Star Wars OPEN Elite League Limmie

OOC: In the midst of the Jedi/bomber storyline, I haven't forgotten about the Nalos. This post is a bit of a flashback, taking place about one to two months before the ELL season in the late fall in Eusebus, and will help set up future storylines several seasons down the road.

IC: Tendra Nalo
Location: Euceron Stadium, Eusebus, Euceron
Time: EHSAA Division I Planetary Championship Game, three months ago

Tendra took another brutal hit and picked herself up off the turf again as the bolo-ball headed the other way. Her Eusebus North Warriors, undefeated on the season and ranked number one across the planet and number six in the galaxy, were down by five to the Kyrty Firebirds, a 6–5 team from the other side of the planet that had scored seven straight upsets to reach the championship game and were now poised for the biggest upset of all.

Tendra watched the play develop on the other end on the other end of the field. She knew that the Warriors were in this situation because of defense—the lack of their own and the effectiveness of the Firebirds'. The Warriors had taken a 22–15 lead into the locker room—hold that thought, the Warriors midfielders had the ball. Tendra ran around in an attempt to get open and succeeded. She dodged one hit and shook off another, then pump-faked once to each side to freeze the keeper before burying the ball into the five-hole.

Her corner forward came over to congratulate her, but Tendra shook them off. Now was not the time to celebrate. The Firebirds keeper fed the ball out to his full back—and Tendra gave him a dose of his own medicine as she leveled him. Five players dived for the ball and Tendra got it at the bottom of the pile. With one arm free, she tossed the ball toward the net as the keeper, who had stupidly come out to get the loose ball, ran back to stop it. He managed to retrieve the ball at the goal line, but was unable to stop his momentum from carrying him and the ball into the goal, and just like that the Warriors were up by one with a minute and a half to play.

This time Tendra allowed herself to smile a bit as the keeper angrily punted the ball downfield. She had been responsible for 17 of the Warriors' 22 points in the first half and with three starters injured, she essentially was the offense. That wasn't ego, just the truth. The problem was that it was an obvious truth, and one that had apparently been the focus of the Firebirds' halftime adjustment. Since halftime, Tendra had been consistently double-teamed and even triple-teamed at times in an attempt to shut her down. It had worked, and with the Warriors defense full of holes as usual, the Firebirds had scored 12 unanswered points before her pair of goals a minute ago.

Now the crowd was into the game. Nominally a neutral site game, this game might as well have been a home game for Eusebus North, with Euceron Stadium just three blocks away from Eusebus North High School, and Tendra estimated that at least 95% of those in attendance were Warrior faithful. Emboldened by the cheers, a Warriors back intercepted a pass intended for the Firebirds full forward, and he cleared the ball downfield with a booming punt. Tendra leaped to get it and simply punched the ball toward the goal, and it flew over the bar for another point. That point was big, because it now meant that the Firebirds could not force overtime with a single point. They needed a goal.

And they didn't get it. A last-second desperation shot was easily fielded by the Warriors keeper as the buzzer sounded and maroon and white confetti rained from the rafters. Tendra raised her arms in triumph and took a blindside hit from a teammate, knocking her to the ground and enabling the entire team to pile on top of her. After they unpiled a minute later and went through the traditional handshake line, no one was surprised to find that Tendra had been named MVP of the championship game.

---

Location: Nalo home, Eusebus, Euceron
Time: Two weeks later

Tendra flopped down on the floor. "I don't know what to do."

"Well, let's list the options again," said Marte.

Tendra flipped through scholarship offers as she listed schools. "Everyone in the Super 16 and SEC, and a few Bak10 schools to boot," she concluded.

"Well, I would say to make a list of about ten that sound good and we can go from there."

"What if I don't want to go to college?"

That got Mom's attention. "What do you mean, you don't want to go to college?" Jaria asked as she walked into the room.

"I don't know. Maybe I want to just take a break from the classroom."

"I thought you loved learning?"

"I used to, but recently... I don't know. It's just becoming a chore."

"Speaking of which, the trash needs to be taken out."

Tendra mumbled something unintelligible that probably wasn't very nice.

Jaria just rolled her eyes as Marte spoke up. "Well, have you thought about going pro? You're ranked as the sixth-best prospect in the galaxy by HSN."

"At my age? I'm only sixteen 'cause I skipped two grades, for crying out loud. Has there ever been a sixteen-year-old player in the top pro levels?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"In other words, I'm too young for that."

"Somebody has to be the first."

"Not me. And speaking of HSN, they want me to make my choice live at the GCAA galactic championship game. I don't even know if I should take them up on that. Didn't you do that?"

Marte thought back to his high school days. "Yep. And I hadn't even made my choice yet when they told me to sign a letter of intent. Let me tell you, that put a lot of pressure on me. More than I ever faced on a limmie field. If you take them up on that, you want to have your mind made up in advance."

"But I don't want to go to college and I don't want to go pro. I just want to play limmie with people my age. I don't know what to do."

"What about Hapes?" asked Jaria.

"What about it?"

"You know that I'm Hapan by birth. And since Hapan society is matriarchal, that makes you Hapan also."

"Which is something I try to forget."

"Tendra!"

"What?"

"What's wrong with being Hapan?"

"I don't know. I just don't feel a connection to Hapes. Probably comes from living on Euceron my whole life."

"Anyway, my point is that if you just want to play limmie with people your age, the Consortium Juniors League would be a perfect fit for you."

Tendra sighed. "Living on Hapes would just make me feel... I don't know. Weird, I guess."

Marte cleared his throat. "Well, let me get this straight. You don't want to go to college, you don't want to go pro, and you don't want to play in the Hapes Juniors, but you do want to play limmie at a high level. For somebody that said 'I don't know' seven times in this conversation—"

"You were counting?!"

"Yes. For somebody that said 'I don't know' seven times in this conversation, you've got some stuff that you need to figure out so that you do know it, and you need to know it soon."

"I think the only thing I know right now is that I'm going to take HSN up on that offer. But I still don't know what I'm going to say there."

"Well, while you're not knowing," said her mother, "you can take out the trash."

The teenager grumbled as she moped off to the kitchen.

TAG: Nobody in particular

 

IC: Kaitlyn Vehn
Meshla’Vhetin, The Game of Rivals

Kaitlyn Vehn watched the Smugglers-Mercs game under the watchful gaze of a handful of very skilled bodyguards. Nobody was taking any chances with her personal security. The Mandalorians were practically drooling blood as the fearsome tilt came to its stunning conclusion, a Smuggler victory, and the deafening silence of 4.5 million bucket-heads who had to swallow the bitterest pill in the sporting world: defeat at home to a hated rival.

26-19. She’d remember this victory. The Game of Rivals and the Smugglers had survived.

She met the team in the tunnel. Every one of the players gave her a hug as they walked past. They were all glad to see that she was alive and well as this was her first appearance with the team since leaving the hospital. Some of the players had tears in their eyes as they saw Kaitlyn for who she was now, a woman with a disability. Others tried to make small talk while some said nothing at all and simply gave her a loving embrace. Some things went beyond words. Some things went beyond physical disabilities. Some things just had to be felt. Kaitlyn wasn’t alone in the tunnel. She was joined by a friend she’d made during her therapy classes at New Vertica Hospital.




Lilly had been paralyzed from the waist down after a bad speeder accident four years earlier. An oncoming speeder had jumped the energy barrier, flipped over, and landed on her parent’s speeder killing them and putting Lilly in the hospital. She was currently being looked after by a foster home situation that was far from ideal but at least she had shelter, food, and some semblance of a family. She had been a Smugglers fan for as long as she could remember but had never had the money to attend a real game, until now. Today she wore a faded Meredith Chambers #13 jersey as she smiled from the happiest place of the soul, as her dreams finally became reality.

“Is that Shady Leroux?” 14 year old Lilly Weste asked in disbelief.

“You got it, Lilly,” Kaitlyn replied as she motioned for Shady to come on over.

“Shady, this is Lilly, a good friend of mine,” Kaitlyn said as the two shook hands. “She’s one of our biggest fans.”

“You enjoy the game today?” Shady asked she squiggled her name on a game ball. That one had gone in the back of the net for the final three points of the game for the Smugglers.

“Yeah. I loved that fake and score you did against the bucket-heads. You should get the Ingbrand this year,” Lilly suggested.

Leroux laughed and replied, “Thanks. I think I might be a long shot.”

“I’ll nominate you. That’ll fix everything,” Lilly pressed.

“I like your confidence. You ever play the game?” Shady asked.

“No, I would love to,” Lilly said.

“Maybe one day you can,” Shady said with a smile. “Thanks for watching the game today. You going to be there next week at Six Boroughs for the season finale?”

Lilly nodded emphatically.

“I hope you guys make the playoffs,” Lilly said.

“We will, kid. Don’t you worry,” Leroux winked as she handed the ball over and headed to the locker room.

Lilly cradled the ball in her arms and stared in shock as more members of the team: Vick McTodd, Sorcha Styles, Roz Cartel, Ken Zetter, signed it. Before long, all of the Smugglers names were on the ball.

Kaitlyn turned to head back to the team shuttle for the ride back home but noticed Lilly wasn’t with her.

“Lilly?” Kaitlyn asked and swiveled in her chair to look at the girl who seemed to epitomize all that was innocent in the universe.

Lilly continued to hold on to the ball. “You really think I’ll be able to play the game one day? Think I’ll be able to walk and run and play like I used to?”

Kaitlyn looked Lilly in the eyes and responded, “Yeah, I think you will.”

“How?”

Kaitlyn couldn’t help but smile as an idea came to her. “Trust me.”

A Few Days Before the Packers-Smugglers Game, Six Boroughs, Midfield

Kaitlyn hovered up next to the podium as she saw that Six Boroughs stadium had sold out for this press conference, her first since the crash. Lilly was waiting off-stage, flashed her a thumbs up, encouragement for Kaitlyn to speak. Everyone, including the media, thought the speech was going to be about another sizeable Vehn donation to the Valor Foundation.

They were wrong.

“I found love in a hopeless place. Like the phoenix of old, out of the ashes of flame and smoke was I reborn on the fields of Corellia. I haven’t always led a great life, and I regret some things that I’ve done, and being paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of my life has been a very hard thing to handle. A very hard thing. I’ve been angry, depressed, resentful, and even suicidal as a result of my paralysis. There would be times in my hospital bed where I wondered if anything mattered anymore. Anything at all. I was deeply humbled by the accident, truly and deeply humbled. I had a life that millions, maybe billions, of beings would kill one another to have and I was throwing it away for all the wrong reasons.

“One day, at the urging of my dear friend, I discovered a physical therapy class for the disabled. I was skeptical that the dancing, the cheers, the enjoyment of the moment would take me out of my depression. Thank the Maker, I was wrong. I discovered that being disabled wasn’t the end of my life. Wasn’t even the end of my career. Being disabled led me to appreciate so much more and make new friends in the process, friends such as Lilly Weste who have been an inspiration, a joy, and a true pleasure to be around.

“Lilly asked me one day if she’d ever be able to play the game of Limmie. I said yes. I told her to trust me.” Kaitlyn looked over at Lilly and gave her a smile.

“Today, Lilly’s trust has been rewarded. It brings me great pleasure to announce that I have partnered with the Valor Foundation to create the first ever Special Limmie League for the Physically Disabled,” Kaitlyn was cut off by the roaring of the crowd who were on their feet, clapping, shouting, going nuts. Those who couldn’t stand went crazy as well.

“Today Nar Shaddaa steps forth into the galaxy as a beacon of hope for those with a permanent physical disability. Today your child, your beloved family member, can fulfill their dreams and play a professional game of Limmie. No longer can people say no. No longer can people tell you that you don’t have what it takes. For all those people who ever doubted you, for all those people who ever told you that you would never be able to walk or run or live your life again, tell them to their faces that they were wrong, that they should never have scorned you, never have turned their backs on you, and never told you what you could or couldn’t do!”

“Today we can do it all! Yes we can!” Kaitlyn said as she pumped a fist in the air.

“Yes we can! Yes we can! Yes we can!” The crowd chanted over and over again.

Lilly joined Kaitlyn on stage as the pair clasped hands amidst the roaring, raucous crowd. They held their arms up high for all to see.

“Thank you, Kaitlyn,” Lilly said through tears of joy. “Thank you!”

“The pleasure is all mine, Lilly,” Kaitlyn said as she realized that today was the first day that she had done anything worthwhile in a very long time.

Damn, that felt good.

Tag: No One

 

IC: Jacen Hunter
Meshla Vhetin, Mandalore. The Game of Rivals

The Game of Rivals had turned into the game of disappointment for the the Mercs and their fans. It had been a hard fought game, one in which the officials allowed the players to play through the whistle and get their licks in. They understood the hatred here, and more importantly they wanted to get off world alive. The Mercs came out hitting hard, and the Smugglers took everything they had and dished it right back at them. It was a miracle that no one had been injured out there Jacen thought.

Points were scored back and forth with the Smugglers taking slight edge early on and spectacular plays were made by both sides. Fortune seemed back to his old self, at least partially, scoring four points. Daryc too managed three points off a goal of his own and the rookie corner forwards had 3 points apiece as well. It was a respectable, if not spectacular, effort, especially against a stout Smugglers team that had come to play. But it hadn't been enough.

Problems still persisted at midfield. It rapidly became clear that Vau had essentially been taken out of the rotation and was there to provide depth in case of injury. Jacen wasn't even sure if Coach Vizsla would have played him then. Horonel and Gozer played better than they had last week, and the All-Star Mor'kesh was more involved as well, but it wasn't nearly enough as turnovers there ended up sinking the Mercs. In the end it came down to too many possessions for the team from Nar Shaddaa and not enough for the Mandalorians. The fans left in disappointment and frustration.

The season was now lost. There was one game left to be played against the playoff bound Lightning, but the Mercs would be staying home for those. Jacen remembered back just three weeks ago. The Mercs had been a respectable 3-2 back then, in the playoff hunt, but three straight losses had destroyed their season and Jacen's dream of seeing his team play for a Galactic Cup.

His father of course couldn't stop gloating all the way home. The scores from around the league had come in and the Rebels were clearly in the post season now. For fans of Corellia and Bakura and Ylesia it was going to be a post season to remember, for Jacen, it seemed as if the off season had already started...

TAG: No one.

 

IC: Tim Dodd - Packers' Shuttle, en-route to Nar Shaddaa

Well, the less said about the outcome of the Rebels' game, the better! The Packers had been brim-full of confidence after defeating the Mercs; overconfident, as it turned out. This lack of consistent form was the main reason why he didn't think the team were ready for a Galactic Cup campaign yet.

That said, the team's 'old guard' and 'newbies' were still in the process of gelling together as well as learning the new Starting lineup enforced by the unfortunate injury to 'Stont'. Under the circumstances, inconsistency was to be expected; but not welcomed.

Not that a low-ranking final League position would (in his understanding) be altogether a bad thing for the purposes of the 276 Draft! He would never do such a thing himself, but couldn't help wondering if some Elite League Owner or GM had, at some time in the past, deliberately thrown an entire Season to get an advantageous Draft position. Surely the League would have thought of that possibility and put preventative safeguards in place, wouldn't they? The problem, of course, would lie in proving such an occurrence was a deliberate act, rather than the result of a series of misjudgements or mishaps!

He, and most of the team, well remembered the highly physical nature of the Smugglers' Limmie from last Season. For that reason, the Starting lineup would be the four Noghri (to provide speed and agility) and all the heavier, bulkier, players; the ensemble Captained by Miles. The Bothans and all Humans but Miles would probably (unless required to replace an injured team-mate) watch the entire match from the Reserves' Bench. If the Smugglers wanted to play their rough game against the Packers' 'Heavy Mob', they were very welcome - it probably wouldn't be Packers that came off worst in any collisions!

For the same reason, he'd relaxed the tight rules the team normally operated under. Not that teeth or claws would come into play, of course, or that there'd be any deliberate off-the-ball contact, but there was a difference between a Barabel performing a conventional Limmie tackle and one whose method of tackling involved slamming his or her tail into a ball-carrying player's midsection or legs! Barabel tails hurt when they swing-impacted a human-sized being!

Although the team would take their places in a conventional three - three - two - three - three formation, the Half-forwards, Midfielders and Half-backs had been given leave to mix and match as required; therefore, either or both Barabel Half-backs could play for periods as Half-forwards, or the Midfield zone could, at times, be occupied by anything up to four Noghri! Roon would be replacing Dec as the Starting Full-back, but Allanabuck would keep her place as Centre-half-back. Intimidation, hard-hitting (and keeping the Smugglers off-balance) was the intended game-plan!


TAG: Vehn.

 

GM Post

You could say I'm so excited to find out who's going to the playoffs that I couldn't sleep, hence early scores. However, you could also say that with the playoffs approaching I needed to commune with my general manager, the Smug Dragon, and ergo I had to go catch the early showing of The Hobbit. I'll let you decide which one you believe.

Bonus rolls to Agamar, Bakura, Euceron, Mando'ade, Nar Shaddaa, and Ralltiir. Yep, that's everybody. I double checked and I got all the bonus rolls. I'm not forgetting anyone. It's not like I'd ever forget Coruscant in anything I do. Especially not What We Learned. So, to reiterate, bonus rolls to Agamar, Bakura, Coruscant, Euceron, Mando'ade, Nar Shaddaa, and Ralltiir.

