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The Fly Bites Back 2000 short story by
Louis Turfrey and Mark Newbold Under a year after Episode IV – A New Hope
"You've caused me a lot of trouble Derril. I hope it’s going to
be worth it." Tarr Ranth sat across from Nias Derril, his
blaster carbine lying lightly across his legs, his feet on the edge of Nias'
bed. Twenty minutes ago, Tarr Ranth had himself been lying on an operating
bed whilse the doctor and medical droids administered a local anaesthetic.
They had removed a piece of shrapnel from an old wound, buried deep into the
muscles of Tarr Ranths back, near his spine. Ranth had refused the full
anaesthetic, not wanting to lay himself open to attack whilse he was still on
the dangerous world of Zelon. He was now starting to feel some of the pain
again. It hurt, and it didn't make his mood any better. Nias gingerly sat himself further up the bed.
His right arm felt stiff and sore, his body ached from the battering it had
received, and he had a throbbing headache - but he was alive. That felt good.
He looked over towards Ranth.
"Guess I owe you one." He tested his right arm and noticed
he was having trouble co-ordinating it. "Cyborg replacement?" He
looked towards Tarr Ranth. Ranth shook his head.
"Only the joint, some nerves and a skin graft. There are some
synthetic bones in there, but it’s not a full job. If you’re lucky it
should increase the speed of your fast
draw." He reached into his armour and brought out a
data pad, throwing it on Nias's bed.
"Put your DNA print on this.
It’s my payment - up front." He felt the twinge start again in
his back and stood up to his full height. He knew this gave him a
psychological advantage over Nias and was prepared to use it. "Now,
Derril. We haven't much time before Feece is sprung out of jail and I don't
want to be nursing a corpse." Nias needed no further encouragement and
signed off the transfer. The four thousand credits were immediately
transmitted to Tarr Ranths holding account.
"Satisfied?" Tarr Ranth checked the details on the pad and
nodded. He called for the nurse. Seconds later a nursing droid entered.
"Can I help you sir?"
The silver droid looked towards Nias thinking it was him who had
called it. Ranth answered.
"Get this man ready for travel in ten minutes. He’s leaving planet."
The droid started to argue, but Ranth waved
his blaster in its direction. Nias interjected.
"Do as the man says." The droid nodded, and started adding stimulants and applying Bacta
patches. Ranth looked towards Nias.
"I'll meet you by the entrance when you’re ready. I have
some…unfinished business to take care of." He handed Nias his spare
blaster. "Don't lose it." Carlonian Feece was annoyed in the extreme.
He had contacted Glanns representative on Chancai and had spent the last half hour waiing for the arrival
of the man who would secure his release. Now the man had told him that it
would be another hour until Chancai Security would process the documentation
and he knew he didn't have that much time. Therefore, he was surprised when
he heard the sound of footsteps outside his cell. The electronic lock opened
and the hatch slid back. Tarr Ranth stood there.
"Ranth. Come to gloat? It'll do you no good. You won't escape.
Glann already knows what’s happened." Ranth moved into the cell, nodding to the
guard as he did so.
"Cipple’s involved? I didn’t know that. This changes things.” He made a mental note to quiz Derril about
this omission of important information.
“I had assumed you had a vendetta against Derril.” Ranth smiled behind the black mask.. ”Thank
you for that information." He reached behind his back and withdrew
Feeces powerless weapon from where he had attached it. He threw it at
Feece. "You'll be released within
the hour. I have a recorded statement saying your gun discharged
accidentally. Grabby Cap has backed up the statement, giving his expert
opinion." Feece stood up, angry that Ranth had
interfered.
"Don't think for a second that I owe you anything Ranth. You’ve
obviously intercepted Glanns Chancai agent, cost me a job, maybe dented my
reputation. I won't forget any of that." Ranth stepped forward so that there was
barely a metre between them.
"Just remember Feese. I could outdraw and out aim you in a fair
match. I'll be watching my back now I know you want to even things." He
turned away from Feece and headed out the cell. At the entrance to the cell
he turned around and faced Feece again.
"There’s no point following me. It'll do you no good. I have no
intention of running from you or Glann Cipple." The door closed leaving Feece in a puzzled
mood. He thought again about Ranths
last statement and laughed out loud. By the Gods, the arrogance of the man. Nias waited nervously by the entrance to the
medical complex. What was taking Ranth so long? He checked his chronometer
again. Nearly an hour had passed since Ranth had handed him the blaster and
walked out of the ward. An hour they could have spent in hyperspace, getting
as far away from Glann Cipple as they could. Where had he gone to, didn't he know
that Glann would be after them? Then Nias took a double take. Of course.
