by Scott Sigler
He hoped Ma was right, because having Becca back was also one of those things that was more important than football.
John leaned closer to his mother. “Ma, you really think we’re going to the title game again?”
John was an All-Pro linebacker, one of the best at his position the league had to offer. He had a Galaxy Bowl ring on his finger at that very moment, yet he asked his tiny mother that question with the wide eyes of a pilgrim visiting a holy relic.
“I know so,” Ma said. She looked at Quentin. “And if you doubt me, just ask your brother. Something has changed in you, Quentin. I’m not sure what it is, but you’ve grown up in a way I didn’t see coming.”
Now it was Quentin who blushed. “Thank you, Ma.”
Jeanine nodded. “I noticed it, too. I can’t put my finger on it, but you seem ... different. In a good way, I mean, but different”
Ju rolled his eyes. “Girls talking emotions and whatnot, done with that.”
Fred shook his head sadly as he spooned mashed potatoes onto his plate. “So sayeth the man who didn’t bring a girlfriend.”
“That sayeth saideth by the man who didn’t bring a boyfriend,” Ju said.
Fred laughed. “Okay, you got me there.”
“I thought so,” Ju said. “Back to the subject of football. We’re totally going to the title game. Look, no one can stop our offense right now. Quentin is playing out of his ass.”
“Julius!”
“Sorry, Ma,” Ju said. “As long as we don’t give up thirty points or more, we beat Themala this week and roll into the playoffs undefeated.”
John scoffed. “Ha. Not likely. Imma make me a Gavin Warren barbecue sammich.”
QUARTERBACKS ARE DELICIOUS: PRESENT COMPANY EXCLUDED, OF COURSE scrolled across John’s face.
“That’s nice, dear,” Ma said. “The defense has gotten quite a bit better as of late. Especially since you stopped drawing kitty noses on your face.”
John’s eyes went wide. He looked at Ju.
“Why’d you tell her!”
Ju shrugged. “Wasn’t me.”
The Tweedy brothers started arguing. Ma tried to shush them into silence. Quentin glanced at Becca. She smiled, an aggressive smile, a hungry smile that showed the same simmering intensity he felt roiling in his own chest.
Kimberlin and Procknow, the Guild, Petra, the Abernessia, Yitzhak ... so many problems.
At that moment, Quentin made a decision: to focus on football, and nothing but football. Did he owe the galaxy something? Maybe, and maybe he’d pay that debt, but not now — he was just four weeks and four wins away from making history: a perfect season, a second GFL title.
And that final stretch began with a win against the Dreadnaughts on Sunday.
GFL WEEK THIRTEEN ROUNDUP
Courtesy of Galaxy Sports Network
Home
Away
Alimum Armada
7
Buddha City Elite
24
Coranadillana Cloud Killers
28
D’Oni Coelacanths
0
Ionath Krakens
45
Themala Dreadnaughts
10
Isis Ice Storm
10
Orbiting Death
30
McMurdo Murderers
21
To Pirates
17
Wabash Wolfpack
24
Yall Criminals
21
Bartel Water Bugs
28
Neptune Scarlet Fliers
21
Bord Brigands
7
Shorah Warlords
10
Vik Vanguard
28
D’Kow War Dogs
21
Jang Atom Smashers
12
Sheb Stalkers
28
Texas Earthlings
10
Jupiter Jacks
13
If you wanted heart-pounding drama, Week 13 of the GFL regular season was the place to be.
Ionath (12-0), the GFL’s defending champion from 2685, completed a perfect regular season with a 45-10 thumping of Themala (4-8). Quentin Barnes showed no sign of the injury that kept him out Week 11. If his four-touchdown, 316-yard passing performance against the Dreadnaughts is any indication, he’s ready to lead his Krakens to a title defense. Ionath hosts Buddha City (7-5) in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Elite snagged the final available playoff spot with a 24-7 win over the Alimum Armada (4-8). The victory moved Buddha City one game clear of fifth-place finisher To (6-6). The pirates were upset 21-17 by McMurdo (2-10).
