Chapter 163 - Sergeant Hound And Commander Thorn (1/2)

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.”