Few could recognise the enormity of the threat. But that changed the day the moon fell.
A power surge was detected on Concordia's surface. A total comms blackout followed. Fearing enemy action, troop carriers were dispatched to this once-prosperous moon. They found nothing more than a lifeless rock. Even at the time, it was clear what happened: Concordia had been the target of a terrible weapon.
Later investigation would reveal how such carnage was wrought- how, for just a handful of moments, the strength of Concordia's gravity was amplified thousandfold. But at the time, the only evidence of the cursed moon's fate was its bizarrely warped terrain. Mountains twisted into valleys. Cities folded into chasms. Concordia itself cracked as though made of glass rather than unflinching stone. And virtually all life was extinguished- crushed by their own mass or the oppressive weight of the moon's atmosphere. But the chaos- the death- the massacre of a moon- these were mere omens of the things to come.
Ahsoka was standing on the bridge of theArchangelwhen the initial reports came through. But she'd felt something amiss well before then. What happened on Concordia echoed with such intensity that even those not attuned to the Force might have sensed it- anger and helplessness and fear and regret, all woven together in an inscrutable tangle and amplified into a deafening scream. But even as she sensed this great cosmic shift, Ahsoka was unfazed. She'd anticipated the widespread death that would result from pushing the Children of Watch as far as she had. More than that, she'd counted on it. And though the damage had occurred on a much greater scale than Ahsoka could have hoped to predict, events still proceeded according to her design. The Archangel- Ahsoka's personal Star Destroyer- was well on its way to the Mandalore system. She'd trusted that the firepower of this heavily modified Venator- not to mention the wings of high-end fighters and dozens of Inquisitor Missionaries it carried- would be more than enough to restore order, even in the wake of a cataclysmic crisis. But this assessment changed when Ahsoka learned just how dire the situation had become.
TheArchangel'sbridge was like a miniature throne room, with Ahsoka's gaudy chair towering over the officers in the command pit. Unlike the standard Venators which employed two bridges- one for managing the craft itself and the other for coordinating starfighter operations- the Archangel opted for a single, unified bridge, much like the prototypes of the Old Galactic Empire. While this was a detriment to its combat effectiveness, the design of this bridge made the Empress its focal point. From where she sat, Ahsoka had an almost 360-degree view of the space outside thanks to a shielded dome of polished transparasteel. This, combined with the peerless white floor streaked with intricate patterns of gold made one fact unmistakably clear- that setting foot here was the highest of honours.
"Impossible..." muttered the Communications Officer, the colour draining from her already pale face.
"I'm sorry?" Ahsoka asked, gesturing for them to speak up.
"We... have confirmation, your Luminance. The gravitational anomaly on Concordia has caused the moon's orbit to decay."
"Explain."
"Forgive me, your Luminance, my understanding of orbital mechanics may not be sufficient to-"
"I do not expect a comprehensive explanation. Just tell me what we're up against."
"O-of course. Concordia is, for lack of a better term, 'falling' out of its orbit. It's set to pass the point at which the force exerted by Mandalore's gravity becomes stronger than the force of gravity holding Concordia together. I... if that happens..."
Ahsoka knew her officers- knew how extensively trained and well-disciplined they were. To see this kind of hesitation- even fear- in such exemplary people was unprecedented. It was enough to send a chill down her spine.
"...tell me," Ahsoka said- softly, but with absolute conviction.
"Mandalore's gravity will tear the Concordia apart. Its fragments will rain down on Mandalore, and... even the planetary shields won't be able to stop them. Not forever."
Ahsoka's mind raced in that controlled, combat-trained way- assessing the situation, considering her assets, and running through potential scenarios and solutions. Her voice turned curt- her expression intently focused.
"Projected damage?"
"...eventually? The total annihilation of Mandalore."
"How long do we have?"
"It's already started. The first impacts are expected within five minutes, relative to our inertial reference frame. Planetary shields are expected to last an hour at most. Total atmospheric ignition is anticipated within seven hours, but... if lockdown procedures are successful, the domed cities could hold out for as long as sixteen."
"Our System Defence Fleet is still on standby. If we have them open fire on the fragments of Concordia before-"
"Begging your forgiveness, Empress," interrupted the Weapons Officer. Ahsoka nodded, prompting them to continue. "We don't have enough time, and Concordia's too massive. All we'd do by firing on the larger fragments is break them into millions of smaller, more difficult-to-intercept projectiles."
"And I assume evacuation is a no-go with planetary shields raised?"
"I'm afraid so."
Ahsoka shook her head, then turned her attention to another of her officers.
"Helmsman, how far out are we?"
"Two hours- our time- at our current speed, your Luminance," he responded.
