Chapter 166 - Splitting The Money

"Well done, Hiigi. Now, let's go."

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Dageer stood aiming his NT-242 at the spot Aurra Sing was for about four minutes. Then, he confirmed what his instincts had been telling him. She wasn't there.

He threw the NT-242 away, and grabbed the blaster pistol that the bounty hunter he just killed had.

"She is gone, Thire! We need to go after her!"

"But, sir... your leg!"

Dageer drew in a long breath when he felt the pain on his leg. The vibroblade had stabbed deep, although it missed the vital veins and arteries.

"I can deal with it. Commander Thorn! Sing is running! We are going to the nearest exit!"

"Bossk also ran. I received a report that a clone was found dead on exit JL-3. You are closer, go there! Sergeant Hound!"

"Yes, commander?"

"You are also close. Grizzer could be of help."

"I'm on my way, commander."

Dageer was about to go down the stairs - it would be quicker than taking the lift - when he saw the vibroblade embedded into the Aki-Aki's chest. On a whim, he pulled it out, and took it with him.

...

Dageer and Thire arrived at the exit quickly, but aside from the dozens of civilians, they saw no one. Thire bent over and checked the dead trooper, and shook his head. There was nothing they could do. The lieutenant picked up the WESTAR-M5 that the dead clone had, and threw it to Dageer.

The sub-commander accepted it, and gladly threw the pistol away. He felt much more comfortable with a real blaster in hands.

It was, however, useless, since they had no clue to where Sing escaped. Dageer looked at the wounds that the Coruscant Guard member suffered. He wasn't killed with a blaster. And there was something familiar about his injuries...

"Grrrr..."

"Sir!"

Dageer turned around, and saw Hound running towards him, followed closely by his massiff, Grizzer, and six other clones. He noticed that there were more massiffs than clones, and he could imagine what happened to their owners.

"Hound! Can you find to which direction they went?"

"I can't, sir, but Grizzer can. Come on, boy. Find. Find. Find. Find."

The massiff sniffed around for a few seconds while Hound gently stroked it's back. Then, suddenly, the animal stopped, and looked directly north.

"He found it! Now, Grizzer... Go!"

And the massiff took off running.

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On a dark alleyway, four people were quickly conferring together. Well, the truth was that one of them, a woman, was giving orders while the three men listened carefully.

"We will separate here. In two weeks, meet up in Dantooine. You will receive the rest of the credits there."

Bossk and Castas nodded. Aurra Sing was a deadly, treacherous and cruel bounty hunter, but even she knew she couldn't betray her partners so easily. If she did so, right after they rescued her, on top of that, she would lose all of her prestige as a bounty hunter.

But the new guy they hired on their crew, Hiigi, a huge mon calamari who never talked, had a different opinion.

When Sing was trying to leave the alleyway, Hiigi punched the wall near her, blocking her path. Dust and small debris fell off the wall, and web-like cracks started spreading on where he punched. After training under Count Dooku, Hiigi might not have gained Force powers, but he became much stronger.

Bossk hissed, and Castas backed away with small hints of fear on his face. They had already seen what Hiigi could do with his vibro-trident, and they both knew they weren't good enough to fight him, at least not in such a closed space.

Sing, on the other hand, just frowned. Hiigi didn't speak a word, but he gave her a dangerous sensation, one she only felt when she was hunting Jedis.

"Hiigi. I don't know why you became a bounty hunter, or why you came to me. But if you want to be part of my crew, you will follow my orders. Now, step aside."

Hiigi faced her angrily, and didn't move. Sing looked him right in the eyes, and both saw murderous intent. Bounty hunters always had problems like this when discussing payments and rewards. It wasn't the first time Sing decided to kill a fellow bounty hunter, and it wouldn't be the last.

She wiped her leg, hitting Hiigi on his ribs, but the mon calamari didn't even budge. He used his big hands to grab her leg, and lifted her before smashing the bounty hunter on the ground.

Sing wasn't to be outdone, however. She might be physically weaker compared to Hiigi, but she was much nimbler. She wrapped her other leg around Hiigi's torso, and pulled out a blaster pistol. A round was fired at point-blank, and Hiigi released her, while at the same time, pulling out his vibro-trident. Blood was trickling down from a wound on his arm.

Bossk and Castas were nowhere to be seen. Whatever problem Hiigi had with Sing's payment method, it was not their's to worry about. And such a commotion would attract the authorities, even more considering that it was close to the docking zone, where a huge battle just happened.

Their cautiousness paid off, because moments later nine clones arrived, one of them limping. The massiffs started to surround the two bounty hunters, who had now stopped fighting, and were eyeing the clones carefully. The gigantic mon calamari was holding his vibro-trident, and Sing had two identical pistols.

"Hiigi? Sing."

Dageer looked surprised at the mon calamari. The last time he saw him, Hiigi had killed dozens of clones, but all of his men died, leaving him alone. He didn't expect to meet him ever again. And Sing was his target. Meeting both of them at the same time might be a headache, but it would give him the chance to take out two dangerous criminals at once.

"You... you are the clone who captured me. Your armor is different."

Hiigi said nothing, but Dageer didn't know he couldn't talk. To him, Hiigi was just being tough.

"Put down your weapons and come with us quietly."

"That is not happening, sweetheart. I can't wait to destroy that new armor of yours."

Dageer grinned.

"I was kind of hoping you would say that."

Ten seconds went by with both sides facing each other without moving. And then Dageer saw Grizzer tensing up behind Sing, preparing to jump.

The moment the massiff moved, Dageer pushed Hound to the side, just in time to save the sergeant from two lasers shot by Sing. Grizzer jumped on Sing's back, while two other massiffs bit her legs, dragging her down. Ironically, it was this that saved her from the volley of blue lasers that the clones fired.

Hiigi, on the other hand, didn't dodge the lasers, but blocked them. Using a spinning movement that looked remarkably similar to the Jedis', all the lasers were absorbed by the vibro-trident.

Hiigi advanced, and kicked Dageer on the stomach. The clone flew back two or three meters, hitting another clone, and knocking him on the ground.

While Sing was trying to free herself from the massiffs, Hiigi slashed his vibro-trident, cutting the throat of a clone. A massiff, presumably his, cried in sadness, and jumped on Hiigi, but the mon calamari impaled it on his weapon.

Then, Hiigi used the blunt side of his weapon to smash a clone in the face. Dageer tried to get up, but Hiigi saw, and moved towards him. He grabbed another clone by the throat, and threw him over Dageer. Just when the mon calamari was about to stab both of them, a green glow passed by, and blocked his vibro-trident.