Star Wars OPEN Elite League Limmie

Sub-GM Post

Bonus rolls this week to (points in parentheses): Druckenwell (28), Byblos (30), Thyferra (32), Commenor (28), Concordia (32).

Limmie Futures League
Championship Week
Seventh Place Game
(8) Kamino Waves at (6) Tatooine Sandskimmers (21–13)
Fifth Place Game
(7) Druckenwell Marksmen at (5) Byblos Red Wings (12–3)
Third Place Game
(3) Kashyyyk Rangers at (1) Thyferra Force (15–22)
Futures Cup Final, presented by Gundarkade
Six Boroughs Stadium, Nar Shaddaa
(4) Commenor Gundarks vs. (2) Concordia Crusaders (16–1)

Congratulations to the Commenor Gundarks, 275 Limmie Futures Cup Champions!

TAG: Bardan_Jusik Vehn Runjedirun Rebecca_Daniels Jedi Gunny CPL_Macja

 

GM Post

Bonus roll to Bakura for today's championship. Banked bonus rolls to Agamar, Coruscant, Euceron, Mando'ade, Nar Shaddaa, Ralltiir, and Rydonni Prime.

120th Galactic Cup Final
Six Boroughs Stadium, Nar Shaddaa
(1) Corellia Rebels at (1) Bakura Miners (5-29)

Congratulations to the Bakura Miners, the 275 Galactic Cup champions! Numifolis winner to be announced in my coming post.

TAG: Me

 

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Mando'ade Mercs player transactions.

Mando'ade Mercs announce the retirement of:

• Kyr Ram'ser (Human Mandalorian male) Full Back
• George Edwards (Human male) Center Half Back
• Arick Vau (Human Mandalorian male) Midfielder

Mando'ade Mercs announce the signing of:

• Mij Katan (Human Mandalorian male) Goalkeeper to 2 year contract
• Maggie Adams (Human female) Half Forward to 2 year contract
• Xander Darkrider (Human male) Midfielder to 1 year contract

Mando'ade Mercs announce the promotion of:

• Ariva Kendal (Etti female) Half Forward from Concordia Crusaders to Mando'ade Mercs.

Mando'ade Mercs announce the release to Free Agency of:

• Kellie Dupont (Twi'lek female) Half Forward
• Vash Passik (Kaleesh male) corner forward (had been assigned to Concordia Crusaders)

Mando'ade Mercs trading block:

• 2nd round pick (#11 overall) in 276 First year player draft.
• Gunman Forp (Ishi Tib male) Left Cornerback. Contract year 276.
• Tsulkalu (Wookie female) Right Corner Forward. Contract year 276.
• Rajah Rollko (Shistavanen female) Left Corner Forward. Contract year 276.
• Andres Fortune (Human male) Full Forward. Contract year 276.

TAG: Trieste

 

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Nar Shaddaa Smugglers announce the retirement of:​

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Gunba Pemiti (Mon Calamari, Female)​

Micah Reiger​

Sasha Luy'kin (Bothan, Female)​

Lann Helkin (Human, Male)​

Nor Mintos (Rodian, Male)​

Asha Martell (Human, Female)​

 

IC
Owner’s box, Six Boroughs Stadium, Nar Shaddaa

It was quite a full crowd in the home team box at Six Boroughs. Nearly the whole clan was there, especially given the fact that Vesper had shown for the game today. There was Declan and fiancée Ayn, all the Lynds (including home from the war Cillian with his cybernetic arm), Fiona with the Chume’da and her husband (not too thrilled that they weren’t here supporting a different team), Nessa and her children (similarly mildly displeased that the Patriots weren’t defending the Cup, the Eldreds (who had absolutely nothing to complain about these days), the Ronan Triestes (barely keeping control of their three teenage children), the Vehn-Triestes (most of whom were familiar with this box, but under vastly different circumstances) including Senator Eleanor Vehn.

“What a pleasant surprise, Vesper. We’re so glad you are here,” Kerry told her eldest niece, giving her a light peck on the cheek, “and so well dressed too. Nice to know you’re not a full Rydonnian quite yet.” The Chancellor put her mouth by Vepser's ear confidentially. “I’m told the K’ntarrs are not playing nice. Perhaps you should explore...options.” She left it at that.

The Chancellor had a much greater surprise upon seeing Kaitlyn Vehn in the box. It wasn’t surprise a surprise to see her (she’d been invited after all)—just a surprise to see her walk in.

“Well I’ll be damned Kaitlyn,” Kerry said, giving the Smugglers owner a hug, “I was going to say that we had much to discuss…but apparently I should let you go first…”

However, that conversation was going to have to wait for halftime. The game was about to begin.

---

Field level

Falene’s heart pounded as the bolo-ball came into play, the adrenaline of the championship game surging in her arteries and veins. The Rebels controlled the ball and put it up to the half forwards with a quick pass. It looked like Perrette wanted a quick strike to get on the board first. Falene’s match up today was against Drex Mumu, a big, oversized Ithorian. During preparations for the game, the Miners had thought that the Rebels would try to take advantage of the size mismatch. Everyone still remembered the way that Chenkabukk had dominated Falene last season. It looked like the pregame scout was right.

Treena Horn, who had drawn the Glencross midfield match up, sent a quick, low kick up the field to Mumu, who used his big hands to field it cleanly. Falene pumped her legs and went straight for her player. She wrapped up the big Ithorian and in the process attacked the with her left arm. As Mumu slid to the turf, the ball popped out. Wizmark rushed over and kicked the ball out of the Miners defensive zone. Pic angled in to take it on the run and broke into the offensive zone with Glenross coming in with her. Pic passed to the middle to Deenever, who immediately put the bolo-ball on net. Antilles made a stellar save, but gave up a juicy rebound. That was his undoing. Deenever had followed her shot in, jumping her defender, with the Rebels in being-to-being coverage. She picked up the rebound and found herself at a severe angle—but with Antilles well out of position. With almost no effort at all she threw the ball into the back of the net for an early 3-0 Miners lead.

Niskat gave a shout of celebration and Falene’s heart jumped. This was the way they wanted to start. Get the Rebels down early and press the advantage.

The Miners would never trail in the game again.

---

Gaeriel Valerii protected her starters. That was her hard and fast rule. She didn’t play fast and loose when the game was won. Ever.

It was clear midway through the second half that the Rebels would not come back. It was clear that her team was going to win the Galactic Cup Final. The players knew it. The coaches knew it. The broadcasters knew it. The fans in the stadium knew it. The fans watching on the Holonet knew it. Everyone knew it.

And everyone knew the timeout was coming midway through the second half, and sure enough, Valerii called it and brought her team over into a huddle.

“We are 15 minutes away from the Galactic Cup. I know what the scoreboard says,” Valerii told her team, “Forget the scoreboard. This is a 0-0 game. I need everyone here to focus up. We have practiced all season to instill good habits for this moment. You need to stand strong right now. You slack off and these Rebels are going to know it and they’re going to come alive again. You do not let a team back in a game like this, ever! Ever! Finish this game right!”

And so the Miner starters went back out there and they kept making their hits, making their plays, doing everything that had been drilled into them. The Miners sat in the Hulu zone defense, keeping the Rebel forwards off-balance. Then again, the Rebel offense had never been on-balance. The break in was simply not there for the Corellian squad. The half forwards did what they’d done to Hapes a week ago and stonewalled them. Down low, the corner backs were finding even more success against their opposites today. Comstock was nursing a no goal game against the Rebels, holding them to just five ball points. When the Rebels’ chances had come, they’d been good ones and Lizbit had made some athletic saves to stop the Rebels and keep them from getting a goal that could spark something.

---

Owner’s box

With the score at 24-5, Kerry Trieste stood from her seat in the front row of the box at center field. “I believe it’s about that time,” she said to the Noble House.

As the family followed her example, and prepared to head down to the field, Siona leaned over to her eldest daughter. “It’s your choice if you want to come,” she said softly, “We would understand if you wouldn’t, but you are welcome just the same.”

Kerry, for her part, paused with her host. “Think about what we talked about,” she told Kaitlyn, “276 is going to be a big year for everyone.”

---

But the Rebels never got the break. It seemed they were destined to get no breaks and the Miners had gotten them all. The Miners had gotten the benefit of penalty calls early in the game, ones that Marit Telleride, the Rebel captain, had argued with the refs over, but to no avail. Those penalties, which the Rebel fans booed, only made the Rebels angrier and more penalties came on their heels.

Falene was locked into the game, but during a break she heard the Miner fans in the stands. The song on their lips was one that was not often heard, but it was one of the great Miner victory songs.

Make way for the Molly Maguires
They’re drinkers, they’re liars, but they’re men
Make way for the Maguires
You’ll never see the likes of them again

Though no one, most of all Falene, wanted to focus on the clock, they all knew it was ticking away. They knew that each passing second was bringing them closer to what they had worked all season for, the prize that they had dreamed their entire life about. Falene’s heart start pounding faster.

Calm down, calm down, she told herself as she tracked the play in the offensive zone. The Rebels forced a turnover and went for a long bomb pass to try to get something, anything going. They did just what the C-Bucs had tried doing—playing off Trieste and Wizmark and going for Ternardiel’s side of the field.

This time, that was their mistake. Swiftfoot, the small and tricky Drall, was perfectly positioned for the pass—but the Nar Shaddaa girl hurdled over Swiftfoot and intercepted the ball, which sent up a cheer from not just the Miner fans but the Nar Shaddaa natives. Ponie ran up the field, getting the benefit of a block that Glencross threw for her. The further up the field that she went, the louder the noise got. She cut inside and Liddy Powe lined up a hit on her. Seeing the Rebel bearing down on her, Ponie punted the ball up the field—straight through the uprights.

Ponie lifted her arms in celebration and received a crushing embrace from her teammates. Antilles put the ball back in play, but before it even came back to the ground the horn had sounded.

Galactic Cup Champions.

Falene ran forward to midfield where the offense had gathered and joined the crush of blue and gold that was jumping up and down as confetti and streamers that matched their jerseys started to fall. Falene’s thoughts were a jumble of joy. If she’d tried to put them into words, she would have failed. All she knew was that she was hugging everyone in sight, her brothers and sisters of this season, her second family. There was one sister in particular that she looked for as she went through the congratulations, the hugs, the kisses, the laughter, the tears.

Niskat Deenever and Falene Trieste found each other and hugged each other with more force than any of the tackles in the day’s game. They had started as uneasy roommates at best, and that was being kind considering the way Falene had treated Niskat at the start, and were now best friends.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” Falene told Niskat as the cameras flashed around them and their teammates.

“I would have never forgiven you if you had,” Niskat said, playfully teasing as ever.

---

Hapes

“It is jubilation on the field as the Miners celebrate this dominating victory. This team has changed so much since they last won a Galactic Cup,” the HSN announcer said, “Four names remain. They are Stormborn, Wizmark, Rodders, and Glencross. Any team that wins two Cups in five years is incredible. One that does so after turning over two thirds of their roster is a rare breed.”

Aileen Wynn wasn’t listening. She was standing and looking at the plaque that hung on her wall. It read:

AILEEN WYNN​

LIMMIE HALL OF FAME​

INDUCTEE, 275 ABY​

Wynn breathed on the shiny plaque and polished it with a handkerchief.

“Not too shabby,” she said to herself.

---

Rydonni Prime

The on field correspondent had cornered Gaeriel Valerii for an interview. She was wearing a ballcap that proclaimed, “BAKURA MINERS 275 GALACTIC CUP CHAMPIONS.”

“Gaeriel, with today’s win you have four Galactic Cup championships with the Miners, a new record for the team. How do you feel right now?”

“I…wow…I can’t describe this. As a kid you dream of lifting the Cup…but to win it four times….All I can say is that I am so proud of my team. When the cards were in the stasis field, they came up big today,” Valerii said.

“When you won your second Cup as a player, you left your cleats on the field and announced your retirement. Anything you want to tell the galaxy right now?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Gaeriel said with a smile.

“You heard it here on HSN, folks. Thanks Gaeriel,” the reporter said, letting her leave to continue the celebrations, “That was the new Miners record holder for Galactic Cup championships, head coach Gaeriel Valerii.”

Sitting on the couch in Uda Nazug’s residence, Dana Roslyn snapped the pencil in her hands clean in two. Gaeriel Valerii had made her name on the pitch playing the Roslyn midfield system. They hadn’t even engraved Valerii's name on the Cup and the shift was already happening. Valerii was already being hailed as the greatest in Miner history.

“I think I know what Obi-Wan Kenobi felt like on the Death Star,” Roslyn growled.

The student had become the master.

---

Field level, Six Boroughs, Nar Shaddaa

Barely over a year ago, Alana Glencross had looked out on the Coruscanti skyline and wondered if she would ever be considered one of the greats with one Cup to her name and an MVP award. Alana didn’t know if having two of each now made her one of the greats, but she did know that it felt fantastic.

Already she’d done two field interviews with the media and knew that there would be many more to come. She felt a tap on her shoulder as her name was called and figured that the third one was upon her.

But it wasn’t. It was Niall Kirt, her boyfriend using his field pass to share this moment of celebration with his field pass. Before he could say anything, Alana kissed him. “Hey you,” she said once she was done with him.

“Hi. Can we talk?” Niall asked.

“Sure,” Alana said, ”I’m totally not doing anything right now.” She waved her hand to indicate the general celebration and chaos going on around them.

“No, really, can we talk?” Niall asked again.

“Really?”

“Really.”

Niall led her off the field and just under the overhang of the tunnel from which the team had entered from the locker room, a relatively more private space than where 750,000 fans could look upon them.

“Alana, this wasn’t the way I intended to tell you this, but sometimes the moment kind of doesn’t leave you a choice…” Niall began.

“Niall, what are you—” Alana started.

She stopped as Niall Kirt got down on one knee and took the small velvet box out of his pocket. “Alana Glencross…”

The next four words changed her life forever.

---

Stands

Sydney Talon had asked Briar Thorne if he could buy some of the Miners’ ticket allotment—and reminded her that he’d singlehandedly delivered the team from a recruiting scandal that could have ruined the franchise’s future and made playing in this Final impossible. The Assistant GM had asked how many tickets Sydney wanted. He hadn’t even hesitated with his answer: three rows as measured at Bakura Gardens.

Given the fact that Talon’s practice was successful and brought him into contact with very influential beings—precisely the sort of beings who would love to get a seat at the Galactic Cup Final—one would have thought they would be occupying those seats at Six Boroughs. Those were the last beings on Sydney’s mind. The first ones were the beings who occupied three rows that surrounded his seats in Section 210 at the Gardens on game day, the seats his father had first bought many years ago and that his son still held.

These beings were now celebrating. They were one giant family that had held their seats in 210 for decades. Never before had they been together in the stands for a Galactic Cup Final. Sydney had made that happen with a chartered shuttle to Nar Shaddaa, hotel accommodations, and seats to the game. Brock kissed his wife about half a dozen times in a row. Caylee was hugging everyone she could find, most of all her husband Petr. Tripp, Vanna, and the kids were hugging and jumping up and down each other in turn, forgetting if they’d hugged someone, and starting all over. The Porthans had tears in their eyes as they embraced each other. And all of them were hugging Sydney, the boy who had grown up in Section 210 and who had brought them here.

For this game, Sydney had kept the use of his second seat. In it was Mara Kain, his legal secretary, who had given Sydney the biggest hug of all.

“This is so exciting. We should do this more often,” Mara said.

“Win championships? I’m all for it,” Sydney said drily.

“No, go to limmie games. You’re not using that second seat,” Mara said.

“I usually give it to one of the gang for their kids,” Sydney said, “You going to take a seat away from a kid?”

“Now that’s just not fair,” Mara said, giving Sydney a look.

“Just enjoy this one,” Sydney said. He took a deep breath. Nar Shaddaa might not have been a clean city, but the air had never smelled so good as it did now.

“You feel close to him right now, don’t you?” Mara said in a low voice to Sydney, barely audible over the crowd noise.

“Yeah,” Sydney said, “He would have loved this.”

“He would have loved that you got to see it,” Mara said, “and that you brought everybody from the Gardens. He would be so proud of you.”

She put her hand into Sydney’s and they stood like that, holding hands, remembering Sydney’s father, the man who had instilled a love for limmie in his son.

---

Field level

Exhilarating.

That was the only word for what it was like to be on the field in the middle of the postgame championship celebrations. This was where Ayn Dormingale wanted to be. It wasn’t why she was going to marry Declan…but having access to an Elite League Limmie team…well, it wasn’t anything to turn her nose up at.

The energy of the moment was overwhelming. An entire season culminated in this moment—precisely what they had dreamed, against all hope, that it would. There were happy gatherings of family members, like Jolla Pic’s parents all the way from Tatooine who saw their daughter a champion. There was Eponette Tenardiel, who had no family present, and was wandering the field, tears streaming from her eyes as she waved to the locals who were present. If the Smugglers couldn’t win the prize, at least one of their own could. Morgan and Becki had an arm around each other’s shoulders as they gave a smiling interview to Hapan media, looking gorgeous after a full 60 minutes of limmie as any Hapan would. Most entertainingly, Comstock seemed overcome by sheer joy. She’d started and ended her season with no goal games and she could only represent her bliss in dance.



But the thing that was most thrilling was that through it all she held the hand of Declan Trieste. The Noble House had congratulated and hugged one of their own, Falene, at becoming a champion. They could not have been prouder of her on this day and Falene hugged every one of them as hard as she could. The Noble House its name on the Galactic Cup by virtue of ownership. Now it would have the name of a member by virtue of skill.

