Chapter One

Tarr Ranth moved slowly forward. His helmet scanner showed two life forms less than two metres in front of him, yet visually he still saw nothing. Slight movement, the glint of a vibro-shiv. He had been right! Two Defells, standing with their backs to him, were preparing to attack the position they thought he occupied. Too bad for them. Ranth withdrew the photon grenade and primed it. At the same time he prepared his jetpack for a full thrust burn. A quick flick of a button on his armour and the silencing filed started to dissipate. The silencing field was a portable force field that stopped any sound from escaping from within it. The only disadvantage was that air could not move through it, so the user needed a portable supply. He ramped up the volume on his helmet speaker and dropped the flash visor.

   "I see you.”

The two Defells visibly jumped both of them spinning around simultaneously, claws raking the air in front of his visor. Ranth dropped the grenade and activated his jetpack, soaring above the resulting explosion of blinding light as he did so. So far so good. He looked down. Both of the Defells were writhing on the ground, clawing at their damaged eyes. Two heavy stun bolts and they were out cold.

Tarr Ranth attached binders to them both and then called the local law enforcement agency on an open communications channel to come and pick them up. Too bad, he'd really hoped these two would offer a more satisfying challenge.

Finally aboard the Dark Star, Ranth raised the ramp and took a deep breath.  He removed his helmet and shrugged off his jetpack but retained the body armour. Moving into the cockpit he deposited the cred sticks in the ships safe which was housed next to the nava-computer and seated himself. He reached for the helmet, which was hanging by its strap from the doorway and replaced the compressed air cartridges by the chinstrap. I’ll transfer the funds into my Bank of Zelon account later. He activated the security grid and dimmed the cockpit lights.  Lowering the flare panels across the windows, he settled down to rest. As he drifted into a peaceful slumber a light on his panel started to flash.

Goah Galletti was annoyed.

Just his luck for Glann Cipple to assign him a lowly courier run when he should have been chasing down Quenda Suncharr for that trick he'd pulled on Vorathie.  The assassin game was Galletti’s province these days, not smuggling and courier runs.  Still, loyalty to Glann was too strong a compulsion – the credits and his wrath being powerful motivators.

   "Mactin, what's happening back there? Why the hell am I getting hyperspace divergence on the nava-comp?"

Goah double-checked the readings as Mactin moved into the cockpit of his freighter, The Shadow of the Phoenix, dropping into the co-pilots chair beside him.

   "You tell me. All systems show zero problems, but something has started to cause divergence off the course. I suggest dropping out of hyperspace at the next available point and then re-calibrate."

Mactin sounded concerned and this told Goah they had a real problem. Galletti calculated a new drop out point and fed the information into the nava-comp. That’s strange, the figures don't tie up. The divergence must be greater than I thought. Goah tried again. Still greater error.

   "Hold on to your seat Mactin, I’ll have to bring us out without the computer." Mactin just had time to register a surprised grunt as Goah clamped onto the manual drop out lever and slowly started to pull back. Real space burst into life in front of them, the purple glow of hyperspace disappearing immediately. Too quick. The inertial compensators tried to reduce the load on the space frame, but the shields were too hard pressed. They gave out immediately. Goah had just enough time to register an incoming asteroid before everything went black.

Glann Cipple read the report on the flim in front of him and frowned. No contact from Galletti in twenty-six hours. That usually meant trouble. He activated his desktop comm system.

   "Melm, I need to contact Tarr Ranth.  Make it happen.”

There was no acknowledgement but Glann knew Melm had heard. Such was the way of this Shadow Warrior

Goah woke slowly, the pain in his head telling him that he was still alive, barely. The smell of ozone told him he might not be for much longer. Damn, the ships core must have sprung a radiation leak. He dragged himself to his feet and tried to get his bearings.

He was still in the Phoenix’s cockpit, which was good, but there was no sign of Mactin. He reached up to his head to find a syth-skin bandage clamped there. Mactin must have attended to him and be alive on the ship somewhere. Goah checked the internal and external ship diagnostics. The shields had been restored and the ship still seemed mostly intact.  The major problem was going to be the radiation leak. Not only would it cause cell damage to his batteries and himself, but also more importantly, it would mask exterior sensors.

As Galletti checked out the field dampers, Mactin stepped through the cockpit door.  Galletti couldn’t help but notice the apologetic expression on his face.

   "Sorry Goah, he caught me off guard."

Goah frowned.

   “Who?”

An armed Imperial Stormtrooper followed into the cockpit behind Mactin.

Tarr Ranth read the coded communication from Glann Cipple with great interest. Cipple needed to find Goah Galletti and Tarr Ranth was being offered 2500 credits for the job. The real question was whether Galletti was being detained or had absconded after his recent altercation with Cipple. No matter - the contract said dead or alive as long as the package was delivered.

Ranth powered up the Heddon 6 drive units, rotating them around so that they gave maximum thrust. Port control authorised take off and two minutes later Tarr Ranth was speeding out of Cawbates' atmosphere. On his way out of the system he transferred the fifteen thousand credits he had earned from detaining the two Defells into his Bank of Zelon account, emptying the credit stick. Plotting a course to Amagad he activated the hyperdrive. Stars swirled, elongated and became an indigo whirlpool as the ship accelerated beyond light speed.

A standard had day passed aboard the ICF Destiny.

   "There are two things in life that make me sick. Criminals and liars."

The hand flashed across Goah Galletti's face. His hands bound securely, he couldn't fight back or deflect the blow. He knew better than to do so anyway. Blood trickled down from the cut above his right eye. Mactin had passed out a few minutes ago, his beating a severe flurry of fists and kicks.  Goah bit down on the remark that itched to break free of his swollen lips and snorted a breath through his nostrils.

