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

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 red, they're rambunctious, they're crude, and their captain is a flirtatious 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 another player or a referee 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. Finally, no grappling is allowed on the field. In the game about staying in motion, impeding others movement is against the rules.

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.