Star Wars OPEN Elite League Limmie

IC: Gark S'rily
Six Boroughs Stadium, Nar Shadaa

The fans whom had made their way out to Six Boroughs Stadium were in for a real treat. In such an open game as Limmie, the concept of a good old-fashioned shout was highly prized. Although defensive coordinators hated this kind of chess match, the fans certainly loved it, and it kept interest high more than defensive struggles with little scoring. The Coruscant Senators were in one such match during their season opener at Nar Shadaa. The first two minutes had been dull, with both teams not really trying to score quite yet. However, as the game progressed, the points total for both squads changed constantly, both sides putting up large amounts of points.

Moen Heatly appeared to be worth every credit spent on him so far. Changing the offensive look from the season before, with the rookie Narvels looking to pass before anything else, Heatly instead bullrushed many a time, trying to find a way to get the ball into the back of the goal as quickly and as easily as possible. With the Smugglers focusing on him later on in the match, his Senators teammates were opened up for several opportunities each, many of which were converted into points on the board. Devas Billas, the rookie midfielder, had a great Elite League debut; he had laid down several hard hits on foolish opposing players who dared raise his ire. It had been a point in practice to get him to deliver legal hits instead of whatever he could get, and it looked from his play that he had really been paying attention to what was dirty and what was clean.

The part of the team that struggled was the defensive unit. Although Dirxx Horstse, Shev Fil?yer and company were larger than most teams on the Back 6, they were showing signs of rust, and weren?t making as many plays as they could. This caused goalkeeper Tavis Corizyl to be peppered with all kinds of shots, some of which he had no chance to defend. However, unlike in other matches, the Front 6 lived up to expectations to be an improved unit, and thus the match gradually turned into one led by the Senators.

Gark was glad to see the new acquisitions play well. Heatly, as expected, was a real offensive force, and created matchup problems all over the field for the Smugglers. Billas played well by doing the small things right, advancing the ball when necessary and keeping opponents in check. It was surprising that no other major team had come calling for him before the Senators did, and it had so far paid off. The offensive coordinator had drawn up a great game plan, and the players had followed through on it as much as could be expected. Defense, on the other hand, had been porous, an area of the team where the Senators needed to improve. Their opponent in the next match, Raltiir, had hung 38 points on the defending champs AND shut them out in the process. If they could keep that up, the Starkillers could prove to be a real force, especially at home. The defensive coordinator needed to step it up; Allie, although the match had turned out victorious, had probably already made a statement to work out the defensive mistakes in the locker room.

This train of thought reminded Gark that Allie had coached her only match of the season. It had been hard for her to keep up with the team when they burst out of the tunnel onto the field, and the stress involved with being a coach had obviously drained her at an astonishing rate so that she wasn?t up on the sidelines hopping around like she sometimes did, instead sitting down a lot in the final minutes. In Gark?s mind, he knew that she had fulfilled her promise of one match, and that the coaching search would need to reach a consensus soon. Their top candidate, defensive coordinator Aspa Bursya, had had her defense be shredded by the Smugglers Front 6, and it was looking as though adding Head Coach responsibilities might be too much. ?Well, that?s what assistants are for,? Gark said to himself.

Bursya had already been a top candidate for a while to be the next Head Coach, even whe

 

GM Post

Bakura and Coruscant will get bonus rolls this week. But will it make a difference? Let's find out!

Week 2 Results
Nar Shaddaa Smugglers at Kashyyyk Rangers (27-35)
Chandrila Patriots at Ord Mantell Scrappers (23-5)
Coruscant Senators at Ralltiir Starkillers (22-33)
Bakura Miners at Alsakan Flyers (3-9)

The answer, this week, would be a resounding no.

As a reminder to everyone, the first page of our library thread in the Role Playing Resource Forum will have the most up-to-date statistics and standings from the season. Do you know who the best defense in the League is? Is it your team?

Tag: Everyone

 

IC: Owen Narada
Hanna City, Diplomatic Sector, Record Keeping Building

Every time he did this, he felt that the entire room came to a standstill and all eyes were on him, but even that didn't deter him. For at least the twentieth time in one hour, Owen sneaked a peek at his datapad to glimpse his electronic ticket holder confirmation. This act alone made him light up with a smile by pure involuntary reflex. He was going to the game and he just could not wait to get there.

He looked at his Chandrila Patriots action figure next to his terminal and almost let out a cheer.

At that moment, he sensed someone approaching. Owen tried not to react in a surprised manner and give away himself, but the gesture would be a futile one.

"Watcha doing..Barf?" spoke an all too familiar and unwelcomed voice."There's no score for you to check yet?..Barf." The voice stated, mockingly.

Owen winced and kept himself from cringing further. It was Cole Dolan, a former cornelian who lived to annoy other people. Owen shook his head and offered his own jab.

"Transplant. Nice to see you too. Shouldn't you be doing some work at 'your station'? You don't want the PM (Productivity Monitor), to catch you wondering around. Wouldn't look good on your record."

Cole the transplant chuckled derisively, obviously buying time to think of a comeback. The two co-workers locked gazes in a silent match of 'made-you-blink'.

"Nah, me and the PM are tight. No need to be so concerned."

"I'm not." Owen dead panned.

"Just came to give you my condolences. Your team is going to get crushed by Wooki?."

"Thanks." Owen said, cutting off the end of his sentence. " But there's no need to be concerned. The Chandrila Patriots can handle a pack of wookiees on any given day."

"Oh?" said Transplant with a dramatic gesture of surprise. Owen cursed himself. He must have made a mistake somewhere and left himself vulnerable to attack, but he wasn't sure how. He tried not to glare at Cole, but he really couldn't help the extreme feeling of annoyance that now came over him.

"You wouldn't bet on your own team now, would you?" The transplant teased, that sly grin still pasted on his face.

"I don't bet credits?" Owen said curtly.

"Ok. So how about a shave. If the 'Patsies' win?"

"That's Patriots?" Owen interjected with narrowed eyes and a waring tone in his voice. Cole chuckled dismissively.

"Alright. If the 'Patriots' win, I shave my head. If they lose, then you shave yours. And no wearing a cap to hide it either."

"What color cap would you like me to buy you?" Owen retorted. At this point he couldn't help himself. This only seemed to make the transplant happy, as he gave a short laugh.

"I'll take that as a yes." Cole stated with undisguised satisfaction. Someone further down the office called out, looking for Cole. "See you around baldie." He waved mockingly as he walked away. Owen stared at his co-worker's back, wishing he had a few throwing daggers at his disposal.

The end of the work day could not come fast enough.

***************

Game Day?.

Stoney End Park, Hanna City, Chandrila

As expected, the sports stadium was overrun by crowding fans. The whole place was impassable and nearly impossible to navigate, but Owen loved every minute of it. He wore his green jersey and had painted his face as he always did. As he ploddingly made his way to his seat, he'd shaken hands with countless other 'Patriots', sang several Team Songs and even heckled several opponents who dared to wear the opposing team's jersey. This was Green Country!

No matter how many times he'd come to a home game, that feeling always took him over. He was part of something larger than himself. This was his extended family?.sort of. It only happened during game season, but that was ok.

After what looked like forever, Owen finally made it to his seat. Sure, he had 'nose bleed' seats, but at least he was in the park. Fortunately, he had enough credits on him to buy himself some refreshments. He just co

 

IC: Aileen Wynn
Flyer Field, Alsakan

"Bachoo!" Aileen sneezed. After she wiped her nose, she leaned into the microphone and said, "I'm taking five questions today."

Poor Aileen. Not only had the Miners continued their offensive woes, but she was sick too. Not a little sick, but pretty darn sick. She had a head cold that had kept her sitting on the sidelines rather than prowling up and down. Despite a nice day on Alsakan, she'd sweated in her layers that were keeping her warm. Of course, her health wasn't the only reason she was miserable today.

"Aileen, is it troubling that the Miners haven't scored a goal yet this season?" one reporter asked, yelling over his compatriots to get one of the five questions.