"If we pushed it, we could make it in one..." Ahsoka thought aloud. "Comms, tell the System Defence Fleet to stay clear of the jump point. We'll be coming in hot."
"With... all due respect... what difference will it make? Against this kind of power- the power to destroy worlds-"
Ahsoka's eyes narrowed.
"The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Light."
"Y-yes, your Luminance. I pray you forgive my ignorance."
She studied the young officer, feeling their dread as though it were her own. For a moment, Ahsoka's voice turned strangely sympathetic.
"You're Mandalore-born... aren't you?"
"...I am."
"Then I ask that you have faith. We will save your world. I promise."
In an abrupt shift, Ahsoka once again adopted the tone of a commander.
"Comms, continue monitoring chatter between Radiance and Mandalore. Reactor, divert power from all nonessential systems- weapons, shields, security, medbay- to hyperdrive clusters. Hyperdrive, bypass standard safety protocols twenty-one and thirty-three. Engines, prepare for a three-litre fuel injection of concentrated coaxium."
At Ahsoka's orders, a chain of acknowledgements rang out across the bridge. All the while, Ahsoka felt a strange rush of anticipation. She couldn't afford to admit it publicly, but her Comms Officer was right- by all accounts, this was a mission doomed to fail. Still, she would do it. She'd risk annihilation, pushing the Archangel to its absolute limits. She'd face down the threat of a falling moon. And she would conquer it like she had so many challenges before. As Ahsoka sat in quiet contemplation, she felt the entire ship tremble from the newfound ferocity of the engines' roar. And then, before she knew it, they'd arrived.
TheArchangelshook violently as it emerged from hyperspace. Sirens blared, and Ahsoka watched as the command consoles of the officers below her lit up with warning indicators. There was a series of loud bangs as surges of electricity arced across the Star Destroyer's surface.
"We're losing primary stabilisers!"
"Hyperdrive non-functional!"
"Primary engines offline!"
"Fire on the lower deck- fire suppression unresponsive!"
As Ahsoka listened to her officers reporting the damage that had resulted from her uncharacteristically reckless maneuver, she looked through the transparasteel windows at the apocalyptic scene before her. She could see the white surface of Mandalore, seemingly unscathed by the initial impacts. But Ahsoka knew better. The planetary shield had fallen- and at least for now, the devastation already wrought wasn't visible from space. Above the planet was a sight that would be awe-inspiring if it wasn't so harrowing. The mass of stone that had once been Concordia was shattered, slowly separating into the beginnings of a planetary ring. The rays of light from Mandalore's sun shone through the gaps between the great mass of rocks, bathing them in an ominous red glow. As the fragments drifted, more and more would come crashing down on the planet below. And soon, it would be too late to stop them. Ahsoka quickly snapped out of the astonishment this sight had inspired in her and began issuing her orders.
"Main engines are down- okay. Once we reach Mandalore's sphere of influence, we can switch to repulsorlift propulsion. Navigation, identify and tag all obstructions in our path."
"As you command."
"Until then, we'll have to rely on secondaries and retros. Helmsman, transfer controls to my system- I'll move us into position."
"Yes, your Luminance."
"Reactor, cut power to unresponsive systems and raise shields."
"Redirecting power now..."
"Chief engineer, we need to keep the damage we've taken from spreading. Bring fire suppression back online and seal off any high-risk sectors."
"Of course, sir!"
The panels of Ahsoka's quasi-throne unfolded, revealing theArchangel'sauxiliary flight controls. As though it were second nature, Ahsoka's hands raced over the consoles, carefully balancing the countless thrust vectors produced by the Archangel's secondary thrusters and retrorockets. Under normal circumstances, flying the Archangel in such a state would be an extraordinary feat. And these were well beyond normal circumstances. Ahsoka expertly manoeuvred the Star Destroyer through the treacherous field of moon-rock that was slowly spreading its tendrils around Mandalore, and descended into the planet's upper atmosphere. Then, she switched to repulsorlifts, bringing the craft to a stop directly below the splintering moon. From where they hovered, high above the ground, it looked as though the very stars were falling. The sky was a shade of crimson closer to Mustafar than Mandalore. All around them, countless fragments burned with a furious glow as they entered the atmosphere- some fizzling out like candles suddenly extinguished- some colliding violently against the Archangel'sbarely functional shields- and some whizzing past the ship, destined to make planetfall. She sensed the abject terror of her officers- too afraid to question Ahsoka's judgement, but secretly mortified in the face of the existential terror before them. They couldn't conceive of a way to stop this calamity. They were certain their lives would soon come to an end. And still, without hesitation, they carried out their duties.
"It's amazing what loyalty faith can inspire," Ahsoka thought grimly. Then, shestood from her command chair and issued one final order.
