“Really?” Boba grinned slyly to himself. If the bank here was that rich, would it even notice if a few bars of gold were missing?
As though she could read his thoughts, Aurra Sing added, “It’s easy getting onto Aargau. Getting off is more difficult - you don’t want to know what they do to people they catch trying to smuggle stuff off-planet.” She turned and gave him a nasty grin. “Don’t even think of double-crossing me, kid. All they have to do is suspect you of smuggling, and you’re history. ‘Cause who is an officer going to believe? An adult or a kid?”
Not just a kid - a bounty hunter’s kid, thought Boba, and scowled. But he said nothing.
“So just you stay with me,” Aurra Sing hissed as they headed toward a large, shining console desk. An immense holosign flickered in the air above it. The holosign had a scrolled message that repeated itself over and over and over again in a hundred different languages.
WELCOME TO AARGAU,
JEWEL OF THE ZUG SYSTEM!
OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING RULES:
I. NO UNLAWFUL REMOVAL OF PRECIOUS METALS
II. NO POSSESSION OF WEAPONS EXCEPT BY AARGAU CITIZENS
III. NO WILLFUL CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD, DISCREDIT, OR DECEIVE THE BANK OF AARGAU
THE ABOVE CRIMES ARE PUNISHABLE BY IMMEDIATE EXECUTION
Boba glanced at Aurra Sing. She would have a little trouble with Rule Number II, he thought.
But Aurra Sing didn’t bother to read the rules. She strode right through the holosign and into Customs Central. Boba hurried to catch up with her.
“Welcome to Aargau,” said the attendant at the Customs Central console. She was humanoid, with the telltale gauntness and pallid skin that marked her as a member of the InterGalactic Banking Clan, from Muunilinst. She wore an expensive-looking, gold-and-silver plasteel suit. Its buttons looked like real platinum, with insets of blinking, emerald-colored gavril eyes. She held up a small retinal scanner, directing it first at Boba’s eyes, then Aurra’s. After the scan was complete, she glanced back down at the device’s readout. Her expression betrayed nothing.
“May I ask the purpose of your visit?” she asked.
“I am this boy’s guardian, appointed by his family to see that he gets the education he deserves,” Aurra lied. Boba winced at the thought of being related to her. “We’re here to check on the status of his High-Yield Universal Institutional Savings Account.”
“Very good.” The attendant smiled blandly. “And may I see proof of your investment?”
For a moment Aurra Sing said nothing. Then she slid a small shiny card across the desk toward the attendant. Boba’s eyes widened: The card had to be encoded with the access information to his father’s secret fortune!
Aurra Sing looked at the attendant and said, “I think you’ll find everything you need there.”
The attendant slipped the card into a new scanner. The scanner beeped and blinked. The attendant read the information display.
“Yes,” she said. She looked over at Boba. “You are Boba Fett?”
Boba nodded and the attendant smiled. “With this kind of card, I’d guess you’re quite a wealthy young man!”
“Yes,” Boba agreed. But he certainly didn’t feel - or look - wealthy! He glanced down at what he was wearing. Blue-gray tunic over blue-gray pants, knee-high black boots. Standard-issue stuff, not the way a rich kid would dress.
Would that make any difference to the security people here on Aargau? The security attendant certainly didn’t seem to care. She glanced again at the shiny information card Aurra Sing had given her, still in its slot on her desk.
She said, “As first-time visitors to Aargau, you are cleared to visit Levels One through Three. That is where off-world banking accounts and precious metals are stored. Your own credits will be on one of those levels. Once you have withdrawn your credits or metals from your account, you may purchase clearance to Levels Four and Five. Level Four is where you can arrange for lodging, and Level Five is where you can buy supplies.”
“What’s on Level Six?” asked Boba. “Entertainment and recreational facilities.”
Boba grinned. “And Level Seven?”
The Customs attendant gave him a cool smile. “Level Seven is the Undercity. A young person like yourself would have no business there. We encourage free trade, of course, so we don’t restrict merchants or traders from anywhere in the galaxy. As a result, you can find some very shady characters in the Undercity. It is terribly dangerous, especially with the recent skirmishes against the Separatists. The Republic has sent a peacekeeping force to make certain that its investments remain protected.”
She continued to gaze at Boba, and went on. “You must also be sure not to exchange your money with anyone who is not a licensed member of the InterGalactic Banking Clan. There are black market money changers on Aargau. It is illegal to do business with them. If you’re caught, you will be deported immediately. And you will be caught. Do you understand?”