Author's Note: The final chapter.
XXXII
The Deliverance - 14 BBY
Disembarkment alarms buzzed, and a myriad of alarm lights engaged, flashing across the interior of the hangar like a crimson pulse monitor.
Flooding into the bay were thousands of Togruta, emerging relatively unscathed from their transports, the vessels that assured their exodus.
Slicing through a hyperspace tunnel, the Deliverance was bound for Dantooine, but still remained a few hours from arrival.
Far below the bridge, the hangar was given advance approval to begin unloading colonists, emptying their passenger holds into the greater hall of the main hangar bay.
Smaller ships adorned the outer edges of the space. A-Wings and the surviving Headhunters drew up for maintenance and inspection, pilots congratulating each other on their success.
From the port side, the Tempest released the clones into the crowd.
Karma was the first to step down onto the solid floor again, and nearly began weeping.
Dynamo and Noble followed, and were tailed by the joint unit of Rex and Wolffe, the latter of whom was still limping his way across the bay.
Fix came last, removing his helmet and observing the incredible sight in silence.
Across the hangar, an Imperial Lambda shuttle lowered to a rest on the duracrete deck.
One occupant emerged, coughing and shivering. Yet she shrugged it off.
Pushing through the throngs of celebrating Togruta - who reunited with loved ones, wept tears of joy, and celebrated their freedom - Ahsoka scanned the crowd.
She spotted a figure with a brown hood, and her eyes focused intently, feet carrying her to them.
Drawing closer, she realized they too were a Togruta, holding a child in their hands, a bright smile plastered across their face as they danced with loved ones.
She sighed, and ducked right into a mass of passengers from the first four transports. Parting her way through the crowds, Ahsoka found nothing. No one.
He wasn't there.
Like a flood, the gathering of colonists shifted across the hangar in jubilant and bittersweet revelry, excited to be alive, apprehensive for what comes next. All that mattered in that moment, however, was that they had been saved, and were reunited with family.
The stark contrast was clear, though.
While those who were saved cheered for their liberation, the saviors were not of the same mood.
Ahsoka felt her legs stop, and she stood amidst the dancing crowds, silent.
The familiar presence of Orren was gone.
Once again, she was a lonely Jedi in a vast galaxy. Perhaps the last.
Her eyes fell to the floor, and everything around her stopped.
Meters away, at the base of the Tempest, Karma and Dynamo embraced in solidarity, eyes holding back emotional floodgates.
Noble bit the inside of his lip, pretending to share in the glee whenever a colonist passed him by.
Fix stared across the bay to Ahsoka's lone figure, and approached slowly.
Her mind fluttered about, its inner harmony had been scattered.
"Ahsoka..?"
She looked up, and into Fix's eyes.
"Fix.."
Fix blinked a few times, wiping the corner of his eye. He only looked at her, and she knew what he sought.
She shook her head.
Fix nodded solemnly, and reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you."
He pulled her into a warm hug, and they lingered for a moment.
"Orren would be proud of you all." She whispered.
"And of you." Fix replied beneath his breath.
They parted, and Fix returned to his gunship to contemplate the day's events.
Pacing forward in what felt like slow motion, Ahsoka looked around, eyes spinning about.
Reaching into the Force, she was met with only quiet.
Tears gathered in her eyes, and she let them come.
Off in the distance, sitting alone in a darkened corner of the hangar, Rex and Wolffe hung their heads low.
Rex's face was buried in his hands, and Wolffe's glove found the back of his old friend in comfort.
Neither said a word.
Hobbling down the ramp of one of the transports, was Lyro Tunetta. The former Senator from Taris paused in his tracks and took in the scene surrounding him. A small smile crept onto his face in victory, until he noticed the group of clones, battle-weary and grim, standing off to the side of the hangar.
Looking around, he sought Orren Kara.
Minutes passed, until Lyro realized that the Jedi wasn't coming home. His smile faded, and he sat down at the precipice of the transport ramp without so much as a whisper.
Exiting the escape pod she arrived in, Laeda's eyes swept the cavernous hangar bay, eyeing distant clones, a single Jedi, and the wounded spirit of an old Senator.
Despite the joy in the air, the palpable emotion surging through every particle, every molecule of the room, she did not feel it.
She felt hurt.
Much was lost that day.
Joining her side, was a small crowd of piloting and intelligence officers, and two droids. The only survivors of the Starsquall.
They proceeded towards the clones in relative silence.