Ranth didn't know, Nias has omitted that information. He cursed himself,
knowing that Ranth would not be pleased when he found out. Then he saw him, walking down the ramp from
the security level. Despite being dosed up on
drugs, Nias was still feeling the effects of the operation. He waited
for Ranth to arrive before he even thought about moving. Ranth came over.
"My ship is ready to leave. I've paid for yours to be placed into
long term storage. You owe me another four thousand two hundred and fifty
credits." Nias was shocked.
"It doesn't cost that much to store a ship for a few months.
Whats going on?" Ranth motioned him towards the doorway.
"Let’s just say I had to bribe somebody and leave it at
that." They reached the Dark Star without incident
and Nias was helped aboard by Ranth. Once inside the cramped cockpit area,
Nias sat in the co-pilots position. Ranth moved over to the Nav-computer and
started entering a series of co-ordinates. Nias was puzzled.
"Hey, I haven't told you where we’re going yet." Ranth looked towards him, after typing the
last sequence of numbers.
"No you haven't. There are a lot of things you haven't told
me." Ranth sent a pre coded message to port control and got immediate
clearance. Nias was impressed. However, instead of flying directly up and
out, Ranth piloted the starship down another ten levels. Nias gulped as he
saw Carlonian Feeces ship the Deadmans Dream sitting on the pad below them.
Ranth rotated the Dark Stars ion cannon, and fired a volley of shots at
Feeces ship. Nias gasped in shock as the blue sparks of the ion discharge
illuminated Feeces unoccupied ship, causing the power couplings to the
landing skids to give out. The ship dropped slowly, unable to keep the
hydraulic pressure in its supports, and settled on the deck of the pad,
effectively blocking the entrance to the lower ramps.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!" He looked at
Ranth in amazement. "There's no way the authorities will let you off
planet now." Ranth ignored him and started the ascent out
of Chancai. Only when they were clear of the city did he talk to Nias.
"Where do you think you're money went?" The Dark Star powered out of atmosphere into
the cold confines of space. Once clear of the gravitational well, Tarr Ranth
took an astrometric reading and entered the final set of co-ordinates for the
hyperspace jump. Seconds later they were flying through the blue and violet
hue's of hyperspace. Glann Cipple sat thoughtfully at his desk and
examined the report from his contact on Chancai. He had been very careful to
make sure that Feece was not released before Nias was ready to leave. However
he had not counted upon the interference of Tarr Ranth. The situation had
changed drastically since he had issued the order to have Nias Derril
terminated and Feece had not liked being incarcerated one bit. Knowing Feeses
temper he knew he would have to keep him at arms length for a while. He filed
the report to his personal computer and was about to contact Melm, when the
Shadow Warrior silently entered his office. Cipple spoke in an even tone.
"I have just received notification that the Dark Star has left
Chancai. I want you to find out where it’s going, but don't interfere with
its occupants. Inform me of their
whereabouts, nothing more." He looked Melm straight in the eyes.
"No one outside of this office is to know the location.Understood?"
Melm nodded, leaving by his own entrance.
"Where are we going?" Nias
had asked the same question many times within the last half hour and
it was starting to annoy Tar rRanth. The man had conceitedly set about making
plans for where they should go and what they should do. Ranth had let him
meander on, not taking any notice.
His incessant talking was
starting to geto him. He turned
towards Nias, a growl in his voice.
"You don't need to know, but we'll be there within the hour. In
the meantime shut up and get some rest. You'll need it." Glann Cipple stood up quickly, nearly
knocking over his glass of Chortese Vineau, a rare beverage. Melm stood
impassively across the desk from him, a questioning look on his face.
"Should I have the ship destroyed?" He displayed no emotion through his voice.
Cipple shook his head.
"No. Give them access to
the landing platform.s No-one is to
know that they have arrived except you and the guard. Disarmboth of them.
He's a walking arsenal these days. I don't want a scene." He paused,
calmer now, and took a sip from his glass. "Get them to my office
immediately." Melm left as quietly as he had arrived.
"Amagad! We're over Amagad!" Nias leapt to the back of the
cockpit as Tarr Ranth turned his chair around to face him, and drew his
blaster on him. Ranth seemed unconcerned and reaching out with his hand
indicated the blaster.
"I took the liberty of discharging the pack while you were
resting." He indicated the co-pilots chair. "Now sit down and shut
up. You paid me to keep you alive and that's just what I'm going to do."