Week 9 Results
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Rydonni Prime Monarchs (7-19)
Ralltiir Starkillers at Coruscant Senators (18-4)
Bakura Miners at Chandrila Patriots (27-15)
Corellia Rebels at Euceron Storm (2-6)
Agamar Packers at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers (9-11)
Ylesia Lightning at Mando’ade Mercs (7-38)

Final Standings
Skywalker Conference

1. Corellia Rebels (6-3, conf. 3-2)
2. Euceron Storm (5-4, conf. 4-1)
3. Ylesia Lightning (5-4, conf. 3-2)
4. Nar Shaddaa Smugglers (5-4, conf. 2-3)
5. Mando'ade Mercs (4-5, conf. 2-3)
6. Agamar Packers (2-7, conf. 1-4)

Solo Conference

1. Bakura Miners (7-2, conf. 4-1)
2. Coruscant Senators (5-4, conf. 2-3)
3. Hapes Consortium Buccaneers (5-4,conf. 2-3)
4. Ralltiir Starkillers (4-5, conf. 3-2)
5. Chandrila Patriots (4-5, conf. 2-3)
6. Rydonni Prime Monarchs (2-7, conf. 2-3)

There is only one tiebreak to resolve. Coruscant beat Hapes in Week 6. Since they are tied in overall record and conference record, the next tiebreak is head-to-head.

Galactic Cup Playoffs
Conference Semifinals
(3) Ylesia Lightning at (2) Corellia Rebels
(3) Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at (2) Coruscant Senators

Conference Finals
??? at (1) Corellia Rebels
??? at (1) Bakura Miners

The Bakura Miners win the Commissioner's Trophy for the best record in the Elite League and have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

---

Other business:

• Draftees are due today
• Season award nominees are due today

Please PM both of those to me if you have not done so already.

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

 

IC: Kaitlyn Vehn
Six Boroughs Stadium, Conclusion of the 275 ABY Season



The season had ended just the way it had begun: With a victory.

Kaitlyn remained in the shadows of the tunnel as the worn and weary Smugglers players made their way to the locker room, towels draped over their heads, sweat clouding their vision, fatigue changing their gait, and the feeling that somehow, someway, this year had gotten away from them. And what a year it had been.

There had been the punch heard around the galaxy. The softening of Reina Kether’s jaw as Kaitlyn landed the knock-out blow that had started a fight and led to her suspension. Then there had been the divorce proceedings, the Board of Governors meeting where Kaitlyn had nearly pulled off a coup and knocked Niakara Kayl’hen out of the league for good, her war of words with Beskaryc Taab, and that horrible shuttle crash on Corellia that had left her paralyzed below the waist. So much had transpired in one
Limmie season, so very much.

But there had been so many positives as well.

The Smugglers had turned in the first winning record in nearly four years. The defense was rounding into a decent unit even with the status of Konrad Dvorak up in the air. The offense had produced a strong Ingbrand nominee in Shady Leroux and the fans had a nice new stadium that would be hosting the final sans the Smugglers in a few weeks. At least the league jokes that Six Boroughs was the filthiest stadium to play in were long gone. Now, the league was in awe of this new field and the money that Kaitlyn had personally poured into the venue to make it one of the league’s best. Kaitlyn was proud of what she had accomplished this year as general manager of the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers.

Kaitlyn knew she had done right by those kids who were now signing up in droves for the Special Limmie League. To take such a horrific accident, such an event that would have brought anyone else down and shattered them into a thousand pieces, and draw something positive from the experience was something to remember. She’d done that. She’d made a promise to a young girl to help her see a dream come true. She’d made a genuine difference. That felt real good and that made all the troubles of the year, all the bumps in the road, seem worthwhile, maybe even manageable.

The players were filing past now. Some were ready to call it a season. Some wouldn’t return for next year. Others would be back and hungry for more. But each one looked Kaitlyn in the eye this time, ignoring her hover-chair, and gave her a gentle brush on the shoulder with their hands, whispering her name, the name of a leader they could respect, a leader they could follow into the darkest depths of hell, a leader they loved.

Kaitlyn watched the fans leave the stadium and felt bad that she couldn’t have done more for the team, couldn’t have repeated the magic of the 270 season when the Smugglers had gone on an improbable title run to win it all at home, at old Six Boroughs. She wanted that tenth cup. Wanted to be the first franchise to snag that holy trophy, to show to the galaxy that Nar Shaddaa was worthy, was a champion once more. But not today. Those were dreams for another place and another time.

“5-4 and out of the playoffs,” Tover said as he gently guided Kaitlyn down the darkened tunnel of Six Boroughs.

“We came real close,” Kaitlyn said.

“All about the conference record,” Tover replied.

“Haunts us every time, doesn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so,” Tover admitted. “You given any thought to Dvorak?”

“I wasn’t going to tell anyone but he turned in his resignation a few weeks ago. Says that his calling is elsewhere. I asked him to finish out the season for us and then pack his bags,” Kaitlyn said.

“Sometimes the game leaves us and other times we leave the game,” Tover said with all the knowledge of a former player. “The fans keep coming. They keep believing, holding true to what we’ve long lost in our hearts. Hell, I thought I knew when to walk away from the game. Grames did it best. She won her cup and never came back.”

“She served us well as general manager,” Kaitlyn observed.

“That she did.”

“So tell me, Tover, when is the best time to walk away?” Kaitlyn asked.

“When you look upon the pitch and realize that you’ve done everything you ever wanted to do and you can suddenly let go of it all in the blink of an eye,” Tover said.

“And where are you now?”

Tover placed a weathered hand on Kaitlyn’s shoulder and replied, “Right where I want to be, with you, with the Smugglers. Hunting, always hunting, for that elusive title.”

“Tell me, dear friend, what is it like holding the Galactic Cup?” Kaitlyn asked as she continued to hover next to her steadfast supporter.

Tover laughed and replied, “To be honest, the Cup is frakking heavy. But winning it? Knowing you fought so hard to have your team’s name etched onto the side for all to see, for fans to acknowledge, for the gods above to smile upon us. Nothing like it in the world, Kaitlyn. Nothing like it in the world.”

Kaitlyn smiled and gently took Tover’s hand in her own.

“I never thanked you that day you introduced me to those kids in the hospital.”

“No thanks required.”

“You changed my life, Tover.”

Tover looked at Kaitlyn with watering eyes and replied, “No, Miss Vehn, you changed mine. You changed all of our lives. You built a stadium that will last the ages. And you’ve built a team that other franchises have to watch out for. But most importantly, you took a bunch of kids, took a hurting team, took this entire city, who had nothing and gave them the most important thing that we all need to remember when times are tough.”

“What is that?”

“Hope.”

OOC: That concludes the 275 ABY season for me. What a journey. I hope you've enjoyed reading this season's arc as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Been a real pleasure. But I need to acknowledge and thank the rest of you for your wonderful writing, your inspiration, the laughs, and all the emotions of the beautiful game. In the words of Wayne from "Wayne's World" (Wow, that dates me!), "Party on, dudes!"

 

GM Post

Friends, I bring you the 275 Elite League Limmie Season Award ballot. These awards are intended to reward regular season play, not postseason performance. (This is not to say that the postseason never influences votes, but they're not supposed to. ) Please have your votes to me by Saturday, December 28.

Salbukk Award (League MVP)

• Chenkabukk (Euceron Storm)
• Andres Fortune (Mando'ade Mercs)
• Alana Glencross (Bakura Miners)

Ingbrand Award (Rookie of the year)

• Lizbit Comstock (Bakura Miners)
• Christine Gamble (Coruscant Senators)
• Shady Leroux (Nar Shaddaa Smugglers)

Langann Award (Head coach of the year)

• Haron Orus (Euceron Storm)
• Telena Perrette (Corellia Rebels)
• Gaeriel Valerii (Bakura Miners)

Grames Award (General manager of the year)

• Quinn Cundertol (Bakura Miners)
• Gark S'rily (Coruscant Senators)
• Kaitlyn Vehn (Nar Shaddaa Smugglers)

Duchess Eldin Award (For sportsmanship and athletic excellence)

• Loren Jul (Ralltiir Starkillers)
• Vesper Lynd (Rydonni Prime Monarchs)
• Falene Trieste (Bakura Miners)

Zumtak Award (For perseverance and dedication to the sport of limmie)

• Tim Dodd for using limmie as a bridge between worlds
• The fallen and injured players on the Euceron Storm for continuing play in the face of great threats
• Kaitlyn Vehn for supporting limmie in the disabled community

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

 

IC: Gark S’rily
Republican University, Coruscant

This was it, the season finale. This was the Senators’ chance to make it to the playoffs, a chance to go after a third Cup title of the era. Across from them were the Ralltiir Starkillers, already out of the playoff conversation but still interested in finishing the season with a win and playing the role of spoiler. This was both teams’ chance to prove themselves in the finale, a chance for one team to keep playing, and the other to gain some pride.

The first few minutes were uneventful. The Starkillers were pushing pressure up the middle, as the corner duo for the Senators were doing their usual fare. When Flarn came around the corner, Christine Gamble, the rookie sensation, tried to give pursuit. However, her cleat stuck in the ground, and she crumpled to the ground. The play kept on going, and Gamble got up, but it was a slow, arduous affair. All the while, she had a pained expression on her face. This sucked the energy out of the stadium; it was just like Jerek Deter’s injury in Week One. Christine was the soul of this defense out there without Jerek and his fiery attitude, and now she was down for the count. Play stopped when Jayla Leed blocked a shot on goal and the ball skittered out of bounds. Christine tried to walk the pain off, but it was obvious that she had a major limp to be an impact on the game. The training staff ran out to check on her, as well as Gark did.

“Did you feel anything pop?” Hamlin Trenos, the Iktochi trainer, asked.

“No,” Christine replied as she bent over in pain.

“Where does it hurt?”

“Leg. I think I twisted it again,” the rookie replied through gritted teeth.

That wasn’t good, Gark noted. She had tweaked something in the Bakura game, and then had aggravated it in practice. The training staff had kept a close eye on her the rest of the week, but now it looked like she was done.

“It’s time for you to come to the sideline,” Hamlin said firmly.

“No, I can finish the game,” Christine said. She tried to get away from Hamlin’s grip. But the Iktochi held on tight.

“No you can’t. You are limping, and it will only get worse if we don’t treat it,” Trenos said.

“I can do it!” Christine said, ripping her hand away from Hamlin’s grip. But she didn’t get far.

“Dammit, Gamble!” Gark yelled at his rookie corner. “Don’t you get it? If you stay out here today, you’re going to injure yourself worse than it already is. If we win today, we’re going to the playoffs. We’re going to need you to be healthy down the stretch, and yet you want to keep playing in this game? Don’t be a fool. Get out of this game, and be ready for next week. We need you.”

Finally Christine came over to the sidelines, but it was obvious that she couldn’t take it. She was now crying because of the injury, and when she passed one of the small coolers she knocked it off the cart in distress before then being placed on the trainer’s table. No doubt the commentators had seen that gesture and were remarking how egotistical she was, about how she was throwing a tantrum.

“Christine, get a hold of yourself,” Hamlin said angrily.

“My parents come out to see me play an Elite league game, and all I do is get injured,” Christine said, the tears still streaming down her face. “I let them down.”

“No you didn’t,” Hamlin said. “Now, lie with your back on the table, and I’ll see what I can do to wrap up your leg so that it’s stable.”

“Am I out for the rest of the game?”

“I’m afraid so,” Hamlin said. Christine just sat back and stared at the sky. This wasn’t her day. Gark then looked to his bench.

“Jerek!” he yelled out. It had been a long time since he had needed to call on the veteran. “I need you to get in your minutes here!”

Jerek did get his minutes, but they were ineffective at best. In his first game back since tearing his MCL Week One, the assistant captain looked pedestrian, lacking the fire that had defined his game for so long. He missed a tackle so badly at one point that Gark finally pulled him out, realizing that this game was just serving to hurt his team at the corner position. In came Rhyric Loayen, but that didn’t do any good. The Starkillers took advantage to keep up the pressure on the Senator defense, and Jayla was forced to win the game with her raw skills. That wasn’t the kind of game where she could excel, and the Starkillers pushed ahead. On the other end, the Senator offense was completely stymied. As the Miners had done, Dauza Chary was taking a real beating, and Gark knew that the refs were turning a blind eye to some of them. But there was nothing he could do.

When the game ended, it was 18-4 Starkillers. By the end of the game, the Senators had put in all available reserves. Reid, missing his corner partners in this one, had fallen apart at corner, showing his weakness without a suitable complementary piece, and was finally pulled mercifully by Pam Korthe in favor of Abbey Waters, the starting full back and former corner with Bakura. On offense, Thulius Jomas had scored all four Senator points, but they were of no help on a day where no one had answers, only more questions.


The Senators lucked out later in the day when the Miners beat the Patriots, and the C-Bucs lost to Rydonni Prime, pushing them into the second seed in the Solo to once again face off against Hapes. But this time the team would be even more battered than in the previous meeting. The trainers were checking on Chary to see if she could practice this next week after a complete shellacking in this game, and Gark knew a reshuffle of his defensive unit would be required after a complete meltdown over the last two games in comparison to what they had done in the middle of the year. The dream of a title was still in place, but more than ever that road was littered with injuries and uncertainty at all positions. If the Senators were to make it to the Final, they were going to have to dig deep, because this wasn’t going to be easy.

TAG: Runjedirun

 

Sub-GM Post

Bonus rolls this week to (points in parentheses): Druckenwell (28), Commenor (28), Concordia (28), Thyferra (32), Tatooine (28).

Limmie Futures League
Week 8
Druckenwell Marksmen at Kamino Waves (9–5)
Byblos Red Wings at Commenor Gundarks (23–27)
Concordia Crusaders at Kashyyyk Rangers (7–4)
Thyferra Force at Tatooine Sandskimmers (25–6)

Final Standings
1. Thyferra Force (6–1)
2. Concordia Crusaders (6–1)
3. Kashyyyk Rangers (5–2)
4. Commenor Gundarks (4–3)
5. Byblos Red Wings (3–4)
6. Tatooine Sandskimmers (3–4)
7. Druckenwell Marksmen (1–6)
8. Kamino Waves (0–7)

Tiebreakers:

• 6–1: Thyferra beat Concordia in Week 2.
• 3–4: Byblos beat Tatooine in Week 5.

Playoffs

Consolation Semifinals
(8) Kamino Waves at (5) Byblos Red Wings
(7) Druckenwell Marksmen at (6) Tatooine Sandskimmers
Futures Cup Semifinals
(4) Commenor Gundarks at (1) Thyferra Force
(3) Kashyyyk Rangers at (2) Concordia Crusaders

GM Note: Two reminders:

• I am still soliciting comments and opinions on whether the consolation bracket should be kept past this season. Keep in mind its stated purpose (providing these young up-and-coming players with valuable playoff experience) and how well it accomplishes that purpose (I'm not sure it does) when you form an opinion about it. Comments may be sent to me by PM or posted in Out of Bounds. I have no preference as to which. The latter may be useful if you want to start a discussion.
• There will be no Futures League scores next week, and that translates to a week off in character. The LFL semifinals will take place on Sunday, December 29, the same day as the ELL Conference Championship Games. Have a Merry Christmas!

TAG: Bardan_Jusik Vehn Runjedirun Rebecca_Daniels Jedi Gunny CPL_Macja

 

IC: Ava Killenger
Tatooine

Growing up, Ava learned that Tatooine was hot. Really hot. But there was nothing like experiencing it for the first time, when you couldn’t just stay in your house and sit by the air conditioning unit when it was muggy outside. No, this was normal fare for the desert planet, which some of Ava’s teammates were calling a complete “Dust Ball”. She agreed with them heartily; who in their right mind could live here? Furthermore, who would play Limmie here?

But none of that mattered, as there was a game to play today. Win, and the Force would be guaranteed a top seed in the LFL playoffs, so there was incentive to perform well against a middling Sandskimmers squad. She had worked her ass off in practice, and with any luck would be getting the start today. Panning had looked good as well, so it was up to Coach to make the decision.

“I’ve played here a few times in my career,” Jed Ortmeyer said to his troops in the locker room. “Old Anchorhead Stadium was a piece of trash. Compared to this place, it was even more of a trash heap. But that’s no longer the issue here. We have to deal with the blazing suns overhead, and that’s going to wear us down. In order to win today, we need to substitute frequently and stay hydrated. The Sandskimmers have a nice advantage here, so let’s overpower them with speed and size and ram it down their throats. We are going to use our Pistol to keep their defenders on their toes, and then go for the kill. Got it?” Agreement from the crowd of players. “All right, let’s get out there and finish strong.

In the team tunnel, Jed caught up to Ava. “I must say that you were excellent this week in practice,” the head coach remarked.

“Do I get a start?” Ava asked excitedly.

“Well, Panning did well also,” Jed said. Ava’s heart sank. She knew what was coming. Oh well, at least a rotation spot wasn’t bad for having not played all season.

“But I think you did better,” Jed said. “Consider yourself in the starting lineup today.”

