Ask Cipher Holiday

[Cipher Five]

In a warehouse on Axxila, deafening music blared from speakers hoisted in the corners, fueling the general craze. At the center would be a makeshift fight ring, with the floor made from imported sand and the ring itself made of crates. Another circle was formed outside of that one but made out of bleachers, each one occupied with a culmination of drunks, addicts, criminals, or worse. As fighters continued to battle, they let out roars of approval, drunkenly excited and frenzy-like from the unregulated violence they paid for. The local gangs sponsored these events, and they were a great way to recruit or get a pile of credits.

Fives was seated in the middle of one of those bleachers, dressed casually to blend in and once again in his style of all black. Instead of standing and cheering, he would still be seated with his lean frame stretched out and his feet crossed over each other on the seat below him. His gaze would be locked on the fighters, both of them bruised and bloodied beyond recognition, as he stared absentmindedly at them. Memories infected his vision of one of his previous assignments—a fight ring assembled just like the one he was seated at. It had been initiation for one of the local gangs, the Blood Kings, and it had been one of the worst nights of his life. The reminder of it would always be etched into his face in the form of a scar over his left eye.

Even though he would have never been there by choice, the decision was not his to make. The ISB had gathered reports of smuggling and corruption between the criminal organizations of Axxilia and certain Imperial Fleet commanders. When contraband was discovered on an officer's personal ship during routine inspection, an interrogation proceeded that resulted in the seller of the weapons being traced to Axxilia. The operation was kept under wraps, and the ISB assigned both Five and Six to gather as much information as they could. Their primary objective was to discover how deep the corruption ran and who was funding it before they reported back for further orders.

At the thought of Six, Five gave a slight shake of his head to clear his thoughts and checked his chrono. The two had arrived on the planet separately and scheduled a meeting to discuss their next steps together. His desire for perfection made him more than welcome to coordinate with her for this assignment. To pass the slow crawl of time, he pulled out a cigarra and lit it with his zippo, a pillar of smoke shortly billowing out the corner of his mouth afterward.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

Six was unfazed by the fighting. She had been undercover enough times in Hutt space to easily stomach such battles. In fact, she had even posed as a fighter as one of her covers in the past. Fortunately, she was spared that role this time. She had been given a profile of her companion’s cover, and she spotted him soon enough. Well, at least this one was easy on the eyes.

She was dressed for her role, complete with a brightly colored red wig under a black beanie. Six took a seat next to him, flashing a fanged grin, “Sup? Naz,” She said as she introduced herself. He would know who was sitting across from him.

There were two main objectives to this mission - one to uncover the ring, the other two secure this station for the empire. It was going to be a long con, and they both had to stick to their covers.

“Getting comfortable, I see,” She said with a smirk, her gaze flicking to the scar along his brow.

@Orbit

 

[Cipher Five]

Five heard a pair of footsteps approach, even through the music, and already knew who it was. The timing of the arrival was all the information that he required. When Six fully sat down next to him, he finally tore his eyes away from the fight, his vibrant green gaze interlocking with her blue one. Even through her disguise, he caught her attractive features immediately as his eyes travelled along the curvature of her jaw for a brief moment. After her introduction, he lips contorted into a smirk before replying, "Leon." Three fingers would reach up to top of his head to pinch and tug an invisible brim toward her as he added, "Pleasure."

His attentention returnted to the fight, but at her observation, he at first gave a slight shrug of his broad shoulders, actually telling her the truth, "No, not really at first." It actually tore at him to sit there and watch. When he brought his gaze upon her once more, he held it there for a second before answering, "Now I am though." The answer was multilayered, the two able to finally prepare how they wanted to proceed with their mission, a distraction from the bloody spectacle before them. The second being that she was the most appealing company in the warehouse, cover or not, evident by the drunks and addicts surrounding the two.

Despite his words, when Five resumed spectating the fight, his gaze grew distant as one hands slowly tightened into a fist. When one of the fighters produced a devestating blow, an elbow to the jaw that sent teeth and blood into the sand, the corner of the agent's mouth twitched. His mind replaced the image with one from his past, the sight flashing in and out like a bolt of lightning. Reactively, his left hand went to the scar over his eye, the tips of his fingers pressing into the scarred skin.

