10 ASC

Cipher Nine knew who was on the dreadnought from the moment he first set foot on it. Vector made comments about the sterile, empty environment and Kaliyo was uncharacteristically silent, but neither actually understood what was wrong. Watcher Two assumed the cloaking devices on their ships had worked, even after she noticed how empty the hanger that they'd infiltrated was. All the ingrained respect and discipline in the miralukan had barely kept him from yelling at her.

They hadn't escaped notice. Kaliyo wasn't being silent because they were sneaking around. There was not a jamming field around the ship by coincidence.

Somebody knew they were there, and Cipher Nine could see as Kaliyo all but physically batted away the seeking tendrils and Vector's light dimmed under their assault. He just lied to himself because, if he was right, they were all going to die without even getting word to the Empire.

Vector was surprised that Cipher Nine opted against cloaking as they walked to the bridge. Kaliyo, who'd been with him much longer, was even more so. The agent didn't tell them why, didn't tell them that, if he was right, eyes were the last thing their enemy would use to find them.

He didn't tell them they might as well go out standing instead of sneaking.

He stalled. Checked computer terminals on the way, trying to find anything he could use. All he found was holo-logs of the people who'd once lived on this ship, but slowly succumbed to the "master". It did nothing for his morale.

Finally, he walked onto the bridge and got his first clear view of the Sith Lord. The miralukan could have seen from as far as the hangar, but he'd been afraid. Like looking at a sun, he supposed. Only, in this case, the sun was made of fear, and it cast rays that left no shadows to hide in.

"You feel that prickling? Like maggots."

Cipher Nine wondered for a second whether Vector would be offended at that comment. Instead, the Joiner just nodded his agreement.

"Like rot within the hive," he said. "There is taint spreading through the Unity."

Then Darth Jaedus turned from the bridge. He walked towards the trio and spoke. "So. You've arrived at last."

Cipher Nine tried to work up the nerve to reply as Watcher Two said something over the comm implant he didn't pay attention to. Then the Sith Lord continued, "I expected too little of you. You served me well on Hutta and on Dromund Kaas; I should have known you would serve me again."

"Serve you," the spy repeated, his mind racing even as he watched the sickening tendrils clutching at it.

Darth Jaedus nodded. "Everything that has transpired has been at my command. My will is the destiny of lesser men."

I should have sent Kaliyo to sabotage the ship, Cipher Nine thought. He'd been too afraid, too distracted to do anything but wander towards death like an insect towards a flame.

The Sith Lord continued, "once before, you were inoculated by the dark side. I will speak now as I spoke then. Accept the gift of your life, agent… and we will discuss terror, the Empire, and the Sith."

Cipher Nine nodded, ignoring Kaliyo and Vector, who were struggling not to flinch at every word. Their efforts against Jaedus' influence were more futile than even the Cipher's. He could see Vector's connection to the nest slowly corroding under the assault.

"As you wish," said the spy.

"Be careful agent," came the voice of Watcher Two. "please, be careful. I'm trying to analyze the situation, but it'll take time. And if he has the command codes..."

Try to find that out, Cipher Nine noted to himself.

Cipher Nine ignored the story Darth Jaedus began to tell, thinking to himself about how he was going to stop this man who'd betrayed the Empire. Another part of him hoped that Darth Jaedus was as self-absorbed as he seemed, and wouldn't see the deception brewing in the Cipher's mind.

Darth Jaedus' power killed the people near him. From his story, it sounded as if he'd taken a select few loyal to him, then never replenished them. The holo-logs implied the people on this ship had been slowly indoctrinated, but many of them hadn't survived the process. That meant the ship was largely uninhabited. Perfect for sneaking around. Nightmarish for hiding from Force senses.

Then Cipher Nine caught something in the monologue.

"I was there for the terrorist attack," he mentioned politely. "Intelligence was sure you were dead."

Jaedus' face twisted into a triumphant grin, though Cipher Nine supposed nobody else could see it. "Line of sight" was a funny thing for those with eyes. "The shvash gas only incinerated part of the ship. My power held together the remains."

"Keep him talking," Watcher Two advised. "Damn it, we can't fight him on our own – his power is second to the Emperor's."

I can see that, thought Cipher Nine. You'd better be coming up with something over there, Watcher.

