Either a dirty teacher, the ex-wife, or the current wife...

Sheesh... you guys aren't trying very hard.

She's totally new to the story... and has no prior connection to any of the characters... I just threw her in there as a salute to a bit of Arizona journalistic history.

(and if you can't figure it out now, well, I give up)

no!! you can't stop writing this dynasty!!!

it would be disastrous.

Well, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's not trying very hard :D

SI

I get next to nothing when I google her name...

*shurg*

Debbie's grandfather? got astride the interests of some tough fellows.



Don Bolles was an investigative reporter for the Arizona Republic. He knew just about everything their was to know about the mob in Phoenix. During his career as a reporter he crossed many corrupt officials and gangsters. The one that would end his life was Kemper Marley. Don Bolles reporting exposed Kemper Marley's connection with the mob, forcing him to resign as a member of the State Board Racing Commission. As a result of this, Marley had Bolles killed.

http://jeff.scott.tripod.com/donbolles.html

http://phoenix.about.com/gi/dynamic/...nology-CR.html

Ding ding ding... we have a winner.

Well done, mhass...

The Don Bolles/Kemper Marley story is something that makes for fascinating research...

Want more fun? Find out what famous current US Senator that is connected to (in fact, related to) Kemper Marley. Do a little digging... the story might surprise you.

Yes, I know this is a digression from our regularly scheduled story... I'm just trying to add a little depth here...

john mccain?

Yep. The great war hero, who dumped his wife after he returned from Vietnam (supposedly, after she was crippled herself in an accident) for the younger (and richer) Cindy Hensley - heiress to the second-largest Anheuser-Busch distributorship in the U.S. - and daughter of Jim Hensley, who owned the business as a result of his position in Marley's empire.

Fascinating stuff, if you care to take the time reading about it. McCain is as dirty as they come.

Anyhow, I have no idea if Don Bolles had any children (or grandchildren, or whatever), I just made Debbie up as an homage to a man who seems to have become forgotten, despite the relevance, to this day, of the criminal dealings regarding his death.

Tempe, Arizona
February, 2034

Franklin entered the main data center in the basement of his Tempe mansion.

"What's up?"

John handed him a file. "We have a potential problem brewing."

Franklin opened the file and looked at a photograph of a balding, dark haired man with glasses. "Who's this?"

"Rudolph Krupp. German scientist and leading european researcher in the field of nanotechnology."

"Great. Nazis with nanomachines."

"Not exactly. Krupp hasn't gotten quite that far yet, and German-American relations are pretty good. He's not working for their government or anything."

"So what's the problem?"

"He's been kidnapped by the Indians. My sources say he's being held in Calcutta."

"Why do the Indians want him?"

"He's from a wealthy family. At this time, we figure it's just for ransom."

"How do you know all this?"

"I have contacts in the CIA, not to mention that our computers can read whatever's on any computer in the world."

"OK, so, do we break him out? Or just let the Germans deal with it?"

"We can't leave him there - it's too risky. But the Germans aren't going to do anything about it; India's too powerful, and they've already said they're not paying the ransom."

"So, what, we just let the Indians whack him?"

"No, he's likely to bargain for his own life if he realizes he's been left hanging."

"Alright... then you and I have to go get him."

"I have a better idea."

***

Jacob Ryan had been the Deputy Director of the CIA for 11 years now. His position wasn't subject to the political whims of whatever administration happened to be in charge, and, generally speaking, he had iron-clad job security. The CIA was conducting more black ops now than it had at any other time in its history, including the Cold War. The West was effectively at war with the East, it was just being done without too many shots being fired.

But the Indians and Chinese weren't playing by the rules, and after a temporary lull in activity for the last few years, piracy on the high seas was on the rise. Western merchants had goods that Eastern nations wanted. While cargo planes were becoming more and more popular, there was simply no replacement for the brute efficiency of the enormous oceanliners that moved large quantities across the globe - and they were a tempting target for pirates to capture and take to ports all over Asia and the South Pacific.

