TALES OF THE FREESPIRIT

EPISODE I: DISCOVERY

by I. J. Thompson

Illustrated by Allan Whincup and Dave Myatt


Author's note: Tales of the Freespirit is the name of the collected adventures of my gaming group, in a campaign that began in 1997. We've been able to gather only sparsely over the last three years, and so, the need for these tales arose from my desire to keep my group's history together in a form we could all refer to during the 'down-time'. Since I had to write everything down anyway, I thought 'why not make these histories entertaining'? Well, I hope I've done just that. If you enjoy it, let me know - there are, at present, eighteen more episodes waiting to be told! All will appear in collected form in my upcoming website of the same name, and will be accompanied by stats and descriptions of all the people, places and things described herein. And the best part? All of these stories 'actually happened'! So join me as we embark on the first solo adventure of the campaign, 'starring' my good friend John Arnold as Avery Kranzt…


The Galactic Empire's fearsome Death Star has been destroyed, rekindling the flames of hope in a galaxy torn by war. The Rebel Alliance grows, while the Empire regroups, waiting for the opportunity to strike out again.

Meanwhile, far from the heart of civil war, on the planet Bodrin in distant Elrood Sector, a young, aspiring fighter pilot is about to learn that destiny is something that can neither be predicted, nor escaped…

Chapter 1

Avery Kranzt pulled the weathered Z-95 into a steep climb, admiring as always the sight of Bodrin's mid-afternoon sky turning from blue to black around him. Stars slowly began to reveal themselves, coaxed out of hiding to greet the young human who had come to spend a little time in their midst. Avery enjoyed them while he could, knowing full well that he probably wouldn't be up here for more than twenty minutes. He looked out the side of his cockpit at the planet below, and made a silent promise to himself that one day, he'd leave that dull little world for good. It was a promise he made every time he flew.

"Are you just going to drift off all the way to Coruscant?" a polite voice in his headset asked him. It was Stav Pollos, Avery's best friend, co-worker and some-time wingmate. When he and Stav weren't working in the bodrite quarry on the planet below, they volunteered as trainee defence pilots, keeping the valuable stone safe from space-borne bandits as it was transferred from the surface to an Elrood Quarry Corp. bulk freighter in orbit. It was a good way to ultimately get their pilot certification, and to see the stars, besides.

Avery snapped himself out of his reverie, and pulled his fighter back into formation portside of the barge they were escorting. The vessel was as weak as it was old, and would be no match for a pirate attack. Avery wasn't certain that two dilapidated Z-95s would fare all that well either, but he was prepared to test those odds any time. Some of the other quarry defence pilots had had tangles with Elrood sector's criminal element, and Avery envied them all - even the ones who were now confined to the local medical facility.

"Sorry," he answered his friend, "daydreamin'."

Ten more flight hours and we're certified," Stav replied. "I'd hate to see you lose points on account of sleeping at the stick!" His words were joking, but his voice was warm and kind as always. Avery often wondered what kept his friend so cool, especially when compared to all the other loudmouth quarry workers with whom they spent most of their days. It was a quality Stav had had since childhood, and Avery supposed it was perhaps a trait shared by all the Meri, who lived primarily on the neighboring planet of Merisee. What brought Stav and his family away from their homeworld the Meri had never told him, and Avery had never asked. Certainly, they were the only family of that species in their town of Bent, and possibly the whole, creaky old planet. People didn't come to Bodrin, as far as Avery knew. They were born here and, if they had any ambition, they left by their mid-twenties. Avery, at twenty-three, was a typical example, possessed of a wanderlust of almost Devaronian proportions. Stav Pollos, on the other hand, had never mentioned a desire to leave the planet. The Meri worked all day, and brought his pay home to his mother and uncle, who ran a small candy shop in town. The three of them enjoyed a comfortable, if spartan lifestyle, and Stav showed no sign of being eager to leave it. It was something the two old friends never discussed, lest it remind them that they were living in what they both supposed were their last few months together.

"I'll try to stay awake," Avery laughed, "but a little action would help, for a change."

