#mentally? emotionally? probably had a breakdown on the way back to dromund kaas he swore vector to secrecy about

[tiredassmage]

raise or fold

May I uhhhhhh [bangs on some flipped over pans and sends my cheap plastic sunglasses flying] interest you in more agent feelings?

Aka, I finished Chapter 2, time for Tyr to start his habit of not working through all of his feelings!!! [F]. (Spoiler alert, he’s still not sure what the hell happened in this conversation.)

Cipher Nine checks in with the Minister following the conclusion of the SIS investigation. They’ve got ten minutes.

Spoilers for those of you who haven’t done IA bc this builds on Chapter 1 things, and only warnings for this one are some (surprisingly, given the circumstances) mild swearing and mentions of brainwashing/mind control.

(The spoilers start like, instantly, so enjoy a really early cut for this one lol)

“Broadcast mode: white noise for ten minutes. Then leave.” The Minister frowned as his arms folded neatly behind his back. There might’ve been a time Cipher Nine would have teased that it’d draw deeper, more permanent lines across the man’s face if he kept it up.

But he braced. And he met the Cipher’s gaze unflinchingly. “I preface with this: I know about the stolen files, I knew about your keyword, and I approved it. If I hadn’t, you’d be dead.” He paused a moment, gauging the stillness of the operative watching him with steeled eyes. No reaction. “The Dark Council was not as pleased with the outcome of the Dominator. I warned you there was only so much I could do to protect you. If you have anything you want to get off your chest, Nine, now is your time.”

A bark of dry laughter shook out of Cipher Nine. Fight, flight, observe - a mess of jumbled signals sparking and spluttering, wires crossing, too much information and too little time. His hands flexed briefly into fists before one raced up to drag across his jaw. “I put that much together, Minister.”

A growl of frustration broke his lips as he shook his head. Restlessly, he paced the length of Keeper’s desk - more akin to a caged Tukata than the calculated young officer he’d sent to Hutta. “Their little stunt nearly compromised the whole mission!”

“Report, Cipher Nine.”

Nine huffed, but stilled back in place across from the Minister. “Imperial codes, Imperial brainwashing, yet a Republic SIS agent held my leash. Fine. I searched the records. I orchestrated the blackout. How the hell does that happen?”

That frown only deepened. As if being Keeper of Operations Division hadn’t been enough on the poor bastard, now they had a war on their hands. “A fantastic question,” he drawled. “The Shadow Arsenal destroyed. Ardun Kothe’s shuttle recovered with no record of this weapons cache in its logs. No recoverable evidence that your ‘codename Hunter’ even exists.”

“Are you implying something, Sir?” Nine’s eyes hardened like the Hoth ice fields. Then he blinked and puffed out a breath with another shake of his head. One hand came up to his temple briefly. “I’m… sorry, Sir. Out of line.”

“Cipher.” Nine cleared his throat and settled back into parade rest. “I believe you. And that’s why I need you back in the field.”

There wasn’t enough time to afford extensive recovery from even the physical strain of such an extensive operation, to say nothing of the psychological distress. Even now, he wouldn’t admit it. Nothing was physically holding him back and they had the privacy.

He had an operative run ragged. But this had started with him. To reassign this to someone else would likely only bog him down in wartime operations - equally no time for proper turnaround, not with the Citadel under nigh-on constant operations as they already were.

This was the best outlet he could provide under the circumstances. And it was a bloody shame.

“Sir?” Nine cocked his head inquisitively.

“The trail isn’t as cold as you might think. I’m sending you to the Isen Four Mining Colony. I believe you’ll find this of interest.” They turned to the droid as the Minister played back the surrender notice from the Colony.

Nine watched the playback silently in a mask of focus. One hand rose to his chin as his other arm crossed his chest, supporting the other. The Minister waited.

“Relevance?” Nine inquired.

“Yesterday, a man fitting your description of this ‘Hunter’ boarded a shuttle to this colony. We received this message nine hours ago.”

Nine’s eyes narrowed. “You believe they are connected?”

He’d always been good at thinking on his feet. “Unknown,” he replied. “But our forces are due to arrive tomorrow. I’m sending you after Hunter.”

A grim, determined frown settled across the Cipher’s features. “Understood, sir.” His fingers dug along his jaw. “Any ideas about why he’s heading there?”

“Watchers are still correlating the data, but I think you can tell me our deeper suspicion.”

Nine’s eyes narrowed. “That the bastard is playing both sides?”

“It would appear there’s much more going on than we had suspected. Someone with access to Republic and Imperial resources and interested in manipulating both sides for an as-yet-unknown purpose.”

A breath of a laugh broke the Cipher’s lips. “Well, isn’t that old hat?” Fine. “I’ll do it, under one condition.”

A barely perceptible trace of a smile appeared at the corner of the Minister’s mouth. “I don’t intend to tell anyone about your… inquisition.”

“Then we have an understanding.”

“Nine, for what it’s worth-”

“Save your breath, Minister,” Nine said. He briefly patted the older man’s shoulders. “For what it’s worth, Sir? It’s been an honor and privilege.” His grip tightened as they locked eyes. “You did what you could. And I’m sure we both understand that I’ll do whatever it takes.”

The Minister sighed quietly. “I was worried you’d say that.”

Nine released him. “It’s the job, Sir. I don’t intend to let anyone stop me.”

“Stars help whoever tries,” he muttered. Nine made to leave. “You’re dismissed. Get on that next flight out and, Cipher-”

Nine stopped and looked over his shoulder.

“Keep your eyes open. You may be on your own. This is the best I can do for you.”

“Of course, Sir.” Nine frowned faintly. “That bastard is going to pay for what he did.”