“What a season,” Ayn said as she got her opportunity to hug Falene, “You did this, Falene. You did this.”

“Thanks Ayn,” Falene said as the pair remained in each other’s arms, “Welcome to the family.”

“That means so much to me,” Ayn said.

The presentation of the Numifolis Award and the Galactic Cup was drawing near, so Ayn and Delcan withdrew to allow the team to celebrate together, as was proper. It gave the pair a little privacy, though they were surrounded by other Triestes.

“One day, all this will be yours,” Ayn whispered in her fiancé’s ear.

Declan turned to whisper in hers. “The Noble House doesn’t operate on primogeniture. My mother will decide who the next Taoiseach is.”

“You win your Senate seat next year and this will be yours,” Ayn said.

“No. I win my Senate seat and this will be ours,” Declan said.

She knew it shouldn’t be, but that prospect was more exhilarating than any other she’d experienced today.

---

“Falene, we’ve got a few moments before the presentation of the Numifolis Award,” a reporter from HSN said, “You’ve grown up with this team all your life. Now you’re a Galactic Cup champion as a Miner. Tell us what you’re feeling.”

“I still can’t believe this has happened,” Falene said, “Not just that we won, but that I broke the curse.”

“The Commissioner’s Trophy curse? The Semifinal Garden curse?”

“No, I touched the Galactic Cup when I was eight years old in 259,” Falene said, “They say if you touch the Cup before you win it, you’ll never win it. I don’t know if I believe in things like that…but I’m not afraid to admit that I was a little concerned.” She smiled.

“Falene, you’re one of the few beings in the galaxy to win a College Galactic championship and a Galactic Cup. Did your college experience prepare you for today?”

“I’ve been blessed to play with some amazing teammates in my career thus far and I’m just one of fifteen beings who made this happen,” Falene said, “I can’t say enough about everyone on the team. I mean, we all persevered and made it happen.”

“Falene, we’ve got the presentation of the Numifolis Award now, I’ll let you go, thanks very much.”

Falene returned to the gaggle of Miners as the Commissioner came out, accompanied by a Devaronian who was carrying the Numifolis Award, which she set down on a table set up at midfield. The fans cheered.

“I’d like to congratulate the Corellia Rebels on a fantastic season. Telena Perrette brought about an amazing turnaround in this team and should be congratulated for it,” Kayl’hen said, receiving applause from the remaining Rebel fans and the more generous Miner fans.

“The Numifolis Award is presented to the most valuable player of the playoffs,” Kayl’hen continued, “The 275 Numifolis Award goes to Alana Glencross of the Bakura Miners.”

The cheer that went up from the fans and the players themselves as the redhead, who’d broken in a brand new midfield partner this season, came forward was loud. The captain shook hands with the Commissioner and posed for the cameras receiving the award from her. When they finished, Alana held the award over her head to acknowledge the fans and then walked it back to the Miners where she handed it off to one of the assistants. Everyone knew she had something else to take care of.



A Wookiee and a Herglic, both in Elite League blazers, walked out the Galactic Cup onto the field. Everyone, no matter whether they were a Rebel, Miner, or Smuggler fan, gave a great cheer. No matter what, win or lose, you respected the Galactic Cup. There was no other trophy like it in the galaxy. The pain, sweat, and blood that went into winning that chalice was second to none.

After theCup had been placed on the table, Kayl’hen stood next to the trophy and put one hand on it. “It takes an incredible organization to win a Galactic Cup. Winning two Cups in five years takes a very special one. A lot of beings made this moment happen from the very top with the Noble House, to Quinn Cundertol in the front office, to Gaeriel Valerii on the field. Now, Alana, get back over here and accept the Galactic Cup!” Kayl’hen said.

Alana happily complied and jogged back to midfield. The Commissioner and the captain put their hands on the Cup, posing once again for the photo. Then, after the holos had been snapped, Kayl’hen gave a nod and a smile to Alana and in one great heft she lifted the Galactic Cup over her head with a great yell as all the Miner fans in the galaxy cheered.

She walked around the field, the silver trophy above her head and the dance of the Galactic Cup began. Everyone on the team knew it well—the unspoken hierarchies that determined who passed the Cup to whom. Sometimes seniority reigned, sometimes it was the code of the locker room. Everyone knew who was next and if that player didn’t know, his or her teammates pushed them forward with knowing smiles.

Falene watched with a huge grin on her face as the next to receive the Galactic Cup was none other than the rookie of the year, Lizbit Comstock. Her arrival had change the Miner defense from atrocious to one that had shut the Rebels down in the Final.

Next came the anchor up front, Aron Rodders, the previous Numifolis winner. He passed off to the defensive stalwart Wizmark, the first draft pick in the history of the Miners. She handed it to Alesh, who could hand it to none other than Morlan. Next came Stormborn…and then Falene felt herself getting pushed forward by her teammates.

The Echani turned and Falene was there to meet her. The Galactic Cup of Limmie weighed nearly 35 pounds—but as Falene hefted it up, it felt as light as a feather. Falene looked up above her head as her mouth opened in a huge smile, the Cup shining in the lights.

This was what it felt like being on top of the mountain.

---

Kerry Trieste watched her daughter as she realized her life’s ambition and choked back tears. To see her own child succeed in her dream was a beautiful thing. The Chancellor’s heart soared in a way that no electoral victory, no Miners championship that had come before had ever caused it to leap.

As she watched Falene hand the Cup off to Niskat Deenever, Falene thought of her husband, dead for over a decade.

Mihal…I wish you were here. Falene always was a girl after your own heart. This might have been my sport, but you fostered her spirit. This day belongs to you, Kerry thought.

The Cup passed hands from player to player, each in their turn until the last of them, Nefroq Vubbins, knew that there was only one place for it to go now. She walked the Cup over to Cuth Hulu, the defensive coordinator that had been instrumental in reforming this defense. The old Patriot lifted the Galactic Cup, knowing full well who was next.

Five years ago, Kerry remembered when Cundertol had come to her with a radical idea. He wanted to hire Gaeriel Valerii. She had no head coaching experience, only position coaching at midfield in college and under Talley. There were better candidates available in the Bak10. But Cundertol had been adamant—Valerii knew this game better than anyone gave her credit for. She was his choice. She was the future. Kerry had trusted her general manager and been richly rewarded. Valerii was all smiles as she lifted the Galactic Cup for the fourth time in her life, the most of any being ever associated with the Miners…for the moment. She would be joined by someone else shortly.

Briar Thorne who quietly held down the fort as Assistant GM was next in line and the woman everyone thought that Cundertol would fire as a holdover from the Roslyn management era held the Cup for the second time. The only one left then was her boss, the man with revolutionary ideas about how a limmie team should be constructed and the game played.

Quinn Cundertol was arrogant. He was smug. He was off-putting. But in his six year tenure, he had two Galactic Cup championships. One could say of Cundertol that other teams swore at him, but his team swore by him. Kerry Trieste did not disagree with the sentiment. As Cundertol completed his victory circuit, he looked for one being in particular.

Kerry Trieste stepped forward and, for the fourth time in her life, she lifted the Galactic Cup above her head. “Falene!” Kerry called, “Get over here!” Falene came over and the team cheered. “I always hoped we’d get to do this together,” Kerry told her daughter.

And then, as mother and daughter, a pair of champions, the Trieste women raised the Galactic Cup over their heads together.

It was a moment that neither of them would ever, ever forget.

---

The team would pose on the field, jubilant, for the team photo, which would join the other seven holos that hung in the halls of the home locker room at Bakura Gardens. Falene would be in a second photo, the Noble House photo that included the entire family, that would go in the owner’s box at Bakura Gardens. But the great memorial of this day would be the inscription that an elderly Verpine would etch into the lowest band of the Galactic Cup.

​

BAKURA MINERS 275​

KERRY TRIESTE THE NOBLE HOUSE OF TRIESTE​

QUINN CUNDERTOL BRIAR THORNE​

GAERIEL VALERII CUTH HULU HAN TUNROSS​

ALANA GLENCROSS CAPT. MORGAN ALESH​

LIZBIT COMSTOCK NISKAT DEENVER WILL DETRA​

MAXXOLO GRAP BECKI MORLAN JOLLA PIC​

ARON RODDERS NANCHECKA STORMBORN​

EPONETTE TERNARDIEL FALENE TRIESTE​

NEFROQ VUBBINS NELLY WIZMARK BENGI ZIRE​

TAG: CPL_Macja Vehn

 

IC: Zay Antilles
Location: Coruscant... somewhere
Time: Three hours after the start of Zay's Jedi Trials

Part 2 of 3

An angry pilot blew his horn and started screaming, but Zay didn't care. He simply pushed the speeder to go faster. Where, he didn't care. He just needed to get away. He was angry at himself, at Master Kre'fey, at everyone. Dodging more traffic, Zay sent the speeder diving into the depths of Coruscant.

---

Zay's Trials began well. Over the first hour, Zay held his own as he dueled the Battlemaster. Every now and then, a new opponent entered the room, and Zay simply adjusted his strategy to compensate even as sweat began pouring off of his face. The squad of antiquated B1 battle droids was quickly defeated, likewise with the assassin droid. Through all of this, Master Kre'fey continued his own attack, but Zay held him off with ease. The next opponent to enter the room momentarily surprised Zay, however: Grand Master Kash Skywalker. Kash lit his own blade and joined Kre'fey in the attack, and Zay struggled to keep up. After a few minutes, though, Zay began to sense that something wasn't right about the Grand Master. Focusing on the Force, he realized that there was no living Force where Kash was.

"That's an illusion," he declared.

"Congratulations," said Master Kre'fey, as the image of Kash dissolved into nothing. "That was your Trial of Insight. However, your Skill Trial is just getting started."

Zay was suddenly driven back by the intensity of the Battlemaster's attack. He had guessed earlier that Kre'fey was holding something back. Now it was clear that he had been right. Using a riposte, Zay broke up his opponent's attack and took the advantage. Two could play at that game.

---

As the speeder dove down level after level, Zay mentally, and sometimes audibly, cursed at himself. Why the kriff did I have to screw it up? And why did you have kriff me up? As he got lower and lower, the amount of sunlight penetrating the layers of buildings on Coruscant became less and less. Finally realizing that it was too dark to see, Zay reached for the headlight switch and screamed another "Kriff you!" as his stump of a right arm failed to reach it.

---

Zay was putting every ounce of effort he had into the duel, as he now faced a second Master as well as Kre'fey. Seeing an opening, Zay counter-attacked the other Master as he simultaneously blocked a blow from the Battlemaster. As the other Master absorbed the blow with a step back, Zay lifted his foot to follow—

—and put it down in an invisible puddle of sweat. As his foot began to slip, Zay tried to use the Force to right himself, just as he sensed Kre'fey attacking from his right with an uppercut. As he put his left arm out to try to regain his balance, he stretched his lightsaber out with his right arm to block the Battlemaster's blow, but that only distracted him enough to make him lose his balance completely. He landed on his butt—and something landed in his lap as three lightsabers simultaneously switched off. Zay looked down... and saw his own right arm lying in his lap, severed just above the elbow and still clutching his lightsaber.

---

Zay couldn't stand to look at what was left of his arm. Forgetting the headlights, he sunk himself into the Force, using it to see. This low, there was no air traffic to be concerned about, only an ever-tightening maze of buildings and durasteel canyons. Eventually, he was so overcome that he couldn't even concentrate on piloting. Seeing a side alley ahead, Zay roughly parked the speeder deep inside it. He climbed out and kicked the wall. Ignoring the resulting pain in his foot, he kicked it one more time for good measure. Finally, he slumped down onto the ground with his back against the wall and started thinking. What the kriff do I have to live for now?

---

It was only when he saw his own arm lying in his lap that the pain hit him. The adrenaline still surging through his body helped him ignore the physical pain. The emotional pain was not so easily ignored. He knew immediately that he had failed the Trials; he did not need a Master to tell him that. In times of old, a Padawan who failed the Trials could try again, after an appropriate amount of time. But in modern times, such a second chance was extremely rare—and with Zay's Trials already having been delayed for several years, he knew he wouldn't get that second chance. From the day he had first come to Ossus, he had dedicated his entire life to becoming a Jedi Knight. Now, in one cruel stroke of misfortune, that ambition had been ripped from his grasp.

Only seconds had passed since he had lost his arm, and already Zay couldn't handle it. He stood up, ripping his lightsaber out of his right hand as the severed arm fell to the ground. The Battlemaster tried to reach for him, and Zay dodged him. He already knew that he would never be a Jedi Knight. To hear it from a Master's mouth would be too much for him—if it wasn't already too much. As he left the room, silently ignoring Kre'fey's pleas for him to come back, he began to wonder if there was anything left in his life worth living for... or if it was even worth living at this point.

---

Zay pulled his lightsaber off of his belt and stared at it. Igniting it, he contemplated its golden yellow glow. Built by his own hand in the caves of Ilum a little under two standard years ago, his lightsaber represented his lifelong dream of becoming a Jedi. Over his years of apprenticeship to Palla, he had grown so connected to the ultimate symbol of a Jedi, first the weapon he had built at the Temple as an Initiate, and later this one built in a traditional rite of passage. He could not stand to part with it, but he knew that he would have to, for only Jedi could carry lightsabers, and he was no longer a Jedi. For a moment he imagined the inevitable request by the Council to hand over his lightsaber.

"Over my dead body."

Startled by the voice, Zay looked around to see who had spoken. He saw nobody, and realized that he had answered his own thoughts out loud without thinking. Deactivating his lightsaber, he forced himself to look at the stump of his arm. He saw the burned edges, the cauterized blood vessels, and the charred bone. The adrenaline was fading fast, and the physical pain was becoming more intense. He knew he needed medical treatment for the grievous wound... if he chose to live.

---

As Zay left the training room, he started running. He wanted, no, needed to get away from his failure. Taking side hallways, he headed for the speeder pool. He knew he would get more privacy outside of the Temple than in. To his credit, Kre'fey stopped calling to him, apparently figuring that he needed some time to himself. Zay passed a Twi'lek, who called for him to come back. He realized it was the Temple's Master Healer, and slowed briefly as he considered whether he should stop for medical treatment. He decided against it, knowing that he would get no privacy in the healing ward, and resumed running.

When he arrived at the speeder pool, he simply jumped into the first speeder he saw that looked fast, fired up the engines, and blasted out of the hangar. The Knight on duty glanced at him briefly and let him go without questions, probably assuming that he had an urgent mission and not noticing the severed arm. As he sped through the sky, his thoughts turned from just wanting to be alone to anger.

---

If he chose to live. The words he had spoken a minute ago came back to him. Maybe they would take it over his dead body. He wondered what he would be, if not a Jedi, but came up blank. He could not imagine being anything but a Jedi. He still had limmie, but being a sports fan didn't pay the bills. He would have to work somewhere else, yet he was unable to see himself as anything but a Jedi. Was it even worth being alive? Igniting his lightsaber again, he studied the blade. Another lightsaber had cut through his arm with ease. This one could end his life just as efficiently.

Zay felt a vibration against his chest, followed by the sound of his comlink going off. He started to reach for it, but stopped. Why bother? He knew that it would only be someone at the Temple telling him what he already knew. Ignoring it, he thought about his future one more time... and failed to find anything worth living for.

He extinguished his lightsaber, then contemplated his decision for the last time. Finally, he placed the emitter end of his lightsaber hilt under his chin and began a countdown to the end of his life.

"10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3..."

To be continued...

OOC: Part 3 will come on Tuesday.

 

IC: Kaitlyn Vehn
120th Galactic Cup Final
Six Boroughs, Nar Shaddaa

Kerry, for her part, paused with her host. “Think about what we talked about,” she told Kaitlyn, “276 is going to be a big year for everyone.”

“I will,” Kaitlyn responded as the owner’s box emptied out in anticipation of the Miner’s decisive victory over the Rebels.

Kaitlyn gave a brief shout as Tenardiel put up some points for the Miners to seal the win. She wasn’t afraid to support local talent, even talent that had been signed by a rival, and liked to see kids get out of the Vertical City and go on to do something worthwhile with their lives. She hoped that Eponette savored this moment. Sighing, Kaitlyn figured that she would. She’d make the most of it as so many before her had done. The only disappointing thing about Eponette for Kaitlyn Vehn was that the Smugglers hadn’t discovered her first. But if they had, well, she wouldn’t be enjoying this victory on home turf now would she?

Kaitlyn shoved her hands in her pockets as she watched the Miners celebrate at midfield. The blue and gold confetti came raining down from the upper decks and the crowd of mostly Miners fans gave one raucous cheer after another as the Galactic Cup Trophy was passed around before being lifted up by Falene and Kerry Trieste. That sent Six Boroughs into a total frenzy. That image would be burned across the Holonet and would stand the test of time. Generations would look upon the Triestes as the family that had accomplished yet another feat in a long list of them. Few beings could stand in their company. Few would want to.

The burdens of power and fame.

She felt disappointed about a lot of things this year, her inability to remove Niakara Kayl’hen from power, the fact that the Smugglers had once again turned in a weak conference record that had aborted their run into the playoffs, and a growing sense from her coaching staff that the franchise required a dedicated scout to seek out new talent and bring it to the Vertical City. Kaitlyn knew she couldn’t do that job. She was good with numbers, heavy-hitting on personalities, but when it came to talent evaluation, she was left in the dust. That was why Quinn Cundertol was down there at midfield with the biggest grin on his face and she was up here feeling sorry for all the problems in her life. Problems she created.

She took one last look at the celebrating Miners before flicking out the lights to the owner’s box.

