On the Wings of Valkyrie

Chapter CLXI

Leia made it to the entrance of what she assumed was the throne room just in time to see an exhausted Luke half hauling and half carrying a severely injured Vader through the door. She didn't bother with questions, instead taking up the Sith's other side in an effort to help. The Princess may have berated her brother for attempting anything so straining in his current state—she had been half certain she'd find him dead on her way down into the base's interior—but it was clear he had no choice. Vader's respirator, likely one of many key systems, was not working. Time was short

"The Emperor?" Leia asked, as half of the Sith's massive deadweight settled over her shoulders. Why'd he have to be so tall?

"Dead," Luke grunted through gritted teeth as they trudged forward, dragging Vader between them. "Where's Luna? Father needs healing."

"Don't know. I thought she'd beat me here." Or failing that, meet up with Leia on the way. The absence of Vader's Shadow was concerning, but the very implication that things could have gone wrong on Luna's side of the battle was ludicrous. It was Eclipse and Vader's Fist they were talking about after all. If the Rebellion's troops had been able to maintain an offensive, then they ought to have been able to as well.

But at the same time, Luna would have had to have sensed the danger Luke and Vader had been in only minutes ago. Or at least Vader's rather severe injuries. How could Luna not come running? Leia had, and their roles in the attack had been practically identical on either side of the front. Surely the soldiers of Vader's Fist could have done without the presence of his Shadow, especially after the Emperor's Hands had fallen. Unless that had only happened on Leia's part of the battlefield, but she found that difficult to believe.

The twins struggled forward with their load, Luke apparently too worn to think of anything but forward. Unlike his, Leia's mind was overly active. She was trying to see how Han was doing, but considering her limited training, all the Princess could be sure of through their bond was that he was alive and uninjured. Ahsoka was planetside as well now, though her precise whereabouts were entirely unknown. Maybe she was on her way to help them—perhaps with Luna in tow.

The weird thing was, Leia couldn't seem to sense Luna. Sure, the two girls did not have a proper bond established, but when the Princess was actively trying, usually it was harder to miss the Sith apprentice—of course that was provided her presence wasn't being hidden. Luna's presence wasn't a brilliant bright sun like Luke's or a massive dark nebula like Vader's, but it was more like.... A total solar eclipse funnily enough, something containing the power of a sun while still having darkness, maintaining the balance between day and night. Impossible to ignore once the shadow falls over you.

So why couldn't Leia sense her? Luna had no reason to hide. The Princess had felt her earlier, before and during the battle, but not now. That paired with Luna's notable absence worried Leia far more than she was comfortable with under the current circumstances.

"Can you sense her?" the Princess finally asked, figuring Luke may be better at it than she was. Between the two of them, he had spent a lot more time with Luna. Maybe he even had a bond established with the Sith apprentice?

"Who?"

"Luna."

"....Must be hiding her presence," Luke said after a moment. His tone sounded uncertain despite the fact he was clearly far too tired and in too much pain to think extensively about the oddity.

"She wasn't before," Leia couldn't help but mutter to herself. "Maybe she decided to leave?"

"That's not like her, and you know it," he pointed out before suddenly tripping over something in the unlit corridor. Luke's feet went out from under him, thrusting him forward onto the ground. His sudden absence left Leia unprepared to take Vader's weight alone, and they went to the ground as well, though the Princess was able to keep the two of them from face planting, unlike her less fortunate brother.