"It's not troubling. It's inexcusable. We're going to lose games if we don't score goals. Period," Aileen said, "This is a team that hasn't played good defense historically and we're doing that now. I think that we're doing by adding some speed in the form Inviere and Kashvili into a large defense is a system that other teams are going to try and adopt. However, that system is useless if we don't have the offensive production to back it up."

"Do you think that letting Heatly go was a major mistake? He's having great success integrating seamlessly into the Senators?" another reporter asked.

"I'm not going to comment on Dana's decision-making process, but I am going to say this: Jet was going to get an Elite League contract because of his skills that he showed in the BakTen. He's a competitive guy who wants to start, just as I would if I was in his shoes. A decision had to be made about the future of this franchise. Moen had one year left on his contract. We were able to sign a kid with a lot of promise to a five year contract. This came down to a question of short term versus long term. You make the call you want to make on that one," Aileen said, sniffling throughout. A little cold was not going to keep her from being outspoken.

"What's your biggest priority going into Kashyyyk next week?"

"Kicking this cold. Oh yeah, and scoring some goals," Aileen said.

"Can the Miners still make the playoffs after an 0-2 start?"

"It's not mathematically impossible, so yes, we can. Will we? Ask me after we play the Senators."

"Do you have any comment about losing to a team that got shut out and beat by 35 points last week?"

"Yeah. We didn't do as well as the other guys," Aileen said, "See you on Kashyyyk."

Aileen stood up and as she walked to the door to leave the press room, she sneezed three times.

Tag: No one

 

IC: Gark S'rily
Senators Practice Field

Gark watched as the starters ran another tire drill. They were getting exhausted, and rightfully so; Allie was no longer coach, and her replacement had figured that running more reps would possibly shore up the lack of hustle exhibited at times in both matches. The defense had been bad, giving up the second-most points in the league; the offense was doing well, scoring the second-most points, but a loss to upstart Raltiir had come as a wake-up call to the team that they could not take any team for granted. The players didn't hate their new coach, but felt that they were already playing hard, and that they could shore up the D in-game. Gark wondered how much they could do; Ord Mantell wasn't exactly a poor team, having made the playoffs the year previous, which included a pair of wins over the Senators. This was not only going to be an important match in terms of record, but it was also a game of pride; finally defeating the Scrappers would be a point of emphasis pre-game.

As the starters finishe their drill, they walked over the the water cooler, trying to rehydrate themselves. Brosh We'kyr looked gassed, and he was sweaty all over. Taking a sip of water, the lifelessness in his eyes lessened somewhat, and he began to perk up. Other players seemed to experience the same effect, and in only a few minutes, the team looked a lot more lively than the group who had just been running for two hours straight. But the emphasis was there; beat Ord Mantell, go to 2-1. Lose to the Scrappers, go to 1-2, and possibly go on the road with a 1-3 record if that was followed with a home loss to Kashyyyk. That kind of hole would be too much to come out of, so this was going to be a big match in the early part of the season.

Gark had declined an interview opportunity in order to be here with the team. He hadn't been sure what he would have been asked, but it probably would have had some stuff to do with team goals, and with a new head coach in place, Gark wsn't really sure how to answer those kinds of inqueries. He just hoped that attending practice would give him some ideas; faking their goals on the spot wasn't good for the media or for the organization. It made them look amateurish. So, he decided that watchign first-hand was an important part of the overall experience. He had no idea exactly what to expect coming from his team the coming week, but he hoped that there would be a victory in the near future.

 

GM Post

Bakura, Chandrila, and Coruscant are all bonus rolling this week.

Week 3 Results
Chandrila Patriots at Alsakan Flyers (36-35)
Ralltiir Starkillers at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers (24-6)
Ord Mantell Scrappers at Coruscant Senators (1-40)
Bakura Miners at Kashyyyk Rangers (28-27)

It's a ridiculous blowout, a dominating performance by the League's newcomers, and two nail biters!

Tag: Everyone

 

IC: Aileen Wynn

Last week?s cold had turned into this week?s lost voice. Aileen had lost it the moment she?d set foot on Kashyyyk. Maybe it was the air of this planet, maybe it was the humidity, maybe it was all the fur in the air?who knew. All Aileen knew was that she didn?t have a voice.

The week?s practices had been spent by her madly gesticulating at the team, mouth moving but not a syllable coming out of it, and her assistant coaches doing their best to interpret. It had not been the most orderly practice to say the least.

The condition had persisted through game time as well. She was still stalking the sidelines shouting at everyone as they ran by, but this time no one could hear her.

?Open on the left! Open on the left!? Aileen was trying to tell Kent Waffen.

Waffen neatly passed the bolo-ball up the left side of the field and into the waiting hands of Autumn Graves, who sensing pressure and seeing no one clearly open, neatly kicked the ball with her left foot over the bar for a point.

?Hit him! Hit him!? Aileen shouted at Adanna Inviere.

Inviere delivered an open field tackle on Wrrlobuk that leveled the Wookiee. It was not easy to land a Wookiee on his butt, yet somehow the Hapan did it. The bolo-ball skidded across the turf where Kashvili scooped it up and hurled it up field.

The game was a seesaw battle. Leads weren?t lasting longer than a couple minutes as teams charged, counterattacked, regrouped, and kept going. This one was going to come down to the wire, Aileen could tell. She?d seen enough to know.

?Shoot! Shoot! Shoot you son of a sarlacc!? Aileen yelled at J.T. Adama. She desperately wished she had her voice considering his week 1 performance when he?d blown a chance to win the game and settled for tying.

Adama burst through a pair of Wookiee defenders, using his speed to neutralize their size. It was a one-on-one with the goaltender. Adama moved right, planted his right foot, and reversed left. The goaltender was not so lucky. The bolo-ball whizzed into the completely undefended left corner of the goal.

Bzzzzzt!

Game over. Miners 28, Rangers 27.

?Yes!? Aileen shouted as the team piled onto Adama in celebration.

That day Aileen in her post-win euphoria gave a twenty minute statement to the press after the game, extolling the Miners and their never say die attitude that they demonstrated in the day?s game.

Too bad nobody could hear her.

Tag: Everyone

 

IC: Aileen Wynn
Field, Bakura Gardens, Salis D'aar, Bakura

The press were usually allowed to attend Miner team practices as long as they didn?t make a nuisance of themselves and content themselves with observation rather than grilling the players. Today, however, Aileen was more than happy to see members of the media. At the end of practice she went over to them.

?Since you guys didn?t get a good postgame conference on Kashyyyk, I thought I?d throw you a bone and make a brief statement,? Aileen said, her voice having returned.

?You mean one we can actually hear?? This was met with laughter.

?Obviously it?s the Black and Blue Battle this week and we haven?t beaten the Smugglers in quite some time. I know that people have come to expect this to be Micjaafest for me, but this year the emphasis is totally different for me and this team,? Aileen said.

?Is that because the Smugglers are 0-3??

?If you?re asking whether that?s made this game less important, then no. It?s made this week more dangerous. Nar Shaddaa is now the equivalent of a wounded animal. I say this not out of disrespect, but because I have been where they are right now several times. They need a win?but we can?t forget that we?re desperate too. The Miners have only won once in this stadium since the start of the 262 season. That?s completely unacceptable. I?ve told the players privately that they should be ashamed of how they play at home. I expect better of them and the fans expect better of them. Teams that don?t win at home don?t deserve to win championships. It?s just that simple. You want to be a championship team in this league, you win at home and you beat your rival. It?s just that simple.?

?Last year you lost to the Smugglers on a last-second goal in a high-scoring affair. This year the Miners have had much better defense but had problems getting their scoring going. What are you going to differently this year??

?Oh come on, you want me to make it easy for Tover?? Aileen chided, ?We?ve of course got a lot of tape on the Smugglers and I have a long history on Tover. Our file?s pretty thick, but I?m sure he?ll try to find ways to surprise us. What I know for certain is that he is not going to take this lying down. These are the Smugglers guys. The Crew is not the most forgiving fanbase in the galaxy. The pressure is really going to be on them.?

?Do you think that your rookies are starting to get a feel for the game after the win at Kashyyyk??

