The Ghalian Code: Space Assassins 3

by Scott Baron

  “What of the boy?” Demelza asked.

  “Located and retrieved. He is with Uzabud and Henni, returning to the safety of the ship as we speak.”

  “Then our work here is done,” she said, when the validity seal caught her eye.

  “Don’t,” Hozark warned. “It is the trigger to this spell. A very clever trap laid for any who knew what it was, and how utterly wrong it was for it to be here.”

  “Fascinating,” she said, turning her attentions back to the bound assassin. “Then we need to get out of here sooner rather than later. Someone will notice their trap has been sprung. And I mean more than just those guards.”

  “Agreed,” Hozark said, redoubling his efforts to free himself. “At least the boy is safe, so that is one less thing to focus on for the moment.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Bud and Henni had made great time back to the ship once they’d cleared the dangerous area just outside the emmik’s compound. And for his part, the visla’s son had done well, keeping his face pointing straight ahead, away from the prying eyes behind them that might notice his shifted skin color.

  He looked like himself again, which was dangerous, but aside from the emmik’s lackeys, none of the regular citizens of the city would have any reason to take note of him. He was just another boy, out for a walk with what were likely his babysitters or guardians.

  “Is that your ship?” Happizano asked as they made a beeline for Bud’s craft.

  “Yep. Ain’t she a beauty?” he said with pride.

  “It’s a wreck,” the boy replied. “You expect me to fly in that?”

  Bud bristled. “Would you rather go back to your cage?”

  “I almost think it would be better,” the boy groused as they stepped into the ship’s open door.

  “That can be arranged if you don’t watch it,” the ship’s owner replied. “Laskar, we’re back. Prep for liftoff as soon as the others join us,” Bud called out as he entered the command center.

  Laskar did not reply. In fact, he was not even there.

  “Laskar, where the hell are you?” he demanded over the ship’s internal skree comms. Again, no reply. “Damned things must be busted too,” he griped, then set out to find the flaky copilot.

  Bud returned five minutes later with a worried look on his face.

  “I can’t find him anywhere.”

  “What do you mean?” Henni said, a look of concern flashing in her eyes.

  “I mean exactly that. He’s not here.”

  The violet-haired young woman had a pair of blades in her hands in an instant, ready to do violence, if needed.

  “Where did you get those? We went into Urtzal’s place unarmed. Did you grab them, like, literally as soon as we were back on board?”

  “A girl’s gotta be prepared,” she replied. “And something is not right. The tall guy’s not here, and that was his one job.”

  “I’m tall too.”

  “He’s taller.”

  Happizano stepped between the two. “Excuse me, but is this an actual rescue? Do you guys even have the slightest clue what you’re doing?”

  “Shut it, kid. I’ve rescued bunches of people over the years,” Bud replied.

  “Could’ve fooled me.”

  Henni spun and lunged, her twin knives flashing out as a shadow entered the doorway. Laskar caught her by the wrists and flung her aside, a shocked look on his face.

  “What in the actual fuck, Henni?” he blurted.

  The small woman rose from the deck where she’d landed and picked up her blades. “I thought you were a bad guy. I trust my instincts.”

  “Well, they were obviously wrong. Jeez!”

  Henni dusted herself off, but her scowl was slow to clear. Happizano was standing stock-still, shocked by what these strange people seemed to take as a normal occurrence.

  “She just tried to kill him.”

  “Yeah, it happens. Don’t dwell on it, kid,” Bud said. “And as for you.” He turned to Laskar. “Where the hell were you? You’re supposed to be here keeping the ship ready for a fast dustoff.”

  “I was,” Laskar protested. “But some of the emmik’s city guards came to examine our cargo. We landed too close to his personal estate, Bud. I told you so. And as a result, they were checking us out.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah. Shit. So I did whatever I could to buy us a bit more time.”

  “How did you manage that?”

  “I stepped out to greet them with that fake manifest in my hand and bought them a drink at the bar just across the landing site while we went over it. A bunch of drinks, actually. And the good stuff.”

  “And they went with it?” Bud marveled

  “For now, at least. Come on, it was Bud’s lesson number one. Remember what you told me when we first partnered up?”

  “Shut your mouth and fly the damn ship?”

  “Ha. Funny. But no. You said a little bribery goes a long way. And it did.”

  “So, we’re good?”

  “Yeah, we’re good. Now we just have to wait for Hozark and Demelza to get back and––”

  A shrill alarm rang out through the air, the sound even making its way into the ship.

  Henni craned her neck to try to see what was going on. “What the hell?”

  “The estate alarm,” Bud said, jumping into his pilot’s seat and casting the activation spells from his Drookonus. “They’ll lock down the landing area any second now. Everyone take a seat. It’s time for Plan B.”

  “What’s Plan B?” Henni asked.

  “We get the hell out of here and, hopefully, they meet us in the air.”

  “But their ships are still mounted to the hull.”

  “I know. But they’re Wampeh Ghalian. If there’s a way, they’ll manage it,” he replied, then took off as casually as possible before making his way up into the sky.

