job if I let you go out into that sea of wolves unprepared. I don’t know you yet Paul. And Dorian, we might have known each other in the past, but time changes people. We were never very close. I don’t really know you either. I don’t know how well you handle fans or the media. For all I know, a question about a fake girlfriend or your father might have you deck a reporter. Unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of taking my time to get to know you right now.”
Alexander's green eyes were intense as he met the eyes of each man before returning to Paul.
Alexander: “I will not be the one responsible for sending an unprepared pilot out to race. That is how accidents happen. I want to make sure you are ready mentally and physically before I clear you to go out on that track. I will pull you from the race if I think you are not ready.”
He turned his eyes back to Dorian and saw the fury and resentment in the other man’s eyes.
Alexander: “I want to see you retire in glory, Dorian not a bodybag. And Paul I will not be the one to tell your mother that you died from stupidity.”
His eyes were hard as he met the young man’s eyes.
Alexander: “I take this job very seriously. I am on your side. I am here to make things easier for you, not harder. It might not feel that way right now. You will learn in time, I have your back. You can trust me.”
Alexander could see the tension and disbelief on their faces. He didn’t care if they hated him. They would be as safe as he could make them even if they disagreed with his methods.
Alexander continued: “Moving on to why I came to check in with you. Dorian the mechanics and engineers spent the evening making the adjustments you requested to your ship. The mechanic team will be done verifying that all the adjustments were done to the specifications recommended by engineering. Your ship will be ready in about 30 minutes. Paul the engineering team went over your ship and repaired the issue. It has already been tested and is ready to go.”
Alexander waited as the silence stretched painfully before it was broken by Dorian.
Dorian’s voice was hard with anger. “You are right Alexander. You don’t know me. I continued to race while you were out of the scene. I know more about my job than you do. Stop trying to treat me like the green rookie and give me the damn respect I have earned.”
Paul looked furious and resentful. Alexander’s words made him feel even more like a child being schooled. “Mr. Knight I know you knew my father. I am not him. I don’t appreciate being handled like a child. I have been working and training for this opportunity for years. I know what I need to do. So get out of my way and let me do it.”
Alexander stood and put his sunglasses on. “Once you are done in the fan zone. The doctor’s will check you out here in the trailer to give you medical clearance to race. There will be a grid photo before the race starts. It will only be the drivers and a few video and photography drones for the league. I will see you gentlemen later.”
Alexander left as he had said what he needed to say. They were not going to make his job easy that was for damn sure. He shook his head as he walked out of the trailer into the sunshine.
Fanzone Before the Race
Dorian did his best to put his anger and resentment behind him as he made his way to his signing station in the fanzone.
The enthusiastic fans and their excited energy soon helped him relax and put the words with Alexander behind him.
Security was doing a good job of keeping the excited fans in line.
Dorian ignored questions from the media about their new crew chief. He hadn’t calmed down enough to say anything nice about him. So he wouldn’t say anything at all.
Dorian glanced over to check on Paul and couldn’t help but smile. He couldn’t help comparing Paul to his father Audrick. Paul had the same easy grace and charisma his father had with fans and the media. Everyone around him was laughing and hanging on his every word.
Paul was signing t-shirts for a set of twin sisters who were fans. He flirted easily while not giving out any invitations to join him. He made them feel important while keeping it light hearted. He caught one of his security guards checking the young women out. Paul just smiled at him as the man realized he had been caught looking. Not that he blamed the man.
Grid Photo
Dorian Pascal Hornfleur
Dorian was standing there in the new racing suit for this season. It was dark gray with yellow color blocking. There were sponsor logos on the arms and back.
He was hoping to go out a winner for his last season. He wanted to retire on a high note and not be an endnote in Formula AG Racing.
He made sure to greet all his competitors and give them a handshake and wish them luck. There is always some trash talking but Dorian had a reputation as the gentleman racer. He wanted to keep that image.
His ship was dark gray with yellow color blocking on it. Sponsor logos were plastered on the sides. He stood in front of his ship proudly, ready to race as the photo and video drones circled taking their pictures.
Paul Mulder
Paul had his racing helmet tucked under his hand. His racing suit was in the same colors as Dorian’s but the design was slightly different. His ship was yellow with some dark gray stripes with sponsor logos down the sides and hood. You could tell they were on the same team but they were not a mirror image of each other.
Paul made sure he smiled for the cameras and posed in a manner that made him look manly and accentuated his fit physique. He once again followed Dorian’s lead and went to introduce himself to his competitors.
He smiled at Bea from the Falcons. She was a familiar face from the Junior League. He traded verbal spars with her.
Bea: ”Your ship was looking nimble in the street section. Well, maybe not yours.” Bea grinned.
Paul just smiled and refused to rise to her bait as he mirrored her expression and tone. Paul: “I wanted to give you guys a chance.”
Bea: ”That’s the spirit. But they know what died, right, or is it dead dead?” She mimed slitting her throat with a thumb for emphasis.
He rolled his eyes at Bea’s theatrics as he dryly told her. “We’re racing today.”
Bea: ”There you go, looking forward to it. And fans love it when their driver fights through the field.”
He grinned at Bea letting her know that she had not gotten under his skin. He exuded confidence as he retorted.
“That they do. I’ll give you a wave when I pass you tomorrow, for your fans.”
Bea laughed as she responded. ”Cheeky bugger. Good luck, mate.”
Bea moved on after a handshake and Paul moved on to another competitor.
Aurora: "Apologies, Alexander. Whilst you can't divulge changes, how would your approach impart on the team?"
Alexander had already turned his attention to finishing up any last minute details, having some dinner, and getting horizontal till morning. He was surprised when he heard Aurora asking him to stop behind him with one final question. He sighed as he tried very hard to not growl in response. His patience was almost at an end. He was out of practice dealing with the media. Maybe he could talk Leopold into understanding that he should provide the media LIMITED ACCESS to his grumpy crew chief. He wouldn’t hold his breath though. By her very questions he could tell Leopold and the marketing team were pumping the fact that he was a pilot from the beginning of antigravity racing to build the hype for the season. He dropped his head in resignation and turned back around.
He didn’t bother to hide the exhaustion on his face as he gave her a genuine wry smile before he replied.
“Well Aurora I hope my changes will impart a winning season but only time will tell. If you are wanting to know what changes I will be making for the team or what I plan to focus on, I honestly don’t know yet. We will all find out together how successful I am. Now if you don’t mind I have a few last minute things to see too.”
He gave her a quick nod of his head before he left with a determined stride. He was not stopping for anything else. Behind him Alexander heard her reply.
"We will be watching keenly, and I am sure we'll be excited to see an ex-driver in the paddock as a specialist at a big team. Thank you for your time. We will see you later!"
He snorted in amusement as he stepped through the door. He hoped he didn’t grow to despise her by the end of the season. Overly perky people annoyed him because they always seemed like they were hiding their true intentions. They just didn’t feel authentic. He knew he was biased due to previous experiences. Now on to his next challenge of the day.
Prior to the Pre-Race Party Post Qualification
Alexander was in his hotel room eating some surprisingly good room service. He was reviewing important notifications sent over to him by the team. He was sorting it into categories of need to deal with immediately, tomorrow, next week, next month, or never. The number of requests for interviews were staggering. It was not even feasible for him to carve out enough time to do a quarter of them. He punted those to the marketing team and told them to set up a press conference at team headquarters for the week following the race. He would make it a team affair and share the spotlight. That should appease the sharks and chum the waters at the same time.
He closed the laptop and finished his dinner and was sipping on the last of his beer. He thought about the notification for the Pre-Race Party. He shook his head worried about that. He would try to get them to do the next one before qualifiers. He was not happy about his pilots being up late and partying the night before a big race. He wanted them well rested and focused. He also understood that this is how the game was played. The racing team had to have fans who brought in sponsors who paid for everything. To get the fans and sponsors they had to be in the media. He didn’t mind his drivers going to a party but the timing of this party almost felt like sabotage. Granted some of the pilots were so augmented they probably had blood filtering systems and could drink all the alcohol they wanted and not be impaired. He knew their drivers didn’t have those kinds of augmentations. He also put some thought into how this party could affect his rookie.
As a young man starting his pro-rookie season, Paul had to be excited to be in the big leagues and doing what he loves. Paul had to be nervous as well. He knew that Paul was feeling the pressure of the technical default that led to his failed qualifying round. His ship had a minor malfunction and failed to fire at the starting gate. Alexander had been furious and tore into the engineering and mechanical team. It had turned out to be a loose wire on the starting mechanism. Knight could see that it had rocked Paul’s confidence. It was not Paul’s fault but he understood that Paul felt that way because it was his butt in the seat. He didn’t want Paul to drive poorly tomorrow because he was hungover. Paul deserved his moment in the limelight and the perks that came with being a racer. He didn’t want to take this moment away from him. He knew Dorian would know his limits and had the experience to decide what was appropriate for himself. He wasn’t as concerned about the veteran racer.
Alexander was staying in the same hotel as the drivers. He asked them to come to his room for a meeting. He had a small suite with a separate bedroom and a small living room area with a desk and a small dining table. It was not overly pretentious and met his needs. He snorted as he knew some teams would pick a penthouse. He thought that was ridiculous unless he was sharing that space with other members of the team. He had no interest in knowing what his drivers were up to or what kind of company they might have. He preferred his own space.
Alexander heard a knock on the door and got up to let the two men in. He turned and indicated the couch.
“Have a seat gentlemen.”
He closed the door and followed them. He took the chair across from the couch where Dorian and Paul had settled. He smiled at them both before starting the conversation.
Alexander wasted no time as his arms settled on the arms of the plush chair he was sitting in.
“Thank you for coming. I wanted to check in and see how you were both doing. Dorian, let's start with you. How do you feel your qualifying round went?”
Dorian had settled onto the couch and had one leg propped up on the knee of the other. He relaxed back into the plush sofa. He can’t say he was surprised by Knight’s last minute request for a meeting. He had been getting ready for the Pre-Race Party and was already dressed in a custom tailored suit and tie with soft Italian leather shoes. His hair was styled and had enough product in it to keep it looking that way. He had on a nice cologne which was always a hit with the ladies. He looked like a million bucks and he knew it. Dorian exuded confidence as he regarded Knight. He had been shocked to hear about the crew chief change. He was not surprised that Valkyrie had decided to fire Dominic so much as the timing and who they had chosen to replace him. He respected Knight but he had no clue what he thought he could learn from someone who had been out of the game for so long.
“I did well in qualifying. I placed a respectable seventh place. The ship’s actuators for turns were a little sluggish which caused some shimmying and vibrations. I already let the engineering team know.”
Dorian shrugged like it was an expected result. He was satisfied with his performance.
Alexander nodded as he spoke.
