Star Wars OPEN Elite League Limmie

GM Post
Eusebus, Euceron

It was the night where the Elite League shined the brightest--the Elite League Limmie Season Awards ceremony. Held, as was traditional, shortly before the Galactic Cup Final, all of the nominees were there, representing the best play of the 278 season.

Presiding, as was usual, was Commissioner Fenrir Lokensgaard. “Good evening limmie fans everywhere, especially those here on Euceron, and welcome to the 278 Elite League Limmie Season Awards,” Lokensgaard said, “I am so thrilled to be back here on Euceron for tonight and the upcoming Galactic Cup Final. Not only has Euceron developed into one of the best fanbases in the League through careful and prudent management--which might be recognized tonight with the Grames Award, who knows?--but more importantly, Euceron is home to some of the brightest children in the galaxy. I found this out first hand when...well...we won’t recap that.

“But let’s talk about some other young talent, shall we? The Ingbrand Award recognizes the most outstanding first year player in the Elite League, defined as one having played three games or less in their career in the League coming into this season. Our nominees are Leia Adama of the Coruscant Senators, Rhodri Gwy’nedd of the Carratos Pirates, and Jordan Horste of the Euceron Storm.” Each received applause in turn, as would all nominees that night. There were enough fans of each team in attendance, along with plenty of fans of good limmie in general, there to ensure that.

“The winner is…”

Spoiler

“...Leia Adama.”

---

“The Grames Award honors the best general manager in the League. Tonight we have three experienced general managers as our nominees. They are Gark S’rily of Coruscant...Kaitlyn Vehn of Nar Shaddaa...and Aebett Zargana of Euceron.” The moment between the first and second nominees was a result of Lokensgaard having to gather himself before speaking the name of the late, great Smuggler front office boss.

“The winner is…”

Spoiler

“...Gark S’rily.”

---

“In its third year, the Comeback Player of the Year Award recognizes those players who have overcome adversity over the course of the season, demonstrating both resiliency and excellence. Our nominees are Christine Gamble, Coruscant Senators; Maximus Qorbus, Coruscant Senators; Kasin Urdaaza, Ylesia Lightning.

“Our winner is…”

Spoiler

“...Christine Gamble.”

---

“The Langann Award recognizes the best head coach in the League. All three of our nominees led their teams to identical records both overall and in the conference and all three are deserving of tonight’s award. But there can be only one winner. The nominees are Peet Carelle of Coruscant, John Huntington of Nar Shaddaa, and Gaeriel Valerii of Bakura.

“The winner of the Langann is…”

Spoiler

“...John Huntington.”

---

“The Duchess Eldin Award now recognizes any member of a limmie organization who demonstrates sportsmanship. It is an award that symbolizes everything that is good and noble about the Elite League. Our three nominees are Loren Jul of the Starkillers, Vesper Lynd of the Monarchs, and May Trieste of the Miners.

“And the winner is…”

Spoiler

“...Loren Jul of the Ralltiir Starkillers.”

---

“The Vigo Award...well, it just might be one of the most highly coveted awards outside of the Salbukk and the Galactic Cup itself. The Vigo Award, recently renamed for the late Martin Vigo, a towering figure in his short tenure in the League, recognizes the being who best displays perseverance and dedication to the sport of limmie. Our three nominees have all done exactly that. One to the point of serious injury, another with nearly fatal consequences, and a third…” Lokensgaard couldn’t finish the thought.

“Our nominees are Ty Allin of Ralltiir, Lu Braun of Mando’ade, and Kaitlyn Vehn of Nar Shaddaa. The winner is…”

Spoiler

“...Ty Allin of Ralltiir.”

---

“And finally, perhaps the biggest award of the night, the Salbukk Award, which is given to the player deemed most valuable to his or her team. Our nominees were all instrumental in taking their teams to the postseason, putting up impressive numbers and being leaders of their teams. They are Niskat Deenver of the Bakura Miners, Christine Gamble of the Coruscant Senators, and Oss’irh’cgood of the Rydonni Prime Monarchs.

“The winner of the Salbukk Award is…”

Spoiler

“...Oss’irh’cgood of Rydonni Prime.”

---

“To all the winners, congratulations. To all the nominees, know that though you may not have any hardware tonight, your seasons were still spectacular,” Lokensgaard said in closing, “Good night, and see you at the Final.”

(OOC: Ties this year, decided by the number generator, were Peet Carelle and John Huntington for the Langann, Loren Jul and May Trieste for the Duchess Eldin, and Ty Allin and Kaitlyn Vehn for the Vigo Award.)

TAG: Bardan_Jusik CPL_Macja galactic-vagabond422 jcgoble3 Jedi Gunny Rebecca_Daniels Runjedirun Tim Battershell Vehn

 

Galactic Division I College Limmie Playoffs: Quarterfinals​

29 Prytis College of Natural Sciences (Bak10 Champion) vs. Citadel University of Anaxes (Super 16 Champion, Carnation Bowl, held at Grand Vulpter System University) 25 (22-all Tie; OT: 7-3)

14 Atalanta University at Wookiee Forest Institute 20

27 Namaryne System University at University of Agamar 21


4 Taanab A&M at Tipoca City College 12

Headlines:

• PCNS sneaks past Citadel University of Anaxes on late goal in overtime; Rangers advance to Galactic Semifinals for first time since the Championship team led by Bakura Miners half back Falene Trieste and Coruscant Senators forward Ynisse Zalt in 274
• Wookiee Forest Institute too strong for Atalanta, Bak10 has only one team left in Semifinals
• NSU holds on for win against University of Agamar after nearly blowing a big halftime lead.
• Taanab A&M goes home after rain, TCC shut down offense.

TAGS to Everyone

 

IC: Christine Gamble
Euceron

Christine applied the last bit of eyeliner onto her face, completing her meticulous makeup application process. She wanted to look good for the cameras, and to make a good impression on the attendees of the Awards ceremony. At this time last year things had looked rather hopeless for her; she had decided not to go to the ceremony even though her best friend on the team, Ava Killenger, had been nominated for the Comeback Player of the Year Award. That had been the beginning of a major spiral downwards for her, and had been a very dark place to crawl out of. A winless season, a lack of confidence, the media debacle at the All-Star Game . . . it had been a real mess, one that she wanted to forget if at all possible.

“Geez, you’re finally done,” Ava’s voice came from outside. “Took you long enough.”

“I don’t want to rush it,” Christine said. She had invited Ava along this year to Euceron, and Ava, despite not being nominated for anything, had agreed to come along. She said that it was good to be here, to show off what she had become after her struggles with drug abuse. The CPoY she had was a testament to that fortitude, and now Christine found herself nominated for the same award this year. It felt fitting in a way; both of them had overcome their personal demons to get this far, to bounce back from terrible seasons. Although Christine was still put out by the Semifinals loss that had eliminated the Senators from playing here for the Cup title, and by the questionable decision by the League to not give them the Commissioner’s Trophy, at least this was a night to try and forget all that. Tonight was to think about what her team had accomplished during the season before things went downhill fast as they always seemed to around the galactic capital.

The limo ride to the venue was uneventful, and Christine just stared out the window at the sights around her. Euceron was different from other planets she had been on; there was something unique about it. She wasn’t sure if she liked it or not, but it was different enough to be a curiosity. The limo finally pulled up to the venue, and the two Senator players got out. The red carpet had been rolled out, and they walked down its length as the Holos were snapped and people yelled for autographs. Christine found herself in no less than three different interviews, and signed about twenty autographs before she was finally able to escape into the building’s confines. Ava only signed a few autographs, most of the fans not as interested in her attention as they were for the Senator captain’s. After all, she wasn’t nominated for anything this year, so that made a huge difference.

The two of them made it over to the buffet line and found some food. At one point Christine thought she had spilled some spicy sauce on her dress, but Ava assured her that nothing was on there that wasn’t supposed to be. This allowed the captain to have a sigh of relief, and they finished their food before continuing to mill around.

She had obviously become a celebrity, because Christine found a lot of A-listers coming up to shake her hand or get a selfie with her. Being a Salbukk nominee would do that for a player, she reasoned. She even got a Holo with her favorite Holo actor, the one instance where she was the one to approach another being and ask for a souvenir.

She finally ran into the other Senator nominees and attendees on her wanderings through the venue. There was Maximus Qorbus, who was also nominated for the Comeback award after breaking out this year for a 277 slump. Leia Adama, the Ingbrand nominee, was here, and she was grinning from ear to ear about being here. Gark S’rily was here, although with his family in tow it was a little harder to keep his attention because his son was constantly bombarded by celebrities who wanted to talk to the ‘Little Magic Bothan”. Christine didn’t see a pressing need to talk to a child like that; besides, she had seen enough of the kid to get used to his presence around team functions. Jenna Leed and Zeke Barbosa had shown up as well, Barbosa having just retired days earlier. So there was a decent-sized group here from the team; that was good.

Finally the event began, and Christine found herself at the end of the aisle, sitting next to Qorbus. One of them would likely get to stand for the Comeback Award; they had a 2 in 3 chance of winning the hardware. So they would both be on high alert. “I won’t run you over when I win,” the Nautolan said with a smirk.

“Dream on, tendrilhead,” Christine said in an off-hand tone.

Then the Commissioner came out on stage. “But let’s talk about some other young talent, shall we? The Ingbrand Award recognizes the most outstanding first year player in the Elite League, defined as one having played three games or less in their career in the League coming into this season. Our nominees are Leia Adama of the Coruscant Senators, Rhodri Gwy’nedd of the Carratos Pirates, and Jordan Horste of the Euceron Storm.” Applause greeted each one of the names, and then the Commissioner was ready to announce the winner. “The winner is . . . Leia Adama.”

The Senator contingent cheered for the winner, who almost stumbled over both Max and Christine one her way to the podium. The rookie and first overall pick in the Draft received her trophy and beamed for the Holo cameras. When it came time for her to speak, she took a few seconds before starting. “Wow . . . to be here . . . it’s amazing. Thank you,” she began. “As a little girl growing up, I always told my Father that I’d love to be here, to win the Ingbrand. And now I have. You know, Dad, you helped me get here, to be the player I am today. So thank you for supporting me even though I’m not a Miner like we had originally intended. And I want to thank the Senators organization for believing in me enough to make me the first player selected in the Draft. It was an honor to be drafted at number one overall, and I hope that I’ve rewarded that faith tonight. And I’d also like to say to the other two nominees that they had great seasons as well, and they can only get better from here. Thank you.” She left to applause and went out to the waiting media storm.

“The Grames Award honors the best general manager in the League. Tonight we have three experienced general managers as our nominees. They are Gark S’rily of Coruscant...Kaitlyn Vehn of Nar Shaddaa...and Aebett Zargana of Euceron.” It was obvious that bringing Vehn into this discussion had scarred the League. It was indeed terrible what had happened on Nar Shaddaa. The Smugglers were huge rivals of the Senators, but no team should have to go through what they did this year, Christine thought. She admired how they were persevering through the adversity. “The winner is . . . Gark S’rily.”

The Bothan went down to the podium coolly and said his piece. He seemed at home in front of the crowd, as if he had done this before. And then Christine remembered that he indeed had. So he finally left with his hardware to join Leia, and it was on to the next award.

“In its third year, the Comeback Player of the Year Award recognizes those players who have overcome adversity over the course of the season, demonstrating both resiliency and excellence. Our nominees are Christine Gamble, Coruscant Senators; Maximus Qorbus, Coruscant Senators; Kasin Urdaaza, Ylesia Lightning. Our winner is… Christine Gamble.”

Christine shot out of her seat immediately. Max punched her in the shoulder as she did so. “Jealous much?” she whispered to the Nautolan.

“Just go get your award,” he replied. “You earned it.”

“So did you,” Christine said. She went to the podium and accepted her award. “Thank you for voting me as the Comeback Player of the Year,” she began. “It means a lot to me to be here tonight. At this time last year, I was in a pretty dark place. Everything was going wrong, and I was questioning myself. But some things changed, we got some great new coaches, and most of all I got a vote of confidence that I needed. We won some games and turned some heads, and now I’m standing in front of you all as a catalyst of the resurgence of the franchise this year. That’s a great feeling.

I have a lot of beings to thank. I want to thank my parents for not giving up on me, even when I was feeling low. They helped to guide me through the hard times. To my best friend Ava Killenger, who won this Award last year, and who proved to me that there are always better times ahead. To Max Qorbus, who equally deserved this award with his bounce-back year. To my coaches, Kero Imboll, Rosa Berant, and Peet Carelle. They gave me a system where I could be myself and play hard. To Gark S’rily, who helped build me a team that I could trust in, and whom took great concern about the culture in our locker room. A lot of things changed over the offseason, a lot of things I think we needed to change.

Thank you again. I really appreciate the award, and I hope that this is the beginning of things to come for the Senators.” Applause from the crowd rocked as the third straight Senator winner left the podium. When Christine got to the Holo mob outside, she bumped into Leia, who had just finished the circuit. Then she waited for S’rily to finish before being bombarded with questions about her win tonight. She barely made it back in time to catch the Salbukk winner.

““And finally, perhaps the biggest award of the night, the Salbukk Award, which is given to the player deemed most valuable to his or her team. Our nominees were all instrumental in taking their teams to the postseason, putting up impressive numbers and being leaders of their teams. They are Niskat Deenver of the Bakura Miners, Christine Gamble of the Coruscant Senators, and Oss’irh’cgood of the Rydonni Prime Monarchs.

“The winner of the Salbukk Award is… Oss’irh’cgood of Rydonni Prime.”

Christine felt disappointed that she hadn’t won the award. She knew she had put everything she could into her play this year, and being nominated was great. But not winning an award always hurt. Still, she knew that the Monarchs goalkeeper had been even better. He had truly been an MVP this season. Taking his team from trying to jettison players on the trading block one week to now playing for the Galactic Cup title, that took something special. It took a player that had done more for his team than she had for hers. And she respected him for that, even though it still hurt to have to give him props after he single-handedly shut down her squad’s playoff hopes two weeks earlier.


When the ceremony was over, Christine mingled with her teammates for a while before leaving to go back to the hotel. Ava joked that she would have to take a look at the trophy, prompting Christine to defend it jealously. Ava then remarked that she had an award just like it at home, and that she had no need to steal her roommate’s. “Good,” was all Christine said about it, and then nothing more was brought up about it. That night, despite losing out on the Salbukk Award, Christine at least had the satisfaction of getting recognition for her comeback season. And she hoped that it would help her in the next phase of her career.

