View source for Etahn A'baht

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{{Character
|type=New Republic
|image=[[File:Etahn_A'baht.jpg]]
|name=Etahn A'baht
|homeworld=[[Dornea/Legends|Dornea]]<ref name="Before the Storm">''[[Before the Storm]]''</ref>
|birth=Prior to [[84 BBY/Legends|84 BBY]], Dornea<ref name="84BBY">A'baht is said to be over 100 [[Standard year/Legends|years]] old in ''[[Before the Storm]]'', which ''[[The Essential Reader's Companion]]'' places in [[16 ABY/Legends|16 ABY]].</ref>
|death=
|species=[[Dornean/Legends|Dornean]]<ref name="Before the Storm" />
|gender=[[Gender/Legends|Male]]<ref name="Before the Storm" />
|height=
|mass=
|hair=
|eyes=
|skin=[[Color/Legends|Aubergine]]<ref name="Hero's Trial">''[[The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial]]''</ref>
|cyber=
|affiliation=*[[Dornea/Legends|Dornea]]<ref name="Before the Storm" />
*[[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]]<ref name="Before the Storm" />
**[[New Republic Fifth Fleet]]<ref name="Before the Storm" />
|masters=
|apprentices=}}
{{Quote|Whatever waits for us, whether princess or dragon, we are called to embrace it. I am mindful of a Dornean war prayer I heard my own mother offer&mdash;'I pray that my son does not die today. But if he should die, I pray that he dies well. But most of all, I pray that if he lives, it will not be dishonor which preserves him.''"<br />"''Are you a betting man, General? Princess or dragon?''"<br />"''Captain, I am not certain I can always tell the difference.|Etahn A'baht and Morano|<ref name="Shield of Lies">''[[Shield of Lies]]''</ref>}}
'''Etahn A'baht''' was a pragmatic career naval officer, devoted to military service. A [[Gender/Legends|male]] [[Dornean/Legends|Dornean]], he served in the [[Dornean Navy]] with distinction, rising to command the entire eighty-[[Starship/Legends|ship]] force and using it to keep the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]] from conquering [[Dornea/Legends|Dornea]]. He fought with the [[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Alliance to Restore the Republic]] at the [[Battle of Endor/Legends|Battle of Endor]], but Dornea declined to join that body or the [[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]] until after A'baht had driven the Empire from Dornean space entirely.

When Dornea joined the New Republic, A'baht was recruited into the [[New Republic Defense Fleet/Legends|New Republic Defense Fleet]]. He defeated Imperial [[Admiral/Legends|Admiral]] [[Gilad Pellaeon/Legends|Gilad Pellaeon's]] forces at the [[Battle of Celanon]] in [[13 ABY/Legends|13 ABY]] and, in [[16 ABY/Legends|16 ABY]], he became the inaugural [[Commander/Legends|commander]] of the [[New Republic Fifth Fleet|New Republic Fifth Battle Group]], which was quickly put to the test in the [[Black Fleet Crisis]]. Despite causing [[President/Legends|President]] [[Leia Organa Solo]] to doubt his judgment when he became irritated with her reluctance to consider the [[Yevetha]] a threat, A'baht was fully backed by [[Supreme Commander]] [[Gial Ackbar/Legends|Gial Ackbar]] and regained Organa Solo's confidence. He led the Fifth Fleet, and later a double-sized combined force, against [[Viceroy/Legends|Viceroy]] [[Nil Spaar]] of the [[Duskhan League]], defeating the Yevetha in the [[Battle of N'zoth]].

A'baht later left command of the Fifth and accepted a demotion to [[Brigadier|brigadier general]]. He remained an important officer in the [[Fleet/Legends|fleet]], and served as one of the top strategic advisors to Supreme Commander [[Sien Sovv]] during the early [[Yuuzhan Vong War]], urging Sovv to abandon his strategy of defending only strategically vital worlds and leaving the rest to fend for themselves. When his superiors failed to listen, A'baht resigned his commission and returned home to defend Dornea.

