Star Wars OPEN Elite League Limmie

GM Post

HSN Headlines

• Carratos Pirates announces roster moves
  • Three players become free agents
    • Ame'shepa'sabosen (Chiss, Male, Corner Back)
    • Bestide Mol'der (Bohtan, Female, Half Back)
    • Wilhem Gates (Human, Male, Half Forward)
  • Gabriella Teaic retires due to family issues
  • Marcus Teaic retires due to injury
  • Sylvanus Shale retires to spend more time with his family.
  • Longjon Sylver transferred to the Atzerri Bandits.
  • All other contracts, including those for Salbukk Award winner Leigh Cavanagh, Comeback Player of the Year nominee Else Reppen, and Seiji Tan, have been signed.
• Bakura Miners also announce personnel moves with Draft underway
  • Gaeriel Valerii and Cuth Hulu receive matching three year contracts
    • Quinn Cundertol: "I gave Gaeriel and Cuth three year contracts in 283 to see what they could do. They brought us to three straight Finals. There's no reason not to give them the same deal."
  • Captain Niskat Deenever locks in a 4 year contract
  • Cordell Beckman Jr. signed to a 2 year contract
  • Miners have a full roster signed with two draft picks left
    • HSN analyst: "They're a total wild card in terms of who they draft now. However, they have five contracts coming up at the end of 286, so they may be thinking about that in their moves now."

TAG: galactic-vagabond422

 

IC: Herron Myrat'ur
O'Pahz, Carratos, Morning after Pirates-Mariners game 285

"Lily," Harron said walking next to her along the street, "where are we going for breakfast?" He was genuinely confused, they had spent the last few nights at the Cutthroat Carnival enjoying the food, the entertainment, and each other's company. It had been two weeks since he lost his father, and it still weighed heavy on him. His father might not have been the best man but, he was the only father Harron knew. The day after he died Harron visited the 'Kingston Pub' his father's favorite haunt. He was offered free drinks when the patrons heard what had befallen one of their own.

They even extended a line of credit for the back room game going on that night. That…that offer was tempting to the man. He was hurting, more than anyone there knew and a game of sabacc, that was just the thing to cure his pain. It was also the thing to take his credits. He might have been good, and more than a little lucky but, he never knew when to say stop. He always ended up chasing the next win, playing another hand, in the hopes of winning it all. Even when he was flat broke somehow he couldn't walk away, the promise of a good hand being just around the corner was too tempting.

He was just about to accept when a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders.

"You even think of stepping back there." A feminine voice cooed in his ear, "I'll make you wish you hadn't." her fingers drove themselves into his shoulder, in just such a way to cause pain. "I know you're hurting." She continued releasing her grip, "but, we both know that isn't the way to handle it." She started massaging his shoulder driving the pain she'd caused away. "Come on, let's find somewhere else to be." With an arm like an iron rod she guided him out of the bar, to some objection from the gathered patrons that saw Harron as one of them, one of their family.

Despite the protests, the pair left, and he looked over to her, to Lily. She had some similarities with her namesake, whitish skin and soft features but, everything else was different. She had a spine of durasteel, muscles of stone, and a mind that wouldn't be dissuaded from anything she set herself to. If he was honest, he needed that. He needed a firm hand, to beat back his demons, well demon. He knew it was wrong of him to lean on her so much, to rely on her to fight his inner battles, but that incident told him, he wasn't strong enough to fight them himself.

After that night, they were rarely apart she kept a constant eye on him. She'd forced him to be better, made him better. He couldn't imagine his life without her, he wanted to ask her, ask her to stay with him forever but, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't bring himself to ask her to willingly be his babysitter for the rest of her life. What kind of life would that be to her, it wouldn't be fair. Though he made a commitment, he'd work on making himself worthy of her, worthy to ask for her hand.

He felt he was well along that path. Having just accepted a new job, a well-paying one, and one that would keep him very busy, hopefully. They came to a CDF recruitment center noting the many beings inside. They shared a glance, and a smile, they had always joked that if this whole limmie thing didn't work out, he could always join the Defense Force. That would keep him busy. He held her hand tighter, never wanting to let go.

Their quiet morning was shattered by an explosion, coming from the building right next to them. Both he and Lily were thrown to the ground. Almost by instinct she shielded him from the blast. His head scrapped against the duracrete tearing bits of skin from his forehead and cheek, spilling blood down the right side of his face.

"Lily," she said turning over cradling her in his arms. He felt something warm spread across his legs, and saw bright red liquid dripping from the corner of her mouth. Tears started to sting at the corners of his eyes, "No," he couldn't believe it, "no," he gently tapped the side of her face, she felt cold, so cold, "Lily, Lily please. " She coughed, staining his face with more blood. The scene was far too similar, he could hear that dreadful machine,

"BeepBeepBeep." She was fading fast.

"Help," he cried into the crowd that had gathered, "Anyone, please, she's…she's" He looked back to see Lily's blue eyes close. "No, no no no, stay awake." He nearly slapped her on the cheek, "Lily stay awake, please…please…." Tears were now streaming down his face, his voice was creaking from the strain, "Please, stay with me." He gripped her hand, limp and lifeless, "Lily please, I'm not ready to be alone yet, I'm…I'm not strong enough. Please…Please…" His pleas went unanswered, he felt the final essence of her life fade away, right there in his arms. Never before had he felt so alone in a crowd. Many beings had gathered, to witness the carnage, to gawk at the misery on display. None moved to help, until the paramedics arrived. Harron was at a loss, he couldn't speak, he couldn't even think. All he could do was cry, hold Lily's body close to him.
_____
Draft Day

"With the seventh pick of the 286 Elite League Limmie Draft…" The words booming over the loudspeaker tore Harron from the painful memory he'd been trapped in, how much time had passed? The Pirates were up again. His face felt wet, had he been crying, had anyone noticed? The questions had to wait, "the Carratos Pirates select Ddu Ran'ger from B'Arton Limmie Club."

As his eyes focused again a rather thin, well thinner than most Kaltoonians Harron's seen, walked on stage. His tie was dark blue and grey, Star Rover's colors. The new assistant coach cracked a little smile, another Leaguer, and from east O'pahz no less, just a little north from his home neighborhood of Cal'Ico.
He shook his head taking a moment to dry his face. Focusing on the past wasn't going to do him any good, especially that memory.

"The Coruscant Senators are on the clock."

As he was trying not to think about the past, he rubbed his right hand, recalling another moment…

TAG: Jedi Gunny

 

IC: Senators

It quickly came back around to the Senators to be back on the clock. That was to be expected in such a Draft with limited team participation, so a plan had already been concocted to follow in case a more formal discussion was constrained by available time. The Senators had no major needs now that Bas Wren was in the fold, so it was time to make a stretch pick and hope for the best. After all, that’s what the Draft was; a major crapshoot.


“The Coruscant Senators select Helen Brody, Midfielder from the University of Bakura at Telaan Valley,” went the pick. Brody wasn’t exactly a light-em-up midfielder like Davy Lawco, but she would be a solid option in a few years in case one of the three midfielders the Senators had besides franchise middie Zeus Syndulla decided to hang the spikes up or move on. Some contracts were still left to be negotiated, so it was deemed to make a safe pick now before anything could get out of hand. The team had some options on offense and defense to fill any holes from the Thyferra roster, and the goalkeeper job had been handed to Michonne. That left this as a purely-speculative pick for a team needing to find the right combination of players to break their long postseason drought.

The Miners were now on the clock.

TAG: Trieste

 

IC: Mihal Ceallaigh
Inky Raven pub, Salis D’aar, Bakura

“Who the Korriban are you?” the bartender demanded, her hands splayed on the bar with fingers pointed towards Mihal, her arms in an A shape.

“Mihal,” he replied calmly. “And you would be?”

“Last name, partner,” the bartender said, gesturing with quick twitches of one hand to punctuate her desire for additional information. She had sandy hair, light blue eyes, fair skin, and a no-nonsense attitude.

“Ceallaigh,” Mihal finished. “And you would be?”

“Piper, bartender. Yeorg gave me two rules when I started. One,” she said, ticking off a single finger, “nobody gets a free drink in here.”

“That’d be Yeorg,” Artur confirmed. “I’ve been coming here for thirty years and your man’s never spotted me a drink once.”

“And two,” Pipe continued, “I kick anybody—and he included little old ladies—off the third barstool from the right if their name isn’t Mihal Kelly.”

“It’s pronounced Cellaigh,” Mihal repeated patiently. “Not from around here, are you?”

“Just moved here from Coruscant,” Piper confirmed.

“Och, that explains it. Any Bakuran worth their salt could pronounce Cellaigh,” Artur said.

“Hey, no grief from you mister or that’s the last drink you’ll ever see,” Piper said, pointing at the beer in front of Artur, “especially because I don’t even have a permanent visa. You’re not a very welcoming planet.”

“Eh, institutionally, perhaps,” Mihal allowed.

“So do you sit on that barstool or do you order something to drink too?” Piper asked.

“A pint would be grand, if you would,” Mihal requested.

“Any particular kind or is it bartender’s choice?” Piper pressed.

