After exposing himself to be a Jedi, the former Padawan known as Cal Kestis was able to flee the planet of Bracca. Subsequently, he became a member of the Stinger Mantis crew after they rescued him from a short conflict with the Second Sister.
Back in 19 BBY, the Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis received word from his master, the Lasat named Jaro Tapal, that they would finally be departing from Bracca. But, during a casual conversation, Darth Sidious initiated Order 66, which caused the entire 13th Battalion to betray the two Jedi. The pair hurried towards the escape pods. Cal managed to get into an untouched pod, but Tapal was not so lucky, as he sustained multiple blaster injuries. As the escape pod hurtled towards the planet, Tapal, with his dying breaths, instructed his Padawan to await the Jedi Council's signal. Cal's connection to the Force was severed, and he held onto his master's lightsaber.
For a duration of five years, Cal worked as a scrapper for the Scrapper Guild, an organization that was active during the Imperial Era. In 14 BBY, during a particular scrapping event, Cal was compelled to use the Force to prevent his friend, Prauf, from falling into an [Ibdis Maw](/article/ibdis_maw]. An Imperial probe droid recorded this incident, prompting the Empire to dispatch the Second Sister, Ninth Sister, and a squad of Purge Troopers.
The former Jedi Cere Junda and the Latero pilot Greez Dritus were monitoring Imperial communications. Upon learning that the Inquisitors were en route to Bracca, they decided to intervene.
After stopping a train that was transporting members of the Scrapper Guild, the Second Sister gathered all the passengers. She threatened to have the entire Guild summarily executed unless they surrendered a possible Jedi. As Purge Troopers aimed their weapons at the scrappers, Prauf spoke out defiantly, confronting and shaming the Empire for exploiting the Scrapper Guild. In response, the Second Sister executed Prauf. Cal Kestis, Prauf's friend, reacted by attempting to strike her down with his lightsaber, thereby revealing himself as a Jedi. She deflected Kestis' attack with her double-bladed spinning lightsaber and used the Force to lift him before throwing him towards the Ninth Sister, who then dropped him off the edge.
The Jedi survived the fall, landing on a train. He fought through numerous waves of stormtroopers, including TK-8190. As he battled his way towards the front carriage, Cere Junda arrived on the Stinger Mantis to rescue him. As the Jedi attempted to board the Mantis, the Second Sister fired at the ship from her TIE/IN interceptor. The Jedi fell onto a platform, where the Second Sister landed her TIE to confront him. Based on his stance, she deduced that he had received training and questioned him about his master. The two engaged in a brief fight until the Mantis returned, firing at them and separating them. The Jedi hobbled onto the ship as Junda fired at the Second Sister until the door closed. The Second Sister then latched onto the cockpit window and used the Force to manipulate the steering. However, Junda regained control, and the Second Sister was shaken off the window, allowing the Mantis to escape.
Cal Kestis became a member of the Mantis crew as they continued their journey throughout the galaxy.
The escape was featured in the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which was developed by Respawn Entertainment.