Noble noticed Laeda coming over and stepped forward.
"It's been a while." He said softly.
"Yeah."
"Saw what you did up here. Didn't know it was you till Qar linked it to us."
"Did what I could.." She shrugged, eyes wandering between the distraught troopers.
"You did good." Noble attempted a smile.
They embraced, and she went over to the others.
"You made us all proud today." She told them. "All of us."
The troopers nodded to her, mustering what emotion they could to acknowledge the presence of an old friend.
Before turning to leave, she was stopped.
"Laeda."
It was Dynamo.
"Yes?"
"Thank you." He said. "For saving us."
She smiled.
"It will always be the honor of my life to grant brave souls such as yourselves, a respite from the Imperials. To give you free will."
"We used it today." Karma added. "And we won.."
"You did. You used it damn well." She replied.
"But at a cost." Fix whispered.
The quiet washed over them again, and Laeda gave them a small bow, turning to return to her crew.
Ahsoka reached Rex and Wolffe, who only looked up at her, saying nothing.
"He's gone Ahsoka.." Rex said from under his hands. "We couldn't save him.."
Wolffe only looked at her with misery in his eyes. Regret.
She reached down and placed a hand on Rex's shoulder. Kneeling to his eye level, she propped up his chin.
"You were good men down there, both of you. What happened to Cody is a true loss, but we must keep this day and remember what the Emperor did to the other clones. To your brothers. Carry that with you, and one day, we will make him pay."
Rex nodded, and Ahsoka offered a sympathetic glance to Wolffe, who returned it faintly.
"I'll let you both remain in your thoughts. Come to me if you need to talk. We're all in this together, okay?"
They both nodded to her, and she melded back into the assembly of other Togruta.
Noticing a growing rhythm from within her people, and pushed her way towards the outer fringes to observe what was happening.
The crowd grew louder in unison, gathering around the Tempest.
Lifting the clones from their despondency, they celebrated their liberators as guardian angels.
"Tahala."
"Tahala."
Grouping themselves around the troopers, hundreds of hands reached out and upward, angling towards their saviors, for a chance to thank them personally.
The clones, overwhelmed, stood at the base of the gunship, as the hundreds - and soon thousands - began swarming around them like a rising tide, albeit respectfully and with poise.
"Tahala."
"Tahala."
The chant continued. Words never stopped, never paused. The Togruta would not cease in their appreciation for the clones who saved them all.
Just like that, the soldiers had entered into the Togruta's very culture. Not as warriors, not as angels, but something else entirely.
Legend.
Rex and Wolffe looked on in despairing silence, not eager to join, but opted to stay in the shadowy wings of the hangar, looking for a solace that may never come.
It had been eight years since Geonosis, but the clones had finally received the true recognition they had longed for.
The remaining members of Gale Squad were uplifted by the poignant display of gratitude. They moved out into the amassed congregation of four-thousand, and individually began receiving the thanks.
Their smiles grew, one by one, and they were renewed by the passion of the people.
But not without remembering what they had lost. All of them.
Ahsoka joined Laeda at the edge of the mass, and kept her head hung low.
If only Orren could see this.
"What does it mean?" Laeda finally mumbled aloud. "Tahala?"
Ahsoka closed her eyes.
"It means hero."
Dantooine
"Still no word from Orren?"
Ahsoka shook her head.
Bail leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. A hologram visage of Mon Mothma adorned the holo-pedestal beside him.
"You did well down there, Ahsoka." Mon spoke slowly, but with endearing compassion. "Are your people resting comfortably?"
"Thank you, Senator." She offered a plain bow. "They are. Resettlement is still underway on Shili, but we've made substantial progress beneath the Imperials' nose."
She appeared as if she wanted to say more.
Bail's eyebrow raised, noticing her facial expression.
"Anything else, Ahsoka?"
Ahsoka fell quiet for a moment.
"Ahsoka?"
"I just can't shake the feeling he's still out there." Ahsoka said hurriedly.
"We've swept the system and nearby others with probes for two weeks. Aside from Imperials mopping up Vantu's disaster, no signal from a sentient being was found on Baradas or in space."
"He wouldn't be there." Ahsoka argued.
"That may be, but where would he be if he was alive?"
Ahsoka frowned, shrugging softly.
"He'd find his own way."
"Do you truly think he's still out there?"
"I'm not sure. My mind believes it's still worth pondering. But when I reach into the Force, I feel nothing but emptiness. It feels the same as it's felt since Raada, when I tried looking for Anakin."