“What is it I get, Artur?” Mihal asked his friend. It had been a long time since he’d had to actually ask a bartender to get him a drink. Usually it just showed up in front of him.

“It’d be the Three Crowns Lager, Piper,” Atrur instructed.

“I like you already,” Piper said to Artur. “This one—” she jerked her head at Mihal, “—the jury is still out.”

“Charmed, likewise,” Mihal said dryly with a smile. “So, about the draft. Who’d the Miners take with their second pick?”

“Turns out only the Pirates and the Miners were the only team to take a defender in through the first eight picks,” Artur said.

“Well, nobody’s defense was as broken as ours,” Mihal pointed out.

“You can say that again,” Piper snorted from the taps.

“Hmmmm?” Mihal asked.

“Nothing,” Piper replied.

“Well, if you look at the defense, they invested in two corner backs last year, now they’ve got Adiims,” Artur said. “They picked up one of the few remaining forwards left, Quint, out of Chandrila A&M.”

“Och, that’s not going to sit well after they denied the Bears a playoff berth,” Mihal groaned.

“Actually, that was pretty hilarious,” Piper said as she brought Mihal’s beer over. “That’ll be six credits.”

Mihal fished in his pocket for the cash. “Well, it was less Quint’s fault and more the playoff selection committee’s, but still, a bit awkward for the fanbase.” He found the credits and counted them out, plus a credit tip.

“The way things turned out, Miners should have taken Bloom in the first round and then gone for a defender. They definitely got fleeced,” Piper said as she put her hand over the credits and slid them back. “Unlike the Senators, who executed a near perfect draft yesterday. Wren’s gonna tear up the league and Brody’s a high upside pick.”

“Where did you say you were from? Don’t tell me…” Mihal started.

“Oh yes. That’s right. Your new bartender is a fan of the greatest team in the galaxy. The orange and black. The guardians of the Galactic City. The team of the Republic. The Coruscant Senators! Woo!” Piper said putting her hands up in the air with the index finger extended on each one.

“What was Yeorg thinking?” Artur mumbled.

TAG: Bardan_Jusik for the Mercs are on the clock and Jedi Gunny who has approved Piper

 

​

IC: The Rancor Pitt

"...and welcome back to the Rancor Pitt as we cover the Mercs draft party live here at the oyu'baat..."

"Oya, oya, oya!"

"...here on Mandalore. We're near the end of the second round, the Mercs are now on the clock."

"Who did the Miners take while we were on break?"

"Quint, the forward from Chandrilla A&M."

"Good pick, good pick. Especially with the run on forwards going on right now."

"Just one left on the draft board now which tells me that some team is probably going to have to go off board if they are looking for offensive help."

"Not sure I agree, just six picks left in the draft, and it's not like the Monarchs are drafting this season to ensure an off board pick."

"Ha!"

"That was pretty good..."

"So tell us about Quint and what the Miners got there."

"Good value for late in the second round, he's got his share of battle scars from his time playing high level S-16 limmie and I'm sure a boatload of stories to share as well..."

"Hold on here comes Vizsla with the Mercs pick."

"With the last pick of the 2nd round of the 286 ELL first year player draft, your Galactic Cup Champion..."

"Oya, oya, oya!"

"...Mando'ade Mercs..."

"Oya, oya, oya!"

"...select..."

"Gotta be Grouper, he's the highest rated cornerback on the board."

"....Bruce, Fullback from Dac State..."

"Oya, oya, oya!"

"Whoa!"

"Wow, didn't expect that."

"A surprise pick then?"

"Yeah, a surprise pick. Bruce wasn't rated very highly by HSN, but he played pretty well in getting Dac State to the GCAA playoff finals..."

"Where they lost to KMI."

"Oya, oya, oya!"

"Right, so he can play. Just surprised the Mercs took a flyer on him when they already have two good Fullbacks on the roster in Oneal and Turnud who both recently resigned with the club..."

"I have a little insight on that here guys."

"Go on."

"Whatcha got K-Man?"

"Source with the team just told me that they plan to convert Bruce to a Cornerback, where he rates a little better. He'll be the backup there so he should have some time to work his way into the position, but the eventual plan is to have him play opposite Tuvaash Mauntak..."

"We got Mauntak!"

"...or replace Mauntak should our hard hitting all star decide to leave after the season."

"He is set to hit free agency, so Bruce could be insurance against that."

"Not sure he can be as good as Mauntak, but he does hit hard which has been a hallmark of Mercs defenses since the franchise started."

"If he takes Roc's spot..."

"Who is also a free agent."

"...that would be a lot of teeth at starting CB for the Mercs in two years."

"Yeah, and from the looks of it Bruce is just waiting to sink his jaws into somebody."

"Yeah, probably Quint, the player taken right before him in the draft."

"Hope not, if so we're going to need a bigger draft..."

"Ha, and that ends our second round coverage. We'll be back in a moment for the start of the third round with the Ralltiir Starkillers on the clock..."

TAG: Runjedirun

 

IC Richard Vigo

I was excited about having a quiet hotel room to myself when this draft ended. As soon as the Mercs got off the stage I was out of our war room and on the lift downstairs. The defender we had our sights on was young and unpolished. Loren had been out to see her play just once last season after a tip from Ty. They'd been surprised she declared for the draft. Another year to develop in college probably would have benefited her rank in the draft and overall draft slot. No matter to me. I could grab her at a low cost and get her some more development time on Tatooine.

"The Ralltiir Starkillers would like to open the third round of the '86 draft by welcoming Jenga," I announced. The young Cerean seemed pleased as she accepted her jersey. I was one step closer to an uninterrupted night of sleep.

Tag galactic-vagabond422

 

GM Post

HSN Headlines

• Byblos Red Wings are dissolved. All current players are promoted to the Rydonni Prime Monarchs.
• Romo Benedict Crowley III stands down as Head Coach and move to full-time General Manager.
• Dawn Solo promoted to Head Coach. Lex Silas elevated to Assistant Head Coach. Edu Ovando appointed Defensive Coordinator. Biedo Nazug promoted to Defensive Backs Coach.

TAG: CPL_Macja

 

GM Post

286 Elite League Limmie Regular Season Schedule

Week 1
Denon Demons at Jakku Junkers
Nar Shaddaa Smugglers at Dac Mariners
Bakura Miners at Stewjon Metropolitans
Coruscant Senators at Ralltiir Starkillers
Carratos Pirates at Mando’ade Mercs
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Rydonni Prime Monarchs

Week 2
Dac Mariners at Jakku Junkers
Denon Demons at Stewjon Metropolitans
Bakura Miners at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers
Mando’ade Mercs at Rydonni Prime Monarchs
Carratos Pirates at Ralltiir Starkillers
Coruscant Senators at Hapes Consortium Buccaneers

Week 3
Nar Shaddaa Smugglers at Denon Demons
Stewjon Metropolitans at Jakku Junkers
Dac Mariners at Bakura Miners
Mando’ade Mercs at Coruscant Senators
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Carratos Pirates
Ralltiir Starkillers at Hapes Consortium Buccaneers

Week 4
Nar Shaddaa Smugglers at Stewjon Metropolitans
Denon Demons at Dac Mariners
Jakku Junkers at Bakura Miners
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Coruscant Senators
Ralltiir Starkillers at Mando’ade Mercs
Carratos Pirates at Hapes Consortium Buccaneers

Week 5
Denon Demons at Bakura Miners
Nar Shaddaa Smugglers at Jakku Junkers
Stewjon Metropolitans at Dac Mariners
Carratos Pirates at Coruscant Senators
Ralltiir Starkillers at Rydonni Prime Monarchs
Mando’ade Mercs at Hapes Consortium Buccaneers

Week 6
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Denon Demons
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers
Dac Mariners at Carratos Pirates
Stewjon Metropolitans at Coruscant Senators
Bakura Miners at Mando’ade Mercs
Jakku Junkers at Ralltiir Starkillers

Week 7
Mando’ade Mercs at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers
Bakura Miners at Coruscant Senators
Jakku Junkers at Carratos Pirates
Denon Demons at Ralltiir Starkillers
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Stewjon Metropolitans
Dac Mariners at Hapes Consortium Buccaneers

Week 8
Coruscant Senators at Denon Demons
Nar Shaddaa Smugglers at Ralltiir Starkillers
Jakku Junkers at Hapes Consortium Buccaneers
Dac Mariners at Mando’ade Mercs
Stewjon Metropolitans at Carratos Pirates
Bakura Miners at Rydonni Prime Monarchs

Week 9
Coruscant Senators at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Jakku Junkers
Ralltiir Starkillers at Dac Mariners
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Stewjon Metropolitans
Carratos Pirates at Bakura Miners
Mando’ade Mercs at Denon Demons

Week 10
Denon Demons at Carratos Pirates
Coruscant Senators at Jakku Junkers
Ralltiir Starkillers at Bakura Miners
Mando’ade Mercs at Stewjon Metropolitans
Dac Mariners at Rydonni Prime Monarchs
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers

Week 11
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Bakura Miners
Jakku Junkers at Mando’ade Mercs
Coruscant Senators at Dac Mariners
Carratos Pirates at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers
Stewjon Metropolitans at Ralltiir Starkillers
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Denon Demons

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

 

IC: Herron Myrat'ur
Kingston Pub, O'Pahz, Carratos Two weeks before the draft

Harron's hand was twisted behind him by a bulky human with a broken nose and a howlrunner on his hand. Harron's head was pressed into the cold wall of the men's refresher, his hand close to breaking under the vice like grip of the man behind him.