“I agree with you Dorian. You did well. Thank you for letting me know about the issues you had. I will double check that the engineers have that problem fixed before tomorrow's race.”
Alexander turned his attention to Paul and smiled at the rookie driver.
“How about you Paul? How are you feeling after qualifiers?”
Paul had sat quietly after greeting each man with a flick of his head. He had been surprised to get a request from Knight to speak to them before they left for the Pre-Race Party. Paul was dressed in stylish but comfortable dark jeans, a nice blue button up shirt that was tucked in, a black leather belt, and butter soft dress black leather shoes. The blue shirt made his blue eyes stand out even more and look more vibrant. His blonde hair was styled in artful waves. He had a gold Rolex on his right wrist. It had been a gift from his mother. She had given it to him when he had left for New Zealand. He had been shocked that her attitude about him racing had changed. She was still afraid for him but she was supporting his dream. The watch she had given him belonged to his father. It had been a present from her for one of their anniversaries. He nodded as he listened to Dorian’s response. He agreed that his teammate had done very well in the qualifying round.
Paul couldn’t hide his nerves and discomfort about talking about what had happened during his qualifying round.
“I didn’t get the chance to run the qualifying round. The damn ship wouldn’t start.”
Paul's voice was full of all the frustration, anger, and resentment he was feeling about that.
Alexander met Paul’s eyes with a serious no nonsense look as he spoke.
“Paul, in case you didn’t hear from the team, it was not your fault. The engineering team reported back to me that they found a loose wire on the starter assembly. It had been jarred loose during shipping somehow. I have already promised them they could expect my size tens to meet their asses if your ship is not perfect by race time tomorrow. It will be dealt with.”
He watched to see how his words landed on the young man.
Paul met Alexander’s eyes unsure how to feel about this man. He could see from the dark circles under his eyes that the man was tired. He could almost sense the frustration on his behalf in his voice. He blinked a little as he was a little surprised at the crudeness of his remark. No one had yet thought to tell Paul what the issue had been with his ship. He couldn’t help the relief he felt that it was not his fault. It was nothing he did. He couldn’t think of how to respond and simply nodded.
Alexander was glad he had asked to speak with Paul. It was clear to him that no one had told him what had happened. He had seen the instant relief and tension leave his shoulders. He gave Paul a tired smile.
“I have faith you will redeem yourself tomorrow. You know something similar once happened to your father. He went on to take third in that race.”
He winked at Paul. It made him happy to share memories of the man who had once been his best friend. It also made him a little sad. He missed Audrick. When he died, there was a huge hole left in his life that no one else had ever filled. He turned his attention to the reason he had asked them to meet him.
“Gentlemen, I wanted to talk to you about the Pre-Race Party. When I was racing these things didn’t occur the night before a major race.”
He turned to Dorian and addressed him first.
“Dorian I know you have the experience to handle yourself and you know what to expect. Please keep an eye on Paul and answer his questions. Please remember you are racing tomorrow. I would like you to watch your alcohol intake and be back in time to get plenty of rest before the race.”
Dorian snorted with laughter at Knight’s admission. He smiled at him a respectful nod before giving him a resentful look.
“I know how to take care of my teammate Alexander. I already had his back in the interview room.”
Dorian rolled his eyes in annoyance at him for presuming to tell him what he needed to do.
Alexander had caught Dorian’s tone and raised an eyebrow wondering if he was going to have issues with the man. He let it go for now. As the crew chief he couldn’t presume that Dorian would do what was right. Competition between team driver’s happened all the time. It was his job as crew chief to make sure the whole team was looked after. If he needed Dorian to mentor the new pilot, then Dorian needed to step up and help mentor the rookie.
Alexander turned to Paul and met his eyes once more.
“Paul, I want you to enjoy this experience but be responsible. Don’t accept any recreational substances other than alcohol and try to watch how much you drink. Don’t forget to drink a glass of water before bed as well. There will be a mix of fans, other drivers, and media there.” He then flicked his eyes over both men. “Have fun but remember there are eyes everywhere. Watch out for each other.”
Alexander smiled at them both and flicked a hand towards the door.
“Get out of here and go have some fun.”
He watched them leave before retiring to his bed and was soon asleep.
Pre-Race Party
Paul had resented Alexander's words a little. He felt like he was a child being managed with kid gloves. He was not a child who needed to be coddled. He resented Dorian being tasked as his babysitter. Paul had no clue how Dorian was feeling about it. Dorian had been quiet and had a slightly annoyed air since they had left Alexander’s suite.
Dorian turned to Paul in the limo after putting up the privacy barrier between them and the driver. His accent had a hard edge to it as he spoke.
“Look Paul, I am not your father or your keeper. I am your teammate and I will help you out. Please just relax and enjoy yourself. Alexander means well and his advice is solid. I know you have been in the junior circuit and know how to handle yourself with the media. You wouldn’t be here if Valkyrie had any concerns, okay?”
Dorian waited for Paul’s nod, his face looking somewhat mutinous and angry. Dorian gave Paul a smile.
“This party will be… how do the American’s say… lit!”
Paul looked at Dorian and met his eyes. His resentment faded with Dorian’s words. He nodded and gave him a smile. It was funny to hear American slang from Dorian. It was clear from his delivery that it was not something he used often. Dorian could be very dry and formal when he spoke. He gave into it and just laughed. His good humor was restored. He chuckled before asking Dorian.
“Do you have any advice you want to share?”
Dorian patted Paul on the shoulder.
“No, I think you know what you need to do. Have fun. If you need me, have one of your security shadows fetch me or send a message to one of mine.”
Dorian winked at Paul as the limo slowed to a stop.
“It’s showtime.”
The limo door opened and they stepped out onto a red carpet to a sea of flashbulbs. There was the typical sea of media at the entrance to the track.
They made their way into the Valkyrie AGR fan zone that was part of their paddock at the track. There was a great DJ and music was being pumped throughout the track. Valkyrie’s marketing team had set up lighting to turn the fan zone into a dance club. Colorful lights cut through the space and lit up a packed dance floor. There was a bar area serving alcohol in collectible mugs and cups. There were servers walking around with trays of appetizers, and bottled waters. There were of course merchandise tables where pre-autographed merch was sold and along with merch for sale to get signed. Dorian and Paul each had their own signing station area where they could meet and talk to their fans. There was a step and repeat backdrop set up for pictures with the Valkyrie AGR logo and their sponsors logos. Some of their sponsors had their own booths catering to the fans. One of Valkyrie’s sponsors was a sports drink manufacturer that was giving out bottles to the crowd and branded merchandise. There was a food truck parked on the track side where a meat substitute sponsor was serving bratwurst sandwiches made from their product to the crowd.
Dorian smiled and waved to the crowd as he made his way to his station. He had learned long ago it was easier for him to be stationary. Others could come to him. It was easier for his security to manage the crowd that way. He easily chatted with fans and signed autographs while answering questions to the media.
Paul followed Dorian’s example and made his way to his signing station. He wanted to be sure he didn’t disappoint his fans. The Pre-Race Party was a fan exclusive event that they paid good money to attend. He wanted them to feel they he was an accessible driver and approachable. Paul quickly relaxed and was having a great time. Laughter flowed around him and there were smiles and laughter coming from those surrounding him.
So far the media had been respectful and had not asked too many prying questions. Many of them asked what had happened at the qualifiers and he joked about it.
“Well these things happen.”
He had winked at the press who were hanging on his every word hoping for a byline.
“I feel it gives me an advantage. My competition hasn’t seen my set up or my abilities for this race. I am the dark horse underdog for this race.”
Paul oozed charm and confidence as he said it. He brushed it off as just something that happened with the sport which was true. Mechanical issues happened. He would not let them see that he had been rattled earlier. The topics soon turned to other things and he chatted with his fans hoping to steal their hearts.
Behind the Scenes at Valkyrie AGR Sport Complex - March 1st, 2094
Deep inside the office complex a team principals meeting was being held. The conference room was well appointed with a dark mahogany conference table and plush leather swivel chairs. A sideboard had assorted pastries, coffee, and tea. The people in the room represented the combined corporate owners and the current crew chief, Dominic Ricci. The president of the owner’s board was Leopold Koch. Leopold was the man who had called the meeting.
Leopold called the meeting to order. His cool steely eyes turned to regard the five men and three women in the room.
“I have called this meeting to implement a team change.”
He held up a hand as protests went up around the room. It was highly unusual to make a significant team change this close to the season starting. The pre-season was done at this point and bringing a new team member in a key position was practically unheard of. Leopold steepled his fingers to continue now that he had their attention.
“We have been given a golden opportunity to work with a legend. I honestly was a little shocked to get the opportunity. Let me lay out my reasoning before we vote on this. I am telling you now that this must happen or Valkyrie AGR Sport is in trouble.”
His cold eyes seemed to bore into each of their souls as he met their eyes to make his point.
“Point one, Dorian is getting older. Our team should be placing better and winning more often. Our equipment is state of the art and on par with Silver Apex. Pilots are where we are lacking performance. Last year’s rookie was a disaster. Dorian is a solid performer and provides some consistency but we are not staying competitive.”
He glanced around at them all and saw contemplative looks and agreement on many faces with a few angry and dismissive ones.
“Point two, the rules we have to race under are stricter about augmentations for pilots. We have to find a way to help our pilots be competitive without them. We know the rules for them are not going to change any time soon. We need to make a change here if we want to stay competitive.”
He looked around the table once more and saw more thoughtful looks from them this time. He noticed Dominic was shaking his head and his lips were pressed into a tight thin line. Dominic had been supporting the line for further augmentations for the pilots. He wanted to pay for research to take to the EU racing board to get the regulations changed. He had suggested they try to steal a racer from another team that already had the body augmentations to get around the regulations. That was a can of legal worms waiting to explode.
“Point three, we have a promising new rookie who is a natural talent. He has great potential. Paul Mulder has the potential to get us to the winner’s circle but he needs the right coaching and support. What we have been doing is not working. We have a new rookie this year because last year the rookie was unable to continue the season after injuries from the crash.”
He left the reason for the crash unspoken. The board knew and had approved Dominic’s trial use of drugs to try and up the rookie's response times. The result had been disastrous. He could see the unspoken knowledge on the faces around the table. Dominic’s expression was darker and more mutinous.
“I believe we can all agree that Dorian’s reign is coming into his twilight years. We need to start looking for our next primary pilot. I also believe that we can all agree that Paul has the most potential of any pilot we have looked at in the last 3 years.”
He looked around to see where the board sat with this statement. It was about as divided as he expected. Paul's performance could be stellar in one race and he would botch the next. Dominic was again in disagreement. Leopold was well aware that Dominic didn’t like Paul. He also felt it was personal jealousy. Paul was very easy to get along with and had a positive upbeat attitude. The media had loved Paul and seemed to dote on him and exclude others when he was around which included Dominic who was a diva in his own right.
