Sifu Blackirish
SOC-14 1K
Suresh Kuypene, Retired Ward level athlete 899B97 Age 46 7 terms
Sport-4, Blade Cbt-3, Position-2, Melee Cbt-1, Instruction-1, Leader-1, Medical-1, Acrobatics-1, Stealth-1
2 Awards, Yacht, Travellers'
<military maneuvers>
"We know it's rough out there. That's what keeps you employed. But no one wants to sit and recuperate while the rest of your squad get a a success bonus on their next ticket..."
<Robot and soldier stand side by side, then their images merge and morph into a cybernetic being while amorphous blobs suddenly form the letters IRONFLESH>
"Class A registered and active mercenary units are pre-approved to enroll personnel into our CYBEROPTION program, with its advanced proprietary technology literally at your fingertips..."
<design lab testing: arm flamethrower, grenade launcher, half meter long springblade, acrobatic leaps like from a springboard but from a flat surface, computer implant flashes as it receives data then pan back to show staff officer conducting briefing>
"Sure, you can undergo forced regeneration-if you have two months to spare and can deal with the distraction of treating half a dozen cancer outbreaks. Cost is a concern, too."
<in field testing: cybernetic troops breeze through an obstacle course, cyber fireteam mixed in with regular troops as a 'heavy' unit, cybercommandoes assault an airless Luna type base>
"You can be the 'John Wayne' on your team. And remember, if you volunteer for our Alpha program, you get the latest and greatest technology FIRST!"
<cybernetic warrior frame shows again>
"See your local IRONFLESH liaison for details. He is usually seated right next to your ticket bondsman."
<Fluttering papers in the wind blowing off a desk reveal the flatscreen displaying...>
"OFF THE GRID WITH WALT MYIRAMAZ RETURNS!"
"Today we are talking with a real legend. Onboard the newly commissioned luxury transport 'Vegan Queen' with never anything less than spectacular Suresh Kuypene. What will he surprise us with this time?"
<baseball...hits dropping precisely into gaps to avoid defenders, clouds of dust with bright spikes at knee level, flash montage of about fifty wooden bats shattering into clouds of splinters, long fly balls for home runs, spectacular circus catches, dust and spikes sliding into your face...>
"Rachusch, in sector Delta Kappa, is probably a name you haven't heard of. Perhaps you might have heard it's human name, which is Abandoned. These poor souls were out of touch with the interstellar community for over 100 years, but this formerly isolated world now stands out for three reasons: Unobtanium ore, the trace element in duralloy; a world where humans and Ainuu exist in peace; and the home of airball superstar, the Ainuu Suresh Kuypene."
<Stock footage of a world, a dual hued globe with sun and hot sterile sand to left; verdant green mixed with night, lights and shadow to right>
"There is still not much in what humans call the Polar Waste, and what natives call the Deadworld. Some seventy percent of the population still retreats into deep shelters for those weeks when the three moons are in conjunction and storms sweep out of their sterile birthing areas. It used to be months of isolation before the humans came."
Suresh has mastered the art of grinning.
You know he has a sense of humor, but rather than giving a potentially hostile tooth exposing snarl, the corners of his mouth turn up, his eyes light up and sparkle. Charisma in action.
"Suresh, let's start with what really got a lot of people paying attention to you. What is your take on the Traditionalist movement?"
Okay, we see teeth now. Suresh is NOT grinning.
"I would imagine that anyone confronted with a rule specifically designed to eliminate them would become upset over it."
We spoke in the Grand Lounge. Sitting with our backs toward that distracting G-space display, we nibbled on cheese, grapes, soy sticks; sipped herbal tea. Not at all what one expects on the dinner plate of a carnivore.
"When you broke on the scene, you personally revitalized a game that many said had become stagnant and moribund. Pitchers were blowing past hitters, and crowds were dwindling."
"Records show that during my first four years in the league, attendance had doubled. Despite that, I was evidently an embarrassment to those who wanted to keep your sport purely Terran. History shows there was a lot of resistance to letting your darker skinned brothers play, yet you are the same species. One can imagine what distress it brought to human culture, with seeing an Ainuu succeed at your sport."
His Anglic is impeccable, without accent. His still powerful physique is hidden beneath silk robes. Multiple layers of fabric hide details, yet his physical presence is still almost overpowering. He is much larger than an average Ainuu, larger even than most humans.
"So I went home."
