Hey, everybody. Back with another shorter chapter.

So, this one may be a bit sad, but I hope will still be good.

Let's get to it.

Dalej0523: I will probably do at least one war in the Milky Way Galaxy

BlackWatcher1234: I don't know if I'll include the Hapes Consortium, mainly because I don't know much about them. I may include them in the future, but probably not much in this story. As for Soontir Fel, I still am unsure what to do with him.

Chapter 72- Death of a Legend

(January 1, 2018, Baltimore, Maryland)

Ahsoka and Plo wait a moment to allow the sliding doors to open before they walk into the lobby of John's Hopkins Hospital.

They quickly make their way over to the receptions desk, their appearance drawing stares and whispers from around the lobby.

As they reach the reception desk, the receptionist says, "Welcome, Masters. How can I help you?"

"We're here to see Mace Windu," Plo says.

"Ah, yes. The doctor assigned to him wants to speak to you. As soon as possible. He's in the cardiology department. You can make your way there straight away," the receptionist said.

"Thank you," Plo says. They hurry past her, heading for the cardiology department.

The two had received a call from Johns Hopkins just hours ago that Mace had been airlifted to Johns Hopkins, and he had requested that members of the Council come immediately. Plo said that the doctor's voice sounded grave over the phone, so he felt whatever had happened was very serious.

It takes the two Jedi only a matter of minutes before they reach their destination. Emerging onto the right floor, they are immediately met by a doctor who looks to be in his early 50s.

"Master Koon. Master Tano. Welcome. I'm Doctor Hansen," the doctor says pleasantly, extending his hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, doctor," Plo says, taking the offered hand. The doctor smiles and nods, then shakes Ahsoka's hand as well.

"You didn't go into a lot of detail on the phone, doctor. Can you tell us now what exactly happened?" Plo asks.

"About 9 hours ago, Mister Windu suffered a massive heart attack in his home. It was lucky that one of his neighbors was visiting him and was able to call 911. Unfortunately, by the time they got him to the nearest hospital, he was in critical condition. The hospital decided to have him airlifted here for treatment," Doctor Hansen says.

Both Plo and Ahsoka look at each other in concern before looking back at Doctor Hansen. "Is he going to be okay?" Ahsoka asks.

"Unfortunately, as I understand it, Mister Windu has been having a number of health problems in recent months. Among them include a smaller heart attack three months ago. These problems have left him in worse shape. It's still our guess that Emperor Palpatine's Force lightning weakened his heart and lungs. And unfortunately, this heart attack was so bad…he didn't get medical attention quick enough. While he is still alive, he is in very critical condition and is currently on life support. We believe that, with extensive treatment and plenty of time for recovery, he could eventually recover. However, Mister Windu does not seem to want this, and has asked for us to take him off of life support. If we do, we estimate he would live maybe a half hour," Doctor Hansen says.

Plo and Ahsoka look at each other again, solemnly. After a moment, Ahsoka asks, "Is he really serious about this?"

"Yes. He says that he's made peace with this world, and with the Sith destroyed, he's ready to pass on. We were gonna wait until you arrived, and then we were going to remove him from life support," he says.

Plo and Ahsoka are both silent for a few moments before Plo says, "Take us to him, please."

"Of course," Doctor Hansen says.

The doctor leads them down a hallway. Halfway down, he opens a door on the right and leads them in.

As Ahsoka and Plo walk in, they see Mace lying in bed, hooked up to a number of machines, and looking very weak. He looks over at them as they enter the room and smiles slightly. "Masters. How nice of you to visit me," he says.

"How are you feeling, my friend?" Plo says.

"Ready for the next adventure," Mace says.

"Master Windu…are you sure about this?" Ahsoka asks.

"Yes, I am, Ahsoka. I have felt for some time that the end was coming, but I have done all I could to hold on so that I could see the day when the Sith were finally vanquished and all of the Jedi who died because of Sidious were finally avenged. Now I've seen that day, and I am no longer in the physical condition to be a Jedi. My purpose in life has been accomplished. Now, it is time for me to pass on," Mace says.

