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rowansparrow · 2 years

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The Light Between Oceans: Chapter Three

**This series is rated 18+, Minors do NOT interact or you will be blocked**

Summary: As the last of the survivors make it back to camp, Fives, Athena, and the remaining rebels prepare to bury the dead.

Chapter Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic description, gore, injury, violence, burial traditions, mentions of character death, grief.

Ships: Rex x Female!Reader, Fives x Male!OC, Fives x Female!OC

Word Count: 6.2k

A/N: Are y’all doing okay after last week?

Regular updates come every Saturday.

Thank you very much to @djarrex and @witchklng for their various contributions to this work. I couldn’t have done it without either of you.

Sensitive content is tagged #Ro’s Protected Tag. Please block that tag if you are concerned about content.

Reblogs are so appreciated!

Rex stepped out from the ship and into the sunlight. Dawn had begun to climb over the village, bathing the ruins of the settlement in a cruel crimson as the rain stopped. The harsh light of day betrayed the bodies, the decay, the complete and total destruction of what had once been their home.

A healer had interrupted you and Rex, and he’d quickly scrubbed at his face and stepped aside so the healer could inspect you. Another had collected Calder from his arms, promising to alert Rex at once should anything come up.

Rex had to step away.

He’d exited the ship as gracefully as he could manage, avoiding eye contact with you. He needed a moment to mourn, not just for what had happened to his son, but for everything he’d lost. Howzer was dead. Ju’Lah had been taken. Gol’Chek may never walk again. He’d missed the birth of his son. He had no idea who else was dead. His child would never hear his voice.

He scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to center himself. There was still much to be done. He needed to lead, needed to guide his people through the storm. They were counting on him. His family was counting on him.

Rex closed his eyes, silently thanking any gods listening for watching over his family. His wife was alive. His son was alive. There was still much to be grateful for.

He inhaled slowly, tasting the moisture in the air from the rainfall, and turned his head towards the sky, greeting the sunlight like an old friend. Dawn had come again, regardless of who lived and who died.

He started down the landing platform, heading back towards the triage zone. He spotted Wrecker among the survivors, Soteria treating a nasty blaster wound on his arm. He saw a Mandalorian carry Howzer’s body away.

“Where are they taking the bodies?” Rex asked.

“They’re burning them.” Wolffe said quietly. “We’d like to afford them all a proper burial, but there’s no time. We need to leave as soon as possible, before the Empire gets wind and sends reinforcements.”

He glanced to Rex. “They’ll do the remembrances, if you want to get a list of names of the dead.” He said gently. “We’ll do things properly, as much as we’re able.”

“Thank you.” Rex said quietly. Along the horizon, he saw a tall man approaching camp, carrying what appeared to be a body.

He started down the ramp, turning over his shoulder. “The little girl, Omega. Don’t let her come outside the ship.”

Wolffe nodded, and Rex jogged out towards Crosshair. “Is he dead?”

“Not yet.” Crosshair drawled, laying Hunter out on the nearest cot. “He was too close to one of the blasts. He’s lucky I saw him, or nobody would’ve been around to dig him out of the wreckage.”

“Kriff, he’s full of shrapnel.” Rex swore. “Medic! We need a medic!”

Soteria rushed over, along with Wrecker, Echo, and Tech. “What happened?” Echo demanded.

“Shrapnel.” Crosshair answered lazily. “I imagine he’s blown his eardrums out, too.”

“Glad to see you’re so concerned about it.” Wrecker bit back.

“Maybe he shouldn’t have been standing so close.”

“Enough.” Soteria barked, shoving her way through alongside a Mandalorian healer. “We’ll take care of this, everyone back up.”

“Where’s Omega?” Tech asked.

“She’s asleep on the ship, Wolffe’s keeping an eye out to make sure she doesn’t come out and see Hunter like this.” Rex replied.

“He’ll bleed out if we don’t act quickly.” Soteria said, already peeling off Hunter’s armor. “Everyone step back! Give us some room!”

Rex looked around as the rest of the batch continued to hover save for Crosshair, who took a few steps back at Soteria’s insistence. Several survivors had been brought up from the tunnels, a few families reuniting while others grieved.