Darth Jaedus was obviously leading up to the particulars of his power grab. Let Watcher Two deal with long-term details. How did a man like Cipher Nine – how did three aliens stop a Sith Lord feared even by other Dark Council members?

The answer was obvious: they couldn't. He could see it in the air, in his companions' faltering light. They were being hurt by the Sith Lord's presence. There was no way they could survive his wrath.

And if they couldn't stop him, there were only a few options. Give up and die, fight and die, or join him and live.

There was a moment, just one, when the Cipher considered that last option. What had the Empire ever done for him, really? He was beaten down and spit on whenever they deigned to remember his race. He'd spent his entire life proving his loyalty, and yet he would be the first in a lineup of suspects when blame was passed for failures. After all his work to build trust, to show that he was better than the others, he was still just an expendable alien.

It was only a moment, and he let himself believe it was Darth Jaedus' influence. Even if the spy was a traitor, he would never stand by while Darth Jaedus' vision of a galaxy built on fear became reality.

In truth, he would never stand by at all.

So, that ruled out joining an evil cause, and it certainly ruled out giving up.

Therefore, he would fight.

Cipher Nine did as he was told, and kept the Sith talking, hoping Watcher Two would come up with something. Every once in a while, he would ask Darth Jaedus to elaborate, and the Sith would gleefully ramble on about the details of his plan.

The first thing to do would be to escape the bridge. Get to the jamming systems and disable them. There had to be somewhere on the ship he could do that, other than the bridge itself.

Pushing aside the shame, Agent Telkwa peered through the ship, stretching his senses as far as they would go, looking for a nexus of energies. Maybe the ship's generators, or a secondary command terminal.

He found them just in time for Watcher Two to interrupt his thoughts.

"I see where this is going. He needs the Eradicators to make this work, but you have half the -"

"Under my rule," Darth Jaedus continued, drowning out the sound of Watcher Two's voice, "all people will revel in fear and degradation. These prizes will no longer be hoarded by the Sith. But without both halves of the Eradicator codes, my weapons cannot be targeted; they will merely cause chaos."

"Not enough to recreate an Empire with," Cipher Nine realized.

"No," Jaedus agreed. "The Eagle's death – your acquisition of his codes – has forced me to adapt. Without orders, the Eradicators will fire blindly. This serves neither of us. Enter your codes into the ship so the Eradicators can target my enemies. You will be rewarded. You will be my herald."

Behind his visor, Cipher Nine raised an eyebrow. "Would you mind elaborating, my lord?"

"Authority, wealth, a place in my vision. The respect Intelligence has denied you."

"What does that mean," asked Watcher Two. Cipher Nine almost snorted. Racism, he could handle. The alien spy accepted that he was less than his peers. The fact that the woman with a mind faster than a supercomputer hadn't noticed how he was treated, though? That was almost funny.

"Blood purity is a notion whose time has passed," Jaedus explained. "Consider an Empire where there is no limit to what an alien might become."

That sounds like a weak Empire to me, scoffed the spy.

There still wasn't enough information. So he stalled, and lied. "I need time. It's… a lot to take in."

He didn't get much more, though. Instead, Darth Jaedus did the most unexpected thing: after a brief series of threats, he simply turned around and let Cipher Nine consider.

"Alright, stay focused and don't look at Jaedus," said Watcher Two, completely ignoring the fact that miralukans couldn't look at anything. Still, he understood the principle. Cipher Nine had always found it easier to read people when they focused on him. Presumably, the same applied to Sith.

"How are you holding up," she asked. "Can we put together a plan?"

Of sorts. "I know what I'm going to do," he murmured.

"Before you make any decisions, please, hear me out," said Watcher Two. "We need to re-examine our priorities. We came here to stop the Eradicators, but we weren't prepared for reality. Our plan now has to focus on neutralizing Darth Jaedus – everything else is peripheral."

"We're about to lose dozens of worlds, and that's secondary?"

"I'm sorry, Cipher," answered Watcher Two, though it sounded false. "The numbers aren't in our favour.

"You can deactivate the Eradicators right now – just combine the codes in the bridge computers. But to keep Jaedus from reactivating them, you'd have to blow up the ship's reactor. It's a suicide run, and chances are, Jaedus will escape."

Die to save the Empire? Without turning around, Cipher Nine looked at Kaliyo. What were the odds the treacherous woman would help them instead of running for their ship? Normally, I might take two out of three. But I still have no way off the bridge.

