This ragtag fleet arrived, looking very professional, in an out of the way, uninhabited star system that was neither close to their home nor anything important, somewhere in the Kanz sector of the Expansionist Region, out beyond the Inner Rim (Between it and the Mid-Rim, to be honest).
The Republic was still news out in this backward sector of the galaxy. They'd heard of the Empire but didn't even know what it meant yet. Some of the sectors were so backwards they'd only just gotten over Xim the Despot, and then, one or two of the planets hadn't. It was the highest point in their history and they weren't about to give it up.
And, remarkably, it wasn't all that far from Toon sector, where Bugs had just used Fudd's gullibility to set up a new Moff (one friendly to the Webel Wabbit and his cause) that his starships emerged from hyperspace.
Mancuso's training squadron of Imperial ships met them there.
The 'traitorous' ships arriving under inspection included the 8 Impstars, 12 Vicstars, and over sixty smaller warships ranging from Vindicator Heavy Cruisers through various light cruisers, plus frigates and corvettes. That number did not include any of the fifty-some-odd freighters commandeered to carry the stripped base parts and warship production and maintenance materials, or the prototying and research facility for more powerful turbolasers under tow.
Really, it was a testament to the blind obedience of troops in the Empire that Fudd's dozen Impstars could successfully bully that entire force. If it'd come to a fight the Death Squadron would have lost against that assembled naval power. While now they hung by performing a careful guard duty.
Against this, Mancuso's seven Impstars, two dozen Vicstars, and handfuls of smaller ships were not much of an impressive force. However, for the moment, Fudd's Fleet was on their side (or so Fudd thought), and so a number of former Imperial Naval officers back in uniform snickered up their sleeves as docking umbilicals were extruded and the crews of these 'inspection ships' began to go do their work.
Sylphiel just quietly said yea or nay on the entire force as they filed past her, one at a time.
Good, honest crewbeings with no particular allegiance to the New Order, either conscripts or mandatory volunteers taken from their planets to fill naval recruitment quotas, went to waiting assault troopships salvaged from Clone Wars battle sites and reserve yards and were told to make themselves comfortable. They'd be there a while.
The dishonest, deceitful, lazy or just general scum they filed with those who genuinely gave their allegiance to and believed in the New Order, and those they slated for return to Elmer's ships. After Shampoo and her two clan-sisters had taken them each aside momentarily for a brief shampoo and rinse, these crewbeings (mostly stormtroopers) were put on their own troopships for return to active duty.
Other 'inspection teams' swarmed aboard the warships these men had been departing and the majority they pronounced unfit for return to duty; either overwhelming maintenance faults (on pristine ships), deliberate sabotage to conceal evidence of traitorous activities (on more flawless vessels), time for decommission (on old ship models still in great shape) or other general faults requiring further inspection.
All those ships jumped out on courses set for the nearest Imperial Naval facility, terminated those jumps mere seconds into those routes but well beyond Fudd's sensor ranges, and took alternate paths to the Jedi's home in their hidden sectors.
They then did the same to Fudd's Death Squadron.
In the end, they left him without a single Impstar, only half a dozen small ships, and five older troopships barely still in active service. Shampoo had her time full programming their minds with the planned distractions.
Bugs stood by, idly supervising as the last elements went into place. "I wonder were Elmer is." munch, munch, munch. They'd had to pry him from out of his bathroom to get the last Impstar from under him. Now they were cleaning up on the largest warship they were returning to go with him, a light cruiser, of all things.
A voice came from the rabbit's elbow, startling him. "Shhhh! Be veeaawy quiet, I'm hunting Jedi. Hadadadada."
The fright knocked Bug's hat askew and one of his ears came pointing proudly up beside his now-maladjusted hat. Fudd scowled at him, and Bugs grinned in that 'oops, caught' way of his.
Closing his hands in prayer, Bugs prepared to be received up to heaven as Fudd leveled his ancient shotblaster at him when a voice spoke from behind the small man. "Shampoo, no like extra person with speech impediment."
The sound came of a lightsaber igniting. Elmer spun to face it, his face splitting into a wide grin. "Now Jedi you will learn why I use Betty, a shotblastew is much hawdew to stop than a nowmal blastew. Hadada"
Bam!!
"Hayai, good thing Shampoo wears body armor." Shampoo paused and slumped, which left Fudd well befuddled. "Great grandmother will think this great training aid." She sighed.
Blam! Blam!! Click!
Click! Inspector Fudd tried again a few times. Click. Click. Finally, staring at the weapon, he declared, "Oh! No mowe bullets."
Bugs leaned over Elmer's shoulder. "No more Bullets?" Rounding, he told Daffy. "Hey laughing boy. No more bullets!"
"Really?" Daffy came walked up.
BLAM!
"Well, what do ya know?" Fudd declared. "One bullet left!"
"One bullet left? Bugs cried out, repeating in joy, then turning to Daffy. "Hey, laughing boy..."
"I know, I KNOW!!" Daffy shouted, his face crisped and blackened.
"Ooops!" Shampoo glittered, giving Elmer a quick rinse to wash the suds from off his bald head. Standing behind him, she replaced his hat on his shiny dome and went and glittered beside the crispy duck. "Jedi is now in custody of Grand Admiral Daffy, who take false inspector into arrest, too! Now we go to awful prison planet! Come along, you two! Must go to jail!"
The trio vanished off toward the lifts leading to the shuttle bays.
A small, imperial shuttle sped off to the inspection fleet, just finished up with all of their work, and the last of that armada jumped to lightspeed very fast indeed.
Slightly overburdened with recruits, Elmer's ships left. Because of the switch in crew they would become known as one of the most loyal, fearsome, and incompetent Star Destroyer squadrons in known space.
When they arrived back in trafficked space, they suddenly began to think every ship around them was a small, orange smuggling ship and spent days collectively stopping the traffic in that route to the Core.
Darth Vader had a major headache cleaning up and covering for his friend.
The remainder, the good crew on those starships, fell under Rebel officers and began to make their way toward home by a roundabout path.
"But Buggzie!" Daffy complained, walking away down a gleaming corridor on the lead SD beside his friend. "We coulda taken them ALL!"
"Nyah, that's true." Bugs opened his carrot case and selected one to begin munching, calmly taking a moment to tap the end graciously and close the case. "But Daffy, Elmer does more good for our side working for de Empire than I do on da Rebel side."
The duck stood stock still, eye bulging. Then he calmed down, putting a finger to his beak, thinking. "That'ss true, isssn't it?"
Munch, munch, munch. "C'mon, let's get these Rebels to build me a new ship."
"YOU a sschip?" The duck shrieked in outrage. "I'M the one who did all thisss. I was Grand Admiral Daffy! I sshould get my own sschip! You could be my copilot for a change."
Bugs assumed an amused grin.
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(Posted Tue, 25 May 2004 22:11)
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