The Contract

"Blast it!" Gelathora slammed her fist against the control console, gritting her teeth as the ship shook violently; the shields still held, but just barely. Her prey was a small vessel, a fair bit smaller than her ship, and therefore much more agile. She could see ahead that the pilot was trying to reach his warp gate, so he could attach and make his escape, but with Gela in pursuit, he was forced to out maneuver her, shoot her where he could, whilst she attempted to aim at the small target. He was a pesky bug, desperately trying to escape from being squashed.

The ship shook again after another round of shots, and Gela watched as the monitors for the shield generators went red. She switched course from trying to beat him to the warp gate, to chasing him directly. She was forced to, or he would start damaging the ship itself. He spun and twirled, ducking in and around the asteroid belt and she was right on his trail. Her guns locked onto his signature, and she fired, only for him to use one of the asteroids as cover, which then exploded into smaller fragments. Suddenly she lost sight of him. Gela looked around wildly, and checked her scanners- the signature was getting fainter, he was making a break for the warp gate.

"Blast it all!" With a slight adjustment to her course, she was heading over to try and reach him in time. He came into sight, but judging his speed, his ship would reach the gate before her ship could reach his. Within moments, he'd locked into the mechanism, and went into hyper drive. He was gone in a flash.

In a hurry, Gelathora threw up the tracking monitor, and waited for the red dot to appear. Once it did, she discovered to much displeasure, that her target had fled into Imperial territory, in fact, not too far off from Dromund Kaas itself. If she was quick, she could still catch him in time, so she keyed in the coordinates, and flung the ship into hyperdrive. Once the ship slowed down, her target was in sight again. Gela started blasting away. The other ship swooped and dove to and fro, until she finally landed a hit. Smoke rose from the ship as it drifted slowly through the empty space.

BUT THEN, IMPERIAL SHIPS SWOOPED IN AND ARRESTED GELA. SHE NOW FINDS HERSELF LOCKED AWAY ON DROMUND KAAS. She does not know what befell her target, only that she lost out on a big score of credits.

The dull grey of Dromund Kaas made it easy to oversleep.

It was well past the point when the diligent beeping of his alarm gave up and silenced itself when Eovras finally dragged himself out of his dreams. He opened his eyes to the sight of sheets of rain in the floor to ceiling windows, to the cloud laden sky and the faint glow of florescent signs far beyond. He sighed, a deep almost menacing sound, and resigned himself to another day of tedium.

He cared little for the political intrigue that dominated Dromund Kaas. He cared little for the vaulted ceilings and vast chambers that were meant to inspire awe and fear in those who walked its halls. Yet here he was, commanded to remain in this city until further orders. There was little to do except obey and wait.

It took another few minutes until he pushed himself out of bed, loath to leave the warmth and comfort. This perhaps was one of the few good things about being stationed here – he had quite a nice apartment in the city and could enjoy the benefits of a home while he waited.

He moved through the apartment with ease, his heavy footfalls echoing against the walls. He paused as he walked by a floor length mirror, took a moment to frown at the look of sleep on his face. He was getting sloppy sitting around on planet these last few weeks, a sure sign it was time to move on.

When he entered the main room of his apartment he walked first to his personal terminal. Each morning he checked his messages in hopes that his Lord had finally commanded him to move forward with his mission. He had been searching for a series of holocrons vital to their cause but had hit a wall when no new information about their locations could be discovered. Eovras had little hope in any news as he turned on his personal terminal.

There was a message waiting for him on the screen.

Report to the Dromund Kaas prison sector. You are to meet an agent there and collect a prisoner to assist with your mission. As always, discretion is advised in all dealings with unknown entities. I trust you will prove yourself capable yet again. You know what will happen if you don't.

Eovras grunted, rolled his eyes. Yes, he know what would happen. Demotion, death, some other manner of getting him out of the picture. If his Lord was trying to frighten him he was doing a poor job of it. Eovras had long ago stopped fretting over his Lord's warnings. He was confident, capable. Scare tactics would not work on him. There was very little in the universe that frightened Eovras.

