“Galactic Championship Final

Jabba's Gamorrean Guards v Ho'Din of Moltok

This long-awaited match followed a season full of turmoil. Reports of piracy, assassination and Empire treachery have contributed to the discontinuation of many shipping routes, and tightened homeworld security in many systems. Empire-imposed travel restrictions have made inter-stellar matchups difficult in recent weeks. Many teams have been forced to hire mercenaries or pirates at high personal cost to smuggle them to and from their away fixtures. A few other teams have paid the ultimate cost, never to be seen again.

And so it came to pass that the Champions of Dagobah, and the Champions of Naboo, rendezvoused at a secret location in order to decide the fate of the galaxy.

As the teams took to the field, there appeared to be an air of tension surrounding Jedi Oojoh. The past few weeks had seen him rise out of the shadow of his predecessor, and take full command of this team. His first few games had seen him take a passive role in encouraging the team to fight for itself, patiently guiding their thoughts towards the path of light. Once he was convinced of their virtue, he allowed himself to take to he forefront,
and how!

This behavioural shift did not go unnoticed by his older, wiser comrade, Wuppa Kutu. He had tried to escrue just what was going on in the mind of his young colleague, unsure where his true path lay.


The impetuous youth showed his hand early -- No sooner had the teams lined up on the field, than he ordered a quick kickoff, catching the Gamorreans off-guard, and over-running their ill-prepared opponents. Still Kutu held back, he knew that there was need for Leaders on the frontline at times. It was not always prudent to hold back.

However, it quickly became apparent this was not one of those times. Oojoh did trip Gartogg, causing the ball to spill loose, but did so in an uncontrolled fashion, leaving himself exposed. This allowed the smuggler Rogua to sucker punch him from behind, knocking him out cold.

Playing in this way, Oojoh was more of a liability than a benefit, thought Kutu, so he made the decision to keep Oojoh from the field. For the good of his team, he telepathically altered the bio-rhythms of his unconscious friend, ensuring that he would remoain in a semi-comatose state for the remainder of the match.

However, this was only half the job. His team also needed guidance. This was clear when they stood fighting their opponents when they had ample opportunity for an easy score. Finally, with assistane from the agile Steward 324, the ball crossed the line in the hands of Steward 231.

0-1

The Gamorreans moved to strike back immediately. Gartogg secured the ball and charged down the flank, supported by Rogua. He was however, too slow to complete the score in time, and they finished the half one goal down to their rivals.

HT: 0-1

Receiving in the 2nd half, Kutu sent out a message to his team-mates about the way things should be played: You play the ball and leave the combat to ME. Unlike his usual communications, this wasn't sent telepathically, nor verbally. In fact, the unfortunate instrument of conveyance in this instance was Thok, the former guardian of Jabba's palace. His broken body served as enough notice (to both teams) that Kutu was in a ruthles mood. Steward dutifully bowed to his Master's wishes and carried the ball upfield in an attempt at a quick second score of the match.

It was a foolhardy move to leave his comrades behind though, as Gortogg easily catch and dispossessed him in short order.

Supported by 4 colleagues, it looked like he must score, until a fine one-two combination play from the Ho'Din turned it around and effectively secured the win. First, Steward 512 launched a fine solo blitz on Gortogg to free up the ball, then Steward 324 nipped into traffic to steal the ball and sprint away to (relative) safety.

Even so, Rogua was able to return the favour next turn with a solo blitz of his own. The only difference was that his team-mate Warlug was unable to gain possession of the loose ball. This was the opening the Ho'Din were waiting for. Steward 435 sprinted for the endzone as Steward 324 again showed his nimbleness by dodging twice before xnatching the ball and hurling it to the goal-line. 435 turned just in time to have the ball land in his outstretching arms, and the game was effectively over.

0-2

There was just enough time for Wuppa Kutu to again demonstrate his authority on the line before the referee ended the match. As Oojoh slowly regained consciousness, he began to sense the intervention of his colleague. He was unsure why it had happened, but had never had reason to doubt Kutu in the brief time they had known each other, so he waited to collect his thoughts through meditation, rather than passing judgement in the heat of the moment.

Only time will tell if these two can play together effectively from now on, or if change is necessary. The important fact is that Ho'Din are victorious and will be crowned Galactic Champions of Clone Wars III.

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All in all, a decent game from my perspective. I'm still leaving the ball-carrier in expose positions too often, which Grey capitalised on at every opportuity. Only some good dice kept me one up at the half. That said, Oojoh did get KO'd in Turn 3 and then spend the rest of the game sitting in the box, but gladly he wasn't needed this time. In the second half, Grey's dice improved, but his fortunes didn't. Kutu came into his own with a pair of CAS, and led the line well.

Looking forward to RotJ now. Hopefully i won't embarrass myself like i did last year :P”