==Biography==
===The Galactic Civil War===
====Dornean career====
{{Dialogue|Ackbar|Though it was not part of the Rebel Alliance, Dornea has its own heroes from the fight against the Empire. General A'baht has a long and exemplary record as a fleet commander with the Dornean Navy. We are fortunate to be able to call upon his services.|Marook|The entire Dornean Navy numbers barely eighty vessels.|Organa Solo|And yet, the Dornean Navy successfully defended Dornea's independence throughout the reign of Palpatine, against Imperial forces several times as large.|attr=Ackbar, [[Cian Marook]], and Leia Organa Solo|src=<ref name="Before the Storm" />}}
Born on [[Dornea/Legends|Dornea]]<ref name="Before the Storm" /> in the [[Dominus sector]] of the [[Outer Rim Territories/Legends|Outer Rim Territories]]<ref name="TEAOC">{{SW|url=news/star-wars-the-essential-atlas-online-companion|text=''Star Wars: The Essential Atlas'' Online Companion|int=Star Wars: The Essential Atlas Online Companion}}</ref> prior to [[84 BBY/Legends|84 BBY]],<ref name="84BBY" /> Etahn A'baht joined the [[Dornean Navy]]. [[Dornean/Legends|Dorneans]] had lifespans of some three hundred [[Standard year/Legends|years]], and by the time of the [[Galactic Empire/Legends|Galactic Empire]], A'baht was middle-aged. By that point a very highly-placed [[Fleet/Legends|fleet]] [[Officer/Legends|officer]], A'baht led Dornea in [[Dornea's war against the Empire|resisting]] Imperial domination. The remote [[Planet/Legends|world]] was strongly defended, and the Empire never sent sufficient force to subdue Dornea. A prolonged state of cold war existed between Dornea and the dominant [[The galaxy/Legends|galactic]] power, in which A'baht kept the Empire from Dornea.<ref name="Cracken's Threat Dossier">''[[Cracken's Threat Dossier]]''</ref> During his time in the Dornean Navy, A'baht became close friends with a fellow officer, [[Kiles L'toth]], and at some point saved his life.<ref name="Before the Storm" />

[[File:BrahatokClassGunship-Databank.jpg|thumb|left|280px|A ''Braha'tok''-class gunship]]
In [[4 ABY/Legends|4 ABY]], the [[Alliance to Restore the Republic/Legends|Alliance to Restore the Republic]] learned that the Empire was constructing a [[Death Star II/Legends|second Death Star]] [[Superweapon/Legends|superweapon]] in [[Orbit/Legends|orbit]] of the [[Moon/Legends|moon]] [[Endor/Legends|Endor]], and that [[Galactic Emperor/Legends|Emperor]] [[Palpatine/Legends|Palpatine]] was scheduled to visit the [[battlestation]] on an inspection tour.<ref name="NEC">''[[The New Essential Chronology]]''</ref> Shortly before the [[Battle of Endor/Legends|Battle of Endor]], the Dornean Navy was approached by the Rebellion, looking for naval power to add to its planned strike against the Death Star. The Dornean government agreed to send two of its brand-new, powerful [[Braha'tok-class gunship/Legends|''Braha'tok''-class gunships]], and A'baht was selected for the mission.<ref name="Databank">{{DB|starship|dorneangunship|Dornean gunship|archivedate=20110821193752}}</ref>

A'baht commanded the ''[[Torktarak]]'', while his good friend L'toth commanded the ''[[Braha'tok]]''. The two [[Starship/Legends|ships]] served in the fleet's attack on the Death Star during the Battle of Endor, and A'baht used the ''Torktarak'' to eliminate the [[Carrack-class light cruiser/Legends|''Carrack''-class cruiser]] [[Eminence (Carrack-class)|''Eminence'']] in an attack from the rear when it threatened the ''Braha'tok''. A'baht continued to guard L'toth as his fellow officer led the ''Braha'tok'' in rescuing survivors from the destroyed [[Mon Calamari Star Cruiser]] [[Liberty/Legends|''Liberty'']].<ref name="Databank" />

The [[Alliance Fleet]] was successful in destroying the Death Star, and Palpatine was [[Death/Legends|killed]] during the battle.<ref name="NEC" /> A'baht returned victorious to Dornea, where he was promoted to the rank of [[General/Legends|general]]. L'toth, on the other hand, retired.<ref name="Databank" /> When the Empire found itself pressed by Alliance forces, A'baht, the commander of the Dornean Navy, led the Dornean offensive that saw the entire eighty-ship Dornean Navy completely rid Dornea of the Imperial presence.<ref name="Cracken's Threat Dossier" />

====Command of the Fifth Fleet====
{{Quote|You must understand that the problems of invading a planetary body from space, or defending one against an invasion, are quite different from the problems of destroying a planet, or blockading one, or laying siege to one. And it is a set of problems with which we have had very little experience. The veterans of the Alliance, whom Senator Marook so kindly praised, know all the secrets of fighting as an insurgent force&mdash;the roles of stealth, of mobility, of hit-and-run tactics, of disrupting the enemy's lines of supply and communication. But a commando force cannot defend a homeworld, a system, a sector. A commando force cannot tie up its assets waiting to be attacked. A commando force cannot carry out an invasion. You should remind yourself that at no time in its history did the Alliance enjoy the resources to fight a conventional war. And the one time we were forced by circumstance to do so, at Hoth, we suffered a terrible defeat. That is why Etahn A'baht was selected to command the Fifth Fleet. He brings to that bridge all the hard-won expertise of the Dornea, an expertise which I cannot match.|Ackbar, to Cian Marook|<ref name="Before the Storm" />}}
The Rebel Alliance [[Declaration of a New Republic/Legends|transformed]] into the [[New Republic/Legends|New Republic]],<ref name="NEC" /> and Dornea became a member by [[13 ABY/Legends|13 ABY]].<ref name="DorneaDate">''[[The Essential Guide to Warfare]]'' establishes A'baht was serving the New Republic in 13 [[Galactic Standard Calendar|ABY]], while ''[[Cracken's Threat Dossier]]'' states that A'baht was recruited into the New Republic Navy after Dornea joined the New Republic.</ref> Due to his extensive military experience and performance against the Empire, A'baht was recruited into the [[New Republic Defense Fleet/Legends|New Republic Defense Fleet]]. He was allowed to keep his Dornean-style rank of general rather than being commissioned as an [[Admiral/Legends|admiral]].<ref name="Cracken's Threat Dossier" /> In 13 ABY, the Imperial [[Moff/Legends|Moffs]] ordered Admiral [[Gilad Pellaeon/Legends|Gilad Pellaeon]] to launch an offensive against the New Republic, leading him to clash with A'baht at the [[Battle of Celanon]], where A'baht defeated Pellaeon's forces and destroyed the [[Star Dreadnought/Legends|Star Dreadnought]] [[Reaper (Executor-class)|''Reaper'']].<ref name="EGW">''[[The Essential Guide to Warfare]]''</ref>