Leopold nodded and took a deep breath before releasing the information they had been waiting for.
“I believe that part of Paul’s inconsistency comes from not having the full support of his mother. It would help our team if his mother was willing to do interviews to support Paul. I received a call from Alicia Mulder. She will put her full support behind Paul but only if Alexander Knight is the Team Principal and Crew Chief. And Knight will have full control of all team decisions.”
As Leopold expected the board room exploded into chaos. He knew that the board liked the illusion of control. He was old enough and experienced enough to know that the board was part of the problem. They needed one person with a vision making the calls. They had too many bosses and followers. Too many conflicting opinions and strategies. They needed a strong leader to take the team to the next level. Leopold agreed with Alicia that Knight could get them there. But he would only do it his way. Leopold knew Knight and had worked with him in the past. He knew the snow job that happened to Knight had been unfair to him. He never dreamed that he could be coaxed out of retirement in any form. Leopold had approached Knight a few times in the past and had basically been told to stuff his offer where the sun didn’t shine.
After an hour of heated arguments and debate, Leopold felt gratified when the board vote went his way. Dominic left in a rage after being fired. He did leave with a great severance package. Leopold felt no regrets as he left to make the arrangements needed. The hiring contracts would have to be sent right away. They would announce the changes just before qualifiers in Auckland. Leopold left with a smile. This would be a season to watch. He could feel it. Team Valkyrie would rise.
Friday March 3rd, 2094 6:00 AM somewhere over the Pacific
Alexander had taken a redeye flight from Los Angeles. His daughter had surgery on Monday. He stayed with her as long as he could before joining the team in Auckland. He wanted to be sure she was stable and on the mend before he left her. She was responding well to the new implants and her body was healing, no signs of infection or rejection. He was dog tired and only functioning on coffee. He had managed to sleep on the flight over. Exhaustion was stamped on his face as the events of the last week caught up with his overtaxed body and emotions. He had struggled to rest as worry, fear, and nightmare about what could have been kept him from sleep. He could have lost his little girl. She was one of the only points of sunshine in his life. It didn’t matter that she was an adult. She was still his princess.He would do anything for her.
He sighed as he looked out the window of the plane. He couldn’t believe that he was headed back into the belly of the beast. He had sworn when Audrick died that he would never get involved in racing again. If it had been anyone else that had called him, he wouldn’t have trusted the offer or the reason. Alicia had not spoken to him since Audrick’s funeral. He had tried reaching out to check on her and Paul. She had shut him out of their life. He understood why. He had told her what he suspected his former racing team had done that had taken Audrick’s life. He still felt lingering guilt and anguish over that. It was not his fault. He had not known. He still felt like there was something more he should have done. It was not his burden to bear but he felt it anyway. Alicia knew the lengths and depths that some teams would go to for a win. He knew for her it was about protecting her son. He also knew it had to be killing her a little to see him willingly putting his body in harm's way the way his father had. He rubbed his face in frustration. He had to admit to being humbled that she would trust him with her precious child. He wondered why after all this time.
Arianna, his daughter, would be okay once more thanks to Alicia’s help. She had delivered on her promises. Arianna had been given state of the art implants and a neural enhancement integration chip with synthetic nerve manipulation and stimulation to replace the damage to her spinal cord and nervous system. The implants would allow her to function normally. She would walk and dance again. He closed his eyes as memories of her bruised and tattered body flashed behind his eyelids. He would never forget seeing her like that. Would he ever get over the fear of losing her again? He wanted to wrap her in cotton and hide her behind walls for the rest of her life. Unfortunately she was too much like him to live that way. Now if he could only focus on helping Paul. He needed to protect him and teach him how to protect himself. He owed it to Audrick and Alicia. Maybe he could redeem some of his past mistakes by helping him.
DELTΔ HYPER
Episode One: Finding their Feet
Before Qualifying Rounds That Morning
Alexander had flown in the day before. He had introduced himself to the team. He told them to just do their jobs as they normally would. He would be observing to see what changes needed to happen. He called a team lead meeting so he could get a better understanding where they were. There was a pit crew, an engineering crew, a marketing team, and never forget the personal trainers and doctors to keep the pilot’s in top shape. Everyone had their part to play for success. He knew that him taking over the team would throw them all for a loop and shake them up.
He was still shocked that Alicia had managed to make it happen. He would never have agreed if they hadn’t given him full control of the team decisions in writing. It was spelled in his contract which had a lawyer review before he signed it. He felt as protected as possible going into this. He couldn’t deny to himself that he felt a thrill of challenge to be back in racing. He had missed it. It would be different this time though. He was not in the pilot seat. The ships now were faster than they were back in his day. The requirements needed to race them were different too.
Alexander remembered Dorian. Dorian had been a competitor but hadn’t been a bad guy. He had always had that aloof gentlemanly air. He was so prim and proper. Alexander had to chuckle at some of the memories of conversation with Audrick about the stuffy racer. They had not hated the guy. If anything his feelings about Dorian were neutral. He had never really viewed Dorian as one of his main competitors. Dorian was simply one of the members of the pack in the chase for the cup. Their meeting had gone about how he expected. Dorian was surprised and shocked to see him and then gave him the same laid back formal greeting he had in the past.
His meeting with Paul had been very different. Paul was shocked to see him. He greeted him warmly with some distance and caution. He wondered what Alicia had told Paul about him. He knew that Paul was aware of the past and his relationship with his dead father. He would wait to have that longer conversation with Paul when he was going to be on the racetrack. He wanted his head in the game. He told them all he was just observing today.
Saturday March 4th, 2094, After Qualifying Rounds
Alexander had tried to get out of the meet the press section of the day. He was exhausted and frustrated. Paul had botched his qualifying round. He couldn’t help but wonder if his presence was the cause for his nerves. If the boy apologized to him one more time for it, he was going to put his boot up his ass. Leopold had told him to suck it up and do his job. Knight growled a little as he saw the signal that he was next on the interview list.
Alexander had already seen the surprise press announcement that Leopold had taken great pleasure in that morning. Leopold had held the press conference as the media had noticed him in the Valkyrie paddock. The media frenzy his return had caused was still going. There was so much speculation about why now, especially with Paul Mulder as the rookie driver. The media had taken great pleasure in pulling out old footage and folding it into new montages about his history in racing. He couldn’t deny that Valkyrie was dominating the media with his return. Not all of it was good press though. He had put his headset on and only used comms to speak to the team the rest of the day. He had literally blocked the press from his attention.
Alexander had worn jeans, a black t-shirt, and work boots today. This had happened so fast they hadn’t had time to even get his uniform made yet. He was lounging on the couch and doing his best not to glower at the approaching reporter's hologram. He was sipping on his tenth cup of coffee for the day. He felt like he was only awake because there were metaphorical toothpicks keeping his eyes open. He didn’t bother to roll his eyes as he saw the light on the camera flash yellow letting him know he was next on her agenda.
Alexander tried to smile but it probably came out as a grimace of pain. He tried to settle his face into neutral. It was the best he could do for now. He nodded to her that he was ready as he saw the camera aim towards him and the green light blinked twice to indicate it was recording before staying solid green.
Aurora’s perky personable voice grated on his already exposed nerves. He almost bit his tongue not to growl as she called him Alex. The only people who got to call him Alex were his close friends and family and she wasn’t one of those people.
"Hello Alex, welcome to Delta Hyper! It's amazing to have a legend of the first season of Formula Anti-Gravity back, how does it feel to be in the paddock and working with Valkyrie AGR? I imagine you must have had some interesting conversations with your old grid-mate, Dorian, and with Paul?"
Alexander bit back with a growl as he replied. “My name is Alexander not Alex, Aurora.”
He gave her a very pointed look that she should remember that in the future. This interview was going so fantastically he thought. Maybe it would make Leopold rethink using him in the marketing and on the documentary. He could only hope.
He sighed and rolled his eyes before taking a deep breath and putting his game face on. He probably looked constipated but Leopold would just have to deal. He put a lopsided smile on his face before he responded to her first question.
“Thank you for the warm welcome Aurora. I never thought I would come back to racing. I was given an offer even I couldn’t refuse.”
He thought that statement was more truthful than she would ever know. That brought a playful smirk to his face.
“I don’t know that everyone would call me a legend. I think you flatter me Aurora.”
He gave her a playful look. Yeah he remembered how to deal nicely with the media. At least she had not lobbed him a hard ball question. This one was fairly lighthearted and expected.
“Well Aurora as you heard, my return to racing was sudden and unexpected. I haven’t had much time to talk much with Dorian and Paul yet. Matter of fact I didn’t even start until yesterday. I have had to hit the ground running. Dorian and I were always friendly competitors. I would say our meeting went about as I expected. Dorian has always been a gentleman. Paul and I don’t know each other yet but we will get there in time.”
He paused and took a breath before putting on a serious face.
“This weekend I am getting the feel for how the team is doing and seeing how everyone operates. You can tell all the racing fans and your viewers to be watching to see what changes are coming to Valkyrie AGR Sport.”
He stopped and gave her a wink and a confident look.
“I am sure this season is going to be exciting. I can’t divulge team strategy though. I am sure you understand.”
He gave her a big smile and a wave goodbye. “See you next time Aurora.”
He looked smug as he got up and began to walk off without waiting for her reply and headed back to his hotel room. He needed sleep. Jet lag on top of his already exhausted body was taking a toll. If anyone else disturbed him before 6 am someone was going to die.
Name: Paul Mulder Alias: “Legacy” Team: Valkyrie Gender: Male Age: 20
Appearance: Height: 6’ Weight: 185 pounds Hair: Blonde Eyes: Blue Languages: English, Dutch, French, and German
Paul is handsome with blonde hair and blue eyes. He has a fit toned physique with long lean muscles and a 6 pack. He is classically handsome. He is just as comfortable in jeans as he is in a designer suit.
Personality: Paul is an easy going charming fellow. He can fit in anywhere and becomes the life of the party. He oozed charm and charisma. He has the ability to blend in and be a social chameleon. He is just as comfortable sipping champagne in a designer suit and talking about politics as he is in a dance club, or at the gym. He is just as comfortable drinking a beer in a pub with friends and hanging out as one of the guys and always up for a pick me up game of soccer or pool. Paul is competitive and has drive and energy. This part of his personality typically shows itself on the racetrack and in practice.
