Letter's to Kay - Hopeless

35:01:28

Hey Kay, I really doubt you'll see these letters now. In fact, I probably won't make it out of this damned desert alive. Let me start at the beginning.

I told you last time about the fat 'lek Baron Telmarr? Yeah, he had this sweet sidecar for my Starhawk. I got it installed in short order. I thought it might put my balance off but it handled like a dream. Turning left was a bit stiffer but I could pull some pretty amazing swings using the sidecar as a center-weight. Yeah, you probably would've thrown up during those turns. Heh.

Compatriot had a new mission waiting for us. To think I was actually excited about it at the time. I felt like this was a way for me to actually do something useful for the Rebellion. It didn't even seem too dangerous. We had to drive out to some desert past Sobrik (that's a city a ways away from where I live) and find a hidden mine, scoop up some dirt and maybe even cause a cave-in or something. Just enough so the Imps couldn't mine there any more.

I gave my parents some excuse about going camping with friends and headed over to the group. We didn't have enough vehicles to fit everyone so Damaria and Tornenko came with me on my speeder. It was a decent ride to Sobrik. I could really open it up in the spaces between the cities. I think Damaria liked the speed but I couldn't get a read from Tor. He just sat in the sidecar with his arms folded. I don't think there is a way to get a read on the guy.

The Rebellion must have some agents in Sobrik causing the Imps trouble because when we got there we had to clear all sorts of checkpoints. No problems for us, in fact one of the checkpoint guards was from Bin Prime and actually knew me. He told me about an Imp Trooper named T4-88-7 who would love the mods to my bike. Apparently he frequented a spacers pub called The Gearshift Vortex. It sounded promising!

Ooh Kay, there where so many speeder bikes parked in front of the Vortex! I really wanted to test some of them out but the inside of an Imperial cell isn't my idea of a good time. The entire pub was full of Stormies. I had just finished removing my blaster to go inside when a bunch of Scout Stormies pushed past me. When one of them turned to apologize I asked him if he knew where T4-88-7 was. Kay, I almost couldn't recover. The Stormy APOLOGIZED to me! He actually ended up being the guy I was looking for! I told him about the guard and he said he wanted to see my bike. I think he was genuinely impressed and not just humouring me. Maybe not ALL the Imps are bad. There seems to be a few good ones here and there.

I thought I'd be clever and ask T4 about any good riding spots out in the Gorinth Canyon (yeah, that's where this mine was supposed to be) and if there were any spots I should stay away from. You know, checking to see if there were places I shouldn't go. He told me to task to some Sam Gomoda back inside the Vortex. I was so happy that I managed to get some information out of a Stormtrooper I couldn't wait to tell the others. Where were they? Of course, back inside the Vortex already talking to Sam Gomoda! Seriously Kay! I'll never get to show the rest of the group that I'm more than just a driver.

I have to admit, I wasn't feeling to compliant, so when the time came to ride out to the canyon I took Damaria and Tor on a ride I hope they won't soon forget. Every time Damaria started to tell me to slow down I took another banking turn or shot off a low jump or zig-zagged around some brush. So we showed up at our camp-site thirty minutes late. So what? Damaria was giving me some pretty nasty glares. And Sprend started lecturing me about sticking together and something about dangerous places. Everything was fine! I wish they would just get off my case.

Sam seemed pretty cool though. He had this awesome accent, like straight out of a holo-novel. He wanted to go hunting this fearsome creature called a bitaminch. I figured it would be better to tag along with him then hear more lectures from Sprend and Damaria. I did feel a bit bad for Sprend though. I think there was a bit of competition between him and Sam when it came to tracking this beast. Sam won every time. These beasts made some pretty fearsome noises so I decided to stick with the guy that knew the area best. It was spectacular! We turned a corner and came face to face with a huge snake like creature with tons of tiny little legs. Sam jumped out with no fear and blasted it. It was amazing! I think Sprend had taken one down too. For some reason Damaria didn't look happy at all. Seriously, I was only thirty minutes late! I wish she would let things go.

