Star Wars

A mercenary shivered, in the cold night. "It's colder on this dang moon than in the day." Boone Calhuu thought clenching his fist and ramming the mercenary in the side. The man groaned in pain and rolled. They were grouped together, for warmth no doubt, a bigger man pushed the drowsy mercenary away, they were huddled together in a big pile of warmth. Now the mercenary stumbled around the small fire barely burning on two small twigs Boone had found in a tauntaun.

The man stumbled onto the night guard sitting barely awake on small perch at the cave entrance. The guard grabbed him and threw him down onto where he once sat. "Your turn, stumble" he said and took the man's spot next to Boone. Boone breathed out slowly his breath flying away slowly into the wind. A man grumbled, skinnier man raced over silently and rubbed medicine in his wound. "If we keep moving from camp to camp we will never survive, all the injured will die and eventually us... probably to those yeti.. creatures or something else.." Boone thought. This was the first place they had stayed for more than one day without being spotted by Republic forces. The men were weary from battle and dying from wounds they needed real shelter not a cave with no end and unknown creatures inside of it...

There had been a battle the day before today. Boone was sent with B squad to take the east hill. B squad was full of new recruits and they all seemed not liking the idea of killing other humans for.. money. Boone felt the same way once right before he was forced to take a man's life. Boone's mind traced back to the event and he fell into his slumber. He saw himself running up the hill carrying his rifle in one hand and a useless blaster on his side. "I will be the only one on this freezing rock that will shoot anybody might as well get this done." he thought before signaling the recruits up the hill. He stood up slowly , "three months I have been here three cold starving months and I still don't have enough to pay off the bounty on my head", Boone shook his head while staring up the admirably intimidating incline.

"Let's go!" he yelled down to B squad but none moved. Boone shook softly in his dream. A cold shiver ran down his spine. In his slumber a shadow fell upon him. The recruits faces turned white as if they had been dead for many months and their bones show through. A shadow big enough for three men. He turned and he awoke with a start. He jumped straight up to his feet. Many men groaned and pushed him away. He stumbled to the guard perch. The path to the guard perch was already made and the was his only option.

"What I do for Tynne." he told himself and cold air rushed through his lungs. He shivered and tore the man away from the perch. He staggered to a rest atop captain Sham. The Cap awoke and punched the man over onto the fire. The heat ceased to be.

The man lay there with a slight grin as the fire began to warm his body. He did not know he was being burned. Before long the man would feel the excruciating sensation of being burned and awake screaming. The men were unwary, too tired and hungry to notice anything, the 1st meal they had was Boone's Tauntaun kill two days earlier. Boone settled down in the cold perch taking his rifle from the small snow made rack. It was cold to the touch and brought it close to his chest. He brought his legs up too. He became a giant fur ball. He had made the Tauntaun pelt into a thick jacket for three men. The two captains and himself wore them. His eyes drooped and began to drop.

Images of the battle filled his head and he awoke. Captain Sham looked over from his small tent thing made from tauntaun bones. His breath was not visible but you could hear his deep breathing.

"Can you go out again ,Boone?" Sham asked from the darkness of the small cave. Boone had gone out both days to hunt and had been turned back by approaching republic soldiers. He had no luck finding anything so far and had trouble with just the thought of leaving his warm cave.

"Yeah, I will go out, if I am not back by 0400 consider me KIA." he said but didn't mean to. His words were reaction more than choice. He was taught to do what he was told by a high ranking officer. He longed to stay in his spot and try to warm himself. He lingered in his spot for a good half minute before budging again. He cracked his back all the way down to his tailbone as he rose to his feet. He had not stood straight in twelve hours..

He clung to the cave icicle they used to get in and hoisted himself out of the cave. He emerged with a huge breath into the canal of the cave. He bent down into a crouch and began to slowly move down the winding cave tunnel. A slow moving water flow was below him and made a slight pleasant sound. He lowered his face to it and took three long gulps of freezing cold water. His body seemed to enjoy this for a moment. Giving him the wake he needed for the hunting run. He put his hand in water and splashed it on his face. He woke to the full and shivered as it scurried down his body. He sighed and filled his canteen to the brim with the water.