<caves showing occupied living and working spaces, storage shelves bulging with woven baskets full of dried meats and fruit, Ainuu children catching mice and putting them in woven sacks, then bashing sacks against the floor>
"This is life on Racshush during storm season. In partnership with humans, an adventurous clan reached for the future. Without help, the Racshushi could not advance beyond their primitive state. Without help, the humans could not survive.
"Suresh was born the same year that the humans succeeded in producing portable electric power and incandescent lights. With outside lighting now available on a limited scale, hunting vermin before they infested shelter domes was much easier, so some areas that had been abandoned became useful. Electric lights made indoor food production possible, and with some leisure time, some larger and less useful caves could be used for recreation. A small group of humans refurbished one dome as an airball park.
"That same dome where he had spent so many hours observing, then coming back alone and testing to see if he really could duplicate those skills, was awash in noise and lights.
He is not alone this time."
<split screen shows younger Suresh taking swings, every contact snapping a bat in half or exploding into showers of splinters; other half shows older Suresh with duralloy bat, every contact going for distance, crowd hears a clear 'bong' with every hit. He switches to a wood bat, it explodes into splinters on the first swing>
"Living in a gravity field rated at 1.312 Terran standard is no picnic. Suresh makes it look easy. Even at his age, he has smooth, easy strokes that result in hits to every part of the field. Even casual fans paid attention when he returned in force."
<another montage of swings, home runs completely outside stadium limits, one ball tears hole in retractable roof...
<'...Fuller makes the delivery...HARD hit up the--'
'Kuypene! What a jump on the ball!'
'We have gotta see that again...look at that, not even a twitch of the ears and he is just gone.'
'Even better, look where he was standing. He is a good three meters off the base on the first base side, and he just explodes. Fantastic lateral movement.'
'He made the double-play, too.'>
"Finally, Suresh, some of your critics say that in adopting a human sport, you have abandoned your canine roots in a futile attempt to become human. Any comment?"
"That's not a very polite question. They say I am the one who is not civilized? Regardless, airball has many features that make it an analogue to the hunt. Arraying yourself alone, against overwhelming force, hand-eye coordination, use of tools, attempts to escape or steal, bursts of speed, evasion, capture, success of getting home. There is just less blood."
He is showing teeth, but the amused look of his eyes says Suresh is kidding me...right?
Sport-4, Blade Cbt-3, Position-2, Melee Cbt-1, Instruction-1, Leader-1, Medical-1, Acrobatics-1, Stealth-1
2 Awards, Yacht, Travellers'
<military maneuvers>
"We know it's rough out there. That's what keeps you employed. But no one wants to sit and recuperate while the rest of your squad get a a success bonus on their next ticket..."
<Robot and soldier stand side by side, then their images merge and morph into a cybernetic being while amorphous blobs suddenly form the letters IRONFLESH>
"Class A registered and active mercenary units are pre-approved to enroll personnel into our CYBEROPTION program, with its advanced proprietary technology literally at your fingertips..."
<design lab testing: arm flamethrower, grenade launcher, half meter long springblade, acrobatic leaps like from a springboard but from a flat surface, computer implant flashes as it receives data then pan back to show staff officer conducting briefing>
"Sure, you can undergo forced regeneration-if you have two months to spare and can deal with the distraction of treating half a dozen cancer outbreaks. Cost is a concern, too."
<in field testing: cybernetic troops breeze through an obstacle course, cyber fireteam mixed in with regular troops as a 'heavy' unit, cybercommandoes assault an airless Luna type base>
"You can be the 'John Wayne' on your team. And remember, if you volunteer for our Alpha program, you get the latest and greatest technology FIRST!"
<cybernetic warrior frame shows again>
"See your local IRONFLESH liaison for details. He is usually seated right next to your ticket bondsman."
<Fluttering papers in the wind blowing off a desk reveal the flatscreen displaying...>
"OFF THE GRID WITH WALT MYIRAMAZ RETURNS!"
"Today we are talking with a real legend. Onboard the newly commissioned luxury transport 'Vegan Queen' with never anything less than spectacular Suresh Kuypene. What will he surprise us with this time?"