?Jet and Mira are definitely improving with each game. I?m more concerned with seeing continued growth out of our sophomores. When you think about the fact we?ve got six players with under two years of Elite League experience, that?s a scary thought. But if you think about how well they?ve done, I think there?s a bright future for this team and that future can begin this week if we work our tails off to get there,? Aileen said, ?I?m not saying that our kids are complete players, but we have a very talented group of players here. Dana knows how to recruit and who?s going to work well in the system. We sign players to fit specific needs and they understand that. Autumn is an excellent example. Obviously Dorf?s play has gotten a lot of attention with the Ingbrand, but he?s been beautifully supported by his fellow half forward.?

?Elke Andwol was atrocious against the Smugglers last year, any concerns about him??

?He was only slightly worse than Meredith Chambers. Are you going to ask Tover the same question about his franchise goalie? I didn?t think so,? Aileen retorted.

Tag: Liam

 

IC: Rhia Grames
Nar Shaddaa Smuggler Press Conference

"I have heard nothing of the sort from Coach Micjaa regarding these rumors about benching our star goalie Meredith Chambers. I refuse to pin the blame of three consecutive losses on the shoulders of one woman when the blame must be squarely placed upon the defensive unit as a whole," Rhia Grames replied with a bit of an acid tone as reporters continued to hammer the General Manager of the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers for answers as to the surprising 0-3 start of the storied franchise.

"Would you say, given the 0-3 start, that the recruiting system you helped implement on Nar Shaddaa is overdue for an overhaul? I mean, how much talent can you possibly procure from Nar Shaddaa when there are schools with prestigious histories that produce athletes of notable talent on plenty of other worlds outside of the Vertical City?" One reporter asked, the annoying Duros that routinely enjoyed attempting to get a rise out of the Nar Shaddaa Smuggler's front office.

"Our system is not perfect but it has guaranteed a level of success that has been unparalleled for the franchise in recent years. Through our recruiting system, the Smugglers have been to two Galactic Cups, won one of them, and remained a contender each and every year since the 255 season. Success, ladies and gentlemen, is what I strive for. Are we in a hole? You bet. Is our season done? Far from it," Grames replied.

"Do you feel that anyone on the roster should be benched as you prepare for the Black and Blue battle?" Another reporter inquired.

"No, I do not feel that way at all. Our team, over the years, has developed a level of chemistry and cohesion on the pitch that cannot be matched by any club in the galaxy. Now, that's a bold statement to make, but I wouldn't be making it if I didn't firmly believe that this squad, no matter where the criticism comes from, can be successful. We've lost some close games, and got blown out by Ralltir, congratulations to them, I can guarantee that will not be repeated. As for the Black and Blue battle, let's make one thing clear: We are in it to win. We will play our hearts out and nobody should underestimate this team, nobody," Grames announced, her tone firm and direct.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more important matters to do, like helping this team secure a victory against the Bakura Miners," Grames grumbled, departing the conference room to head to the practice facilities.

 

IC: Owen Narada
Hanna City, Diplomatic Sector, Record Keeping Building

It occurred to Owen that he would have to learn to incorporate some Limmie techniques at the office.

For the past week Owen had to do not only his own work load, but Cole's as well. The loser was on sick leave, or so he claimed. That scoundrel had managed to rob Owen of his victorious moment, when Cole showed up to work balder than a Bith. How did he ever end up stuck with that sleemo's work load anyway?

He'd have to figure something out, but well, in the end, it didn't matter. The Chandrila Patriots were at the top of their game, and nothing could make Owen happier than that; the thought alone made him smile.

Without realizing it, Owen checked his chrono once again. Darn! One and a half hours left until lunch. The day was certainly dragging. Well, it certainly felt that way since he was itching to check the Limmie score boards at that time. Not that anything had changed since he checked it this morning, but it was just habit. Besides, he got so see game highlights, replays and listen to game conferences. Those always seemed like coded messages to him for some reason, funny as it sounded.

"Here's another stack?"

Owen's smile faded as another stack of Cole's files were placed on his desk. He didn't even look up, as he tried not to shake his head. Yeah, Owen definitely needed to bring Limmie to the office. Somehow, Cole managed to score a 'goal' on him, and that had to be corrected.

"Try to get it all done before your lunch break." the familiar-yet far away and disembodied sounding voice of the office assistant said.

Owen simply nodded. The green rancor inside him had been roused, so yeah?.they didn't have to worry about him finishing this new stack.

As he prepared to go into overdrive in order to finish all his assignments by the stipulated time, a small smile came over Owen's face.

Yeah, let the games begin.

**************
OOC: RLthulu!! is REAL Aiiieeeeeee!!!

 

IC: Gark S'rily
Coruscant

"We were able to get her in for emergency surgery to help swelling on her brain," the doctor finally said after several moments of awkward silence. "However, we were very close to losing her at least once, and she appears to be in a coma. There is nothing we can do to wake her up right now, and we've tried everything. Sorry." With that, he walked out, leaving the several people in the room miffed. It had not been a good four hours since the news broke that Aspa Bursya, the Defensive Coordinator, and two other staff personnel had been involved in a head-on collision somewhere in Midtown Coruscant, their speeder smashed all the way through, and the front of the vehicle pushed in towards the rear, trapping the three occupants. It had been a gruesome sight on the HoloNet, and Gark had made his way to the hospital as soon as he had seen the news.

Finally, one of the people in the room spoke. "So now what? The coach is down and out for who knows how long. We're running out of options."

"Who cares about Limmie right now?" said another person. "It's a battle for life and death! If she survives, it will be a victory more meaningful than any old Limmie match!"

Gark reasoned that they both had a point. Aspa was already the interim coach in Allie Orchetrada's absence, and now losing her was a really hard thing to swallow. Kashyyyk was coming to town to play in two days' time; how was he supposed to find a coach by then? But, her overall health and state of mind was also an important factor; this went beyond the game of Limmie entirely, down to the morals that supposedly kept society standing upright. He knew that he shouldn't think about sports before someone's life, but he was now thrust into a difficult position; who would be coach? Would Aspa be all right? How were the other victims doing? How would the fans react? All of these questions floated in his head, giving him a slight headache.

Fifteen more minutes passed before an aide came into the room to ask if anyone wanted to come stay with Aspa, even though she would not even recongize their presence. Gark felt an obligation to go, but he also realized that the team really needed him to act. However, Gark was not a strict businessman. Maybe other GMs wouldn't really care about the well-being of team members. But Gark was different; when several players had gotten injured the season before, he had taken the time to visit them, to make them feel that the team was more of a family than just a sports franchise. And the players had reacted; they had not given up. The grit they had shown in the first three games was amazing, even though Raltiir had deflated them a bit. So, deciding that family was more important than business, Gark decided to go with the crowd down to Intensive Care.

As soon as the doors opened to the IC unit, Gark realized that this was not going to be easy to swallow. Several other people lay motionless in beds standing in two rows along the wall. Some had curtains around them, probably meaning that someone was dying, and they wanted to spare the others of the gruesome sight of death. It was not something anyone wanted to see, but the group knew that they needed to come. It was an obligation, and a part of the Senators mantra. The aide motioned to a nearby bed, where Aspa lay, her eyes closed, hardly breathing. Next to her sat one of the other victims, one of his eyes swollen and full of puss. However, he looked awake, and then it hit Gark that it was the Offensive Coordinator. This was even worse; both Coordinators were down. "That speeder came from out of nowhere," he commented. "It hit us, and then the craft started to compact. My eye was nailed by the headlight coming loose, and it's swelling really badly. Don't know how many things I broke, though."

"Take it easy," Gark said. It was cliche, but there was nothing he could do. He was not a medical expert.

"How's she doing?" the Coordinator said, motioning his head towards Aspa's bed before cringing in pa

 

GM Post

Bakura, Chandrila, Coruscant, and Nar Shaddaa all have big games this week and they've appropriately prepared with bonus rolls!

Week 4 Results
Kashyyyk Rangers at Coruscant Senators (30-40)
Nar Shaddaa Smugglers at Bakura Miners (2-15)
Ralltiir Starkillers at Chandrila Patriots (10-5)
Ord Mantell Scrappers at Alsakan Flyers (21-6)

Tag: Everyone

 

IC: Aileen Wynn
Bakura Gardens, Salis D?aar, Bakura

?Teams that don?t win at home don?t deserve to win champions.?