"Do you have any other suggestions," he asked.

Watcher Two's answer was prompt. "We trick Jaedus. We give him the codes and let him launch his attack. Once the Eradicators start their bombardment, you slip off the bridge and take this ship apart. Sabotage the hyperdrive, jamming field, and shields. Then I call in reinforcements, forcing Jaedus to surrender. The Eradicators are deactivated as soon as feasible."

Under his gloves, Cipher Nine's knuckles went white. This was exactly the sort of thing he'd done for the Empire since day one, just on a scale… "How many people," he asked. "How many worlds are sacrificed?"

"Let's be clear," said the Watcher in a placating tone, "if we give Jaedus the command codes then, yes, he'll murder thousands before we stop him. But the human cost is acceptable. The only alternative is to let Jaedus escape and do worse down the line."

The human cost is acceptable, Watcher Two had said. And when Cipher Nine had asked Jaedus, why do so many civilians have to die, he'd only replied, how better to mark the change of an era?

They're more alike than I'd ever imagined, the spy admitted to himself.

This isn't glamorous work, we're sanitation workers, Keeper had once told him. We do whatever is necessary, even if it's thankless and ugly.

Our job's to obey orders. Our job's to deal with the enemy. Fixer Twelve.

There'd been a lot of advice for him, that first day at headquarters.

Slowly, deliberately, Cipher Nine turned to face Darth Jaedus.

The thing about Force-sensitive empathy was that it helped when the target focused on the sensitive. Since Cipher Nine was miralukan, facing the Sith was nothing like a human keeping his eyes on the man. Instead, Cipher Nine kept his attention on Vector. In spite of the Joiner's sudden isolation, he still shone with a light that wouldn't yield to Jaedus' darkness. That made it easier, somehow, for the spy to say what he said next.

"Alright." Jaedus turned back around to give Cipher Nine his full attention, but the smaller man ignored him, watching only the flickering war of Vector against the Sith's influence. "I won't pretend it's an easy decision, my lord. I am a loyal man... Where should I input the codes?"

Jaedus smiled behind his mask, and one of his guards pointed to a console to the Cipher's left.

Vector stared at him in shock.

"We..." he faltered, almost stumbling under the combined weight of his newfound isolation and Jaedus' power. "We cannot allow this."

Vector reached for his vibrostaff, but Kaliyo grabbed his hand.

"Don't be stupid, bug-man," warned the rattattaki, clearly having trouble holding the Joiner back. "The agent here's got good instincts. If he thinks its a lost cause, I say we go with it."

"No!"

Jaedus watched with warring amusement and frustration as Vector threw Kaliyo across the room, but Cipher Nine was on the Joiner in an instant. Vector froze with a blade discoloured by poison pressed to his throat.

The agent should have expected this, but even after such a short time together, he was too used to Vector being reliable. Cipher Nine had hesitated, then Kaliyo had escalated. Could he blame the Joiner, though? They'd only been together a short while, a couple of missions. Why would Vector trust Cipher Nine, an alien whose real name he didn't even know, to stay loyal to the Empire?

"Darth Jaedus," Cipher Nine called, knife still pressed to the taller man's throat, "I trust the killik people of Alderaan will be just as warmly welcomed as other aliens? They really are a fascinating species."

He knew what Jaedus' reply would be, and even as Vector flashed with rage that even the Sith's aura couldn't suppress, Cipher Nine spoke. Quietly, he whispered, "we have a plan."

There was something to be said for Joiners. That ability to see electromagnetic auras with such precision, for example… almost akin to miralukan sight. The Cipher had tested it. Now, he was gambling Vector could see him telling the truth.

Vector's light stopped rioting and his body relaxed.

Louder, Cipher Nine asked, "will you join me, Vector?"

Vector couldn't lie. As a Joiner, he was completely unable to. Cipher Nine had tested that, too. So, when Vector nodded, it was only because Cipher Nine had worded the question carefully.

"Good," said the little man, before turning and walking to the console that held his destiny.

It was a simple thing, condemning tens of thousands – perhaps more – to their deaths. All he did was input the code and call out to Darth Jaedus, telling him that the Empire was his.

Jaedus didn't stop at gloating. He congratulated Cipher Nine, as if some great thing were being done across the Imperial worlds. Then, sensing some part of the spy's revulsion, he offered up his version of compensation: the broadcasted calls for help from every planet under attack would be rerouted to the ship.