The United States didn't want to declare war over this nuisance, but it could neither be allowed to go on unabated. That's what this morning's meeting was about. Somebody had a solution for him - somebody who had been a remarkably accurate informant on international affairs in the past.

The meeting location was a secret. Jacob was told to simply get on the Metro blue line at 8 a.m. and wait. At Potomac Avenue, a man sat down next to him wearing a brown overcoat and hat. He slipped a note into his pocket and said, "Switch to the Orange line and then get off at Landover."

At the Landover station, Jacob read the note in his pocket:

FedEx Field
Gate C
Suite 185

Jacob tore up the note and trashed it, then hailed a cab outside the station. It was a long walk, and it was raining.

He arrived at the stadium and approached Gate C. It was open, and there was no guard. He walked in, and up the ramps to the skybox level. He knocked on the door for suite 185.

"Come in."

Jacob entered, and was met by two men. He recognized one immediately as John Smith. He didn't know the other.

John introduced him. "Thanks for coming, Jacob. This is Franklin Brown."

Jacob shook his hand. "Ah. The owner of the Scorpions. I should have guessed."

"Mr. Brown has some unique experience with the situation we're dealing with. We'd like to make a proposal."

Jacob nodded. "Go ahead."

Franklin handed him the dossier on Rudolph Krupp. "This man was kidnapped by Indian pirates while on a pleasure cruise a week ago. They're holding him for ransom in Calcutta."

Jacob shrugged. "This happens all the time. He's German. What do you want to do about it?"

Franklin continued. "He's a scientist specializing in a field that could have military applications, and if the Indians figure this out, it could be bad news. But there's a larger piracy problem here, and we have an idea to address both issues."

"I'm listening."

"Mr. Ryan, are you familiar with the concept of privateering?"

Jacob grinned. "Only what I've read in books and seen in movies."

"Well, we think it's time for the United States to bring back this concept."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, we're quite serious. The United States wants to counter the pirate threat in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but they don't want to start a world war over it. Why not issue a letter of marque to a willing private sailor, equipped with a naval vessel, and let him combat the problem?"

"Well, for starters, we'd need Presidential approval to do something like this. And Congress would probably have a fit, to say nothing of the international implications of such an act."

Franklin smiled. "Everybody loves a good pirate, Mr. Ryan. If we had one playing by our rules, there'd be little resistance. You have sufficient authority to get this started - for right now, we just want one man to be granted this privilege, and we'll see how it works out."

"Who did you have in mind?"

"Captain Ardent Enthusiast."

"Christ, you must be joking. Last I heard, he was passed out drunk in a gutter somewhere in Cooktown, Australia."

"Think about it. He's an ex-Navy war hero, and a hell of a good sailor. The circumstances of his dismissal were, well, can you blame him? And he's crazy enough to go for it."

"I dunno. Where's he gonna get a ship? There's no way he's getting a U.S. Naval vessel."

"Leave that to me. He'll have a suitable private warship. All we want from you is the letter of marque. His first job will be to get Krupp. Then we turn him loose on the Indian and Chinese merchant shipping industry, and give their navies something else to worry about."

"You could be writing his death warrant."

"I don't think he's afraid to die."

"I'll have to think about it."

"Don't think for too long. We need to act on this now. The ship is already on its way to Australia. We need your answer in 48 hours."

Oooh, is this going to be the first TCY/FOF/Pirates! dynasty?

Well, Pirates! doesn't really work, historically, with TCY/FOF... but I like keeping the dynasty fresh with little side-stories like this, and I wanted to do a pirate theme, so, there you have it.

But, yeah, I play Pirates! from time to time, and I like it...

We want Ardent!
We want Brown!
We'll keeping bumping!
Page Two frowns....

lol

This thread has been seriously lacking on updates on that fabulous tight end, JeebieD Mack... ;)

Alright... update time. Here's some stats from the 2033 season. I'm only doing Scorpions team stats. I'm going to work on the draft file for a bit - if you want to see another player's stats, let me know ASAP, and I'll post them:


Yes, TE Mack has proved his worth. :D

JeebieD makes Mike Ryan look good... ;)

Ryan seems to spread the ball around a lot... while JeebieD is getting the most catches, he's also got 30+ completions to the RB, FB, and two WR's.