The news that he would be working with an agent was somewhat disconcerting, though. All those that he had met before had something unnerving about them, some aura that whispered of hidden motives and secrets that should never be revealed. That was their job, he realized, and yet it still left him cautious. He would sooner work alone than with someone liable to turn on him at moments notice for the sake of some well guarded secret.

His own concerns mattered little unfortunately. He turned from the screen and headed back to his room to quickly dress and prepare himself for his meeting. He had slept too long – he was meant to be at the prison cells shortly. He was not about to tarnish his reputation and be late, however, and so hurriedly left his apartment and made his way to the cells, doing his best to wake up along the way.

The insistent screech of her datapad indicating there was a newly arrived high priority alert was not the worst alarm clock Fara had ever had. She sat up abruptly in her bed, trying to locate the datapad through sleep-blurred vision and stumbled out of the tangle of her warm linen sheets to pick the blasted thing from where she’d left it on her desk. Her toes curled on the cold floor as she flicked the alert off and she blinked a couple of times until the message came into focus.

Congratulations on latest success… report to Dromund Kaas… receive details about new mission… So the bounty hunter had chased her target right to where they wanted her. Good. Fara skimmed the rest of the message; nothing else of particular interest before the very end. She stared at the screen as if it displayed a particularly offensive obscenity. …assigned Sith escort to Hutt Space by request… Her eyes narrowed and ears twitched in irritation; a sith lord? What sort of mission was this that the sith showed not only an interest in it, but opted to send one of their own along?

Fara flicked her tongue, walking out of her bedroom and over to the kitchen to fix herself a cup of caf. She could have thought of nicer ways to spend the morning on her day off. Sleeping in late for example. A nice long bath. Certainly not an alert asking her back to base asap, on top of information that she’d be working alongside a sith. She jabbed at her datapad again to bring up the profile on the bounty hunter; she’d meant to read it later in the day, but now it looked like she’d be back on Kaas by the end of it. Age unknown, gender unknown, species unknown… Vorn Slayer? Fara frowned. He sounded like an arrogant person already. She decided it must be a he, after all, only a man would call himself something so uncouth.

Caf wasn’t enough to get her in a good mood. She drummed her fingers against the surface of her desk, glancing at the clock every two minutes as if it’d make time go faster somehow. They were five hours away from Kaas, most likely everyone would already be there by the time she was updated. It wouldn’t look good to appear to be late, even though she wasn’t even meant to be there yet. She supposed Keeper had good reason to push the meeting forward. Still it put Fara in a sour mood.

This certainly hadn't been the first time Gelathora had been arrested, but it was the first time since she made a name for herself. As she was escorted through screening, she was approached by an man in uniform who looked her up and down with scrutiny, "This is the prisoner?" One of the soldiers escorting her replied, "Affirmative!"

The man smirked, "Excellent. So you're the bounty hunter known as Vorn Slayer? Let's just see what's under that mask, shall we?" He gave a curt nod and the soldier beside Gela ripped the helmet off, revealing her blue-skinned face. The man seemed surprised, "A woman? And an alien no less. How unexpected." He typed something away on his datapad, all the while Gela stared him down with her glowing red eyes. He turned away without so much as a glance and waved them away, "As you were gentlemen."

Once she had been stripped of her weapons and armor, and was left with nothing but a white prison uniform, she was tossed roughly into her cell. She gave the soldiers a glare as they tromped off, but once they were gone, her expression became indifferent. Her cell was quite standard as far as prisons went; the walls were composed of red beams that would shock her if she tried to touch it, but if they planned on feeding her, they would have to let the beams down to do it. Which meant that this was only a temporary cell, and she would eventually be moved somewhere else. She crossed her arms and looked around the empty room. A few minutes later, the man from earlier walked in and announced, "You have a visitor, filth, mind your manners in the presence of Lord Eovras."