We headed back to camp where Tor was supposed to be waiting for us when we heard this horrible shrieking howl. Tor started shouting through the comms about being under attack. We ran back to the cave and found these strange four-legged hairy creatures with jaws full of sharp teeth. They were closing in on Tor but I did see a body of one of them off to the side. Way to go Tor! Then one of the creatures lept at him and started ripping into his leg through his amazingly clean pants. (That's a long story Kay. I still don't know how he does it.)

It was really strange, I didn't even feel a quiver of fear. I held up my grandfather's blaster and squeezed off a shot into the cave. Ok, I'll admit it, I *think* I closed my eyes when I pulled the trigger, but it seemed to have the right effect! The blaster bolt hit one of the beasts and it snarled and turned on it's neighbor. It snapped it's neck! The others were still gnawing on Tor so I aimed and fired again. It was a hit so I just kept shooting and shooting. It was only then that I realized that Damaria had been at my side. She sprinted towards Tor while the remaining two beasts turned and lept at me! I sprayed shots at them like my life depended on it, (it probably did) and managed to put them both down. All of a sudden the night was quiet again. Sprend and Sam came in and explained how they had taken out the huge alpha-male outside. Hey, maybe Sprend will have a hunting buddy out of this? We tried to sleep but we kept hearing more packs of these things calling to each other in the night.

It must have been early morning, when a van drove up to the cave. It was Brown Fox! I still don't know what to make of him. His actions are very strange to me. Everyone was happy to see him though. We managed to sleep a few more hours and woke up at a decent time late in the morning. Can you believe that Sprend was threatening to wake us all up early the night before? I guess that's what I get from hanging around these old-timers. We checked our gear and headed off to some place called Spectacle Rock.

When we get there we see smoke rising from two massive crawlers. Sprend used his sniper scope to check things out but didn't even say what he saw. He just turned and walked past us. I think I heard him say that someone should pay for the crimes that had been committed that day. We checked for ourselves and … oh Kay… bodies of Twi'leks … burning. It wasn't anything like the holo-vids. The wind changed direction for a moment and I caught a smell I don't think I'll ever forget.

This was the beginning of the end Kay. It was this point in history where everything changed. These 'leks needed help and I wasn't going to let anything hold me back. I knew if their were survivors they'd be expecting anyone that approached to be trouble, so I held my hands outwards and started walking toward the crawlers. I noticed that Damaria was following me too.

I guess Brown Fox had his own idea and apparently had sneaked off around the rear of the convoy. He had left his comm on and we heard him talking to a Stormy. Apparently they had been attacked by some vicious foes but I didn't hear the description of them. All of a sudden T4-88-7, (remember, that Stormy from before?) popped out and recognized me. Everything was a blur after that. Tor had come down and started helping out the surviving 'leks. I was helping him as best I could. Sam was there too. I think Brown Fox and Damaria were off talking to the lead scout about what had happened. I looked up and saw Sprend look into the other transport when two dirty Twi'leks popped out. With blasters. They seemed like identical twins. They yelled “Rebel Scum! Get Them!”. And then the hells broke loose.

Kay, it was a massacre! Time seemed to slow down. Brown Fox turned, levelled his weapon at Sprend and shot him! He betrayed us Kay! One of the twin 'leks got in a point blank shot against Sprend as well and I saw him go down. I barely heard Tor yell something to one of the troopers but whatever it was, it didn't work. Sprend picked himself up and started running towards the speeders when the other blitzing cursed 'lek shot him in the back. He crumpled and I didn't see him get up again. One of the stormies shot at Damaria and I hoped she was ok. It felt just like back at the wild beasts in the cave. I took my blaster out and shot at a Stormy. I didn't even think twice about it. Instead of his mask I just saw the snarling beast. I shot at him and I think I hit. It was enough for him to notice me, that's for sure. I saw his rifle come up and pain exploded in my shoulder. That smell I noticed before? It was back even stronger. I realized it was coming from my own flesh, burning. I had never been hit by a blaster bolt before and I tell you Kay, I never ever ever wanted to again. I lost track of everything as I kept firing bolt after bolt towards the Imps. Another blaster bolt ripped through my armor and scorched my side. I kept shooting.

