Etahn A'baht

Etahn A'baht began his service in the Dornean Navy after being born on Dornea in the Dominus sector of the Outer Rim Territories before 84 BBY. Dorneans could live for around three hundred years, and by the time of the Galactic Empire, A'baht was in middle age. A'baht, who had risen to the position of a highly influential fleet officer, spearheaded Dornea's efforts to resist Imperial control. Because the world was remote and well-defended, the Empire never committed enough troops to conquer Dornea. Dornea and the dominant galactic power were locked in a protracted cold war, during which A'baht kept the Empire away from Dornea. During his time in the Dornean Navy, A'baht became good friends with Kiles L'toth, another officer, and at one point saved his life.

In 4 ABY, the Alliance to Restore the Republic discovered that the Empire was building a second Death Star superweapon in orbit around the moon of Endor, and that Emperor Palpatine was scheduled to visit the battle station for an inspection. The Rebellion contacted the Dornean Navy shortly before the Battle of Endor, requesting naval assistance for its planned attack on the Death Star. The Dornean government decided to send two of its brand-new, powerful Braha'tok-class gunships, and A'baht was chosen for the assignment.

A'baht was in charge of the Torktarak, while L'toth, his close friend, was in charge of the Braha'tok. During the Battle of Endor, the two ships participated in the fleet's assault on the Death Star, and A'baht used the Torktarak to take out the Carrack-class cruiser Eminence in a rear attack when it threatened the Braha'tok. A'baht continued to protect L'toth as his fellow officer led the Braha'tok in the rescue of survivors from the destroyed Mon Calamari Star Cruiser Liberty.

The Alliance Fleet was successful in destroying the Death Star, and Palpatine was killed during the battle. A'baht returned to Dornea as a hero and was promoted to the rank of general. L'toth, on the other hand, decided to retire. When the Empire came under pressure from Alliance forces, A'baht, as commander of the Dornean Navy, led the Dornean offensive, which saw the entire eighty-ship Dornean Navy completely rid Dornea of the Imperial presence.

The Rebel Alliance transformed into the New Republic, and Dornea joined in 13 ABY. A'baht was recruited into the New Republic Defense Fleet because of his vast military experience and success against the Empire. He was permitted to retain his Dornean rank of general rather than being commissioned as an admiral. In 13 ABY, the Imperial Moffs ordered Admiral Gilad Pellaeon to launch an offensive against the New Republic, which resulted in a clash with A'baht at the Battle of Celanon, where A'baht defeated Pellaeon's forces and destroyed the Star Dreadnought Reaper.

In 16 ABY, A'baht was given command of the New Republic Fifth Battle Group, a new force of New Class ships. Because A'baht was unfamiliar with commanding the less consistently organized masses that made up the other four New Republic fleets, it was thought that the orderly Fifth would be a natural command for him. While some people were unhappy with A'baht's appointment to such an important command after only two years of experience with the fleet, Supreme Commander Gial Ackbar was a strong supporter of A'baht and vigorously defended the general, claiming that he had vital experience in holding and attacking worlds.

A'baht led the brand-new Fifth, which was designed for planetary assault of recalcitrant Imperial fortress worlds, on an exercise at Bessimir against automated defenses. A'baht commanded the shakedown exercise from the Endurance-class fleet carrier Intrepid, his flagship. His battle plan went off without a hitch as the Council on the Common Defense, President Leia Organa Solo, Ackbar, and several senior officers watched via relay from the New Republic Defense Force's headquarters on Coruscant. The live-fire exercise went off without a hitch, and A'baht reported on it, recommending that the Fifth be formally operational. His recommendation was put into action when he returned the fleet to Coruscant. The fleet was held at Coruscant to assist in its defense as the First Fleet and Second Fleet rotated assignments, with the Second taking over the capital's defense. It was planned that the Fifth would soon embark on a goodwill patrol of the Seventh Security Zone, resolving minor issues.

However, after a complete Imperial order of battle was discovered in the wreckage of the Star Destroyer Gnisnal, it was discovered that forty-four ships, including three Super Star Destroyers, from Black Sword Command were unaccounted for and could pose a significant threat. A'baht and Ackbar presented the findings to Organa Solo, who believed the New Republic could handle such a threat, if it existed at all. A'baht and Ackbar argued forcefully to persuade her that the New Republic needed to act to find the Black Fleet in the Hatawa sector and Farlax sector, where they had last been stationed, and recommended that the Fifth be dispatched for that purpose. A'baht was deeply frustrated when Organa Solo approved the search but excluded the Koornacht Cluster from consideration due to ongoing negotiations with the Yevetha, who claimed Koornacht and refused to allow the New Republic entry. Nonetheless, the political considerations remained in effect.