No, no, no. Mike Ryan makes JeebieD look good.:p

Cooktown, Australia
February, 2034

The USS Nimitz was cruising at 30 knots off the coast of Australia, a slight divergence from her usual assingment on patrol in the South Pacific, but not one that would draw much attention. She was the oldest carrier in the US Navy, but still a force to be reckoned with, with numerous upgrades over the years keeping her fit to exhibit a strong presence anywhere within 500 miles of her location.

Franklin, John, Jacob Ryan, and Captain Ed Branch stood on the deck of the carrier, awaiting the arrival of the helicopter that would take them ashore to locate Ardent.

Franklin pointed to the horizon just off the starbord bow. "There it is."

A massive submarine began to surface, and alarms sounded on the Nimitz as the new threat emerged.

"Tell you men it's O.K., Captain. That's our ship." Franklin said.

Captain Branch was not amused. "Why didn't you tell me there was going to be a goddamned submarine a thousand yards off the bow of my ship?"

"We wanted to see how good the stealth technology on it was. I guess it's working."

Branch called up to the bridge on his radio, and had the alarm stopped. He verified that the sub had gone undetected until surfacing. "That's some scary shit right there. One of those in the wrong hands could be damned lethal."

Ryan spoke. "I agree. Where did you get that ship? And how are we sure it doesn't end up in the wrong hands?"

"I'll show you in a little while. Here comes the helicopter." Franklin pointed to the sub. Large panels in the forward section of the ship opened up to form a small flight deck, where a helicopter emerged from below and began to take flight. The chopper was unlike any military aircraft - sleek, black, and almost completely silent. It made the short trip to the Nimitz and landed.

The pilot of the helicopter emerged and walked towards the men. Ryan remarked, "That guy looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger, only taller."

Franklin smiled. "That's Ted. I'll tell you more about him later."

Ted greeted the men and spoke to Franklin. "Mr. Brown, the ship is secure. I have a location for Captain Enthusiast."

"Good. Let's get going."

Franklin, John, and Jacob boarded the helicopter with Ted and took off. The trip to Cooktown was brief, and the helicopter landed on the roof of an old shipping warehouse at the port. Franklin told Jacob as they disembarked, "We bought this place and upgraded it to work as a small base of operations - just one of many, in the long run."

"How secure is it?"

"Not very, to be honest. But it doesn't have to be. There's nothing here that anyone would ever be able to steal."

A white SUV with tinted windows was parked in the warehouse, and the men drove into town towards the address that Ted had. It was a bar in an industrial part of town. They parked out front.

"We should just send Ted in to get him." Franklin said.

"Why?" asked Jacob.

"Because Ardent isn't too happy with the US Government right now, and you wouldn't like him when he's angry. He's probably armed, and around here, nobody cares if you shoot a CIA agent."

"Do we care if he shoots Ted?"

"Don't worry about him. Ted, please go ask Captain Enthusiast to join us."

Ted walked into the bar. Thirty seconds later, gunshots could be heard from inside. Then, breaking glass. Screams. Broken furniture. Finally, Ted emerged with an unconscious Ardent slung over his shoulder.

"Good work. Let's go."

Twenty minutes later, Ardent was awakened by smelling salts and began thrashing about, until he realized he was tied to a chair in the middle of a small room.

"Captain Enthusiast, please relax. We're not going to hurt you." Franklin said.

"Not if I get outta this chair you're not." But the restraints proved to be most formidable. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

Jacob spoke. "Captain, my name is Jacob Ryan, CIA. How would you like to command a warship again?"

Ardent growled, "How would you like to kiss my ass? Take your lame jokes somewhere else. I'm not buying."