Bail grimaced at the name.
"What?" She pressed.
"Nothing." Bail began. "I just.. wish we had more Jedi like you here.. like Master Skywalker."
Ahsoka's mind wandered back in time, and her frown softened a bit.
"So do I."
"I will continue the sweep of the systems for another two weeks, but I can't promise he'll turn up." Bail assured her. "Remember last time, he cut himself off from the Force completely, as you said."
"You're right. But thank you. I imagine he wouldn't want himself located by your probes anyways." She quipped.
"If that's the case, we would have to respect his wishes and leave him to do that. Otherwise, we must honor our dead."
Dead. A word that stung her conscience. A word uttered far too many times in the last eight years. From the war, to the fall of the Republic, her time on Mandalore and Raada, and living now as Fulcrum, she had seen too much death.
That was her life now.
"I understand, Senators. Thank you." With a second bow, she turned to depart Bail's quarters.
"Are you meeting with the others?" Bail called out after her.
"I am." She replied. "Are you not coming?"
"As much as I'd like to, I cannot. The Emperor is calling an emergency meeting to address what happened on Baradas. The Tantive leaves in an hour."
Ahsoka nodded, and the door opened.
"And Bail?" She addressed him a final time, halfway out the door.
"Yes?"
"Thank you. For believing in them, and Orren."
Bail smiled.
"I do what I can for the galaxy, Ahsoka. Those men did us all proud."
With a mutual nod of respect, the door closed behind her.
"I'll be seeing you on Coruscant, Mon." Bail said, looking at the hologram. "I have another incoming call it seems."
"From Alderaan?"
"Looks that way. Leia loves calling me when I'm away."
Mon gave her friend a warm farewell, and her departure gave way to a far more youthful arrival.
Bail's exuberance blended into the blue sheen of the holo-message, and his young daughter's face pranced across the screen.
"Father! When are you coming home?"
"Soon, my darling. I must take care of business at the capital."
"Are you still with those soldier men?"
Bail chuckled.
"Yes. They did some fine work for us."
"Did they save the people?"
He nodded at her, pride in his eyes.
"They did, Leia. They did."
The Tempest took up much of the space in the facility's fourth hangar bay, surrounded by numerous mechanics and fuel specialists.
Fix was - as always - underneath the forward compartments, lying on a creeper and reaching up into an ajar wiring terminal, rewriting some code in the inertial systems.
"Need some help down there?"
He wheeled himself out and found Karma's eyes.
"You again, eh?" Fix joked.
"Me again."
"Yeah, matter of fact. Toss me that-.."
"-..Ion coil?" Karma interjected.
Fix grinned, and the coil reached his hand in no time.
"You've caught on well, brother."
"Been long enough."
"Almost too long, you think?"
"What're you getting at?"
"It's time we properly retired, wouldn't you imagine?" Fix said.
Karma thought about the idea.
"Perhaps."
"You got the family now, yeah? Baradas was a dangerous job. You may not have come home."
"Damn right. Leg is just healed up now." Karma said with a shake of his head. "But we were doing good. We helped a cause bigger than us."
"We age, brother. Faster than most. In a few more years, we could be getting joint pain just running down a hill."
"We stay in shape."
"Maybe. I just don't feel like there's another fight left in me, after what happened down there."
"You mean Chuckles." Karma said slowly.
"Yeah."
Silence crept between them.
Fix wiped his eye.
"I miss him too." Karma spoke.
"I got a girl, back on Manaan." Fix shifted the conversation.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, she's great. Got an adorable little girl, too. Might get her to move offworld with me."
"You piss off the Selkath or something, brother?"
"You have no idea." Fix said with a flashy smile.
Noble entered the bay, followed by Dynamo, and Karma drew himself to attention.
"At ease, trooper."
"How are we looking down there, Fix?" Dynamo asked.
"Ready to fly, boys. Your people still meeting us there?" Fix asked.
"Sure are." Dynamo replied. "I heard Laeda and a few guests may be joining us as well."
"Hope they booked their own flight."
"They did." Dynamo laughed.
"Alright. We better get going then." Noble urged. "Got a long ride ahead."
Rex and Wolffe filed into the bay next, their spirits a tad more upbeat than two weeks prior.
"Ready for takeoff?" Rex asked.
"Aye, sir." Noble said.
"No need for the sir." Rex dismissed.
