Leia, the droids, and Viscount Tardi visit Aargau, third planet of the Zug System, the galaxy's major banking center, to get a loan from the Bank of Aargau for new X-Wings. They are welcomed in the name of the Sacred Balance and voice-verified. A strong economy precludes on-planet smuggling, so customs is only strict at departure. Rolex, a customs official, tells them the law for entry into the Port of Aargau: removing precious metals, carrying weapons if not a citizen, or defrauding the bank means execution. Vader and three Assassin's Guild members, a telekinetic, a shape-shifter, and a high-gravity being from Rigel VII, arrive on Imperial business. Leia baits Vader with insults but he disregards her. Like her, he has a diplomatic pouch, exempt from scanning. A man caught smuggling gold is executed immediately. As Vader and his group depart, Leia realizes he plans to kill Tardi and stop the loan. The next day, she views the Garden of Butterflies, Home Guard Maneuvers, and Presentation of Collateral. As 3PO drives them to the Garden, the Rigellian drops from a bridge to kill them, but she uses a gravitational field disruptor to increase his density and make him fall into the ground. At the Garden, 3PO tells R2 of his years in the diplomatic service, when his master, a butterfly collector, made him learn every species. As Tardi meets with bank officials, 3PO points out a yellow-barred Heliconian to Leia. The shape-shifter becomes a poisonous butterfly from the Antares System and tries to sting Tardi, but R2 hits him with fire-retardant spray and Leia steps on him. Later, the telekinetic makes a tactical fighter shoot anti-personnel missiles at Tardi, but R2 places holograms of Tardi and the telekinetic over the other to make the missiles kill the latter instead. Leia plays innocent as Vader storms off. He later meets them in the Old Space-Port to say he'll kill them if they stay. Tardi threatens him, so Vader kills him. Leia draws a weapon, but he deflects her shots and gloats at ending the loan. She reveals that Tardi died a month before, that Willard needed him to kill the replica so customs would not find out, and that she already used the Crown Jewels of Alderaan to get the loan, but he turns the tables: having known of Tardi's death, he came to steal the Jewels and make sure the android was not exposed so that the jewels would not be missed. Hiding the body and taking the jewels, he leaves Leia speechless.

Review not yet available. Please check back again soon.