For an organization that was thought of as part of ?the Big Four?, that statement was clearly a challenge to an establishment that thought it was working. The composition of the so-called Big Four was considered a relatively stable group as most sports observers. In the past it had been Bakura, Chandrila, Mon Calamari, and Nar Shaddaa, four teams with strong fanbases that were more or less perennial contenders. With Mon Calamari?s self-imposed relegation to the Premier League, a resurgent Coruscant team had stepped up to the plate to become a legitimate member of the Big Four.

It was a point of pride for Bakura to be included in this number. The population numbers alone told the tale.

Coruscant: 1 trillion beings
Nar Shaddaa: 85 billion beings
Chandrila: 1.2 billion beings
Bakura: 100 million beings

That meant that Coruscant had 142 billion beings for every championship they?d won in the modern era. Nar Shaddaa had 12 billion per championship and Chandrila had 171 million.

Bakura had one championship for every 16.7 million people. It was the story of Bakura: a small people with big ideas of who they were. And they did not like being told that they didn?t deserve to win championships.

Of course, Aileen wouldn?t have said it if she hadn?t known she?d been right. And since she was right, that meant that the Miners could only prove they were for real by doing one thing: winning at home.

Aileen knew the Smugglers well. It wasn?t just that she?d played the team enough times to have a pretty large playbook on Tover, but these were the exact same Smugglers she?d almost beaten last year. Exactly the same. To a being, there was not one single change in the starting lineup. As much as coaches talked about dynamic teams, Aileen looked at it more as a math problem. When given a static set of elements, there were only a certain number of permutations that one could achieve given that set. In more relevant terms: the Smugglers had the same team as they did last year, there were only so many options that they had when it came to plays because of the physical limitations of each player.

The Miners, on the other hand, had injected Kashvili and Adama into their roster and they too had a limited set of options. However, the difference was that Aileen Wynn knew that Tover?s were and Tover didn?t know what her?s were.

Sure enough, Adama and Kashvili were the biggest X factors in the game. The Smugglers only had three weeks of tape on them. They didn?t know what the Miners? rookies were going to do. The Smugglers covered Montador effectively all game long because they knew her tendencies, but when Jet Adama faked going right, then planted his right foot and went left, he left the Smuggler defender three steps behind him.

Adama put up two goals on Meredith Chambers as a result and the second goal resulted in a celebration dance that got his head coach glowering at home. She immediately pulled Adama from the game and benched him for the remainder of the second half, but not before she chewed him out well and good.

?You don?t pull juvenile Sithspit like that!? she shouted at Jet, ?You?re better than that! You?re an Adama for Force sake! You do that again and I will bench you for an entire game, so help me Maker! That is a disrespect to your teammates!?

?I was only trying to give the fans something to cheer about,? Adama mumbled.

?Then focus on scoring goals! That?ll be enough for them,? Aileen said as she turned away in disgust.

Then again, rookies could be such a pain in the butt to deal with sometimes. Maybe the Smugglers kept their roster the same because they didn?t want the headaches that Aileen had.

Tag: Liam

 

IC: Rhia Grames

Rhia Grames sat alone, a stiff drink in one hand, aboard a very quiet Nar Shaddaa Smuggler team shuttle.

Her mind mulled over the stinging 2-15 loss to the Bakura Miners. Hashed and re-hashed, analyzed and re-analyzed, hoping that some solution to the Nar Shaddaa Smuggler's troubling 0-4 start to the season could be remedied by some stroke of brilliance on her part. After all, weren't these losses her fault? She had declared this season that the roster would not be touched. Why tamper with a good thing? That had been the theory before the losses piled up and the doubts crept in.

Maybe my system has a few flaws. Maybe I made a big mistake this year by keeping the roster so static. So predictable. Aileen Wynn didn't have to prepare at all for us. She knew what was coming. Knew that there were not any intangibles. Nothing that might develop that she or any other coach in the Elite League hadn't seen before from us Grames thought, taking a long sip of her drink, enjoying the alcohol as it flowed through her blood.

"Mrs. Grames?" A female voice inquired.

Grames' misty eyes looked up from boring a hole in the forward bulkhead of the team shuttle and caught the pleasant face of Smuggler Team Captain Corrie Andersen.

"Mind if I sit down?" Andersen asked.

"Yeah, go ahead," Grames mumbled, setting aside her drink and clasping her hands together.

Silence. Both women knew what was on their minds but neither was sure how to broach the subject.

"So.."

"I was..."

They looked at each other, smiled, laughed. Grames conceded. "You first."

"I want you to know that being 0-4 isn't acceptable to anyone on the roster. Each week we try really hard out there and the forces in this galaxy decided that our effort wasn't enough. I take full responsibility for the team's terrible performances, Mrs. Grames. You chose me to be the Team Captain, and, well, I haven't been the leader I should be out there on the field. I understand if at the end of the season, certain changes need to be made," Andersen said, her voice a bit shaky.

Grames smiled and took another sip of her drink. "You think I'd let talent like you fall into the clutches of another team? Forget it. You took this squad to the Galactic Cup last year. Went up against the very best and gave it your all. Heck, Corrie, every game this season I've seen you out there making plays. If there's blame to be had for the Smugglers, it starts up top, with the front office, with me. We've grown predictable. We're yesterday's news to the galaxy. I wasn't bold enough in the off season to acquire fresh talent. I won't make that mistake again. I thought we had the right level of chemistry, thought we could just pick up where we left off last year, but maybe I just am getting too old for all of this."

"Come on, Mrs. Grames, you placed your faith in all of us. We believe in you. The system is fine. Sure, maybe we're not playing as best as we have been, but when you introduced the 'go-local' approach many years ago, you brought a level of consistency and energy that had been lacking from this franchise. I remember as a teenager watching that 255 season, you know which one," Andersen paused, looked at Grames who nodded slowly. "The next year the team went 6-1."

"Lost in the playoffs for the next several season too, if I remember," Grames announced rather darkly, the alcohol effecting her now.

"Yeah, well, can't win them all. Teams still respect this franchise, Mrs. Grames. We can still finish strong. If we don't, well, there's always next year," Andersen said, standing up to stretch.

"Next year there may be a few new faces on the roster," Grames replied.

"Then it'll be up to the veterans to show them the ropes, won't it?" Andersen shot back, patting her General Manager on the shoulder as she returned to her seat.

"I suppose so," Grames admitted, glancing down at her drink, suddenly not wanting any more.

 

GM Post
OOC: Just to get an ?outside? perspective for you guys.

The theme music plays as the Holonet Sports Network feed clicks in across holoprojectors throughout the galaxy.

?Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good day, good night, good whatever time of day it is on your planet wherever you are in the galaxy! It?s HSN?s Elite League Today, the galaxy?s most popular show that takes you further in depth than any other programming in the universe! I?m Flork Aberjeen,? the Bith sportscaster said, ?and today I?m joined by my colleague Jalissa Umbaro and we?re going to break down all the biggest stories now that we?re halfway through the Elite League season. Jalissa, where do we begin??

?Well Flork,? the female Arhan began, ?Obviously the biggest story has got to be the Ralltiir Starkillers who have burst into the Elite League with an impressive 4-0 mark after knocking off the other undefeated team coming into Week 4, the Chandrila Patriots. Nobody?s made this much of a splash in the Elite League since the Kashyyyk Rangers back in 260.?

?I think some folks on Alsakan would like to point out their 262 campaign was pretty darn impressive,? Flork said.

?Fiddlesticks!? Jalissa replied, ?The Flyers only went 4-3 in 262 and already the Starkillers have that many wins. These guys are taking Elite League Limmie by storm. I think it?s absolutely great that Commissioner Kayl?hen decided to revive this traditional Limmie market rather than go to some non-starter ?expansion? market like a certain former Commissioner. I won?t name names, but it might rhyme with Spendan. I mean the Rattatak Sea Devils? Ick!?

