Sobrik Soliloquy
Dash is left reeling after the events at the sand crawlers.
35:02:07
The night is calm, and the stars are incredible, so far away from the city. Dash might even be able to see his home sun, depending on how well he paid attention in astrogation courses. The others are still in the med tents or in the command tent.
He arrives without incident at the fancy speeder he stole from the convoy, and almost everything works properly. The advanced topographical nav system boots up, and Dash knows he won't get lost with this piece of tech! As he finishes the system checks, a twi'lek sentry walks up to him.
“Dash, is it?” The twi'lek waves his lekku in greeting. “Baron Telmarr told us you were part of this team. I was surprised - I know about your parents. They're good twi'leks, but, well, sometimes careers and credits blind good people. They are slaves, too, they just don't know it. So… we're fighting for them, too.”
He looks at Dash's obvious preparations to leave. “Take care, kid.” He lingers, as if waiting to see if Dash needs anything before he heads back to his post guarding the camp.
Dash just stared silently as the guard walked back to his post.
“My parents? Good Twi'leks? They've betrayed me just like Sam did. Just like Fox did. Well, ok, Fox didn't really betray us.” Dash couldn't get the image of Fox shooting Sprend in the back out of his mind.
Jumping on the speeder Dash turned, looked back at the camp, at his friends, and saluted them. He knew they couldn't see him in the dark but he wished them well. There were things he needed to do.
The hum of the engine and the rushing wind were the only things in Dash's ears as he left.
35:02:08
Dash drives easily through the wilderness back towards Sobrik. The night is cool and the air is fresh; the topo nav makes driving quite easy, and there is a lot of time for thinking and reflection. As you near Sobrik, the glow of the city lights on the edge of the wasteland reminds you of the checkpoints to get in.
Dash finds a suitable covering for the speeder that's about a 20 minute walk away from Sobrik. A fallen tree, twisted and gnarled, shades a fairly large hollow. He spends several minutes gathering more brush and long grasses to camouflage the speeder, but the hard work is worth the effort. (take 1 strain) The speeder cannot be seen unless one would peer under the old tree.
He arrives at the city checkpoint just as the sun's first rays touch the city walls. A bored looking Stormtrooper steps forward and asks, “Hey son, do you have your papers?”
Dash shows him his papers. “Hello sir. Yeah, my speeder's flapper coil dismount switch burnt out a ways out and I just need get a new one. Simple fix of course. Sorry to be a bother sir.” Dash softly snaps his heels together and stands straight as if at attention, hoping to impart the appearance of Imperial military training to impress the officer.
The officer shakes his head. “I hate it when that happens. They just don't make speeders like they used to. Well, move along.”
He ushers you past the checkpoint without fuss.
It suddenly occurs to you that the checkpoint was much too easy. If Sam had reported the team to the Imps, there is no way a checkpoint wouldn't be on the lookout for a red twi'lek. Close call? Lazy guard?
Dash arrives at the Imperial hangout around breakfast, and he instantly notices his bike. No scratches, at least, but it is chained up, and there are officers arriving for their morning caf.
Hardly thinking before acting, Dash walks up to his speeder and takes out his mechanics toolkit. Selecting the hydro-cutters he almost begins the required cut.
There are a lot of officers around, coming in and out. One pair is arriving as you do, and they slowly walk over, chatting. You see one eye you.
As you take out your mechanics kit, another 3 troopers walk out with their caf, clearly enjoying the sunshine. They stop beside the speeders. One of them sits on the speeder next to Dash's. And they are laughing and talking about their previous evening.
Dash gulps silently and lowers the cutters back into his mech's kit. Leaning back in the saddle Dash pretends to daydream and listens to the Stormies talk. He knows that trying to cut the chain at this point in time isn't the best idea. Best to wait until things clear a little.
Dash gets comfortable and listens to the murmur of the street and the conversations around him. He catches something interesting from the troopers who recently came out of the cantina.
“He sure didn't look good last night when he came in. I was enjoying some, uh, post-duty refreshments. Looked like ol' Sam had seen a ghost. Went straight to his room without ordering anything.”
“Hmm, must've been something crazy - that vet ain't afraid of anything. Been out here since the war. Hey, didn't he hire out to that motley crew a couple days back? Isn't this one of their speeders? You, Lek, weren't you with that group?” The second Trooper looked at Dash.
“Group? Sir?” Dash scrambles to his feet and snaps off a quick salute, “I was camping with some school-mates and they played a pretty mean trick. Stole my speeder, ”, he pats the side of the Starhawk, “and made me walk all the way back into town. I've been walking most of the night. I finally found it here. Looks like they decided to prank me and chain it up. No worries though. They left me this hydro-cutter at least. I can't wait to wipe the laugh off of Stannon's face… uhh sorry sir. Got a bit carried away there.”
One grey-haired officer puts his hand on Dash's shoulder. “Hey, I have a better idea. I recognize this lock cable - your friends must have borrowed it from Sam. I'm sure he has a key, and then we don't have to break the cable - those are expensive! I haven't seen him yet today, and he owes me a caf, so I'll bring you to his room inside. He lives in one of the back rooms.”
He doesn't seem suspicious, but friendly, and guides you firmly into the cantina and past security (who nods at the officer politely, ignoring you).
You walk through a door into a hallway, and the officer knocks at the second door on the right. No reply. A second knock, louder. There's a muffled moan, and the officer tries the handle. It's unlocked, and the officer opens the door.
“Sam? Sam, are you alright? It's Hodgson.”