"Hmm…" Stav replied, "I'm remembering the words of some ancient mystic… something about 'be careful what you wish for…'"

Avery smiled, flying a gentle roll around the barge, which was just now beginning to link up with the hulking freighter that had been waiting up here for them. Straightening his course, he took a moment to study his sensors. Four blips hovered around one another - himself, Stav, the barge, and the Elrood Quarry freighter. As he watched, the four blips were joined by two others, far off in the distance. Avery adjusted his instrumentation, homing in on the two signatures, which revealed themselves as unknowns.

"Do you see what I see?" Stav asked in his headset, and Avery nodded, though his friend couldn't see. "Uh-huh. Two weirdies, and I don't think I'm ready to call them friendlies."

"Coming in fast," Stav answered back, "and I - uh oh…" he trailed off, as cannon fire from the approaching ships stole his attention.

Avery banked his Z-95 directly into the path of the approaching enemies, throwing power to the guns and angling the fighter's meager deflector shield. Executing a wild barrel roll, he spat triple blaster fire into his opponent's faces, frantically dodging the laser bolts coming his way. Just moments shy of a collision with one of the enemy fighters, he was smacked squarely with some precisely aimed cannon fire. The vessel flew over his head, while Avery frantically tried to turn in behind it, grappling with a damaged maneuvering thruster.

"Oops," he said meekly into his comlink, as his opponent turned around to settle in behind.

"I'm on my way, laser-brain!" Stav chided him, homing in on Avery's pursuer and trying to shake the other craft at the same time. "Just try to hold it together, I think I can get there…"

"Who are these guys, anyway?" Avery demanded, frantically dodging the attacks coming from his rear.

"These are scout ships, Redthorn-class," Stav replied, lining up the stocky white craft in his sights. "That can mean only one thing: Dorok Zalaster!"

Avery cursed under his breath. Elrood sector's premiere criminal had come to pay a visit to Bodrin, and here he was, ten seconds into the fray with a damaged thruster and Stav was already having to bail him out of trouble. If Stav gets this guy off my tail, he swore, I'm gonna let the other one have it, like nobody's business.

Another voice called to them over the channel. "Planetary fighters, this is Elrood Quarry freighter Tenkuo. Are we to believe that you have this situation under control?"

Avery watched Stav cut into his pursuer with a barrage of blaster fire. The attack got the enemy off his tail, but didn't seem to damage the scout in any way. "Yes, yes!" he shouted, "We'll crack 'em, just finish your transfer, already!"

This time, the barge's captain spoke to them. "This is going to take at least ten more minutes."

"Those scouts are bound to be accompanied by a transport, of some kind," Stav stated coolly. "And if you're not finished when it gets here, you'll likely find yourself faced with a boarding party."

The barge captain spat venom into the comm. "Don't tell me my business, junior. We'll be done when we're done!"

Avery started to shout a rebuke in his friends' defence, was distracted by one of the scouts flying neatly through his sights. Opening up the guns, he laid into the winged craft with single-minded determination. Blaster fire peppered its shields, which held strong. I don't know about this… he thought gloomily.

"New craft, coming in!" shouted the sensor operator aboard the larger freighter, and everyone turned their attention to their readouts. A lone Ghtroc 720, designation Treespirit, was speeding toward them like a wild animal.

"Well, there you go!" Avery said sarcastically. "Maybe now would be a good time to step on it?" The barge captain didn't reply. No matter, he thought to himself, I'm sure I'll get an earful from him when we make planetfall. Out his canopy, he saw Stav getting dealt a vicious blow from one of the scouts. If we make planetfall…

The new vessel Treespirit pulled into the fray, lining itself up with Stav and his attacker. Avery said a silent prayer for his friend, and tried to get over there. With a flash of turret lasers, the Treespirit lit up the area, striking multiple direct hits on not Stav in his Z-95, but the pirate scout ship that threatened his life. The smaller craft was ripped up by the attack, and consumed in a spectacular fireball that rang thunder in all their headsets.

"Thank you, Treespirit," Stav said, sounding relieved, "that was as close as I'd like to come. Would you mind telling us who you are?" Only empty static answered him.

