Last Shot - A Star Wars Story

Chapter 3

Lyra Solo

"A mission?" Kelsa repeated Ersela Kryze's announcement, taking it in. "That sounds interesting." BB-11 rolled around in a circle beside her, beeping excitedly.

"What's the mission?" Kaia asked, and Lyra wondered if she was imagining the slight weariness she thought she heard in her friend's voice.

"We need to make sure the First Order doesn't try to interfere too much with Rey and the others' mission. There's already reports of their activity on Pasaana," Ersela informed them, her tone professional and direct. "It's your job to infiltrate a First Order Star Destroyer called the Steadfast in order to slow them down. I can tell you more at the briefing, which will be in a few minutes."

"We better get going then," Kelsa remarked. "Come on, BB-11." The little blue and white droid followed her loyally as they both left the cave, everyone else only a few steps behind them.

As always, the Resistance base on Ajan Kloss was bustling with activity, but Lyra was used to it by now. Living with her mother, she had grown up in an environment where everyone was busy and scrambling to get things done.

However, being chosen for a mission was causing her bit of stress. She preferred to stay away from the action, happy to be helping out from the safety of a planet light years away from the fighting. But now, she was going to be thrown right into the middle of it.

Up ahead, Kelsa stopped at a large holotable in the area that mission control was located, a small corner of relative calm nestled into the large clearing. Everyone else in the group fanned out around the table to listen attentively to Ersela, who had stepped out from the group to face them across the table, which glowed blue as it displayed a First Order Star Destroyer.

"This is the Steadfast," Ersela began. "It is one of the First Order's most important Star Destroyers, serving as their flagship.

"It will be your job to infiltrate the vessel and slow them down enough for Rey and her team to be able to achieve their objective by taking out the ship's reactor."

"If it's the First Order's flagship, it'll be pretty much impossible to sneak in without being detected," Kaia pointed out, her gaze focused on the image of the Steadfast with an intensity Lyra didn't entirely understand. She could see that her friend was taking the briefing very seriously, as they all should, but there was something in her eyes that suggested there was some other emotion she was keeping hidden.

"We have a plan for that," Ersela assured her. She pressed a button and the image of a First Order transporter appeared alongside the Steadfast, forcing the Star Destroyer to shrink as it was pushed to the top of the screen.

"We're going to use that?" Kelsa exclaimed, sounding disgusted. "Why can't we just use TIE fighters?"

"It would be a little suspicious to see a whole squadron of TIE fighters appear out nowhere," Ersela replied, having clearly considered Kelsa's argument. "This way you're on one ship, and it will make our entrance a bit more convincing."

"Makes sense to me," Cora remarked. "But how are we going to sneak around once we're on board?"

"We have several stolen officer uniforms and suits of stormtrooper armor," Ersela explained. "You'll fit right in."

"When do we leave?" Lyra asked, starting to feel a little anxious.

"Right now." Lyra turned around to see her mother, General Leia Organa, staring at the group with a weary but determined look in her eyes.

"General Organa," Kelsa muttered, straightening as she realized that they were in the presence of the leader of the Resistance.

Leia nodded in acknowledgement, and Kelsa relaxed, though only a little. "You must hurry," Leia told them. "We have to make sure Rey can complete her mission. It's vital to our survival." She turned to Ersela. "Be ready to leave as soon as possible."