He ignored Nias and went back to the controls. His communications board
beeped and Ranth activated the holo-emitter.
" Melm. I assume you're going to give me landing
instructions." Melm did not look surprised or perturbed by
the humour in Ranths voice.
"Take your ship to the Fortress and land on the Governors pad.
I'll meet you there." Ranth nodded his ascent and cut off the
communication. Nias looked terrified. Ranth noticed this.
"Don't worryDerril. If he
wanted you dead that badly he'd have shot us down by now." As if to back
up his argument, four snub fighters pulled into formation around the Dark
Star. Somehow Nias didn't seem any more at ease. They sank through the
atmosphere, passing through a storm that had settled over Amagad and headed
towards the Fortress. The Dark Star landed perfectly on the
platform. Melm and six Shadow Warriors were waiting and they moved into the
Fortress. Minutes later they were standing in front of the check-in desk.
Melm took a position next to Ranth and the rest of the Shadow Warriors waited
quietly. Derril handed over his useless blaster as Ranth laid out his
impressive array of weapons onto the tray that lay on the desk. The check-in clerk took the tray and
secured it in the rear of the small room.
Melm, ranth and a sweating Derril entered the turbolift and made the
ascent to the ninth floor. They
reached the large doors and entered, the rain soaked city of Amagad laid out
before them through the massive window Cipple had installed. Glann motioned for Nias and Ranth to sit.
Nias did as he was told but Ranth stayed standing. Glann frowned at this but
made no comment.
"I presume you have a reason for being here?" He looked
towards Nias but it was Tarr Ranth who answered.
"He's here to beg for his life. I'm here because he paid me to
keep him alive." Ranth moved his left hand towards his concealed pocked
and slowly produced a data pad. He handed it to Melm who scanned it with a
portable device and handed it to Glann.
"Every asset Derril owns has been sold, except for his droids and
his computer. That is a full inventory of the sums received, minus
expenses." He looked towards Nias, who was fidgeting in his seat.
"It comes to one hundred and five thousand credits. He'd like to
exchange it for his life.” Ranth
turned his helmeted head towards Derril.
“And the express understanding that he won't tell anyone about the
missions he has performed for your organisation." Glann looked at the list and handed it back
to Tarr Ranth.
"What guarantee do I have that he'll keep his word?" Nias was definitely getting uncomfortable in
his seat, and was nervously scratching his arm. Nias looked towards Ranth,
breathlessly awaiting his next words.
"You have my word. Without proof Derrils words mean nothing. The
only proof sat on his computer, and that now resides within a private storage
area, off planet. An area that I own. I would consider it dishonourable to
release this information if I had agreed a contract to secure it." Cipple looked at Ranth for a few seconds,
weighing him up. In any other
circumstances I would take a speech like that as so much hot air. But Ranth seems to believe in this code of
honour he’s so fond of. Perhaps…
Cipple answered.
"Agreed, subject to Derril giving me fifty percent of any profits
he makes within the next two years. Also you shall be unconditionally
available to me for the next six months." Ranth nodded and looked towards Nias, who was
visibly uncomfortable in his seat. In fact, Ranth noticed that he seemed to
be in pain. Nias nodded his head, not seeming to trust his voice.
"It's settled then. I will need you both to embark upon a new
mission shortly." Tarr Ranth wasn't finished yet though.
"What about Feece. I don't want him on my tail forever. He’s
persistent. I can take care of myself,
but if I’m working for you andlooking over my shoulder all the time I won’t
be as effective as I should be." Ranth had a good point but Glann was
unconcerned by it.
"What Feece does is his concern as long as it doesn't impact upon
me or my organisation. I allow him that latitude. He works better that way. You will have to
deal with that situation in the best way you see fit." He looked towards Nias. "You can leave
now." Nias made to get up, but his arm gave way and
he fell off the chair onto the floor. He screamed in agony.
"My arm! It’s burning up!" Ranth holstered his weapon and moved towards
Nias. He placed his hand on the mans shoulder and ripped down the sleeve.
Quickly removing the Bacta patch he looked at the mans shoulder. The area of
skin around the wound had started to blister. The synthetic skin graft had
already melted away, exposing an area of the muscle underneath. It was
glowing. Ranth switched to thermal imaging on his visor and what he saw made
him swallow deep. He turned to Melm and Cipple.
"Get out of here and send up a med team. It’s a bomb." Melm needed no further instruction but Glann
resisted.