"Well, whoever you are, we're gratefull for your help." Avery spoke up. "And if you'll look at your sensors, you'll see that we definitely have our work cut out for us!" He was referring to another new arrival in the space over Bodrin; a freighter called The Last Thing. Clearly, the boarding craft had arrived.

By way of reply, the Treespirit turned about and sped toward the newer craft. Avery set about pursuing the remaining scout ship, calling happily into his headset. "Come on, Stav," he invited, "whoever gets the kill drinks on the loser's tab!" Stav pulled in close beside him, trying to scare him off the scout's six o'clock. Avery grinned, always enjoying a game of chicken with his friend.

But suddenly, Avery Kranzt was in another place…

Avery stared into the eye of the hold-out blaster that Brobec, the quarry foreman, had trained on him. Beside Brobec stood Spinter, another one of the workers. He too was armed, and the look on his face suggested that this was anything but a joke. The day was hot, and sweat beaded on all their faces.

"Give us the rock," Brobec said, in a no-nonsense tone so unlike his usual big-brotherly image. "You're a sharp guy, Avery. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

Confused, Avery studied his surroundings. The three of them were alone out here in the quarry, standing beside a great pile of blasted rock. He looked down at his feet, and discovered a fourth person present. It was Greel, one of the other quarry guys, lying dead with a smoking blaster burn in his chest. Avery took a step back, regarding the body silently. He'd never liked Greel

"Now, wait just a blasted second," he began, "I don't know just what's happening here, but I think I need an explanation, if not a doctor. Two seconds ago, I was flying defence with Stav, now I'm standing here with two blasters in my face." he looked at them intently, awaiting a response. "And what happened to Greel?"

Brobec and Spinter gave each other a strange look, and then the older man spoke. "Greel is dead. You killed him. Don't try to play crazy with us. Just give us the rock you stole, and we can at least tell the authorities you cooperated."

Avery threw his arms in the air. "What rock?" he demanded. "I haven't the vaguest idea what you guys are talking about!"

Brobec straightened, lined his blaster up with the area between Avery's eyes. Spinter also pointed his blaster, legs tensing spasmodically.

"Have it your own way," the foreman said, "either way, I'll have what's mine…"

Avery quickly ducked and leapt to the right, leaving two whining laser bolts to jump through the space where his head had been. He ran around the side of the rockpile, hearing his pursuers following close behind. I don't know what's going on out here, he thought to himself, but if I'm gonna find any justice, it ain't with these two.

Coming around the other side of the rock pile, Avery was treated to a welcome sight. Two of the quarry work trucks, waiting right where they were supposed to be. He leaped up onto the side of one of the vehicles, yanking madly at the driver's door while blaster bolts riddled the sturdy vehicle. Pulling himself inside, he keyed the vehicle to life while slamming the door beside him. Spinter was at the door in a second, hanging onto the handle and yelling at Avery through the window, trying to line up a shot while the truck's treads started rolling over the rugged terrain. The bouncing and rattling didn't shake him, however, and Avery was in real danger of getting shot at any moment. Unlatching the door, he dealt it a mighty kick, which sent Spinter swinging forward, and bouncing off the front of the vehicle. The man hit the ground roughly, stood up, and started running away. Avery craned his neck to see where he was running to, and saw the second truck rumbling along after him, with foreman Brobec at the controls. Spinter climbed up into the passenger side of the vehicle, and Avery saw, to his dismay, the large cutting laser atop the truck swinging toward him, and chasing after his vehicle with bolts of fiery death.

"Blast!" he shouted in the cabin, and set to work trying to drive the truck and get its laser going, at the same time. His truck was hit squarely in the rear, and Avery's head banged against the dash. Targeting the turret laser behind him, he responded with a few blind blasts of his own. All of them missed, but at least he now felt somewhat in control.

