Kleklack

> "Trident Leader, you have the greenlight to engage. Crush the rebel starfighters and clear the way for Marathon Squadron's advance."
>
> "Copy, Admiral. Interceptors, form up and full burn to the rendezvous. Anything that isn't ours, shoot it down."
>
> ― Admiral Nils Tenant and Commander Kleklack during the Battle of Mon Cala, 3 BBY

**Kleklack** was a Mon Calamari pilot and military officer who served in the Imperial Navy during the Galactic Civil War. Born to a poor immigrant family on Tatooine, he spent his youth working as a messenger and later a freelance pilot. Shortly after the Imperial occupation of Bestine, Kleklack became involved as a military contractor for Imperial forces, and later became one of the first non-humans to join the Starfighter Corps as part of Storm Squadron.

As a lieutenant, Kleklack served with distinction piloting various TIE models. He flew his famed TIE Interceptor for the first time during the Battle of Rori, and earned a number of commendations for valor and bravery. Winning renown for his sense of honor and immense skill, Kleklack took over anti-piracy operations in the Gordian Reach, dealing a series of blows to local insurgents and pirates. His motley force of fighters defeated a numerically superior Rebel force at the Denarii Nebula, and he was appointed as the security commander for the entire sector. Amidst shining reports, he was recalled to the Core for an appointment as senior starfighter instructor at the Anaxes War College. By 3 BBY, Kleklack had reached the rank of commander and held command of the TIE Interceptor formation Trident Squadron. He fought during the initial Mon Cala uprising, pitting himself against his fellow Mon Calamari and seeing firsthand the collapse of Imperial forces in the sector. His heroic actions during the subsequent retreat earned him more praise, but his part in the defeat saw his influence in the navy decrease.

Shortly after his reassignment, Kleklack disappeared with Imperial commando Igosta Coates and was presumed dead shortly thereafter, however his fate was never learned by Imperial authorities.

## Biography

### Early Life

#### Childhood and Young Adulthood

Kleklack was born to an immigrant family of Mon Calamari on the planet Tatooine. He lived with his parents and a number of siblings in Bestine, leaving as an adolescent in the pursuit of leaving the planet. Needing credits, Kleklack took up a job with the Bureau of Ships and Services as a mail carrier. His work was exemplary, seeing him rise up the ranks and becoming a trans-planetary supervisor. It was in this role that he first discovered his passion and talent for flying, as well as making friends with Igosta Coates, Tipai, and Crunch-Bar, his coworkers.

By the time Imperial forces occupied Bestine, Kleklack had become a flight instructor for security pilots in the Bureau. He was frequently contracted to train local security forces, and the new Imperial governor had urgent need of experienced pilots. Kleklack was hired to assist thinly-stretched Imperial instructors, and quickly began being included on local system patrols.

#### Early Military Career

After an incident in which Kleklack rescued Imperial flight students from encroaching pirate ships, he had earned sufficient trust from the local Imperial bureaucrats and commanders. They extended him an offer to join a newly formed squadron of local pilots, which Kleklack eagerly accepted. Storm Squadron was officially commissioned into the Imperial Navy, with Kleklack and his friend Tipai becoming some of the first non-human pilots in the Starfighter Corps.

Storm Squadron flew a number of missions in the Tatooine system and surrounding space, launching raids on pirate installations and staging grounds. Kleklack personally accrued an impressive amount of flight hours and space victories, turning the squadron into a first-rate unit in the Outer Rim. The effectiveness of the all-volunteer squadron proved unpopular within the officer corps, and soon a struggle to dissolve the unit began. Storm Squadron was ultimately dissolved, and Kleklack reassigned to fly as a security officer for Imperial Naval Intelligence. Believed to be firmly displaced by the humanocentric navy, Kleklack led patrol operations in the Naboo system.

### Galactic Civil War

#### Rori Campaign

When an insurrection swept over the Nabooian moon of Rori, Kleklack was selected to join the Imperial expedition to retake the planet. Assigned to an ad-hoc fighter wing, he was promoted to lieutenant and made the second-in-command. Over the capital city of Restuss, the Imperials faced serious resistance attempting to dislodge the rebel garrison. The lack of cohesion between ground and air elements hurt the effectiveness of the offensive, and Kleklack began personally attending the Imperial Army's strategy conferences. After the death of the wing leader, Kleklack assumed command of his unit and, together with his old wingman Tipai, began to oversee the entire Imperial fighter effort for the campaign. He successfully lobbied for TIE Brutes and Bombers from the fleet, and together with the Army's tanks they were able to breach the city's defenses. The fall of Restuss spelled the end of major resistance on Rori, however passive rebellion would continue for some years. After the battle, the Imperial expeditionary commander bought Kleklack a replica Eta-2 starfighter, which he would modify and fly as his personal aircraft for the rest of his life.

#### Victory at the Denarii Nebula

After Rori, Kleklack's reputation had been suitably restored and attempts by his enemies to diminish his name failed. He was sent to the Gordian Reach sector to assume command of anti-piracy operations. Facing an ever-growing band of local insurgents, pirates, and mercenaries, Kleklack reorganized the sector security forces and modest Imperial garrison. Lowering the starfighter garrisons of defense stations, he created three primary response wings with overlapping operational zones, ensuring a strong force could respond to any threat. A conspiracy to ambush Imperial convoys in the Yavin system was thwarted by Kleklack, who scattered the rebels and obtained the location of their base.

Assembling his numerically inferior force, Kleklack assaulted the rebel forces in the Denarii Nebula. While his regular fighters attacked, Kleklack and a small picked force of interceptors outflanked the enemy, cutting into them and scattering the rebel formation. Attacks on Imperial shipping saw a marked drop after the battle, and for his efforts Kleklack was made the security commander for the entire sector, second only to the local moff.

