Space Assassins: The Complete Series 1-5, page 50
The tall man and his womanly companion who exited seemed to be just another couple come to visit for a shopping excursion in the well-to-do city, nothing more.
It was a disguise without a disguise. Hozark and Demelza even went so far as to not even shift their skin tones to hide their Wampeh nature. On this planet, there was a fairly large Wampeh population, and all but the most nefarious of sorts simply took them as another pair.
Why would a normal person have reason to fear a Ghalian attack, after all? And besides, those kinds of Wampeh were incredibly rare. And if you did happen to see an actual Wampeh Ghalian, odds were, it was too late anyway.
Hozark and Demelza had flown a fair distance away, fully cloaked and invisible, then made their arrival in full view, returning to the scene of the crime yet again, but this time visible to all.
The ersatz couple landed and exited their ship with the seemingly oblivious wonder so many had on their first visit to the city’s shopping area. The towering estates of the wealthy were something of a novelty, as most upper class tended to possess more sprawling parcels on other worlds.
Here, in this dense city, however, vertical was the way to go. The natural layout with nearby hills and rocky crags had formed a cradle of sorts that simply led to that type of development. The two smiled and gawked a bit, then set off into the city to see whatever sights caught their eye.
The path the two assassins took was a carefully planned one, yet one that seemed utterly natural. Every shop, cafe, or street vendor they stopped and lingered at longer than normal also had a strategic position. One that would have allowed them to see at least some aspect of the conflict at the visla’s tower nearby.
Talk of the city, its beautiful region, and unusual architecture inevitably led to a curious query about the tallest of the buildings in sight.
“Oh, that would be Visla Jinnik’s,” they would be told.
“He must be a very powerful man to possess such an estate,” was Demelza’s usual follow up. “I noticed some work being done to it when we were strolling past it earlier. Is the family doing renovations? I bet it will be magnificent when they’re done.”
At that prompt, most related the same story, or a variant thereof as seen from their particular vantage point. A group of unmarked ships had dropped down to the landing area right outside the building and attacked it. They must have been robbers looking to plunder the estate while the visla wasn’t home.
“Oh? That was good luck on their part,” Hozark would interject with faux shock as he urged them to share more information.
“It really was. If the visla had been home, there’s no telling what he might have done to them.”
“So, he’s a violent man?”
“Not at all. A very peaceful one, in fact. But his power can be a bit erratic. It was the same with his father. And if he gets riled up, well, sometimes accidents do happen.”
Everyone had shared that information as well, in one way or another. The visla was, it seemed, more or less the man they’d taken him to be on their first meeting. But these people knew him, and his family, and that sort of unguarded intel was far more useful than any first impressions.
What they also learned was that the alleged robbers had attacked the house with overwhelming speed and numbers. It was simply something the guards and staff couldn’t defend against.
All day long the couple walked the streets, chatting amicably with locals and gaining useful intel in the process. By the time they’d had a romantic dinner at a restaurant that just happened to look directly at the visla’s tower, the picture was quite clear, and their serving staff was more than happy to fill in any gaps in the details for their good-tipping guests.
The two went back to their ship that night, opting to sleep there rather than one of the establishments in the area. They could have, of course, but there was simply no need to draw this out any longer. They had the information they needed.
“Someone knew he was out of the system,” Hozark said as they went over what they’d learned within the secure environs of their ship. “From what everyone said, no one would be foolish enough to have attempted this when he was home.”
“But his staff appeared loyal. And he said his personal flight crew have been with him for many years. An inside job does not seem terribly likely in this case.”
“I agree. It feels much more like something we ourselves experienced so recently,” Hozark mused. “When Master Prombatz was ambushed.”
“You think the meeting that he was out of the system on was scheduled as a ruse?”
“It is looking quite likely. He often traveled with his son, but this was a visit to a particularly rough world to meet an emmik who wished to discuss the possibility of him helping tame some unrest. It would not have been a trip on which he would have brought his son.”
“Indeed. And the boy was home with his tutors when the attack occurred. Right around the time the meeting was taking place, conveniently,” Demelza noted. “It would seem this is a highly likely theory.”
“Meaning we must speak to this emmik and learn exactly how this meeting came to be called, and at whose request. I fear we may find ourselves not liking the answer. This feels much like the work of Visla Rovnik,” Hozark noted.
“Or even Maktan, though I’m sure he has a good alibi, once again.”
“The most slippery of them always do.”
It was an interesting conundrum. The visla had been pressured by the Council for a long time to join them. In fact, they had even courted him to even be one of the Twenty one day when a spot opened up, though that had undoubtedly angered the aspiring power users waiting in the wings with their claws sharp and knives out for their opportunity to seize that prize.
But he had declined. So they sought to convince him to at least lend his considerable power to their causes. And, yet, he had still steered clear of their machinations. He had no issues with them, but he also had no desire to become embroiled in their affairs.