TAG: Everyone

 

GM Post

HSN Morning Headlines

• Breaking news: Agamar sources indicate Tim Dodd to step down from Packers. More as we get it!
• Miners announce bevy of new contracts for beings “integral” to success of team
  • Head coach Gaeriel Valerii signs new three year contract
  • Status of assistant coach Cuth Hulu still unknown as Mercs head coach opening remains unfilled.
  • Goalkeeper Lizbit Comstock signs new four year contract, reportedly receiving a major raise over her draft contract
  • Jolla Pic signs four year contract
  • Morgan Alesh signs three year contract extension
  • In surprise move, Becki Morlan not among new contracts despite historic partnership with Alesh. Team confirms no terms have been reached with the Hapan forward, who will become a free agent
  • Eponette Ternardiel contract talks stall. Miners reportedly interested in resigning, but Ternardiel unhappy with proposed salary
  • Ternardiel’s agent: “She’s a two-time Galactic Cup champion. She deserves a pay day”
  • Ternardiel interested in receiving offers as a free agent. Reports say Nar Shaddaa homecoming or contract with Carratos at top of wishlist as both teams play “her style of limmie”

TAG: Bardan_Jusik galactic-vagabond422 Tim Battershell Vehn

 

IC: May Trieste
Bakura Gardens, Salis D’aar, Bakura



The greatest tradition of limmie playoffs was not the Galactic Cup. It was not the thrill of the penalty kick. It was not a song of support sung by supporters. It was not a chant by a team to intimidate their opponents. It was the oldest gesture in recorded civilized history. It was a motion that invited openness and acceptance in another sentient being. Studies had proven it. Politicians had known it for centuries. It was welcoming. It signified friendship and respect.

It was the handshake.

And, with the Solo Conference Final concluded, the teams had gathered themselves into two lines to perform the old tradition of the postgame handshake. No matter what had come before or would come after, each side honored the other for playing the game. Today, the Monarchs and Miners performed this ritual for the third time in their history of playing each other. One team was headed to the Galactic Cup Final and the other had an offseason ahead of them to figure out what they had to do to get to the next level.

It was not usual for an assistant member of the medical staff to participate in the handshake line, but May was determined to do it. She was bound and determined that she was going to shake the hand of one being in particular. It would come as no surprise to anyone who knew her who that was going to be.

It was the captain of the Monarchs, her fellow Duchess Eldin nominee, and her cousin, Vesper Lynd.

When the pair came together, May shook Vesper’s hand and then hugged her. “Best of luck, Ves,” she said, “Way to go.”

When May said that, she didn’t know who her cousin was going to play in the Final. It turned out that created a bit of a quandary.

---

Eusebus, Euceron

If Falene had told her that this was going to happen to her, then May might have declined the job with the Miners. Treating sports injuries? No problem. Medical school had prepared her for that. But this? Nothing had prepared her for this. Unfortunately, she was stuck. She had to go through with this.

May Trieste had walked the same hallways and paths as professional limmie players all season long. But now she was going to some place that not even many players got to go. Only the best came here. It was an intimidating and humbling thought.

May took a deep breath and opened the door of the air taxi and prepared herself to be blinded as she took to the carpet of the Elite League Limmie Season Awards Ceremony. She had absolutely nothing to wear for it and she’d known it, so she had enlisted the help of the only person she could trust with such a task: her sister Eleanor, former Queen of Naboo and Galactic Senator and current Tribune of Roon. Though she was growing closer to her Noble House relatives and she was sure that Aunts Siona and Mandy, not to mention cousins Ginny, Jane Serena, Ayn, and maybe even Elfie, could have been of assistance, but the truth was that May wasn’t quite ready to place herself in their hands quite yet. After all, she was going to be on HSN throughout the galaxy. She needed to look good. She had been assured by Eleanor that the black dress they'd selected made her look very good.

With a somewhat nervous smile, May headed down the runway--or rather it was more a gauntlet of reporters, camerabeings, and photographers. Falene, who had been here last year, had advised her to smile as much as possible. “Less bad holos of you that way, but the sports press isn’t as concerned as showing off the ones where you look bad. They save that for the gossip columnists and they skip the ELL Awards,” the former Salbukk nominee had explained.

This was probably a good thing. After all, if anyone wanted to have a field day, they wouldn’t have to go any further than a close up of her face. May was pretty sure no one with scars like hers had ever graced this event. Not even the proverbial grizzled veteran of the limmie pitch had these. May was certain that they weren’t the ideal accessory for her black gown, which played to her fair complexion. May was a little concerned that the cut was too daring (she was supposed to be on the road to becoming a respected medical practitioner, after all), but she’d been talked into it by her sister. “You can wear this dress,” Eleanor had said, “Niskat Deenever would be taking some chances if she did.”

Speaking of which, Niskat had gone for a very fluffy white gown and seemed to be having a great time hamming it up with the interviewers further down the line. The half forward had an ease with reporters and a knack for the unique.

“Seriously, I see someone with a sandwich over there. I’m starving. Can I pay you for that sandwich? Wait--I don’t have any cash on me in this thing. Will you take an IOU? I’ll let you have the Salbukk if I win it and I get that sandwich...well if I don’t win then you’re out of luck. But seriously. Sandwich?”

The third lady rounding out the Miner nominees was Gaeriel Valerii, who was at her fifth season awards as a Langann nominee in seven years. She seemed to have things down pat.

“I’m always honored to be nominated, which is good because there are certain years where you just know that you’re here for the gift bag,” Gaeriel said, “Peet Carelle turned a winless team into one that almost won the Commissioner’s Trophy and John Huntington won his conference outright. He went unrecognized as a coach until two years ago and for him to be lost in his prime is a tragedy not just for his family, but for Nar Shaddaa and limmie fans throughout the galaxy.”

“Gaeriel, do you think Coruscant should have won the Commissioner’s Trophy?”

The head coach smiled and wagged a finger. “I wouldn’t touch question with a thirty nine and a half foot pole.”

May had no idea how she was supposed to handle the sudden media attention like everyone else. They’d known this was part of the job. She’d never expected to be nominated for an Elite League award. She still didn’t even know how that had happened. It was with equal surprise that she found herself being pulled into her first interview.

“May Trieste! Erika O’Shane, Monarchs media relations,” the first interviewer said, “Live in three two one.” There was barely time to process the fact that she was being broadcast live to Rydonni Prime, but May remembered to smile. “Thanks, I’m here with Duchess Eldin nominee May Trieste of the Bakura Miners. You were on the field for that thrilling Solo Conference Final. Any thoughts?”

“Well, it was a little less than thrilling for the Miners, but the Monarchs played a great game,” May said, “They deserved the win and to be in the Solo Conference Final. I’m very happy for them, even if we would have liked to have been there ourselves.”

“You’re nominated against your cousin, Vesper Lynd of the Monarchs. Any bragging rights at stake tonight?”

“No, we save those for our family game, but now I’m afraid expectations are going to be pretty high that I’m good at limmie the next time we play given the other beings in the game who have been nominated for the Duchess Eldein Award. I don’t think they’re going to let me forget this anytime soon,” May said.

“You first came to prominence as a result of running onto the field during play to assist Vesper. Some have speculated it’s the reason you’re nominated,” O’Shane asked, “If you win, are you going to share the award with her?”

May laughed. “I think she’s had it twice so I’m pretty sure I can hold onto this one. Besides, I think Vesper has her eyes on a much bigger trophy than the Duchess Eldin.”

“Speaking of which, are you going to be pulling for Vesper and the Monarchs in the Final?”

“I hope it’s going to be a great game,” May said, “We have two really great teams in the Final and the added fact of a rematch from the Final two years ago only makes the game more compelling.” It was a complete non-answer, but the truth was that Vesper wasn’t exactly sure who she was rooting for. On the one hand, half her nuclear family were ardent Smuggler fans...and truth be told she kind of was one too. On the other hand, she really did want Vesper to win a Cup.

Erika O’Shane was no slouch as a reporter and knew that May had politely dodged the inquiry. “You still didn’t answer the question,” she asked again with a smile before turning the mic back to May.

“Honestly Erika, this is a tough one. Either way I’m taking sides against family. Like I said, I want a good game where everyone plays their best, especially Vesper. Truth be told...I probably won’t know who I’m rooting for until I’m watching the game itself. My gut reaction to the first score is going to tell me everything.”

“All right, we’ll let you off the hook this time. Thanks May, good luck tonight.”

May was more than glad to be let go to make room for the next limmie luminary--only to find herself corralled by a Twi’lek of crimson complexion. “And here we have May Trieste of the Bakura Miners. You’re live on HSN Euceron,” Taru Racette said, “How does it feel to be nominated for an Elite League Limmie award in your first year with the team?”

“Well I certainly didn’t expect it,” May said, “I’m really flattered that anyone thought my work was worthy of an award, especially one that recognizes sportsmanship. I think I just did my job this season. Being here is truly amazing.”

“If you win, you’ll be the first non-player to win the Duchess Eldin Award under the new rules for the award. How would it feel to make limmie history?”

“I think if that happens it’ll feel like someone made a mistake!” May said with a smile, “I have incredible competition with Vesper Lynd, who’s won the award multiple times, and Loren Jul, a truly great player who deserves recognition for a final season of excellent limmie. Either one of them would be a worthy winner.”

“Best of luck to you all the same, Dr. Trieste.”

May moved on and was next flagged down by Carly Fyres of VCN.

“I’m here with May Trieste, Duchess Eldin nominee for the Bakura Miners and member of their medical staff. What a lot of our viewers might not know is that you’ve spent a lot of time at Smugglers games, isn’t that right, May?” Fyres asked.

“Yes, I was raised in a Smugglers household. My mother is Verity Vehn, who owned the team for much of my childhood,” May explained for those not in the know, “Attendance at Smugglers games was part of growing up for me. Old Six Boroughs was a place I knew very well.”

“So then what caused you to take a position with the Miners instead of the Smugglers? Surely you could have had the opportunity to work with the Burgundy and Black.”

“Well, I might have been raised in a Smuggler household, but my last name is Trieste,” May said with a smile, “My father is a Miners fan and in that respect I take after him rather than my mother. I actually joined the Miners by request of my cousin Falene. I was surprised when she asked, but I’m glad she did. It’s been a fantastic experience to be part of the team.”

“Kaitlyn Vehn is...excuse me, was your aunt. What was it like hearing about the news of her death?” Fyres asked.

May paused before replying. “Kaitlyn...well, I’ve never been particularly close to my Uncle Liam’s family. He made much different choices in life than my mother. Kaitlyn was not someone I knew that well. It’s even weird for me to think of her as Aunt Kaitlyn, even though I guess she was. It was still shocking to hear of her death. I couldn’t imagine what that would be like. I guess it was more odd than anything else, to be honest. To have your aunt suddenly dead...I still don’t quite know what to feel. I guess it just goes to remind us all to do the best with the time we’re have. I suppose that’s a little trite, but as a doctor I’m reminded of that every day. Celebrate good health and the people in your life and the good times. There are reasons enough to be sad, but I prefer to be happy. I hope that’s what Kaitlyn would have said--I can’t presume to say what she would have wanted.”

“Very true, very true,” Carly nodded, “One final question: having grown up with the Smugglers, will you be supporting them at the Final?”

“I’ll actually be at the Final with my family here on Euceron,” May said, “We are still graciously given an invitation to the Smugglers’ owners box and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to watch a game with my family like I did growing up. To be honest, I haven’t quite decided who I’m rooting for. Though the Smugglers are a part of my heritage, as you know I’ve got a cousin on the Monarchs and I’d like for her to get a Galactic Cup.”

“But maybe you’d like her to win the Cup next year?” Fyres asked with a wry smile.

May laughed. “I wasn’t going to let the Rydonni Prime broadcast pin me down, so in fair play I can’t let VCN either. I’ll find out who I want to win while I’m watching the game.”

“But it’s fair to say you won’t be unhappy if the Smugglers win, right?”

“I’d like a good game that showcases the best limmie in the galaxy,” May said, “but I really can’t see myself walking away from the game unhappy, no matter what happens.”

“You heard it here--May Trieste will be happy if the Smugglers win the Galactic Cup,” Carly said, winking, “Good luck tonight May.”

“May, May Trieste!” the next reporter called before she’d gone three steps. It was BBC Sports’ duo of Lun Selayen and Aerax Skytrayn.

“Well hello there little lady,” Lun said, giving her the once over in the process.

Aerax rolled her eyes at her broadcasting partner’s overbearing chauvinism. “Dr. Trieste, congratulations on being nominated for the Duchess Eldin.”

“Thanks, it’s an honor, one I didn’t expect.”

“Who are you wearing?” Lun asked. He was rewarded with a punch on the arm from Aerax for asking such a silly question.

“I couldn’t tell you if you offered me 100 credits. My sister helped me pick the dress,” May said, “I’m one of those people who can’t have nice things, what with blood and stuff that usually gets on my clothes.”

“Seen any gruesome injuries working for the Miners?” Lun asked.

“I’m going to have to go with doctor-patient confidentiality on that one.”

“May,” Aerax said, trying to turn things around and get the interview back on track, “as a Trieste, did it seem natural to become a part of the Miners organization?”

“Actually, no. When Falene asked me if I’d join the staff, I was honestly surprised. I haven’t even completed my residency and here I am being asked to be part of the med staff--it was pretty amazing. I actually had grown up watching the Miners from a distance most of the time on Roon. They were always this distant, impressive thing. I think I was more scared than anything else to hear that they wanted me. It’s like if the Grand Master of the Jedi Order knocked on your door and asks you if you want to build a lightsaber or something. These sorts of things don’t happen to regular people.”

“How do you like your chances to take home the Miners’ third Duchess Eldin Award tonight?” Aerax asked.

“Terrible. I wouldn’t bet on it,” May said with a smile, “Loren Jul is finishing an impressive career and Vesper...well, she’s Vesper Lynd. I think that says it all, doesn’t it?”

“It does. Good luck tonight, May.”

“Thanks Aerax.”

“Can someone get me a whiskey over here?” Lun hollered as May moved off.

She was finally starting to settle into the interview routine. Say pretty much the same thing a dozen times and you’ll do just fine.

May was next grabbed by Arin Endrews, one of the sideline reporters for the C-Bucs. “May Trieste, Duchess Eldin nominee--you are one eighth Hapan yourself, aren’t you?”

May had to do the math in her head. Her great-grandmother on her father’s father’s side was Hapan so…“Yeah, I am,” she said.