Paul Mulder was only 2 years old when his father, famous pioneering Anti-gravity racer Audrick Mulder died in a fiery crash during the second AGA Racing Season Finale. His father was a happy and laid man who oozed charm and charisma. Everyone wanted to hang out with him. Men wanted to be him and women wanted to date him. His father had started his career in racing as a dirt track racer who qualified for Ferrari's Youth Academy. He spent his teen years racing on the junior circuit and building his reputation and presence. His father was chosen over other racers because he was so marketable and likable and had the skills and reflexes to win on the track. His father had been the whole package. His mother Alicia said he had met her at a dance club. He had been out celebrating a win. According to his mother, his father had charmed her out of a dance and kissed her goodnight declaring that he was going to marry her someday. They celebrated him finishing in the top 5 at Le Mans that year with a wedding.
His mother had been pregnant with him when his father began racing anti gravity racers. His father had been in the top 5 racers and in the competition to win it all when he lost control of his ship in a race. His ship hit the wall head on at over 400kph and exploded in a fiery crash. He grew up with the ghost of his father haunting his life. His mother never remarried or even dated. It was like her life stopped that fateful day. His mother poured all her energy and time into him. He never wanted for anything and grew up in a protected world attending private schools. His mother loved art and was a photographer. She didn’t have to work but photography was her passion. He traveled with her during the summer while she took assignments all over the world. He was well educated and spoke 4 languages. His mother's passion project was to create the Mulder Foundation. It was a charitable organization to honor his father's memory. They had two missions to provide low income children and people with the equipment and training so that they can become professional athletes and they provide art supplies and teachers to children's arts programs across Europe.
He loved his mother but she never understood his need to follow in his father’s footsteps. He grew up idolizing a father he never really got to know. He got to know his father through his mother’s stories, home videos, pictures, old news reels and interviews for the media, and stories from his friends. His mother mentioned that he had been friends with a racer named Alexander Knight. She refused to tell him much about the man. He learned more of the story as he got older and could find the information for himself. He could tell his mother still had resentment and anger towards Alexander. He didn’t know what her issue was with the man. Maybe she resented that he lived that day while his father had died.
He was 13 when he found his father’s journal. He read it and felt like he was getting to know his father all over again. He felt connected to his father. He began racing go-karts. His mother was completely against him trying any racing sport. He could understand her fear but how did he help her understand his need to do it? He felt that his father would understand his need to prove that he could handle the speed and endurance of racing. He loved the thrill and adrenaline that came from focusing his attention on getting the most he could out of any vehicle he drove. He felt as if his father was in the vehicle next to him as he poured on the speed. Those feelings and focus brought him comfort and helped him feel even closer to his father.
He and his mother began to argue about his choice. He insisted his future was in AG Racing. When he was old enough, he began to apply for youth training academies around Germany and Belgium. He was 16 when his father’s name got him an entrance trial. His mother was against his choice but he snuck off to the test anyway. He had all the same natural charm and skill his father had. He didn’t have any augmentations yet but he was still able to perform at the top level on raw talent. Team Valkyrie AGR Sport took a chance that he would become a top level competitor like his father. His mother almost blocked his way and they had a massive fight about it. Her stipulation was he had to finish high school first. His mother gave him his father's journals on his 16th birthday. He never revealed to her that he had already read them.
He was 18 and free to follow his own path now. He was back at Valkyrie in the youth academy. He had spent the last 2 years honing his talent in the Junior league. He had received his first set of augments which was a neural link to improve his reflexes and response times on the track. The neural link allowed him to connect with the vehicle and make minute changes at lightning speed. His neural link also supported and augmented his lungs and heart which allowed him to increase his heart rate and blood flow and lung capacity which helped regulate his blood pressure and breathing during a race. Now was his chance to shine. They had tapped him for the Rookie driver for this year’s season.
Racing DNA
Overview: Paul never raced his competitors. For him it was about him, the vehicle, and chasing that feeling of connection to his father. The faster he went the more dialed in and focused he got. For him it was about seeking that perfect line when everything was instinctual and just felt right and the rest of the world faded away. It was like a light switch flicking and it was effortless when it was all working as planned. Paul was extraordinary when everything was clicking and going his way. He could be a bit of a wild card because he was either on his game or off. When he was off, he over compensated and tended to get into his own way.
Skills: Paul was a natural raw talent gifted with great hand and eye coordination and reflexes. He had the ability to dial in and hyperfocus. He had a neural link that allowed him to connect with the vehicle and make minute changes at lightning speed. His neural link also supported and augmented his lungs and heart which allowed him to increase his heart rate and blood flow and lung capacity which helped regulate his blood pressure and breathing during a race. His augmentations allowed his body to handle the physical requirements for racing at this level and the g forces and strain his body would endure.
Special Trait: Paul’s special trait is that he is handsome and naturally gifted with charm and charisma like his father. He handles the media with charm and a youthful enthusiasm that fans and media alike adore. He has the natural raw talent, skill, and potential to go with it making him a sponsor’s dream driver.
Controversy : Paul is always being compared to the racing legend of his father. There was always speculation happening if he would live up to the legacy of his father. Comparisons between them were constant. When he didn’t perform well, the criticism could be brutal. Many speculate if he had not earned his spot was given his spot in honor of his father. Some media had even theorized that Valkyrie was banking on the nostalgia of die hard AG Race Fans to bring in sponsors and sell tickets. That he was there for his name not his skills. Paul was under tremendous pressure to measure up.
Likes: Women, having a good time, dancing, wine, cats, and running. Dislikes: Beer, lying, fake and superficial people, and he hates marshmallows. He is scared of dogs but doesn’t hate them. Other Information: He both loves and hates being compared to his father. He loves the idea that he is making his father proud. He hates being compared to his father in a negative way. He would hope he is becoming the man his father wanted him to be. He resents when people act like he has not put in the time and sweat to earn his spot.
What has Paul been up to so far:
Paul's ship wouldn't start during his first qualifying race leaving in last position. He managed to move up the pack to 13 place but he didn't earn any points. Paul's team has a new team principal, Alexander Knight. He was not sure about the change at first. He knew what to expect under the old team principal Dominic Rossi. Paul hadn't like Rossi very much but if he wanted to be a professional in this very competitive sport, you had to put up with all kinds of personalities. Paul had an easy going relationship with his teammate Dorian. Paul's mother came clean about what she knew about Alexander Knight when he went home to visit here after the Auckland race. He know knew for sure he could trust Alexander Knight. His mother was supporting his decision to race. He understood her fears better now after learning the suspicions that his father's accident wasn't an accident. He may never know the truth but he would certainly be careful.
Paul had relaxed and supported the changes that Knight was making to their training regime. Paul had to admit that the strategy Knight had discussed with Dorian and Knight had worked. They did better at Cape Town that expected. Paul was grateful for his mother and felt closer to her than ever. He had decided he wanted to do something to show her how much he cared about her. He decided to plan a fundraiser for his father's foundation as a surprise for her. He has started approaching his fellow pilots to contribute to raise awareness and money for the foundation. So far Paul had only approached Beatrix Ward, but it was successful she agreed to be a part of it. They had a side bet going whoever lost had to make a social media wearing the other person's team shirt admitting they lost the bet.
Paul was now training for Tokyo. He was focusing his efforts on energy system deployments and utilizing Valkyrie's superior ship handling to take advantage of chicanes and cornering. Paul knew that Valkyrie should do well in Tokyo.
Paul did alright in Tokyo but not as good as he had hoped. He learned that he needed to spend more time training on ELS systems. He was well paid for the work he did with Enigma Lux but it was not as enjoyable as he had hoped it would be. He had been quite social in Tokyo with three parties and the Enigma Lux party at the fashion show. Paul won his bet with Beatrix Ward and she held up her end of the deal. So he made a post in solidarity wearing the shirt she had sent him. He was feeling a little isolated being such a busy athlete at his age. It was hard to find a group of people who understood the lifestyles and pressures of an AG Pilot. He was hoping to make friends with some of the other pilots. He knew they were competitors but that didn't mean they couldn't be friendly competitors. He was still working on planning the charity gala for his mother's foundation. He met with Hyeon-Ae while he was in Japan.
Name: Alexander Knight Alias: “The Bullet” Team: Valkyrie Gender: Male Age: 48
Appearance: Height: 5’ 10” Weight: 175 pounds Hair: Blonde Eyes: Green Scars: Cybernetic arms - a ring of scar tissue where they connect on his biceps will peak out of the t-shirt sleeve on each arm. Languages: English, Estonian, German, and Russian
Personality: Alexander comes across as a surly grumpy no nonsense man. He has been through a lot of trauma and doesn’t give a shit what others think. He doesn’t take shit from anybody. He has a very strong sense of ethics and what’s right and wrong. He curses like a sailor and will be the first one to tell you, “If you don’t like how I do things. Then don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!” He is a fair man and will give you a chance to state why you think you are right. He will then proceed to tell you why you will do it the way he thinks is best. You can learn alot from him if you can put up with him. His methods might seem harsh and his attitude stark and uncompromising but he is that way because he cares. Alexander likes to win and he wants everyone to come home at the end of the day. Safety is important to him. Alexander pushes everyone around him to rise to the occasion… to strive to be better. Alexander never wanted to accept responsibility for the lives of others again. His traumatic past haunts him and it can be seen in his eyes.
Backstory: Family: Father: Vincent Knight Age: 68 Mother: Elena Novak Age: 67 Ex-Wife: Candace Martin Age: 45 Daughter: Arianna Knight Age 24
Alexander has dual citizenship. His father was from the Federated States, formerly the country of the United States, and the city of Brooklyn, New York. His mother was from the European Union, formerly the country of Estonia and the city of Tartu. His parents met when his father was going to the university in Tartu studying engineering. They got married when his mother became pregnant with him at 19 years old. He spent the first 7 years of his childhood growing up in Tartu surrounded by his mother’s family. His parents got divorced by the time he was eight. He had to admit that his parents got along better after they divorced. They didn’t fight nearly as much. They agreed on more things and his life was more peaceful.
The only hard part was being away from one parent so much of the year. He spent more time with his mother than his father. He lived with his mother during the school year and spent his summers in the US with his father. He loved his mother but she simply didn’t understand him. She wanted him to be a man of culture and art. He couldn't care less about modern art which was her passion. She was always taking him to museums and art shows. She wanted him to dress up and wear a coat and tie. He just wanted to get outside and play in the dirt. He cherished the few months every year when he got to spend time with his father. His father made sure that his time with him was quality time and that he never felt like he took second place to his job or hobby. His father was an engineer that designed engines. His father worked for an aeronautics corporation. They often spent their summer outdoors enjoying hiking, camping, and fishing. They also spent their summers on a project such as restoring classic cars or building hot rods. His father helped him build a soap box racer one year. The next year they upgraded to go-kart racing. In his early teen years, he tried his hand at motocross racing as well. He got into dirt track racing and a youth driver's academy for formula one where he competed on the junior circuit for two years before he graduated high school. He had sponsors on the junior circuit but only a few. He was good and he did well but he didn't receive any offers from any teams. He was outshadowed by a few other drivers and the youth academy was full of talented drivers. He and his father both had the speed bug. If they could go faster, they wanted to.