?League politics aside, the Starkillers are, without question, the most dynamic team in the League,? Flork agreed, ?Their defense has been absolutely stifling and I think that the team who can figure out how to beat it could be on an inside track for the championship.?

?I think that goes without saying. Unfortunately for the Patriot Nation, it?s not them,? Jalissa said, ?Everybody was thinking that we?re returning to the glory days of the Patriots but it looks like that delusion is over. Now they?ve got to take on Coruscant, Bakura, and Nar Shaddaa. The Smugglers will probably be a pushover this year and the Patriots will take the Cleats of Glory back, but they can?t play with the Seantors and Bakura?s not to be messed with.?

?Don?t you think you?re overreacting a bit Jalissa??

?Nope. Gentlebeings of the galaxy, I?d like to report that at 60 minutes played of Week 4, the Chandrila Patriots? hopes of a championship were officially pronounced dead. They will be greatly missed,? Jalissa said.

?Well let?s talk about Coruscant then. They?ve been absolutely rocked this season by coaching changes and tragedy,? Flork said, ?Personally, I think it?s astounding that they?ve scored 80 points in two weeks.?

?Obviously that?s impressive. Nobody?s ever scored 80 points in two weeks?EVER in Elite League history. They keep this up and they could be one of the all time great offenses. The only problem is getting them to play defense! I thought they were supposed to have some hot young goalie but apparently that?s not true,? Jalissa said.

?I think you?re being a bit hard on them, Jalissa,? Flork replied, ?It?s amazing, given what they?ve accomplished, that they?re 3-1 right now. I mean, seriously?Coruscant would be my top choice for the Langann Award, but there?s nobody to award it to! I mean, I guess you could give it to Gark S?rily. He?s really the only thing that?s keeping that team together at a management level.?

?Well I know one team that?s completely overrated and that?s the Bakura Miners. They?re throwing parties because they?re 2-2. Whoop-di-friggin-doo. A herd of nerfs could be 2-2 right now in the League. There?s absolutely nothing special about the Miners this season. Getting rid of Moen Heatly is going to be a move that hurts them for years to come. I think they?ve effectively taken themselves out of championship contention. Just look at t

 

IC: Owen Narada
At Home

Wow.

Owen couldn't possibly remember the last time he'd been this furious. Like, seriously furious. Stunned into deathly silence by what he'd just witnessed, he could do nothing else but throw himself on his cot. He gazed up at his ceiling, but focused on nothing as he stared into space, completely unable to stop his mind from reliving this current nightmare.

He'd watched the game replay of the Senators and the Rangers with disbelieving eyes. The emotional roller-coaster he had been put through had drained him. 30-40! what an amazingly intense game!! That was LIMMIE!!

It was so hard to honestly admire a rival team without feeling some measure of guilt, especially during some spectacular plays, and there were plenty of those. Every time the Rangers would take the lead, the Senators would come out of nowhere and steal it right back. It was quite incredible to behold.

But what hurt the most, in ways he could not describe in words was the humiliation the Patriots suffered at the hands of the Starkillers.

It was just too surreal, and not to mention down right heart-breaking. Couldn't anyone see that the entire Starkiller team was juiced with performance drugs? No one got to shove wookies around like they were rag-dolls if they weren't zooted with enhancers or powered prosthetics.

The whole experience had left him numb all over. Owen was actually still in denial, until he switched channels and watched HSN's Elite League Today.

That was a very big mistake.

But as much as he flared in anger and wanted to turn off the program, he just couldn't do it. Oh, how he seethed and glared at Jalissa Umbaro, that Death-stick addicted Hutt Slave reject!

Why hadn't anyone shot her by now?

?Everybody was thinking that we?re returning to the glory days of the Patriots but it looks like that delusion is over."

Oh, how those words had stung.His balled fist had ached to hit something solid. 'Delusion'? What did she know!? she was just a puppet commentator!

But if she was wrong, why was he so angry with her?

"The Starkillers are, without question, the most dynamic team in the League.?

Oh, was she now their personal on-air cheerleader? She wasn't reporting the facts, she was selling a product!!

Her comments about all the other teams had been so negative. What a polarizing killjoy!! She just had to be on the Starkiller pay roll?.*sigh*

?Are there any Limmie teams you actually like Jalissa?? Flork had asked.

?GOOOOOO STARKILLERS!? came Jalissa's sycophantic response. It was a disgusting and embarrassing public display.

For a brief second, he thought about blogging a response blasting her, but such attacks were vehemently frowned upon.

But now, thankfully it was over. So why did he still feel like he'd been dropped in Bantha Poodoo.

UGH!!

Getting depressed over such news seemed weak and pathetic, but he couldn't help it. Perhaps it was best to call out from work tomorrow. Use a sick day, maybe. He'd have to check.

And if so, maybe it was time he looked into getting some professional help. His fanaticism was making him lose sleep.

But he couldn't give up Limmie. Everything else just paled in comparison?.

"Get some sleep Owen, you'll be fine in the morning?" Owen told himself.

Needing no further encouragement, Owen turned around and closed his eyes, and softly hummed to himself 'Wearing of the green', before falling asleep.

 

GM Post

Bakura, Chandrila, and Nar Shaddaa are bonus rolling it up this week! This week I've decided to give you each some headlines about the week's game. Let me know if you like these or if you'd prefer to just come up with your own.

Week 5 Results
SMUGGLERS' WOES CONTINUE AS OFFENSE STALLS AGAIN
Alsakan Flyers at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers (19-7)
SHOCKING UPSET: MINERS RIP STARKILLER DEFENSE
Bakura Miners at Ralltiir Starkillers (33-20)
RANGERS OUTMUSCLE SCRAPPERS IN SECOND HALF FOR THE WIN
Kashyyyk Rangers at Ord Mantell Scrappers (16-10)
PATRIOTS SILENCE SENATORS' OFFENSE TO SNAP REVOLUTIONARY WAR LOSING STREAK
Coruscant Senators at Chandrila Patriots (11-21)

Tag: Everyone!

 

OOC: I'm a complete noob here, so please bear with me as I get used to this. To Trieste: let me know if there's any problem with the reference to Tan Strensky I inserted (third paragraph of the bio).

---

[b]GM Approved[/b]

Character Sheet
Team: [b][color=blue]Euceron[/color] [color=white]Storm[/color][/b]
Name: Marte Nalo
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Birth year: 223
Physical appearance: 5'11", large muscular frame, brown hair, light skin
Homeworld: Frego
Relation to Team: Head Coach

Biography: A standout limmie midfielder in high school, Marte's skills didn't translate well to the college field, where he spent more time on the bench than he did on the field. After graduating with a degree in criminal justice, Marte had given up on limmie and was preparing to enroll in the police academy when the Chandrila Patriots surprised him with a contract offer. Marte jumped at the chance and signed a four-year deal with the Patriots, beginning play for them in 246.

In the pros, he spent even more time on the bench than he did in college. Never one to just sit and watch, Marte did what he had done while on the bench in college: he analyzed the game and pretended he was the head coach, making a list of changes that he would make to the team if he were the coach. Though he sometimes suggested these changes to the real coaches, he was ignored until the offensive coordinator, stumped as to what caused a complete meltdown of the offense in the last regular season game, sarcastically asked Marte what he would do. Marte pointed out the problem, and after rewatching the broadcast of the game, the offensive coordinator realized he was right. The OC took his advice on how to solve it, and it paid off with a big win in the first round of the playoffs. The Patriots would go on to the Galactic Cup Final before losing to Corulag, though Marte would watch the final from the hospital after a speeder accident.

A few days after the final, the GM visited him in the hospital. Expecting to be cut from the team for lack of performance, Marte was surprised when the GM told him that the team's offensive coordinator had been hired by another team and had recommended him for the job. The GM made him an offer: hang up his cleats and take the position of offensive coordinator for the remaining three years on his contract. Marte agreed, and the next year, he helped lead the Patriots to a 34?32 victory in the Galactic Cup Final. When his contract expired, he received several offers for head coach positions with Premier League teams and, knowing that the Patriots head coach position had recently been locked up long-term by Hall of Famer Tan Strensky, decided to take an offer from the Euceron Storm.

