"Incoming TIEs!" Snap calls through the comms.
"We see 'em," Poe says, diving toward the surface of Exegol.
"We got you, Finn!" I pull the trigger several times in a row, taking out three TIE-fighters.
"Whoo! Nice one, Rave!" Poe cheers. I can't believe he's actually enjoying this. My heart is pounding my throat at the sharp turns and twists we're doing. Luckily, the firing gives me something else to focus on.
"The navigation tower's been deactivated!" Maleena, one of the pilots flying with Finn's freighter, calls.
"What?" Finn asks.
"Those ships need that signal," Snap says. "It's gotta be coming from somewhere."
"They've figured out what we're doing," Poe says.
"Call of the ground invasion!" I order.
A short silence falls that Finn breaks, "The nav signal's coming from that command ship. That's our drop zone."
"You wanna launch a ground invasion on a Star Destroyer?" Maleena questions.
"I don't want to, but we can't take out that ship's nav system from the air. Give us cover. We gotta keep that fleet here till help arrives," he says.
"Generals?" Maleena asks.
"You heard the man. All X-Wings, cover that lander!" I call into the comms.
Minutes go by. Minutes that are spent with shooting down TIE-fighters while dodging their blasts. My nerves have left my body to make room for sheer terror. My palms are damp with sweat and my breathing is ragged, but I don't allow that to distract me.
Through the side window, I spot the engines of the Star Destroyers activating, their blue glow a stark contrast with the darkness on Exegol. "Poe, are you seeing that?"
"Yeah, I am," he replies. "Those thrusters are hot. How are we doing?"
"We're gonna blow our way in and take out that nav tower!" Finn replies.
"Watch out!" I shout and Poe is right on time to yank the control to the left to dodge a TIE-fighter that was headed toward us at top speed. As Poe turns the X-Wing around, I take out the TIE-fighter with two blasts. My eyes widen as a piece of the fighter's wing hurdles straight at us. Poe isn't fast enough to avoid it and it crashes into the side of the X-Wing. We bounce to the side and my head smacks against the headrest of my seat. I hear Poe exclaim.
"You okay?" I call.
"I'm fine!" he replies, although his voice tells me he's far from okay. The X-Wing swerves before centring again and we fly over a Star Destroyer. Just as we pass, we watch the nav tower deactivate.
"Nice one, Finn!" Poe calls into the comms. "Nav signal's down, but not for long."
"Still no Falcon or backup," Snap says.
"Maybe no one else is coming," I hear Poe mumble.
"We can't think like that. Lando and Chewie will figure something out!" I tell him.
"What do we do, generals?" Commander E'ron asks.
"We gotta hit 'em ourselves," Poe then says.
"What can we do against these things?" Maleena asks.
Poe hesitates for a second, knowing he can't tell them anything they don't already know. Eventually, he settles for, "Just stay alive!"
My breath hitches in my throat as an all too familiar voice appears in my mind. "She's in danger, Raven. You have to help her."
"Rave, shoot them!" Poe shouts, snapping me out of my thoughts. I quickly pull the trigger and take out two TIE-fighters. "What's going on with you?" he asks.
"I-I don't..." I start, but I am cut off.
"Raven! They don't have much time! Go help them!"
"Them?" I whisper.
"Raven!" Poe frustratedly shouts.
"I'm sorry! You have to take me to the ground. I have to do something!" I call.
"The ground? What? Why?" he asks, but realisation soon dawns on him. "It's Rey, isn't it?"
"Raven, go now!"
"Poe! Now!"
"Okay, okay. Hold on!" He nosedives the X-Wing toward the surface of Exegol. He lands rather harshly and pops the top open. "Good luck!" he calls as I clamber out.
"Thank you. You too!" I call, looking out ahead and feeling my skin crawl at the size of the structure before me. Flashes of lightning hurt my eyes. I hold a finger to my ear comm, "I make Poe acting general. All commands go through him."
"What? Where are you going?" Finn asks.
"I'm going after Rey. She needs my help."
"No! Poe, you have to stop her. This is suicide!"
"If there is one thing I've learned about Raven is that it's a very bad idea to try to stop her!" Poe replies and I can't help but smile at his words. I take out the ear comm and crush it under my boot before I move to enter the plains under the structure, but I stop when I hear a fighter approaching.
I turn to see a TIE-fighter land. I quickly draw my Saber as the top opens, but the person who rushes to climb out makes me inhale sharply.
"Ben..." I whisper, turning off my Lightsaber.
He smiles softly and through the Force, he shows me everything. I don't have to say anything, and neither does he. All I know is that I'm no longer alone.
***
Two blue Sabers. One Emperor.
"Stand together. Die together," Palpatine snarls, sending shivers down my spine.