Because of his unique childhood experience he grew up learning Estonian, Russian, German, and English. When he turned 18 he was faced with some unique challenges. Humanity was trying to reverse the damage they had done to the planet and were actually making progress. There was still a lot of upheaval as world governments sought to work together. Terrorist activity was commonplace. Terrorists used violence to try and force their ideals and mold things to their ideology. Sometimes it was about power and sometimes it was about money. To combat widespread terrorism, the governments and countries involved with NATO recruited heavily from their populations to curb the violence. He felt a duty to help protect others from the chaos that was happening. He went off to fight terrorists at 18. He liked the idea that he was protecting innocents from danger.
He was 19 when he met Candace. His team had been sent in to rescue hostages at UCLA. Terrorists had taken the women hostage at a sorority house just off campus. Candace was one of the girls rescued by his team that night. Alexander began dating Candace. After a whirlwind romance and a wild night in Vegas, he had a wife. He was 22 years old when Candace gave birth to their daughter Arianna. Life was good for Alexander. He had a purpose in life, a woman he loved, and a beautiful daughter. Arianna was 2 years old and his term of service was almost up when his life changed forever.
Alexander and his team were sent to stop terrorists in Florida. NATO had received intel that terrorists were planning to hit a large outdoor music festival in Miami. Homegrown terrorists were unhappy that the government had changed the tax structure and was cracking down on mega corporations to ensure they were paying their fair share. The increased tax revenues were paying for environmentally friendly infrastructure and social service programs. The group was made up of die hard extremists that felt that their business rights were being stomped on. That they shouldn’t have to pay to help reverse the environmental damage they helped cause. Their attitude was that the government was overreaching their authority. Alexander and his team were sent in to help provide additional security at the event. Sadly a member of Alexander’s team had sold out for money to the group. They had planted pipe bombs at the venue’s entrances. They were let in through an underground entrance to the venue and fired on the crowd from the lighting rig above the stage. Alexander was trying to guide the crowd out the exit as panicked people were running everywhere when the bomb at the main entrance went off. Alexander was caught in the blast and thrown 25 yards away. His arms were shredded from the blast. He almost didn’t make it due to blood loss. He made it to the hospital and they managed to save his life but they had to amputate his arms.
Alexander’s recovery was long and painful. His wife was unable to bear looking at his scars and told him she had not signed up to take care of an invalid. She took their daughter and left and filed for divorce. Alexander didn’t blame her. He sunk into depression and his will to fight and carry on left with her. Alexander needed help so he moved in with his father.
His father felt there should be an engineering solution to his issue. Cybernetics was a young science and experimental but they had made strides in prosthetics for people with issues such as Alexander’s. Alexander’s father reached out to a close friend of his that worked in Biotech. Alexander was a good candidate for their new technology. Within a week Alexander was prepped for surgery and received state of the art neural linked controlled cybernetic arms. The cybernetic arms were grafted onto what was left of his organic arms and the nerves integrated with the cybernetic wiring to work with his nervous system. Alexander went to see Candace after he had healed. The arms were covered in a synthetic flesh that matched his natural skin tone but there was no hiding the wide band of ugly scarring where the arms were attached. He had fine motor skills and his reflexes were faster than ever. Candace crushed his heart with a second rejection. She told him that she felt like it would feel like being held by a robot. That she couldn’t do it. He wondered if she had ever loved him at all. Alexander was numb and full of pain as their divorce was finalized. At least she was amicable about his visiting rights. He would not let his daughter grow up thinking he didn’t want a relationship with her. Alexander once more sunk into depression uncertain what to do next.
Once again his father pulled him out of his funk. His father took him to a racetrack and paid for a VIP experience so he could get behind the wheel on a real track in a formula one racer. Alexander came alive as the engine’s roar vibrated as he sped down the track. G forces slammed him from one side of the car to the other as he cornered around the track. Luck was with Alexander that day as a billionaire racing mogul happened to be at the track that day. He had paid for time to test his latest personal car. Alexander had just broken the track record in an old car. The mogul offered him a chance at a driving position. He said he would sponsor him for a year in the Junior Formula League with training and mentorship. Alexander took it since he felt alive again. He did well and placed in the top 5 drivers that season. The next year he stepped up in main league as a driver for the guy and did really well.
So began his career in professional racing. He earned the nickname Bullet on the circuit. He spent a few years visiting his daughter between races. Occasionally Candace would bring her to a race to watch him race. Racing began to shift to a new style, anti-gravity racing, and he was offered a spot on the new team. He was now 26. He was no longer the only enhanced driver on the track. He was still performing well with the occasional win and was in the top ten drivers in the league. His best friend was a driver from Belgium named Audrick Mulder. They met at a race and bonded over beers after the race. Audrick was a charismatic, happy guy who liked to have a good time. The media loved him which helped him gain sponsors. He was handsome and a media favorite. He was also some of his biggest competition on the track. They had a friendly rivalry and were often seen pranking one another in the winner’s circle. Audrick once squirted him with a champagne bottle full of glitter. He was washing glitter out of his hair weeks later. He had slapped a sign on his buddy’s back that read “The beer is on me.” Alexander had found where he fit in the world again. He was regaining his stride.
The team he was driving for was Audrick’s team’s biggest competition. The team had hired a new crew chief and a new engineer. The owner was hungry to win the season. They kept trying to get him to drive more aggressively and use shady tactics on the track. Alexander was not happy about it and told them he wouldn’t do it. They were going into the race of the season. He had gone to visit Audrick to wish him luck the night before the race. He was surprised to see one of their team mechanics leaving Audrick’s team garage. The next day during what should have been the biggest race of his career. He was on track to win the season. Audrick’s vehicle jerked hard to the right and lifted off the track. The crash was horrific and his car exploded as it bounced down the track. Audrick didn’t survive the crash. At first Alexander was shocked, then he thought back to what he had seen the night before. He confronted the team owner about what he had seen demanding the mechanic be questioned. In a fit of rage and heightened emotions, he was fired and he knew deep in his soul that his team had been behind whatever the mechanical failure was that caused the crash. Alexander left racing at the ripe age of 28. The owner sued him for breach of contract even though he was fired. He left racing with little to his name.
He went back to college and became an engineer like his father. He went to work at his father’s company and helped develop new technology to help the world. He worked in energy systems and drive systems. He and his father made a killer team. The most positive thing to happen from this is that he got to spend more time with his daughter. He got her over the summer and she spent the school year with her mother. They always spent time together doing things she liked and they went to a race or two with her grandfather. It was a tradition they upheld every year. Alexander didn’t let many people into his life. He had been hurt so badly that he didn’t really trust many people any more. He had not had a serious relationship since Candace. He had a few drinking buddies but no one that he really let in.
Fast forward and now his daughter was going off to college. She had chosen to stay close to her mother and was attending UCLA. Alexander didn’t care since UCLA was a decent school. What mattered most to him was that she was healthy and happy. He got a phone call that no parent wants to get. His daughter had been on her way to class when she had been hit by a drunk driver. He had flown to LA. She was in ICU and it was touch and go for about 2 weeks. She had been in a coma. She had experienced extreme trauma. When she woke up, the doctor’s confirmed their fears that she was going to be paralyzed from the neck down. There were implants that could help but most of the cybernetics available could only help those paralyzed from the waist down. They still couldn’t do much to help quadriplegics. There was a whole lot more damage and information to help with. There were new experimental options but they were not covered by insurance and they were costly. He didn’t have that kind of money. For the first time in years, he had cried and prayed for a solution.
He was in his hotel room that night on the phone with his father when he got a phone call from someone he hadn’t heard from in years. Audrick’s wife Alicia Mulder was calling him. He told his father he would call him back. Alicia was sobbing and begging for his help. She told him that Paul, Audrick’s son, had just been hired to be the rookie driver for team Valkyrie. She was terrified that what happened to Audrick would happen to him. She had called in some favors and she wanted him to be his crew chief and the team lead. He explained why he couldn’t leave and take the job that his daughter needed him. She was in the hospital. She made a deal with him to get Arianna into an experimental cybernetic program for her condition and pay all expenses if he would take the job. Alexander was poleaxed. He had sworn he would never go back to racing and that den of cutthroat thieves. He couldn’t believe she was asking him to do this for her. As a parent and someone who had lived that life, he understood her fears. He sighed and accepted her proposal. It was Arianna’s best chance for a better quality of life. He agreed to take the job but he refused to leave until Arianna had come through her surgery. Now he had to face his future. He walked to the corner store that night and bought a bottle of the best whiskey they had. He proceeded to get plastered and passed out wondering what the hell he had just agreed too.
Racing DNA
Overview: Alexander always preferred a balanced approach. He felt too many augments could be as big an issue as none at all. He also preferred to start with natural talent and skills and build up. He didn’t believe that more augmentation was necessarily the best for the pilot. He had his own issues and trauma over implants as a guide. The strategy used would depend on the technology and team you had to back that technology up. If you had a top of the line energy system but didn’t have the right person to tune it and help you use it, then it was worthless. He liked reviewing all his options and doing the best with what he had available while looking for better. He believed in getting down to the details, training for all team members, and consistency in performance. The more they all trained on possible scenarios the safer the whole team was. He was a fanatic about safety.
Skills: Alexander is a motor head and an engineer. He has experience as a pilot. He has skills as a pilot. He understands what it takes to win. He has lines he won’t cross though to make that happen.
Special Trait: Alexander has a unique point of view because he has been in the driver’s seat and understands the skill, drive, and psychology necessary to win. He also has an engineering background and can understand the technology and explanations and how to implement that tech and tune to help the team push forward. He has experience on both sides of the equation.
Controversy : Alexander’s exit from racing was controversial. He was sued by the team owner and lost almost everything. His name had been drug through the mud by his former team and the media. He had been so angry at the time, he didn’t try to refute or change public opinion. He had not seen the need to. He had never planned to be back in the limelight again. He was not the most marketable crew chief in the game. He was going to mouth off and say the wrong things in front of the camera at some point. The marketing team has their work cut out for them!He is also fanatical about safety because of his past. He comes across as over the top about it. Others think he takes it too far. In his eyes, he can’t stress it enough.
Likes: Beer, whiskey, racing, speed, classic cars, outdoors, space, swearing,coffee, and dogs Dislikes: Liars, cheating, hates the spotlight, paparazzi, interviews, being forced into emotional vulnerability, sharing feelings, perky people Other Information: Don’t speak to him before he has had his coffee! While he believes in getting an early start, he absolutely can’t be civil before coffee.