   "I don't know what the hell you’re talking about. We’ve done nothing illegal and I’ve got all the correct permits for this system. And besides, you've scanned my ship a dozen times."

The Imperial nodded and clasped his hands behind his back. Sensing that he was making no ground he tried another tactic.

   "Look, I'll even offer to pay for you’re clean up operation, but for Stang’s sake, tell me what you want!"

Exasperation had flooded Goah's voice. All he needed now was some pumped up nerf of an Imperial Customs Captain to suddenly realise that he was carrying twenty thousand credits worth of cleverly concealed cargo. He was about to try yet another tack, when all hell broke loose.

Tarr Ranth dropped out of hyperspace five kilometres away from the Imperial Customs Frigate Destiny. A quick scan told him all he needed to know. In seconds he had identified the two spacecraft and was formulating a plan. The most expensive shielding systems that money could wish to buy locked into place and two massive quad ion cannons targeted the Imperial ship. He flicked open a broad band communications channel and addressed the frigate.

   "ICF Destiny, drop your shields and prepare the prisoners for release. Failure to comply with these instructions will result in your destruction. Slowly. Piece by inevitable piece." He powered up both cannons. "You have two minutes to comply."

Tarr Ranth released a jamming buoy. Any communications outside of his immediate area would be blanketed in static.

Collision alarms shrieked as command crews rushed to their stations. Captain Nerain entered his bridge and seated himself in his chair.

   "Analysis Commander Semic. What has he got?" He turned to face his second-in-command. The tall Corellian walked forward reading from his porta-comp.

   "It’s a Mandel 3000 Dragon Attack Craft, a two centuries old design. I don't see how it could hope to cause us a problem."

The commander finished his assessment, handed the data to Nerain and stepped back, saluting as he did so. Nerain looked at the data in front of him. The ship was indeed an ancient one. At least at first appearance. He pulled up the design schematics. There, a Koran 20 hyperspace signature. This might be an old design, but this ship was barely two years old and in excellent repair as well. Those ion cannons could disable practically every function on his vessel. It screamed bounty hunter to him. He knew of only a handful of hunters in this sector that could afford that sort of hardware, one in particular.  And that worried him.

   "Commander, open up a channel to the ship from my private quarters. Full security blanket."

The commander raised an eyebrow.

   "Sir?"

The voice questioned his decision. Nerain couldn't allow that. He turned slowly, his eyes locking with his subordinates, a grin creeping over his face.

   "Do it Commander. Unless you’d prefer to be mining glimmer spice on Kessel."

Tarr Ranth examined the face of the man on screen before him. It had been five years since the last time that they had met. He wondered what had happened to make Captain Nerain age so quickly in such a short time.

   "I wasn't fooling Captain. I will destroy your ship unless you release those men and their transport." Ranth dropped his voice even lower. "Or would you prefer a repeat of our last meeting?"

Nerain frowned on the screen in front of him, seeming to consider Ranths words carefully. Then he answered.

   "Why, Ranth? What is so important that you would risk an Imperial death warrant on your head? Surely you don't consider me that simple? What price would they fetch on the open market?"   Nerain leaned away from the screen. "Or more to the point, what would you be willing to pay me for them?"

Goah Galletti, binders still firmly on, was marched out of the medical bay and up a series of ramps until he was shoved into the captains private quarters. Two Stormtroopers stepped back and a door closed behind him, shutting them out. Nerain walked into the room, holding a glass of Vineau. He flicked a switch on a remote unit and the binders on Goah’s wrists were released.

   "You have some influential friends, Galletti. I hope you have a pleasant journey. You may go."   Nerain twitched – he decided against mentioning Ranths intervention to Galletti.  The thought of his old adversary gaining points at his cost made his skin crawl.  Composing himself, Nerain smiled and pressed a stud on his desk. The door opened behind Galletti, who waited impassively.

   "My co-pilot. I won't leave without him."

Goah was prepared to fight if necessary but he needn't have worried. Nerain answered politely, with a sneer.

   "That alien scum is currently on board your freighter. He said something about 'Imperial space jockeys tampering with his drive systems' and added a few choice expletives."

Goah relaxed.  That sounded like Mactin all right. He nodded coolly to the captain and turned to walk out, then remembered something. He turned back.

   "My rifle."

Nerain turned, showing his contempt by turning his back on Goah. Sipping from his drink before he answered, he lowered his tone.

   "Confiscated."

And that was that.

Onboard the Phoenix, Goah prepared for the jump to hyperspace. Mactin walked into the cockpit, a triumphant grin on his face.

   "I’ve figured it out.  It’s that freckin' box. Whatever’s in it pulled the hyperdrive compensators out of alignment. I knew we should have hidden it in the sanitation compartment instead of the engine room." He placed it on the console in front of Goah. "So, where do you want it?"

Goah looked at the sealed, jewelled box, picking it up and examining it curiously, then handed it back to Mactin.

   "Leave it in my quarters. I’ve got a secure shielded panel hidden in there.  It won’t be a problem to anybody."

Tarr Ranth watched as the Phoenix leapt into hyperspace. He checked to see that the beacon he had used to replace the Imperial homing device was functioning correctly. He casually flipped two switches on his console. The homing device attached to a long-range hyperspace sensor buoy, launched from his ship. Scant seconds later it disappeared into hyperspace, travelling in the opposite direction to the Phoenix.  Tarr Ranth pressed a series of buttons on the communications console and a tight beam pre-coded communication leapt beyond the jamming buoy. A message sped outwards towards Amagad, included within it a bill for 3500 credits.

Another good days work…