Ask Derailed

[Jonathen Baize]

"Why would you even say that.." he said, a disgusted shiver shaking him before he let the topic go.

They let the more serious topic hang in the air for a long moment. When she responded, he nodded in agreement. He dropped the last of his cigarette down on the ground and stomped a foot down on it. He then through the last few pieces of candy in his mouth. "You don't really seem like the type of person who just carries candy around; thanks regardless," he said, holding up the empty bag. There were some things that just didn't make sense about this woman, but it would take a lot longer than one cigarette to unravel that enigma.

"So we heading to Felucia?" he asked. He held up his hands, expecting a protest. "..and before you start, these guys will be heavily armed, and you'll need a team. My soldiers are ready," he said.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

Six eyed him curiously, “What type do I seem then?” She asked, amused. She often played many roles, and it was sometimes difficult to tell which one was genuinely her. The candy thing was something she picked up posing as a hypoglycemic alias, and she kept the habit since.

To his surprise, there was no protest this time. It was better to actually discuss how he would join than for him to show up abruptly like was often the case.

It was another day before they found themselves on Felucia. She arrived there ahead of time, and he was still stuck with transporting the prisoner. Of course, the prisoner died of ‘seemingly natural causes’ during the transport.

The agent was waiting at the landing bay, reviewing the data she had gathered so far. Rox was not going to be easy to find, but she was confident that Gibbons was hiding out here with her. Despite them having the element of surprise, Gibbons having been extracted meant they had to be cautious. They would have to really change up their appearance to avoid getting flagged before the mission was done.

As usual, Six was waiting outside smoking a cigarra. Once Baize arrived, she didn’t bother looking up before speaking, “You’ll have to lose the beard.”

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He studied her when she asked her question, thinking about the answer. "Poisoned lipstick and Grenades," he said evenly. "That's what I would guess to sole contents of your purse to be." he joked.

The next day was spent securing the patient, only to have him keel over that night from "natural causes." Of course, nothing would be found in any investigation, though Jonathen had his suspicions. It wasn't anything he could act on. However, it was a reminder that he was dealing with someone dangerous, even if they were on the same side currently.

He arrived on Felucia the next day, taking public transportation to avoid suspicion. He met with Six, actually kind of surprised she had shown up. Her first comment made him wish she hadn't.

"Not the beard..." he said, taking a step back. "Damn it." he said a second later, not about to fight it. He had gone through all of his enlisted days without; he could survive without. "You going to add a beard?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "..I think you could pull it off.."

"Let's get this over with." he said as they made their way to make final preparations.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

Six gave a half grin at his comment about the beard, “I can and I have,” She said regarding sporting one as a disguise. She didn’t elaborate further, of course.

She had secured a location for them to do some prepwork before moving in on Rox’s location. As for her disguise, she sported green contacts that hid the unnatural patterns of her Firrerreo irises. She also had red curls and a pair of glasses. Six had told Baize to meet her back in this location.

He knocked and she opened the door. She stared at him for a moment, “Goodness, you barely look legal enough to hang out with me,” Six remarked with a chuckle before walking over to the bed in the hotel room that had a duffel bag and many of their items laid out. She rifled through her subtle usuals - the fusion cutter cufflinks, the killer heels, etc. She pressed a button on the side of her glasses to test the HUD capabilities.

Six grabbed her newly made badge, “I’m going to be posing as Shandi Zan from Hutt space. I’m going to talk to Rox’s people about cutting a deal with them to import weapons. You are.. “She looked at the name choices, “Bugsy Mcfrane. My bodyguard. We need to set up a scenario where your services are immediately required to guard me in the presence of some of Rox’s known circles. After that, when I meet with them for official business I will give them an opportunity to hire you. You will then go into Rox’s service and tell me exactly what you witness.”

They couldn’t both go on the inside – she needed to pull the strings from outside. They could flip the roles, but quite frankly she didn’t have much faith in his abilities to do the talking or appearing helpless.