“Captain,” Dogma jogged up to Rex, a backpack slung over his shoulder. “I’ve been gathering supplies, a few of the houses are still standing.” He gave Rex a look. “Yours is still mostly in one piece, if you want to go get any of your things, especially for the baby.”

Rex nodded. “Thank you, Dogma.” He glanced over his shoulder towards the ship, debating whether or not he should tell you where he was going, when something caught his eye.

Two more Mandalorians were approaching the triage zone, carrying the body of a large Nautolan between them.

“Oh, gods.” Rex whispered aloud. Echo heard Rex, and turned his head, following the Captain’s gaze.

“Oh no.”

Fives and Athena leaned against one another, stumbling back towards the ship. Fives had a smear of blood on his cheek, tear tracks streaked through the red.

“Fives,” Rex began, starting to reach for his brother. Fives ignored him, shuffling past him and following along behind the Mandalorians carrying Quill’s body. When they didn’t stop at the triage site, Fives snapped his head toward them.

“Hey. Where are you taking him?” Fives demanded, struggling to keep up with them. “Where are you taking him?!”

“We have a site where we’re disposing of the bodies.” One of the Mandalorians replied. “If you give us his name, we’ll -.”

“No. No he can’t be buried or burned.” Fives said sharply, shaking his head. “He has to go back into the water.”

“We’ve been instructed to take all bodies to the burn site.”

“I don’t give a fuck what your orders are.” Fives snarled, limping over to the Mandalorians. “He can’t be buried or burned. He has to go back to the water.”

“Fives,” Echo stepped in front of him, a hand on his chest as he tried to guide Fives backwards. “Let him go, brother.”

“No!” Fives shouted, shoving Echo hard enough to knock him down. “No! No, he can’t be burned or buried, his – his body has to go back to the water! He has to go back to the water!” Fives was nearly hysterical, grabbing Quill’s body and trying to pull him away from the Mandalorians. “He has to go back to the water!”

“Fives!” Rex tried next, but Fives elbowed him hard, shoving him away and still struggling to wrestle Quill free even as tears streamed down his cheeks.

“HE BELONGS IN THE WATER!” Fives wailed, sinking to his knees as the Mandalorians pulled Quill’s body away from him again. “Please!”

“There’s no time, all the bodies are to be burned.”

“Not this one.” Athena spoke up, forcing her voice to stay steady. “Leave him here, we’ll take care of him ourselves.”

Rex dropped to his knees beside Fives, pulling the other man into his arms as Fives sobbed. “It’s alright, it’s alright, we’ll take care of him.” Rex promised, trying to soothe him. “It’s alright, Fives. It’ll be alright.”

Would anything be alright? Rex couldn’t fathom the unimaginable grief Fives must’ve been going through; he didn’t want to imagine a world without his wife or child in it.

Fives caught his breath, tears still streaming down his cheeks as he gently pushed Rex away, struggling to get back to his feet. Rex shifted, helping Fives up but letting him go once he was standing, watching helplessly as Fives stumbled over to Quill’s body. He clung to the Nautolan, pressing his forehead against Quill’s even as he wept.

Echo stepped forward, laying his hand delicately on his twin’s back. “I’m so sorry, Fives.”

Fives shoved him back at once, fury written across his features as he spun on Echo. “You made me leave him.” He accused. “You left him behind, you left him to die!”

“We were trying to save you.” Echo kept his voice calm, his hands in the air. “We didn’t have a choice.”

“You should’ve gone back for him!” Fives screamed, advancing on Echo even as Rex stepped between them, holding him back. “You should have gone back for him!”

“Easy, easy, take it easy.” Rex soothed as Fives broke off into heaving sobs, his whole body shaking as Rex held him upright.

“What can I do?” Echo asked softly, looking between Rex and Fives.

Neither man answered, and Rex held Fives close, rubbing his back and looking at Quill’s unseeing black eyes behind him.

The Mandalorian healer had given you a strange salve. It wasn’t quite bacta, though the smell was similar, but whatever it was, it was working wonders on your body. Your pain had been reduced to a dull ache, and when you inspected your surgery site, the once ugly incision was already minimizing itself to scarring, the wound healing rapidly as though you’d been in a bacta bath for hours.