"Who planted it? I need to know who planted it!" Ranth wasn't about to take time sorting that
out. He swung his arms directly in front of him and twisted his wrist as Melm
and Glann left the room. Three
lethal-looking wrist darts sprang forward and launched at the expansive
window behind Glanns desk. The
armoured glass cracked, splintered shattered outwards, causing the wind to
come in at full fury. Ranth half lifted, half dragged Nias around the desk so
that his arm was hanging out the shattered window. The thermal readings were
going off the scale. Ranth hoped that the wind was strong enough to do what
he needed it to do. He leant in towards Nias, shouting against the noise of
the wind outside.
"This is going to hurt. A
lot. Here," he placed the hilt of his vibro shiv between Nias's
teeth," bite down on this." As Nias bit down, Ranth drew back and reached
inside his armour. Drawing out his fathers lightsabre, which he had recently
taken back from Li'Tur, he activated the blade and brought it down in an arc
on to Nias's shoulder. The blade sliced cleanly through the arm, cauterising
the wound as it did so. Nias screamed down onto the hilt of the vibro shiv.
Ranth pushed Nias to the ground as the room lit up with the light from the
explosion of the thermal detonator. There was a brief break in the noise from
the wind, and then the rain started to pour in through the broken
window. Glann and Melm re-entered the
office. Cipple walked over to the window and without a word, helped Nias up
on to his chair. Ranth was busy scanning Derril for any other devices. He found
none. Cipple looked towards Melm. "This
is a serious breach of security. I want it looking into." Melm nodded, Glann knew that Melm would
consider it a point of professional pride to fulfil that order. The medics entered the office just as he
clicked on the comm unit.
"Get me a cleanup team and a glazier, then get me my contact on
Chancai." He turned back to Ranth. "Good work Ranth We owe our lives to your swift
actions." Ranth shook his head.
"Consider the matter closed. I was merely doing the job I was
employed to do." Glann Cipple smiled slyly.
"That’s right Ranth. You
work for me. I expect you to save my life. But you can consider your feud with Feese
closed" Ranth nodded. Honour was satisfied. EPILOGUE Dressel sat at his desk and pondered over the
report that had arrived moments before. Glann Cipple had survived, despite
efforts to the contrary. When his contact within Cipples organisation had
told him about the hit order taken out on on Nias Derril, he had invited Nias
to meet up with one of his operatives on Chancai, offering him a job and his
protection. Nias had listened to the offer but had turned him down politely,
but firmly. Dressel didn't take no for an answer, so he
had employed several individuals to keep an eye on Derril until such time as
he saw an opportunity to make use of the man. The opportunity came sooner
than he thought and a thermite device had been planted within Nias’ arm while he was on the operating table. The
aim had been to threaten detonation unless Derril worked for him and
disclosed his knowledge of Glanns operation. He never got the chance. Nias had escaped back to Glanns clutches, no
doubt to tell him of the secretive meeting and get back into Glanns good
books. Dressel had been able to contact his agent on Amagad and had
instructed him to remotely detonate the device. The slow build up to critical
mass should have gone unnoticed. Dressel slammed his hand on the desk in a
rage. Damn that man! He has more luck
than Jan Lomona. An aide knocked at his door.
"Come in." The man walked in carrying a package. Dressel
frowned and took it off the man.
"Has it been scanned?" The aid nodded.
"Yes sir, only bio-matter, non toxic." Dressel nodded and the aide left the room.
Dressel placed it on his desk and opened it slowly. There was a hiss as a
vacuum seal broke on the package. He looked inside and recoiled, dropping the
box lid on the floor. Something rolled out of the box onto the desk. The head
of Doctor Mello, one of his contacts on Chancai and the man who had operated
on Derril. It had been severed with neat surgical precision.
Dressel swore to himself as he kicked the head into a corner. He took a
breath and opened a channel off-planet. There was a few seconds delay, then a
voice.
"What is it?" The voice sounded annoyed. "We
have a problem. We may have to bring our plans forward a few months."
There was a pause at the other end of the channel. Then a deep sigh.
"What’s happened now?" The Fly Bites Back 2000 short story by
Louis Turfrey and Mark Newbold Under a year after Episode IV – A New Hope Histories
– The
third and final chapter in the Spider
and Fly trilogy, this sets up the events that occur in the Behemoth storyline. Showing their
escape from the attentions of Carlonian
Feese we also see the machinations of one of Glann Cipples main rivals, the ganglord Dressel. Cast of Characters Nias Derril Tarr Ranth Carlonian Feese Glann Cipple Melm Dressel Doctor Mello |