- CASTLES CRUMBLING (A.S.) -

- 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐒𝐈𝐗 -

took the battle underground.

THEY CONTINUED ON, leaving Piell behind and taking his memory with them. The terrain was growing all too familiar. The travelers passed through a few more caves but always kept close to the lava river, as it appeared that was how they were going to get to their rendezvous.

The fight had tired Regina more than she had thought would be the case. She lagged behind the other Jedi, falling toward the middle of the group. Every time she did so, either one of the clones would appear from seemingly nowhere to check in on her or one of the Jedi would do the same. It was if they were taking shifts making sure she was okay. She was starting to think of it as a hassle and grew agitated when they did it–even though she knew deep down that it was out of kindness.

Finally Obi-Wan led them to the edge of the river, facing an island in the center containing large, pointy rocks that towered into the sky. "There's the extraction point," Kenobi informed them, pointing. Anakin and Cody wasted no time. Regina sank to rest on one of the boulders as she watched them get to work. The clone and the Jedi ran up the slight slope of two of the jutting stones and shot their extension cables in the direction of the island. Both ensured that their grip was strong before securing the cables at the base of another rock. Anakin happened to tie his to the base of the boulder that Regina was leaning against.

"I want you to go after Rex and don't argue with me," he said quietly. Regina was too tired to speak otherwise so she simply nodded. Regina could see Rex heading to the cables and Regina slowly got to her feet as Anakin walked away. Rex and Tarkin—who went on the opposite line—moved at a decent pace, holding on to the cable for dear life as he scooted across the lava river. Regina climbed to the top of the rock that held Rex's, waiting to follow after the captain, just as Anakin had ordered.

Rex arrived on the opposite shore in no time at all, and as soon as he reached the bank, Regina grabbed onto the cable herself, moving across as quickly as she could. The lava below provided proper motivation, causing adrenaline to flow through her veins just as it had during the battle. She hardly felt her exhaustion or the wounds all over her body. Rather, she focused on the task at hand.

Reaching the other side, she saw a hand offered to her which she accepted gratefully. Strong arms pulled her safely to the shore and she looked over to see Rex had moved on to assist Blue as the commander had come on the opposite cable.

At that moment, Regina sensed something in the Force... And then she saw it.

Flying on speeders and coming in their direction was Sobeck, a squad of commandos flanking him. He was cackling, as usual, and most likely mocking the Jedi. When he finally got into hearing range, Regina was finally able to understand what he was saying. "Look what I found." He was staring at Ahsoka who was in the process of coming over herself. Regina felt sick in her stomach. If Sobeck shot the cables, Ahsoka would die a horrible death.

And then Sobeck and his droids began shooting. Regina reached down, activating her lightsaber, deflecting the blasts as she covered herself as well as the clones and Tarkin—everyone on the same bank as her.

"Blue, go help Ahsoka and Clipper," she instructed, not taking her eyes off the droid that was shooting at her. She parried, knocking the blast back with the Force, redirecting it to hit the speeder. It worked like a charm. As soon as the laser made contact, the commando fell into the lava. One down, a hundred to go. Up above, Regina could see both Kenobi and Anakin individually taking out commandos from their designated speeders, commandeering the vehicles for themselves. Part of her wished she was strong enough to follow their example but she knew she'd just have to fight well enough on ground level.