Cipher Nine didn't need to fake his horror as bile rose in his throat. "I… should go," he said in a quavering voice.

"You wish to hide from your deeds," said Darth Jaedus. "Very well. But hear this: there is nothing that will let you forget. Let your loathing bring you strength."

Cipher Nine intended to do just that.

The trio retreated as the first transmissions came in, from a mining colony that didn't even know what was happening. Cipher Nine turned right almost immediately, walking past an Imperial so crazed by Darth Jaedus' continued presence that he didn't even notice when the newcomer to the ship leaned over his console and started typing.

In moments, the jamming signal was down. A stern glare from Kaliyo, who was used to making stuff up on the fly, kept Vector's mouth shut.

They walked off the bridge to the sound of confused transmissions. By the time they reached the Engineering deck, Cipher Nine had managed to explain the plan to his comrades.

"This kinda thing takes guts, agent," Kaliyo muttered. "If you get us all killed here, I'll make you regret it."

Then they split up, Kaliyo for the power relays, Vector for the shield generator, and Cipher Nine for the hyperdrive. It was risky, but there were people dying with every second wasted.

Cipher Nine did what he always did, creeping past soldiers on every side, invisible to their human eyes. It was a miracle nobody heard his gasp when a man named Thranc Roulus came over the intercom, begging for permission to evacuate his post, just as terrified of his commanding Sith Lord as the Eradicators.

The hyperdrive hadn't been down for three full seconds before Watcher Two informed him over his implant, "diagnostics show fatal errors in the jamming systems, hyperdrive, and shields. The ship is crippled, Cipher. We've got a full fleet of reinforcements coming, including three Dark Council vessels. Jaedus can't win against them. Until they arrive, you'll have to keep him occupied on the bridge."

For a moment, the miralukan gawked. He was invisible, and it was a sound-only comm, but still.

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"You can't beat Jaedus in personal combat," said Watcher Two, who'd apparently been genetically engineered using billions of credits so that she could state the obvious, "but you might be able to trap him. This ship can generate internal ray shielding. You can reroute the bridge defenses to trap him in a forcefield. Hopefully, it'll hold until the fleet jumps out of lightspeed."

Another transmission sounded, this time a Sith Lord screaming desperately that he would flay Intelligence alive for their failure. It still managed to make Cipher Nine feel guilty when it cut off.

"Alright," he said.

"I don't need to remind you that people are hurting because of us," Watcher Two informed him. She obviously felt the need to go above and beyond her duties. "If we succeed, the sacrifice will be worthwhile. Watcher Two, out."

The sacrifice will be worthwhile. Just more words from an Imperial who didn't seem to understand that they were personally responsible for the deaths of countless innocent people. She might say she knew it, but she didn't understand. She didn't feel it the way Cipher Nine could. The way an… alien like Cipher Nine could.

He almost ran back to the elevator, slipping blades in between vertebrae and hacking droid IFFs the whole way. When he met up with Kaliyo and Vector, they were standing amidst a pile of bodies.

"To the bridge," he said brusquely as he came out of stealth. "Watcher Two has a plan."

Cipher Nine explained about the force field generators, assigned roles, and handed Vector his stealth generator before the elevator reached the bridge level. The doors opened to chaos, but that was nothing new.

They walked as confidently as they could muster back to the bridge. Even Kaliyo, with her unbreakable shell of confidence, almost faltered. Still, she walked beside him. Cipher Nine had no idea what he'd done to warrant that kind of loyalt. Maybe she thought she was out of options.

"We get out of this," she said, "the rounds are on you, agent."

"You mean, first round's on me," Cipher Nine replied as he reprogrammed a particularly violent droid.

"No," Kaliyo said, and blasted a manic Sith in the chest. "You owe me."

Moments later, they were on the bridge, facing Darth Jaedus.

"After what you've done, you still return to face me. How bold." Jaedus' fury roared off him like waves in a hurricane. Cipher Nine had to reach out a steadying hand to Vector. "I never expected you would pay such a price to betray me. So many innocents burning in their homes, because of you."

"You killed them," Cipher Nine spat, but his words rang hollow to his own ears.

"Is that so," mused Jaedus. "The Eradicators kill at your command. My defeat may be inevitable now. I do not know. But your perfidy must be answered. You will die, along with many others."

