Space Assassins: The Complete Series 1-5, page 44
And by the look of them, they were quite ready for a fight, if need be.
Hozark, however, had no intentions of fighting them. In fact, he was at the very far end of the space, nowhere near the goings-on. Just another lowly peon staying out of the way of the upper-class guests as he went about his chores.
A slight shift buzzed through the guards, regardless of their position within the hierarchy. The regular patrons would not have noticed it, but the tiny change in their posturing signaled one key thing to Hozark. They were linked by a silent skree system. And someone had just notified them all that their boss was coming.
That subtle stiffening of the back, a holding of the head just a little higher, chest out and shoulders back, doing their best to look intimidating and alert. For Oxalla Slahn expected nothing less from her minions.
At long last, the woman herself finally made an appearance, the tall, lithe, palest green-skinned woman striding into the place as if she owned it. But as wealthy and powerful as she was, even the great Oxalla Slahn couldn’t have afforded to buy out this particular establishment.
And even if she could, it was owned by one of the more powerful vislas in the system. One who had no interest in selling. And, conveniently, one with whom she had an ongoing, mutually beneficial arrangement.
“Ah, Denna Slahn,” the concierge said, gushing warmth and welcome from his every pore. “It is so wonderful to have you with us again. Your regular suites are ready and have been prepared, as per your usual specifications, of course, and the chefs will be preparing your favorite dishes this evening, compliments of the house.”
She smiled at him, as one would a lesser creature whose sole purpose was to serve her needs. “I would first like to visit the spa. It has been a long trip, and I have need of your strongest masseuse.”
“Of course, Denna Slahn,” the man replied with a little bit too much gusto.
But ass-kissing was his job, and he was so good at it that it seemed he might lose his head up in some dark nethers one day, if he wasn’t careful about it. He turned to his chief of staff.
“Have the spa cleared for Denna Slahn immediately,” he barked.
“Uh, sir?” the man said, taken off guard. “The Badarian envoy is currently utilizing the healing mud baths.”
A brief look of both fear and anger flashed across his face. This was not good. Not good at all. But compared to Oxalla Slahn, the powerful envoy was as intimidating as a puppy.
“Ah, yes, of course,” the concierge replied as calmly as he could manage. “Please inform the good fellow that a very, very important guest has arrived and will be needing use of the facilities. And please, offer him my apologies. His rooms and meals are on the house today as a token of my appreciation.” He turned to the Denna. “All is in order. Please allow my staff just a few minutes to ready the spa facilities for you. And I will personally fetch our strongest masseuse to tend to your every need.”
The new arrival had observed the exchange with some interest, and, as she was getting what she wanted, continued on her way, apparently satisfied with the man’s quick resolution to what would have otherwise been a problem.
Not her problem, though. But most certainly his.
Hozark had to admit, the fellow may have been a paid sycophant, but he had just pulled off an impressive bit of maneuvering of difficult and demanding guests. Say what you would about the demeaning nature of his position, the man was quite efficient at keeping the workings of the resort running smoothly, even in the most trying of situations.
Oxalla strode across the gleaming stone floor with a confident grace, her closest guards flanking her several feet away on either side.
“You’re a murderer!” a woman shrieked from the crowd that had lingered to observe the woman’s arrival. “You killed my husband!”
Rotten fruit was hurled, flying straight and true, right at her head. Her security detail had not discovered the threat with all their magical scans because it wasn’t really a threat. Not one of damage or injury, at least.
But if she had become smeared with rotten produce, more than one of her guards would certainly have suffered the consequences as surely as the attacker would.
Hozark watched with great interest as the fruit stopped a meter from the woman, its arc arrested mid-flight by an invisible magic shield, before it withered and turned to dust.
That was one thing he had not been expecting. Some defenses, certainly, but a personal protective shield of that power? He began to wonder if perhaps someone had tipped her off that she might be in jeopardy.
But her team handled the situation with the same cool efficiency they showed when performing their initial sweep. No flash of additional weapons, nor hidden troops spilling out. It seemed to have truly been a one-off attack by an angry protester.
The screaming woman was grabbed nearly the instant her improvised projectile had left her hand, hauled off to face a fate likely less than that of her deceased husband. But, then again, she’d just attacked Oxalla Slahn in public, so there was also a very good chance an example would be made of her.
Throughout the entire ordeal, which only lasted mere seconds, Oxalla did not slow or alter her stride one bit. She was a cold and confident bitch, and given what Hozark had heard of her going into this job, it didn’t surprise him one bit. In fact, he expected no less from the woman.
But the shield would be an issue, possibly making his task more difficult than he originally anticipated. He continued on his way across the outer perimeter of the chamber, leaving the others to deal with the thrashing woman and the mess she was making as they hauled her out.
He had work to do, and not the resort employee kind.
Chapter Four
“Binnik! Where the hells are you?” the evening shift manager shouted.
“Here, sir,” Hozark replied, putting down the implements he had been cleaning and hurrying over to the man.
One look at the poor manager and anyone could tell that something was clearly wrong by his nervous fidgeting and the deeply concerned look in his eye.
