Later on, during midshift, I stopped by R&D. Since I'd been presumed dead, they'd gone and cancelled my clearance, thoughtful types that they were. Ghazza had to come out to the security desk, and arrange for a visitor's pass.
"That's a dirty trick!" she spat, when she heard about Maelbrott's maneuver. "Contact the Board of Directors. They can override something like this."
"I think they have other worries right now. And frankly, I don't even care. I'm tired, Ghaz. I'm spent. I've been played and manipulated from the start, and I want to be done with it. The secrets, the lies? It just isn't my game."
"Well, that's not a bad thing at all."
She smiled her bright smile, and I knew then I was really going to miss her.
We were in the new Weaponry Sub-D office, soon to be abandoned as the project moved on. Since we'd only been working with digital models and sims, there was nothing for Team to remove but furniture, and they sure weren't bringing that. The other sections of R&D were busy packing. Some were already shut down, their little glass offices all dark and lonesome.
But Ghazza Mattor was still working. Always working. Her poor husband!
She'd been fighting with one of the modular weapon bay designs. It was up on the Tri-D display, overhead, and I scrolled through idly. As always, there wasn't enough space available. I shifted some components around as we talked, like it was a sliding puzzle, but the stuff overlapped badly.
"Are you relocating with the project?" I asked.
"It's tempting. The money is good. They like what we did here." She looked at me. "Have you heard from Floy?"
I moved holographic pieces around idly. Nothing seemed to work.
"No, but if she's in rehab, she'll be focused on her recovery. I did write a note. I'll send her another when I get back to the Alliance."
"She's one of the good ones, you know. She'll be better soon."
"Maybe, but I won't be allowed back over the border soon. You should have seen Maelbrott gloating. He's got me pretty well sewn up."
"Then she can visit you. I met Bomand when I had given up completely on romance. It can happen, Ejoq, if you let it."
I smiled, despite all. Ghazza Mattor could make me do that when she was like this: so filled with hope and enthusiasm. She was the best boss I'd ever had, and one of the best friends.
"That's a pretty big if," I said, then shifted a power coupling on the schematic into one corner, and the whole image turned green, indicating a valid configuration.
I leaned over and kissed her forehead, then got up and left.
I didn't give Maelbrott's office a call about my choice to leave with Shady Lady. I just packed up my things and put them aboard (a pressurized umbilical, like the one used for the rave, had been snaked over from an airlock, so that the engineers and maintenance people could come and go easily). I like to imagine the Nine went all ballistic when he learned later on that I'd missed the shuttle; you know, screeching orders, dispatching soldiers in search patterns to arrest and deport me forcibly. More likely, I was still being watched, and he already knew, but it was nice to dream.
I called Barney to say goodbye, but he was in meetings with Team security. They were probably going over details of the former StaSec unit's investigations. Maybe Team was finally taking possession of the prisoner -- that Mark D'beers fellow -- who hated me because he had loved Laydin. I only got my former roommate's Inbox, so I left a message saying thanks, and good luck.
By zero-hundred hours, I was aboard ship. Mavis was slowly pulling up and away on maneuvering thrusters, grabbing some distance from Mylag Vernier, and all its shadows.
I sat at the table in the Common Room. The Tri-D display was off, and it felt like a foreign place.
"There's our escort," Mavis announced from the cockpit. I had her on my speaker-mics so she didn't have to shout.
"Eh, let's ditch those clowns," I encouraged, and she chuckled.
"They placed a tracking beacon on the outer hull, just so we wouldn't be tempted. They trust us, but only to a point. Are you going to hit the freeze?"
"I might, in a couple of shifts. I don't know. I have a lot on my mind. You?"
"Oh, Lord no! I've had my fill, thanks. I'm looking forward to some good old-fashioned tedium."
"Then I should stay up. I'm the most boring guy I know."
She laughed again, and so did I.
That felt foreign, too. Who was she anyway?
Ignoring slumber time, and adding it all up, I'd only spent a few days in the company of Captain Singleton. A week or two, at most. She'd missed so much of it, I was envious.
Strangers who were friendly. Friends who were enemies. Secrets that were widely known, and common knowledge that was all wrong.
The details were the same as always -- my life, my profession -- yet everything was set to change.
I took a very deep breath.
It smelled clean and pure from all the fine repair work and maintenance performed by the Meerschaum techs. Shady Lady almost looked like a new ship...if you tilted your head to one side and squinted.
"Wow," I said quietly, looking around and seeing it all fall away.
"Wow," my captain agreed, and she hit main thrusters.
END
Appendix 01
Scobble
A delicious riff on Canadian Poutine!
It's a meal! It's a snack! It's a yummy heart-attack!
