Next time, on Kinetic!

Posted on Thu Sep 26th, 2024 @ 9:23pm by Commander Ichiko Gail

Mission: Let The Games Begin
Location: ICS Journeyman's Shield
Timeline: Enroute to the Astraea

[MEANWHILE...]

(This message has been previously recorded. It has been translated into Federation standard for viewer convenience)

The image opens up on a familiar sight. A man, a Son of Ts'usu, holding a segmented orb in his hand, an orb that had a soft blue glow to the ridges.

"It's a tale as old as the stars..." he started. "Give a little, get a little. You give, and everyone takes. But what if, what if, you give... and there was nothing to take it back? Nothing to stop you?" he motioned to the orb and gave it a gentle toss up and caught it again, "You give a little, and you can change a little." he continued, and then he was joined by a Daughter of Ts'usu, dressed in a red and yellow uniform. Shorter than the gentleson by easily a full head, but of the two she was the more intimidating, the more present. Wildly red fur, obviously a dye job, but she wore it well. "Give, and take?" she said with a wicked grin, as he cautiously looked over to her. The pair were joined by a third, a son of Ts'usu that stood over a full head taller than the red furred Daughter of Ts'usu. Dressed in a uniform of blue and white, and holding himself to a higher posture, a more dignified posture. Each of the two guests put a hand on the orb, glaring at each other as the original speaker looked like he was worried the orb was going to explode.

"When irresistible force meets irresistible force, there's nowhere to go but forward! Y... Yokoso Kinetic!!" he scrambled to get the rest of his speech out, trying to get out from the pressure of these two overbearing forces. The camera lingered on the two of them for a while as they tried to literally intimidate the other into letting go of the orb first, before the rest of their respective teams came to remove their captains from the scene. Once they started to leave, the camera moved and shifted to the announce desk, where there were two sons of Ts'usu already impressed with the event so far.

"Good welcome momentum fans. Tai Demart here, joining me is Sabin Dirata." and the other son of Ts'usu gave a nod. "And we're on our way to the grudge match of the century. In case you missed it, the grudge match between the Takish Nebulae and the Zanark Flames nearly erupted into a brawl on the floor of the arena." and the view cut to a screen-in-screen of a replay of a previous Kinetic match, where a few over-zealous members of each team had a disagreement as to who had the right to the orb. At that point, tempers flared and it only was through the intervention of the respective Captains that fists didn't fly. The Takish captain, Wataba, said that the Zanark trash wasn't worth it. The Zanark captain, Neela, informing her teammate that the beating would only leave the arena slippery.

"Despite that, the Zanark Flames pulled a victory over the Nebulae and cemented their rivalry with one of the highest rated teams in their league. After the match, Wataba and Neela met to discuss the resolution of their grudge. Neela offered up her usual challenge. Let's watch!"

The screen in screen showed Neela, confident and brash with her wicked grin, looking up at Wataba. Wataba wore his standard uniform, but had a brilliant green sash across his chest that bore a likeness of the Imperial Seal of Ts'usu. Worn to mock Neela, perhaps... "I'll accept your challenge. Anywhere. Anytime. I'll best you in the Shatterdome, I'll best you in the Six Pillars. I'll best you in the PARKING LOT." she raised her voice to punctuate her arrogance. Though to be fair, her arrogance was backed up by her record against one of the top teams. "I'll best you before breakfast. I'll best you in my pajamas." which drew the ire of the crowd, boo'ing her crass attitude. Her team behind her encouraged her, huddled around like a mob.

"It seems that there's nowhere in the entire empire that you won't defile, and there's nowhere I will not stand to oppose you and your thugs." Wataba countered, enjoying his height advantage over her. "I'll even relinquish the lanyard of the Emperor's Chosen to prove that..." but he was interrupted by a gong, and a device under a cube of clear glass started to ring. The announcer table jumped in mock awe, "It's the Emperor!"

The referee came over, lifted the glass case, and answered the phone with respect. "Yes, Emperor?" a pause, "Yes. Yes of course. Of course." and turned on a switch to pipe the phone through the PA. "You're live, Emperor." the referee declared. The presence of the Emperor changed the mood of the room. Even Neela and the Flames knew to show the Emperor reverence. Even if it was just a Proxy.

"Anywhere. Anytime." the Emperor's voice came over the speakers. "Nowhere that you will not stand." she again repeated. "Did I hear that correct?" and Wataba turned to the phone and bowed. "That is correct. Akuyaku (Villians) like her are to be opposed. I will not allow her and her thugs to sully this sport. For the chance to redeem the honor of the Nebulae, I would relinquish the mantle of Emperor's Chosen."

There was a heavy pause. A pause that lingered too long. And then, "Granted." and a ceremonial Son of Ts'usu in elaborate garb showed up to take the green sash from Wataba, who relinquished it without resistance. A small ceremony, before the scene in the window stopped and returned to the here and now.

"We don't need to remind you about the bitter rivalry between these two teams. Some call Captain Wataba the calm before the storm." Tai started, and Sabin added, "... which I guess that leave Captain Neela, to be the storm."

A stat card popped up for Wataba and the Nebulae, in their team colors of blue on white. Height and weight, blood type, date of birth, schooling, personal motto, all on display for the Captain while the rest of the team just had names and team positions. Invaders, Defenders, and the Wall. Wataba was a tall Son of Ts'usu with a solid but lean build. An athlete. Grey fur, brown eyes, and a stoic glance to the edge of the card, as though looking out to the future. The team looked to him for guidance. He was a leader. "Straight from the Six Pillar Stadium, the Nebulae are a favorite for a lot of you out there! Honor, prestige, diligence." Tai complimented the Nebulae and their Captain.

In contrast, the stat card for Neela and the Flames was a vivid red on yellow, and displayed the Captain directly. Shorter, lighter, the Daughter of Ts'usu posed in a posture that wasn't normally held by children of Ts'usu. Provocative, alluring, arrogant. Hands on her hips, a wicked toothy grin. Red fur with shocks of yellow to almost give her the illusion of being made of fire herself. Schooling, yes she attended. Height, weight, date of birth, all the same stats. Her team was with her, but rather then the ruley lineup that the Nebulae showed, this was an unruly mob. The Nebulae looked to their Captain for guidance. The Flames looked to their Captain for an alibi. She was their kingpin. Tai had no words for the Flames, so Sabin took over the commentary, "A complete contrast of the Nebulae and the resident Akuyaku of their league, Neela has no shortage of bad press and negative reputation. Straight out of the Shatterdome, they're popular with the modern audiences but their brutal tactics and unprofessionalism have earned them no friends in the arena. She says she stands for freedom and impulsiveness. If you ask a lot of the people watching, what she stands for is, well, I can't say over a broadcast." he chuckled.

"The excitement and momentum are building as we head out into the dark! We're on our way to an undisclosed location right now, Kinetic fans, so while we keep moving forward to our destination, we'll keep you posted on the events as this Empire wide grudge match has taken to the stars." Tai said with rising excitement. "We return you now to your regular programing, as the Gisse Vanguard defend their prefect against the upcoming stars, the Kenju Comets!"

With that, the recorded broadcast came to a close, fading to black as the future of Kinetic was on its way to the stars...