Anti-gravity racing is a billion dollar industry not just a sport. Money has a power all its own and many. Power, money, and corruption hide in the shadows of the sport. Alexander has taken over as the Team Principal for Valkyrie AGR Sport. His arrival at Headquarters was dramatic. His first day was particularly trying as he uncovered serious issues that were undermining the Team’s morale and were just plain illegal. Alexander wasted no time in correcting the most egregious wrongdoings happening. He upset a lot of powerful people when he did it. While Alexander’s goals are more altruistic, those who lost minions and power inside the powerful organization that is Valkyrie AGR were not happy to lose some of their control and power. This earned him some enemies while he managed to remove the more obvious ones. There are still those working in the shadows to reduce his influence and remove him so that they can continue enjoying the power he removed from them.
Alexander has reviewed what’s happening with the Team. He has restructured the team which previously had been very siloed into their specialties. The Engineers and Mechanics were merged into one team The Engineering Team is now Co-led by Felix and Helga. The head of the Medical Team was fired and brought up on charges Dr. Zimmerman. Dr. Montgomery has been selected to take over the Medical Team. The head of the Human Resources department was fired and is being investigated for Corporate Espionage and embezzlement. The training personnel and everyone else who works for the racing giant have been moved to a Support Personnel category. Alexander has brought his executive assistant from his previous engineering job to Valkyrie with him. Mabel Brown is now Alexander’s executive assistant. Her appointment has caused some waves at Valkyrie since she had been hired from outside the company jumping over personnel who were already there. Forces inside the team tried to oppose and stop Mabel’s hiring.
Alexander went so far as to make physical interior changes to bring the mechanical and engineering departments together, consolidating resources, tools, materials, and personnel. They now have one larger space where they work collaboratively. This move has already shown benefits in advances and smoother communication between mechanics and engineers. The Engineering team has now bonded together into a new whole. A local bar created a drink and named it after them after a team night out. The results were ideas for a new ship design. The new design focuses on supporting the pilot with faster, more energy efficient engines and new cockpit design to reduce the physical stresses on the pilot.
Alexander restructured how the Medical department worked. They now worked under an elected head who guides and reports back to Alexander. They now have a more open and collaborative work structure. They are also now making use of their talented interns which were being ignored by the previous team lead. The new direction for the Medical department has led to some new ideas in Pilot training and a focus on natural pilot performance enhancement protocols. Only time will show if they are working.
Alexander called in a favor from the European Union Space Agency and has built a new simulator that not only puts his pilots into a race virtually but also simulates the actual g forces and inertia that their bodies experience in a cockpit. This allows them to use the simulator to measure how the physical stresses that the pilots are going through in a more solid and meaningful way. It also allows them to train experiencing those physical forces and how that will impair their performance.
Alexander has the pilots focused on training for each race. The engineering team is making and tweaking the ships as best they can to get the most out of them for each race. They used strategy to finally get some points. They are hoping to do better in Tokyo which is a race their craft should do well on.
Alexander joined the team and came back to racing for his daughter’s sake. Alexander has very mixed feelings about it. He had loved racing but he sure didn’t miss the politics. Alexander is tormented by a crash that killed his best friend. His experience with being pushed into more dangerous and questionable tactics on the racetrack. His belief that his best friend’s death was not accidental and that he somehow was responsible for it haunted his dreams. He had sworn he would never return to racing. Arianna, his daughter, was hit by a car and almost died. She came out of the accident paralyzed from the neck down. Alexander was offered an opportunity to get her experimental state of the art prosthetics that would allow her to have a better quality of life. Standard prosthetics would have allowed her to regain mobility but she would have had to give up being able to feel sensations or have all her limbs amputated replaced by cybernetic ones. This option allowed her to have the option of being able to move her organic body. Rebuilding her nervous system replacing her organic one. Alicia Mulder, Paul Mulder’s mother, agreed to procure and pay for Arianna’s treatment and cybernetics if Alexander would return to racing to mentor and safeguard her son. Alexander agreed as it was the best option for Arianna.
Alexander is divorced. His ex-wife left him because she told him that she couldn’t handle him losing his arms. That his prosthetic arms were like being touched by a robot. Alexander had co-parented his daughter but had no further dealings with his ex-wife. Alexander had always kept this from his daughter. He had not wanted his daughter to resent her mother. Arianna’s mother has shown her true nature. Arianna overheard her mother’s comments to doctors and on the phone. Arianna overhead her mother saying she should have died if she couldn't take care of herself. Her mother was only bringing her home to recover because it would make her look bad since her story had been in the media because of her father. Arianna had asked Alexander to bring her home with him.
Alexander made the arrangements even though it will make him look bad and push back his long term plans for the team by at least 6 months. Alexander has the finished ship design proposals and costs for building them. The Board of Directors have given their okay to move forward but it takes time to build new ship designs. Prototypes had to be built and tested. Designs had to be filed with the Racing Commission. The new ships had to be approved by the league and meet their rules. Not to mention any government regulations as well. Alexander has started sourcing material and is gearing up to recruit the personnel he needs. He has also been making a push for endorsements to bring in the money necessary to pay for new designs. He needs to keep Valkyrie in a positive relationship with the media. Alexander’s decision to bring his daughter back with him and utilize team resources to help her is jeopardizing his reputation.
Alexander confronted Dorian about his lack of performance and poor attitude in Tokyo. He hoped they were both on the same page now. He had completed the contract work necessary to get the endorsement money for the contract so he could begin to hire more engineers. Alexander is grateful to have an influx of capital to work with but he is also dealing with his own emotional turmoil after being in the public's eye again. He has sifted through applications and dossiers and done initial interviews with Dakota Ellis a jet engineer with Pratt & Whitney, Bastijin Velnaar, a Dutch electrical engineer that worked for one of the world’s leading wind turbine manufacturers, and Stephanie Mitsuyo a third generation Japanese American college graduate student who is studying electrical engineering with a specialty in super conductors. Alexander had a visit from Johanna Lipusz, the EU Special Representative for Anti-Gravity Research. She pretty much demanded progress in the form of podiums and wins or else. He was very worried about the or else. He found out that she had the power to threaten Leopold, even he answered to her. They are bringing the top three engineering candidates to Valkyrie Headquarters for a practical skills demonstration. Alexander is hoping that they will find some magic to help them do better in Italy.
Name: Alexander Knight Alias: “The Bullet” Team: Valkyrie Gender: Male Age: 48
Appearance: Height: 5’ 10” Weight: 175 pounds Hair: Blonde Eyes: Green Scars: Cybernetic arms - a ring of scar tissue where they connect on his biceps will peak out of the t-shirt sleeve on each arm. Languages: English, Estonian, German, and Russian
Personality: Alexander comes across as a surly grumpy no nonsense man. He has been through a lot of trauma and doesn’t give a shit what others think. He doesn’t take shit from anybody. He has a very strong sense of ethics and what’s right and wrong. He curses like a sailor and will be the first one to tell you, “If you don’t like how I do things. Then don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!” He is a fair man and will give you a chance to state why you think you are right. He will then proceed to tell you why you will do it the way he thinks is best. You can learn alot from him if you can put up with him. His methods might seem harsh and his attitude stark and uncompromising but he is that way because he cares. Alexander likes to win and he wants everyone to come home at the end of the day. Safety is important to him. Alexander pushes everyone around him to rise to the occasion… to strive to be better. Alexander never wanted to accept responsibility for the lives of others again. His traumatic past haunts him and it can be seen in his eyes.
Backstory: Family: Father: Vincent Knight Age: 68 Mother: Elena Novak Age: 67 Ex-Wife: Candace Martin Age: 45 Daughter: Arianna Knight Age 19
Alexander has dual citizenship. His father was from the Federated States, formerly the country of the United States, and the city of Brooklyn, New York. His mother was from the European Union, formerly the country of Estonia and the city of Tartu. His parents met when his father was going to the university in Tartu studying engineering. They got married when his mother became pregnant with him at 19 years old. He spent the first 7 years of his childhood growing up in Tartu surrounded by his mother’s family. His parents got divorced by the time he was eight. He had to admit that his parents got along better after they divorced. They didn’t fight nearly as much. They agreed on more things and his life was more peaceful.
The only hard part was being away from one parent so much of the year. He spent more time with his mother than his father. He lived with his mother during the school year and spent his summers in the US with his father. He loved his mother but she simply didn’t understand him. She wanted him to be a man of culture and art. He couldn't care less about modern art which was her passion. She was always taking him to museums and art shows. She wanted him to dress up and wear a coat and tie. He just wanted to get outside and play in the dirt. He cherished the few months every year when he got to spend time with his father. His father made sure that his time with him was quality time and that he never felt like he took second place to his job or hobby. His father was an engineer that designed engines. His father worked for an aeronautics corporation. They often spent their summer outdoors enjoying hiking, camping, and fishing. They also spent their summers on a project such as restoring classic cars or building hot rods. His father helped him build a soap box racer one year. The next year they upgraded to go-kart racing. In his early teen years, he tried his hand at motocross racing as well. He got into dirt track racing and a youth driver's academy for formula one where he competed on the junior circuit for two years before he graduated high school. He had sponsors on the junior circuit but only a few. He was good and he did well but he didn't receive any offers from any teams. He was outshadowed by a few other drivers and the youth academy was full of talented drivers. He and his father both had the speed bug. If they could go faster, they wanted to.
Because of his unique childhood experience he grew up learning Estonian, Russian, German, and English. When he turned 18 he was faced with some unique challenges. Humanity was trying to reverse the damage they had done to the planet and were actually making progress. There was still a lot of upheaval as world governments sought to work together. Terrorist activity was commonplace. Terrorists used violence to try and force their ideals and mold things to their ideology. Sometimes it was about power and sometimes it was about money. To combat widespread terrorism, the governments and countries involved with NATO recruited heavily from their populations to curb the violence. He felt a duty to help protect others from the chaos that was happening. He went off to fight terrorists at 18. He liked the idea that he was protecting innocents from danger.
He was 19 when he met Candace. His team had been sent in to rescue hostages at UCLA. Terrorists had taken the women hostage at a sorority house just off campus. Candace was one of the girls rescued by his team that night. Alexander began dating Candace. After a whirlwind romance and a wild night in Vegas, he had a wife. He was 20 years old when Candace gave birth to their daughter Arianna. Life was good for Alexander. He had a purpose in life, a woman he loved, and a beautiful daughter. Arianna was 2 years old and his term of service was almost up when his life changed forever.