In [[16 ABY/Legends|16 ABY]],<ref name="16ABY">''[[The Essential Reader's Companion]]'' places the events of ''[[Before the Storm]]'' in [[16 ABY/Legends|16 ABY]].</ref> A'baht was given command of the [[New Republic Fifth Fleet|New Republic Fifth Battle Group]], a brand-new force of [[New Class Modernization Program|New Class]] ships.<ref name="Before the Storm" /> As A'baht was not used to commanding the less consistently organized masses that comprised the other four New Republic fleets, it was felt that the orderly Fifth was a natural command for him.<ref name="Cracken's Threat Dossier" /> While there was some discontent with A'baht's appointment to such a significant command after only two years of experience with the fleet, [[Supreme Commander]] [[Gial Ackbar/Legends|Gial Ackbar]] was a great proponent of A'baht and vigorously defended the general as having vital experience in holding and assaulting worlds.<ref name="Before the Storm" />

[[File:Endurance_Fleet_Carrier.jpg|thumb|right|300px|An ''Endurance''-class Fleet Carrier, the class of A'baht's flagship]]
A'baht took the brand-new Fifth, which was designed with planetary assault of recalcitrant Imperial fortress worlds in mind, on an [[Operation Hammerblow|exercise]] at [[Bessimir]] against automated defenses. From the [[Endurance-class fleet carrier|''Endurance''-class fleet carrier]] [[Intrepid (Endurance-class)|''Intrepid'']], his [[Flagship/Legends|flagship]], A'baht commanded the shakedown exercise. His battle plan went off without any significant flaws as the [[Defense Council|Council on the Common Defense]], [[President/Legends|President]] [[Leia Organa Solo]], Ackbar, and several senior officers watched via relay from the [[Combined Defense Forces of the New Republic|New Republic Defense Force's]] headquarters on [[Coruscant/Legends|Coruscant]]. The live-fire exercise concluded smoothly, and A'baht reported on it with a recommendation that the Fifth be made formally operational. His recommendation was put into action when he brought the fleet back to Coruscant. The fleet was held at Coruscant to help protect it as the [[New Republic First Fleet|First Fleet]] and [[New Republic Second Fleet|Second Fleet]] rotated assignments, and the Second took over the capital's defense. It was planned that the Fifth would soon move out on a goodwill patrol of the [[Seventh Security Zone]], patching up minor problems.<ref name="Before the Storm" />

===The Black Fleet Crisis===
====The threat of the Black Fleet====
{{Quote|I'm telling you that there's more to being ready to defend yourself than posting sentries at the border. You must plan, and you must train, for the battle you don't want to fight, against the enemy you don't want to face, on the ground you don't want to defend. Then, and only then, do you have a credible deterrent.|Etahn A'baht, to Leia Organa Solo|<ref name="Before the Storm" />}}
When a complete Imperial [[Order of Battle/Legends|order of battle]] was found in the wreck of the [[Star Destroyer/Legends|Star Destroyer]] ''[[Gnisnal]]'', however, it was discovered that forty-four ships, including three [[Super Star Destroyer/Legends|Super Star Destroyers]], from [[Sixth Negative Regions|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 deal with such a menace, if one even existed. A'baht and Ackbar argued strongly to convince her that the New Republic needed to act to search for the [[Black Fleet]] in the [[Hatawa sector]] and [[Farlax sector]], in which they had last been stationed, and recommended that the Fifth be dispatched for that task. A'baht was deeply frustrated when Organa Solo approved the search but exempted the [[Koornacht Cluster/Legends|Koornacht Cluster]] from examination due to the ongoing negotiations with the [[Yevetha]], who claimed Koornacht and refused to allow the New Republic inside. Nevertheless, the political considerations remained in place.<ref name="Before the Storm" />

