Space Assassins: The Complete Series 1-5, page 63
“I shall. Hopefully this is nothing, but it is always best to verify,” Hozark said as he walked to board his cloaked craft. “I will see you soon.”
Within three minutes he had detached from Bud’s mothership and was making a stealthy approach to the globe below.
As powerful as he was, if Visla Jinnik was home, he would be able to sense the invisible ship, if he wasn’t distracted. However, as he was offworld at the moment, Hozark felt confident he was arriving unseen.
Even so, he landed a fair distance from the visla’s estate tower. All the better to approach by foot and get a proper feel for the pulse of the city via its residents’ unguarded daily interactions.
Hozark had his shimmer cloak with him, but decided to don a disguise for this approach rather than expend magic on his shimmer.
In addition to saving power, the more traditional method would also allow him to remain visible, though disguised, which meant interactions with the locals. Interactions during which he could glean a great deal of interesting information.
Hozark casually strolled the streets, taking a circuitous route to the Jinnik estate and listening in to the chatter of the locals. There wasn’t an overt problem being openly discussed, but there seemed to be a tension in the air.
He felt the energy of the people around him, gently reaching out with his konus’s help.
Yes, there it was again. That unease. Something felt off here, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. As he approached the visla’s tower, however, the picture quickly became more clear.
The estate looked much as it had before, but now another of the floating gardens that had been under construction was magically suspended beside it, apparently completed since his and Demelza’s last visit.
But there was something more. Craft were parked in the landing area beside the tower, and shapes could be seen moving about the garden. It looked like there were a few men, up there, whom he could make out fairly clearly, even from a distance.
And from the look of them, they weren’t the visla’s people. These appeared to be Council goons. If that proved to be true, it could mean only one thing. They had occupied the place.
Hozark knew they needed far more information than that, now that the unexpected had reared its ugly head, so he drew close to the visla’s tower and waited. Soon enough, one of the property staff exited via the service entrance to run an errand.
Hozark followed the man, closing in as he took a turn conveniently near an alleyway. The poor man disappeared from the footpath with barely a squeak, his slumbering body carefully tucked into a dark nook within the alleyway, where he would not be found.
A minute later, Hozark emerged, with a new uniform, as well as a new face.
He made a point to linger for a little bit before heading back to the entrance. Any who had seen the man whose face he was now wearing leave would wonder why he had returned so soon otherwise.
When he did finally approach the estate, he gained access with ease, and without a single question being raised.
But once he was inside, his own questions would be myriad.
Chapter Forty-Two
Once inside the tower, Hozark changed his appearance to that of a generic face he kept in his toolkit of disguises.
He had no real knowledge of the man he’d just pretended to be, and it was often easier to gain access by bullshit and bluster than it was using an identity that might not have the clearances he needed.
And then there was the fact that the poor man, of whom he had only made the most preliminary copy for his infiltration, was known by those he would encounter on the way. That could get sketchy.
Moreover, if word that he and his team had recovered the boy had made it here, any Wampeh would be suspect.
His own pale complexion simply would not do.
So Hozark became a stern-faced, olive-skinned, ball-buster of a man. One who took his job seriously, and who made others uncomfortable by his professionalism.
He had found over the years that the strict adherence to rules tended to make this persona unpopular. It also made people want nothing to do with him, pushing him through checkpoints quickly to go finish whatever it was he was doing without much scrutiny at all.
Sticklers for rules wouldn’t break them, after all, and those actually enforcing them might get called out for not doing so properly. The nitpicker types were just the sort to actually know their job better than they did. The kind who took joy in correcting the slightest of mistakes.
It wouldn’t work everywhere, of course, but in a recently occupied estate, and one owned by a very, very powerful visla no less, a person of that sort would likely be given a wide berth.
And this visla was now working for the Council, or so it seemed. No one would know it was under duress, but that worked to his advantage. For all intents and purposes, this was still the visla’s home, and if he was under that man’s umbrella, the newcomers would treat him with a degree of deference.
Hozark grabbed one of the packages from the sorting table where deliveries were made. They had already been checked in and were now simply waiting for distribution within the estate.
Not much was arriving these days with the visla off world, but that would make any delivery for the visla even more pressing. That, in turn, would be a free pass to almost anywhere in the building.
Hozark pulled from his konus and layered what appeared to be a complex seal on the container, then walked straight out into the foyer of the ground floor.
When last he was in the building, his entrance had been made from high above, via the floating garden beside the structure. This, however, was a bit more complicated.
Multiple security personnel were patrolling the area. And they were definitely not the visla’s people.
They wore the uniforms of his staff, but Hozark could see the difference in posture and the look in their eyes as clearly as if they were wearing flashing signs that read, “Council Goon” on them.