I press my back against the wall behind me as I keep up the blockade in my mind. I can't allow Palpatine to find me. Not yet. Rey is close, I can feel her presence. Ben's too. He's with her.
"The lifeforce of your bond... A dyad in the Force," Palpatine speaks. "A power like life itself. Unseen for generations. And now... the power of two restores the one, true Emperor."
I snap my eyes shut as an excruciating pain takes over. I bite down to prevent any screams from escaping as tears descend my cheeks. I struggle to keep Palpatine out of my mind. His Force Presence is so strong that it takes me every grain of energy in my body to block him out. I know he's not trying to find me, but if he even gets a glimpse of me being here, I'm done for.
I feel Ben and Rey slipping from my mind, their presence growing smaller and smaller. I want nothing more than to run and find them, but I have to stay put. I risk peeking my head around the corner, seeing a cloaked figure - Palpatine - standing over two people. One dressed in black, one dressed in white.
Ben turns on his back and I hold my breath as Palpatine uses the Force to lift him up. I clasp a hand over my mouth and turn to hide behind the wall again as Palpatine throws my brother against the wall of the cavern. I swear I heard bones crack and my hand flies over my mouth to resist the urge to scream. Tears fill my eyes again as bile rises in my throat.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and my head whips to the side. Anakin is by my side, holding a finger to his lips to keep me silent. He nods softly and holds out a hand for my Lightsaber. I hand it to him without hesitation, surprised he can even hold it, and through the Force, he tells me to find Ben. I nod, swallowing thickly.
"Sidious!" Anakin shouts, stepping out before the Emperor.
Palpatine stops. "Skywalker." His voice is laced by a mix of surprise, shock and disbelief.
While Anakin distracts him, I run to find my brother. I desperately call to the Force, and all it leads me to is the edge of a canyon of which I can't see the bottom. I inhale deeply before exhaling through my nose. Without another thought, I jump over the edge, falling for several seconds until I catch myself with the Force. A sharp pain shoots up my feet at the impact and I stumble, but I quickly regain my balance.
"Ben!" I whisper-yell as I spot his unconscious form on the ground. I run to his side, falling to my knees next to him. I turn him over to find a large gash on his head, blood appearing from his hairline. "No, no, no." I place my ear against his chest. I release a breath when I hear his heartbeat. It's faint, but it's there.
I take his calloused hand between my own and let a tiny bit of Force Energy flow into him. Although it hurts terribly to do so, I continue healing him until I hear him gasp. He sits up and his eyes are wide as he looks at me.
"We have to go. Rey's still up there," I tell him and he nods. I stand up too fast and my vision blurs. I steady myself against the wall and curtly shake my head before taking in a deep breath to start the climb back up the canyon. Ben follows me quickly.
I tear my skin at the sharp edges of the rocks I'm holding. My knees scrape and I feel blood trickling down my shins. My muscles scream at me to stop, but I focus on Rey's weak presence to keep going.
A whisper appears in the back of my mind, "These are your final steps."
Ben turns to me. "Did you hear that?"
"Rise and take them."
I nod. I know that voice, but I can't place it.
"Bring back the balance, Rey, as I did."
Tears fill my eyes when I recognise Anakin's voice. He's talking to Rey. All of them are. She did it.
"You're not alone, Rey."
"Alone never have you been."
"The Force surrounds you, Rey."
"Let it guide you."
"As it guided us."
I try to call to Rey through the Force to let her know I'm coming, that we're coming. All I receive as an answer is a warmth washing over me, bringing an involuntary smile to my face.
"Feel the Force flowing through you, Rey."
"Rey, the Force will be with you. Always."
My fingers graze the edge of the canyon and I inhale sharply before heaving myself up. I find Rey standing in front of Palpatine, holding up a blue Lightsaber. I take my own from my belt and ignite it. Rey looks over her shoulder, relief washing over her entire being. Another Lightsaber is activated as Ben rises next to me.
Palpatine stands from his throne. He looks terrifying in the pale blue light. "Let your deaths be the final word in the story of the Rebellion." He raises his hands and lightning shoots from the tips of his fingers. Rey catches one side of the bolts with her Saber, I take another with mine and Ben catches the last.
"You are nothing. A scavenger girl is no match for the power in me," Palpatine snarls at Rey. His eyes shift to me. "And you. You pretend to be the Jedi your family thinks you are. But you will end up just like them. Dead."
He hopes to inflict pain with his words, but he can hold nothing over me. Not anymore.
"I am all the Sith!"
In the corner of my eye, I see figures appearing. I don't have to look to know who they are. They heard my call for help. And they came. All of them. Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn. Even Jazcar. They're all here.
"And we..." Rey pants.
"Are all the Jedi."