Kimberlin nodded. “I believe that was a Guild attack, yes.”
Quentin thought that over. It made sense initially, but as he turned it around and around in his head, it didn’t add up.
“We haven’t had any attacks since then,” Quentin said. “But if they can launch that kind of a strike against us, they should be able to do just about anything. I mean, I’ve been out in several cities since then, and I took a long trip to Earth with no protection at all, not even Choto. If they wanted me dead, wouldn’t I be dead?”
“I don’t think they were after you then,” Kimberlin said. “The Guild has resources, sure, but those resources are limited. They could find some isolated place and build up a force like those fighters, but cities — especially cities with a Tier One franchise — aren’t isolated spots. They are heavily patrolled by system police and the Creterakian fleet, and there are strict weapons bans and technology to detect weapons. That fighter attack probably represented a huge investment for them.”
Quentin stared at the man.
“Wait a minute, Mike ... you said they weren’t after me then? Who were they after?”
Kimberlin looked away. Quentin noticed him blinking rapidly — the man had said something he hadn’t intended to say and had been called on it.
“I just meant that it was probably a general attack,” he said.
Quentin shook his head. “Don’t lie to me. You said they weren’t after me. The only way you could know that is if you knew who they were after.”
“I’m not lying.”
But he was. Quentin could spot it, perhaps as easily as Gredok could.
Kimberlin hopped out of the pool.
“Like it or not, you’re a target now,” he said. “Petra isn’t the only one who sees what you’re capable of. If I can figure that out, then so can the Guild. But maybe you’re right, Quentin, maybe if you don’t try to help Petra, maybe if you keep choosing your own needs over the needs of everyone else, then maybe the ZG will forget that you’re a threat to their objectives. Then you will be safe — and that’s what really matters to you, isn’t it?”
Without waiting for a response, Kimberlin walked out.
Despite the water’s heat, Quentin started to feel cold. He already had enough enemies — the last thing he needed was to add ruthless terrorists — mass murderers — to that list. He couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to believe it.
And if he wasn’t the ZG’s target in those attacks, who was? Gredok? Another player? Kimberlin seemed to know a lot ... could Mike have been the target?
A small wave splashed against Quentin’s arm. Mum-O had slid out of the writhing ball. His thick twelve-and-a-half-foot body looked so at home in the water. He slowly circled Quentin, one black eye always watching, tips of his vocal tubes just above the surface.
“Gratchik kollowis jugatach,” he growled.
The other Ki grunted their agreement.
Quentin didn’t need a translator for that. He understood it as “our blood will spill together.” The Ki knew Quentin was in danger from many sides, and whichever side came first, they would fight along with him.
“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” he said.
But somewhere in the small, hidden parts of his soul, he started to suspect that was just wishful thinking.
Live feed from UBS GameDay holocast coverage
“Hello, gridiron fans, and welcome back to Monday Night Football. I’m Masara the Observant, and with me as we get ready to start the second half is my broadcasting partner, Chick McGee.”
“Masara, what a first half we had. I’m sure when the space-age geniuses in league scheduling concocted this maudlin matchup, they didn’t know the Krakens would be an undefeated, unstoppable juggernaut and that the Armada players wouldn’t be worth their combined weight in fecal material.”
“Chick, that’s a little unfair. Just because the Krakens are up thirty-five to nothing doesn’t mean this game is over.”
“The only way this game isn’t over, Masara, is if the Krakens are in the locker room chowing down on the universe’s biggest laxative sandwich, and they spend the second half trapped in the bathroom ducking for cover from a brown hurricane of death.”
“Chick! Can we stick to football?”
“Sorry, Masara. Sorry, folks at home. Right, let’s keep it to football. The Ionath defense has shut down the Alimum attack, forcing seven three-and-outs. That’s given Quentin Barnes plenty of opportunities to work his magic, which he did, throwing for five touchdown passes in the first half.”
“That’s a new record, right, Chick?”
