Things are moving quickly now and will compress some time in this chapter. Ahsoka, Shaak and the others are working on strategies against the Empire that show great promise …
Chapter 16: Shatterpoint
Felucia, Assembly Hall, 1 BBY 5 months, 11 days, 14 hours
Two more weeks passed. In the interim, Maris Brood had presented the name of Xendar Silkaw of Asrat to Grand Master Shaak Ti as her choice to receive the honor of Knight of the Order. Shaak thought it over and was pleased with the selection. A ceremony was then held to conduct the act of dubbing him as a Knight. Ahsoka and Maris directed the ceremony as all acolytes were present. Shaak quietly presided over it in the background, wearing her heavily ornamented black velvet robe. When the time came, she stepped forward calmly as the Knight-designate kneeled and bowed deeply before her, his head touching the floor of the Assembly Hall. Shaak drew her pink-bladed lightsabre and held it steady over Xendar Silkaw and then spoke the following:
"By the power vested in me from the Force and our creator – the almighty Zon-Khadul, architect of the Galaxy and the giver of all life – I hereby declare this one, Xendar Silkaw, to be honored and venerated as Knight of the Order!"
She then lowered her blade – set to extreme low power – and lightly touched each of his shoulders in turn. Xendar then felt the energy transfer to him from his Master and sensed an inner glow he had never known before.
"Rise, Knight Xendar!" Shaak thundered. "Do you hereby swear to honor the Order with every word, thought, and action?"
He stood erect before her. "I do, Grand Master!"
She turned to face the seated acolytes. "All rise! And give your salute to Knight Xendar!"
All spoke as one: "u-AH! … Kah-BAH!"
And with that, the ceremony was over. Everyone filed out of the Hall except Shaak, Ahsoka and Maris. Outside, Xendar was receiving congratulatory handshakes and hugs from his teammates. A feast was planned for later that day in his honor.
"Nicely done, Master," Ahsoka smiled and said. "A solemn and meaningful initiation."
"Glad you liked it, dear." She smiled in return.
"Maris, you seem to have chosen well."
"Thank you, Master Ahsoka."
Maris and Ahsoka hugged and then walked out of the Hall together while Shaak looked on, most pleased. Maris then explained to Ahsoka how they would train Xendar to fulfill the duties of a Knight, starting with the administration of the Felucia community and all defensive emplacements. He would be expected to be Maris's backup and second in command. This would thus enable Maris to accompany the Masters when they were elsewhere in the galaxy, but the new Knight would not be expected to just step in immediately. His ability to process information quickly, along with the natural leadership qualities he had shown, were what enabled his candidacy to be successful. Shaak had taken over 11 years to finally name another Knight of the Order, so this was a milestone indeed. Ahsoka and Maris were both expected to help get his start off on the right foot.
Felucia, Shaak's home, 1 BBY 5 months, 10 days, 6 hours
The next day, Ahsoka, who slept overnight at Shaak's home, awoke early and saw that Obi-Wan was transmitting a message to them. She intercepted it in time to speak with him directly.
"Master Kenobi, good to hear from you."
"Ahsoka, I was hoping to reach you."
"Well. You are fortunate because I am staying with Master Shaak right now. I just awakened. Do you need me to get her?"
"Oh, no, don't wake the Grand Master on my account," he laughed softly. "I just wanted to tell you that Maul showed up here yesterday."
"Really?" Ahsoka raised her voice slightly. "How did it go?"
"It was just like you said. He seemed a much smaller figure this time around. But I couldn't take pity. He drew a lightsabre and I had to defend myself."
"What was the key move?"
Obi-Wan sighed. "It was exactly as you described. The correct move was to split the hilt on his double blade. He'd always had a flaw there and he depended too much on that style."
"Ah …" Ahsoka was nodding her head.
"Unfortunately for him, my blow proved to be fatal." Obi-Wan sounded apologetic.
Ahsoka sighed openly. "You know, friend, he had begged me to spare his life. Said he had to face you – at least one last time. Turned out he was a prophet this once."
"It was funny. As he was dying, I helped him to lie down, and he told me to thank you – he said you would know why."
"Yes … I do indeed. We have such a tangled history."
"Then he asked me if I was looking after the Chosen One. When I nodded, he said that One will avenge us both."
"Meaning you and Maul? Not Maul and I …"
"Correct. And those were his final words."
"I hate to say this, but I wish I had been there … I have too many regrets, Obi-Wan." Ahsoka shook her head slowly.
"I understand, friend. After that, I at least gave him a proper send off. I was able to fully cremate his remains."