One day, she vowed, she would know what it felt like to lift the Galactic Cup trophy on high.

---

Nar Shaddaa Spaceport

Two Weeks Late, 276 ABY Season

Kaitlyn’s hair whipped all around her as she waited patiently on a landing pad for the shuttle to arrive, it’d taken a little while to get used to her legs again after having been without them for several months. It felt weird to stand tall, to have people look at her as they used to, with respect, with dignity, without pity or remorse for her condition. Being in a hover chair had certainly changed her perspective on the disabled. She would never look at them with those old prejudices again. She knew that people wanted to ask her about her miraculous recovery. She couldn’t talk about it right now, refused to talk, no, her recovery wasn’t what was important. What was important was the very health of this franchise.

The looming hulk of a passenger shuttle touched down on the landing pad in front of her. A fresh blast of wind nearly blew her coat off of her but she held on tight until the shockwave passed. The landing ramp lowered and a blonde woman stepped out
carrying a small travel bag and nothing else. Kaitlyn double-checked the image on her datapad and then squinted past the glow of the landing lights that surrounded the pad. Yes, this was the right woman.

“Miss Vehn? Shay Dionne,” the woman said with a firm handshake.



“You know why I’ve asked you to be here?” Kaitlyn asked raising her voice so as to be heard over the roar of the spaceport.

“I certainly do,” Shay responded.

“This job won’t be easy, you know,” Kaitlyn said as the pair walked to her personal speeder.

“It never is,” Shay said with a grin.

---

One Hour Later

“Sit down, Jayla,” Kaitlyn instructed to her new acquisition.

Leed looked over at defensive coordinator Meredith Chambers, a woman she didn’t know, and then back up to Kaitlyn before sitting down. She’d finally managed to sell her place on Coruscant and make her way across the galaxy to Nar Shaddaa in a trade that had gone down shortly after the Smugglers season had ended.

She’d been a little shocked to be leaving the Senators. Certainly it hadn’t been a total surprise. She’d heard trade rumors rumbling around the locker room but the last person she expected to be leaving Coruscant was her. She’d done a decent job with the Senators. Gark S’rily knew how to acquire talent and for a time Leed looked to be their answer at goalkeeper. But one thing led to another and that time was long past. Now she was a Nar Shaddaa Smuggler. She was one of the enemies and she would be wearing the burgundy and black in one of the most hostile home environments the galaxy had ever known. Strange how fate could twist people’s lives.

“I’ll cut straight to the chase. I respect the hell out of Gark S’rily. In fact if I could hire him to be my general manager I would. Unfortunately, I can’t. Fortunately for you he spoke very highly of your abilities when we agreed to trade. You see, now that we don’t play in the same conference anymore the two of us can actually have a decent conversation. It’s amazing what some time and space can do to those you used to loathe, or in your case, serve. So hear me out here. We’re making you the starter this year. I believe you know Meredith Chambers,” Kaitlyn pointed to Hall of Famer.

Leed nodded and flashed a knowing smile to Meredith.

“She’ll help you integrate into our system. We’ve got a lot of young kids back there and most of them have experience. But what they lack is leadership. We thought we had that with some of the guys we drafted but they’re better followers than leaders. We need you to lead and I believe you’ll find your contract reflecting our sentiments,” Vehn said as she passed a datapad to Leed.

Jayla examined the contract, looked up at Kaitlyn, and couldn’t help but ask, “Is this for real? You really think I’m worth this much?”

“Aren’t you?” Kaitlyn replied.

“Yeah, frak me, sorry, Miss Vehn, but yeah, I am,” Jayla said as she allowed some swagger to leak into her voice. “Nice to be valued again.”

“No need to apologize. I like to curse myself when the media isn’t around,” Kaitlyn said.

Vehn knew that Jayla would fit right into their system. No doubting that. The results might not show instantaneously on the field but the potential for some real defensive fireworks was there.

“Meredith, care to show Jayla around? Introduce her to team-mates?”

“Sure thing, boss,” Meredith said as she guided Jayla out the office.

“Jayla?” Kaitlyn called.

“Yes, Miss Vehn?”

“Gark S’rily valued you. I know that for a fact. I think where he might’ve gone wrong was not surrounding you with enough talent,” Kaitlyn said.

“His mistake,” Jayla said with a wry smile before following Meredith out the door.

Kaitlyn turned to Shay and said, “You ready for the draft?”

Shay, installed as the team’s official scout and head of the personnel department, replied, “Born ready, boss.”

“Good, then your first stop is-“ Kaitlyn started.

“Coruscant,” Shay interrupted.

“Good hunting, Shay.”

Tag: No One

 

IC: Ava Killenger
Thyferra Stadium at Byree Clearing

There was no reason the fans should be here, Ava thought as she did a sprint in her warmup jacket prior to the third-place game. The Force had screwed up their game last week, and all thanks to her. The fans deserved more after last season’s debacle, deserved a chance to be sitting on Nar Shaddaa instead of here. After a season they had slogged through, there had been new life in the stadium this year with a 6-1 team. And the fans had turned out for some reason. Their team wasn’t playing for a title, but Thyferra Stadium wasn’t only half-full for what in Ava’s opinion was a worthless matchup. They had come out full force to see their team play one final time for the season. It was funny how Limmie, despite the circumstances, was still the galaxy’s favorite field sport. If one had a chance to see their local team play, they would. It would be a long offseason before the next home game, whether for championship contention, to fight out of the cellar, or to play for third place.

When the time came to get started in on the game, Ava found herself lined up across from a very shaggy-looking Wookiee. She despised Wookiees on the playing field; they had a penchant for hitting hard and often. She swore she could still see bruises on her body from the last encounter on the pitch with a member of this species. But she had no choice in the matter, because she had to make do with the circumstances. Kashyyyk had dealt Thyferra its only season loss this year, which was odd because Thyferra had dealt Kashyyyk a defeat last year when that had been the Force’s only victory. It was strange how things reciprocated in Limmie. When the ball was put in play, Ava took off. It was game time.

The game itself was a rough slog. She found herself on the turf often, but she was open enough times to make some plays. She had the ball late in the first half when she threaded the needle with a pass between two defenders to reach Almert Song on a pass. Song then chipped a ball over the crossbar for a point. In the waning moments of the half, Ava did a hopstep to create separation from the lumbering Wookiee in front of her and then let off a long throw. The ball sailed over the bar for another point. One point and one assist in the otherwise-lethargic half for both teams. 5-3 the score read as the team went in for halftime.

“We need to open this one up,” Jed Ortmeyer said to his troops. “I can see cracks in their defense, so we need to go full-blast in the second half. If we exploit those weaknesses, we can gut this one out today.”

And pull this one out the Force did. The offense finally found a spark, and the team carried itself along despite the Wookiees also making plays on offense. Ava juked a defender with a mind-boggling cut that caused a few “oohs” and “aahs” to emanate from the crowd, likely causing some of them to go to their programs and see who this new girl was. She was known as the drug addict, the never-do-well, but she had to push those distractions out of her mind. She hadn’t taken a hit since the intervention, and was passing all league and team drug tests so far. Either that, or the league was taking its time to break out a positive test, even though Ava hadn’t been doing Rage Weed for a long time and couldn’t possibly be positive for the drug at this time.

When she had space, she did a stepback play as the closest defender put a meaty hand up and tossed it to a streaking Song. The corner forward got the ball from the air, popped it up using his foot to fake the goaltender out, and then sent a rocket into the back of the net for three points. The next possession, Ava found Song again with a nice pass, but the forward passed it back around his defender. Ava took the ball and dribbled it over the goal line with a low line kick that just barely made it because of contact the goalie made with it.

By the end of the day, the Force picked up the win 22-15. Ava had scored a goal, two bar points, and had dished out two assists. Not a bad way to end the season, she noted as she walked off the field for the locker room. As she walked, she could see a young Force fan reach out a piece of flimsy towards her. “Miss, please sign this for me,” the little boy asked.


Ava was tickled by this. Her first autograph request as a professional, and it came from a child. The adults certainly seemed more interested in her recent checkered past, but this kid didn’t seem to be deterred by that. Ava went over and signed the flimsy, the feel of the pen almost foreign in her hands as she scrawled out her name on the surface. When she was done, the little kid flashed her a huge grin before running back into the crowd and disappearing. Likely she had just made some kid’s day. And, for once, it had made her day. Winning certainly changed your perception on things. Now she could go into the offseason on a high note.

TAG: No One

NOTE: I can confirm for those of you who have followed this all season long (jcgoble3 and Trieste) that Ava will return next season as a PC. In what capacity remains to be seen.

 

IC: Zay Antilles
Location: Coruscant... somewhere
Time: Three and a half hours after the start of Zay's Jedi Trials

Part 3 of 3

As he counted down, he was ready to end it all. "5... 4... 3... 2—"

"You don't want to do that."

Zay stopped, not because the anonymous words had gotten through to him, but simply because he didn't want to put someone else through the pain of having to watch him commit suicide. He looked up at the rough-looking Devaronian that had just entered the alley. "Go away," he said. "Leave me alone."

"I sense that being alone is what you're afraid of."

Zay started to stand and open his mouth to respond—and then the stranger's words hit home. He slumped back onto the ground and muttered something unintelligible. His comlink went off again, but he ignored it.

The stranger either didn't notice the comlink or didn't care about it. "It is, isn't it?" he asked. When Zay didn't respond, the Devaronian continued. "Let's start with the basics. The lightsaber and robes are a dead giveaway that you're a Jedi. That's obvious, so I'm not going to bother asking if I'm right. The second obvious point is that you're missing an arm, pretty clearly from a lightsaber wound since no other weapon would cut that cleanly, and it's a fresh wound. Given your apparent age and the braid hanging from your hair, I'm going to guess that you failed the Trials. Is that right?"

Zay, still processing his earlier words about being alone, could only nod his head yes.

"Alright then, explain to me why failing the Trials justifies suicide."

Zay stared at the stranger for a few seconds. He wanted to jump up and throttle him, make the guy leave so that he could finish the job. But the Devaronian was just standing there patiently, waiting, and Zay couldn't bring himself to attack him. He tried to summon the words to make the guy go away and almost succeeded, until he noticed a look of compassion on the stranger's face—at which point words began spilling out of his mouth.

"Because they don't give second chances. Because I've trained all my life to be a Jedi and now that's been ripped away from me. Because I don't want to get stuck on Temple Security like Porgak is or end up as a farmer. Because I was meant to be a Jedi. Because it wasn't my fault!"

Zay suddenly found himself gasping for air and tried to catch his breath. The Devaronian took the chance to speak. "Okay, let's start with those. First, so what if you don't get another shot at the Trials or don't get to be a Jedi? Perhaps you weren't meant to be a Jedi."

"Then I've wasted my entire life. Why not finish the job?"

"What if you're meant for something bigger, something for which the skills you've learned as a Jedi will come in useful?"

"And what could that be?"

"How am I to know? How could anybody know?"

Zay grudgingly had to admit that he had a point.

The Devaronian changed the subject. "Who's Porgak?"

"A former friend of mine. He failed the Trials also and got put on Temple Security. Now he has to monitor people entering and exiting the Temple. Every Jedi that passes him reminds him of what he lost, dozens of times every day, while his old friends like me feel sorry for him every time we pass him. It breaks my heart to see him that miserable, and I know it breaks his heart, and I don't want to end up like that!"

Zay once again had to catch his breath as the stranger responded. "Then tell them you don't want to do that. Simple as that." He paused for a moment as Zay processed what he had said before continuing. "They can't force you into Security. That would be illegal slavery. Same with being a farmer. If you don't want to do that, pick something else. They can't legally stop you."

"But there's nothing else for me to do."

"Of course there is. I bet many police departments, SWAT teams especially, would love to have a Force user in their ranks. Same with private security companies. And that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There's literally a galaxy full of options out there for you."

Zay looked down at his lap as he tried to figure things out. On one hand, this Devaronian guy was rebutting every explanation he tried to provide. On the other hand, he was beginning to get angry because he had already made up his mind and now the stranger was confusing him.

"Besides, have you meditated on your future lately?" asked the Devaronian. "Are you sure that the will of the Force is for you to be a Jedi?"

At the mention of the will of the Force, Zay's anger boiled over. "Who are you to tell me about the Force?!" he screamed.

To his credit, the Devaronian did not take offense. "I know a thing or two about the Force myself. Probably more than you know."

"Why? Were you once a Jedi?" Zay said in a sarcastic tone.

The stranger looked away, and Zay noticed a wistful look in his eyes, as well as the fact that he was looking in the general direction of the Temple. Suddenly, Zay was no longer angry at the Devaronian. Instead, he almost felt... sorry.

Finally, he turned back to Zay and took a breath before speaking. "You could say that."

Now Zay began to consider the former Jedi's words more. Perhaps he did have a point. Perhaps there was something worth living for. The stranger gingerly settled himself on the ground next to Zay, and it was only then that Zay realized how old he was. He must have been at least ninety years old.

"Tell me what happened," he said simply.

At that, the floodgates opened. Zay spilled everything about his failed Trials, included every single detail of the final moments when he lost his arm. When he finished, he took a deep breath and waited for the old man to speak.

The former Jedi took a few moments before he finally spoke. "I think the first thing you need to do is get that arm treated before it gets infected. There's no telling what could be living down in these dumps."

Zay looked at the stump of his arm... and came to a realization. He would never have a flesh-and-blood arm there again, but a cybernetic replacement would be almost as good. Similarly, while he may not have a career as a Jedi anymore, there were plenty of reasonable alternatives. The old man was right. Suicide was not the answer.

As if on cue, Zay's comlink went off again. He pulled it out and looked at it. The Devaronian simply motioned toward the comlink with his hand. "It's time to face your future, son," he said.

Thumbing the appropriate button, Zay answered, "Hello?"

"Zay, where are you? I've been worrying about you."

Zay recognized the voice of his Master, Palla Quelkin. "Nearby. I needed to be alone to sort things out."

"You need to get your arm treated."

"I know. I'll be back shortly for treatment." Zay took a deep breath before continuing, and the former Jedi, seeming to sense what he was about to say, gently put his hand on Zay's shoulder. Reassured, Zay found the strength to ask the question. "What is going to happen to me now that I am no longer a Jedi?"

"You are still a Jedi. The Council has agreed to give you a second chance in the future."

Zay nearly dropped the comlink in shock. A second chance? This was impossible. Yet Palla, of all people, would not lie to him, or joke about something like this.

"But... how?" were the only words he could muster.

"They decided that the failure was not entirely your fault. Master Kre'fey has taken some of the blame for making a reckless attack. He would be here to apologize himself, but he is meditating at the moment."

Having collected his thoughts, Zay carefully worded his next reply. "Let me guess: the Grand Master led this decision because he didn't want a friend to be a failure?"

There was silence on the other end for a moment, then another voice came on the line. Zay immediately recognized it as that of Grand Master Kash Skywalker. "Zay, this is not about your relationship with me. You know full well that I have always deferred to the rest of the Council in matters involving you. I was not even in the room when this matter was discussed. This is a unanimous decision of the ten other Council members that were present and available. And it was Master Kre'fey who first proposed the second chance. Zay, the Battlemaster truly feels that he has failed you and the Jedi with his actions. It was because of that that we could not fully blame you for the failure of the Trials, and that is why we are letting you have a second chance."

Zay took a breath as he processed Kash's words. "Alright then, Master. Tell the rest of the Council that I thank them for their willingness to give me a second chance."

"I will."

"Thanks. I will be back at the Council in a few minutes. Tell the healing ward to expect me."

"Okay. See you shortly."

Zay cut the connection and slumped back against the wall again, overcome by this turn of events. He had not in his wildest dreams imagined that he could possibly get a second chance. Yet that is exactly what the Council had decided.

"This brings me to the last thing you said at the beginning," said the old man. "You said it wasn't your fault. And it wasn't. Did you ever stop to think that the Council might see it the same way?"

Zay had to admit that he hadn't.

"Well, they did. And if you had done what you were getting ready to do when I found you, you would never have found that out."

Zay faced the Devaronian. "Thank you for saving me."

"No, it is you who did the right thing." With difficulty, the old man slowly lifted himself to a standing position, and Zay did the same, albeit with more ease. "I can talk all I want, but it was up to you to choose to face your future instead of ending your life."

"What is your name?" Zay asked.

"Who I am is of no consequence," he replied. The former Jedi then turned and began walking away.

Zay shouted after him, but the old man ignored him. Finally Zay could only stand there and wonder, Who was that guy?

TAG: Nobody

OOC: Thanks to Jedi_Lover for beta-reading Sunday's Part 2 post and providing some ideas that I used in this post.

 

Elite League Limmie 276: Hard Knocks​

​

275 ABY was not kind to much of Elite League Limmie.

On Agamar the second year of Tim Dodd’s leadership of the Packers ended the same was the first year did: out of the playoffs and raising questions that the perennially misunderstood agrarian world was ready for primetime. Armed with the first overall pick in the 276 Elite League Limmie Draft, the Packers have their chance to turn a new page in their short history as a team.

On Chandrila what was supposed to be a stirring defense of the Galactic Cup literally started with getting decked on their home turf and figuratively ended with getting decked on their home turf. As everyone knows, Reina Kether doesn’t take this sort of thing lying down.

On Corellia a team that no one took seriously and did nearly everything right lost on limmie’s biggest stage. Now the team casts about for answers as to how to get to the next level.

On Coruscant the Senators are in turmoil as an early playoff exit caused discontent to roil in the locker room with big stars demanding trades. The standard bearers for the Kayl’hen Era seem in danger of backsliding into the mediocrity of old days, which can only mean that it’s time to light the Bothansignal for a little magic.