And his son had just turned eleven. Just about the age his powers should be starting to truly manifest. This was an important time for the father and son to bond and spend time with one another
Yes, there were tutors, but they could only do so much. The rest, the elder Jinnik would teach his boy. How to best manage his budding power, as well as the finer points of spellcasting, just as his father had done for him.
And now the Council had taken the boy. Taken him and left a note in his place. The visla would be called upon from time to time to do a service for the Council. To lend his power to their causes. And in exchange, the boy would remain unharmed. But the question remained. Was this the Council as a whole, or was it Rovnik or Maktan manipulating from behind the scenes?
It didn’t matter to the boy’s father. Surely a demand would arrive at some point, and he would do what his son’s kidnappers wished, for now, anything to keep the boy alive. But as he did, his Wampeh agents would be hard at work, finding his son and rescuing him.
And when he was free and safely back at his father’s side where he belonged, Ravik, the Council, or whoever was ultimately responsible, would be made to regret what they had done.
Chapter Sixteen
Groll. It was a shitty name for a shitty planet, and it suited the place perfectly. Hozark and Demelza had barely taken a step off their ship before realizing precisely why Visla Jinnik had been lured to this particular place.
It was distracting.
It was filthy.
It was dangerous.
But looking around at the bustling crowds and active landing areas, something else was also clear. This place had potential. Not as a lovely place to live or vacation. Not by a long shot. But a commerce hub? Oh yes, it could serve that purpose admirably. Because Groll, shitty as it was, happened to be ideally situated between an unusually large number of commerce worlds and fabrication moons.
For one such as Jinnik, it would have been a tempting project, and one that would not only allow him to flex his magical muscle a bit, but also significantly expand his family’s wealth and holdings in the process.
In fact, the more they looked around the capital city, the more Hozark was of the opinion that the meeting could even have been legit.
But one thing caught his attention. Namely, that despite his initial impressions, and the somewhat filthy degree of apparent disarray surrounding them, Groll actually seemed to be working well in precisely that commercial and industrial capacity.
Judging by the manner and number of craft coming and going with regularity, and the bustling commerce of the open markets, the place really didn’t need the attentions of a visla, let alone one of Jinnik’s power.
“A diversion,” Hozark said, confirming their initial thoughts.
Demelza nodded. “I would tend to agree. This place is a bit of a dump, no doubt, but a dump that appears to be functioning quite well as a commerce hub, albeit one that is admittedly also something of a mess.”
“So, Jinnik was definitely lured here to leave his estate unguarded,” Hozark said. “Most interesting. Let us go and visit Emmik Ozman and see what she has to tell us of their meeting. And more importantly, who it was that coerced her to offer up a portion of her thriving, and undoubtedly lucrative, business to Visla Jinnik.”
* * *
Emmik Ozman was a stout, gray-skinned woman with a particularly strong set of flexible appendages upon which she ambulated, and an equally robust but longer group of them on her tubular upper body. Not tentacles, though. More like the multi-jointed structure of a tail, only prehensile, capable of carrying her about in a rippling wave, as well as manipulating items around her.
The two assassins found her holding court within a squat but rather ornate building. A government office of some sort, it appeared. They quietly entered and asked for Emmik Ozman’s whereabouts. Everyone knew her in this place, so locating her was quite easy and directions were forthcoming.
They made their way to the main chambers, where she was presiding over a small group of traders. By the sound of it, they were having a minor squabble regarding the overlapping territories in which they were vending their wares. It was a heated discussion, no doubt, but all deferred to the emmik’s authority. Likely a good thing, judging by the magic they felt wafting off of her.
She might have only been an emmik, but she was a strong one. And those individuals quarreling were non-powered to a one, each relying on a konus for their minor casting abilities. Had she so desired, she could have likely struck down the lot of them with just a few well-placed spells.
But she was diplomatic in her role as overseer of this place, and that meant not smiting anyone who rubbed you the wrong way. Things tended to go poorly when that was one’s policy.
The confab was not a terribly lengthy one, but it did drag on a bit longer than either of the Wampeh would have liked. But there was little they could do to speed things along, and this was definitely a time for casual subtlety rather than brash motivation.
At long last the group had come to an understanding of a sort and disbanded, each feeling equally screwed by the deal. A sign of everyone being treated the same, in Ozman’s book. That was the nature of compromise. You’re all screwed a bit. Deal with it and carry on.
“Who the hell are you two?” she asked, walking over to the two who had been quietly observing the proceedings for so long. “I’ve never seen you around here.”
“Ah, yes. We are associates of Visla Jinnik,” Hozark replied. “He asked us to do a little followup with you, if you don’t mind.”
“Jinnik, you say?” she asked, an eyebrow askew. “Pull the other one––I know there’s no way you’re with that one.”
This was a bit surprising. They’d expected at least a modicum of cooperation from the woman, but all they were getting was irritated pushback.
“Why would you say that?” Demelza asked sweetly.
“Oh, you can stop with the bullshit niceties, sweetheart. That crap won’t work on me. And besides, I already told that shit clown to take his greedy plan and shove it.”