"Sham will need this" he told himself and moved down the tight tunnel again. His body now awake began to groan for food. He grumbled under his breath and moved a little faster. He took in deep slow breathes as the entrance to the cave became visible. He came to it slowly and put his hand up. It hit ice unexpectedly and he tore it back. His eyes scanned the thin layer of ice over the entrance. He put his hand back up and felt it slowly. He thought about shooting through but that might alert republic scouting parties somewhere near him. He drew his hunting knife from his pants pouch and cut a hole in the ice.

A quick breeze of air rushed in and the smell of... smoke. His hopes rose for a second as he thought that Tynne might have sent a search party. His hopes dropped as he stuck his hand out into the cold. He touched something warm immediately and it jumped back. Boone backed away slowly and raised his comlink to his mouth, "We got company" he whispered as a crackly voice spoke to another. He backed to a meter away from the opening. Movement ensued and a lot of speaking. Behind him the whole squad was their guns pointed toward the opening. Everything went quiet.

The squads breath was all that to be heard. Their breath zoomed out of the cave through the small hole Boone made. A sudden noise brought them all to life and a bright red light came through the hole. "Flare!" Sham yelled and everyone fired their weapons. smoke filled the cave but slowly drifted out and only two bodies were left at the foot of the cave entrance.

Boone breathed a sigh of relief as Sham put a shot into the bodies already smoking. He shut his eyes for a long second and a cold hand touched his shoulder. He was pulled back to Shams' face and Sham breathed on him. His breath was completely vile from the Tauntaun but warm enough to make Boone scoot closer.

"Go search the bodies." he stopped and breathed out slowly surveying the opening to the cave. He shoved a thermal detonator into Boones hand and pushed the button. "You have three seconds after you throw it to get away from the blast zone," he glanced up at the opening. Tension rose as movement was heard. "GET BACK" Sham ordered and weary men backed away , their boots slurping the water on the floor. Boone put the butt of his rifle up to his pit and held it tight. He took one step toward the opening and tossed the grenade out of the cave.

"3," he said rushing backward. "If I die I swear to god Sham!" he bellowed.

"2" he slid on the water and turned quickly pointing his gun toward the opening.

"1" He came to a stop and looked down his sight.

The grenade blew warmth rushing into the cave Boone felt his hair on his skin stick up. He lowered his head quickly as the second blast started. Fire rushed above him he breathed quickly and lost his breath. He struggled to breath as the grenade took the air away. Boone breathed in a deep breath as the blast ceased. He panted and adrenaline rushed through him. He felt too old for this all he wanted was to get back home to his wife and his disease ridden son.

But he could not he was in deep trouble with the authorities of Corellia. He had a 2 million dollar bounty on his head only authorized on Corellia otherwise it was off the record. He smuggled himself off the planet, leaving his family behind in deep debt. His breath being taken away... reminded him of Malius. He lost his breath at random times his throat would close shut. He remembered the time Malius almost died from his disease. "He was just playing running around like a normal person!" he told himself " he fell to the ground his throat closed shut." Boone let out a tear. Medics barely saved him...

Boone grunted, his throat becoming scratchy from sorrow. His face heating slowly. Boone looked up slowly the cave opening had been made into a hole 3 times larger than before. Smoke came off the melting edges. His pelt jacket smoked from the heat and he rose to a crouch. His body ached as he moved slowly down the tunnel. The third body was of a... Jedi but not Sith. His face was clear no blemishes but no smoldering from the blast. He himself was burning and Boone patted the fire down.

He put a hand on his face and felt his heart still beating. "He is alive take him back." Sham said over Boone's shoulder. Sham bent next to Boone with a hope filled look on his face. He searched the first body closest to him. He reached in his pants pocket and recovered a lighter of some old age. Metal and cold to the touch. "Great" Sham said and grabbed their pack. He stood and tossed the bag back to the awaiting men. Hope filled Boone as he recovered coats and weapons from the second mans' pack.

