We navigated the dimly lit corridor, blaster fire ringing in the distance. My pulse quickened as the ominous feeling in my chest deepened. Kenobi was near—I could feel his presence, strong yet strained. Something was wrong.
Rounding a corner, we found ourselves at a junction of two main hallways. A squad of stormtroopers rushed toward us. "There they are!"
"No time for subtlety!" Han barked, opening fire. The hall filled with the chaotic flashes of red and blue blaster bolts. I ducked, twisting out of the way of an incoming shot, and instinctively reached out with the Force to shove a trooper backward, sending him crashing into the others.
Leia returned fire with precision, taking down another. "We need to keep moving!"
I turned my focus inward, reaching out with the Force. Kenobi's presence flared like a beacon beyond the next corridor. "He's close! This way!"
Han shot down another trooper and scowled. "If we get out of this, remind me to rethink my life choices."
Charging forward, we pressed on, storming through the hallway until we reached an open hangar bay. My breath caught as I spotted Kenobi across the expanse, his lightsaber ignited, locked in combat with a cloaked figure. The air between them pulsed with power, and I could feel the weight of their battle reverberating through the Force.
Kenobi's gaze flicked toward us for the briefest moment, and a small, knowing smile touched his lips. Then, in an instant, he raised his blade in surrender, the cloaked figure striking him down. His form vanished into the Force before my very eyes.
Luke let out a heart-wrenching cry. "No!"
The stormtroopers turned their attention toward us.
Han grabbed my arm. "No time to grieve, kid! We need to move!"
Heart pounding, I forced myself to run. The Falcon was waiting. And so was the fight ahead.
My legs carried me forward, but my mind reeled, the image of Kenobi's vanishing form seared into my thoughts. One moment, he was there—solid, steady, a force of wisdom amid the chaos. The next, he was gone.
The Force still trembled with the echoes of his presence, like a dying ember clinging to its last breath of warmth before fading into the cold. It felt… wrong. Unnatural. Like the universe itself had lost something vital, and I had felt the exact moment it slipped away.
I could hear Luke sobbing, his breaths sharp and uneven, but there was no time to mourn. The stormtroopers were regrouping, their blasters primed. Han's grip on my arm was firm, dragging me toward the Falcon's ramp as Chewie laid down covering fire.
"Kai, snap out of it!" Han barked, shoving me forward.
I stumbled but recovered, forcing myself to move. My gut churned, anger and sorrow warring inside me, but I knew one thing for certain—Kenobi had given himself up for a reason. He had trusted us to get out. To fight another day.
But that didn't make the pain any easier.
The moment we hit the ramp, Chewie howled, slamming the controls to close it as laser fire sparked around us. The ship rumbled, engines roaring to life beneath our feet.
I collapsed against the wall, my chest heaving. My hands trembled as I clenched them into fists. Kenobi was gone. Just like that. And I had felt his life slip away through the Force as if a piece of me had been torn out.
Luke sank to the floor beside me, eyes glassy with shock.
"It doesn't make sense," he whispered. "He was right there. He—he smiled…"
I swallowed hard, forcing the lump in my throat down.
"He knew," I murmured. "He knew what he was doing."
The ship jolted as Han punched the controls, sending us rocketing into space. The battle was far from over, but in that moment, all I could do was press a hand to my chest and try to breathe past the ache Kenobi had left behind.
The Falcon shuddered as it blasted away from the Death Star, the distant hum of the station's tractor beams fading behind us. But there was no time to celebrate—we weren't free yet.
Alarms blared through the cockpit, and Han's voice cut through the comms, sharp and urgent.
"We've got company! Kai, Luke—get to the guns, now!"
I forced myself to my feet, my legs still shaky, my mind still reeling from Kenobi's death. But I shoved it aside. Grieving would have to wait—we had a fight ahead of us.
Luke and I scrambled toward the gunner stations, the ship's interior shaking as laser fire streaked past. Sliding into the seat, I grabbed the controls, my pulse hammering in my ears. The targeting computer flickered to life, displaying a swarm of TIE fighters screaming toward us.
Luke's voice crackled over the comms. "I see them!"
"Then start shooting!" Han snapped back.
I clenched my jaw, focusing. The Force was still unsettled around me, like a storm in the distance, but I reached for it anyway—steadying my breath, my hands. I tracked one of the TIEs, watching its erratic movements, anticipating the moment it would veer just slightly to the left—
I fired.
The blast struck true, and the TIE fighter exploded in a brilliant burst of fire. My heart pounded. No time to hesitate. I swiveled, locked onto another.
Luke whooped as he took out one of his own, but there was no time to celebrate. More were coming.
"Stay on target!" I called, feeling the ship jerk beneath us as Han maneuvered through the chaos.
The Falcon barrel-rolled, dodging a barrage of green laser fire. My stomach lurched, but I held my focus, squeezing the triggers and sending another enemy ship spiraling into oblivion.
Chewie roared something from the cockpit, and Han's voice followed, urgent. "They're on us, kid! Shake 'em off!"
Luke gritted his teeth, panic edging his voice. "They're too fast!"
I felt it then—a warning through the Force, a split second before a fighter locked onto us. I twisted my turret, fingers flying over the controls, and fired. My shot clipped the wing of the TIE, sending it careening into its squadmate before they both exploded.
"Nice shot, kid!" Han called.
Another explosion rocked the ship—too close. I sucked in a breath. One left. I turned, searching—
There! It was diving toward us from above, its lasers glowing bright, ready to fire—
I didn't think. I just moved.
Reaching for the Force, I fired the second before it pulled the trigger.
The TIE fighter erupted into flames, debris scattering into the void.
"All clear!" Luke gasped. "We did it!"
The tension in my chest finally loosened, but the weight of everything that had happened still pressed down on me. We had survived—but Kenobi hadn't.
Han's voice came over the comms, this time softer. "We're headed to lightspeed. Hold on."
The stars stretched before us, and in the next moment, we were gone.
Safe.
For now.