"I'm quite serious. I have a proposal for you." He showed Ardent his identification.

Ardent began to take in more of his surroundings. The ambient noise was unmistakeable, and the room had a very familiar decor. He was on a Navy vessel. "Where am I?"

"The USS Nimitz. Would you like to hear my proposal now?"

***

Two hours later, Ardent and the men were on the bridge of the new submarine. Ted was sitting in the command chair.

Ardent pointed at him, "How is he still alive? I shot him twice in the chest."

Franklin replied. "That's Ted. He's what we call a tactical engagement droid."

"He's a robot?"

"Basically, yes. He'll be your XO. You'll need to recruit a crew, and Ryan will help. He's going to provide some guys from the CIA, and a list of candidates who are former Navy and Marines. But you're in charge, and Ted will make sure there's no chance of mutiny. We can't have this ship fall into the wrong hands."

"And what if something happens to Ted?"

"Ted is just about indestructible, but we have contingency plans."

"So, my first mission is to find this mad German scientist?"

"Yes. As soon as possible. And we'd like to have him alive."

"One more question: What's my salary going to be like?"

"You don't get one. You're a pirate, Captain. Pillage and plunder, and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Consider it a form of self-employment."

"I have no idea what to do with a cargo ship full of stolen goods."

"Don't worry. A market for your goods will most surely emerge. Just worry about Dr. Krupp right now. The rest will take care of itself."

I'm a bad mamma jamma.

Ok.

Ardent needs a cool pirate name.

And his ship needs a cool pirate ship name.

Start posting suggestions.

Gila Monster.

Dude, seriously... just let it go. ;)

Arrgh.

Tempe, Arizona
Offseason, 2034
Part One


While Franklin and John organized a modern piracy enterprise in the Pacific, there was still the matter of a football team to run. The Scorpions had established themselves as a winning franchise, but challenges still persisted. Four players had retired after the Super Bowl: Kicker Benny Deason, linebacker Dewey Desai, and cornerbacks Horace Ross and James Eller. There was cap space available, but there were also several players in the final years of their contracts that would need extensions if the Scorpions wanted to keep the team together.

Additionally, there were some concerns that Michael Ryan might not recover to his top form prior to the ACL injury. And the Scorpions couldn't expect much help from the draft, as they had no first round pick, and needed to stockpile their picks for the next few years, anyway. There was a larger plan underway.

Lead Scout Brenden Babic had retired, and was replaced by Ian Raines, a gifted young evaluator of talent.

Contract re-negotiations are started at the beginning of the free agency period, so that the Scorpions can see what kind of money they have to work with.

JeebieD Mack, who is in the last year of his deal, and currently making $5.7 million, wants an extension that will carry a cap number in the $11-$13 million range over three years. Ouch. A compromise is struck, and Mack signs for five years, with a minimum salary this season, a bonus of $12.75 million, and future annual salaries of $5.7, $6.7, $7.7, and $11.7 million. It's a fair deal that will keep him on the team for at least four seasons, but will have to be re-negotiated in the fifth year.

Don't worry about Mike Ryan. He's a warrior. He spent the offseason working out at Kellen Winslow's Warrior Camp.

The tie to Captain Kidd is pretty strong. Call the ship the Kidd Guillome. His name, I don't know . . . the Dread Pirate Roberts?

thaht would have to be "Dread Pirate Rodney" though.

:) ;)

:p

Tempe, Arizona
Offseason, 2034
Part Two

The Scorpions were able to extend the contracts of all their key players, and negotiate enough spare cap space to address roster needs at the offensive line and in the defense. There were still holes to fill, but free agency wasn't the place to address them, at least not until after the draft.

Without any glaring talent requirements, and without a first-round pick, the Scorpions figured on signing undrafted rookies to fill the roster, and save the picks and cap space for a later date. The remaining picks for this year are sent to Tennessee and Cleveland for their first round picks next year.

The first round of the draft proceeds as follows:

Hmm... not a lot of interest in the whole pirate story arc.... should I just dump it?