Alexander and his team were sent to stop terrorists in Florida. NATO had received intel that terrorists were planning to hit a large outdoor music festival in Miami. Homegrown terrorists were unhappy that the government had changed the tax structure and was cracking down on mega corporations to ensure they were paying their fair share. The increased tax revenues were paying for environmentally friendly infrastructure and social service programs. The group was made up of die hard extremists that felt that their business rights were being stomped on. That they shouldn’t have to pay to help reverse the environmental damage they helped cause. Their attitude was that the government was overreaching their authority. Alexander and his team were sent in to help provide additional security at the event. Sadly a member of Alexander’s team had sold out for money to the group. They had planted pipe bombs at the venue’s entrances. They were let in through an underground entrance to the venue and fired on the crowd from the lighting rig above the stage. Alexander was trying to guide the crowd out the exit as panicked people were running everywhere when the bomb at the main entrance went off. Alexander was caught in the blast and thrown 25 yards away. His arms were shredded from the blast. He almost didn’t make it due to blood loss. He made it to the hospital and they managed to save his life but they had to amputate his arms.
Alexander’s recovery was long and painful. His wife was unable to bear looking at his scars and told him she had not signed up to take care of an invalid. She took their daughter and left and filed for divorce. Alexander didn’t blame her. He sunk into depression and his will to fight and carry on left with her. Alexander needed help so he moved in with his father.
His father felt there should be an engineering solution to his issue. Cybernetics was a young science and experimental but they had made strides in prosthetics for people with issues such as Alexander’s. Alexander’s father reached out to a close friend of his that worked in Biotech. Alexander was a good candidate for their new technology. Within a week Alexander was prepped for surgery and received state of the art neural linked controlled cybernetic arms. The cybernetic arms were grafted onto what was left of his organic arms and the nerves integrated with the cybernetic wiring to work with his nervous system. Alexander went to see Candace after he had healed. The arms were covered in a synthetic flesh that matched his natural skin tone but there was no hiding the wide band of ugly scarring where the arms were attached. He had fine motor skills and his reflexes were faster than ever. Candace crushed his heart with a second rejection. She told him that she felt like it would feel like being held by a robot. That she couldn’t do it. He wondered if she had ever loved him at all. Alexander was numb and full of pain as their divorce was finalized. At least she was amicable about his visiting rights. He would not let his daughter grow up thinking he didn’t want a relationship with her. Alexander once more sunk into depression uncertain what to do next.
Once again his father pulled him out of his funk. His father took him to a racetrack and paid for a VIP experience so he could get behind the wheel on a real track in a formula one racer. Alexander came alive as the engine’s roar vibrated as he sped down the track. G forces slammed him from one side of the car to the other as he cornered around the track. Luck was with Alexander that day as a billionaire racing mogul happened to be at the track that day. He had paid for time to test his latest personal car. Alexander had just broken the track record in an old car. The mogul offered him a chance at a driving position. He said he would sponsor him for a year in the Junior Formula League with training and mentorship. Alexander took it since he felt alive again. He did well and placed in the top 5 drivers that season. The next year he stepped up in main league as a driver for the guy and did really well.
So began his career in professional racing. He earned the nickname Bullet on the circuit. He spent a few years visiting his daughter between races. Occasionally Candace would bring her to a race to watch him race. Racing began to shift to a new style, anti-gravity racing, and he was offered a spot on the new team. He was now 26. He was no longer the only enhanced driver on the track. He was still performing well with the occasional win and was in the top ten drivers in the league. His best friend was a driver from Belgium named Audrick Mulder. They met at a race and bonded over beers after the race. Audrick was a charismatic, happy guy who liked to have a good time. The media loved him which helped him gain sponsors. He was handsome and a media favorite. He was also some of his biggest competition on the track. They had a friendly rivalry and were often seen pranking one another in the winner’s circle. Audrick once squirted him with a champagne bottle full of glitter. He was washing glitter out of his hair weeks later. He had slapped a sign on his buddy’s back that read “The beer is on me.” Alexander had found where he fit in the world again. He was regaining his stride.
The team he was driving for was Audrick’s team’s biggest competition. The team had hired a new crew chief and a new engineer. The owner was hungry to win the season. They kept trying to get him to drive more aggressively and use shady tactics on the track. Alexander was not happy about it and told them he wouldn’t do it. They were going into the race of the season. He had gone to visit Audrick to wish him luck the night before the race. He was surprised to see one of their team mechanics leaving Audrick’s team garage. The next day during what should have been the biggest race of his career. He was on track to win the season. Audrick’s vehicle jerked hard to the right and lifted off the track. The crash was horrific and his car exploded as it bounced down the track. Audrick didn’t survive the crash. At first Alexander was shocked, then he thought back to what he had seen the night before. He confronted the team owner about what he had seen demanding the mechanic be questioned. In a fit of rage and heightened emotions, he was fired and he knew deep in his soul that his team had been behind whatever the mechanical failure was that caused the crash. Alexander left racing at the ripe age of 28. The owner sued him for breach of contract even though he was fired. He left racing with little to his name.
He went back to college and became an engineer like his father. He went to work at his father’s company and helped develop new technology to help the world. He worked in energy systems and drive systems. He and his father made a killer team. The most positive thing to happen from this is that he got to spend more time with his daughter. He got her over the summer and she spent the school year with her mother. They always spent time together doing things she liked and they went to a race or two with her grandfather. It was a tradition they upheld every year. Alexander didn’t let many people into his life. He had been hurt so badly that he didn’t really trust many people any more. He had not had a serious relationship since Candace. He had a few drinking buddies but no one that he really let in.
Fast forward and now his daughter was going off to college. She had chosen to stay close to her mother and was attending UCLA. Alexander didn’t care since UCLA was a decent school. What mattered most to him was that she was healthy and happy. He got a phone call that no parent wants to get. His daughter had been on her way to class when she had been hit by a drunk driver. He had flown to LA. She was in ICU and it was touch and go for about 2 weeks. She had been in a coma. She had experienced extreme trauma. When she woke up, the doctor’s confirmed their fears that she was going to be paralyzed from the neck down. There were implants that could help but most of the cybernetics available could only help those paralyzed from the waist down. They still couldn’t do much to help quadriplegics. There was a whole lot more damage and information to help with. There were new experimental options but they were not covered by insurance and they were costly. He didn’t have that kind of money. For the first time in years, he had cried and prayed for a solution.
He was in his hotel room that night on the phone with his father when he got a phone call from someone he hadn’t heard from in years. Audrick’s wife Alicia Mulder was calling him. He told his father he would call him back. Alicia was sobbing and begging for his help. She told him that Paul, Audrick’s son, had just been hired to be the rookie driver for team Valkyrie. She was terrified that what happened to Audrick would happen to him. She had called in some favors and she wanted him to be his crew chief and the team lead. He explained why he couldn’t leave and take the job that his daughter needed him. She was in the hospital. She made a deal with him to get Arianna into an experimental cybernetic program for her condition and pay all expenses if he would take the job. Alexander was poleaxed. He had sworn he would never go back to racing and that den of cutthroat thieves. He couldn’t believe she was asking him to do this for her. As a parent and someone who had lived that life, he understood her fears. He sighed and accepted her proposal. It was Arianna’s best chance for a better quality of life. He agreed to take the job but he refused to leave until Arianna had come through her surgery. Now he had to face his future. He walked to the corner store that night and bought a bottle of the best whiskey they had. He proceeded to get plastered and passed out wondering what the hell he had just agreed too.
Racing DNA
Overview: Alexander always preferred a balanced approach. He felt too many augments could be as big an issue as none at all. He also preferred to start with natural talent and skills and build up. He didn’t believe that more augmentation was necessarily the best for the pilot. He had his own issues and trauma over implants as a guide. The strategy used would depend on the technology and team you had to back that technology up. If you had a top of the line energy system but didn’t have the right person to tune it and help you use it, then it was worthless. He liked reviewing all his options and doing the best with what he had available while looking for better. He believed in getting down to the details, training for all team members, and consistency in performance. The more they all trained on possible scenarios the safer the whole team was. He was a fanatic about safety.
Skills: Alexander is a motor head and an engineer. He has experience as a pilot. He has skills as a pilot. He understands what it takes to win. He has lines he won’t cross though to make that happen.
Special Trait: Alexander has a unique point of view because he has been in the driver’s seat and understands the skill, drive, and psychology necessary to win. He also has an engineering background and can understand the technology and explanations and how to implement that tech and tune to help the team push forward. He has experience on both sides of the equation.
Controversy : Alexander’s exit from racing was controversial. He was sued by the team owner and lost almost everything. His name had been drug through the mud by his former team and the media. He had been so angry at the time, he didn’t try to refute or change public opinion. He had not seen the need to. He had never planned to be back in the limelight again. He was not the most marketable crew chief in the game. He was going to mouth off and say the wrong things in front of the camera at some point. The marketing team has their work cut out for them!He is also fanatical about safety because of his past. He comes across as over the top about it. Others think he takes it too far. In his eyes, he can’t stress it enough.
Likes: Beer, whiskey, racing, speed, classic cars, outdoors, space, swearing,coffee, and dogs Dislikes: Liars, cheating, hates the spotlight, paparazzi, interviews, being forced into emotional vulnerability, sharing feelings, perky people Other Information: Don’t speak to him before he has had his coffee! While he believes in getting an early start, he absolutely can’t be civil before coffee.
Samantha had ditched her wing pack and stored it behind some crates when the action kicked off.
Oliver had his gun up and was ready to take action as she heard him whisper over the comms. "So question, this pressurized environment, do we know what kind of mixture it has, and do different compartments have different mixtures, specially those around the servers and special storage units?" he said in a low whisper, "also, what are we doing about those in front of us?"
Samantha’s head whipped around to stare in shock at Oliver. That was the most she had ever heard Oliver talk while on a mission and it was a very good question. She raised an eyebrow in surprise as she considered the man. “The compartments are like those on a boat. The idea is that if one compartment is breached that the others will help prevent the blimp from crashing allowing it to land safely. Most blimps today use helium which is non-flammable while hydrogen has more lift and is flammable. After the Hindenburg most blimps don’t use hydrogen for that reason. However, for a blimp this size to maintain this altitude, there has to be hydrogen begging used for lift. Otherwise the blimp couldn’t support this altitude. I will have to get into their computers to find out if there is a mixture of just certain compartments with hydrogen or all hydrogen.”
Skye recommended the team keep their masks on in case of a breech. It was not long when the team made contact with guards. Skye and Athena quickly took down the first set of guards. Athena using one of the guards body as a weapon as she tossed him into his partner. Athena and Skye snarking at one another causing her to grin as Skye told Athena she had flair for the dramatic. Chaos just snickered as she couldn’t help but think had Skye met Athena? She was not but dramatic! She couldn’t help the snort of laughter that followed from her as Athana told Skye precision was her department.
They came to the end of that compartment and found the door into the main section of the blimp on this level. They could hear voices on the other side of the door. The enemy knew they were there just not exactly where. Time was ticking now as the team was being hunted.
Skye paused outside the door to share some further instructions. "Schematics are relatively poor. But, from what we know, server's up on the next level. This might be our Sol Hestia store here." Skye and Athena stacked up on each other ready to go through the door. She nodded to Athena and told her, "All yours, Valkyrie."
