Agbar sat on the bridge of his MC-40a, Firestorm, preparing for his next mission. He had just finished at Dagobah, which had almost become a disaster. And now he would go to Caamas. It was an uninhabited planet near the Core of the galaxy, but after Dagobah, Agbar knew that he should not take it lightly.
He decided that he would go to his quarters to rest for a while. He liked it there. It was peaceful, and he could think without being interrupted. On his way there, he was horrified at the number of Mon Calamarian crewmen on the ship. He was one of only a few on board. There were plenty of other species though. There were many humans, Kubaz, and there was even a few Bimms. Agbar found this strange because all of the Bimms hated war and battle. They were very peaceful. Teebo usually reserved them for Ambassadors. But no matter, whatever his crew was, they functioned well.
After a short while, he arrived in his room. It was beautifully proportioned, with several pieces of Agbar's favourite Mon Calamari art. It was beautiful to him. He lay down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He hoped he would not encounter any difficulties in this mission. He just wanted to go to the planet, and claim it, so that it only took a few days. It would be much simpler that way.
However, he knew this was a very important takeover. It was a key to recovering Mon Calamari, his home planet, which had been taken long ago by The Rogue Empire. It was currently in possession of the New Republic, and they had made a deal with them. Three planets: Saccoria, Caamas and Dagobah, in exchange for Mon Calamari and a portion of Kessel. It had taken slightly longer than expected, but it would be worth it. Getting back to their home planet, seeing their people, it would be a very proud day for the Mon Calamari Republic. They would also be able to crew their ships with Mon Cals. It would be wonderful.
Just then he was interrupted by a beep from the machine beside him signifying that he had a message. He glanced over and choked. The message was from Teebo.
He switched on the machine and found himself staring at the great leader himself.
"What is it, sir?" he said timidly.
Teebo laughed. "Its nothing to be scared about, my friend. It is about your mission to Caamas. Our probes have discovered a pirate colony with a small fleet located there. Your MC-40a will not be able to handle it alone."
"So I don't get to do the mission, then?"
"No, no it's not like that at all. Owing to your success at Dagobah, you have been promoted to Rear Admiral. So, Rear Admiral Agbar, I am supplying you with some more ships to aid you."
Agbar was at loss for words. Him? Rear admiral? But he wasn't arguing.
"You will receive 2 Mon Calamari Super Cruisers, entitled Calamari and Pride. You will receive a Mon Calamari Star Defender, dubbed [/i]Viscount[/i]. There will also be 2 MC-300's-Defender and Shadow Defender. "
"Wow. That is a lot." Replied Agbar.
"However, I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to operate from Firestorm, instead of using one of the larger ships."
"Okay, not a problem."
"One thing I have to tell you first, though. Do not underestimate these pirates. You may have 5 of the most heavily armed ships in our fleet, but they have excellent tactics. Watch out." Teebo said.
"May I ask you something?" asked Agbar.
"You just did, but yes, you may." Replied Teebo.
"What ships will the pirates have?" questioned Agbar.
"Our scans detect 5 Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, full fighter compliment, and 1 Victory-Class Star Destroyer, also with full fighter compliment." Replied Teebo.
"How many fighters will I receive?" asked Agbar.
"Well…" said Teebo, "There is 324 MC-10 Starfighters on board Viscount, 144 for each of the Super Cruisers, and 96 for the MC-300's. I think they are all MC-10's, but I may be mistaken."
"Excellent. These pirates should not be a problem." Replied Agbar.
"Remember, do not underestimate them. They are better than you may think. Your ships will meet up with you at your current location." said Teebo. "Good luck." And with that he left Agbar to dwell on his thoughts again.
So he was going to get into a decent battle there, something he had not really done yet. This could be interesting. He didn't really think that the pirates could be that tactically adept, though Teebo said they were. They were pirates, for god's sake. They couldn't be that good. But no matter, he would still crush them like the pitiful flies they were.
He knew this would require some tactical knowledge though, and it could result in deranking if he did not do well. If he lost any one of those ships he was sure it would not go over well. But if he destroyed all enemy ships he knew he might even get promoted. He could become a Vice Admiral. Or maybe an Admiral. Or even, though highly unlikely, a High Admiral, the rank he one day dreamed of getting. But for now he was Agbar, a Rear Admiral of The Mon Calamari Republic. And that position suited him just fine. He had ships to control, and missions to complete. There was nothing more he could ask for. It was a good life. And he didn't want it to change.
But he knew it would. Once The Mon calamari Republic regained control of Mon Calamari, they would find better commanders than him. He would be returned to his old rank of ship captain, or even lower. But (if he was lucky), and you never know, he might retain his rank. He might. There was also other things that would change. He would be able to return to his family, to see his brother, his parents, his relatives. It would be a grand day. And it was not far off. He wouldn't be surprised if Teebo declared the day a holiday. It would be great.
But there was still the Praetorite Vong. He wouldn't be surprised if they attacked Mon Calamari the minute it was returned to The Mon Calamari Republic. It was the sort of thing that they would do. But no matter, The Mon Calamari Republic would defend it to their fullest extent. They had already lost it once, and they didn't want that to happen again. He was sure that Teebo would be very upset if they did attack, and he would probably commit everything they had to defend it. And that was saying something. Teebo hardly ever committed al of his forces, preferring to leave some to defend other things, but Mon Calamari was very valuable to them, and it was most certainly worth that sort of defense. Agbar knew he would do the same if he was in Teebo's place. But he wasn't. And it was that sort of thing that made Teebo the leader. He would do what was best for The Mon Calamari Republic, even if it meant sacrificing Mon Calamari, although it probably wouldn't. Nothing could be worth that could it? That was why he, Agbar, was not the leader. He didn't know everything. But Teebo did. He was even a Jedi, although there were rumors going around that he had stopped his training to do more with his Republic. It was the kind of sacrifice only a great leader would make. A great leader like Teebo. Teebo was the best leader that Agbar had ever met. He was kind, but not too kind. He was forgiving, but not too forgiving. He was bold, but not too bold. In Agbar's mind, he was perfect, but not too perfect. However, he knew to think otherwise. Teebo had also made his mistakes. But then again, they say that you learn from your mistakes. And Teebo had certainly learned from his. He was sure he would not lose Mon Calamari again. He was sure he would not be dumb enough to attack The Rogue Empire again. He was sure he would not like to have another turbolaser ban, and lastly, he was sure that Teebo would not want to have to pay ridiculous amounts for his Tibanna gas again.