You managed to sit up with relative ease, carefully testing your balance as you stood, wrapping Rex’s cape around yourself once again. The Mandalorian had been kind enough to leave you a clean tunic and a comfortable pair of leggings for you to change into, and you hobbled over to the refresher to change.

You still wore Gol’Chek’s ring around your neck, and you rubbed your thumb over the smooth metal after you’d changed. Cautiously, you exited the refresher, making your way instead to Gol’Chek’s cot. The warrior was half-covered in a blanket, the healers finished working on him for now. He appeared to be sleeping, his eyes closed and head turned slightly to the side, one arm tossed over his stomach.

You didn’t want to startle him. “Gol’Chek.”

His eyes didn’t open, but he acknowledged you with the slightest incline of his head. You reached out, brushing your fingers gently over his cheek and up through his hair, smoothing the wild curls away from his face. Gol’Chek leaned into your touch, his eyes opening at last to take you in. Concern seeped into his expression, sensing immediately that something was different. “The baby?”

“He’s okay.” You promised, your heart swelling at Gol’Chek’s worry. “The healers have him. He’s okay.”

Gol’Chek relaxed, leaning his cheek into the palm of your hand. “Did you ever pick a name?”

“Calder Sho’cye.” You smiled. “Just like you suggested.”

Gol’Chek smiled, but the expression was short-lived. “Maul has Ju’Lah.”

You nodded. “I know.”

“My legs are gone.”

“I know.”

“How am I supposed to get her back if I can’t even stand?” His voice cracked slightly on the last word, and you shifted your touch instead to his hand, squeezing it tight.

“We’ll figure something out.” You promised. “And we’ll get Ju’Lah back too. We won’t give up on her.”

Gol’Chek nodded, his breathing slightly ragged as he looked down at himself, grimacing. “I guess I’m lucky.” He mumbled. “I was able to stop my healing. Or at least, slow it way down. The medics say the nerves in my legs may be salvageable for prosthetics.” He winced. “I can’t bring myself to look at my legs.” He admitted quietly. “Will you…?”

You nodded, letting Gol’Chek turn his head away as you lifted the blankets, carefully inspecting his injuries. The Mandalorians had bandaged the stumps of his legs, blood already staining the white of the bandages in some places.

“You need your bandages changed.” You murmured, looking around for a crate of supplies you could ransack.

“I’ll be alright for now.” Gol’Chek said, sighing softly and readjusting the blanket to cover himself better. “Should you be up and moving?”

“I’m fine.” You told him. A few seconds of silence stretched between you, and you studied the warrior’s face, watching as his eyes closed again, inhaling sharply.

“He took my daughter.”

“I know.” You whispered again. “We’re going to get her back.”

Behind you, a Mandalorian healer stepped back into the bunkroom. “Lady Sho’cye?” She called gently, summoning you to her. You stood at once, and Gol’Chek reopened his eyes, watching you.

“Your son has been placed in an incubation chamber with a medical droid watching over him.” The healer explained. “He is underdeveloped, and at greater risk of infection or illness due to his prematurity. We think it best that he remains there under close supervision until we can evacuate your people to Ataxia.”

“Ataxia?” You echoed.

“Our tribe fled there during the war. Our settlement is small, but our leaders have granted permission to bring your people there to recover.”

“Thank you.” You murmured. “Can – Can I see him?”

“He is in incubation.” The Mandalorian repeated. “It is best we leave him to recuperate. The medical droid is monitoring him closely.”

“Did you find anything else when you scanned him?”

The Mandalorian sounded grim. “The clone was correct on his initial assessment. The child’s hearing is irreparably damaged. I’m sorry.”

You nodded, wrapping your arms around yourself and thanking her again.

Gol’Chek looked up at you. “What’s wrong with the kid?”

“He was early.” You explained. “There was a complication, and I had to deliver him. Tech and Soteria, they - they cut him out.” You looked down at your hands. “He’s deaf.”

“He’s what?” Gol’Chek tilted his head to the side, disbelief written across his expression. “How?”

“We don’t know.” You said softly. “Something must have happened to him either during the delivery or in the womb, but he’s - he can’t hear us at all, Gol’Chek. He can’t hear his parents’ voices. He can’t hear us tell him we love him.” You started to cry again, tears bubbling up in the corners of your eyes.