It was not an overt occupation. That was not the point here. This was merely the Council making sure they had a handle on this place, keeping up appearances while ensuring the facility remained under their control. Just a subtle presence, though, and one most would not question.
“Where are you taking that?” one such Council guard asked as Hozark crossed the open space toward the lift discs.
“I am making a delivery for the visla,” he replied.
“Those get left down below at the receiving area. You don’t have clearance to go to the upper floors.”
Ah, he was that type. The kind who enjoyed flexing his middling power, Hozark mused. This would almost be fun.
“What’s your name?” Hozark demanded.
“What?”
“Your name. Give me your name.”
“Who the hell do you think you are to speak to me like that?”
“Your name. Are your ears plugged? I need to know who it was that diverted a direct delivery from Visla Agnatz to Visla Jinnik,” the assassin replied. “You can clearly see this is a specially sealed container, and you should also be well aware that this type of delivery is not only a priority-one in nature, but it also must remain in the proper chain of custody until such time as it is properly handed off at its final destination. Now, again. What is your name?”
The guard hesitated, and in that instant, Hozark knew he had him.
“Uh, I don’t know about all of that. But you’re not supposed to––”
“No. You are not supposed to. Not supposed to be accosting staff performing their duties. You’re one of the newcomers, I see. Tasked with the ground floor security detail, I imagine. And that group is focused at the entryway, as they are supposed to be. But you are all the way over here, overstepping and harassing the real staff, and if you think I’m going to be punished because you want to interrupt my work, then you’ve got another thing coming. Now. Your name.”
Hozark had long practiced the cold stare he now fixed on the man. It made all but the most hardened men squirm. And this was no seasoned soldier. He was just a security guard riding high on his modicum of power. And that balloon had just burst.
People were starting to look. Or so the cornered man believed. Any second now, this could turn humiliating.
“Uh, there’s no need for that. You just take that and deliver it where it’s supposed to go. And be snappy about it,” he said, a bit louder than necessary, to be certain those nearby heard.
He hadn’t been browbeaten by a delivery person. He was the one giving orders. And his order was to carry on and deliver that package.
It was almost funny how easy the man had been to manipulate. For now, with his rather vocal command to carry on, which everyone heard, Hozark had free rein on this level, all the way to the lift disc across the foyer.
The security detail there had just seen his interaction with their compatriot and stepped aside.
“Thank you,” Hozark said curtly, the words having none of the courtesy typically associated with them.
The disc took him up to the visla’s personal levels. The same level Hozark and Demelza had infiltrated. The one where they had met the visla and accepted his unusual job.
He stepped off the disc and made a straight line for the visla’s offices. There were regular staff on this floor, but none of the newcomers to be seen. It appeared the bulk of their presence was at the less important areas of the building, though Hozark was sure a few of them lurked around these levels as well. He had seen a few on the floating gardens, after all.
But here, he could relax his posturing. At least for the moment. With the visla’s actual staff, a kinder persona would elicit far more information.
“Hey, what’s going on with all the extra security downstairs?” Hozark asked a pale-green woman tending to the potted plants dotting the open living space.
She turned to find a warm, open face smiling at her. Fine tendrils wafted from her temples and jawline, pulling additional oxygen from the atmosphere. The perfect type to be caring for the vegetation, Hozark mused.
“What are you doing up here? This is a restricted access level,” she said.
“Oh, I know. I was told to bring this up here myself and not let it out of my sight until it had been delivered to the visla. Or, in this case, whoever would take charge of it until he gets back.”
“What is it?”
“No idea. It’s from Visla Agnatz and is for Visla Jinnik’s eyes only. See the sealing spell?”
“Of course.”
She had noted the magic as soon as she lay eyes on him. A very astute woman, Hozark noted, and a credit to the visla’s staff. But her suspicion could easily be overridden. With the added security at the lifts, there was no way he could have made it to this level without being authorized.
Or so she believed.
And that was the pervasive weakness in this particular security setup. Once you passed a certain point, all just assumed you belonged.
“Come on, I’ll show you where you can put that,” the woman said, leaving her task for the time being. “I’m Inari, by the way.”
“Gorlik,” Hozark replied. “Nice to meet you.”
“I haven’t seen you around here before,” she said.
“No, I was hired to work for the visla a few months ago, but this is the first time I’ve actually been able to visit his estate.”
“Ah, a system hopper,” she said, knowingly. “That’s gotta be a tough job. Always on the move, living on a ship.”
Her mouth said one thing, but her tone said another. She had likely never left this world. Not once in all of her years. And the thought of interstellar travel was quite alluring.
“It can be, sure,” he replied. “But I have to admit, there’s something wonderful about being able to see the galaxy like that. All of the systems and people. It’s actually pretty great, truth be told.”
“I can only imagine.”
“But I suppose it must be nice here. A quiet life without all of that craziness.”
“Didn’t you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“There was an attack.”