Teebo definitely learned from his mistakes. But then again, doesn't everybody? He was sure he would learn from his mistakes at Dagobah. And they had been big. He never wanted to have to make decisions like that again, ones that could affect the lives of innocent soldiers. He was still not sure what the right decision would have been.
But no matter, he would learn nothing from dwelling on the past, deciding if he made the right choice. He knew only bad choices in the future would become of that. And he did not want that to happen. It could mean deranking, or worse, execution. And he did not want that to happen. But no matter, if there was one thing worse than dwelling on the past, it was dwelling on the future. A big no-no.
Even worse things could become of that. And he did not want that to happen. He did not want to see the worst. The worst is something truly horrible only few have witnessed, and none lived to tell the tale. He definitely did not want to see the worst. The worst was not a good thing. Not at all.
As he sat in his room, he became aware of the time. It had been several hours and they were still not ready to go. It must have been some problems in the hyperdrive. He knew that if it was anything serious, they would contact him. But then he realized that they were most likely waiting on the reinforcements that were being sent by Teebo. Since he was currently at Clak'dor VII, and the ships were coming from Bimmisaari, it could be a while.
He was currently at Clak'dor VII because when he had finished the Dagobah takeover, it had been the closest planet that he could use to replenish his ship. When he had finished Dagobah Joren had left. Agbar had heard rumors that he was going to take Lord Snowkan's place as Grand Admiral of the Mon Calamari Third Fleet. It was a good position for Joren. He had excellent tactical knowledge, and deserved more than an MC-300. It was good that Teebo had finally seen that.
But, knowing Teebo, he had probably seen it long ago when Joren Arden had first joined their ranks. Teebo knew a lot of things about his commanders, but he tended to like to give them lower ranks at the start, instead of instantly putting them up like he used to. That was what had happened with Snowkan. Teebo had thought he showed promise, and so he put him in command of an entire fleet. That did not turn out well. Snowkan rushed off several times to help his brother with The Iron Fist Empire. The first time was not that bad, but when he went the second time, he jumped into an abolisher field. He escaped with half of the ships he brought, and then began to fight. After suffering heavy losses he jumped back out of the abolisher field. He barely escaped from that with his life. Almost every ship was destroyed, except for a TIE Defender Snowkan managed to escape in. Agbar was surprised Teebo didn't fire him then and there for losing an entire fleet. But then again Agbar thought that Teebo was very forgiving f Snowkan. Maybe they were friends. Maybe they knew each other from long ago. You never know.
Agbar wondered if Bimmisaari had sent word to his crew about when the ships would be arriving. He decided to go ask. He stood up, and walked over to his door. When he pulled it open, he saw someone there just about to knock.
"What is it?" Agbar asked.
"Sir, as you know Teebo is sending ships here to aid us. However, they have been delayed, and they may not arrive for another 20 hours." Replied the man. (yes, this was a human.)
"Fine. Inform me when they do arrive. I will be resting in here." He jerked his head towards his room.
"As you wish sir." Came the reply. The man then walked off down the shiny corridor back to the bridge.
Agbar walked back into is room and flopped down onto his bed. Maybe he would take a nap. He was exhausted. Just then he realized that he had not slept in several days because of the fiasco at Dagobah. He lay back on the bed and made himself comfortable.
He wanted to get off to Caamas soon. He wanted to finish it. He wanted to get promoted. As his trail of thought continued, his eyes began to get droopy. He shut them. Then he fell into a deep sleep.
His fleet had just arrived at Caamas. He looked down at the planet, only to find that in was barren land with no vegetation whatsoever. It was horrid. As the scanners began to set to work, he discovered that there was no sign of the pirate fleet. This was going to be easier than he had expected. He would just take down a shuttle and claim it for the Mon Calamari Republic. Simple as that.
As he looked out again he saw several Imperial-Class Star Destroyers coming around from behind the planet. That must have been the pirate fleet.
"Sir, " asked an officer, "What do we do?" concentrate all firepower on the nearest Star Destroyer. Launch the fighters and swarm them around the others, and try to draw the fire."
"Yes, sir." Agbar watched as his fighters began to launch and shoot off towards the Imperial Star Destroyers. As he had expected, the Star Destroyers began to shoot at the fighters, but their large guns were too slow to track the speedy and agile fighters.
Then his capital ships began to move in. They all began to fire at the same time on the nearest Star Destroyer. Ion Cannon blasts began to play along the length of the mighty ship. His officers reported the shields were straining. Just then he saw them collapse, and several hundred torpedoes shot at the giant, blowing it into pieces.
Then his fleet moved onto the next Imperial Star Destroyer. The same thing happened. The Ion Cannons took down the shields, and torpedoes blew the ship apart. It was too easy. It continued like this until all of The Imperial-Class Star Destroyers were destroyed. Then the Victory-Class Star Destroyer advanced, only also to be cut down by Agbar's large fleet.
Agbar, thinking he had destroyed the pirate fleet, let out a hoot of glee. He had done it, and it had hardly taken any time at all. But then an officer reported more ships coming around from the planet.
Agbar knew that it was probably just going to be some more Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, but he was wrong. As the ships came around, his jaw dropped in horror. He was facing and Eclipse-Class Star Destroyer, with an escort of 2 Executor-Class Super Star Destroyers, 4 Allegiance-Class Super Star Destroyers, and 10 Imperial-Class Super Star Destroyers. Then, appearing behind them came 12 Interdictor Cruisers. Clearly he was not going to get away. This was not good.
