At this critical moment, the Republic frigate was hovering precariously near the docking bay, its pilot carefully maintaining position as the massive Star Destroyer began its uncontrolled descent into the planet's atmosphere. The clone pilot expertly maneuvered the smaller vessel until it achieved perfect alignment with the lower hangar bay.
"Activate docking clamps," the lead pilot commanded with practiced efficiency.
All personnel aboard the failing Star Destroyer were racing toward the lower hangar under Aayla's urgent leadership. "The docking bay is just ahead!" she shouted over the sound of groaning metal and distant explosions.
After several tense seconds of running through damaged corridors, they finally reached the docking bay entrance.
"We made it!" Ahsoka exclaimed with obvious relief.
However, as everyone rushed toward the airlock that Ahsoka had managed to open, Anakin glanced back and saw with horror that a massive explosion was racing through the corridor directly toward them.
"Everyone get through now!" Anakin roared, physically pushing his companions through the docking port before sealing the first blast door behind them.
"Master!" Ahsoka screamed in desperation, pounding against the sealed barrier.
"Anakin!" Steve hammered his fist against the reinforced metal door.
On the other side of the airlock, Anakin managed to seal the secondary blast door just before the explosion reached his position, but the energy release was so tremendous that the second barrier quickly buckled under the pressure. The failing door threw Anakin backward with devastating force, sending him crashing heavily to the deck plating.
Ahsoka frantically cycled through the airlock controls and found Anakin lying unconscious on the floor, blood trickling from a head wound. "Master!" she called out anxiously.
Steve quickly lifted Anakin's limp form and carried him into the frigate's medical bay.
The Consular-class cruiser immediately accelerated away from the dying Star Destroyer, but the battle droids quickly redirected their fire toward the escaping vessel.
"Sam, Rhodey, we need immediate cover fire," Steve transmitted through his communicator.
"Easier said than done, Cap," Sam replied while executing evasive maneuvers around two Vulture droids. "This airspace is completely hostile."
"While Lieutenant Wilson's tactical assessment may lack diplomatic refinement, he's absolutely correct," Admiral Yularen interjected through the communication channel. "It would be extremely dangerous for the frigate to attempt docking with the Resolute under these combat conditions, General Secura."
"We have no alternative, Admiral," Aayla responded with unwavering determination. "Skywalker sustained serious injuries during the evacuation and requires immediate medical treatment aboard the Resolute."
"Are all Jedi Knights this recklessly heroic?" Yularen asked, his tone mixing genuine frustration with grudging admiration.
"Only the good ones," Aayla replied with a slight smile despite their dire circumstances.
The Consular cruiser approached the Resolute's main docking bay and began final approach procedures when several Vulture droids broke through the defensive screen and opened fire on the vulnerable transport.
The frigate shuddered violently under the impact of enemy fire, and one of the clone pilots lost his balance, falling forward against the navigation console. His helmet struck multiple control switches, causing indicator lights to flash erratically across the control panel.
"Hyperdrive has been accidentally activated!" Commander Bly announced with obvious alarm.
"Shut it down immediately!" Aayla commanded frantically.
"I can't deactivate the sequence—the controls are locked!"
Aboard the Resolute, emergency alarms began sounding throughout the ship, causing Admiral Yularen immediate concern.
"General Secura, report your status!" he demanded urgently.
"Our vessel has sustained critical damage!" Aayla responded quickly. "The hyperdrive was triggered accidentally by combat damage. You need to release docking clamps and separate immediately!"
"Captain, my sensors are detecting a massive energy spike," Rhodey's voice came through the communication system. "What's happening down there?"
"Looks like Scott and I are about to take an unplanned hyperspace journey," Steve replied with characteristic calm under pressure. "You two need to return to the Resolute right now."
"But Captain—"
"Return to the Resolute immediately, Sam," Steve ordered firmly. "Trust me, we'll find a way through this."
The Resolute successfully disengaged from the frigate just as the smaller vessel disappeared into the swirling vortex of hyperspace.
"Monitor their jump trajectory and prepare a search mission once we've secured this battle," Yularen commanded his navigation officers.
Sam and Rhodey returned to the Resolute, both carrying obvious worry in their expressions and body language.
Being separated from their captain in an unfamiliar galaxy was difficult for Sam to accept, and now all he could do was trust that Steve and Scott would somehow survive whatever awaited them.
A solitary Republic Consular cruiser now traveled through the hyperspace tunnel with a critically injured Jedi Knight aboard and several passengers feeling increasingly helpless about their situation.
"This is just perfect," Scott said with obvious frustration. "The four of us finally managed to reunite, and now we're separated again. And we still don't know where any of the others are."
"Stay calm, Scott," Steve replied while helping Ahsoka carefully move Anakin to the ship's small medical bay. "Sam and Rhodey can take care of themselves, and we will be reunited with them eventually, along with everyone else."
