Spoilers for the Trooper, Bounty Hunter, Agent, Smuggler, Sith warrior, and Jedi Consular storyline.
Rated T - Language, violence.
On a mission Adoko Gale had been sent on in her early days of Imperial Intelligence, she had been tasked with assassinating a governor too troublesome for his own good. She only remembered the mission because seeing Ellyx Mirode again brought back the memory. Ellyx looked just as she always had, brown hair, olive skin, and a charming smile to boot. She was the wholesome girl next door Adoko could never be.
As Adoko sat locked in a lavish chamber on Port Nowhere, she tried to understand what had brought her to this end. Ellyx was entertaining the major and that sly SIS agent in her private apartments with stories of the countless adventures she had been on. Adoko could imagine the look of irritation the agent, Jonas Balkar, likely had. The major was a patient one, something that surprised Adoko. She had tortured many Republic soldiers and their temperament varied from angry to furious. Ellyx would not let slip any vital information about the Replicator without Adoko present. She owed the agent that much.
It was four years ago yet Adoko remembered it clearly. Memory fitness had been strongly emphasized during training. The younger Adoko Gale had returned from Hutta after turning one of the ranking members of the Hutt Cartel toward the Empire's cause. She held her head high, pride inflating it. During an early morning debrief, Keeper, the head of operations for Imperial Intelligence signaled for Adoko to meet him in his office.
"Cypher Nine," He addressed her by her codename. Legal names were never spoken in Imperial Intelligence because the operative's identity was not important. "You have done impressive work so far." Keeper was a tall, narrow man with a severe face. He had been in Imperial Intelligence for years and the work was written in stress lines in his aged face. Adoko nodded thanks at his compliment. "We have a new assignment for you. It is a solo mission." Keeper sat behind a massive desk in the massive room that was his office. The place was void of any sort of personality. Huge red banners with the bold Empire insignia hung around the room as per regulation. "Tell me, cypher, what does solo mission mean?" Keeper asked.
"I will have no ground support, sir." Adoko spoke firmly. This was her first time alone with Keeper. Being in his presence during debriefings was intimidating enough.
"Good," Keeper tapped at a screen on his desk. A holographic image of a large human man floated above Keeper's desk. "This is Arslan Ozuar. He is governor of a planet under Empire rule." Adoko stared down at the image. Ozuar smiled up at her. "He is becoming," Keeper paused, searching for the right word. "Problematic." Adoko nodded her head with implicit understanding. With all other minor details to be reported to her by the analysts, Adoko bowed her head before leaving the office.
"Good luck, cypher." Keeper said after her quietly.
A heavy knock on the metal door startled Adoko. She turned away from the small viewport that showed the infinite darkness of space. A handsome young man stepped into the room with a tray of food and a stack of clothing. Adoko's stomach growled for food. The man greeted her with a warm smile.
"Ellyx said you'd look better in some of her things." The man said, holding the clothing out for Adoko. She took them with a dip of her head as thanks. "This is just some Rycrit Stew." He gestured toward the steaming bowl of grub. The man set the food on a nearby table before excusing himself. Adoko could not stop the smile from growing on her face. Rycrit Stew was her favorite. Ellyx had supplied a stylish deep green jacket and form fitting black pants. She shoveled the hot stew into her mouth as she pulled on knee-length boots. Adoko released her hair from its ponytail. Her deep red hair tumbled down to her shoulders. Being in those drab prisoner slacks for so long had made Adoko feel uncomfortable in her own skin. With a full stomach, Adoko collapsed onto the bed provided for the room. Her thoughts shifted back to her former mission.
Kalandis IV was a hideous excuse for a planet Adoko had thought. It was under Empire control purely for the use of the valuable fuel mined from the planet's core. The exhaust of this process had permanently made the atmosphere toxic. Adoko had traveled to the planet by means of a huge transport ship. Dressed in dark, conservative clothing, Adoko did her best to remain inconspicuous. She fastened the breathing mask to her mouth before stepping out the spaceport. Despite the protection of the mask the horrible smell of the air could not be expunged.
The mission was to be a quick, get-in get-out type. The watchers, analysts, for Imperial Intelligence had already scouted out the area and planned the op to the second. Adoko needed to simply be precise in her implementation of the charge. She boarded a grimy tram toward the capitol of Gevis City. While aboard the tram Adoko shed her wraps, revealing an immodest outfit of a dancer. She felt the burn of alien eyes studying her body and exposed skin.
Entering the capitol building was easy when dressed as one of the dancers the governor had a devious liking for. Adoko expertly moved through the labyrinthine halls and stairways of the building with precision. Back at Intelligence headquarters, the watchers had taught her the building's layout. Not a single sentient being passed her as she walked. Various droids of different functions scurried along, yet none paid her any attention. On the fourth floor, security was obvious. In front of a large, ornate door, Adoko was not surprised to see Imperial guards. Pushing out her chest and adorning a seductive smile, she stepped toward the soldiers.
"I'm here to see the governor." Adoko said with an exotic accent. The Imperials' eyes were covered by visors but Adoko knew they were staring at her. "He is in there, yes?"
"Er," the officer on the left fidgeted. "He is already with a guest." The tone with which he said the word guest told Adoko the visitor was no one of import. Another dancer perhaps but Adoko was not going to let this stop her. The watchers had accounted for her timing in convincing the Imperials to let her into the room. If Adoko had been counting correctly, she had roughly 20 seconds left.
"Please, sirs. The governor asked for me specially." Adoko flashed a glorious smile. "I have many special talents you see." She ran a finger down one of the Imperial's jackets.
