Chapter NineGo to chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 ==February 18, 2096, 21h Transcript from LBC Communications, Inc. Laim: Hello, and welcome to this week’s edition of In the News. I’m your host, Eliza Laim. Tonight’s show focuses on the gladiator-sport phenomenon that many of you have been following closely: World Aeronautics and Robotics’ HAR tournament, called the Mantis Project because the ultimate victor will receive WAR’s prototype Mantis HAR and the job that goes with it. The best HAR pilots in the solar system are participating, and the contest has already captured the public eye. Our first guest tonight is Dr. Ibrahim Hothe, WAR’s head of research and development, designer of both the famous Jaguar robot and the new Mantis. Hothe: Thanks, Ms. Laim. It’s great to be here. In the research department you don’t get out much, so this tournament has been a nice ‘vacation’ for me. I love my work, but it’s good to do something else once in a while. Laim: Well, Dr. Hothe, you certainly don’t seem to have any worries about the tournament, or is that not important to you? Hothe: It would certainly be an honor to win, but I don’t need the recognition, or the position. I think of robot design as an art form, and like any artist, I want complete control over my work. Being directly involved in all stages of Mantis construction is something I’ve always wanted to do, and the Jaguar is too popular for me to work it over the way I’d like to. So it’s really a great opportunity for me to see the other side of things if I win, since I’ll be involved in the testing process as well as the design. Laim: Thank you, Doctor. Our next guest today is no stranger to the public side of things. Jonus Augardi was one of the most successful pilots in the Arena, a so-called “extreme” sport where competitors battled each other in strength-enhancing robot frames. Now he’s hoping that lightning will strike twice, isn’t that right, Jonus? Augardi: Thank you, Ms. Laim. While it certainly isn’t accurate to say I’m in this tournament for the money, I do hope this idea of fighting with HARs will pan out. I’d love to be able to make a living doing what I enjoy, as I’m sure any of you would. Laim: Do you think that HAR fighting has a chance to become the sport of the future, or will it turn out like the Arena? Augardi: Actually, completely robotic fights are much more promising than the Arena ever was. The idea behind the Arena was to do traditional fights and make them bigger, but it flopped because the real thing was so much more exciting, had that human quality. When people started getting crippled, the government shut it down, another thing that’s not going to happen to HAR fights. They’re almost surreal because you know that even though there’s tons of steel getting vaporized in front of you, nobody really dies. In short, HAR fights combine all the allure of an ancient gladiator battle with the humanitarian, sanitized sports we have today. Laim: That sounded like a sales pitch to me. Are you sure you want to leave that marketing position you have at WAR? Augardi: I’ll have to wait and see what the viewing public thinks about that! Laim: Thanks, Jonus. Our third and final guest today is something of an enigma. He’s only 25, but he’s already attracted the attention of the top brass at WAR. Very little is known about his past before coming to WAR just a few months ago, but he’s definitely made his presence known; in fact, he already has his own entry in Who’s Who in Robotics. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Raven Menaza. Menaza: Thank you, Ms. Laim, but I need no introduction. I prefer to let my actions speak for themselves, as the saying goes. Of course, this is slightly hypocritical since I’m here just to talk, but you can rest assured there will be plenty of action in the next few weeks as I crush the competition. Laim: For a man with less experience in a HAR than virtually any other competitor, Mr. Menaza, you seem rather confident. Do you know something everyone else doesn’t? Hothe: And I thought I would have to field that question myself! It looks like luck is with me again. Well, Ms. Laim, I can assure you that Mr. Menaza knows, if anything, less than I do. After all, it’s not whether you win or lose that matters, it’s how you play the game, as the saying goes, no? Laim: While we’re on the topic, Doctor, I’d like to ask you a couple questions about the robots involved. Do you think choice of bot determines any of these fights, or is the pilot’s skill and knowledge more important? Hothe: A nice catch-22 for me, is that it, Ms. Laim? I can either say it doesn’t matter how good I am, or it doesn’t matter how good my Jaguar is. So, of course, I have to say that they’re equally important. Certainly Mr. Devroe was defeated early on because he didn’t know how to use his Shadow, but on the other end, from what I saw, Jonus here could have won using anything. Augardi: You exaggerate, but thanks for the compliment. Having a Katana bot certainly helped, though. Hothe: As I was saying, you have to find the right combination of pilot and robot. Once you’ve got something that works, stick with it. Of course, if you’re in doubt about what to choose, my Jaguar is always a strong choice. Laim: So, Mr. Menaza, how does it feel to be in center stage, having people like Shirro Lang notice you? Menaza: It certainly is an… instructional experience. Augardi: Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. The way I see it, when people start asking for autographs, it means you’re being taken seriously. And that’s always a good thing. 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