“We’ve got a problem. Oh shit, oh shit. This is not good.”
“What problem, sir?” Hozark asked, knowing full well the first, tiny part of his plan was underway.
“It’s Oxalla Slahn.”
“The woman who came in a few hours ago? She seemed nice. And tall,” he said, sounding every bit the innocent bumpkin he’d been portraying for weeks on end.
“Nice? You called her nice? Have you never heard of Oxalla Slahn before?”
“’Fraid not. Why? Should I have?”
The manager ran his hands through his hair. “Never mind. Maybe it’s better if you don’t know and just get this done.”
“Get what done, sir? You still haven’t told me what it is you need.”
The manager realized he was losing it, and in front of a far lesser employee. The shit scrubber, no less. He took a deep breath, pausing to run his hands down the front of his immaculate management tunic, smoothing out some imaginary wrinkles.
“Denna Slahn’s assistant called down to inform us the waste system in her suite is having an issue.”
“Oh, well, it’s a good thing there are three of them, then. I can fix the broken one first thing in the––”
“It is her own private restroom, and she will not do with sharing the facilities lesser staff uses. You’ve got to go up there right now and fix this.”
“But, sir, that’s Skardrick’s job. I’m just the apprentice. I mean, I’ve learned a lot about––”
“Skardrick isn’t here. He’s home sick. Some kind of terrible food poisoning that laid him up in bed all day.”
“That’s terrible! I’m so sorry to hear that. Why, I just saw him last night, and he seemed fine,” Hozark said with mock concern. “I should visit him and bring him some soup or something.”
In reality, the timing of his sharing a casual meal with the man and his unexpected gastric distress was anything but coincidental. A few drops of Astralgar extract in his wine had been all it took. Not the option of choice, but given the circumstances, Hozark had to make do with what was at hand while leaving no magical residue or traces.
“Never mind bringing him soup. Haven’t you heard any of what I’ve been saying? Denna Oxalla Slahn’s private restroom is backed up, and you have to go fix it.”
“Oh, well, as soon as I––”
“Now, Binnik!”
Hozark jumped as if terribly startled by the manager’s reaction. “Oh, uh, of course. I’ll head up immediately,” he said, grabbing tools in a flustered hurry and rushing toward the lift disc.
“Wait!”
“But you said––”
The manager threw a slender konus at him.
“I already have my konus. Darzus gave me a fresh one earlier,” he said, showing the band on his wrist.
“It’s not for cleaning spells. It’ll let you get into her suites without being stunned. Or worse.”
“I don’t understand,” Hozark said, understanding full well.
“She’s a high-profile guest, get it? The highest. And her security detail always takes extra precautions, like multiple layers of defensive spells and wards. Without that pass-konus, you wouldn’t make it one step inside those rooms.”
Hozark turned the slender band over in his hands with mock fascination. “Whoa, that’s crazy.”
“Not as crazy as things are going to be if you don’t hurry up and get up there.”
“Right. I’m on it!” Hozark said, then rushed for the lift disc, slipping the pass-konus on his wrist as he went. Work smarter, not harder, he mused.
All was going as he had expected, and with the useful little band he now wore, Hozark wouldn’t have to worry about disarming and countering all of those nasty little spells Oxalla’s team had put in place.
Or at least most of them. Undoubtedly, there would be a few little surprises in place they hadn’t told management about. He’d expect no less of a skilled bodyguard team like hers.
The normal security the property already had in place was no problem. He’d already modified the existing spells and wards weeks ago. They’d still work on everyone else, mind you, but Hozark had a free pass within those walls.
The lift disc took him up high in the building to the most opulent set of suites within its walls. It was also the most difficult to access and most secure of them. Tools in hand, the cheerfully oblivious worker stepped from the disc and out into the corridor, right into the watchful gaze of a half dozen security personnel lining the hallway on either side.
“Hey, fellas,” he said with a good-natured smile. “Oh, sorry. And ladies,” he added when he saw the barbed-limbed Magani bodyguard he’d seen earlier among the group. “I’m just here to fix the pipes. Did they call up and tell––?”
“You are expected,” the Magani woman said as her associate scanned him for weapons. “And you are late.”
“Sorry, there was a bit of a misunderstanding, and––”
“No excuses! One does not keep Denna Slahn waiting.”
“Ooookay then. I guess I’ll just get to it, shall I?”
No one moved.
“Uh, is it okay if I open the door, then?”
At that moment, Oxalla’s assistant opened the door from the inside.
Ah. Hidden communications even here, Hozark silently mused.
“The denna has been kept waiting,” the woman said with a glare that could melt icebergs, then whispered a disarming spell for the door wards. “Bring your tools and do what needs to be done, then remove your stink from these chambers.”
“Jeez, it’s just part of the job. No need to be rude,” Hozark said, exaggeratedly sniffing himself. He then stepped into the suites, whereupon the door was shut behind him, its wards put back in place.
From what he could tell, the security team was barred from entry. Oxalla felt completely safe once inside her rooms, and only her personal aide was to be anywhere near her once she had retired.
