‘Only those not selected may have the choice,’ said Kobin.
Vennoss spun on his feet. ‘You do not have that right!’
All weapons of the soldiers were quickly aimed at Vennoss.
‘But in truth,’ said Kobin slowly, glancing at the guns, ‘I do.’
Vennoss did not flinch, but began to back away.
‘Restrain him from any further interference,’ Kobin ordered, and then announced to the crowd as Vennoss was taken away, ‘the matches will begin now. I know you all have your teams. We do not have time for full matches or for many games. You will each be represented by your best. Prepare the field for tennagen, now!’
As the remaining soldiers aimed their weapons at those that stood defiantly, the people of Callibra became ready for their sporting matches. Possibly the last ever witnessed for many of them. Jaden quickly found Bo, Corey, Dion and Konnor and even those from generations before them that were part of the same social clan. But it became evident early that none believed they were above the current team’s skill and fitness level, so it was accepted that Jaden’s Dynasty would play as they had.
‘Are we ready?’ asked Jaden.
‘As ready as we’ll ever be,’ said Konnor.
‘I still can’t believe this is happening,’ said Bo.
‘It’s that snake Kobin’s fault,’ Dion muttered.
‘Either way, we don’t have a choice,’ said Jaden. ‘This is the match we can’t lose.’
‘Right, so strategy,’ said Bo, ‘no matter what, we keep it pure. Everyone will be nervous, so all we need to do is play hard and fast.’
‘If we win, we’re essentially sending them to war,’ said Corey. ‘Even on the opposite team, they are our friends. Can we play in good conscience?’
The boys were silent for a moment. Corey was right, as usual.
‘It’s either us or them,’ said Konnor. ‘I don’t want them to go to war, but I don’t want to go to war either. What else can we do?’
‘We just have to do our best,’ said Jaden. ‘It’s not our friends that we have to think of right now. It’s our families. If we throw the matches, we are saying to our families that they will not see us again.’
All turned to Corey as if to check on whether or not Jaden’s answer was acceptable. Corey was thoughtful, and then inclined his head and nodded, acknowledging Jaden’s point as a good one.
‘Don’t worry about the other team,’ said Bo. ‘Chances are we’re only going to play one game today, and that game will be against Ardim and the Pioneers.’
‘Then who cares? Let’s destroy them!’ said Konnor.
The others laughed, but they all knew they didn’t even hate Ardim enough to want to send him to war. Nothing good was going to come of this situation.
The teams were soon assembled and the first match quickly began, Jaden and the others watching from the sidelines with concern. It became evident early that neither side wanted to lose, as some of the most brutal tackles were being made, injuring some of the better players before even a single point was scored. Years of respect were being broken down before their very eyes as everyone’s need for survival overwhelmed any moral codes or cares regarding the opposing team. It was chaos on the tennagen field, something no one in Callibra had ever wished to see happen to their beloved game.
The first match was over within ten minutes, the winning team with the better score of three to one. Both teams were escorted to opposite sides of the field, one being the winners’ circle, the other for the losers. This was how they would keep track of who would be going to war and who would be staying. The second match began in a similar way to the first, but the runner was a very good sprinter and even with his entire team tackled by three players, he was able to get across the line three times in a row, winning three to zero. Jaden’s team was called upon next, and as Bo had predicted, it was against the Pioneers.
‘Standard formation,’ explained Bo, ‘guard the bridges, get Jaden across before they can come close!’
Almost like clockwork, the Dynasty moved into their respective positions, made the right tackles and helped Jaden across the midway mark. Bo knew Ardim would be wanting to hurt Jaden badly and made the tackle early to get him out of the round. This gave Jaden an almost entirely clear run as he easily scored the first point. The crowd was as silent as it had been in the previous games, none enjoying what they were witnessing. Even as Ardim’s team made their first run and Corey was hit so hard in a tackle that he flipped over backward, there was little more than a murmur among them. The score was tied at one all as Jaden made his second run, putting a big effort into his jump as he almost cleared the entire stream, swimming the final few yards to get across. Four defenders had been neutralised with only Ardim remaining. Jaden expected another rock to hit him as he ran toward the line, but no rock came, and he saw that Ardim had come out of his hiding spot too late and had no hope of catching up.