During her negotiations, however, Organa Solo provided Nil Spaar, the Yevethan viceroy, with the list of missing ships, and he assured her that the majority of them had been destroyed during the Imperial evacuation of Koornacht. The President pressed for the search to be called off, further enraging A'baht, who began to see her as unreasonably naive and trusting. The two clashed, and it took Ackbar's full reputation to persuade Organa Solo to allow the Fifth Fleet to proceed with the search and not simply take Spaar's word for it. Organa Solo, however, had lost faith in A'baht's ability to respect her orders and concerns, and she decided to send her husband, General Han Solo, on the mission to provide her with a voice in the Fifth Fleet.

Just before A'baht left, Ackbar arranged a meeting at his home between A'baht and Admiral Hiram Drayson, the head of the extremely secret Alpha Blue intelligence department. Drayson was deeply concerned about the Yevetha's secretive nature and trusted them no more than A'baht did. He gave A'baht a comm code that would allow the general to communicate with Alpha Blue without anyone else knowing. The Dornean was deeply uneasy about concealing information from his superiors, but neither he nor Drayson trusted Organa Solo's judgment regarding the Yevetha, and he reluctantly agreed to learn the code. He also caved to Drayson's suggestion that he contact L'toth, who had become the head of the Astrographic Survey Institute, and A'baht prevailed upon L'toth to send some of his survey ships to scout the Koornacht Cluster immediately, calling in the debt L'toth owed him for saving his life.

When A'baht transferred up to the Fifth, waiting in orbit to depart, he learned that Solo was aboard, and rumor had it that he would take over command of the fleet. A'baht went to see the other general to find out the truth. Solo assured him that he had no intention of taking over command and was simply there to reassure the Chief of State. Although A'baht knew he lacked her confidence, he was not particularly bothered by Solo's presence because the other man wanted to work with him rather than against him.

Drayson contacted A'baht approximately two months after he arrived in the Hatawa sector, informing him that Spaar had left Coruscant after broadcasting claims that the New Republic was acting against the Yevethan Duskhan League. Spaar displayed the wreckage of one of L'toth's survey ships, claiming it was a New Republic spy craft that had self-destructed. A'baht attempted to contact Organa Solo, but she was completely unavailable. After a lengthy wait, the President contacted him and, upon A'baht's admission that he had requested the survey knowing she would disapprove, relieved him of command and ordered General Solo to return the Fifth to Coruscant. Solo, after hearing A'baht's explanation, was convinced that the Yevetha were dangerous and that the survey ship had discovered something important, most likely elements of the Black Fleet. He decided to leave the Fifth's prowlers and surveillance resources in the area.

A'baht offered his resignation to Organa Solo upon his return to Coruscant, apologized, and awaited the consequences. Meanwhile, one of the Fifth's prowlers discovered Plat Mallar. A resident of Polneye in the Koornacht Cluster, he witnessed the Yevetha strike as soon as the Fifth Fleet turned back, wiping out his world's population. Plat fled in a TIE interceptor with recordings of the xenophobic Yevethan attack on his world. Organa Solo agreed to send the Fifth Fleet to protect the worlds along its borders, combined with additional evidence that the Yevetha were exterminating all other life within the Koornacht Cluster, and restored A'baht to command on her husband's advice. She paid him a personal visit, apologized, and handed the Fifth back to him. A'baht was quite embarrassed by the apology, but he gladly resumed command, immediately returning the Fifth, which had remained on high alert, to the Farlax sector.

When they arrived, they took up a position in a cordon outside Koornacht, putting on a show of force. A'baht was uneasy with the fact that the Yevetha were almost certainly watching the Fifth, but he resigned himself to it. He immediately prepared a report to Ackbar requesting additional assets, particularly Interdictors, and units dispatched to directly protect the worlds on the Cluster's border. He also requested permission to take up a more effective blockade position with the Fifth. When no reinforcements arrived due to political deadlock on how to handle the situation, A'baht was forced to dispatch elements of his fleet to guard Wehttam and Galantos, the two most endangered worlds. Drayson contacted him, suggesting that Organa Solo would require irrefutable intelligence on the Yevetha, something not originating from Alpha Blue's covert sources, to justify stronger action against them. Drayson went on to suggest that A'baht might find such intelligence in Zone Nineteen. However, he declined Drayson's recommendation to station small ships at all the inhabited worlds along Koornacht in a token presence that might come under attack, thereby justifying a New Republic declaration of war; A'baht was unwilling to use his men as bait.