"Y-Yes, miss." He stuttered, rushing to open the door. She gave the officer a thankful caress on the shoulder before slipping into the dimly lit room. She noticed the wide windows that would have provided a stunning view of the city was covered with thick curtains. This was the best possible situation. Adoko stepped into the pool of warm light provided by the limited radiances fastened to the walls. The governor was too preoccupied with a shapely Twi'lek. As Ozuar stroked the girl's lekku Adoko tried her best not to gag. The man was even less appealing in person compared to the holo-image. Adoko deftly cleared her throat. His dark, beady eyes fixated on his newest plaything. Adoko bit her lower lip as a show of innocence.
"Come here, beautiful." Ozuar growled. The Twi'lek shot Adoko a weary look before shifting away from the governor. Adoko positioned herself on the downy bed beside the massive man. He ran his thick fingers over her bare stomach, muttering about her perfection. Behind all the disgust she felt for the man, Adoko felt a twinge of flattery at the compliments. "Where are you from, princess?" The man whispered into her ear.
"It's a small planet in the Zaric sector." Adoko added a nervous shake to her voice. Her green eyes searched the room for the Twi'lek. She had vanished, leaving the poor new girl to fend for herself. Figures, Adoko thought to herself. You could never trust an alien. While Ozuar continued nuzzling her neck, Adoko quickly reached up into her hair. She pulled out a seemingly simple pin. "Stop fidgeting, girl." Ozuar ordered. He no longer spoke in tender tones. He held her shoulders to the bed with surprising strength. He yanked at her skirt roughly. Cool air brushed against her inner thigh and Adoko brought her leg up to knee Ozuar in the groin. When he reached involuntarily southward, Adoko jammed the pin into his neck. His expression of confusion mixed with anguish pleased Adoko. She climbed quickly out of the bed, grabbing her torn skirt. Without so much as a second glance, Adoko exited the room through a side door.
Just as the watchers had told her, an outfit of dull grays and blues waited for her in the next room. She quickly dressed and tried not to notice how much her hands were shaking. A cypher agent did not show weakness. She moved through the narrow side passages allotted for servants and slaves silently. Adoko wrapped a black cloth around her face and walked with her eyes to the ground. The various alien servants paid no attention to the disguised figure.
Adoko stepped into a smaller corridor as the alarms began to wail. She could not help but smile because the watchers had timed everything perfectly. The watchers were not simply human. At birth, they had been implanted with cybernetic enhancements, much like Adoko. While her augmentations specialized in physical superiority, the watchers' brains were like super computers. A rush of guards was en-route and Adoko ducked into a darkened room.
"Who are you supposed to be?" A female voice surprised Adoko. She immediately searched the space. Adoko had found herself in a small jail cell. Tucked into the corner was a pretty young human woman. The Ellyx Mirode of four years prior was not the infamous smuggler she became. She was a small timer on contract with the Hutt Cartel. Her face was smeared with dried dirt and blood. Brown hair framed her face in a wild mane. Meeting this woman was not in the watchers' plans. Adoko was at a loss. Something about this woman stirred pity, an emotion Adoko had limited knowledge of. Pity and sympathy were Republic virtues the Empire scoffed at. "If you're the next torturer I'll tell you like I told the last chubba, I don't know Nem'ro's plans. If I did I wouldn't tell the likes of you." Adoko recognized the name of the ruthless Hutt Cartel member, Nem'ro.
"I'm not an interrogator." Adoko internally chided herself for even speaking to the prisoner. Ellyx smiled.
"You're the reason for the alarms aren't you?" She was bright, Adoko had to admit. The smile that showed on the smuggler's face rubbed Adoko the wrong way. She had just moments more before she was clear of the guards.
"How long have you been here?" Adoko asked. The woman inside the cage stood. She was a petite woman.
"Too long." She stretched her arms above her head. "You look like you're in a spot of trouble. If you need to get offworld I have a ship." Adoko was intrigued by this. While she did have transport, Adoko was not too excited about boarding another filthy transport teeming with the scum of the galaxy.
"Handy and at your disposal?" Adoko asked with a smirk.
"That's the hitch. Get me outta this thing and you've got a ride." While her voice was nonchalant, Adoko could see the desperation in the girl's eyes. In spite of herself, Adoko knelt to deal with the primitive lock keeping the smuggler contained. "My name's Ellyx by the way. Ellyx Mirode." She spoke excitedly through the bars. Adoko said nothing. The door swung open and Adoko was suddenly embraced by Ellyx.
"Er, we need to go now." Adoko said as she awkwardly peeled Ellyx's hold off her.
The Wookie did not knock on the heavy door before entering the room. Adoko sat up from the bed and rubbed her eyes. Ellyx followed her hairy companion with a sour expression. The Republic agent and major entered the room as well. Adoko got to her feet and prepared for the verdict of her future.
"Based on what the captain had said, we will trust your information." The SIS agent said. Adoko relished the contempt he showed on his face as he spoke.
"So, the most I know about this Replicator thingy is that it's on some planet in the Outer Rim." Ellyx murmured, taking a seat on a couch and helping herself to the remaining Rycrit Stew.
"I was expecting more than that." Jonas Balkar snapped.
"Hold your banthas, bud." Ellyx said. She took a couple swallows of the soup before speaking again. Jonas' irritation was tangible. The major again was silent and effused only patience. "We need to go to Nar Shaddaa. I have a safe house there. I have more information on this device there."
"And who is part of this, we?" Jonas asked. Ellyx brought the bowl to her lips and slurped the last dregs of the liquid.
"You, the major, me, my crew, and Adoko." Ellyx stated flatly. Jonas bristled and Adoko grinned. This was going to be a good day.