In Command (#1 Post-Order 66 Series)

In Command - Part 13

"See anything?" she asked into her commlink, pulling her modulator mask Rex had gotten for her down a little further and adjusting her hood, ensuring that none of her head or face was visible. The mask completely covered her face with only a small slot for a viewport, an air filtration apparatus, and of course the voice modulator itself that, when activated, made her sound like a droid when she spoke.

"Not since the last time you asked me thirty seconds ago," Rex grumbled back through the comm.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm starting to think he's going to be a no-show."

"Isn't patience one of your things?" he asked.

"I was never particularly good at that thing." Suddenly, she spotted the flash of a uniform in the crowd, Commander Fisk's polished buttons gleaming in the afternoon sunlight. "Look alive, he's here." Senna quickly adjusted her hood one more time and made sure her hair was tucked within the mask before trailing a safe distance behind the commander.

Fisk wove throughout the stalls towards the designated meeting spot at the back of the market. Senna allowed several people to pass in between them, occasionally stopping at stalls and looking at wares while keeping an eye on the sweating man in his dress blacks. Once he made it to the corner she'd specified, he stopped turning slowly, his eyes scanning the crowd. She saw his eyes pass right over her without hesitation.

"Any obvious tails?" she whispered into her comm.

"None that I can see. Just be cautious. Keep your head on a swivel."

"Copy that. I'll leave my comm on so you can eavesdrop, so radio silence from here on out."

"You got it."

Senna casually wove her way through the throng, circling behind Fisk, allowing her eyes to rove the crowd, looking for anyone that was staring at him a bit too long or looked like they didn't belong. After a few minutes, she was satisfied and quietly walked up behind him, her back to him. She clicked on her voice modulator under her cloak.

"Afternoon, Commander Fisk. Nice to see you out and about," her voice buzzed.

He didn't turn his head, but he peered at her from out of the corner of his eye. "It's not like you gave me much of an option, scum."

"Now, now, there's no reason to start name calling. I'm here to help you out of the mess you've created by being a lazy Imperial. Wouldn't want your superiors to find out you've been breaking protocol with your decryption disk and flaunting all sorts of other security rules. You're a walking security breach, Fisk."

A trail of sweat rolled down his temple, glistening in the setting sun. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please, you told that woman in the market loud enough for everyone within the system to hear. Was it worth it by the way? Was she impressed?"

Fisk's temple throbbed with indignation. "What do you want?"

"Information of course."

"Pertaining to what?"

"The massive engineering project the Empire is undertaking."

"You'll have to be more specific."

"Don't play dumb Fisk. It doesn't suit you in this instance. Tell me about the project that's got the Empire willing to strip Lothal of virtually all of its resources and render it nearly uninhabitable. The superweapon."

Her comm started crackling in her pocket. She reached down to turn it off before she realized it was crackling in a very specific, rhythmic pattern. Rex didn't have a voice mod, but he was trying to signal her of something. She turned to look at Fisk, and he was facing her now, a devilish grin sweeping across his face. Oh, kriff.