“Hey,” Gol’Chek reached out to you, finding your hand and squeezing it tight. “Hey, it’s gonna be fine. I know it’s scary, but that’s - it’s not so bad.” He soothed. “We can figure it out. We’ll find a way to communicate with him.”

You nodded, wiping quickly at your tears. “I know, and I know I should be grateful that he’s even alive, after everything we went through, but he -.” Your voice cracked again. “He can’t hear me. He’ll never, ever, get to hear me say I love him.”

“There’s plenty of other ways to tell someone you love them.” Gol’Chek reminded you softly. “If anybody can figure out how to navigate this, it’s you and Rex.” He gave you a sad smile. “You’ll figure it out together. I know you will.”

You sniffled, nodding again and trying to reign yourself in. “We’ll get Ju’Lah back too, Gol’Chek. I mean it.”

“I know.” Gol’Chek nodded, pain washing over his face at the mention of his missing child. He squeezed your hand again. “I know.”

Fives and Athena worked in silent tandem.

Even though Fives could barely stand, he worked with a quick, quiet efficiency, sniffing on occasion as silent tears rolled down his cheeks with every move he made.

The burial rituals of the Nautolans – or at least, the rituals that Fives and Athena had found on the Holonet – called for the entrails of the dead to be removed, and the body cavity filled with smooth stones blessed by the priests and priestesses of Nephto. The body was then sewn shut and wrapped in a special cloth that had been woven from the time of the Nautolan’s birth up to the day of their death, often adorned with designs or patterns based on status. Then, the body was brought to one of the great chasms across the oceans of Glee Anselm, and the body sank to the bottom of the darkness, releasing the living spirit into the sea.

Fives and Athena had begun by cleaning the body, wordlessly cleaning each of Quill’s wounds, stripping him of his bloodied clothes and washing away the dirt, blood, and grime that covered his form. Twice, Athena had turned away, vomiting into the nearby bushes and breaking off in a quiet sob as she composed herself before returning to the work.

Fives had remained stoic, and aside from the tears that betrayed him, he appeared unfazed as he cleaned his partner’s body, preparing it for the grave.

“We need to cut him open.”

“We can’t do that, Fives.” Athena said quietly. “I can’t do that.”

“We have to do this right.” Fives replied, his voice flat.

“How? We barely know what we’re doing, we had to look up how to handle his body on the damned Holonet.”

“It’s not like burial traditions came up in conversation.” Fives replied, an icy edge to his voice.

“We can’t get his body to Glee Anselm, Fives. We don’t have his burial cloth, or the stones, we don’t need to cut open his body. We have to compromise.” Athena gave him a sad look. “Do you really want to be the one to cut him open?”

“If I have to, I will.” Fives said quietly, pausing for a moment to wipe the blood from his hands. He fell silent for a beat, holding the damp rag and staring down at the ground. “He proposed to me.”

Athena looked back up at him. “What?”

“He proposed. The day before he left.” Fives said. “We were waiting to tell people until he came home. He was going to marry me. My riduur.”

Athena was silent. Nothing she could have said would have repaired what was broken before her.

“I have to do this right. Or as right as I can, at least.” Fives said quietly. “It’s… it’s the only thing I can do.”

“He wouldn’t want you doing this, Fives.” Athena tried again. “He wouldn’t want you hurting yourself like that. I’m begging you.”

She walked around the table, taking Fives’ hand in hers. “We can wrap him in cloth, we can get the cleanest, nicest sheets we can find, and we can fill the cloth with stones, so he still sinks to the bottom of the lake like you want.” She offered. “That way you don’t have to…”

Fives sighed softly, glancing back at Quill’s body before quickly looking away. “He has to go back to the water.”

“I know. And we’re doing that.” Athena promised. “Whatever it takes, we’ll get him back to the water, but please, Fives. Don’t let your last image of him be of… of this.” She touched his arm. “Let me finish. Why don’t you go to the lake and start gathering some stones? Pick whichever ones you’d like. Pile them up beside the lake, and when I’ve finished here, I’ll have someone bring him down to the lake so we can bury him properly.”

