Prey
Author’s Notes: The following contains reference to a non-consensual encounter. Reader discretion is advised.
(Sorry @a-muirehen - it was almost ready to post!)
The man known only as Cipher Nine entered the cantina at the Star Cluster Casino on Nar Shaddaa.
He knew it well. He had first visited the establishment months ago, when he and Kaliyo had been tracking down the Eagle’s network.
More poignant, of course, were the memories from his visit just a few weeks ago, when he had been sent to infiltrate the Republic’s Strategic Information Service as a double agent.
This, of course, had been where his real troubles began.
Nine’s fingers clenched into a fist at the memories of Ardun Kothe. And the keyword.
His training and discipline re-asserted themselves. He would deal with the castellan restraints, then he would deal with Kothe. Then he would deal with Imperial Intelligence and the Sith. Everyone who had put him in this position would be made to answer for it.
But first, of course, he would have to get through tonight. Through the next few minutes.
Nine took a seat at the far end of the bar. The place was practically empty this time of night. (True, telling the difference between night and day on Nar Shaddaa was a challenge in and of itself. This was worse than
As usual, he’d chosen a spot where he could watch both points of entry to the place, along with possible exits.
Intelligence training. Those back-stabbing bastards had been good for something, after all.
He quietly ordered a Corellian whiskey. Neat, as usual. The bored-looking Rodian at the bar delivered the glass, then went back to wiping down the counter.
Nine knew the man was coming up behind him about ten seconds before he finally felt the playful slap on the shoulder.
The man took a seat on the stool next to Nine.
“Legate.” He said cheerfully, by way of greeting.
“Hunter.” Nine replied with ill-grace. Not even bothering to throw a sideways glance towards the SIS agent.
Hunter ordered a Sarlacc Kicker and took a sip, only now appearing to notice the other man’s silence.
Hunter chuckled. “No need to be unfriendly, Legate. Hoth went about as well as could be expected.”
“Is that why you needed a debriefing interview?” Again, he didn’t bother looking Hunter’s way.
“Well, I have to be sure we didn’t miss anything.” He smirked. “It pays to be thorough.”
Nine simply sipped his drink, not deigning to reply.
“I don’t know what you’re so bothered about, Legate.” Sipping his own drink. “The operation was a success, we got the shuttle, and you got to cap a rogue Imperial admiral. I even let you keep the girl, against my better judgement.”
Nine’s grip on his glass tightened at Hunter’s flippant reference to Ensign Raina Temple. The SIS agent had originally been prepared to murder the young woman there and then on Hoth. Nine had managed to persuade him otherwise, with Temple joining Nine’s crew. Hunter’s final command, however, to kill Temple if she became a danger, had stuck in his craw.
Even if Hunter hadn’t been using the key word at every turn, he would have more than enough reason to despise the man by now.
Seeing no reaction from his companion, Hunter sighed, downing the remnants of his drink.
“Alright. Let’s take this conversation someplace else more private, then, shall we?”
Hunter rose from his stool, tossing some credits on the bar.
“Don’t worry. I’ll cover our drinks.”
Nine finally turned to look at the other man, not bothering to hide his suspicion.
“Why someplace else?”
“Oh, I just thought some privacy would be better for this sort of thing, don’t you?” Hunter’s smile didn’t quite catch his eyes.
“The bar was your idea.” Nine countered.
“Yes. And now my idea is that you follow me to someplace more private.” Hunter’s tone was growing impatient.
The Cipher agent was feeling difficult.
“What if I’d rather not?”
Hunter’s expression shifted, his brow furrowing into a frown even as his smirk widened. Somehow, the smug look was far more genuine than his more pleasant smile earlier.
“Onomatopoeia.” Hunter’s voice was low and almost threatening. “You’re going to follow me.”
Much to Nine’s surprise, they didn’t leave the casino. Instead, he followed Hunter upstairs and to the lifts, into the hotel section of the Star Cluster.