The Murderers had to win to stay in Tier One and also had to get help from a Jang loss — that’s exactly what happened. The Atom Smashers (2-10) fell 28-12 to Sheb (7-5). Due to McMurdo’s Week 9 win over Jang, the Murderers stay in the top tier due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.
“We needed everyone to play the best game of their careers, and that’s what they did,” said McMurdo team owner Michelle “Muffy” Evans. “We had one goal, and that was to stay in Tier One. We lost three good players this year, but their loss isn’t in vain, because mission accomplished. Next year, we’ll be more competitive.”
Jang is relegated to Tier Two. The Atom Smashers have been in Tier One since winning the T2 Tourney nine seasons ago, in 2677. With seven centuries of history — first as the New York Titans, then the New York Jets, then Jang Atom Smashers, the franchise’s players and personnel are trying to cope with the relegation.
“This sucks,” said Jang linebacker Mike Dowell. “We’re heading back down to the League of Planets Conference and, well, it just sucks.”
D’Oni finished a winless 0-12 campaign. After just one season in Tier One, the Coelacanths head back down to the Tier Two Whitok Conference.
“We did our best, but we fell short,” said CB Harvey, the D’Oni’s star middle linebacker. “I don’t think sentients really understand the level of play in Tier One. There’s never been anything like it in history. We’re a damn good football team, but not good enough.”
The other Planet Division playoff match sees OS1 (11-1) host Yall (9-3). The Orbiting Death’s only loss this year came at the hands of undefeated Ionath. Yall has won seven of their last eight games.
Jupiter (10-2) clinched the Solar Division with a 13-10 win over Texas (7-5). The Jacks started the season 0-2, then rattled off ten straight wins to claim the division tide and clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Galaxy Bowl XXVIII will be played in Red Storm City at Jupiter’s Rolling Rock Stadium.
Texas and Jupiter go at it again next week, when the first-seeded Jacks host the fourth-seeded Earthlings in the first round.
Texas finished tied at 7-5 with Sheb but get the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to a 27-24 win over the Stalkers back in Week 7.
The other Solar Division playoff game sends Bartel to Kin-Shal-An Trade Guild Stadium to face host Vik. Both teams wound up at 9-3, but the Vanguard beat Bartel earlier in the season and get the home game due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Deaths
Neptune receiver Fanning Springs, killed on a late hit by Bartel safety Alpharetta. GFL Commissioner Rob Froese has suspended Alpharetta for the duration of the playoffs. Alpharetta was suspended for a playoff game two seasons ago, also due to a Week 13 late hit.
Offensive Player of the Week
Ionath quarterback Quentin Barnes, who threw for four TD passes and 316 yards despite playing only the first half against Themala. Although he missed Week 11 altogether, Barnes set single-season records for yards (3,812) and TD passes (34).
Defensive Player of the Week
Buddha City defensive tackle Don-Wen-Sul, who had three sacks against Alimum. Don-Wen knocked Armada QB Kirill Gomelsky out of the game on his first sack, then backup QB Skeetch Baganda on his second.
BOOK FIVE
The Postse
ason
Final Regular-Season Standings
PLANET DIVISION
SOLAR DIVISION
12-0
y. Ionath Krakens
10-2
y. Jupiter Jacks
11-1
x. OS1 Orbiting Death
9-3
x. Vik Vanguard
9-3
x. Yall Criminals
9-3
x. Bartel Water Bugs
7-5
x. Buddha City Elite
7-5
x. Texas Earthlings
6-6
To Pirates
7-5
Sheb Stalkers
6-6
Wabash Wolfpack
6-6
Neptune Scarlet Fliers
5-7
Isis Ice Storm
5-7
D’Kow War Dogs
4-8
Alimum Armada
5-7
Shorah Warlords
4-8
Themala Dreadnaughts
4-8
Bord Brigands
2-10
Coranadillana Cloud Killers
2-10
McMurdo Murderers
0-12
D’Oni Coelacanths*
2-10
Jang Atom Smashers*
x = playoffs, y = division title, * = team has been relegated
47
Playoffs Round One:
Buddha City Elite at Ionath Krakens
QUENTIN STOOD TALL in the pocket, eyes tracing the paths of power that had guided his throws and runs all day long. Seeing Milford about to break open far downfield, he stepped up and gunned the ball.