“Given your heritage, how do you feel about your disfigurement?” Endrews asked.

May looked at Endrews with disbelief. What kind of a question was that? She knew that Hapans prioritized looks to the point of obsession, but asking that? On galaxy-wide Holonet? Endrews would have been better off punching her in the face than asking her in front of billions of beings (perhaps even more depending on how widely this got picked up in replay coverage) about the remnants of one of the most traumatic events of her life. In fact, May was now seriously considering punching her for having the gall. (She had, after all, been raised among Smuggler fans.)

But, then again, May was a Duchess Eldin nominee. Clocking Endrews and then asking her how she felt about her new broken nose was probably not a good idea--especially if she won. So instead May said the first thing that came to her mind as she walked off:



If Endrews wasn’t going to ask even remotely real questions, she wasn’t going to waste her time giving real answers. Too bad the Duchess Eldin voters didn’t catch that one, May thought. She was pretty sure she hadn’t gotten any Consortium votes anyways. It was even worse that the Miners weren’t due to go to Hapes next year. That could have been fun.

---

May clapped as Huntington was announced as the Langann winner. Like Valerii had said to the press, the chances of the Miners taking home the coaching trophy were slim. On the one hand, the winner was a man who had been murdered just two weeks ago. On the other, you had a coach who had taken an 0-9 team and in one season had them tie with the league leaders. The Miners, a consistently good team, were not going to be recognized against such competition. Such was a side effect of consistent excellence. May doubted there would be too much disappointment from the Senators fans. Unlike the situation with the Commissioner’s Trophy (which the League should have been prepared for and figured out in advance of the last week of the season), getting upset over a being who had literally given his life in service of the sport was not something you did.

The Duchess Eldin Award was up next and she listened as her name followed that of her fellow nominees. She found she was breathing a little shallower as she waited for the winner. Did she actually want to win this award she’d never even thought about until she’d been nominated for it? Or was she more scared of what would happen if she did win it?

“And the winner is...Loren Jul of the Ralltiir Starkillers.”

So there it was. May clapped. Jul had had a long and storied career, one deserving of a final recognition and she got it today. She deserved it, far more than May by leaps and bounds. In fact, going strictly by the rules, Jul would have been a better nominee for the Zumtak. Even so, that was a pretty packed category in terms of emotional stories. Perhaps it was better that Jul had the opportunity to receive one last laurel (a laurel for Loren, in fact) instead of just getting a nomination for another award. May didn’t know what kind of life Jul would have off the field, but May knew that she was always going to have a life away from limmie. In that respect, things would always be easier for her than for everyone else nominated tonight.

Similarly, it was no surprise when the Miners went zero for three nominations as the Salbukk didn’t go Niskat’s way. That was all right as far as May was concerned. If nothing else, it proved the Miners were a team. No one being, not even a player who stepped into a void left by a retiring great, not a head coach who had kept the team steady through thick and thin, not a doctor who patched up players, had contributed more than another to the success of the group.

No matter what, they were a team. Their season might be over, but they were together. That was what counted.

TAG: CPL_Macja jcgoble3 Jedi Gunny Runjedirun Vehn

 

IC: Ty Allin


When Lucie, T.J. and I arrived on Euceron Bat, Georgia, Serene and Richard had already checked into the hotel. Bat had piloted the Sandskimmers in their shuttle early in the week so the team could attend practices and briefings on planet. While Richard had left Coruscant immediately after his last final exam. Lucie was anxious to see her brothers. We met them in the hotel lobby as soon as we dropped off our bags in our room. I stood back holding T.J. while Lucie gave Richard a hug. “Congratulations college grad,” she said.

“It’s not official yet,” Richard replied cautiously as he pulled away.

“I thought you said exams were finished,” Lucie inquired.

“Haven’t gotten all my final grades yet. I just don’t want to jinx anything,” Richard explained with a shrug.

Just then Bat entered the lobby. He and Richard nodded at each other in greeting before Lucie ran to take Serene out of his arms. In the process she kissed Bat on the cheek. “How’s precious baby girl?” Lucie asked Serene in that voice all humans seemed to apply when speaking to babies.

“She’s doing well,” Georgia said stepping in closer.

“She’s beautiful,” Lucie told Georgia. “I’m so jealous you have a daughter.” Lucie was not holding back at home about her desire to have a daughter. If the new stadium was not scheduled to open at the beginning of the next season she probably would have insisted we begin the process of making one immediately.

“Too bad she’s keeping Bartholomew from attending the award ceremony tomorrow evening,” Richard put in suddenly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bat asked defensively. Obviously he had picked up on his brother’s frosty tone.

“You’re a member of this family,” Richard explained. “One day you will hold a share in this franchise it would look more proper if you attended the awards. That’s all.”

“What you meant to say is that I should have been more responsible,” Bat fired back. “I’m plenty responsible Richard. The Sandskimmers wouldn’t be playing for a championship otherwise. At least my daughter can be recognized as a girl,” Bat added with a glance towards T.J.

“What's wrong with T.J.?” I asked.

“Nothing if you don’t mind him being mistaken for a girl. How long are you going to let his hair grow?” Bat asked.

Instinctively I put my hands over his curls to protect them. “There is nothing wrong with letting a boy grow his hair out,” I said defensively.

“This is the guy who has been nominated to win an award named after my father.” Bat said with a shake of his head. “So did you all decide where we are going to dinner?” He asked after a moment’s pause.

We decided on a casual restaurant within walking distance of our hotel. It was a good place to go with children because they advertised out front that they were family friendly. I enjoyed being able to sit in the regular dining room. Back home on Ralltiir Lucie and I had become too recognizable to go out without being hassled by the public or worse the paparazzi.

Shortly after taking our seats we made drink orders. T.J.’s milk came in a plastic cup with a straw. Promptly I demonstrated with my own straw how to remove just a bit of paper on one end. Then I placed my mouth on that end without paper and blew on it. Hitting T.J. in the face with the straw paper.

He laughed. “Now you try,” I encouraged as I removed a bit of paper from one end of his straw. I picked it up and placed it in his mouth. T.J. blew with all his might. The straw paper hit an elderly gentlemen sitting at the table next to us. “Sorry,” I said meekly when he turned around to see what hit him. The man smiled and waved. “Ow!” I exclaimed as Lucie kicked my shin from underneath the table.

It took a while for our food to come and T.J. was getting restless. I showed him how I was able to blow bubbles in my water with my straw. He followed my lead and blew bubbles in his milk. Again he blew too hard. This time milk spilled up over the cup and all over the table. Some even got on the floor and in my lap. Quickly I grabbed some napkins to clean up the mess. T.J. was laughing until Lucie reached over and took his milk away. Then he started to cry.

“This is the man who is nominated to win an award named after my father,” I heard Richard comment as I balled up the milk soaked napkins.

That evening after dinner as we were settling into our room there was the distinctive sound of the mattress creaking next door. “Isn’t that coming from your brother’s room?” I asked Lucie. “How did they get Serene down so quickly.”

“They didn’t,” Lucie informed me. “Years ago when we were all much younger we were on a family vacation. A couple staying above us made their mattress creak all night long. We were all young at the time, but old enough to understand. It left quite an impression on us. After that trip every time we stayed in a hotel Bat and Richard would make the mattress creak by bouncing on the bed. It’s a running family joke.”

Well two could play at this game I decided. I climbed up on one of the beds and grabbed the headboard. I began to bang the headboard against the wall. “Oh, give it to me!” I called out.

Lucie covered T.J.’s eyes. “This is the man who has been nominated to win an award named after my father,” she said.

---

The following evening Lucie and I met up with Loren and her husband in the lobby to share a cab to Eusebus. I had no expectations of winning the Vigo award. I had no idea how I had even been nominated. I was on this trip to hopefully see Loren finally win an award for all the hard work she had put into the game of Limmie over the years. She had been nominated for several, but had never won. This was her last opportunity and all of us would be deeply disappointed if she did not take home the Duchess Eldin award this year. She definitely took my breath away as she slipped off her jacked and stepped onto the red carpet on our way into the event.



Reporters asked me how it felt to be nominated for an award named after my father-in-law. To be polite I told them it was an honor. Inside I felt like my presence here was joke. I had a decent career as a professional, I had definitely earned my spot as a starter on my squad, but I had no idea what made me stand out amongst so many other players and team employees that I had gotten nominated for such a coveted award. Surely Kaitlyn Vehn or Lu Braun deserved the honor more than I did.

Finally we made our way inside and took our seats at a table and waited for the ceremony to begin. The Senators began the evening with a bang, taking the first three awards. They had defied all odds and nearly won the division after losing every game in 277. The awards were well deserved. Our table politely clapped for each winner. John Huntington won coach of the year. The thought of Huntington made me think of what our franchise may have been like this year if we had lost Martin Vigo and Trey Till. A complete disaster, that’s what it would have been. We were so fortunate Trey was not parked near Martin the night he had been taken down. We were all fortunate to still have Trey with us.

Next up was the Duchess of Eldin Award, “The Duchess Eldin Award now recognizes any member of a limmie organization who demonstrates sportsmanship. It is an award that symbolizes everything that is good and noble about the Elite League. Our three nominees are Loren Jul of the Starkillers, Vesper Lynd of the Monarchs, and May Trieste of the Miners.

“And the winner is Loren Jul of the Ralltiir Starkillers.”

Everyone at our table rose at once. Loren gave her husband a hug, then Richard leaned across the table, he shook her hand then pulled her in for a ceremonial kiss on the cheek. I reached across the table last to shake Loren’s hand before she headed to the podium.

“This makes leaving the game of Limmie a little easier and a little harder,” Loren said as she twirled her award around in her fingers and took a look. “First and foremost I want to thank the citizens of Ralltiir for their support. You all have been so good to me for the past 12 years,” Loren stated raising her award. “To my husband Zenner for putting up with the road trips and long hours. To my many coaches. To all my teammates over the years. And to the Vigo family. I can’t imagine how hard it was for you to pick up the pieces this year and run our franchise. However you managed, I thank you.”

Loren stepped down and returned to her seat. The presentation of the Vigo award was next. “The Vigo Award...well, it just might be one of the most highly coveted awards outside of the Salbukk and the Galactic Cup itself. The Vigo Award, recently renamed for the late Martin Vigo, a towering figure in his short tenure in the League, recognizes the being who best displays perseverance and dedication to the sport of limmie. Our three nominees have all done exactly that. One to the point of serious injury, another with nearly fatal consequences, and a third…” Lokensgaard couldn’t finish the thought.

“Our nominees are Ty Allin of Ralltiir, Lu Braun of Mando’ade, and Kaitlyn Vehn of Nar Shaddaa. The winner is Ty Allin of Ralltiir.”

Lucie, Richard, Loren and Zenner all rose to their feet around me. Dumbfounded I remained seated. Yes, I had suffered an injury on field. That wasn’t a reason to be recognized at an awards ceremony. That was what I signed up for when I decided to play Limmie professionally. Lucie grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. She gave me kiss on the cheek. Richard was reaching out to shake my hand so I took it and shook. I reached across the table to shake with Loren and Zenner as well before quickly making my way up to the podium.

I hadn’t prepared anything, but somehow I knew just what to say. “I appreciate this gesture,” I said as I looked over the award still in disbelief. “I did what any Elite League Limmie player would have done. I made the play. All of us are out there to win. I accept this award on behalf of all Elite League players to ever don a uniform on game day. We all share the same dedication and passion to our sport and we all share this award,” I said as I raised it into the air.

Tag: Everyone

 

IC: Gark S;rily
Euceron

“This sandwich . . . is . . . snurf . . . erk . . . good . . .” Galin said proudly as he munched on his sandwich.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” his mother scolded him. “Not in polite company.”

“Sorry,” Galin murmured as he finished his sandwich. It was true; Me’lin didn’t want her children to look like complete slobs in front of everyone here at the Awards ceremony.

“And make sure you don’t spill on yourself. If you do, I’m not going to clean it off,” the Twi’lek reminded her firstborn child. The young Bothan looked up to his father as if to ask for help.

“Your mother is right,” Gark said. “It’s not a good habit.”

“Okay,” Galin said, obviously put out. He finished the last bite and swallowed, checking his teeth to make sure that there wasn’t anything stuck in there.

The four of them were standing near the buffet table that had been laid out. Delicacies from all over the galaxy were sitting there, ripe for the taking. Me’lin had chided Galin when he had tried to reach for too much food. “Leave some for the rest of us,” she said in that same stern tone she always used when she was ticked about something. It was the tone that Gark had heard enough of when she had pushed him away after his gambling sins came to light after the All-Star break. He didn’t like anything about that tone; it brought back bad memories of those difficult few weeks where he had been actively shunned from his own home.

Gark had seen some of his players in the crowd. Many of them had come over to briefly chat, but they were all busy, and that was fine with the GM. They deserved to enjoy their night, not be shackled to dealing with him alone. It was the night to celebrate individual achievements, so he was going to put off team stuff this time. Peet Carelle came over for a while, but it was obvious that the food was the most important part for him. “Guy’s gotta eat,” he said eagerly before filling his plate. Galin looked at the gray-haired Senators coach and then shot a glare at his mother for not letting him do the same thing with his plate. It was wise of her not to return the look, Gark reasoned.

He had been nominated for the Grames Award for the fifth time. He was now tied with Yore Vex Ten of the Vandelhelm Jets for the most nominations in the Award’s history, and had won two of them already, including the inaugural one before it ever had a name. But those wins had been a while; 266 seemed an eternity ago, and 269, the season where Vex Ten’s Jets beat the Senators in the Cup Final, had been almost a decade earlier. So much had happened in the last nine years since he had won the Award; some good, many bad, and the rest just a hodgepodge of stuff. It hadn’t exactly been a restful nine years.

When the ceremony started, he found himself able to cheer early on as Leia Adama won the Ingbrand Award for top rookie. If he had a vote in the process, he would have voted for her without any doubt. What she had done for his team could not have been dreamed of coming into the season; there was a reason they had quadrupled their scoring output from 277 to this past season. And it all started with the electrifying Bakuran full forward. A well-deserved win in his opinion.

Next up was the Comeback Player Award. Christine Gamble ended up winning it, which was another victory for the team. The captain went to the podium and said her piece, and then it was on to the Grames. He was up against stiff competition, including Kaitlyn Vehn. It was no secret that be nominated in memorium was becoming more commonplace these days. Whether it was just a series of tragic accidents or a disturbing trend, he didn’t know. First it was Martin Vigo, now Vehn and coach John Huntington. There were times he found the fur on his back crawling. These past few weeks had seen quite a bit of that. Things were out of place in the Limmie world right now, and they desperately needed to go back into order.