“Once we know what we’re dealing with, your men will storm the base and we can put an end to this,” Six looked at him, realizing this was a lot of information, “Any questions? Need a snack before we go?”

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He opened his mouth to respond but honestly didn't have a response. He actually believed she had worn a beard as a part of a disguise.

He had shaved, changed into fairly non-descript spacer attire with a sleeveless shirt leaving muscled arms uncovered and black pants, and met her back at the meeting spot. "Fuck you." he gave his normal response to her. "You look..." he paused "..alright you look pretty good, but STILL." he said. She pressed a button on the side of the glasses and saw the faintest sign of light coming from beneath her shades. Of course, she had cool spy glasses. He had to see if he could requisition some ISB gear, maybe call in some favors.

He listened to her plan and nodded along. "No, I am tracking with the plan. I will take that snack though.." he said, holding his hand expectantly.

They made their way toward Rox's base of operations. Out front, it was a dance club; loud, thumping music could be heard from a block away. Rox held a weekly card game in the back that served as an opportunity to meet new business partners and arrange deals.

He fell in just behind Six. He may not have been a perfect fit for the spy life, but he managed the meathead bodyguard role pretty well.

They walked up to the bouncer, a mountain of a man. "We are full up." he said, looking the agent up and down. "Sorry, doll. Though if you want to come back later, we could have our own party..." he said, reaching for her. Jonathan stepped up. "Why don't you keep your hands to yourself before you lose one.." he threatened.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

Six clicked her tongue at his usual greeting, “Has no one ever taught you how to speak to a lady?” She said as she fiddled with her glasses. She saw his gaze linger on them longingly, “Forget about it,” She added flatly, “You need to pass a minimum IQ test to get these.”

She was actually surprised to find him holding out a hand for snacks. She blinked for a few seconds before forking over some of her Firrerreo meat snacks which were a bit on the spicy side. There was a chance Baize had some tears on the way to the mission.

The bouncer bristled at the response, but he wasn’t about to cause a scene. Six sure hoped there was no scene out here - she had paid thugs already inside the club ready to start a fight. They were allowed inside and she looked around till she spotted Rox’s crew in the back. Rox’s deputy was there, though she wasn’t. Oh well, word got around.

Six paused as she realized Baize probably needed to be clued in on the plan, “These are hired men that’ll try to attack Rox’s crew, so..don’t kill them,” She whispered.

The club was crowded, platforms all around that housed exotic dancers on poles. Six kept herself focused, trying to squeeze her way towards the group. She saw a Trandoshan make eye contact with her and she nodded. Moments later, the Trandoshan ran up to the cardplayers and threw the entire table over, “Where’s my money!” He growled, taking a swing at one of Rox’s lackeys.

Six just happened to be right there and she let out a very convincing girly scream.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"Yeah, they did. Guess the streets are starting to get to me." he joked. He doubted Six was the type to get offended at anything anyone said to her. His joke was cut short as she caught him checking out her glasses. "We will see about that!" he said. He was going to get him a pair of those glasses!

She hesitated when he actually took her up on the offer of snacks. "You know, you keep this snack thing up, and we may just become friends," he said as he popped one of the meat snacks into his mouth. They were great but pretty intense in the heat department. "That has some kick to it!" he said, coughing. His eyes did water briefly before it was over. "These are great; I'll have to stock up on these!" he said as they neared their target.

After a brief exchange with the bouncer, they were let in. He nodded when she told him about the plan. A moment later, the bar erupted into chaos.

One of the guards stood up to take care of the Trandoshan and got dropped immediately. A small skirmish broke out between the paid-off robbers and Rox's crew.

Seeing his chance, Jon pushed through the fleeing crowd and grabbed a pool stick. He smashed it over the Trandoshan's head, which did nothing but piss him off. The Trandoshan picked Jon up by the throat and lifted him off the ground. Jon rammed the broken pool stick into the lizard's left leg. He screamed and released Jon, who kneed him in the face sending him sprawling to the floor unconscious.