Gelathora narrowed her eyes, but said nothing as a door slid open and in walked the Sith, a Zabrak with bright red skin. The prison guard gave a long bow before addressing the Sith, "Lord Eovras, it is an honor. I was informed the agency had sent one of their own as well, but she has not yet arrived. Please, do make yourself at home."

Gelathora didn't take her eyes off the Sith, and maintained the same cold glare as before. Whatever they planned to do with her, having a Sith looking for her was bad news. Nonetheless, no matter what they wanted, she wasn't going to make it easy. She did wonder what the Sith wanted, but she knew that speaking first was a bad move.

Eovras walked the familiar route through prison sector of Dromund Kaas in no hurry. Even sleeping late he had managed to reach the building with time to spare. Heads turned to him as he strode past, eyes darting to his face and then to the floor. He knew he cut an intimidating figure, even before he became a Sith lord. The added effect of the long hooded robe and heavy armor beneath it only added to his frightening presence.

When he reached the secured entrance to the block holding temporary cells he met with a guard captain who bowed low in greeting. Eovras nodded in acknowledgement as he towered over the man. “Lord Eovras, welcome. I am here to lead you to the prisoner and anything else you may need.”

Sometimes Eovras wondered just what the soldiers and men beneath him meant when they promised to 'help him with whatever he needed.' How far were they willing to go? Would this man, perhaps, go fetch him a cup of caff? Surely he would think that was beneath his station, and if he agreed would grumble about it all day. Eovras hid a faint smile thinking about it. No, they didn't know what they were saying; they said only what they thought he wanted to hear.

He followed the man through the door and into a large room with a row of cells on the far wall. Only one was occupied. The man spoke rudely towards the prisoner and Eovras thought that he should really listen to his own advice. Before leaving he informed him that the agent was not yet present and he should wait here for them to arrive.

“Thank you, Captain. I'm sure I will find the prison cell block a homey place to wait in.” Eovras watched the composed look on the guards face falter and chuckled to himself as he left the room.

Of course the agent was late. It was just the way his morning was going. He had rushed to leave his comfortable bed in order to wait on some agent who likely believed the galaxy revolved around them. Eovras did not tolerate tardiness – it was a sign of serious disrespect. Already his opinion of the agent was plummeting. This was sure to be a mission that would grate on his nerves.

Uncertain of how long he had to wait, Eovras looked towards the prisoner for a way to pass the time. He knew nothing of them nor why they needed their help. It was time to change that.

The person in the cell was a chiss female, he noted with surprise. The Empire didn't often employ aliens in their ranks, even their ally chiss. It was no matter to Eovras, though. He himself was an alien after all. She was staring at him as he walked closer, blank red eyes focused on him in a glare that must have been meant to convey indifference. Behind it, though, he could sense questions and the distinct hint of worry.

“You certainly look glum. I promise I'm not here to make things worse for you; you are to be coming along with me off planet.” He stopped just short of the glowing red bars, careful not to get too close. He watched the girl closely as he spoke in an attempt to gauge her reaction. Did she know she was getting set free or was this news to her? “As our dim witted captain friend said, I'm Eovras. He failed to think me knowing your name was important, though, so if you'd be so kind?”

Off planet? Suddenly this was seeming to be more than just a simply arrest on a bounty hunter, and more like some Imperial plot. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how quickly their ships intercepted her. And of all places, her bounty decides to fly into Imperial airspace? It was all starting to sound far too coincidental to Gelathora. When the Sith gave his own name, and then requested to hear hers, she was surprised he hadn't thrown some lordly title in front of his name. Most Sith were so eager to remind everyone else of their place. She glanced to the said guard who hadn't provided Eovras with her name, and recalled that the same man had only referred to her by her alias when he was updating the records presumably.

So they didn't have her full identity yet. Gela almost felt relieved, but she still didn't know what they wanted with her. A job? Or was she to work for them in exchange for freedom? Or perhaps she had information they needed? A passed bounty? They were out of luck, if the latter was the case; she didn't place much importance on the people she killed, so there was little memory to speak of when concerning passed bounties. But she realized she had to give him some kind of answer, and so it was an alias she gave, "Vorn."

