Creeping, low and quiet, Zach scanned the surrounding area. His gaze spied someone on the street below. It was the officer from before, making his way back to the gala. That wasn't good, but at least the man was officially representing the Empire, so couldn't cause any real trouble down there. However, looking back up the direction he had come from, Zach saw the horse, then the ladder, his eyes travelling up back to the rooftops before...
'There you are, you son of a *****!'
The agent had his eyes trained on street level, more specifically, the stairs leading up to the entrance to the hall. Cradled in his hands was a long-barreled rifle.
'So, you wait until we all come staggering out drunk, shoot a guest right on Ms Remington's doorstep, and then jump on your horse and ride off before anybody figures out what happened. Not exactly what I'd call subtle, for a spy, but I thank you. You just made my job a lot easier.'
Zach considered just killing him right then and there. At this range he'd prefer his bow, but his knives would still serve. That wouldn't be the wisest move in any case. This was just one man. He might be working alone (with the exception of that Imperial grease-ball) or he might be part of a team. He could have backup all over the city for all Zach new. After all, he didn't even know for sure who this agent was going to be aiming at. His instincts said Sheska, but Issac was just as much a defector, and Zach had an inkling that he would have been the far more valuable agent. Zach himself was also a potential target. During their purge, Zach and Solomon had crossed off a lot of important names, people far further up the pecking order that your common or garden field agent; and while they'd been careful to keep their identities concealed (in order to protect the rest of the tribe), doing everything they could to make the killings look isolated, even taking out a few people that had no involvement in what had happened, just to throw anyone who might look for connections off the scent, nothing was ever certain. If the Chuno Ggun knew about him at all, Zach reckoned he would probably be one of the most wanted men on the continent right now.
Better then, to take this one alive, and get as much information out of him as possible.
Zach heard Issac's approach long before his head poked up above the gutter, and for a second Zach flushed in anger.
"Issac, go back!" he whispered. "I can handle this. I need you to stall Beth in case she tries to leave right after the Imperials. I'm gonna have a short window here as it is."
That was true enough. He needed the Imperial contingent to disperse before he struck. He couldn't guarantee the take down being quick and quiet, and as good as he was, he didn't fancy his chances against the entire crew of an IAN frigate all at once. However, leave it too long, and the assassin might have time to get a shot off before Zach could reach him.
'There you are, you son of a *****!'
The agent had his eyes trained on street level, more specifically, the stairs leading up to the entrance to the hall. Cradled in his hands was a long-barreled rifle.
'So, you wait until we all come staggering out drunk, shoot a guest right on Ms Remington's doorstep, and then jump on your horse and ride off before anybody figures out what happened. Not exactly what I'd call subtle, for a spy, but I thank you. You just made my job a lot easier.'
Zach considered just killing him right then and there. At this range he'd prefer his bow, but his knives would still serve. That wouldn't be the wisest move in any case. This was just one man. He might be working alone (with the exception of that Imperial grease-ball) or he might be part of a team. He could have backup all over the city for all Zach new. After all, he didn't even know for sure who this agent was going to be aiming at. His instincts said Sheska, but Issac was just as much a defector, and Zach had an inkling that he would have been the far more valuable agent. Zach himself was also a potential target. During their purge, Zach and Solomon had crossed off a lot of important names, people far further up the pecking order that your common or garden field agent; and while they'd been careful to keep their identities concealed (in order to protect the rest of the tribe), doing everything they could to make the killings look isolated, even taking out a few people that had no involvement in what had happened, just to throw anyone who might look for connections off the scent, nothing was ever certain. If the Chuno Ggun knew about him at all, Zach reckoned he would probably be one of the most wanted men on the continent right now.
Better then, to take this one alive, and get as much information out of him as possible.
Zach heard Issac's approach long before his head poked up above the gutter, and for a second Zach flushed in anger.
"Issac, go back!" he whispered. "I can handle this. I need you to stall Beth in case she tries to leave right after the Imperials. I'm gonna have a short window here as it is."
That was true enough. He needed the Imperial contingent to disperse before he struck. He couldn't guarantee the take down being quick and quiet, and as good as he was, he didn't fancy his chances against the entire crew of an IAN frigate all at once. However, leave it too long, and the assassin might have time to get a shot off before Zach could reach him.
[/spoiler]