"Oh great Chef of the Future...!"
Ingredients:
French Fries (or chips, for those of you in the UK) McDonanld's fries, spicy curly fries, steak fries, or whatever you want.
Deep-Fried Tofu cut extra-firm tofu into cubes, and boil in oil until crispy and golden brown -- or, do what I do, and get some from the local Thai restaurant.
Black Pepper Gravy the spicier the better. Chile, tarter, or steak sauces work too.
In the Stardrifter universe, especially out in space, animal food products are rare. Since it takes far more energy and resources to grow plants for animal feed -- animals which people are then going to eat (this includes animal products, like milk, eggs, etc.) -- than it does to just grow the plants for human consumption to begin with, effective veganism has become the norm.
For some people this is a philosophical, moral, or religious decision, but for the overwhelming majority of the human population, it's simple practicality. (I, myself, am not a vegan -- but then I don't live in the future.)
If you're into deep-frying, give scobble a try! The key is in the gravy: the picture above shows garlic black pepper mushroom gravy. It's rather spicy, but the relative blandness of the fries and tofu make for a perfect combination. (And, yes, vegan gravy is a real thing). Scobble might not be very good for you, nutrition-wise, but as an occasional treat, you can do a lot worse.
Serve with your beverage of choice, but beer is a natural here!
Appendix 02
Smackball
Competitive Team Rules
Introduction
Smackball is a popular sport throughout the Alliance of Independent Nations, Corporatespace, and much of Noblespace. Because betting on professional games is common where ever it's played, only amateur leagues are officially allowed in Churchspace (though localized gambling is said to surround those as well), and fan support for foreign pro teams is common along the borders.
The exact origins of the game are unclear, despite extensive research by sports historians. While it bears a superficial resemblance to the Terran sport of jai alai, smackball cannot be said to be definitively related to it, as there are no early records that use any of the terms or names from that sport, nor any of the exact rules. The use of a basket-like implement to accelerate a small ball to high speeds within the boundaries of a court is sometimes said to be an example of "convergent social evolution", but other theories also exist.
What is known about smackball's pedigree is that it became popular soon after the first Great Expansion from Terra, among ship crews and passengers upon early starliners and colony s
tations. Open cargo bays, 'tween-hull spaces, and even empty fuel tanks were often used as impromptu game courts, with the matches themselves often available on ship-wide vid networks, streamed live from the players' personal comm units. Gambling and enthusiastic fandom have been entrenched within smackball culture from the beginning, and this aspect of the game now represents a massive entertainment industry all its own.
While many variations of smackball exist, it's generally broken down into the following categories:
2D -- Gameplay while standing upon a flat surface (gravity along a single plain)
3D -- Gameplay while standing upon a curved surface (gravity arced along the inside of a sphere, or rarely, a spheroid)
And within that:
Solo
Competitive
Team Play
And finally:
Professional
Amateur
Workout
Professional 3D Teamplay, as represented by the Interstellar Smackball Association (ISA) and other leagues, is what many people think of when they hear the word smackball, but this is a relative latecomer to the extended family of this sport. It does, however, represent the largest growth sector for the smackball sporting industry. It has gained support through cross-promotional tie-ins with related entertainment fields and numerous corporate and private endorsement deals. Within AINspace, smackball is set to out-gain Terran Football in both popularity and revenue generation within the next few years.
The focus of this article is upon 3D Team Smackball, either professional or amateur (the rules for either are largely the same).
Rules
THE COURT
The 3D court is a sphere divided in half into hemispheres, or hemis, equating to the two team sides. They are visibly divided by an equatorial line, called the quator. Each team is assigned a side, and must remain within it throughout the game. Artificial gravity (AG) is flowed upon the curved inside surface of the spherical court, allowing players to walk or run normally. ISA rules require 1 Terran Gravity (one gee) within the court at all times; and 1/2 Terran Gravity (half gee) upon the plug (SEE BELOW) suspended in the center of the court at all times.
Any ingress by a player into the opposing team's side of the court counts as a penalty, and 1 point for the offended side. The plug is not divided into hemispheres, and the entirety of its surface is legal for gameplay by either team. It may be possible for a player on the plug to intercept the ball from the opposing team in mid-air, while they are passing it to each other. This is legal.
The two hemispheres of the court are colored differently -- usually green and blue. Teams are assigned a color randomly, and are referred to by it during gameplay, rather than by their team name.
For the sake of clarity, the Court is considered to have a "left" and a "right", called port and starboard. These are marked on the playing surface. Each hemi, however, has it's own front and back, called bow and stern, referred in-game as green bow, blue bow, green stern, and blue stern. All together, this creates sections and zones in an otherwise featureless sphere. The hemis are further broken down into player positions (SEE BELOW).