"Raka is tired of waiting for her money." The broad-shouldered thug said adding a little more torque on the captured arm.

"Look look look," Harron pleaded, "Tell your boss to give me two more weeks, two weeks and I can make a payment on what is owed." He hissed in pain and the tension increased ever slightly.

"Raka isn't one for down payments."

"It's better than nothing am I right." Time froze as the brute thought, hopefully deeply about the offer he had just been given. This wasn't the first time he'd asked, pleaded for an extension on a line of credit given him. He though if he just had a few more credits, just a few more he could make it all back, and then some. If he was honest, he just wanted to keep playing, to keep feeling that rush of uncertainty, the butterflies in stomach, his heart pounding in his ears. It was about the experience for him, not the money, though he justified it to himself that he was playing for the money.

"I'm going to need something to give Raka," the grip didn't lessen, "I can't come back to her empty handed."

"I don't have that much on me man."

"Then maybe you need some encouragement." Harron took in a sharp breath as pain shot through him.

"Come on, I got nothing, just give me two weeks, two weeks. I'll have your money."

"My boss is not a woman to be disobeyed. She'll tear me apart if I don't come back with something."

"Let me talk with her." Harron said hurriedly, he was grasping now, doing whatever he could to save himself from the pain, or worse.

"Ha," the thug laughed, "You want to meet the Alpha." He laughed again, at least someone was having fun. "Nice try but, she doesn't want to see you, she just wants to see your money."

"Well she's just going to have to be a little patient." He gritted his teeth again as the tattooed hand squeezed tighter.

"She's been rather patient…" there was an ominous pause, "For her."

"Look, I've got nothing, I'm tapped out. You can't get blood from a stone."

"No, but I can get blood from you."

"Don'tdon'don't." he called out in a last ditch effort to save his hand, "I…I might be able to get you something, just, just let my arm go."

"I thought you had nothing." The larger man pushed the restrained appendage right to it's breaking point, this obviously wasn't this guy's first time doing this.

"Look, I just gotta call my brother, I don't want to bother him but," he gestured with his head to his hand near to breaking, "You've made your point very clear."

"Call him."

"I'm going to need my arm."

"You have two…For now."

The message given, Harron made the most awkward display as he reached into his right pants pocket with his left hand, all the while his right arm was held behind his back. It took a while but, eventurally he got it out and called his brother.

"Hello," his brother Finch said on the other end.

"Hey,"

"Harron, what's this about?" his voice was rather severe as if listening to his brother's speak was an annoyance.

"I have a bit of a favor to ask."

"What is it this time?" Finch replied in a huff, and a nearly audible eye roll.

"Nothing much, I just need like hundred," pain shot through him again, turning to look the thug behind him held up five fingers. "Five hundred," Harron mouthed, the thug's response was to hold the imperiled hand a little tighter, "Ah…Five hundred credits, to the Kingston."

A deep sigh sounded over the comlink, sinking Harron's heart. "Gambling again, in his old bar." Finch couldn't bring himself to say dad's or even recognize Crane Myrat'ur as his father. The line was silent for far too long. Sweat began to bead on Harron's forehead, he hand shook as the moments dragged on. Another long breath, "Alright, five hundred but, you're paying me back, and I won't accept any excuses."

"Thanks."

"Don't, this is the last time I'm doing this, you need to sort your own…stuff out." This was the first time, Finch had bail his younger brother out of a jam, and was already acting like it was the hundredth time. In Finch's defense, Harron was living with him.

After losing Lily, well, things didn't go well for Harron. There was no one to stop him, no one to prevent his demon from taking control of him. That was a poor excuse, it was his own damned fault he lost all his money, lost the apartment, lost damn near everything he owned, all for nothing. He just couldn't see it, and right now, he was just trying to save his hand.

"I'll be there in ten."

"Ok." The line went dead, no goodbye, no see ya' just a click and silence.

The ten minutes felt like an eternity as he waited at the bar, his new 'Best Friend' right next to him, every now and then cracking his knuckles threateningly. Soon his brother arrived and briskly handed Harron the money and left. He wanted nothing of what his younger sibling had gotten into. Harron turned right around and handed the cash to the thug with a broken nose.

"Two weeks." He said, "You get me the rest in two weeks or…" he looked at Harron's right hand.

"I got it, two weeks."
_____
Draft Day

The two weeks was up soon, he'd need to ask someone for an advance on his fist check, or something to get the money to pay off the gundark on his back. There wasn't time to think about that now, Schnitt stepped out onto the stage for the Pirates predicable third pick.

"With the twelfth pick of the 286 Elite League Limmie Draft the Carratos Pirates select Anne Ocracoke from West O'Pahz Limmie Club." While it was expected Harron let out a long breath, a Privateer and a Rover on the same team, that was going to go well. It was well known that West O'Pahz and B'Arton were fierce rivals in the Carratos League, lots of bad blood there. The fit looking corner back with black hair came to the stage dressed in a rather well cut pantsuit and a tie in yellow and white. She accepted the jersey and walked off the stage. This was going to be fun.

"The Coruscant Senators are on the clock."

TAG: Jedi Gunny

 

IC: Senators



The Senators were on the clock for their third-round pick after the Pirates had taken a local corner back. The Draft board was emptying out, as per usual at this juncture. There were no major needs for the Senators, so this was likely going to be a long-term stash pick. There was no need for a goaltender, despite Blake being a good one, as Michonne had locked in that spot for the Senators and Oola Ban provided good veteran backup. With Helen Brody, a midfielder, in the fold from the previous round, there was no need to take the Chiss middie sitting on the Board. That meant it was down to offense or defense. Defense had some options left; offense only had one.

So, of course, the Senators decided to test their luck with the remaining player on that side of the ball. They took Kriistapos Proziingas out of the University of Ralltiir, the player that was a major unknown. Kaminoans were not known for their gracefulness on their feet; in fact, most were downright clumsy at anything but walking (albeit with a confident stride). What the rookie had going for him was his height, for one, and a sniper-like accuracy from the perimeter. It seemed odd in Limmie logic that a tall player liked to play outside instead of posting up on the interior, but that was why this was a project pick. The Senators had a few options at forward with Thyferra that likely would get a look during the offseason to replace the departed pair of corner forwards in Pin and Qorbus, so the Kaminoan would get seasoning with the Force as the organization figured out exactly what they wanted to do with him. Bessimir was also a possibility, although having a draft pick there would likely tick off not just the Velocity's league commissioner, but also the Elite League Players' Union. Plenty of thinking would need to be done in the next few months.

The Miners were now on the clock.

TAG: Trieste

 

Trieste Approved!

Character Sheet
Name: Sgt. Rax D’vja
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Birth Year: 250 ABY
Physical appearance: Average build, 1.76 m, brunette hair

Homeworld: Rydonni Prime
Relation to Team: Fan
Brief Biography:
A native son of Rydonni Prime, he was raised on the ideals of the Monarchy. Despite his family’s wishes, he left the private university he had been attending to enlist in the Royal Armed Forces with only one year left until graduation. Little did his parents know, but his fiancée was pregnant and military service guaranteed a steady income.

He planned to serve faithfully under King Anorb, but a little over half way through his enlistment the King tragically died. He was hesitant to finish out his enlistment under Queen Naathe, but he remained faithful to the oath he swore. His final assignment was on the night of the Queen’s wedding to Lord Protector Calrissian in 275. He aided in preventing the Bride and Grooms assassination by taking a blaster-bolt through his knee as the couple boarded their escape vehicle.

While rehabbing his knee, Rax was visited by Earl Kalin K’ntarr. Through their conversation the Duke recruited him to be a part of the R.A.I.D. team to depose Queen Variise. Rax’s knee healed and in 277 the Queen was forced into hiding. Rax remained with R.A.I.D. until the Governor-General rose to power and started using them as his personal secret police. Word spread amongst the former R.A.I.D. members who were once loyal to the Monarchy that a new resistance was forming to stand up against the tyrannical Governor-General. Rax did not hesitate to include himself in their numbers.

The night he and his family were to flee the capital, his wife and three children were captured by the Secret Police. They were carried off as Rax watched, powerless to do anything about it, to hidden internment camp.

Now, nearly a decade later, he finds himself hold-up in a dank cave 125 kilometers outside of the city that holds his family and the only thing that he has to distract him is his second love… the ELL Monarchs.



Sent from the edge of a galaxy far, far away via my comlink

 

IC: Mihal Ceallaigh
Inky Raven pub, Salis D’aar, Bakura

"What I don't understand is the Miners' third round pick," Artur said.