Ava’s heart wanted to leap out of her chest. She was finally going to play? And start, to boot? Wow, what an opportunity to show the team and league what she had going for her. This was her second chance; now she needed to make something of it.

“I won’t let you down,” she said.

“You better not, because you’re still on a tight leash,” Jed said before wandering off.

Ava lined up across from a Weequay back who looked rather tough, and all of a sudden she had a sense of fear planted in the back of her mind. This guy meant business, and she would likely be eating some of the sand-covered pathetic substitute for grass they had here. She hated sand unless it was at the beach, like on Wroona. That was good sand, fun sand. This was going to be sand in your mouth, and then it wasn’t so nice. The half back narrowed his eyes on Ava, and she gave him a tough look back. She had no idea if it would really get in his head, but it was worth a try, wasn’t it? “Hello there,” she said to the defender, who snarled. “You ready to rock?”



When the game began, Ava ran off on a curl route. She felt so free finally getting out on the field in a meaningful shift, being able to do anything she wanted. Then she was promptly planted into the ground by the Weequay, and ate dirt. It was only ten seconds into the match, and she had already hit the deck and had a glob of sand in her craw. Lovely she thought to herself as she got up and continued to run.

Despite the weather conditions bearing down on her, Ava didn’t seem distracted. She finally got a pass from Ganlin Costa, sized up her matchup, and then pump faked. The Weequay bit on the fake, and then Ava went around on the left to blow by the slower back. She ran across another defender, but executed a beautiful spin move to get around him and into open territory. Ganlin had looped around to provide her a safety valve, and then Jennacca, the Wookiee half forward, clipped a Barabel corner back to spring Ava free to the goal. She let her arm back and, picking her spot, let go an odd shot. The ball clanged off the crossbar and straight to a Tatooine player. Ava frowned; that hadn’t been the plan.

“Shake it off!” she could hear Jed yelling from the near sideline. So she continued to run. And run she did, tracking down a Tatooine midfielder who hadn’t seen her coming. With a nice form tackle, Ava brought her to the ground, and as a result caused a fumble. Ava rolled onto her front to cover the ball, and was then swarmed under by several players from both teams. In the scrum, she was able to poke the ball free to Ganlin and get the offense started. Finally the players piled off of her, and she was able to join her teammates on the attack. Ganlin passed to Jennacca down low, who then held the boloball high above her head as she searched for an option. Then the Wookiee simply bowled over her defender and made a beeline for the goal. Ava ran near her, trying to keep up with the grav train that was the hairy forward. Finally she caught up in time to set a nice little screen that pushed Jennacca into open space. The Wookiee then let out a ferocious kick that sent the ball screaming over the bar and into the back net for a point.

Later on in the half, Ava shrugged off her defender and received a pass from midfield. She cut it up the sideline, barely staying in bounds as she tiptoed along the side. This drew some “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd, and then she cut it back into the middle of the field. A Sandskimmer defender fell down after this change of direction, and Ava had her chance once again. The goalie was defenseless; she could choose her spot without having to worry about a defender getting in her face. She just needed to let this one go. But where? Upper corner? This goalie had a good vertical leap, so that might not be the best idea from this distance. Roller? Too slow on this surface. Skipping shot? Depended on her arm strength. Painting the corner, skip shot, did that equal a goal? She cocked her arm back and readied to fire, but then her arm was grabbed from behind. The ball flew out of her hand and towards the goal as she went down to the turf. Undeterred, the ball barely grazed the crossbar as it went over. A point scored.

With that first pro point out of the way, Ava was now even more driven to score a goal. Taking a pass, she sidestepped a defender with a nice juke move, then spun around one of her teammates who was engaged in handfighting with a Sandskimmer. She cut around and was alone a third time. This time she would do it, this time she would score a goal. Again the ball was moved back, but no hand came to drag her down. The ball zipped off her hand and screamed towards the goal. The Tatooine goalie moved to block it, but slipped on the turf. Now the ball had a free lane, and it passed the goal line on its way to the back of the net. Goal for Ava Killenger, the first of her career.


That was the story of the game for Ava, as she finally was able to get some playing time. But she had done more than just provide a body out there; she had filled the stat sheet. Two goals and a bar point was her scoring line, with four tackles and a forced fumble highlighting the defensive stats. In the miscellaneous category, she had picked up three loose balls, dished out an assist, and made an interception on a diving play in front of a quickly-developing Sandskimmer attack. No doubt some fans in the stands were rifling through their programs to see who in the hell number 25 in the white was. After all, she hadn’t been named a starter in the announced lineup, and since she hadn’t been well-known coming in, no one thought she would play much, if at all. It was likely that they then remembered that she was the drug addict, the player who had blown her chance with the Senators and was now down here trying to scrape by in the game. They could take that with them, Ava thought to herself as she walked back to the locker room after the 25-6 Thyferra win. Yes she had been a drug addict for a time, but she had also just outscored the home team by herself. That in itself was a major achievement, one of many Ava hoped to obtain in her career.

TAG: jcgoble3 (for any LFL and Commenor stuff)

 

IC:Falene Trieste
Stoney End Park, Hanna City, Chandrila



The Friendliest Rivalry in Limmie was pretty frosty today. It had nothing to do with the temperature. It was a typically gorgeous day in the capital city of Chandrila. No, all of the chill in the air had to do with the two head coaches who prowled the sidelines for their clubs.

Reina Kether was a Galactic Cup champion four times over. Gaeriel Valerii had three championship rings to her name. When it came to head-to-head coaching victories, it was the Bakuran who had skunked the Chandrilan two games to zilch thus far.

The Miners and Falene were putting in a pretty respectable game against a struggling Chandrilan unit. The Patriot offense was getting more traction than they’d had the last two games, but they were still falling woefully short of the Miner offense down at the other end of the field. Rodders Deenever & Co. were doing their thing and they were doing it well.

They needed to do well. A lot was riding on this game. If the cards fell right, they could have excellent positioning for the playoffs. Just getting a Hapes loss was going to get the Miners home field for the Solo Conference Championship game. That was why there were a group of Miner fans in the stands with a big blue banner that read:

GO MONARCHS​

THE MINERS SUPPORT YOU​

At a timeout, Falene had jutted her chin in the direction of the sign. “What’s that about?” she asked.

“That’s something that will hopefully make Dawn Solo smile,” Alana said with a grin.

On the day, Falene was pleased with her play, Elebraith Kex was meeting a similar fate to Dauza Chary. Kex got some plays in, but more often than not all she got with the ball was a hit from Falene that broke up the Patriot charge and reversed the play up the field. The Omwati was clearly getting frustrated by the coverage and the defense.

What wasn’t going so well was the Ternardiel vs. Koobis matchup to Falene’s right. As usual, Ponie was playing hard against her opposite number—a bit too hard. Ponie had kept up with the fouls, which had given Koobis some free kicks during the game. At some of the timeouts, Valerii had lectured Ponie, but it hadn’t seemed to have much of an effect on her play.

Finally, Koobis had enough and not-so-subtly bumped Ponie to the ground after a stoppage in play. Ternardiel didn’t take it well and shouldered Koobis to the ground. As the refs blew their whistles to stop things from getting out of control, Falene knew she had to do something before exactly that happened. She was closer to the pair than any ref, so Falene dashed over and stuck herself between the two, her back to Koobis. What Falene got for her efforts was Ponie yelling in her ear and an inadvertent shove to the back of the head from Koobis, who had been aiming for Ponie. By then the refs were in there and Falene felt it was safe to let Ponie go.

As Falene walked away, Koobis buzzed something in her language and extended a hand. Falene didn’t understand Rodese, but she slapped the hand in a friendly gesture all the same, assuming that it was an apology from the captain. Either way, she wasn’t mad at Koobis. Heck, in her position she would have decked Ponie by this point either way. Falene knew that Ternardiel was brought in to play with an edge, but she was playing dangerously.

“Gentlebeings, scores from around the Elite League,” the public address announcer said with play stopped, “Final score from Ralltiir: Starkillers 18, Senators 4.”

The Chandrilan home crowd roared in delight at that. The Patriots might be losing, but anyone beating the Coruscanti side was reason for celebration.

“Also a final: Buccaneers 7, Monarchs 19.”

Falene’s head snapped up. She looked over at Wizmark. They all knew what this meant. A C-Bucs loss dropped them to 5-4. Even if the Miners lost today, they’d have the top spot in the Solo Conference. Falene looked to the sideline. Gaeriel Valerii was notorious for pulling her starters when she didn’t have anything to play for. Sure enough, Valerii was trying to get the official’s attention.

“Final at Euceron Stadium: Rebels 2, Storm 6.”

And just that fast, Valerii, who now had the ref’s eye, was waving him off.

The Commissioner’s Trophy was in play and Valerii was not going to pull her starters now.

---

She did, however, pull them at 24-10 halfway through the second half. The Miners had put this one away and Valerii wasn’t going to let Kether have extra shots in on her key players. That included Falene, who distinctly remembered being left in during hopeless causes last season. The fact that she was now an asset to be protected was a comforting thought for Falene.

“Going down to Stoney End
We always wanted to go down to Stoney End!” the Miner fans who rounded out this third straight road game chanted. It was certainly not music to the ears of the Patriot Nation, who knew that they had blown a shot at a playoff spot today.

There was no great celebration by the Miners, at least not on the sidelines—just huge grins. They knew they’d come through today and they had enough time to adjust to the knowledge without having to focus on the game. They had won the Commissioner’s Trophy and would be going back to Bakura for the Solo Conference championship game.

Niskat crushed Falene in a hug. “Good thing I showed up,” Niskat said, “This is what you should have done last season.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” Falene said, truly meaning it.

Falene joined the midfield handshakes. The Patriot fans had stayed to applaud their team at the end of a season, a season in which they had failed to defend their Galactic Cup championship. Falene was nearby the Valerii-Kether meeting.

“Congratulations,” Kether said, opening the pleasantries as the media pressed around them.

“Good season,” Valerii said. There was the first dig.

“Enjoy the home game at Bakura. That always works out so well for you,” Kether said, smiling. That was the second zinger.

“Too bad you couldn’t have pulled a couple more out. Would have loved to have hosted you. It’s always a pleasure, Reina,” Valerii said. The third and parting shot.

Kether leaned in and whispered in Valerii’s ear so low that Falene couldn’t hear as she shook Norran Findal’s hand. The head coaches broke apart and headed back to their locker rooms.

“So, what’d she have to say?” Hulu asked the head coach.

“Just one thing,” Gaeriel said, “The higher you get, the farther the fall.”

Falene knew that was perhaps the greatest dig at all. The Miners had not won a home Galactic Cup Semifinal or Conference Final game in 30 years, since well before Falene was born. For the Miners to go to the Galactic Cup Final, they were going to need to make some history in two weeks.

TAG: CPL_Macja Jedi Gunny Runjedirun

 

OOC: OK, so it's not quite a Limmie-centered post. But that's not the point, as you shall see below.

IC: Gark S’rily
Home, Coruscant



The buzzer on the radio went off, and Gark reached over groggily to turn it off. He was having another dream of Limmie glory, one of those that you normally had when you were around the game as much as he was. He didn’t remember specifics, but this one was just like the rest in that they revolved around the team, revolved around the fans, revolved around the game. It was a piece of art in itself, something that the Bothan didn’t mind.

As he got out of bed, he accidentally got caught up in one of the sheets and tumbled to the ground in a heap. Not a good way to start the day he thought to himself as he got up, now completely awake. Me’lin had gotten up before he had to start working on the food for the Life Day dinner that they were hosting today, and Gark had no doubt that Galin had gotten up earlier than both of them in hopes that he would get to open his gifts. Would a two-year old really understand the point of the holiday? Doubtful. But perhaps he would behave today if he deemed his presents sufficient. He was a good kid in general . . . just a little excitable at times. Just like his father was, the Bothan who was foolish enough to dump himself on the floor to start the day. Well, at least it was an effective wake-up call.

Gark walked out of the bedroom, albeit still trying to get the kinks out after landing unceremoniously, and into Galin’s room. Much to Gark’s surprise, the small child was still asleep, undoubtedly dreaming of what he was going to receive later on in the day. Gark closed the door slowly to make sure Galin wouldn’t wake, and then went into the kitchen. Me’lin was finishing placing something in the oven, and then turned around when she heard footsteps. She was wearing her food-encrusted cooking apron over one of her many sweaters, since it was cold outside and it would take some time for the heat to kick in. “Galin still out?” she asked.

“Yep,” Gark replied. “It’s a shame that we don’t get to sleep in today.”

“You said you were hosting this event, so don’t go blaming me,” the Twi’lek replied. “I’m just doing this because I’m nice.”

“Or because you secretly think this was a good idea,” Gark countered. Me’lin just sighed.

“Perhaps,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but hopefully it’ll be worth it in the end.”

“I think it will be,” Gark said. “Now, do you need me to start in on anything?”

“Salad prep, yes,” Me’lin said, motioning to a salad bowl on the counter. “If you can get a few bowls of that done in the next hour, I can work on some of the hot items. I don’t know how many people you invited over, frankly.”

“I don’t know either,” Gark replied, shrugging. “I asked a few people, but if it’s just them, that’s beyond my knowledge.”

“Oh great. We may not have enough plates, food, or silverware to go around,” Me’lin said, frowning. “And you tell me this now, on Life Day morning. You know, Gark, you may be a smart guy sometimes, but this right here is not one of your finer moments.”

“We’ll manage,” Gark replied. “Besides, Galin never uses his utensils anyways. He sometimes sticks his food in his face.”

“Training will come with time,” Me’lin said. “Now, get busy on the salad. I have a few things that need to be addressed with the other dishes.”

So the two of them set out to work. Gark chopped up some vegetables and placed them in the bed of salad greens, then mixing them up with a large spoon. He didn’t like having to mix multiple bowls of this stuff, but at least his wife wasn’t forcing him to prepare the more intricate items. She was the better cook out of the two of them, but at least he managed to get some things done. As thirty minutes passed, then an hour, Gark lost track of time as he mixed away, trying to get as much done as he could before someone decided that arriving two hours early would be a brilliant idea.

Not too long after, Galin came tottering into the kitchen. He looked remarkably well-rested, something Gark wished he could be right about now. He was still feeling a little tried after the alarm had rudely woken him. “Food?” the young Bothan asked.

“You’re going to have to wait,” Gark replied as he continued to mix. “This is for dinner.”

“Breakfast?” Galin prodded. For being two years old, he didn’t miss a beat. Typical.

“How about you get yourself some cereal, then you go watch some Holos, alright, sweetie?” Me’lin said when she noticed Galin standing off to the side. “We’re a little busy right now.”

Galin dutifully toddled over to the cabinet, shakily poured himself some of his favorite cereal, and then walked into the other room to watch Holos. It was amazing that he was this well-behaved, Gark reasoned . . . at least for now. Give him another hour, and he might be howling that they weren’t opening gifts yet.

“How’s the salad coming?” Me’lin asked.

“It’s coming along,” Gark said. “One bowl down, this one in progress, and then another one to finish,” he said as he motioned to the three large salad bowls.

Another hour passed by, and Gark once again lost track of time. He could faintly hear the Holo in the other room as Galin watched, probably transfixed by some random program he found on the receiver. Gark looked over at his wife, who was busy placing some cookies in the oven. Of all the things that he could be thankful for on Life Day, she probably topped the list. Without her . . . he didn’t know where he might be. Then he remembered that he needed another spoon, as the one he was using was getting rather crusty. As he made his way over to the drawer where the spare utensils were, he noticed Me’lin taking a moment to recollect her thoughts. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gark reached out and slapped her on the rump as he passed by, just to be mischievous for once. However, he didn’t get far before he felt his ear being pulled on in an unceremonious manner.

“Try again?” Me’lin asked, obviously not amused as she continued to yank on Gark’s ear.

“Fine, fine, you win,” Gark said, trying to wiggle free as he grimaced in pain. Me’lin let go, and Gark waited for the pain to subside. Perhaps that hadn’t been one of his better ideas.

The rest of the preparations went along without a major hitch, and by the time the doorbell rang for the first time, Gark was snapped out of his stupor. He went out to the front and opened the door. Immediately, he was embraced by another Bothan, which almost knocked him over. Superbothan or not, he was still suspect to sneak attack hugs like this. “Hey,” Ryal S’rily, whatever her last name was now, Gark didn’t remember, said to her older brother.

“Um . . . hi,” Gark said to his sister. Behind her was her son, who was high school aged by this point. Gark hadn’t seen his nephew in a long time. And her husband was behind her as well, although Gark didn’t remember him that much either. The three of them entered the house, and Gark shut the door behind them. “Make yourselves comfortable,” he said before returning to the kitchen. However, before he could get back, the doorbell rang again. Gark groaned and walked all the way back to the front door.

Outside this time was Polis Vayne, unfortunately looking overburdened by carrying around his two young children. “I take it Meredith isn’t home yet?” Gark asked as Polis entered.

“Nope,” Polis said raggedly. “I wish she would get back here ASAP, because I can’t handle these two any longer by myself. They’re as much of a handful as their mother is.”