Just then it began. The Eclipse Star Destroyer fired at one of the Super Cruisers with its superlaser, and destroyed it instantly. The rest of the ships concentrated on the other Super Cruiser, and destroyed it within 30 seconds. The superlaser fired again, and took out the Star Defender. The ships split up between the 2 MC-300's and took both of them out with ease. Then his MC-40a was the only ship left. The superlaser fired, and he screamed, waiting for the pain of the impact. But it never came.
He woke up sweating on his bed. It was just a dream. But it had seemed so real. Was it a sign of things to come? Was Teebo's description of the pirate fleet incomplete? Had he purposely left out some of the ships, or was it accidental? Agbar knew that Teebo would never send him against a force that large, but if he didn't know about it…
Then Agbar got a hold of himself. It was just a dream, not a vision, just a dream. It didn't mean anything. He had probably just had it because he had not slept for several days. It didn't mean anything. He glanced over at a clock. There was still another 11 hours until the fleet arrived. Agbar figured it would be best if he did not try to sleep again, but rather if he gathered his thoughts. He knew this takeover was very important for the Mon Calamari Republic, and that if he backed out now, he would never be forgiven. He couldn't let Teebo down like that. He would probably be sent back down to the enlisted ranks, and he would never climb back up again. He didn't want that to happen. That would be awful.
And even worse, he would have let the whole of the Mon Calamari Republic down. It would take them even longer to get Mon Calamari back. Ands he did not want that to happen. Mon Calamari was very important to all of them, even the non Mon Calamarians. It was a key to the Mon Calamari Republic's success as a Republic. And if they failed, the Republic would be destroyed, and he would return to his homeworld of Mon Calamari. There he would be exiled to another world for letting all of them down.
And that would be truly awful. He would have to make sure that it didn't happen. He didn't want it to. He wanted to go back to Mon Calamari. He wanted to see his friends, his family, his species. It would be like a dream come true. And he knew Teebo wanted it worse than he did. Teebo knew that the at the Mon Calamari Engineering headquarters back on their homeworld, they could come up with much better designs than anyone Teebo had now. The shipyards there could also build more efficiently, using fewer resources. But most of all, they would be back with their people, and they would be able to crew their ships with all Mon Calamarians again. What a great day that would be. And it would be coming soon. Just as soon as he finished at Caamas, which would not take long. Not long at all. He only had to wait for the reinforcements from Bimmisaari. Only another 10 1/2 hours. Then a several hour trip through hyperspace and a quick battle. That was all.
But now that his thoughts were on the battle, he began to worry again. What had his dream really meant? Was it a vision, was he going to die, and fail the mission? Or was it just a dream, sparked by his worries of failure? He wouldn't know until he got there, to Caamas. Then he would know what it was, what it meant. He was half scared and worried, half curious about this. He wanted to know, but if it meant being torn apart by a superlaser beam, than he didn't really want to find out. That would most certainly not be fun. And he definitely did not want it to happen. But there was know way of knowing for sure. Was there? Too bad Teebo had not given him some Eloquent Star Frigates. Then he could have sent some scouts first, so that they could report back on what they saw. But, then again, if there really was a fleet of that size there they would not be able to get back.
But no matter, he didn't have any of the frigates, so he couldn't send them. He would just have to find out when he got there.
He looked over at the clock again. Still another 10 hours to go. This was going to be a long wait. But it would be worth it. He could see it in his eyes. He would become a hero. He could see himself landing a shuttle on their homeworld, and when he disembarked the people were cheering. They loved him. But it was only a vision. He knew in reality he would not get much recognition for capturing 2 uninhabited planets. Would he?
But, as he thought about it, he didn't really want it anyway. All he wanted was a decent fleet to command, and he would be happy. That was all he needed, nothing more. It was true happiness to him. He belonged on a Mon Calamarian ship, fighting in battles. It was what he was destined to do. And nothing could be better. It was a good life to him, just like all of the other Mon Calamari republic commanders. Many of them would die for an opportunity like his. It was something most of them only dreamed of. But for him it was a reality. A reality he loved. Nothing could make it better. Except…
Then there came a knock at the door.
"What is it?" asked Agbar.
"Sir, the Emperor sends word that Jump Bump has successfully captured Saccoria. This is the final part of returning us to Mon Calamari."
"Good." Then the man turned and left.
So this was all that was left. The final piece of the puzzle. Once he finished, they would have Mon Calamari. There would be no waiting. They would hand over Dagobah, Caamas and Saccoria, and they would receive Mon Calamari and a portion of Kessel.
Agbar had no idea why the New Republic wanted Caamas and Dagobah, because they were both uninhabited, but he wasn't complaining. He would do anything for the opportunity to return to Mon Calamari. It was like a dream come true.
He just hoped that the Yuuzhan Vong didn't attack it, but it seemed like something they would do. And if they lost it again there would be hell to pay. He didn't think Teebo would be able to stand it if that happened. He was certain that he could not. It would not be fun. Losing his home planet once again. It would be horrible.
He looked over at his clock again. There was still 9 hours to go. This was going to take forever. He wanted to do it now. He wanted to rush out there and charge into battle. But he knew that it was a stupid thing to do. He would just have to settle with waiting for now.
The bad thing was that he was very impatient. He was starting to get fidgety. He couldn't wait that long. Maybe he would take another snooze. Or he could go practice on the training sims.
He got up again and walked to the door. He pulled it open. This time there was no one there. He walked down the hallway, heading for the lower levels of the ship, where the training simulation room was located.
After several minutes he got there. The simulation had just been updated to include training for the MC-10 Starfighter, so he figured that that was what he would do today. He climbed in and started it up.
