Baron Zemo's Lair. - The Shamelessly Derived Peter Porters Schooldays (Part7: Quincunx)

Baron Zemo's Lair

The Shamelessly Derived Peter Porters Schooldays (Part7: Quincunx)
Wednesday, 15-Sep-1999 08:00:43
195.92.194.13 writes:

Part Seven: Quincunx

Peter had to keep breaking into short trots in order to keep pace with Professor Hartless' purposeful stride. She eventually led him to a small ground floor study room, crammed from floor to ceiling with banks of VDUs, "Wilson!" she shouted. A fifth year Alpha poked his head from behind a complex looking device, "Wilson, I think I've found the Snatcher you've been looking for."

*

"You're not being expelled?" asked Ron, insistently.

"Nope." Replied Peter. Famished, he shovelled in another mouthful of potato. Peter had missed the remainder of the aerial manoeuvring and was only just in time to catch dinner before the hall closed.

"So, what happened then?" Continued Ron, with a slight hint of tetchiness.

"Promise you wont breath a word," said Peter, "I've been sworn to secrecy."

"I promise." said Ron, exasperated, "Com'on, stop messin' me about."

"I've been asked to practice as Snatcher for the Alpha Quincunx team."

"Whaaat!?" Exclaimed Ron in astonishment, "But first years don't... you must be the youngest player in over... in over..."

"Thirty years." Finished Peter, "Joe Wilson told me. I start secret training sessions tomorrow." Peter stopped eating, "There's just one problem, Ron; I don't really know what Quincunx is."

*

The following morning, a couple of hours before breakfast, Peter sneaked out of his dorm without waking his fellow first years. Joe Wilson was already geared up and waiting for him on the Quincunx field, "Nobody saw you?" He asked.

"I don't think so."

"Good!" Said Joe, "Try and keep it that way, our first game is against Psi Psi Omega, I want it to be a big surprise when you walk out onto the field - our secret weapon!" Joe Wilson was the captain of the long suffering Alphan Quincunx team, perennial runners-up to the undefeated Omegas for the past six seasons running in the Academy's Gardener Cup competition. At Professor Hartless' urging, Joe had taken on the responsibility of honing Peter obvious but raw flying ability. "Do you know anything about the game?" He asked Peter.

"Erm, not really. Ron tried to explain it, but I don't think I quite got it."

"Right; Quincunx is a game played by two teams of seven players;" explained Joe, "One Keeper - I'm the Alphan Keeper, three Catchers, two Shields and a Snatcher."

"One Keeper, three Catchers, two Shields and the Snatcher." Repeated Peter.

There are five balls used in the game; one's the Score, three are called Homers and the third, the most important one, is the Whistle."

"One score, three homers, one whistle." Parroted Peter again.

"The Keeper guards their team's hoop and tries to stop the opposition scoring. The Catchers each have a Mitt, they throw the Score to each other and try to get it into the opposition's hoop for ten points - problem is the score locks their flight belts when they're holding it so they have to get rid of it quickly. The three Homer balls have A.I.; they're programmed to home in on any player near to them. It's the Shields' jobs to protect their own Catchers with their Shields against Homers" he held up a circular shield, about the size of a dinner plate, "and bat the Homers towards the opposition - if Homers hit they can knock you for a loop and leave a real nasty bruise."

"Keeper - Catchers - Score - Ten Points - Homers - Shield. Got It." Said Peter.

"The Whistle ball also has A.I.; it's real small, real fast and very hard to spot because it's translucent. It's the Snatcher's job to get to the Whistle before the opposition's Snatcher - you get fifty points for snatching the Whistle and then it's the end of the game, so, unless you're trailing by more than five hoops, any time is a good time to snatch the Whistle."

*

When Peter eventually made it into the dining hall for breakfast he couldn't help but notice the look of fury on Von Malvine's face as their eyes met. Peter presumed it was because he was still at the Academy and had obviously not been expelled or even suspended, although, he reflected, the Hoodling's expression may have feasibly been engendered by the stack of freshly sucked limes piled on his plate, it was difficult to know for sure.

to be continued

Mr Pi (a bit surprized nobody's figured what it's derived from yet)