That's when I noticed Sam. He was shooting as well, but not at the Imps. Kay, he looked right at me, raised his rifle and shot me. I just stared at him realizing we had been betrayed again! His blaster bolt took me full in the chest. Agonizing pain Kay. Imagine a million tiny hooks ripping into your skin and peeling it back. I felt my blood pour hot down the inside of my armor.

I'm not even sure what I did next but I found myself moving towards the Imps speeder bikes. Was I being carried away to be buried? Was I dead? I looked down and saw it was my own feet that were running. I jumped on the speeder and punched it. I was free!

Freedom is a funny thing Kay. True, I was free from the blaster bolts slamming into me. Instead I was free to die alone in the desert. Every breath I took was pain. It didn't take long, at least I think, when my comm crackled to life. It was Damaria! She and the others were captured and being held in one of the crawlers. She told me to come back and turn my comm jammer on. Apparently the Imps didn't have any way to contact out for help except for Sprend's long range comm in the van. She also said that Brown Fox wasn't a traitor. It was his plan all along to free us from capture. Yeah, apparently he forgot to tell the rest of us. She said that Fox could get a medpac and some water out to me. I just had to keep watch. Oh yeah, and Sam had taken my speeder and ran.

It was already later in the day when I saw Fox sneak out holding what looked like some sort of medical device and some canteens of water. He disappeared behind a rock and reappeared with nothing in his hands. I could see him blending from shadow to shadow as he returned to the convoy.

Gritting my teeth as I got up I managed to slowly get over to the cache. Hah! I guess that Imperial Youth training left some sort of impression because I managed to patch myself up a bit. The soothing gels of the emergency medpac felt great on my crisped skin. This was the first time I was actually glad you weren't with me Kay. I hope these horrors never reach you. And the horrors weren't over yet.

I found my way back to the speeder only to find a guy in desert robes tinkering with it. He had some sort of arm band with a skull with a knife in it's teeth. Maybe I had seen it before? I thought maybe I could convince this drifter and any of his friends to help me take out the Imps that were holding my friend so I said hello.

Well, he turned, saw me, snarled, and shot me without so much as a warning. I tell you Kay, I'm done with all this. I was so angry I didn't even feel the intense pain blossoming in my other shoulder. Yelling, I ran straight at him and jumped on the bike. Luckily these Imp bikes had instant throttle and I shot off at top speed. That's when I remembered the skull and knife logo from a class I had attended when I first got to Balmorra. The Human League. A group of humans that are bent at eradicating non-human life from the galaxy.

This day really couldn't get better, could it?

Damaria's voice crackled over the comm and she explained how Fox had just helped them escape the Imps. Apparently the Human League was coming back to finish everyone off. She had just told me the location where we should meet when the night sky erupted in fire. The explosives we had so carefully brought out to help take down the mine were ignited at the convoy blowing the stinking Human League though the air.

Captain Vao, head of Baron Telmarr's Twi'lek defense corps had been told about our predicament and were on their way. I met up with Damaria and the rest of the group as Captain Vao's med team descended on us. Dr. Tann'shala managed to patch us together mostly. She was kind and gentle and reminded me of your mother.

So I'm sitting here in the dark in the desert writing this to you Kay. My life has ended today. Maybe not a physical death, although my body would is groaning otherwise, but a death of everything I knew before. How can I go back to Bin Prime? How can I go back to school and getting into fights with my mother? My own parents are sycophants to the Imperial War machine. The same machine that set this horrible trap for us.

Betrayal. It's something no amount of explaining can prepare you for. Sam still has my speeder. He's probably back at the Gearshift Vortex laughing into a cup of ale.

You know what Kay? No more. I will end this. Tonight.