Minutes later, the doorbell rang a third time. Gark didn’t have to guess twice to figure out who it was after he heard a few words coming from outside. He threw the door open to see Dirxx Horstse’s smiling mug. “Mind if we come in?” Gark’s assistant defensive coach asked him.

“We?” Gark asked, bewildered. He hadn’t figured Dirxx would bring anyone. And then when he saw who it was, he wanted to facepalm for being so forgetful. Re’lia, Me’lin’s sister, was hanging out with the Besalisk outside the door. “Oh, right,” he said.

“Shame on you,” Dirxx said, “for forgetting that you got us together in the first place.”

“I guess I owe you one, then,” Gark said, shaking his head in disbelief. “My bad.”

“Hey, I don’t mind,” Dirxx said. He pushed his way past Gark with his date in tow, and Gark finally closed the door behind him for a third time. When those two reached the kitchen, Gark was able to hear shreds of conversation from the two Twi’lek sisters as they greeted each other. Then Gark’s attention moved to the living room, where Galin was eyeing his presents like a hawkbat. He was afraid this might happen; it was time to get Galin distracted.

“Look at you!” Ryal said as she joined her nephew on the floor. “You’re getting so big!”

“Thank you,” Galin said sheepishly. His vocabulary certainly was growing. “Presents,” he then commented, pointing to the gifts that were located under the tree.

“I’m sure you’ll get a chance to open them a little later,” Ryal said. She then reached out and began to tickle Galin in the stomach, right in the sweet spot. The little kid rolled over and began to laugh, which was a trick that his parents used to calm him down every now and then when he got too excited.

This time Gark was able to make it back to the kitchen before the doorbell rang again, and he was able to finish off the last salad before being interrupted again. In this intervening time, he chatted it up with Dirxx and Polis, trying to get some Limmie stuff ironed out while they were here and not busy with other things. When the doorbell finally rang again, it came fast and furious. In came the Heatlys, Moen and Laryssa, with their two children. After them came Helena Forsythe, who was now working in the scouting department under longtime scout and current scouting director Mac Johnson as one of his head scouts. Gark hadn’t expected to see her here, but such was life. With her outside the door was Pam Korthe, who had decided to drop by rather late in the game. Gark had asked her, but she had only replied to him a day before because she was busy with other things. In they went, and Gark barely had enough time to close the door before he heard voices coming up the driveway. Again he opened the door, this time to see Cord McKerty and Reena Wyley come up. After greeting their host, they entered the house, and Gark shut the door once more.

He looked at the group gathered in the house by now. It was quite a crew of Senator players, former players, coaches, and family. Not a bad get-together, really. Two minutes later, the doorbell rang once again, and Gark opened it up to find Adanna Inviere standing out there. “Ah, didn’t think you were coming,” Gark said as the Hapan entered.

“Trust me, I thought I had other plans,” she replied. “But I think coming over here was a better idea than what I had on the schedule. Otherwise, I might have gone back home, but my family was all too busy anyways to celebrate, so I had to scratch that idea. I hate it when they go on vacation without asking me.”

“You came to the right place, then,” Gark said.

As he moved to shut the door, Gark caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Several of his current players were coming up the driveway now, headed by Gayla Renhorn. Leave it to Gayla to usher everyone around Gark thought as the players approached. “Now, before you enter, I want all of you who didn’t bring food to drop down and give me twenty pushups,” Gark joked.

“Frak you,” Gayla said. “It’s the holidays. Can’t you give us a break for once?”

“Of course I can. Come on in,” Gark said. The players entered, but not before Gark could count them. Gayla, Christine, Reid, Abbey, and Thulius were there, although the large rookie obviously felt nervous about being here since he was new to the team. Tank Bratter was ambling up the driveway, with Maff Biskis and his golden hair locks waving along behind the Herglic.

“Hey Tank, you see anyone else out there who may be straggling?” Gark yelled to his reserve defensive back.

“No,” the Herglic said simply as he came inside. Maff followed him, but said the opposite.

“Someone’s coming,” he commented. Gark looked around to see Londy Whiste, dressed up in a terrible-looking Life Day sweater, running towards the door at high speed. Gark left the door open and Londy came inside, panting hard from his run.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Gark said.

“I’m not in good shape, Boss,” Londy replied, his hands on his hips as he panted away to try and catch his breath.

“I think getting on a jogging program would get you in shape right away. But that’s for another day,” Gark said. “Oh, and nice sweater.” He didn’t mean it, though.

“I hate this thing, but at least it keeps me warm,” Londy said.

“I don’t think you’ll need it after now,” Maff commented. “It’s warmer out there than it was earlier, and it should get nicer as the day goes on.”

“Hang it up on the rack over there,” Gark motioned to the coat rack in the corner, “and then try to find some space. We’re filling up, as you can see.” He closed the door again and looked around at the gathered crowd. It was starting to swell; the three salads he had made weren’t going to last long as this rate. So this was what Me’lin was afraid would happen, and now he was starting to wonder if they had enough for everyone. However, as he looked at the Life Day tree, he could barely see the tree there were so many gifts stashed underneath it. Where they had come from was anyone’s guess, but it was obvious that he had missed gifts coming in.

The last few stragglers came in, being Demetra Silkins and the Tormeras with their young boys. Then it was time to eat. The meal was spread over multiple rooms and outside, with the majority of people eating outside while some, like the children, ate inside. It was quite a gathering, but Gark wanted to say a few words before everyone started in at their various locations. “I just want to say a few things before we begin,” he said. “It’s been a long season, and I know that a lot of you have been working hard. So consider this a little “thank you” for your effort this season.” Clapping ensued. “I want to thank my wife for doing most of the leg work on this meal. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to pull this off.” More clapping. “And most of all, enjoy the food. It should be good, after all. We will be opening gifts later, apparently, since they materialized while I wasn’t looking, and we have some odds and ends up our sleeves as far as the entertainment.” Laughter. “And happy Life Day, everyone.” Cheers came from the gathered crowd as they finally dug into the grub. Gark joined Me’lin at the outside table, and time flew past as everyone hopefully had a good time. On a day such as Life Day, it was best to celebrate with family and friends. There was no better feeling.

When the meal was all over, and had been cleaned up, a few people had to leave for various reasons, but most of the group was still there. Gark pulled out his itinerary; this was going to be interesting. “So, for the occasion, I have decided to play a little game with all of you. It’s going to be sort of like a grab bag; you never quite know what you’re going to get. Or give, in some cases.” He lifted a deck of cards in one hand. “When I get to each one of you, you will draw a card and read it out to the group. Then, you have to take an action, or receive an action from someone else. Trust me, these aren’t dirty in any way, or at least I hope not. Think of them as more of a laugh riot than anything else.”

As they went around, the weird shenanigans went flying. Dirxx had to stand one on foot and try to sing a song, which failed when he realized that he was going to fall over and likely crush someone. That hadn’t ended well, but Gark had drawn a card in which he was going to draw someone a picture. It wasn’t going to be a good drawing, but in a minute he had given Polis a picture of a boloball. “I have just the place to put this,” Polis said as he tried to wrangle the paper away from Buck, who was trying to grab it. “Right above the refresher. Because it’s so bad that it needs to be flushed away.”

A chorus of laughter came from the group. “Well, at least you could use it to wipe up after yourself,” Gark commented. More laughter.

When the deck got around to Adanna, Gark slipped in a card he knew that she wouldn’t like. It was another small trick he was playing on her. When the Hapan drew the card, she looked at it, and then to the side as she looked down the row.

“Well, what is it?” Gark asked, amused.

“Um . . . next card, please,” Adanna said, trying to hand Gark back the card. But Gark took the card and read it aloud.

“Ooh, this was one of the more, shall I say, interesting cards,” the Bothan said to the group. “Kiss or hug the third person down from you to your left.” All eyes shifted to the third person . . . Maff. The forward initially looked shocked, and then smirked when he realized the implications of such a card. “Come on, Adanna, we’re all doing stupid things. It’s the least you could do, to just play along.”

“Fine,” Adanna said. She went over and had to smooch Maff, which he and the crowd thought was hilarious because she really wasn’t trying. Maff was good-looking, to be sure, but everyone could tell that Adanna wasn’t interested in doing this under pressure, if at all. The crowd clapped as Adanna sheepishly sat back down on the sofa.

Another card was drawn where everyone had to hug (or kiss, if the occasion required it) the person sitting next to them. Gark made sure to kiss Me’lin as everyone else who was unattached looked at each other stupidly. At least Demetra tried to make a good impression on the game by kissing the cheek of Thulius, though the rookie did not see it coming his way, even if it was a half-hearted attempt by the fourth-year midfielder.

When the round of insanity was over, Gark shuffled the deck and placed it in his pocket. “Now we get to open a few things,” he said. Presents started to be handed out from underneath the extremely full tree. Teammates got each other small items, in some cases joke gifts that caused a lot of laughter when the recipient opened up a gift to find an ugly sweater or a bumper sticker that was slightly off-color. A few more had to leave at this time when their presents had been given out, but the group was still pretty large. Adanna opened up a gift for her, and found a nice knit black beanie inside. She placed it on her head, and it fit like a glove.

“Who’s it from?” Gark prodded.

“Doesn’t say,” Adanna replied, looking at the tag. “But it came with a note.” She opened it up and read aloud. “The Miners still suck. Happy Life Day.” Some laughs came from the crowd. Even though the Senators had lost to the Miners this past season, at least they could still laugh about it.

Gark had received a feather boa from Dirxx, and he wrapped it around his neck to show it off despite feeling incredibly stupid in wearing the thing. Galin thought this was extremely funny and rolled over as he laughed heartily. But the joke wasn’t going to be on him for long. Pam opened a gift and pulled out a Holo. It was of a male bodybuilder, as would be seen in muscle magazines, but instead of having his regular face, someone had superimposed Jed Ortmeyer’s face onto it with a sappy grin. Pam looked at the thing, horrified, and then Dirxx snatched it from her and held it up for all to see. That brought the house down, and Pam blushed so hard that you could see her normally pink-red skin change tone.

Then Re’lia got a gift. It didn’t say who it was from, so she opened the package cautiously. You never wanted something to jump out at you unexpectedly, especially if it was from someone without many scruples in gift-giving. It was a salad bowl set. “Well, at least I can make salads now,” she said, shrugging. But Dirxx reached over and told her to open the box. Re’lia did so, and to her amazement there was not a salad bowl set inside. Instead, she pulled out a small felt box about two inches long and wide. Opening the box, she could see a ring inside, a rather nice-looking one. She turned to Dirxx in shock, who shrugged. “I guess it would be a good time to ask you to marry me, wouldn’t it,” he finally said sheepishly. “So, will you?”

“Yes!” Re’lia said. She hugged Dirxx, which was rather difficult to do given that he dwarfed her in terms of overall size, and everyone in the audience clapped for them. That hadn’t been expected, but at least Dirxx had something up his sleeve once again. “But, what about the salad bowl set?”

“Don’t worry, I got you that as well,” Dirxx replied. “It’s for times when you oh so nicely make dinner for me after a long day at work,” he said with that trademark grin of his.

“You’re despicable,” Re’lia said, kissing Dirxx on the cheek, or what you could consider a cheek on him.

An hour later, most of the visitors were getting ready to leave or had already headed out. Laryssa had to basically drag Lorida, her oldest daughter, away from the tree when she tried to yank on it so that the family could leave, but the child didn’t like that and began to wail. Unfortunately, this caused the Chambers-Vayne twins to start in on this for no reason whatsoever, and soon the sound of crying children could be heard all over the house. Laryssa was finally able to calm her daughter down, and the Heatlys left shortly thereafter.


“Hey, congrats,” Me’lin said to her sister as she readied to leave with Dirxx. “I never thought it would work, but . . . I guess I was wrong.”

“I’m still shocked,” Re’lia said, looking down at the ring nicely placed on her finger. It was nice and shiny, exactly what she had expected a ring to look like. “But the proposal couldn’t have been weirder, I must say,” she said wryly at Dirxx.

“I couldn’t help it,” the Besalisk replied. “Besides, you never saw it coming,” he said with a wink.

“You’re right on that,” his new fiancée said. “Anyways, we probably should get going. Lots of things to figure out when I get home. Thanks again, sis, for helping throw this whole thing.”

“No problem,” Me’lin replied. “Have a safe ride home, and good luck in your next phase of life, alright? I’ll call you later and we can discuss more at length.”

“Sounds good,” Re’lia said before she and Dirxx walked out the door and Gark closed it behind them.

Pam stood up and was ready to leave, but almost tripped over Reena’s foot as she and Cord were sitting comfortably by the tree. “I have to thank you for putting this all on,” the Zeltron said to Gark as she approached. “However, I’m going to kill whoever got me that Holo of Jed. Everyone knows I don’t really like him that much.”

“Oh really, could’ve fooled me,” Gark said with a sly grin. Pam frowned.

“I’ll get whoever it is back later, once I figure out whom it was,” she said before leaving.

Back on the sofa, Adanna was getting ready to leave. She had her new beanie hat on, which looked rather cozy over her bleached blonde hair, along with a new Senators fleece jacket that she had received from another mysterious source.

“Looking good, Adanna,” Gark replied. “I think you now have enough team gear to not be mauled by fans mistaking you for a Miner.”

“Guess so,” the Hapan said, zipping up the front of the fleece jacket. “Although I still don’t know who sent them . . . I would like to thank them, at the very least. It’s a very comfortable hat.” She got up, checked that she had everything, and then headed to the door. Gark let her be, since he figured that she would leave, and went over to check on the rest of the guests in the living room.

However, Adanna was stopped by Maff who was also wearing his jacket and hat and was ready to leave. “Um . . . sorry about the whole kiss card thing,” he said sheepishly. Maff was known as a real quiet guy, so he didn’t speak a whole lot. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you or anything.”

“No, it’s all right,” Adanna said. “It’s just a stupid card game, anyways. Party gimmick.”

“Er . . . how do you like the hat? Or the jacket?” Maff asked.

“They’re nice,” Adanna said. Then she paused for a few seconds. “You got them for me, didn’t you?” she asked questioningly. Maff nodded.

“I figured I . . . had to make up for being a completely klutz back at the office,” he said. “I blame Coach for pushing me in there at that time.”

“It’s all right,” Adanna said. “The hat is nice and comfortable . . . I like it. Thank you.”

In the living room, Gark witnessed Christine, who was drinking her egg nog, kiss Reid. Her fellow corner looked shocked at this, so Christine had to explain. “Hey, it’s Life Day. Live a little,” she said. “It only comes around once a year.”

“True,” Reid said before giving Christine a kiss back underneath the wreath hanging above the mantle.

“Hey Reena, we’re hogging your wreath, aren’t we?” Christine asked her fellow defender.

“Nah. I’m good where I am,” the Hapan said as she kissed Cord once more.

Gark then turned around to see Maff talk to Adanna. Well, wasn’t this a bit of a surprise? Maff looked over at Gark, who nodded and then motioned for the forward to open the door for the Hapan assistant GM.

“Um . . . I don’t want to sound awkward, but . . . would you mind going out . . . for . . . caf with me?” Maff asked after he received Gark’s silent messages from across the room.

“Aren’t you being a nice guy today,” Adanna asked.

“I try,” Maff said. It was obvious to Gark that he was really struggling here, but at least he was keeping his composure. Kinda.

“Well, I suppose I could,” Adanna said. “Wouldn’t hurt to go get a cup of caf. You’re buying, though.”

“Of course,” Maff said. He opened the door to let Adanna leave, and then looked over at Gark, who gave him a thumbs-up. Adanna wanted a friend, so she maybe was going to get one here. Maff then walked out the door.

A long while later, Cord and Reena finally left, and Polis decided to call it a night as well because the twins were getting cranky. Now it was just the regular three denizens of the house left.

“Hey Galin, it’s time to open your presents,” Gark said, sitting down near the tree. He picked up a box and handed it to the small Bothan, who ripped open the package with great vigor. When he pulled out a NARF-brand Limmie ball, he grinned from ear to ear. He may be young, but he knew what Limmie was, and this excited him.

“Well, would you look at that,” Gark said. “It’s a Limmie ball.”

“I have a feeling that you’re trying to get him hooked on the game early?” Me’lin asked.

“Of course. It’s in his blood, remember?” Gark said. “Now, Lady S’rily, what did you receive from Yoda’s Spirit this year?”

“Oh come off it,” Me’lin said. “You know Yoda doesn’t really come down chimneys and give gifts to children. Or to adults, for that matter.”

“Exactly,” Gark said as he picked up a small box and handed it to her. “That’s why he asked me to give this to you in his stead.” Obviously he was joking, but he didn’t want to bore her with his antics. The Twi’lek tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a small box like what Re’lia had received earlier.

“I take it you and Dirxx were sharing notes?” she asked.

“Probably,” Gark said.

“But you don’t need to propose to me,” Me’lin commented as she opened the box’s lid. “What are you up to?”

“Again, I never said I had to. But I think you’ll like it anyways,” Gark replied. Me’lin pulled out a small wooden pendant, one that had all sorts of etchings carved into it.

“It’s beautiful,” she said as she remarked at the handiwork. It had a nice smooth end, as well as the nicely polished back side. “What’s it supposed to represent, if I may ask?”

