AN: We are officially in The Rise of Skywalker territory! I hope you all enjoy. Thank you all so much for all the love this story has gotten. I truly appreciate it and as always happy reading!
Mustafar. That's where Kylo Ren and his knights had just left. After Naboo, it seemed like someone in the First Order had been pushed too far. They had started giving the Resistance information on what planet Kylo Ren had gone and whether or not they were anywhere close to finding Palpatine. After Mustafar though, everything changed.
Poe, Finn, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and a mechanic by the name of Klaud had been sent out to meet Boolio with the latest message from the First Order spy. They had taken the Falcon as a consolation to Kat nor Rey joining them. Poe hadn't exactly been too thrilled when either woman had told him that they wouldn't be coming on this mission either. Ever since their talk, they had kept themselves grounded. He understood to a point why Kat stayed behind. That was her way of operation since the beginning, only going in when needed. But in his mind, she was needed, especially since they still didn't have the numbers they used to. Rey, on the other hand, did she really need that much training, so much so that she had dragged Kat into helping with fighting technique? Finn had been training and he still came out on missions. So maybe he was being a little petty.
Back on Ajan Kloss, Kat stood with her hands on her hips as she watched the tracker on the Falcon. She wasn't entirely thrilled nor surprised when she saw TIEs show up but what she was frustrated at was whatever Poe seemed to be doing with her family's ship. "What is he doing? Are the comms even working on that hunk of junk?" She asked the insult said more fondly than hateful.
"There are currently no comms."
Kat rolled her eyes. "Someone tell Tico to check on that to see what we need to get those back up and running." She ordered, exasperated.
Someone agreed and took off to find Rose.
"They're coming in hot," Connix said as she realized that the Falcon was about to land practically coming right out of lightspeed.
And sure enough, there was the Falcon, coming in for a landing, on fire.
Kat started yelling orders about sending a crew to put out the fire and to start assessing the damage. Crew members hurried off, not wanting to anger her further. She wasn't far behind them, marching her way to the end of the exit ramp. She placed her hands on her hips, ready to rip into whoever stepped off first. R2-D2 zipped by her claiming they didn't do anything and needed to get the message to Leia. She let the old astromech droid go because the next person off was Chewbacca. "What on earth did you let him do to our ship?"
The Wookiee growled and Kat rolled her eyes. "Of course he ignored your input."
Chewbacca then gave a report of what exactly Poe had done and Kat saw red. "You lightspeed skipped the Falcon?!" She yelled just as Poe stepped off the freighter. "The compressor's down. You could have blown the whole ship up."
"But I'm here and I didn't." He tried really hard to use that charming smile of his to get him out of this argument. If she was pissed now, he'd hate to see her when he told her the news they had just discovered.
She motioned towards the ship which was very much still on fire. "It's on fire Poe. You caught my family's ship on fire."
"And with your great leadership skills," he gave her a quick kiss in greeting, "it's already being put out."
"It shouldn't even be on fire! You can't lightspeed skip the falcon." The kiss had put a smile on her face but it wasn't enough to distract her from being upset about the current state of her family's ship.
"Well apparently you can and…" he looked behind her shoulder to where Rey and BB-8 were returning to the main part of base. "What did you do to my droid?" He asked as he moved past Kat to get a closer look.
Kat sighed as the two began bickering and turned to look at Finn. "I'm assuming you couldn't have done anything either?"
Finn just shook his head. "There were just too many of them. Now come on let's corral the children so you can start planning what we're gonna do next cause, let me tell ya, what we translated from Artoo, it's not looking too good." He slung an arm around her shoulders when she groaned.
"I was hoping for good news."
He chuckled. "I think we all were."
Everyone moved to gather around the command center. Kat moved out from under Finn's arm as she made her way over to Leia's side. Poe glanced her way as she approached, and to his surprise, she hugged him. "I'm glad you're back in one piece but maybe next time, try not to blow yourself up, yeah?" She said as she pulled back.
"I promise." He smiled at her. "You know we could've really used you."
She brought a hand up to caress his cheek. "You know my job is on the ground." She stepped away and went to her mother's side, feeling Poe's eyes on her the whole time.
When she looked back towards him and motioned for him to start talking, a small smirk appeared as he shook his head to address the Resistance. Their new relationship caused a state of disbelief sometimes, even still. He knew though that he was the luckiest man in the galaxy that Kat had chosen him. "Right," his look of awe returned to seriousness as he began to debrief from his latest mission, "so we've decoded the intel from the First Order spy and it confirms the worst." Poe sighed and once more shook his head before looking towards Kat and Leia. "Somehow Palpatine returned."
Leia took Kat's hand, giving it a small squeeze as the younger of the two looked to gauge her mom's reaction. Neither of them could believe it. They had hoped that it had all been a trick but somehow it seemed to be the truth.
