The former chief commander lays the tracks of the armored train on the ground, presumably to remind the soldiers that they're still fighting in the Republic. He's probably trying to get one more victory, or maybe he's just trying to remind himself that the Republic is still in the hands of the Imperials. The gang is always on the front lines, he says, and if they fire on him, he'll be "torn to shreds" . He doesn't want the empire to take him, either, because the empire is "useless or incompetent," he says. After the war, he lost his faith in the empire, and he started spreading rumors about the existence of a unit that wasn't even there. The empire was moving forward, he said, when he witnessed it first hand when he went undercover. Now, he thinks, it's more dangerous for him to stay if he stays. He sends a letter with him, saying that he thinks the former chief will come to rescue him, and that he hopes he will be able to do so. He says that the empire kept him from being shot on sight because they wanted to make the former commander feel powerless. The only thing that could affect is his effectiveness in negotiations with militaries or countries. He wonders why the gang is coming back, and wonders why they didn't enjoy some of the "broken bones" and "ruptured organs" that they used to get away with.