A letter from General Zentru'la, to no-one in particular.

Best read accompanied by Ashokan Farewell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9TcXmBNbtM

See PDF for full formatted file. Design based on Disney Starcruiser Datapad seen here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/star-wars-galactic-starcruiser/datapad-play-app/. Used Photoshop to make the background and pasted text into Google Slides.

Markdown/Plaintext:
Status report:

Situation: abysmal.

Estimated enemy forces:
≥ 2500 ground troops, estimation of aerial forces too uncertain for statistical significance, estimation: high.
Force composition: regiment of exclusively jediit, crystal beasts, possible biochemical warfare;
fog/gas, causes: delirium, torpor, decreased efficiency/ability
incendiary weaponry; identified: stationary fire hazards, not explosives/cartridges, environmental hazard.
Armament: squadrons of blastboats, TIE bombers/Hunter fighters/fighters/defenders, star wings, decimators, dropship flights, landing craft, assault ships, command shuttles;
unlike Brotherhood forces, enemy navy includes ship models larger than corvettes, but still no destroyers.
Artillery: AT-APs, AT-M6s, support companies, lander platoons.

Additional confounding enemy forces:
incorporeal echoes, immune to physical damages/force, categories: blunt, bladed, bullet, blaster, misc. traumas, energy weaponry, explosives, etc.
Vulnerabilities: more Force powers. Condition: angry. Estimated number: technically infinite if they keep coming back.

Likelihood of success against embedded enemy jediit forces of such composition: 2.071%.

Environmental hazards identified:
Fires
Difficult terrain of crags, crevasse, ravines requiring Force ability or mechanical assistance to traverse
Floating islands causing fluctuation in gravitational pull and instrument malfunction
Killing field full of decomposing biological matter, likelihood of infection/injury: 99.99%.

It's a field of fraking corpses, Jax. And we are walking through it because the ships cannot reliably fly.

Don't even know if you'll get this message. If telemetry can be sent through interdimensional goddamn magic portals over 160 kms away through a landscape of actual hell.

Initial contact achieved, foothold achieved in "city."

Duration of viability of foothold: unknown.

Resources: uncertain.

Backup: uncertain.

Retreat: unlikely.

Everything: uncertain.

Orders: advance to objective.

Objective's a fraking floating magical shit chain in the fraking sky, we're watching it break the frak apart. What do these bozos expect us to do? Wave the arms at it? Shoot?

Stand here and be cannon fodder, more like it. Feed the fraking animals. Pile the corpses higher, clearly there isn't ENOUGH bacteria present.

Flyndt says there's something ahead. He feels a pull. Can't describe it. But has to go. So I'm going. And Minnie won't leave her fraking Zabrak either, and he's got a hero complex like you do.

Listen. Listen. If we all die here, you get your shit together. You marry that piece of traitorous trash and you name all the Foundlings you're going to adopt and love after us. You keep going and you don't get your dumbass killed being the stupid fraking bleeding heart you are, you hear me? Listen.

If the others come back. I made preparations. Not fraking disappearing without plans this time. You'll be sent a datapack if I'm not back in four weeks standard to disable the automated delivery. All necessary files/information included. Also notes for: you, fraking Kobign, Minnow, her boytoy, Gaile, and Flyndt. Deliver them.

Most important: you have to finish my mission. Find Gaile. Make sure Flyndt gets his brother back. Make sure he's safe. Everything we've been able to find about Gaile or the mercenaries is in those files. So is my will. House has already been transferred to Flyndt and his tribe, it's under their name, it's notarized. Monetary assets are divided between you all. Just going to need you to make sure he gets all the funds/can liquidate the property if he doesn't want anything to do with it. Make sure he and Gaile get back to Omwat. Make sure they get home.

You fraking do this for me, vod. You guard my heart.

Marry your idiot. Make sure Min lets go this time. Walk her down the aisle for me if her and Bril work out.

I love you.

-F

Kiera,
You have been a great apprentice and I foresee you becoming so much more. I am sorry I will not be there to see you on your journey, well at least in this form anyways. I fear that if you are reading this, I have fallen on the battlefield... again. If I do not return then you can have the bar on Nar Shadda. Make sure that Malodin keeps up with his tab and please keep an eye on him for me since I will be dead. He thinks of you as a niece as I think of you as a daughter. Of all the things I have ever done, I will never regret taking you in when you tried to steal my ship on Naboo.

