The Beginning of the End
Author: Jade14
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Year: 025
Sun: 0200
Place: Coronet City/Gus Treta Refueling Station/Corleian Security Force Central Command Area (CSFCCA)/Tran Huynh's Cantina/
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Tran Huynh's Cantina - Coronet City
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Booster Terrik stared wide eyed at his best friend, his jaw agape. Hal Horn was standing in front of him; his left hand displayed before him, wearing an infectious smile. On his second smallest finger, there was a thin gold band.
" You got married!?!" Hal's smile got wider.
" Yup." Booster put his hands on Hal's shoulders, and began to shake him.
" Yup? Yup!! You just got married and all you can say is yup?" Hal chuckled, and removed Booster's hands from his shoulders, one at a time.
" Calm down Booster. Its not that big of a deal." Booster lifted his hands again, and Hal moved to the booth across from him.
" Yes it is! You're only ninteen years old!" Hal frowned. He was beginning to get mad at his friend. He was happy. Why wasn't Booster happy for him?
"So?" He shot back. " The legal age is seventeen."
" That dosen't mean you should go and throw your life away to some girl you hardly know!" Booster looked at him. " It is a girl, right?"
" Yes its a girl! Come on Booster!" Booster sighed, and gave up.
" Okay, okay. What's her name?"
" Caspiana"
" Cassie?"
" Yeah. She's great." Booster rolled his eyes at his friend's lovestruck face. He had seen Hal like this before, over a number of girls in the ten years they had known each other. Usually, Booster and his other friend, Jagg Antillies, brought Hal back down from cloud nine pretty quickly, before he got hurt. It was going to be more difficult this time, however, since he actually married the girl.
Booster leaned back in the booth he and Hal shared in Tran Huynh's Cantina, and ran a hand through his thick black hair. Hal had always been girl crazy, but marrying someone was crossing the line even for him, a CorSec agent.
Hal's real name was Valin Halycon, but no one besides Booster knew that. Hal's real father was Nejaa Halycon, a Jedi Knight. When Nejaa died in the Clone Wars, Rostek Horn, his best friend, married his wife and adopted Valin. By this time, the Emperor and Darth Vader were scowering the galaxy, excecuting Jedi. To keep Valin safe, Rostek concealed his past, and changed his last name to Horn. Rostek called him Hal though, so he never forgot where he came from.
The Horn's were known for always having high ranks in the Corrilian Security Force; most commanly known as CorSec. Rostek was Chief in Command when Hal entered at the age of eighteen. Now at almost twenty, he was a jubior leutentient, and very respected among his coworkers.
Booster's past was in no way as glamorous as Hal's. His father was some officer in the Old Republic Navy who decided to dock at Gus Treta Staion one night to get his jollies. Booster was raised by his mother, Almhe Terrik, a waitress at a local reastraunt.
Booster had a good job shipping cargo between the five inhabited worlds in the Corrilean system. He wasn't as suscessful as Hal was, but he got by.
" So, do you want to meet her?" Hal asked, interrupting Booster's thoughts.
" Huh?"
" Do you want to meet her?"
" Yeah, sure." Hal smiled, and jumped up.
" Okay, great! She's up on the station. I just have to stop at the base and grab something befor we go." Booster held up a hand to silence Hal.
" Wait, why is she on the station?"
" That's how I met her." Hal replied. " She works for Jagg's parents on Gus Treta." Hal got up again. " Come on, we're gonna be late. I can't wait for you to meet her." Hal dragged Booster out of Tran's and towards his speeder.
" Great." Booster muttered. He made a mental note to have a long chat with Jagg once he got to the station.
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TBC