"Wait, do we believe this?" Rose asked, making sure she was heard over the group's murmurs and side conversations.
"It cannot be. The Emperor is dead." A pilot chimed in.
"Dark science. Cloning. Secrets only the Sith knew." Beaumont said, figuring that could be the only way that this could be true.
"He's been planning his revenge." Poe continued relaying the message. "His followers have been building something for years. The largest fleet the galaxy has ever known. He calls it the Final Order." Once more he looked towards Kat. "In 16 hours attacks on all free worlds begin."
Her eyes widened at the news. How was she supposed to come up with a plan in enough time? If she were to get anything done, she would need to leave the meeting now. She just needed more information. "Please tell me we at least know where this new fleet is located."
He nodded. "The Emperor and his fleet have been hiding in the Unknown Regions on a world called Exegol."
At the mention of the planet name, R2-D2 started to chirp frantically.
"Exegol does not appear on any star chart." C-3PO translated for those who didn't understand. "But legend describes it as the hidden world of the Sith."
As the gold droid was talking, Rey hurried off. Finn watched, confused as his friend ran off. She knew something, that he was sure of. Otherwise, why would she leave? Rose took his hand, giving it a small squeeze. She didn't like the sound of all this either. She could already see the gears turning in Kat's head and everyone had worry written all over their faces. She wanted to comfort and reassure Finn, of course, but having his hand in hers offered some comfort to herself as well.
Kat pinched the bridge of her nose as the others continued to talk about this secret planet. How was she supposed to lead their fleet into a mission when they were entering unknown territory? How were they even supposed to get to Exegol in the first place? She assumed that's where they needed to go before they launched their attack. There were too many unknown variables and she did not like it in the least bit. Not to mention they barely even had a decent sized fleet. They had tried calling out before but no one came so it was truly up to those who were currently standing around the command center to defend the rest of the galaxy. Oh, maker, help her.
"General?" Rey's voice sounded, breaking everyone from their conversation and Kat from her thoughts. "Can I speak with you?"
Leia squeezed Kat's hand and led the young Jedi to her office. Kat watched as the two women left which meant everyone was now looking at her. Her fingers twitched, aching to twirl her batons. Instead of pacing, however, she thought it would be more appropriate to hit something. "Well get back at it. You heard the Commander, we've got a giant fleet to prepare for." She dismissed them.
They all stayed still for a moment before Rose called out to those on her team about checking ships. Kat gave her friend a thankful look. Rose just smiled in return and helped the others scatter about, leaving Kat and Poe at her command post.
"Finn warned me but I wasn't thinking it was going to be that bad," Kat said once they were alone, enough.
"We'll figure it out, we always do. Leia and Rey are talking now so that could be a good sign then you'll feel a little less like pacing." He took one of her hands that she was currently tapping her fingers against her thumb.
"It's more like I want to hit something."
Poe slowly nodded before smirking a bit. "I could think of another way to get some of that energy out."
She rolled her eyes in exasperation and shoved at his shoulder. "Definitely not in the mood for that."
He chuckled and raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Just a suggestion."
Kat let out a sigh and leaned forward to rest her head against his shoulder. He brought an arm up to wrap around her and she easily moved into his embrace. "You know what I really wish I could do?"
"Blow up Exegol."
She laughed a bit which caused him to smile. "Well, yes but not what I was thinking. I wish I could just hop in my ship and fly around for a bit. I miss just aimlessly flying."
He placed a kiss on top of her head. "When we win this thing and we will win this, you and I can just go fly for however long you want. It'll just be me, you, and the stars."
She smiled at the thought. "I'd like that."
"I have a plan and Leia said that I needed to run it by you first but I must warn you I'm going to do it regardless," Rey said as she approached Kat, who was working on fixing up the Falcon.
Kat chuckled and pushed herself out of the hole in the floor. "Well, let's hear it then."
Rey moved to sit down across from her, both of their feet dangling into the space below them. "Luke tried to find Exegol before so I'm going to finish what he started. I'm going to start in the Forbidden Desert of Pasaana. His trail went cold there and so that must mean there's something there he could have missed."
"And what exactly was my uncle looking for there?"
"A Sith Wayfinder. It's a map that will take me straight to Exegol. I'll find the Emperor and help stop what's coming."
Kat looked Rey over. Everything about the young Jedi from her eyes to her body language screamed how determined she was. Sure Rey already told Kat she was going to follow through with this plan regardless but there was something else that shone behind that determination that Kat picked up on. "You're planning on doing this alone, aren't you?"
Rey raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're not force sensitive?" As the young Jedi had gotten to know the colonel, she had started to suspect it. Of course, just because she anticipated her moves when they were sparring or seemed to know her thoughts didn't mean she was. She knew Kat was one of the best agents they had.
