(Taken from the Tantalum Connection - 1987 NHP Tapes. 1^st NHP of 1987)

Original draft dated 23^rd January 1987. Story - Jonathan Hicks. Script - Mark Newbold

Second draft January 1999. Revised version by Mark Newbold

Man #1 - Planet fall in three minutes.

Man #2 - You’re sure it’s down there?

Man #1 - Absolutely. It’s in the grave marked `Bacca’.

Man #2 - Bacca, right. What did the envelope look like? Green?

Man #1 - White.

Man #2 - Just white? No writing?

Man #1 - Just the word `Will’.

Man #2 - Are the crew ready?

Man #1 - All except Prarn. He’s being unwrapped now.

Man #2 - Okay, I’ll take the ship from here.

Priest - Gentle beings, if you would be so kind as to leave your weapons at the desk.

Jan L - What for?

Priest - We don’t want any unpleasant shootings.

Jan L - Who’re we gonna shoot? Everyone’s dead. (Unhooks Blaster belt)

Priest - Just leave the guns - there are smugglers buried here, and with them many mysteries. We don’t like surprises.

Jan L - Yeah. I bet those stiffs play havoc with the air conditioning.

Priest - (Turning attention to Goah) Which grave have you come to view sir?

Goah - A gentleman called Bacca.

Jan L - I just wish you’d hurry it up. I’ve been dying to get here.

Priest - (Ignoring Jan) 3^rd row on the left, six graves down…

Jan L - …one coffin each.

Priest - There’s really no call for that sort of humour here.

Jan L - Doesn’t mean it’s not funny.

Jan L - You think he’d have a sense of humour.

Goah - You know what Priests are like. (Starts digging at the soil)

Jan L - Whoa, hey Goah. Have some respect. I knew this guy for nearly ten years.

Goah - I’m not after the coffin, I’m after what’s on it (takes an envelope from the top of the coffin)

Jan L - (reading the cover) Will? His name was Bacca.

Goah - This is what we need - Bacca’s will. Come on, I’ll tell you more on the Sunrise.

(A passing stranger intercepts Jan)

Stranger - Excuse me, but did you remove something from that grave?

Jan L - No, we just placed some flowers there.

Stranger - Mmmm, I see. Thank you very much. (Walks away)

(Jan and Goah hide behind a row of bushes)

Goah - What are they doing?

Jan L - Well, it looks suspiciously like they’re…digging up the grave.

Goah - Some people just got no respect.

Jan L - Well it’s about time someone showed them some. (Stands up)

Goah - Wait Jan, there might be more of them…wait a minute.

Jan L - Goah, stay down. I can handle this.

(Lomona walk’s quietly up to the nearest man)

Goon #1 - (to a nearby colleague) It’s not here.

Jan L - I couldn’t help noticing you digging up that grave.

Goon #1 - We sure are (punches Jan, who returns a roundhouse and decks the goon)

Goon #2 - Hey, stop that!!

Jan L - Goah, I could use a little help right about now.

(A fight ensues)

Jan L - Get out here and hit someone (Jan takes a punch and staggers)

Goah - Lowlife scum (Goah is intercepted by another Goon)

Jan L - Get in my partner’s way will ya?

Goon #3 - Yes we will (swings a punch which Jan takes full in the face, only for Jan to return a sweet jab)

Goah - Come on Jan, we’re outnumbered. Let’s get out of here. (Goah is hit but returns a beautifully timed punch)

Jan L - Watch your back - and do me a favour.

Goah - What’s that?

Jan L - Duck! (Jan punches over Goah’s head and the first Goon flies backward into unconsciousness. Goah spots weapons being drawn)

Goah - Uh-oh, here come the Blasters. There’s too many to take on by ourselves, let’s go.

Attendant - You look like you’ve seen a ghost (in the confusion he’s knocked over by Goah)

Priest - Where are you going in such a hurry?

Goah - We’re leaving. That place gives me the shivers. And how the hell did those creeps get their guns in here?

Priest - Well…erm…err (the Priest is knocked out by an irate Goah)

Jan L - Tell your boss this is a lousy place for a holiday camp. The conversation’s dead and the spirits are awful. (Jan collects his Blasters)

Jan L - Where’s the damn ship! Where’s the ship?

Goah - They can’t have taken it! (Heavy gunfire makes them hit the deck)

Jan L - Don’t panic, it’s down here. We’re in the wrong bay.

Goah - Now who’s panicking?

Jan L - Close the ramp.

Goah - I got what I came for. Now raise ship before they break the door down.

Jan L - Yeah, yeah.

Goah - (annoyed) Look, just forget the will and start the damn ship!!

(The Sunrise blasts off)

Jan L - That was too close.

Goah -Let’s see what we’ve got… this is the will all right.