She was quiet for a few moments more, before speaking once again, "What does a Sith lord want a bounty hunter for? Can't do your own dirty work?" She held the same stare all the while, as though she had no fear to speak of, and if she did, she certainly wouldn't be showing it to a Sith like him.

The woman in the cell paused before answering him, something that Eovras was not accustomed to. Usually when he asked a question the answer came quick due to either fear or ambition. The silence and blank stare were grating on his nerves and he was about to demand an answer when she finally spoke.

He chuckled at the name she provided, his laughter more similar to a growl than anything else. “Vorn? Come now, that's not your name. That's an animal. Are you saying you're an animal? Fierce and savage, or just somewhat less evolved?”

Vorn was obviously not her real name, and he was certain she knew that she fooled no one with it. It must be some code name she had given herself to aid in her underworld activities, to build a reputation perhaps. To hide her identity. Eovras honestly couldn't care less the reason or the story behind it. It was something to call her, and he had little use of her real name anyway. He doubted she would be important enough for him to have to remember.

When she spoken again it was with an attitude he wondered if she could back up. Words were nothing without actions to hold them true. Only in part due to her lack of respect did he not answer her question; in truth he wasn't exactly certain why he needed the bounty hunter himself. Leave it to his master to only give him half of the needed information.

“Actually I prefer to do my dirty work alone. So you'll excuse me if I'm just as unhappy with your addition to this task as you are.” Eovras turned away from the cell and left Vorn to watch him retreat. He paced the small room for moment and finally settled on one of the hard chairs against the wall.

This was no better than waiting at home for word from his master. Worse, in fact. He cared little that the woman he was to work with was a criminal – they had their uses after all – but that he had to sit here with her like some sort of babysitter was unacceptable. He had half a mind to release her himself and get on with their mission. He doubted anyone in this sector would stop him if he tried.

“For the love of- when is this agent going to show?” He leaped up from his chair and began pacing again. Patience was never one of Eovras's strong suits.

By the time her ship finally docked in Kaas spaceport, she could feel irritation like a second layer of skin, each hair on her body extra sensitive to bullshit. She’d spent the better part of those five hours in space digging through Imperial records, then trying to find anything at all on the individual she was supposed to meet; for a job seemingly of importance, her peers had done poorly in uncovering any information at all. Fara herself had never even heard the name before, but then it wasn’t her job to keep tabs on bounty hunters.

She’d received a call from the base some five minutes after landing warning her that the sith had already arrived nearly an hour ago. It was never a good idea to make a sith lord wait; they weren’t known for listening to excuses before promptly promoting a second-in-command at apparent failure of the first and if Fara had to make any, she’d sooner invite a lightsaber across her neck. No, she’d walk in straight backed and show them who was in control; this was her mission after all.

Whatever she thought she might do when facing the sith, however, she practically ran into Intelligence HQ to pick up the datapad with files on her mission. She didn’t waste much time either, rather read through it while speed-walking to the prison area. “Good afternoon, gentlemen,” she nodded to the guards as they rose to welcome her and open the prison ward for her. They directed her to cell block two and Fara’s heels clicked on the floor as she marched through the hallway to the said block. Okay deep breath and fuck she already know she’d absolutely hate this. Cell fourteen, there.

“I do apologise for making you wait,” Fara said, walking over to the sith like she owned the place. It didn’t help that he loomed over her like a brick wall and was one of those zabrak people, all sharp lines and glaring eyes and she had to try very hard not to stare. And if that wasn’t enough to ruin her day it was certainly the way he was glaring at her; she promptly looked to the prisoner trying to appear as unbothered as possible and had to hide her surprise. Fara supposed she’d been quick to judge and only with a name to go on, but a chiss woman was possibly the last thing she expected to find. “You’ve been here long enough, I think, so allow me to be brief. Miss, ah, Vorn. The Empire is looking to acquire your unique… skills to retrieve a rather valuable artefact. We trust you’re rather familiar with Hutt space?” Fara phrased it like a question, but it was clear from the way she continued speaking that she expected no reply. The Intelligence had at least been able to gather that much on Vorn, which is why they went out of their way to capture her specifically. “You would be paid handsomely for your assistance, of course, given the mission turned out to be successful.”