Plo and Ahsoka are quiet for several moments before Plo reaches out and rests a hand on Mace's shoulder. "We are going to miss you greatly. But it has been my pleasure to know you and serve with you, Mace," he says.

Mace smiles back at Plo and says, "The pleasure has been mine, Plo."

Mace then looks at Ahsoka and says, "Ahsoka, I believe it is high time that I apologize for my actions during the Clone Wars, and to apologize for being so mistrusting of both you and your master."

Ahsoka smiles slightly and says, "It's okay, Mace."

Mace looks at Doctor Hansen. "It's time, doctor," he says. Doctor Hansen nods, and he and a nurse proceed to remove Mace from the life support machines.

Mace looks at them. "I would prefer to not die alone," he says.

"Of course, Mace. We'll stay," Plo says. Mace smiles slightly.

For the next half hour, the three of them sit together, talking. Finally, after about a half hour, Mace suddenly groans. After a moment, he says, "Well, it's finally time."

Mace looks at both of them and smiles slightly, "I know you will lead the Jedi to greatness." He then looks up at the ceiling and says, "Time for the next big adventure." He then closes his eyes, his breathing growing more labored. After just a few more moments, he takes one last breath, and then he goes still.

Plo and Ahsoka sit there for a moment before they realize he is gone. And, at that moment, Doctor Hansen calls out, "Time of death: 3:57 PM."

Plo and Ahsoka sit there for a moment before looking at each other. "We'll need to inform the Jedi Council and the Alliance. We'll need to let them know that Mace is dead," he says. Ahsoka nods solemnly.

(January 7, 2018)

Plo and Ahsoka watch quietly from their seats as the honor guard slowly walks up the aisle towards the gravesite, carrying the coffin carrying Mace's body. The coffin is draped in the flag of the Republic.

When the news of Mace's death went out across the Alliance, it prompted a day of mourning across the Alliance. Mace had lain in state in the Jedi Temple to allow people to come pay their respects to Mace. In that time, they had decided for all he had done for Earth, to have Mace buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

They watch as the honor guard carries Mace's coffin to his grave. The intricate tombstone, dominated by a sculpture of the symbol of the Jedi Order, was designed by the Jedi Council. The honor guard halt at the tombstone and slowly lower Mace's coffin onto the covering over the grave.

A military chaplain steps forward to read out the customary funeral service for a military burial. Then, as soon as he finishes, he calls out, "And now, I would like to invite Plo Koon forward to say a few words."

Plo stands up from his seat and makes his way forward to stand beside the grave. Facing the crowd, Plo is quiet for a moment before he says, "I served with Mace Windu for many years. He was on the Jedi Council before I joined the Council, so I have known him for decades. From the time I first knew him, he was strong, determined, and dedicated to protecting the light. He dedicated his life to the Force and protecting the weak."

"Mace would not want his passing to be a time of sorrow. He would want all of us to continue living and fulfilling the goals that he dedicated his life to. He would want us to continue to do all we can to make the world, and the universe, a better place. Let's honor Mace Windu by doing all we can to defeat darkness and spread the light of liberty," Plo says.

Plo returns to his seat. As he sits down, a rifle team raises its rifles and fires off the 21 gun salute. As the echoes of the last shots fade, a bugler standing a few meters away raises his instrument to his lips and begins to play Taps. As he does, Ahsoka feels something on her arm. Looking down, she sees it's a tiny snowflake.

Ahsoka looks up as the final notes of Taps ring out, and sees a very light snow beginning to fall. She smiles as she looks back to the grave. She smiles as the funeral wraps up, and Mace's coffin is lowered into the grave, all as snow is falling all around them, bringing a great feeling of peace to all who are present.

And, I'll end there. Hope you liked this chapter.

So, by this point in time, Mace would be almost 80. Add to that, as I mentioned earlier in the story, he has some health problems caused by Palpatine's lightning. On top of that, the Sith are finally defeated, so I figured it was about time to let Mace go. I hope you liked how I did that.

Now, next chapter will focus on the operation to take out Zsinj. It should be up soon. Until it is, please leave a review, and stay tuned!