Over the next fifteen years, he coached the Storm to several Premier League Championships. However, Euceron was seemingly ignored by Elite League Commissioner Crendan, possibly due to Marte's notorious inability to control his anger and frustration, for which he had been fined several times and suspended once. With a new commissioner taking office in 262, Marte hoped that the Storm would finally be noticed, but a series of losing seasons in the early 260s initially prevented that. Finally, another excellent season in the Premier League in 264 got them noticed, and the Euceron Storm is finally in the Elite League for the first time in the team's history, where Marte hopes to claim his second Galactic Cup Championship and his first as a head coach.

[hr]
Team Sheet:
Home Field: Euceron Stadium, which was originally built as "Stadium One" in 27 BBY for the Galactic Games held the following year and has been upgraded and modified so many times over the years that not one piece of the stadium that hosted the opening ceremonies for those Galactic Games remains. Due to the home crowd's tendency to get so loud that seismographs at the nearby university register groundquakes, the stadium has been nicknamed the "Thunder Bowl".
General Manager: Mellena Loia (Human, Female)
Head Coach: Marte Nalo (Human, Male)
Goalkeeper: Renica Nerik (Human, Female)
Right Corner Bac

 

GM Post

OOC: As you've all seen by now, we have a new team in the League! However, with 264 not yet done, things will be a bit different until 265 rolls around. Therefore, here's a little secondary storyline for everyone to watch until the end of the season!

Elite League Limmie is the pinnacle of bolo-ball. It features the finest players and teams that the galaxy has to offer. Even so, it does not encompass all of the sport.

Below the Elite League is the oft-overlooked Premier League, a 30 team association that has an even greater reach throughout the galaxy. Here play the teams that, for whatever reason, fall just short of making the cut. Some were once longtime members of the Elite League, like the Tatooine Sandskimmers, the Denon Demons, and the Corellia Rebels. Others have bounced back and forth, like the Ithor Herders, Bothawui Spies, and Adumar Aces. Then there are those who have never made the cut: the Bastion Commandos, the Alzoc III Avalanche, and the Agamar Packers.

The fight to win the Premiership is a brutal and tough battle, for the winners are on the inside track to the Elite League?if there is a vacancy. Even then, entry is tough. The status quo in the Elite League is powerful as half the slots are dominated by ?the Big Four?: Bakura, Chandrila, Coruscant, and Nar Shaddaa. Turnover in the other half of the League can be sparse and for over a dozen years Commissioner Crendan preferred to create expansion teams rather than promote from the Premier League.

But Crendan is out and Niakara Kayl?hen is in. In just three years, Kayl?hen has shown a propensity to choose successful franchises from the Premier League and integrate them into the Elite League. The results speak for themselves.

In 261, the Alsakan Flyers won the Premiership. They were invited to join the Elite League in 262, went 4-3 and played the Semifinal that year. In 263, the Flyers went 6-1 and won the Galactic Cup.

In 262, the Ord Mantell Scrappers won the Premiership. They joined the Elite League, went 3-4 and played the Semifinal that year.

In 263, the Ralltiir Starkillers won the Premiership. They came into the Elite League and promptly went 4-1 to start the 264 season, blowing out reigning champion Alsakan and then perennial powerhouses Coruscant, Nar Shaddaa, and Chandrila in four straight weeks.

The message is clear: winning the Premiership is now a ticket to the Elite League. In fact, even Kuat, the 262 runners-up to Ord Mantell, even made the Elite League that year. Everyone has taken notice and now the games are that much fiercer. With the 264 regular season coming to a close, the 30 teams of the 6 conferences of the Premier League will soon be whittled down to 16. The conference champions will automatically receive the top 6 seeds and home field advantage for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs.

This season, a final game showdown between the Bothawui Spies and the Euceron Storm at Euceron Stadium will decide which team will put the 264 Mid Rim Conference Champion banner in the rafters of their stadium.

Premier League, Mid Rim Conference Standings
1) Bothawui Spies (5-1)
2) Euceron Storm (4-2) [jcgoble3, Marte Nalo (head coach)]
3) Ithor Herders (2-4)
4) Sabilon Skookumchucks of Glee Anselm (2-4)
5) Druckenwell Marksmen (1-5)

 

IC: Aileen Wynn
Esselian National Bank, Cambrielle, Ralltiir

In the first four weeks of the season, the Ralltiir Starkillers allowed only 33 points, including one shutout of the defending champions.

Aileen Wynn put that many up on them in just one game.

The Starkillers had been just that, slayers of some of the League?s most prominent teams. A middle of the pack organization like the 2-2 Bakura Miners stood no chance against Ralltiir as the conventional wisdom went. However, Aileen Wynn was a student of history. She knew that just because a team should win didn?t mean they were going to win. The number of Commissioner?s Trophy-winning teams that didn?t even make it to the Galactic Cup Final was large.

Accordingly, before the game, Aileen Wynn addressed the team.

?Right now, the Starkillers are sitting in their locker room with big, smug grins on their faces,? Aileen told her team, ?They?re looking forward to another walk in the frigging park. They?re sitting there thinking, ?These Miners are going to be a joke. Their offense sucks. Our defense is going to be able to go on cruise control against them.? What they?re not thinking about is the fact that we?ve got an underrated front three, the best frigging half forward line in the game, and we play some damn fine defense!?

There were some assorted, ?Yeahs!? and other affirmations from the team.

?I don?t care if you win or lose this game, but go out there and make it hurt. Make them wish that they?d never even heard of the Bakura Miners,? Aileen said, ?Do that and I?ll be proud of you all.?

And did the Miners ever make it hurt that day. Naonel, Montador, and Adama combined for two goals apiece and a total of 21 points as they spread the offensive attack around that day. Graves, Talran, and Landa pitched in for 17 assists as they cleared the way down the field. When the Miners had a 30-18 lead with ten minutes left in the game, Aileen Wynn grabbed a pair of macrobinoculars and scanned the opposing sideline to find her counterpart. The look of shock on his face at his vaunted defense being ripped to shreds was priceless.

Knocking off a 4-0 team, especially one that had been so dominant had been a jubilant moment for the Miners. When the horn sounded for the end of the game, everyone rushed together on the field and celebrated, Aileen among them. They had responded to her challenge admirably and she was proud of them. The long flight back to Bakura had started off just as exuberant, but soon the players drifted into sleep as fatigue finally caught up with them.

Tomorrow was a day off for the team from practice, but it wasn?t a day off for Aileen. Chandrila was this week. She?s smoked the Patriots at Stoney End last year by 30 points in a 33-3 rout. They were going to be hopping mad at her and the Miners? struggles at home would only encourage the Patriots to rough her team up. She was going to need to figure out how to follow up a victory against a team that had been 4-0 with a victory against a team who was currently 4-1.

It would be no small task and Aileen needed some caf before she could even begin that process. Today she wasn?t feeling like the stuff they kept in the Miners? office so she popped out to one of the tapcafes nearby so maybe she could stay awake long enough to get a start on her gameplan.

That turned out to be a very fateful decision in the life of Aileen Wynn.

Just when she?d gotten her caf, she turned to get some sweetner to make it drinkable when she nearly spilled the steaming hot liquid all over a man coming right at her.

?Holy?!? Aileen said, ?I almost gave you some very nasty burns.?

?Have to be careful with that stuff,? the man said, ?It?s not for the faint of heart.?

?It needs to be. You?d think after this week I?d be pumped up, but I?m just about falling asleep here,? Aileen said.

?Oh? Big week?? the man asked. Aileen noticed it was a genuine question, which was odd. Bakura was nuts about Limmie. People usually knew who she was when she met them in

 

IC: Marte Nalo

Location: Practice field, Eusebus, Euceron
Time: 1539, 5 days before home game against Spies

Eurkett Nan'sar received the pass from Gorrrump and drove the bolo-ball up the field, dodging the team's other two Wookiees as Marte watched from the sidelines. Two days earlier, the Storm had suffered its second loss of the season at the hands of the Ithor Herders by a score of 32?29, and Marte had been livid. He had yelled in the faces of his defenders in front of every fan in the stands and made such a scene that it was rumored that the league was considering disciplinary sanctions against him. What a stupid idiot I am, thought Marte. I hope I don't get suspended again, especially with this big game coming up. Shifting his attention back to the practice field, Marte saw that goalkeeper Renica Nerik was out of position?the same problem that had essentially given the Herders two free goals in the last game.