The mission was simply to get used to the fighter, and to take down several TIE's. The ships shot out of the hangar bay of the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser. He began to swerve left and right, getting a feel for it. It was exceptionally fast, and had good handling. He had a funny feeling that he was going to like this fighter a lot. It was even better than a TIE Defender. He looked over the control panel and found out where the weapons were located. He knew at a glance that it was more heavily armed. He tested a few of them to see which was which. Once he had that memorized, he started to do some more advanced maneuvers. Just then his comm. Unit crackled on, announcing the approach of enemy fighters. He spun the fighter to face them, and saw 3 dots moving in. From the looks of them they were TIE Interceptors, which were very fast, but he had a feeling that the MC-10 was faster. As they came at him, he jammed forward the acceleration and shot by. The he spun his fighter around. He was on their tail. They tried to jerk to shake him off, but he kept on. As he started to gain on them he found that they were in range of his weapons. He shot the laser cannons at one and found that it was similar to an X-wing's. The first TIE exploded. He used his Ion Cannon on the next, and saw a web of blue electricity play across the ship before it was disabled, and crashed into the side of the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser. He launched 2 proton torpedoes at the last, and they exploded upon contact, blasting it into debris.
The screen flashed. End of mission. Then it showed his statistics. He had passed with flying colours. Maybe he should have taken up starfighter piloting. Too late now. He stepped out of the training room and walked back up to his room. A look at the clock told him that there was still another 7 1/2 hours to go. He lay back down on his bed and closed his eyes.
Several hours later he woke up with a start. He had not meant to fall asleep. As he looked at the clock however, he discovered that there was still another 2 hours to go until the rest of the ships arrived. Maybe the sleep was a good thing. Now it would not take as long. And at least he had not had another dream.
Since there was only 2 hours to go, he decided to go down to the bridge. He stepped out of his room and headed towards it.
Several minutes later he arrived. An officer greeted him.
"Hello, sir. We have just received from the fleet, and they say they are ahead of schedule. They should arrive within the next half hour."
"Excellent." Replied Agbar. "I want to leave right when they get here, so make sure we are prepared when the arrive."
"Yes, sir." The man bowed and walked away. Agbar could many crew busy on computers. He had no idea what they were doing, but his curiosity wasn't quite strong enough for him to want to find out. So he continued on with his business.
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Half an hour later…
Agbar watched as the rest of the fleet appeared out of hyperspace. The Super Cruisers were massive compared to his tiny MC-40a. He wondered why Teebo did not want him to use one of them as a flagship, but he was not one to question orders.
"Are your ships all ready to go?" Agbar asked to the captain of the Viscount.
"Yes, just give the word." Came the reply.
"Okay, prepare to jump to hyperspace. We leave in 10 seconds."
"Yes, sir."
A jolt throughout the ship told Agbar that they were now traveling through hyperspace, heading for Caamas. It wouldn't be much longer now.
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Several hours later…
Agbar was still on the bridge. He knew that they would be arriving at Caamas in a matter of minutes. Their glory would come very shortly. It was going to be fun.
"Sir, we arrive at Caamas in 1 minute." Said an officer.
"Excellent. Have everyone ready. I'm not sure how aggressive these pirates will be."
"As you wish, sir." Came the reply. "We are reverting to real space now."
A jolt was sent through the ship. Agbar looked out and saw 5 Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, and 1 Victory-Class Star Destroyer directly in front of them.
"Charge up the shields. Launch all fighters. Lets make this short and sweet." Agbar said with glee.
The fighters from the Star Destroyers launched, and Agbar discovered that they were mostly Uglies, but there was a few TIE's. His fighters launched, and so did those of the Visount, Calamari, Pride, Defender and [/i]Shadow Defender[/i]. They had hundreds more fighters than the pirates. Then he turned his concentration on the larger battle. His ships had already moved in, and were making quick work of the Victory-Class Star Destroyer. It shields were already taken down, and it was being pelted with salvos of Proton Torpedoes, which were taking large chunks out of the hull. One last salvo was launched, and it hit the main reactor, causing the Victory-Class Star Destroyer to explode, which took down the shields of its 2 neighbouring Imperial-Class Star Destroyers.
These were also shot at with Torpedoes, and they were both destroyed as well. Then the fleet turned on the remaining 3 Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, and opened fire on them.
Agbar stole a glance at the dogfight between the fighters, only to realize it was already over, and that the enemy fighters had been taken out.
"All fighters, attack the imperial Star Destroyers. Try to draw their fire." Agbar said, and turned his attention back to the battle. One of the Imperial Star Destroyers had already been destroyed, and left in its place was debris. The other 2 were heavily damaged. Then the shields went down. They were hit by even more torpedoes because of those on the fighters. They were quickly destroyed as well.
"Sensors," Agbar said, "Are there any more enemy ships in the area?"
"No, sir there is noth-No wait. There is ships coming in from hyperspace. Its…"
"What?" said Agbar.
'There appears to be an Executor-Class Super Star Destroyer, flanked by 2 more Imperial-Class Star Destroyers."
So his dream had meant something after all. But there was not time for that now, they had to attack.
"Sir," said an officer, "Our sensors detect more ships coming in from hyperspace."
"What are they?" Agbar asked.
"Sir, it appears they are friendlies. It’s the Liberation, Pride and Liberty of the Mon Calamari."
Agbar knew that name. Liberation of the Mon Calamari was their Eclipse-Class Super Star Destroyer. The Eclipse shot its superlaser at the Executor-Class Super Star Destroyer. It exploded in a great fireball.
"All ships, attack the 2 Imperial-Class Star Destroyers." Agbar said. Within seconds their shields were taken down and they both exploded.
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A while later…
Agbar had just gone down to the planet Caamas. It had been officially claimed for the Mon Calamari Republic. When he had finished he had been requested to go on board of Viscount. He was just being led up to the bridge of the mighty cruiser.
When he got there, his jaw dropped. In front of him was none other than Teebo himself.
"Good job Agbar." Teebo said. "Excellent work. You deserve another promotion. You are now High Admiral Agbar. You command all of the MC-40a's in the First Fleet."
"Th-Thank you, sir." Agbar said. He was stunned. All of the MC-40a's? There was at least 20.
Teebo, as if reading Agbar's mind said "There is 22 of them, and that number is always growing. Now there is someone who would like to talk to you. He is currently on board Liberation of the Mon Calamari."
Teebo switched on the view screen and Agbar found himself face to face with Joren Arden.
"Glad to be of service, Agbar."