"You've signed your own death warrant, son," Brobec's voice spoke over the open comlink, "You're not turning back from this." Avery ignored his superior, blasting backward a few more times while he piloted the truck toward the forested wilderness. This time, he did score a nice hit on his pursuer's treads, but the vehicle kept coming. A fallen log crossed his path, which he laid into at full speed, bouncing violently into the air, then swinging nose-down again with the rear of his vehicle sticking up. This position made a delicious target for Spinter, who let fly with a barrage from his cutting lasers. Metal screamed under Avery's feet and a horrible moaning sound told him that his truck's drives were hurt badly. Gritting his teeth angrily, he tried to accelerate; though the truck was very clearly slowing down.

His attackers hit the log at high speed, the truck's nose flying up into the air as Avery's had done. The truck crashed back down onto the log, its nose dipping down to touch the ground on Avery's side, its cargo box lifted by the log. Now, Avery had the advantage. He cut into it with the laser, shattering the cabin and lighting some of the interior on fire. Smoke billowed out the broken windows, and someone could be seen moving inside.

"You've killed Brobec!" Spinter shrieked through the comlink. "You're gonna pay for this in blood! Your family will pay!"

Avery didn't like those kinds of threats. "You listen to me, Spinter," he said, unsure if the speaker in the other vehicle was even operational. "This is between you and me now. You're gonna tell me what's going on, or you're gonna fry like Brobec. Come out with your hands up." The fire had gone out in the cabin of the other vehicle, but the smoke obscured any view of what was happening in there. Avery kept his hands on the controls to the cutting laser, which were slippery with sweat.

Just then, the passenger door on the other vehicle banged open, and Spinter charged out, running cross-country away from the wreckage. Avery noticed the man was running toward the heavy forest, and pounded the dash in frustration. If Spinter made it into the woods it would be a coin toss whether or not he'd be able to find him again, and Avery had no desire to find out if Spinter's threats to his family were a bluff, or the real deal. Slamming on the accelerator, he swung the work truck after the fleeing man.

Although nowhere near premium performance, the truck was still able to gain on the running man, and the distance between them was closing steadily. As Spinter approached the tree cover, Avery kept expecting him to wise up, to throw his hands into the air, to surrender. The man kept running, intent only on getting away with the answers to all of Avery's questions in his head. The truck's treads raged madly at Spinter's heels, but still he would not abandon his charge for the thick trees. Biting his lip, Avery made a judgement call and decided nothing, not even an explanation, was worth possibly letting this man get away. Pushing the truck's accelerator to the limit, he closed the distance between himself and Spinter, grinding the man beneath the heavy treaded vehicle, just a few short yards away from the treeline. He felt a sickening in his throat for Spinter, and no satisfaction. Shutting down the wrecked vehicle, he fell back against the seat, exhausted, as the surrounding wildlife began to speak up again, calling out nervously to one another. He lay there a silent moment, trying to puzzle out the events of what felt like the past hour, but surely must have been at least a day.

Where did the time go? He asked himself, and what did those two want, anyway? Giving a start, he remembered what Brobec had said to him, and began slapping at his pockets. There, in the jacket pocket over his heart, something revealed itself. Fishing in the pocket, he brought out a jewel, about twenty centimeters in length. It was a perfect, crystalline blue, and almost seemed to glow with its own inner light. The jewel was in the shape of a finger, long, slender and alien. Avery replaced the jewel in his pocket, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.


"Avery, what happened to you?" Stav asked the batttered young man standing on his doorstep. They were around back of the Pollos' Faraway Places candy store, out of sight of the sparse population of the town of Bent.

"I snuck into town," Avery answered, wiping dirt and crusted blood from his lip. We need to talk. Can we go upstairs?" Stav turned away, hanging his head back inside the candy store. "Shezza milhoban tan ebba-nostroo!" he shouted into the shop.

A voice answered him quickly. "Tyana sil bosquo yen denne-ha'" his mother said from somewhere inside, and Stav came out into the late-afternoon sun, closing the shop's back door behind him. "Come on," he said.

Stav led him up a flight of stairs upon which he and the Meri used to play when they were children. The stairs led to a small apartment above the Faraway Places candy shop. Faraway Places was, as its name suggested, a shop dedicated to finding and selling exotic sweets from around the galaxy and, though not a great money making venture, was a favourite among the population of Bent. Stav's mother and uncle had formed contacts with some of the traders that passed through the system, and one never knew just what delectable treat could be had at the Faraway Places candy shop on any given day. In fact, it was this store that had brought the two friends together, when an eight year-old Avery had come here to sample Ithorian chudder gum, Duro jelly bars, or whatever else the shop had to offer. Avery felt a great wave of nostalgia, as he realized just how far those days were behind him, now.

