The Azguardian Fleet returned home, after the first true battle their fleet had ever fought outside of their solar system.
Sure, more then once they had seemed poised for battle, and in the Chiss Confrontation, shots had been fired, but noone had died.
Even though casualties were minimal, the Azguards were, for the first time in recorded history, afraid.
Regrad, High Commander of Azguard, sat on his steel chair in the middle of the command deck of the Wrath Of The Gods. It had been built after the battle, had the Imperial attack been but a week or two later then it would have made it to the battle.
If only. The behemoth of steel was five kilometers in length, bristled with guns, and could have terminated the Invincible, greatest of the enemy ships, in barely a minute.
No use thinking about that now, he had a people to address.
Slowly he got up. A pair of military orderlies were outside in the corridor. They escorted him to his private ship. It left the docking bay smoothly. It was a pensive Regrad who sat in his vessel, waiting for a safe landing.
The battle, the melee spun in his head still. The sights, the sounds, his orders still rang in his ears. Had he done the right thing? had his men spent thier lives protecting something great?
They had died on a foreign battle field, fighting a strange foe, for an alien people they hardly knew. It had seemed right, but what was right?
The Presence.
Since his early days, heading the galactic exploration program, Regrad had always known what to do. He followed orders, those of the gods and those of his superiors. But near the end of Dolash's reign, He had made a choice, he had chose the gods.
The Presence was his patron, Yunos, king of the gods. He told Regrad the will of the gods, wispering secrets to him from the shadows. But recently the Gods had awoken. They had been spotted on horizons and in the distance, the priests had sensed it, but before then, Regrad had been told it.
The shuttle landed. A formation of troops closed around him and took him to a huge bowl-like structure. It was a great speakers' auditoruim. Regrad mounted the steps tha lead to the speakers' stand. Thousands of Azguards sat quietly in the crowd, watching their leaders' every move.
"We..." He stumbled. Whatshould he say? What had happened? There was only one choice, the one he had chosen in the past, he did what the gods commanded.
"We have recently participated in a great space battle above the surface of an alien world known as Mon Calamari. We offered the peaceful Mon Calamarians our support against its' many enemies.
"There were casualties, men and women died to defend the people of this world. The murderous attackers, known as The New Order, mercilessly slaughtered civilians to extend their greedy aims.
"And by doing what was right, we are now caught up in what sees ony like galactic war."
He paused
"When we first ventured into space, none of us ever dreamed of such a thing. We hoped to find enlightenedment and peace. But had we known what we would find, would we have still gone into space?
"I say yes, we would have. For the same reason we now fight. Because it is right. Because to face evil takes more courage then ignoring it.
"So I say to you, though we may die, though we may lose, it shall never be said in the history books that the Azguards ever shirked from justice. And with that in mind, we shall show them what justice is!"
A great cheer rose from the people. They understood. Now they were ready to dispense justice.
Sure, more then once they had seemed poised for battle, and in the Chiss Confrontation, shots had been fired, but noone had died.
Even though casualties were minimal, the Azguards were, for the first time in recorded history, afraid.
Regrad, High Commander of Azguard, sat on his steel chair in the middle of the command deck of the Wrath Of The Gods. It had been built after the battle, had the Imperial attack been but a week or two later then it would have made it to the battle.
If only. The behemoth of steel was five kilometers in length, bristled with guns, and could have terminated the Invincible, greatest of the enemy ships, in barely a minute.
No use thinking about that now, he had a people to address.
Slowly he got up. A pair of military orderlies were outside in the corridor. They escorted him to his private ship. It left the docking bay smoothly. It was a pensive Regrad who sat in his vessel, waiting for a safe landing.
The battle, the melee spun in his head still. The sights, the sounds, his orders still rang in his ears. Had he done the right thing? had his men spent thier lives protecting something great?
They had died on a foreign battle field, fighting a strange foe, for an alien people they hardly knew. It had seemed right, but what was right?
The Presence.
Since his early days, heading the galactic exploration program, Regrad had always known what to do. He followed orders, those of the gods and those of his superiors. But near the end of Dolash's reign, He had made a choice, he had chose the gods.
The Presence was his patron, Yunos, king of the gods. He told Regrad the will of the gods, wispering secrets to him from the shadows. But recently the Gods had awoken. They had been spotted on horizons and in the distance, the priests had sensed it, but before then, Regrad had been told it.
The shuttle landed. A formation of troops closed around him and took him to a huge bowl-like structure. It was a great speakers' auditoruim. Regrad mounted the steps tha lead to the speakers' stand. Thousands of Azguards sat quietly in the crowd, watching their leaders' every move.
"We..." He stumbled. Whatshould he say? What had happened? There was only one choice, the one he had chosen in the past, he did what the gods commanded.
"We have recently participated in a great space battle above the surface of an alien world known as Mon Calamari. We offered the peaceful Mon Calamarians our support against its' many enemies.
"There were casualties, men and women died to defend the people of this world. The murderous attackers, known as The New Order, mercilessly slaughtered civilians to extend their greedy aims.
"And by doing what was right, we are now caught up in what sees ony like galactic war."
He paused
"When we first ventured into space, none of us ever dreamed of such a thing. We hoped to find enlightenedment and peace. But had we known what we would find, would we have still gone into space?
"I say yes, we would have. For the same reason we now fight. Because it is right. Because to face evil takes more courage then ignoring it.
"So I say to you, though we may die, though we may lose, it shall never be said in the history books that the Azguards ever shirked from justice. And with that in mind, we shall show them what justice is!"
A great cheer rose from the people. They understood. Now they were ready to dispense justice.