As he sat through the reading of the list of names, Gark knew he wouldn’t win. There was no way Vehn wouldn’t get the win. After all, Vigo had won an award posthumously last season, and some critics of the league’s nomination process had already given the two dead Smuggler representatives the win in their predictions due to a supposed sympathy vote. Gark wasn’t sure what to make of such comments, but he remembered that he himself had been a recipient of the Zumtak (oddly enough now named for Vigo) in 272 under those same circumstances. Somehow he had survived the laser blast that should have killed him, but the trend was reaching a ridiculous crescendo now. How many more had to die like this before the League finally wised up that something was awry? Then again, what could they do? The shootings weren’t at games; no, they were in a parking lot and a rally. Both in the shadows of the stadiums, but not during a game. Seemingly random acts of violence could do so much damage. Gark knew that full well. They had certainly ruined his day a few times.

So it was a shock to learn that he had won the Grames. He went up to the podium pretty much speechless, but he didn’t want to let it on. He had to act professional. Taking the award, he stepped to the podium. “It’s an honor to be able to win this award again,” he began. “The last time I did was a long time ago . . . everything’s changed since then. But the feeling of winning an award hasn’t.

This award means a lot to me and to the franchise. This past offseason was a real grind, trying to find players who could get us back to prominence. The whole galaxy doubted us, doubted that we belonged in this league. So the pressure was on. But we stuck it out. The players did what they had to, to coaches did their jobs, and things finally started to click. We finally had a team to be proud of, even though there is still a lot of room for improvement.

But that’s for another day. I want to thank the players for believing in the system. Without that faith, there’s nothing to lean on. To Christine Gamble, who just won an award . . . she proved that my belief in her was well-warranted. To the rookies, who no one gave a chance to be worthwhile contributors. They plugged the roster holes and didn’t back down. To the unheralded veterans who helped run the machine we created, who made a difference in the locker room. To the coaching staff, who proved that they had the hearts of champions this year even though we aren’t playing for the Cup. We got a hell of a lot farther than anyone could have predicted, and to be able to bounce back so quickly was a tremendous feat.

I also want to thank my family. Even though things got difficult during the season, especially the last few weeks . . .” he said before pausing. “They kept me going. And I really appreciate it. And lastly to the rest of the Senator team, the staff, the grounds crew, everyone, for making this a special year.

I suppose I also should say that while I won this award, Kaitlyn Vehn was very deserving as well. Even though I know I never liked her, and I freely admit that as a rival I hated her guts sometimes, she was special. She had guts that didn’t quit. Let’s not forget that dedication to the game, even for a team that you may hate otherwise. Because even when this game kicks you down, and I know what that’s like, it takes a lot of fortitude to get back up. She had that. Thank you again, and good night.” He wasn’t sure if he ended that well, because he had made it up as he went along, but it felt right to get it out. Vehn was indeed a major figure in the game, and needed to recognition.

Then it was out to face the media, to answer questions, and to be bombarded with popular inquiries. “What are your plans for this offseason?” a reporter asked.

“The same as it is every season. Figure out which players give us the best chance to win a Galactic Cup. Never expect anything less than that,” Gark replied. “But I think a break is necessary after this season. I’d like to spend some more time with the family, but Limmie will always be in the back of my mind.” After all, they had a new child on the way in a few months, so there would be extra complications regarding that. Yet his drive for Limmie still remained.


Because for Gark S’rily, Limmie was his lifeblood. It was his true calling in life. Despite being a successful businessman, the Coruscant Senators franchise was his true home. And there was nothing anyone could say to prove otherwise.

TAG: Vehn, Everyone

 

GM Post

HSN Morning Headlines

• Tim Dodd "stepping back" a little from Packers' day-to-day affairs, not "stepping down" as reported yesterday. "I'm confident that Asyr and Dorf can do all necessary - and I'm only a Comlink call away, should they need me", he said in statement to Media. Agamarian Council understood to have asked him to supervise new project, is reason for change
• Mando'ade Mercs to make announcement regarding their vacant head coaching decision in the week following the Galactic Cup Championship game. Merc's GM quoted as saying, "While we always look out for the best interests of our own team, the Mercs organization doesn't wish to diminish the league's premier event with major announcements." There is no news on who the Mercs might eventually hire, though Miner's assistant coach Cuth Hulu and UBTV head coach Kel Chippy are rumored to be finalists for the job
• Miners GM Quinn Cundertol and head coach Gaeriel Valerii conducting pre-draft interviews with top-ranked draft prospects. All top players in their position have been interviewed, but Miners have reportedly gone deeper in the forward and defender ranks with interviews
• BBC Sports color commentator Aerax Skytrayn: “It’s still unclear what Cundertol intends to do with his pick, but two things are clear: 1) he wants his head coach involved in the decision, which is no surprise considering she just got a new contract, and 2) he doesn’t care if the galaxy knows what he wants to use that pick for because when you have the second overall pick, you only need a top two prospects on your first round draft board”
• Kasin Urdaaza not present at Elite League Awards on Euceron despite nomination for Comeback Player of the Year--no report as to reason why
• Teams already reportedly courting Eponette Ternardiel for free agency. Senators rumored to have expressed “preliminary interest”
• Euceron Storm fan rally sells out all 320,000 tickets in less than two hours
• Storm head coach Haron Orus: "This will be a party like no other. We're going to rock this place out and raise the roof. Fans will be dying to attend another one, and we just might make this an annual event"

TAG: Bardan_Jusik jcgoble3 Jedi Gunny Rebecca_Daniels Tim Battershell

 

IC: Tim Dodd
Site Office, Agamar

Sitting with Dua Juun behind the privacy screen, Tim wondered what the Engineer made of his meeting with this particular member of the Agamarian Council and the commission to sink a shaft seventy metres straight down at a precisely marked spot (they'd used an 'X' to amuse/tease Dua, because 'X' never marks the spot in any type of archaeology, or so it's said!) some five kilometres North of Calna Muun. Not that the Council Member was anything like well known to those outside that body - even to some inside it! No, this particular Council Member was entirely without portfolio, as far as most were concerned; and actually seemed to do nothing more than attend the meetings.

It's something of a sinecure to hold the Scientific and Technological Development portfolio on a world not noted for its Scientific and Technological Developments! It had amused Tim to find out that his relative, the 'Mad Swordsman', had actually been responsible for the creation of that Council post through his invention of the 'Thrust Sailer'.

But after today everything might change. After today, the rest of the Galaxy might have cause to remember sleepy Agamar. After today Agamar might be virtually on a war-footing, and after today the last visible trace of the 'Drugging Incident' would be swept away.

After today, too, Tim would have to step back from the Packers' day-to-day affairs to take up a new, and highly secret, position.


TAG: No One.

 

IC: Christine Gamble
Press Conference, Coruscant

“I want to thank you all for showing up today,” Christine said to the small room of reporters and journalists. She had called her own press conference to discuss her future plans for Limmie; she had talked things over with her agent, and while he didn’t quite agree with this plan, she had thought it was worth holding. It was at a downtown hotel meeting room, hardly the place for a major statement, but it would suit her needs. This was big news.

“As most of you know by now, my rookie contract expired at the end of this season,” she said. “It’s been a good four-year run with the Senators, and I appreciate the chances they’ve given me. To be a team captain so quickly in my career, especially of a big-time organization, that’s huge. And I really have enjoyed being in that role.”

The reason she was here was because of that contract. Negotiations hadn’t commenced between her agent and the Senators, and she was starting to wonder if they were going to give her an offer. After all, she had been nominated for the Salbukk and Comeback Player of the Year Awards this prior season, so she likely would be a valuable piece going forward.

But the question was always the same in the negotiation phase; did the Senators want her after all? She had played her hardest in her contract year, and it was likely that they viewed that as a necessary season after so-so seasons in 276 and 277. Did the team see enough in her to want her back, especially on another long-term contract? She wanted to be brought back, but it had sent her out to look for other options in case the only team she had ever played for decided it could do without her. That wouldn’t make any sense, but she wanted to be prepared in case it did occur.

“But I have yet to get into contract negotiations, and I’m getting a little antsy. I want a resolution as soon as I can,” she continued.

“Ms. Gamble, are you pushing the Senators to reach a new contract with you?” asked a reporter.

“That’s if they would like to come to the table. I am more than willing to discuss terms with them,” Christine said. “But that’s only part of why I called this session today.”

“Then what did you call it for?” asked the reporter.

“Because I have something to say,” Christine replied quickly. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a quick burst. This was big news.

“Since I don’t have a contract, I’ve been looking into my other options. And there are some out there that I could explore. I thereby will do what’s best for me at this stage in my career and become a Free Agent this offseason . . .”

That was sure to stir the headlines the next day.


TAG: No One

NOTE: I would like to play this scenario out a little bit in the near future, so if you're interested in talking to Christine as a FA, please PM me so that we can collaborate on a story. There will not be a straight-to-FA list transaction here (at least not yet). She's still my PC for the moment, so let's make a good story out of this.

 

College Playoffs: Semifinals​

23 Namaryne System University vs. Prytis College of Natural Sciences 30 (at Royal Limmie Grounds, Hapes)


20 Wookiee Forest Institute vs. Tipoca City College 6 (at The Pond, Naboo)

Headlines:

• PCNS rolls past NSU to their second title Final.
• Wookiees crush Kaminoans as WFI easily secures spot in title game over TCC.
• PCNS opens at 3-point favorites in early betting lines on Finals.

TAGS: Everyone, although Trieste is definitely going to like this

 

GM Post

HSN Morning Headlines

• Bakura Miners announce they will renew Bloom Bowl rivalry with Naboo Ducks prior to 280 season in preseason, interleague matchup for first time in four years
• Game to be played at Bakura Gardens after 275's match at The Pond

279-280 Friendly Schedule
November 23
Naboo Ducks at Bakura Miners

TAG: None

 

OOC: A little fun for your Halloween (even though it doesn't really have anything to do with Halloween). Enjoy!

IC: Jado Nalo
Location: Euceron Convention Center, Eusebus, Euceron
Time: Four days before Galactic Cup Final; one hour before sunset

For the 278 Elite League Limmie Awards Ceremony, the hosts had decided to try something new. Ordinarily, the red carpet event was open only to the invited, with fans only able to watch the ceremony on the HoloNet. That was still technically true, but the hosts had created a “fan zone”, where fans could watch limmie stars and A-list celebrities mingle in the hallway outside the auditorium. There was a twenty-meter buffer zone between the fans and the invited guests, with velvet ropes on both sides. It was an interesting experiment—and right now it wasn't going so well.

“Stay back!” Jado yelled. Silently, he cursed Asyel Yan'ii for ducking under the ropes and waltzing into the crowd of fans, which had caused mass pandemonium as thousands of fans nearly crushed him tried to get autographs or even selfies with him all at once. Privately, Jado would have loved to get a selfie with Asyel himself, but he needed to maintain security.

Just as it looked like the crowd was going to knock both Jado and Asyel down, Palla and Zay leaped over the crowd and landed nimbly in the very small space in the middle where Jado and Asyel were. The display of their Force-leaping abilities calmed the crowd for the most part, and Asyel signed a few autographs before Palla grabbed his arm and pulled him into a service corridor.

Jado followed him as Zay barricaded the door and ordered the crowd to disperse. Reluctantly, the fans complied, and for a moment, there was peace... until Palla turned on Asyel.

“What the kriff were you thinking, just waltzing in there like that?! You're supposed to stay on your side of the buffer zone!”

“I just figured a random close-up appearance would be fun for the fans. I didn't think that—”

“You didn't think? That's your problem! You didn't think before you acted! That's not the first rash thing you've done this season.”

Jado knew she was referring to the attack back in Week 9, during which Asyel had armed himself and fought back instead of taking cover. Thankfully, he hadn't been hurt then. Regardless, Jado knew that this tirade was not like Palla at all. “Master, calm down a little. It's not the end of the universe.”

Palla took a deep breath as Zay stepped into the corridor. “You're right. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. Sorry, Mr. Yan'ii.”

“No problem.”

Zay asked a question. “Why are you even here? You're not nominated for anything.”

“Gotta support the hometown nominees.” Zay nodded and tilted his head in acknowledgment, and Asyel changed the subject. “While we're here, any of you want an autograph? I know you guys are Storm fans.”

Seeing his chance, Jado pounced as he fished in his pocket. “Can I have a photo?”

“Sure.”

Palla reached out to take the holorecorder that Jado had pulled out, but he ignored her. Instead, he put his arm around Asyel, held it out at arm's length, and snapped three pictures.

Palla sighed. “I simply don't understand this recent trend of self-portraits.”

“Selfie,” Jado corrected.

“Ugh. I refuse to use that non-word.” she replied. “Kids these days,” she added under her breath. Zay laughed

Jado could still hear her. “Hey, the selfie is older than you are. Way older.”

“What, you're going to tell me that kids were taking self-portraits with Sheev three hundred years ago?” Palla asked, referring to Emperor Palpatine's recently-revealed given name that had quickly become the butt of jokes and memes on the HoloNet.

“Not quite, but a kid during those times named Ezra Bridger had a journal that was recently published. The last page of that journal had a selfie of him and the rebel crew he joined.”

Palla let out a sigh and planted here forehead in her left palm. “And I suppose you have this journal?”

Jado chuckled. “Of course. It's back on the shuttle. I'll show it to you tonight.”

“Well, I'm not believing you until I see it.”

---

Three hours later, after the last person, bar janitorial staff, had left the building, Jado led Palla and Zay back to their shuttle at the spaceport. After walking up the boarding ramp, he made a beeline straight for his bunk and reached into a drawer under it, producing a small hardcover book. The cover gave the title as Rebel Journal by Ezra Bridger. He handed it to Palla and grinned.

“Where in here is this picture that you refer to?” Palla said, still refusing to say the word “selfie”.

“Very last page,” Jado replied.

Palla flipped to the end and stared at the center of the last page. It showed a photo of a young teenage human boy close to the cam, on the right side of the picture, with a stormtrooper helmet under his right arm and his left arm extending out toward the cam and out of frame to the viewer's right. Jado identified that as Ezra Bridger. Several steps behind him was an assortment of beings: a human female, not much older than Ezra, wearing partial Mandalorian armor; a tall and bulky Lasat; a female Twi'lek in a pilot suit; an adult human man with a blaster on his hip and an ignited lightsaber in his right hand, held diagonally across his body in a guard position, and a beat-up orange, yellow, and white C1 astromech droid.