He knew he was imagining it, knew there weren’t any actual lines of energy. His best guess was that his mind had found a new way to show him information that could not be put into words. But just because he was imagining it didn’t make it any less real.
The ball glowed and pulsed like a flying heartbeat made of pure life. A perfect spiral, a perfect arc, a hypnotizing thing of beauty that might only be rivaled by a star igniting for the first time.
He saw where Milford would jump before she left the ground, saw where the ball would meet her.
Forty-five yards downfield, trailed closely by Perth, Milford went airborne — her black-uniformed body an image of fluid grace. Perth, Quentin’s former teammate, looked beautiful, emerald green helmet sparkling in the afternoon sun, a white-lined black stripe down the middle and a black-trimmed white infinity symbol on either side. On the back of her white jersey, the word PERTH in black-trimmed emerald green, her number 45 done in the same style, only larger. Emerald green armor graced her powerful legs, a wide black-lined white stripe ran from her hips down to her emerald green armored shoes.
Perth was a vision, but she wasn’t Quentin’s target, which meant try as she might, there was nothing she could do. The lines of energy coalesced, a perfect union between quarterback and receiver — Milford’s tentacles cradled the ball of light and energy, brought it to her chest, and she came down in the black end zone of Ionath Stadium for six.
The crowd’s passion flowed into Quentin, damn near made him levitate.
A pair of hands grabbed his jersey, and a man with a braided beard laughed.
“Good god, Q!” Yassoud had to scream to be heard, but scream he did. “What’s gotten into you? You’re making this look like a video game!”
“Team effort,” Quentin said.
Yassoud threw back his head and roared. “Whatever you say, oh yep!”
They ran toward the sidelines. Before they got there, Quentin’s heads-up display popped down.
“Barnes, go ahead and take a seat,” Hokor said. “You’re done for the day. I think six touchdown passes is enough — I do not need another starter getting injured at this point in the game.”
“Okay, Coach.”
Quentin didn’t want to come out, didn’t want to leave that lovely energy behind, but Hokor was making the smart move. Up 45-7 with five minutes to play, there was no point for the starters to be in. And besides, Trevor Haney needed some playoff reps.
The Tweedy brothers waited on the sidelines, faces beaming, mouths screaming and arms spread. As Quentin ran off, they wrapped him up in a big Tweedy sandwich. He gave them their moment of craziness, then thumped each of them on the shoulder pads and pushed past to the med pods.
There he found Choto the Bright. The Warrior lay on the table, leathery eyelids squeezed shut in agony. Doc Patah buzzed around a leg sheeted in blood.
Quentin knelt next to his friend.
“That doesn’t look good, Choto.”
“That is because it is bad, Quentin,” the Warrior said, his words forced, clipped. “The pain is extraordinary.”
Quentin glanced down at the wound. The chitin looked cracked all the way around the left foreleg, and he could see muscles and ligaments inside — those, too, were torn. He glanced up at Doc Patah.
“Four weeks,” Patah said. “At a minimum.”
That meant Choto was done for the season: no Planet Division final, no Galaxy Bowl.
Quentin gripped Choto’s middle arm. “So sorry, my friend.”
The Warrior’s eye opened. His cornea was flooded purple. “As am I, Shamakath. I am sorry to let you down.”
“Shushit,” Quentin said. “Don’t you worry, I’m going to get you that second ring.”
He sat with Choto for a few minutes, until Tommyboy Snuffalupagus picked off a Gary Lindros pass to give the Krakens the ball once again. Then Quentin moved to the sideline to watch Trevor Haney at work.