His hand shot out, and lightning arced over the space the trio had been standing an instant before. The metal scorched, but the electricity didn't kill them. The miracles of the dark side, perhaps.

Cipher Nine and Kaliyo fired over the makeshift cover of computer terminals. Vector was nowhere to be seen.

Darth Jaedus didn't even move. Why would he? He was the most powerful Sith Lord any of them would ever see. Kaliyo ducked and cursed as her shots were batted back towards her. Cipher Nine filled the air with blaster fire, not even bothering to aim properly. It wasn't as if he could hurt Jaedus.

"We will kill you, Jaedus," Cipher Nine yelled. He rolled into the open and fired a sleep dart, then his rifle.

He fell backwards with a cry of alarm as Jaedus' lightsaber cut through his blaster rifle, then returned to the Sith's hand. Kaliyo didn't let up her stream of blaster fire – or cursing – but it did no good. Jaedus held out a hand, and the blasterfire simply washed against a luminescent barrier.

Cipher Nine drew his pistol, mostly out of habit, and fired. It didn't really matter that he was still standing in the middle of the bridge with no cover. Jaedus would kill him all the same.

As if to prove the spy right, the tendrils of power descended on Kaliyo. Cipher Nine's warning yell was too late, and useless. The tendrils tightened and Kaliyo reached for her throat, gasping for breath that wouldn't come.

Cipher Nine's hands sweated into his gloves as he pulled the trigger over and over again, but the plasma only washed against Jaedus' barrier.

So the spy screamed and charged at the Sith Lord, firing wildly in a vain attempt to distract the Force-user. It was, by far, the stupidest thing he'd ever done. But it worked. Jaedus turned and swiped at Cipher Nine almost lazily. He missed and the spy drew one of his daggers to attack, firing his blaster the entire time.

A string of hoarse epithets told Cipher Nine his partner was still alive.

Jaedus struck again, and this time his attack cut through Cipher Nine's knife, armour, and a small chunk of his right bicep. The alien didn't even have time to curse before the lightsaber came back towards him.

Cipher Nine sidestepped the blade.

He could see where it was going. Jaedus was blinding; seeing what he was about to do was like following a subtle instrument in a symphony, but the principle was basic. Every attack came the same way as any from one of the dozens the Imperial agent had killed over the last year. Every attack had a path it followed, a future that would come true. Cipher Nine only had to follow that future's ripple in the Force and avoid it.

This technique worked for exactly one more strike which, honestly, was three total attacks more than the spy had expected to live. The spy dodged left when he should pulled back, and Jaedus' lightsaber took him in the side, carving right into one of his ribs. It went no further.

Shock set in as Cipher Nine realized he'd managed to grab Darth Jaedus' arms, preventing the Sith from cutting him in half.

There was a light clunk, then a burst of energy, light and sound, and both human and miralukan cried out. Jaedus actually dropped his lightsaber and reached to cover his eyes.

Cipher Nine recovered from the flashbang quicker, though. Unlike Darth Jaedus, he hadn't been blinded. The spy managed to slam a fist into Jaedus' lightly-armoured throat and trigger a sleep dart.

Then a fist slammed into Cipher Nine's chest powerfully enough to snap his weakened rib and knock him off the bridge dais. The entire world started fading as Kaliyo knelt over him, slamming a syringe into his shoulder.

He managed to make out Kaliyo's yell merging with Jaedus' own, and the air was filled with the light of power. The corrugated metal of the floor was the single most uncomfortable thing he'd ever felt, and not where he'd prefer to die. With effort, the spy managed to rest his pistol in his leg and add his blasterfire to Kaliyo's.

The air filled with lethal intent. It coalesced and focused, and Cipher Nine managed to make it out. He grunted a warning, but Kaliyo didn't hear.

Then the lightning came down on both of them, and they screamed. They screamed in the agony of fire. It obliterated every other sensation. The last thing Cipher Nine heard was a crackling buzz. The last thing he smelled was burning flesh and hair. The last thing he felt was indescribable.

And then his heart stopped.

"Agent?"

Cipher Nine woke without the strength to voice the scream he felt.

He was on his back on the floor. Vector stood above him and Kaliyo knelt over him, several spent syringes on the ground beside her. Darth Jaedus was caged, his power doing its best to eat away at the force field he'd been trapped in.