“Right you are, Masara. He broke Don Pine’s record of four first-half touchdown passes, set back in ’76 during Pine’s first stint with the Jupiter Jacks.”
“And Barnes has done that despite being sacked twice.”
“That’s right, Masara. It looked like a couple of miscues by Krakens fullback Kopor the Climber led to those sacks. I swear, the decision to move Becca Montagne to third-string quarterback instead of leaving her at fullback is just mind-boggling.”
“That it is, Chick. We’re almost ready to start the second half. Let’s go down to the sidelines to Jenny Briggs, who talked to Alimum coach Irena Rowe coming out of the halftime locker room. Jenny?”
GFL WEEK SIX ROUNDUP
Courtesy of Galaxy Sports Network
Home
Away
Ionath Krakens
49
Alimum Armada
7
Themala Dreadnaughts
14
Buddha City Elite
24
Coranadillana Cloud Killers
10
Orbiting Death
28
To Pirates
35
Isis Ice Storm
10
Jang Atom Smashers
17
Wabash Wolfpack
14
Bord Brigands
21
Bartel Water Bugs
10
D’Kow War Dogs
21
Sheb Stalkers
17
Jupiter Jacks
14
Neptune Scarlet Fliers
7
Shorah Warlords
24
Texas Earthlings
20
Bye Weeks: D’Oni Coelacanths (0-5), McMurdo Murderers (0-5), Yall Criminals (3-2) and Vik Vanguard (4-1), did not play this week.
Coming into Week Six, there were three undefeated teams remaining in Tier One. Thanks to the Bord Brigands, now there are only two.
Bord (3-2) registered a huge 21-10 upset over heavily favored Bartel (5-1). The win takes the Brigands a game past .500 and puts them in fourth place in the Solar. Bartel remains in first despite the loss. Second place Vik (4-1), off this week with a bye, is still a full game back.
Ionath (6-0) and OS1 (5-0) remain perfect on the season, and are one and two in Planet Division standings.
The Krakens hammered Alimum on a record-setting day for Ionath quarterback Quentin Barnes. Barnes threw for 528 yards, a new single-game record, and seven touchdowns, which ties the record for most TD passes in a game, giving him the best single-game quarterback performance in the history of the league.
“Everything just clicked,” Barnes said. “My O-line gave me time to throw. My receivers found open spaces and had a ton of yards after the catch. Our defense kept shutting Alimum down and kept me on the field — it was a great team effort.”
The performance by the Ionath’s signal-caller overshadowed that of Orbiting Death QB Condor Adrienne, which was stellar in its own right. Adrienne threw 30 times for 26 completions, 314 yards and two TDs against Coranadillana (0-5).
Jupiter (4-2) won its fourth straight, chalking up a 14-7 win over archrival Neptune (2-3). The Jacks now have sole possession of third place in the Solar, thanks to Texas (3-3) dropping 24-20 to Shorah (2-3). After starting the season 2-0, Texas has lost three of its last four.
>
“We need to get this wagon righted, and pronto,” said Texas owner Tanel Lumiste. “This is our third season in Tier One, and it’s playoffs or bust.”
Deaths
No deaths reported this week.
Offensive Player of the Week
Ionath quarterback Quentin Barnes, who broke the single-game record for passing yardage (528) and tied the single-game record for touchdowns (7) against Alimum.
Defensive Player of the Week
D’Kow right defensive end Steve Owens, who had two sacks and a fumble recovery in the War Dogs’ win over the Sheb Stalkers.