The colonel laughed as she stood. "I'm quite certain. I've picked up other skills like knowing how to read people well that help me just as much. But you're not going alone." She gave her a pointed look.
"Kat, it's too dangerous, I couldn't ask you to come with me," Rey said as she stood as well, helping Kat put the grate back into place.
"Oh, I'm not going. I'll be running point back here. But Leia's bound to have gotten you a small group together already that I'm sure will consist of some familiar faces. She just needed the time to do so." Kat smirked, making her way out of the Falcon. Knowing her mom, she wouldn't have sent Rey to get her approval if she wasn't working on something herself.
"Wait, you don't mean?" Rey asked, following Kat out.
Just then Poe came into the small clearing that he had left the Falcon. Kat smiled towards Rey in a way that said, 'told ya' before she went around checking on the ship's exterior.
Chewie growled towards her. "Oh, you're gonna go too, huh?"
He nodded, tossing the tool he had used back into the toolbox. "Well, maybe you and Rey can keep Poe in line and not have him set the ship on fire again?"
Chewie grunted in acknowledgment, even teasing her a bit.
"Oh, shush. You know I'm of better use here, anyways." She said, hugging him. "Just be safe, okay? Bring them all back to me in one piece."
He easily returned the hug and once more teased her.
"Yes, of course, that means you too. Don't know what I'd do without you, ya big furball." She gave him a brief squeeze before making her way towards the others going on this mission.
Finn grabbed her first, walking with her to where the others were starting to pack the Falcon. "You sure you don't want to come with us, colonel?"
"I'll be with you every step of the way just at a farther distance. It's better if I'm here so I can see the whole picture. It'll help if you need to escape or if something throws a wrench into your plans." She turned and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "Look out for one another out there? We don't know what lies ahead for you all on this mission."
"Of course, Kat." He smiled at her, pulling her in for a hug.
She patted his shoulder when they pulled away and she moved on to Rey. She pulled the young Jedi in for a hug first. "I know you've been distracted and I know you haven't felt comfortable with telling me why but please know that whatever comes your way that you will remember that you don't have to do it alone." She pulled away and placed her hands on Rey's shoulders. "You're not alone anymore and you have people here who care deeply for you. I hope you find what you're looking for." She smiled, knowingly.
Rey laughed, looking off to the side for a moment before looking back at Kat. "How'd you know?"
"Because I see the same look I had when I left for Naboo. Determination covering up that lost feeling. Just don't try finding it at the end of a bottle. More trouble than it's worth, really." She joked slightly.
"Can I hear that full story when I get back?"
Kat laughed, nodding her head. "Sure. May the force be with you, Rey." She gave her another hug before moving on to Poe.
"Last chance. You could join us out there," Poe said.
Kat smiled. "I'm needed here. There's still a lot to plan and you'll be needing back up soon I'm sure."
He held up a commlink. "I honestly can't even go through a whole checklist but I do have this."
The fact that he couldn't do their usual run-through scared her, scared them both but the fact that he grabbed a commlink made her smile. "Good. You better use it for constant updates."
"Of course." He pocketed the communication device before giving her a searing kiss. He didn't know when he would be back. Didn't know what truly waited for them once they left the base. Didn't have a thorough plan to even try to follow and Kat wasn't even going to be with him. A lot was weighing on the success of this mission and he felt every extra pound.
Kat was shocked at the intensity of the kiss. She honestly didn't even like the implications of it but she poured every bit of her feelings towards him in her reciprocation. "Come back to me." She whispered when they broke apart, foreheads still touching.
"Always do." He promised, kissing her sweetly this time before boarding the ship.
Rose came to stand beside Kat, linking their arms together as they watched their respective boyfriends board the Millenium Falcon. Finn had tried to recruit Rose to join them as well but the mechanic had told him no, that Leia had asked for her to stay behind to go over plans of Destroyers with Kat. Seeing how Kat and Poe said goodbye, however, both Finn and Rose knew that she was staying behind more so to be there for her friend. Finn had told her that if anyone could figure out a plan to help them take down the fleet it would be the two of them before kissing his girlfriend goodbye.
"Wanna start looking over those Destroyer plans or see what the galley has in terms of something sweet?" Rose asked.
Kat smiled, glad that she still had her best friend with her. "Dessert first. Planning on taking down the First Order a very close second." The two girls laughed before waving goodbye to their friends they could see in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon.
"If you two are going in search of cake, there better be enough room for a third," Leia said as she approached the two women.
Linking her other arm through Leia's, Kat laughed. "Of course. There's always room for you."
They moved out of the way so that the Falcon could leave. As the three women watched the ship leave the atmosphere, they all hoped that they would return safely and swiftly.