#### Anaxes War College

Kleklack's pristine record and previous history as an instructor led the director of the Anaxes War College to personally request his presence at the school. Now a lieutenant commander, he accepted the posting and was made a senior instructor for the School of Small Craft Warfare and Doctrine. Kleklack taught a number of classes, most notably the Interception Battle/Maneuver class.

#### Mon Cala Uprising

##### Initial Uprising

Sometime after his arrival on Anaxes, Kleklack was promoted to commander and received command of Trident Squadron, a solely TIE Interceptor unit. The planet of Mon Cala, which had brewing discontent since the Clone Wars, launched its first major uprising in the Imperial era. Commander Kleklack and his squadron were redeployed from Pammant, and joined the outnumbered garrison in attempting to subdue the rebellion.

Trident Squadron led the vanguard of the fleet in an attempt to retake the orbital shipyards. The defending Mon Calamari fighters were outmatched by the Imperial interceptors, clearing a path for gunships and transports to land marines in the hangars. Fleet troopers and naval commandos made early progress, while Kleklack and his fighters continued to assail the yet-to-be organized rebel fleet. Strategically, the Imperial commanders were confused by the relative lack of resistance put up for the shipyards, given the extreme value of the complex. Several Mon Calamari merchant ships limped away from the station, headed on a course further out of the system. The star destroyer *Trepidation*, the Imperial flagship, chose to pursue the retreating cruisers against the counsel of Commander Kleklack and other officers. *Trepidation* flew past the shipyards at high speeds, before being struck by a barrage from the planet's hypervelocity cannons, which the shipyards were in geosynchronous orbit above. The star destroyer was shattered by this attack, breaking up in orbit and crashing into the planet, killing the task force's admiral and a number of senior commanders.

With the centerpiece of the Imperial fleet broken, the Mon Calamari fleet doubled back and attacked the task force. The remaining ships were outgunned, and the transports were unable to recover many of the boarding parties. Kleklack and Trident Squadron were forced to withdraw, and the naval battle for Mon Cala seemed lost.

#### Battle for Coral City and Imperial Retreat

With the Mon Calamari fleet having quickly turned around the situation in orbit, the Imperial forces on the surface were suddenly dangerously exposed. A series of defeats left most of the remaining Imperial Army forces bottled up at Coral City, with rebel forces approaching from below and above. A council of officers was called by the surviving Imperials, and it was decided that all effort must be placed on evacuating the ground forces. Kleklack was given command over the air cover, with Trident Squadron being the best-suited for defending the transports.

Over the course of 6 days, Imperial air forces launched hundreds of sorties to repel Mon Calamari attacks on the evacuation transports. Kleklack reportedly shot down 27 fighters, including 8 in the course of an hour, making him an *ace in a day*. Only three transports were shot down in the course of the retreat, and Mon Calamari forces only breached the city in the moments after the final Imperials had escaped. Unknown to Kleklack at the time, one of the ground commanders who was evacuated was his old friend Igosta Coates, now leading a commando unit.

With the planetary surface completely evacuated, Kleklack counseled the fleet commanders to withdrawal Imperial forces out of the sector until reinforcements could arrive. Despite some opposition, the assembled war council ultimately approved the decision, and Mon Cala was abandoned to the rebels.

#### Brief Return to Mon Cala

The remnants of the Imperial fleet remained on Pammant for over a month before Admiral Nils Tenant and Lieutenant Commander Tipai arrived with a relief force. Together, the much larger and more organized fleet was able to decisively break the rebel fleet in orbit, and began an effort to cull the surface. Kleklack continued to command Trident Squadron through a number of sorties, however they were eventually redeployed from the battle unexpectedly and without reason to a quiet Outer Rim posting. Kleklack presumed this to be political retaliation for his part in the retreat, but complied with the orders, handing over command of the Mon Cala starfighters to Tipai.

### Later Life and Disappearance

Main article: Raid on Lola Sayu

Not long after his reposting, Commander Kleklack began corresponding again with Igosta Coates, and both eventually abandoned their posts. The two were drawn back to Bestine after receiving news that their old friend, Crunch-Bar, had been captured by an unknown individual. They met with Tipai, who had informed the two of Crunch-Bar's capture, and the three set off to find their old friend.

The trio's only clue was that Crunch-Bar was being held at the "Citadel", however which Citadel they were unsure of. After a raid on an old Republic data center, they learned of a secret prison on Lola Sayu that went by such a name. They infiltrated the prison, and came into contact with the hostage taker, simply known as the Trandoshan. Kleklack, Coates, and Tipai fought the Trandoshan and his men, however the outcome of the battle is unknown, as is the fate of Kleklack.

## Personality and traits

Kleklack was a teal Mon Calamari with red spotting on his head. He valued his friendships and alliances over everything else, as is illustrated by his abandonment of the Empire. Despite this, he was notably loyal and determined, becoming one of the few aliens to serve in the Imperial Navy.

## Skills and abilities

In the cockpit of a starfighter, Kleklack was exceptionally able. He became a notorious fighter ace in the Starfighter Corps, and an elite interceptor pilot who rose up the ranks despite the bigotry against him. Kleklack was capable with a blaster, as noted by his many encounters on Tatooine and later hunting the Trandoshan.

*In-game, Kleklack starts as a level 3 admiral, with higher attack and maneuvering skills due to his background as a pilot.*

## Equipment

As a TIE pilot, Kleklack wore the customary and distinctive black jumpsuit and armor, modified to fit his Mon Calamari physique. His helmet was open-faced and larger than traditional ones.

## Behind the scenes

Kleklack was the character of a developer in the Star Wars Galaxies: Legends server.