Scott Sigler: The Rookie

• SP ships are armed, but are significantly weaker than Cretarakian warships.

• SP ships are given limited search-and-seizure powers.

2654 Cretarakians finally admit they need help in improving species relations. League of Planets steps up, introducing non-contact galactic sporting events.

• Sports have historically brought races together, not only for humans, but for all sentient species.

• League scientists believe group dynamics that have held true for intra-species race relations will also hold true for inter-species relations.

2657 The sporting events prove to be a boon to the entertainment and travel industries, but is not producing the predicted cross-species cooperation.

• Physiology results in single species dominating various sports.

• Harrah dominate all racing events.

• Ki dominate all strength, hand-to-hand combat, and throwing events.

• Sklorno dominate non-contact field sports like soccer.

• Humans dominate all hand-eye coordination sports like hockey, archery, etc.

The Galactic Football League Era

2658 League scientist Demarkus Johnson unveils a plan for the Galactic Football League.

• Football is the only sport where various positions cater to the different physiologies.

• The Cretarakians readily accept, funding a test league of 12 teams.

2659-

2661 The GFL is an immediate success, as it forces species to work together. In addition, it is the first occurrence in decades where fans of one species root for players of another.

2662 The GFL expands to 14 teams.

2663 Purist Nation citizens rise up against Creterakian control. System-wide riots occur as citizens attack Cteretakian garrisons. Creterakians bring in military reinforcements to quell uprising.

• Human death count uncertain, at least 12,000.

• Creterakian death count: 7,213.

• Reverend Abdul Smith uses situation to mount bloody coup, takes over church leadership.

• Smith works with Creterakians to investigate uprising, uses investigation to remove potential enemies.

• Millions flee Purist Nation as Smith’s Creterakian death squads spread through system.

2664 Demand for teams is so great that the GFL expands to 18 teams.

• Station 1 Givers, Buddah City Elite, Hittoni Hullwalkers and Srabian Salient added.

2665 “The Disaster.” Purist Nation police under Abdul Smith’s orders impounds the New Rodina Astronauts’ team bus. The Purist Nation police accuse the Astronauts of spying — all non-human players are executed.

• Governments are outraged — anti-human violence soars.

• The GFL season is cancelled.

• Purist Nation church coup results in Smith’s death. Mullah Abigail Chase new leader.

2666 Cretarakian officials decide to eliminate the GFL.

• Club football teams flourish.

• A Ki businessman starts a new 12-team league to fill the gap, the Inter-Galactic Football League (IGFL). The IGFL is open to any team.

2667 Despite low caliber of players, limited traveling ability, and a lack of security, the IGFL swells to 26 teams and is an instant hit with football fans.

• The Fangs, a Ki-based team, are killed when a terrorist bomb destroys their team bus.

• Tower Football Club members are killed in a freak cosmic-ray accident.

2668 The IGFL swells to 32 teams. It is a great year for attendance, and a bad year for teams: four teams are lost in shipping accidents or terrorist acts.

• Illegal search-and-seizure by SP forces continues to plague the league, resulting in harassment, beatings, and several injuries that impact game outcomes.

2669 Faced with mounting deaths from unregulated IGFL teams, the Cretarakians again start up the GFL.

• GFL “team busses” are given diplomatic immunity — they cannot be stopped or searched by any SP forces.

• The 18 former GFL teams are re-instated, and 4 IGFL teams are added to the ranks.

• The Cretarakians disband the IGFL, breaking it down into six smaller leagues that play all games within the borders of a single government. Acts of SP harassment drop considerably.

2670 The 22-team GFL enjoys a successful season without any violence.

2671 League officials are flooded with requests by teams wanting to join the GFL.

2672 The GFL reorganizes, absorbing the former IGFL teams as “Second Tier” teams.

2682 The present.

League Structure: Tier One

There are 22 Tier One teams, broken into two 11-team divisions (the Solar Division and the Planet Division).

Teams play a 12-game season, with 10 games against their Division teams and two cross-divisional games.

The top four teams in each division make the eight-team Tier One playoff. This three-round, single-elimination tournament finishes with the Solar Division Champion facing off against the Planet Division Champion in the Galaxy Bowl to determine the GFL Championship.

The two division champs face off in the GFL Championship.

The team in each division with the worst record drops into the Second Tier.

The top two Second Tier teams move into the First Tier.

Players on Second Tier teams that move up are protected for two seasons, to give new First Tier teams a chance to win without their talent being raided.

League Structure: Tier Two

Human League (Planetary Union, League of Planets, Purist Nation)

Tower League (Tower, Leekee)

Ki League (Ki, former Ki Rebel Alliance planets)

Harrah League

Quyth Irradiated League

Sklorno League

Modern-Day Political Alignment

The Ace:Quyth Orbital Station I, called “The Ace” by Humans. A massive artificial structure, The Ace was created as a solution to overcrowding on the Quyth homeworld. The Ace is over 350 Earth years old and has a population of 1.1 billion. Also known as “The City of Ice” for the crystaline blue material that makes up buildings and support structures.

The Big Eye:Slang term for Ionath City Stadium.

Bedbug:Slang for Sklorno males, because all they want to do is get the females into bed.

Bureau of Species Interaction:Also known as the BSI, the Bureau is the agency responsible for helping the different races get along. The Creterakians hate war and violence, and will go to great lengths to end the deadly rivalries between the major races.

The Combine:A station orbiting Creterak that functions as the Galactic Football League’s headquarters. All rookies are brought to The Combine for extensive testing before being allowed to play.

Cricket:Racial, derogatory term for Sklorno.

Cross-crescent-star:The symbol of the Purist church, combining the Christian Cross, the Islamic Crescent and the Star of David.

The Deuce:Quyth Orbital Station II, called “The Deuce” by Humans. A massive artificial structure, The Deuce was created as a solution to overcrowding on the Quyth homeworld. The Deuce is almost 300 Earth years old and has a population of 740 million.

Five Star Circle:The symbol of the Quyth Concordia, with one star representing each of the Concordia’s five planets.

Flashbugs:Robots that emit patterns of colored lights. Used in nightclubs.

Fly (flies):Racial, derogatory term for Cretarkians.

Fur scraping:derisive sound made by Quyth Workers, caused by rubbing their forearms. Hard bristles of fur make the noise — equivalent to a “boo” from a Human fan.