[[File:Black Fleet Crisis.jpg|thumb|left|280px|President Leia Organa Solo was concerned that A'baht's search for the Black Fleet could jeopardize negotiations with Yevethan Viceroy Nil Spaar.]]
During her negotiations, however, Organa Solo gave the list of missing ships to [[Nil Spaar]], the Yevethan [[Viceroy/Legends|viceroy]], and he assured her that most of them had been destroyed in the Imperial evacuation of Koornacht. The President pushed to cancel the search, further aggravating A'baht, who began to consider her unreasonably naive and trusting. The pair clashed, and it took the full weight of Ackbar's reputation to convince Organa Solo to allow the Fifth Fleet to go ahead with the search and not merely take Spaar's word. Organa Solo, however, had lost confidence that A'baht would respect her orders and concerns, and decided to send her husband, General [[Han Solo/Legends|Han Solo]], along on the mission to provide her a voice in the Fifth Fleet.<ref name="Before the Storm" />

Just before A'baht departed, Ackbar arranged a meeting at his home between A'baht and Admiral [[Hiram Drayson]], the leader of the supremely secret [[Alpha Blue]] intelligence department. Drayson was deeply concerned by the Yevetha's secretive nature and did not trust them any 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 uncomfortable with concealing information from his superiors, but neither he nor Drayson had confidence in 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.<ref name="Before the Storm" />

When A'baht transferred up to the Fifth, waiting in orbit to depart, he learned that Solo was aboard, and rumor was that he would take over command of the fleet. A'baht went to see the other general and find the truth. Solo assured him that he had no desire to take over command, and was merely there to reassure the [[Chief of State (New Republic)|Chief of State]]. Though A'baht knew he did not enjoy her confidence, he was not particularly upset by Solo's presence, as the other man wanted to work with and not against him.<ref name="Before the Storm" />

====Relieved of command====
{{Quote|He disobeyed your orders, but is that the same thing as being disloyal? Did he do what he did for personal gain? Did he do it to enhance his career, or aid the enemy? No. He was trying to protect all those people out there with him, and all the people back here, too. And hell, Leia&mdash;he was right. He ought to get some points for that.''"<br />"''You said it yourself. He disobeyed my orders.''"<br />"''He disobeyed an order you never should have given.|Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo|<ref name="Before the Storm" />}}
[[File:YevethanPurge.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Yevethan forces purge a world within the Koornacht Cluster.]]
After A'baht was in the Hatawa sector some two [[Standard month/Legends|months]], he was contacted by Drayson, who relayed to him the fact 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, which he claimed was a New Republic [[Spy/Legends|spy]] craft that had self-destructed. A'baht tried to speak with Organa Solo, but she was completely out of contact. After a long 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, on hearing A'baht's explanation, was convinced that the Yevetha were dangerous, and that the survey ship had found something important, likely elements of the Black Fleet. He made the decision to leave the Fifth's [[Prowler-class reconnaissance vessel|prowlers]] and surveillance resources in the area.<ref name="Before the Storm" />

On his return to Coruscant, A'baht offered his resignation to Organa Solo and apologized, then awaited the consequences. Meanwhile, one of the Fifth's prowlers found [[Plat Mallar]]. A resident of [[Polneye]] in the Koornacht Cluster, he had seen the Yevetha [[Battle of Polneye|strike]] as soon as the Fifth Fleet turned back, annihilating his world's population. Plat fled in a [[TIE/IN interceptor/Legends|TIE interceptor]] with recordings of the [[Speciesism|xenophobic]] Yevethan attack on his world. Combined with additional evidence that the Yevetha were [[Yevethan Purge|exterminating]] all other life within the Koornacht Cluster, Organa Solo agreed to send the Fifth Fleet to protect the worlds along its borders, and on her husband's advice restored A'baht to command. She came to visit him personally, apologizing and turning the Fifth back over to him. A'baht was quite embarrassed by the apology, but happily returned to command, taking the Fifth, which had remained on high alert, back to Farlax sector at once.<ref name="Before the Storm" />

====Return to Koornacht====
{{Quote|How long is it going to take to find some resolve? I've been forced to detach ships from the Fifth for Wehttam and Galantos. The other neighboring systems are still unprotected. And every day we sit out here patrolling empty space, the Yevetha dig in deeper on the worlds they took. We can't reward them for their aggression. We must do something to punish them.|Etahn A'baht, to Hiram Drayson|<ref name="Shield of Lies" />}}
When they arrived, they took up position in a cordon outside Koornacht, making a show of force. A'baht was uneasy with the fact that the Yevetha were almost certainly observing the Fifth, but resigned himself to it. He immediately prepared a report to Ackbar requesting additional assets, especially [[Interdictor]]s, and units dispatched to protect the worlds on the Cluster's border directly. He also requested permission to take up a more effective [[Blockade/Legends|blockade]] position with the Fifth. When no reinforcements came due to political deadlock on how to deal with the situation, A'baht was forced to dispatch elements of his fleet to guard [[Wehttam]] and [[Galantos]], the two most endangered worlds. He was contacted by Drayson, who suggested that Organa Solo would need indisputable intelligence on the Yevetha, something not coming from Alpha Blue's covert sources, to help justify stronger action against them. Drayson further suggested that A'baht might find such intelligence in [[Zone Nineteen]]. He declined, however, to accept Drayson's recommendation that he station small ships at all the inhabited worlds along Koornacht in a token presence that might come under attack and thereby justify a New Republic declaration of war; A'baht was unwilling to use his men as bait.<ref name="Shield of Lies" />

