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The Kranzt family was gathered around their large kitchen table, and, through the window glass, Avery could see his father's mouth moving. Three representatives of the town's mercenary police force were in the room with his family, a human and two Coynites. The human was making notes in a datapad, nodding his head as the elder Kranzt spoke. His mother looked at the police nervously, as did Avery's younger brother and sister, both children. Avery had an elder sister also, named Jess, but she had left the planet just last year. Good timing, Avery mused. Still, the interview seemed civil enough, as far as Avery could see. The police didn't seem to be trying to intimidate anyone, although the Coynites looked remotely excited at the prospect of being able to run someone down. Criminal activity simply didn't occur on Bodrin, and the local law enforcement spent most of their time simply ensuring that visitors to the world behaved in a respectable fashion. Avery took heart in the knowledge that, if he were being actively pursued for murder, the police would be behaving in an entirely different fashion. This fact, however, gave way to worse possibilities: whatever had been going on at the quarry, the police didn't seem to want to alert the general populace to it. Avery looked back in at his father, and was startled to see the elder Kranzt looking back at him. He started to duck, but saw that his father gave no sign of having seen him. Mr. Kranzt did, however, making a subtle motion with his hand, its meaning abundantly clear: Take off, it said, it isn't safe for you here. Avery dropped back down out of sight, and wished his family the best as he ran off down an alley. The neighborhood streets of Bent were mostly deserted at this hour of the mid-morning, the majority of the town's citizens off about their daily business. He had no trouble meeting back up with Grakkata, who awaited him down another sidestreet with her cargo skiff. Avery had snuck Bella, Stav's cracian thumper, back to the Pollos household when they'd first come into town, but Stav had been nowhere to be seen. It appeared that it was business as usual back at the quarry, which only served to fuel Avery's suspicions about what mysterious powers were at work here. Grakkata barked out a greeting to the young man, who jumped into the back of the skiff as she drove it in the direction of the hangar. Doing his best not to show his face, Avery studied his hometown as he rode along. There were most certainly mercenary police patrols scattered sparsely about, but they also seemed to be doing their best to remain inconspicuous. Without so much as a roadblock to hinder them, the pair was at the hangar in no time. The Bent 'spaceport' was a modest sized walled area, laid out flat with inner corridors leading to the various docking bays inside. These docking bays could only be reached through one entrance, where a security officer kept track of pedestrian and cargo traffic in and out of the hangar. That operator now raised a hand in greeting as Avery approached his booth. "Hey, Ave, what's up?" he asked, pleased to have a visitor break up his otherwise uneventful morning. "Not much, Dusty," Avery replied, "came to check on my bird." "Your bird!" Dusty laughed at the imposition. "How many times have we gone over this? She's the sworn property of EQC. Anyway, if you polish that thing anymore, the wings'll fall off!" "Right…" Avery smiled patiently, going through the usual rigmarole. "By the way, my friend over here doesn't speak the language, wants me to ask you if she can get in and grab some stuff she left on her ship when she landed last night." "Oh, sure," Dusty said, waving his friend and the hairy giant inside, neglecting to ask himself just when Avery had started speaking Wookiee. The low-ceilinged corridors were amply wide enough for Grakkata's cargo skiff, which glided along quietly. Hangar doors branched off on either side of them, each with its own security keypad to keep out potential shipjackers or thieves. It was only a precautionary measure, as crime was virtually non-existent on the peaceful little world. At least, among the citizenry, Avery mused to himself as they stopped the skiff and hopped out. The supply room doors were large, and would clearly not be broken through. Avery studied the keypad, but threw his hands in the air. It was a simple combination computer, and either you knew the combination, or you didn't. Scratching his head, he gingerly pulled the unit from the wall, and began tugging at various wires that trailed out the back of it. Two of the wires snapped out of place, and spat out a small shower of sparks as they connected with one another. He must have done something right, because the big white metal doors parted obediently, and the duo was met with a puff of air from inside the chamber. They rushed inside, neither of them noticing a new, blinking red light on the security panel that Avery left hanging on the wall. Avery looked around nervously at the rows and shelves of starship maintenance gear, and spoke to his companion. "Well, you're the expert!" Grakkata was already rifling through some neatly arranged hyperdrive parts along the far wall, tossing bits and pieces into a large, woven net she'd brought along for just that purpose. Avery looked tensely left and right down the corridor, but heard no one approaching. A loud metallic clang sounded behind him, making him jump. He turned to see one of Grakkata's parts rolling away, while she struggled with the net and cursed angrily in her own language. "Here, let me help you with that," he said, chasing after the unidentifiable device. It had rolled under a shelf, and Avery was forced to lie prone to retrieve it, stretching as far as he could in the grungy, oily darkness. His fingers connected, almost sending it spinning further underneath, when he lunged and was able to get a good hold on the stubborn little piece of