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Several days later…
Agbar was still puzzled with all that had taken place. He was now a High Admiral. It was his wildest dreams come true. And even better, he would soon be returning to his homeworld of Mon Calamari. It had been so long.
He decided that he would go to his quarters to rest for a while. He liked it there. It was peaceful, and he could think without being interrupted. On his way there, he was horrified at the number of Mon Calamarian crewmen on the ship. He was one of only a few on board. There were plenty of other species though. There were many humans, Kubaz, and there was even a few Bimms. Agbar found this strange because all of the Bimms hated war and battle. They were very peaceful. Teebo usually reserved them for Ambassadors. But no matter, whatever his crew was, they functioned well.
After a short while, he arrived in his room. It was beautifully proportioned, with several pieces of Agbar's favourite Mon Calamari art. It was beautiful to him. He lay down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He hoped he would not encounter any difficulties in this mission. He just wanted to go to the planet, and claim it, so that it only took a few days. It would be much simpler that way.
However, he knew this was a very important takeover. It was a key to recovering Mon Calamari, his home planet, which had been taken long ago by The Rogue Empire. It was currently in possession of the New Republic, and they had made a deal with them. Three planets: Saccoria, Caamas and Dagobah, in exchange for Mon Calamari and a portion of Kessel. It had taken slightly longer than expected, but it would be worth it. Getting back to their home planet, seeing their people, it would be a very proud day for the Mon Calamari Republic. They would also be able to crew their ships with Mon Cals. It would be wonderful.
Just then he was interrupted by a beep from the machine beside him signifying that he had a message. He glanced over and choked. The message was from Teebo.
He switched on the machine and found himself staring at the great leader himself.
"What is it, sir?" he said timidly.
Teebo laughed. "Its nothing to be scared about, my friend. It is about your mission to Caamas. Our probes have discovered a pirate colony with a small fleet located there. Your MC-40a will not be able to handle it alone."
"So I don't get to do the mission, then?"
"No, no it's not like that at all. Owing to your success at Dagobah, you have been promoted to Rear Admiral. So, Rear Admiral Agbar, I am supplying you with some more ships to aid you."
Agbar was at loss for words. Him? Rear admiral? But he wasn't arguing.
"You will receive 2 Mon Calamari Super Cruisers, entitled Calamari and Pride. You will receive a Mon Calamari Star Defender, dubbed [/i]Viscount[/i]. There will also be 2 MC-300's-Defender and Shadow Defender. "
"Wow. That is a lot." Replied Agbar.
"However, I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to operate from Firestorm, instead of using one of the larger ships."
"Okay, not a problem."
"One thing I have to tell you first, though. Do not underestimate these pirates. You may have 5 of the most heavily armed ships in our fleet, but they have excellent tactics. Watch out." Teebo said.
"May I ask you something?" asked Agbar.
"You just did, but yes, you may." Replied Teebo.
"What ships will the pirates have?" questioned Agbar.
"Our scans detect 5 Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, full fighter compliment, and 1 Victory-Class Star Destroyer, also with full fighter compliment." Replied Teebo.
"How many fighters will I receive?" asked Agbar.
"Well…" said Teebo, "There is 324 MC-10 Starfighters on board Viscount, 144 for each of the Super Cruisers, and 96 for the MC-300's. I think they are all MC-10's, but I may be mistaken."
"Excellent. These pirates should not be a problem." Replied Agbar.
"Remember, do not underestimate them. They are better than you may think. Your ships will meet up with you at your current location." said Teebo. "Good luck." And with that he left Agbar to dwell on his thoughts again.
So he was going to get into a decent battle there, something he had not really done yet. This could be interesting. He didn't really think that the pirates could be that tactically adept, though Teebo said they were. They were pirates, for god's sake. They couldn't be that good. But no matter, he would still crush them like the pitiful flies they were.
He knew this would require some tactical knowledge though, and it could result in deranking if he did not do well. If he lost any one of those ships he was sure it would not go over well. But if he destroyed all enemy ships he knew he might even get promoted. He could become a Vice Admiral. Or maybe an Admiral. Or even, though highly unlikely, a High Admiral, the rank he one day dreamed of getting. But for now he was Agbar, a Rear Admiral of The Mon Calamari Republic. And that position suited him just fine. He had ships to control, and missions to complete. There was nothing more he could ask for. It was a good life. And he didn't want it to change.
But he knew it would. Once The Mon calamari Republic regained control of Mon Calamari, they would find better commanders than him. He would be returned to his old rank of ship captain, or even lower. But (if he was lucky), and you never know, he might retain his rank. He might. There was also other things that would change. He would be able to return to his family, to see his brother, his parents, his relatives. It would be a grand day. And it was not far off. He wouldn't be surprised if Teebo declared the day a holiday. It would be great.
But there was still the Praetorite Vong. He wouldn't be surprised if they attacked Mon Calamari the minute it was returned to The Mon Calamari Republic. It was the sort of thing that they would do. But no matter, The Mon Calamari Republic would defend it to their fullest extent. They had already lost it once, and they didn't want that to happen again. He was sure that Teebo would be very upset if they did attack, and he would probably commit everything they had to defend it. And that was saying something. Teebo hardly ever committed al of his forces, preferring to leave some to defend other things, but Mon Calamari was very valuable to them, and it was most certainly worth that sort of defense. Agbar knew he would do the same if he was in Teebo's place. But he wasn't. And it was that sort of thing that made Teebo the leader. He would do what was best for The Mon Calamari Republic, even if it meant sacrificing Mon Calamari, although it probably wouldn't. Nothing could be worth that could it? That was why he, Agbar, was not the leader. He didn't know everything. But Teebo did. He was even a Jedi, although there were rumors going around that he had stopped his training to do more with his Republic. It was the kind of sacrifice only a great leader would make. A great leader like Teebo. Teebo was the best leader that Agbar had ever met. He was kind, but not too kind. He was forgiving, but not too forgiving. He was bold, but not too bold. In Agbar's mind, he was perfect, but not too perfect. However, he knew to think otherwise. Teebo had also made his mistakes. But then again, they say that you learn from your mistakes. And Teebo had certainly learned from his. He was sure he would not lose Mon Calamari again. He was sure he would not be dumb enough to attack The Rogue Empire again. He was sure he would not like to have another turbolaser ban, and lastly, he was sure that Teebo would not want to have to pay ridiculous amounts for his Tibanna gas again.
