Celine had been stretching in-between exercises when she heard grunting and screaming in the vicinity of various benches and power racks; wondering what the commotion was all about she went over to investigate and what she found surprised her somewhat.  A woman was lying on the bench, lifting a little more weight than she could comfortably manage – what was worse she had no spotter. Positioning herself so that she could spot the angry, red-faced, sweat-soaked woman whom was lifting this kind of weight she urged her on and helped her lift the bar back onto the rack. Handing her a glass of water, she handed the woman her towel before taking a sip from her bottle.
“Name’s  Celine.”  She smiled brightly.
   
  “Xylonia.” Xy nodded and held out her hand.  Celine took it and they shook.

    “Mind spotting me?” Celine nodded to the bench.

After adding a bit more weight to the bar, she comfortably executed the exercise. As they wrapped up their workout, each got to know one another a little more and in no time they were chatting away like they had known one another for years!

---

A few hours later, after eating her evening snack she walked over to Xy’s quarters to invite her out to an evening run. Running meant a lot to Celine, it allowed her to clear her head and to achieve a level of freedom she otherwise didn’t have.

“Want to go out for an LSD with me?”  She asked as Xylonia left the door open for her.

“LSD?”

“It’s short for Long Slow Distance”

“Sure thing! Let me just change into some more comfortable clothing and I’ll be right out”

A few minutes later, they were out pounding the pavement at a steady clip; talking about everything and anything, getting to know one another better. As they reached a distance of two miles, a misty rain started falling; it felt cool and refreshing on Michele’s face. She knew she would get a post-run chill from the exertion but right now she didn’t mind the turn the weather had taken.
As her heart got used to the rhythm it beat at a steady rate, breathing got easier as it usually did and she felt like she could go on forever. Through Xy she found out that her fellow runner had joined the Corps not that long ago and gave her a few bits of advice about living on the base in general.

As the path they were on took a turn and they entered a wooded area she commented about how she always liked this area; she found it quiet, peaceful and that it allowed for some deep thinking. She could just get lost in her thoughts and not have a care in the world.

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WC:462

As Celine watched Xy race back to base, she shook her head and cautioned herself to pace herself for a proper cool down. After a few minutes of leg swings and static stretching, she made her way to her condo and rummaged for her rucksack. Looking in her cupboards, she took out canned goods, some herbs and spices and made sure to fill a few canteens with fresh water as the following days were going to be quite humid.  As for their meat, it could be easily caught there.

Moving into her bedroom, she looked over her clothing and chose wisely. She needed to pack light, but she also needed to ensure she had everything she needed to be comfortable. Choosing an array of base layer tops, a sweatshirt or two as well as some insulated pants, a pair of shorts and a pair of fatigues along with all other necessary garments she rolled them tightly into individual rolls and placed them strategically on top of the packed food.  Lastly she took out her field first aid kit, toiletries and other possible necessities before zipping up her pack. On its outside was a compartment specifically designed for a hydration system; taking out the 2 litre bladder she cleaned it out along with the hose and mouthpiece before filling it with cool fresh water.

Ensuring the seals were good and tight as to not cause any leaks before stowing it back in its zippered. Insulated compartment and feeding the line into her right shoulder strap. Lastly she took a bedroll from her closet and strapped it tightly to the bottom of her pack before hoisting it on her shoulders and heading to her small weapons cache. Once there she took out an old combat knife, her vibroblade, as well as her two DC-15 blaster pistols before heading out the door to meet up with Xylonia.

As she watched, she understood why the young woman needed to get away and vowed to try and help her to ensure she passed her close combat course. Smiling, she led the way and talked amiably as she kept on walking; ensuring she didn’t lose her new friend on the way and letting her enjoy the freedom of it all.

“The destination I have in mind is a few hours out, we can either sleep under the stars or we can build a crude shelter which can be quickly done; I have old tarp material and rope but vine is useful as well. There’s a creek nearby which we can use, it is potable so we can have a nice stew or whatever along with general clean water for washing, and all that fun stuff.  The area’s a pretty large clearing with plenty to see and full of beauty; I’m sure you’ll like it. We have to catch our own meat, fish whatever but I’m a pretty good at catching game so we don’t need to worry. Let’s just set up a basic  camp for now and go from there, we’ll get a nice fire going and we can share stories!”

“That sounds like a great idea! Well then let’s get ot it I can’t wait to see the place you’re talking about, it sounds perfect!”

---

A few hours later the sun was starting to set just as they reached their destination and it was just as Celine had promised. The trees were healthy and tall though there were a few good branches lying around here and there,  the sun was setting against a wall of trees which made images play on the ground; life was abundant be it animate or inanimate and running water could be hear nearby.

“You get started on the fire pit and I’ll take care of the shelter”

“But…I’m not very good at making fires” Xy admitted softly, her eyes slightly downcast.

“No matter, just get the fire pit ready and I’ll get the fire going, set all the dead wood like a tepee and leave a hole at the bottom for the flame; I’ll take care of the rest…Why don’t you try and catch us some fish or something afterward?”

“Sounds like a plan”
Setting to work, she selected a tree with a wide trunk and cleared the debris at the bottom for a smooth surface to sleep on. Picking her fallen tree branches carefully; you didn’t want too big but you didn’t want small either, she set her tarp on the ground and got to work setting p her makeshift tent.

Taking a corner of the tarp, she swung it over her chosen branch and ensured the rear of their shelter was blocked off by the tree trunk, following this step she ensure the large tarp was tent-shaped and placed each of the thick branches on the inside of the tarp to ensure the fabric didn’t grow too taught and to help stabilize it all, she used some of the rope she had brought along with vine to secure the loose ends of the tarp to the surrounding trees to ensure it was secure. After twenty minutes work, she stepped back and looked at the crude shelter and gave a satisfied nod.

Turning around, she saw a neat circle of rocks and a small pile of wood made in  a tent-like pattern, searching for kindling which she thankfully found in abundance she took out her combat knife; picked up a medium-sized rock with a sharp edge and started working away at the stone creating a few sparks after each strike. Two long, somewhat frustrating minutes after she started she finally got the kindling to light with a small flame; being quick about it but careful to keep the flame alive she moved it under the dry wood and watched as a fire crackled to life.
As she stood back and ensured the ire had caught for good, she heard footsteps behind her that had been coming from the direction of the creek. Turning around she saw Xy beaming at her with the catch of the day in hand. Smiling back, she ran to her pack for her cooking kit and provisions before racing back to the fire.

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WC: 1,029 If you need a link to SW wildlife here's something tat can be helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Wars_creatures