The 'Scarecrow' Saga - Overviews of the Original Stories

[|Scarecrow|]

003. “SURVIVAL”, Feature length story –
Written in full by [Scarecrow] and presented post-by-post on Freelancer Evolved (EvolvedOnes).

After being chased half-way across the entire Sirius sector, Scarecrow crash-landed his crippled ‘serial two-one’ on a world unknown to him; a world of hostile creatures and harsh jungle environments. In the immediate aftermath of the crash, he found that he was suffering from short term memory loss and could not recall the events that had led to him coming down over the harsh alien world. All he knew was that he had been running from something, and that he had a precious cargo aboard; the frozen escape pod of Blood Dragon pilot Tomoko Yamaguchi.

For the better part of two days, Scarecrow worked hard to try and repair the ship’s life support systems and communications array, using only what he had available to him. As he worked, he became light-headed and dizzy, leading him to the conclusion that the atmosphere of the verdant world must have been rich with oxygen and other potentially noxious gasses. Pacing himself, he continued his work at an adapted rate to suit the climate, fearful of what might befall him.

Meanwhile, native Hispaniard and Corsair Rosa Ibanez watched as a streak of fire lit up the night’s sky at her camp. She was almost certain of the likelihood that the shooting-star had been the final decay of a stricken starship, or some other kind of artificial object. Given its position in the Omicron Gamma system, the planet Crete rarely gathered any stellar debris in its orbit. With their masks and oxygen tanks equipped, Ibanez and her band of Corsairs set out on foot toward the crash site, hopeful of some useful, if not valuable scrap.

For hours, Scarecrow worked tirelessly to try and repair the communications array. Whilst he worked, he started to hear low snarls and guttural howls from the jungle around him. Unsure of whether he was hallucinating, he decided to take the precaution anyway and enact measures to protect himself and Tomoko Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi’s cryo-pod had failed during the crash, and she was slowly thawing out. Unfortunately, her rate of recovery was not quick enough to give Scarecrow any additional support in putting up his defenses. Soon, a pack of native flesh-eating monsters encroached on the crash site. With nothing but an ever-depleting pulse rifle and some handmade wooden fortifications, Scarecrow made what he thought would be a desperate final stand.

Rosa Ibanez and her band of Corsairs appeared just in time to save Marcus and Tomoko from the circling pack of beasts. However, for Scarecrow, it was out of the frying pan and into the fire. The Corsairs took Marcus and Tomoko prisoner and marched them back to their camp. One of the Corsair pilots, an arrogant and assertive man named Con di Grassi, made loud noises about a profitable deal for the two captives on the local slave market. Ibanez, anti-slavery as she was, actively stood against this and a conflict for leadership of the group ensued between her and di Grassi. This boiled down to a challenge to fight to the death. The Corsairs cleared a circle, and Marcus and Tomoko watched on as Ibanez and di Grassi fought with blades until the victor stood over the slain corpse of their opponent. For a while, it seemed an uneven match against Ibanez, but she ultimately outwitted di Grassi and gained the upper hand. She had no choice other than to kill him, as tradition demanded. Di Grassi died with honour, and Ibanez retained her command.

After the fight, Rosa Ibanez agreed to help Marcus and Tomoko on their journey out of Omicron Gamma. Leaving a new deputy in charge at their camp, she left in her Titan class very-heavy-fighter and transported the two survivors to Freeport 5 in the neighbouring Omega-41 system. With respect among them, they parted on good terms. Rosa returned to Omicron Gamma, leaving Marcus and Tomoko at the start of their long journey home.

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| S C A R E C R O W |

"See you space cowboy..."