A'baht's [[Ferret-class reconnaissance vessel|''Ferret''-class reconnaissance vessel]] in Zone Nineteen was able to record a Yevethan transmission containing a [[Hologram/Legends|holographic]] recording of the [[Battle of Doornik-319|attack]] on the world of [[Doornik-319]], also known as Morning Bell. He forwarded the holograms to Organa Solo, who was able to use 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 waited for the Yevethan response. None came, but Alpha Blue assets were able to detect that the Yevetha were fortifying their captured worlds. There would be no withdrawal. In response, A'baht was ordered to blockade Doornik-319 and led a [[Task force/Legends|task force]] there personally to enforce the blockade.<ref name="Shield of Lies" />

====Escalation====
{{Quote|This isn't Imperial City. We know who you are, General&mdash;we know that you belong. Just lead the way. You won't need to wonder about whether we're following. They asked me to tell you that, sir.|Farley Carson, speaking for the combined fleet's commodores, to Etahn A'baht|<ref name="Tyrant's Test">''[[Tyrant's Test]]''</ref>}}
[[File:Battle_of_Doornik-319.jpg|thumb|left|210px|The Battle of Doornik-319]]
On arriving, A'baht set up his blockade but was surprised and suspicious to find no Yevethan ships in orbit or on Doornik-319. His suspicion was proven right when they were almost immediately ambushed by ground fire and a Yevethan fleet that [[Precision hyperspace jump|micro-jumped]] into the New Republic formation. A'baht had prepared for such an eventuality, and had his ships retreat from their compromised position while Task Forces [[Task Force Aster|Aster]] and [[Task Force Blackvine|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 [[Bomber/Legends|bombers]] to hesitate that the enemy fleet remained intact. A'baht was forced to call a retreat.<ref name="Shield of Lies" />

Now that a state of war existed, Coruscant sent 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. On the basis of the information about Yevethan strength that the reconnaissance runs gathered, Coruscant detached five task forces from the other fleets of the New Republic, doubling its strength in Koornacht.<ref name="Shield of Lies" /> Han Solo was sent to command the combined force, but his shuttle was pulled from [[Hyperspace/Legends|hyperspace]] on its way to the Fifth by the Yevetha, tipped off by the [[Treason/Legends|treasonous]] actions of [[Tig Peramis]],<ref name="Shield of Lies" /> [[Senator/Legends|senator]] for the worlds of the Seventh Security Zone,<ref name="Before the Storm" /> which remained undiscovered.<ref name="Tyrant's Test" /> Solo was [[Capture of the Tampion|captured]].<ref name="Shield of Lies" />

A'baht had the incident investigated, and retained command of the combined task force as the senior officer present. However, he believed that Coruscant [[New Republic High Command|high command]] had no confidence in him and expected to be replaced shortly. He conferred with the five new task force commanders, one of whom was [[Commodore/Legends|Commodore]] [[Farley Carson]] of [[Task Force Apex]] from the [[New Republic Fourth Fleet|New Republic Fourth Battle Group]], a friend to A'baht. Carson assured A'baht that the other task force commanders believed that A'baht was perfectly up to the task and had full faith in his command skills. A'baht integrated the newly arrived task forces' intelligence assets into a centralized command reporting to [[Colonel/Legends|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 [[Doornik-1142 system]] for one of the three missing Imperial [[Shipyard/Legends|shipyards]] that had been located in the Koornacht Cluster.<ref name="Tyrant's Test" />

One shipyard was found and [[Battle of ILC-905|destroyed]] by a small patrol under Commodore [[Turk Brand]] of Task Force Aster, 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/Legends|Jedi]] commando raid to free Solo, a proposal of which A'baht was highly dubious.<ref name="Tyrant's Test" />

====Operation Strong Hand====
{{Quote|This is General Etahn A'baht, commander of the New Republic combined forces in Farlax. This is my final warning to the citizens and worlds of the Duskhan League. You are called to account for your crimes against the peaceful peoples of Koornacht. You must give up the territory you illegally seized by force. You must surrender all hostages unharmed. Your past aggressions will not be tolerated. Future aggression will not be permitted. I call on the captains of all Yevethan vessels: Stand down your weapons. Lower your shields. Maintain your current orbits&mdash;or be destroyed. I call on Viceroy Nil Spaar: Order the immediate surrender of all Yevethan forces everywhere. Yield your claim to authority and your post as viceroy, and your cities will be spared. Resist, and you invite the total destruction of both your fleet and your way of life.|Etahn A'baht, to the Duskhan League|<ref name="Tyrant's Test" />}}
Before any rescue mission was launched, [[Jedi Master/Legends|Jedi Master]] [[Luke Skywalker/Legends|Luke Skywalker]] approached the fleet, requesting a meeting with A'baht. Skywalker presented his companions, [[Wialu]] and [[Akanah Norand Goss Pell]], two of the [[Fallanassi/Legends|Fallanassi]] [[The Force/Legends|Force]]-users. They had the ability to create massive illusions, and Skywalker proposed that A'baht make use of 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 depend on something they could not understand for their battle plan. Wialu provided a demonstration, generating an entirely convincing illusion of an incoming fleet. A'baht was impressed, but the matter was quickly put aside by the arrival of the [[Millennium Falcon/Legends|''Millennium Falcon'']], bearing General Solo. Solo's [[Wookiee/Legends|Wookiee]] [[Pilot/Legends|co-pilot]] [[Chewbacca/Legends|Chewbacca]] and his relations had pulled off a daring [[Mission to the Koornacht Cluster|rescue]] of the captured general, who was quickly taken to a [[Bacta tank/Legends|bacta tank]] as A'baht informed Organa Solo of the escape.<ref name="Tyrant's Test" />

