THE ALL-PRO (47 page)

“Because if they investigated you and you
weren’t
guilty, that meant that High One was wrong. High One can never be wrong, Quentin. That was the Church and the government at the time.”

“So how does that apply to you and Mom?”

Cillian went back to spinning his bottle but kept talking. “Anyone could denounce you. But at the same time, you could denounce anyone. No one was safe, but if you were connected to the Church it was a bigger risk to denounce you. You have to understand, Quentin, people would denounce
anyone
 — men, women, children ... even babies.”

Babies? Now Cillian was just padding things, to make himself feel better about abandoning his children. “Give me a break. How could babies commit heresy?”

“Because they were possessed, of course,” Cillian said with quiet disgust. “You wouldn’t want to let a possessed baby grow up to be a possessed child, now would you? I saw ... tragic things.
Horrible
things. Our culture was feeding on itself, eating up everyone and everything. Your mother, she saw other children being taken away, saw their families screaming, saw anyone who fought back taken away as well. So to protect the three of you, she ... she made it so that to denounce her was dangerous, a big risk.”

“How?”

Cillian ground his teeth. His eyes narrowed. He looked sadder than ever. This part of the story, clearly, was more difficult to reveal.

“She took up with a Bishop,” he said.

It took Quentin a moment to process the words. He’d never even considered that his mother could be anything besides caring, perfect, angelic. “You mean she
cheated
on you?”

Cillian shook his head. “No, son, it wasn’t like that. We ... we agreed on it. For the three of you. The Bishop had made advances at her for years. She ignored them, but when things got bad and we needed a way to protect you ...”

His voice trailed off. He finished with a shrug. Quentin wondered what it had been like — both for what his mother had to do to protect her children and for what her husband had to bear for the same reason.

“That doesn’t explain why you left.”

Cillian finished his beer, as if he needed it for courage. He waved for another round. They both kept quiet until two more bottles arrived.

Quentin waited.

Cillian drained half the bottle before he continued. “The Bishop decided he wanted to marry your mother. We agreed to divorce.”

“Divorce is illegal.”

His father nodded. “Those are just rules, Quentin. Rules rarely apply to the people who make them. The Bishop had our marriage annulled.”

He made it sound so easy to do something that could be a capital offense. “Annulled? Just like that?”

Cillian shrugged again. “He was rich and powerful. We were poor. We let it happen because it would protect you. A couple of days later, I noticed that I was being followed. Followed by purity investigators.”

To be married with three children in such a violent, unpredictable place, a place without rights. Then the marriage is gone and the people who make people
vanish
start following you. His father was right — in comparison, now Micovi was a paradise.

“The Bishop knew your mother still loved me so he wanted me gone,” Cillian said. “Your mother saved my life. She got the Bishop to give me a sentence of banishment instead of execution, but on one condition. I was never allowed to contact her. Or you, or your brother, or your sister. I had to walk away from my family ... forever. I’d seen what the Bishop could do, Quentin. He did not make idle threats.”

“So you just
left
.” Quentin tried to say it with venom, with fifteen years of pent-up hatred, but the words just came out normal. What else could his father have done? In that situation, what else could
any
father who loved his children have done?

Cillian leaned forward, stared into Quentin’s eyes. “Yes, Son, I just left. My choices were leave or be burned at the stake. I wanted to stay and fight. You have no idea how badly I wanted to stay with all of you, but your mother provided the only safety we could find in a crazy time. So, to keep all four of you safe, I left. I started a new life.”

“But ... but why did it take you so long to find me? I worked so hard to make my name known, my
face
known ... and you didn’t show.”

Cillian smiled, sat back, shook his head. “Don’t think that hasn’t weighed heavily on me, son. Just imagine the irony — a son who is one of the most well-known athletes in the galaxy and a father that doesn’t follow sports.”

Quentin stared back. He wanted to throw the table aside and strangle his father, wanted to smash the beer bottle into his mouth and twist it, give him a broken-glass smile. The rage of lost years billowed up, mushroomed, detonated — and then it was gone.

How ridiculous. A single, dark laugh coughed out of Quentin’s throat. He couldn’t help it. “
My
dad isn’t a football fan?”

His father laughed, shrugged again. “I never played any sports when I was a kid. I was more into the movies. Don’t get me wrong, Quentin, I’m not blind — I appreciate what you can do, the life you’ve made for yourself. High One has blessed you with amazing talents. But when you’ve seen as many people die for nothing as I have, well, sports just seems kind of ...”

“Silly?”

Cillian nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry, son. That’s the way I always felt.”

“
Felt?
Past tense?”

“Yes,
past
tense. I find myself suddenly mesmerized by this football team from Ionath. I want to watch every play, see every snap.”

Quentin drew in a long, ragged breath. It was a lot to handle. So many emotions. Too many to process. Could this
really
be happening? His
father
? And what about his mother’s ordeal? All to keep the kids safe. And even with those sacrifices, his mother had still died. His brothers had died. His sister might very well be dead, there was no way of knowing.

“I can’t make up for lost time, son. The past is the past. All I can do is try to be there for you now, watch you blossom in this fantastic city where everyone loves you. If you’ll let me, I’ll live here in Ionath and spend every minute with you that I can.”

Quentin ground his teeth. He would not cry in front of this man that he did not know.

Cillian’s face looked as emotionless as one of Gredok’s stone statues, but tears trickled down both cheeks.

“But you have to do one thing for me, Son,” he said. “There’s one thing I really want.”

Quentin nodded before he spoke. “Yes, Dad, anything. What is it?”

