Chapter 2 alt
Boone stepped out into the cold night. The wind hit him hard and he fell on the cold snow. Boone grunted angrily, "God-!" he started but a man in a grey cloak appeared in front of him. Boone stared up at him. The snow storm was too thick to see anything passed your hand away. He reminded him of the Jedi on Corellia, the ones with long cloaks and longer hoods to cover their faces. "Humph" Boone grunted and loosened his gun strap as he got up.
"Why must all the Mercenaries I find either be dead or be on the ground." The Jedi said. Boone glanced over suspiciously as he wiped some of the snow off his thick jacket. Of the face that was visible he was noticeably old and scrawny. His build was weak by the looks of it. "You can easily take this guy" Boone told himself. He almost sneezed but held it in.
"Oh what the hell." boone said looking at the remnants of his sneeze. blood is all that remained in his hand. He turned back to the fort and wiped his hand off on one of the long pikes that fortified the base. Boone shook his head slowly and turned back to the Jedi. He stood in the same hunched position he was in before. He looked a lot smaller than he actually could if he stood up straight. "you know, one day when your back gives out I'll be over your sorry soul." Boone said and the Jedi laughed softly. His laugh was quite distracting more than a real laugh.
Boone liked this Jedi, he had a sense of humor. "Ha," he thought he reminds me of..." Boone looked at him more closely. "YOU" Boone said and the Jedi stepped back. The Jedi removed his hood and Un-Knuul appeared. "Oh...Boone how are you?" he asked the question as if e was going to get away from Boone this time. Boone stepped closer and Knuul stepped farther away. "I think we had a misunderstanding Boone... maybe we can forgive and forget?" Knuul said his eyes widening. Boone put his hand over his holster.
"YOU TOOK AWAY MY LIFE, YOU TOOK AWAY MY FAMILY, MY DREAMS, MY JOB," Boone began stepping closer and Knuul stepping farther. Boone worked as a engineer he knew how to create a ship out of scraps. On Corellia he created 6 speeders for a race held through the jungle. He was hired by the Exchange to make things like it and worked for them ever since. Boone loves making things, being hands on with things. When he was a boy he made a Jedi master's replacement light saber.
"I grew up in a Jedi enclave I know the Jedi code, and you are breaking it being this emotional" Boone stepped closer but this time Knuul stayed still he stared at Boone like he just killed his family.
"I know the code!" he grew very mad.
"Breaking the code with shown emotion you should be sent back to apprentice." Boone tested Knuul, slowly removing his gun from the holster while Knuul covered his face.
"I know the code" Knuul seemed to be reassuring himself. Knuul studied every day the history of the Jedi and the galaxy. He spent so much time studying history he did not know the most important facts in history , the code.
"Restrain your emotions? remember that?" Boone toyed with Knuul making him more emotional.
"I remember the code" Knuul exploded and stomped off. Boone rose his pistol, he aimed at Knuul's back. He breathed out slowly and a thought crossed his mind. "Your better than this Boone, even if he took you away from your family" he shook his head as if he wanted to rid himself of the idea of killing him.
"Come on kill him!" a voice yelled.
"I can't!" he yelled back but tightened his grip on the trigger.
"Just pull that trigger and this will all end." it responded.
"No it wont I will have a bigger bounty for killing a Jedi." he reasoned with himself.
But now Knuul was becoming invisible. He had to make a decision fast. his mind exploded into fury, telling him to do this and that. He couldn't take it he was going to explode! "Kill!- No!"
"AHHHHH!" he yelled out and everything fell silent as the gun released a red blast. "See wasn't that easy?" the voice asked.
"That was not me." Boone said holding up his weapon.
A hand rested on his shoulder. It was Sham.
"Someone had to kill the Jedi... might as well be me the guy that used to that for a living, ha." he thought it was a joke!
Boone turned to him slowly his face bright red. HE was angry at Sham for killing the one connection to Corellia he had on this ice berg!
"YOU" he said it like he said the word to Knuul. Sham was instantly shocked.
"Check yourself soldier" he said in the most demanding voice he could muster.
Sham knew he couldn't take Boone out even with a gun. So he tested him seeing what Boone would do. Boone's face went back to normal. He lowered his head in shame.
"I...I" he began and Sham let out a silent sigh of relief.
Boone however still quite angry restrained himself from choking Sham to death. "Why did he meant so much to you Boone just another Jedi this galaxy does not need." he said this like it was a joke. Like killing Jedi was fun or something. Even though even boone did not like Jedi very much he still respected their power. Their connection to all living things. Their meaning to make the galaxy a better place, a safer place.
"1 million credits Sham, that's how much I got left on my head." boone said softly like he did not want Sham to hear his words.
all of sudden. Like Boone counting down the credits to his freedom was an insult. "I was the one that saved you Boone, I didn't have to, I could have left you on that god forsaken planet, I could have left you to die, but I didn't! I saved you cause I knew you could help the Exchange. You are our best hope at creating enough equipment for the retrieval effort! I saw it in your eyes, maybe it was a 'get me out of here I'll do anything look', but who cares!" Sham exploded like a volcano.
His face grew red his eyes bulged out and his veins appeared from under his skin. Boone looked at Sham straight in the eye and dared him to make a move. Sham would not fall for it. Sham continued his rant.
"Why do you want to go home you could be head engineer in three years Boone! You could design starships build the armada! But you just want to go home? I don't get it Boone what is left for you there?" Sham yelled out stomping around the area like he was throwing a mad tantrum.
Boone thought about to himself for a mere second and said "family" that's all that was needed to be said. Sham didn't get it and probably never would. He grew up by himself trying to find the place where he belonged. The exchange was that place he was a strategist. He got the money to go to school, he learned how to win battles. He was the lead General for the exchange and the whole retrieval effort rested on his battle plans. Sham could never understand someone who did not want to stay in the Exchange for their life time. So what if he had to kill a few Jedi along the way he got what he wanted. a home and a family. A place where he belonged. The Exchange was his home, the Safe place for his soul.