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SKIRTING across the freshly-cleaned floors, Raena sprinted faster than lightspeed towards to hangar deck. She almost got the group lost a few times, even though she had been very sure that she knew almost every turn and corner throughout this place. Pacey had flown enough that he always knew where the hangar was, no matter how many times they changed ships. From the execution room, he made them take the back exit, which led them down a narrow hallway that ended at a fork. On one side, they could hear troopers stomping their way. Pacey pushed them towards the other route, leading their group through the maze of the Steadfast, until eventually, Raena saw the familiar entrance to the hangar deck.
"There it is!" She shouted, racing towards the enclosed doors.
"If everything goes well," Finn breathed heavily, "Rey should already be back on the Falcon or arriving, and then we can shoot out of here." Poe nodded in agreement.
As they neared the entrance, two stormtroopers rounded the corner in front of them and spotted the rebels immediately. They shouted and raised their blasters, but Raena was already one step ahead. She whipped around the stormtrooper blaster that hung off her shoulders and aimed, pulling the trigger several times. The troopers flew backward as the bolts went straight through their armor. Raena smiled and approached the deck, slamming her hand on the locked console. The doors slid open immediately.
"Alright," she huffed, gesturing for the group to run faster. "Come on! Go, go, go!"
Gerardo and Pacey came to a sudden halt beside her as Chewbacca hustled through the entrance first. Raena turned to them, swallowing hard, before laying a hand on both their shoulders. She didn't want to say the next words that would fall from her mouth, but it was time. They were already in too deep and Raena would be damned to let her friends get in harm's way. "Go with them," she said. "Both of you."
"What?!" Gerardo blinked. "We can't deflect now. We're not leaving you here alone. You're not safe here without us."
"Neither are you," she quipped, "at least I don't have to worry about dying."
Pacey shook his head. "No, we're not leaving."
"Listen," Raena continued. "Somehow, someway – this will all get back to Ren. Maybe Hux will betray me, or someone had seen too much. Whatever happens, I don't want you two to be dragged into it, because they will kill you. You hear me? They will kill both of you."
Finn rushed by them, gripping the door as he looked over. He smiled. "You guys coming?"
Gerardo and Pacey glanced towards Raena for a split second. Her eyes softened. Before she knew it, they were both engulfing her in a tight hug. Raena had never felt safer in her friends' embrace. "I better see you again," Gerardo muttered in her ear. "I already miss you."