With that Athena pushed into through the doorway her guns blasting. Skye rushed in behind her to help take down the men. Skye was tackled to the ground by one of the men to be pulled off and casually thrown into the wall by Athena with a crunch as his head hit the wall. Skye had thanked Athena who said something snarky about drama to Skye. She shook her head. So far she was way behind on this mission. She would need to up her game.
The team knew that the alarms had been triggered. They knew it was only a matter of time before they began to run into more and more of the enemy. They still needed to neutralize the toxin and take down Rose’s servers and destroy any remaining bodies she might have on board.
Samantha nodded as Skye told her. "This is it then. Chaos, all yours to deactivate. We'll secure up in front. Nord, Athena, you two take lead." Samantha nodded to Skye, her voice full of humor as she chuckled “Drama indeed. Aye Queen.” She turned to the large tank and began to carefully look it over. She didn’t want to trigger any kind of automatic ejection or activation sequence. She went to work as fast she could at the tank. She pulled a cord out of the toolkit and plugged Bob into the computer station next to the tank. She checked the tank for mechanical engineering components while Bob hacked into the computer station.
Samantha was frustrated as she discovered there were failsafe traps on the activation tank and valve. If she had just opened the valve, it would have triggered an automatic activation and release sequence. Some of the toxin would have made it out before the neutralization agent had time to neutralize it all. Sweat beaded up on her forehead as she worked as quickly as possible to find a solution. Her eyes lit up as she went old school and pulled out her tool kit. She sabotaged the valves on the tank to keep them from opening and dumping the toxin into the atmosphere using a small welding torch. She then dumped the neutralization agent into the activation duct which triggered the program to open the duct into the tank, dumping the agent into the tank. Alarms went off as the tank dump valves triggered error messages since they were welded shut and unable to open. Samantha grinned. “One problem down. Suck on that Rose!”
She put her tools away and unplugged Bob. The computer station was a bust. It was on a separate circuit to the rest of the base to make it harder to hack from a distance.She didn’t really get any usable information from it.
She let Skye know over comms “Toxin neutralized but I triggered alarms.”
Samantha could hear gunfire and knew which way her team had gone. She re-joined the team and slid into cover at the doorway. She peeked out to see what was going on. She saw the automated turrets that were attached to the ceiling. She also drones moving down the corridor firing like something out of a bad science fiction movie. It reminded her of original Star Trek episodes where droids look like fancy mobile trash cans with a turret on top. Samantha growled. She had not brought her precision long guns for this battle expecting it to be close quarter fighting in the hallways of the blimp. She asked Bob the distance to the drone; it was far enough away she didn’t think she could hit it with her pistol.
She pulled out her mini drone and tossed it into the air. The drone swept into the air. Samantha had it jerk from side to side as she tried to get it close to the drone. The automated turrets were trying to target it and bullets stitched along the corridor as the turrets tried to target all of them. At least the drone was pulling some of the fire aimed at the team. She groaned as one of the turrets clipped the small drone in a lucky shot. “Damn it!” The drone fell and slid under the wheeled drone. The wheeled turret got stuck on the mini-drone’s body. It was trying to free itself as it continued to target the team. It was moving back and forth and side to side. It might eventually get free but at least it was somewhat stationary at the moment. That was not what she was planning on but hey she would take it. Sometimes luck was better than planning.
Chuck knew he was playing with fire. Running into Freya was like finding a unicorn. Chuck knew that women who were not intimidated by his size were rare. Chuck had been treated by some women as a prize due to his size but they tended to be women of poor character. He also felt like if he hugged them too hard they would break in half. He had met other giant women but most of the ones he had met had been enemies trying to kill him. They had also been highly muscled and felt more like a guy to him. Chuck was older and had sowed his wild oats. He wanted a woman that sparked his passions and was someone he could hold a conversation with. He was looking for a partner and someone he wouldn't be ashamed to take home to introduce to his mother. Chuck had been trying to get to know Freya better since he met her. There was just something about her that told him she was worth getting to know better. Of course the whole world had to implode and they had basically been running from one crisis to another. Now if they failed the world might end. He didn’t want to die without taking a shot or making his intentions known. So he had asked for a kiss for luck and prayed she wouldn’t give him a concussion before their mission began. He watched her as his heart sped up as he leaned in closer and waited for her answer.
Chuck’s eyes never left Freya's as she came towards him with her hips swaying in that enticing way that women have. His eyes were drawn to the whole package she presented. His smile got larger as her helmet opened and he heard her voice using a fake southern accent dripping honey as she replied to him. "Well I do declare." His heart sped up even more as her grin got bigger. She leaned towards him her face just inches from his. He searched her eyes and thought he had never seen a more beautiful woman. She told him "What makes you think you've earned one?" Somewhere in his pheromone-fueled brain warning sirens were going off and “Danger and Run” were cutting through the attraction he was feeling. Confusion in his eyes as the mixed signals and his own desire left him somewhat confused. Then she smiled and told him "Oh who am I kidding?...Com'ere you!" Chuck felt her laughter vibrate against his lips as she pulled him down to kiss the ever loving hell out of him. The noise of the VTOL and the rest of the team faded into the background. His world and focus condensed down to the woman in his arms. He pulled her closer and took full advantage of that kiss. In that moment he was just a man letting a very beautiful woman know how much he appreciated and enjoyed her very presence.
The experience for Chuck was well worth the risk. He had a new goal in life. He was going to save the world so he could court this lovely woman. Other men can go for angels… He much preferred the fire and spunk of a battle goddess. He slowly broke away, ending the kiss. His hand caressed her check as he leaned over to whisper in her ear, “It was worth waiting for.”
Chuck found her slight blush charming. He laughed as she told him "We don't tell my brother...or my sister. My sister will get in on me over it..." She shivered as she told him, "Jamie will try and kill you."
He let her go and straightened back up. “We have work to do. I have to earn my next date after I ask your father permission. Don’t worry about Jamie. I will talk to him.” He winked at Freya as he put his helmet on and turned to help push the SDV out of the VTOL after Adam gave the orders. Chuck was smiling and eager for this mission to be wrapped up. He had stretch goals in life now. All he had to do was figure out how to tell Jamie and her father his intentions without being castrated, no pressure right!? He couldn’t help the thrill and shiver of challenge that thought brought. He managed to put that thought away and turn back to the business at hand which was fucking up Artemis and Rose’s plans to end the world.
Arrival at the platform
The team had arrived at one of the platforms supports columns underwater. The scene was dark and eerie. This was not Chuck’s first underwater insertion mission. He was at home in the water and felt a sense of peace before the storm in the silence below the waves. Chuck let determination and resolve fill him as he geared up to head topside as Adam gave them some last minute instructions.
"Alright. Everyone, disembark, we're headed back up. Boaro, put it into park, would you? … Underside should have some patrols, but we should get lucky and avoid them. Let's quietly eliminate them."
Adam began to swim upwards. Chuck activated the extra floatation devices on his armor and began to scissor his legs to swim upwards. Chuck stayed close to the team as he maneuvered into a position to support Adam as he approached the leg pylon.
Adam paused in position to give last minute instructions. "Okay, schematics are limited, but we'll need to take on multiple targets. Frigga, your cloaking can help dispatch the first guards at the top of this leg. Boaro, Shimura, you two stick close and head for the algae lab once Frigga does that, Boomer can give you support. Should look like a giant vertical farm, and on the other side of that is the centre of the platform- and where based on Ferrovia One's design, where they can pump the aerial particles from. Frigga, once we're ready, me and you will take the command room and hopefully, be able to shut down any SAM missiles, and the pump system from there. We'll need to look, but I am sure we'll find it fast."
Chuck watched as Adam quickly climbed the leg and was on the platform holding the area for the next team member. He heard Adam tell the team over comms "Clear. Let's get to work."
Chuck knew he was not going to be able to be as quiet as other members of the team and tried to let the stealthy types go first. He kept his eyes open for roaming guards. The metal decking was see through to allow water to fall through. He followed Freya climbing up the pylon leg. He did his best to stay as quiet as he could. His armored boots had rubber soles to help cushion and silence his suit but his weight in the heavy suit would still make some noise. Chuck pulled himself up and over the ledge of the platform. He moved to a position that offered some shadows and cover. He would hold position here and use his close combat skills to take out roving guards as quietly as he could to help the others get into the platform. It would put him in a position to fight off additional support as well.
I am experienced roleplayer returning to online roleplay after 10+ year break. I have missed roleplaying and the creative outlet it is for me. I am interested in casual roleplay. I consider myself a decent writer and I will put effort into my writing. I am not into writing a novel for one post though. Descriptive, character building, engaging, yes. I will always write at least 2 paragraphs unless it is a quick fire session revolving around dialogue over private messages. I am a fairly laid back person and don't want to be a grammar nazi. I believe in quality over quantity. Roleplaying is a hobby and a escape from real life pressures.
[color=00aeef]Genres I am interested in: [/color]
Fantasy
Middle Ages
Science Fiction
Vampires
Shapeshifters
Crime Drama
[color=00aeef]Fandoms I am interested in:[/color]
Pokemon
Harry Potter
Anita Blake
Dragonriders of Pern
Star Wars
I don't mind roleplaying romance but I am not looking for smut. It has to make sense for the roleplay. I am okay with a fade to black moment instead of roleplaying it out. For me its about the story and the character. I am open to roleplaying it out.
I am in the Pacific Standard Timezone. I work full time and will be seen in the evenings and weekends online.
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I am experienced roleplayer returning to online roleplay after 10+ year break. I have missed roleplaying and the creative outlet it is for me. I am interested in casual roleplay. I consider myself a decent writer and I will put effort into my writing. I am not into writing a novel for one post though. Descriptive, character building, engaging, yes. I will always write at least 2 paragraphs unless it is a quick fire session revolving around dialogue over private messages. I am a fairly laid back person and don't want to be a grammar nazi. I believe in quality over quantity. Roleplaying is a hobby and a escape from real life pressures. <br><br><font color="#00aeef">Genres I am interested in: </font><br>Fantasy<br>Middle Ages <br>Science Fiction <br>Vampires <br>Shapeshifters <br>Crime Drama<br><br><font color="#00aeef">Fandoms I am interested in:</font><br>Pokemon<br>Harry Potter <br>Anita Blake <br>Dragonriders of Pern <br>Star Wars <br><br>I don't mind roleplaying romance but I am not looking for smut. It has to make sense for the roleplay. I am okay with a fade to black moment instead of roleplaying it out. For me its about the story and the character. I am open to roleplaying it out. <br><br>I am in the Pacific Standard Timezone. I work full time and will be seen in the evenings and weekends online.</div>
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