As the crowd cheered, Five stood to his full height but leaned down to Six after saying, "I'll meet you outside." He pulled out a cigarra from his pack, tossing it onto her lap before making his way down the bleachers without a word. Outside, he inhaled the "fresh" air, letting it clear his thoughts before he took another drag of his cigarra.

 

[Cipher Six]

Six studied his face and guessed that there was a story there somewhere. She wasn’t the type to press when it wasn’t part of her job, so she left it alone. Six picked up the proffered cigarra, her brows raising before she walked over to meet him outside. It was in a discreet corridor, a space designated for smoking.

“This is my favorite brand,” She said with a smirk, raising the cigarra to her lips before lighting it. He was a Cipher. Of course he uncovered superficial details about her. Thankfully, Naz smoked. It killed her when her covers were straight edge. She didn’t speak to the discomfort that every muscle in his body displayed during the fight.

“I’m getting chummy with the piloting staff,” She said. Everyone here had a grungy persona - even the people that manned the station. Six’s job was to get cozy with them while his job was to find out more details about Imperial involvement in the criminal rings.

“Sev Garin doesn’t seem to like the Reds too much,” Reds were terms for Imperials. The crooks here made no move to hide that there were shady Imperials here. Her getting chummy with the command staff meant she was there when they wanted to vent and complain, “Apparently the Reds are trying to gain some control and getting greedy. Could be a chance to join forces to take them out or have them shipped back to Raxus.”

This all depended on what Leon learned from the Reds.

 

[Cipher Five]

Five pressed his back against the wall as he faced Naz, his cig pursed between his lips while his hands rested in his pockets, already much more comfortable than inside. When she was about to ignite her own, he slipped his zippo out and flicked it open in one smooth motion before lighting it for her. He gave her a quick cock of his head before replying gruffly through some smoke, "You have good taste." Normally, he preferred the harsh burn, but the menthol aftertaste was a nice change from that.

Five also ignored his reaction to what happened inside, gladly at that. His optics flicked up to a glassless window above, the music echoing outside from the opening. He had no idea why the fuck he couldn't control himself, especially in front of another agent, but he pushed that aside to deal with the issue another time, on his own.

When Naz started to fill him in on what she learned, his gaze would fixate back at her with full attention. As she spoke, she would be able to spot him transform back into the Cipher he was compared to inside. Five's arms crossed over his chest with his body relaxed, both his green eyes alight with intensity as he incorporated her information into what he knew. There was certainly an opportunity here if they moved correctly.

Five spoke up once she finished, "They have been. Vigo," the Jackal's boss, "is supposedly growing tired of his arrangement as well with the Reds. They've been pushing him to expand more and war with the other gangs," he nodded toward the warehouse, "which is why they've been on this recruiting drive as of late. They've been suffering too many losses despite the support." That was how he found his in, a fresh recruit for the gang, not even a second glance cast toward him as they were in desperate need. "Far as I can tell, the Reds are starting a little local war with their support, weakening all parties before they swoop in."

Offering her an upward nod before he spoke, he ran his idea by her first, given her higher rank: "Reportedly, another big smuggling OP is happening in a couple weeks. Hit them there, and at a few more critical points, we could eventually draw out everyone involved." Five took another drag of his cig before adding, "Give me a few days to work it and I'll get a location."

 

[Cipher Six]

Six nodded at his report. They couldn’t exactly get further into detail beyond the initial briefs. There was no real privacy here, and if their covers were blown, they were stuck inside a space station. The two were in the rancor den trying to survive yet another day. It was exactly the kind of rush that made her want to be an agent in the first place. She exhaled the smoke through her nostrils as she pondered their mission. It would be weeks before anything moved. This was a slow, long con, not an instant mission.

“You pick up any hobbies while you’ve been here?” She asked with a grin, “I’ve somehow become the person everyone vents to. It’s helpful for details, but damn if I have to hear Libbie complaining about Sev screwing some other chick again..” She made a gesture with her fingers to imitate a blaster blowing her brains out.

