Other People’s Money 1999 short story by Mark Newbold Three years before Episode IV – A New Hope The Prodigal Son twisted around the wreckage of the destroyed starship and flared her retros, bringing the ship around to a slow halt, hovering near to the carnage. Embers glowed dimly against the pit-black night as the last fuel of the drive engines spewed from the torn engines and faded away into the forever.From the side of the Prodigal Son a hatch slowly opened, releasing
its passenger who drifted carefully into the night. Avoiding
the molten edges of the wreckage the figure entered the shell and hooked onto a bulkhead,
lessening the ebb and flow of high atmosphere space walking. Steadily and with deliberate moves the figure
traversed the gap between the wrecked walls until it reached a small cabinet that appeared
unaffected by the destruction. Pausing for a
brief second the figure reached behind for a bolt cutter and clipped away at the crude
chain, which secured the door. As it floated
away in the zero-G environment the figure yanked the doors apart and reached within. He fumbled for a moment and then pulled out a
large safety deposit box, which floated easily away in the free gravity. Satisfied, the figure began his return to his ship
and once at the entrance to the airlock he turned and stared at the simmering hulk. Tarr Ranth smiled in satisfaction
as he glanced down at the box. I much prefer spending other
people’s money. Three days earlier Tarr Ranth edged
around the side of the warehouse, which sat plum in the centre of the business district on
Wennicas. His target, a gun-for-hire called
Blaine Carter, hadn’t spotted him yet, but Ranth knew better than to underestimate an
opponent. Bitter experience had taught him
that over the years. Bounty hunting across
the Mid-Rim and far beyond had given Ranth an education that had served him well in the
following years, and it was that experience that had helped him track his quarry this far. Chancai to Wennicas was by no means a massive
trek, but via Lydon – that was a far trickier trip and Ranth knew that this was an
operator who knew his tricks and jives. He thumbed his vision adjuster on a
pad at the top of his palm and sneaked a peak around the corner again, his black
Mandalorian helmet a pale shadow against the approaching dusk. There,
his target was conferring with a batch of Rodians and Gribians, alien heavies from Rodia
in the Tyrius System and Gribia in the neighbouring Gribia System. They appeared to be engaged in an animated
discussion, and the two Rodians were waving their arms about in agitation. Ranth honed in to closer discern what they were
saying. “Are you totally crazy?” The lead Rodian said in clear basic. “There’s no way that we could break into that place!” He stepped back from Carter who was folding his arms slowly. “You’d better think of another plan.”
“Okay, I’ll say it slowly and we’ll see if you can follow.”
Carter spoke slowly, as if to a child, but the mixed group of aliens failed to pick up on
his thick slabs of sarcasm. “We don’t hit the Bank of Zelon.”
“Well, who does?” Spoke up a
Gribian. Carter frowned.
“Alright, you may not know this but Irri Darr is the best bank robber in the
Mid-Rim. She’s pulled off jobs from
Arrarat to Irata and she’s never been
caught. Not even close.”
“So? What’s that got to do
with us?” Blaine Carter turned on the Rodian
and gritted his teeth.
“Irri Darr is here on Wennicas right
now, planning her next job.”
“She is?”
“Yesss, she is. And guess where
that job will be.” “The Bank of Zelon.” Tarr Ranth whispered to himself as he slinked back behind the wall. So that was Carter’s plan. Tail the bank robber. He edged around the wall for another listen, increasing the gain on his receivers. “I was fortunate enough to befriend Irri Darr while we were both in the Yatchrare System. She was pulling off a heist at the Glann Cipple Interest Society up on Level 15 and I was in the area…totally by coincidence, of course.”
“Of course.” Whispered
Ranth.