"I'm in trouble," he told his friend, who closed the apartment door behind them. "I need you to tell me everything that's happened since we went up against those scout ships."

"Zalaster," Stav nodded. "Well, do you remember the Treespirit joining in?"

"Yes, I remember that," Avery replied. "It took out one of the scouts for us. Then we went after the other. But it all ends there."

"The Treespirit went after The Last Thing, but was damaged, and took off. By that time the bodrite had been transferred, and we got out of there. The pirates left, and we landed. That was yesterday. You took an overtime shift at the quarry today, but I've been here the whole time. What happened out there?"

Avery slumped down onto one of the low couches, pulled the mysterious jewel from his breast pocket. "Have you ever seen anything like this?"

Stav studied the stone, and looked like he would have raised his eyebrows, if he had any. "It isn't familiar to me," he said, "it looks like part of a statue, some sort of crystal."

Avery slipped the jewel back into his pocket, looking around nervously. "Whatever it is, Brobec and Spinter were going to kill me to get it, if I hadn't finished them off, first… And," he added hesitantly, "I think I might have killed Greel."

Stav sat back, lacing his fingers together on his lap. "Well," he sighed, "if you hadn't done that, someone surely would have." He chuckled, but saw that Avery wasn't quite up to laughing. "All right, seriously. Now, I don't think anyone's after you here in town… not yet. But soon the evidence of whatever happened out there is going to be discovered. The way I see it, you have two choices. You can turn yourself in, which of course would be the honourable thing to do. But let me propose to you the possibility that, if Brobec and Spinter did what they did out of greed, then the authorities here in town might be similarly corrupted."

"They seemed to know what this jewel was," Avery interjected. "Maybe they were part of an organized search to find it!"

"If that is so, I would suggest that you can't be certain who is on your side, at the moment." He smiled broadly. "With the exception of myself, of course!"

Avery smiled back. "Okay, so what's my other choice?"

Stav rose, and walked into the open kitchen, where he fished through a drawer. "I'm going to give you the cardkey for our cabin," he said. He was referring to the Pollos' vacation retreat, a small dwelling isolated beside a lake a few kilometers from the town. Avery knew the place, and as a teenager had spent a few summers there with the Meri, rafting on the water and hunting fowl in the tall reeds. "There's food there, enough for a while, I think." He studied his chronometer. "My folks will be closing shop any minute. Come on outside."

Avery followed his friend out into the sun, which sat low on the horizon and cast long shadows across the dirt ground. The Meri led him down the stairs to a modest pen in back of the shop where Stav's Cracian thumper stood, snorting in greeting.

"Hello, Bella," the Meri said, and stroked the beasts' snout. "Avery's going to take you out for a good run, would you like that?" Bella turned to the young human and began nuzzling his hands, looking for a treat.

"Whoops," Stav said, and rummaged in his pockets for a sample of the Faraway Places' inventory. "Here, give her this," he said, handing Avery a hard Kubaz sweetball.

Avery fed the animal, petted her head while turning to his friend. "Thank you for everything, Stav. I'll be back as soon as all of this blows over." Stav looked off down the alley, having better sense than to remind his friend what the odds were of that happening.

"Hey," he said, "I'm still waiting for you to make your decision." Avery looked at him quizzically, and he smiled. "You can always turn yourself in."

Avery laughed and hoisted a saddle onto Bella's back, then climbed up onto the tough biped. Stav opened the gate, and Bella stepped eagerly out of her pen, looking forward to some exercise. "What will you tell your folks happened to her?" Avery asked of the animal.

"I'll tell them the truth," his friend said, "that you're going to bring her back, of course!" He smacked the animal on the rear, and Avery was propelled out of the town in a cloud of evening dust.

~ Turn to Chapter 2 ~



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