"Excellent." Teebo said. He was on a routine inspection of the shipyards. It once took him a week, but now, because of the recent war-and-peace with The Jutraalian Empire, it took less than a day. The ordeal with TJE had cost him six planets, countless ships, and 17 shipyards. He was now cut back to a measly 2 planets, and only four shipyards.
Now he was on a bid of conquest again. He needed planets, resources, ships, everything. The war with TJE had devastated the Mon Calamari Republic, and the road to recovery would be a long one. After his inspection at Ando, he was going to proceed to a small backwater planet he had dug out of the archives, called Da Soocha. It was deep in Hutt Space, a vast region explored by the Hutts. Supposedly, after discovering the planet, the Hutts had thought it to be a planet referred to in one of their legends. They had considered it holy and had never set foot on the planet. Which, Teebo supposed, they couldn't have done anyway since it was completely covered in water.
Teebo planned to secure the planet, set up a small floating base, and then colonize it with some Mon Calamarians, and perhaps Quarren or Aqualish. Since it was an ocean planet, he figured he could draw some of the more adventurous types to go. And the planet would be able to support shipyards.
He needed ships, needed them badly. His homeworld of Calamari, and the recently acquired planet of Ando only had so many resources, not enough it seemed. He hoped to get construction crews to Ando as soon as possible to begin constructing the massive framework required for a shipyard. He had been assured it would take no more than 40 days to have the shipyards active, but Teebo was doubtful. He suspected something more like 80, for the construction workers were well known for creating tiny flaws that could set them back many weeks. All he could do was hope that all went well, and in the meantime he would have to conquer other planets.
If he planned to acquire even a mediocre amount of ships, he would need planets aplenty. Now he only had two. It seemed his entire career had been devoted to conquering planets, building ships, having those ships destroyed and then surrendering planets. Then take more planets, build more ships, lose them and start all over again. It was a never-ending cycle.
He needed more power. As soon as he reached even a modest amount of firepower, some galactic superpower did something and forced him to intervene. He would lose planets, ships, and many lives. He needed more power to compete with those he warred against; else the cycle of his life would never change.
"Sir," a junior officer said, " We have arrived at Ando."
"Excellent. Prepare my shuttle. I want to inspect the shipyards immediately, so then maybe I can take some time to look at the planet."
"As you wish sir."
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A Short while later, Teebo was in the cockpit of his personal shuttle, piloting it to the shipyards. They were massive superstructures, and he could see the framework of a Mon Calamari Star Cruiser, as well as several smaller ships being worked on inside. The Mon Cals took great pride in their ships, individualizing down to the last detail. He wondered what the ships produced at Ando would turn out like. The Aqualish would not pay as much attention, that much was certain. Teebo guessed the ships would be more standard that what he was used to, but that was okay. The Ando shipyards would only produce smaller craft, such as MC-90s, while the shipyards at Mon Calamari would produce the massive flagships.
Teebo liked to see more work put into the larger ships, as it individualized them even more than usual. He could name the majority of the ships in his fleet merely by looking at their hulls, seeing the discoloration and differential in the bumps. Mon Calamari ships were noted for being covered in large bumps. Some contained shield generators, others turbolasers, Ion cannons, or other weapons, and the rest were just decorations, often serving as quarters for the ship's higher ranking officers.
On Teebo's flagship, the Viscount, he lived in a bubble on the starboard side, near the bow end. From the outside it was indistinguishable from the rest, but on the inside it was a large luxurious room, with a large aquarium circling the outside, filled with all kinds of different species of fish from Calamari. He enjoyed sitting for hours, doing nothing but watching the movements of the fish, longing to be back on his homeworld. But he had duties to perform, and so was rarely on Calamari. He was most often of his flagships, traveling to worlds to petition the to join, inspecting his fleet, or performing numerous other activities. Because of the frequent traveling, he spent many hours in hyperspace, and he usually endured them in his quarters.
He often spent time on the bridge as well though, so that he could familiarize himself with the crew. He made several trips to the hangar bays, repair bays, passenger areas, and had even once gone to the crews' quarters. He liked to make surprise visits to see if the ship was operating efficiently. It served to keep him informed, as well as keeping the crew on their toes. He had seen more than once where a crew got lazy, and it would often cost them their lives.
As he approached the shipyard, the comm. Officer signaled him and sent him landing coordinates, informing him of where to land. He flew the shuttle down and dropped neatly on the landing pad designated for his use, and then disembarked the shuttle. The shipyard seemed much larger now that he was closer, and he marveled at the enormity of its design.
He looked around, and noticed a blue-skinned Aqualish motioning him to join her. He walked casually over, and she introduced herself.
"I am Nonaw Mago. I will be you guide for your stay at the Ando Shipyards." Her voice was bubbly, as if she was gurgling water in her throat as she spoke. Teebo looked at her with one of his large eyes for a moment, and then said, "I am looking forward to my tour."
"Right this way, Admiral." She motioned with her arm toward an open airlock 20 feet away. Teebo followed her as she walked, his eyes moving independently of one another, surveying his surroundings.
"To your left, you'll see the research sector..
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Some time later, Teebo flopped back on his waterbed in his quarters on the Viscount. It had been a long day, and all he felt like doing right now was getting a good night's sleep. He stared up at the ceiling, watching a small green and blue fish eating some algae, and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.