Gela watched silently as Lord Eovras moved acrossed the room and sat down. She didn't seem phased by his insults, only curious as to why he wouldn't explain why she was here. The way he spoke made it clear to Gelathora that he wasn't running the show here. She smirked, "So you're another Imperial pet just like the rest of them." She somehow felt better than him- in her line of work, she didn't have to take orders from anybody, save for the clients she chose to serve. And even then, it was always the highest bidder, with no loyalty required.

Both she and the Sith were quiet for a time after that, Gela watching as the Sith grew more and more impatient. All the while she maintained a cold composure. After all, she had all the time in the world so long as she was stuck in this cell. Eventually, she sat down in a corner, and simply waited. The little Sith had an outburst after waiting far more than he was used to, but not long after that, a Cathar lady walked in with a datapad in hand. She was dressed in an Imperial uniform. And odd sight, seeing an alien in Imperial ranks, but not entirely unheard of. She seemed a much more sophisticated Imperial then the Sith, that was for sure. And she was an Imperial that had the guts to try a Sith's patience to boot.

Gela stood up as the woman approached her cell. It was surprising to hear that this whole capture was so they could hire Gela for her hunting expertise. Her eyebrows creased as she gave a curt nod to the woman, "A simple holo-message would have been enough- that bounty you pulled me from had a hefty price on his head." She didn't say this with any sort of angry or irritated tone, she just simply pointed it out. If the Imperials were looking to hire her, they had quite a lot of resources at their disposal; enough to make up for the lost bounty, and then some. "I suppose I know my way around Hutt space, and I am familiar with members of the Cartel, if that's what you're referring to. Where would this 'valuable' artifact be, exactly?" She squinted her eyes at the Cathar, knowing she would not like the answer.

It was lucky that the Imperial agent arrived when she did, as Eovras was getting ready to find the guard captain from before and demand to be put into contact with them via holocall or otherwise. She stalked in, and stalked was the perfect word for it – she had that feline predatory gait that all cathar seemed to share. He was impressed by that alone. Not many aliens rose in the Imperial ranks, and he hadn't seen one of her kind in such a position of power. It just went to show that the Empire was finally broadening their perspectives, allowing for more growth. Humans were not that only race that could lead, and he was glad to see at least one woman with the balls to advance her career.

Her curt apology was likely feigned, but Eovras let it slide. Now that she was here he was eager to move on, and causing a scene like most Sith Lords would at her disrespect was pointless. It would only serve to slow things down, and the sooner they were finished with this task the better. So he simply nodded in response and followed her as she headed towards the prisoner's cell.

Vorn had the same blank expression plastered to her face when they approached. The cathar started in on her briefing right away, forgoing any formalities. He listened carefully to what the agent told Vorn, as he was hearing this for the first time himself. She didn't reveal much, as was her job. Agents by rule never gave out more information than was strictly necessary, unless of course they were somehow convinced to share. Eovras wasn't above force choking a little extra intel out of them if it came to that. But hopefully it didn't. Again, it was another time waster.

So they needed this bounty hunter's skills. Skills at what? Turning against those she worked for at the sound of a credit chip falling? It was a disgusting business in Eovras' eyes. There was no loyalty or respect in it. Only credits, and credits could only get you so far.

“And if it didn't turn out successful?” he interjected, curious. Would the Imperials just lock her back up? He thought it unlikely. She would know too much by then. Vorn had spoke of dirty work before, and he would not be pleased if it turned into his job to dispose of the chiss if she failed.

He waited to hear the answer to Vorn's question as well. If the agent knew where the artifact was, why did they need the bounty hunter? It would be simpler to inform him of where it was and let him go retrieve it himself. No messy loose ends, just a simple show of force and an acquired artifact. Not the for the first time he doubted his Master's way of doing things.

