"Mission to Agamar"

After months of living in the harsh outdoors, washing in cold rivers, and spending the nights out in the open, it was finally a relief to take advantage of a bed and hot shower. The former would have made many wealthier users complain about its firmness and how uncomfortable it was but after using rocks and trees as resting spots Kvetina welcomed it with open arms, and as for the hot shower it was a feeling of ease of she had not felt in a long time. Over the course of the war she had grown weary of sleep, worried about whether or not a clone would slit her throat while she slept and as the days of grime and tension grew so did the stress and fatigue start to wear down her will and strength. Just as the water washed away the dirt and dead skin so too was her feeling of exhaustion and thoughts of the war slipping from her mind which now was blank, wanting to relax and take in the luxury so many took for granted. Her matted, dust covered hair too was scrubbed down, her fingers running through to untangle her hair revealing its natural black color and straightened strands. The captain's surroundings were not that of a luxurious bath or spa from the core worlds, instead it of durasteel all around, her own personal quarters aboard the Munificent-class frigate she had dubbed the 'Indomitable'. The ship itself had been given to her by a 'sponsor high up the ladder' as a commendation for her recent string of victories, though she believed it was probably one of her father's connections as he did have quite a few favors to pull from his own youth.

Currently their new mission was to travel to Agamar to reinforce Separatist forces with the hundred thousand plus battle droids in storage. Though it was a bit annoying to be reduced to a cargo transport there was nothing preventing her from engaging in battle should she feel the need to. Just outside the shower was Wire with a towel in hand while his sibling Sparks stood by the door 'just in case'. He started to become more distrustful of others aside from his master and other droids under her command, an issue that some might think of as a hindrance. Wire on the other hand kept a more logical mindset to his work, preferring to stick to numbers and statistics than personal skill.

"The bridge informs me that we shall arrive at the edge of the Agamar system within two standard hours. I suspect we will be arriving in the midst of a battle." Said wire, handing the towel over to his owner. Why anyone would send a lone Munificent to the front line on its own was beyond Kvetina but orders were orders even if they appeared suicidal, fortunately for her the major actions on Agamar had ended when the Republic 'won' the battle and there was a good chance they left only a token force to mop up whatever remained of the droid army. That is when she and her reinforcements would show up.

"Very good Wire. what intel do we know from the surface?" Kvetina asked the droid.

"Communications with our forces on the ground have been cut, any Confederacy forces still active will be stranded and on their own until we arrive."

"Prepare for combat then you two, we'll be heading down to the surface should the skies be clear."

From the captain's chair she could see the small number of Acclamators turn to scramble their craft. It was evident this would be a tough fight but the numbers were now in the Republic's favor.

"Captain, there are dozens of fighters on approach. What are out orders?" Asked the droid to her immediate left.

"Increase power to shields and fire point defenses at will, let nothing get through." She ordered, "Keep in mind these ships aren't designed for head on conflict." The swarm of fighters flew nearly unopposed in striking the ship. "Priority target are those bombers, don't let them near. Hold turbo laser fire until I give the command." The opposing ships counted in three minus the smaller corvettes, were it destroyers in their place she would have turned tail at the first sight but today she dared to fight outnumbered and outgunned. "Designating targets one through three, continue holding fire." By now the smaller ships began firing upon the larger vessel in hopes their superior numbers was enough to destroy the ship but instead it was only a delay. "All cannons target the closest ship designated '02'. Fire." She could hear the faint sound of the cannons echo throughout the ship as the overwhelming fire of the Munificent rained down on the single Acclamator overloading its shields and destroying it within minutes. The remaining two moved to flank at either side, diverting the crew's attention to one or the other.

"Shields are down to 15%." Reported a droid. Kvetina remained silent, letting her ships weaponry speak in her stead. As predicted the glorified cargo ships were no match for a fully dedicated warship with dozens of cannons unleashing their fire and fury upon the enemy. It was at this time that the shields had finally given up and damage instead hit armor plating or exposed structural points. With each hit from a turbo laser came a small rocking within the ship. The point defense guns were doing their work but even with their accuracy against the now devastated fighter wings the larger corvettes could tank just about all the damage they shot into it. "Enemy fighters are down by 86% and we have hull breaches on decks three and five."

"Get teams down there and start emergency repairs. Divert power from engines and point defense systems to main batteries, priority target '01'." Sparks turned his gaze from the planet ahead to Kvetina. Though unable to make any expression she could tell he was curious about her current mindset.

"Fires have started in multiple areas captain."

"Starve them out. Cut all life support to the ship except the bridge and seal the door's bulkhead." Another reason an entirely mechanical crew was useful: more options could be opened up without too much consequence. To the captain's left view, the Acclamator was starting to slow down and show off its interior moments before it exploded into a field of plating and parts some of which impacted the side of Munificent's armor plate. The last ship was going to make a desperate escape however its fleeing occupants made little progress as the full might of the /Indomitable/'s guns cut their route short. Fires, smoke, chunks of debris tore off the ship until finally it could no longer protect its clone crew with its thin hull plating. Aside from the few corvettes (two of which used the opportunity to escape) still lingering, the battle had been won in the name of the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The ship was calm now, at least the bridge as the other decks were probably chaotic with panicking battle droids, and it was at this time Sparks broke his silence.

"Captain, you appear unusually calm despite the battle. May I inquire 'why'?"

"After fighting great odds, one starts to read the encounter," She began, leaning back in her command chair, "Then they determine whether the battle is winnable or if it's better to turn tail and flee." She and the other militia struggled to outnumber the Republic clone troopers back home and when the confederate forces led a frontal assault in the city of Ivont it led to a quick and painful defeat. It was on that city's streets that left a mark on the militia fighters' minds. "That, and aside from studying, we had the advantage of surprise and firepower. Chip, what's the status on the rest of the ship?" Kvetina asked the commander droid marked with its yellow head to stand apart from the other droids.

"Fires have been put out, we lost a few droids but nothing too severe." He responded tapping away at the console to her right. Pleased with the results of the quick skirmish she ordered the ship to continue to its destination, "Wire, you are to head down, organize, and prioritize repairs with the other droids. Sparks, you will take what forces we have to spare and start deploying the cargo at the last known location of the surviving CIS garrison, if they are gone then find and secure a suitable landing zone. Eliminate all hostiles you come across.

AN: A bit short this time around but that and with the troubles usually has I'm just glad it's out. As always, enjoy!

~Firetoast312