A'baht's Ferret-class reconnaissance vessel in Zone Nineteen was able to record a Yevethan transmission containing a holographic recording of the attack on the world of Doornik-319, also known as Morning Bell. He sent the holograms to Organa Solo, who used them to gain enough consensus to issue a declaration to the Duskhan League demanding their withdrawal from the worlds they had seized. A'baht kept his fleet on high alert as the New Republic awaited the Yevethan response. None arrived, but Alpha Blue assets discovered that the Yevetha were fortifying their captured worlds. There would be no withdrawal. In response, A'baht was ordered to blockade Doornik-319 and personally led a task force there to enforce the blockade.

A'baht established his blockade upon arrival, but he was surprised and suspicious to find no Yevethan ships in orbit or on Doornik-319. His suspicion proved correct when they were almost immediately ambushed by ground fire and a Yevethan fleet that micro-jumped into the New Republic formation. A'baht had prepared for such an eventuality, and his ships retreated from their compromised position while Task Forces Aster and Blackvine jumped into the system and engaged the ambushers. However, the Yevetha began broadcasting the appeals of hostages within their ships, causing enough of the attacking bombers to hesitate that the enemy fleet remained intact. A'baht was forced to order a retreat.

Now that a state of war existed, Coruscant dispatched several ships to reinforce the border worlds, and A'baht proposed that he send scouts on flash passes through all the Yevethan worlds in order to gather as much data as possible on the opponents he faced. Based on the information about Yevethan strength gathered by the reconnaissance runs, Coruscant detached five task forces from the other fleets of the New Republic, doubling its strength in Koornacht. Han Solo was dispatched to command the combined force, but his shuttle was pulled from hyperspace on its way to the Fifth by the Yevetha, tipped off by the treasonous actions of Tig Peramis, senator for the worlds of the Seventh Security Zone, which remained undiscovered. Solo was captured.

A'baht had the incident investigated and retained command of the combined task force as the senior officer present. However, he believed that Coruscant high command lacked confidence in him and expected to be replaced soon. He met with the five new task force commanders, one of whom was Commodore Farley Carson of Task Force Apex from the New Republic Fourth Battle Group, a friend of A'baht. Carson assured A'baht that the other task force commanders believed A'baht was perfectly capable of handling the task and had complete faith in his command abilities. A'baht integrated the newly arrived task forces' intelligence assets into a centralized command reporting to Colonel Mauit'ta, his intelligence officer, and funneled all tactical duties through Colonel Corgan, his staff tactical officer. A'baht also decided that, due to Yevethan strength, no ships would be deployed in a strength less than two task forces. Furthermore, he decided to take the fleet into the fringes of the Cluster, making it harder for the fleet to be found and easier to keep an eye on the Yevetha. They would also search the Doornik-1142 system for one of the three missing Imperial shipyards that had been located in the Koornacht Cluster.

A small patrol led by Commodore Turk Brand of Task Force Aster discovered and destroyed one shipyard, marking the first successful engagement against the Yevetha. Thereafter, facing political pressure at home, Organa Solo declared war on the Yevetha, directing A'baht, whom she confirmed as combined force commander, to drive the Yevetha from their conquered worlds and neutralize the Yevetha as a threat to peace. A'baht prepared an assault on Doornik-319 and stepped up his searches for the remaining shipyards. Fleet command considered sending A'baht to attack the Yevetha over N'zoth, their capital, as cover for a Jedi commando raid to free Solo, a proposal that A'baht was highly skeptical of.