Fara offered a sickeningly sweet smile in return. “You did not seem to be picking any calls. As for the bounty, it was never really a bounty at all. This job should compensate for your loss.” Fara looked shortly to her datapad, then motioned the guards over.

Fara spared the sith a glance at his inquiry, her brow rising slightly in what she hoped wasn’t too obvious a mocking expression. “Have you not been briefed, my lord?” Surely they must have told him about the fallen sith, the only reason another was being sent along on the mission. Fara was not sure how the council wished to handle their affairs, but even if they deemed Vorn was not worth killing, the artefact they were after was surely far too valuable for too many people to know about it. Even if the mission did turn out successful, Fara wasn’t sure what her orders were considering Vorn. There was a possibility, once the bounty hunter learned of its value, that she would try to steal it instead. It wouldn’t be the first time such a thing happened and each time many people had been disposed of to keep the Intelligence secrets. Agents included.

“Unfortunately I am not at liberty to reveal more before we are safely out of earshot. This is the part where you either agree or refuse, bounty hunter. I am certain there are others that would be easily convinced to help.” It was a bluff, of course, Fara had not the slightest idea if Intelligence had any other hunters in mind for the job. It was true, however, that she would rather brief the two on the details of their mission safely aboard a vessel and not somewhere where information could so easily slip into the wrong ear. In any case, the guards were ready to let Vorn out at Fara’s say so.

Gela glanced to Lord Eovras when he pondered the possibility of failure. Of course, it did make sense for them to dispose of her once she was of no further use. It was the Empire's way of doing things. If she wasn't killed on the spot, she'd likely be packaged and delivered to the Hutts who hated her guts. Well, it didn't seem like there was much room for choice in the situation, and Gela wasn't accustomed to failure to begin with.

Ah, but Gela must have forgot to check her holo messages then; she didn't take the woman seriously of course, but it was all too likely for Gela to ignore her own messages, especially ones that screamed Imperial. Criminals couldn't afford to fall into traps. Traps like the one she was in now.

"I don't suppose I have much of a choice, do I?" She gave a curt nod, "But I'll take the job." It was odd though, that a member of the Sith knew as much about the mission as she did, but wasn't paid to care about the details like that. She was going to get them that artifact, so she can go back to working solo and of her own free will.

The agent was polite as ever, addressing him as 'my lord' and vaguely masking her distaste. It was a valiant effort, given how easily she had dismissed him when she walked in earlier.

“Obviously not enough. I'm eager for you to fill me in on all the details.” The tone of his voice said more than he did – he expected all of the information she had on this mission, whether she wanted to give it or not. He was certain she knew more about it then his master had told him, as most Imperial agents tended to know things they rightfully shouldn't. He would have her information, though, one way or another. Hopefully the easy way.

He watched the rest of the exchange between Vorn and the agent with little interest. This was her territory, let her handle making the deals. He idly thumbed the hilt of his lightsaber beneath his cloak, wondering if he would be needing it at all today. That was his territory, and it had been much too long since he had been of use for what he was best at.

Vorn finally agreed to the deal and he had to admit she was right. She had few other options. Go with them or rot here until she managed to bribe or fight her way out. He didn't think for one minute she would submit to the fate of a prisoner. Already she showed fight, and those in cells that had that didn't stay there long.

The agent directed the guards to let Vorn out of the cell and she was once again free. Well, as free as she could be in the company of a Sith Lord and an Imperial Agent. Still, Eovras thought even that was better than being locked up.

“Lead the way,” he gestured towards the door, speaking to the agent. He assumed they would be traveling in her ship, if she had one. It was probably for the best – he didn't like visitors on his own.

As they walked through the halls together Eovras tried again to speak to the cathar. “Agent, you haven't introduced yourself yet. If we are to work together I'd know your name.” He looked back to Vorn, who was trailing slightly behind them and gave her a smirk. “Unless of course it's some thinly veiled moniker.”