Hunter made his way down a hallway, not bothering to check and see that Nine was following behind him. Finally coming to a halt and pulling out a keycard, the SIS agent led him into the room before closing the door behind him.
Like most of the Star Cluster, the room was opulent. It wasn’t one of the luxury suites, but it was still magnificently decorated and included a full bar, plush expensive furniture and a massive bed covered in Lashaa silk sheets.
“Nice place for a debriefing.” Nine muttered.
“Well, I did want you to feel special.” Hunter winked at him. “Now Onomatopoeia – don’t move.”
Nine felt his entire body go rigid; his mind and body betraying him. He felt the anger flare up again, and this time he couldn’t even squeeze his fingers into a fist. He was unable to even fidget.
He had never felt so helpless.
“There now. Isn’t that better?” Hunter grinned. “Now hold on – I have a surprise for you.”
Hunter began pressing buttons on his bracer. Nine knew the SIS agent had a stealth-field generator within the bracer and he would have been disappointed if there weren’t other toys contained within it, as well.
But what happened next was completely shocking.
‘Hunter’ disappeared, and in his place was a woman with light brown hair, cut short.
She smirked up at Nine.
“Be flattered. You’re the first person I’ve shown my face to in years.”
Nine continued to stand silently, unable to even blink.
‘Hunter’ slid out of her jacket, tossing it over a chair. Then she sat on the bed and kicked her boots off.
“Its funny. I feel like you’re the only one I can talk to. Kothe and the others don’t know anything about this. How do you manage to keep all the identities straight? How do you separate the lies from the truth?”
She stood up and walked over to him, pulling off her glove. Then she reached up and caressed his cheek with her bare hand.
Nine wanted desperately to swat her hand away. pull away.
“How do you remember who you even are?”
She smirked up at him, then backed away, taking a seat on the edge of the bed and crossing her legs.
“Let’s find out, shall we?” she grinned like a Nexu.
“Onomatopoeia – take off your clothes.”
Hours later, ‘Hunter’ finally rose from the bed.
“You’re even better than your file suggested, Legate.” she smiled “That was well worth the price of your drink.”
She started to get dressed, in full view of him. Nine remained motionless, of course, lying face-up on the bed.
To remain so like that had been her most recent command thus far, delivered a few minutes ago. It had been just the most recent of the hundreds of commands she had given him this evening.
She had secured her undergarments and was now pulling up her trousers. She glanced over at him, her eyes wandered up and down his bare form approvingly.
“We’ll have to do this again, soon. After we finish this job for Ardun, I think. We’ll go off somewhere, just the two of us. A week or two just like this. Won’t that be nice?”
As she finished securing her belt and tucking her shirt in, ‘Hunter’ leaned in and kissed his cheek, giving him a sultry smirk as she stood up again.
“Onomatopoeia.” She said. “In ten minutes, you’ll forget all of this. I debriefed you back at the bar, then left. Afterwards you met some girl and came up here to spend the night with her. She left before you woke up. Then you’ll open your eyes and be able to move again. You’ll never be able to tell anyone what happened here. Not even yourself.”
‘Hunter’ finally pulled on her boots, then she reached over and pressed the buttons on her bracer again. A moment later, she was once again Agent Hunter of the Strategic Information Service.
He smiled over at him.
“So glad I could ‘hunt’ you down, Legate. I’ll see you soon.”
With that, Hunter exited the room.
Now alone, Nine continued to lie there, even as the internal clock in his cybernetic implants counted down. He knew that in just a few minutes, his mind would obey Hunter’s command, and the very memories of what had happened here would disappear.
He wondered if the feelings he had been left with would just disappear as well.
Nine’s only consolation was that soon, the IX counter-serum would take effect. Then he’d have his revenge. Again Kothe. Against the SIS. Against the Minister and Imperial Intelligence and the Dark Council and the Sith.
He moved Hunter to the very top of that list, even as he knew that he wouldn’t remember doing so.
In the meantime, he just lay there. Knowing that he had been used and would be used again. He’d been an instrument. A tool.
A plaything.
Prey.