On Euceron the Storm have finally begun to establish themselves as an Elite League power with back-to-back Skywalker Conference Championship Game appearances. At the same time, they have come through tragedy and heartbreak and soldiered on. With a full roster and a whole offseason, will the Storm double down on the Antilles Formation and revolutionize the Elite League or will they return to a traditional 15 player set to win it all?

On Hapes success is always expected but has been slow in coming. A Conference championship appearance is not be enough for the proud fans of the C-Bucs. Moira Mallory must find a way to deliver or her employer, the newly coronated Queen Mother, may turn elsewhere for a champion.

On Mandalore and throughout the Mandalorian diaspora two sub-.500 seasons by the Mercs are making a fanbase that expects domination restless. The end of the Ssi-Ruuk War means that the Mandalorians will likely once again turn to their national pastime for inspiration. Will the added attention lift the Mercs or crush them down?

On Nar Shaddaa, a shining new stadium showed the galaxy that things are turning around for the Vertical City. The woman responsible for this has been shattered and rebuilt—in more ways than one. Though her son has returned to her, will he be enough to fill the void left by once being one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy or is there a Galactic Cup sized hole in her that needs filling?

On Ralltiir, a new owner has taken the reins and charts a new course for the Starkillers. His business prowess is unquestioned, but it only takes one misstep can mean blood in the water and the Karkadoons of the Elite League will start circling.

On Rydonni Prime a superstar has done everything she can to bring her team to the mountaintop. In the second year of a new system and a head coach now is the time to show the fans and the owners that they are on the road to the promised land…or at the very least that they’re mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore.

On Ylesia, the Lightning are adrift after an early playoff exit and listless play by their star goalkeeper. With the franchise committing to its current players and the stars who brought them a Galactic Cup, 275 will be a critical year for this small market team to stake its claim.

The only place where everything is just peachy is on Bakura, where the Miners will soon raise their eighth Galactic Cup Championship banner. Two championships in five years have the bold throwing around words like “dynasty,” but that may just be the sentiment of the most rabid fanboys. Life is good…but ascendant Chancellors that wish to form dynasties—dare we call them empires—would do well to remember their history.

No matter how good or bad things look, one thing is for sure: the limmie gods are fickle and their favor and displeasure can rest on teams and beings only briefly.

It is a new season and, like always, that season begins in one place.

The draft floor.

---

Oranga Theatre, Coruscant

“Gentlebeings, welcome to Coruscant for the 276 Elite League Limmie Draft” Niakara Kayl’hen, Commissioner of the Elite League said, “It’s a true pleasure for the League to host the Draft for the first time in Coruscant, home of the Elite League home offices and one of its great franchises. I would like to take a moment to thank the Senators organization for helping to make arrangements for today’s festivities.

“Now, let’s get down to business. It is my pleasure to begin the 276 ABY Elite League Limmie Draft,” Kayl’hen said, to the cheers and applause of the crowd, “The Agamar Packers are now on the clock with the first overall pick.”

TAG: Bardan_Jusik CPL_Macja jcgoble3 Jedi Gunny Runjedirun Tim Battershell Vehn

 

IC: Tim Dodd - 276 Elite League Draft, Coruscant

After the introduction and preparatory remarks, Tim rose from his seat at the Packers' table (where he was sitting with Asyr, Dorf, and 'Stont' - his leg still in a heavy-looking cast). This first Draft, they had decided, did not require a separate 'War-room'. He walked, with a bit more of a limp than usual, carrying a Black jersey with Silver-grey highlights, to the Podium and its waiting microphones.

"Good day, Gentlebeings! Frankly, I could have done without being first one up this year, as it's our very first Draft! Still, here goes....

As our first pick in the 276 Elite League Draft, the Agamar Packers select....

Neaga - Goalkeeper/Midfielder from the University of Euceron!"

The Arkanian came to the Podium amid applause, where hands were shaken and the jersey handed over and donned for the obligatory Holo-opportunity. When the flashing of the newsies glow-bulbs stopped, Tim stepped back to the microphones and said;

"Thank you! The Rydonni Prime Monarchs are now on the clock!"


TAG: CPL_Macja - indirectly Trieste, Bardan_Jusik, jcgoble3, Jedi Gunny, Runjedirun, Vehn

 

IC: Vesper Lynd
120th Galactic Cup Championship
Owner’s Box, Six Boroughs Stadium, Nar Shaddaa

“Hi Aunt Kay,” Vesper returned the Supreme Chancellor’s light kiss on the cheek. Embracing Kerry in a light hug, Vesper replied quietly in her ear, “You know how contract negotiations go. On the other hand, it sounds like the Senate is not playing nice with you, either.”

Watching the match was a surreal experience. It wasn’t the first time that she was cheering for a team that was not her own in a Championship match. Ironically, both times she was also cheering for her cousin, Falene. The surreal-ness came from the fact she was watching the match with almost the entire Noble House, and they were getting along.

The vantage point was also throwing her off. From the Owner’s Box she was able to look into the stands and see group of eight fans, evenly divided between the Miners’ and Rebels’ colors, which seemed to be having more fun razing each other than watching the actual match. Upon closer inspection she realized that they were her teammates: the four Bakuran Monarchs (Cora, Buggie, Fahpe, and Winnifred), the two Corellian Monarchs (Lana and Shae), and the Hapan Monarchs (Clair and Cali). Obviously the four Bakurans were supporting the home team, wearing blue and gold jerseys (even though the front of them said Monarchs), and the other four were cheering against the Miners, not necessarily for the Rebels. The sight of the teammates having a good time and bonding off the field, brought a smile to the Captain’s face.

When the rest of the House started down towards the field, Vesper replied to her mom, “Naw, I think I’ll sit this one out. It’s Fae’s time in the spotlight. Besides, I don’t want to add any more jinxes to the Monarchs,” she noticed her mother’s eyebrow rise, “If I decide to stay with them, that is.” Siona just smiled as she shook her head at her daughter. “Oh, that reminds me, can you let slip to Quinn that I’m going to be staying on Bakura for a few weeks and that I’m still undecided about the Monarchs. Let’s see if he truly regrets passing up on me the first time around.”

---

House Athletic Club
Gasco City, Bakura

Vesper was sunning herself, in a lounge chair, by the pool of the club. It had been the first warm, sunny day since coming home after the Galactic Cup. Her eyes were closed, but she could still tell that there was someone approaching her chair. When the newcomer’s shadow stopped across her bare midriff she was mildly agitated, “If you’re not the waiter refreshing my Tatooine Sunrise, then you need to keep on moving.”

“Ah, is that any way to greet an old friend?” quipped the distinctively male voice.

“I would hardly consider us acquaintances, let alone old friends.”

“Well that was a harsh assessment, don’t you think?” her ‘friend’ questioned.

“I think it is mostly accurate considering I slapped you the last time we saw each other.”

“Yeah,” he reached up and touched his cheek, “I’m still not entire certain I deserved that.”

“Really Nicholas?!?” Vesper ripped off her sunglasses and sat up facing him.

The young House of Arden member stood with his hands on his hips, “Just because Erika O’Shane is my cousin, you hauled off and smacked me. Do you honestly think that is a legitimate reason?”

“Oh and you didn’t think that it would have been proper to inform me of that when we first met?”

“I can’t help who I’m related to. Besides she’s more Rhemes then Arden, her mom is my mom’s sister.” He sat down on the lounge chair next to her’s, “If it wasn’t for that family connection, you would still be getting hounded by her on a daily basis.”

“You are absolutely unbelievable sometimes,” She stands and gathers her things.

He smiles, “Thank you.”

Turning around she calls over her shoulder, “That wasn’t a compliment.”

“Off to see Quinn?”

Hearing his question froze her in place, “Where did you hear about that?”

“I have my ways.” He walks past her, “Gutsy move considering that you don’t have an agent.”

Rushing to catch up to him, she nearly trips on the towel she hastily threw around her waist, “What do you mean?”

He stops and looks her over, “I mean, he’s a very shrewd negotiator and isn’t the type of person to be trifled with.” The look on Vesper’s face must have betrayed her confusion and concern because Nicholas motioned for her to sit at a nearby table with him, “Listen, they don’t call Quinn Cundertol the Smug Dragon for nothing. Even if you aren’t going to consider his offers seriously and are planning on staying with Rydonni Prime, you’re going to need someone to go through your contract proposals with a fine tooth comb to make sure they aren’t hiding anything like that ridiculous ‘francise tag’ they have in your current contract.”

“Alright, you’re hired. When can you start working up my proposals?”

He throws his hands up in protest, “Woah, Woah, cool your thrusters there. I’m no sports agent, I majored in Galactic Basic at Bak.”

“That doesn’t matter. You know more about contract law and contract negotiations then I do.”

Nicholas rubbed his jaw in contemplation, “Alright, go get dressed. My driver can take us to Evenvale for the meeting. We’ll discuss our strategy for the Dragon on the way.”

---

IC: Greenly Zo
276 ELL Entry Draft
Oranga Theatre, Coruscant

It was her first trip to the ELL Draft, and it very well may be her last. Greenly knew her contract was going to be expiring soon and would most likely end up like the rest of her Monarch alums as a coach somewhere in the organization. But for today, as the oldest member of the Monarchs, she had the privilege of introducing the newest generation to the team.

As in years past, the ultimate decision as to who was to be picked came from the Monarchs War Room filled with the coaching staff. She was certain they were bickering back and forth with each other as to which side of the field needed the most help. In her opinion, the team was fine the way it was currently laid out, they just needed time to completely gel. Those last two games proved that when they played as a team and not a group of individuals, they were unstoppable.

When her datapad beeped she was under strict instructions to just walk up to the podium and read directly from the pad. The chime came, she took a deep breath, and did just as she was told.

“With the second overall pick in the 276 Elite League Draft, the Rydonni Prime Monarchs select Drista Konnenwirth, Corner Back, University of Evenvale.” There was a shout of ‘MAROON & GOLD!’ from the crowd as the top defensive prospect made her way up on the stage and stood next to Greenly for a few holos with her new Monarchs jersey.

“The Bakura Miners are now on the clock!”

TAG: Trieste

 

IC: Kerry Trieste
Kilmainham Brook, Prytis, Bakura
Two months prior to the 276 Elite League Limmie Draft



It was a dark and unseasonably cold evening that found the Supreme Chancellor taking a short break from her duties on Coruscant at the estate that was the ancestral home of the Noble House. Built by Niall Trieste I, renovated several times, destroyed by the Sith, rebuilt by Fionn Dunross Trieste, this had been Kerry’s childhood home. It was steeped in memories. Even if this was not the same structure that had seen the rise of Fianna Fail under Fionn Cormac Trieste, the bounty hunting escapades of Saraid Trieste, the vengeance of Niall Trieste II, and the diplomatic peace brokering of Nevan Trieste, Kerry felt the weight of her family history keenly as she sat in the room that was the Taoiseach’s study. It had been her father’s sanctuary and then it had become hers.

Part of the reason that Kerry felt her heritage so strongly was thanks to the fact that all but one of the eight portraits of the Taoiseachs had been progressively recovered after they had been plundered by the Sith during the Neo-Sith War occupation of Bakura. Niall Trieste I’s portrait was still missing…but Kerry had things in motion in that regard. The galaxy was not so large a place as it sometime seemed, especially for someone like a Supreme Chancellor. After meeting the Bakuran Mandalorian Haylee Kelt last year, Kerry had set on the trail in the course of her other duties. A large, upfront payment had been made to secure the services of Kelt. Five minutes with Kelt was all Kerry needed to feel that it was a wise investment.

Some time ago, Kerry had selected her father’s portrait to hang in the Taoiseach’s study above the fire. It was in this room that Kerry had been working prior to her brief respite. Though the Galactic Senate was out of session at the moment, enabling this sojourn on her homeworld, she had still been forced to bring some work with her. Kerry Trieste had been working hard for the last twenty years, ever since she’d been first elected Prime Minister. But even she had to get away from time to time. Kerry put her datapad aside and rubbed her eyes. When they came back into focus, they were resting on her father’s visage, which peered back at his daughter.

Kerry got up and poured herself a drink. She looked again at the portrait of Fionn Dunross Trieste. It was still looking at her. She knew from long experience that it would be. “You would have had a painting made of yourself where your eyes would follow someone across a room, wouldn’t you?” she said to the portrait. Predictably, it did not respond.

The Chancellor leaned against the sideboard that contained the liquor. “Plans are coming along, Dad. They’re certainly coming along,” she said to the portrait, but half to herself, “Decisions are going to have to be made soon. Within the next year. When things get set into motion, there are going to be a lot of moving parts…and things are going to move fast. Very quickly indeed.” She paused to sip her drink.

“I wish I had more time…” Kerry muttered, “You waited. You had time…until I forced your hand. Just like mine is getting forced now…”

She looked up at the portrait. “I didn’t give you much choice then, in the end, did I? You told me as much. I wonder…if I hadn’t run when I did…” Kerry didn’t finish the thought. Then she laughed a little bit to herself. “Wouldn’t that have been a galaxy to live in?”

Kerry slowly walked around the office. “I wish there was another way to delay this. But you and I both know that there’s more than one chrono ticking away on this one. If I don’t take action now….” She looked up at her father’s portrait. “Never enough time, is there? Even for us Bakurans. Speaking of which, you’ll be amused to know they’re telling me that I’m on track for a liver replacement shortly. I might even outpace you for the first replacement. So let this even the score between us: your galaxy-wide war was nowhere near stressful as four PM administrations and two Chancelleries. Take that, old man.” Kerry smiled at him. Then she sighed and lowered herself into a chair, allowing her eyes to rest on the fire. It was never far from her mind that it had been her father's second liver transplant that had ultimately killed him, not too long after she had become Prime Minister of Bakura, following in his footsteps. His body had rejected his liver and by the time the doctors realized it, there was nothing to be done. The science of organ replacement was not magic, even if it seemed like it. It was an unwelcome reminder of her own mortality.

“I’ve started wars with as much frequency as I’ve stopped ones I didn’t start. I’ve sent beings to their death. I’ve made choices that have changed the course of galactic history. And yet it’s this choice that I may well think about for the rest of my life…”

Kerry finished her drink. The motto of the Noble House of Trieste was, curiously, in two parts: “The morning shall come when the world is mine; tomorrow belongs to me.” Though she had accomplished much, more than perhaps any who had preceded her, tomorrow still belonged to the Noble House. Kerry knew it as deeply as those in whose footsteps she followed.

It was time for Kerry Wyvern Trieste, ninth Taoiseach of the Noble House of Trieste, to start thinking about the tomorrows of many beings.

---

IC: Falene Trieste
Falene’s apartment, Salis D’aar, Bakura
Draft Day



“The Bakura Miners are now on the clock.”

Falene was relaxing in her apartment. One would think that with an entire offseason now about to end, she would be nice and relaxed. However, somehow, as Falene waited for Cundertol to make the Miner’s first pick of the day, she didn’t feel rested. After all, it had been quite an offseason, to say the least. Even figuring out where to begin thinking about all of it was a challenge.

The newly minted champion looked around the room and her eyes rested upon a green dress that was draped over the back of a chair.

Well, that was one place to start…

---

Cape Suzette, Bakura
Two months after the Galactic Cup Final

Falene did not think that she looked very good in forest green. Nor did she like strapless dresses. And come to think of it, two and a half inch heels were a pain too. Sadly, Falene couldn’t change any of that. Bridesmaids usually didn’t. You couldn’t really say no to your brother’s bride to-be when she asked you to be in the wedding party.

Declan and Ayn had made a decision to get married before the 276 elections, rather than after. It meant that Ayn might give up some name recognition running as Ayn Trieste, but Falene was pretty sure that wasn’t going to hurt her chances too badly. How they could be married and represent different districts was something that was beyond Falene, but apparently the House’s lawyers had it figured out. That had resulted in a flurry of plans that had luckily not involved Falene—other than having to do some of the typical bridal shower and bachelorette party things that Falene had gone along with to be a good sport, regardless of how ridiculous some of the events were.

It all culminated with Falene standing in a line with Ayn’s other female friends as the bride came down the aisle, escorted by the closest thing she’d ever had to a parent, her grandmother. Falene had to admit that Ayn looked pretty good. She’d certainly not skimped on the cost of her dress from where Falene was standing. For that matter, she was happy that Declan had gotten what he wanted. The two were well suited for each other.

The wedding had brought out much of the Fianna Fail political establishment and even plenty of politicians from across the aisle. With the children of two Prime Ministers getting married, it was the social event of the season. Even Silas Madsen, who was trying (but largely failing) to hide his displeasure, was there. But Falene was pretty sure that the wedding gifts were going to be something else for the couple. They’d probably be able to furnish a small moon with them. Even the wedding colors were infected by politics. The dark green of Falene’s dress was an homage to the color associated with the chosen party affiliation of Ayn and Declan. That wasn’t much of a surprise though.

“Declan Trieste, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to have and to hold, ‘til death do you part?” the officiant asked Falene’s brother.

“I do,” Declan said, looking into Ayn’s eyes.

“Ayn Dormingale, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to have and to hold, ‘til death do you part?” the officiant asked Ayn.

---

“I do,” Alana Glencross said.

And with that, she grabbed Niall Kirt, her new husband, spun him around, and dipped him to kiss him.

Falene stood there in her dark blue bridesmaid dress, the same dress that every other female member of the Miners was wearing, and smiled and clapped as the second wedding of the offseason concluded.