"Yeah, that was pretty dumb. Then again, who didn't leave the Miners a forward left to pick? Oh, that's right. The Senators," Piper pointed out.

"Who'd they pick?" Mihal asked.

"They took Marnie Blake out of Tiarest," Artur said.

"Getting the top goalkeeper of the draft in the third round? Sounds like a steal," Mihal said.

"Yeah, but we've got Comstock. She's an incredible goalkeeper. More shutdowns and shutouts than anyone else in the Silver Age. Nobody thinks that Cundertol's not going to let her go to free agency, if only because he doesn't want her playing against us," Artur parried.

"But isn't this a contract year for Comstock?" Mihal asked. "And the last time Cundertol drafted a goalkeeper, her name was Regan Stargazer. I'm not sure he rides that high on Comstock. She also let in a lot of points this season. Cundertol's not dumb for having a back up plan if she doesn't right the ship and he won't even have to pay top credit on the rookie contract."

"Oh snapedy snap!" Piper exclaimed.

Both men looked at her.

"What? He just threw down, son," Piper told Artur.

"I didn't throw anything," Mihal said.

"It's a metaphor. Or a simile. Or an expression of speech. It's definitely that last one, now that I think about it," Piper said.

"Is this one of those fancy Coruscanti expressions that they use on the holodramas on The WC?" Artur asked. "You know, that holochannel with the superhero shows and The Umbaran Diaries? What else is on there?"

"Crazy Ex-Boyfriend," Mihal said.

"You know what The WC is and what's on it but you've never heard of throwing down?" Piper asked in disbelief, shaking her head. "Bakura is as weird as they told me it would be."

TAG: Bardan_Jusik for the last pick of the draft

 

​

IC: The Rancor Pitt

"...and welcome back here live at oyu'baat for the Mercs draft party. We've got more more pick left to make and it's ours."

"Kind of getting used to this whole picking last thing, I can see us doing this for another year or two."

"Well the improvements some of these teams have made here tonight is going to make that difficult."

"Then you have the free agency and internal moves teams can make."

"OK, so what do you see the Mercs doing here with this last pick? Who is Mr or Miss Irrelevant?

"Well this is an easy one, mercxs have a need at midfield, and there is one middie left on the board."

"You're talking the Chiss with the name I can't pronounce."

"That narrows it down."

"OK, OK. Fine. I can't pronounce any of their names."

"They should make a game show out of it..."

"If they did it would need a board game version too."

"Board game? C'mon. No one plays board games anymore."

"Hey I still like to Dreadnought!"

"Besh-1!

"You blew up my Star Destroyer!"

"Hahaha!"

"OK, OK. Here we are with Vizsla coming on for the final pick."

"With the 15th and final pick of the 286 ELL First year player draft the Mando'ade Mercs select....Ach'utesn'laders, Midfielder from the University of Csilla..."

"oya, oya, oya!

"I told you. Man I had this draft down cold."

Yeah you did, lets see if you can keep it going next season. That about does it for us folks. We'll see you on Taungsday for our regularly scheduled show here on the Fandalorian, but right now we're going to go enjoy ourselves some at here at the oyu'baat!"

TAG: Trieste for the end of the draft.

OOC: Song selection inspired by my daughter's basketball team who have adopted it as their unofficial theme song. Not sure if that is awesome or scary. Probably a bit of both.

 

GM Approved!




Name: Addison Karr
Gender: Female
Birth Year: 255 ABY (31 Years Old)
Physical Appearance: Blonde Hair, Brown Eyes
Homeworld: II Avali, Druckenwell
Relation to Team: General Manager


A new generation has arisen. A generation heavily entrenched in the lofty ideals of responsible power, civic duty, and fiscal propriety. This new generation represents the avant garde of Druckenwellian elite. An elite that at an early age decided to use their power and wealth for the greater good. Simply making a lot of credit's wasn't enough to satiate their idealistic desires. The standard that swirled amongst these rising young socialites was the often asked question: How have you helped your fellow citizens?

It was a question asked by Kaitlyn Vehn.

It was a question asked by Corrie Ypres, Kaitlyn's younger sister.

It was a question asked by Vera Grames, granddaughter of arguably the greatest Nar Shaddaa Smuggler player in history: Rhia Grames.

It was a question asked by Addison Karr, heiress to her family's fortune. A fortune heavily entrenched in the galaxy spanning corporation known as Karr Pharmaceuticals.

Karr Pharma, as its colloquially known, played an important role in rushing medical supplies to the front during the Roon-Druckenwellian War of 279-282. Spearheading that effort was a young, idealistic, Addison who refused to let the brutal fight on the front sway her from helping those in need. Working closely with Corrie Ypres, Addison fought through the Federation blockade of Herdessa, across the horrific trenches of Mon Grappa,and in between the graveyard of destroyed ships orbiting Roon in the final stages of the war to deliver much needed supplies.

Addison continued to help those affected by the war long after it ended, much to the chagrin of her family who desired that she put aside what they viewed as a hobby and pursue a real career. One with opportunity. One with a future. One with a chance to make a lot of credits. Addison refused. In response, her family wrote her out of their future plans. She would no longer inherit. She was, for all intents and purposes, on her own.

Alone....

Isolated....



Unafraid.

Tag: Trieste

 

IC: Mihal Cellaigh
Inky Raven pub, Salis D’aar, Bakura

Mihal sat down at his barstool, datapad in hand. This afternoon it was light and he had no company to either side of him at the bar. Accordingly, it wasn’t long before Piper came over.

“Edmund, right?” she asked uncertainly, squinting as if that helped her remember.

“Mihal.”

“Argh!” Piper growled.

“And it was Piper, wasn’t it?”

“Easy for you. You only have to remember one new name and your tips aren’t riding on getting it right,” Piper sighed.

“Ah, well you get a grace period,” Mihal consoled her.

“Yeah, not sure the honeymoon’s going to last past week 1 of the ELL season,” Piper said. “You see the schedule? Coruscant/Ralltiir is going down--by which I mean, Ralltiir is going down.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. They had a fine draft as I see it. Been looking at the picks they made,” Mihal said, holding his datapad up. “Top midfielder, third best forward--best available at that point--sixth best defender...not so bad at that point. That’s a solid B.”

“And what analyst on HSN are you quoting on that?” Piper asked. “By the way, it was a…” Piper consulted the beer taps. “...Three Crowns?”

“That’d be right on the money,” Mihal confirmed. “And I don’t read or watch HSN. I like to make up my mind on my own.”

“Oh? So then give me the Mihal Kelly Draft Grades,” Piper said.

“Cellaigh,” he corrected.

“I was close.”

“Well, like I said, the Starkillers were a B. A strong B. Their defense wasn’t so bad last season, so skimping on defense isn’t the worst. I could be talked into an A.”

“You’ll never make the HSN talking shows being so considerate,” Piper said, putting Mihal’s beer in front of him.

“Of course, the Miners were an A.”

Piper snorted. “Oh, please, elaborate on that.”

“Top ranked defender to help an abysmal unit, fourth best forward in the second round, and then the best goalkeeper in the third round. That’s a grand draft.”

“No way. The Miners went in too early on defenders. They should have taken Bloom in the first round. Look at the other draft picks. Adiims would have fallen to them in the second round. Imagine the top forward, defender, and goalkeeper from one draft,” Pipe insisted.

Mihal shook his head. “Someone would have jumped on Adiims. She addresses the greater need for the team.”

“Agree to disagree...until you tip me anyways,” Piper said.

It was a good reminder to pay for his beer, so Mihal fished in his pockets. “Now Carratos...they perplex me every year. They insist on drafting the Carratosian players, no matter how far down they are. I hate to say it, but they could have traded down and gotten the same players. Their grade has to be an F.”

“Agreed. So that bring us to the Senators, who absolutely got an A,” Piper declared. “We can move on to Mando’ade now.”

“Let’s roll that back,” Mihal said after his first pull on his beer. “The Senators did get a very accomplished Wren in the first round. She arguably could have beaten out Bloom for the top spot. The second best midfielder was good, especially pulling her down in the second round. And I suppose Proziingas was the best forward left…” Mihal admitted.

“Come on, it’s an A isn’t it,” Piper egged him on.

“Well, you’ve got me there.”

“I’m going to have to put this on social media. A Miners fan admitted the Senators aced their draft,” Piper proclaimed. “By the way, we’re going to have to talk about why this bar doesn’t have a social media presence sometime.”

“Now, you brought up Mando’ade. Hard when you’re drafting last. But they still got Bloom. That’s a coup. But there were better defenders than Bruce out there when they drafted.”

“No true full back though,” Piper pointed out.

“No, but you could have converted Grouper without too much time. Corners can play full back without issues,” Mihal said. “Picking up the last midfielder with the last pick...that’s good timing. I’d say the Mercs got a B.”

“So, that’s Miners A, Pirates F, Senators A, Mercs B, Starkillers B,” Piper considered. “Well, I’d get on you for ranking the Miners so high, but then that would call into question your rankings of the Senators and we can’t have that. I’ll agree.”

“I’ll alert the media,” Mihal said, raising his glass in a toast with a dry smirk.