"I'm glad to hear that. He was never my enemy, although he wasn't a friend either. Just another who learned not to underestimate me."
There was a moment of silence, which Ahsoka then broke.
"Well, the Master will be up soon. Shall I pass anything else along?"
"Not at this time. Take care of yourself, old friend. Give my regards to Master Ti. Kenobi out."
Ahsoka sat down. For some reason, she felt slightly remorseful. Shaak had arisen and silently entered the room, unbeknownst to Ahsoka. She waited for the transmission to end first, then spoke:
"You are conflicted, my child."
Ahsoka turned to her. "Yes … how much of that did you hear, Mother?"
"Enough to put it together. I will say this, however. Maul might have been a valuable ally of ours, but things were just too far gone. The Galaxy may be better off without him, sorry to say."
Ahsoka sighed again. "You really believe that?"
Shaak came over to her and put a hand softly on her shoulder. "Your heart is large, my child. It's one of the things I admire most about you. Sometimes I am too harsh in my judgment of others. It's because I have lived a long time and I have seen my share of evil and horrors."
"I'll put it behind me, Mother. Not to worry."
Shaak nodded. "Ahsoka, dear, please join me for a morning meal. We have an appointment later today with your friend Hera Syndulla and her father Cham Syndulla."
Ahsoka perked up. "Oh! Very well, Mother, let's talk about this. I've been away."
As Shaak and Ahsoka ate together, mother informed daughter that she had been working on a plan to take down an Imperial Star Destroyer, and that she had learned that Cham Syndulla had led a successful attack featuring leftover Clone War-era droids and his own Twi'lek loyalists in the Ryloth system. Palpatine and Vader had been aboard the Perilous when it was attacked by Syndulla's forces and were fortunate to have escaped with their lives.
"Very interesting, Shaak, I was never aware of this. Did Hera know?"
"Not at first. She and her father were not on the best of terms. But she knows now."
"OK so what is the plan?"
"We'll take your excellent vessel, named for our beloved home world capital – Corvala Dawn – and rendezvous with Hera and her ship Ghost. We leave in two hours."
Ahsoka then finished eating and went off to ready her ship. Frehya and Hedala were staying on Felucia in the bunkhouse with the other team members, having had a good time at the celebration for Knight Xendar the night before. When they caught up with Ahsoka, she informed them that she and Shaak would be away for about two days and would be taking Corvala Dawn. While they were conversing, Shaak arrived, having prepared for the trip. Ahsoka's droid R8-ND helped the GM to get settled in as she said her goodbyes to the apprentices. They were soon on their way.
"Where to, Mother?" Ahsoka asked. "I would expect the Atollon system."
"You would be correct, dear. When we drop out of hyperspace, go to stealth mode. I want to scout the area first. Then we can alert our friends of our arrival."
Atollon, nearby space, 1 BBY 5 months, 10 days, 13 hours
Ahsoka nodded. The trip would take about four hours coming from Felucia. The two of them passed the time reading and then Ahsoka went into the training room for a little light exercise to loosen up and stimulate her mind. Soon they were at their destination. As they dropped out of light speed, Ahsoka immediately activated the cloaking mode and Shaak was scanning the area intently with the Force. From the planet below came an unfamiliar signature, which she narrowed down to a unique being that she knew immediately as the Bendu. She nodded her head and silently told herself, ah … old friend, how have you been keeping yourself?
Ahsoka glanced quizzically at her Master. "Did you find something?"
"Yes. But it's nothing to be concerned with. I will tell you more later. Let us contact our friends."
Ahsoka activated the com and Hera answered cheerfully. "Ahsoka, how goes it?
"Very well, my friend. Looking forward to seeing you again."
Shaak broke in. "Captain Syndulla, is your father with you?
"Yes he is, Grand Master. Shall we meet you above?"
Shaak indicated in the affirmative and gave them a rendezvous point in a synchronous orbit with Atollon. Soon the Ghost was visible and it came up for the meeting, upon which Corvala Dawn deactivatedits cloaking. The two ships docked and soon Hera and Cham came aboard, joined by Kanan Jarrus. Ahsoka hugged both Syndullas and gave a warm handshake to Kanan, while everyone bowed to Shaak.
"Good to see you again, Grand Master," Kanan stated respectfully.
"We're quite interested in what you have to tell us," Hera remarked.
Ahsoka motioned for everyone to head into the conference room on her ship. She activated the presentation screens and soon brought up an image of an Imperial-class Star Destroyer. Cham Syndulla then went into some detail about how his crew had compromised and then destroyed the Perilous some 13 years prior. He was handed the presentation control and used it to show the areas they would need to concentrate on, as part of an overall schematic of the ship. This class of vessel followed a basic design, which would make the planning easier.
