Avery nodded along, understanding Cerise’s intentions.

She had caused a shortage of smugglers, and he was going to fill in the gap.

"Okay, that sounds doable. But I still need to see the details of the masterful identity that you’ve crafted for me."

Cerise’s plan was starting to come together, but it all rested on the crux of the role that she wanted Avery to play.

No matter how well everything else went, if he could not get into the Odium Syndicate or he was found out, the entire mission would go up in flames.

Wearing a smug look, Cerise handed over a tablet with the details that he was looking for.

"Since you signed the contract with me, I’ve had a few specialist I trust in the central department crafting several specific identities for you. There were a few good options, but I thought that this one was the best fit. Now that we’ve got your new face, all of the records will be decimated soon."

Avery looked over the profile on the tablet and began reading the details that were displayed.

The first thing that he saw was his undercover identity’s name.

Once he left this system, he would be going by Ferdinand Karas until the mission was over.

’Age thirty-three. Human male. Had family but they all died around seven years ago under mysterious circumstances. He was the primary suspect but not enough evidence was discovered. Inherited a twenty-year-old Ontembaar cargo vessel from his deceased uncle. Has been bouncing around doing freelance shipping jobs to make money but has racked up a great deal of gambling debt he can’t pay. And a large list of misdemeanors along with a couple of drug charges. Nothing as serious as what the Odium Syndicate deals in though.’

After skimming through the details, Avery already thought that his new persona was a piece of work.

It was obvious that Ferdinand Karas had been crafted to be a morally gray character at best, who was down on his luck and needed some Krenin quickly to pay of his gambling debts and the fines he had incurred from breaking the law.

He really was the kind of guy that seemed like he would be willing to smuggle highly illegal substances for money.

"I like the hints that he murdered his own family to get the cargo ship. Makes him seem like he’s willing to do anything for his own gain and won’t have any qualms about moving deadly drugs. While his gambling debts and the crimes he was caught doing make him come off as someone that’s not too smart. The type of person who isn’t a threat but is easy to use. I got to say, you did pretty well with him." Avery said once he had finished going through the file.

"What do you mean, "Ferdinand"? Everything in there is all you. So, why don’t you just get everything off your chest and confesses your crimes to the police." Cerise replied with a smirk. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Sorry, my family died in a tragic accident. I had nothing to do with it. I can’t believe that the esteemed Cerise Gunvald is handling something so full of holes as this. The claims against me are all false. I’m innocent, I say! Innocent!"

The two of them soon began laughing at their little skit but quickly got back to work once they had calmed down.

Avery’s new identity was only one of many things that he needed to memorize for this assignment.

"I’ve also prepared some contacts that will help get you set up for a few jobs that should help you get used to the role and set you on a path towards the Odium Syndicate. We’ve identified a few people that we believe recruit for the organization. After a bit of time working with them, I’m fairly sure that they’ll recommend you to someone in the smuggling side of their business." Cerise explained.

Avery flicked through all of the information that Cerise had collected on contacts that would assist him and parties that he should be wary of but try to get close to.

There would be a lot of moving parts to this operation, but he figured that if he did not let his guard down things would go well.

"You’ve definitely been busy. From what you’ve got here, I think that my team will be picked up by the Odium Syndicate. The problem is what comes after that. You haven’t told me what you want me to do with the drugs my ship’s ultimately going to end up carrying."

Cerise frowned and looked conflicted by what she told Avery next. Still, it would be necessary for the mission’s success.

"You’ll deliver them exactly as your told to. Tag everything and send encrypted transmission to me. We’ll monitor the locations and anyone who shows up to collect the drugs, but making any arrests or interfering will just raise red flags. If all of the shipments that you deliver end up with their dealers and clients getting caught, it won’t take the Odium Syndicate long to figure out that they have a rat in their midst."

The logic made sense to Avery, though he still was not sure he was okay with actually moving highly addictive drugs that would end up being disrupted to the people of the Dramid Alliance.

Regrettably, it was just something that he was going to have to deal with.

If he wanted to collect intel on the Odium Syndicate within the Zatis Consortium, he needed to prove himself a valuable asset and attract the attention of those in the organization’s upper echelons.

"Fine, I’ll make sure to become the golden boy of the drug dealing underworld. But how am I going to move the illicit goods across the border? If I get caught by someone else in the Alliance Police, it could jeopardize the entire operation." Avery said, bringing up something he felt needed to be addressed.

"I was just about to get to that. It’s simple really. You’ll only go through checkpoint areas where my team is stationed. We’ll let you through without any issues. Still, you’ll need to look the part, so I’ve prepared a few crews to outfit your cargo bay with some cloaking devices that’ll allow you to disguise goods from scans and physically hide them from inspection. Although, I have the feeling you already have a few places that can be used to hide contraband."

Avery kept a straight face and neither confirmed nor denied if there were secret areas onboard his carrier ship that were deigned for smuggling in case it was ever necessary.

Of course, what good mercenary would not be ready to move "delicate" items for clients if the need every arose.

Not that Avery had any plans to take such jobs. And even if he did, he had his own principles that he adhered to.

If he was ever asked to move something that he found morally reprehensible, he just would not do it. Well at least normally.

What Cerise wanted him to do here was certainly a bit outside of his comfort zone, but he knew it was for the greater good.

Plus, she was paying him a lot.