40
Week Seven:
Ionath Krakens at D’Oni Coelacanths
PLANET DIVISION
SOLAR DIVISION
6-0
Ionath Krakens
5-1
Bartel Water Bugs
5-0
OS1 Orbiting Death
4-1
Vik Vanguard
4-1
To Pirates
4-2
Jupiter Jacks
4-2
Wabash Wolfpack
3-2
Bord Brigands
3-2
Buddha City Elite
3-3
Texas Earthlings
3-2
Yall Criminals
2-3
Neptune Scarlet Fliers
2-3
Alimum Armada
2-3
Sheb Stalkers
2-4
Isis Ice Storm
2-3
Shorah Warlords
1-4
Themala Dreadnaughts
2-4
D’Kow War Dogs
0-5
Coranadillana Cloud Killers
2-4
Jang Atom Smashers
0-5
D’Oni Coelacanths
0-5
McMurdo Murderers
Transcript of broadcast from Galactic News Network (GNN)
“Tom, you’re on site in the city of Bord on Ki Rebel Establishment planet Ol, and ... Tom, is that gunfire?”
“Yes, Brad, that is gunfire. Sporadic battles have erupted all over the city. Local Creterakian garrisons are under attack, apparently by native Ki. They are—”
[SIGNAL INTERRUPTED: PLEASE STAND BY]
“Tom! Tom, are you okay?”
“Well, Brad, there appears to be a rather large piece of shrapnel sticking out of my leg, but my cameraman used some nerve blocks and a whole bunch of painkillers, so the pain isn’t that bad. I can ... wow, I feel pretty good, actually ... I can finish my report.”
“Tom, do you know why the locals are fighting?”
“It appears to be an uprising against Creterakian control. We’re getting some reports that this is a planet-wide initiative. The Rebel Establishment has been pushing for independence from the Empire for decades, Brad, and it appears they’ve finally resorted to violence ... hey, does anyone else see that glowing butterfly juggling six kittens?”
“Tom, that might be the painkillers.”
“Oh, right, Brad. Violence, as I was saying — the locals are using violence to get their way.”
“Tom, anti-Creterakian sentiment has recently been on the upswing in multiple systems, including the Harrah Tribal Accord and, of course, the Purist Nation. Did that unrest have anything to do with pushing this faction over the edge?”
“That’s definitely possible, Brad. Earlier today, the Zoroastrian Guild broadcast two planet-wide signals, one conflicting with the other. The first broadcast urged the citizens to rise up violently against the Creterakians. The second broadcast claimed the first was a fake, that it was not a message of the Zoroastrian Guild, and urged everyone to not engage in violent acts. This appears to be part of a growing schism within the terrorist group. The local Creterakian garrison tried to track down the source of both broadcasts but failed to find them. And then ...”
“Tom? Tom, are you there?”
“Yes, Brad, sorry about that. I might be a little weak from blood loss.”
“Tom, you need to get to a hospital.”
“No, I can finish the story, Brad. But if we could hurry it along a little, that might be ... wow, the fire is so bright, man.”
“Tom, we hear explosions in the background. Where are you, exactly, and how bad is it there?”
“I’m in downtown Bord, Brad. Many buildings have been damaged, mostly by Creterakian counter-strikes. The capital building is on fire, and we saw a large explosion at Freedom Stadium, home field of the Bord Brigands. The football team was practicing at the time. So far no word on if there were any injuries to the—”
[SIGNAL INTERRUPTED: PLEASE STAND BY]
“Tom! Tom, are you there?”
“Heyyyyy, Brad ... I’m back, man. Oh, wow, looks like there’s mortar fire coming in. That’s not good. For GNN — and for this really pretty flame-breathing unicorn that just showed up — this is Tom Skivvers, signing off.”
“ATTENTION, KRAKENS STAFF and Touchback crew. This is Captain Kate. Punch-out from Ionath is delayed. We have been hailed by the Regulator and are preparing to receive a shuttle.”
Quentin and the other players on the observation deck looked at each other, as if any one of them might know what was going on. They were about to depart on the five-day trip to New Whitok to face the winless D’Oni Coelacanths.
“This isn’t good,” John said. “Someone’s getting busted.”
In hopes of building a relationship with Kopor the Climber — and hopefully start developing the same on-field shared mind Quentin had with Becca and the other offensive starters — he had invited the fullback to be sort of an impromptu guest of honor for the punch-in. Denver and Bumberpuff had joined, as had John and Ju. They all wanted to make Kopor feel like he belonged as a starter. He’d put in a poor performance against Alimum, and he knew it.