“Gredok gave me sideline passes for the game on Sunday. I want to see you kick the living hell out of the Lu Juggernauts.”

Quentin threw his head back and laughed, so loud it drew looks from the other patrons. He couldn’t stop smiling. He lifted his beer bottle in salute. His father did the same.

“Dad, it’s funny that’s the one thing you want, because that’s definitely the one thing I can give.”

Both men drank to that. Quentin ordered a third round. They spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find out as much as they could about each other.

• • •

QUENTIN RAN LEFT
toward the sidelines, looking downfield, searching for targets. Halawa in the end zone, 17 yards away but double-covered. Way back in the right corner of the end zone he saw Milford, but that far across field would mean a pass of some 60 yards — the ball would be in the air far too long. He looked for Becca, but she had maintained the block that sprung Quentin free from a blitzing linebacker.

Rick Warburg — not wide open, but moving toward the left sideline, a white-jerseyed, yellow-helmeted linebacker trailing him by a half-step. Quentin could have made that pass in his sleep, throwing low so that only Warburg could catch it.

But Quentin didn’t throw.

Instead, he tucked the ball and turned upfield.

The linebacker covering Warburg waited until Quentin crossed the line of scrimmage, then came in fast. Quentin didn’t have any room to run. He’d have to go out of bounds after a 5-yard gain ... except, he saw Rick Warburg coming, right behind the linebacker.

Rick Warburg, whom Quentin simply refused to throw to, was trying to make a block.

Quentin cut to his right, away from the sideline, forcing the linebacker to match the cut. Quentin then cut left, back toward the sideline, making the linebacker turn his shoulders in that direction. That let Warburg get his helmet in front of the linebacker — a blind-side block that sent the Quyth Warrior flying, made the home crowd
ohhhh!
with glee. The block also left Quentin untouched, sprinting up the left sidelines, heading for the end zone.

Halawa’s defender rushed out of the end zone, the speedy Sklorno desperate to stop Quentin’s run. Halawa managed a push — not much of a block, really, just enough to knock the defender off-balance a little. And that was all Quentin needed. He lowered his head and drove his helmet right into the cornerback’s blue and gold number 24, knocking her on her back.

Quentin stumbled, fell, but crossed the goal line before he hit the ground.

Touchdown Ionath.

Krakens 22, Juggernauts 20.

The crowd went wild, cheering a score that put their team ahead with just 17 seconds left in the game, a touchdown that all but guaranteed victory. Quentin stood, tossed the ball to a flying zebe, then raised his arms high. Quentin scanned the back of the end zone, somehow knowing that Cillian would have positioned himself there to see his son score.

Past the goal post, standing against the wall. Standing and clapping like a madman.

Cillian.

His
father
, who had just watched his son run in the game-winning touchdown. A lifetime of loneliness evaporated. Six seasons of giving his soul to the game, leaving his flesh and blood on field, across the galaxy, six seasons of looking to the stands in hopes of seeing
family
and Quentin Barnes finally had his wish.

The vision of his father vanished as Halawa jumped on Quentin’s head, driving him to the ground. Laughing and trying to protect himself as best he could, Quentin disappeared beneath the orange and black pileup of his own exuberant teammates.

Courtesy of Galaxy Sports Network

BYE WEEKS:
Orbiting Death, To Pirates, Yall Criminals, D’Kow War Dogs, Neptune Scarlet Fliers, Texas Earthlings

THE WABASH WOLFPACK
(6-0) remains the league’s only undefeated team, thanks to a 31-17 pounding of the Themala Dreadnaughts (4-2). Halfway through the season, Wabash seems unstoppable with the league’s number-one rushing offense, third-ranked passing offense and number-one passing defense. Against the Dreadnaughts, running back John Ellsworth ran for 105 yards and a touchdown, while fullback Ralph Schmeer rushed for 102 yards and two scores. That is the first time this season that two running backs from the same team each rushed for over 100 yards in the same game.

The Wolfpack holds first place in the Planet Division, a halfgame ahead of the To Pirates (5-1) and a game-and-a-half ahead of third-place Ionath (5-2).

The Pirates had a bye week, while the Krakens climbed back into title contention with a 23-20 win over the Lu Juggernauts (0-7). Playing without starting tailback Ju Tweedy, who was out with a one-game suspension, the Krakens needed a come-from-behind, last-minute drive to seal the win, pulling ahead on quarterback Quentin Barnes’ 15-yard touchdown run with 17 seconds left in the game.

In the Solar Division, Jupiter (5-1) handed Bartel (3-3) a 28-13 beat-down, putting the Jacks back into a first-place tie with archrival Neptune (5-1). The Scarlet Fliers were off on a bye week.

The team to watch out for in the Solar? Clearly, the Vik Vanguard (4-3), who climbed into third place and into playoff contention with a 24-10 win over the Jang Atom Smashers (2-5). Vik has won three of their last four and are off in Week Eight with a bye.

The relegation picture is looking more and more ominous for the Juggernauts, who are the only winless team left in Tier One. The Sala Intrigue’s 24-10 loss to the Bord Brigands (3-3) puts the intrigue at 1-5, dead last in the Solar Division.

Deaths

No deaths reported this week.

Offensive Player of the Week

Wabash fullback
Ralph Schmeer
, who rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensive Player of the Week

Vik Vanguard safety
East Windsor
, who had five solo tackles, one interception and one forced fumble in a win over the Jang Atom Smashers.

PLANET DIVISION

6-0 Wabash Wolfpack

5-1 To Pirates (bye)

5-2 Ionath Krakens

4-2 Isis Ice Storm

4-2 Themala Dreadnaughts