The Plug
A much smaller suspended sphere, known as the plug, hangs in the center of the court, and is held in place by reactive AG fields. It has an AG field of its own, however, in the reverse manner of the court's (that is to say, players run along the inside of the court, but upon the outside of the plug). Relative to players, the plug is suspended exactly 4.5 meters above the surface of the court. The AG of the court extends exactly 2 meters above the surface, with a hard cutoff. The AG of the plug also extends 2 meters from its surface. This allows for players to transfer from the court surface to the plug surface, through gymnastic-style jumps or team assists, and then back down to the court again under their own power.
NOTE: It requires a high level of skill to safely transition to and from the plug, and serious injuries related to such attempts are not unknown. Plug use is, therefore, generally forbidden in amateur league games for this reason.
OBJECT OF THE GAME
To roll the ball in such a way that it passes from your side of the court, across the hemispherical boundary line, through the other team's side, and then into yours again, without the ball being controlled by the opposing team at any point. Note that the ball must be rolling on the floor when passing across the quator both times. Each successful score wins the team that pitched the ball, 1 (one) point. Highest score, at the end of the game, wins.
TIME
Games are divided into two-minute skirmishes, with an entire game consisting of twenty skirmishes, broken by one half-time break of ten minutes. On average, games last about an hour, total, including time-outs and the break.
Time-Outs
Time-outs may be called by players, coaches, or referees for a variety of reasons, and are divided into Team Time-Outs (called by players or coaches), and Official Time-Outs (called by referees, or Non-playing Officials).
Team Time-Outs are limited to four per team per game, and may extend no longer than two-minutes without penalty. Each minute (or part thereof) beyond two minutes draws a penalty to the team that called for it, and, therefore, a point to the opposing team. Reasons for a time-out might include replacing a player, quick strategy discussions by players and coaches, replacing a basket (SEE BELOW), or just to taking a moment to rest. It may also be used to dispute referee calls. (See DISPUTES, below.)
If a team delays the game for five minutes beyond any Time-Out periods, regardless of any penalties being invoked, the Head Referee has the option to declare Delay Of Game. If the delaying team does not begin playing immediately, they forfeit the game.
Official Time-Outs may be unlimited in number, and last as long as the referees require. The refs must announce the purpose of an Official Time-Out at its beginning, and the resolution of it at the end.
Exceptions to the Team Time-Out limits (both, in the number of them, and in their length) exist, if an Emergency is declared by any party (examples of which might include player injuries, suspected technical problems with the AG, etc.). Team Time-Outs may be converted to Official Time-Outs at referee discretion, and, if so, are not counted against the number of Team Time-Outs used by the team.
Disputes
Disputes are requests for review of referee decisions. They occur when players or coaches ask for an immediate review of a particular referee call, or if referees ask for one among themselves. Disputes are always made to the Head Referee. If players or coaches call for one, they must use one of their Team Time-Outs to do so. If the Head Referee agrees that the referee call was in error (usually after some discussion with the referees as a whole), the penalty is immediately reversed, and the dispute does not count against the number of available Team Time-Outs for that side. Any penalty points awarded to the other team due to delays beyond the two-minute cut-off, are also reversed. If the Head Ref disagrees, the dispute will cost that team one of their available time-outs, and any accrued penalty points remain.
If a team has no more available time-outs, they may still dispute a call. If they win the dispute, the penalty is immediately reversed. If they lose the dispute, they garner an additional penalty. If the referees require more time to come to a decision, the Team Time-Out is immediately converted to an Official Time-Out, regardless of the final decision.
Disputing a call in a game utilizing dedicated artificial intelligences as referees, instead of human refs, works the same way. The AI dumps all sensor data related to the penalty over to a battery of separate adjudicating algorithms. The results of these parallel computations are then tallied, and whichever decision is most prevalent is the one announced. The process generally takes less than a second, and failed or successful disputes are then handled in the usual way.
SCORING
Points are accrued by scoring, and via penalties incurred by the opposing team. Typically, a point is earned when a player rolls the ball from their side across the boundary line, through the op
posing team's side, and into their own home zone again, once more crossing the quator. The ball must then be caught by member of the team, or no point is awarded. If the ball is intercepted by the opposing team, or deliberately redirected by them (smacked), no point is awarded.
Any penalty called by the referees (or referee AI) on a member of one team, wins the opposing team 1 point. Penalties do not usually stop gameplay, but they may be disputed -- and, if the dispute is successful, points awarded to the opposing team may be revoked.
THE BASKET
Risk Analysis (Draft 04 -- Reading Script) Page 47