A'baht drew up [[Operation Strong Hand]], a battle plan for a strike against N'zoth, where the strongest Yevethan fleet was located, using Wialu's powers of illusion 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 simultaneously with the attack on N'zoth. A'baht offered Skywalker a role in the battle as a [[Starfighter/Legends|fighter]] pilot, but was surprised and disappointed when Skywalker turned him down, citing his need to be with the Fallanassi.<ref name="Tyrant's Test" />

[[File:AramadiaFront-CTD.png|thumb|right|210px|Yevethan thrustships attack]]
A'baht presaged his fleet's arrival with that of several probes, attracting Yevethan attention for the arrival of his combined force, at which point he issued a final ultimatum demanding Yevethan surrender. Spaar answered defiantly, but A'baht was soon puzzled by the deceleration of all the Black Fleet ships in Spaar's armada. As the Imperial ships turned away from combat, A'baht received a transmission from [[Major/Legends|Major]] [[Sil Sorannan]], who explained that he and the other Black Sword Command survivors who had been used by the Yevetha as [[Slavery/Legends|slaves]] had taken control of the fleet and were withdrawing. A'baht had a difficult time believing this, as the Yevethan [[Aramadia-class thrustship|thrustships]] continued attacking and the chain of command appeared intact despite the loss of Spaar's flagship. A'baht committed to the fight against the thrustships, but remained on guard for the ambush he expected to come. Sorannan had told the truth, however, and no ambush came. In the long, hard-fought battle against the well-[[Deflector shield/Legends|shielded]] thrustships, A'baht's friend Carson was killed. Casualties were high, and the Yevetha fought to the bitter end, using suicide tactics as they reached the last gasp, but the [[Battle of N'zoth]] was a New Republic victory.<ref name="Tyrant's Test" />

The events of the other simultaneous battles were identical, with the Imperial ships disappearing and the Yevetha refusing to surrender. A'baht was disgusted at the loss of life, but he felt that it had been absolutely necessary to destroy the threat posed by the ferocious Yevetha. When the Fallanassi departed, A'baht saw them off, and returned to the duty of overseeing the pacification of the Yevethan worlds.<ref name="Tyrant's Test" /> The Yevetha were stripped of their capacity to make war, but largely left alone, isolated in the Koornacht Cluster and closely watched.<ref name="Remnant">''[[The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic I: Remnant]]''</ref>

While A'baht had seen the Fifth Fleet through the [[Black Fleet Crisis]], he was eventually relieved of command and replaced with L'toth. He was also demoted to the rank of [[Brigadier|brigadier general]]. He did not leave military service, however, and became an advisor to the New Republic Defense Force high command.<ref name="Hero's Trial" />

===The Yuuzhan Vong War===
====Debate in the ranks====
{{Quote|The saboteurs were after the Jedi, not us.''"<br />"''And why? Because, until Ithor, the Jedi were the ones who were leading the campaign. Now either we assume that role, or we allow the New Republic to splinter beyond repair. We must demonstrate our commitment to stopping the Yuuzhan Vong, and we must do so before additional worlds fall.|Ayddar Nylykerka and Etahn A'baht|<ref name="Jedi Eclipse">''[[The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse]]''</ref>}}
In [[25 ABY/Legends|25 ABY]],<ref name="25ABY">''[[The Essential Reader's Companion]]'' places the events of ''[[The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial]]'' in [[25 ABY/Legends|25 ABY]].</ref> when the [[Yuuzhan Vong]] invaded from outside the galaxy, A'baht was one of the senior officers participating in conferences on war strategy. He sought hard data on the strange, biotechnology-using attackers and was disappointed by the flimsy nature of available intelligence. At a briefing on the planet [[Kuat/Legends|Kuat]] by Colonel [[Ixidro Legorburu]], [[Director/Legends|director]] of the [[Home Fleet's Battle Assessment Division]], A'baht pushed for more information and looked to be able to take a more aggressive stance against the invasion. The meeting, with Supreme Commander [[Sien Sovv]] present, was interrupted by news of the capture of a Yuuzhan Vong defector, the [[Priest caste|priestess]] [[Elan]]. The defection failed to provide the information A'baht hoped to gain, however, as Elan's defection proved to be a ruse aimed at assassinating the Jedi leadership.<ref name="Hero's Trial" />