"Well, I'll be a womp-rat's backside. Nice going, bug-man."

Vector nodded without letting Kaliyo know how much he didn't appreciate the nickname. The two of them helped Cipher Nine stand. Movement felt ghastly. The spy didn't bother trying to stand up straight.

With a thrill of horror, Cipher Nine limped over to the Eradicator console and input the codes, killing the machines. He slumped against the console with a sigh of relief.

"Your cage cannot hold me," came Jaedus' voice, deadly quiet. "Whatever you hope to achieve, your moment will pass."

Then the fleet dropped out of hyperspace.

That was fast, Cipher Nine thought as the first salvos flew.

There was a moment where he was certain he blacked out and, when he awoke, it was to Keeper's voice.

"-eeper. We have the fleet in position to destroy this vessel. Please report."

"Situation is under control, sir," said the agent, standing up.

"Understood. We'll proceed with restraint," Keeper replied formally. "Lord Jaedus? Be advised that a boarding party of Sith and honour guards is on its way. I suggest you not draw their ire."

"I understand," growled Jaedus.

"Cipher. I understand you have control over the Eradicators. Can you disable them?"

"Already done, sir," Cipher Nine said.

"We can discuss why you activated the Eradicators later, but I expect the Dark Council will approve of the result," said Keeper. "I'll see you shortly."

Then the console's holocomm went dead. Or Cipher Nine assumed it did. The dim energy that holos threw out ended, but he couldn't hear the usual beep over the residual ringing in his ears.

Vector steadied him now, as he stumbled down the few stairs onto the computer-heavy section of the bridge, away from Jaedus.

"The Song of the Universe is resuming," Vector told him. "The nest must now regenerate."

"I must now regenerate," Kaliyo barked. "I need some drinks, then I'm getting laid."

She gave Cipher Nine a smirk.

"Uh-uh," rasped the Cipher, letting his professional manner slip a touch. "You can find some other fool. I like beds I can fly away from after the mission's over."

Kaliyo rolled her eyes, almost gave Vector a look, then seemed to decide against it.

"The Joiner is unnerved by your actions," Jaedus interrupted, "your callousness towards your own kind. Tell me, Cipher Nine: was your victory worth it? How many lives would you have sacrificed to capture me?"

Cipher Nine's blade was in his hand by instinct as he stumbled back towards the cage. Then he stopped, white-knuckled and gritted teeth, and turned away.

"The response of one who cannot face the truth," mocked Jaedus. "Under my control, the Eradicators' purge would have cut out the Empire's rot. Now the Dark Council will reassert its strength. They will punish me or destroy me. And without a revolution, their cruel, pointless reign will go on."

He was right. Like Keeper had said, the Sith would approve of what Cipher Nine had done here. How could he support a regime that made monsters like himself and Darth Jaedus?

How could he live with himself, as the monster he was now?

"At least," he said, "I know it's better than what you would have brought."

"Then be content with the Empire you have chosen," Jaedus concluded, and allowed Cipher Nine to turn away.

Watcher Two walked in before the trio could get off the bridge. She was barking orders to a squad of soldiers. As she turned towards Cipher Nine, he knew she was going to talk to him, and he silently cursed her. Why couldn't she leave him in peace? She'd already helped make him a mass-murderer. It had been her plan to begin with! Now she wouldn't let him go back to his ship and rest?

Not even close to what he deserved. But, perhaps that sort of callousness was just what the Empire was.

"Cipher! Are you alright? You had it rough..."

Cipher Nine almost punched her in her oblivious face.

"Do I look alright to you," he spat.

"You look like you've gone through worse than anyone deserves," she said, and the note of true sympathy in her brought her into focus. "The Sith and the military will be cleaning up a while, and the damage from the Eradicators will take time to assess. You should get out of here. You've done your part. Get some rest."

Cipher Nine actually stared at her. Perhaps she felt it, because she shifted uncomfortably. Finally, the spy said, "later. Just because we've dealt with one threat doesn't mean there aren't others."

Whether she understood his need to keep moving or risk seriously thinking about what he'd done, or she just took his statement at face value, Cipher Nine wasn't sure. It didn't really matter. Watcher Two replied, "of course. Consider yourself awaiting reassignment."

She let the small man walk past with his two companions and said, just loudly enough for him to hear, "after all, the Empire needs us."

It was those words that finally broke Cipher Nine.