“If the bucketheads on the wave had any sense, they’d do their own rankings. Nothing like controversy to get listeners,” Piper said.

“And nothing to help a beer go down like a little pub debate,” Mihal winked.

TAG: Bardan_Jusik galactic-vagabond422 Jedi Gunny Runjedirun it made sense this year for me to take a stab at it

 

IC Richard Vigo

The Starkillers had spent the past week here on Tatooine. The Sandskimmers and Starkillers had been holding practices together. A few players still unsure which squad they’d be settling with after the game this weekend. I had just flown in today with Jimsey. He was, for now, a Starkillers fan. Young Vic Olidiipo had been a standout in training camp and earned a start at the left half forward position in this weekend’s match up.

Shannon was just learning to waddle, when she didn’t get up on her fin like feet she crawled almost too quickly for us aging adults to keep up. Ryan had stayed home with her, the flight would have been one long headache. This father son trip with Jimsey couldn’t have come at a better time. Jimsey continued to ask questions about his father. At the same time he asked questions about my father and the relationship I had with him.

My father didn’t play a big role in my life. He was away a lot during my childhood. Until Lucie ran away and Bat got arrested he allowed my mother and us kids to fend for ourselves. When he finally realized that credits alone didn’t raise a family it was too late for our relationship. My father began to groom me as his heir, but I never even told him about my relationship with Ryan.

I wanted Jimsey to know I was here for him. He could tell me anything. He could even go visit his father now that his Ithorian was becoming more fluent. Jimsey wasn’t ready for that though, he was afraid his father wouldn’t want to see him. He was puzzled that his father had given him up to me and Ryan. I tried to explain that his father really didn’t have a choice. Jimsey felt differently. Jimsey thought if his father really loved him he would have never broken the law to begin with.

“Dad, are you in there?” I heard Jimsey ask.

I was in Spencer’s office at the Sandskimmer’s stadium. I’d been going over financials. The cost of building my mother a house, hiring a bounty hunter and adopting a daughter were a bit more than I’d planned on in the last year. With the sales of Starkiller tickets, food, beverage and now Skimmer Ade I could see we weren’t in any immediate danger. I did hope there wouldn’t be any more unexpected expenses this coming season.

“I’m coming,” I answered.

“Hurry up,” Jimsey pleaded. “You promised we would go buy Shannon a souvenir before the game starts.”

Jimsey was a fine big brother. He was always thinking of his sister. I opened the door to see him standing in his freshly printed Olidiipo jersey. “Let’s go,” I offered.

We didn’t go far, just down to the Sandskimmers pro shop. We picked out clothing and trinkets for Shannon and Louise. I even picked up some Skimmer Ade wine glasses for my mother. They were a tacky bright orange.

I left Jimsey down on the sideline with Tomas who had rushed over after practice with UTA. I made my way into the Starkillers locker room and saw what appeared to be a regular ELL team just preparing for any other Limmie game. This wasn’t just another game though. This was a spectacle. In the visiting locker room there was no one, just a bunch of droids. 18 to be exact, 15 starters and 3 reserves all built by my brother’s hand. Spencer had been an inventor since birth. His droids could make passes, tackles and move swiftly. They were programmed to hit hard, and the Galaxy was tuned in today to see if I was stupid enough to allow my own players to get injured before the season even started.

I watched as Ty Allin pretended to hide an ale bottle in a spare locker. Since the draft he’d been pretending to drink. An elaborate prank. He’d often make a show of carrying an ale around, but I realized now the ale bottles were filled with fizz not ale. I wasn’t sure why he was trying to fool me, but for now I was playing along.

Dash gathered his players around. “This is the ultimate challenge,” he began. “This afternoon under the blazing heat of two suns you have been chosen to prove that the living can outlast machine.”

“We’re up for that challenge,” Noah Till called out. Noah seemed focused on making this his season. He’d put in more work this off-season than anyone. He had played in his uncle’s shadow for years. He knew no other team was going to take a chance on him. He wanted to make a name for himself. A positive one and I believed he could.

“We won’t let you down coach,” Kara Sureysh hollered out. She had a lot to prove. Was that knee strong enough to go for the two seasons left on her contract? Testing it here today was no riskier than testing it out next week against Coruscant. I’d rather find out it didn’t hold up in exhibition than during the regular season.

“Don’t forget to have fun,” Ty said pulling out a can of silly string. Make that two cans. He pulled the triggers simultaneously and the sticky string rained down in an orange and blue mess.

Tomas, Jimsey and I took seats in the stands after the introductions. It was, well it was hot as hell. I held an umbrella for shade like a little old lady and we ordered buckets of frozen Skimmer Ade. Spencer called his droid team the Skimmer IV’s because they were the 4th model since the first droid he’d built with Tomas many years ago for a school project.

I reminded myself that no matter what happened this idea was already a success. We had attracted news media from around the Galaxy, a sellout crowd and I was spending quality time with my son. “How many minutes into the game before Olidiipo scores his first goal?” I asked my son.

“Two,” he answered confidently.

Tag: none

 

GM Post

One set of friendly scores today...well, assuming droids can make friends.

Friendly Games
Tatooine
Ralltiir Starkillers vs. Skimmer IVs (11-12)

TAG: Runjedirun

 

​

IC: The Rancor Pitt

"LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! From downtown Keldabe, on a sunny and warm Taungsday afternooooon. Welcome on into the Rancor Pitt, here on your wave home of the defending Galactic Cup Champion Mando'ade Mercs. I'm Randy the Rancor, he's Justin Pitt. Liz Baker on the boards, with Kitterich on the other side of the glass and oh baby do we have a lot to talk about today."

"Getting excited, ELL season starting soon..."

"Mercs looking to defend that title and threepeat!"

"LFL, getting set to start their season."

"Crusaders going to try to win a game or two during the regular season in their bid to repeat their title."

"And KMI is looking to get back to the playoff with the new format and defend their title."

"I know I've said it a bunch already but I have to say it again. Last year was the perfect storm of limmie for us on Mandalore."

"It really was, and now folks are excited about all those teams defending their titles."

"Tell me about it, comm lines are already lit up..."

"So where do we start?"

"Let's talk about these changes that the GCAA Playoff Selection Committee announced last night first, then we can get into our ELL prognostications."

"Whoa, big word there Randy."

"No studying."

"Never suspected it. So I only caught part of it, what changes did the GCAA finally decide on? I heard something about the bowl games and that had me fired up enough that Istopped paying attention."

"Yeah, the de-linking..."

"De-linking?"

"Dis-linking?"

"Unlinking?"

"The decision to no longer have the Bowl games linked to traditional conference champions is the biggest change."

"What, so the Caranation Bowl doesn't get to see the matchup between the S16 and Bak10 anymore?"

"Nope."

"The Sweetner Bowl doesn't see the SEC and O-10 Champs play each other?"

"Nope."

"Been KMI and VCU three years running now in the Sweetner...."

"The Party Bowl..."

"Nope."

"I don't like it."

"I don't think those running the various Bowl systems liked it much either, but they were given an offer even they couldn't refuse."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Increased revenue streams from having the playoffs rotate through those Bowls."

"How is that going to work?"

"Well this year the Carnation Bowl will be hosting the GCAA Championship game..."

"A reward no doubt for all the work Kerry Trieste of the Bak10 put into changing this."

"...while the Sweetner and Party bowls will be hosting semi-final games the week before."

"So that's how they convinced them to drop the traditional matchups. The ratings for those will be higher even than when they were just Bowl games"

"Yup. Helps on another front too."

"It does?"

"Prevents that number one vs. number two issue meeting in Bowl Week prior to the playoffs that we've had the last few seasons."

"Oh yeah, didn't think of that."

"Now the committee is going to just take the final HSN season rankings and use those to grab the top eight teams in the GCAA. Those make the playoff field and are seeded according to their ranking."

"OK, well that makes sense. I still don't like the S16 losing the Carnation Bowl though. When I was at The Ord Sabaok University, that was the goal, to get to the caranation. Seems like we lost too much tradition here with this."

"Yeah, but we gained a lot too."

"I'm hearing that in years that the Carnation Bowl doesn't host a playoff game that they are still going to give preferential thought to taking teams from the Bak10 and S16 if they're worthy though."

"Well that's good news I guess. Anything from the Sweetner or Jogan..."

"Not yet, but it wouldn't be hard to imagine them following suit."

"Well. It does give us a better system i guess, not thrilled abut it, but I guess I can see how it works out..."

---

87 minutes later.

"OK folks welcome back we'll take a few more of your calls here in a few minutes but we're going to change hyperspace lanes and go from the college game to the pro, specifically the two time defending champion Mercs, their quest for a three peat and our predictions on how the season is going to unfold."

"Been waiting for this, still not all that pleased about the Carn..."

"Hey, happy thoughts. Threepeat, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"So how do you see this season shaping up for the Mercs?"

"Well if there is anything harder than defending a Galactic Cup Crown, it's defending it twice in a row. The Mercs have a great team, a really great team, with a lot of holdovers from last season and a few pickups from the draft that should fill their roles nicely, but..."