The room is dark and cluttered. In a chair in the corner you see Sam, bottles on the ground around him. His rifle on the ground, a blaster pistol in his hand. He's staring at the barrel.
He doesn't look up at Hodgson, but mumbles drunkenly, “Go'way. Demons in my head, they do'na leave. I see them all, burnin' still, the droids and the men, the lasses and lads… Only one way t'end the nightmares.”
He raises his pistol to his head. Hodgson is in shock, frozen in place.
Time slows as Dash realizes Sam is about to kill himself.
Emotions flooded through Dash as he sees Sam lift the pistol to his head. Fear of being caught in a web of lies, guilt for thinking, even for a brief nanosecond, that this would solve his problems. Anger against the Empire for putting him in this situation. Overwhelming exhaustion. Dash knew what he had to do.
With arms and legs feeling like lead Dash jumps towards Sam yelling, “No Mister! Don't do it!”.
In his drunken half-stupor Sam doesn't recognize Dash, though it may not have mattered. Dash manages to grab the gun as he pulls the trigger. Sam's military reflexes kick in, despite his drunkenness, and he won't let go. Blaster fire sprays across the room, catching Dash, but then the pistol drops, and Sam's hand becomes limp.
Dash reels backwards as the pain radiating from the fresh blaster wound seems to numb his entire body. He sinks to his knees and looks up as blood drips down his face into his eyes.
Dash's vision clears, and sees Sam, eyes staring wide. Is there a hint of relief? But they become glassy and lifeless, and he falls to the floor with a hole by his ear.
The smell of sweat, liquor, and fresh blood hit Dash like a duracrete wall. Bile rises in his throat as the reality of the situation reaches his brain.
Dash had come here to make Sam pay. He knew it wasn't just Sam who he was angry at. It was this whole stinking mess. Maybe Sam was just doing his civic duty, as twisted as the Empire has made that. Maybe Sam was really innocent in all this, and he had paid, paid with his life. There was no one left here to argue against Dash's lies. He had benefited directly from a man's death. It was too much for Dash to take in. With blood still dripping down his face he emptied the contents of his stomach.
Hodgson is suddenly beside you, arm on your shoulder, white as a sheet. “Hey kid, that was brave. Sam… he's been through a lot. Us military men, well, we've seen too much, been forced to do too much. Some of us just can't work it out. It's…”
He trails off, then turns away. “C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up. Sam is… he's not afraid anymore.”
He was lost. He knew he would never be the same after what he just witnessed. He couldn't go back to face Damaria, Sprend, or Tornenko. He even felt bad for Fox. He had been so angry with him. The image of Fox turning and shooting Sprend kept playing over in his mind. It was mixed with Sam turning and shooting Dash and with Sam turning the pistol to his own head.
He needed to get out and do something. Something mundane and simple. Getting on his Starhawk speeder Dash pointed it towards the gate he came in earlier and gunned the accelerator.
As Dash approached the city limits checkpoint the guard waves. “You found your part? Hey, nice speeder.” Dash gave the guard a thumbs up and salutes him as he drove silently through the checkpoint.
35:02:11
Dash headed West, to the capital. The journey is without incident, and there are no barricades at Bin Prime. Arriving at the Doctor's he clucks at you and tells you not to work so hard.
While you are there, a call comes through from Marv - “Hey sport, Compatriot wants to talk to you personally. You'll need to come up to the back room at the Core when you're patched up.”
An hour later, you arrive and pick up the secured line. You recognize Compatriot's voice from her visit just a short few weeks ago; a lifetime age. She's tired but upbeat.
“Dash, I have some bad news, and some good news. What would you like to hear first?”
“Uhh, I've had enough bad news for a lifetime, ma'am. Maybe start with the good.”
“That's great. Well, remember how you asked Swift to send a message Kay'rashal? It took our top Twi'lek a week to infiltrate, and we had to pull in some favours with another Baron you may know, but we did it. Dash, she's on her way here!”
“Look, before you get too excited, let me tell you the whole story. The Moff from Tython narrowly avoided an assassination attempt while he was visiting Shikaakwa; The Empire's reprisal was swift and harsh - two Decimators were sent to “teach the Twi'leks a lesson.' Kay's neighbourhood was one of those targeted.”
Compatriot's voice was compassionate but steady. “Dash, without your request she would have died in the bombing. Her family… we assume the worst. The entire town was pounded into dust. My agent had set up a meeting in the rich side of town; they received just enough notice of the attack to flee in a speeder. Unfortunately, that speeder was caught in the aftershock of a torpedo, and crashed. The two barely made it to an Alliance ship and managed to leave before further orbital bombardments took place. The Empire covered it up well, and Shikaakwa is now under a complete embargo.”
“Kay was injured badly, but it looks like she should recover. They have to travel slowly to avoid notice, but she is coming, it may be a few weeks; she wanted to find you. She has no one else…”
“Compatriot, oh no! She's OK? But her brother? Her mum and dad? I … I need a moment.”
Dash shook to clear his head, lekku swaying back and forth. In his mind he kept replaying images. His mother, Kay laughing, Sam's blood dripping slick down his face, the Baron playing a silly tune. Twileks broken in heaps, burning. A group of Stormtroopers turned towards him, lifting their helmets revealing white grinning skulls underneath. Brown Foxes claws ripping his heart out.
“Dash. Dash! Are you OK?” Compatriot looked kindly at Dash. “I'm sorry about her family, but she's coming here. To you.”
Dash raised his head, tears streaming freely down his cheeks.
”Bring her to me Compatriot. Bring her safely here. The Empire, I will end them! I will kill all of them in her name.”