A'baht was part of the command group that helped plot the course of the war. He opposed the strategy, championed by his former subordinate Brand, that the New Republic adopted of bolstering key worlds' defenses while leaving less significant ones to fall. He felt it sent the wrong message, that the New Republic was only concerned with protecting the [[Core Worlds/Legends|Core Worlds]], and saw it reflecting in decreasing willingness to fight the Yuuzhan Vong among member worlds. Instead, he suggested that the New Republic send its forces where they were most needed. The [[Yuuzhan Vong War|war]], he felt, was far more serious than the other commanders were willing to admit.<ref name="Jedi Eclipse" />

====Resignation====
After the [[Battle of Gyndine|fall]] of the planet [[Gyndine/Legends|Gyndine]], which A'baht had argued should be defended more heavily, he clashed with Brand over the New Republic's priorities once more. A'baht argued that the Yuuzhan Vong were not proceeding based on standard tactics and were instead pursuing a psychological campaign, targeting cultural centers and refugee populations. He argued, against Brand's counsel, that the [[Bothan sector]] would be the likely next target, not the Core. A'baht was somewhat pacified by the presentation of a plan to enlist the [[Hapes Consortium/Legends|Hapes Consortium]] in the war, but a plan to use [[Centerpoint Station]] in a trap in the [[Corellian system]] alarmed him, as he felt that [[Corellia/Legends|Corellia]] was being exposed to excessive risk in order to protect the other Core Worlds. The trap ultimately proved a failure, with a misfire from Centerpoint wiping out much of the Hapan fleet along with the Yuuzhan Vong, who [[Battle of Fondor|attacked]] [[Fondor/Legends|Fondor]] instead.<ref name="Jedi Eclipse" /> Less than a year into the war, A'baht resigned his commission and returned to his [[Homeworld/Legends|homeworld]]. With the Dornean Navy once more under his command, A'baht halted the Yuuzhan Vong's advance in his home sector.<ref name="EGW" />

==Personality and traits==
{{Quote|We've taken casualties and can expect to take more, but I will not stand for any commander under me becoming blithe about that fact. We should be prepared to accept every loss by enemy action that is necessary to the success of our mission here&mdash;but I will not accept a single casualty due to inattentiveness, incompetence, carelessness, inefficiency, or preventable failures of ships and munitions. Our enemy is smart, strong, and determined, and we're on his turf. I'm asking for the highest possible level of combat readiness at every level of your respective commands.|Etahn A'baht, to his commodores|<ref name="Tyrant's Test" />}}
A tall Dornean [[Gender/Legends|male]]<ref name="Before the Storm" /> with [[Color/Legends|aubergine]] skin,<ref name="Hero's Trial" /> Etahn A'baht was a pragmatist who believed in complete military preparedness. In the political arena, he did not put stock in friendship and was not willing to simply take another's word for an unproven assertion. Instead, he preached constant wariness and aggressive pursuit of the state's interests in security.<ref name="Before the Storm" /> As an officer, he demanded the best of his subordinates and trained them to deliver exactly that.<ref name="Tyrant's Test" />

[[File:Gavin_Darklighter_Bold_Wingman_E-wing_RACK.png|thumb|left|300px|A'baht piloting an E-wing]]
A blunt and straightforward being, A'baht spoke directly to his friends and allies and strongly preferred that they do the same to him. While he thought nothing of subterfuge against enemies and possible enemies, he felt a deep distaste for keeping secrets from his fellow officers and superiors in the New Republic, though he was capable of doing so when he felt the situation absolutely necessitated it. Nevertheless, he was fully willing to bear the consequences of his decisions with dignity when he did so. While a deeply serious man, A'baht was not above taking a fancy to a sleek ship such as the [[Poranji]] [[orbital jumper]].<ref name="Before the Storm" />

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, A'baht preferred a strategy of defending all worlds equally as they came under threat, rather than giving preference solely to strategically and politically important worlds, as was the New Republic's policy. He felt that the other members of high command underestimated the threat posed by the Yuuzhan Vong and sought a stronger opposition to the invaders; he saw little reason to be optimistic about the course of the war.<ref name="Jedi Eclipse" />

==Equipment==
{{Quote|No one wearing ''this'' uniform enjoys the latitude of a general in the Dornean navy.''"<br />"''Or enjoys the responsibility.|Farley Carson and Etahn A'baht|<ref name="Tyrant's Test" />}}
During his time as commander of the New Republic Fifth Fleet, A'baht wore the uniform of [[New Republic Defense Force Fleet Command|Fleet Command]] officer with [[Rebel command insignia|rank insignia]] identifying him as a general. His flagship during this time was the ''Endurance''-class fleet carrier ''Intrepid'',<ref name="Before the Storm" /> developed as part of the New Class program intended to standardise New Republic ships.<ref name="Cracken's Threat Dossier" /> While serving in the Dornean Navy, A'baht had commanded Dornean vessels including the ''Braha'tok''-class gunship ''Torktarak'' at the Battle of Endor.<ref name="Databank" /> A'baht would typically be equipped with a [[Datapad/Legends|datapad]], [[Comlink/Legends|comlink]], and security clearance card.<ref name="Cracken's Threat Dossier" />