“Take a closer look,” Gark said, nodding. “I think you’ll like what you see.” His wife did as she was told, and she could immediately make out shapes. It was a small laser engraving of a family Holo that had been taken months earlier with the three of them one there. “Now you can go anywhere and have the family there with you,” Gark said. “I had it specially designed out of that portrait Holo. Hope you like it.”

“I love it,” Me’lin said.

“Happy Life Day, Lin,” Gark said.

“Same to you, honey,” his wife said.

Later on, after everything else had been opened, Me’lin had to turn in for the night because she had been up most of the day, which left Gark and Galin up as the night wore on. The two of them played with the NARF ball a little bit, watched some HoloNet stuff, and then it was time to tuck the small boy in for the night. Gark tried to get Galin to sleep, but the boy wanted something. “Ball!” he kept saying. Finally, Gark retrieved the NARF ball, and Galin fell asleep almost instantly as he clutched the item in his small furry paws.

Gark finally crawled into bed later than he had originally intended, but once his head hit the pillow, he was out cold. What a great day.

TAG: No One, although I'm sure jcgoble3 and Trieste will enjoy parts of it immensely


NOTE: Happy Holidays, everyone.

 

IC: Zay Antilles
Location: Euceron Stadium, Eusebus, Euceron
Time: One day after Week 9 game against Corellia

"Alright, so is that everything?" asked Palla. "We have everything in place for the conference semifinal game?"

Zay said "yes" as he looked to the others in the room. Aebatt added an affirmative response, as did the Eusebus Police captain helping coordinate things. On the other side of the room, Jedi Master Stanvo Feeaf, a man of few words, simply nodded his head. His Padawan, a teenage Twi'lek named Tal Aldee, did likewise. The two additional Jedi had been sent by the Council to reinforce Palla and Zay following the shooting three weeks ago.

"Okay then," said Palla. "Zay, come with me. Stanvo and Tal, one of you contact Rebels officials and make sure they're ready in case the Storm advance to the conference championship."

Zay followed his Master down to the workout room, which was empty at the moment as the team was in the film room. Palla took a minute to gather her thoughts, and Zay grew a little nervous. She's acting the way she normally does when she's getting ready to reprimand me for something, he thought. What did I do now?

When Palla finally spoke, Zay realized that he needn't have worried. "Zay, ever since around the time of the shooting, I've been impressed with how you've been handling being around limmie for this long," she said. "You've been able to focus on the mission, and more importantly, you've learned how to be a fan without attachment, like me. I especially noticed how you were ready to accept the outcome of yesterday's big game, whatever it might have been, and how you easily moved on after enjoying the win. Master Skywalker said that this mission would be a test of your attachment to limmie and of how well you would be able to let go of it. While the Council ultimately has the final say in the matter, in my eyes you have passed that test, and I will tell the Council that the next time I am able to do so."

Zay responded, "Thank you for setting an example for me to follow."

"You've done well these past couple of months, taking the initiative when needed and not waiting on me to provide direction. You will make a fine Jedi Knight."

"Only thanks to your teaching."

"Not completely. You learned many things from other Masters or on your own, and you even taught me a few lessons. For example, back when the shooting happened, you taught me that I need to be more conscious of disturbances in the Force. I didn't even realize there was a disturbance until after you took off to the parking lot."

Zay opened his mouth to respond, but Palla continued before he could say anything.

"Enough with the humbleness fest already. You have the right to feel a sense of accomplishment here. I believe that you are ready to face the Trials, and I believe that the Council will see the same.

"Now, let's get something to eat somewhere nice. I'm buying."

TAG: Nobody directly, though Rebecca_Daniels may want to notice the increased security for our playoff game

 

GM Post

What We Learned: End of Season Edition

For half the teams in the Elite League, the season is now over. However, our usually insightful snark is over for no one. Isn’t life great?

Agamar Packers: We have proof that Tim Dodd is the nicest owner in all of limmie. Not only did he get nominated for his second Zumtak Award, but he let Konrad Dvorak go out holding him to single digit scoring. Man, what a nice guy Dodd. We’re sure that totally makes up for never competing for the Galactic Cup.

Bakura Miners: How do you reward a team that went 5-0 on the road this season? Force them to play at home where they went 2-2 and haven’t won a Galactic Cup Semifinal or Conference Championship game in over 30 years.

Chandrila Patriots: Given the way that Kether got manhandled yet again by Valerii, we’d say she started the season and ended the season with a black eye.

Corellia Rebels: Defense wins championships. Not scoring a single goal also loses them.

Coruscant Senators: We apologize for forgetting to include the Senators last week. The intern who usually writes this section got sick, so we put a staff writer on it, but he didn’t do anything. Then the intern came back and still didn’t write anything.

Euceron Storm: What have we learned about the Antilles Formation? That you never know what you’re going to see when it gets used. Ergo, it is now the most exciting thing in limmie.

Hapes Consortium Buccaneers: The C-Bucs performed their usual implosion and still made the playoffs? The question is whether says something about Hapes’s start or the rest of the Solo Conference?

Mando’ade Mercs: The Mercs can clearly play some amazing limmie when they want to. The question is what it’s going to take to get the consistency that they need to compete. Maybe constantly threatening Fortune with a trade to bring out that MVP-caliber play?

Nar Shaddaa Smugglers: To borrow a quote: “You won’t have Dvorak to kick around anymore because, gentlebeings, this is my last press conference.” Don’t go Konrad! You can’t resign! How else can we have the satisfaction of seeing you get fired! Seriously, Konrad, don’t go. What are we going to do without you? Please come back. We miss you.

Ralltiir Starkillers: Given how Galaxy Defender has played and the fact that Loren Jul should have been a Salbukk nominee, we don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say that this is the best team to not make the playoffs. Hands down. And now they’re going to have a good draft pick too. The 276 campaign is going to be something to watch, folks.

Rydonni Prime Monarchs: So…uh…Setarcos? We kind of got something wrong earlier…see…you actually don’t have the first overall pick in the Draft because…uh…conference record is the first tiebreak and Agamar has a worse conference record than you so…uhhh…RUN AWAY BEFORE HE GIVES US LASER DEATH RAY EYES!

Ylesia Lightning: What do you mean Kasin is last in the league in points allowed?!?! The apocalypse is coming! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!!!!!

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

 

IC: Fenton Tobles

Fenton did not feel right about the Starkillers win over the Senators. The Senators were a beat up team. What point were the Starkillers making by taking advantage? With each game this season Fenton had grown to dislike Coach Clara’s decisions more. From a fan’s prospective they made no sense. Here she was today playing her starters in a meaningless match up. Risking injury and bypassing the opportunity to those less experienced to get some valuable playing time. He shut off the set before the game ended and went to bed early.

The next morning Fenton woke up early and walked to work at the restaurant. The apartment he and his mother had moved to was downtown close to the stadium. Fenton saw the Starkiller Nation banners being removed from streetlamps. It saddened him the season was over. There was something else Fenton noticed on his walk that morning. His pants were falling off his waist again. With every couple of steps he had to pull them back up again. But there was no time today to buy new ones. He had a full schedule. First a few hours washing breakfast dishes, then he served tables for lunch and after that he was serving nachos to patrons at a Pet Show being hosted at Bankers Mansion.

Fenton arrived at the stadium weary from already putting in a full day’s work. Pet owners proved to be a hungry bunch and the nacho stand was busy all afternoon. By the time they were closing up Fenton felt like he was going to collapse. He couldn’t wait to get home and put his feet up. Just as he was about to head out his supervisor approached. “You have plans tonight?” He asked casually.

Fenton looked at him puzzled. “No,” he replied.

“I know you’re a big fan of the team, so I was wondering if you want to hang around for the press conference tonight.”

“Press conference?”

“Sure. The team just got back from Coruscant and they are holding a press conference in an hour or so. I think you would enjoy being there. Several players will be speaking and there’s an announcement about the new team owner.”

Fenton was suspicious. “How do you think we could sneak into a press conference?” He asked.

“We don’t have to sneak in.” Bat answered. “I’m inviting you.”

Fenton was so confused he didn’t know what to say. He stood there with a bewildered look on his face until Bat spoke again.

“Come on” he said motioning for Fenton to follow him. "We’ll go grab something to eat while we wait.”

Fenton followed Bat down the corridors of the empty stadium. He found the place eerie when it was empty like this; so quiet, all the stands closed no one else to be seen. Finally they reached the end of a hallway and entered a doorway Fenton never even knew existed. It was to an executive suite and there was a spread of food along with several people Fenton recognized and a few he didn’t. It was all he could do not to stand in the doorway with his mouth hung open. Loren Jul, Ty Allin, Trey Till and Galaxy Defender were among those he recognized first. Here he was Fenton Tobles in the same room as half the Starkillers. Loren was in a sparkling blue dress, Ty, Galaxy Defender and Trey were all wearing suits and here he stood in pants that wouldn’t even stay up and a sweatshirt thrown over the collared shirt he had been issued to serve nachos in.

“Come on” Bat urged. “Let’s get something to eat.”

Fenton followed Bat toward the table of food. He grabbed a plate, did his best to fill it with healthier options and continued following Bat to a table over to the side of the room. Lucie Vigo Allin was sitting there and just as Fenton was about to take a seat Ty came over and grabbed the seat next to her. “Bat, who’s your friend” he asked referring to Fenton.

“Ty this is Fenton, he works at the nacho stand with me.” Bat said. He turned to Fenton “Fenton this is my brother in law Ty.”

Ty held out his hand and Fenton shook it. “Nice to meet you,” he said.

Fenton nodded but he was too nervous to say anything in return. He sat down and ate his food in silence. When he finished an older gentleman with a face similar to Bat’s walked over. He gave several instructions to Bat. When he left Bat turned to Fenton. “That was my dad. He wants us to head on into the meeting room where the press conference is going to be held.”

Bat got up and gathered two younger boys from another table, “These are my bothers Spencer and Tomas” he said pointing at each one in turn. "I have to keep an eye on them so they’ll be sitting with us.” Then he paused. “Did you want me to introduce you to any more of the players before we go?” He asked.

Fenton shook his head. He was too shy to know what to say to them anyway. He was feeling more and more uncomfortable and a part of him wished he had just gone home, mostly though he was in shock. How did he get in here? He kept asking himself. They took a turbo lift to the meeting room. It was full of cameras and reporters. Bat led them all to a row of seats in the back.

Shortly after they were seated the players filed in and took the seats up front. Lucie and Bat’s other sister joined Fenton’s row along with an elegant older woman who carried a sleeping toddler on her shoulder. Fenton looked down the row feeling tremendously out of place. “That’s my mom” Bat whispered “and my niece”.

Suddenly the room filled with flashes as Ty Allin and Loren Jul made their way to a set of microphones on a make-shift stage at the front of the room. Silence followed and Ty began to speak “Thank you for joining us this evening. As two of the most senior members of this team Loren and I have been asked to lead you all in several announcements this evening.”

“Our first announcement comes from head coach Clara” Loren Jul said speaking into the mike. They exited the stage together as polite applause began welcoming the current head coach to the stage.

“I know this season was disappointing for the fans. We came out of the gate and lost three in a row this season. Something we never recovered from. Much of this is my fault I fear and I hope you can all forgive me. I want to thank my staff, my players and the fans for not giving up and playing some excellent Limmie this season. I can’t tell you who the new owner is. But I can tell you he’s asked me to step down.” There was an audible gasp in the room and several reporters threw up their hands or started blurting questions. But Clara ignored them and began speaking a little louder in order to be heard. “I thank Ralltiir for allowing me this opportunity and I wish this franchise the best of luck in the future.” Clara quickly got up avoiding all questions. She walked briskly out of the room without looking back.
Loren walked back up on the stage and waited a moment for the room to settle. “It is now my honor to introduce you to the new owner of the Ralltiir Starkillers, Martin Vigo.”

The room erupted in applause. Fenton’s jaw dropped. He looked at Bat who smiled at him slyly. It all made a lot more sense to Fenton now, but why hadn’t Bat just told him what was going on? He’d ask Bat later he decided, for now he wanted to hear what the new owner had to say about the team and its future.

“Good evening.” Martin began. “I realize the Starkillers season has been a rocky one for players and fans alike. It won’t be easy to turn this franchise around, but I promise you we will spend this off season building a team Ralltiir can be proud of. I’d like to start by introducing you to our new head coach Trey Till.” Trey stood and gave a wave to the media. “There will be many more announcements to come between now and opening day. I look forward to representing this franchise and hopefully sharing a Galactic Cup with you in the near future.” Martin paused as the room applauded enthusiastically. “A couple of players have asked to speak this evening. I am going to allow that and turn the floor over to Loren Jul”

Loren walked back up to the stage with an elegance that took Fenton’s breath away. Once the applause subsided she began. “I wanted to speak to the fans today. First I want to thank each and every one of you for your support. Playing for the Starkillers has been the best career anyone could ask for. I know you all want to hear that I’ll be here again next year. I’m not one to make promises I until I’m 100% sure I can keep those promises. I will be meeting with our new owner and coach in hopes of making that possibility a reality. No matter what happens I will always treasure my time with this organization and forever be a Starkiller.” Loren blushed as many member of the media stood to applaud, once the room settled again she spoke into the mike one more time before exiting the stage. “Ladies and gentlemen, Galaxy Defender Unanimous.”

Galaxy defender strode up to the stage like he owned it. There was no applause, but he didn’t seem to notice. “I was devastated as everyone we lost our first several games this season. I was even more frustrated to be benched after those losses. My man Dev Poletin did a wonderful job stepping up into a position he had no experience with and no business playing in. Now that I’m finally allowed to speak again I want to express how I feel about the whole situation. I’m glad to see coach go. She wasn’t a good fit for this organization and I see us going places next season now that that burden has been lifted from us. I hope to play for the Starkillers again next season. I’m excited we have a new coach I am sure this one will be 10,000 times better than the self-righteous, over confident, egotistical, loser who I’ve been dealing with these past several years. I also want to make it clear to our new owner that I expect better compensation for the work I put in here. I want to do things in life outside of Limmie. Raising a family is on the top of that list and I’m not even sure I could feed children on my current salary.” The same silence that had greeted Galaxy Defender when he stepped onto the stage hung in the room as he left it.

Ty Allin sheepishly walked up to the mike next. “Tough act to follow” he said trying to lighten the mood. “We will not be taking questions this evening. I want to thank the members of the press for being here and wish everyone a safe and happy holiday and off season.”

People began to file out of the room almost immediately. Fenton started to get up, but Bat stopped him. “You want a ride home?” He asked.

“That’s not necessary,” Fenton said. “I can take the public transport.” Again he started to leave.

Bat put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “No.” He ordered. “Let me give you a ride. Just give me a minute to say good bye to my parents and we will get going.”

Fenton sat back down and waited. It only took a minute before Bat was back and ready to go. The two young men walked through the quiet stadium hallways and out back to a speeder. It wasn’t the sporty expensive speeder Fenton was expecting. It was a few years old, and enough passenger seats for 8. “This is your speeder?” He asked.

“Used to be my mom’s” Bat said. “My sister and I share it and when my older brother is home we have to share with him too. Get in.”

Bat took the controls with a reckless demeanor that made Fenton nervous. He impulsively weaved in and out of traffic at speeds that made Fenton feel like he might lose his supper. “Who taught you to drive?” He finally asked.

“My father did, but not like this.” He said grinning broadly. “I’m actually thinking about becoming a taxi driver. I’ve been washing speeders for a cabbie company for about a year now and driving cabs pays a whole lot more than cleaning them.”

“So why did you bring me to the press conference?” Fenton asked.

“I know you’re a huge fan of the team and I can tell you’ve had a rough time this season at home. Just your expression lately has told me you haven’t been happy. So I thought maybe it would cheer you up. My dad’s a good guy. Don’t tell him I said that. But he is. He’ll do right by the team.”

Just than Bat pulled up to Fenton’s apartment complex. “Can I ask you one more question?” He ventured before getting out.

“Sure.”

“How come you’re working at the nacho stand and planning to drive a cab. I don’t mean to pry, but don’t you want to go to college?”

“It’s complicated.” Bat said. “Perhaps one day I’ll be ready to share with you. I want to go to school, I want to be a pilot even. Maybe, hopefully one day I will.”

“So I’ll see you at work later this week?” Fenton asked.

“Definitely.” Bat smiled again. “I’m not going anywhere for a while. I want to see what, if anything my dad can do to improve things for guys like us.” With that Bat sped away into the night and Fenton headed into his building and up to his apartment.

@ No one

 

GM Approved

Name: Martin Vigo

Gender: Male

Birth Year: 223

Physical Appearance: 6’8, 230lbs, dark skinned human

Home world: Ralltiir

Relation to Team: Owner/GM

Martin Vigo made a name for himself early in the business world. He had clawed his way nearly to the top by the young age of 29 when he arranged to negotiate a deal while attending a production of The Steadfast Soldier at the Majesty Theater. The theater tickets were meant to be a gift to his perspective buyer. Martin planned to leave shortly after the opening curtain or as soon as the deal was closed. Fate had other plans for Martin that evening. The lead was played by a young dancer named Madelyne Wakes. Martin fell in love and began to date the young woman. The authority Martin was used to upholding in the business world crumbled when it came to pleasing Madelyne. When she became pregnant a short time later they married. When she wanted more children, Martin provided.

