Kinetic

"We all know the story. 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? You give a little, and you can change a little. But what if... you gave it your all? Tonight, two teams will give it their all, and in the end only one of them will Keep... Moving... Forward! YOKOSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO KINETIC!"

- Field Announcer, start of match

Overview

Kinetic is the single most popular sport and entertainment event in all of the empire of Ts'usu.

The name of the game is the goal, this is Kinetic. Where the first Law is the only Law. The sport of Kinetic involves a surprising high amount of technology and no short amount of skill. Teams of six, in full gear, compete to score the previously agreed upon number of goals in order to win. It is rare to see a match go beyond one goal, but those that do are some of the most talked about grudge matches in the history of the sport.

Team placement involves spacing the members of each team into four categories: Captain, Invader, Defender, and the Wall. - Captains can travel the entirety of the field except in the Wall's space. - Defenders cannot leave their home territory, and cannot reinforce the Wall. - Invaders begin the match in enemy territory, but can never return home. - The Wall is the final line of defense at the goal. They stand alone.

While the scope and shape of the fields vary from stadium to stadium but the basics are the same. At each end of the field there stands the Goal, a pillar with a blue ring hovering over it. The pillar saps the kinetic energy from the ball, and stores it in a capacitor unit. Once that capacitor pops that's a goal, and usually the game.

The field itself is not barren and flat, but more of a battleground fabricated on the spot. No two matches are ever the same, and the geometry of the field changes even as the game goes on.

The mythical Seventh member of each team is the Mascot, a figure designed to keep the crowd hype and cheering for their team. Each prefect that can afford one has their own team. Sometimes, though, players in a team have are there to represent their prefect proud. Some teams are traditional and stoic, others are enthusiastic mongrels. This is where the other aspect of Kinetic comes in. Kinetic is as much a sport as it is a show. While the sport itself is very real and very dangerous for non-professionals, the rest of the sport is akin to a soap opera. Teams have rivals, personalities, hopes, dreams, drama, goals, and achievements. The Zanark Flames, for example, are one of the 'Heel' or 'Bad Guy' teams. They dress in vibrant colors, they're rambunctious, they're crude, and their captain is a flirtatious and strong willed Daughter of Ts'usu that has been known to snap her teeth at reporters on a good day. Her attitude is so anti-traditional that it causes her to be viewed with disdain by the more traditional members of society, but those that are more open to new concepts find her and her motley crew as a welcome addition to their lives.

Kinetic is beamed across the cosmos to any Ts'usugi colony and craft, and accounts for fully 8% of all Buoy traffic. It is rumored that the Emperor themselves had personally approved a lifetime exception for Kinetic to always have bandwidth. While this cannot be confirmed, the show has never failed to air.

Objective

Prior to each match commencing, the captains of each team meet with the head referee to discuss the terms of the match. How many matches, usually just one but sometimes two out of three are the terms. How many goals determines a victory, which is usually one, and the final determiner is the maximum speed of the ball. This directly affects how many goals one will need to pop the goal cap and win the match. Ambitious teams bid high, while reserved teams bid low.

The acts of passing, striking, bouncing, and hitting other players and topography are the acts that get the ball moving. While certain acts are frowned up but accidents happen.

Rules

While the rules for Kinetic are basic, there are a slim few that are enforced heavily.

• Intentionally using a referee as a rebound point is frowned heavily upon, and may result in temporary suspension.
• Any attempt to harm any official or anyone in live attendance is grounds for immediate disqualification. While there is a repulsor shield in place, a concerned enough effort can try.
• No grappling is allowed on the field. In the game about staying in motion, impeding others movement is against the rules.
• If the Captain cannot remain on the field, their team forfeits.

Common infractions simply are corrected by the team member that commits them, at the whistle of the ref. These usually include matters such as:

• Offsides: An Invader or Defender is in an illegal area.
• Reinforcing: A team member is in the area controlled by the Wall.
• Rebounding: Intentionally using an opponent as a rebound point.
• Transporting: Holding onto the Ball for any length of time longer than casual contact EXCEPT at low speeds to deflect.
• Conflict: Instigating a fight with another member. (Note: This is only a penalty if a fight actually occurs.)

