Knight Errant: Aflame 5

In this concluding chapter of Aflame, Kerra Holt will ultimately decide what it truly signifies to be a Jedi, answering the questions: What lives can be salvaged? And what sacrifices must be made?

Lord Odion, a Sith, and his military force make their way to Chelloa with the intention of seizing control of the mining operations there. However, upon their arrival, Odion is met with a shocking revelation from his own sibling, Lord Daiman. A devastating war is now unavoidable, but Kerra is aware that the Jedi are most essential when all seems lost!

Following Kerra Holt's, a Jedi Knight's, unsuccessful attempt to assassinate the Sith Lord Odion, he and his Thunder Guard elite soldiers invade Chelloa. They quickly overpower the weak Daimanate forces stationed near Arboth. As they approach the mobile factories, they discover the factories' true nature: disguised kinetic corruptors. These are activated, setting off the underground baradium deposits, which results in a series of massive explosions. This chain reaction leads to a planet-wide magma eruption, devastating Chelloa's surface. Daiman, the Sith Lord, revels in his triumph, having successfully lured his hated brother Odion into a trap on Chelloa. Daiman's true intention was not to increase baradium production, but to deny the planet to his Sith adversaries. Subsequently, Daiman commands his shuttle and "decoy transports" to initiate an evacuation from Arboth spaceport.

Simultaneously, Kerra, Gorlan, and the refugees commandeer the decoy transports, forming a makeshift fleet known as the Freedom Fleet. Their objective is to evacuate the 60,000 Chelloa inhabitants, while simultaneously fending off Odion's Thunder Guard, who are also attempting to escape using the transports. The magma eruption ultimately eliminates Odion's entire invasion force, except for Odion himself. Daiman and his retinue flee Chelloa aboard a shuttle. Meanwhile, Odion and Kerra engage in a decisive lightsaber duel, which spills over onto the Freedom Fleet as it ascends from Chelloa's atmosphere. The Jedi Knight Gorlan intervenes, pushing Odion into the ship's thrusters. Both men suffer severe burns, and Gorlan succumbs to his injuries. The Freedom Fleet successfully escapes into hyperspace, carrying Chelloa's entire population to safety.

Odion survives, but is left with severe burns that demand medical attention. He pledges to exact revenge on Kerra at their next encounter. While en route to the Galactic Republic, the Freedom Fleet makes a stop at Nilash III, a Daimanate world. There, Kerra launches a raid on Daiman's factory, liberating the enslaved Nilash natives. As a final act of defiance, Kerra desecrates Daiman's statues by beheading them. Following the raid, Daiman and his assistant Uleeta arrive on the planet. Daiman discovers his vandalized statues and is forced to acknowledge that Kerra is a real threat and "is not going away."