Fara gave a curt nod, turning on her heel and keeping just about three steps ahead of the two as she led them out of the prison. She waved over to the warden and paused at his desk to wait for the bounty hunter’s apparel she had previously been stripped of. “Cipher will do,” she said in reply to the sith’s inquiry. There was no need for them to refer to her as anything but for the duration of the mission. At the very least she would allow herself to retain some dignity in face of an alias and someone who liked to call himself a lord. She despised this game but she’d played it often enough with a wide variety of higher ranking officers; names were dangerous, they were all expandable and Fara, for one, did not desire the attention.

“Your weapons and armor.” She gestured to the crate holding Vorn’s items. “You can carry it back to the ship with you.” She did not stop to wait for a reply or see if the bounty hunter had picked up her crate, her eyes were back on the datapad again. “There’s a shuttle waiting to take us to the spaceport. Do try to keep up.”

Once Gela was released she followed them out of the room, giving the prison guard a cold stare as they proceeded down the hall, Gela trailing slightly behind the sith and the agent. She hardly cared when Lord Eovras threw a little quip at her about her bounty hunter name- she didn't make it this far by having a flimsy ego. And it certainly wouldn't get enough of a rise out of her to make her satisfy the Sith's curiosities.

When they stopped at the desk and 'Cipher' directed Gela to her belongings, she knelt down in front of the crate and retrieved her things. Though Cipher did instruct her to carry it all back to the ship, to which ship Gela was not told, but she paid the agent no mind as she started gearing herself up right then and there. It took her a few minutes to strap into the armor, and then a few more to properly equip her weapons, and whether or not they waited for her, she casually strolled the rest of the way out to the landing bay where their shuttle awaited.

Speaking through her helmet's breathing piece now, she responded to Cipher's sharp look before she could say anything, "I might be working with you, but I don't take orders from you." And the less people who saw her, the better basically. But she wasn't going to bore either of them with such details. Besides, Gela always had a problem with authority. "Well, let's get on with it shall we?" She hopped on the shuttle, wearing a new layer of confidence to compliment her red and black armor.

Eovras followed the agent until she stopped at a desk at the end of the hall. He brushed off her casual indifference, taking it the natural behavior of all Imperial agents. If she didn't feel like she needed to give her real name, fine. She probably didn't even remember it herself after being given a code by the Minister of Intelligence. Eovras never did understand why so many would trade in their individuality to work there, but maybe he was missing something.

Cipher continued to walk towards where their shuttle waited, though Vorn remained stubbornly behind. He waited just a few paces away while she suited up, impressed by now many weapons she tucked away into her armor. After a few minutes they were both on their way to catch up with the agent, who Eovras couldn't believe had expected the bounty hunter to wait to put on her gear until they got to the shuttle. People who depend on their weapons won't spend one second longer without them then necessary.

He snickered when Vorn told the agent she didn't take orders from her, doing nothing to try to cover his amusement. While he had the nagging feeling the two women were going to be a handful to work with he appreciated the bounty hunters insolence to someone other than himself. She was right, too. She didn't exactly need to take orders from Cipher, and neither did he.

It would go more smoothly if he did, though. So for now he did as she said and followed her into the shuttle waiting to take them to the space port. She seemed to know exactly where they were going and had sorted everything out, so he merely sat back in his seat and relaxed.

Fara waited for them near the shuttle, arms crossed and a frown on her face as she spoke something furiously with the pilot. They both lowered their voices once the sith and the hunter neared them, she shot him a look and observed Vorn icily. “Very good. You seem to possess some sense after all.” She gestured towards the shuttle and walked in close after Vorn, not done talking. “However the outcome of this mission does depend heavily on your ability to follow orders. If we are to be working together, I would like to make sure you won’t get us all killed by refusing to follow simple instructions and acting out on your own.”

It was a short ride to Kaas spaceport, where Fara proceeded to lead the way to the bounty hunter ship. She did not talk much more to the other two, rather kept ahead to clear security and ensure that they were enabled a smooth take off.

“Set course for Cyrkon. Time to tell you two what this is all about.”