On the Wings of Valkyrie

Chapter CLXII

Somehow in the dead silence that was the stronghold, Luke had fallen under the impression the battle was long over.

This was far from the truth. Yes, the Emperor was dead, but the Imperials were still fighting. He couldn't see through Exegol's storm clouds, but it was likely the battle still raged in space as well as on the ground.

The shield that had been protecting the 501st from the stronghold's weapons had been destroyed at some undetermined point in time. There were no blasts coming from the turrets off the fortress's walls, but that was probably due to an aerial bombardment if the massive chunks of debris just in front of the building was anything to go by. It appeared as though several AT-ATs had been hit, the massive machines laying destroyed on the Rebel side of the battlefield.

Only good news was that it appeared as though the Imperials were down to run of the mill stormtroopers. Nothing special or tricky that would turn the tide in the enemy's favor. Weird really, Luke would have expected a few of the Emperor's Hands. They'd been so numerous on this side of the battlefield earlier, and now were nowhere to be found.

More interesting to the Jedi, however, was the circled up group including Aiolin who were rather far from the friendly side of the battlefield. Force knew how they'd gotten there and managed to become so separated from the rest of the army, but it was best to remedy that situation before anything else.

The Skywalker twins didn't even need to discuss it, springing into battle with lightsabers blazing. Aiolin managed a small relieved smile at their appearance as the three saber wielders forced the Imperial troops to back off.

"Grab our Lady and retreat!" Aiolin ordered, the words catching Luke's attention. He glanced back behind the defensive line he and Leia had formed to find two of the 501st troops picking up Luna's limp form from among the bodies as the blonde girl began to cut a path for the return trip.

He couldn't tell if she was still alive.

She's fine, the Jedi told himself, struggling to focus on the matter at hand as he couldn't consider the other possibility. Not with what had just happened. Besides, even if Luna was injured, it didn't matter if the group was unable to make it back to the friendly side of the battlefield.... Not that the fact Luke still couldn't seem to locate her presence in the Force was reassuring whatsoever, even if her armor looked intact.

They continued moving, cutting their way through the Empire's lines and back to the 501st. One of the still operating AT-ATs assisted in the endeavor, using the attached turrets to begin clearing a path before the group properly arrived in that area. It was in this way that they made it through to the otherside, merging with the army.

"What happened?!" Luka asked the moment they were far enough from immediate blaster fire that it felt safe enough to turn his attention away from the battle.

"She just collapsed!" Aiolin answered, having to yell over the sounds of war around them. The troopers had already placed Luna on a waiting stretcher where there was already a medic looking over her. "Is she?"

"Alive!" the medic answered before ordering something that Luke couldn't hear to a companion before they moved her further back into the relative safety of the army's heart.

"Did you get her?!" the familiar voice of Queen Trios yelled as she came upon them, having apparently traveled from wherever her line of the fight had been.

"Yes!"

Trios muttered something, perhaps a prayer to herself, before she called out to them again: "General Skywalker, is the Emperor dead?!"

"Yes!" he answered, unable to help flinching at the grief that he had to squash down for the moment. Luke would grieve, but not until the fight was finished. "Vader killed him!"

"You all heard him!" the Queen shouted, now addressing all who surrounded them. "Palpatine is dead, killed by your Lord! Pass on the news, the battle is all but won!"

A cheer went up around them, and Luke could feel the rise in moral ripple through the soldiers. The Queen didn't stick around, moving back the way she'd come to direct the battle. Aiolin soon joined in, moving to a different section of the front, likely having turned her role over to Trios when she'd gone out with a team to recover Luna.

Luke gave one last look to where the Sith apprentice had been carried away to, still searching for her Force presence before turning back to the fight.

Luna was strong. She'd be fine.

Right?