Scott Sigler - The Rookie

“And when will that come? The next time you throw a game for Mopuk?”

Pine blinked rapidly and his breath stopped short, as if a knife had slid noiselessly into his heart. He took a small step back, then looked to his right and left, seeing if anyone had heard. The two quarterbacks were alone on the field.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Pine said.

“Your party friends paid me a visit the day before the Demolition game,” Quentin said. “Mopuk said you were his property, Pine. That you throw games whenever he wants.”

Pine looked down, and in that instant Quentin knew it was true. He felt a part of his childhood die, right there on the spot — a man he’d idolized was a tanker.

“Why?” Quentin asked. “Why the hell do you do it?”

“Because he’ll kill me if I don’t,” Pine said quietly. “I… I gamble, a bit. I’ve gotten in over my head.”

Quentin spat on the ground, then looked into Pine’s shame-filled eyes. “How much do you owe?”

Pine looked away and shrugged. Quentin grabbed him by the shoulder pads, shook once, and pulled Pine close until their eyes were only inches apart.

“How much ?”

Pine paused, then answered. “Four million.”

“Four million ?” The number seemed staggering, but then he remembered that a Tier Two QB of Pine’s caliber made three or four million a year. On top of that, he had the endorsement deals that put his picture on almost as many ads as Yitzhak.

“So why don’t you pay it?” Quentin asked. “You’ve got that much, don’t you?”

Pine slowly shook his head. “Already went through everything I got. Savings, my salary… I’m still four mil in the hole.”

“How long has this been going on?”

Pine looked away again. Quentin gave him a quick, single shake. Pine looked at his feet. “Since ‘79.”

Quentin’s eyes widened as he did the math. “Since ‘79? You’ve been tanking for four years ?”

“I bet a lot of money on the ‘77 semi-final game with the To Pirates,” Pine said. “That put me in the hole. I’ve been working my way out ever since, and I’m almost out.”

“Four mil in the hole and you think you’re almost out?”

“I just need to win a couple of bets, that’s all, and I’ll be out!”

Quentin pushed him away. The two men stood in silence.

“You going to tell Hokor?” Pine asked.

Quentin thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“Why not?” Pine asked. “That would give you the starting position.”

He met this comment with a shrug. Pine was right, but Quentin didn’t want to win it that way. He wanted to earn it. The first players started to filter out of the tunnel for practice.

“Don’t do it again,” Quentin said quietly. “You do and I’ll take you down.”

Pine looked at him with the eyes of a haunted man, a man hunted from all directions for far too long. “You’ll take me down if I don’t do what you want? Hey, welcome to the club.”

Pine walked to the sidelines. Quentin stormed to a ball rack on the 30-yard line, anger and frustration whipping through his head. Without saying a word to them, Denver, Milford and Richfield lined up, waiting for Quentin to call out patterns.

“Deep,” he said, the word coming out as a bark. Denver shot down the field. Quentin dropped back to the 20, then threw the ball with a grunt. He’d put all of his strength into the throw. It sailed so far past Denver she didn’t even bother jumping — the ball arced through the air, sailing past the end zone, past the grass at the back of the end zone and bounced off the empty seats twenty rows up.

“Dang,” Quentin said quietly. He grabbed the next ball, oblivious to the fact he’d just thrown the ball over a hundred yards in the air.

From the Ionath city Gazette

Pine leads Krakens to second-straight win

By Kigin the Witty

IONATH CITY (Associated Press) — You can’t keep a good veteran down.

At least that’s what Ionath fans are thinking following a 21-7 Krakens’ win over the Sheb Stalkers, a win that might as well be named “The Donald Pine Show.”

Pine missed two games with a broken femur, but showed that the time off didn’t affect him in the least. He went 21-for-34 on the day, throwing for 312 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. The Stalkers (3–2) came into the game with only one loss and were favored by nine points, but couldn’t find an answer for Pine’s accurate short-passing game.

“We did everything we could,” said Stalkers middle linebacker Brian Badrocke. “If we blitzed, he hit us short. If we didn’t blitz, he hit us long. It was a really long, frustrating day.”

The Krakens’ offensive line, which has given up eight sacks in the last two games, offered Pine laser-proof protection the entire game. It was the first time the Krakens didn’t give up a sack since Week One.

“Anyone could have thrown well with that much time,” Pine said after the game. “All the credit goes to the offensive line. They’re true warriors.”

Following Ionath’s come-from-behind win over Sky Demolition in Week Four, many Krakens fans saw a potential quarterback controversy between Pine and rookie Quentin Barnes. Pine, however, put those thoughts to rest with his flawless performance against the Stalkers.

The Krakens’ defense was a key factor in the win, holding the Stalkers to just 68 yards rushing while snagging four turnovers. Aleksandar Michnik notched three sacks, and Berea grabbed two interceptions.

The big story this week is the Whitok Pioneers (4–1) 24–21 loss at the hands of Orbiting Death (4–1). The Death’s win puts them in a three-way tie for first with the Pioneers and the Glory Warpigs (4–1), who put another mark in the win column with an easy 42–17 drubbing of Sky Demolition (0–5). The Pioneers’ loss is even more devastating considering the injury to league-leading quarterback Condor Adrienne, who suffered severe damage to his right elbow. Adrienne is out for three to four weeks.

The Bigg Diggers (2–3) defeated the Woo Wallcrawlers (1–4) 22-6. The Quyth Survivors (2–3) edged out the Grontak Hydras (2–3) in a 23–20 overtime thriller.

DEATHS:

Chicago, wide receiver for the Sky Demolition, was killed by a gang-tackle involving Glory Warpigs defensive backs Keluang and Wellington. League officials ruled it was a clean hit.

WEEK #5 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:

Offense:Donald Pine, quarterback, Ionath Krakens. 21-of-34, 312 yards, two TDs, one INTs.

Defense:Sven Draupnir, linebacker, Quyth Survivors. Sixteen tackles, one interception, one forced fumble.

QUYTH IRRADIATED CONFERENCE STANDINGS