Star Wars: Plo Koon Survives

Burying the Dead

Rex landed the Y-Wing on the surface after he and Ahsoka watched helplessly as their Venator crashed and went up in flames. Rex opened up his hatch first and grabbed his helmet. Without thinking he hurled himself out of the fighter, and his weakened body fell to the ground. He stood up abruptly only to trip again and throw his helmet aggressively in the distance. Rex kept stumbling and eventually fell on his knees and remained still, and fully absorbed what had just happened.

After a moment of being alone in the Y-Wing, Ahsoka opened her hatch and slowly dropped to the ground without using the Force. She stood motionless for a few seconds, then began to tremble. She sat down with her arms wrapped around her legs and forehead resting on her knees. Ahsoka started crying. She felt so much pain, so many deaths in the Force, while also trying to process everything that had happened to her and Rex. All of her men, save Rex, were gone. Ahsoka had remained calm and collected the whole time her world was turned upside down, and now that everything had stopped spinning, she couldn't hold it together anymore. So many thoughts were racing through her head, it was more emotion than she had ever felt in her whole life. Ahsoka was angry, sad, and confused, but what she felt most were sadness and loss. Anakin. He was gone. Ahsoka couldn't sense his presence in the Force. He was dead. She felt it, but couldn't accept it. Ahsoka couldn't accept that she would never see him again.

Time had passed, minutes, or maybe hours, Ahsoka didn't really know. When she opened her soaked eyes, she saw Rex sitting down next to her. He put his arm around her, and Ahsoka embraced him. Rex pulled her in close and began to cry. Rex realized that Ahsoka was all he had left, and for the first time in his life, his future was uncertain. Ahsoka looked up and asked, "Are you alright? I'm sorry I should have checked on you."

"Yeah I'm alright," said Rex as he gave Ahsoka a little smirk even though tears were still streaming down his face.

"Are you ok? Injured at all?" Rex asked in return.

"I don't think so," Ahsoka said as she shook her head.

They both stayed close at each other's side for a while, not saying anything more. They both knew what the other was thinking, but did not want to say it out loud, because then it would be real.

"What are we gonna do? Where are we gonna go?" Rex asked with a hopeless tone.

"I don't know," Ahsoka replied as she stood up from the ground, with the weight of her sore body fully realized.

"But right now I'm going to start burying our friends," Ahsoka said with a heavy heart.

Rex saw the pain in her eyes as he heard what she said. Ahsoka truly loved her soldiers, perhaps more than any leader Rex had known. Even when his brothers were turned into mindless executioners, Ahsoka wouldn't hurt them back. She knew they had lost their own free will. They didn't have a choice. What happened with the clones was beyond anyone's control. She couldn't have saved them all. Ahsoka felt the least she could do was show them the kindness that they always showed her.

There wasn't much more to say. There wasn't much more that Rex had the strength to say. He got up and followed Ahsoka as she headed into the smoldering cruiser to begin carrying out bodies. To begin burying their friends.

Time had passed, many hours, maybe even days. They didn't really know. They went into the ship together and alone, countless times. They carried out supplies, parts, and bodies. Rex and Ahsoka didn't say much but often gave each other comforting looks and nods to make sure they were still alright. Ahsoka did the majority of the digging while Rex would lay his brothers in the ground. He removed each helmet and said his final goodbyes to all of them. Ahsoka did as well. These were her soldiers. They were loyal. Loyal to the end. Ahsoka believed that.

Then there was Jesse. One of Rex's oldest friends. Ahsoka and Rex had found his body when they were both in the ship together. Rex hadn't spoken for a while at this point. Then he spotted Jesse under some wreckage in the hangar. "Jess!" Rex yelled as he ran to the body, part of him hoping that he might be alive. When he reached him, for a moment he attempted to revive his brother. Reality soon set in again as Rex laid his head on Jesse's mangled and bloody chest. Ahsoka walked over and laid a hand on Rex's shoulder, and used the other to lift debris off of Jesse's head, revealing the unmistakable helmet of the ARC trooper. She took off the helmet only to see the ghostly head of a once bright soul. Rex looked over at Jesse's lifeless face and began quietly sobbing. "I'm sorry you went out this way. You deserved better." Rex mumbled as he closed Jesse's stiff eyes. Rex carefully picked up his friend's body and started walking out of the ship. Ahsoka followed soon after carrying the helmet. The helmet with the Republic cog in blue.

After days of burying bodies, Ahsoka and Rex were both asleep under the Y-Wing. Ahsoka was dreaming. Dreaming about Anakin. He was in the back of her head ever since she heard his voice cry out in the Force. Now he was in her dreams. It started out as a possible future of what Ahsoka wished had happened, if only her ship got back to Coruscant, and she was truly reunited with Anakin. The dream turned into a nightmare when Anakin's presence was consumed by the Darkside. Ahsoka woke up. Her heart was pounding, and tears were welling in her eyes. Pain, cold, and fear overwhelmed Ahsoka's mind and body. Ahsoka didn't know if she felt this because Anakin died surrounded by evil, or if her worst fear had come true. He had become the evil. No. That wasn't possible. Anakin would never. It didn't matter anymore though. He was gone, and Ahsoka would always choose to believe that Anakin was her friend that always stood by her, even when she wasn't there for him. That choice would continue to chip away at Ahsoka for a long, long time.

As Ahsoka sat up and wiped away her tears, she saw Rex starting to stir in his sleep. Rex opened his eyes and looked over at Ahsoka who had moved closer to the fire ring.

"Couldn't sleep?" Rex asked.

"Nightmare," Ahsoka answered.

"Want to talk about it?" Rex asked as he moved closer to the fire next to her.

Ahsoka stared up at Rex and didn't say anything for a moment. She knew once she started talking all the emotion would explode. Ahsoka thought to herself, "Why am I bottling everything up? I can't do it anymore."

"It was about Anakin," Ahsoka told Rex as all her pent up greif revealed itself on her face.

"He's gone. He's dead." Ahsoka mumbled under her breath.

She broke down in tears. She wept. Rex wrapped his arms around her, and she buried her face in his chest. Rex stared blankly into the night, silently processing what Ahsoka said. His general, his leader, his friend was gone. Rex rested his head on Ahsoka's and cried quietly with her. All this loss was too much for the commander and soldier who had ignored their emotions while at war. Now, all they had was heartache. But at least they still had each other. Normally in the past when they were sad, Rex and Ahsoka would crack jokes to lighten the mood and forget about it. Lately, however, they seemed to be at a loss for humor. So they stayed close throughout the rest of the night. Too sad and too scared to fall back asleep. Ahsoka was afraid of her own dreams. She was afraid of the truth.

The next day Ahsoka walked out of the Venator for the last time. Rex and her had searched every part of the ship they could safely and recovered all the bodies they found. They had decided to leave and that it would be best to leave the lightsabers behind, so Ahsoka would be assumed dead. So she buried her shoto lightsaber with Jesse to honor him. Rex had just buried the last body. He was a shiny. He took the shovel and walked away from the gravesite, leaving Ahsoka alone to say her goodbyes. She held out her remaining lightsaber. It was her last connection to the Jedi Order, and Anakin's symbol of love and protectiveness for her. As she let it fall to the ground, Ahsoka's heart sank with it. The pain she felt was like walking away from the order all over again, except this time there wasn't any hope that she could ever return. 

Editor note - my friend wrote this section and she has her own version of this up on her account too. https://www.wattpad.com/story/232511281-burying-the-dead