As the years passed and the children got older he found it just as difficult to turn down their requests. Last year one of his children’s most prized possessions had been put up for sale. The local Limmie team, a prestigious ELL franchise with a rich history, a planet full of devoted fans and an owner who had hit rock bottom forcing him to sell. His children proposed the idea of buying the team to him one by one. One by one he told them they were crazy. He didn’t know anything about running an ELL team. As time went by though he began to cave, the children had several good reasons for him to buy the team and it was hard to pass up a business investment. The sale was finalized just days before the draft and Martin had a lot of work to do.

 

GM Post

HSN Scouting Final Draftee Rankings for 276 ABY
Goalkeeper

1. Nihal Toggs (Zabrak, Male, Goalkeeper, Republican University)
2. Neaga (Arkanian, Female, Goalkeeper/Midfielder, University of Euceron)*
3. Taykam "Teaspoon" (Wookiee, Female, Ralltiir University, Goalkeeper)
4. Alun Nubb (Human, Male, Goalkeeper, University of Agamar)

Defense

1. Drista Konnenwirth (Human, Female, Corner Back, University of Evenvale)
2. Raley Tenegat (Human, Male, Corner Back, UB Salis D'aar)
3. Thum Wowcin (Human, Male, Half Back, College of Fondordelphia)
4. Zovort (Fondorian, Male, Half Back, College of Fondordelphia)
5. Paul Rooker (Human, Male, Half Back, Coruscant Polytechnic Institute)
6. Bella Starr (Human, Female, Defender, University of Agamar)
7. Robacca "Roby" (Wookiee, Female, Full Back, The Ord Sabaok University)
8. Lenny Jowa (Human, Male, Full Back, Tiarest University)
9. Penny Jinch (Human, Female, Corner Back, Atalanta University)
10. Kahpule Morkis (Zabrak, Male, Half Back, University of Euceron)

Midfielder

1. Erin Windreaver "Reaver" (Human, Female, Midfielder, University of Tatooine)
2. Neaga (Arkanian, Female, Goalkeeper/Midfielder, University of Euceron)*
3. Astraal Daru [Astra'aldaru] (Twi'lek, Female, Midfielder, University of Agamar)
4. Lyle Kong (Human, Male, Midfielder, UB Telaan Valley)
5. Zarene Klick (Kaminoan, Female, Midfielder, College of Deredith & Millicent)
6. Aril Nebt (Sullustan, Female, Midfielder, University of Agamar)

Forward

1. Mylessa McCloud (Human, Female, University of Coruscant, Left Half Forward)
2. Gark Zonka (Human, Male, Full Forward, Enarch Technical University)
3. Ynisse Zalt (Zeltron, Female, Half Forward, Prytis College of Natural Sciences)
4. Raymondo "Ray" Gunn (Human, Male, Forward, University of Agamar)
5. James Westfall (Human, Male, Corner Forward, Atalanta University)
6. Jeoffery Bootmaker (Human, Male, Cambrielle College, Left Corner Forward)
7. Zonko Lyriss (Kiffar, Male, Corner Forward, Coruscant Polytechnic Institute)
8. Kara Sureysh (Human, Female, Corner Forward, Druckenwell Technical University)
9. Jonathan "Johnny Limmie" Lieznam (Human, Male, Half Forward, Taanab A&M University)
10. Hyde Los (Human, Male, Forward, The Ord Sabaok University)
11. Neeoorni Bodotor (Mon Calamari, Female, Corner Forward, Garqi State University)
12. Bly Dredsoe (Human, Male, Full Back, Bakura Fleet Academy)
13. Stan Marin (Human, Male, Center Forward, Vertical City University)
14. Pella Lovenforth (Human, Female, Full Forward, Coruscant Polytechnic Institute)

*Note that Neaga is represented twice due to the fact she is ranked by HSN Scouting for both goalkeeper and midfielder

TAG: Bardan_Jusik CPL_Macja jcgoble3 Jedi Gunny Runjedirun Tim Battershell (who can start figuring out who he really wants with that first overall pick now!) Vehn

 

IC: Gark S’rily
Mean Green Stadium, CorTech Campus, Coruscant

The Playoffs.

A chance for a team to prove themselves.

A chance to make history.

A chance to bring the Galactic Cup Trophy home.

A chance to drink in the chalice of immortality . . . or at least have your name etched into it. The Galactic Cup wouldn’t make you immortal. Shucks, can’t hear anything over the sound of shattered childhood dreams.

Gark waited as Pam Korthe went over her pregame speech and adjustments to the team. This game was for all the marbles, a one-and-done game for one squad, a stepping stone for the other. In against their Coruscant Senators were the Hapes Consortium Buccaneers, who the Senators had royally stomped back on Hapes Prime earlier in the season 20-1. However, the entire Hapan population had been down that week with the death of the Queen Mother. They likely were ready to play today, and the Senators would have to adjust accordingly.

“Defense, we need to crack down on their best scorers, obviously,” Pam said. “But we need to funnel them to the middle.”

“Why the middle?” Myles Tormera asked.

“Because I don’t know if the corners will be up to the task today,” Pam sighed. “If the C-Bucs ram it up the middle, we need to stop them no matter what. I hate all of this defensive shuffling, but at some point you need to do what you can with what you have.”

Way to be positive Gark thought to himself.

“But let’s go out there and kick their asses and go into the Gardens next week, OK?” Pam said, changing her tune almost immediately. The team stood up and readied itself to leave for the team tunnel.

Gark took this chance to speak with his defense. He was going to shuffle the lineup a bit today; Doon’sun would start at full back, and Evis Kunat would step in for Myles. Looking at the rest of his starters, he had been pleasantly surprised to see the tenacity with which Christine healed up this past week. She was making cuts and field moves that she couldn’t be doing without having a healed leg. It couldn’t have come at a better time, either, because this was the playoffs. He needed his rookie phenom out there. Jerek had looked better in practice as well, and Gark would keep him as an ace in the hole option off the bench until such time when he figured Jerek was back to his complete self. Reid would start this week for the sake of consistency, but if either corner struggled, Jerek would come in for them immediately.

As the team was ready to leave the team tunnel, Gark received word that the CorTech officials wanted to make this a spectacle for the Senators, and for the fans. This was a college stadium after all, so it was something you would only see there.

“And now, the home team, the Coruscant Senators!” boomed the announcer, and the fans started to cheer as the Senators spilled out of their tunnel in the black and orange, which might be seeing their final use of the season here today. Even if they won, they would be in the road grays next week against Bakura, and then they would have to win that to get to the Final. Lots of work to be done, and so little time.

“And now, fans, we would like to honor the recent CorTech graduates who are on the Senators squad. Please give a warm welcome to our returning stars.” The crowd stayed standing.

“First up was team captain in her senior season, and had been named to two All-Conference teams in her time here at CorTech. Malida Worody.” The Togruta ran out to cheers from the crowd.

“This punisher inside always made his presence felt, especially in a spectacular senior season that culminated in a regular season championship in the division. One of the three senior standouts from 270, Tank Bratter.” Out came the Herglic to more applause.

“This smart defensive back was the other half of the 270 defense that defied the odds and made things happen at the right time. Reena Wyley.”

“And, last but not least, the captain of that 270 team, the savior of CorTech Limmie in the face of adversity, the heart and soul of that team. Also was nominated for the Helmsman Memorial Trophy, and was selected number two overall in the inaugural Elite League Draft. Gayla Renhorn!” Gayla came out to the biggest round of applause in the stadium, many fans remembering her when she was wearing the seafoam and black. Gayla went over and got a hug from her youngest sister Morgan, who was in her junior season at CorTech and had one season left of college ball. Alex, the middle sister, had been with the Senators for a few weeks earlier in the year, but had been sent down to Thyferra to call up Thulius Jomas, the large rookie.

When it came time for the game to start, Gark bent down on one knee as his defense huddle around him. “All right, gang, this is it. The playoffs. Some of you have been here before. Jerek, Abbey, Doon, Evis, Rhyric. You’ve all won a title in your careers, so you know where the title quest begins. For everyone else, this is your chance to make history. Let’s get out of here with a win. Christine, if you feel anything twinge, anything go wrong, tell me immediately. We need you healthy out there, and I won’t let you play injured unless Hamlin says you are able to. Jerek, same thing. Rhyric, be prepared to play heavy minutes today if necessary. Abbey, be on your guard for corner duty today, since Doon will pick up some slack at full today. This needs to be a team effort. I know we’ve been struggling lately, but we need to put that behind us. We are not a team that gave up over 20 points a game in our last two. We are a team that kept them to one point in our last encounter. One point. And we can do it again. But it needs to start now. Never give up, never surrender! Now get out there and win this game.”

When the game was ready to begin, Gark looked down his playsheet one final time, and then stole a glance at the sidelines. There, he could see Izzi Polakaya, the backup midfielder, still walking in a boot. She had suffered a high ankle sprain a few weeks earlier, and would not be playing in this one. Most observers would say that having injuries on defense would kill a team, and that was a correct assumption. However, Gark noted, if the ball wasn’t stopped some of the time as it headed up field, the defense was already at a disadvantage. Izzi was the best defensive midfielder on the team, and without her stopping abilities there, the other middies weren’t nearly as good. That put extra pressure on the defense, pressure Gark knew would test his unit once again. But he had faith in his crew. They could do this. They had before, so why not now? Because this was the playoffs, when everything was on the line. This was when he needed the defense to step up and prove itself worthy of a good regular season. This was their chance to continue the title quest. And it all started now.


TAG: No One

 

Inspired by Jedi Gunny but it cannot compare.

IC: Falene Trieste
Trieste residence, Salis D’aar, Bakura



With the Miners on bye, Valerii had kept up the practice schedule. All too often that first round bye had not been kind to the Miners and she was determined to make sure this team kept its edge up after finishing the season with four wins. Valerii did declare an offday—but it was not a day of rest. Every player was expected to show up not at the practice field, but at the Noble House’s residence in fashionable southeast Salis D’aar for the team Life Day party.

The Chancellor had left Coruscant after the Senate had gone into recess for the Life Day holidays and had opened up the seven story residence for to the team. Life Day did not come every year on Bakura because of orbital differences with Kashyyyk and it had been a while since the team had last gathered to celebrate the holiday. Significant others and families were explicitly invited, so Falene expected that it was going to be a bit of a rocking party.

Attire for the event had been left oddly nebulous on the invitations, so Falene had chosen a skirt and sweater combination with knee high boots. It was a safe bet that she would straddle the spectrum of what the others might choose. For the most part people went with a dressy casual. Aron Rodders led the way was in sport coat and jeans. The Hapan half forwards were both in three inch heels (as if Morlan needed to be any taller) and cocktail dresses. Ponie was in a modest sweater and slacks. Niskat was wearing the ugliest sweater that Falene had ever seen.

“Where did you find that?” Falene asked.

Deenever’s knit sweater was of a Wookiee decorating a wroshyr tree in the gaudiest colors imaginable. “Isn’t it great?” Niskat gushed, “It was only three credits at a thrift store!”

“I can’t imagine why…” Falene said, forcing a grin.

Declan and Ayn were there, the latter having entered in an overcoat that used fur as its organizing principle. They were engaged in conversation with Niall Kirt, Alana’s boyfriend and date.

“Are we even allowed to be talking to you?” Ayn asked, “You do work for the Election Commission, after all.”

“Well, it depends,” Niall said, “I mean, neither of you are officially candidates for any races yet, but should you become candidates the appearance of impropriety, like accepting gifts, would not be a good thing.”

“Can someone get Niall another drink?” Declan called out, looking around for a serving droid, “A really, really expensive one?”

“Is the Senators game on?” Jolla asked, still wearing her puffy down jacket and ushanka pulled down around her ears. Apparently she was still making the adjustment from Tatooine to Bakura and the cold rainy season.

“No one is turning on a limmie game,” the Chancellor ordered, poking her head from the dining room, “I don’t want this party ruined by everyone worrying about who’s winning or who’s losing.”

“Because limmie has nothing to do with why we’re all here, am I right?” Alana called out.

“Don’t get cheeky. I sign your paychecks,” Kerry shouted back.

---

“Please Quinn, will you try to enjoy yourself?” Han asked the general manager in a corner of the room, “And not do your thing?”

“What do you mean my thing?” Cundertol retorted.

“You know, that I’m-smarter-than-everyone-else thing,” Han said.

“Well that can’t be helped,” Cundertol replied.

“See, you’re doing it right there,” Han insisted.

“I can’t just turn it off Han,” Quinn said testily, “It doesn’t work like that!”

“Yes it does!” Han pressed, “You know, what…”

---

“This is so awesome,” Mara whispered, “We are inside the Chancellor’s house.”

“Her small house,” Sydney Talon corrected.

“What do you mean ‘her small house?’ This isn’t the big house?”

“That one’s in Prytis,” Sydney said.

“How do we get into the big house?” asked with dead seriousness, “Because I just got a new life goal.”

“I think you have to marry someone in the Noble House,” Sydney said.

“You distract the Dormingale girl. I’ll go straight for the son,” Mara said.

“Isn’t he a little young for you?” Sydney asked.

“I am surprised at you Sydney! That is age discrimination! Do you know what you are?” Mara said in mock anger, not waiting for Sydney’s response, “You are an ageist!”

Sydney just rolled his eyes.

---

“What was Life Day like on Cloud City? I mean, there isn’t even the possibility of snowing there,” Nelly asked Lizbit, “At least it snows every decade or so on Bakura, a bit more often in the mountains.”

“We didn’t exactly celebrate Life Day in my house,” Lizbit said, shifting in her seat uncomfortably.

“Oh,” Nelly said, “What holidays did you celebrate?”

“Founder’s Day was the big one,” Lizbit said.

“What was that about?”

“Nothing special,” Lizbit said, “I like Life Day here better.”

“Right then. Life Day here…let’s talk about that…” Nelly said awkwardly trying to shift the conversation.

---

“Mom, when was the last time you baked anything?” Falene protested, “I don’t think this is really a good idea.”

“Nonsense,” the Chancellor said as she looked at the cake in the oven again, “I watched my mother make woofle jelly cake a hundred times.”

“And how many times have you made it?” Falene asked, arms akimbo.

“Well…maybe twice now that you mention it,” Kerry said, “But I’ve made razzleberry dressing at least five times. Or four. Four, I’m going to commit to that. 85% sure that it’s been four times.”

Falene looked at her mother. Kerry looked at her daughter.

“You have a back up razzleberry dressing and woofle jelly cake, don’t you?” Falene stated.

“I might have had someone else do an extra one just in case there was high demand,” Kerry admitted.

“Extra what?” Niskat asked, poking her head into the kitchen.

“Food, that’s all,” Kerry said.

“What are you making?” Niskat asked, coming into the kitchen in her Maker-awful sweater, “Is that woofle jelly cake? Can I watch it while it cooks? I’ll be right back.”

And with that she was gone, probably to find a chair so she could sit in the middle of the Noble House’s kitchen.

“You’re friends with her why again dear?” Kerry asked her daughter.

“Just roll with it,” Falene said.

---

And so they all gathered in the large dining room. Fifteen starters, the coaching staff, the front office staff, the Noble House, and guests. At the head of the table, as was appropriate, Kerry Trieste stood with a large vibroknife in her hand, the roast beast in front of her.

“The season is not over by far, but allow me to say on behalf of my family, thank you one and all for everything you have done this season and in the seasons that have come before. You have given Bakura something to be proud of,” Kerry said, “To the Miners.”

They all raised their glasses in a toast.

“Now, I shall serve to my left. Just keep passing plates all the way down and around if you please…” Kerry said as she began slicing.

“So you mean all that food is going to pass by me and I can’t eat it?” Niskat said, three places from Kerry’s right.

“Plan ahead next Life Day, dear,” Alana said from her spot two place’s to Kerry’s left, and thus the second to get her food.

“Oh, and if any of you break this fine tablewear, you are going to have to answer to the Speaker of the Chandrilan House who gifted this to me,” Kerry pointed out as she placed the first slice of roast beast on a plate, which began its journey around.

“You hear that Gaeriel?” Briar Thorne called out, “You have to treat the dishes better than Reina Kether.”

“I can’t help it if everything on Chandrila breaks easily,” Gaeriel said in her defense.

The whole table laughed at that. It was nothing short of a typical Miners Life Day.

TAG: None

 

IC: Jacen Hunter
Meshla Vhetin, Keldabe, Mandalore

As the Mercs players were introduced for the final time of the 275 campaign no one in the stand, least of all Jacen, knew what to expect from the team. This had been a hard season for everyone as the team showed signs of greatness at time, and when the offense was humming, they scored big. When they scored big, they won. But that same offense had been held to single digits in three games so far this season. It was frustrating to watch, though perhaps it should have been expected with three rookie forwards starting for the team. The defense, anchored by the Hanson brothers, had done their part, turning in solid, if unspectacular performances week after week. The 40 points they had given up to Agamar was the only real blemish against them, and though that was a huge black eye, it wasn't really their fault.