Written on the upper left corner of the photo was the word “selfie”.

Palla tossed the book back to Jado and threw her hands in the air. “I give up.”

Jado and Zay laughed so hard that they both had to sit down.

TAG: Nobody

 

GM Post

HSN Morning Headlines

• Coruscant to play Patriots at Stoney End and renew Revolutionary War rivalry
• Bak10 Commissioner Trieste announces she will attend both Galactic College Championship Game and Galactic Cup Final
• Trieste: “The Prytis College of Natural Sciences is representing our conference for the second time on the galaxy’s biggest stage. Of course I’m going to be there. And with Bak10 alumni on both sides of this year’s Galactic Cup Final, I’ll be there rooting for both sides”
• When pressed, Trieste admits she will watch game with Lynd family: “Two years ago I was unable to watch my niece play in the Final in person for medical reasons. I’ve regretted that very much and was not about to pass up this opportunity”
• Trieste hails 278 as a “hallmark year” for Bak10, capped by Leia Adama’s Ingbrand Award

Friendlies
November 23
Naboo Ducks at Bakura Miners
Coruscant Senators at Chandrila Patriots

TAG: CPL_Macja Jedi Gunny Vehn

 

Galactic Division I Limmie Playoffs: Finals​

​

​

Prytis College of Natural Sciences vs. Wookiee Forest Institute (at Demons Stadium, Denon)​

​

​

PCNS scores:​

​

Spoiler

35

​

​

WFI scores:​

​

Spoiler

39

​

Spoiler

The Wookiee Forest Institute is your new Galactic Champion

​

​

TAGS to Everyone, mostly Trieste​

​

 

IC: Autumn Graves
Eusebus, Euceron, 278 Galactic Cup Final

​

Cleats snug and secure.

Uniform straight and tidy.

Mind focused and ready to go.

Autumn inhaled deeply as she stood in the tunnel with the rest of the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers. She felt at home with this team. She loved this team. They were no strangers to the stadium on Euceron. They were no strangers to the cold weather that seemed to give the Storm an edge when they played here. They were no strangers to participating in the greatest game of them all: the Galactic Cup Final.

Ten Galactic Cup victories, 15 Final appearances, several great players in the Limmie Hall of Fame, and one team stood between them and history today. A team they had faced two years ago and defeated in a game that was all about the defense. A team that was hungry to win their first title. A team that was looking for revenge: Rydonni Prime. They were not to be underestimated. They were not to be discounted.

Autumn couldn’t help but wonder of her role in the coming game. Would she sit on the bench? Would she ever get a chance to represent the burgundy and black in the greatest game of them all? In a rematch of the great 276 Final that had netted Nar Shaddaa so many accolades from their fans and so much praise from their deceased owner Kaitlyn Vehn. She looked down at her gloved hands and clenched her fists. How she wanted to start today. How she wanted to rise up and show the galaxy that she still had what it took to be great. That she still had what it took to earn respect and admiration from her teammates. She’d gotten a little bit of that after the Smugglers had knocked off the Storm but still doubt lingered in her mind. Had she done enough to earn a spot in the defensive backfield? Had she done enough to make the fans proud? She hoped so. She prayed that she had done enough.

“Gather around,” Jayla said as she waved her arms to bring the team together. “We fight and we die as one. You got that? We are not individuals we are a team! We go out together and face down one of the toughest teams in the league, the Rydonni Prime Monarchs. Once more they’re standing in our way. Once more they are stopping us from making history.We all know what they can do. We all have seen them play. They’re a different team than the one we pushed around in the regular season. They took down Coruscant, they took down Bakura, and they want our blood. They want revenge. It’s going to require a whole effort today, this game will be decided not by coaching, not by strategy, but by talent, and by heart. I believe in all of you, I believe that what we have can’t be duplicated anywhere else. I know we can win today. We are going to win today. Nothing can stop us. Nothing can keep us down.”

“When you leave the tunnel,” Mylessa McCloud said taking over the huddle, “you take your eyes to where Kaitlyn Vehn would be were she here today. You think of her and all she did for us. You think of all she ever wanted for this team, for Nar Shaddaa, and you take it to heart, because she made the ultimate sacrifice. She loved us as we all love one another. We are supposed to be here and I will not let a team from Rydonni Prime take away our time. This is our time! Our time!”

“Our time!” Autumn shouted with the team.

“For John,” Jayla Leed said.

“For Kaitlyn,” Mylessa McCloud added.

“For Nar Shaddaa,” Erin Windreaver said.

Autumn thrust her hand into the center of the huddle. In the darkness of the tunnel she felt so alive as gloved hands joined hers. They were united. Today they had one sole purpose. Today they had one dream. Today they stood with one voice, one team, one Smuggler’s Moon. Nobody said a word as they stood in their huddle for several minutes. No words were necessary. Not for this. Not for what they meant to one another.

The huddle broke. The team formed into a single line and walked toward the end of the tunnel. Autumn could only hear the roar of the cleats on the durracrete beneath them as the light at the end of the tunnel grew and grew. They were almost to the end.
They were almost onto the pitch. They were almost on the verge of making history. Jayla Leed was ahead of her and delicately stroked the wall where Kaitlyn Vehn would’ve stood were she here today and whispered, “Miss Vehn.”

Autumn felt a hard lump rise in her throat as she remembered all the games that Kaitlyn had personally greeted her. She could remember the firm handshake that Kaitlyn always gave and the way that she conveyed confidence and poise to the team with that steady gaze of hers. There had been so few words that seemed fitting to say to their boss, to their leader, but only the words, “Miss Vehn,” escaped her lips as she brushed her gloved fingertips against the wall and stepped onto the pitch in the most meaningful game of them all, the one they all so desperately wanted to win, the Galactic Cup Final.

“Ladies and gentlebeings, please welcome the Skywalker Conference champions, the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers!” The announced roared over the PA system.

Autumn was nearly blown away by the roar of the crowd, the Smuggler faithful whooping, hollering, clapping, behind their team, showing solidarity. She saw the Rydonni Prime Monarchs across the way warming up. She felt an incredible rush of gratitude roll across her as she soaked every moment of this Galactic Cup Final. For her, at her age, getting back to the big game was always questionable. Every year was a struggle. Every year was a challenge. She had stared at the terrifying “R” word for so long. She didn’t want to say it out loud. She didn’t want to say it now. It was too soon. No, she needed to just focus on today. To focus on the game.

“Hey Graves!” A voice shouted breaking Autumn from her thoughts.

“Yeah?” Autumn turned to look at the voice. It was Jayla Leed.

“You ready to play the biggest game of them all?” Leed asked.

“Born ready,” Autumn responded not sure where this was headed.

“You’re starting,” Leed said with a smile.

Autumn felt as if she had soared all the way to cloud nine. What an opportunity. What a chance to help cement Limmie history. This was her time to shine. This was her moment to play the greatest game of them all. She wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass her by. She was ready to play. She’d been ready for a very long time.

“Thank you, Jayla,” Autumn said.

“Thank Kaitlyn Vehn, she told me to watch your play and I have. I like what I see,” Jayla replied as she gave Autumn a pat on the back.

Autumn trotted out to the pitch, shook the hands of Ken Zetter, Zen Keisel, Jayla Leed, Zelena Wiles, Wilhulf Nexrus, and Alynn Trann. She would play Full Back today. Her natural position. The last line of defense for Jayla and the rest of the Smuggler’s defense.

The ball soared high into the air after the initial scrum. Autumn tracked the bolo-ball the entire way. The crowd roared as the energy surged throughout the stadium.

For Kaitlyn Autumn thought as she took one step forward.

One step forward toward making history.

One step forward to Limmie immortality.

Tag: CPL_Macja

 

edit: wrong thread

 

Sub-GM Post

So I did forget to mention again this season that the Final score is posted on Saturday, not after ELL scores on Sunday. All's good, though, since the only team I expected a post out of has posted. Bonus rolls this week to (points in parentheses): Tatooine (32). Banked bonus rolls for the start of the 279 season to: Byblos (28), Commenor (28), Druckenwell (28), Garqi (28), and Thyferra (32).

Limmie Futures League
Futures Cup Final
Presented by Gundarkade
Euceron Stadium, Eusebus, Euceron
(2) Corellia Rebels vs. (1) Tatooine Sandskimmers (13–1)

Congratulations to the Corellia Rebels, 278 Limmie Futures Cup Champions!

TAG: Bardan_Jusik Polydroxol CPL_Macja Tim Battershell Rebecca_Daniels Jedi Gunny Runjedirun Vehn

 

OOC: Approved by Trieste. Enjoy!

IC: Marte Nalo
Location: Euceron Stadium, Eusebus, Euceron
Time: Galactic Cup Final pregame ceremonies

The Galactic Cup Final. The crowning achievement in limmie, or bolo-ball, or meshgeroya, whatever your culture called it. The roster of those who had won it was a roster of legends, of Hall-of-Famers; a select few were even, to their most loyal and dedicated fans, practically deities. Tonight, sixty-four percent of the galaxy, spanning the Republic, the Roon Trade Organization, Hutt Space, the Hapes Consortium, countless independent systems, and more would stop in their tracks, tune in, and take in the greatest spectacle in all of modern galactic sports.

And for the third time in recent history, the grandest stage in sports was Euceron Stadium. Marte Nalo stood at the end of the hallway leading from the lower concourse out to Section 109. From this position, he had a full, side-on view of the field, and was standing even with the midfield line. Basically, he was surrounded by the most expensive seats in the stadium, seats that for this one night sold for upward of ten thousand credits each. As the retired head coach of the Euceron Storm, he could have easily afforded to sit in those seats if he wished to, and in fact he had the last time the Final was here in 273. Tonight, however, he had work to do in maintaining security—but that could afford to wait for a few minutes.

A hush came over the 320,000 assembled spectators as the lights went out in the stadium. Marte sensed the anticipation—and then the silence was abruptly broken by the stadium announcer. “Designated as the visiting team tonight, they started the season hot with a shutout in Week One, and while they faltered down the stretch, they secured a number three seed by demolishing the Kuat Triforce on the road to complete a five and four season. With the momentum from that victory, they outfought the Senators on Coruscant. Then in a rematch of Week Seven's Blue and Gold Bowl, they exacted their revenge on the Miners to qualify for their third Galactic Cup Final.” A single spotlight cut through the darkness, landing on the mouth of the visiting team's tunnel. “Ladies and gentlebeings, fans of all ages, I present your Solo Conference Champions, seeking their first Galactic Cup Championship here tonight, the Rydonni Prime MONARCHS!”

The crowd erupted into cheers as the Monarchs ran out onto the field. After a moment, they were ushered to their sideline, and the crowd grew quiet again as the stadium was once again plunged into darkness. “Designated as the home team tonight, they opened the season with three straight wins, before that streak was stopped by their opponents for tonight in Week Four. But they bounced back to win again the following week, and finished the season at six and three, gaining crucial momentum for the playoffs by winning the final two games of the season. Despite the loss of their team owner and head coach by assassination, they pulled together and resolved to play on, and in a rematch of their Week Nine game, defeated the Euceron Storm in dramatic fashion.” As with the Monarchs' introduction, a single spotlight now shone on the home team tunnel. “Now playing for an unprecedented eleventh Galactic Cup Championship, ladies and gentlebeings, fans of all ages, I present the Skywalker Conference Champions, the Nar Shaddaa SMUGGLERS!”

Once again, the crowd burst into cheers, this time with a small smattering of boos from local fans who were unhappy about the hometown team being knocked out of the playoffs last week. The cheering continued as each team took their place on their respective sidelines. Then the announcer called for quiet as he introduced a pop music superstar to sing the planetary anthems, first that of Rydonni Prime, then that of Nar Shaddaa, and finally Euceron's own anthem. Marte respectfully removed his hat as the anthems were performed, one at a time. When the Euceron anthem came around, protocol dictated that Marte, as a uniformed police officer, should have given a proper salute. But he had other plans, as he removed a holorecorder from his pocket and aimed it at the open roof, waiting for the anthem's crescendo.

IC: Jado Nalo
Location: Outside of Eusebus, Euceron, about five kilometers north of Euceron Stadium

Jado did a slow roll and pulled up on the left wing of Lieutenant Marsati Kraria, with whom he had been training for the past two weeks. Kraria himself was on the wing of Zay, who was leading the formation. On Zay's right side, another Euceron Starfighter Command pilot had lined up, and after a moment Palla pulled up on his wing to complete the formation.

A voice crackled over the comm. “Storm Flight, we have clear skies with no trouble in sight, so you are go for the stadium. Live broadcast will be fed into the comm upon readback. Over.”

Jado heard Zay's voice in response. “Storm One to base, copy. We are go for the stadium.”

Two seconds later, the comm was filled with the sound of the Nar Shaddaa anthem. Jado was not familiar with it, but figured they had about fifty seconds. He'd get a more precise time estimate when the Euceron anthem started.

Zay led the group in a slow circle, maneuvering into position for the run at the stadium. Finally, the Euceron anthem began, and he gave a thirty-second warning over the comm. Jado straightened out with the rest of the flight and pointed his Eta-2 at Euceron Stadium in the distance. Zay called out speed adjustments as they flew, and the pilots responded, maintaining the formation with the goal of being directly over the stadium as a specific point in the anthem.

Suddenly, the live broadcast was shut off, replaced with the frantic voice of the Horvold Memorial Naval Base controller. “Bogeys inbound! Sensor contact one-five-eight klicks north-northwest of Euceron Stadium, times one-eight! Scramble Blue Squadron, Black Squadron, and Storm Flight!”

Jado cursed. The Bassells were attacking, with eighteen ships coming straight at the stadium. At least they were still quite some distance away, with only uninhabited prairies and some of the planet's only significant surface water between them and the outskirts of the city.

Zay wasted no time in giving orders. “Storm Flight, maintain formation and path for the moment, but be prepared to break early on my mark.”

Jado knew that they should have been breaking off the flyover now, but he realized that Zay's attachment to limmie wouldn't let him. Still, as close as they were, it would only cost them a few seconds. To his credit, Zay ordered the flight to go to full-throttle, meaning that they would get to the stadium slightly earlier than planned , but would also save a couple seconds.

The stadium passed under the nose of Jado's fighter, and Zay gave a countdown. “Break and head for the combat zone in three, two, one, mark!”