"Something changed?"
"Matter of fact, yeah."
Fix stood to his feet, and joined Karma in ogling over Noble's shoulder.
Rex presented something from his pocket, it was a military decoration of sorts.
Noble was speechless as the two commanders held it out to him.
"From us, to you." Wolffe said with a smile.
"Try it on." Rex said eagerly.
Noble took the pin and attached it to his vest.
It was the insignia of a clone commander.
"Oh boy!" Dynamo exclaimed. "We gotta salute for your ass twice now!"
Karma laughed, slapping Noble on the back.
"Congratulations, Commander."
Fix offered a hand to shake, and Noble gladly accepted.
"I-I don't even know what to say.." Noble stammered giddily.
"Say nothing. Accept it anyways." Rex grinned. "You deserve it, Commander."
"Thank you." He looked between Rex and Wolffe. "This means more than you know."
"What's all this?" Came a voice from behind.
It was Ahsoka.
"Someone got a promotion." Dynamo said.
"I see. Commander Noble, is it?" She looked up at him.
"Yes, sir."
"You deserve it, Noble. Congratulations." She smiled and embraced him. "Thank you again for all of your work down there. All of you."
"Guessin' it's time to get underway." Karma said. "Not to interrupt or anything, but the chronometer is reading eight hours to nightfall at our destination."
"Let's get up there then." Rex said.
Obliging, the seven climbed aboard the Tempest, and Fix began the startup routine.
Bail Organa entered the hangar. Standing alone, he watched the ship as its engines flared.
Through the cockpit viewport of the battered - yet still flying - LAAT, Fix and Noble offered him goodbye waves from their seats up front.
Bail knew they weren't coming back.
From their seats at the front of the ship, Fix conducted his symphony, and the ship was roaring in response.
"Everyone strapped in?" He called back.
"As strapped as we're gonna be." Wolffe quipped, gripping the handrail in apprehension. "No funny business up there."
"Can't make any promises." Fix retorted.
"Fly safe, Fix." Ahsoka said calmly. "You have our trust."
Fix smiled, and activated the last few switches needed for departure.
"Let's finish this story, brother." Noble said, grabbing Fix by the shoulder in reassurance, before settling into the copilot's seat.
"Engines are a go. Drives are active. Hyperdrive intact. Exhaust and intakes looking good. Dampeners and coils are fresh. We're all set." Fix remarked with a smirk. "Let's do this."
He only awaited the final signal.
"Tempest this is Dantooine facility control. You are clear for departure. Godspeed Gale Squad, and may the Force be with you."
Fix surged on the controls, and the ship lifted.
Bail's cloak danced about in the subsequent windstorm, a purple mirage against the gray durasteel of the hangar bulkheads.
The engines scintillated, drive glows punctuating across the hangar in a brilliant and dazzling show of sapphire and gold.
Rocketing from the hangar and out of the sinkhole, the LAAT ascended.
The Senator from Alderaan took a few steps forward to watch them go.
He watched the heroes go.
Angling farther and faster upwards, a sonic boom shook the hangar, and the Tempest blazed into the upper atmosphere, as its figure dwindled down to just a tiny pulse of light in the summer skies.
With a jump to lightspeed, it disappeared amongst the stars.
Auratera
"They have become one with the Force."
Gathered beneath the Uneti tree, a small crowd assembled before seven standing stones.
Personal monuments.
"It is our job to remember - always - that we too, will pass on, in time."
Ahsoka pronounced the eulogy with commanding presence, yet a compassionate tone. Resounding over the bluff that guarded the village, her voice carried through the gentle breezes that fluttered down from the mountain valleys.
It echoed the words of an old friend.
"We are luminous beings. But our bodies are only temporary vessels. May the work we perform be in the best interest of all."
Seven Republic military grave markers stood tall behind her, just at the foot of the tree.
The eighth held proud in the center.
In a beautifully ornate script, the names of the fallen were etched upon them.
Stax.
Copy.
Ty.
Sash.
Tandem.
Chuckles.
Cody.
With a carved illustration of a rising lightsaber emerging from the base of the stone, the final name was inscripted with the inspiration of a blossoming tree, leaves aching in the wind.
Orren Kara.
"We shall all find ourselves here, at the crossroads of life and death, in our own time. How we choose to accept fate is up to us, but we should never mourn the lost. Celebrate who they were in life."