The Jedi... Boone scanned the body and took up his light saber. He was all too familiar with this weapon he was raised in a academy for Jedi. He was never told he was force sensitive and did not care. He ran errands for the masters and learned to block his mind from the enemy. He held the blade in his hands it felt so warm... as if it had just been turned off... Light sabers were fearful weapons if not designed to be. Their sleek design seemed so natural to the way they were wielded. Boone shook his head, he did this often, sometimes self consciously. He remembered the time he tried to wield such a blade... he chuckled under his breath. and felt the cold scar that ran down his left eye.

Boone picked up the body and slung him over his shoulder. He almost stomped off toward Sham like he was going to use the body as a weapon or something. He turned with great difficulty and set him on the ground next to Sham. He looked off into the distance like he was expecting some Republic war party to storm them. He turned back to the opening. He knew he had to go see what was out there. Curiosity usually got the best of Boone, even if his mind told him not to. He shot a glance to Sham and made a knife with his hands. He gestured out of the cave as if to tell Sham he is going out. Sham usually got messages like that, he was army smart not field smart. Sham nodded slowly and came to his side. Sham was warm by his side breathing slowly his trusty blaster in his hand. Boone aimed down his sight as they emerged from the cave.

Sham's brow arched up as he emerged to find a full camp just above them. Stacks of oil canned goods lay in the corner of the camp stacked up the wall to the brim. the wall leaned out ward slightly and bodies lay strewn across the place. Noises filled this place groans of the dying and the smell of the already departed. Sham and Boone moved back to back feather trigger. they scanned quickly around and they hit a body unexpectingly. Sham kicked it over and saw it was a medic. He studied the body carefully. The wound in his chest was not of a blaster but of a light saber. Boone grunted as he glanced down and pointed his knifed hand toward movement. Boone aimed down his sight and pulled the trigger.

"Hey!" a feminine voice said and emerged from here hiding place. She was young of 12 years of age her name, Sentris. She had long flowing blonde hair and stubborn looking face. Boone lowered his weapon Sham did not. "You should have more respect for a lady!" she fumed her breath making it look like she actually was fuming. Sham had never really had manners toward annoying Jedi females only to males. Oh and all female Jedi were annoying, Boone nor Sham said a word. Sham eyed her saber on her side holster.

"Who do you belong to?" Boone asked, speaking like she was a animal. He himself despised Jedi in general.

The girl became even more angry than before and stomped around. Sham rolled his eyes and put his finger on the trigger." I am a Jedi apprentice for the Republic!" she said giving Sham a impolite gesture. Sham rolled his silver eyes, he didn't like her already. She obviously wasn't likable and that's why she was hiding... Boone thought. "Perhaps we should take her hostage the Republic needs all the Jedi they can get.." Boone suggested. The fact was true, the Republic had always seemed weak to him, the Empire were really the rightful leaders to the galaxy. Not the Sith. Not the Jedi, no, no... the Empire.

"Thankssss, but no." Sham seemed to elongate his s' a lot, he put a bullet in her chest. Boone was used to this from Sham. He blew away the smoke from his pistol. He moved toward the unmoving body. He put two more shots into her chest and head just for safety. He would kill any annoying person before he knew who they were, maybe he had a bad experience once no one knows, but many are grateful.

Sham used the lighter to start a fire and put the bodies in it. Boone scanned all the bodies before permitting them to burned. The smell permeated the air. It was horrible, like rotten Bantha fodder. Sham disappeared into the cave opening.

Boone bent next to a face. He knew this man. Devron Gril sergeant Gril for the Republic navy...

"What was he doing on Hoth last time I saw him was on Corellia just before..."

He realized the Republic insignia on his chest was of task force. "Wonderful! that's just great! the Republic has started their recovery effort!" boone yelled furious. He rammed his foot into the dead man's chest and threw him in the fire. Sham emerged from the cave moments later.

"Looks like we need to get in touch with Tynne." Sham said holding up a radio from broken speeder burning in the fire. "If Gril is here..." Boone said and a smirk came across his face.

J He came to it heee would