Game Structure

Kinetic teams are broken down into two factions: All Moons and All Stars. Not to be confused with the term "All-Star" which usually denotes a singular member that is above the others. In Kinetic, teams don't award individual merit, as praise is usually handed out during the match in the form of respect from the teammates, or encouraging words and gestures from the Captain. Teams win or lose by their combined merit, and it is not unusual for a Captain to take personal responsibility for a team's loss. How each team deals with victory or defeat varies from prefect to prefect.

There are 20 teams in total. 10 in the All Stars league and 10 in the All Moons league. A season consists of exhibition matches to build up rivalries or to build upon existing relationships in furtherance of the part of Kinetic that is the Story. At some point during the season, the Emperor (Who is always depicted off camera, but the Kinetic leagues have the Imperial Permission to do so) declares that the eliminations will begin. Then the sport transitions from exhibition to elimination. Tournament style play pits All Moons against All Stars in bracket matches until there are two remaining teams. These two champions will travel to the imperial stadium to compete in the Emperor's presence (Usually just someone behind a curtain) for the title of the Emperor's Chosen.

The title of Emperor's Chosen is more than just a parallel to 'Champion'. The team that is the Emperor's Chosen can surrender the title back to the Emperor to invoke one of two Imperial Favors.

• They can refuse a challenge from a team without disrespect, or...
• They can issue a challenge to another team AND set one of the three terms of the match.

However, if the team that is the Emperor's Chosen has not used that favor before the elimination begins, they must surrender it back to the Emperor. As a token of their restraint, that team gets to choose their first opponent in the brackets, but they get no further control over the terms of the match.

During exhibition, the Captains can bid on the terms of the match such as the number of goals to win a match, or the maximum velocity of the ball. During the Elimination, though, those boundaries are set at One Match, One Point, Mark Four. (Note: During the Elimination bracket, the crowd chanting One One Four before the match begins, even though the terms are set in stone, is not unusual. Chanting One One Four during an Exhibition match is a sign that the crowd wants this match taken seriously.)

Teams are further distinguished by whether they are the Face of the game, or the Heel of the game. These terms essentially mean if a team is viewed as Heroic, Noble, and Honorable... or Crude, Dishonorable, and Disrespectful. In layman's terms... Good Guys and Bad Guys. There is no inherent shame in being a Heel in Kinetic, as it is viewed by the athletes as all part of the sport. Captain Neela of the Zanark Flames is one of the most popular Heel captains in the league right now, resonating strongly with the younger crowd of Ts'usu who are exposed to new social norms different than tradition. While the Takish Nebulas are a more reserved, stoic, and generally well received team. Based on traditional values and harkening back to the 'glorious days of the Empire'. Structure and discipline are their backbone, and their Captain Wataba arranges teambuilding exercises to ensure that his team has the values of Ts'usu at their back.

Field Structure

While the scope and shape of the fields vary from stadium to stadium but the basics are the same. At each end of the field there stands the Goal, a pillar with a blue ring hovering over it. The pillar saps the kinetic energy from the ball, and stores it in a capacitor unit. Once that capacitor pops that's a goal, and usually the game.

The field itself is not barren and flat, but more of a battleground fabricated on the spot. No two matches are ever the same, and the geometry of the field changes even as the game goes on.

Fields are divided into sections, marked with each team's color. While the field must conform to a 50/50 even split between the territories of each team, the actual shape of the arena's dimensions vary from stadium to stadium. The decorations and décor outside of the arena are left to the individual teams. Though the one rule is that whatever they choose it cannot be distracting to the athletes. A stadium is allowed to have a lazy river 'moat' around the arena, but not fountains of water or splashing. (Note: The arena with the moat was required to cover it in a transparent cover during matches.)

