Mannix continued moving down hallways and stairwells toward Schyrt and Reed's location in the bowels of the building. The two were supposed to have moved upward to meet him and help escort his load back the evacuation point, but they had come under fire from battle droids and had been pinned down, maintaining the escape route.
He was alone in making his way. Early on he had stripped a backpack from a dead body and shoved the case filled with aurodium into it, freeing up his hands to fight. Back in the planning stages it had been heavily debated as to whether or not they should actually bring the aurodium Sootoo had asked for. In the end, they decided the risk was worth it, just in case things went wrong and they really did end up having to pay off the two-cred crime boss.
Now the trick was making it out with the precious metal. There was enough aurodium to make a person extremely wealthy, and after the treachery Zanz had pulled, making off with the entire hijacked shipment of aurdium, Mannix knew it was a huge show of trust that they let him carry the case. He knew just how suspicious Raezyr and Trychon were of anyone not in what Mannix liked to call their "inner circle."
As far as he knew, that circle consisted of Trychon, Raezyr and Dianna. He was just now beginning to think maybe he was included there as well, and he was determined to prove that the trust wasn't misplaced.
So far he had encountered at least a dozen beings of various race and several two-unit battle droid patrols. Each had fallen under his blade, and he made sure not one was left alive or functioning to tell others which direction he had gone.
"Reed, this is Mannix again," the former Taxl monk said into his comm link. "I'm at intersection one-one-three-eight. Which way do I go now?" he asked. He had a general sense of where he was going, but it was a big building and he knew it was a good idea to double check once in a while.
"Night Rider, this is Redman," came the reply, the henchman still hadn't dropped the whole 'code-name' charade and knowing how loyal they were to Raezyr and Trychon, Mannix doubted they would until given the okay to do so. "Proceed to the east to stairwell seven-four and go two floors down, then head south."
"I copy you, Reed," Mannix replied. He moved quickly and confidently toward the stairwell and began to descend two stairs at a time. When he reached the correct floor, he started to head south as instructed when the hairs on his neck stood up.
He'd seen this hallway before, despite never having been here. It was almost like deja vu. He pressed on, shaking off the feeling and was half-way down the corridor when it hit him. The vision. The one he had just had in the turbo-lift on the way to Sootoo's chambers. He stopped dead still. Something was different, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
At that moment an armored clad figure came around the corner of the next intersection. He was a Mandalorian, or a ex-Mando mercenary. Either way, this wasn't good. The deadly warrior drew his or her blaster pistols from the twin holsters on his hips and Mannix flipped his lightsaber on, the snap-hiss filling the corridor.
"You're not dressed like a Jedi, and you're skulking around the back corridors of a Hutt's stronghold," the Mandalorian said, it's voice distorted by the vocabulator in the helmet. "I can only assume you're a Sith or a Dark Jedi, and most likely an apprentice of some sort, since you're not already on the attack. I sure hope you at least put up a challenge before I kill you, Forceling."
The mercenary dropped to one knee and began firing both his pistols in unison. Mannix blocked the shots as best he could, as he was trained to do, but they came so fast, so accurately, and so widely spaced, that it was all he could do to deflect the shots, let alone redirect one back at his attacker.
The Mando stood up and began walking toward him, stepping from side to side as he did, each step bringing him that much closer, still firing fast and furiously. Mannix was sure the merc expected him to retreat, so he did the opposite and charged in. Suddenly it was the Mandalorian's turn to begin backing up.
Mannix sorely wished Raezyr had taught him how to integrate some other Force powers such as push or pull into his fighting techniques. Something like that might give him the edge right now, but it mattered little to the former monk. He was going to make this the fight of this mercenary's life. He was going to make this damn Mandalorian pay for his cockiness... with his life.
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Raezyr moved as quickly as possible through the corridors. The trail was easy to follow as Mannix had left a path of bodies in his wake, and the big Sith warrior was more than impressed so far.
He hadn't had time to stop and examine each small skirmish, but it appeared that the young monk was handling himself quite well in his first real hand to hand combat, destroying any opposition and leaving no witnesses.
The boy had picked up light saber combat very quickly, learning much on his own while Trychon and Raezyr had been away on Den Var, but had learned a lot since their return. Even in the short time they had had to work on it, the kid had soaked up moves and techniques like a sponge.
Raezyr knew that with the right tutelage, Mannix would become a powerful and formidable Sith warrior, one even he and his brother may have to watch his back for, given the Sith penchant for killing their masters and tutors to take their place of power.
But right now he concentrated on catching up to his apt pupil. The former Monk was doing well, but Raezyr had a sense of foreboding, a sense the boy may quickly come across an opponent he couldn't handle.
If the big Sith caught up to Mannix in time, Raezyr hoped he wouldn't have to worry about it.
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