Jado pulled his stick straight back and slightly to the left, flipping the ship around one-eighty and heading back to the north, passing over the stadium again as he did so before screaming toward the bogeys at top speed. It was time to put the past two weeks of training to the test.

IC: Marte Nalo

Marte heard the roar of the fighter engines and looked up in admiration, recording as he did so. He spotted his son's fighter on the left side of the formation, and waved at Jado even though he knew Jado wouldn't see it. For a moment, Marte was as proud of his son as a father could be.

Then the formation pulled up and broke apart while still in sight, some of them flying back over the stadium without any semblance of formation. They were supposed to continue straight on to reach the base. Marte was puzzled for a moment, and then it dawned on him that there were two other things wrong with the flyover: first, they had been three seconds early, and second, they had been flying significantly faster than the law permitted for event flyovers. He pulled out his comlink and called back to the main security office to find out what was going on, and got the news he didn't want but had expected anyway.

He rushed back to the office, broadcasting a Code 61 over the general security channel as he did so. Code 61 was the signal to begin preparations for evacuating the stadium, but without alerting the public. Security, police, military, and major League officials would be the only ones that would know what was happening at this stage; it would be up to the League to notify the competing teams, if they desired to do so. As he began to monitor the situation and communicate with the naval base, he hoped he would not have to call a Code 13—full stadium evacuation. Come on, Jado, don't let me down... he thought.

IC: Jado Nalo
Location: About one hundred kilometers north of Euceron Stadium, over Euceron's largest lake

Jado sat in his seat, observing the battle from a distance. Engine trouble with his fighter on the way to the battle zone had forced him to stay back due to limited maneuverability. The battle was going well, even without him; twelve of the eighteen enemy craft, including all three of the heavy bombers, had been shot down, with only two casualties among the Euceron military. The remaining six enemy fighters were proving more difficult to take down, though.

Jado heard some beeping from his left, and looked down at his readout. His astromech was saying that it had fixed the engine problems. The young Jedi performed a couple of test maneuvers and confirmed it, then shot into the fray, announcing himself over the comm. “Storm Two is back at full power and ready to fight.”

“Storm Three to Storm Two, how about getting this guy out of my exhaust?”

Leave it to Palla to get straight to the point. Jado spotted her and accelerated in, firing as he went. Coming at Palla head-on, he fired over her and nearly hit the wing of the fighter that had been harassing her. The pilot was forced to go evasive, allowing Palla to get away. He rejoined the fight, but now a military pilot was behind him. The military pilot landed a shot square on his engines, causing his ship to explode around him. Five left.

Jado started to turn toward another furball, but an enemy pilot slipped onto his tail, forcing him to juke and dodge. Another Euceron pilot pulled in behind him, but couldn't shoot for fear of accidentally taking out Jado. The Padawan couldn't dodge forever; a laser cannon shot hit his stabilizer, and his fighter began spiraling out of control.

As it descended toward the lake, Jado had the presence of mind to pull the ejection lever, and he was shot out of the cockpit just before another laser cannon shot turned his fighter into a fireball. Realizing that he was a sitting duck as he floated down, he ignited his lightsaber and sliced through his parachute cords, sending him into freefall. Using the Force, he slowed his descent enough to avoid injury upon hitting the lake.

He surfaced a few seconds later and began treading water, alternately watching the battle and cursing at himself for allowing himself to be shot down. A military pilot shot down an enemy fighter, turning it into a ball of fire. Four left. Dammit, Jado, why couldn't you focus on the battle? Palla hit a fighter, and it lost control and nosedived into the lake. Three left. Jado chastised himself for not even being able to shoot someone down, then wondered how he would have felt if he had, for he had never actually killed another sentient being before. He decided that would have to talk to Zay about it later. Speaking of Zay, he hit one fighter, it spiraled into another enemy craft, and both exploded. One left.

Decided that there was no use in beating himself up any further, Jado focused on the last fighter. It was making an attempt to escape toward Eusebus, to finish what the others had failed to do. Zay would have none of it. He opened fire, forcing the fighter to maneuver. The enemy pilot was a good one; he managed to shake Zay off his tail and went at a military fighter head-on. Jado identified the markings on that fighter as those of Lieutenant Kraria. The two passed—and a split second later the enemy fighter was a ball of flames. Jado realized that Kraria had pulled off the Kanelli flip, the move that Zay and Jado had been working with him on for the past two weeks.

The military fighters began scanning for survivors from downed craft, but Jado was the only casualty to survive. Zay and Palla descended toward the lake until they were hovering next to Jado. Zay popped the canopy. “Want a ride, rookie?”

Jado responded by throwing water on Zay, who laughed. He climbed up on the wing and looked in the cockpit. “Exactly where do you want me to ride?”

“I think you can sit in my lap for a short ride.”

Jado shrugged his shoulders and climbed into the now-cramped cockpit. After a minute, they realized it wouldn't work, and Jado instead sat on the front edge of Zay's right wing, relying on the Force to not fall off, for the long, slow ride back to base.

IC: Marte Nalo

Marte sat in the security office, monitoring the game broadcast and his communications with the naval base. With ten minutes gone in the game, he finally got the all clear from the base, and let out a relieved breath as he picked up his comlink and dialed the general channel. “Nalo to all officers, cancel code 61 and stand down. Repeat, cancel code 61 and stand down.”

He knew that he would debrief with the military and Jedi pilots, including his son, after the game, and inform the public of the thwarted attack before sunrise. For now, his biggest concern was who would win the game.

TAG: CPL_Macja Vehn (for introductions) Trieste (for League response to the failed attack)

 

IC: Romo Crowley
79’s, Coruscant
3 weeks ago

About three centuries earlier, Romo would not be allowed to walk into the buzzing late night cantina. During the period best known as the Clone Wars, 79’s was frequented by off duty clone troopers, so much so that it was basically an exclusive cantina for the GAR soldiers. Now it was just another cantina that dotted the skylanes of Coruscant. Stepping into the dimly lit establishment, Romo looked around for his “friend”. Expecting to find him in a shadowy corner booth, the limmie coach was surprised to find him sitting at a well lit table in the middle of the room.

“Mr. Crowley.”

“Agent Kol’sin.”

“A little Blue Bird told me that you had some information for me.” Both men eschewed their normal dark eyewear for late night meeting. “Sorry about the tough loss on Hapes, but I doubt you changed your travel plans to talk about limmie.” That’s what Romo liked about Kol’sin, the senior S.P.E.A.R. agent was always a straight talker.

“Actually, part of it does.” This caused one of Kol’sin’s eyebrows to raise, “But for the most part it’s about the organized crime that is taking root on Rydonni Prime.”

Kol’sin folded his arms across his chest, “I’m not quite sure you’re aware of what my agency does, Mr. Crowley. This sounds more like a matter for the local authorities. We’re not an organized crime unit.”

Romo shook his head, “I can’t go to the local authorities when they are part of the problem.”

“What about the…”

“They’re all in on it.”

Kol’sin rubbed his chin, “So what does this have to do with you or limmie?”

“I think at least one of my players is on the take and is shaving points.”

That seemed to get Kol’sin’s attention, “In that case… I’ll put one of my teams on it… on one condition.”

“Name it.”

“See if Lynd can introduce me to her cousin May.”

----- ----- ----- ----- -----

IC: Oss’irh’cgood
Eusebus, Euceron
278 ELL Season Awards

For the second consecutive year, the starting Goalkeeper for the Monarchs found himself standing on the stage holding a trophy. Last season it was for being the Rookie of the year, an honor that he was surprised to have received. This season was an even bigger surprise. Absolutely speechless he stood there holding the Salbukk Award as the Most Valuable Player of the Elite League.

He beat out two impressive players, Niskat Deenever from Bakura and Christine Gamble from Coruscant. Ironically enough, representatives from the two teams his Monarchs beat to make it to their second Galactic Cup Final. It also made him the second Monarch to walk away with the award, something that not even his team Captain had achieved.

Slowly he lifted his shocked eyes from the trophy in his hands to the crowd sitting in the theatre. His gaze fell upon his teammates. Every single member of the Monarchs and Red Wings organization were in attendance for the ceremony. A smile came across his face when Vesper Lynd gave him a wink and a thumbs up, just like she did all season long.

“Wow… I honestly don’t know what to say,” the Chiss started slowly, “I did not expect this,” looking down at the award once more, “so I’m going to have to wing it.

“I’m not the only one who won this award this year. This award belongs to my defensive backs, the Fabulous Five, who took a lot of the heat off of me this year. It also belongs to my new best friend. Corvo Antilles. He picked me up whenever I felt absolutely defeated. Not once did he try to use my off games against me, he is truly a friend and teammate.

“But there is one person who I owe the most thanks to, my coach, Mara Singus. Coach Singus, as you all know, is the only other Monarch to receive this honor. Without her guidance and knowledge, I would not be the player I am today.” He paused, took a breath, and just before he stepped off stage he made one final statement, “GO BLUE!”

----- ----- ----- ----- -----

IC: Romo Crowley
Euceron Stadium, Euceron
278 Galactic Cup



Nar Shaddaa…

The Smugglers…

The Galactic Cup…

There was no better feeling then to be back in the big game… except winning the Cup.

He quietly walked into the Monarchs dressing room. Everyone busied themselves with their normal pregame routines, except for Vesper Lynd. The team captain was not in her assigned stall. Romo could faintly hear the sounds of someone retching in refresher. He started towards the sound when he was intercepted by one of Dr. Cyxan assistant trainers. “Everything’s okay Coach,” the young female stated without him asking, “Just a little bit of nerves.” Romo wanted to protest, but thought better of it, no need to alarm the rest of the team.

Instead the Head Coach walked out to the middle of the dressing room and began his own pre-match routine, “Listen up… I’ve got some starting lineup announcements. We’re going to open up with our thirty-five defense on the pitch, the cold night air isn’t agree with Ford’s joints so the line-up will be as follows.” Romo started reading from this holopad.

“Ileo, Lynd, Aptos up front. Artor, Adams, Nolan at half. Seter, Royd, Severine in across the middle. Starr and Helios at the high corners with Ping and Xux at the low corners. Powe will take center and Ozzie in net.” He handed the holopad over to his Assistant, Michelle Winters. “Now, I could stand up here and give you all a boisterous, cliché filled, impassioned speech… but that just wouldn’t be our style.

“For the second time in three seasons, we’ve fought our way into the Galactic Cup Finals only to find the Smugglers waiting for us on the other side. In ’76 we opened and closed our season with losses to our friends from Little Coruscant. We’ve already shown them that we can beat them in their new home. Now we need to do it when it counts the most.

“We all know about the tragic deaths of the Smugglers’ owner and head coach. I don’t have to tell you that they’re going to be playing with a higher emotional level than normal. But that doesn’t mean that they’re destined to win another Cup nor does that mean that they’re going to hand us our first Cup either.

“You all need to keep one thing on your minds tonight… The Galactic Cup is like respect. It isn’t awarded… It’s earned…” He paused a moment, “And in our case it’s earned the hard way.”

He looked them each in the eyes before he finished, “Now let’s get out there and earn our Cup!”

TAG: Trieste and Vehn

 

IC: Bat Vigo

Approximately 100 kilometers outside of Eusebus, Bartholomew Vigo’s hotel room

It wasn’t quite daylight outside but I had already been up for an hour making last minute preparations for game day. The Sandskimmers were staying in a hotel in Eusebus proper close to the stadium. I would be leaving soon to attend breakfast with the team. Dressed in khaki’s and a button down shirt with a Sandskimmers logo on the upper left corner I was giving last minute instructions to my wife. “As soon as you and Serene are dressed go to Lucie’s room she is expecting you. If anything should happen at the game return to Ralltiir with Lucie and Ty. Don’t come looking for me.”

Georgia was sitting up in bed still dressed in her nightgown. Probably waiting for me to leave so she could lie down and go back to sleep. She nodded in confirmation, “Just relax, baby.” She said softly. “Serene and I will be safe. Concentrate on winning your game.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “You’re right,” I conceded. I took a seat on the bed next to her and put my arm around her. “I love you so much,” I said pulling her close. She returned the embrace, giving me a kiss on the cheek in the process.

“Go get ‘em baby” she said as I went out the door.

Sandskimmers Team Breakfast Eusebus, Euceron

I sat alone at the large table with a plate full of food as I looked over last minute play changes Coach Reeser had sent to my data pad. I liked to eat before the players and coaches arrived. If I was eating while they were eating I was less likely to pick up on any unusual behaviors or other oddities. I liked to be able to listen to conversations and get a general feel of how everyone was doing emotionally and physically. I finished my plate just moments before assistant coach Sen arrived.

“Morning boss,” she said as she casually walked over to the buffet and surveyed the cuisine. “It’s a great day for a Limmie game,” she continued as she took a seat next to me. “We’ll make you proud out there. I can feel it.”

“I know you will,” I told her confidently. Just then the Knott twins entered the room followed closely by head coach Gwynn Reeser. The Knott twins were not shy about food. They quickly took two plates each and began to pile food on them. Once their plates were full they placed them in two spaces near the opposite end of the table and headed to get caf and juice. I watched as they tapped cups congratulating each other in making it this far before they began to dig into their breakfast.

Reeser poured herself a cup of caf and took a seat next to me and assistant coach Sen. “Did you sneak in early and eat before everyone else again?” She asked.

I nodded as more members of the Sandskimmers entered the room and piled their plates with mostly carbohydrate and protein selections. Several minutes later I surveyed the table around me. Everyone was seated and eating, but one chair was empty. Kaat Stun had not arrived yet. Kaat was usually one of the first players to arrive. I knew something was wrong. I got up and asked Yolanda Dunerider, Kaat’s roommate if she knew Kaat’s whereabouts. “Said she wasn’t hungry,” Dunerider told me between bites.

Immediately I knew something was wrong. It didn’t feel right to go knocking on a female player’s door, so I sent assistant coach Sen to retrieve Kaat for me.

I waited outside in the hall for the pair to come down to breakfast. Inside I was a ball of nerves on the outside I did my best to appear calm and collected. “Ms. Stun,” I greeted as she and assistant coach Sen made their way down the corridor a few minutes later. “Glad you could join us.”

I gave Sen a silent nod indicating she should go back and eat breakfast with the rest of the team. “Sorry I’m late boss,” Stun greeted in a disinterested tone.

“It doesn’t sound like your sorry,” I began in a stern tone. “It doesn’t even sound like you care. Yolanda says you told her you weren’t hungry. We play for a title today. Either you tell me what’s really going on or I’ll field someone else in your place.”

