Lines Crossed

Chapter 2

The mess hall was crowded when I entered with the Wookie riders behind me after our last run off planet. It's been months since I've been stationed here with my friend Knockout and I still have no idea what we are doing here. Guess you do not need to know when you are given orders. Though my curiosity was getting the better of me.

"Hey, knockout? Why did we get stationed here?" I asked while sliding down the isle of the mess hall.

"How should I know? You ask to many questions." Knockout shrugged and sped off through the line.

"Excuse me for thinking about my actions..." I sighed and walked away from the line and sat down on the nearest table when Knockout came and sat across from me.

"You know your problem is?" Knockout pointed a fork at me while I moved my index finger and dropped it down.

"I prefer not to see burnt wamprat pointed at me." I raised an eyebrow at him and took a sip of my drink. I don't think it's supposed to be chunky though.

"You question your orders, Reynold." He took a bite and began chowing down.

"I don't question my orders. I just want to know why we do the things we do. That's all." I shrugged and looked down at my tray picking at it.

"We're cannon fodder, kid. We don't get that luxury." Knockout chugged his drink followed by a chuckle.

"I joined in hopes of making the galaxy safe. You know? Bring law." I whipped my mouth and dropped the napkin on my tray and got up.

"Where you going?" Knockout said with food dripping down his mouth.

"I don't kno-" Just then our commanding officer walked in.

"Officer on deck!" A trooper yelled as we all stood and saluted.

"Wookie riders, mount up. We're hunting Jawas." Our officer then turned and walked off.

"Jawas?" A confused expression was on my face as Knockout pushed me to the staging grounds.

A few minutes of suiting up and packing gear later we marched towards the launch pads but a hand grasped onto my shoulder.

"Trooper, you'll be needed elsewhere." My officer pointed at a empty drop-ship with a scout trooper cleaning his rifle in it.

"Yes, Sir." I saluted and walked off taking a seat in the empty ship.

Jawas? A harmless species here yet we are hunting them? Better be for a good reason. I wonder why I was set up in this job. Knockout rat me out?

"Trooper, take this." I heard from the scout trooper as he threw some binoculars at me and I caught them.

"My orders?" I ask while putting the binoculars in my pack.

"You'll be my spotter. Emperial settlements have been raided by sand people. I'm being sent in to kill them from afar." He said to me while he stared at his rifle.

"Settlements? People live on these bases?" I asked raising a slight eyebrow underneath my helmet.

"Yeah, kid. Thinks it'll get the people on our side. Doesn't look to good when we can't protect them. Even worse if we massacre them for it." He replied and snapped his rifle in place behind his back as the drop-ship doors opened.

"I'd much rather be here then hunting jawas. You know what that's about?" I asked following behind him.

We stood atop a rocky mountain with a view of a sand people settlement below us. He took the rifle off his back and laid on his stomach while I followed and taking the binoculars out from my pack.

"Something about some droids that escaped a firefight up in space. Rumor has it jawas have them." While taking his position he told me.

"Beating information out of people who just want a living doesn't seem to well after all." I zoomed through the optics of the binoculars and scanned the settlement.

"I take it you aren't much fond of violence. I almost feel bad for you." He chuckled lightly and took a shot making the sand below us shake.

"I am but when it's to just people getting some credits it doesn't seem right." I said while making a hand gesture to change his aiming on account of wind.

"Not all of us are here for the bloodshed you know. I got a wife and kids back where I come from. I joined because it seemed to benefit my family more." After adjusting his aim he took another shot and in the far distance a squeal was heard.

"I joined because my friend asked me to." I raised three fingers while motioning my hand to the left signaling to him to fire there at three sand people.

"Should never join for any reason but because you want to. Not for someone else." He moved to the left and fired three shots and large thuds were heard.

"He found me when I was kid at some sort of temple. He's was on a mission when he picked me up from the rubble. I've been his friend since. Joining was the least I could do." I looked over at him while he aimed down the scope of rifle.

"Mission? What did he do before joining up with the Empire?" He asked while taking another shot.

"He's a clone. Calls himself Knockout." I said while looking at at the settlement.

"Clone? Interesting." He took one shot and raised his arm to his helmet.

"We're done here." He spoke into his comm and stood up.

We loaded up in the drop-ship and flew back to our base. I thought I was the only one here who wasn't here just to blast things. Here was a man who joined for his family. Maybe things aren't as they seem on first glance.