Meanwhile, Ahsoka frowned with deep concern while looking down at her Master, whose pulse was thankfully steady but whose overall condition remained worrying.
"Ahsoka, don't worry," Steve said gently. "He's going to be fine."
"I've never seen Master injured this severely before," Ahsoka admitted, wringing her hands with anxiety.
"Ahsoka, this is war," Steve explained with quiet understanding. "Scott, Sam, Rhodey, and all the rest of the Avengers have experienced injuries like this before, but they all survived and recovered. Anakin is strong—he won't be defeated by something like this."
Ahsoka looked up and offered Steve a grateful smile for his reassurance.
Aayla Secura entered the medical bay, glanced at Anakin's condition, and asked, "How is everything here?"
"Stable for now," Steve replied with a slight shrug. "How are the clone troopers and the ship's condition?"
"The soldiers are all uninjured, but our navigation trajectory is somewhat out of control," Aayla explained. "Ahsoka, I need you to go to the cockpit and assist Commander Bly temporarily."
"General Secura, I appreciate the request, but I need to remain here and monitor Master's condition," Ahsoka replied with firm determination.
"If you assist Bly with navigation, you'll actually be helping your Master," Aayla reasoned patiently. "Only by getting this ship back on a stable course can we transport Anakin to a location where he can receive proper medical treatment. He can't get the care he needs aboard this frigate. Captain Rogers and Mr. Lang can monitor Anakin's condition while you help with the navigation crisis."
Ahsoka bit her lower lip, clearly wanting to argue, but understanding that Aayla's logic was sound. Just as she was preparing to head toward the cockpit, Commander Bly suddenly entered with a grave expression.
"General Secura, we have a critical problem," he announced with obvious concern.
"What's the nature of the emergency?"
Bly frowned deeply, moved to a diagnostic terminal, and explained, "In our hasty evacuation, incorrect coordinates were entered into the navigation computer, and the system is now locked. We're currently on a direct collision course with a star."
"What?!" Scott exclaimed in shock.
"Scott, stay here and monitor Anakin's vital signs," Steve ordered while moving toward the door.
Steve and the others immediately left the medical bay and rushed toward the cockpit.
Along the way, they observed Domino Squad, Rex, and several other clone troopers working frantically to repair damaged ship systems and hull breaches.
Once they reached the cockpit, Bly and Ahsoka took their positions at the control stations while Aayla, Rex, and Steve observed the increasingly desperate situation.
Both clone and Padawan worked frantically, pressing control sequences, adjusting switches, and attempting to reset the navigation computer, but nothing responded to their commands.
"It's no use," Bly finally announced in frustration. "The navigation system sustained critical damage during the explosion."
"Power down all primary circuits to force a complete system reset," Aayla ordered quickly.
"But that will also shut down Master Anakin's life support systems," Ahsoka pointed out with obvious concern.
"He can survive for a few seconds without life support," Steve said with military practicality. "We need that time to save everyone aboard this ship."
"Captain Rogers is correct, Ahsoka," Aayla agreed with reluctant necessity.
Ahsoka bit her lower lip, gripped the control yoke tightly, and said, "Shutting down main power grid."
Aayla gestured for Steve to join her at the emergency control panel and instructed, "Captain Rogers, activate this sequence simultaneously with me, then maintain pressure on that control lever."
Following Aayla's precise instructions, they completed the power shutdown procedure and looked expectantly toward Ahsoka.
"Prepare to shut down auxiliary power systems," Aayla announced, and both she and Steve gripped the manual control lever simultaneously.
Ahsoka shut down all remaining power systems. The ship was now dangerously close to the massive, burning star and approaching at tremendous velocity.
"We've dropped out of hyperspace and are restoring all operational systems," Bly shouted over the sound of reactivating equipment.
Steve and Aayla immediately pulled the restart lever while Ahsoka fired the main engines at maximum power.
The ship barely skimmed through the star's outer corona, and everyone could feel the intense heat radiating through the hull plating until the vessel finally cleared the danger zone under Ahsoka's skilled piloting.
At that moment, warning alarms indicated thruster damage from the extreme heat exposure.
"Well, we're not going to collide with any stars," Ahsoka announced while slumping wearily in the pilot's seat, "but we're definitely going to crash into a planet."
Rex moved to the ship's communication system and announced, "All personnel, prepare for emergency landing."
Ahsoka gripped the flight controls firmly and said to Bly, "Be ready to assist me with the landing sequence."
Bly nodded silently, understanding the critical nature of their situation.
The spacecraft shook violently as it entered the planet's atmosphere, and the damaged engines immediately caught fire from the atmospheric friction.
"Execute landing maneuver now!"
Ahsoka and Bly both pulled the nose-up controls with all their strength, and finally, mere seconds before ground impact, they managed to raise the ship's nose, causing the rear section to strike the surface first.
Everyone survived the crash landing, including the unconscious Anakin Skywalker.
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