technology. "Got it…" He said, climbing to his feet. As he rose, Avery was aware of the unpleasant sensation of time slowing to about one-quarter its normal speed, and of one simple thought burning brightly in his mind: I should look up, before I stand up. Then, he was being thrown back against the shelves of starship gear, propelled by two expertly aimed blaster bolts that slammed into his chest. Pain seizing him, he struggled to look up and was met with the unwelcome appearance of one of the hangar's K-4 security droids. The fearsome machine stood in the doorway, dismissing Avery and now turning its attention toward his Wookiee companion. He could hear Grakkata howling and blasting away at the robot, while he struggled to bring his rifle to bear. Raising his arms brought a wave of searing agony to his chest, and Avery bit back the pain as he did his best to send a few wild shots in the robot's direction. Realizing the young human wasn't dead, the K-4 turned back toward him, and sent another volley of shots his way. Avery rolled out of the line of fire, slamming into one of the shelves and pulling a mountain of parts down upon himself with a thundering crash. He could hear the droid's thudding footsteps heading his way, while it and Grakkata continued firing at each other. And then there was silence, and Avery was just about to crawl out of the pile when he was crushed down by the heaviest piece of equipment yet - the blasted security droid. Crying out in pain, he was vaguely aware of Grakkata calling out to him, and throwing the bits of equipment that covered him this way and that. Then he was lifted bodily by the Wookiee, and carried out into the corridor where he was dumped unceremoniously onto the cargo skiff. Grakkata's bag of parts landed beside him, and seconds later he could hear the transport's drive whining to life. Grakkata hammered the accelerator, and the pair was on their way. Facing backward, Avery spotted more blaster bolts flying toward them, coming from a second security droid. "'Nother one…" he croaked, but was sure the Wookiee couldn't hear him. Grakkata seemed to sense the danger, however, as she swerved the skiff erratically and rounded the corner to safety. Avery clawed his way into the passenger's chair, gripping the dash tensely as the skiff approached the main entrance. Poor old Dusty ran back and forth up ahead, waving his hands in the air like a madman. "Avery, what're you doin'?" he squawked, barely leaping out of the way in time as the skiff threatened to bowl him over. He chased the fleeing vehicle out into the road, calling helplessly. "Come back, Avery! You gotta help me catch whoever broke into the supply room!" ~ Chapter 4 ~ The medpac that Grakkata expertly applied soothed his wounds, and Avery was shortly feeling like himself again. "Thank you," he said, twisting his torso this way and that, "that stuff really works." "There are only so many of that variety of medpac to go around," Arro-Six told him. "We found a secret cache of them when we-" Interrupted by a quick word from the Wookiee, she abandoned the train of thought, and opted to rest her metal body in one of the lounge chairs, instead. "Anyway, I'm glad the two of you have returned. This demolition unit you left me with is not the most garrulous of droids." Offended, Dot rumbled out his eloquent rebuke. "Rrrhr." Avery turned his attention to the Wookiee. "So what now?" he asked. "I assume you have some repairs to do, and I'm as wanted as I ever was. Do you need any help around here?" Grakkata barked out an affirmative, and he was pleased to hear it. I could sure use the time to think about what I'm going to do next; he mused, completely out of ideas. "Dibs on the electric astro feed line tracing!" Arro called out in her nasal, metallic voice, and strode away toward the cockpit. Dot, knowing nothing about starships, promptly fell asleep, while Grakkata pulled out a toolbox full of hyperdrive instruments that were completely foreign to the young human. "So, where does that leave me?" he asked. Avery sat atop the Treespirit, digging away at a mass of scorched, blasted debris that covered a good-sized area of the vessel's hull. A blaster burn like this one looked pretty ugly up close, and smelled even worse. Many of the softer hyperdrive components had been liquified under this section of the hull, and Avery would have to clean out all of the blackened mess before Grakkata could get the new parts in properly from underneath, inside the vessel. Scooping out another couple of handfulls of acrid soot, he held his breath and threw them over the side of the ship. The day was hot and moist, clouds covering most of the afternoon sky. The Treespirit looked far different under daylight, Avery noticed. The entire vessel had been painted in the vibrant greens and browns of forest camouflage, the colours fading into one another seamlessly. It wouldn't really hide the vessel from the probing eye, of course, but the colours did create a beautiful effect. Avery supposed that Grakkata had had the craft painted this way for sentimental reasons - he'd heard that these Wookiees came from a heavily forested world. A small vacuum brush Grakkata had given him served to clear away the last of the debris, and then Avery was on his way back to the ship's dorsal hatch. Pausing a moment over the round opening, he leaned back to study the overcast grey sky. Gonna rain, he mused, I guess I should get back to Stav's cabin sometime soon. The thought made him feel strangely sad, and he descended the ladder back into the ship with a heavy heart. Grakkata was busily fitting parts into a panel in the ceiling, while Arro, her tasks completed, stood motionless and deactivated in the centre of the maintenance area. Avery continued forward into the crew lounge, where Dot slept soundlessly. What am I going to do with this droid? He asked himself. What am I going to do about anything? Feeling hopeless, he continued further forward into the