The planet of Stensen’s Colony is a veritable oasis of beauty and life, with cycles of shining seas under golden dawns. It’s an especially powerful vista viewed from the plasteel girders of the new stadium being constructed in the center of the capital city.
Preoccupied pit droids bustle along the framing, their mag boots allowing them to simply walk vertically when needed. A handful of sentients are overseeing the more sensitive joint enmeshments that were not fully diagrammed before construction.
Commissioner Tholme So smiles easily with a knowing look, “Oh I know what you’re thinking, but don’t you worry... this stadium is going to be the pinnacle of Galactic Sports,” he gestures his arm proudly around the shell of the stadium as the sounds of buzzing, welding, and materials being shuttled to dropoff points echoes in the background.
The camera droid tracks smoothly with Tholme as he walks carefully down a sloped beam and hops into a mag lift. His clothing is sharply cut to fit his form, luxury linens in muted colors. As the open-walled lift descends, the camera rotates around his face, grizzled and aged but freshly shaven and distinguished.
He turns his wrist and takes a holo call. A blue-toned miniature figure of a human in corporate business attire materializes. “Good day, Commissioner, AMC leadership has agreed to provide full medical services for the league. I’ve run the contract by our legal counsel and it’s all above board.”
Tholme nods curtly, “Excellent, focus on the marketing campaign next, please,” and he switches off the call. Turning to the camera, he shows a toothy grin, “Alpha Medical Corporation has been the perfect partner for what we’re trying to do here. They’ve provided this amazing space. An entire city for the headquarters of Shockball.”
Behind him, the cityscape is full of other facilities being constructed: the familiar block frames of an administration complex, taverns and restaurants line the outer perimeter of the stadium while the immediate plots of land are an assortment of statues, green park areas, and fountains.
“I remember Colonial Shockball when it was in its prime. It was a fantastic sport - addicting and irresistible. A very long time ago, now. Well...” Tholme drops the final yard’s distance to the ground floor and strides out toward the center arena of the stadium, “We have been working hard to bring it back.”
The camera droid follows behind Tholme’s shoulder as he emerges from a high walled gangway into the open arena, and it pans around. The metallic floor glistens underfoot. Arena court walls are about human waist height, pulsing with electric current, and atop the walls transparisteel panels rise and curl around high overhead until they meet in a teardrop at the arena’s apex.
Beyond the court enclosure, the stadium is filled with seating that climbs upward and out with the far seats barely visible from the droid’s camera. Holo projections glow in neon colors and stream across the stands, pausing and drifting as if to rhythm.
From the bottom of the camera droid’s display several hulking humanoid figures tromp past. The droid rotates and follows them. The sentients, armor-clad in uniform color, deftly shuttle a hand-sized ball between each other. It’s streaked with pulsing lines of neon blue that almost crackle with energy. Their booted feet thunder loudly along the court floor.
As they approach the far goal pit defended by a single Guard the ball suddenly pops high into the air. The Center is a meter off the ground, with the shockball clutched in his hands. He rockets it into the back of the pit. A deep boom echoes around the stadium as goal sirens alight from behind the goal pit and wash the stands and court in cascading holographic signs of celebration.
The camera droid turns back to Tholme who is pumping his fist into the air and hooting wildly. “Did you see that shot?! Not a chance against an arm like that! That’s Callisto, one of AMC’s new contracts for the next season.” He winks at the camera, “Going to be a solid team I think.”
Tholme squares up to the camera and easily slides into a cool and professional demeanor. “This is an opportunity for every sentient to join a league of Shockball players, where all are equally equipped and may become as valuable as they desire with daily training in the skills of their choosing. Want to be a Center? Train your skills for it. Over time, your skills grow and you will rise in market value. Before you know it teams are offering you contracts, vying for what unique assortment of skills you can bring to their team. Train according to your team manager’s recommendation and help your team to glory or decide to focus on yourself instead. View your match statistics to figure out what you’re good at.”
“Want to manage a team? Apply to the League, manage a team budget, offer contracts to players to build your team, set your starting lineup, and determine your substitution rules. Recommend team wide training and shape your team into what you want it to be.”
“And don’t forget that we’ll be having a championships for the best of the best, where rivalries are formed and prizes and trophies are won, with history etched into every season.”
Tholme straightens the emblem on his lapel - a Shockball with a jagged blue lightning bolt through it. A holographic ripple of electricity flashes across it. “Coming to a system near you soon! See you in the game.”