To her relief, Fives relented. “Alright.”

She squeezed his arm gently, letting him go as he started to hobble down towards the lake. Echo had been lingering nearby, trying to avoid Fives’ ire but staying close to support him however he could.

“Where’s he going?” Echo asked.

“To the lake to begin gathering stones.” Athena said, looking up at Echo. “Go with him. He needs you.”

Echo hesitated, but reluctantly began to follow Fives, at first at a distance and then fell into step with him. He silently offered his shoulder for Fives to lean against as they walked, and Fives wordlessly accepted, letting Echo help carry his weight.

Fives started to speak. “About how I acted -.”

“I know.” Echo cut him off. “It’s okay.”

There were no other words between them – there was no need. It was in the way one twin clung to the other, the way Echo held Fives upright as they walked, that both men knew all was forgiven.

When they made it to the lake, Fives pulled away, shrugging off Quill’s jacket and shuffling towards the water.

“Your leg already seems to be doing better.” Echo offered. “Those Mando healers are something else. But maybe you should stay off it for a bit?”

Fives ignored him, wading into the water up to his waist and letting his hands hover over the glassy surface.

“Nephto.” Fives whispered aloud. “Guide my hands. Take them where they need to be.”

He reached below the surface, letting his fingers ghost over the rocks beneath his feet. He let his fingers drift until they stopped on their own, and he picked up the stones one by one, bringing them back to the edge of the water to Echo.

“Stack them over there.” He murmured, returning to the water to keep gathering stones.

“Do you want help?”

“No.” Fives replied. “This is something I need to do.”

Echo obeyed, picking up the rocks after Fives deposited them and neatly stacked them beside the little beach, watching as his brother returned to the water over and over again, offering a silent prayer each time he searched for stones.

On the final pass, Fives inhaled slowly. “Nephto, guide my hands.”

He dove below the water, fully submerging himself this time, and when he went to grab another rock, something caught his eye.

Farther away, deep below the surface at the bottom of the lake, something was jutting out of a little rock pile.

Fives frowned, popping his head above water and inhaling deeply before diving back down. He swam to the bottom of the lake, pulling the rocks aside. Someone had fashioned them into a little makeshift cave, and inside lay a trident.

Quill’s trident.

Fives took the weapon in hand, swimming back to the surface and gasping as he broke through.

“Fives?” Echo called, concern bleeding into his voice. He’d waded out into the water a few feet, reaching for him as Fives resurfaced. “What are you thinking? You’re still injured, you can’t go diving under the water like a -.”

He cut himself off when he saw what Fives was holding. The weapon was huge, clearly meant for someone bigger than Fives, and Echo already knew who it belonged to.

“Quill?”

Fives nodded, wading back out of the water. “It must’ve been his. I don’t know why he’d hide it at the bottom of the lake like this.”

“Maybe he wanted to leave that part of his past behind.” Echo murmured, taking the weapon from Fives and setting it aside. “We can bury him with it.”

“No. His people aren’t buried with their material possessions, they’re passed on, their legacy living on through the people who survive them.” Fives murmured, studying the trident.

Echo hesitated. “Maybe your home is still standing.” He offered. “We can look through the wreckage together, find other things that belonged to Quill for you to hold onto.”

Fives nodded, still focused on the trident. Hesitantly, he set it aside, leaning it against their pile of stones. He picked up Quill’s jacket again, studying the blood stained into the fabric, muddying the patches Quill had so carefully sewn on.

“Hang on.”

Fives returned to the water, carefully washing the jacket clean of the bloodstains, being mindful of the patchwork.

When he finished, he walked over to the trident, hanging the jacket off the top of the glorious weapon. Fives squeezed the sleeve.

“Okay.” He murmured. “I’m ready.”

Echo offered his shoulder once more, and Fives leaned against him again, letting his brother guide him away from the lake and back toward the village.

Back at the village, Athena stood over Quill’s body, wringing out the bloody rag for what felt like the hundredth time. Perhaps it was the hundredth time. Athena had touched her best friend’s blood so many times, she’d lost count. Over the years she’d known him, she’d patched many of his wounds. She’d stroked cool cloths across his forehead and cheeks when he fitted with fever, she’d stitched his wounds closed as he hissed under his breath, she’d treated burns, scrapes, bruises, and scars. In many ways, Athena had known Quill more intimately than she knew herself.