The midfield had become the problem during the Mercs three game losing streak. Mor'kesh was an all-star, but without an established player next to him, the revolving door of rookies and inconsistent play around him allowed for him to be neutralized. There had been no flow between offense and defense, and the ability to hamper their opponents rhythm had also been destroyed. So it was that no one knew what to expect as the game started, but they all feared the worst. None of them could have expected that the injury to a player like Darkrider could have derailed their season so thoroughly, nor could they have expected what happened in this game.

The Lightning were a team that was already playoff bound, so they could have rested their starters. But they were also playing for seeding, and the right to host their first round game. Jacen wasn't sure if either of those conflicting goals had factored into the game, but he did know that the Mercs had come to play. From the opening kick the Fortune was a man on fire. He took an early pass from Daryc and put it into the back of the net for three points only minutes into the game. It was to be a sign of things to come. At midfield Gozer seemed to have figured things out, at least for one game. He managed to not only hold his own, but outplay his counterpart. That allowed for Mor'kesh to roam free. The Mandalorian wreaked havoc on the Lightning midfield, causing turnovers and creating opportunities that the Mercs forwards capitalized on.

Fortune and to a lesser extant Daryc poured in point after point. By halftime the Mercs had already scored 18 points, just one shy of what they had put up throughout their entire game against the Smugglers the week before. Coming out of the half the Lightning tried to make adjustments and keyed in on the two forwards, and it was then that Fortune truly began to shine. Setup by strong play on the defensive end of the ball and at midfield the Mercs received numerous possessions, one's that saw the ball in Fortune's hands most of the time. But he stopped shooting for the second half and became a distributor himself.

Coolly eyeing the field he passed up on difficult but not impossible shots to feed the two rookie corner forwards, players who were now being played "soft" as the Lightning defense devoted their attention to the Full Forward. the rookies made full use of their opportunities as now they bagan rackiong up points off of Fortune's assists. It was a beautiful sight to behold for Mercs fans as they could envisage this trio playing together like this for years to come. It was exhilerating.

That exhilaration ended of course as the game did, with a convincing 38-7 final score. Yes the game had been won, and could portend good things for the future, but this season had been an abject failure. For the second year in a row the Mercs had finished 4-5 with a 2-3 record in conference. Coming off of two straight playoff appearances in the Solo conference it was looking like realignment was not being good to the Mandalorian team.

But there was reason for hope. Inconsistent though they may have been, this was in some ways a rebuilding year for the Mercs, and they had still managed to finish at nearly .500 Their rookie forwards had shown signs of brilliance, and would come into next season with a year of experience under their belts. And of course there was the farm team, the Crusaders.

The Concordian team never achieved the popularity nor the notoriety of the parent club. But they had been more successful. They had won two titles of their own in the past three season. One with the PLL and one of the Futures league last season. Now led by helmsman trophy winner Ariva Kendal, the Crusaders were a one loss team and headed back to the LFL playoffs to defend their crown. The future did indeed look bright for the Mercs.

---

Hunter family household, one week later.

The Crusader's venue (MandalMotors Field) was a much smaller one than the gargantuan Meshla Vhetin and was of course sold out for the LFL semi-final game that they were hosting. Despite his dad's job they hadn't been able to score any free tickets. Jacen was disappointed by that, he would have loved to travel to Concordia to see future mercs players play in the playoffs. But his parents couldn't afford it, especially not now that their own future was in doubt.

The war was over, and with each image on the holo showing the demobilization of Mandalorian forces in Ssi-Ruuk space, the Hunter's position on Mandalore became more and more precarious. Would MandalMotors keep on the extra help they had hired to support their war effort now that it was over. Even if they did could Jacen's dad see a cut in pay? The Mandalorians were coming home, there
was no need for the "foreign workers" to help fill the stadium week after week. Would Jacen lose his free tickets? Would he ever see a Mercs game in person again?

Jacen knew his parents were concerned about it, not because they worried about going to game, but because of their financial situation. If MandalMotors let him go his father might have a hard time finding work right away. Plus it would mean that they would have to move....again. Jacen knew his mother didn't like it here on Mandalore, but she certainly didn't want to uproot her family again so soon.

His parents were discussing the possibilities as they watched HNN and had sent him outside. They just didn't want to worry him he was sure, but he didn't really feel much like playing outside right now anyway. The Crusaders game would be on soon, and he had hoped he could watch it. But with parents monopolizing the holo there was little chance of that now.

Instead he just stood there, in the dusty yard outside his "home" towing at the dirt and wondering what to do. He started to understand why his mother seemed to dislike this place so much. Without limmie it seemed so...boring, and empty. He wish...

THUMP

The sound was felt more than heard as a heavy weight pushed into his chest. He was flung backwards hitting his head on the hard earth. Seeing stars (wow he thought, you really do see those, just like in the holo-toons) he started to get up, but was too woozy. Instead fell back to the ground, the thought of what had hit him never entering his mind before it all faded to black...

TBC.

 

IC: Martin Vigo


After the press conference I quickly made sure my wife and the younger children were on their way home safely then I made a beeline to my office for a meeting with Coach Till. I was furious at myself for allowing this Galaxy Defender character to speak at the press conference. I wanted a decision made about his departure from this organization and I wanted the decision made tonight. I opened the office door and saw Trey already seated waiting for me. His prompt presence calmed my nerves just enough to allow me to walk around and take a seat behind my desk without an outburst.

“Galaxy Defender” I said cutting strait to the chase. “What are your thoughts?”

“I think he’s an excellent goal tender. Unfortunately I also think he’s a distraction to the rest of the team. If I spend my time attempting to rein him in I will be wasting valuable time and attention I owe to the rest of the team.”

“He’s also an embarrassment” I said cutting in. “What do you suggest? Cut him outright? Try to see what we can get for him in a trade?” I asked curiously.

“We should at least try to trade him.” Till answered immediately. “He has amazing talent. If there’s a team out there willing to put up with his mouth we should get a fair price for him. And if there’s not, then we cut him.”

“You think we can find a suitable replacement in the draft?” I continued.

“It’s not usually a position you want to put a rookie in right off the bat, but look what Comstock did for the Miners this year. Not to mention we have Poletin. He did an excellent job this season in goal as well.”

“All right then.” I said feeling like a weight was being lifted. “Send out a wire in the morning. Let’s hope someone bites.”

Ralltiir Starkiller's Transaction wire:



Galaxy Defender Unanimous (human, male) Goalkeeper Contract year 277 to the trading block


@ Anyone (?)

 

GM Post

And so the Playoffs begin. Bonus rolls to Coruscant and Euceron. Banked bonus rolls to Bakura, Mando'ade, Nar Shaddaa, and Ralltiir.

Galactic Cup Playoffs
Conference Semifinals
(3) Ylesia Lightning at (2) Euceron Storm (2-22)
(3) Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at (2) Coruscant Senators (18-2)

Conference Finals
(2) Euceron Storm at (1) Corellia Rebels
(3) Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at (1) Bakura Miners

TAG: jcgoble3 Jedi Gunny Rebecca_Daniels

 

OOC: This one goes out to all of the Limmie faithful. You know who you are. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or whatever you celebrate this time of year!






IC: Kaitlyn Vehn
Owner’s Box, New Six Boroughs

Kaitlyn sat alone in the owner’s box of Six Boroughs Stadium with a drink in hand looking down at the tired and tattered midfield logo, the skull and blasters. She couldn’t sleep tonight as her thoughts lay on the coming season, the playoff battles that raged on without the Smugglers, the preparations for the Final right here in Six Boroughs, on this very pitch.

Security for that event would be a real bantha but Kaitlyn knew that the Nar Shaddaa police department was up to the task. They practically wrote the book on riot control as there seemed to be one of those with far greater frequency than anyone would care to admit. Whoever came to the Final would be well protected. If the police failed in their job, there were a plethora of concealed weapons in the stadium that the average citizen wouldn’t hesitate to use. That was one of the perks about the Vertical City. It was perfectly legal to carry. No problem there. In fact, that type of system had made the streets even safer.

“Mommy?” A voice called from behind her.

She’d brought Jack with her on this late night sojourn. Tonight they called Six Boroughs home. Sometimes sleeping in the stadium was far more comfortable than her penthouse. Kaitlyn wanted to sell the apartment, be done with it as Six Boroughs had a sizeable living quarters of its own for her to enjoy and spread around in. After all, she’d built this stadium with her own money. She had every right to enjoy all of its many amenities.

“Yeah, baby?” Kaitlyn responded.

“I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?”

“Yeah, sure,” Kaitlyn said as Jack crawled up onto her lap.

She grunted. He was getting heavier and older. There wouldn’t be many more nights like this one. Not as the years went on. She tousled his hair with her hand and drew her close to him. Within seconds he was back asleep and Kaitlyn let her worries slip away from her.

All that mattered was that she had Jack now.

She’d won the greatest victory of them all.

Galactic Cup be damned.

---

Coruscant

Meredith Chambers-Vehn knelt beside her twins and kissed them on the forehead as she tucked them into bed. She smiled as only a loving mother could as she watched her children sleep peacefully in their beds on this particularly cold evening on Coruscant. She’d come back to cover while Polis traveled with the Senators for their playoff match against the Storm.

Her eyes settled on a photo from her 270 championship season with the Smugglers as she walked out into the main part of the house. She traced a finger across the faces of that roster, memories of laughter, of struggle, of reaching the pinnacle of her professional Limmie career hitting her hard in the gut. That had been a good year. That had been a year worth celebrating.

She missed being a player. Missed the action on the pitch. Missed the lack of responsibility that came with being told what to do rather than doing the telling. Now, everything changed. She was Meredith Chambers, goalkeepers coach for the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers, a squad that might be putting together another contender. But nothing in this league, at this level, was certain. Not even her job. She’d watched with little remorse as Konrad Dvorak departed following the season conclusion against Agamar. The man just wasn’t the right fit for the franchise, dream team be damned. So now there was a vacancy. A burning hole in the heart of the Smugglers. A hole not easily filled. She’d thought about leaving the team in recent weeks to spend more time with family.
She just wasn’t sure if she had any more energy left in her to put together a successful squad.

Her datapad vibrated signaling a new message.

“Oh, sweet, Maker, gods above!” Meredith exclaimed.

She’d just been promoted to defensive coordinator of the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers by Kaitlyn Vehn.

Suddenly, for Meredith Chambers, everything was different, better, and that old fire in her belly, in her heart, returned.

---

Nar Shaddaa

“I’m sorry you never won one of these,” Tover Micjaa said to his wife, former Smuggler star Selene Minn, as they shared a glass of wine.

The pair was examining the holophoto album from Micjaa’s playing days with the franchise, specifically the 259 ABY season.

“Came close in 259. Three points to be exact,” Selene pointed out.

“Frakking Miners,” Tover grumbled remembering the 259 Galactic Cup Final against the Miners, an 18-15 Miner victory, as if it were yesterday.

“And this year they may do it again,” Selene said.

“Maker help us,” Tover said as he took a sip of his wine, “we’ll be hearing the praises of Kerry Trieste and her ilk for decades. The Noble House will never stop talking about their beloved Miners. It’ll be Valerii this and Rodders that. How Glencross went out
with a championship.”

“Hey, look on the bright side,” Selene said with a coy smile, “you could be listening to stories from the Kashyyyk Rangers on how they’ve stomped every team in the ELL and become a dynasty.”

Tover looked at his wife for a long, pregnant, moment. Then he laughed so hard and pulled her close to him. “There are worse things in life than listening to the Triestes crow, aren’t there?”

Selene stroked her husband’s chest with her fingers and replied, “Much worse things. Besides, I may never have won a Galactic Cup but I did happen to win a damn fine husband. And I know just how to get him to bend to my every desire.”

“Oh do you?” Tover asked raising his eyebrows.

“I do,” Selene responded kissing him on the lips. “My only question is do you like to score fast with points over the bar or go slow with points in the goal?”

Tover’s eyes lit up. “I like a little bit of both.”

“A balanced attack, I like that.”

“I thought you would.”

---

New Vertica Paraplegic Wing, Nar Shaddaa

Lilly Weste, that 14 year old member of ‘The Crew’, and a diehard Smuggler fan guided her hoverchair over to the giving tree. Though the celebration was different from planet to planet, system to system, the core fundamental principles of the matter were the same in that a giving tree inspired people to rise above their selfish ways and help one another out. She could either donate a present or take a name from the tree and find something for a family in need.

This year she’d decided to donate. The decision had been hard but Lilly knew that she was doing the right thing.

Wrapped in a seasonal bow, Lilly placed the game ball that all of the 275 Smugglers had signed for her that day in the tunnel when she’d met the team. A little note was attached to the bow.

Written by her own hand the message read:

‘Donated to the New Vertica Hospital from the 275 Nar Shaddaa Smugglers squad for all those children who dream big. Never give up, never surrender, and remember that from now on our troubles will be far away. We believe in you.’

Lilly smiled as she took one final look at the game ball. People said if she made a wish in front of the giving tree that those usually came true. Sighing, she closed her eyes and made her wish. A wish that she hoped would fulfill her dreams. She had so many dreams, so many desires, but the one thing that kept her going was a sliver of hope. A hope that one day, somehow, she would be able to walk again.

When she opened her eyes, the lights and ornaments on the tree seemed to sparkle back at her as if they had heard her wish.

Maybe they had.

Tag:Trieste (for Miners stuff);Jedi Gunny (for mention of Polis Vayne)

 

IC: Gark S’rily
Coruscant



Disaster.

That was the only word that could describe how this game had gone. The Hapes Consortium Buccaneers, so lost and confused in Week 6, were anything but, rendering the Coruscant Senators in the position of complete helpless victim. It was like a horrible replay of the previous week’s blowout home loss to Ralltiir, a total meltdown. It was times like this where Gark knew to just pack it in and stew over it later, because there was nothing else he could feasibly do. But this was getting absurd. And events were just getting worse.

After the C-Bucs pushed the ball into the offensive zone, one of their forwards made an easy move around Myles Tormera, who had been pathetic in this one, and then had a breakaway shot against Jayla. The fifth-year goalie was helpless now that she was out of position, because Wai Lin was faking a roll to the goal, which drew Jayla off her spot. The ball snapped its way into the back of the net, pushing the C-Buc lead to 18-2 late in the game. The already-sparse crowd groaned once more; this had been a complete disaster. There was even a smattering of boos in the crowd, the fans who were pissed off by the consecutive poor performances of their beloved team. However, their wrath didn’t even come close to the anger of Jerek Deter, who then walked up to the Zeltron and started to berate him. “What the frak was that?!” he yelled at his longtime teammate. “You couldn’t stop a (expletive) (expletive) from walking right around you with a cane!”

“Shut the frak up, Jerek!” Myles countered. Jerek then pushed the Zeltron, and Myles pushed back. Then the two of them were in a shoving match, in which Jerek finally tackled Myles to the ground. The referees, bewildered by this complete breakdown in the Senator backfield, took several seconds to blow their whistles as they tried to comprehend what was going on. The Senators, a team known for its chemistry, was now seeing two of its members fight each other in the middle of a game? And it was more than just a berating; this was going into full fight mode. Tank Bratter ran over and roughly separated the two players, who were still screaming bloody murder at each other.

“Your stupid little kid’s a son of a Hutt!” Myles yelled at Jerek.

“Your wife looks like a Hutt slave girl! Stupid, fat, and ugly!” Jerek retorted.

Tank thought of bashing their skulls together, but that might not go over so well with these two, or with the fans. “Knock it off,” he said roughly.

“Get your meaty hands off me!” Jerek yelled at the Herglic, but Tank stood his ground. By now play had been stopped, and the Senator defense was in shambles, trying to separate the two defenders. Finally Gark got into the fray, giving both players a cold stare that he hoped would do something. Finally Tank let go, and Jerek walked off the pitch, not even bothering to look back as he walked away. When he got to the team tunnel, he slammed his fist into the side of the wall as he disappeared into the darkness.

“What the hell got into you two?” Gark demanded of Myles.

“Jerek starts giving me sithspit, and I stuck it back in his face!” Myles said, trying to act innocent. But Gark wasn’t buying it.

“And I’m sure he tackled you out of kindness. Hit the showers, Tormera, you’re done,” Gark said, sticking his thumb out in the direction of the locker room. Myles shook free of Tank’s grasp and walked to the locker room as well to a chorus of boos from the Senator faithful. They were already seeing a meltdown in the game, so there was no need to have to witness infighting as well. What was this coming to? Such a promising season had been derailed.

The game didn’t take long to finish, as the C-Bucs pretty much held onto the ball the whole time. Finally, Jinx Johnson went to tormenting Doon’sun, the Weequay full back. “Looks like your teammates abandoned you, meathead,” she taunted.

“Shut up,” Doon’sun said as he watched the C-Bucs stand around on offense.

“You’re not in a good position to be mouthing off, down 16 points in a playoff home game. It’s no wonder that loser Deter lost his mind. I would hate to be in your position, frankly, because that would mean . . .” But she never got to finish, because Doon’sun finally unloaded on the full forward, smashing her in the upper chest and jaw after lowering his head. Johnson hit the turf, and the whistles came out fast and furious.

“You’re out!” shouted the head ref at the Weequay, who didn’t even argue the call. He knew what he had done, and a few cheers came from the crowd alongside the now-raining boos. The League likely wouldn’t see things his way, and a chunk of change would probably find its way out of his wallet soon enough. But that wasn’t the point. This had gone from bad to worse in no time.