  Hozark and Demelza made expert use of their shimmer cloaks as they bolted from Emmik Urtzal’s estate, but she was still not able to properly use it at a full run, so they were forced to pause far more often than they’d have liked as they raced for the exit.

  The trapping spell had been strong, and it had been thorough. No one could have escaped it on their own, but with Demelza’s help, Hozark had actually managed to break free. But in so doing, they triggered a fail-safe spell. One that was shocking in its very presence.

  No one used them for traps of this nature, and for someone to have left one deeply embedded, waiting for the impossible to happen, told them both that they were dealing with a far shrewder opponent than they’d previously imagined.

  The two assassins were fortunate that whoever had set the trap did not appear to have clued in the main body of the estate’s guards. If they’d known it was likely a Ghalian was in their midst, they’d have undoubtedly double or tripled their security measures and sealed the grounds entirely.

  Fortunately, the cloaked pair were able to slip out through a lesser-used delivery entrance they had noted during their first run-through of the property looking for Jinnik’s son. There was still a significant security presence, but timing it just right, they were able to sneak past the guards and escape into the bustling city.

  Clear of the compound grounds, both shed their shimmer cloaks as soon as they found a secluded place free of prying eyes. They immediately cast their disguise spells, altering their complexions to a deep bronze, just in case. If anyone was looking for a Wampeh, they most certainly did not fit the description.

  Hozark mentally clocked the time since he’d been captured. Bud was undoubtedly off-world by now, shifting his focus to keeping the kid safe as soon as he heard the alarm. That meant Plan B.

  “We are going to have to find our own means of escape,” he said as they moved toward the landing area.

  “Your thoughts?” Demelza asked.

  “There are a great many craft here, but most are locked down. Only the emmik’s ships are free to move. I think we should avail ourselves of his generosity, don
’t you?”

  Demelza liked that idea very much, and as soon as they arrived at the rows of ships, she immediately began surveying them for the best prospect.

  “The third from the end,” she said. “I sense power from it, and there is only one man nearby. Thankfully, he does not appear to be paying much attention to the craft behind him.”

  “Yes,” Hozark said. “He appears to be quite interested in the clamor coming from the emmik’s compound. But that will not last. Come, we must move quickly.”

  The two made their way behind the lone sentry and silently boarded the ship, all without raising any alarm or suspicion. And they were in luck. Demelza had been correct in her initial scan. There was a Drookonus still in place, though it felt as though it had been recently drained a fair amount.

  It would have to do.

  “Strap in,” Hozark said as he sealed the doors and cast the spells lifting the ship off into the air.

  Now that got the sentry’s attention. In no time, a handful of pilots raced to their ships, all of them ready to pursue the thieves. Hozark pushed hard, casting the drive spells just to the edge of breaking the Drookonus and leaving them adrift.

  It was nowhere near as strong as the ones he was accustomed to using, and it took constant attention to not overtax the lesser device. The ships from the surface that were streaking up toward them, however, did not appear to suffer any such handicaps.

  They were fully charged, and they were ready for action.

  “Demelza, defensive measures, please.”

  She nodded and set to work directing their limited shielding resources to block the incoming attacks. The ships on their tail were trying to disable, not destroy them, and that was a lucky break.

  But they both knew that any time now the dead guards would be found within the emmik’s compound, and when word of that reached their pursuers, the spells were all but guaranteed to turn deadly.

  “What sort of offensive power does this ship possess?” Hozark asked, dodging a flurry of spells as they tried to knock out his Drookonus.

  “Not much, I am afraid,” Demelza replied. “This craft seems to have been recently returned and was awaiting a refresher to its power stores.”

  “Then we are in for a very difficult fight, indeed,” Hozark said, gritting his teeth as he spun the craft one hundred eighty degrees, flying right at the pursuing ships. “Now would be a good time to utilize what little we have.”

  Demelza was already casting the spells as he spoke, and the magic she was sending out at those ships was most decidedly not meant to stun. One of the craft took the full brunt of a spell, halting in place as its shielding cracked from the unexpected magic.

  This was not like spells they had previously defended against. This was stronger magic. More deadly. And one of their own had just fallen victim to it. The remaining craft immediately ramped up both their defensive shielding as well as their offensive attacks.

  Hozark flew like a man possessed, dodging as best he could with the underpowered craft. Demelza, likewise, was casting for all she was worth, but they were simply out shipped and out gunned, magically speaking. A trio of spells rocked their craft. Seconds later, a thin wisp of smoke abruptly rose from their Drookonus.

  “We cannot continue like this much longer,” Hozark noted with grim certainty as the attacking craft looped for a closer assault.

  They had performed as well as any could given their circumstances, but, it seemed, that was simply not enough. No one could will victory from defeat, no matter how strong their desire.

  Two of the attacking ships suddenly burst to pieces, targeted by a fierce and powerful barrage. The remaining craft were sent fleeing, where they would regroup and face this new threat.

  Bud pulled his mothership close––right under the stolen attack craft, in fact––and Hozark quickly cast his docking spells, latching to the larger vessel. He and Demelza wasted no time descending into the familiar safety of Bud’s ship.

  Hozark then overloaded the failing Drookonus and released the spells, sending the craft speeding off into space. A moment later, as the other craft made their moves against it, the ship blew to bits, just as Laskar initiated the jump and took them to safety.