"It really comes down to two principal locations," Cham stated. "The main reactor and the hyperdrive."
"Would we need to target both of these simultaneously – or the reactor first?" Shaak asked, and then glanced at Ahsoka.
"You might do it either way …" Cham responded, "but doing them separately may give the best result. When the reactor is attacked they will be responding to that and then be unprepared for the hyperdrive assault."
Shaak looked at him and then again at Ahsoka. "Yes. I like that approach."
The meeting then broke off into separate conversations. Ahsoka was catching up with Hera and Cham, while Shaak engaged Kanan.
"How is it going for you, Knight Jarrus?" She asked.
"Better than I might have thought, Master. I've learned to see without seeing … if you know what I mean."
She nodded and chuckled. "I do indeed. Kanan, may I ask you something? Are you familiar with the legendary Jedi seer Sabla Mandibu?"
"I believe I've heard the name … once or twice. My master had mentioned her back when I was a Padawan."
"Ah. Well then, you may know the expression 'eyes of Sabla Mandu' … Master Mandibu was a Miraluka, a species without eyes as we normally understand them. And yet she saw all."
Kanan nodded. "I see where you're going with this."
"Just a word of encouragement, Knight Jarrus. You have my respect."
After a few more minutes, Shaak called everyone together.
"I just want to thank the Syndullas for being able to meet with us today. Now, as Hera and I discussed, you all need to start moving your equipment off the planet below and get as much as you can to Yavin 4. Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and Garm Bel-Iblis are already getting things set up. I believe there was a test run at Dantooine and that went well. We have set just enough up there for it to be used as a decoy base. Grand Admiral Thrawn will be coming soon and we intend to be ready for him – as best we can. May the Force be with all of us – always …"
Atollon, surface, 1 BBY 5 months, 10 days, 15 hours
Ahsoka and Shaak bid them a fond farewell as they went back aboard the Ghost. Then Shaak asked Ahsoka to put Corvala Dawn in a tight orbit around Atollon as she did a Force scan. After about a half rotation, she pinpointed the location and they descended to the surface. As Shaak and Ahsoka descended the ramp and were on the surface of Atollon, they were detected by the giant krykna spiders, who soon surrounded them as they walked forward. Shaak calmly stopped, looked around, and smiled. With a wave of her hand and some soft intonations, she calmed them and they parted so that she and Ahsoka could peacefully proceed. After a bit, they came to what looked like the side of a rocky outcropping, but instead it was actually a large creature. Shaak stopped and spoke to it.
"Well, hello there, friend … do you remember me?" She laughed happily.
A deep-throated voice answered back. "Shaak Ti … it is you. Are you well, old master?" Her laugh was returned equally.
"Bendu, do you also remember my daughter, Ahsoka?"
Ahsoka greeted him with a snip. "Yeah, it's me. I'm still alive …" She nodded in a matter-of-fact manner.
He roared with laughter at that. "And so you are. And looking quite well. Did you learn what you came for over there on Malachor?"
She replied. "Perhaps. It is still to be resolved. Someday, soon, I hope."
Shaak spoke up. "Bendu, I am asking the rebels to leave this planet. Soon you shall live in peace. They extend their condolences for having disturbed this place."
"Shaak, my friend, the Force shall always be with you."
"Bendu – we understand each other. The key is always in the balance. The dark – and the light. My new Order is being trained with this simple principle."
"That is all good. Good day and safe travels to you, Master."
Shaak and Ahsoka both curtsied slightly and they turned to leave.
As they headed back to the ship, Ahsoka asked, "Why did you want to visit with him, Mother?"
"We must have respect for other important Force entities. Bendu has existed for a long time. I am merely acknowledging that basic fact."
"Master, what did you mean by the balance?"
"Ahsoka, my dear, it is the nature of all things. There is always a balance in nature. Cold and hot, old and young, strong and weak, light and dark – good and evil."
Ahsoka did not quite understand, but she nodded her head anyway. Like many of her mother's concepts and philosophies, this one was not immediately obvious.
Shaak led the way back to Corvala Dawn. The krykna parted amiably and the two Togruta went peacefully.
"Where are we going now, Mother?"
"Yavin. It is time for us to visit our friends in the rebellion. And lend a hand with the new base. This may be the next base, but it won't be the last."
As Ahsoka lifted the ship off Atollon, she was hoping Shaak would be wrong about that last point, but in her heart knew she was not. Once they were in hyperspace, Shaak took her daughter in her arms and gave her a long embrace. Ahsoka started to feel a transfer of energy from her mother and it felt as if she had taken the next step toward Force mastery.