Financing

As a vital part of Ts'usu culture, Kinetic has its own line entry in the Imperial Budget. It has a minister in control of its financing, but the actual 'script' (if any) is overseen by a film studio that bids for the rights for three seasons worth of entertainment. Receiving the rights to script Kinetic is a high honor, and ensuring that previous stories and future stories flow is vital. Financing is subject to the Four Cuts philosophy that dictates that while the current studio receives revenue so to does the previous season's studio. Ensuring a trusted handoff and a worthy successor is vital for profits. Meanwhile, the teams all receive a salary from the income, and finances are set aside for maintenance and equipment to ensure that Kinetic continues smoothly. Kinetic is a multi billion koku enterprise. No team lacks for what they need to train, though sometimes part of the story will show a team lacking for equipment or training facilities. This is all part of the story, and if a facility needs to be purchased and run down to cater to the story, than the Kinetic Ministry will handle such.

Characters and Story

Kinetic athletes are expected to remain In Character at all times. They have a wide range of input as to their identity in uniform, but once they sign the contract they have an obligation to maintain their professionalism on and off the court. They represent Kinetic, their team, their Captain, and their prefect. While they are not expected to simply cut ties with their lives before Kinetic, it is important for them to realize that wherever they go, they bring Kinetic with them.

However, the scripts of Kinetic often allow ample opportunities for the teams to simply be Sons and Daughters of Ts'usu. Team members are given the standard package of vacation and recovery time during Exhibition. The standard contact even allows for talent to take time off and have it occur within the story to further tell the story of the season. Working with the talent is always the preferred option to the scriptors, but if the talent simply wants some time away they are never refused. During Exhibition.

During the Elimination portion of the season, like the Earth saying goes... it's all hands on deck.

Captains are afforded even less personal space simply due to their role and fame. They are the identity of each team. One simply doesn't turn that off.

Team Structure

A team on field is six members: The Captain, 2 Invaders, 2 Defenders, and the Wall. While the Seventh is important, they're not technically considered on field. A Kinetic Team can bench up to 5 Additional members, usually 2 replacement Invaders and Defenders and one replacement for the Wall. A replacement on the bench for the Captain is impossible.

Swapping out a player is live. The Captain calls in the audible, and the player on the field must depart the field fully before their replacement is allowed to step foot on the field. Swapping out the Wall is a dangerous play but if the call is even being considered it's important enough to risk. The announcers have taken to calling the act of replacing a Wall as 'Laying Masonry' while calling the game. A player being replaced is 'Going Home' while the player replacing them is either 'Invading' or ' Defending'.

Technology

At the heart of the ball is a piece of technology demonstrating the sheer control that the Ts'usugi have over the laws of motion and inertia: The Inertial Impeller. The reverse of their aeronautic technology of the Inertial Nullifier, the Inertial Impeller exists to preserve kinetic energy and kinetic potential rather then lose or distribute it upon impacts or drag. The only way for the ball to lose momentum is to either score in a pillar or for the referees to invoke an emergency, which halts the ball in its tracks immediately.

The uniforms and protective gear of the teams are also a marvel of physical protection. The pockets and hollows of the padding is filled with a responsive kinetic fluid that, when struck harshly, solidifies to brace against the impact. Simple motions and standard movements don't generate enough kinetic trauma to solidify the material, so the athlete's standard movements and motions are unhindered. The padding protects when needed, then relaxes back to a fluidic state.

The ball does carry a slight magnetic charge, allowing for the gloves and boots of the teams to actively repel it without actually touching it. Though the field is weak enough that at low settings the ball can be physically handled. Rest assured, at the higher velocities, that magnetic influence is the only way to steer the ball.

The field is enclosed in a low-variance field that prevents the Kinetic ball from accidentally achieving escape velocity, or reaching dangerous heights. The stadiums also protect the live attendees with a similar field to ensure maximum safety while taking nothing away from the viewing experience. Attendees in premium seating are advised that the field repels the ball, not the athletic talent, and that sudden exposure to high-velocity Invaders is a possibility.