"Renica! What have I been trying to tell?" Marte began to scream, then stopped as Eurkett casually kicked the ball into the undefended goal. "Sithspit! When is that girl going to learn?" Marte said, more to himself than anyone else. Renica was the newest player on the team, having been claimed off waivers after the second game of the season when Raynah Lor'syk, the Storm's original goalkeeper, went down with a season-ending, if not career-ending, head injury. Marte was now seeing why the Agamar Packers had released Renica in the first place; since she had taken over in the goal, the Storm had given up at least 24 points in every game. Only a strong offense had allowed them to work their way to a 4?2 record.

Marte blew his whistle and called the team over to the sidelines. "That's it for practice today," he told them. "It's hot out here, and I don't want anybody getting heatstroke. Tomorrow's forecasted to be a lot cooler, so get plenty of sleep tonight because we may take advantage of that with an extended practice session tomorrow." Several players groaned, but Marte ignored them. "Renica, I want to talk to you. Everybody else is dismissed for the day."

As the rest of the players filed back to the locker room, Renica stood where she was, fidgeting. When they were the only two left on the field, Marte abruptly turned to her and yelled, "What the kriff do you think you're doing out there?! You left that goal wide open again!"

"But?"

"But nothing!" Renica recoiled at this response, and Marte stopped to take a deep breath. Get ahold of yourself, he thought. You're losing control again. After a few breaths, he continued, this time trying to remain calm. "You and I both know that that your play out there would barely be acceptable on a college team, never mind a pro team. The only reason you're still playing for us?scratch that, playing for anybody, is that we haven't been able to find a replacement yet. When we do, you're gone. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed." Marte looked away and began gathering up his things as Renica ran back to the locker room. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"I've got good news and bad news." Marte turned around to see the Storm's general manager, Mellena Loia, walking up to him. "Which do you want first?"

Marte suspected he knew what the bad news was. I've probably been suspended. "Let's get the bad news out of the way."

"You've been fined 25,000 credits, suspended for one game, and placed on probation for the rest of the season for that outburst after the Herders game."

"Great."

"It's worth noting that the disciplinary committee was split three to two on the matter of the suspension, though."

"Good. That means I might have a chance on appeal." Marte sighed. "What's the good news?"

"The Spies waived Sailan Lukvam."

Marte's jaw dropped. This wasn't just good news, it was doubly good news. Sailan Lukvam was the Spies star goalkeeper. Now, not only would the Storm likely be facing a less experienced and skilled goalkeeper when the weekend rolled around, but if t

 

IC: Gark S?rily

Gark wasn?t sure how the team would take it. After the accident which had cost the team both of its coordinators, they had been in limbo without a coach. The assistants had helped lead the team the week before, but it had been a short week, and the players already had their gameplan down. This week was different; play Chandrila on the road without a stable coaching staff. The search to find an interim coach had failed, and although several candidates hadn?t been taken off the board, the details of the job in that situation were complicating the process. Thus, Gark knew that he had to take the next step. Although he had never played Limmie before, he was going to be the coach for at least the Revolutionary War match against Chandrila. He had several long nights in which he had poured over Limmie footage from past years, trying to make sense of the coaching lingo and what it led to on the field. Allie Orchetrada, the former Senators coach currently on maternity leave, hadn?t responded to his calls, leaving him to figure everything out by himself. It had been a long week.

For starters, he had watched at least half of the game replays of Senators matches in which he had been GM. He studied Allie?s gameplans as the players moved around on the field, trying vainly to understand if there was some semblance of play-calling to the game or if it was just to ?wing it?. Obviously there was a game plan, but Gark didn?t understand the finer points, and thus was forced to watch more game film in order to try and make sense of it all. He had finally turned off the stream of footage the day before, tired of watching endless replays on old matches. He was just going to have to make it up as he went along.

He pushed the doors to the Visitor?s Locker Room open. Inside were all of the Senators players, some looking down at the floor, others fidgeting a bit. They had been left waiting a while, time that was usually used for a pre-game pep talk. As soon as he entered, it felt as if the entire team looked at him in unison. None of them probably knew why he was there except for the fact that he was going to hopefully announce the tardiness of their new coach. Gark didn?t want the players to feel bad that the coach they were hoping for wasn?t going to show up.

?You?re probably all wondering where the new coach is,? he finally said plainly. Some of the players nodded. ?Well, they?re here right now.? The players looked confused; why was the GM saying this? Was it some sort of odd joke? ?Due to some difficulty in trying to secure a coach for this week?s match, I have appointed myself Interim Head Coach for the team.? This announcement led to some confused looks from the players. Shev Fil?yer?s head drooped slightly, easily recognizable with his large head. ?I know that I?m not your dream coach, and that I?m not very knowledgeable about game plans and the like, but at least you have a coach for this week.?

?Not to be rude, sir, but what good is this for us?? Brosh We?kyr asked. ?We haven?t gotten to practice much this past week without knowing who the coach was going to be, and we don?t know what you have in store for the team.?

?I really don?t have a plan,? Gark said. ?I?m just going to let you play your game, and hopefully things turn out all right.? Shev?s head drooped even further down. A groan was heard from somewhere in the team?s ranks. ?Hopefully there will be a coach in place next week when we play Bakura, but this is the best we could do for now. Don?t dwell too much on this; we need you to go out and there and play hard.? It was looking like the players were still confused, and that if he wasn?t the GM, they would probably walk out on him. But he had their respect, and that was the one thing that kept them there. ?Dirxx, I need a word.? Dirxx stood up and walked over. ?I need you to take the position of Defensive Coordinator out there on the field. Make all the line calls you feel are necessary; the Defense is in your hands.? The Besalisk looked shocked; he had

 

IC: Marte Nalo

Location: GM's office, Eusebus, Euceron
Time: 1220, 3 days before home game against Spies

Walking into Mellena Loia's office, Marte knocked on the door. "You called for me?"

"Oh, uh, yes, I did. Have a seat."

Marte pulled out a chair and settled himself into it. "I've got practice in ten minutes, so make it quick, please."

"Your appeal has been set for a full hearing next Wednesday. The suspension has been stayed until then."

"That's unusual. Normally they make a ruling within a couple of days." Marte pondered the situation. "So that means if I lose, I miss a playoff game instead. Not good. Do I have to travel all the way to headquarters? If so, that would really cut into preparation for the playoffs."

"No. You can attend via holoconference."

"Good." Marte checked his chrono; he was a stickler for being on time. "Anything else?"

"I'm expecting a call any second now to tell us whether we got that Lukvam girl."

"I had forgotten about that," Marte admitted. "I hope we?"

Marte was interrupted by Mellena's comlink going off. "Hello?" she said. Marte strained, but couldn't hear the other end of the conversation. "Yes? ... That's interesting. ... OK, I'll let Marte know. Thanks." Putting the comlink away, she turned to Marte. "We got her."

"Really? That's surprising, as many teams as there were ahead of us in the waiver priority list."

"The only other team to file a claim for her was Adumar."

"Well, there's your reason why." Waiver priority in the Premier League was determined by a team's win?loss record, worst first, and the Adumar Aces were undefeated. A lot of struggling teams could have used her, he thought. Wonder why they didn't claim her? Marte thought about it for a few seconds, then shook his head to clear it. "Should I tell Renica she's gone?"

"Be my guest. She'll be back on waivers herself within the hour."

"No problem."

"That's all I needed to talk to you about. Unless you've got something, you can go."

"Nope. See you later." He stood and headed for the door, but it wouldn't open. "Sithspit! Aren't you ever going to get this door fixed?"

"I thought Maintenance did fix it." Mellena sighed. She walked around her desk, grabbed the doorknob, and pulled as hard as she could. The door first protested, then flew open, sending Mellena crashing into her desk. "There."

