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RAENA released a loud grunt when her body collided with the rocky sand below. She had been forced to jump from a tremendous height in order to get to the belly of the Citadel, and the last thing she expected was the impact to hurt this much. Even her bones were screaming as she forced herself up and onto her feet. She started running again, despite her right leg aching. Raena was limping, terribly so, but she had to keep moving forward.
Her hands were slick with sweat. The blaster rifle threatened to slip from her grip, while the other hung loosely in her holster. The ground began to shake. Pebbles crumbled from the walls and eventually turned to full-scale rocks trying to block her path. Raena yelped and continued to sprint through the labyrinth from her own nightmares. The rumbling didn't cease, becoming so forceful that Raena was knocked off her feet.
She had just entered a fork in the path when she fell into the sand again. Lightning flashed all around her. The whole planet felt lifeless. Smoke billowed into the air and boulders tumbled into the gravel. She heard blaster fire and more destruction ahead. But all Raena could do was lay on the ground, finally allowing the tears to slip down her cheeks.
Get up, her conscious begged. You have to get up.
It was so hard, though. If she just stayed here forever, how would the war end? Would the world still turn without her?
A scream echoed in the distance. It was familiar and shook Raena to the very core. A soul exploded in the Force, sending a shiver down her spine. She lifted her head.
Rey.
Raena looked over her shoulder and saw a large rock fall on the side of her leg. She shrieked, but had to move on. That was the only way to live. With all the strength she had left, Raena cried and slowly pulled her leg from underneath the boulder. Blood spilled from inside her leg, but was soon soaked up by the powers within her. Immortality never stopped the pain.
Raena huffed and took off into a sprint. Her leg screeched and yelped, but she ignored the ache. She had to. Her hands balled into fists and she dug her nails into her palms to distract herself, but the pain was never-ending. Tears spilled from her eyes. She wasn't sure if she could take more of this. At that moment, all she wanted was to feel the warm embrace of death.
The epicenter opened before her. Raena stopped short, taking in the ruins of the Sith Citadel. She held onto the back on her leg and picked up a shard from the throne. It was sharp, like glass, and Raena lifted her eyes to see the imprint of where it had once been. All that was left of Palpatine's presence was a cloak laying in the middle of the room. The rest of the place was covered in ash, crumbled statues, and fallen followers. Rey and Kylo Ren were nowhere to be found. Raena took a few steps forward and sighed.
After all the pain and willpower it took to get here, she was a bit pissed that she missed all the action. Her priorities had always been a bit skewed.