In the locker room after the game, there was no sound whatsoever from the team. They knew what the implications for this game had been, and that they hadn’t performed well. Pam Korthe didn’t even speak to the team after the game, because all she could say was exactly what the players knew all too well about. It was no secret that the defense had given up, and that the whole team needed to be evaluated in the offseason while the C-Bucs advanced to the next round.

But Gark was tormented by this debacle more than anyone else on the team or staff. Three players had been ejected for stupid behavior in this one, and what had it gotten them, anyways? The fans were now going to think that there was something wrong in the locker room culture, that the one-tight Senators ship was starting to break apart. And it was all going to come down on him. Why hadn’t he done something to prevent Deter and Tormera from coming to blows? Was the ‘Magic Bothan’ finally starting to lose steam? Were the Senators finished?

At the postgame press conference, Gark tried to keep it simple and not say much. He wasn’t in the mood to say anything. But the press insisted, so he had to deliver or look like he was also on the outs with his team. He had an image to uphold, so sit and take the questions he did. What had happened out there? What did the reporters think? It hadn’t exactly been like Life Day morning, full of joy and hope. Of course not.

Then Alysha Romax got grilled by reporters. “Alysha, how do you think you did today?”

“I did crap, as did the rest of the team. The scoreboard seems to be talking for me,” the Hapan said, not interested in being here.

“This loss knocks you out of the playoffs. That’s two straight years that the team has been taken out in this round. Why does this keep happening to you?”

“We don’t play well enough to win games. That’s all I have to say,” Alysha said.

“The three-game losing streak to end the season is the longest the Senators have had in the Kayl’hen Era. This brings into question how capable you are as a captain of this team, not to mention two straight blowout losses. How do you respond to the doubters who want you removed from that position?”

“I tell them to go frak themselves,” Alysha said, her ire building. Undoubtedly this was going to be viral within the hour, as Alysha Romax had finally “snapped” in the eyes of the media. Not a good position for her, Gark knew. But there was nothing he could do. “Have any of them tried to go out and play sixty minutes of Limmie while being physically abused by other players? Have they taken hard body shots? Or have they been painted in the precious media as complete blockheads because their team lost a few games? No, I didn’t think so.”

“Alysha, do you feel like you deserve to be captain next season? Many of my sources are questioning that you are worthy of being captain of this franchise, given that you aren’t nearly as good as the last one of this team and . . .”

“Shut up!” Alysha roared, making the reporter silent immediately. “Whoever is trying to compare me to Dirxx Horstse obviously needs to get their head out of their ass and live in the present. I’m doing what I can with what pieces I have around me, but sometimes you lose, and that’s not all on me. We all sucked today, so why can’t you just write that down and leave it alone?!”

“But your captaincy is going to be in jeopardy, because you sagged on defense, didn’t try on offense, and aren’t a worthy leader of anything, let alone . . .”

“You know what, I’m getting the frak out of here because you frakkers won’t leave me alone about this!” Alysha finally yelled, getting out of her chair as she ranted. “If this is how the Senator fans think of me, that I’m a lousy captain and player, then they all need to go to hell. I can’t take this sithspit any longer. If they don’t want me to play for them any longer, then they can go screw themselves. I don’t want to have to deal with that trash if they keep treating me this way.” She looked at Gark further down the table. “I demand a trade,” was all she said before stalking off the stage.

This sent off a frenzy of activity in the room. Reporters were madly typing up that Akysha Romax, the longtime Senator midfielder and current captain, wanted a trade, and had badmouthed the Senator fans. She was going to be blasted for her views and alienated because of it, although Gark silently thought to himself that she had a point. The entire team had played poorly, and yet she was taking an unfair portion of the blame. Was she at fault for the offense not flowing? Not at all. Did she miss tackles, yes, had she missed a few loose balls, yes. But it was on the forwards to get the ball and score, and they hadn’t done that. The defense had missed assignments and let in easy points. The midfielders had sucked on both sides of the ball. It was a complete loss of focus, and yet everyone wanted to point the finger at the Hapan. It just wasn’t right.

As Alysha left the press room, she was still steamed. How could the fans turn on her so fast? Why did they want her gone? All she had ever done was work her ass off for them, to represent this team, this planet. And this was how they thanked her, by pushing aside the victories she had led the team to, the win over Corellia this season, the complete rout of Hapes in Week 6, a statement win on the road against Ralltiir last season? What about her willingness to take on the mantle of captain after Dirxx stepped down following the 273 campaign? What about the 268 Galactic Cup title that she had helped the team win? Her midfield play had helped the team get that far, had secured a critical loose ball against Alana Glencross to push the Senators to victory. Where was that sentiment? Did that mean nothing to these fans anymore? Why was she still here, anyways?

Then she felt herself being roughly shoved into the wall. She looked straight into the face of Izzi Polakaya, her running mate on that 268 title team who had missed this game due to an ankle sprain. “What the hell was that, Lysh?” Izzi asked.

“Get your grubby hands off of me, Iz,” Alysha retorted, not interested in being plastered to a wall like this by a teammate. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“On the contrary, it does,” Izzi replied. “We’ve been playing together how long, now? We won a frakking title together, if you haven’t forgotten.”

“Well the fans certainly don’t think that I deserve to still be captain anymore,” Alysha said. “And I hate their guts. Those scum don’t get it. But oh no, they’re so entitled to a winning program these days that a playoff appearance just won’t satisfy them. They wanted to see us beat the snot out of the Miners. I wanted that too, wanted it more than anything else. I needed a statement win to cement myself as captain of this team, and then we fail. We fail so badly that everyone turns on me, and wants me gone. I’m better off elsewhere, Iz. Coruscant has nothing for me anymore. Not after they treat me like garbage.”

“I care,” Izzi said. “I care a lot, Lysh.”

“Then you have to let me go,” Alysha said, but Izzi wasn’t going to let her go that easily.

“Look, Lysh, you haven’t been yourself since you were made captain. You’ve been trying too hard on offense, missing easy plays that you used to make, and are stretching out too far to make poor tackles on defense.”

“Don’t you get started on that sithspit,” Alysha growled.

“It’s the pressure, isn’t it?” Izzi asked.

“What if it was? What good would that do?”

“Look, Alysha, I remember how good you used to be, back when you weren’t in the spotlight. Remember 268? You made Alana Glencross cry like the spoiled brat she is because you beat her out for a loose ball to help us win that Semifinal game. You played so freely back then, played so well. Even two years ago, in that Conference championship push, you and Deme kept things locked down. You weren’t the best, but you didn’t need to be. But now that you’re captain, you’re self-destructing. You’re trying too hard to be someone you’re not. You want to be the next great Senators captain, and frankly, it’s making you a worse player.”

“Your point?”

“Let me take over the captaincy,” Izzi said firmly.

“Is this just a blatant power grab?” Alysha asked, shocked. Izzi shook her head.

“Look, Lysh, the pressure is getting to you. You’re a good person, a damn fine Limmie player. But being captain is too much pressure. You want to make every play, to prove yourself as good as Dirxx was when he was captain. But you’re not him. You’re unique, yet you want to live in the past. These fans want you to play like him, and deep down I bet you’re measuring yourself against him as well. That pressure is leading you to leave what worked for you back in the day and forcing you to play something that you aren’t suited for. I know you have talent. I know from back when we won that title. We worked so well together in those days, but it just feels strained now. Like there’s always something on your mind. The pressure is getting to you, and as a friend I can’t keep watching you as you beat yourself up over lost opportunities, keep trying to play a different game, try to be the only playmaker on the team. It’s wearing on you, and then you take it out on everyone else. Face it, Lysh, you haven’t been the same since that Cup Final in ‘73.”

“Fine, you win,” Alysha said. “I feel so . . . strained. Feel like I need to do everything, and when things go to pot, then I get blamed for them. I’m sick of these self-righteous . . .”

“Like I said earlier, if you don’t want to be captain anymore, I can understand. I’ll take over the mantle for you,” Izzi said. As an assistant captain of the team, she wasn’t exactly trying to bust rank. “I coached a few seasons of college ball, and I know pressure well from that situation. It’s not exactly the same, but . . . I think it would do you good to get back to normalcy.”

“But I don’t want to give it up . . .”

“Do you want the fans to get off your back and just let you play?” Izzi asked. “Do you just want to be able to play like you used to? I’m asking this because I care. A lot. You made a fool of yourself back there, and I’m offering you an out. Don’t go looking for a trade. This team needs you; Deme, Gayla, and I need you. This planet needs you. Don’t turn your back on them.”

“It’s too late for that,” Alysha said. “They’ve turned on me, and I don’t want them to find any more mud to sling on my name. I might as well quit when I’m ahead.”

“We both know that’s not true,” Izzi said firmly. “Come on, Lysh, you can do this. I see it every day in practice, and I know you’ve still got game. But the pressure is too much for you. That’s why I’m offering to take over as captain. That should free you up to make plays, to rest a little easier at night. Come on, what are you out? I just don’t want to see you keep beating yourself up and demand a trade because you can’t handle the pressure anymore. Don’t walk away when you’ve got it so good here.”

Alysha finally shrugged herself free from Izzi’s grasp. “This changes nothing,” she said.

“Just think about it,” Izzi said.

“Fine. But I may end up walking out anyways, just to let you know. I don’t hold a grudge against you, Iz. It’s the fans who are pissing me off.”

“Come on, Alysha, give me a chance,” Izzi said. “I don’t want you to make a mistake that will haunt you for the rest of your career. A choice made in anger never ends up successful. I don’t want to see you spiral downwards because you made a rash decision. Just take your time and think this over. Do you really want a trade? Do you really want to walk out on all of us? I’m here to help. Just think about it.”

“All right,” Alysha said as she walked down the hall and out of sight. She had a lot to think about now.

---

Gark sat at his desk back at team HQ, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. What exactly could he do to get his team back on track after this complete meltdown? Not only had they lost this game thoroughly, but he would likely be hearing from the League regarding the hit, his captain wanted a trade, and now a message from Jerek was sitting on his datapad. Gark was afraid to open it, because he knew what it would say. When he opened it, his intuition was correct. “Trade me now,” was all it said. This was just a spectacular day, wasn’t it?


TAG: Trieste (for League stuff)


Senators Trading Block:

Jerek Deter (Human, Male, Corner Back, Contract Year - 276)

Alysha Romax (Hapan, Female, Midfielder, Contract Year - 276)

 

Sub-GM Post(s):

Here are your College Playoff Scores:

Carnation Bowl:

19 Chandrila A&M vs. UB, Salis D’aar 30

Playoffs:

27 UB, Salis D’aar vs. Keldabe Military Institute 3

20 University of Agamar vs. University of Kashyyyk 31

0 Venderwell University (of Tatooine) vs. University of Denon 4

18 Ackbar Air Fleet Academy vs. Enarch Technical University 23


31 Enarch Technical University vs. UB, Salis D’aar 25
12 University of Denon vs. University of Kashyyyk 21

14 Enarch Technical University vs. University of Kashyyyk 1

College Playoffs MVP: Gark Zonka

---

Galactic College Limmie Championship

Gark Zonka, the full forward from Enarch Technical University, watched as the tired Foresters from the University of Kashyyyk tried one last push up the field. However, one of his teammates made the play, and then the horn blared. That was it; Enarch had won the galactic title! What a moment from a school that had for so long been trounced in this sport, to go from a complete drag to a real dark horse contender. They had blown through the Ackbar Air Fleet Academy, a regular player in the finals brackets. They had outlasted UBSD, the Bak10 champ. That hadn’t been easy, but they had done it. Then there had been this game, one where they had dominated from the first minute and never looked back. It felt so nice to have this win.

Gark celebrated with his teammates in the middle of the field. It was something all of them would never forget. However, for him, this was just the beginning. This playoff run had accompanied his being named a Helmsman finalist, something which he never dreamed of happening prior to this season. No matter what happened in this game, he was going to be cemented as an Elite League draft pick, potentially a lottery pick. And now they had won the title. Would he be the top overall pick? Maybe. Would he go in the first round? Highly likely. He had a future ahead of him.


When reporters asked him some questions, he answered them that this was just the beginning, and that he wasn’t afraid to take on the Elite League now. He had the College Playoffs MVP award in his hands, and hoped to add a Helmsman to that soon enough.

---

IC: Cruth Kantor

Cruth stood at the podium at the Coruscant Athletic Club as he had every year for many, many years. It was time to reveal the Helmsman nominees and winner . . . but that would wait until the other surprises up his sleeve were completed. "Ladies and gentlebeings, I want to thank you for being here again to witness the awarding of the Helmsman Memorial Trophy. However, before we can begin on that front, I have a few surprises for all of you. This year, my esteemed colleagues at the Collegiate Offices have decided to hand out outstanding player awards. These will be done according to position on the field. Needless to say, they believe that these awards will spark additional intrigue in the coming years in the collegiate ranks, and potentially boost players from less-heralded schools into the public eye. Now, without further ado, let us begin with the Ruy Gey Award for the Best Goalkeeper. This is a thankless job, but someone has to do it. If you think of all the famous keepers who have played this beautiful game, the winner this year has shown that they are indeed a fine talent. The winner of this award is Nihal Toggs, from Republican University." The Zabrak came forward to collect his prize, although his Scholars team had been down in the cellar of the Crendan Divison of the Super 16 Conference. That hadn't been his fault; most games had been decided by three points or less, and he had a conference-low scoring offense to keep him upright in goal; his offense scored just about five points a game all season, and he had given up seven points per game. Not a good mix.

"The next award is the Grazo Award for the Best Corner or Full Back. They say corner is harder to play than half back, and that it takes a special player to play full. Tonight, we honor these players with the Grazo Award. The winner of the inaugural award is . . . Penny Jinch, from Atalanta University." Another player from a bad team. She was also listed low on the HSN Draft Rankings, so perhaps this would help her stock?

"Next up is the Outlandi Award for the Best Interior Defender. I respect all those who play defense, and the half back is the lifeblood of many Limmie defenses. The winner of this has outstanding cover skills, and also knows how to tackle, call plays, and stay in their area. The winner this year is . . . interesting . . . Patti Meter, from the University of Corellia, Bella Vistal." The human female came up to receive her award, but Cruth was not done. "Ms. Meter has informed all interested professional teams that she is not going pro at this time. Being a junior, she has elected to stay in school to finish her degree. Good luck to you, as we will expect great things from you next year." Applause as Meter walked off the stage.

"Midfield is where games are won and lost. One loose ball or tackle made or missed can spell the beginning or end of a game and season. Tonight we have a winner for best Midfielder in the galaxy, according to the voters. The winner is . . . Aril Nebt, from the University of Agamar." Nebt, a Sullustan, got her award. Her Agamar team had stormed all the way to the Galactic Quarterfinals before running into UBSD. They had done well for themselves.

"Corner and Full Forwards have a variety of things to do on the offensive end. Tonight, the winner of the Bulitnekoff Award is . . . Zonko Lyriss, from the Coruscant Polytechnic Institute." This brought cheers from the home crowd, as CorTech was rising in prominence on the planet for Limmie. The Kiffar received his prize before going and sitting down. Cruth noted that Lyriss might be the next CorTech who was a high draft pick in the subsequent ELL Draft.

"The Lombardee Award for the best Interior Forward goes to the most talented forward in the middle of the offensive zone, where so much can happen during a game. Tonight's winner is . . . Ynisse Zalt, from the Prytis College of Natural Sciences." The Zeltron received her award.

"Now for the Crampbell Award for Best Overall Offensive Player in the Collegiate Ranks. Our winner tonight is . . . Gark Zonka, from Enarch Technical University." The man received his award.

"Lastly, we have the Remmingtonn Award for Best Overall Defensive Player in the Collegiate Ranks. Our winner is . . . Raley Tenegat, from the University of Bakura at Salis D'aar."

Once the human had left the stage, Cruth switched gears. "And now, for the nominees of the Helmsman Memorial Trophy. The first nominee is . .. Zarene Klick, a midfielder from the College of Deredith and Millicent." Cameras went to the Kaminoan, her long neck a special curiosity for many viewers. "The second nominee is someone we are already familiar with. From Enarch Technical University, full forward Gark Zonka." Cameras showed the College MVP. "Third, a corner forward from the Coruscant Polytechnic Institute, Zonko Lyriss." Cameras showed the Kiffar. "Lastly, Raymondo 'Ray' Gunn, a forward from the University of Agamar." Now that all four nominees had been named, it was time to figure out the winner for this year.

Cruth opened the sealed envelope and pulled out the flimsi inside. "The Winner of the 276 Helmsman Memorial Trophy is . . .

Spoiler

Gark Zonka, Full Forward from Enarch Technical University."

This was quite a win for Zonka, who now had a galactic championship to go along with his Helmsman and Crampbell Awards. Not a bad way to finish off his college career.

"Thank you for coming, and have a safe ride home," Cruth said before leaving the podium. Another college season in the books, and another Elite League Draft coming up.

TAG: Tim Battershell, CPL_Macja, Bardan_Jusik, Trieste, Vehn, Runjedirun, jcgoble3

NOTE: The Mock Draft will come later