Noble, Fix, Dynamo, Karma, Rex, and Wolffe stood just beyond Ahsoka's position, adorned in their finest gear and traditional decorations. A holopuck of Bail Organa was placed at their feet, as he watched without word. Further past, Laeda and Lyro held firm, while Dynamo's entourage of Al and Kya observed from behind.
Sitting at the base of the bluff, in the distance, was the figure of a small boy, angling his head out from a pair of bushes.
His silence was deafening, reading the inscribed stones from afar.
"I ask for a moment of silence to remember the fallen."
Heads hung low, and eyes glazed over the names.
"Now we must move on, and strive to live for those we've lost. May they never be forgotten, and may the Force be with them all."
Ahsoka drew a sharp inhale with the final word, and turned back to give a solemn glance to the names.
Momentarily, the memorial was over.
Ahsoka took a few lonely paces towards Orren's hut, and allowed the clones some time to grieve personally.
Rex and Wolffe knelt before Cody's stone.
"Forgive us brother." Wolffe whispered. "We couldn't save you."
"You will live on forever, Commander." Rex said. His fingers reached out and grazed the letters of his friend's name, trembling with emotion. "I promise." Tears welled from his eyes, and he wiped them away with a single finger. Standing to his feet, he took a deep breath, and took a few steps back to compose himself.
Wolffe put an arm around his friend and they stepped away.
Karma stood over the stones of his fallen squad. All of them.
The fallen on Quermia had never received a proper memorial until now.
Now, they rest with their brothers. He was all that remained.
Despite it all, he held firm.
"They would be proud of you." Noble told him.
"They'd be proud of us."
With a nod, they embraced, and moved over to Chuckles and Tandem.
Dynamo and Fix were placing a few lonely wildflowers at the base of the monuments, watching their petals sway in the wind.
The falling sunset shimmered between the stones, tracing long shadows against the summer grasses that were representative of those who had fallen.
"Hope you're cracking plenty of jokes up there boys." Noble murmured.
Fix began to cry.
"You know they are." He said, a bittersweet smile growing across his face. "It's who they were."
"The best of us." Dynamo said.
"Let's live for 'em, then." Karma added. "It's what they'd want."
Orren's stone was the last to be visited.
"Hell of a man." Noble said.
Fix nodded. "He came back for us. Even when he didn't have to."
"The finest general any man could ask for."
They each took turns laying a hand on the pinnacle of Orren's stone, in a hushed goodbye.
"May the Force be with you, General." Dynamo said.
Their respects had been paid.
Ahsoka joined them.
"I know Orren was proud of you all." She said softly. "The last time I saw him, before we parted ways, he told me to tell you something."
Their attention was drawn to her.
"He was proud to have led the bravest and noblest group of soldiers in the galaxy." A weary smile found her lips, and she looked down at his stone. "He was sorry for leaving you, and wanted you to know he was happy with the men you became. I'm sure he always will be."
They nodded in agreement.
"Now.." She began, voice drawing thin from emotion. "He's one with the Force.. They all are."
As Bail's hologram faded into darkness, the group turned away from the graves, and with the final fragments of daylight, they returned to those who waited behind.
Laeda and Lyro took a few steps towards them.
"So what will you do now?" She asked the clones.
Karma and Fix looked at each other.
"Karma here said he'll let me borrow his 'manual' on raising a family." Fix beamed. "Think I'm gonna bring Juuna and her daughter here to try and resettle." He took a deep breath of the cooling air. "It's peaceful. A place to retire."
Karma nodded. "I think I'll join you. Town's looking like it could use some work. Just the job for us."
Laeda's eyes found Dynamo.
"And you?"
"I've got my ride already." He smirked, pointing down towards the village walls.
The Paragon was parked next to Fix's gunship, having been repaired from the excursion to Thyferra.
Al and Kya approached him, warm smiles abound.
"You almost ready to go, hotshot?" Al asked. Dynamo kissed her on the forehead and acknowledged her.
"I want to thank you for everything you all did up there." Kya spoke up. "That woman had Jol killed in cold blood, and you all found justice for him and the countless others who died on her watch. For that, I'll always be indebted to you." She offered a bow, and Noble gave her a hand to shake.
"Was our pleasure. Always here to help those in need."
"Speaking of help." Laeda said. "Where are you headed, Commander?"
Noble smiled, scratching the nape of his neck apprehensively.
"Not quite sure, if I'm being honest. Gave Bail my resignation, but I haven't quite found my footing yet."