Teebo definitely learned from his mistakes. But then again, doesn't everybody? He was sure he would learn from his mistakes at Dagobah. And they had been big. He never wanted to have to make decisions like that again, ones that could affect the lives of innocent soldiers. He was still not sure what the right decision would have been.
But no matter, he would learn nothing from dwelling on the past, deciding if he made the right choice. He knew only bad choices in the future would become of that. And he did not want that to happen. It could mean deranking, or worse, execution. And he did not want that to happen. But no matter, if there was one thing worse than dwelling on the past, it was dwelling on the future. A big no-no.
Even worse things could become of that. And he did not want that to happen. He did not want to see the worst. The worst is something truly horrible only few have witnessed, and none lived to tell the tale. He definitely did not want to see the worst. The worst was not a good thing. Not at all.
As he sat in his room, he became aware of the time. It had been several hours and they were still not ready to go. It must have been some problems in the hyperdrive. He knew that if it was anything serious, they would contact him. But then he realized that they were most likely waiting on the reinforcements that were being sent by Teebo. Since he was currently at Clak'dor VII, and the ships were coming from Bimmisaari, it could be a while.
He was currently at Clak'dor VII because when he had finished the Dagobah takeover, it had been the closest planet that he could use to replenish his ship. When he had finished Dagobah Joren had left. Agbar had heard rumors that he was going to take Lord Snowkan's place as Grand Admiral of the Mon Calamari Third Fleet. It was a good position for Joren. He had excellent tactical knowledge, and deserved more than an MC-300. It was good that Teebo had finally seen that.
But, knowing Teebo, he had probably seen it long ago when Joren Arden had first joined their ranks. Teebo knew a lot of things about his commanders, but he tended to like to give them lower ranks at the start, instead of instantly putting them up like he used to. That was what had happened with Snowkan. Teebo had thought he showed promise, and so he put him in command of an entire fleet. That did not turn out well. Snowkan rushed off several times to help his brother with The Iron Fist Empire. The first time was not that bad, but when he went the second time, he jumped into an abolisher field. He escaped with half of the ships he brought, and then began to fight. After suffering heavy losses he jumped back out of the abolisher field. He barely escaped from that with his life. Almost every ship was destroyed, except for a TIE Defender Snowkan managed to escape in. Agbar was surprised Teebo didn't fire him then and there for losing an entire fleet. But then again Agbar thought that Teebo was very forgiving f Snowkan. Maybe they were friends. Maybe they knew each other from long ago. You never know.
Agbar wondered if Bimmisaari had sent word to his crew about when the ships would be arriving. He decided to go ask. He stood up, and walked over to his door. When he pulled it open, he saw someone there just about to knock.
"What is it?" Agbar asked.
"Sir, as you know Teebo is sending ships here to aid us. However, they have been delayed, and they may not arrive for another 20 hours." Replied the man. (yes, this was a human.)
"Fine. Inform me when they do arrive. I will be resting in here." He jerked his head towards his room.
"As you wish sir." Came the reply. The man then walked off down the shiny corridor back to the bridge.
Agbar walked back into is room and flopped down onto his bed. Maybe he would take a nap. He was exhausted. Just then he realized that he had not slept in several days because of the fiasco at Dagobah. He lay back on the bed and made himself comfortable.
He wanted to get off to Caamas soon. He wanted to finish it. He wanted to get promoted. As his trail of thought continued, his eyes began to get droopy. He shut them. Then he fell into a deep sleep.
His fleet had just arrived at Caamas. He looked down at the planet, only to find that in was barren land with no vegetation whatsoever. It was horrid. As the scanners began to set to work, he discovered that there was no sign of the pirate fleet. This was going to be easier than he had expected. He would just take down a shuttle and claim it for the Mon Calamari Republic. Simple as that.
As he looked out again he saw several Imperial-Class Star Destroyers coming around from behind the planet. That must have been the pirate fleet.
"Sir, " asked an officer, "What do we do?" concentrate all firepower on the nearest Star Destroyer. Launch the fighters and swarm them around the others, and try to draw the fire."
"Yes, sir." Agbar watched as his fighters began to launch and shoot off towards the Imperial Star Destroyers. As he had expected, the Star Destroyers began to shoot at the fighters, but their large guns were too slow to track the speedy and agile fighters.
Then his capital ships began to move in. They all began to fire at the same time on the nearest Star Destroyer. Ion Cannon blasts began to play along the length of the mighty ship. His officers reported the shields were straining. Just then he saw them collapse, and several hundred torpedoes shot at the giant, blowing it into pieces.
Then his fleet moved onto the next Imperial Star Destroyer. The same thing happened. The Ion Cannons took down the shields, and torpedoes blew the ship apart. It was too easy. It continued like this until all of The Imperial-Class Star Destroyers were destroyed. Then the Victory-Class Star Destroyer advanced, only also to be cut down by Agbar's large fleet.
Agbar, thinking he had destroyed the pirate fleet, let out a hoot of glee. He had done it, and it had hardly taken any time at all. But then an officer reported more ships coming around from the planet.
Agbar knew that it was probably just going to be some more Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, but he was wrong. As the ships came around, his jaw dropped in horror. He was facing and Eclipse-Class Star Destroyer, with an escort of 2 Executor-Class Super Star Destroyers, 4 Allegiance-Class Super Star Destroyers, and 10 Imperial-Class Super Star Destroyers. Then, appearing behind them came 12 Interdictor Cruisers. Clearly he was not going to get away. This was not good.
Just then it began. The Eclipse Star Destroyer fired at one of the Super Cruisers with its superlaser, and destroyed it instantly. The rest of the ships concentrated on the other Super Cruiser, and destroyed it within 30 seconds. The superlaser fired again, and took out the Star Defender. The ships split up between the 2 MC-300's and took both of them out with ease. Then his MC-40a was the only ship left. The superlaser fired, and he screamed, waiting for the pain of the impact. But it never came.