It had a drastically different feel from the first one, even though they had both taken place in Watercrest county. Ojai was not that far from Cape Suzette as distances went on a planet like Bakura and it was the hometown of Alana and Niall. However, the wedding was more modest in its own way, lacking the same luminary attendants and being made up more of family friends and colleagues.

Then again, Alana’s wedding reception blew Ayn and Declan’s out of the water. It didn’t have to do with the fact that the less formal attendees were more willing to make fools of themselves on the dance floor. It didn’t have to do with the fact that Alana was having a “good Bakuran wedding” by having an open bar that was being taken advantage of by almost everyone (though Ayn and Declan had the same, the presence of politicians kept things from getting too crazy). It didn’t even have to do with the fact that Falene thought that Alana’s white cake with strawberry was much better than Ayn’s double lemon cake.

It had to do with the fact that Alana and Niall ate their wedding cake out of the Galactic Cup of Limmie.

As far as Falene was concerned, that was getting married in style.

---

And that wasn’t even a beginning on everything that had happened during the offseason, but the holocameras focused on the Miners table now revealed to the galaxy that Cundertol, who had previously been sitting with his eyes shut and fingers steepled, had now opened his eyes. He leaned over to Assistant GM and spoke with her confidentially. She nodded her head and Cundertol got to his feet and headed for the stage to make the Miners' first selection of the first round.

“With the third overall pick of the 276 Elite League Draft, the…” Cundertol inexplicably paused and then leaned in to the microphone, “defending Galactic Cup champions, the Bakura Miners--” here the Miner partisans cheered while some of the fans from the other Elite League teams booed the typical pretentiousness of the Miner general manager, “--select Gary Zonka, Full Forward, Enarch Technical University,” Cundertol said.

The Miner fans in attendance cheered. It had been projected that the Helmsman Trophy winner from 275 would be available with the third pick and projected that the Miners would take Zonka, despite the fact that the Miners seemed set at Full Forward with Rodders. Even so, getting the keystone of Enarch Tech's galactic championship run was a big steal for the defending Galactic Cup champions. It sent very clear intentions that the Miners had no intention of taking their foot of the accelerator when it came to their offensive onslaught. Zonka, beaming, posed with Cundertol on the stage with his blue and gold jersey that read ZONKA 1 on the back. The GM and his first round pick shook hands once again before Cundertol returned to the podium.

“It is my pleasure to announce that the Ralltiir Starkillers are now on the clock,” Cundertol said.

TAG: Runjedirun

 

GM Post
Oranga Theatre, Coruscant

After Cundertol had vacated the podium, everyone looked expectantly for the Ralltiir Starkiller's representative. Some wondered if new owner Martin Vigo would use this moment to become publicly associated with his new acquisition, in front of the whole galaxy. However, no one from the Starkillers was forthcoming.

The being who was turned out to be the Commissioner.

"Gentlebeings, we have a trade on the draft floor," Kayl'hen announced.

This got the theatre cheering. Nothing was so exciting as a draft day trade.

"The Ralltiir Starkillers send the fourth overall and twentieth overall picks in the 276 Elite League Draft to the Mando'ade Mercs in exchange for Full Forward, Andres Fortune," Kayl'hen said.

Fans for both teams exploded with cheers as the Mercs got back into the first round and the Starkillers got an MVP candidate for their front six.

"The Mando'ade Mercs are now on the clock," Kayl'hen said.

TAG: Bardan_Jusik Runjedirun

 

IC: Martin Vigo


I would be leaving early in the morning. I should be doing last minute research or better yet sleeping. Instead I was peaking in on my sleeping children and going over my arrangements for leaving them and my wife while I was off planet to attend the draft. My younger sons were sharing a room. Tomas had his own room, but long ago he’d made a pile of blankets into a bed on his brother’s floor and started sleeping there. Less than a month into that arrangement I actually caught the boys moving Tomas’ bed across the hall. I’ve allowed the arrangement ever since. They have a special bond as the two younger children. Tomas is 8, Spencer is 12. I stood in the doorway and watched them sleep for several minutes. As a father it’s one of the most sobering sights, one I definitely don’t take the time for often enough. My next youngest and most troublesome child is Bat. At 18 he’s already legally an adult, his light was on so I didn’t disturb him. My final child still living at home is also an adult. Justyne is 20 she shares a room with her 18 month old daughter Zoey. They were both sound asleep and the door was wide open. Justyne had made a habit of keeping the door open ever since her daughter was born. When the baby cried at night she’d wait for her mother, my wife, to get up and care for her. An arrangement I detested, but caring for Zoey had brought my wife back from a dark place. We are treading on bumpy waters by allowing my wife to take on the main role as caregiver for Zoey. If Justyne were to leave and take Zoey with her I’m worried, very worried, about how my wife will take it.

I tried not to look toward the end of the hall where the empty bedrooms sat. My eldest son Richard was away at University. It was his second year away and I still missed him immensely. It was even tougher knowing that while I’d be visiting Coruscant myself tomorrow, the very planet where he attended Republican University. He was going to be competing in a track meet on Corellia. Despite the fact that I had missed almost every one of Richard’s sporting events and academic achievement ceremonies he excelled at everything he did. Hopefully I’d be able to make that up to him someday. The other empty bedroom, where my eldest child, my daughter Lucie, used to hang her dance shoes had been vacant for 6 long years. Her departure was not planned, she had run away.

I had known my wife and daughter were fighting a lot, but didn’t think that to be out of the ordinary for a teenage girl and her mother. I took my wife’s side of the argument one evening after a long meeting. I told Lucie we wouldn’t pay for her to pursue a career in dance. Less than a week later Lucie and all the belongings she could carry were gone. During another family crisis several years later I was able to lure her back. It hadn’t been easy, and now here I was depending on her to keep an eye on her mother and her siblings while I was off planet. I was lucky to have reconnected with Lucie though. She cared a great deal for her siblings and having her check in on the family while I was away eased my mind. Your brother is up late again. I wrote. Talk to him if you can, I get the feeling something is up. Do not hesitate to disturb me for any reason. Take care and thanks again. Love Dad.


“Martin, come to bed.” I heard my wife call just as I was finishing. Surprised that she was still up I entered the bedroom and quickly put my data pad on the dresser before sliding into bed next to her. We took advantage of the late hour before drifting off to sleep.

I rose early the next morning and headed down a long hallway towards the back of our house to the pool for a swim. It was going to be a long day. I’d be meeting my travel companions head coach Trey Till, assistant coach Gwynn Reeser and team Captain Loren Jul in just over an hour at the shuttle so I didn’t have much time. Exercise was my life line though and there was no better way to get your blood flowing early in the morning than jumping in a cold pool. All of my children at one time or another had swam competitively and at my age it was one of the few forms of exercise I could still push myself at without too much risk of injury so we kept the water cool. The first thing I noticed was a wet towel discarded on the deck. I was actually not upset about that, more or less I was pleased to know Bat was still using the pool. He quit swimming and all competitive sports before he even turned 13. Even now it was as if he didn’t want the rest of us to know he worked out. He always made use of the pool and gym in the middle of the night. Because I hated to see anything out of place I hung the towel on a hook before jumping in feet first and beginning my swim. Every cell in my body awoke at once, with each stroke I felt a little more of the pressure built on my shoulders release. The workouts were never long enough, but they sure were rewarding.

When I got out to dry off I noticed Spencer was on the deck doing push-ups. He was my most successful swimmer and took the sport very seriously. I waited for him to finish his set, gave him my most approving look. “Good job.” I called out. “Take care while I’m away.” He looked up with the most serious non childlike expression, nodded and continued with his pre swim workout. Older children were great, their independence much appreciated, but I did miss scooping them up for hugs. In that sense I was very lucky to have Zoey around, she was full of embraces for her granddad. I managed to shower, grab some breakfast and get out of the house before anyone else woke up. Coach Till was already waiting on the shuttle when I arrived. Loren and Gwynn arrived together a few minutes later. We opened our data pads, to compare notes and search for any last minute news being released about the draft as we prepared for take-off.

“So are you all still convinced that a forward is the way to go with our first pick?” I asked looking to Coach Till and Loren Jul mainly since this seemed to be their plan.

“I want someone to mentor” Jul confirmed. “I want to leave the team in good hands. I meant it when I said three years was all the Limmie I have left in me.”

“Problem is we don’t agree on who that someone should be” Till said sounding a little annoyed. “I know the Miners are predicted to take him but Zonka should be our obvious first choice, he’s the Crampbell winner, Helmsman winner and his team won the Galactic College Limmie Championship. But Loren over here” he said with a motion of his head “thinks he might be a little too full of himself. Too hard to tame, she says.”

“I think our chances will be better if we draft Lyriss” Loren cut in. “The problem with Zonka is I’ve worked with Marmu for the past several years and she’s been no picnic. From the day she came into this franchise she’s tried to dominate. She still refuses to pass the ball in critical situations and I’m afraid this year will be even worse. She’ll want to test free agency next year. You really want to bring in another Marmu?” She asked.

“There is another option.” I broke in. “We could bring in an already experienced player.”

That got their attention, both of their heads turned. “You mean a trade?” Till asked.

“Why not?” I asked. “The Mercs need picks and we need a forward. Last I heard they had one of the best.”

“Can we afford him?” Till asked.

I could tell he was interested. “He won’t come cheap.” I conceded. “But we can afford to pay him. Do you think he’ll work in our system?”

“We can make it work.” Loren stated excitedly.

“I thought you wanted to mentor a young player?” Reeser put in curiously.

“I wouldn’t have to if we had Fortune.” Loren exclaimed. “Besides that takes too much time. This is much simpler, we just hand him our playbook and fit him a uniform.”

Jul was talking a mile a minute. I’d seen my children less excited while opening presents on Life Day. “What do you think Trey?” I asked trying to remind her, this was far from a done deal. “Do you think this is an avenue worth perusing?”

“Definitely.” He confirmed. “Gwynn, you in?”

She nodded. Seeing that everyone agreed I decided not to hesitate. “I’ll call the Mercs now; make sure we secure a shot.” I excused myself to the other side of the shuttle and made the call. It was a rather short and to the point conversation, I returned to my seat and informed the others of our plan. “Vhett and I are going to meet privately before the draft to negotiate a deal. I don’t want other teams to know we want Fortune, the price will go up.”

“What are you going to offer?” Trey asked.

“Our first round pick.” I said stating the obvious. “Certainly that won’t be enough, but she’ll know I’m serious and we will work from there. Don’t worry I’ll know if she’s taking things too far. I’ve negotiated a few deals before.” I said light heartedly.

To pass the remaining time we discussed a few other positions we had needs for, even though we realized we may not have picks left after or if I secured Fortune. At last the Shuttle landed. Till, Reeser and Jul went to check in at our hotel and I made my way to meet with Vhett. I was right, our first rounder wasn’t enough, but she was reasonable and agreed to our first and third round picks. We agreed not to make an announcement about the trade until the Starkillers were on the clock. We wrote out the deal on piece of flimsy I would hand to the commissioner when the time came and headed our separate ways.

When I got to the hotel we all met up at my room and I broke the news. Jul let out a holler that I was worried could be heard all the way back on Ralltiir. I actually put my finger to my lips as if I was quieting one of the children. We ordered food and relaxed until it was time to head to Oranga Theatre. I was even able to check in at home where I was assured everything was holding up well in my absence. When the time came we boarded an air taxi, held on for our lives, departed and made our way to a pre designated war room.

I groaned when I saw the plate of pastries provided, I looked for a steward who I could ask to remove them. One of the things I despised most about business travel was the unnecessary pleasantries that added inches to my waistline. Till wasn’t shy though, he went right in and grabbed three. “Are you really going to eat those?” I asked.

“Do you know how long I went without one of these?” Till asked. I shook my head, reminded solemnly of his recent ordeal. A few minutes later Commissioner Kay’hen took the stage announcing the start of the draft. Tim Dodd took the stage immediately to announce Neaga as their pick, just as the predictions had foretold. It wasn’t long before Rydonni Prime took the top defender on the board. The Miners were up next and they took Zonka.

At last it was our turn.

I waited several minutes for good measure just long enough so everyone would believe we were finalizing our decision. Then I headed down to the stage and handed the commissioner the piece of flimsy our deal was written on. I was pleased with the trade, I was confident the fans would be pleased too; in fact Spencer might just be so happy he’d give his dad a hug.

@Bardan_Jusik

 

IC: Aay'han Vhett/Beskaryc Taab
Mando'ade Mercs team offices, Meshla Vhetin. End of season meeting.

For the second straight year the Mercs had missed the playoffs. For the second straight year they had finished the season at 4-5. For the second straight season they had bee mired in the dregs of the lesser of the two conference, the Skywalker. Beskaryc Taab, Mand'alor and owner of the Mando'ade Mercs still seethed at the forced realignment of his team. They had made the playoffs their last two seasons as members of the Solo conference, and just as it looked like they were going to make it over the hump, they had been shunted away. Perhaps it was for the best, or perhaps given the Mercs inconsistant play they need true challenges in order to rise to the occasion and play at their full potential. Still the front office needed to do everything in its power to ensure a winning team going forward.

Vhett and Taab were preparing to call in the coaching staff, they were all being retained despite the lack of progress in the win/loss column. Truth be told, this had been a rebuilding year and they all knew it. They had played with an offense full of rookies and at times it showed. Hopefully the flashes of brilliance that had been seen from time to time were the real deal, on that only time would tell.

Likewise injury ahd hampered the team, especially at midfield where the loss of Darkrider had been felt more more powerfully then anyone on the team would have thought possible. According to the team doctors he would be back at 100% by the start of the pre-season. In any case his injury had cost him, he had been offered only a one year contract from the Mercs, and he had graciously signed it. Not many teams would have taken a chance on an injury prone midfielder.

Two of the team's other free agents to be had also signed contracts. Maggie Adams, a decent forward had been signed to two years as had starting goaltender (and former first round pick) Mij Katan. They were good players to keep in the fold, sadly the Mercs had also lost their fair share as well.

"Ram'ser spoke to me again yesterday, there is no convincing him to stay." Vhett let out an exasperated sigh. Their all-star fullback had been the lynch pin of their defense. His loss would be almost impossible to absorb. "We offered to double his current contract and it was still a no go. He wants to get back to soldiering and bounty hunting. Says he regrets missing out on the war, but he wouldn't break his contract with us." Taab nodded. "...And now that his contract is up, he is out. Shab." Taab knew just how badly they were going to miss Ram'ser, another one of the original Mercs. He shook his head as Vhett continued. "Full back is not a position of depth in this draft. I have serious concerns for Roby, though we do have the wookie rated above Jowa. We may have to dip down into the LFL for Ramser's replacement, or find someone in trade or free agency."

Taab scowled behind his T-Visor, something he knew his wife would pick up on anyway. "Other holes on the team?"

"Edwards retired as we thought he might." the center half back they had acquired in a trade with the hated Smugglers had not enjoyed his time on Mandalore, nor was he nearly the player everyone thought he would be coming out of The Ord Sabaok University. He wouldn't be missed by the team's defense, though his departure was something that needed to be addressed, especially with the Hanson brothers coming up on their free agent year. "There are a few halfbacks that could fill his backup role in the upcoming draft, but no superstars. Sadly, except for a few offensive players, this draft is bereft of top flight talent in our scout's eyes. Even those players could flame out."

Taab nodded at that, he had read the same scouting reports. It was the one saving grace to their not having much in the way of draft picks in the 276 ELL draft. Those picks had been traded away to secure the players they had now. It had been a good decision then, and a good one now. But watching the Miners win the Cup and own the Mercs first round draft pick (number 3 overall) was galling to both of the Mandalorians sitting at the table.

"Of course that brings us to Vau." Taab grunted at the mention of the midfielder's name. "He had followed through on his threats to retire if he didn't see more playing time. Bringing back Darkrider and the development of Gozer and Horonel should allow us to mitigate Vau's loss, at least in the short term."

"Vau isn't a loss at all, he always played below his ability. We won't miss him." Vhett nodded her assent at that but wondered what the Mercs would do if Darkrider suffered a setback in his recovery. She would keep a midfielder or two in her mind as potential picks should the worst happen before the draft.

"We are also letting Dupont go and are promoting Kendal to take her place. There isn't much more the Etti can learn down at Concordia, who knows she could even challenge Adams for the starting Left Half Forward spot." It was a series of moves that made sense to Taab and he raised no objections. The twi'lek forward had never been much more than a placeholder anyway, someone to round out the roster. Still she had enough left in the tank that he was sure someone would pick her up and give her a chance. If not then maybe the Mercs would sign her back and assign her to Concordia for depth.

As if she had read his mind regarding depth at Concordia, Vhett continued. "We are also letting Passik go from the Crusaders. We may resign him again as we did last season for depth unless some other team swoops in on him. But frankly we seem pretty set at corner forward for the next few seasons." Taab smiled at that, the rookie pair of corner forwards promoted from the Crusaders to start last season had proven their worth to the Mercs. Taab had considered it a travesty that neither had even been nominated for rookie of the year honors. Just another inidcation of the animosity the League Office had towards the Mandalorian team. That thought did remind him of something though, their one award nomineee.

"And what of Fortune?"

Now it was Vhett's turn to scowl and shake her head. "It seems Fortune does not favor the bold, at least in our case." Taab knew that much already and motioned for her to go on. "We have offered him numerous contract extensions, but he seems determined to test the free agency market." She paused. "Well at least so long as he plays for us."

"He doesn't like it here, he never has."

Vhett nodded again. "Hates it here is more like it. Wants to play for a bigger market, or at least a calmer one that doesn't have bombings and wars and a stadium full of armed fans to worry about."