“Where?”
“Here. Some mercenary types raided the tower not long ago. Killed a lot of our people. They even made it to the visla’s personal chambers before they were stopped.”
“That’s terrible!” Hozark said in faux shock. “Did the visla smite them?”
“He wasn’t here. But Happizano was.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“His son.”
“Oh, shit. Was he okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. I haven’t seen him around lately, though. Word is, after the attack his dad decided to take him with along wherever he went.”
Hozark nodded along with the story. So that was how the Council was playing it. Most interesting.
“Makes sense,” he said. “I can’t imagine how worried he must’ve been.”
“I was in the marketplace at the time, but people said he damn near blew out part of the building when he got back and saw what had happened. He’s a very powerful man.”
“I know. But why the new security staff? I mean, between you and me, they look kind of, well––”
“Council?” she said, finishing his thought. “Yeah, you’ve got that right. It’s a bit weird, Council guards in our colors. But rumor is, the visla asked the Council to come help provide security while he was gone, after that incident.”
“But doesn’t he, uh, how do I put this nicely? Not particularly like the Council?”
“You’re right on that, so for him to have asked them to come here, it must have been a real concern. Many of our guards and staff were killed in the attack, you know.”
“Still, for him to invite them into his home...”
“Well, word is, it was actually the Council who just happened to have some of their people nearby when all of this happened. They’re the ones who got Happizano to safety with his father. They even come by to check up on things and make sure we are okay, from time to time.”
Hozark had to admit, it was a clever story, and one that not only allowed for the Council lackeys’ presence should they be noted, but also explained where the visla’s son was. The whole thing was well planned and well played. As seemed to be so much of the case with this strange series of events.
Someone was pulling a lot of strings, and in an incredibly convoluted way. Much was in play, and Hozark was quite sure he didn’t know all of it. Not yet, at least.
“Here’s his office,” Inari said. “I can open the door wards, but only for a minute. Put that on his desk, and he’ll get it when he returns.”
“Is it okay to leave there?”
“Trust me, no one will touch it,” she said, then quietly uttered the spells allowing temporary access.
Hozark memorized them immediately.
It was a courtesy the visla had afforded a few of his staff. The ability to come and go to perform their tasks even if he was not present. But they couldn’t linger. If they did, they would trigger his alarms, and who knew what other magical protections he may have hidden in those walls.
Hozark dropped the package on Jinnik’s desk and quickly exited the room, but as he had been placing the container, he noticed something out in the open. Something that tied this confusing web of intrigue into an even greater knot.
There was a folded letter, and on it was the Council’s validity seal.
There was no opportunity to read it, though. Not with Inari standing right there. So Hozark ignored it, for the time being, and left his odd package.
When the visla did finally return, he would likely wonder why a sealed container of dried root vegetables had been placed in his office, but, if at all possible, Hozark hoped to find the visla well before that happened. And he had a feeling that letter would guide the way.
Inari walked him to the lift disc and shook his hand warmly before returning to her tasks. “I hope your stay is a pleasant one,” she said.
“Thanks, Inari. Maybe I’ll see you around before we head out again.”
“That would be nice,” she said with a warm smile as the lift disc began its descent.
He would head out, all right, but it seemed he had more work to do first. And it involved a round trip back up to the top.
Chapter Forty-Three
Hozark stepped off the lift disc with purpose, striding across the foyer like a man on a mission, his eyes scanning the working men and women with a haughty confidence.
The guard who had so foolishly interrupted him earlier was at his assigned station now, but he was making a conscious effort to avoid making eye contact with the troublesome worker. In fact, no one, it seemed, wanted anything to do with him.
Whispers of his berating of the guard must have spread in spite of the man’s efforts.
That served his purposes just fine. Better than that, in fact, for now he was not only within the security perimeter, and therefore seen as already vetted to be there, but he was also avoided.
It was a perfect combination.
Hozark could go wherever he wanted, to a degree. He could probably even ride back to the top on the lift disc if he pushed his luck, but without a package to deliver, that would not be prudent. And though Inari had taken a shine to him, a sudden repeat appearance so soon would cause even her to have questions.
He walked toward the access door to the service area away from the main foyer and tucked in. The building was relatively quiet with the visla off world, and finding a spot to step out of sight and slip into his shimmer cloak was quite easy.
After so much difficulty, a bit of ease was a nice change of pace, even if it would only last a short moment.
The invisible assassin waited by the door several minutes, until a worker carrying cleaned linen passed through on his way to deliver it to wherever it was destined. Hozark followed close behind, exiting through the door in his wake, then peeling off and moving straight toward the lift disc.
He could not simply step on and ascend. Yes, he could easily get around the bored-looking guards standing there, but if an empty lift activated, all sorts of problems would arise. Namely, a swift security response to the confined space.