"Yeah. I agree , like you said. Hard to defend a title, harder still when you're going for the threepeat."

"Just look at Ralltiir, they won twice in a row a few years ago and haven't been back to the playoffs since."

"Think that will happen to the Mercs?"

"I think it will be close. You've got Dac to worry about..."

"We've owned them since they got back into the league."

"Yeah, but they've also dominated the rest of the conference, no reason to see that changing."

"...Carratos..."

"I hate those guys."

"...is always a tough out."

"Perenial playoff contenders there, I bet they get in."

"Which leaves one playoff spot for the Mercs, Bucs, Smugglers or Mets."

"Yeah, that's a tough group. Mets will be chomping at the bit to prove they belong this time and never should have been demoted for the Kuati disaster."

"Hapes always looks to make waves."

"And that team from Nal Hutta's moon, which isn't used to this sort of dry spell when it comes to the playoffs."

"Certainly not recently."

"So that means the Skywalker is pretty wide open."

"Yup, Mercs might not make the playoffs, and even if they do, every team offers a tough out, making the threepeat a longshot."

"OK, what about the Solo?"

"Dominated by the Miners the past few years, but I think that changes this season."

"Ralltiir? Or..."

"The Senators, Commissioner's trophy winners last season, and they had a great draft. Look for Wren to be rookie of the year and put them over the top to bring them the Solo crown."

"Wow, just coming out and saying it huh?"

"Yup, I really think that's the way the dice roll this season."

"So who else?"

"I think the Starkillers make the playoffs, beating the Miners in the payoffs before losing to those Senators."

"And your Galactic Cup champs?"

"Well I think it's..."

"Hold that thought guys, we've got breaking news regarding Kryze and his holdout that I want to report..."

TAG: Everyone interested in the College playoffs, Trieste.

---

OOC: OK folks after discussing it with Trieste I've made some changes to the college playoff format.

• At the beginning of the season I roll for each team. Two "heavy weights" per conference get 3 six sided rolls, rest of the the teams get 2 six sided dice.
• I populate the final HSN rankings according to the die rolls. Highest total is #1 and I move back through to #25
• Ties are resolved by additional die rolls (single six sided die)
• Teams that are tied but play in a conference championship bypass the tiebreaking roll and have their final position within their tiebreaking tier determined by win or loss in their conference championship game. (Score determined by 6 six sided dice roll per team). A win puts them at the top of their "tier", a loss at the bottom.
• Teams 1-8 are seeded according to their HSN ranking and placed in the playoff. #1 vs #8, #2 vs. #7 and so on.
• Remaining teams (9-20 right now) are placed in the various "other" Bowl games according to what I think an interesting match up would be.
• Scores are rolled for all Bowl/Playoff games according to same method as Conference Championship games.
• Winners of Playoff games move on to the Playoff Semifinal. Games are reseeded with lowest remaining ranked team playing the highest remaining rank. Scores again rolled according to established method.
• Winners of Playoff semi final games face off in GCAA Limmie Championship game. Scores again rolled, champion determined.

From there I work my way backward and create HSN Rankings on a weekly basis, trying to create some drama and fun as teams move up and down. For the playoffs themselves I'll try to rotate which Bowl games are the designated playoff games for each season. As more Bowl games are added I can add more teams into the Bowl game schedule. Right now I have enough Bowl games for 20 total college teams, which is pretty good for us I think. Hope that makes sense, if not let me know.

 

GM Re-Approved

Name: Briar (Thorne) Adama
Species: Human (Bakuran)
Gender: Female
Birth Year: 241
Physical Appearance:

Homeworld: Bakura
Relation to Team: General Manager
Biography: Discovered by Dana Roslyn, Briar was brought into the fold of the Bakura Miners organization soon after finishing school. Her talents for scouting were extraordinary, leading to her use by the Miners as a top scout. Eventually she rose high enough in the organization to earn the spot of General Manager of the Bison Sabres of the Premier League. The Sabres were the first affiliate team in a lower professional league for the Elite League, and it was a revolutionary achievement. Although the Sabres sometimes struggled, Briar honed her craft there developing players for the Miners.

In 270, with Roslyn stepping down from the GM role, it appeared as if Thorne would be her successor. Instead, she found herself stuck behind new hire Quinn Cundertol. The man took the Miners to three Galactic Cup titles in the 270s, while Briar was the assistant GM. She was not in charge of personnel decisions, and always kept an eye out for an opportunity to be a full GM.

When the Coruscant Senators came calling after the sudden retirement of legend Gark S’rily, Briar jumped at the opportunity to become the team’s GM. In 280, her first season with the franchise, she was able to turn the ship around and earn a Grames Award for her efforts. In 285, she won another Grames Award after her team won the Commissioner's Trophy for the first time in franchise history. Fresh off the League-leading season, she hopes that making a few shrewd moves in the offseason will help lead her team over the hump and deliver playoff success to the Capital.

 

IC: Richard Vigo

Dash’s starters took the field with a swagger. Confidently they dribbled around droids and even passed over their heads. Fortune had a good look while Lofykam and Dunerider distracted his opponents. The ball whizzed through the air, it went at a speed few beings could match. The arch was nearly impossible to read. The Skimmer IV goalie poised, leaped in the air and batted it away with ease.

Starkiller goalie Cliff Tuff looked bored the first quarter of the game. Starkillers dominated time of possession, but they didn’t score a single point. The Skimmer IV goal tending droid was top notch. Still one after another all of the Starkiller starters insisted on trying to score 3.

It was comical. The entire stadium erupted in laughter as the offensive players were denied again and again. Starkiller players began to get fatigued. Droids did not. Soon Cliff had to defend his goal. After being denied three times the droids wised up and began to score bar points.

Dash called for time. The Starkillers drank Skimmer Ade and huddled around their coach. Before the half they managed three bar points of their own. The Starkillers trailed 5-3.

To my surprise the starters took the field at the start of the second half. Quickly Dunerider, Sureysh and Olidiipo added three more bar points giving the Starkillers their first lead of the game.

Again I was surprised. Boo’s rained around me from the crowd who seemed be in strong support of the Skimmer IV’s. For a while we had a game. A back and forth thriller. With a 10-10 tie score the starters were pulled.

Teaspoon took goal for the Starkillers. She was seasoned against the droid players since she had practiced with them here on Tatooine for the past season. The droids continued with their routine and got a quick bar point. Once they got the lead back the Starkiller back-up players took a series of shots. All trying to prove they could be the player to score on the Skimmer IV goal tender. Their arrogance was their downfall. The Skimmer IV’s won.

The crowd celebrated. I looked down to the Skimmer IV bench and saw Spencer’s most satisfied smile. Ty lined up the Stakiller players for a traditional handshake line. It was a sight I’ll never forget. The players brushing hands with artificial limbs, “Good game.” They said mechanically.

Tag: all and none

 

IC: Briar Adama
Financial Square Arena, Ralltiir

Opening Day

There was something special about the first game of the season, the smell of the freshly-cut grass (of which would soon become stains on uniforms, but that was for the equipment managers to worry about), the excitement of the crowd, the relative league parity (after all, what other time were all the teams equal on the field with identical records?), and the feeling that this would be your team’s year. That was what you lived for with this game, the opportunity to see that first game of the season and make your opinions based upon how your team did in that first game. Win, and you felt like the team could run the table; lose, and it felt like a real deflation. Even though the season had expanded many years back to 11 games instead of the old 7 or 9, each game was still important. This wasn’t Netball, where a few losses could be tolerated. The Elite League required teams to be on the ball every week, ready for action.

As Briar sat in her box seat high above the field at Financial Square Arena, she observed the Senator players down below as they warmed up for the upcoming game. Most of the faces were familiar; in fact, only one new player was on the roster this season. Bas Wren, the rookie forward taken with the third overall pick, had easily beaten out incumbent Freya Stormhelm for the Right Corner Forward position. While Wren had been brought in to increase depth after losing two corner forwards to retirement, she had immediately taken her opportunity by storm. It had impressed the coaches so much that she was given a chance to challenge Stormhelm for the starting gig. Zuzu Nuun, the left corner forward, was safe in her position, hopefully fully healthy after a year marred by injuries. Wren had easily bested Stormhelm for the job, and now would make her Elite League debut on the road as a starter. All of the other players on the roster had spent at least a partial season with the Senators in the past, so none of them counted as rookies. Unless something changed, this was a very veteran team top to bottom, with 29 of 30 players coming in with Elite League service time. If they could go places with that was the ultimate question.

The offense had all the potential in the galaxy. Riding Salbukk winner Leia Adama at the full forward position, the team had potentially the most lethal front three duo in Adama, Nuun, and Wren. It was up to the Half Forwards to feed the ball in to the front line, and they would take care of it from there. The lineup at half of Montego, Wakes, and Rotramel woul be counted on heavily to make plays and feed the scorers the ball, though Montego was known to bash her way through traffic en route to making a play on the goal. Off the bench would come Rowdy Roosey, the very physical former fighter who loved to chip defenders at the point of attack, Natasha Ehlers and Laura Cellen, the longtime spark-plug scorers off the bench, and the end of the bench with Lisha Larring, Stormhelm and 281 draft pick Kran Borgas, called up from Thyferra to fill the last corner forward or full forward position, whatever was required.