He spun, ready to take on the next guy.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

Six played her part well, panicking and quickly running over to the VIP section to plop down next to Rox’s deputy. It was a portly man in a suit that was hugging a pillow and a snack bowl to his chest with his feet comically up on the lounge he sat on. Six had to work extra hard to keep up the terrified front, “Please tell me it’s not normally like this!”

“Who are you?!” The man squeaked in a voice a few octaves higher than she expected.

“I’m Shandi Zan!” Six said quickly, “I was coming to meet with..” She looked around dramatically before lowering her voice, “You know who about some shipments into Nar Shaddaa!”

Theme
​

Six looked over to see Baize playing his role swimmingly. He managed to piss off the Trandoshan, so the thugs were going harder than they were paid for. This, in turn, made the whole thing look that much more real. A rodian rushed towards Baize to Huttball tackle him while another guy picked up a nearby chair to try and slam it over his head.

“Yeah Bugsy! Get ‘em!” Six cheered every now and then.

“Y-You know that guy?” The deputy asked her in between hyperventilating.

“Oh yes,” Six said gleefully as she watched, helping herself to some of the snacks in the bowl the man was clutching to his chest, “He’s my bodyguard. He’s solid, isn’t he?”

Baize certainly had the deputy’s attention. Things were finally going as planned. After a bit of fighting, the actual bouncers of the club showed up to throw the thugs out. Six turned to look at the deputy, “Should we take this meeting somewhere else, then?”

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

Jon had been bar brawling with the best of them in the Army for years. He was at home here.

The Rodian charged at him, but Jon was ready. He ducked the charge and lifted, letting the Rodian's momentum carry him over Jon's shoulder and into a table behind them.

He then stumbled forward as someone slammed a chair over top of him. He let out a growl as he stood as turned to face the human. He stepped forward and slammed his head into the man's nose. Blood shot everywhere as the man stumbled backward. The move hurt Jon, but he was trying to make a show of it.

He continued to stalk forward, but the human turned tail and ran, holding his broken nose. He turned, ready to fight again, but order was shortly restored, and Jon posted up on the wall near Six.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

Six was positively delighted. They had their way in. The deputy was leading her to Rox’s ‘office’ which just so happened to be located below the club. She rose from her seat and glanced over at Baize who was catching his breath, “Now’s not the time for a nap, Bugsy, let’s go!” She reached down to grab him by the hand, hoisting him up with a shocking amount of strength. It was probably easy to forget she wasn’t human sometimes..

They were led down into the lower levels and Six quickly took in sight of her surroundings, committing it all to memory. The deputy opened a door and Six spotted a Cathar sitting behind a desk. A chill ran down Six’s spine, but she kept her cool externally.

“Good afternoon,” She said as she extended her hand to shake Rox’s, “I’m Shandi Zan and this is my bodyguard Bugsy Mcfrane.”

“I hear you protected some of my men out there,” Rox said, her voice as smooth as velvet with a subtle purr to it. She had the eyes of a predator and she surveyed Baize as a cat watched a mouse.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

"You got it, boss,"

he said as he was hauled to his feet. Jon bled from some small cut on his head. Other than that and a little dizziness, he wasn't any worse for wear. Though he probably needed to avoid head-butting anyone else for a bit.

He followed them downstairs, remaining quiet. He was introduced, and he nodded his head toward the Cathar. Upstairs, the music started thumping again as club activities resumed.

"It wasn't a thing. Never a wrong time to smash some heads in..." he said with a shrug. Did he need to say anything else? This was not his strong suit. The Cathar studied him for a moment, eyes seemingly looking through him, causing a chill to run up his spine. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, trying to seem disinterested. He was just a bodyguard, after all.

Rox finally turned back to Six. "What can I do for Ms. Zan" she purred.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

“I arrived to speak with you about setting up a shipping trade between here and Hutt Space,” Six said, easily slipping into her role, “I’m the program manager that oversees operations in Toydaria, Kessel and Nar Shaddaa. I’d like to work with you to expand your enterprise.”