“I helped her get by some local law enforcers and we made it off Zelon
together. Naturally she was so grateful for
my assistance that we started talking and decided to strike up a temporary partnership. Of course, she doesn’t realise how temporary
that partnership is going to be.” The group laughed and huddled in
closer. Ranth frowned, their proximity
muffling the reception. He could just make
out their whispered plans but not in enough detail to properly make out what they were
planning. He backed off. The night was falling rapidly, the dusk fading
away and he had a lot of planning to do. Thumbing
his backpack to silent mode he lifted off the ground by soundless repulsor and slowly but
steadily drifted back to his waiting starship. A full two days had passed. Ranth had been keeping close tabs
on the group, following them at an easy distance during the daytimes using various
disguises and aliases. His face, so often
hidden behind the black armour of the Mandalorian mask, came out into the daylight of
Wennicas. The Rodians seemed to stay close to
the warehouse and spaceport districts, meeting secretively with their contacts and
associates and chattering away in Huttese. The
Gribians spent most of their time in the tapcafes and bars, occasionally straying out into
the business districts near the banks. And
Blaine Carter spent most of his time with the Darr woman.
Presumably plotting their grand heist and the rich lives they would lead because of
it. Tarr Ranth smiled to himself as he
checked the business end of his Blaster rifle. He
had little time for arrogance – it was an affectation that had seen too many talented
people die young. And of the two would-be-robbers Ranth could see that Darr was
prodigiously talented and Carter was very arrogant. It
was a lethal combination, but it wasn’t his problem.
With a little luck, the two of them would do their thing and then Ranth would do
his. He smiled. He was first and foremost a bounty hunter, but
he wasn’t above the odd spot of mercenary work. He squinted through his visor slit
at the two of them as they leaned back on the couch that sat in the centre of the
restaurant floor. People milled by, going
about their daily existence but Ranth had little time for them. He moved in circles within circles, which
precluded the lives of `normal’ folk. His
stakes, personal to him that they were, were of a much higher importance. And as he watched Carter and Darr stand and shake
hands, eyes locking for a second longer than was necessary, he also noted the harvest of
yet another human trait, one which he was very familiar with. Betrayal. The day of the heist arrived. Tarr Ranth had been active since
01.00, passing low over Carter’s starship the Runaway
and surveying the area. Satisfied that
everything was going to plan he journeyed across town to where Irri Darr was staying. Hovering outside her window, hidden by the inky
black night and persistent rain, he watched as she dressed and loaded her equipment into a
carryall. Checking her chrono and closing
the blind she paused at the door as she placed her hand onto the light. It was a moment that Ranth knew well – the
second of indecision before diving in to a perilous situation. The point of no return. He nodded in appreciation as she resolved her
inner demons and depressed the light switch, closing the door behind her. Without looking back he dropped
five storeys to ground level and deactivated the repulsor pack. The skies were a dangerous place to travel
early on a Wennicas morning. Imperial troops
regularly patrolled the skies, ever watchful for operators such as Tarr Ranth. He elected to take the back alleys and speeder
lanes to the business district that housed the Wennicas branch of the Bank of Zelon. He arrived just as Carter and his
cronies were pulling up in their rented Arralyte speeder.
Despite the late hour and downpour there were plenty of people about, spilling out
of bars and cantinas and ambling down the streets to the starport or the urban centres. Ranth checked his Blaster rifle
once and turned up the heating on his armour. Wennicas
had the regular habit of slamming icy cold storms onto its populace, and he had every
intention of being prepared for such an occurrence. He
doubted if Carter had planned so far ahead - then again, he wasn’t in possession of a suit of
Mandalorian armour. Carter lowered the window of the
enclosed Arralyte and ignited a cigarillo, the thick green smoke drifting lazily out of
the speeder. Ranth watched impassively. Then, from between two buildings came Irri Darr,
dressed in normal clothing and walking confidently across the street. Ranth watched closely as she entered the Bank,
bypassing the guards with a flash of a dazzling smile and closing the door behind her. Ranth twisted back to the wall. He knew from experience that it would take even
a practised operator like Darr at least half an hour to circumvent the security systems
and affect a clean robbery. So, like Carter
and the goons he waited. 03.00 arrived with a thump of
compressed air and the scream of klaxons and sirens.