“What does it matter?” Kaat said turning to leave.

I reached out grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face me. “You want to move up to the elite level, this game could get you there.” I reminded her.

“I don’t think your family would take me back,” she said dejectedly.

“I told you I would confess everything if we won the final. I won’t go back on my word.”

“What if we don’t win? I’m stuck on that dust ball of a planet for the rest of my career? Playing for a second rate team.” She crossed her arms and gave me a challenging glare. “Or what if we do win and your family doesn’t believe you.”

“It’s a deceitful thing to do,” I admitted. “They know me well enough to believe I would pull a stunt like this.”

“You really think they will give me another chance?” She asked. “Your mother especially was disgusted by my behavior in the game against Nar Shadda. She wanted to demote me immediately. It was just like you said. It was coach Till that lobbied to give me another chance. When I failed to come through for him I really let him down. I’m not sure he will forgive me.”

“If my family or coach Till absolutely refuses to sign you with the Starkillers next season I’ll insist they trade you,” I offered. “You more than deserve to play in the ELL and I will make sure you get there.” It wasn’t a fair promise, even if another team took Kaat they may not use her as a starter in the ELL. I would do my best to lobby for her though. I needed her to believe her play mattered today. The Sandskimmers needed her. “What do you say you join us for breakfast?”

“Sure thing boss,” she said cautiously.

“Look Kaat,” I said stopping her before she opened the door. “Even if we don’t win today. I’m going to confess everything to my brother. Your name will be cleared.”

“I appreciate that,” she said allowing the slightest smile to emerge on her lips before she slipped into breakfast. When I entered the room a few minutes later Kaat had taken a seat amongst her teammates and ate as usual. I hoped this incident was behind us.

During the hours between breakfast and time to board the shuttle to leave for the stadium the players went back to their rooms to rest. I had reserved the gym in the hotel. I used the time to lift and run on the treadmill. The activity allowed me to clear my mind and focus on the day ahead. Kaat was one of the first arrive to board the shuttle. My mind eased further as I watched excited fans head towards the stadium out the shuttle window.

Euceron Stadium, Eusebus, Euceron

Richard was waiting for us at the stadium. “I’m proud of you little brother,” he said when I got off the shuttle.

“I’d reserve judgment on that until after the game,” I warned him.

“Even if you don’t win today you got further than I did with this team last year. And you got further than dad with the Starkillers during either of the years he GM’d on Ralltiir. That’s something to be proud of,” Richard reminded me.

It wasn’t a good time disclose my involvement in Kaat’s lack of performance on Ralltiir. I did not want to argue with my brother at a time like this. “Thanks,” I replied to his compliments. “Hopefully you’ll feel the same way in a few hours.”

Richard had no idea what I meant and I didn’t give him time to ask. I joined my team as they headed into the locker room and Richard went to find his seat in the stands.

When we made our way out onto the sidelines for warm ups I was feeling confident. Kaat was her usual self again. The Knott twins were receiving their usual warm welcome from the Sandskimmers fans who had made the trip from Tatooine. The dance team was making a mockery of themselves as usual and my crazy neighbor had even shown up in the stands only a few rows behind our sidelines. “I hope I didn’t spend all that money for a flight out here to Euceron just to see the team lose,” he called down to me. Anyone who could afford to be my neighbor on Tatooine could easily afford a flight to just about anywhere. I looked up to acknowledge I had heard him. “Make us proud Bartholomew,” he said making salute with his ale.

It was the final moment of good cheer on that fateful afternoon. The game began several minutes later. Corellia embarrassed us. After the first half I completely blocked out everything that was going on around me just to get through without blowing a gasket. I wasn’t sure what good it was going to do to keep my cool. I just remembered that my father had always stressed that it was important to remain in control of your emotions while in the presence of others. It was a dreadfully long afternoon. I thought for a time I would never get off that field. I would never be able to shake the horrifying feeling of losing on the biggest stage in the Galaxy. Worst of all losing the game was only half my problem on this fateful afternoon. I owed it to Kaat Stun to confess to my brother what I had ordered her to do on Ralltiir.

Finally I heard a buzzer. I led the team out to shake hands with the jubilant Rebels. I stood tall making sure to acknowledge each individual player before I headed towards the locker room. Reeser thanked everyone for a great season. She told everyone they had played well enough at some point during the season to be looked at for a promotion to the next league and that she would miss those chosen greatly. She urged them not to dwell on this loss. To learn from their mistakes and look back with pride on all the games they had won. Richard came down to see me as the players showered. I was standing with my arms crossed leaning up against a row of unused lockers. “Chin up man,” he told me. “You can sulk when you get back to your hotel.”

“Let’s take a cab back,” I suggested. “After the players and coaches leave on the shuttle you and I need to have a discussion. In private.”

“Okay,” he said. “You want me to get you an ale?”

I nodded. Nothing was going to make this night easier, but a cold drink sounded comforting. We waited about an hour for the locker room to clear out. I sipped my ale, the bitter taste matched my mood. Once everyone was gone I took a seat on a bench. “I told Kaat Stun to start that fight in the game against Nar Shadda,” I said cutting to the chase.

At first Richard didn’t even believe me, “She reacted to seeing another teammate get hit.” He stated. “You can’t really blame her. If you think the Starkillers should take another look. That she deserves another chance, you’re right. I’m leaning towards starting Kent next season. If things don’t work out and she proves to be just as ferocious on this level next year. There’s a good chance we will call her up again in 280.”

“Richard, I ordered Kaat Stun to start that fight. I ordered her to throw games when she was allowed to start again. I wanted to win a championship. It almost worked,” I added.

“Wait, you’re serious.” Richard’s expression turned grim. “You realize that if we had won just one more game we could have made the play-offs?” He began to pace up and down an aisle between the lockers and the bench. “How could you?”

“Winning is important to me,” I said with a shrug.

“Your job as the General Manger of the developmental league is to produce talent to help us win on the Elite Level,” he boomed. “Your actions are completely unacceptable. When you come to Ralltiir in two weeks to celebrate Jul’s retirement and when we have our first preliminary meeting about the upcoming draft. That’s when you are going to tell mom and coach Till about your antics. I’m not telling them. You made a completely irresponsible move and you need to suffer the consequences.”

I couldn’t look up. I couldn’t speak. My wife and daughter depended on my income as a GM. If my mother and brother dismissed me I didn’t know what I would do. Several minutes of silence passed. Richard took a seat next to me on the bench. “You did the right thing to tell me,” Richard began. “It doesn’t make what you did any less wrong. Look you not only put your career in jeopardy here. You’ve also hurt Kaat Stun. I need some time to think about this. Give me two weeks. We’ll talk then,” with that Richard got up and left. I took a cab back to the hotel alone.

When I got to Lucie and Ty’s room no one really knew what to say. Georgia sat in a chair up against a window. She looked as if she were afraid to talk to me. I walked over and put my hands on her shoulders. “I’m okay,” I told her.

“I’m sorry you lost,” she replied looking up into my eyes. She was trying to read my mood, I could sense her fear.

“What happens on the field stays on the field,” I said reassuring Georgia.

“Georgia has news,’ Lucie said suddenly standing.

“What kind of news?” I asked curiously.

Georgia looked away, “I’m going to have a baby.” She said quietly.

“Let’s go back to our room,” I told her. The news wasn’t what I wanted to hear this evening. Even if my mother and brother allowed for me to continue as general manager of the Sandskimmers it was a demanding job. Juggling a wife and one baby while performing my duties as GM this season had been stressful enough. How was I possibly going to handle another responsibility? If I lost the team I wasn’t sure how we would get by financially. I needed to be alone.

When Georgia didn’t get up immediately I pulled her gently by the arm. “Bat,” I heard Lucie try. I ignored her plea as I picked up a sleeping Serene from a nearby bassinette and followed my wife out the door.

TAG: no one

 

GM Post

The big one. The first rematch in the Final in Silver Age history.



Bonus rolls to Nar Shaddaa and Rydonni Prime. Banked bonus rolls to Agamar, Bakura, Carratos, Coruscant, Mando'ade, and Ralltiir.

123rd Galactic Cup Final
Euceron Stadium, Eusebus, Euceron
(3) Rydonni Prime Monarchs vs. (1) Nar Shaddaa Smugglers (12-25)

Congratulations to the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers, the 276 Galactic Cup Champions!

Numifolis Award winner to be announced in Vehn's championship post.

TAG: CPL_Macja Vehn

 

IC: May Trieste
Home owner’s box, Euceron Stadium, Eusebus, Euceron



After the Elite League Limmie Award ceremony, May had stayed on the world to attend the Final with the Trieste-Vehns (or, as those who had the most stake in the game today would consider them, the Vehn-Triestes). May hadn't seen her family since the preseason tune up at New Six Boroughs when the Miners had defeated the Smugglers. It had been two years since she'd last been in the Smugglers owners box. In fact, it had been exactly two years, for that game had been the 276 Galactic Cup Final. With so many other things about this Final repeating themselves, it seemed appropriate that they should find themselves together once again.

This year, however, there was a marked difference. Everyone knew it, but no one--May included--wanted to talk about the fact that Kaitlyn Vehn would not be watching the Smugglers in this Final. May knew that she would have looked upon this game with pride. To reach a Galactic Cup was an accomplishment as a team and as an owner. To reach a second, a second in a decade was impressive. To reach a second in three years was the mark of a truly great organization. Something like that began talk of words like “dynasty.” And if anyone was interested in dynasty building, it was Kaitlyn Vehn.

Exiled from the RTO by the Board of Tribunes, Kaitlyn Vehn had, in her own way, been like the other denizens of Nar Shaddaa, May reflected. The beings of the Smugglers Moon had nowhere else to go--not that most of them had the credits to get there. Only the desperate went there by choice. You came to the Vertical City when there was no other option open to you. And Kaitlyn had had no other option.

And in under half a decade, barely an election cycle on most planets, Kaitlyn Vehn had gone from nothing except a limmie team in a decrepit stadium (one that May still remembered fondly) to a Mayor who was ambitiously cleaning out the city of filth with a shining new stadium as the centerpiece of her vision for Nar Shaddaa. If that wasn’t the Galactic Dream, May didn’t know what was.

To be in this box, surrounded by black and burgundy (May had chosen a very neutral gray given her up-in-the-air feelings about the outcome), the absence of Kaitlyn hit May like it had yet to do. Though Lilly would carry on her adopted mother’s legacy, it would take time for her to put her stamp on this team. Indeed, May wondered if this offseason once the shock of Kaitlyn’s death began to fade if perhaps Lilly would be met by the same wariness from the fans that had come when Kaitlyn had bought out May’s mother.

Speaking of which, there she was. May went over to hug Verity. “I’d say we’ve got to stop meeting like this,” May said, “but frankly I don’t mind much. Four straight Galactic Cup Finals isn’t a bad thing.”

“Your mother’s still sore that the Miners had those two,” her father said, coming over to hug his daughter, “Mainly because it’s given me something to brag about lately. It’s no longer, ‘Smugglers this’ and ‘Smugglers that’ at Tesserone. I play by the rules all these years and go to Smugglers games with her and the moment the Miners win a couple championships suddenly it’s, ‘evil empire’ every time I bring up the subject.”

“Well I certainly hope that doesn’t make me a Stormtrooper, does it?” May asked her mother.

“I hope that being called a Stormtrooper and a loyal fan of the 'evil empire' may be the only thing you have to worry about my dear,” Verity replied as her eyes flicked down to the field where the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers were doing pre-game warmups. Felt strange to not see Kaitlyn down there patrolling the sidelines. Then again knowing that Kaitlyn was no longer a thorn in her family's side....

“Certainly is less stressful than being the Tribune of Roon and dealing with all the problems of our home world,” Eleanor said as she sidled up next to her mother drink in hand.

“Our problems pale in comparison to Nar Shaddaa's,” Verity pointed out.

“Kaitlyn made a good start on those problems,” May observed offhandedly, “What happened in the Corellian Sector was tragic. That level of police action...so many beings affected. I admittedly don’t know the full details, but I only hope that something good will come of it, that maybe Nar Shaddaa will finally start to see real change.”

“She had some noble ideas. Sadly those ideas got lost somewhere in the vice of the Smuggler’s Moon. The Corellian Sector will be rebuilt but I can’t say that it will be any better than it was. There was a reason that we, as a family, never championed the heavy handed approach with the member worlds of the RTO. Such force, such brutality, it only leads to more death and misery. I think that Nar Shaddaa can achieve real change now that Kaitlyn, sadly, is out of the picture. That woman nearly destroyed everything,” Verity responded.

Eleanor bristled ever so slightly at her mother’s jab at Kaitlyn. They had to be careful here. They had to watch their words. Nobody outside of the two of them could know what happened. Eleanor glanced over at May who was adept at reading between the lines, at picking up subterfuge, at knowing when her family had something sinister hanging over them. Did they just tip their hand?

“Kaitlyn did her best, didn’t she, mama?” Eleanor replied with a diplomatic smile. “I believe that her actions in the Corellian Sector were harsh and I warned her to change her course or there would be consequences. Besides, after our talk she was fully on board with making right what went so wrong. Her death may serve as a catalyst for further positive change on Nar Shaddaa. But what do we care of Nar Shaddaa? They're outside our political influence now. Perhaps that is for the best.”

Eleanor felt a cold chill slip down her spine as May stood there listening. Somehow, someway, in the darkest depths of her soul, Eleanor wondered if May knew.

It was a question to which the answer was postponed. “I hate to break up the powwow,” Oisin interjected, “but there is a game that’s about to begin. Last I checked, I think some of you waned to see it?”

Everyone took their seats and May tactfully took a position in the back rows of the box seating. She wanted to cede the prime seating to those who would be most invested in the game. Her father took a place next to her and handed macrobinoculars over.

“Ten o’clock position,” he said, “On the level with us.”

May put them up to her eyes and scanned the opposite level of boxes. She knew what she was supposed to be looking for the moment she found it. It was the Lynd box. Everyone was in light blue and Monarchs maize--including May’s part time employer Falene. Clearly her cousin was for Rydonni Prime today despite the dominating loss they’d suffered a week ago. Then again, on the solely Trieste side of the family there was not too much love for the Smugglers so even if Vesper hadn’t played for the Monarchs they probably would have cheered against the Smugglers.

Dressed in neutral gray and seated next to Falene was her Aunt Kerry, recently arrived on Euceron after seeing PCNS lose in a high-flying college championship. In her position as Commissioner of the Bakura 12 Conference was apparently not taking overt sides in the match, at least by way of fashion, even if she was sitting with a box full of Monarch supporters.

