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[center][h2]The Sofa on the Moon[/h2][/center]
[quote][b]"Indeed, we're a long way from home! And what would you say about your overall mood at Luna? Lot of rumours abound that there's some extremely exciting developments in Pilot Modifications that Al-Saqr has undertaken over the last five months- how has that felt for you and Layla?"[/b][/quote]
[color=f7941d]"Hmm,"[/color] Kais nodded, [color=f7941d]"we have had some sync issues with the ship. Last few races were a big headache because of it, yes. But the team have fixed the issue, and the sims and practice runs felt... seamless, so,"[/color] and he shrugged, [color=f7941d]"even [i]here[/i],"[/color] and he looked around, and took a breath, as if to emphasize how utterly insignificantly thin the atmosphere was, separated only by the thin transparent alu-ceramic pane that was his helmet visor, [color=f7941d]"we'll show the world how far we [i]can[/i] go."[/color]

The ensuing qualification went well, and Layla and Kais saw their efforts in practice pay off. The speed was somewhat slower and more careful than on Earth, especially during the more dangerous jumping sections, but Layla and Kais looked like they could push their crafts a bit more than most, and eventually came in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

[quote][b]"Kais, an excellent 3rd place, and it seems like both you and Layla are really thriving here in Luna. Do you think you can close the gap to Silver Apex and Southern Cross here, and still show the team has the ability to challenge for the Constructors?"[/b][/quote]
[color=f7941d]"We have been practicing a lot for this race, and the improved sync controller seems to have paid off. It helps that Layla and I are... [i]made[/i], for hazardous environments, more or less. Things are in our favor."[/color] Kais nodded, [color=f7941d]"We'll catch up to them."[/color]

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[center][h2][s]Garage[/s] L-Ball Court, Mare Australe Complex, Luna[/h2][/center]
[color=bc8dbf]"You ready to lose to me again, Zenix?"[/color] Layla taunted as she floated down the garage, having scored another point for her and her small team of what few engineers she had been allowed to take to Luna. Kais hadn't really thought too much about it, but with more-or-less permanent residences on the moon, of course other sports besides racing would have eventually found their way here. So too had basketball. It had been one of the first sports that had been adapted, to the point that it was generally referred to as lunar or low-G basketball, colloquially 'L-ball', or so Layla had convinced him. The garage, once used for one of the larger mining rovers, had high enough ceilings for it to make sense trying out a bout. And it was slow. The low gravity made the pace deliberate, but it did allow for interesting and elaborate team-based maneuvers almost reminiscent of dance performances.

[color=f7941d]"Just don't feel like showing off in some kid's game when we should be prepping for the [i]race[/i] coming up."[/color] Kais said, stepping off of the holographic field lines they had set up. Why did he let her talk him into these things?

[color=bc8dbf]"Uh-huh. Just give it another try, I'm sure you'll like it, just have to get the hang of it -it's very tactical. Or are you scared you're going to mess up the airflow systems again?"[/color] Layla replied, referring back to one of Kais' sponsorship vids they shot back in the spaceplane ride (for some reason, all of their sponsors wanted something from them during [i]this[/i] race in particular). And that - his first attempt at trying the newest Nomad Nutrition product in microgravity - hadn't gone over too smoothly. Their claims of 'anytime, anywhere' could've used some more low-g-suitable product development, or so Kais coped. Still, their endorsement vid was dropped on the extranet faster than Kais could veto it, and the likes-counter now showed that he and Layla had been seen frantically chasing mocha-flavored droplets of long-shelflife high-caloric nutri-paste by thousands of people too many already.

And so, with that comment, the challenge was definitely on. Kais bobbed and weaved with precision, passing the engineers with ease, so far so good. Then he attempted to dunk the holographic ball through the hoop. A big leap and...! [color=bc8dbf]"Oop, too hard!"[/color] Layla called after him as he overshot, trying to right himself in mid-air. But without the training auto-adjusters they had back at Hamad, his attempts turned out to be less-than-ideally useful. His instincts had kicked in a bit too hard, and the low lunar gravity had turned his absolute power jump into an inevitable, and rather ungraceful, collision-course with the opposite... well, [i]ceiling[/i].

A small-scale rescue operation ensued, and having finally descended back down, Kais had fast donned his mighty scowl again, and threw the holo-ball at Layla's face where it blipped out of existence. 

[color=f7941d]"Listen. What happens on Luna stays there, you copy?"[/color]

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[center][b]Kais Zenix @ASZenix[/b]:
[Holo-picture in embarrassing detail of Kais stuck in the rafters wearing the latest Jackals&Co. sports-shirt]
[i]"I've decided lunar basketball isn't for me. Like and share to have a shot at winning this shirt."
#Jackals&Co #Like&Share #L-Ball #AlSaqrRacing #DeltaHyper #FormulaAG[/i]
👍🏽😆 [b]RadNad[/b] and 8,239 others[/center]
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