"Helm, I'm returning control to you. Whatever happens, maintain our current position."
"As you wish... your Luminance."
"Now," Ahsoka smirked, "...the moment of truth."
She closed her eyes, reaching out with the Force.
She'd felt this before- almost a decade ago- when Maul, her unlikely ally, had directed the power of Malachor's Sith superweapon towards the people of Coruscant. The death wrought that day had forever blackened the void in Ahsoka's heart- and now, it was happening again. The echoes of hopes unfulfilled, words left unsaid, and irreplaceable perspectives lost to the dark threatened to drown out the song of her very being. It was so loud, so painfully loud. Even as she felt her thoughts losing coherence, she pressed on- deeper and deeper into the maelstrom's very heart, the once-calm ocean that had turned into a treacherous, swirling whirlpool. And then, she saw everything- time and space and consciousness, all inescapably bound to the Force by the strings of fate itself. For a brief moment, she glimpsed the deterministic chain of cause and effect that had shackled the universe since its inception. But to her astonishment, Ahsoka realised that something had changed- the chain had been broken- and now, it was desperately trying to mend itself.
"Darkness rises, and Light to meet it."
She heard those words, the words that had locked her into a destiny she'd never wanted.
"Darkness rises, and Light to meet it."
She saw the same histories, again and again, playing out as they had countless times before. She saw herself repeating the same tragedies that would play out countless times more. Republics and Empires- Jedi and Sith- Light and Dark- endless conflict, endless suffering, endlessly puppeteered towards meaningless ends.
"The Force works in mysterious ways."
"I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me."
"Trust your feelings."
"Trust in the Force."
The connection was reaching its breaking point. Ahsoka felt mind and body merge once more, singularly focused on the falling moon above.
"No," she whispered, before raising her hands, instantly ceasing the rain of stone. Countless chunks of Concordia hung still in the sky, as though time itself had been halted. Then, they rose, barrelling towards the fractured celestial body that had spawned them. Ahsoka felt excruciating pain as the Force let out a bone-chilling shriek. Still, she was undeterred. She willed the shattered fragments to become whole once more, and slowly but surely the moon reassembled into a great sphere of scorched rock. Then, she pushed with every bit of her strength, forcing what remained of Concordia back into its orbit.
"I... I did it..." she muttered, collapsing to her knees as the Archangel'srepulsorlift faltered.
"Helmsman, report!" Ahsoka chastised. But her sense of quiet triumph was quickly replaced by unease. She'd been so focused on the threat from above that only now did she notice the deathly silence that had fallen over the bridge.
"...Helmsman?"
Gritting her teeth, Ahsoka staggered to her feet and opened her eyes. She was met with a sight that made her blood turn cold. Her crew was gone. In their place were statues- lifeless, stone husks.
"They've been petrified... just like..."
Eyes wide with panic, she switched on her comms.
"Lower deck, do you read me? Barracks? Inquisitors? Anyone?!"
Static was the only response she received. Then, the repulsorlifts gave out completely and her stomach lurched as the Archangel plummeted towards Mandalore.
Ahsoka rushed to the elevator and pressed the button to open it. Nothing happened.
"No power. No repulsorlifts. What now?"
Her eyes settled on the bridge's transparasteel dome. The ground below was growing closer and closer. She judged the distance- judged the speed- and made a rough mental calculation.
"I've got a minute, probably less."
A plan came together in Ahsoka's mind. It was desperate- it was dangerous- but it was all she had. Ahsoka raised her palm and shattered the transparasteel dome with a devastating Force shockwave. Then, she leapt off the bridge towards the ship's dorsal hull. As she sailed through the air, Ahsoka drew upon the Force once more, tearing open the enormous doors and landing deftly in the main hangar. The air buffeted against the surface of the ship as it fell, creating a deafening noise that drowned out even the hangar's blaring alarms.
"Thirty seconds," Ahsoka thought, her gaze focused on an undamaged Y-Wing held in place by its gravity clamp.
Ahsoka rushed past the countless bodies trapped in a grim facsimile of life- rushed past the roaring fires that had erupted from fuel canisters littering the ground- and entered the Y-Wing's cockpit. She deactivated the gravity clamp, bypassed pre-flight checks, and launched through the opening she'd created in the hangar bay doors.
Still high on the adrenaline of her daring escape, Ahsoka breathed a sigh of relief. Behind her, the Archangel erupted into a brilliant explosion of blue and green. And just like that, it was over. Mandalore had suffered- it had approached the precipice of total oblivion. But thanks to Ahsoka, it would endure. Now, her mind turned to the inevitable next steps. She needed to make a statement. She needed to ensure Mandalore's loyalty now and forevermore. But more than anything, she needed answers to new, unspeakable questions.