Gorak’s Personal Log: Log Entry 6

Personal Log:

<Gorak Khzam, Tactical Bridge Officer of the New Republic FarStar>

The mighty have fallen! Perhaps even myself…

Moff Sarne has been taken into custody, a much more passive end to the man than I would have preferred. Nevertheless, our mission is over. The fear of his return to Kal’Shebbol has ended. His tinkering with DarkStryder technology is no longer a threat. And the crew of the FarStar, even though we lost her in the final battle, was welcomed home to a hero’s celebration.

For some reason, that celebration seems hollow to me. In the heat of the ship’s final confrontation, Loh’khar tempted me with a way out. The Captain seemed bent on suicide at the time. All alone in the rift, Imperial Star Destroyers patrolling the planet above us, and the possibility of being marooned on a strange alien world…it all added up to a bad situation. And, if anything, I am a survivor. A warrior too, but I know when I’m overmatched. The Captain’s plans put us in too much danger.
What good is it for the hunter to bring down his catch if he gets trampled by the herd? If caught, I’m sure we would all have been made to dance for Sarne’s pleasure. And I’ll not be THAT man’s slave! I, of all people, KNOW what that entails…

So, the Twi’lek’s promise of a backdoor was exactly what my instincts told me to favor. I left my post on the bridge while the ship was on the surface, a demerit that I’m sure the Captain was none too pleased about. Loh’khar told me he had some friends coming to pick us up in a shuttle…that they would get us out of the Captain’s mess. Knowing how treacherous and crafty he can be, I pressed him for who these people were while the shuttle was still high in the sky. The snake tried to draw his blaster on me! Imagine that! ME! And I’ll be damned if he didn’t almost end my life right there, too.

But he should have known better than to try such a foolish thing. It’s been a long time since I’ve hunted a Twi’lek, but he was easy enough to bring down. Loh’khar fell to the dust…the shuttle flew past…and salvation left me behind. But as it left, I could see that the shuttle belonged to the Skandrei Bandits. I’ve no love for that organization, and even less when they contacted my comlink and I heard the voice of Chuborro the Hutt. The worm had joined up with THAT pathetic organization? I guess it wasn’t enough that Moyato’s Night Terrors destroyed his original operations. He kept finding a way to crawl back into power. His shuttle chased me for a time, but I eluded them. Like I said, I’m a survivor. But all of that time spent out in the hills separated me from the FarStar, and when the Imperials came in to attack them, I was left behind as they lifted off to the fight. There was part of me that wanted inside that ship, guiding the crew once more against whatever opposition Sarne had left. But a part of me wanted to avoid that fight too…because I knew it could only end in the ship’s ultimate destruction.

I was right about that at least. I guess by going AWOL, I avoided the crash of the FarStar. I survived once again. Silently, I watched the ship come down, lighting up the sky as she tore apart. Somewhere on board, I guess Thyte was howling away at the ship’s controls, piloting her down where it would hurt the Imperials the most…a job that would have been mine if I hadn’t abandoned my post. The explosion was spectacular. Even from a hundred miles away, I could tell Thyte had done his share against Sarne.

I worked my way in that direction, curious if there were any survivors. Before leaving the ship, the Captain had been making plans for a ground assault on a towering structure in the distance, so I assumed there had to be others about. Maybe I could rejoin them and just claim that I had gotten left behind by accident…

I found Brophar and the Muvon just a little distance away. He had lost contact with the ship. I informed him that she had gone down. Acting as his co-pilot we started a rescue mission for any survivors of the crash or the ground assault. We approached the rocky tower in the distance and found the FarStar wreckage strewn all around it. Thyte had brought her down right on top of the Imperial base. I’ve got to give the man some credit there. Not even I could have accomplished that with a damaged ship. There didn’t seem to be any survivors, but we picked up the Captain’s comlink and zeroed in on her position. She had been leading part of the ground assault apparently and had avoided the crash as well. Upon finding her, we learned that several others still battled inside the ruined tower and Imperial base, wrestling with the creature that controlled the secrets to DarkStryder.

Evidently Sarne had left the base before the FarStar dropped on his head. He was journeying up to the huge space station orbiting the planet, a large dish-like piece of construction that could only have some sort of dark purpose behind it. Slave, Moyato, and the Captain boarded the Muvon and together, we set out after him. After arriving in space, it was obvious that the FarStar had not battled the Imperials alone. The Bothans, the Qek’toth, the AI-driven torpedo sphere, the rift ferry ship, Chuborro’s pirate ships, the recently-arrived New Republic fleet and many more were all embroiled in a huge space battle.

Sarne had slipped through all that chaos and onto the station. Following close behind him, we managed to blast our way into the main control room and confront him. He had wired some sort of dead-man’s switch into the main weapon of the station, a huge monstrosity heavily-laden with DarkStryder technology that would create a conflagration so great it would consume all of the New Republic fleet. Somehow, Slave was able to match the coded transmission keeping the dead-man’s switch from activating, and promptly blasted the treacherous Moff. Wounded to the point of unconsciousness, we took him into custody…charged with numerous crimes against the New Republic.

And then it was over. As startlingly as it all began, our journey came to an end. Mission objective accomplished in such a miraculous way, that I still cannot believe it. These New Republic supporters have added a new chapter to making the impossible not only possible, but reality as well.

The awards and praise that followed our actions, matched the magnitude of our efforts. But once all the lights were turned down…the songs of celebration were ended…and I began to reflect on my part in all of this…I wonder. Am I really such a hero as these people would have others believe? At the moment when Captain Adrimetrum, First Officer Thyte, Jessa Dajus, and all of the others rushed forward to what I believed was their certain doom, I sought a way out of the situation. Destiny…luck…the Force…or maybe something else allowed me to survive. I even played a part in Sarne’s downfall, but the medal that they presented me with weighs heavily upon my neck. I find myself unworthy of it.

Indeed, I believe if I continue to stay with these newfound comrades of the fallen FarStar, they will have no choice but to remember the crimes of my past. The Captain, herself, indicated that once this mission ended, I would have to answer to the charges of slavery, assault of a fellow crew-member, and probably dereliction of duty. What good will this medal and their words of praise be at that time? They will all be as hollow as I feel now.

And so, I intend to take the next shuttle leaving for the Outback. Perhaps I can pick up the reins of power left vacant by Chuborro’s demise. Oh, yes, the worm did finally perish in the great battle above the planet. As happy as I am to see him dead, it is a sobering thought that, if I had gone with Loh’khar on Chuborro’s shuttle, I would have died as well. I could never bring myself to side with that worm, and I can’t bring myself to stay here with the New Republic crew either. My place is elsewhere.

Slave, the security droid, has decided to accompany me. He’s free-willed and we’ve gotten along well, so I don’t mind. I still find it ironic though, that a former slaver such as myself will be travelling alongside a droid named “Slave”. There must be some sort of poetic justice to the universe for such a partnership to exist. Everytime I hear his name, it reminds me of what I used to be. I’m not sure I want such a reminder tagging along, but the droid certainly has his use. Maybe he can help me start over.

I’ve left a message with the Captain, explaining my departure. Nothing fancy. She knows me well enough now. Perhaps it might give her pause in pursuing me as a war criminal. Perhaps not. Either way, I’ll learn to survive…