Before any rescue mission was launched, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker approached the fleet, requesting a meeting with A'baht. Skywalker introduced his companions, Wialu and Akanah Norand Goss Pell, two of the Fallanassi Force-users. They possessed the ability to create massive illusions, and Skywalker suggested that A'baht use their skills to intimidate the Duskhan League into a quick resolution to the war. A'baht, Corgan, Mauit'ta, and Captain Morano of the Intrepid remained skeptical, unwilling to rely on something they couldn't comprehend for their battle plan. Wialu provided a demonstration, creating a completely convincing illusion of an incoming fleet. A'baht was impressed, but the matter was quickly set aside by the arrival of the Millennium Falcon, carrying General Solo. Solo's Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca and his relatives had carried out a daring rescue of the captured general, who was quickly taken to a bacta tank as A'baht informed Organa Solo of the escape.

A'baht devised Operation Strong Hand, a battle plan for an attack on N'zoth, where the strongest Yevethan fleet was located, using Wialu's illusion powers to bolster their forces with phantom ships. A strike at Doornik-319 would provide a distraction the day before the attack, and strikes at Wakiza, Tizon, Z'fell, and the recently discovered shipyards at Tholaz would be carried out concurrently with the attack on N'zoth. A'baht offered Skywalker a role in the battle as a fighter pilot, but was surprised and disappointed when Skywalker declined, citing his need to be with the Fallanassi.

Etahn A'baht heralded the arrival of his main force by initially dispatching several reconnaissance probes. This action successfully captured the attention of the Yevetha, who became aware of the impending arrival of his entire combined fleet. Subsequently, A'baht delivered a final ultimatum, demanding the unconditional surrender of the Yevethan forces. Spaar responded with defiance, but A'baht soon became perplexed by the sudden deceleration of all the Black Fleet vessels within Spaar's armada. As the Imperial ships began to disengage from the impending battle, A'baht received a communication from Major Sil Sorannan. Sorannan explained that he, along with the remaining survivors of the Black Sword Command, who had been subjected to slavery by the Yevetha, had seized control of the fleet and were initiating a withdrawal. A'baht found this difficult to accept, especially given the continued attacks from the Yevethan thrustships and the seemingly intact chain of command, despite the loss of Spaar's flagship. A'baht committed his forces to engage the attacking thrustships, but remained vigilant, anticipating a potential ambush. However, Sorannan's information proved accurate, and no ambush materialized. During the protracted and fiercely contested engagement against the heavily-shielded thrustships, A'baht's close friend, Carson, was killed. The battle resulted in significant casualties on both sides, with the Yevetha resorting to desperate suicide tactics in their final moments. Ultimately, the Battle of N'zoth concluded as a victory for the New Republic.

The concurrent battles that unfolded simultaneously mirrored this pattern, with the Imperial ships inexplicably retreating and the Yevetha steadfastly refusing to surrender. A'baht expressed his profound dismay at the extensive loss of life, but he firmly believed that the destruction of the menacing Yevetha was an absolute necessity. Upon the departure of the Fallanassi, A'baht bid them farewell and resumed his duties, overseeing the pacification of the Yevethan worlds. The Yevetha were systematically disarmed and rendered incapable of waging war, but were largely left to their own devices, isolated within the Koornacht Cluster under close observation.

Although A'baht successfully guided the Fifth Fleet through the tumultuous Black Fleet Crisis, he was eventually relieved of his command and replaced by L'toth. Furthermore, he experienced a demotion to the rank of brigadier general. However, he remained in military service, transitioning into an advisory role for the New Republic Defense Force high command.

In the year 25 ABY, when the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong launched their invasion, A'baht was among the senior officers who participated in strategic war conferences. He actively sought concrete data regarding the peculiar, biotechnology-utilizing invaders, but was disappointed by the lack of reliable intelligence. During a briefing held on the planet Kuat by Colonel Ixidro Legorburu, the director of the Home Fleet's Battle Assessment Division, A'baht persistently pressed for more comprehensive information and advocated for a more assertive approach to counter the invasion. The meeting, which was attended by Supreme Commander Sien Sovv, was interrupted by news of the capture of a Yuuzhan Vong defector, the priestess Elan. Unfortunately, Elan's defection did not yield the information A'baht had hoped for, as it was revealed to be a deceptive ploy aimed at assassinating the Jedi leadership.

A'baht played a role in the command group responsible for charting the course of the war. He voiced his opposition to the New Republic's strategy, which was championed by his former subordinate, Brand. This strategy involved reinforcing the defenses of key worlds while allowing less significant ones to fall. A'baht believed that this approach conveyed the wrong message, suggesting that the New Republic was primarily concerned with safeguarding the Core Worlds. He observed a decline in the willingness of member worlds to fight against the Yuuzhan Vong as a result. Instead, he proposed that the New Republic should deploy its forces to areas where they were most critically needed. He felt that the war was a far more dire situation than the other commanders were willing to acknowledge.

