The Rise of the Final Order - A Star Wars Story

Chapter 27

Kaia Kestis

The Final Order had known they were coming. As soon as the New Republic fleet had come out of hyperspace, they found the Final Order's forces waiting for them. But everyone was to stick to the plan, and so they did.

The Mantis jerked as another laser bolt blast rocked the ship, and Greez swore violently. They were being pursued by several Final Order TIE fighters, and despite Greez's piloting skills, he couldn't seem to shake them.

Kaia sat in the copilot seat beside him, the seat her father once occupied, clutching BD-1 close to her chest so that he didn't go flying every time the ship was hit. Merrin was in her spot in the navigator's seat, somehow managing to be calm and collected despite the situation, while Lyra, Ben, and Hux, who had insisted on coming along, were all seated around the holotable in the space behind them.

"I can't shake these guys," Greez complained, as the ship bucked again from another blast. "Merrin, tell Dameron we could use some help over here!"

Merrin nodded, then turned to the comm station, pulling on the headset and putting the mouthpiece to her lips as she spoke. "General Dameron, this is the Mantis requesting assistance. We are being pursued by several TIEs and we can't lose them."

After a moment, Poe's response came crackling over the comms, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'm on it. Hold on."

"He better hurry," Greez grumbled, pulling the ship sharply to the side to avoid another volley of laser fire.

"He will," Kaia assured him, keeping an eye on the radar in front of her, where she could see the four little red dots representing the TIEs that were still on the Mantis' tail.

She saw another dot, this one green, indicating it was a friendly, come into view, and the red dots started to blink out one by one, and once they were all gone, she looked up to see Poe's X-Wing zipping by, having gotten rid of their pursuit.

"All taken care of," he remarked over the comms. "Now get down there and find Caedaris."

"We will," Merrin assured him as Greez angled the ship downwards, towards the planet's atmosphere.

They made their descent quickly, taking advantage of the Final Order's distraction with the rest of the New Republic fleet. But as they entered the atmosphere, and the Final Order base came into view, Kaia felt a familiar presence, except it was dark and twisted and wrong, and her whole body tensed. Caedaris.

"She knows we're here," she muttered, looking back at Ben and the others. "She's waiting for us."

Greez snorted. "Well of course she does," he remarked. He lifted one hand off the steering yolk to gesture around vaguely at the battle going on around them. "I think we made it pretty obvious."

Kaia shook her head. "No, she knows that we're coming to find her, specifically me." She frowned. "She wants me to find her."

"I don't like this," Merrin murmured. "If she wants you to find her, she must have something planned."

Kaia frowned. "I know, but I have to face her. If there's even a chance of bringing Cora back, I have to take it."

"And what if there's not?" Merrin asked.

"Then I'll have to put a stop to Darth Caedaris, once and for all," Kaia responded grimly. "But that won't happen. I'll save her, I know I will. I have to."

"I hope you're right," Merrin remarked.

By the time they reached the base, Poe and his squadron had already taken care of the turrets, leaving them a clear path to land. Greez set the ship down at the entrance to the Sith Temple that served as the main part of the Final Order base, not far from where Kaia could sense Caedaris waiting for them.