He woke up sweating on his bed. It was just a dream. But it had seemed so real. Was it a sign of things to come? Was Teebo's description of the pirate fleet incomplete? Had he purposely left out some of the ships, or was it accidental? Agbar knew that Teebo would never send him against a force that large, but if he didn't know about it…
Then Agbar got a hold of himself. It was just a dream, not a vision, just a dream. It didn't mean anything. He had probably just had it because he had not slept for several days. It didn't mean anything. He glanced over at a clock. There was still another 11 hours until the fleet arrived. Agbar figured it would be best if he did not try to sleep again, but rather if he gathered his thoughts. He knew this takeover was very important for the Mon Calamari Republic, and that if he backed out now, he would never be forgiven. He couldn't let Teebo down like that. He would probably be sent back down to the enlisted ranks, and he would never climb back up again. He didn't want that to happen. That would be awful.
And even worse, he would have let the whole of the Mon Calamari Republic down. It would take them even longer to get Mon Calamari back. Ands he did not want that to happen. Mon Calamari was very important to all of them, even the non Mon Calamarians. It was a key to the Mon Calamari Republic's success as a Republic. And if they failed, the Republic would be destroyed, and he would return to his homeworld of Mon Calamari. There he would be exiled to another world for letting all of them down.
And that would be truly awful. He would have to make sure that it didn't happen. He didn't want it to. He wanted to go back to Mon Calamari. He wanted to see his friends, his family, his species. It would be like a dream come true. And he knew Teebo wanted it worse than he did. Teebo knew that the at the Mon Calamari Engineering headquarters back on their homeworld, they could come up with much better designs than anyone Teebo had now. The shipyards there could also build more efficiently, using fewer resources. But most of all, they would be back with their people, and they would be able to crew their ships with all Mon Calamarians again. What a great day that would be. And it would be coming soon. Just as soon as he finished at Caamas, which would not take long. Not long at all. He only had to wait for the reinforcements from Bimmisaari. Only another 10 1/2 hours. Then a several hour trip through hyperspace and a quick battle. That was all.
But now that his thoughts were on the battle, he began to worry again. What had his dream really meant? Was it a vision, was he going to die, and fail the mission? Or was it just a dream, sparked by his worries of failure? He wouldn't know until he got there, to Caamas. Then he would know what it was, what it meant. He was half scared and worried, half curious about this. He wanted to know, but if it meant being torn apart by a superlaser beam, than he didn't really want to find out. That would most certainly not be fun. And he definitely did not want it to happen. But there was know way of knowing for sure. Was there? Too bad Teebo had not given him some Eloquent Star Frigates. Then he could have sent some scouts first, so that they could report back on what they saw. But, then again, if there really was a fleet of that size there they would not be able to get back.
But no matter, he didn't have any of the frigates, so he couldn't send them. He would just have to find out when he got there.
He looked over at the clock again. Still another 10 hours to go. This was going to be a long wait. But it would be worth it. He could see it in his eyes. He would become a hero. He could see himself landing a shuttle on their homeworld, and when he disembarked the people were cheering. They loved him. But it was only a vision. He knew in reality he would not get much recognition for capturing 2 uninhabited planets. Would he?
But, as he thought about it, he didn't really want it anyway. All he wanted was a decent fleet to command, and he would be happy. That was all he needed, nothing more. It was true happiness to him. He belonged on a Mon Calamarian ship, fighting in battles. It was what he was destined to do. And nothing could be better. It was a good life to him, just like all of the other Mon Calamari republic commanders. Many of them would die for an opportunity like his. It was something most of them only dreamed of. But for him it was a reality. A reality he loved. Nothing could make it better. Except…
Then there came a knock at the door.
"What is it?" asked Agbar.
"Sir, the Emperor sends word that Jump Bump has successfully captured Saccoria. This is the final part of returning us to Mon Calamari."
"Good." Then the man turned and left.
So this was all that was left. The final piece of the puzzle. Once he finished, they would have Mon Calamari. There would be no waiting. They would hand over Dagobah, Caamas and Saccoria, and they would receive Mon Calamari and a portion of Kessel.
Agbar had no idea why the New Republic wanted Caamas and Dagobah, because they were both uninhabited, but he wasn't complaining. He would do anything for the opportunity to return to Mon Calamari. It was like a dream come true.
He just hoped that the Yuuzhan Vong didn't attack it, but it seemed like something they would do. And if they lost it again there would be hell to pay. He didn't think Teebo would be able to stand it if that happened. He was certain that he could not. It would not be fun. Losing his home planet once again. It would be horrible.
He looked over at his clock again. There was still 9 hours to go. This was going to take forever. He wanted to do it now. He wanted to rush out there and charge into battle. But he knew that it was a stupid thing to do. He would just have to settle with waiting for now.
The bad thing was that he was very impatient. He was starting to get fidgety. He couldn't wait that long. Maybe he would take another snooze. Or he could go practice on the training sims.
He got up again and walked to the door. He pulled it open. This time there was no one there. He walked down the hallway, heading for the lower levels of the ship, where the training simulation room was located.
After several minutes he got there. The simulation had just been updated to include training for the MC-10 Starfighter, so he figured that that was what he would do today. He climbed in and started it up.
The mission was simply to get used to the fighter, and to take down several TIE's. The ships shot out of the hangar bay of the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser. He began to swerve left and right, getting a feel for it. It was exceptionally fast, and had good handling. He had a funny feeling that he was going to like this fighter a lot. It was even better than a TIE Defender. He looked over the control panel and found out where the weapons were located. He knew at a glance that it was more heavily armed. He tested a few of them to see which was which. Once he had that memorized, he started to do some more advanced maneuvers. Just then his comm. Unit crackled on, announcing the approach of enemy fighters. He spun the fighter to face them, and saw 3 dots moving in. From the looks of them they were TIE Interceptors, which were very fast, but he had a feeling that the MC-10 was faster. As they came at him, he jammed forward the acceleration and shot by. The he spun his fighter around. He was on their tail. They tried to jerk to shake him off, but he kept on. As he started to gain on them he found that they were in range of his weapons. He shot the laser cannons at one and found that it was similar to an X-wing's. The first TIE exploded. He used his Ion Cannon on the next, and saw a web of blue electricity play across the ship before it was disabled, and crashed into the side of the Mon Calamari Star Cruiser. He launched 2 proton torpedoes at the last, and they exploded upon contact, blasting it into debris.