“I-I’m sorry, perhaps we’re operating on the wrong footing here. I understood it that you invited the visla to meet with you to discuss his possible involvement in furthering the commerce of your world.”
“Oh, I invited him all right. But that’s all I had to do. Invite him. You think I would actually let anyone dig their claws into my hard work? Not likely. I built this up from nothing, and no way I’m letting some high-falootin’ rich kid snob slide up in here and sink his teeth into my precious. No way, no how.”
“I must not understand this correctly. We were simply to gather further information on the trade numbers, you see. But if we’re mistaken––”
“Oh, you’re mistaken, all right.”
Hozark stepped in, putting on his best concerned accountant face. “This won’t go over well with the actuaries. Not at all,” he groaned with faux concern. “Why in the world would you have invited him all the way out here if you weren’t serious about the opportunity?”
At that, Ozman laughed. “Because even I have to be careful where the Council of Twenty is involved. They leave me alone, for the most part, but they still take their pound of flesh. And when they say jump, unfortunately, we all have to ask how high.”
“The Council? I thought this meeting was your idea,” Hozark pressed.
“Mine? Oh, you sweet, ignorant man. The only reason I contacted Jinnik was because I was asked to. Well, told to, more like it.”
“Told? But who told you to do such a thing? You seem quite in control of your affairs.”
“I don’t know who was behind it. All I got was a simple little note on Council parchment, in an envelope with a Council seal. One of those godsdamned anonymous validity seals any of them could have sent. But the seal was legit, and I know better than to poke at that slumbering giant. They wanted me to talk to the visla? Fine, I’ll talk to the visla. But nowhere did it say I had to do business with him.”
“Who delivered it to you?”
“I didn’t see. It was just waiting for me on my desk.”
Hozark glanced at his associate. “Well, then. It would appear we have had our time wasted with this pointless voyage. Come, we may as well leave this place. There is obviously nothing more for us here.”
Demelza nodded and followed him out of the building into the streets.
“Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out,” the boisterous woman called after them.
“This is all too familiar,” Hozark said when they were a block away. “Mysterious, anonymous Council notes? It is like what we found in Emmik Drazzix’s papers.”
“Though that man had been killed. Drained, no less. Do you think Samara might have been involved?”
“There’s no telling,” Hozark replied. “It is one of the infuriating aspects of those seals. Any member of the Council can utilize one. And for precisely this reason. Plausible deniability. Someone sent that letter with an official seal, but there’s simply no way to determine who it was, and it will be a tough road to follow in our efforts to track them down.”
“But there will be a trail. No matter how difficult to find, we will eventually succeed.”
“I sincerely hope so,” he agreed. “By the way, I assume you have noticed the heavily bundled individual following us.”
“Of course. They have been with us since we left the emmik’s presence,” Demelza replied.
“Indeed,” Hozark said, then changed direction, heading, not toward their waiting ship, but into a winding, dark alleyway.
Demelza followed close behind, the two disappearing down the twists and turns. Hurried footsteps softly echoed off the alley walls as their pursuer increased their pace to keep up.
“Hello, friend,” Hozark said menacingly, bodily slamming the person against the alley wall, holding them aloft.
Their feet were off the ground, and a bit too easily for their bulk, he noted. Their pursuer seemed to be more clothing than person. He pulled back their headwrap, revealing not a man, but a woman with pale violet hair and pinkish skin.
It was her eyes, though, that truly caught his attention. Demelza saw them as well. Sparkling eyes that caught the light and reflected as if they had galaxies trapped within them.
It was an unusual trait, supposedly of exceedingly rare magic. One they had both only ever heard old wives tales about but never actually seen in person. However, this scrappy young woman didn’t seem to have a clue as to how to manage her power. In fact, judging by the way she squirmed and struggled, but without calling upon that magic, it was quite possible she was unaware she possessed any at all.
Hozark and Demelza shared a curious look. This was not what they had been expecting. But the strange woman had been following them, and had to have a reason.
Hozark slid his fangs into place for effect and flashed an intimidating smile.
“Let us have a little talk, shall we?” he said, then hauled her off in a rush, headed for the darkest part of the alley, where they would be certain to not be disturbed.
Chapter Seventeen
“Take your hands off of me! I’ll gouge your eyes out!” the slender woman threatened, squirming in Hozark’s solid grip.
Her hands, however, merely grasped at his forearms, refraining from any attempts at his eyes or face. As agitated as she was, even she realized tearing into a Wampeh Ghalian was not a good idea.
“You really should calm down,” Demelza said, stepping close to her comrade and the woman he held aloft, pinned to the wall. “You will find that cooperation will lead to a much longer life.”
“You threatening me?” the young woman spat with a glare that looked as if it could melt flesh. And if she’d actually been in control of her unusual power, who knew? Perhaps she could.
“Merely stating a well-documented fact,” Demelza replied with a look of her own. One chilling in its calm certainty.