Taab sneered. "Aruetii savage."

Vhett agreed. "Indeed, but it leaves us with a problem. This upcoming season is his walk season. If he makes it to free agency he will get picked up faster then you can lop the head off a Ssi-Ruu."

"Trade value?"

Vhett shrugged. "He has some, quite a bit actually as an MVP candidate, but so far no takers. We have had him on the block ever since his issue became known to us. I have had some talks with Coruscant in the past, but no firm offer was ever made."

"Coruscant? Not exactly the low drama place he aspires to."

Vhett chuckled, "No, but it is a much larger market. I think he would be willing to put up with most any issue if his market exposure was high enough."

Taab rubbed his hand over his buy'ce, as if rubbing his head. "Trade him, anyhow, anyway you can. Get value back in return, but trade him. I won't let a franchise level player walk just because he doesn't like manda'yaim. We would be the laughing stock of the league. I don't care how, but get it done."

"As you wish Lord Mand'alor."

---

IC: Jacen Hunter.
Hunter family household, outskirts of Keldabe, Mandalore

Jacen wasn't really sure why he had decided to watch HSN's coverage of the ELL draft. The Rebels weren't even participating. Of course his father was still inconsolable after the Rebels loss in the finals last season anyway. He had even gone through all the footage and marked every missed call or phantom call made by the officials. His dad was sure that the fix was in, that the league had mandated a Miners victory and as such was boycotting all things limmie, at least for now.

Jacen shrugged that all off. He had watched the game and hadn't seen anything that had looked underhanded. Of course he was only a kid, so what did he know? Well he knew that the Mercs didn't even have a first round draft pick this season, and yet here he was still watching anyway. Maybe because he also knew that the Merc's GM had a reputation for wheeling and dealing on draft night. If she lived up to form Jacen didn't want to miss her turning some disposable asset into a first round pick. He briefly wondered if she could end up snookering the Smugglers again.

The draft started and the picks went on pretty much as the mock drafts had laid out. The Packers went with that hybrid goaltender/midfielder out of Euceron U and the Monarchs had gone with defense. Jacen steamed slightly as the Miners made their first pick of the first round. That had been the Mercs pick, and the champions used it to take the reigning helmsman trophy winner. Of course Zonka played the same position as Fortune, so it's not like they would have taken the full forward anyway, but it still bugged him. Now though Jacen's ears really perked up.

"We have a trade to announce. The Mando'ade Mercs acquire from the Ralltiir Starkillers their 1st and 3rd round picks in the 276 ELL draft (Numbers 4 and 20 overall) in return for Andres Fortune, Fullback. The Mando'ade Mercs are now on the clock."

Jacen was astounded, and so glad he had decided to watch this. Somehow the wily Mercs GM had gotten right back into this draft without having to sacrifice future picks, she just had to give up one player....

Then it dawned on him just who the Mercs had given up. Fortune? Had they said Andres Fortune? The Andres Fortune, MVP candidate and star full forward for the Mercs? The Andres Fortune who could single handedly change the outcome of a game with his athleticism and vision? The Andres Fortune whose jersey young Jacen now wore? Were they talking about that Andres Fortune? Jacen's most favorite player in the whole galaxy? All these questions and more ran through his mind as the tears streamed down his face. He tore off his jersey and threw it on the floor, running shirtless past his stunned parents and to his bedroom. Once there he wept into his pillow as only one more question replaced all the others and kept bouncing around in his mind. Why?

Still his weeping was not enough to muffle the sound of the draft entirely, and soon enough he could hear the pick as it came in. "With the fourth pick in the 276 ELL player draft, the Mando'ade Mercs select Jonathan Lieznam forward from Tanaab A&M University. The Nar Shaddaa Smugglers are now on the clock."

At that Jacen buried his head deeper into his pillows. He still couldn't believe what was happening. On HSN they were already breaking down the pick, calling "Johnny Limmie" a decent replacement to Fortune who could make plays and knew how to win. Still Johnny Limmie had a lot to learn about the ELL, and had "issues in his own right in terms of decision making both on and off the field." They also thought that the change of scenary could do Fortune some good. That coupled with the Mercs acquiring another pick, had them calling it a good deal for both teams.

But it wasn't a good deal for Jacen, it wasn't a good deal for him at all.

TAG: Vehn.

 

IC: Kaitlyn Vehn
Oranga Theatre, Coruscant



“I can’t believe I’m actually here! The ELL Draft!” Lilly exclaimed as she hovered alongside Kaitlyn.

“All about who you know, Lilly, not what you know. You’d do well to remember that,” Kaitlyn said with a knowing smile as she sat down at the Smugglers table.

“Shay, you’re a go,” Kaitlyn said as she engaged a discussion with her staff.

“We need to draft offense. I like Gark Zonka,” Shay Dionne pointed out.

“He would be a welcome addition to our offense,” John Huntington added.

“I would suggest someone on offense as well. We’re set defensively this year. It’s all about scheme,” Meredith Chambers said as she folded her arms across her chest.

“He won’t be around for you to pick ‘em,” Lilly said.

The Smugglers staff looked over at Lilly with mild curiosity.

Meredith leaned over to Kaitlyn and whispered, “Whose she?”

“My conscience,” Kaitlyn replied.

Just then the Miners snatched Gark off the board. Kaitlyn rolled her eyes while Cundertol pontificated about how the Miners had just won the Galactic Cup, blah, blah, blah. She’d been a little miffed that Glencross had actually used the Galactic Cup as a
dinner plate. How crude but so were the ways of Alana Glencross. She hoped Red gained a bunch of weight because of that prank.

“Thoughts?” Kaitlyn said to get the discussion going again as Ralltiir came on the clock.

“Erin Windreaver,” Huntington suggested.

“We’re a little strong at midfield,” Shay said.

“Yeah well we don’t have anyone who can decide the game like Red does for the Miners,” Huntington rebutted.

“I could use a decent midfield tandem. Be nice to actually have some sort of barrier there instead of the swinging gate that is Ruunjaa,” Chambers said dryly.

Ralltiir disappeared off the map only to be replaced by the Mercs. Kaitlyn held her breath.

“Taab, you smooth talking son of a b—“ Kaitlyn said but was cut off by the announcement that the Mercs had selected Johnny Lieznam.

She exhaled. It was their turn to pick.

“So Windreaver?” Kaitlyn said.

“Yeah boss,” came a chorus of voices.

Kaitlyn stood to head toward the podium.

“Wait, Kaitlyn, wait!” Lilly said raising her voice.

Kaitlyn paused in mid-stride and looked back at Lilly. “Yes?”

“Look, I’ve been doing a lot of research and I really think you should pick Mylessa McCloud. She’s got the intangibles and would fit nicely into Huntington’s system,” Lilly pointed out.

Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you usually have regular 14 year old things to do?”

Lilly shrugged her shoulders. “The other girls are into boys. I like boys but I find what you do more fascinating. I can actually have a conversation with you. I can’t have a conversation with them. So what do you think of my idea?”

“Has merit,” Kaitlyn responded as she made her way back to the table.

“Thoughts?”

“When you first sent me to Coruscant I took a good hard look at McCloud and loved what I saw,” Shay said.

“So why didn’t you push for her today?” Kaitlyn asked.

“Gark Zonka had the power we need at Full Forward,” Shay replied. “I thought he scored higher on our board. But I will admit that McCloud was right below him.”

“Fair enough, John?” Kaitlyn asked.

John looked up at Kaitlyn after reviewing the file on McCloud. “You’re going to want to pull the trigger, boss. That little girl knows her stuff. I want her.”

“Meredith?”

“If we can score a boatload of points to take the pressure off the defense, go for it,” Meredith said flashing a thumbs up.

Kaitlyn looked down at Lilly and whispered, “You may have just saved the draft for the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers, Miss Weste.”

Lilly beamed.

“Why don’t you come up with me and we can announce our pick together?”

“Okay,” Lilly replied.

The pair approached the podium. Kaitlyn gave Lilly’s hand a squeeze before saying, “With the fifth pick of the 276 ELL Draft, the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers select,”

The drunken Nar Shaddaa Smugglers fans yelled, “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!”

Lilly leaned forward and said, “Mylessa McCloud, Left Half Forward, University of Coruscant!”



The Smugglers fans went crazy. Beer was spilled, food was thrown, and some other behavior that had to be censored by the live broadcast occurred.

Kaitlyn shook Mylessa’s hand and looking her directly in the eyes, said, “Welcome to a contender, Miss McCloud.”

“A real pleasure, Miss Vehn. A real pleasure!”

The trio posed for the obligatory jersey photo shoot.

Someone announced, "The Coruscant Senators are now on the clock."



Tag: Jedi Gunny

 

GM Post

276 Friendly Schedule
January 12, 2014
Ralltiir Starkillers at Concordia Crusaders
Loronar Colonials at Rydonni Prime Monarchs
January 16, 2014
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Byblos Red Wings
January 19, 2014
Kuat Triforce at Ralltiir Starkillers
Balmorra Blasters at Rydonni Prime Monarchs

--Player Transaction Wire--
Bakura Miners

• Gaeriel Valerii (Human, Female, Head Coach) signs new three year contract
• Cuth Hulu (Khil, Male, Assistant Coach) receives two year contract extension
• Will Detra (Human, Male, Corner Forward) becomes a free agent
• Morgan Alesh (Hapan, Female, Right Half Forward) signs new three year contract
• Becki Morlan (Hapan, Female, Left Half Forward) signs new three year contract

TAG: CPL_Macja

 

IC: Gark S’rily
Oranga Theater, Coruscant

The Draft.

It had been a whole year of waiting since the last one had wrapped up, and now the time that many fans had been nervously anticipating all offseason was finally here. For the teams who didn’t make the playoffs, the wait had been even longer. The playoff teams who had come oh so close to playing for the Cup had also sat for a long time, wondering if this was where they could scare up the necessary pieces to complete their rosters for a Cup run next year. It was the piece of offseason that everyone marked on their calendars, crunched and re-crunched numbers, metrics, and if the players in question were vegetarian or not. Every bit of their personality was checked, each strength, every flaw becoming common knowledge to the teams that scouted them. It was the bonanza that would kick off the formal offseason in style, add hope for every team; tell those squads who didn’t make the Final that this year would be different. It was an injection of hope in even the bleakest circumstances.

And this time, the Draft was at home.

It had been difficult to get into the Theater, since mobs of Senator fans had camped out for days in advance to get the best seats in the house for the Draft they hoped would feature their team finding a special player to finally get them over the hump to a championship. The playoff losses were mounting, and the fans desperately hoped that this time the ‘Magic Bothan’ would find the right combination of talent to break that frustrating streak. Gark had to be escorted into the building by police just because of the fan presence. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing, but at least it meant the fans cared. They might not have shown up at all.

As Gark moved through the building to the Senators “War Room”, he could see the main hall. It had been decked out in League colors, with appropriately-printed bunting hanging all over the balcony and on the railings. However, the organizers had spared no expense to make sure that no one forgot where this draft was being held. Quite a few pieces of Senators team decoration were hanging up all over the place, including over the stage next to the vidscreen. That was smart of them, Gark noted. Have to keep up the image of the franchise.

As they were taken into the room, Gark made sure to count who he had with him on his War Room staff. Me’lin was here with him as always, her research on some prospects making her an invaluable asset. Adanna was present as the assistant GM, although Gark knew that her mind was still evaluating how the Miners had won the Cup. Perhaps she still yearned for a shot to work for the Miners, who knew. Dirxx was lumbering behind everyone as he signed autographs and had Holos taken with fans outside and in the lobby, and was going to be useful as a talent evaluator on the defensive end. He had to finagle time to be here after just getting married the week earlier, and was going to be heading out on vacation after the Draft. Had it been held somewhere else, that would have been part of the vacation, but since it was at home, there was no reason to start travel until this was completed. Since there was no full team captain currently on the roster, Gark had made sure to bring his two remaining assistant captains with him, Izzi Polakaya and Riff Persnor. Alysha had lost her captaincy, and Jerek was not being invited here for obvious reasons. The last members of the Draft team were Londy Whiste, the pseudo-owner of the franchise, Polis Vayne for his offensive expertise, and Christine Gamble, the Ingbrand nominee and All-Star from last season who looked to now be the hottest commodity on the Senator defense at the moment. It was going to be a full cast in the Room, so Gark knew that space was going to be limited. Out at the team table, which was prominently located in the center of the action because Coruscant was the host planet, was Pam Korthe, as always, but at least this time she wasn’t alone. Joining her at the outpost was Allie Orchetrada, the offensive coordinator.

When everyone was seated, Gark took a quick look around before beginning. “I want to thank everyone for being here today. Hopefully we can find a few new players who can get us over the hump going into next season. Before the Draft begins, though, I’d like to go over a few things about the organization. And I want to start with Thyferra. They finished in third place this season in the LFL with a 7-2 record. Not bad considering what they had last season. Call up their roster,” he asked, and Me’lin delivered. Quickly, the Force’s roster came up on the screen. “Now, as you can see here, the statistics of the Force players. However, with the Miners winning a title with metrics, we may have to take a look at those as well. I’m not saying we need to worship them, but keep them in mind as we draft.”

“How much pro-ready talent do we have?” Londy asked.

“Depends on how you define ‘pro-ready’,” Adanna quipped. “When I was talking to Mac a few days ago, he mentioned a list of prospects that you seem to have stashed somewhere that I don’t get to see,” she said, turning to Gark with a frown on her face. There was a quick pause here before she spoke again. “Look, I’m not going to sell the Miners any of our scouting information. It’s not like they need that, anyways.”

“I was going to say that you don’t need to see it mostly because personnel aren’t quite your area in the franchise, but that’s also another good point,” Gark replied. “I’ll have to save that remark for another time.”

“You drive a tough bargain,” Adanna said as she decided now would be a good time to shut up on this topic.

“From what I can see, Jomas was the best player on their team by far,” Riff said. He had been sitting back look spaced-out, but now seemed very intent on asking a few questions.

“That’s why we called him up midseason,” Gark replied. “He definitely clicked with the Force’s offensive coordinator . . . I don’t remember her name right now . . . it had something to do with running a similar system in college, I think . . . but he still was their best player. Has size and speed, with a frame that not every human player has. Nice soft hands as well, so he can catch, and scores well. Only problem right now is route running . . . oh, and passing, but those are fixable.”

“Looks like Song finished strong this year without Jomas,” Adanna remarked as she looked at the numbers. Decent finish to the season. Didn’t you say he was our top corner forward prospect?”

“Yes I did,” Gark replied. “Song will likely be our first call up at that position if we need someone.”

“Does that mean we don’t need a corner forward in the draft?” Christine asked.

“Perhaps,” Gark said. “As always, we look for what we need right away . . . and then if a solid player at a position of strength is available, we could always draft them for the sake of getting the best player left on the board. Position changes are always a possibility, especially with the Force.”

“Exactly why we drafted that Talz kid in the third round last year,” Adanna said to finish the thought.

“So what do we need?” Christine asked.

“Patience,” Gark said. “Those are our only two viable options at the forward positions right now from Thyferra, since Killenger . . . needs to be reevaluated, and definitely needs more reps before we can make a judgment call on her.” He said this looking straight at Christine. The Bothan knew that the two of them had been roommates on Wroona for training camp last season, before the big blowup that had cost the rookie forward her shot at playing in the Elite League. “So, moving on. Midfield looks . . . OK. Not outstanding, though, but what do you expect when we don’t have any open competition at the spot right now. However,” he said, now turning his attention to Izzi, “we may have to open one up if the coaching staff deems that it would behoove us to look for the best four players at the position for next season.”

“We can do better, but I don’t think mixing it up will help,” the veteran replied.

“We’ll evaluate in camp,” Gark said. “Moving on . . . goaltender. We have Tarpals there now, with . . . someone else as the backup. We might want to bring Tarpals into camp and see how he does. Right now, with Jayla gone via trade, we have Kapp left at the position. I want to ask Pam about what to do here.” He commed in, and soon the Zeltron coach was on the line. “So, Pam, we need to know if we should draft a goalie tonight.”

“If you want to, then go ahead. I’m not stopping you,” Pam replied.

“Evaluate Kapp’s hold on the position as it stands now,” Gark said. He certainly was saying ‘evaluate’ a lot, and the Draft hadn’t even started yet! It was like last year and ‘gamble’ as the buzzword. Hopefully this wouldn’t leak outside the war room and go viral.

“Kapp . . . is an interesting case,” Pam said after a pause. “I trust him as a goalie, but not at this level. Not in the capacity we need from him, anyways. He only played in a few games in ’71 as a starter before Leed took over, and has spent a couple of years as a backup who comes in for blowouts. I know he has the skills, but the experience is lacking. I’d say that if you can find a good system goalie, that we should draft someone there.”

“Rumor has it that this is an extremely weak draft for goaltenders,” Adanna said.

“Do we really have a choice?” Pam said. “Yes we have Kapp, and we also have another goalie back with Jed, but I don’t trust either of them at the moment until I see them prove themselves worthy of the starting role. Besides, that other goalie had a good year this year after a terrible one last season, so that’s no indication of his skill level. We need to spend some time looking at all options before making a move.”

“Time isn’t something we have a lot of right now, Pam,” Gark said. “We’re on the clock at 6, and if we don’t know what to look for, we may have to rush the pick.”

“Suit yourself,” Pam replied. “I’d go for a goalie, but not now. Save that for the second or third round if you go that way. Comstock was a third-rounder, and look how that turned out.”