The screen flashed. End of mission. Then it showed his statistics. He had passed with flying colours. Maybe he should have taken up starfighter piloting. Too late now. He stepped out of the training room and walked back up to his room. A look at the clock told him that there was still another 7 1/2 hours to go. He lay back down on his bed and closed his eyes.
Several hours later he woke up with a start. He had not meant to fall asleep. As he looked at the clock however, he discovered that there was still another 2 hours to go until the rest of the ships arrived. Maybe the sleep was a good thing. Now it would not take as long. And at least he had not had another dream.
Since there was only 2 hours to go, he decided to go down to the bridge. He stepped out of his room and headed towards it.
Several minutes later he arrived. An officer greeted him.
"Hello, sir. We have just received from the fleet, and they say they are ahead of schedule. They should arrive within the next half hour."
"Excellent." Replied Agbar. "I want to leave right when they get here, so make sure we are prepared when the arrive."
"Yes, sir." The man bowed and walked away. Agbar could many crew busy on computers. He had no idea what they were doing, but his curiosity wasn't quite strong enough for him to want to find out. So he continued on with his business.
------------------
Half an hour later…
Agbar watched as the rest of the fleet appeared out of hyperspace. The Super Cruisers were massive compared to his tiny MC-40a. He wondered why Teebo did not want him to use one of them as a flagship, but he was not one to question orders.
"Are your ships all ready to go?" Agbar asked to the captain of the Viscount.
"Yes, just give the word." Came the reply.
"Okay, prepare to jump to hyperspace. We leave in 10 seconds."
"Yes, sir."
A jolt throughout the ship told Agbar that they were now traveling through hyperspace, heading for Caamas. It wouldn't be much longer now.
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Several hours later…
Agbar was still on the bridge. He knew that they would be arriving at Caamas in a matter of minutes. Their glory would come very shortly. It was going to be fun.
"Sir, we arrive at Caamas in 1 minute." Said an officer.
"Excellent. Have everyone ready. I'm not sure how aggressive these pirates will be."
"As you wish, sir." Came the reply. "We are reverting to real space now."
A jolt was sent through the ship. Agbar looked out and saw 5 Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, and 1 Victory-Class Star Destroyer directly in front of them.
"Charge up the shields. Launch all fighters. Lets make this short and sweet." Agbar said with glee.
The fighters from the Star Destroyers launched, and Agbar discovered that they were mostly Uglies, but there was a few TIE's. His fighters launched, and so did those of the Visount, Calamari, Pride, Defender and [/i]Shadow Defender[/i]. They had hundreds more fighters than the pirates. Then he turned his concentration on the larger battle. His ships had already moved in, and were making quick work of the Victory-Class Star Destroyer. It shields were already taken down, and it was being pelted with salvos of Proton Torpedoes, which were taking large chunks out of the hull. One last salvo was launched, and it hit the main reactor, causing the Victory-Class Star Destroyer to explode, which took down the shields of its 2 neighbouring Imperial-Class Star Destroyers.
These were also shot at with Torpedoes, and they were both destroyed as well. Then the fleet turned on the remaining 3 Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, and opened fire on them.
Agbar stole a glance at the dogfight between the fighters, only to realize it was already over, and that the enemy fighters had been taken out.
"All fighters, attack the imperial Star Destroyers. Try to draw their fire." Agbar said, and turned his attention back to the battle. One of the Imperial Star Destroyers had already been destroyed, and left in its place was debris. The other 2 were heavily damaged. Then the shields went down. They were hit by even more torpedoes because of those on the fighters. They were quickly destroyed as well.
"Sensors," Agbar said, "Are there any more enemy ships in the area?"
"No, sir there is noth-No wait. There is ships coming in from hyperspace. Its…"
"What?" said Agbar.
'There appears to be an Executor-Class Super Star Destroyer, flanked by 2 more Imperial-Class Star Destroyers."
So his dream had meant something after all. But there was not time for that now, they had to attack.
"Sir," said an officer, "Our sensors detect more ships coming in from hyperspace."
"What are they?" Agbar asked.
"Sir, it appears they are friendlies. It’s the Liberation, Pride and Liberty of the Mon Calamari."
Agbar knew that name. Liberation of the Mon Calamari was their Eclipse-Class Super Star Destroyer. The Eclipse shot its superlaser at the Executor-Class Super Star Destroyer. It exploded in a great fireball.
"All ships, attack the 2 Imperial-Class Star Destroyers." Agbar said. Within seconds their shields were taken down and they both exploded.
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A while later…
Agbar had just gone down to the planet Caamas. It had been officially claimed for the Mon Calamari Republic. When he had finished he had been requested to go on board of Viscount. He was just being led up to the bridge of the mighty cruiser.
When he got there, his jaw dropped. In front of him was none other than Teebo himself.
"Good job Agbar." Teebo said. "Excellent work. You deserve another promotion. You are now High Admiral Agbar. You command all of the MC-40a's in the First Fleet."
"Th-Thank you, sir." Agbar said. He was stunned. All of the MC-40a's? There was at least 20.
Teebo, as if reading Agbar's mind said "There is 22 of them, and that number is always growing. Now there is someone who would like to talk to you. He is currently on board Liberation of the Mon Calamari."
Teebo switched on the view screen and Agbar found himself face to face with Joren Arden.
"Glad to be of service, Agbar."
---------------------
Several days later…
Agbar was still puzzled with all that had taken place. He was now a High Admiral. It was his wildest dreams come true. And even better, he would soon be returning to his homeworld of Mon Calamari. It had been so long.
