ᴄʟᴏɴᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ꜱʜᴏᴛꜱ

Momento Mori (Rex)

TW - Death

Rex is old.  He's lived a full life, and so his time has come.  

—

Rex rested upon the grassy plain, back leant against a small tree. His old eyes danced along the horizon as his mind, reminiscing, turned over his life book's cover. The duration of his existence had shown him more than he was ever meant to see. He had known war and peace, betrayal and bonds stronger than blood. He knew what it was to hate and to love. To respect and to ignore. To remember.

All of this had shown him that his passing would be fulfilling. He had a few regrets and many "what-if"s to consider, but not too many to push on much further. They were immensely surpassed by the goodness he experienced and the success he memorized in the faces of those he called family. Wartime taught him to appreciate the little things—this he believed to have been accomplished.

He thought of his good friend General Skywalker. The tragedy he faced was not what Rex remembered. The old Captain recalled instead the playful banter and the honor in the heart of that man that he would have called brother. The respect for that man did not come from his rank, but from his character. Rex wouldn't have traded his time knowing Anakin for anything.

Ahsoka was his next focus. The words "friend" and "partner" did not seem adequate a description for her. She, to him, was closer than any brother could be (and he had a lot of those). He did not love her romantically, but he definitely felt an affection stronger than just anyone. It was not uncommon for him to wonder if their souls had been attached in a force bond. He could see her sad smile in that moment. Sense her understanding. She knew his intentions. She would be okay some day.

His brothers played not only a big role in his life, but they also formed who he was. Without his brothers, Rex would have been nothing but a meaningless form in the galaxy, tossed about by the waves of war. Fives, Cody, Gregor, Wolffe, Echo... oh how he could go on naming them for days and days. Every one of them owned a piece of his being. He knew of only a few who remained out of the hundreds of thousands. They too would feel sadness, but it was only a part of life. He knew them well. They too would be okay.

He sighed at the setting sun. Its colors lighted a light inside him and he knew that it was now. And that was okay. As the light dimmed, he leaned his head back against the tree. Trembling, wrinkled hands combed through the fresh grass. The universe could take him home now. The dreams, the terrors... they were going to go now. He could feel a single cold tear slip down his weary face.

With a heart full and a mind at peace, Rex allowed one final smile to come across his face.

And Ahsoka knelt from the pain.

Her heart knew the piece of it that belonged to him was torn from its place in the center and it begged for reconciliation. As the force began to mourn for her loss she reached out for him. It was in vain and she knew it. He was a part of the force, but he would never be able to manifest himself the way Obi-Wan and Anakin could. She would never know his smile again.

"Ahsoka," said a young Leia Organa. "Are you alright?"

She said, "I have lost a friend." The togruta did not wipe the tears away as they taunted her chin. "No... I've lost a brother."

"How can you be so sure?"

She sensed tranquility as Rex rested in the glow of dusk. He let go with a forgiving and loving hand. She understood his ways but she did not enjoy the pain that struck her in that moment. His life force was flowing into the stream that was the universe.

"Trust in the ways of the force, young one." Ahsoka turned her eyes on the child of her master. Her force signature was strong but untrained. The potential that had been lost because she was brought up in a time of oppression. Leia knelt before her and offered her hand to grasp.

Irony was described in this action. One of her hands was held by the future of the galaxy and the other by the past that slipped through like loose sand. She knew how to let go, but this relic had been with her since long before the thought of hiding from her kind was imaginable. He meant more to her than her own life.

"Let's find him," Ahsoka announced through a sorrowful tone. "And let's give him the burial he deserves."

So, side by side, Ahsoka and Leia traversed to find the one that the Jedi known through horrors and beauty. Through war and peace. Betrayal and bonds that remained unbroken. Hate and love. Respect and ignorance. Through remembrance.

He would be laid down to rest.