“Busted?” Bumberpuff said. “I don’t understand, busted for what?”
“Mods,” John said, the word drawn out, full of import. “Gotta be mods. One of the rookies, probably, just like last time.”
That last time was three seasons earlier, when Froese had come to the Touchback to take rookie running back Dan Campbell away. Nobody on the Krakens had ever learned what mods Campbell had, nor had they ever heard from him again. The incident had made all too clear the immense power held by one Rob Froese, commissioner of the Galactic Football League.
“I hope it is not mods,” Kopor said. “Perhaps it has something to do with that attack on Bord. Did you hear one of their defensive ends died?”
John nodded solemnly. “Bandit Preston. He was solid. I hope they find whoever is responsible and string them up.”
“Paulisdead Paulisdead Paulisdead,” Denver said, her tone sad for once. “And not on the field. Quentinbarnes will strike the murderers down.”
The area outside the viewport seemed to brighten suddenly as the Regulator passed above, white hull reflecting down the light from Ionath’s sun. The Regulator slowed to a stop, its girth blocking out all sight of the stars above.
Ju let out a long whistle. “That sure is a big ship.”
“It’s not so big,” Bumberpuff said.
Ju sighed. “Well, not to you, Mister I Fly Giant-Ass Ships And Doesn’t That Make Me Special.”
“That’s a long name,” John said.
“It is,” Bumberpuff said. “It takes me forever to fill out forms.”
Everyone turned to look in amazement at the Prawatt. Quentin felt a laugh building, one held in check only by sheer disbelief and an assumption that he had misunderstood something. And also, he was mad at Bumberpuff — how could he laugh with someone he was mad at?
“Captain,” Quentin said. “Did you just make a joke?”
“I tried,” Bumberpuff said. “You see, the length of the name indicates it would take additional time to fill out forms, as opposed to a shorter name, which would take less—”
“We understood it,” Kopor said. “Funn
y, in a way. However, I do not think you will be the guest comedian on Late Night with Chorro the Hilarious anytime soon.”
Quentin laughed, surprised at Kopor’s deadpan delivery.
“Wow,” Quentin said. “Maybe we need to organize a team stand-up comedy night. I didn’t think either of you had a sense of—”
“Quentin Barnes, this is the captain speaking.” Captain Kate’s voice echoed through the observation deck. “Report to your quarters immediately, per orders of Commissioner Froese.”
Now everyone looked at Quentin. What could this be about? Something to do with the attack at Neptune, maybe? Or could Froese have found out about Sandoval?
Ju shook his head. “Quentin, I’m your brother. You should have told me you got mods.”
“I don’t have mods, Ju.”
MA IS GOING TO BE VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU scrolled across John’s face.
Quentin groaned. “John, now is not the time for jokes.”
Bumberpuff’s metallic body rattled. “That was a joke? But it was in the context of our linear conversation. I am afraid I don’t get it.”
Ju nudged Kopor. “You’re the comedian, apparently. You explain it to him.”
Quentin left the observation deck. Whatever Froese wanted, the little dictator wasn’t the kind of sentient you kept waiting.
QUENTIN ENTERED HIS QUARTERS to find several sentients already inside. The tiny form of Commissioner Froese, of course, wearing his ever-present outfit of a white shirt rolled up at the sleeves and a red tie embroidered with the GFL logo. Froese was sitting in Quentin’s favorite chair, glaring with malice the second Quentin walked in. The hulking form of a Quyth Warrior was farther back, sitting on Quentin’s workout bench: ex-linebacker Leiba the Gorgeous, wearing loose white pants with the GFL logo on the upper right thigh.
Leiba also held a stun-stick. As far as fashion accessories went, Quentin decided he wasn’t a fan.
Flanking both Leiba and Froese were two Sklorno in full battle armor, also white, with the GFL logo on their chest, between their white-armored tentacles.