 

[Cipher Five]

Five arched his eyebrow slightly at her question before he let out a soft chuckle when he caught her grin. It appeared Naz was truly in the heart of the hornet's nest with this Libbie. He's been in that position himself countless times on previous missions, utterly miserable with the company he had to keep but unable to leave because of the wealth of information it provided. "Quite a fantastical ending for you," he commented in a quiet but amused tone, "Six, storied agent, bested by the jealous station official, Libbie. Be a shame if we lost you." There was no one else around to hear them.

When it came to his own hobbies, he gave a shrug of his shoulders and said, "Beside gambling and reminding people Vigo's in charge..." Naz would be able to notice the bruises on his knuckles; his cover involved more of the dirty work others ignored to keep it off their own hands. "I've been staying around the garages, fixing and repairing whatever the Jackals need, mechanical work. If you ever need a tune up, let me know." Five had always liked working with his hands, and the notion of improving or polishing something to a perfect state appealed to him. More importantly, it allowed him to keep an inventory of what they had.

That tendency was the reason he had been selected from the academy for the Cipher program, himself the clay at the time that he molded by his own hands to be the best he could be.

Five swung his eyes back over to Naz, another glint of amusement within them as he noticed her answer. "What about you? Besides being a good listener?" He was curious to see what she found enjoyable on the station, which probably kept her sane.

 

[Cipher Six]

It was always surreal playing multiple roles. They could be doing the most mundane things, but then have to remember that it was all part of a job. Every step was measured and scripted, even the way they laughed or what type of jokes they told. She didn’t meet too many mechanic types and she wondered if that was genuinely him or part of his persona for this gig.

“Thursday night karaoke,” She said with a fanged grin, “I’ve been going for the past two weeks. The Reds love to make an appearance there so that was my original reason for going, but I’ve actually started to go just for the singing,” Drunk karaoke was always the funniest experience ever.

Six looked around briefly before she lowered her voice to speak, “How corrupt are these Reds?” She asked, “Do we think we can get them to swing in our favor and help claim the station for Imperials?” It was a very risky route, but worth a shot only if Five thought it was doable. Otherwise, they would have to remove the Reds from the situation and then go on to take the station as originally planned.

 

[Cipher Five]

Five's eyes drifted to her fanged grin momentarily, drawn in by the unique sight of them, before he returned his gaze upward. Her answer both surprised him and did not, the place a local hotspot and possible goldmine for information. It was his turn to wonder whether the singing was part of her persona or something personal that she actually enjoyed, like him with the garage.

He took another drag of his cig but when she asked if the Reds could be swung in their favor, his gaze snapped toward her. "That's like asking the Devil if he enjoys deals," Five answered with his analogy monotonously, which was all that was needed to express his viewpoint about them. Six would be able to see the hard edge reveal itself within his eyes—the man, the Cipher that had been specifically sought and recruited in control. "We make an example out of both them and Vigo or whoever else. Show the station how corruption is handled," he answered matter-of-factly before tossing his cig onto the ground. "That's how they will help us. I'll get the location of that meeting," he added, the conviction in his voice making it seem inevitable. They had to start somewhere.

Before the two could continue, someone down the small alley stood at the mouth before waving his arm at the pair, "Leo! What the fuck you doing?!" It was a darker-skinned man, one named Derk, his dreadlocks pulled into a ponytail and exposing his numerous scars. He was another lieutenant.

Five slowly turned his head, his persona returning, and one that met any challenge head on and with fire said, "I'm sure you can figure it the fuck out." He'd shake the box of cigs suggestively after that.

Derk offered a curious glance to Naz but nothing more than that, considering her a random smoking partner. "We need to fucking go. Vig wants us to... Meet up with those people at the bar." The recruitment drive has begun.

Five pushed off the wall with the back of his shoulders and turned toward Naz to say his goodbyes. "I'll see you on Thursday at Karaoke. I heard the singing is quite good," he said with a slight smirk, a subtle way to give her his deadline for the meeting details. He tossed her the pack of menthol cigs as well, murmuring, "Keep it." She enjoyed them more than he did. Five gave her a two-finger salute as he walked back toward Derk before finally saying, "Catch you around, Naz."