Treespirit, finally forced to come to a halt in the cockpit. Sliding into the co-pilot's chair, he rested a foot on the console, and leaned back. A squeaking from the ceiling stole his attention, and Avery's eyes followed the noise to find a pair of wrist-binders hanging there, broken, in a place where most spacers would have hung an air refresher, or lucky charm. It appeared to Avery that, no matter how bad his situation, Grakkata might just have seen worse. Imagining what hair-raising adventures this Wookiee woman and her droid may have experienced, Avery closed his eyes, and was asleep in moments… Poom. Avery was lying in a fathomless, black void, but was not afraid. It was peaceful here, that old demon Fear choosing to make its home in colder climes. Poom. There was a surface beneath him, which glowed with its own soft, blue light. Poom. Stripes of the blue light curled up around him, protecting him as he- Poom. -realized the stripes were fingers, several fingers of a- Poom. -luminous hand in whose palm he now lay. But- Poom. -something was approaching, something- Poom. -from below, something horrible, and the- Poom. -hand curled him up further, but the- Poom. -dark things started to eat away at it, tearing- Poom. -ragged holes in the ghostly fabric and- Poom. -they were coming for him… Poom. Avery snapped awake with a start, taking a second to recall just where he was. He could hear Grakkata cleaning up back in the ship's hold, noisily putting tools away and replacing access panels. It was a little darker now, and the rain that had threatened to appear earlier was just now beginning to manifest itself in little drops on the cockpit glass. Avery was watching them fall, when he saw something moving further outside the window, accompanied by a sound. Poom. Straightening up in the chair, Avery beheld a sight that, until now, he'd only seen on news holovision. A vehicle stood outside, a tall, two-legged vehicle whose evil head stared back at him with soulless eyes, inside of which two troops covered the Treespirit with the vehicle's laser cannons, two fearsome tusks on the front of the beast. An Imperial AT-ST walker was an impressive sight, this one accompanied by eight grey-clad army troopers who fanned out to cover the ship. "Grak…" Avery croaked softly, and cleared his throat. "Grakkata!" The Wookiee growled from somewhere in the rear, and came running forward. Clearly, she'd heard the noise too, and erupted with an angry roar when she saw what waited for them outside the cockpit. Arro-Six was right on her heels. "Oh no!" she shouted, "They've caught us at last!" "Attention, Treespirit," called an amplified voice from inside the walker, "lower your ramp and prepare to be boarded." In reply, Grakkata hammered her fists on the console, hastily activating the ship's drives. The troops surrounding the vessel opened fire immediately, and the area was alight with laser fire. Grakkata howled at Avery, pointing frantically at the gunnery controls in front of him. Avery didn't need Arro to tell him what the Wookiee was suggesting and, as the walker began to join in the assault, he switched on the controls to the Treespirit's turret laser, swinging the cannon in the direction of the enemy vehicle. The army troopers danced around frantically as the starship's weaponry roared to life, ripping up the ground around them and cracking the surrounding trees. The walker's cannons hammered the vessel as it lifted into the air, it's hull holding strong. Avery lined up the AT-ST in his sights, and pounded the controls. Hit with multiple blasts, the walker exploded in a ball of roaring fire, raining down pieces on the hapless troops below. The Treespirit climbed up over the landscape at dizzying speeds, making for high orbit. Puncturing the cloud cover, the ship was bathed in sunlight as it left the surface of Bodrin behind, and headed for the stars. Avery looked down at the shrinking ball he had called his home for twenty-three years, and heaved a sigh. I guess my mind's been made up for me, he mused, as the ship's sensors began beeping for attention. "Star Destroyer!" Arro announced, the tension bleeding through her tones, "the Thunderflare!" It was redundant, for the wedge-shaped warship floated dead ahead, nerve-wrackingly close. "It must have been waiting here for us," Avery said in awe, holding onto the cannon controls desperately. "Now's the time to test out those stolen parts!" Arro cried, while Grakkata prepared to take the Treespirit into a blind jump. The Wookiee pulled back on the hyperdrive levers, and Avery Kranzt just had time to bid his old life adieu as the stars bent themselves into screaming white lines around him… "Well, they've gotten away." Captain Tanda Pryll noted the announcement without looking at the lieutenant, made a note in her datapad. "Yes, I see. Was the quarryman with them?" "We believe so, sir. He was part of that robbery… it makes sense." He scowled at the woman's back, and sighed for all the bridge crew to hear. What some petty civilian had to do with all this was truly beyond him. "With all due respect, sir, my battery crews could have reduced that junk heap to slag, and this case could have been closed. The Treespirit has been verified as a pirate vessel. There's no need to reel everyone in for questioning." "I am aware of your thoughts in the matter, Lieutenant Trenta, " she admonished him, "and would remind you that it is I who sits in the big chair." She played with her long, brown braid absently, a habit that annoyed the lieutenant to no end. Walking to the giant window, she stood silently for a time, while Trenta tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for some kind of order. "Contact my team leader on the surface," she instructed the man. "Ask him what he needs, and give it to him, lieutenant. The time has clearly come to proceed…" |
"Tales
of the Freespirit - Episode I:Discovery" is available for download.
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