“Would you now?” Rox asked, always with that same purr. She gave a smile that was almost unsettling. The hair in the back of Six’s neck stood on end, and she knew something was off. Rox stared at Six for a long moment, “You know, I really don’t think red is your color,” She said as she took out a nail filer and began to chisel away at one of her elongated claws, “I think black suits you better.”

Six stiffened in her seat, but she kept her composure. Rox next looked at Baize, “And you,” She said lazily, “Tch, what a waste to lose that beard for nothing.”

Six toppled backwards in her chair, somersaulting back as Rox’s men sprang to action behind her. They expected her to be sitting when they launched at her. However, Six was already on the ground, stabbing at least one man with her heel. She was working on fighting another when they were completely overwhelmed. At some point both Baize and Six took stun blasts point blank range.

-​

It was hours later and Six felt sick to her stomach. She was in a cell with Baize, both of them having had all their weapons and personal effects confiscated. Six cursed to herself, knowing that being caught in her line of profession meant certain death. She looked over at Baize and couldn’t help the slightest pang of guilt.

“Look,” She said firmly, “You don’t know anything. I will negotiate your release. They’ll focus on me. Got it?” She knew panicking wasn’t going to help, even if she knew she was as good as dead right now.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

Things went south in a hurry. As the thugs stepped forward, Jon snapped into action. He threw a punch and crumpled the first of them as Six took out another one. They were almost fast enough; another second or two, and they would have cleaned up Rox's guards, but she had been prepared for them.

He grunted as the first stun bolt slammed into his stomach. Growling, he took another step forward, and the second one from behind dropped him.

Jon woke up with a groan sometime later. "Alright, that hurt," he said, pushing himself to sit. They were in a metal cage. He felt at his head, feeling the dried blood from the earlier scuffle. "Yeah, I know the drill." he said. All soldiers, especially those who were going to be on the front lines, were trained to resist torture and interrogation. No one was impervious to breaking, but getting anything out of him would take some work.

He wasn't about ready to give up.

"You just had to keep digging..." Gibbons said as he stepped into the room. "You never knew when to let shit go, Baize." he said, venom in his tone. "Just blindly following the Empire..." he said. "They ain't coming for you. The Empire doesn't give a SHIT about you..." he spoke, growing louder.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

Six looked at Gibbons, still regretting having left Baize alone with him. To this day she didn’t know how that ended up in a fight and now of course it was Gibbons in this room. She stared at him, sizing him up.

“If it’s power you’re after, there are much better ways of getting it,” She said to Gibbons with the hopes of engaging him in dialogue.

“Shut up bitch!” Gibbons growled, backhanding her across the face. It was hard enough to send her toppling to the side and reeling. There was a cut on her face, the cheek bruised from where he hit her. His focus was already back on Baize.

“What the fuck happened between you and Jova!” He grabbed Baize by the collar, hoisting him up forcefully, “Are you the reason she left me?” He growled, practically trembling with rage.

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

When Gibbons dropped Six, Jon shot up. His head still reeled from the stun bolts. If he had been in good shape, he would have jumped on Gibbons, but he was hauled off the ground.

For a moment, he was confused. His mind struggled to keep up with the question, but it finally snapped in his mind. He lied about sleeping with the guy's wife in the bar to distract him. He had thought himself pretty clever for that one, it had worked perfectly, but now he was about to pay for life.

He opened his mouth to object, but the air was cut off. Gibbons slammed him against the other wall and was on top of him instantly. He slammed a fist into Jon's face, his head bouncing off the concrete floor. Gibbons had murder in his eyes, but he had turned his back on Six for the moment, intent on killing Jonathen.

 

[Cipher Six]

Six didn’t lose her cool very often. She had long since learned to keep a stoic bearing and a level head. Calm waters allowed for clarity, and she always kept her mind calm. However, when certain triggers all mixed together, it created that perfect storm. The humiliating slap to the face, the fact that they were caught and awaiting execution, and the fact she was just over this all pushed her over the edge. That enraged monster that was always chained deep inside was released at once.