To be honest, Mal wanted to sell you to the Gungans as a jester and I am so glad I talked him out of it. You showed that spark of fire within you that I have watched grow into a raging inferno. When you take over the underworld on Nar Shadda, make sure that you wipe out the Blood Gang in the Duros sector. They always proved to be a very dumb bunch to deal with. Also, do not forget to feed the dogs. They love you and I feel ok knowing that you will be taking them in.

In closing, I hope that someday when you are one with the Force we shall meet again but until then, make sure to raise a glass to my memory on my birthday.

Ric

The encryption to open the file, sent securely from Marick to his daughter, Kirra, who is back home on Selen in the Dajorra System. The encryption password is: `clever lettuce`. It's an inside joke between them. Transcript below:

Kirra,

If you’re reading this, it probably means that...well...that you figured out the super, very secret code I used to encrypt it. A secret code so secret that I know only you, Lunayi, my little moon, would be clever enough to know. The Ethereal Realm—the place where the adults have all gone off to fight the ones who are trying to hurt the careful balance of the Force that brings joy and wonder to you and everyone we hold dear—is both very scary and very curious, all at the same time. You would likely find it amusing, and probably be able to tell me all about the different spirits we’ve met. You’d probably not even be bothered by the sudden changes in the way this realm works, up becoming down, down becoming right...I sometimes wonder if I’m being given a glimpse into how you see the world. If that is indeed the case, all it does is increase the pride I have in having you as a daughter, that you can bear the burden of all this knowing and still shine brighter than any other sun or star in the whole galaxy. I’m not worried or scared for what we might face. Your mother and I have been facing challenges like this out entire lives, and bullies like these Children of Mortis folks always materialize in some shape or form. That’s why we are always running off. I hope that one day, you’ll forgive us. I’d love nothing more than to spend every second of everyday by your side, but it’s important to me that I do everything in my power to protect everyone—not just you and your brother and Uncle Wyn and Auntie Socks. And so we go. And so we fight. And sometimes, we might not come home right away, or as fast as we want to. I just want you to know, that this is not a goodbye letter. This is merely to hold you over until we see you and your brother again. Be strong. Take care and protect him. And if you think for one second, even just one second that any force in the galaxy is going to stop your mother and I from coming home to you....

Well, I’d like to see anyone try.

I will see and hold you soon,

—Papa

Zsoldos,

It is a funny thing writing a letter home when there is precious little in the way of audience. Who wants to read this letter? The barmaids and the drunkards sitting back safely while the fighting is raging? The old and infirm, or the wounded and the dead? Perhaps our creditors and widows?

Enough of that worry and reflection. This war is not like others. This was is a shadow war, a war of illusions and mirrors. A war of ghosts and memories. In truth it feels like this war is ourselves against ourselves, fighting against the sins of the past. What else can this be? Our strengths in this plane of existence are our weaknesses, and our weaknesses are paradoxically our strengths. What evils built this place, what Justice shall be wrought on us for coming here.

The journey here was not so bad however. We made the move on our transports and warships. The size of the armada was impressive once all of the Clans assembled and were met by the Iron Fleet. Odd feeling, that, seeing all the Clan forces arrayed together as opposed to squaring off in deadly hostile fire. Seeing the battle scarring on some of the ships from battles we personally engaged in was surreal.

The most surreal aspect, to be honest, was entering the void. Coming across the gate in all its awe and curious wonder is a moment I shall never forget but also never want to experience again. I know we will, it lucky, have to exit the same way we came in. If I live to tell that tale I will hold myself blessed to not have to do it again. I hope that I will not die in this forsaken place, this world between worlds. I take pity on everyone who has. I hope if we survive this order we can take everyone back to real space. Even the enemy. No one deserves to lie in rest here.

Either way, signing off now. Not sure who will ever read this letter back home. Hopefully it gives some idea of the war to the home front. If I make it back this might be a small reminder of these events. If I do not make it however, remember me for whom laid down his life for the Clan.

Mauro Wynter

My win here is making you read this <3