"I have a proposal for you, if you're interested."
"I'm all ears."
While they spoke off to the side, Karma swooped between them and gained Lyro's attention.
"I never did thank you for what you did."
The stout former senator attempted to remain modest.
"You'll never have to, trooper. Was doing my duty."
"You risked your life to bring us to safety. I'll never forget that."
Lyro grew red in the cheeks, and could only give a simple nod.
"Make the most of it." He urged.
"Of what?"
"Your lives."
The clone grinned and reaffirmed his intent to do so.
"What will you do?" Karma asked him.
"Me? Oh, well, Laeda here has offered me a proposal as well."
"Which is?"
"Stay on here and try to work my way back into government."
"Only thing here is the town."
"Exactly."
Karma smirked. "I respect the drive, Senator."
Lyro gave him a playful shrug. "Can't sit around and do nothing, eh?"
Paces away, Fix plopped himself down on a log beside Wolffe, who was lost in thought.
"What are your plans?" Fix inquired.
"Looks like right now, we're leaving." Wolffe replied.
"Really? Where to?"
"Seelos." Rex interjected from downwind. "Quiet world in the Outer Rim. Free of cities, pollution, war. Good for retirement."
"Retirement?" Came Noble's voice, who had departed Laeda's company and rejoined his brothers.
"Had enough of all this." Rex spoke solemnly. "We did our duty, but I think I need a rest. A respite from all of this, you know?"
"I know. Yeah.." Noble said, sitting beside him.
"Come with us." Rex implored.
Noble shook his head.
"Laeda's offered me a position here, at her new clinic, as much as I'd love to, and you know that."
"I respect it, Commander." Rex said with a smile, offering his hand to shake. "You keep making a difference, yeah?"
"I'll do my best, sir." Noble took his hand with a determined grip, flashing a toothy grin.
"Seelos is a desert." Fix told Wolffe. "Far cry from Manaan."
Wolffe nodded.
"It'll be alright. New digs, yeah? I'm always up for an adventure, call me up whenever, kid."
"We still are, and always will be, the same age." Fix insisted.
"Just like pushin' your buttons." Wolffe joked back, and they shook hands. "Go get that girl, yeah?"
"With pleasure." Fix replied.
While the others conversed, Ahsoka's eyes wandered about Orren's former property, seeking to formulate a future for it.
Until her eyes found that future.
Her boots reached the ridge of the bluff, and she knelt before a boy.
"You were friends with him, weren't you?" She said gingerly.
Luko nodded.
Ahsoka smiled.
"I'm Ahsoka. And your name?"
"Luko." He whispered.
"It's an honor to meet you, Luko." She reached a hand out to take. "Come, we can talk more in the village."
Rising from their perch, they noticed the gathering of souls amassing down the path, near Klaria's walls.
The Paragon's ramp descended, and two figures climbed aboard.
After numerous hugs and handshakes, a third followed.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Karma called out after Dynamo.
"That leaves a world of possibilities, jackass!" He called back, hitting the ramp in stride.
"Be safe, brother. And keep doing what you're doing." Noble told him.
"Yes, sir." Dynamo reached the top of the ramp, and offered a parting salute.
It was returned by his brothers in earnest, for perhaps the final time.
A teardrop fell to the ramp below, as Dynamo turned and disappeared into the darkness of the ship.
From the bluff, Ahsoka and Luko watched the drive engines glow in response to ignition. In the midst of a lavender painted sky, the craft ascended from the earth, leaving a band of clones, a former Senator, and a medical officer in its dusty wake.
Lifting her hand in a wave, Ahsoka watched the ship grow smaller, before disappearing into the realspeed of space.
The sun shrunk further, and the first stars of twilight began sparkling across the clear dusk.
The boy looked up at his new guardian, and her warmth radiated down to him.
Ahsoka beckoned him forward, and Luko guided her down the windswept path towards the village, as the prominence of distant constellations filled the majestic skies with endless beauty.
Author's Note: This may be the ending to the actual narrative, but the epilogue will really tie everything together. It was maybe my favorite piece to write in the entire third act. But this chapter was also very emotional for me as well, especially the scenes on the Deliverance. Seeing my first Fic come together like this and actually finish - when I've never finished anything before - is incredibly special for me. Thanks to everyone who stuck around and kept things going, both here and on Ao3.
Stay tuned for the Epilogue tomorrow night, with an extra bit of bonuses being posted at the same time.