The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano, Book Ten

Chapter Seventy-Seven: Another Happy Landing

AHSOKA TANO

Ahsoka couldn't breathe.

She clawed uselessly at her throat, trying to get her lungs to start working again, her chest to start rising and falling, but she couldn't move. She was almost surprised when everything started again: sharp, gasping breaths thundered up and down her windpipe, faster and faster until she could no longer keep track of them.

My babies... I have to save them... I have to save my babies...

"That doesn't make sense. The meetup at Father's place isn't for another week, and..." Suddenly, Jani's face paled as realization dawned on her. "Lux brought them early. Can you sense him? Is he here?"

Ahsoka forced her breathing into something close enough to normal and closed her eyes, focusing instead on sorting through all the weaker presences that almost couldn't touch the Force for that of her husband. "No," she said finally. Her voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. "He's not on Onderon."

"Okay." Jani was silent for a long moment. "Okay. Get out of the pilot's seat."

Ahsoka didn't move, too shocked by the sudden force of carefully controlled anger in her sister-in-law's voice to speak.

"And radio the corvette to let them know I'm going to be late."

"What?" she managed finally, her voice shaking slightly.

"I'm not leaving until we find them, Ahsoka. I'm their aunt, and I won't just sit idly by while they're in danger. The conference can go kriff itself." Jani grabbed her arm and lifted her roughly from her seat before she could protest. Then, she took her place and keyed up the thrusters. "The outer hull is made of solid durasteel, right?"

"I– I think so, yes."

"Okay." Jani's gaze shot back and forth as though she were tracking the progression of invisible equations on the air. "The specific heat capacity of durasteel is about 0.130. Factor out the normal inside weight of a flying object our size and entering the atmosphere without thrusters or antigrav propulsion would accelerate a ship to somewhere around..."

"Jani, what are you talking about?"

"It's around the time of year when Onderon is closest to the asteroid belt orbiting around Morvolo, so meteor showers are common," Jani said as though that explained everything.

"How does that help us?" Ahsoka asked as the ship shot off towards the planet. Slowly, the mind-numbing panic that had threatened to take hold of her was beginning to fade away, taking her emotions with it and leaving in its place only the logic she needed to function in that moment.

Jani's grey eyes were dark as she turned to face her. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course – unconditionally. But... What are you even trying to do?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't like it. But know that it could be the only way to get planetside fast enough to save them."

"Then do it," Ahsoka replied immediately. "By the stars, do it!"

Jani nodded, and turned back to survey the controls before her. Then, she cracked her knuckles and grabbed the yoke, wrenching it sharply to one side. The ship banked left, and, as Jani recalibrated the engine output, shot off towards the other end of the system.

As they drew nearer to the asteroid belt, Ahsoka bit back the urge to ask what Jani's plan was. But such questions would not likely be welcome: her eyes flashed, and her face wore a look of determination that only comes from extreme anger.