Ranth gripped his Blaster rifle and
turned to view the street, just catching a glimpse of Darr’s legs disappear into the
back seat of the Arralyte. The speeder tore
away down the street, bearing directly for the spaceport and freedom. Ranth smiled coldly. He’d expected the woman to show more
finesse than to simply blow the bank sky high. Now
every Imperial Stormtrooper in town, if not the planet, would be on high alert. Stealing a handbag was one thing – robbing
the Bank of Zelon, that was something else. Ranth
thumbed the ignition to his high speed jet pack and blasted into the air, adjusting his
flight ceiling to avoid catching the attentions of the approaching Imperial troop carrier
which was moving in fast. From on high he
could make out the blurred shape of the swift Arralyte as it slewed around a corner and
sped into the starports speeder compound. Switching
back to repulsors he hovered and watched them stream into their waiting ship, Darr
seemingly genetically bonded to the case that held her booty. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. I’ve got just one shot at this. If she makes
it into Carter’s vessel before I fire, that will be the end of it. Ranth straightened his arm and with a quick
snap he cocked the firing mechanism on his wrist launcher.
Aiming it at Darr’s back he murmured an oath to his fathers ghost and fired. He nodded in silent satisfaction as his aim proved
true and Darr was hit without even knowing it, the glue-coated flim sticking to the back
of her jacket. Ranth backed away as the ship
began its lift-off, rising into the air before the ramp was even closed. Good tactics,
he thought. The Empire is sure to close this starport down within
minutes. He checked his chrono and
glanced up at Carter’s ship, which was now level with him. I’d
better get to the Prodigal Son if I want to keep track of them. Ranth swooped down and dropped into
his own hangar bay, opening the ship remotely and quickly starting up her systems. Seconds later the Prodigal Son followed Carter’s ship into
the heavens, her engines blasting red-hot gouts of power into the night. The black armoured bounty hunter
checked his screens for Imperial activity, but there was none. He swallowed his surprise at their slow
reactions. It was 03.04, four minutes after
the explosion. He was certainly expecting at
least some form of welcome party. Don’t look a gift Bantha in the mouth. Just fly.
Carter’s ship remained on his scope, just far enough ahead for Ranth to track
him, and certainly far enough behind for Carter not to spot him. Ranth had an extensive sensor suite package aboard
the Prodigal Son, a legacy from his days of
training with CorSec. He’d once been told by a teacher of his, `Just keep their back towards you and you’ll know
you’re facing the right way.’ And he was right. All he needed now was for Darr to
read the flim. Irri Darr laughed as she spun
around the cargo hold of the Runaway, the bag
still locked in her hands. The Rodians and
the Gribians watched in mute confusion as she began to sing an old spacers song and danced
to the head. Carter stepped out of the
cockpit and smiled a slimy smile that sat easily upon his face. As soon as Darr closed the door too he called the
head Rodian to his side. “We’re out of the gravity well. As soon as she’s finished get the bag off her and stow it in the safety deposit box in the small cabinet.” He smiled the smile again. “Then finish her off and dump the body in the escape pod.” The Rodian twitched his nose and nodded, his lidless eyes gleaming in the ships light. “Consider it done.” Irri Darr stood and began to wash her hands in front of the mirror when she noticed a piece of flim stuck to the back of her jacket. Intrigued she turned and pulled it free, opening it up and holding it up to the light. She began to read. `Get to the escape pod. Once you are there, flash the lights twice and
eject.’ She blinked. What could it mean? Was it meant for me? Of course it was, it’s attached to me, and look…my name’s on the bottom of the flim. She slowly folded the flim and swallowed. The escape pod was next door to the head – it wouldn’t be much of a hardship to open the door and step inside…would it? Darr began to open the door, slowly at first but quicker when she realised that the Rodians and Gribians were watching her. Smiling falsely she opened the door fully and exited with the bag still in her grasp. “I suppose you want this somewhere safe?” The lead Rodian nodded and took a step forward, the other aliens eyeing her keenly. Irri Darr had been around long enough to know a set-up when she stumbled into one and this reeked of it. Taking a deep breath she grasped the bag by the handle and threw it at the Rodian. In the brief scurry of confusion she slapped the hatch open on the escape pod and jumped inside, securing the hatch behind her. The Rodian and his gang peered inside in confusion and a few seconds later Carter joined them. “Looking for the head honey? Sorry to disappoint you but you’ve just stepped into a one way trip to oblivion.” Darr locked eyes with Carter as she thumbed the light switch twice and smiled. She still didn’t know what the message truly meant, or who it was from, but her gut instinct told her that the safest place in the galaxy was anywhere but the inside of the Runaway. She gripped the sides of the escape pod as it was released from the Runaway and closed her eyes as the wild tumble of the pod threatened to dislodge her evening meal from its resting-place. Tarr Ranth eased back into his seat as he finally received the signal that he had been waiting for. Warming up the forward batteries he nudged the accelerator and powered towards the ship ahead. He saw the glistening shower of metal restraints sparkle as the pod was released, away from the Runaway and tumbling madly back towards Wennicas. He knew he had plenty of time before Wennicas’ gravity would claim the pod and its passenger within. Besides, she had already served her primary purpose –another prize waited aboard the ship that lay just ahead.Two volleys from his forward laser
cannons were enough to bring the Runaway to a
shuddering halt, the unexpected attack hitting hard and without the protection of
deflector shields. Ranth smiled coldly from
behind his mask. This is going to be easier than I thought. Another volley left the Runaway wheeling out of control, listing to her
starboard side and spewing fuel into the eternal night.
He narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. The ship lay before him, exposed and vulnerable, ripe for destruction. One more shot would certainly finish the job. So, Ranth left his seat and moved to the rear of the Prodigal Son, kneeling before his small tractor beam emitter and eyeing the tiny screen that allowed him such good vision around his ship. He closed in on the escape pod and latched on, the battered and fragile shell coming ever closer towards the protection of the larger vessel. Seconds later the two were coupled, a cargo claw protruding from then side of the Son gripping onto the pod.Ranth flicked a switch and began to speak.
“Irri Darr.” Darr responded with surprise in her ragged voice.
“You know my name? Of course you
do, you’re the man who saved my life. How
can I ever repay you?” Ranth smiled behind the cover of
his Mandalorian helmet.
“You already have Miss Darr. Twice.” Irri Darr froze, the temperature
around her seeming to fall twenty degrees in a nanosecond.
“What do you mean?” She
enquired, almost afraid to hear the answer.
“Your haul from the Bank of Zelon will soon be in my possession…”
“Keep it! It’s yours, if you
let me go!” She pleaded. Ranth shook his head.
“It’s as good as mine already Miss Darr.
As is your substantial bounty.” Tarr Ranth returned to the cockpit
and severed the connection as he heard the first cries of frustration and fear fly from
Darr’s lips. Her bounty had been posted
by the ganglord Glann Cipple. She knew her
fate already – she’d have been safer staying on the Runaway after all. Sitting at the controls of the Prodigal Son he aimed at the Runaway and fired the last lethal killer blow,
which devastated the ship and sent it listing, broken, into the night. The Prodigal Son twisted around the wreckage of the Runaway and flared her retros, bringing the
ship around to a slow halt, hovering near to the carnage.
Embers glowed dimly against the pit-black night as the last fuel of the drive
engines spewed from the torn engines and faded away into the
forever. From the side of the Prodigal Son a hatch slowly opened, releasing Ranth
who drifted carefully into the night. Avoiding
the molten edges of the wreckage he entered the shell and hooked onto a bulkhead,
lessening the ebb and flow of high atmosphere space walking. Steadily and with deliberate moves Ranth
traversed the gap between the wrecked walls until he reached a small cabinet that appeared
unaffected by the destruction. Pausing for a
brief second he reached behind for a bolt cutter and clipped away at the crude chain,
which secured the door. As it floated away in
the zero-G environment he yanked the doors apart and reached within. Ranth fumbled for a
moment and then pulled out the large safety deposit box, which floated easily away in the
free gravity. Satisfied, he began his return
to the Prodigal Son and once at the entrance to
the airlock he turned and stared at the simmering hulk. Tarr Ranth smiled in satisfaction
as he glanced down at the box. I much prefer spending other people’s money.
Other People’s Money 1999 short story by Mark Newbold Three years before Episode IV – A New Hope Histories – Written alongside the other Tarr Ranth stories Nine Men Down and Sanction:Off, Other People’s Money tells of how ruthless and determined the Mandalorian-clad bounty
hunter could really be. Set when Ranth still
possessed the Prodigal Son, (before its destruction during a battle with fellow bounty
hunter Queed
over Gista)
this story goes a long way in showing how Ranth acquired his finances – and his
reputation.
Cast of Characters Tarr Ranth Blaine Carter Irri Darr |