<baseball...hits dropping precisely into gaps to avoid defenders, clouds of dust with bright spikes at knee level, flash montage of about fifty wooden bats shattering into clouds of splinters, long fly balls for home runs, spectacular circus catches, dust and spikes sliding into your face...>
"Rachusch, in sector Delta Kappa, is probably a name you haven't heard of. Perhaps you might have heard it's human name, which is Abandoned. These poor souls were out of touch with the interstellar community for over 100 years, but this formerly isolated world now stands out for three reasons: Unobtanium ore, the trace element in duralloy; a world where humans and Ainuu exist in peace; and the home of airball superstar, the Ainuu Suresh Kuypene."
<Stock footage of a world, a dual hued globe with sun and hot sterile sand to left; verdant green mixed with night, lights and shadow to right>
"There is still not much in what humans call the Polar Waste, and what natives call the Deadworld. Some seventy percent of the population still retreats into deep shelters for those weeks when the three moons are in conjunction and storms sweep out of their sterile birthing areas. It used to be months of isolation before the humans came."
Suresh has mastered the art of grinning.
You know he has a sense of humor, but rather than giving a potentially hostile tooth exposing snarl, the corners of his mouth turn up, his eyes light up and sparkle. Charisma in action.
"Suresh, let's start with what really got a lot of people paying attention to you. What is your take on the Traditionalist movement?"
Okay, we see teeth now. Suresh is NOT grinning.
"I would imagine that anyone confronted with a rule specifically designed to eliminate them would become upset over it."
We spoke in the Grand Lounge. Sitting with our backs toward that distracting G-space display, we nibbled on cheese, grapes, soy sticks; sipped herbal tea. Not at all what one expects on the dinner plate of a carnivore.
"When you broke on the scene, you personally revitalized a game that many said had become stagnant and moribund. Pitchers were blowing past hitters, and crowds were dwindling."
"Records show that during my first four years in the league, attendance had doubled. Despite that, I was evidently an embarrassment to those who wanted to keep your sport purely Terran. History shows there was a lot of resistance to letting your darker skinned brothers play, yet you are the same species. One can imagine what distress it brought to human culture, with seeing an Ainuu succeed at your sport."
His Anglic is impeccable, without accent. His still powerful physique is hidden beneath silk robes. Multiple layers of fabric hide details, yet his physical presence is still almost overpowering. He is much larger than an average Ainuu, larger even than most humans.
"So I went home."
<caves showing occupied living and working spaces, storage shelves bulging with woven baskets full of dried meats and fruit, Ainuu children catching mice and putting them in woven sacks, then bashing sacks against the floor>
"This is life on Racshush during storm season. In partnership with humans, an adventurous clan reached for the future. Without help, the Racshushi could not advance beyond their primitive state. Without help, the humans could not survive.
"Suresh was born the same year that the humans succeeded in producing portable electric power and incandescent lights. With outside lighting now available on a limited scale, hunting vermin before they infested shelter domes was much easier, so some areas that had been abandoned became useful. Electric lights made indoor food production possible, and with some leisure time, some larger and less useful caves could be used for recreation. A small group of humans refurbished one dome as an airball park.
"That same dome where he had spent so many hours observing, then coming back alone and testing to see if he really could duplicate those skills, was awash in noise and lights.
He is not alone this time."
<split screen shows younger Suresh taking swings, every contact snapping a bat in half or exploding into showers of splinters; other half shows older Suresh with duralloy bat, every contact going for distance, crowd hears a clear 'bong' with every hit. He switches to a wood bat, it explodes into splinters on the first swing>
"Living in a gravity field rated at 1.312 Terran standard is no picnic. Suresh makes it look easy. Even at his age, he has smooth, easy strokes that result in hits to every part of the field. Even casual fans paid attention when he returned in force."
<another montage of swings, home runs completely outside stadium limits, one ball tears hole in retractable roof...
<'...Fuller makes the delivery...HARD hit up the--'
'Kuypene! What a jump on the ball!'
'We have gotta see that again...look at that, not even a twitch of the ears and he is just gone.'
'Even better, look where he was standing. He is a good three meters off the base on the first base side, and he just explodes. Fantastic lateral movement.'
'He made the double-play, too.'>
"Finally, Suresh, some of your critics say that in adopting a human sport, you have abandoned your canine roots in a futile attempt to become human. Any comment?"
"That's not a very polite question. They say I am the one who is not civilized? Regardless, airball has many features that make it an analogue to the hunt. Arraying yourself alone, against overwhelming force, hand-eye coordination, use of tools, attempts to escape or steal, bursts of speed, evasion, capture, success of getting home. There is just less blood."
He is showing teeth, but the amused look of his eyes says Suresh is kidding me...right?
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