Chapter 163 - Sergeant Hound And Commander Thorn

As soon as he entered the Revontre, Dageer saw many familiar faces. He recognized soldiers from the 327th Star Corps, from the Coruscant Guard, and also saw men from Shep's crew. There were also some soldiers using the grey of the 104th Battalion, under Commander Wolffe and Jedi Master Plo Koon, and some using the purple of the 187th Legion, under Jedi Master Mace Windu.

When he entered the Revontre, Dageer instantly became the focus of attention, because he was using his entire set of armor, from helmet to boot, and caring his blaster. The barman - a bothan - wanted to warn him that blasters were prohibited inside the bar, but Dageer ignored him, and went straight to the second floor, where the private rooms were.

He knocked on one of the doors, and entered the room. Three clones were waiting for him inside it, and, just like him, all of them had their armors and weapons.

The first clone, sitting near the entrance, was a familiar face - or helmet. Thire, of the Coruscant Guard, looked more serious this time, but still rose to greet Dageer.

The second clone was one Dageer had never seen. He had red armor, characteristic of the Coruscant Guard, but much thicker. His chest and shoulder pads were of a darker shade of red, and his entire armor had many blaster marks, showing that he had been in many battles. His helmet also had protection above the eyes, and the side filters were much bigger than normal. With just a glance Dageer recognized him as a shock trooper, the elites of the Republic responsible to escort important figures on diplomatic missions.

"Dageer, this is Commander Thorn, of the Coruscant Guard. Commander, this is Sub-commander Dageer of the 303rd Attack Legion."

"Commander."

Dageer knew that the Coruscant Guard had more than one commander. Commander Fox was responsible for what took place in Coruscant, and Commander Thorn was the superior in charge of the security of senators and ambassadors.

"And this is Sergeant Hound, also from the Coruscant Guard."

Thire showed Dageer the last clone. This one, contrary to Commander Thorn, had lighter armor, painted in red and black. He was an ARF trooper, specialized in stealth and survival. Like Cell, ARF troopers acted as scouts, but were much more trained. Only a few clones, from special units, could go toe-to-toe with them. ARF troopers were also more intelligent and independent than normal clones, because their job required them to make decisions all the time, but Dageer didn't know about that. For him, all clones were equal. The only difference they had was in training and experience.

But Dageer didn't need introductions to know that that clone was Hound, because the sergeant had a massiff next to him. The small reptile species had spikes on it's back, and a mouth full of sharp teeth.

It was massiff, a species that could be found in many planets, and excelled at tracking down fugitives. They were also trained to bite down on arms or legs, to stop bandits from running away.

This specific massiff was two times bigger than the regular ones. He was Grizzer, a massiff that Hound had saved during a mission on Corellia.

"Sergeant."

"Sub-commander, sir."

Hound's helmet was stylized in a way that made it look like it had dark fangs above and under the visor. Dageer could imagine that when he was in the dark, the paint would blend in with the ambient, and possibly even make Hound look like, well, a massiff.

Dageer was of higher ranking than Hound, so the clone stood up and saluted him. Dageer waved him down, and the clone sat back. Grizzer, the massiff, walked over to Dageer, and smelled him. Dageer stood there, quite unsure of what to do.

"Grizzer, back! Sit!"

The massiff sat on the ground, near Hound. For a moment Dageer thought about patting it, but then he gave up. He had heard that the massiffs were very aggressive with anyone other than their pack or trainer.

"Sergeant, I've heard of your unit before. Commander Fox contacted me because I have a personal interest in capturing Sing. She killed an entire squad of my men. However, the one to conduct the pursuit will be you."

"I understand, sir."

Hound then pulled a hologram projector, and turned it on. The clones got closer to see the image, which was split into two. One of them showed a map, and the other was Sing, with some information about her.

Aurra Sing, female Palliduvan, deadly assassin and bounty hunter. Until that, nothing new. But the next line made Dageer frown.

"Seven confirmed Jedi assassinations, suspected of having participated in nine others. That is quite the record for a bounty hunter. Why isn't any Jedi on the case? You would expect them to be more concerned about her."

"I asked the same, Dageer. According to General Oppo Rancisis, they have a Jedi after her, but she prefers to work alone. Let's get back to the matter at hand. Dageer, you fought Sing before. What can you say about her?"

Commander Thorn showed the limited file that the four clones had on Sing. It was clear that he wanted more information before going after her. Unfortunately, there was nothing much that Dageer could say to him.

"She is efficient and cruel. When we captured her, she tried to escape at least two times, and almost killed me during one of the attempts. She won't hesitate to kill, neither will she feel pity for her companions. As I said, she is efficient. The fastest way to kill is the best way for her. Now, based on how she attacks our ship to capture the padawan, I believe she prefers to lurk in the shadows. Also, I think she might specialize in long-range attacks, but this is just speculation."

"You think she is a sharpshooter? Why?"

"Because of how she killed my men. She either broke their necks or cut it. This is how our snipers deal with clanckers in close combat. Other troops tend to just... destroy them. Sing did a clean job. And then, on Tatooine, she used cables to pull us. Also, her blaster had a scope. "

Thire pointed at the second image, the map, tight after Dageer finished his explanation.

"It makes sense. This is the sector we think she escaped to. It is a docking zone. Many high and hidden spots, but also many open areas. Its the optimal location for a sniper."

What Thire said hit the clones after a few seconds. Commander Thorn looked at Dageer, and knew that the 303rd's clone was thinking the same.

"She chose the battlefield. She knows we are coming. But what is her plan? She can't possibly think she can take on the entire Coruscant Guard."

"Sing doesn't have to. Besides, she is not alone. Both Bossk and Castas are efficient killers. When a battle starts, what do civilians do?"

"They run and hide."

"They panic. They will try to leave the area. We can't force them to stay. Some will take sh.i.p.s and leave. She might use one of them, or she might flee to another sector. Even if we know that, we can't stop her."

Thire slammed the table when he heard Dageer and Commander Thorn. He was more hot-headed than most clones.

"There is nothing we can do, then! She is going to escape!"

Dageer shook his head. Many battles taught him that he couldn't give up at the first problem.

"Let's hope we can capture her before she has the chance."