If it had been a close game, Becca would be taking those snaps. Just one drive would give Haney invaluable playoff experience. Injuries could take anyone at any time. One had taken Choto, one could take Quentin and one could take Becca — if that happened, the title rested on Haney’s arm, and Quentin wanted him to be ready.
From UBS Sports
* * *
Thrilling First Round Capped Off by Jupiter’s Double-OT Win
by PIKOR THE ASSUMING
RED STORM CITY, JUPITER NET COLONY, PLANETARY UNION — The wily old veteran did it yet again. Don Pine led the Jupiter Jacks to a 16-13 double-overtime victory against visiting Texas and one game closer to playing for a GFL title on their home field.
Jupiter (11-2) led early, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive when Pine connected with Beaverdam for a 55-yard strike. On the Jacks’ second possession, an 84-yard run from CJ Wellman put them in range of an easy 17-yard field goal for Jack Burrill. After that, however, the Texas defense shut Pine down for most of the game, picking him off once and sacking him to force a fumble. Wellman, who finished the day with 186 yards on thirty-two carries, was the go-to solution for Jupiter but couldn’t break off another big run.
The Earthlings got on the board in the second quarter with a 45-yard Gregg Anderson field goal. Anderson hit again from 51 yards in the third quarter to trim the lead to 10-6. Late in the fourth, a 12-yard Case Johanson to tight end Bates McGee touchdown put Texas up 13-10.
Jupiter got the ball back with two minutes to play. Pine completed five straight passes to get the Jacks into field goal range, where Burrill nailed a 35-yarder as time expired to send the game into OT.
Neither team could advance the ball in the first overtime. In the second OT, Pine hit Beaverdam on a simple out pattern that turned into a 63-yard gain when Prawatt cornerback Macklestink Gooberman missed the tackle. Burrill hit a 12-yard field goal for the win.
The Jacks host Bartel in the semi-finals.
Bartel (10-3) won 17-14 on a franchise-record 61-yard last-second field goal from Eddie Jones. The Water Bugs scored touchdowns on runs from Robert Shonfelt and quarterback Andre Ridley. Vik quarterback Rich Barchi and receiver Gouroch combined for two TD strikes, one from 35 and one from 7 in the loss.
In the Planet Division, the Orbiting Death dominated their first-round game, defeating Yall 30-17. OS1 slinger Condor Adrienne threw for three TD passes a
nd 231 yards in the win. Linebacker Yalla the Biter sacked Yall QB Rick Renaud in the end zone, forcing a fumble and recovering it himself for the Death’s other TD.
The OS1 defense largely bottled up Renaud and the high-flying Criminals offense. Renaud was sacked three times, twice by Yalla and once by rookie defensive end Brian Kane.
“We got after Renaud,” Kane said. “We got our win. Now we get another shot at the Krakens, and that’s what we’ve been working toward for the past month.”
In the Planet Division side of the bracket, Ionath obliterated Buddha City 48-14. Krakens QB Quentin Barnes — who was just named the 2686 League MVP — threw for a playoff-record six TD passes, each to a different receiver. Kicker Arioch Morningstar was a perfect two-for-two, hitting from 46 and 44 yards.
Buddha City’s first-ever trip to the Tier One playoffs did not turn out the way the Elite had dreamed. The only bright spot was tight end Rick Warburg, who had two TD receptions and caught nine balls for 98 yards.
“We didn’t have an answer for Barnes,” Warburg said. “Frankly, no one has an answer for that kid right now. He’s on another level. As long as he’s running Ionath, no one is going to beat the Krakens.”
Ionath hosts OS1 in the Planet Division final. Jupiter hosts Bartel in the Solar final. The winners of those games meet in Red Storm City for Galaxy Bowl XXVIII.
* * *
48
Playoffs Round Two:
OS1 Orbiting Death at Ionath Krakens
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR COULD MAKE. A season ago, Quentin had fought hard to be named the League’s Most Valuable Player, but had been passed over when that honor went to Yall’s Rick Renaud. This season, it was Quentin’s turn to be named the best in the sport — and he didn’t give a damn about it.