The defense had shown some promise the past season, but it was not nearly as set. All of the players save for one were returning, but it was not as strong a unit as the offense. Christine Gamble would once again shoulder the load across from Kelly Vurgess, with Aaltoides Minte barely beating out Mykal Oha for the full back starting job. The ‘M-Line’ of half backs, Munster, Mettews, and Mallonn, were back, but their replacements were mostly unproven, with Jamee Meels the veteran of the group. Buzz Lightyeer returned for his third season, while Nevan, who had spent the end of the prior season with the Senators, was back to fill out the end of the defensive bench. Selene Bondi would back up the corner spot in her third year with the team.

The midfield position had not changed one bit. Zeus Syndulla would be the bell-nerf for the unit, and Grace Organa would start across from him. Maddy Swann and defensive-minded George Wulson, the physical Weequay, would be their reserves. In goal, Michonne had been handed the job, and she had looked good in camp. Oola Ban had been re-signed to provide veteran depth behind the young Chiss, although there was basically no one else in the organization after that. If Michonne went down, there would be major problems for the Senators.

With her own franchise set, Briar had to analyze the Starkillers. They had looked sloppy in their friendly against a team of droids. Playing against droids was nothing new, as many high school and college programs were using droids as tackling dummies to prevent head injuries, but this had been a different encounter entirely. Briar had watched about ten minutes of that game before switching it off; not only did it not provide her with insight into how the Starkillers would play their game (as they had seemed consumed by trying to score goals instead of taking the best available play), but the droids they were up against still lacked the spark that live players had. They were surgical, yes, but unpredictability was what made up the core of a professional team of live players. There was only so much to learn from watching a team take on a group of automatons, and it wasn’t anything that could be used as a gameplan to go up against the team of live players. Surely the Starkiller coaches had lit into their players after that game to erase those mistakes in time for this game, so the game footage was likely useless. If things hadn’t changed, Briar and her team would take advantage of it, but the odds of that were slim to none. The Starkillers would come out with a completely-different mindset, she was sure of that; the coaches had to be ready to take on whatever the home team would throw at them.

Of extra importance was the conference match that this game constituted. Win this game, and they would be 1-0 in conference play; lose, and they were in an early hole. The Senator franchise had been very inconsistent in recent years, so it was expected that they would decline this year. Briar was not one for projections, but even that worried her. She expected her team to compete for the postseason every year, but could they keep up their momentum after yet another heartbreaking playoff loss?


Those, plus many more questions, would be answered, or at least strung out, after this game.

TAG: Runjedirun

 

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"Hi I'm Ken Kitterich with your five by five sports update brought to you by Merr-Sonn, Fill you enemies with primal fear, fill their lungs with fire, Merr-Sonn."

"GCAA Limmie getting set to get underway and HSN has relased their last pre season rankings. Given how important these are going to be going forward for the Playoff Selection Committee, coaches,players and fans will be paying even more attention to these this season!"

"Starting out the season as the near unanimous number one is CorTech. They return a a large number of starters from last season and will be led by their redshirt freshman sensation."

"Sticking with the conference, last season's S16 champion Chandrila A&M comes in at number two overall."

"UB Salis D'aar starts out as the pre-season number three, which should make the folks out on Bakura..."

"Most importantly Kerry Trieste."

"...very happy."

"Your defending GCAA champion Keldabe Military Institute Warriors start out this year ranked back at number four. The Warrior's lost roster took quite a hit after last season's GCAA title run. Coach Ur'ban Me'yer says this is a reloading year, but expectations from fans and students are still high."

"And last year's GCAA runner ups, Dac State, come in right behind them rounding out the top five."

"I'm Ken Kitterich and this has been your five by five sports update. I'll be back with you next hour at five after the hour but until then more of the Rancor Pitt, right here on the Fandalorian!"

TAG: no one/everyone

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[hr]

[U]HSN pre-season Top 25[/U]

1. Coruscant Polytechnic Institute
2. Chandrila A&M University
3. UB Salis D'aar
4. Keldabe Military Institute (Mandalore)
5. Dac State University
6. University of Corellia, Bella Vistal
7. Vertical City University, Nar Shaddaa
8. Norand University, Carratos
9. UB Telaan Valley
10. University of Devaron
11. University of Kashyyyk
12. University of Csilla
13. Druckenwell Technical University
14. University of Tatooine, Anchorhead
15. University of Zeltros
16. University of Agamar
17. Wookiee Forrest Institute
18. Ralltiir University
19. University of Sanbra
20. Grand Vulptur System University
21. Balmorra State University
22. [I]The[/I] Ord Sabaok University
23. Eriadu Technical institute
24. University of Onderon Rupings
25. Concord War College

 

IC: Herron Myrat'ur
O'Pahz, Carratos, Arcadia Colosseum

Herron stood awkwardly in the office of his boss, not 'One Eye' Logan, but, the owner and GM of the team Schintt Polenta. The office itself was simple, though the wide window behind the seated Balosar drew the eye. Also the painting of the 'Arcadia', rising over the planet to one side and the holo of the cup winning Pirates team on the opposite side pulled one's focus. Right now however, Harron's attention was squarely on the being in front of him, eyes never breaking and hands sweating, not in a good way. This was not where he wanted to be at this moment.

He had hoped to settle this with a simple text message, requesting an advance on his first paycheck. He was asking for a sizeable portion, 500 to 1,000 credits, the latter was the majority of his pay. No more than twelve hours later he was called to the front office. He gave a wan smile to the secretary, and a nod to the four guards stood post outside the office. The green skinned twi'lek he recalled from the draft, she straightened Mr. Polenta's coat, and just from looking at her was not a woman to be trifled with, unless you wanted to see if those arms of hers were and strong as they looked.

The tension outside was present and smothering. White Star attacks had been carried out while the team was away at the draft. The body count was rising and the CDF was in a constant state of readiness. The streets seemed a little emptier today than most other days. People were scared and the Defense Force was doing its best to keep things calm. Even the mention of the 'White Star' sent a shiver up Harron's spine. They claimed responsibility for the attack that took Lily's life, and nearly his, if she hadn't intervened. His own weakness haunted him, the fact she gave her life for his. It should have been the other way.

"Have a seat," Mr. Polenta spoke breaking the younger man out of his thoughts. Wordlessly Harron took an empty chair in front of the natural wood desk, possibly Aphran wood. The thought brought a slight smile to his face, the kindness that the Lumberjacks had shown the Pirates two years ago, lending them their stadium for the Skywalker Conference finals in 283. It was the first step to the Pirates' first and so far only cup. Maybe that changed this year, maybe it didn't. They were facing the Mercs, the great rivals of the Pirates in the upcoming game. Though Harron should be worrying about keeping his job right now.

"You have asked for an advance on your paycheck, without even putting in one full day of work." Mr. Polenta's antennapalps twitched a little. "You realize how strange this seems to me I hope?"

"Uh…" Harron stammered, "Yeah, I…I just had some bills come up." He felt his heart rate spike, it was a little bit of a lie but, not too much on one, hopefully the GM didn't notice.

"Hummm…." Mr. Polenta hummed his eyes boring into Harron. "And these bills wouldn't have anything to do with spice, rum, loose women or cards would it?"

Harron kept his best sabacc face up, not wanting to betray his true intent, though it was a fruitless endeavor against a mind reading Balosar. They were almost universally banned from all the card tables and casinos. Though they were employed as pit bosses and dealers, good at sniffing out cheaters. "No just rent, you know prices in this city, sky high since the rebuild." While his face didn't show it, his heart was pounding. He was making a boldfaced lie directly to the man that held sway over his job. Part of him could help but, feel a little of that familiar thrill, the kind he feels at the table, staring down another player that he was bluffing.

Mr. Polenta was silent, for a long time, too long. His hands tented in front of his lips. Harron steeled himself for the worst, if this failed he'd…well he'd have to work something out with his 'Best Friend' the one with the broken nose and the Howlrunner on his hand, or acquire an audience with Raka, though both prospects terrified him he wouldn't let it show.

"There was once…" Mr. Polenta started, "A being, much like you, that asked for an advance on their pay check. Their reason was to pay some debts, debts that had caused trouble in their life. I told them the same thing I'm telling you now. The House always wins, if there is one rule on this planet it is that. Where ever you choose to gamble, you will lose. There are not professional gamblers on this planet for that very reason. None of them make enough to survive, because, no matter what the House gets its cut. Either from your winnings or your body, they get their pound of flesh. They will be ruthless and they will not care for your excuses…"

"Sir, I'm not…" Harron interrupted, he never said that he was a gambler, he was about to state as much but, was quieted by an upraised hand.

"I wasn't done." The Balosar said coldly, "they will hurt you, your loved ones, or any one they can get their hands on, to punish you for doing well, or to convince you to pay what is owed."

