Chapter 14

Temple of the Moth, Bahi Mountain Region, Kelor, the Kelor System

Ahsoka and Noc-Ta walked into the Temple of the Moth, being greeted by the friendly faces of the priests.

"Welcome back, Master Tiri!" one greeted. "I see the young Jedi is joining you, as well."

"We don't have much time," Noc-Ta replied. "She needs to speak with Mosura."

"Very well," the priest said, his face understanding. "You know the way."

Ahsoka and Noc-Ta walked through the Temple, meeting many priests and priestesses. Finally, they came to the room where they spoke with Mothra previously. Noc-Ta stood by the door.

"You're not coming?" Ahsoka asked.

"This is between you and her," he responded.

The Togruta padawan nodded her head and entered the room, where the priestesses stood in wait.

"Welcome back, Ahsoka!" they greeted at the same time. "She told us you were coming."

The priestesses then proceeded to leave the room. Ahsoka turned to follow, but they held their hands up.

"This is a personal matter, young padawan," they said. "You will know the words to the song to call upon her."

With that, they left. Ahsoka walked to the lip of the cliff. She tried to remember the words to the priestesses' song, but she drew a blank.

"Ugh, I can't remember," Ahsoka groaned. "Why leave me here when I-"

She was cut off as she felt a powerful energy build up in her body. It surged through her veins and into her mind, and she suddenly remembered the song.

"Mosura ya Mosura

Dengan kesaktian indukmu

Restuilah doa hamba hamba mu yang rendah bangunlah dan

tunjukkanlah

kesaktianmu"

When she finished singing, the room became warm with the ethereal moth's energy. A ball of aquamarine energy formed in the center of the room. Slowly, it took the shape of the creature known as Mothra.

The Titan chittered and squeaked. Most humanoids would only hear an animal making noise, but Ahsoka could somehow hear a woman speak in Mothra's vocalizations.

"You are confused," she said, noting the reason Ahsoka came here in the first place.

"Why did you choose me?" the young Togruta asked. "There are so many people that are more powerful than me."

Mothra landed in front of Ahsoka, her legs clinging to the cliff face.

"Power is inconsequential, Ahsoka," the moth replied. "You yourself have seen that the Titans can give power to whomever they choose."

"Then why?"

Mothra extended one of her mantis-like legs to touch Ahsoka's face, her care for her clearly showing.

"What matters is what one does with that power. I can see your goals and your motivations, and even your deepest, darkest fears."

Ahsoka raised her hands to touch Mothra's leg.

"You are afraid of failure," the moth continued. "You fear that you will fail your master. You fear that you will fail to be a good master to Snow. And you fear that you will fail to be there for Noc-Ta."

Ahsoka could feel tears come to her eyes at the exposure of her fears.

"This alone tells me that you are pure of heart, and worthy of championing the Light Side of the Force."

Ahsoka fell to her knees in a sobbing mess. She couldn't handle all the emotional stress of facing her fears and bearing such a heavy load. Mothra lowered her face to be at level with her.

"You need not fear anymore, Ahsoka," the moth said, stroking the Togruta's cheek with her leg. "I will be there for you, whenever you need me."

Ahsoka hugged the leg, needing comfort to calm herself down. Mothra was patient, giving her all the time she needed. Eventually, Ahsoka got ahold of herself and stood up.

"Thank you, Mosura," she said, bowing respectfully. "I will not fail you."

Mothra parted her mandibles in what seemed to be a smile.

"I know, Ahsoka," she replied, "I know."


Noc-Ta took notice of Ahsoka's body as she left the room. It was now covered in tattoos like her cheek, the swirling patterns very reminiscent of Mothra's wings.

He also noticed Ahsoka's tear-stained face.

"Ahsoka?" he inquired, "are you OK?"

Ahsoka stopped walking, her back to him. He could sense the tension in her body, but he couldn't pinpoint the cause.

He approached her, slowly. He held a hand out to touch her shoulder, his gloved hand resting on her orange skin.

"Ahsoka?"

She turned quickly to face him, her arms grasping the collar of his leather jacket. Her lips landed squarely on his.

Noc-Ta was caught off-guard by the sudden action, but he made no effort to push her away. He be lying if he said that he didn't like it.

She pulled away just as quickly as she pulled herself close to him. She looked away, and Noc-Ta could sense the shame in her.

"I-I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I don't know why I did that."

Noc-Ta was silent for a moment, regaining his bearings and grasping what exactly happened. After he regained his senses, he placed his hands on her arms.

"We'll talk on the ship," he said gently. "C'mon, Snips."

Ahsoka nodded as she walked out of the Temple of the Moth. She and Noc-Ta walked back to his ship, knowing that their lives would never be the same again.