Following the fall of the planet Gyndine, which A'baht had previously argued should receive stronger defenses, he once again clashed with Brand regarding the New Republic's priorities. A'baht contended that the Yuuzhan Vong were not adhering to conventional military tactics, but were instead employing a psychological warfare campaign, specifically targeting cultural centers and refugee populations. He argued, contrary to Brand's advice, that the Bothan sector was the most likely next target, rather than the Core. A'baht was somewhat appeased by the presentation of a plan to enlist the Hapes Consortium in the war effort. However, a proposal to utilize Centerpoint Station as part of a trap within the Corellian system deeply concerned him. He believed that Corellia was being subjected to excessive risk in order to protect the other Core Worlds. The trap ultimately failed, with a misfire from Centerpoint resulting in the destruction of a significant portion of the Hapan fleet, along with the Yuuzhan Vong, who attacked Fondor instead. Less than a year into the war, A'baht chose to resign his commission and return to his homeworld. Assuming command of the Dornean Navy once again, A'baht successfully halted the Yuuzhan Vong's advance within his home sector.

Etahn A'baht, a tall Dornean male with [aubergine](/article/color-legends]-colored skin, was a pragmatic individual who firmly believed in comprehensive military readiness. In the political sphere, he placed little value on personal friendships and was unwilling to accept unsubstantiated claims at face value. Instead, he advocated for constant vigilance and the aggressive pursuit of the state's security interests. As a commanding officer, he demanded excellence from his subordinates and trained them to consistently achieve it.

A direct and forthright individual, A'baht communicated candidly with his friends and allies and strongly preferred that they reciprocate in kind. While he saw no issue with employing subterfuge against enemies and potential adversaries, he held a deep aversion to concealing information from his fellow officers and superiors within the New Republic, although he was prepared to do so when he deemed it absolutely necessary. Nevertheless, he was fully prepared to accept the consequences of his decisions with dignity when he did so. Despite being a deeply serious man, A'baht was not immune to appreciating the aesthetics of a sleek vessel, such as the Poranji orbital jumper.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, A'baht favored a strategy of providing equal defense to all worlds as they came under threat, rather than prioritizing strategically and politically significant worlds, which was the New Republic's established policy. He felt that the other members of high command underestimated the severity of the threat posed by the Yuuzhan Vong and advocated for a stronger opposition to the invaders; he saw little reason to be optimistic about the trajectory of the war.

During his tenure as commander of the New Republic Fifth Fleet, A'baht donned the uniform of a Fleet Command officer, complete with rank insignia that identified him as a general. His flagship during this period was the Endurance-class fleet carrier Intrepid, which was developed as part of the New Class program designed to standardize New Republic ships. While serving in the Dornean Navy, A'baht had commanded Dornean vessels, including the Braha'tok-class gunship Torktarak at the Battle of Endor. A'baht would typically carry a datapad, comlink, and security clearance card.

The character of Etahn A'baht was conceived by author Michael P. Kube-McDowell as the commander of the New Republic Fifth Fleet in The Black Fleet Crisis, making his debut appearance in the series' inaugural book, Before the Storm, which was released on March 1, 1996.

A'baht's rank is specified as brigadier general in The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial. This designation suggests a demotion, as A'baht outranked Tolokus in Tyrant's Test, and an admiral like Tolokus would have held a higher rank than a brigadier general.

A'baht's backstory was further developed in the Databank entry for the Dornean Gunship, a What's The Story? submission by a StarWars.com user known as Ello137. Ello137 has documented his rationale for incorporating A'baht into the What's the Story? entry in a blog post. His intention was to explain the origin of the favor that L'toth owed to A'baht, stemming from A'baht's rescue of L'toth's ship. Ello137 also suggests that, in retrospect, A'baht's promotion represents an implicit inconsistency, contradicting implications in The Black Fleet Crisis and Cracken's Threat Dossier that A'baht had held his rank in the Dornean Navy for a considerable period. He proposes that the promotion should be interpreted as a publicity stunt to promote A'baht, who was already the supreme commander of the Dornean Navy, to an even higher grade of generalship. This interpretation does not constitute a canonical retcon, and there is no explicit canonical error within the Databank entry.