Mistaken Identity || Star Wars Fanfic

The Defender

The Venator-class ship Defendor was hidden within the dense nebula of a nearby star system, its hull showing scars from recent battles. Alongside it were two other Venator-class ships and two surviving Acclamator-class assault ships, all in even worse condition despite weeks of repairs. Hull breaches, exposed wiring, and damaged turrets marred their exteriors.

Admiral Novak sat in his dimly lit office, sifting through reports from various departments. He cursed as he reviewed the state of their deflectors, noting their barely operational status. Just as he took a deep breath, an alarm blared. "Novak to engineering, what the fuck is going on?"

"The coolant tank exploded, Admiral," one of the engineers replied.

Novak gritted his teeth. "Cause?" he asked.

"We didn't account for what would happen when we fixed the broken relays. The influx of energy was too much, and they burst, rupturing the coolant tanks," the engineer explained.

"Repair time?" Novak demanded.

There was a pause. "A week maybe, if we can acquire the parts from the other cruisers."

"See to it... Novak out," he replied, leaning back and rubbing his temples. Reaching into a drawer, he pulled out a bottle of sunset liqueur and poured himself a drink. He savoured the brief moment of solace, but his communicator buzzed again just as a small smile crept onto his face. Sighing heavily, he finished his drink and returned to work." Admiral, the captains of the other ships are here and waiting in the conference room," an officer reported.

"On my way," Novak replied. He stood up, adjusted his uniform, and walked out of his office. The corridor was a mess, with damaged hull panels and exposed wiring being attended to by engineers and maintenance droids. Alarm lights flashed intermittently, casting a red glow over everything.

As he walked, clones stopped their work to salute him. Novak acknowledged their salutes with a nod, moving briskly through the chaos. He passed a group of engineers working on a large breach in the hull, sparks flying as they welded a new plate into place. The conference room was just ahead. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and entered. Inside, the captains of the other Venator-class ships and the Acclamator-class ships were already seated, their faces lined with fatigue and stress. Admiral Novak entered the conference room and greeted the assembled captains.

"Captain Typho, good to see you," Novak said, shaking hands with a stern-faced man in his forties, his hair cropped short.

"Admiral," Typho responded with a nod.

"Captain Nalar," Novak continued, turning to a Twi'lek woman with bright blue skin and lekku wrapped in protective fabric.

"Admiral Novak," Nalar replied with a respectful bow.

"Captain Jaro," Novak acknowledged a burly, bearded man with a scar running down his left cheek.

"Admiral," Jaro said, his voice gravelly.

"Captain Voss," Novak greeted a tall, thin Rodian whose green skin glistened under the room's lights.

"Admiral," Voss responded, his eyes attentive.

Admiral Novak sighed heavily, rubbing his temples for a moment before addressing the room. "I hope I'll hear better news in this meeting than I did the last."

The captains around the table looked exhausted. Captain Typho had dark circles under his eyes and a bandage on his arm. Captain Nalar's blue skin looked duller than usual, and her lekku had several fresh scars. Captain Jaro's scarred face was a picture of weariness, and he sported a large plasma scar on his face. Captain Voss's usually bright eyes were dimmed with fatigue, a cut above his left eye barely healing.