"Set course for the Temple!" Serana commanded.
The ship swerved towards the planet. The Jedi fleet was largely ignoring them now, focusing on the Mandalorians, but several fighters broke off from the main group and started following them. They jerked from side to side, avoiding their shots.
"We are now beginning our descent," S17 announced over the loudspeaker. "All meatbag passengers, please strap yourselves in to avoid having to be peeled off the bulkhead."
"Everybody hold on to something!" Serana bellowed.
The atmosphere hit them like a smack in the face. Flames blazed past the windows as they plummeted towards the ground, nose-first. The pressure crushed Serana back in her seat. One of the fighters exploded behind them as the heat proved too intense. The others fell back.
Then they were through and S17 managed to level the ship out before it hit the ground. Skyscrapers flashed past. Surface turrets tried to take a shot at them, but it was too little, too late.
"We're not going to be able to land," S17 beeped. "We're coming in too hot. You're going to have to jump." Serana nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt and making her way through to the cargo bay. The ship swayed and jerked around her.
"Serana!" Mira called. "What are you doing?"
"We can't land," Serana said. The ramp opened up behind her. Wind howled through the bay. "It has to be this way."
Mira kissed her.
It seemed to go on for a long time.
It seemed to go on forever.
"Don't you dare die," she said breathlessly, as they finally broke apart.
Serana smiled and jumped out of the ship.
Wind whipped at her coat. She could see the city, far below, stretching out to the horizon. The tallest buildings reached up around her. She angled herself towards the Jedi Temple. Several of the guns trained on her and she had to twist sideways in mid-air to avoid being hit. The ground rushed up at her and she slammed into it feet-first, dropped to her knees and placed one hand down to steady herself. She'd managed to land in the plaza in front of the Jedi Temple. Statues of Jedi long past loomed around her, their names engraved on the pedestals. Mace Windu. Caleb Dume. Ben Skywalker. Many others. She ignored them as she strode past. Flights of stairs, twelve of them, led up to the temple proper. She felt like she should have an army marching behind her as she climbed. At least that way, she'd stand a chance.
The doors of the Temple loomed. She took a deep breath, bracing herself. This was it.
Jedi milled around inside the Temple, most of them on one errand or another. The entrance hall was massive, imposing, with enormous pillars holding up the roof. Some of them had heard of the battle happening outside, but they weren't worried. Nobody had ever taken Coruscant. Right?
Wrong.
The doors exploded off their hinges. Waves of green flame flooded down the hall, between the pillars, preventing people from fleeing. A tall woman strode through the shattered doors, green mist and black leather swirling around her feet. Her eyes glowed. A pair of lightsabers leapt from her belt into her hands, igniting and bathing the hall with crackling red light.
"Where is she?" Serana demanded. "Where is Ashla? Where is the girl you kidnapped?"
One of the Jedi stepped forward to confront her. "Who do you think you are?" he asked. "Do you think you can take us all? There's hundreds of us and one of you."
A low purring sound came from Serana's ankles. She looked down to see Ashla's Loth-cat rubbing against her legs. It met her eyes before turning to face the Jedi, hissing and spitting.
"Now there's two of us," Serana said. "With more on the way. I'll ask you one more time. Where. Is. She?"
"I have no idea who you're talking about," the Jedi said. Lightsabers came out all along the hall.
"So be it." Lightning crackled between her fingers. "So be it."