Yavin IV, Rebel base, 1 BBY 5 months, 9 days
Yavin was a hydrogen-based [mostly methane and ammonia, similar to Jupiter in the Earth system] gas giant planet surrounded by a number of satellites. The base was being built on the fourth of these moons, and was once the home of an ancient warrior species that had been closely aligned with the Sith, the Massassi. The planet was about a 7-hour trip from Atollon, and both Togruta masters decided to get some needed rest. They went into the ship's master stateroom and sank into the comfortable bed together. As they slept, Shaak continued to transfer energy to her adopted daughter.
When the two arrived on Yavin IV, they reunited with Imperial Senators Organa and Bel-Iblis and the former Senator Mon Mothma. Construction was proceeding rapidly on a new base and they were starting to integrate some of the supplies and equipment coming in from "Chopper Base" on Atollon. The five then went to a conference room and reviewed the progress to date.
Bail Organa hugged Ahsoka and bowed his head to Shaak. The other two Senators followed his lead and they sat down. Bel-Iblis conducted a short presentation with pictures of the facilities and a strategy outline. Shaak then rose to speak and mentioned the progress they had made on the intelligence front.
"My daughter and I recently met with Cham Syndulla. We are working on a way to destroy Imperial craft from the inside using concentrated Force energy. There will soon be an opportunity to execute our plan, as Grand Admiral Thrawn will be attacking the Chopper Base installation. Phoenix Squadron and the Spectres have deduced this from an inside contact among Thrawn's command."
Bel-Iblis and the other two Senators were considering the implications of this development.
Mothma praised the two Togruta. "I think I can speak for all of us that this is a fantastic breakthrough and will give us a capability that we have not had before. Master Ti, again your remarkable intellect has triumphed."
Shaak lowered her head slightly towards Mothma in recognition.
Organa then added, "If what you are describing can actually take place, we may be able to give Thrawn a lot more to think about."
Bel-Iblis added his endorsement to the Togruta, but added, "This development must be kept secret as long as possible. Once it is executed, the Imperials will be working day and night to counter it."
Shaak smiled at the group. "Our methods will be quite difficult for them to detect … but they will realize they have a problem."
Bel Iblis then asked, "Anything more to report on the Death Star project?"
Ahsoka then took the opportunity to answer. "Not anything substantial, but my contacts in Corporate Sector are noticing the huge demand for Kyber crystals. One theory is that somehow the Empire has discovered a method of combining these crystals together to create an exponential increase in destructive power. This is likely what they are working on with the huge laser battery being constructed on the upper hemisphere of the station."
She then asked for the presentation control and displayed a photo of the Death Star in its recent phase of construction. Ahsoka pointed to what appeared to be a large dimple on its surface.
"We believe this is the laser emplacement area. This circular array will concentrate multiple beams together to create a super-laser that will have immense destructive capability."
Bel-Iblis and the others nodded. "It is as we have been led to believe. As you two may know from your contact with Saw Gerrera, this capability was developed by Galen Erso."
Organa spoke up. "And we also know, of course, that the reactor complex beneath the outer surface of the Death Star will be highly volatile. If somehow we can get a large explosive charge through that surface …"
He didn't have to finish the sentence. Everyone at the table knew what they had to do next.
"The plans." Shaak said softly.
Various locations, 1 BBY 3 months, 0 days
Two months passed. Knight Xendar was quickly assuming the role of Administrator of Shaak's entire operation on Felucia and had gained the Grand Master's implicit trust. As a relatively young Force wielder of 25 years of age, he came from a world where it rained most of the time and the inhabitants of the planet received little warmth and light from the red dwarf star of the Asrat system. Therefore they had to be quite inventive to carve out a civilization on such a world. Xendar Silkaw, as a Son of Asrat, was one of his world's brightest young talents. His parents discovered his Force sensitivity at an early age (much like Hedala Fardi had been found by Ahsoka) and carefully concealed it so the Empire would not come to learn of it. Shaak Ti had watched his progress over the 13 years that he had been in her group and he was only 12 when he came to her. His uncle had been a Jedi Knight that was killed during Order 66.
On Almania, Ahsoka and Tri'ku's romantic relationship continued to flower. As promised, she took him on her starship Corvala Dawn and they visited Alderaan, Corellia, and the new base on Yavin IV. He gained a new appreciation for what his beloved had told him about the status of the rebellion and started to consider joining it. In the meantime, he had trained others in the Almanian Self-defense forces on how to operate the new planetary defense system and began to groom possible successors as Commodore. These men met with Ahsoka Tano and gained her favor. The leadership of Almania now was starting to see their destiny lay with the rebellion but it was still kept as confidential as possible.
