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Ahsoka bit the inside of her lip as she pulled yet another body out the wreckage. The orange paint that decorated the helmet stared back at her. She had given up holding the tears back after pulling the second body out hours ago.
A choked sob from behind her had her turning towards her captain. He was holding another body in his arms, the Republic cog painted distinctly on the front of the helmet.
Jesse.
The ARC's armor was now painted with dirt and grime but the 501st blue stuck out against the wreckage around them. His chest plate was cracked right over where his heart used to beat.
Rex looked up from his best friend, locking eyes with the young Togruta. Tears were spilling down the blonde clone's cheeks, following the same track as the previous ones.
Ahsoka picked up the body she had found as Rex picked up Jesse's unmoving one. They both walked them out of the wreckage, laying them beside their brothers. Their vode.
The two continued to pull body after body out of the wreckage, laying them gently outside what was left of the ship until only Ahoska went back in. Rex began to dig into the dirt, giving his fallen vode a final resting place that wasn't the trampled dirt of a battlefield.
When Ahsoka returned, cradling another one of his vode, he had only finished digging the first grave. Ahsoka carried the fallen soldier to the grave, gently laying him down in the ground. Rex reached up, removing his vod's helmet revealing the face he'd seen a thousand times.
Ahsoka rested her hand on Rex's shoulder, looking down at her Captain. "Rex," he looked up to meet her eyes, "Let us give them all the burial they all deserve."
Rex looked back to his vod once more before setting the helmet carefully beside him. He grabbed the shovel again, hesitating before pouring the dirt over the grave.
They both repeated the process over and over again, removing each helmet carefully, setting it utop a rifle dug into the dirt of every grave.
Ahsoka stood back, looking over the sea of now empty helmets, knowing all too well what lay beneath each one. Her lightsaber was held tightly in her hand, the blue blade never to be ignited by her again. She watched it roll out of her hand, landing with a soft thud in the dirt by her feet.
Rex appeared beside her, taking a last look across the field of graves, setting his hand gently on her shoulder. "Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la."
Ahsoka looked over to him, a slight questioning look on her face. Rex met her gaze, a saddened smile spread across his lips. "That was Mando'a." It wasn't a question. She knew enough of the language to recognize when it was spoken.
"Yes," Rex looked out once more, "It means 'Not gone, merely marching far away'. It… it only seemed right."
Ahsoka felt a small smile work its way onto her face. "It does." She took a shaky breath. "Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la, ori’vode. Rest well."