Hozark put on a happy smile and forced out a jaunty little whistle. “So, I’d say show me the problem,” he said, sniffing the air. “But I think I can smell it from here,” he said with a laugh.
Her silence clearly indicated that he was the only one amused. With a little shrug, he headed into the resplendent restroom to start his work. And with that, he would move his plan to stage two.
Chapter Five
The smell emanating from the restroom chamber was not as strong as Hozark had anticipated.
He had been meticulous arranging the little dissolving packets he had affixed deep within the pipe system, ensuring their magical bond holding them to the metal would not trigger any alarms. But as for Oxalla’s sense of smell, well, he simply couldn’t be sure just how sensitive it was.
Given her rather sheltered existence, free from the difficulties and unpleasantnesses of normal people’s lives, Hozark had opted for a fairly strong release of smell, but not so much as he might use for a regular city dweller. She would take to her rooms, freshen up, and then, a few hours later, notice a smell.
By that time, there would be a very slight blockage in her private toilet facilities. Simply a sponge-like piece of plant matter, carefully placed, and easily removed, but more than enough to make her call for maintenance.
Or have her aide call, as the case would most certainly be. Actually contacting the help was not the sort of thing Oxalla Slahn did. It was simply beneath her, and she had people for that.
Naturally, the aide would be a trusted person, the one soul allowed to stay close to her at all times, tending to her every need and whim. A thankless job, no doubt, but one that brought with it great power.
And speaking of power, as Hozark walked through the vast suites Oxalla Slahn now occupied, he noted there was no trace of naturally occurring magic. Yes, there were plenty of powered devices in her chambers, but the woman herself, and her aide, were both unpowered beings.
He had expected as much, based on the intelligence the Wampeh Ghalian network of spies had acquired for him during his preparation. But, sometimes, on rare occasion a truly powerful visla could utilize their own power to mask itself, making them appear quite benign, when in fact they were anything but.
Denna Slahn, however, did not seem to be utilizing any such tricks.
“Hey, that’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” Hozark said.
“It is foul, and disgusting, and you will remedy the problem at once,” the aide said, glancing nervously toward the nearby chamber’s closed door.
Her employer was in there. And they would have to pass through her inner sanctum to reach the restroom. The suite had been designed that way on purpose, giving whoever took the main rooms absolute privacy and separation from others, if they so wished.
“Denna Slahn,” the aide said as she quietly knocked on the door. “The repair person has arrived to handle the problem. May I show him through?”
There was no reply for a long moment, then the door slid open. Standing before him in an outfit that simply screamed wealth and power, was the tall woman herself. She glanced at Hozark for a second, her disdain for the mere worker clear in her look. Then, she turned and walked back across the room without a word, leaving the door open.
“Come, quickly,” the assistant said, ushering him through her personal space and into the closed restroom.
Hozark had been mistaken. The smell was actually quite strong, but it seemed that the woman’s aide had managed to cast a very rudimentary blocking spell, containing the majority of the stench to within the room once the door had shut.
Now that it was open, however, the spell was broken. Apparently, this sort of magic was not the woman’s strong suit. But no matter. She wouldn’t have to worry about it much longer.
“Wow. Okay. Now that is something,” Hozark said, playing his innocent Binnik role to the hilt. “I can see why you guys were in such a rush. I’ll get right to it.”
“Do so. And when you complete your task, you are to depart at once. And do not disturb the denna. Is that clear?”
“Yeah, sure. But where will you be?”
“I will be right outside the door. Now, do your job and get out.”
“Sheesh. Fine. I’ll just get to it, then,” he said, feigning mild offense, then shutting the restroom door and loudly spreading out his tools.
He knew the assistant was tempted to stay and watch him work, despite her attitude. The novelty of this resort’s many unusual non-magical systems was fascinating to all who stayed there, including the guests’ staff. Actual pipes to transport waste rather than magic? It was unheard of anywhere but here these days. And it was fascinating.
But there were appearances to be maintained, and class distinctions to uphold. Her kind, even as a servant of a different sort, did not mix with his.
The door to the master chambers shut. He was alone now. And Oxalla Slahn was in the nearby study. Unguarded. Of course, she still possessed her very effective personal protection spell, which he had already seen in action.
That was likely why her guards had felt so comfortable leaving her alone with the pathetic worker so near and only her personal attendant nearby. The man clearly had no weapons, and if he were to be foolish enough to attempt to attack her, a horrible demise would befall him.
It was also the reason her personal guards were stationed outside. Once inside her suites, she had her own protection around her at all times. Denna Slahn was perfectly secure. Or so she believed.
Hozark banged around with his tools for a few minutes, then cracked the door open, peering out into the adjacent room. The aide was there, but her boss was not. She was likely in the next chamber.
Perfect.
“Occlustra hantsa,” he said with the faintest whisper, quietly casting the smallest of muting spells on the far doorway.
It was a tiny bit of magic, and one of the few he was allowed to pull from the work konus provided to him. A simple spell provided to the staff to help them keep the guests from being disturbed whenever they were doing work near an occupied chamber.
