Hi guys! You aren't mad at me are you? (Getting shunned). Ok, well i did update! It's only taken me two months. It's a longish chapter?

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. I do own "sporting activities" cause i don't know what sports clones would play.

After the fiasco on Sunara IV, someone decided we could use some R&R. Everyone was excited, until we heard where we were going.

"We're going where?" I asked.

"Some place called Hanran," replied the sergeant.

"Is that system even within Republic space?"

"Just barely. It's a heavily wooded planet with a few lakes."

"Sounds like a prime vacation spot. How much?"

"More than you could afford."

"Well, I don't get a salary, so…."

"Exactly, more than you could afford." We were flying on a cruiser called Raptor towards Hanran. We were only about a day away from our destination, but there isn't much to do on a Republic warship. Or at least there isn't much to do when you aren't heading off to a battle.

The journey wasn't particularly interesting. We sat around, or slept, or messed with our equipment. The only interesting thing was watching the holovids that told us what was going on in the galaxy. What was even more interesting was an underground group that claimed to have actual information on what was really going on in the war.

We could watch the underground's holovid on its own because it played the news followed by their version. It started:

"Today was the 89th day of the siege on Turto. Although little progress seems to be made, Jedi General Sul Sol assures us that he is simply starving the enemy," stated the news.

"This is the 128th day of the siege. No progress is being made, and Sul Sol is too afraid of the causalities that he could sustain if he attacked the city. He is also too afraid to shell or bomb the city because of civilian casualties. An informant has stated that the city is nearly empty because the enemy has been flying out of the system almost at will because the blockade is ineffective," stated the underground news man.

The broadcast went on in a similar fashion. It was the usual; ineffective Jedi, poor budgeting, corruption in the senate, and high casualties. The best part is at the end. They show a holo map of the galaxy and show the Republic and Confederate positions and which planets were being fought over.

These holovids had little effect on morale. Truthfully, I didn't care much about what the underground was saying. Why would Palpatine be lying to us? Things couldn't be as bad as the underground was saying they were. They were just being pessimistic.

The next day we arrived at Hanran. The clearing we landed in was surrounded by dense trees. There were a few trails at the edges. The clearing had a few buildings, mainly a barracks and meal hall. There were a few recreation areas, such as some sporting fields. There was a lounge building with holovids and access terminals.

The woods were incredibly thick. You could barely see anything within it, but fog and weird noises were coming from it.

We were shepherded towards the barracks right after we landed, then met in the lounge. A lieutenant walked in and started talking.

"Ok men. You are assigned to rest after your fight on Sunara IV. There is another company here besides you all. There is plenty to do. There is a mess hall, this lounge, the barracks, and several sporting fields. There are trails through the woods that end up at small clearings or lakes. Do not go off the trails. There are creatures in the woods that could kill you in a second. You are going to be here for a month before you will leave for a new assignment. And one last thing, weapons are not authorized outside of the barracks. Enjoy yourselves," he finished. We all rose and filed out. Pat, Thunder, and I sat near the terminals to talk.

"So where do you guys want to go?" asked Pat.

"I just want to go sleep. I'm probably going to sleep for the entire month," said Thunder, who was recovering from his injuries.

"Are you gonna eat," I asked?

"I'm sorry, I meant I will only sleep and eat," he replied.

"Well, I want to walk the trails," I said.

"Are you kidding? I'm not going out there without a weapon," stated Pat.

"Fine, I'll just go alone," I shot back. I stood up and headed towards the entrance to the trails. There were only three. Two ended in a lake and the other in a clearing. I decided to try one of the lake trails.

The trail was really clear, and it wasn't hard to stick to it. There wasn't much to see because of the density of the woods. It was peaceful, and I had time to think. I tried not to think about all my brothers that I had lost. It helped that I was able to distract myself when I arrived at the lake. It was sparkling and beautiful. The only thing was that fog was obscuring some of the view. I stood there for a long time before I needed to head back because it was getting late.

When I got back I saw that the others were at the mess hall waiting for dinner. After a dinner of steak and potatoes, I decided to go try to sleep.

Over the next few days I tried to find something to do. We played some pickup games, but some of the guys got a little too competitive for me. There wasn't much to watch on the holovids, and the access terminals were limited on what we could look at.

Many of us had already cleaned up our equipment, and we had done it so well we couldn't do it again because there wasn't anything to clean. There wasn't even a shooting range. Some guys were trying to get the materials for a shooting range, but they had already sent out five requests without being answered.

I had already tried the other lake trail, but the two looked the same. I decided to try out the other trail today.

I started down the trail and it was really similar to the other ones, almost identical. I found that the other guys had avoided the trails. They felt that they were too undefended and didn't care for the "scenic" views. They felt that they had already seen the galaxy, and one more planet wouldn't matter.

When I had finally made it to the clearing, I found it interesting. The edges of the clearing were shrouded in fog but it was fairly nice. The ground was slightly downhill, and it was clear with few rocks. There was one rock that seemed primed for sitting.

As I sat down, I felt like someone was watching me. I turned several times, but I couldn't see anything in the fog. I just decided to sit and think.

After a few minutes I decided it was time to leave. As I stood up, I felt a presence behind me. Before I could turn around, I heard, "Hello brother. What is your name?"

Who could it be? You will find out in the next chapter. Please forgive me and review!