I didn't ask for this life, they just gave it to me. They put a gun in my hand and I shoot the enemy until the enemy shoots me. I didn't want to lose everything I loved; but

they created me for war, and nothing else. They don't think of us as human beings, only weapons. We're replaceable to them; and yet we save them every day from having to

fight this war, and to see what we see for the rest of our lives. I made wrong choices, but I don't think anyone ever deserves this life. A life of war, a life without love, and

freedom. But that's not why I'm suffering right now; it's not what the Jedi should've done or my commander, it's because of what I should've done. I should've just been

more alert, then none of this would've happen. I wouldn't have lost everything. I wouldn't have lost my best friend. I wouldn't have lost my brother.

"Ghost! Ghost, wake up!" Bulbs shook my shoulder harshly, but it was too late before I ran into my commander. We were walking down the hall while he was talking,

and I guess I just drifted away. I fell onto the floor; looking up at Commander Tonks with another trooper at his side with a data pad in his hands, his eyes narrowed

down at me. There goes my day, I thought to myself. He was always looking for a fight, preferably with me. I couldn't ever start a fight with him; that's what made me

mad, that was the whole irony of it. Because he was a higher rank, my commander. He was painted in red and white armor, what others called his pride. The pride for

which he had for his rank or as he liked to call it the Republic. If I ever did fight him, which I'd never, he would probably tell the Jedi and I would be court marshaled, or

worse, reconditioned. "Watch where you're going, trooper!" He yelled at me. "I'm sorry he interrupted your conversation, sir." Bulbs said, he took off his helmet and

began to help me up from the ground. I was back on my feet when he walked closer to me. "Don't let it happen again or else I will see you on the mats," He pushed

me into the wall after that, and went down into the hall. "You alright?" Bulbs asked. "Yeah, I'm fine," I told Bulbs. We started walking again to the mess like we were

before that happened. I can't believe he threatened to go on the mats, I thought to myself, surprised. The mats were in the training center of the base. It's where you

did hand to hand combat with your brother, most of it is not for training purposes. And mostly the Commander had meager shiners on it with him, just to as he said

straighten them out. And he always won, leaving the trooper battered on the mat while his squad members tried to help him up from the ground. Bulbs and I both

knew he hated shiners, the way their armor shined and how they had no scars or flesh wounds on them, entirely new, ready to replace you. And I think that's what

scared him. The commander had plenty of scars from the battles he had been in, from all those clankers shooting at him. He took out on his own men, his anger and

sadness.

Bulbs started getting into the conversation we were having again, or at least he was, how we should have electro mines for higher security here and how we

wouldn't loose that many men. I began to drift away slowly as he began to speak. But then all of the sudden silence. "Why do you always do that?" He asked me, to

my surprise, as we turned the corner. "Do what?" I said waking up into reality again. "Zone out, it's turning into quite a habit for you," He said, looking at me with a

strange expression on his face, but yet worried. "What if you do that on the battlefield, and then what will happen?" "It won't happen on the battle field." I shot at

him. I looked to the ground as we walked. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-""It's alright." He said to me. Bulbs, always understanding what going on in my mind even when I

don't know even it. He always cared about my safety, and I cared about his. We always had each other backs on the battle grounds, fighting side by side. But when

you don't pay attention for a split moment you will get killed and that's guaranteed. Every trooper has witnessed that. That surprising moment when the trooper that

was just next to you, alive and well, suddenly becomes lifeless and unmoving on the dirt of the ground. Just because of that split moment. "What do you even think

about when you do that?" He asked me, curious. I formed a smile with my lips at what I thought about, those day dreams. I looked and saw we were outside of the

mess hall, other soldiers popping in and out of there. "I'll tell you later,"

We finished eating our rations at the mess when we went up on patrol duty on top of the base walls like we'd always do. We got our blasters and started watching,

looking for any movement in the lively forest of Felucia. We had been on this planet ever since we got off of Kamino; it had become our home, but not completely. We

only had a few bases on this planet while the separatist had many. We always had to be on high alert here or else they would attack. We both stood there side by

side staring out into the forest, blasters in our hands, ready to fire at any Seves that would attack. Bulbs took a deep breath, tasting the fresh clean air the plantation

had to offer him. "Tell me, what do you think about?" He asked, still gazing out into the forest and blue sky. I sat up a little and closed my eyes, dreaming about it.

That feeling I would get in the pit of my stomach, that one good feeling. "See that," I asked pointing to the beginning of the forest, which was only ten feet away from

the wall as I leaned against it. "I want to be right there," I said to him. He looked at where I was pointing and his expression turned humorous as he began to

chuckle to himself, a chuckle that turned into a short laugh. "What?" He asked as he smiled at me. "You want to be there?" "Yep," I said, with my arms crossed

looking down at it with pride, as he still chuckled and shook his head. "Right there, outside of these walls, away from war." I stated. He looked down at it now and

understood. "And when I'm right there," I began. "I will make a house on that hill over there and when I'm done; I'll meet a girl then-""Wait, wait, wait, wait," Bulbs

said confused now. "You actually think that we might make it through this war?" He asked. I sighed, wishing I knew. "I have some hope." I said to him, uncrossing my

arms. He took off his helmet and looked at me, almost insulted. "You're crazy," He said walking back to his position. "Come on Bulbs!" I said to him. "I know you have

some dream of being free from this life!" He stopped in his tracks; staying where he was for a moment completely still, thinking. I knew I wasn't the only one who had

dreams like that, finally getting out of the army and tasting your first breath of freedom, and knowing that you survived a life of war and death while others didn't. He

put his head down. "Yeah, you're right," He said quietly to me as he still stood there. He faced the forest yet again, just looking at it with complete silence as I did the

same thing, savoring the peace we had that was so rare. "I'll be living on that hill over there," He started. I began to smile. "Starting a family in the house that I will

build for them," "And then my family will come visit you," I said to him. "Sounds like a plan?" He asked, looking over at me with his arms folded. I began to look out

into the distance, which might someday be my future life. "Sounds like a plan."