“Until she puts in another good season, I don’t trust that one season as a true evaluation of her ability,” Gark replied. “Lots of players have a good first year, but then start to show warning flags in the coming years that they just aren’t as good as advertised. This is our situation. We need someone now for the immediate, but also someone for the future that can man the position and not have a huge drop-off. Pyston is a veteran, and Tarpals has a few years of work under his belt . . . but should we look for a franchise netminder in a weak goalie draft? Or should we plug the gap now and hope someone better comes along next year?”

“That’s your decision. Last I checked, you didn’t pay me to make personnel decisions,” Pam said dismissively.

“Good point,” Londy commented.

“Which brings us to defense,” Gark said. Christine perked up at the sound of this concept. “We have a couple of good prospects to look for in case the defense slows down. I’m going to start with Calmerung D’jukk. He’s a good corner back who can definitely fill a spot now with the big club. Maybe not a starter, but a decent option off the bench. Fama is OK as well, but he might be trade bait if something comes along. Nergbolt played for us some last season, and is an option at the half. Roggers is still too new, so I think he needs another year in before we look at him again. Other than that, we need to take more looks at the rest of the defense to see if there is someone in there that stands out and might make our team in camp or be useful during the season should someone go down. I don’t want a repeat of last season,” he said.
“So what about the Draft now?” Adanna asked. “What do we need?”

“We could go a lot of places,” Gark said. “Who looks interesting for our pick at six?”

“Zonka might be nice,” Dirxx said. He had been quiet up until now. “We could use a full forward.”

“But we just traded for Styles,” Adanna said. “She’s a decent full. We might want to give her a look before drafting one there.”

“Maybe in a later round,” Dirxx said. “Remember, this is a three-round affair, not just one pick.”

“I’d pass on Lyriss,” Gark said. “We don’t need a corner forward really badly right now unless he beckons to us and we can get a steal on it.”

“Goaltender, obviously,” Adanna said. “Toggs looks to be the real deal option in a draft lacking real star talent. We could draft him here and then work with our other two picks.”

“Risky move,” Gark said. “I don’t know if Toggs is first-round material. Good in college, but how good will he be in the pros?”

“It’s all a risk,” Adanna said. “But now that you mention it, we shouldn’t take Toggs there. Too risky. Neaga, maybe?”

“If she’s available,” Izzi said. “No idea how she could play midfield and mind the net, frankly. I have a hard enough time playing one of the two.”

“She might be a better midfielder anyways,” Riff said.

“And one major mock draft has her going first overall,” Me’lin chimed in. “She likely won’t be around at our pick.”

“Mock drafts can’t be trusted,” Gark said. “The guy who writes that ‘prominent’ mock doesn’t know the first thing about Limmie, or else he’d have more correct picks. I wager he’s just a guy who sits in front of his Holo terminal all day and writes worthless crap.”

“What he does in his spare time isn’t important,” Adanna said. “What is important is who is left available for our pick. Defense?”

“We could use a corner,” Christine offered. “I know Reid and I have it down right now, and who knows what’s going to happen with Jerek . . .”

“Speaking of him, any trade offers yet?” Dirxx asked. Gark shook his head.

“No one seems interested right now. So Jerek could be back here next season. With D’jukk coming up in the system, it would be silly to draft someone here at corner.”

“I’d like another young player there,” Christine said. “We’re building something, Coach. I can feel it. Give me another solid core player, and we can do great things.”

“Sounding like a captain already, eh?” Gark asked. Christine blushed. “There are several good options at corner right now . . . but I hate to spend first-rounders on corners in consecutive years unless we know we’re getting the best value. There has to be another position on the field that we can upgrade more than corner right now.”

“But if Jerek’s in limbo right now, and goalie is weak in the draft, we could really use someone there,” Christine countered.

The discussion was cut off by the live feed from the Draft Hall. The Commissioner spoke a few words before ceding the floor to the Agamar Packers, who were choosing first.

“What do the Packers need?” Gark mused.

“Everything,” Dirxx said simply.

“But what part of ‘everything’?” Gark asked.

“We can only go by the Mock,” Me’lin said.

“Neaga? Hm, even if she doesn’t go here, she likely will be gone when we pick,” Adanna said. “I’d say just cross her off the list to begin with and move on.”

"Good day, Gentlebeings! Frankly, I could have done without being first one up this year, as it's our very first Draft! Still, here goes.... as our first pick in the 276 Elite League Draft, the Agamar Packers select.... Neaga - Goalkeeper/Midfielder from the University of Euceron!"

As the Arkanian went to the podium, the list of prospects immediately weeded her name out.

“OK, the Monarchs are on,” Gark said. “What do they need?”

“Mock says Tenegat goes here,” Me’lin replied.

“Hm, a good corner,” Adanna said. “If we wanted to go corner, he’d be a good option . . .”

“But they could also go forward here,” Me’lin said. “Could always use a boost up there.”

“Nah, I think defense. They were atrocious there last season,” Dirxx piped up. “If they don’t go defense here, I think they’re crazy.”

”With the second overall pick in the 276 Elite League Draft, the Rydonni Prime Monarchs select Drista Konnenwirth, Corner Back, University of Evenvale.”

“Hm, if we had wanted to go that way, we’d be stuck now,” Adanna remarked.

“Now for the Miners,” Gark said. “I wouldn’t be surprised here if Cundertol trades this. They don’t need a pick this high, likely, and might look to trade down.”

“But we don’t need to trade up. Save our assets if at all possible,” Adanna finished.

“Exactly,” Gark replied. “With the inconsistency and upheaval from last season, we need to hold onto what we have. Maybe we could trade our other picks if something comes along, but right now, we should keep the first-rounder.”

“Then who do we use it on?” Londy asked.

“Might as well figure that out now,” Adanna said. “So we aren’t surprised when the time comes to pick.”

“Position consensus, anyone?” Gark asked.

“Defense,” Dirxx said.

“Offense,” Izzi replied.

“Defense! Defense!” Christine said excitedly. “Corner!”

“What is it with you and corners?” Adanna asked.

“Just because,” Christine replied. “Come on, you’d be rooting for half backs if you were in my position.”

“Actually, no, I wouldn’t. More half backs would have equaled more competition, and I never liked that, even when I won the position with ease. I always did my best work when there wasn’t someone breathing down my neck,” the Hapan assistant GM retorted.

“Enough bickering,” Gark demanded. “We need a pick, and fast. It looks like the Miners are about ready to make their selection.”

“With the third overall pick of the 276 Elite League Draft, the Bakura Miners select Gary Zonka, Full Forward, Enarch Technical University.” Of course, it was difficult to hear what the man was saying because of the cascade of boos from the partisan crowd here at the Theater. The majority of fans didn’t like seeing the Miners get the third overall pick in the Draft after having just won the Galactic Cup. Frankly, they didn’t like the Miners anyways, even if they had finished dead last, but this right here was just insult to injury. Undoubtedly the Mercs were just as pissed at having lost this pick.

“Whoa, didn’t see that coming,” Dirxx commented.

“Typical Miners, typical Cundertol,” Gark said snidely.

“The Mock said they would take Zonka, so it’s not completely out of midfield,” Me’lin said.

“Now the Ralltiir Starkillers are on the clock,” said the commentators from the live Holo feed.

“Good end to the season masked a bad start,” Gark said. “But they could use help up front. Scoring was an issue for them last year. Defense seems solid, as we unfortunately found out.”

“I think it’s safe to say that we never saw Poletin playing goal, and I even coached the guy for a year,” Izzi commented.

“But who to take?” Adanna asked. “There are plenty of forward options. Lyriss might be a good play for them. Solid corner who could take pressure off Jul.”

“But they could also use a Half forward,” Gark reminded his assistant. “Don’t overlook possible position changes.”

“What about us?” Londy asked.

“Right,” Gark said. “Well, I don’t think we need a forward right now. I’d like to give Styles and Matsoto their chance to prove themselves, and we have a couple of prospects down on Thyferra that I’d like to give some chances to in camp. However, that being said, if someone comes along at one of those positions who really sticks, then we might jump. McKerty turned out just fine as our last forward pick in the first round.”

“If Jerek’s not coming back, who do we have to plug his hole?” Christine asked. “No one, currently. It’s just Reid and I right now, and that’s not going to cut it as a unit.”

“You’re really a stickler for a corner back, aren’t you?” Gark asked. Christine nodded. “Look, we have enough defenders coming back from last season that we should be fine on that front.”

“But who do we have to fill in that last spot? I mean, we have plenty of half backs in the system, plus the starters aren’t going anywhere. But corner is a position of weakness; we can’t let that go to hell because the forwards can’t get their act together.”

“I resent that,” Polis finally said. He had been absolutely silent up until now. “Problem is, I can’t live that failure down, only scoring a few points in three straight games.”

“But we haven’t tried out the new forwards, as you said,” Londy chipped in. “What if they don’t work out? I’d be all for taking a new forward and trying our luck.”

“Problem is, we have enough prospects there right now, especially at half,” Gark said. “We have Jomas, who played with us last season, Renhorn is OK, Song will have the corner spot down, and Killenger will perhaps come back up in time for 277 if she continues to improve. That gives us a whole line of half forwards to replace anyone who might be traded, cut, or retired. The more I look at it, the more you’re right, Christine. We need to take a defender, since our ranks are a little weaker there.”

“How do you figure?” Adanna asked.

There was some rustling from the Draft floor, and everyone turned to see the next pick being made. But instead of the new Ralltiir owner, the Commissioner was out there now. The Starkillers still had plenty of time left on their drafting clock. That could only mean one thing.

"Gentlebeings, we have a trade on the draft floor.” This definitely got the crowd jumping in the theater; who had the Starkillers traded with? And for what? Something big was likely going down. "The Ralltiir Starkillers send the fourth overall and twentieth overall picks in the 276 Elite League Draft to the Mando'ade Mercs in exchange for Full Forward, Andres Fortune. The Mando'ade Mercs are now on the clock.”

“Whoa, Fortune’s on the move,” Adanna said, her eyes bugging a little after hearing the trade be announced. “Too bad we weren’t able to snag him this past season.”

“We have Styles,” Gark replied calmly. “Besides, Full isn’t exactly a position of huge offensive production from us anymore. He at best would have been our third option behind Qorbus and Persnor, and at worst the fifth option, the safety valve.”

“And the price was steep,” Londy said. “You heard what Ralltiir was willing to give up. That’s a lot.”

“But Fortune was a Salbukk nominee,” Polis chipped in. “That counts for something. We might just find that the Starkillers made a real blockbuster deal. Those used to be the kinds of trades that we made back in the day.”

“Sure enough,” Gark replied.

The Mercs didn’t hesitate to make their selection. It was almost as if they had this all planned out ahead of time. "With the fourth pick in the 276 ELL player draft, the Mando'ade Mercs select Jonathan Lieznam forward from Tanaab A&M University. The Nar Shaddaa Smugglers are now on the clock."

“Holy hell,” Dirxx said. “Didn’t see that coming.”

“I expected Cundertol to do something like that, not the Mercs,” Gark said. “For all the weird shenanigans they’re up to on a regular basis, they typically try to draft smart. Not saying anything against this guy, but . . .”

“He’s just not who you thought they would take?” Londy asked. Gark nodded.

“Apparently that kid has great upside. Just not sure how he would realize that potential,” the Bothan said. “Very interesting pick there.”

“Smugglers on the clock now,” Polis said. “Where does Vehn go from here?”

“She could look to replace the forwards she traded to us,” Adanna replied. “A full and a half.”

“I have a feeling that she’s not going to go with convention,” Gark said. “She’s not a woman to play along with the script. With the Smugglers having to watch the Miners celebrate a Cup title in their house, it adds even more incentive to improve now. So look for her to draft well here.”

“OK, so back to my point,” Adanna said. “Do we really need another corner?”

“Look at who is left,” Gark said. Everyone turned to look at the prospect list. “Jinch is still out there. Won that new award for being the best exterior defender.”

“She’s not highly-rated,” Londy said.

“Since when has that really mattered?” Gark asked. “We got McKerty two years ago at the end of the first round, after the Miners took Deenever, who was at the bottom of the rankings. Look how she’s panned out so far, and how McKerty has done. It’s not a given science, the rankings. We take who we think fits our system the best.”

“With the fifth pick of the 276 ELL Draft, the Nar Shaddaa Smugglers select Mylessa McCloud, Left Half Forward, University of Coruscant! This statement was of course accompanied by the sounds of the drunken Smuggler crowd. Typical Crew.

---

McKerty-Wyley Residence, Coruscant

“ . . . Mylessa McCloud, University of Coruscant!” came the pick over the HoloNet. Cord almost choked on the chip that he had just placed in his mouth.

“What’s wrong?” Reena asked. The two of them were watching the Draft together at home although they probably could have gotten into the event with ease, since it was here on the planet.

“Mc . . .Cloud’s . . . going to . . . the Smug . . .glers,” Cord said in between fits of coughing.

“And why’s that a problem? You have a crush on her?” Reena asked in a disapproving manner.

“Let’s just say that she was an ex-girlfriend, OK?” Cord finished. Mylessa had been a teammate at the place everyone on Coruscant knew as “The U”. “I’m glad we didn’t pick her up. Hopefully she’s forgotten about that one night.”

“Care to explain?” Reena asked, obviously not happy.

“Drop it. It’s not important,” Cord said quickly to cover his trail.” At least Mylessa McCloud wasn’t going to play for the Senators. That might have gotten a little awkward.

---

“We’re up,” Me’lin said, although the whole room knew this fact.

“And the Coruscant Senators are now on the clock,” said the commentators. “After that late-season collapse, the franchise seems to be in a state of upheaval, as shown by the trade demands of star players Alysha Romax and Jerek Deter after the end of the season. Add in the questionable trade of Jayla Leed to Nar Shaddaa, plus the failure to get rid of Romax as part of that deal, and we’re left wondering if Gark S’rily has finally given up the ghost.”

“Let’s hope not,” Gark said under his breath as he looked around at the others in the room with him. He needed to make a strong pick here, a player who could help silence the critics who were coming out of the woodwork in droves now. It was strange to hear that the media was all over him on this; what exactly had he done to deserve such harsh treatment? Injuries had crippled the defense to start off the season, and if not for a couple of power outages on offense, the team might have gone far.

“Deter is still residing on the trade block, which seems to suggest that he might be a Senator next season,” the commentary continued. “However, from the way in which he demanded a trade, I have a feeling that he’s not going to be returning next season. Therefore, I think the Senators need a corner back here to push them into the post-Deter era. If they can find a solid prospect there, just think of what that defense can be capable of next year and in seasons to come.”

“But the team needs a goalie badly,” the other commentator said. “Leed was their franchise, and they traded her away for less than she was worth. Not a good trade in my opinion, so they could go goalie here if they’re desperate.”

“They got two decent forward pieces, so it wasn’t a terrible trade. But I do agree that they still got the short end of that deal,” the fellow commentator replied.

“We either take Toggs here, or we need to figure out someone else fast,” Gark said to drown out the disparaging remarks from the commentators.

“What’s the word in there?” Pam called in on the communicator.

“Still deciding,” Gark replied quickly.

“Well, hurry up. We don’t want to run out of time,” Pam said.

“That commentator just said we might want to get a corner,” Christine said. “So I’m not sounding so stupid after all, now, am I?”

“Look, boss, if the goalie class is weak, don’t waste your time on Toggs now. Wait until the next round,” Londy said.

“Exactly,” Adanna said. “Toggs isn’t worth a first-round pick. We need to strengthen other areas of our team before that one. If we have a solid defense like last year, we should be able to prop up just about anyone in goal.”

“I hope you’re right on this,” Gark said. “Do we have consensus?”

“I still think we need a forward,” Polis replied. “But like has already been said, I want to see what Matsoto especially can do. If he plugs the hole, we have enough prospects who we have film of in pro ball and can make a decision on. Besides, there are two other rounds if we want to grab someone in the Front Six. A first-round rookie likely would get stuck on Thyferra, and we need someone to replace Jerek if he is indeed going.”

“Wait, is Tenegat available?” Adanna asked sharply, shaking out of a momentary stupor.

“Yes he is,” Me’lin said. “Good pedigree. Remmingtonn Award winner this year, Galactic Semifinals team last season. Top-rated corner back left, and also top-rated defender.”

“A corner, eh?” Gark said. He looked to Christine. “Let’s do this,” he said. “Hand me the jersey.” Dirxx handed the Bothan the jersey.

“Where are you going?” Adanna asked.

“To make a splash,” Gark replied. He left the room.

The next face that the crowd at Oranga Theater saw was the one most of the fans wanted to see. When Gark walked onto the stage, it was accompanied by a boisterous roar from the Coruscant faithful. Gark stepped to the podium and waited for the din to die down. However, the fans kept yelling, kept whistling their support, or perhaps it was frustration. Who knew? Gark had to finally wave his hand to silence the crowd.

“I’m going to get to business in a moment,” he said. “First, though, I would like to thank everyone for welcoming me to the podium. Second, I want to thank the planetary Chamber of Commerce for hosting the Draft here on Coruscant. They’ve done a nice job of putting this all together.” He paused.

“Now, to business. With the sixth overall pick in the 276 Elite League Draft, the Coruscant Senators select . . .

Spoiler

Raley Tenegat, Corner Back from the University of Bakura at Salis D’aar



The corner back came up to the roar of the crowd to receive his uniform and take the customary Holos. The fans knew that the Senators had just picked up a solid young corner to pair with Christine Gamble and Reid Livingstone. However, what they also figured was that this selection meant that Jerek was likely on his way out. But that was for a later day. For now, the Senators had just picked up a highly-touted prospect, and they were ready to keep up the defensive intensity from the past season.