She never wanted to know him like this.

“Quill Cawthon.” She whispered aloud. “You fucking idiot.”

Athena stroked his cheek gingerly, using her thumbs to gently close his eyes. “What’re we going to do now?” She asked him.

Quill held no answers for her, and she found his hands instead, biting her lower lip as she began to weep.

“Omega, wake up.”

The girl stirred as you shook her gently, rubbing her eyes tiredly and sitting up. “What is it?”

“The rest of Clone Force 99 is outside, I thought you might like to see them.” You murmured. “Hunter was injured.”

“Is he alright?” Omega asked urgently, sitting upright and scrambling to get off the cot.

“He’s going to be okay, he’s just in rough shape.” You soothed. “The second ship has arrived, and they’re loading him onto that one. I thought you may want to ride with the rest of your family.”

“Yes please.” Omega nodded.

“Mama?” Kiran mumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning widely. “Where’s mama?”

“We’re gonna go see her, baby.” You promised, taking Kiran’s hand and guiding both children out of the ship.

You moved carefully, mindful of your still-healing injuries, and Wolffe stopped you before you could travel far beyond the ship.

“What’re you doing up and moving? You should be resting.”

“I’m fine,” You waved off his concerns. “These two need to get back to their families.”

Wolffe nodded. “We’re loading up the other survivors now, we’re departing once we’re sure we have everyone.”

“Hunter!”

Omega broke free from your grip, sprinting down the landing platform and rushing over to where Mandalorians were loading Hunter onto the other ship.

“He was caught in a blast.” Wrecker explained to the girl. “He’ll be okay though, the medics said so.”

“Can he hear me?” Omega asked worriedly, finding Hunter’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

“He’s been fading in and out of consciousness. It’s probably best to let him rest.” Tech said.

“You can ride with us, kid.” Wrecker said. “We’re taking the Havoc Marauder while Hunter goes on this ship-.”

“No, no I want to stay with Hunter.” Omega interrupted. “Please.”

Echo looked up at Crosshair, the sniper’s arms folded across his chest as he leaned against the Mandalorian ship, chewing on a toothpick.

“Can she come with you?”

Crosshair scowled. “I’m not a babysitter.”

“You’re already going with Hunter, can’t she come along?” Echo frowned.

“I’m only going on this ship because I assumed I wouldn’t be invited on that one.” Crosshair hissed, jabbing his thumb towards the Marauder. “I’d prefer to not be left behind. Again.”

Echo put his hands up between Crosshair and the rest of the batch before a full-blown argument started. “Stop. None of that. What’s done is done, you’re here now.” He said. “Can she stay with you or not?”

Omega looked up at Crosshair hopefully, and the sniper scoffed under his breath, flicking his toothpick away.

“Fine.”

Omega sighed in relief, following the Mandalorians up the ramp as they loaded Hunter into the ship.

“Let’s find your Mama, Kiran.” You murmured, squeezing Kiran’s hand gently and leading him around the triage zone. As you started to look around, Kiran tugged on your sleeve.

“What’s wrong with Quill?”

“What do you mean?” You asked, and followed his gaze. Your stomach dropped.

Quill was lying on one of the triage tables, and Athena sat on a chair beside him, stitching one of his wounds closed with shaking hands. Even from a distance, you could see the way her body shook, tears streaking down her cheeks as she worked.

“Um,” Your voice cracked slightly, and you swallowed roughly, trying to steady yourself as you shifted positions to block Kiran’s view, crouching in front of him instead. You forced a smile. “You know what? Why don’t you wait here for just a second, and I’ll go get your Mama?”

“I wanna see Quill.” Kiran protested, trying to look past you. “I wanna see him.”

“In a minute, honey, let’s get you to your Mama first, I bet she was very worried about you.”

“No!” Kiran shouted, pushing you away and trying to run around you. “I wanna see Quill!”

You grabbed him quickly, holding him against your chest even as he started to scream and swing his arms. Athena heard the commotion and dropped what she was doing, racing over. “Kiran!”