==Behind the scenes==
The character of Etahn A'baht was created by author [[Michael P. Kube-McDowell]] as the commander of the New Republic Fifth Fleet in ''[[The Black Fleet Crisis]]'', first appearing in the opening book of the series, ''[[Before the Storm]]'',<ref name="Before the Storm" /> released on [[March 1]], [[1996]].<ref name="Penguin">{{Penguin|url=books/96030/before-the-storm-star-wars-legends-the-black-fleet-crisis-by-michael-p-kube-mcdowell/9780553572735|text=Before the Storm: Star Wars Legends (The Black Fleet Crisis)|archivedate=20191102192655}}</ref>

A'baht's rank is given in ''[[The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial]]'' as brigadier general.<ref name="Hero's Trial" /> This must represent a demotion, as in ''[[Tyrant's Test]]'', A'baht outranked [[Tolokus]], who, as an admiral, would have been superior to a brigadier general.<ref name="Tyrant's Test" />

A'baht's past was elaborated on in the [[Databank (original)|Databank]] entry for the Dornean Gunship, a [[What's The Story?]] submission by a [[StarWars.com]] user known as [[Ello137]].<ref name="Databank" /> Ello137 has written a blog in which he discusses the reasoning behind his use of A'baht in the What's the Story? entry. He intended to explain the origin of the favor owed by L'toth to A'baht with A'baht's rescue of L'toth's ship. Ello137 also suggests that, in retrospect, A'baht's promotion represents an implicit error, going against implication in ''The Black Fleet Crisis'' and ''Cracken's Threat Dossier'' that A'baht had held his rank in the Dornean Navy for much longer. He suggests that the promotion be regarded as a publicity stunt promoting A'baht, already the supreme commander of the Dornean Navy, to an even higher grade of generalship. This is not a [[canon]]ical retcon, and there is no explicit canonical error in the Databank entry.<ref name="Blog">{{Blog|apocalypselater|16/comments|What's the Story, Ello137? Funny you should ask &hellip;|Apocalypse Later|Ello137|archivedate=20090808100830}}</ref>

==Appearances==
*''[[Before the Storm]]'' {{1st}}
*[[Before the Storm (audiobook)|''Before the Storm'' audiobook]]
*''[[Shield of Lies]]''
*[[Shield of Lies (audiobook)|''Shield of Lies'' audiobook]]
*''[[Tyrant's Test]]''
*[[Tyrant's Test (audiobook)|''Tyrant's Test'' audiobook]]
*''[[The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial]]''
*''[[The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse]]''
*[[The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse (audiobook)|''The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse'' audiobook]]

==Sources==
*''[[Cracken's Threat Dossier]]''
*''[[Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''
*''[[A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Third Edition, Revised and Expanded]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Behind the Magic]]''
*''[[The Essential Guide to Droids]]''
*{{FFCite|29|BUS3, ''Business Droids''}}
*''[[The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia]]''
*{{DB|character|etahnabaht|A'baht, General Etahn|archivedate=20100420164344}}
*{{DB|starship|dorneangunship|Dornean gunship|archivedate=20110821193752}}
*''[[The Essential Guide to Warfare]]''
*{{FFGXW|E-Wing Expansion Pack|cardname=Etahn A'baht&mdash;E-wing}}

{{Start_box}}
{{Succession_box
|title=Commander of the [[New Republic Fifth Fleet|New Republic Fifth Battle Group]]<ref name="Before the Storm" />
|years=[[16 ABY/Legends|16 ABY]]<ref name="16ABY" />
|before=None<ref name="Before the Storm" />
|after=[[Han Solo/Legends|Han Solo]]<ref name="Before the Storm" />}}
{{Succession_box
|title=Commander of the [[New Republic Fifth Fleet|New Republic Fifth Battle Group]]<ref name="Before the Storm" />
|years=[[16 ABY/Legends|16 ABY]]<ref name="16ABY" />&ndash;[[17 ABY/Legends|17 ABY]] or later<ref name="17ABY">A'baht is still in command during ''[[Tyrant's Test]]'', which ''[[The Essential Reader's Companion]]'' places in [[17 ABY/Legends|17 ABY]].</ref>
|before=[[Han Solo/Legends|Han Solo]]<ref name="Before the Storm" />
|after=[[Kiles L'toth]]<ref name="Hero's Trial" />}}
{{End_box}}

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

{{Interlang
|de=Etahn A'baht
|es=Etahn A'baht
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:A'baht, Etahn}}
[[Category:Admirals and generals]]
[[Category:Dorneans]]
[[Category:Males]]
[[Category:New Republic Defense Fleet admirals]]
[[Category:Pilots]]