“The Euceron Storm are now on the Clock,” Gark finished before he returned to the War Room and Tenegat went down to the Senator team table. So far so good; now he and his team had to figure out the next two rounds.


TAG: jcgoble3

 

GM Post

276 Elite League Limmie Schedule


Week 1
Agamar Packers at Chandrila Patriots
Corellia Rebels at Coruscant Senators
Nar Shaddaa Smugglers at Rydonni Prime Monarchs
Ylesia Lightning at Hapes Consortium Buccaneers
Euceron Storm at Ralltiir Starkillers
Mando’ade Mercs at Bakura Miners

Week 2
Chandrila Patriots at Ylesia Lightning
Coruscant Senators at Agamar Packers
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Mando’ade Mercs
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Euceron Storm
Ralltiir Starkillers at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers
Bakura Miners at Corellia Rebels

Week 3
Nar Shaddaa Smugglers at Bakura Miners
Mando’ade Mercs at Coruscant Senators
Euceron Storm at Rydonni Prime Monarchs
Ylesia Lightning at Ralltiir Starkillers
Corellia Rebels at Chandrila Patriots
Agamar Packers at Hapes Consortium Buccaneers

Week 4
Coruscant Senators at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers
Bakura Miners at Euceron Storm
Chandrila Patriots at Mando’ade Mercs
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Ylesia Lightning
Ralltiir Starkillers at Agamar Packers
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Corellia Rebels

Week 5
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Hapes Consortium Buccaneers
Chandrila Patriots at Bakura Miners
Coruscant Senators at Ralltiir Starkillers
Mando’ade Mercs at Agamar Packers
Corellia Rebels at Ylesia Lightning
Nar Shaddaa Smugglers at Euceron Storm

Week 6
Chandrila Patriots at Ralltiir Starkillers
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Coruscant Senators
Bakura Miners at Rydonni Prime Monarchs
Corellia Rebels at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers
Ylesia Lightning at Agamar Packers
Euceron Storm at Mando’ade Mercs

Week 7
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Chandrila Patriots
Coruscant Senators at Rydonni Prime Monarchs
Ralltiir Starkillers at Bakura Miners
Ylesia Lightning at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers
Agamar Packers at Euceron Storm
Corellia Rebels at Mando’ade Mercs

Week 8
Ralltiir Starkillers at Rydonni Prime Monarchs
Chandrila Patriots at Coruscant Senators
Bakura Miners at Hapes Consortium Buccaneers
Euceron Storm at Ylesia Lightning
Agamar Packers at Corellia Rebels
Mando’ade Mercs at Nar Shaddaa Smugglers

Week 9
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Ralltiir Starkillers
Coruscant Senators at Bakura Miners
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Chandrila Patriots
Nar Shaddaa Smugglers at Agamar Packers
Euceron Storm at Corellia Rebels
Mando’ade Mercs at Ylesia Lightning

TAG: Bardan_Jusik CPL_Macja jcgoble3 Jedi Gunny Runjedirun Tim Battershell Vehn

 

OOC: My storyline with Zay and company will continue, but since they will not be as involved with the Storm this season, I will be using a second player character to write from the team's perspective, in addition to continuing to write Zay's story. I plan to use this character to delve a little into the history and possibly even the finances of the Storm organization, so enjoy!

GM Approved

Character Sheet B
Team: Euceron Storm
Name: Wilrax Tunran IV
Species: Human
Gender: Male
Birth year: 196
Physical appearance: If standing straight up, he would be an imposing 6' 5" tall, but that is rare; at his advanced age, he is usually hunched over and leaning on a walker for support, reducing his apparent height to a more average 5' 9". He weighs a healthy, if slightly underweight, 165 pounds and is completely bald. He has refused anti-aging treatments, resulting in a highly wrinkled and weathered face. He wears Storm team gear at all times.
Homeworld: Euceron
Relation to Team: Owner

Biography: Born into one of Euceron's wealthiest families, Wilrax IV was 22 years old before his great-grandfather founded the Euceron Storm in 218. He watched as the Storm, with its roster bolstered by Euceron's reputation as a sports destination, quickly found success in the lower levels of the pro ranks with four league championships in their first four seasons of operation and were soon accepted into the Premier League. However, Wilrax Sr. could not push the team any further, and neither could Wilrax Jr. When Wilrax III took over the team, he enlisted his son as an assistant, and together they guided the team through success and struggles until Commissioner Kayl'hen finally promoted them to the Elite League for the 265 season. When his father died in 268, Wilrax IV finally took the reins.

Like his dad and grandfather, Wilrax IV initially took a hands-off approach to ownership, but he soon realized that that was the source of the team's struggles in the Elite League, and so in the early 270s, he began taking a more active role in team operations. At first, General Manager Aebatt Zargana chafed at what she saw as an intrusion into her space, but she quickly realized it was for the better as Wilrax infused the Storm with new ideas and plenty of money, and soon the Storm broke their playoff drought, scoring back-to-back Conference Championship Game appearances and parlaying one into the team's first ever appearance in the Galactic Cup Final. Wilrax is now looking to sustain that success over the long term as he prepares for the 276 draft....

 

GM Post

276 Friendly Schedule
January 12, 2014
Ralltiir Starkillers at Concordia Crusaders
Loronar Colonials at Rydonni Prime Monarchs
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Mando'ade Mercs
January 16, 2014
Rydonni Prime Monarchs at Byblos Red Wings
January 19, 2014
Kuat Triforce at Ralltiir Starkillers
Balmorra Blasters at Rydonni Prime Monarchs
Concordia Crusaders at Mando'ade Mercs

TAG: Bardan_Jusik

 

OOOC: Events are meant to take place after the completion of the draft.

IC: Martin Vigo

A pre-season venture to the moon of Concordia to play the Crusaders was my own addition to the Starkillers schedule. I wanted to see how the team travelled. Give the new coaches’ one more game type simulation and the players more of an opportunity to get their feet wet before the season started. When I took on this job and hired coach Till I warned him I was a bit of a micro manager. Especially at first. So I was there as the shuttle boarded, observing all operations. I boarded the shuttle to find, the Limmie team and the dance team were interspersed. Flirting was coming on strong from both sides and suddenly I remembered that Lucie told me she hooked up with Ty on one of these road trips. No wonder, I mused. This was certainly not a productive way for an athlete to prepare for an upcoming game.

I wouldn’t be mentioning it now though. I would simply wait until we returned to Ralltiir and address it then. Anything I needed to discuss with coach Till I would do in private away from his players. I needed his leadership to be strong, no one on the team should know I’m involved in team matters. Besides, hopefully he would see the issue and correct it himself. I took a seat in the back of the shuttle so I could oversee everything going on as we took off until we landed. As more players, dancers and the coaching staff boarded I soon realized nearly every seat would be filled. Coaches Till and Reeser joined me in the back row.

Lift off went smoothly. As a matter of habit I spent my time checking top news stories and current stock prices to pass the time. Just as I began to relax my data pad lit up. My wife was calling so I decided to step away and find a more private spot to take the call. “The school just called.” She said sounding frantic. I braced myself for the worst and let her continue. “Tomas was in a fight and one of us needs to go pick him up.”

By one of us, she meant me. “I’m not on planet.” I reminded her gently. “Go get him. If you suspect he’s guilty of anything more than self-defense, send him to his room until I get home.”

“But you won’t be home for 2 days.”

“A little time to contemplate his actions is not going to hurt him” I replied keeping my voice calm. “Let me know the details as soon as you can. If you like you can call me when you reach the school, I’ll be more than happy to talk to him.”

“What am I supposed to do with Zoey?” She asked.

Now she was stalling. She hated to pick up the kids when they were in trouble and I didn’t blame her, but this was our 6th child, our 4th boy. Pick-ups had become routine during Bat’s tenure in school and he just graduated a few months ago. “Did they mention he was hurt?” I inquired.

“No” she admitted. “I’ll go get him, but I don’t like this Martin. I can’t deal with another one of our kids being in trouble all the time.”

“This is his first offense.” I reminded her. “And we really don’t even know if it is an offense yet.” I added.

“Well if it is you can expect another call, soon.” She said forcefully as she ended the call.

I turned around to head back to my seat when I noticed Lucie and Ty were behind me listening. “Who’s hurt?” Lucie asked.

“No one, at least that I know of” I answered. “That was your mother. Tomas was in a fight at school. She’s going to pick him up. I’m sure that as soon as she has more details she will call me back.”

Ty returned to a seat amongst teammates, Lucie followed me and took an empty seat in front of me. I searched the shuttle for Justyne. She was gossiping with other dancers and Andres Fortune, I don’t even think she noticed I had gotten a call.

It was only a few minutes later that my data pad buzzed again, but it was just a text this time not a call. I’m too embarrassed/frustrated/angry to talk right now. Call us later when you are alone. I showed Lucie the text, “Doesn’t sound good” I commented.

She nodded in agreement. “Keep me updated.” She said.

My very first trip with the team and already I was missing a crisis at home. Either my wife would crumble and this would be my last trip or she’d pull through and find her inner strength. My wife has always been a good mother. She second guesses herself too often though allowing the kids to run her over. I’d be the one to talk to Tomas later whether I was home or not, I already knew that. For now though, it was back to business. The shuttle would land soon. I wanted to observe how the team settled in their hotel and what types of activities they partook in the night before a game.

I was pleased with the team dinner and coach Till’s strict early curfew. Lucie even stepped up and assigned the same curfew to the dance team. I could tell by the looks on their faces that they weren’t happy about it, but it was important that Ralltiir be represented well. I couldn’t bear to have a scandal involving anyone on this team, off or on planet.

As soon as the team meal was over I ran up to my hotel room to call my wife. Making her wait several hours may have already been a huge mistake; my palms were sweaty as I held the data pad waiting for her to answer. “About time you called back.” She said when she finally picked up.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to take care of team business first, so I could give full attention to you and Tomas.” I explained. “How are you holding up?” I asked.

“Better now” she said, but to me she still appeared a bit shaky. “I sent Tomas to his room, just like you told me. Then I taught Zoey some new dance steps and ate a bowl of fruit while she took her afternoon nap.”

“So it wasn’t self-defense?” I asked.

“I don’t know for sure” she said clearly troubled. “He swung first, that I know. He admitted it to me and I had to sign an acknowledgement stating I understood that if this happened again he’d be suspended.”

Tears were falling down her cheeks and she looked absolutely miserable. “Was he hurt?” I asked.

“Not that I could tell.”

I wished I could be there to hold her right now. I knew first hand just how hard it was to walk into that school and pick up one of our children. “You did well today.” I told her. “Put Tomas on the line and order out for dinner tonight. And Maddie” I added. “I love you.”

She nodded the tears had stopped and she was collecting herself as the screen faded. I found myself transferred to Spencer’s data pad, but Tomas answered. “Hi Dad” he said sheepishly.

“Are you in your room with Spencer?” I asked.

“Uh, huh,”

“I want you to go across the hall to your old room so we can talk alone.”

“Okay.”

“Are we alone now?”

“Yea.”

“Good.” I stated harshly. “Since you have picked up you have already made the same mistake 3 times, do you know what that mistake is?”

He shook his head.

“When I ask you a question with an affirmative answer or give you a direct order what is the proper response?”

“Yes sir” he said making the words sound like a chore.

“So” I began again. “Were you in your room with your brother?”

“Yes sir”

“Did you follow my order to leave the room so we could speak alone?”

“Yes sir”

“And are we alone now?”

“Yes sir”

“Good. You’re mother had to pick you up early from school today. I want you to tell me why.”

He took a seat on the floor and placed the data pad on the carpet so he could look down at it. His expression turned dark and I could see him balling up his fists. “A couple of the guys said some mean stuff. I told them to back off, but they didn’t.” His voice picked up in volume and became animated. “There were no teachers around so I punched one of them. He tried to hit me back, but I ducked and he missed. By this time we had spectators so I had to continue. My next move was to tackle him, try to pin him to the ground. He wasn’t going down easily though, he fought me pretty good. There wasn’t a winner though; a teacher pulled me off him before I could finish it.”

I looked down into the data pad in my hands and studied my son’s eyes. I was too caught up in my own shock at his behavior that I really couldn’t tell what he was feeling right now. “What kind of stuff did they say?” I asked.

“Just stuff,” he said with a shrug.

“Tomas I can’t help you if you don’t give me more details.” I said quietly with a shake of my head. “You’ll be losing a lot of privileges starting with the job I promised you on the sidelines at the upcoming Starkillers home games if that’s all you have to say to me.” I added sternly.

“But Dad, you promised” he whined.

“It was an offer” I corrected. “One I will be taking off the table if you aren’t willing to expand your story immediately.”

It took him a while, but finally he started talking again. “They said I was dumb. They said I’d never amount to anything in this Galaxy.”

“Why would they say that?” I prodded. He was literally squirming, wrestling with the idea of how much he really wanted to tell me. “I have ways to find out on my own if I have to.” I lied. “It will be much better for you if you just tell me now.”

“I got a bad grade on a test. We got the papers back today and one of these guys saw my grade.”

“Did you study for the test?” I asked.

“A little.”

“If you need help in school you can come to me. Your brother, Spencer” I added which one for good measure because the kids were very good at calling me out or twisting my words when I wasn’t specific “would be more than happy to help you with your school work too.” He sat there looking at the data pad, but not directly at me. He remained quiet so I continued. “Your behavior today is inexcusable. During next week’s scrimmage you will not be allowed to help on the sidelines.” I saw his mouth open to protest, but I hadn’t finished speaking and continued on. “You will also help your mother get dinner on and off the table for the next two weeks, all holovision is off limits for the same period of time and I will be helping you with your schoolwork each evening for as long as I feel necessary just as soon as I get home. Until I get home you are to remain in your room. I’ll make sure your mother brings you meals. Questions?”

“No sir.”

I could see he was desperately trying to hold back tears, so I quickly added that I would see him the morning after tomorrow and signed off. Then I messaged my wife a very brief summary of the discussion and punishment details before I collapsed on my bed. Yelling at the kids was always taxing. Took a lot out of me mentally and I retired for the night.

The next morning I was up before the sun. I headed outside for a brisk walk, to clear my mind and concentrate on matters at hand. I got back to the hotel just in time to grab my bags from my room and toss them in a large pile in the lobby to be stored on the shuttle which would depart directly after the game. I headed to breakfast with the team. It was a quiet affair compared to the rowdy dinner the night before. Players were focusing on the upcoming game or in some cases too nervous to eat. I noticed it was just the team, I asked Till where the dance team was and he informed me that he arranged for them to have a separate breakfast in another room.

“No offense, I know both of your daughters are dancers, but it’s a bit of a distraction to the players to have them constantly participating in team activities.” Till explained.

“No offense taken.” I assured him. The Starkiller dancers were a tradition on Ralltiir. It was however for me a very complicated tradition. For years I had relaxed on my sofa, to catch a game and ogle the ladies without a second thought. Then my eldest daughter ran away from home. I found her quickly, she was staying with a friend. A family we knew, they called to let us know Lucie was there. I wanted to go get her, but I also wanted her to realize her mistake and come home on her own. That stubborn side of me won. Lucie had always been determined and sure enough if I didn’t hear my son’s screaming a couple weeks later from the living room to come see their sister on holovision. And there she was my 16 year old daughter on a planet wide broadcast shaking her backside and it wasn’t even fully covered. She had lied about her age and landed a job. Part of me was actually proud of her the other 99% of me was livid that the organization wasn’t doing proper background checks on these dancers. I wondered how many under aged girls I may have fantasized about over the years and I felt sick.

I had already done extensive back up checks on all the current dancers and they were all legally at least 18 years of age. I had also worked with Lucie to find uniforms that covered just a little more skin. She was pleased with these changes. We were working on better pay for the girls as well, though that was a bit more difficult on my end. There were already a few controversial headlines popping up about the type of father I was to allow my girls to be on the dance squad and there had always been controversy around the fact that Ralltiir was the only ELL team to have a dance squad. All I wanted to do was allow my girls to follow their dreams and do what they enjoyed for a living.

As the team boarded transport to the stadium I took note that the dance team was in the back and the Limmie team in the front. I stayed back at the hotel for a bit before catching a taxi to the stadium and heading for my reserved seat in the VIP section. I watched as the team took the field. Jul took her normal position at Right Corner Forward, but Coach Till had made several rearrangements to the rest of the offense. Marmu now played Center Half Forward, Fortune was in position at Full Forward, and Leann Lighcin had moved up to Left Corner Forward. Usually the starters only played a few minutes in these pre-season affairs. But I imagined that today these players would see at least a half and I was very interested in seeing how well the new line up worked.

TAG: NO ONE

 

GM Post

Bonus rolls to Mando'ade, Ralltiir, and Rydonni Prime. Though I should probably have given Concordia and Loronar bonus rolls since they're connected to Elite League teams. Or adopted LFL scoring rules.

276 Friendlies
Ralltiir Starkillers at Concordia Crusaders (3-34)
Loronar Colonials at Rydonni Prime Monarchs (27-24)
Hapes Consortium Buccaneers at Mando'ade Mercs (14-21)

TAG: Bardan_Jusik CPL_Macja Runjedirun

 

--Trading Block--
Euceron Storm

• Available: 276 first- and second-round picks
• Seeking: 276 third-round picks and/or 277 draft picks

TAG: Bardan_Jusik CPL_Macja Jedi Gunny Runjedirun Trieste Tim Battershell Vehn