  “We could have sold that!” Bud whined when his friends entered the command center.

  “It would have given us away, Bud,” Hozark replied.

  Of course, the pilot knew that, but nevertheless, the loss of a valuable and free bit of salvage––or in this case, theft––hurt all the same.

  “What kind of a rescue do you call this?” Happizano griped from his nearby seat. “The rescuers need rescuing? That’s just sad.”

  “You would be wise to watch your tongue,” Hozark said. “We have risked much, and a little gratitude would serve you well.”

  “Yeah, right. You’re not my dad. You can’t tell me what to do,” the boy snarked.

  “Oh, I like this one!” Henni said with a laugh.

  Hozark sank into his seat and pondered the situation they were in. This was going far, far worse than he’d imagined.

  “Hey,” the boy said. “I know this is fun for you and all, but I’m hungry. Get me something to eat.”

  Hozark looked over at Bud and sighed. Yes, indeed. Far worse.

  Chapter Forty

  “Take me home! Take me home, now!” the tantrum-throwing youth hollered, his voice carrying throughout the ship.

  “We cannot do that just yet,” Hozark said. “I have told you over a dozen times thus far. Our destination is wherever Visla Jinnik is at this time. Only he can properly protect you. And we have not confirmed his whereabouts as of yet.”

  “So take me home. That’s where he always winds up. Even after those big trips he takes without me.”

  Bud flashed his poor Wampeh friend a sympathetic look. The boy was proving to be more of a handful than they’d anticipated, and his frequent and rather vocal outbursts were beginning to wear on everyone’s nerves.

  Unfortunately, they could not simply drop the youth off at his home estate and be done with it. For one, he had already been taken from that very place when his father was away. For another, if the visla was still off on Council business, returning him to the scene of the crime without his father’s protection would be courting disaster.

  He had been freed, and they intended to keep it that way. Now all they had to do was find his father. But that was proving more difficult a task than anticipated. It seemed that whatever the reason for bringing him under their control, the Council was moving Jinnik around frequently, sending him on errands all across the systems.

  And now that this low-level emmik had been wrapped up in the affair, and with a booby-trapped validity seal to boot, it was looking very much like whatever was going on, the real reason for Jinnik’s acquisition was yet to be revealed.

  “Listen, kid. We want to get you home. Really, believe me. The sooner you’re back with him, the better for all of us. But for the moment, you’ve just gotta tough it out while we figure out some things.”

  “Like what? Hell, I can tell you how to get––”

  “It’s not about where home is, okay? Just trust me on this.”

  “Why should I trust you? Any of you?”

  Bud flashed an exasperated look to his friends, but they weren’t stepping into this. It was his turn to have the same conversation for the umpteenth time.

  “Because we rescued you. How many times do we have to say it, kid?”

  “I told you, don’t call me kid.”

  “Yeah, but what’s your name? Hapinasasomething?”

  “Happizano.”

  “Yeah, I’m just gonna call you Happy,” Bud said with a mischievous grin.

  “Do not call me that.”

  “Why not, Happy?”

  The boy’s violet face began to redden. “My father is going to kill all of you,” he hissed.

  For a youth of ten or eleven, he was certainly a handful, and not in a cute and amusing way. Hozark leaned in close
.

  “Your father is the one who hired us to rescue you, as I have told you multiple times now. I suggest you come to terms with that sooner rather than later, young Jinnik. It will make your time with us far more pleasant.”

  Happizano deflated just a little. The wear and tear of being kidnapped, held hostage, and then rescued by this unlikely and motley bunch of misfits had strained him to his limits.

  “Why didn’t he come for me himself?” he said quietly.

  No matter what a royal pain in the ass he was being, they all felt some degree of sympathy for the kid. It sucked, they knew. And all he wanted was to see his dad again.

  “Listen,” Hozark said, resting his hand on the boy’s shoulder in a rare display of tenderness. “Your father is a good man, and he cares about you very much.”

  “But he sent you instead of coming himself.”

  “Yes, he did. But that was also to keep you safe.”

  “My dad’s strong. He could take them on.”

  “Yes, but sometimes the true strength is in holding oneself back.”

  The boy looked at him, more than a little confused.

  “I’ll clarify,” Hozark said. “The people who took you might have done some very bad things if your father came for you himself. By the time he found out where you were, there is no telling what the Council of Twenty might have done.”

  “The Council?” Happizano said. “But he hates the Council. Or, at least, really dislikes it. I mean, he’s always felt that way. It’s why he stays away from all of their stupid parties and gatherings, even though they invite him all the time.”

  “Yes, we’ve heard that they have courted your father for some time. But that is why he had to have us come to get you. So he could keep you safe from future reprisals.”

  “Reprisals?”

  “When someone is angry at what you have done and wants to do something bad to you for it,” Hozark said.

  “It means revenge, kid,” Laskar chimed in.

  “Don’t call me kid,” he grumbled. “And don’t call me happy!” he quickly added.

  “Okay, okay. But Happizano is kind of a mouthful. I’m with Bud on that. How about Hap? Does that work for ya?”