From Baize’s purview he would see a blur of motions. Suddenly Six was on Gibbons, her face buried into his neck. The man wouldn’t even be able to scream, nothing but strained gurgling erupting as blood sputtered everywhere. Six tore away at his neck, ripping away flesh and leaving him fatally wounded. Baize would see her bloodstained double sets of fangs, her eyes dangerous with the pupils into narrowed slits like those of a cat’s.

Gibbons hoarsely tried to speak, but no words came out and he collapsed to the ground with a rapidly growing pool of blood. Six didn’t care about what Baize thought of all this - they had to get out of here. She wiped off her mouth and grabbed the blaster Gibbons had on him, along with his keycard. She said nothing to Baize, spinning on her heel and walking out of the cell.

Eventually she came across another guard. He barely had time to register surprise before she shot him in the head. Six picked up the rifle he had on him, tossing it behind herself to Baize. She kept advancing back towards the upper levels, catching others by surprise. She shot anyone she saw, stepping over them to make her way to the office where they first came.

Six kicked the door open and leveled her blaster. Rox jumped to her feet in surprise, the confidence from earlier gone. Six didn’t hesitate before popping her once in each knee to make her drop. The Cathar wailed in agony and Six stared at her with her jaw tightening.

“Call your men in to secure this facility,” She said quietly to Baize with her blaster still trained on Rox.


Dice: Nat 20

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

The second punch broke Jon's nose as he teetered on unconscious. Jon wasn't sure he was seeing what he was seeing as Gibbons's throat erupted blood as the artery was torn out. Blood covered him as before his would-be killer fell over dead.

He was no stranger to brutality, but this was a little much for him. He pushed himself up and took up the rifle as they fought back upstairs. They had the element of surprise and cut their way through Rox's men.

Kicking the door in, Six quickly neutralized the Cathar. Jon raised his rifle on the Cather, ready to blaster her into oblivion if she moved. Grabbing his comm off of Rox's desk, he nodded to Six. "All units move in, I repeat, all units move in. The building is mostly secure be on the lookout for runners," he said, pitch somewhat off due to his broken nose. Within minutes the building was crawling with Imperial Soldiers as they swept it clear.

"You won't be able to find the rest of them without me," Rox said. "Let's work out a deal," she told Six. She would be turned over to the ISB and processed for information. They would need to know everything they could about this information and how they could root out any other traitors.

Jon snapped his nose back in place, cursing as the pain flared and then subsided. "Next time I come up with a less rage-inducing lie I think. " he said to Six as the soldiers finished securing the building.

"Thanks for the assist back there." he finally added.

@Sreeya

 

[Cipher Six]

It took a few moments for her to regain her composure. Her eyes went back to normal, the primal side of her once again subdued. She said nothing for a few moments, calmly gathering up all her things that were confiscated. Her biggest prize was her bag of snacks. She nibbled on a few of her meat snacks while Baize’s men secured the facility. They had cracked this case wide open and the ISB could do the rest and put it to bed.

She looked over when Baize thanked her. Assist? She smirked at that, back to her usual self.

“You’re not so bad, Baize,” Six said as she tossed over an extra bag of W&W’s to him, “Maybe I’ll find you a pair of glasses after all.”

@Raydo

 

[Jonathen Baize]

He rolled his eyes. "I had him right where I wanted him.." he joked, even as his nose turned purple.

He caught the bag of candy and tore the bag open, popping some of the candies in his mouth. A part of him was still angry at her, still believing she had drugged him. He didn't trust ISB agents; their interaction had even somehow reinforced that idea.

With that being said, Jon was a simple man. Snacks went a long way toward ruining his chance, stoking the fire of his earlier anger.

He was giddy at the mention of his own pair of glasses, though he tried to play it cool. "Really?!..." he stopped himself. "...I mean, that would be cool...whatever.." he said. "Until next time, agent," he said.

Soon their jobs pulled them into different tasks as the building was secured. Jon would check in on his soldiers, and Six would likely fade back into the shadows, off to handle the Empire's dirty laundry so others could feel they lived in a noble society.

@Sreeya