May scanned the rest of the box. There was Uncle Dorian and Aunt Siona. Cousin Ginnifer was ever fashionable and leaning over to her brother Cillian.

“What was it I heard about Cillian a while ago?” May asked her dad while she looked through the macrobinoculars, “He’s doing something new?”

“Freelance shipping,” Oisin said, “Falene staked him with a ship.”

“He looks a little more...roguish than I’d like out of my shipper,” May said, handing the macrobinoculars back.

“That appeals to a certain clientele,” was all Oisin had to say in reply to that.

The game was beginning, so all conversation ceased inside the box. Things were serious now and everything, literally everything, was at stake for the players on the field...and some of those in the box.

---

May watched the confetti as it started to waft down towards the field. Her family was all smiles. Number 11. Even though her family didn’t own the Smugglers anymore, she knew that they took pride in this as much as if they still did. So many Smuggler fans did. This was their team. They might not have a certificate like the Merc fans did to prove it, but on Nar Shaddaa and for millions of fans elsewhere in the galaxy, this team was the one thing that they could always look at and be proud of. The Smugglers took their knocks sometimes--they’d gone winless in their team history--but they always pulled themselves off the turf and kept going, even when things were bad.

And sometimes, just sometimes, things were good. In those moments, they lifted a moon. They gave beings the hope that things were going to get better. They made life bearable when there was no reason for it to be.

May could not have grown up without understanding this. Even her heart swelled a little bit for the Smugglers to have made it to the mountain top again. But there was more sorrow in her heart than joy.

This was no fanbase that had been waiting to go to the promised land for years. This was no underdog beating the odds. This was one of the storied teams of the League. Not just that, this was a team winning its third championship in nine years. The Smugglers might be scrappers and fighters, but they were the big vornskr.

The doctor felt more for the Monarchs who was denied the opportunity to wear the crown for the second time in three years by the same team. She looked at Vesper Lynd as she left the field, the handshakes completed. May didn’t know what was going on in her head. She couldn’t know. That was a pain that May would never know even if it had been the Miners on the field today getting licked.

“I wanted it for her too,” Oisin said quietly, as if reading May’s mind.

May nodded. “One day.”

Her father patted her shoulder. “Let’s go get some dinner. I think we’ve deserved it for watching the Smugglers in the Final again. You ever try shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is but I want to try it.”

“Let’s watch them present the Cup. Doesn’t matter who wins it, it’s always something to see,” May said.

“And then shawarma after?”

---

Shawarma Palace (voted best Shawarma in Eusebus!), Eusebus, Euceron

That night, with the 279 Elite League Limmie season complete, May and her father sat eating shawarma, saying nothing. They didn’t need to.

TAG: Bardan_Jusik CPL_Macja Vehn

 

278 Championship Post​

Rydonni Prime 12, Nar Shaddaa 25​

​

IC: Autumn Graves

There is only one way to play the beautiful game.

The Smuggler way: hit hard, yield nothing, be flexible, bend but do not break.

Attack!

Attack!

Attack!

John Huntington’s words burned and swirled in Autumn’s mind as the game unfolded right before her very eyes. Every play, whether the ball came her way or not, she followed through and delivered a hit. Anything to confuse the Monarchs. Anything to deny them the chance to get anything going. She felt great today. She felt the best she had in years.

Autumn and the rest of the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers defense were playing absolutely lights out against a tough Rydonni Prime team. This wasn’t the same squad that they had played in 276. This wasn’t the same squad that had narrowly been defeated in one of the closest Finals in recent memory. Than again, Autumn thought as she lowered her shoulder to deliver a powerful hit on Vesper Lynd, this wasn’t the same Nar Shaddaa Smugglers squad that had lost by 36 points in week four of the regular season.

The system that John Huntington installed had been put to the test during the Smugglers unthinkable playoff run and seemed all the more powerful without him patrolling the sidelines. Autumn found it hard to believe that the Smugglers were playing so well without a head coach, without an owner, but they wanted to win this so much for the Smuggler’s Moon. When the Monarchs would hone in on McCloud the offense would roll and shift the burden to Gargova Brousard, Shady Lerouex, and even former Monarch Shae Bellweather who had been traded to the Smugglers after losing to the burgundy and black in 276.

Rydonni Prime tried to keep it close throughout the game. Rydonni Prime tried to make the game competitive but they quickly fell behind underneath the offensive juggernaut unleashed by the Smuggler front six. Led by Mylessa McCloud and anchored by a decisive midfielder like Erin Windreaver, the game quickly got out of hand. Point after point was scored as the Smugglers pulled away from the Monarchs. The game was swinging toward the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers.

Minutes continued to burn off the clock late in the second half and still the Monarchs refused to go down. They fought hard. They fought hard against a team that they knew had their number. They fought for pride. They fought to prove that they could go up against the burgundy and black and at the very least earn their respect. Today, Autumn thought, they had.

There were seconds left now on the clock. Seconds until Nar Shaddaa cemented their place in league history. Seconds until Autumn Graves, the back-up who could never crack the starting lineup but had delivered a solid performance in today’s Final, earned her third Galactic Cup ring. The Monarchs made one last desperate attempt to score but the ball was hastily intercepted by Zelena Wiles whose blonde hair burned bright and beautiful in the stadium lights of Euceron as the game came to its conclusion: Rydonni Prime 12, Smugglers 25.

Explosions could be heard throughout the stadium as burgundy and black confetti rained down from the rafters. Autumn collapsed to the ground, her uniform drenched in sweat, her body tired, her mind thinking of Kaitlyn Vehn’s promise. A promise that Autumn had honored with her superb play in the 278 playoffs. She felt strong arms lift her up off the pitch and drag her toward midfield where the team huddled.

“So frakking proud of you! So frakking proud of you!” Jayla Leed cried out as tears ran down her face.

Mylessa McCloud wiped her watery eyes, pointed towards the patch with the initials of Kaitlyn Vehn and John Huntington and said, “They were with us today! They were with us today! Praise Maker, I know they were with us today!”

Autumn listened with limp body as the team hugged one another tight in the midfield huddle. Tears came down her face as well for she had long since been written off as a nobody, a back-up, and now, once more, she was a Galactic Cup champion, three times, once with the Miners, twice with the Smugglers. Nobody could ever take away what she had accomplished in her less than stellar career. Perhaps the divine winds of fate had blown her onto the right teams throughout much of her playing days. Perhaps she was just lucky. All she knew was that in this moment, at this point in time, there was nothing better than winning the Galactic Cup as a starter and in remembrance of Kaitlyn Vehn and John Huntington.

“Let’s go out there and honor Rydonni Prime. They wanted this badly. They wanted this so badly,” Jayla ordered, “when you go out there you treat them with the respect they deserve. They fought hard. Treat them well.”

Autumn got in line with the rest of the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers and extended a gloved hand, palm bearing the logo of the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers, to each and every Monarch player that walked by. She looked them in the eye and nodded with each handshake. Rydonni Prime was a franchise that would be back. Rydonni Prime was a franchise that of all the newcomers to the league would most likely win the title. Today, however, that was not to be. Today, Autumn thought as she embraced Vesper Lynd and whispered words of encouragement, the burgundy and black had emerged victorious once more.

---

​

An announcement over the PA system broke her concentration. Somehow in the great handshake of respect and in the time honored tradition of the victors paying their regards to the vanquished beings had erected a stage at one end of the stadium.

"Gentlebeings, tonight we had another exciting Final against two teams: one representing the old guard and one representing the up-and-coming teams," Fenrir Lokensgaard, Commissioner of the Elite League, said to the crowd, "First, let's congratulate the Monarchs on an incredible season, led by the League MVP. This will not be the last time we see them on this stage, I am sure of it." Applause followed this statement honoring the achievements of the Rydonnians.

"The Numifolis Award recognizes the most valuable player of the Galactic Cup Playoffs. This year, that award goes to,”

Autumn held her breath. A flash of a thought burst into her mind. Maybe she would be selected. Maybe she would get to win the Numifolis Award.

“Mylessa McCloud!”

Autumn briefly felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. McCloud had played lights out, that couldn’t be denied, but Autumn knew the defense had stepped up when the going got tough against Euceron and against Rydonni Prime a week later. She fought back feelings of resentment and brought her hands together to applaud as McCloud accepted the trophy.

Let it be, Autumn thought, let it be.

“Thank you,” Mylessa said as she raised the Numifolis Award high above her head, “but I couldn’t have done this without our defense who stepped up and played hard when the games really mattered. I wanted to thank Autumn Graves, where are you,”

Autumn waved a surprised hand.

“She was a bench-warmer before being pressed into service against Euceron. She played hard the entire way and I want her to come up here and share this with me!” McCloud said as ‘The Crew’ roared.

Autumn, stunned and in disbelief, scaled the stage and stood next to Mylessa McCloud who handed her the Numifolis Award.

“Kaitlyn Vehn believed in me,” Autumn said to the crowd. “I just kept telling myself never to give up. Never to lose sight. To keep pushing forward. She believed in me, this entire team, so thank you, to everyone, to Mylessa, and most importantly, to Kaitlyn Vehn. You were here today, I know you were!”

Autumn lifted the trophy as the crowd ate it up. She couldn’t believe it, what a memory, what an experience, the roar of the crowd deafening, so supportive, so happy.

"The Nar Shaddaa Smugglers may be one of the oldest and most storied franchises of professional limmie and the Elite League, but they don't do things the easy way--and this season was not easy. They clawed their way back into the Playoffs by fighting through a competitive Skywalker Conference. Then, they were struck by tragedy. Under similar circumstances, many teams would have been unable to carry on without the leadership that had took them so far. But the memories of Kaitlyn Vehn and John Huntington drove this team to greatness. I know that when they raise the Galactic Cup today--" Lokensgaard paused and placed his hand on the trophy, "--they will do so in memory of Kaitlyn and John. Congratulations to everyone in the Nar Shaddaa organization. Now, Jayla Leed, come over here to accept the Galactic Cup!"

Jayla emerged on stage, along with Lilly Vehn, and with tears in her eyes accepted the Galactic Cup from Lokensgaard. Flashbulbs went off across the stadium as Leed roared in victory amidst confetti, the crowd, her teammates, and hoisted the trophy in the air for all to see. The entire team swarmed around her, hands touching the trophy, everyone wanting to share in the greatest experience of a lifetime, to be Galactic Cup victors.

Autumn would never forget this day as long as she lived. This was the happiest day of her life. This was what made all her trials and tribulations worthwhile. This was the reason that she played the beautiful game. She looked over at her friends Jayla Leed, Mylessa McCloud, and the entire team. They had come together to do something that had never been done before. They had come together to win a record 11th Galactic Cup and be the first team in league history to do so without a head coach to show them the way.

“Picture time!” The league holoreporter said as the team gathered for the classic photo that would hang in the Limmie Hall of Fame on Empress Teta.

Autumn smiled and felt a little twinge of sadness as two spaces in the middle of the team’s formation were opened up. She knew what the team meant by doing that. She knew that it was their way of honoring Kaitlyn Vehn and John Huntington. Those two spaces, after all, were where they would have been had they been alive. A slight breeze picked up and whisked Autumn’s hair around her. She knew that Kaitlyn and John were here today. They had been there the entire way to lead the Smugglers to victory. They had been there to lead the 278 Nar Shaddaa Smugglers to Limmie immortality.

“For John!” Autumn yelled.

“For Kaitlyn!” Jayla said taking up the familiar cry.

“For Nar Shaddaa!” The team yelled in unison.

“We did it!” Lily Vehn roared

What a year, Autumn reflected, what a year indeed.

Epilogue

Autumn Graves would retire following the 278 Elite League season. She would continue to live out her life on Nar Shaddaa and dedicate her time to the Valor Foundation following in the footsteps of Smuggler greats who had come before. In an interview years later, Autumn was asked about her most special Limmie memory, “The day Kaitlyn Vehn promised me that I would start. That was a promise that she kept even in death.”

Tag:CPL_Macja;Trieste;jcgoble3

 

IC: Tim Dodd
'ASF Island' - Bil Da'Gari, Agamar

Situated not far from "Packers' Island" this had been procured at the time of the 'State Visit' as a base for the Rapid Reaction Force that would have responded to any threat against the Noble House. As a matter of fact, the 'Demonstration' Team had flown from here. It had been retained 'against any future need' after Kerry Trieste had stepped down and retired from the top job in the Republic.

Now it was serving a very different purpose; it's proximity to "Packers' Island" making Tim's covert visits here reasonably simple things to arrange.

There had been excavation work here too but it had started earlier than the current mainland project (the first of six identical shafts to be dug by the same Engineer and crew, of which the final five were solely intended to cloud memories of exactly where the first had been located); and the works here had been far more extensive.

In short, a home for 'The Project' (it was so secret that it had no other name) had been clandestinely sunk deep into planetary bedrock!

There had been a lot of discussion about where this new base should be located. Some had favoured co-locating it with the 'ASF Scrapyard' where impounded Pirate and Smuggler ships were vacuum-stored prior to legal disposal, but that had been rejected as potentially too vulnerable to outside attack. After all, 'Serendipity' might have a deployment tasking elsewhere, so removing one of the main protections the 'Scrapyard' possessed.

The base needed two more attributes. 'The Project' was so sensitive that, if word got out, many worlds and organisations would almost certainly be very upset. That list included The Republic, the Jedi Order and even the ELL, to name but three. Secrecy was, therefore, paramount. The second required attribute arose from the fact that Agamar was taking a big leap into the unknown. There were dangers associated with what 'The Project' was all about; ones that would very likely never be possible to anticipate; an additional 'Return of the Sheev' being classed as really only a minor local annoyance! That fact explained the basement level of the base's four-level design housing a massive Thermal Detonator; one of sufficient power to completely obliterate the entire base - along with the rest of the island!

Next up from the (now sealed off) basement was the Operations level. This featured a virtual maze of Warship-grade armoured partitions between the actual 'Ops Room' (itself completely lined with Warship-grade armour) and the turbolift to the next level up. Work on installing fixed-line and pan-and-tilt blaster cannons was still ongoing in the 'Ops Room' - the intent was that they should eventually be able to place a bolt into each fifteen centimetre square of the floor, with additional random streams of fire covering the room at knee level, chest level, head level and above man-height. The reason for all these precautions had not arrived and been installed either. That, though, was just a matter of recovery and covert transport.


TAG: No One.