Jan L - Yeah, but we don’t see the real prize until much later.

Goah - We’d better keep this safely locked away.

Jan L - Look Goah, can’t we just look at the will now?

Goah - No way.

Jan L - Oh come on Galletti…

Goah - No Jan, we’ve got to hand it in intact at the executor’s office.

Jan L - I just wanna see what we’re getting out of this deal.

Goah - We’ll get nothing if the seal to the will is broken. This is one thing we’re going to do properly. Then we can share the profits.

Jan L - I don’t care about sharing; I just want a look. (Holds it up to the light)

Goah - It’s a shielded package. You won’t see a thing.

Jan L - I’ve got some Radiation specs somewhere around here (snaps them on) Not that I need them. I can see through most lies so an envelope shouldn’t be any trouble.

Goah - I never actually met Bacca. You knew him well. What was he like?

Jan L - Cautious, rich and stupid.

Goah - Why stupid?

Jan L - He got caught didn’t he? That’s the trouble with this game. You can’t even trust the people you rely on as friends. (Goah mulls this over for a second)

Goah - What can you see?

Jan L - Nothing, just like you said.

Goah - (taking the envelope off Jan) We’d best secure this somewhere. Where’s your safe?

Jan L - I got rid of it. It attracted too much attention.

Goah - Well, where are we gonna keep this?

Jan L - Put it on the spice shelf.

Goah - The spice shelf? Are you telling me that you keep your spice on a shelf these days?

Jan L - I’ve still got the electri-grid system.

Goah - Oh great. (Hands it to Jan who tosses it onto the shelf and re-activates the security system) Where to now?

Jan L - You’re steering this operation. You tell me.

Goah - Of course, he sent me this. I was supposed to open it once I got hold of the will. (Unfolds a flim he’s removed from his vest pocket) It’s written back-to-front. Got a mirror?

Jan L - You’re asking Jan Lomona if he’s got a mirror?

Goah - Listen to this. `Whoever receives the will shall inherit my wealth’.

Jan L - Very poetic. Any co-ordinates?

Goah - Nothing I can see yet. (Hands the paper to Troopie who takes it off to decrypt)

Jan L - Something’s been bugging me about all this. You never actually met Bacca?

Goah - That’s right.

Jan L - I worked with him on and off for five years after I first arrived on Chancai when I was just a kid. Why entrust a virtual stranger when he could have given it to me to sort out?

Goah - I don’t know. Maybe he knew more about what was going on than you did.

Jan L - Maybe. How did you get the letter?

Goah - Got sent to the Phoenix a couple of days ago.

Jan L - Sneaky old sonnovagun.

Goah - You’re surprised? Think how I felt! I heard that Bacca had died long ago.

Jan L - Three years ago. His wake was the best party of the year. So Bacca couldn’t have sent your letter. Not even a Letter-search is that slow. So if not Bacca, then who?

Goah - Whoever sent those goons to dig up the grave?

Jan L - No, those were Glanns men. I recognised them from one of Glanns get togethers back at the Fortress.

Goah - Glanns men? Why would he send them all the way out here?

Jan L - Same reason as us. To get the will before anyone else. (Jan squints at Goah) It would really help us if we knew precisely what was in that will.

Goah - We’re not opening it.

Jan L - I’m betting good credits on that will being worth billions. His last surviving relative was a multi-billionaire.

Goah - What did he own?

Jan L - I haven’t got time to list all the things that the Bacca family owned, but I’ll tell you this. Bacca was the most rebellious guy I knew. That family owned star systems, and I heard from a good source that Bacca was literally given the Abeote System as a coming of age gift. Knowing him he probably put it straight into his will.

Goah - But are you even sure that this is his will? We’ve been screwed around before. You said that Bacca died three years ago…

Jan L - …and most of the sector only found out recently, yeah. It was kept real quiet. Even Glann didn’t know about it. I’m telling you, this is the real deal. And the best way to solve it is to take the will to the co-ordinates on your letter. Troopie, you finished with that yet? (The astromech returns with the flim) Good work buddy. It says here that we should travel to Foron. That’s where the executor’s office is - and that’s where we’ll get our pay-off.

Goah - And that flim is the key to it all.

Jan L - Sure looks that way. Now all we need do is find the lock on Foron.

Goah - And what if we’re not the only ones who received a copy of this flim? What if we have company on Foron?

Jan L - No one’s getting to Foron before the Sunrise.

(The Sunrise powers into hyperspace)

Goah - I’ll head to the executor’s office. Get this business over and done with.

Jan L - Fine. I’ll keep a low profile in the local Cantina, mix with the natives.

Goah - You do that. I’ll meet you here later.

Jan L - Remind me not to get drunk.

Goah - You try as hard as you like.