One of the Mandalorian battlecruisers is critically damaged by a ground cannon salvo. It erupts in flames, hundreds of clones aboard rushing to their damage control stations. They are completely unwilling to spare their own lives lest they lose their place in the warrior’s afterlife. A thruster nacelle snaps off and disappears in an explosive flash due to the pressure change in re-entering a planetary atmosphere.
In the Palace war room, General Kenobi receives a report from Lieutenant Raffe that the falling Mandalorian cruiser is on a collision course for the Palace. The war room is nested deep underground and is thus secure from such an attack, but King Bail and his Custodians residing in the Palace above will surely be obliterated in the impact.
General Kenobi abruptly departs from the war room. He makes his way to the lock separating the war room from the Palace and then arrives at an open air vista showing the lush greenery of Alderaan. Lumbering herd creatures feed on the reed fields west of the capital complex. To the east lies the face of a gleaming lake, wide enough that it appears to be an oceanic shore. Kenobi bounds upward along the crenellations of the Royal Palace, his Jedi sensory abilities allowing superhuman proficiency in climbing the tall structure. He reaches a viewing platform at the tallest spire of the Royal Palace and beholds an apocalyptic sight in the sky.
A half-dozen Mandalorian battlecruisers drift in the distance, the flashes of light surrounding them indicative of the raging celestial battle. But one of the battlecruisers is so close that Kenobi can feel the life signatures of the crew members onboard.
Billowing smoke lines mar the baby blue sky, trailing from a durasteel hulk propelling itself at full throttle towards the Alderaanian seat of government. Kenobi calls on the power greater than himself to imbue his hands with the strength to move mountains. The stone tiles under his feet develop cracks just when Kenobi brings up his outstretched hands in the direction of the falling starship. The metallic mass audibly creaks and strains as its course is redirected by Kenobi's mystical abilities. The immolating craft shifts its vector a few more degrees before Kenobi reopens his eyes and collapses to his knees.
The ship zooms past the Palace complex and descends into the large lake. Kenobi hears a loud crash. Massive waves heave upward upon impact and the ship's aft compartment tips upward like a whale, the axe-like structure resembling the tool of an executioner. The once placid waters are now churning with activity and littered with bits of starship debris.
Winded and nearing collapse, Kenobi hears the voice of Raffe in his commlink. The lieutenant tells his General that the ground defense cannons have expended their energy reserves and the Mandalorian ships are closing in for a ground assault on the capital. Kenobi gathers himself and makes a leap to a ledge many meters below. Before signing out he tells Raffe, “This is the day we save Alderaan.”
To be continued.