Chapter 2

How was the last chapter? I hope it was good. It was hard to write, man.

This one takes place after S4 episode "In the name of the Rebellion".

(Yes, most chapter will start with Rex's point of view)

Rex climbed up the Ghost ladders, desperate to get to the top, where Hera was. Lately she'd been going on twice more missions than usual, spending as much time as she could doing something else. Because if she didn't, she'd think about them.

Rex got to the cockpit, and found Hera sobbing on the pilot's seat. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"I let them die, Rex," she sobbed.

"The attack wasn't your fault," Rex tried to comfort her.

"I know," Hera said, "but they're dead anyway." She had bags under her eyes, and her body language indicated unmeasurable tiredness.

"You need to stop working so hard, captain."

"No," Hera breathed, then sat upright, "I've got a mission soon, Rex, maybe you should leave before it starts." Rex sighed. Hera was putting her work before her mental health. Even the most foolish soldiers knew that was wrong. But she'd lost so much. Rex walked all the way back to the base. Hera could do what she pleased.

Hera couldn't stand it anymore. Why did this hurt so much?

"Because it was real," her own internal voice said.

Hera had been giving herself more than the assigned missions lately. She knew that it wasn't doing her any good, but it was better than sitting around doing nothing. Only an idiot would do that.

But then again, they were all gone. Sabine and Ezra, her wonderful kids, who were much too young to live in a world full of war. Zeb, her greatest ally and most loyal friend, who continued fighting even after losing his planet. Chopper, her baby droid, who no one but her understood but who was loyal to the end. And Kanan, the love of his life, whom she'd never told what she felt about him.

The mere thought of Kanan sent her crying again. He, who'd gone against everything he believed in just so she could join the rebellion. The same man who'd begun to train a random boy because she thought it was right. The same man who'd saved her from those rocks, all that time ago in Gorse. The same man who'd revealed himself as a jedi to her, after having it a secret for more than ten years. That man was gone.

Sabine, her brave mandalorian daughter who could fight against the empire any day. The girl who was so broken inside but tough on the outside. The same girl she and Kanan had found half-dead and brought to the Ghost. The same girl who managed to scare Zeb and run around the ship with a broken arm and a sprained ankle. The same girl who sometimes called her 'mom'. The same girl who'd gone back to face her family at her own suggestion. That girl was gone.

Zeb, the kind Lasat who looked tough, but was soft. The Lasat who was the last of his kind and still found courage to find the Empire. The same Lasat who they'd rescued from a falling building and welcomed in. The same Lasat who hadn't believed it when they told him that they had done it out of the goodness in their hearts. The same Lasat who'd protected them at all costs. That Lasat was gone.

Chopper, the loyal droid who'd been with her from the very beginning. The droid who could take on stormtroopers by himself. The same droid she'd found on that abandoned ship all those years ago. The same droid who hated other droids to infinity and beyond. The same droid whom everyone called annoying. The same droid who called her 'mom'. The same droid who'd been jealous of Kanan when he first got here. That droid was gone.

Ezra, her caring jedi son, who only ever wanted the best for others. The boy who'd been so selfish at the start, but became one of the most selfless. The same boy who'd once stolen from them. The same boy who'd risked his life for strangers he'd just met. The same boy who cared for everyone he met. The same boy who could make friends with anyone. The same boy whose only intention was helping Lothal. That boy was gone.

They were all gone. Her family was gone.

Not gone, only dead. If she remembered, they weren't gone.

I'll remember, Hera thought, and I won't stop until their dream comes true. When the Empire is destroyed.