No.

Ok... well, we need to drum up more interest in a pirate name/ship name.

I'm not going to call you the Dread Pirate Gila Monster. Sorry.

Darn.

This came up in a google search:

"Black Brilliant" (for my real name) and "Yardarm Cruikshank" (ardent enthusiast).

Another site: "Mad Roger Flint"

Perhaps "Mad Yardarm"?

As for ship names, how about "Defiant"?

The ship needs to be called "The Poop Deck."

AE's name needs to be The Evil Volunteer.







I got nothin'...

I second this.

Now to put it to a vote.
All in favor say "aye".
"Aye".
All opposed say "nay".
"..."
The Aye's have it.
Motion passes.
AE will be piloting "The Poop Deck"

SI

Meeting adjourned.

Poop deck rules.

Huzzah!

Yep. These are my readers.

I like the Evil Volunteer too.

Remember... you're not actually Evil. You're America's secret weapon against its unsavory enemies in the east...

How about the Out of Place Miner? :)

Las Vegas, Nevada
Postseason, 2034


The ACL injury to Michael Ryan had taken a toll. Ryan was still a very good quarterback, but his stats had suffered noticeably since his knee blew out.

Fortunately, the Scorpions were able to rely on the running of Wade "The Man of" Stiehl, who led the league with 1,944 yards at 4.67 per carry.

The Scorpions finished the regular season at 12-3-1, good enough for a division title and top seed in the playoffs.

They won the Divisional round against Washington by a score of 28-18, and captured the Conference title versus Carolina, 31-24. Ryan went 16-30 for 346 yards, and Stiehl had 30 carries for 170 yards.

The Super Bowl was in Las Vegas this year. The opponent was the San Diego Chargers. Franklin watched the game from his private box with John Smith.

"So, what are we going to do about the Bulldog project?" asked John.

"I don't know. If Stiehl keeps running like this, we're not going to need him for a while." Franklin replied.

"Two seasons All Pac-10. Not bad."

"Yeah, well, he's staying in school for a while, it seems. I have a contingency plan, if I need to stretch it out a bit longer."

"Well, Stiehl is 30 now. He can't keep this up for much longer."

"No, but I'd hate to run him out of here after all he's done. He's worked out much better than expected."

"True, but he's expensive. Might not be a bad idea to trade him while there's still value there."

"Maybe. We'll see. We have two more years. A lot can happen."

John changed the subject. "Didn't invite her out here again?"

"Nope."

"And why isn't she watching the Super Bowl with her boyfriend?"

"Because her boyfriend is in Northern California visiting family."

"You know, that relationship can't work."

"Why not?"

"Because there are too many secrets. Even if she knew, she'd probably freak. And she's a reporter. She graduates this year, and she's got jobs lined up at a few papers already. She could cause a lot of headaches."

"I'm not worried about that right now. Can we just watch the game?"

***

Arizona became the first team in history to win three consecutive Super Bowls, defeating the Chargers 32-22.

Damn you and your bad knee, Mike Ryan! This is a passing team. A back with nearly 2000 yards is MAD I tell you! :mad:

It's disappointing. Ryan had maxed out ratings, and before the injury, a QB rating to match.

Now his ratings are still solid, but instead of in the 90's, he barely cracks 80 overall. His rating was WAY down this year. I'll post the stats tomorrow... but, basically, he went from being the #1 QB in the league to like #6 or 7... and I made no gameplan changes. In fact, he should have done better, as I made some improvements (not huge, but significant) to the O-line, and no major players on offense suffered any injury this season (one fullback missed a few weeks... that's about it.)

Mr. Ryan needs some nano-knees. Where's that FOF6 ideas thread . . .

I swear if this thread makes it to page 2 one more time . . .:mad:

Sorry... been real busy at work and at home lately... not much uninterrupted time for dynasty writing.

Having a baby counts as "busy." And the Cardinals have a very liberal Family Leave policy. Take your time.
:)