"I know this that's why I'm not…"

"The being before you said the same, but, neither of you fully understood: This is not a place to have a vice. It will kill you in the end, and will have fallout beyond your comprehension. It is not your life you destroy, its everyone around you, friends, family, coworkers." His tone hardened on the last group, his coworkers, the team, and him. He also spoke with experience, far beyond that of a wealthy business man. However, it was another rule on Carratos that you never ask how someone got their money. It could be that Mr. Polenta got his riches preying on those with vices they couldn't control.

Another shiver ran down his spine, he now feared having that twi'lek just outside the door hunting him down. Was this what he was trying to do, scare his new employee straight? Silence overtook the conversation, Harron fought his urge to swallow hard, it was one of his tells he'd learned to suppress. Mr. Polenta remained unmoved.

"With all that out of the way." The Balosar continued, his tone still low, holding on to its icy edge, "I am going to grant your advance of 1,000 credits to come out of your next paycheck." Harron's eyes widened, had he really bluffed his boss, or was the older man just taking pity on him. With a few taps on the nearby terminal Mr. Polenta turned back to the Human. "There, the funds are in your account."

"Thank you sir." Harron said rising.

"Don't thank me yet," the man behind the desk replied eyes hardening, "This is contingent on you seeking some help, with those…Bills of yours."

"Sir?"

"I'd suggest counseling, if you would like I can give you some recommendations."

A confused smile grew on Harron's face, "Uh…sure, I'll keep that under advisement."

"Don't take my words lightly Mr. Myrat'ur, I meant every word."

"And I know that sir, I thank you for your advice." He wasn't going to say that he didn't need help, that he was just fine and how dare a stranger offer him advice, think he knew what was going on inside of him. Harron did his best to hide his disgust. Even if he was his boss he had no business sticking his antennapalps where they didn't belong. The new assistant coach turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"Beat the Mercs for me," Mr. Polenta called out just as Harron crossed the threshold of his office.

"That's the plan."

TAG: No One

 

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IC: Richard Vigo

Game Day Vigo Household

“WAKE UP!” I heard Jimsey scream at the top of his lungs. I was already up, down in the kitchen enjoying my caf after a peaceful morning swim. “Shannon, Shannon! It’s opening day!” His feet pattered around on the upper level. “Olidiipo is gonna be so good! Uh, Ugh,” that last part was him lifting his sister out of her crib. I walked to the base of the stairs and observed cautiously as he carried her down.

“Let’s go, let’s go,” Jimsey said enthusiastically.

“Maybe we should eat breakfast,” I suggested. “Maybe you want to get dressed first.”

“Aren’t we gonna tailgate?”

“Later,” I promised. “It’s the first game. I have a lot oversee today. You can come with me to the stadium in about thirty minutes if you want. I can show you around behind the scenes. Show you what your old man does?” I offered. “Daddy Ryan can bring Shannon closer to game time and we’ll eat sandwiches in the parking lot.”

“Really? I can come with you?”

“Of course, but first come have some breakfast.”

Game Day Richard’s Office

“Dad, this is boring,” Jimsey complained.

“You see this screen,” I said turning my monitor so he could see.

“All I see is a empty hallway,” he observed.

“It’s a shot from a security cam,” I explained. “Here’s one you may find more interesting,” I said. I tapped a button on a remote I held in my left hand. A view of the locker room appeared. It was mostly empty, but Olidiipo was sitting on a bench having a solemn conversation with assistant coach Ty Allin.

“Turn up the volume,” Jimsey demanded.

I wasn’t sure what the pair was discussing, but I took the risk and obeyed my son. “I remember my first start as a rookie,” Ty was saying. “I thought I belonged in the ELL, the Starkillers were an GCLA affiliate at the time,” he explained. “I played that season in hopes we’d get promoted, but in case we didn’t I played to get drafted into an ELL line-up. Today you go out there and do the same.”

“I’m already in the ELL,” Olidiipo said in a confidently.

“But you haven’t made it yet,” Ty warned. “You go out there and prove you belong. Score when you can, pass when you need, tackle so your teammates can get open. It’s a team sport, if you play for yourself out there the team doesn’t win.”

Olidiipo didn’t answer, “You got me?” Ty asked.

“Yea, I got you.” Olidiipo answered.

“Good luck out there today,” Ty said giving the young Ithorian a pat on his bony knee.

I turned the volume back down and started to pan through more shots. “Wait,” Jimsey complained. “I wanted to see more locker room stuff.”

“No reason to be too nosy,” I cautioned. “Sounds to me like our assistant coach gives good advice. Besides I’d like to walk the concourse. Taste the nacho’s. Sound good?”

“Okay,” he answered sounding more upbeat.

We walked out into the hallway. We could smell nacho’s, sausages and sweet baked goods. Jimsey and I sampled it all as we walked around. “My father used to walk the stadium before games,” I explained. “You can’t trust your staff or your droids to catch every detail.”

“Why are you telling me this?” He asked as he took a bite of sausage.

“You’re my son, someday I want you to be a part of this. Someday I hope you will want to take over.”

“Really? You’re not gonna give me back to my real dad?”

“Why would you think that?”

“Well you were saying not too long ago that I could go visit him if I wanted. I thought maybe you were trying to get rid of me,” he replied.

I stopped in my tracks. I kneeled down on his level and pulled him close. “Jimsey, I adopted you. I put in days worth of paper work and attended a hearing. If you ever want to reconcile with your dad I think it would be a healthy thing for you to do. But for as long as you’ll have me you are family. You are my son. I just want to give you the option to know your real dad. If it’s something you decide you want to do someday.”

Financial Square Parking Lot Two Hours Until Game Time

“Dad, Dad,” Jimsey ran over towards Ryan. “How’s Shannon? I she ready for the game? Did she take a nap like she was supposed to? Guess what I got to meet Olidiipo! He was really nice. Shook my hand, told me I had a strong grip!”

Ryan couldn’t get a word in. “That’s great champ,” he said finally. “Come try a sandwich I made your favorite.”

I grabbed a sandwich for myself and my young daughter. I took a seat in a fold out chair and propped Shannon on my knee. For 20 minutes I was dad. I pulled small pieces off my sandwich and fed them to my little girl. I looked around and observed other families mostly decked out in orange and blue as they enjoyed time with loved ones. I felt an amazing sense of pride. Winning or losing didn’t matter. What mattered was all these families finding time to spend quality time together. This is what I wanted to promote as owner of the Starkillers.

All too soon it was time to head inside. We packed our gear back in the speeder and an escort came to walk us through the crowd and up to the owner’s box. The teams took the field for warm ups. The butterflies began to fly around in my stomach. Winning wasn’t everything, but I wanted the Starkillers to win. This was not going to be an easy game. The Senators would want another shot at the conference championship and a chance to play for the cup. The journey to those opportunities began here and now.

I was confident in my Coaching staff. I knew we had drafted and signed the right players. I hoped it was enough.

Tag Jedi Gunny

 

IC: Sgt. Rax D’vja
Forward Operating Base(FOB) Rythii, Rydonni Prime

Ten years of war lined the face of Sgt. D’vja and scarred his body. For the majority of that time he lived in a dark, dank cavern underneath what was once a suburb of Ryell. Deep beneath the rubble R.A.I.D. set up FOB Rythii about 75 klicks outside of the capital. They were the main support for S.P.E.A.R. team Rascal and one of the half dozen circling the city. In his years of service to the crown, Rax had certainly found himself living in worse conditions, but never for nearly as long.

Of course the FOB had not always been located underground. In the early days of the rebellion, Rax’s platoon would move from one temporary base to another, as they gained and lost ground against the Governor-General’s forces. Eventually, the available hiding places were reduced to rocks and debris. The rebel cells finally consolidated their forces under the guidance of S.P.E.A.R.

It was ironic really, the same group of people responsible for putting the Governor-General in charge were the one’s working to remove him.

Rax was called into a briefing by Captain Bry Dougant, former Monarch starter and one-time coach for the Byblos Red Wings, to discuss their upcoming plans to move against the city-providences. “Sergeant, have you heard the latest?”

“No sir. I’ve spent the majority of my morning rotation inspecting the rear watchposts.”

In a very matter-of-fact tone the Captain continued, “Solo is going back to a traditional 6-2-6 formation.”

Rax was puzzled at first, trying to remember if he had come across an officer named Solo, when it dawned on him that Dougant was talking Limmie. “Yes, sir, I suspected she would. She always seemed to be a more traditional player.”

“Yeah, she was also a major hardnose and a royal…”

“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I was you Cpt Dougant.”

Both Rax and Bry turned to see Commander Namaryne strutting through the doorway. They snapped to attention and rendered a salute. She ordered them back to at ease. “Gentlemen, it is the start of a new Limmie season and a large number of civilians will be either at the game or gathering near the stadium. What that means for us is that this is the perfect time to probe the outer defenses of the city to find a weakness.”

Rax and Bry moved closer to the small tactical holo-table that dominated the majority of the small briefing room. “Welcome to another season of sticking it to the Governor-General. Let’s make it our last.” The all exchanged a knowing glance before the Commander continued, “So this is what we are going to do…”

TAG: jcgoble3