"You okay?" Marte asked. She nodded, and Marte looked at the door and shook his head. As he helped Mellena up, a thought crossed his mind. "Uh, now that I think about it, are you sure you don't want to keep her as a backup in case Lukvam gets injured? You know we can't sign new players during the playoffs."

Mellena thought for a moment. "Good point. We'll keep her as a reserve."

"Alright. I need to get outta here or I'm going to be late for practice. Bye."

---

[i]Location: Practice field, Eusebus, Euceron
Time: 1230, 3 days before home game against Spies[/i]

Marte blew his whistle, and the players stopped socializing and gave him their attention. "Ryric, I want you to lead warm-up exercises, and then go into a scrimmage until I'm ready. Renica, stay here. I want to talk to you. Everybody else, go."

Renica said, "Let me guess. You got Sailan Lukvam, so I'm gone?"

Marte looked at her and responded, "Partially right. We did get Lukvam, but we're keeping you as a backup simply because we don't really have another choice."

Renica looked visibly relieved. "So I'm still on the team?"

"Yes. Now go out there and join warm-ups. You're in the goal for our practice scrimmages until Lukvam gets here tomorrow or Saturday." Renica stayed where she was, and Marte yelled, "What are you waiting for? Go!" Renica took off sprinting to the center of the field, where warm-ups were in progress.

Marte sighed. [i]I hope Sailan Lukvam works out, or Sunday's going to be a long day.[/i]

 

IC Aileen Wynn
Bakura Gardens, Salis D?aar, Bakura

OOC: Going to be out of town for a few days but will be doing Limmie scores Sunday?just later than usual. As a result, my gameday post!

Two games to finish the season.

Two home games to finish the season.

Two home games against members of the Big Four.

Two home games against Chandrila and Coruscant, a 4-1 team and a 3-2 team, respectively.

Two home games to make the playoffs.

It didn?t get bigger than this in the regular season for a team like the Miners, sitting at 3-2. In the Elite League, 4 wins was the magic number. You could make the playoffs with 3 wins about half the time. Once Aileen had done it with only 2 wins. But if you got 4 wins you were golden. You were going to the playoffs. You might not get home field advantage, but you were on your way.

Because once you made the playoffs, anything could happen.

Anything.

And today was Bakura-Chandrila, the so-called ?Friendliest Rivalry in Limmie?. Two relatively peaceful democracies, one in the Core, one in the Outer Rim, and both proud members of the Republic. Part of their kinship derived from the goodwill fostered by Jedi Master Lexine Wydra, Chandrilan and arch-Patriot fan who had been a personal friend of the Triestes and instrumental in the construction of a Jedi Enclave on Bakura, where she had made her home. A statue now stood of Wydra outside that Enclave, fittingly carved from green stone in homage to the fact that Master Wydra had been emerald-hued in skin tone. The fact that Lexine?s daughter, Nessarose and a current member of the Patriots? Board of Governors, had married a Conn Trieste, eldest son of the Noble House, had certainly deepened the relationship between the two teams on an ownership level. The fans, by and large, seemed to get along as well.

Well, maybe not so much in the last couple years. The hiring of Aileen Wynn by Bakura had not won them any fans on Chandrila, where Wynn was not popular after the poor showings of the Patriots in the last three years of her tenure. The Patriot Nation was not one that forgot things and they had not forgotten how much they disliked Aileen Wynn.

Therefore, Aileen was not surprised when she came onto the field behind the Miners that day that there were some boos in the crowd. The Patriot Nation always traveled. Patriot fans were everywhere, and that definitely included Bakura. They came out wherever their team was playing. For a lot of fans who couldn?t get tickets at perpetually sold-out Stoney End, this was their only shot at seeing their Patriots in person. Having coached the Patriots for 5 years, she was completely unphased by the fact that 10% of Bakura Gardens was green and white when she came on the field, chanting and singing.

Of course, Bakurans?especially a bunch of Bakurans who had spent the day pre-partying in the best way possible with spirited beverages?were not going to stand for that. They too had their songs and weren?t afraid to use them.

?In fair Salis city
Where the girls are so pretty
I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone
As she wheeled her wheelbarrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, ?Cockles and mussels alive, alive-oh!?

?Alive alive oh!
Alive alive oh!
Crying, ?Cockles and mussels alive, alive oh!?

?She was a fishmonger
And sure it was no wonder
For so had her father and mother before
As they both wheeled their barrows
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, ?Cockles and mussels alive, alive-oh!?

?Alive alive oh!
Alive alive oh!
Crying, ?Cockles and mussels alive, alive oh!?

?She died of a fever
And no one could save her
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
Now her ghost wheels her barrow
Through streets broad and narrow
Crying, ?Cockles and mussels alive, alive-oh!?

?Alive alive oh!
Alive alive oh!
Crying, ?Cockles and mussels alive, alive oh!??

Aileen called the team together before kickoff.

?How we play in the last two weeks of the season is going to define who we are as a t

 

IC: Rhia Grames
Ord Mantell

One more loss and the playoffs were out of the question, if they weren't already entirely. The fans of the Scrappers had gathered in their stadium, making their pre-game chants and imbibing large quantities of alcohol, and looked to be ready for an easy win.

Sitting in the front office, overlooking the pitch as the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers warmed up on the field, Grames once again felt the knot of guilt, anxiety, and fear settle into her stomach. It was not a matter of job security, nobody would dare remove her from power, not at this stage in the season, but it was a question of returning to that horrific year of losing every single game in 255. The year they went 0-7. Now, nine years later, history could be on the verge of repeating itself in a most destructive fashion.

Her bold statement at the beginning of the year to keep the roster was being ripped to shreds by the Vertical City Network, Nar Shaddaa's premiere news agency, and many sports fans and analysts were beginning to call for the unthinkable, a change in coaching staff. Some even were going to so far as to lay the blame on the infallible Rhia Grames. At least, that was how the media portrayed the aging woman that manned the controls of the storied franchise.

How quickly they forget that in 261 we took home the Galactic Cup and nearly had a second one last year were it not for a lucky Alsakan break in the Final. The fans want blood, well, at the end of the year, they'll get it. I made a mistake, anyone can see that. This team has lost its fire to win. Real shame, considering the parity in the league this year Grames thought as she scanned the faces of the Smugglers from her suite with electrobinoculars.

"He looks old," a male voice behind Rhia stated, startling her as she rested the electrobinocs on her lap.

"Who?" Rhia inquired, turning to find the Nar Shaddaa Smuggler's owner, Joaquin Vehn, patriarch of the Vehn family, standing beside her.

"Tover Micjaa," Joaquin replied, sitting down next to Grames in the suite.

"Been a rough year," Grames replied a bit defensively.

"I know, Rhia, I know. The fans have been spoiled the past decade with the superb play of the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers. I suppose we had a disappointment coming at some point, but I wanted to discuss with you certain financial problems looming on the horizon for the team. Though no salary cap exists in the league, I have to admit, I can't keep paying the salaries of quite a few of the players," Joaquin admitted.

"What are you suggesting?"

"I think you know what I'm trying to say. You have some difficult choices ahead of you. Who stays, who goes," Joaquin mumbled.

"I've already been formulating a list, sir. I think I have everything well in hand," Grames replied, growing a bit nervous, and she was not one to be easily intimidated.

"Do you now? Well, sure doesn't look that way to me. Tell me, Rhia, how we go from being the best team in the league to being the worst in one season? The fans are crying out for some radical changes to be made. I've had to drop prices drastically at Six Boroughs just to get decent attendance this year because nobody wants to show up and watch the Smugglers play Premiere League Limmie. This team continues to loose and I may have a very hard time convincing the commissioner to keep us," Joaquin said, his voice containing no malice only a cold hard truth that was unavoidably accurate.

So he's losing confidence in my abilities. The man with the purse strings. Great, just what I needed. I can't make any promises as to how this team will perform. Joaquin wouldn't fire me without a good reason but he still wants to keep the Smugglers a financially viable team. Not to mention the political pressures the man must be getting from the member worlds of the Roon Trade Organization who want to see their team put in the Elite League instead of the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers. Politics, the bastards Grames thought, crossing her arms.

"If we don't win a game this season, I will personally see Commis