Ahsoka and her Apprentices Hedala and Frehya spent the Almanian winter together at her estate. She trained them in various Force capabilities and they were now each officially deemed Padawans of the Order of The Galaxy and had gained the support of the Grand Master as they began their journey to Knighthood. Hedala Fardi in particular was developing superior reflexes and was showing great promise with her swordsmanship. She was starting to hold her own in duels with Maris Brood and often defeated other Padawans on Felucia in one-on-one contests. The time had come for both of them to construct their own lightsabres. Shaak picked out a crystal for each of them, one she believed would reflect their individual personalities.
Ahsoka had also further developed her relationship with "Doctor" Chelli Aphra and had taken her to Yavin as well. Aphra was very much sympathetic to the rebellion and saw the Empire as conformist and unlikely to recognize individual talents such as hers. Both she and Ahsoka had now expanded their personal wealth as well. Ahsoka, as was her custom, began to become fluent in understanding the nature of money and investing. Shaak recognized this capability and decided to give her daughter direct control of 50% of the former Jedi accounts. This now gave Master Tano oversight of almost one billion Imperial credits, but Shaak cautioned her on not moving too quickly with these assets.
Atollon, orbital space and surface, 1 BBY 2 months, 29 days
As expected, Grand Admiral Thrawn launched an all-out assault on Chopper Base on the planet Atollon. The damage was extensive and the Imperials were inflicting heavy casualties. During the fighting, Corvala Dawn arrived and signaled the Ghost that they were in-system. Ahsoka contacted Hera:
"We are here, friends. Soon we will deploy our new capabilities."
"Roger, Dawn, we copy. Could you give a signal when it is complete? We will prepare for immediate exit of the system at that point."
"Affirmative."
As Thrawn led a ground assault on Chopper Base and AT-AT walkers were deployed, the wrath of Bendu was awakened and the Imperials started to suffer large casualties of their own. Thrawn started to realize the cost of this decision to attack was far greater than he had expected. Ezra Bridger made a quick trip to Mandalore and Sabine Wren had returned with him and some Mandalorian fighters accompanied them as well. This allowed them to turn the tide in the space battle above the planet and it was at this point that Corvala Dawn entered the action. Ahsoka commanded Hedala and Frehya to man the turrets and they started picking off TIE fighters from different directions as Dawn's shields were holding up nicely. As the action cooled off temporarily, Shaak gave the signal and the cloaking device was activated. Soon the ship drew up alongside the Hammer, one of Thrawn's Star Destroyers, and took a position directly behind the bridge, where it was difficult for them to be detected.
Ahsoka then contacted Ghost again.
"Hera, we are in position. Are your forces ready to begin final evac?"
"Roger, Dawn. We are standing by."
Shaak called Ahsoka to join her and they linked arms and concentrated deeply. Using the information they had gained from various sources, they reached out to the Force and from below, the main reactor bulkheads on the destroyer were opened and the energy from the fusion units began to leak into the immediate vicinity of the ship, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed. Alarms broke out all over the Hammer as this was not a scenario that the crew had been trained to handle. At this point, Shaak and Ahsoka turned their attention to the hyperdrive column aboard the Hammer. Shaak started a low-pitched hum that Ahsoka quickly joined her on and together they began to create a small circle of light around them. Then, on the GM's signal, they both pointed their hands in the direction of the destroyer's hyperdrive. Down below, a series of small explosions started occurring in the hyperdrive compartment of the ship and the unit began breaking up as huge amounts of energy were being unleashed. Ahsoka then contacted Ghost again.
"Hera, we have done it. Evacuation proceeds now!"
Corvala Dawn quickly pulled away from Hammer as general panic had broken out aboard that ship. The remaining rebel vessels started jumping into hyperspace, heading for Yavin IV. Grand Admiral Thrawn watched helplessly aboard the other destroyer, his command ship, as the Hammer started breaking up. Corvala Dawn was the last to leave as Shaak used the Force to send Thrawn a cryptic message:
"Man, man, your time is sand, your ways are leaves upon the sea. I am the eyes of Sabla Mandu, all your ways are known to me …"
With that, a final crescendo of explosion occurred and Hammer – and the thousands of Imperials aboard it – were no more. Thrawn was psychologically devastated and thought furiously about the message he had received – and who had sent it. Suddenly, it appeared the rebels had a capability he could only guess at.
To be continued …