The little boy halted his struggles just long enough for you to release him into Athena’s embrace, the other woman clinging tightly to the boy.

“Oh gods, you’re alright.” Athena sighed in relief, pulling back and cupping Kiran’s cheeks. “Are you hurt, baby?”

Kiran shook his head, hugging Athena tightly. “I wanna see Quill.” He mumbled into her shoulder.

Athena froze for a moment, slowly pulling back to look Kiran in the eye. “Kiran,” she began quietly, brushing a bit of hair from his eyes and cupping his cheeks again. “Honey, Quill’s… he’s-.” Tears had begun anew in her eyes, and you watched helplessly as she turned her head away, sniffling for a moment as she tried to compose herself. “He… He’s gone, sweetheart.”

Kiran frowned. “No he’s not. I see him.”

“No, honey, he’s gone. Remember your Mama, and your Daddy and your sisters?” Athena prompted gently. “Remember… remember what happened to them?”

“Did he get too many ouchies?” Kiran asked. “Like my real mama?”

Athena wept, nodding once. “Yeah, baby. He had too many ouchies.”

“Well…” Kiran frowned deeper. “Then we should fix him. We can make him all better.” He pulled away, rolling up his pantlegs to show Athena his legs. “The people fixed my ouchies, ‘member? They can fix Quill’s ouchies too.”

“It doesn’t work like that, Kiran.” Athena said softly. “He had too many. We couldn’t fix him.”

“But – but he’s right there!” Kiran protested, trying to look over Athena’s shoulder at Quill’s body. “He’s there! We can fix him!”

“We can’t, honey, I’m so sorry.”

“No!” Kiran shouted, tears beginning to streak down his chubby cheeks. “No! He’s okay! He’s right there! You gotta fix him!” He began to kick and scream, shoving at Athena as he struggled to get to Quill. “You gotta fix him!”

“Kiran.”

The boy stopped his tantrum, turning towards the voice. He shoved Athena away again, this time sprinting over to Fives, his little body colliding with the trooper’s chest as Fives knelt to catch him.

“You gotta make him all better.” Kiran wept, clinging to Fives. “You gotta.”

“I tried, buddy.” Fives whispered, hugging him tight. “I tried.”

You could do nothing but weep.

Rex picked through the wreckage of his home, careful to step around the debris. The house was miraculously still standing, though a large hole had been blown through the side from a nearby blast. Rex cautioned the stairs, inching up them carefully and filling a pack with what he could, prioritizing the supplies for Calder and you. Clothes, a blanket for Calder, anything he could find that he thought may be of use when starting over, Rex tried to pack it into his bag.

Once he’d gathered everything he could carry, he retreated down the stairs, preparing to head back to camp but stopping, looking further down the street. He hesitated, ultimately deciding to go for it, and walked down the street towards Gol’Chek and Ju’Lah’s house.

The little house had been nearly destroyed, reduced almost entirely to rubble. Rex was careful as he stepped through the chaos, nudging things aside and looking around. He found what remained of Ju’Lah’s room, her once beautifully painted walls destroyed in the bombing, her paints overturned and room reduced to debris.

He dug around in the rubble, looking for anything he could salvage. Her bow had been destroyed, the two ends of it barely clinging to one another against what had at one point been Ju’Lah’s dresser. He dug around where the bed had once been, pulling the ruined fabric of her blankets aside and withdrawing her little clone trooper doll. He brushed it off carefully, tucking it into the backpack alongside the rest of his supplies.

He slowly marched his way back to the triage zone, keeping an eye out for any other survivors as he went.

You pulled your gaze upwards as you heard Rex approaching, wiping the tears from your eyes as you hurried into his arms. Rex took in the rest of the scene, watching as Fives straightened up from where he’d been holding Kiran, taking the child into his arms and carrying him silently away from Quill’s body, towards the other end of the campsite.

“We went back to Quill’s home and salvaged some things.” Echo said, motioning to a similar backpack to the one Rex wore over his shoulder. “We also made preparations down at the lake. As soon as we can transport Quill’s body, we’re ready for the burial.”

“Give him a minute.” Athena murmured, nodding to where Fives went. The trooper had set Kiran down and was now crouching in front of him. You couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Fives was cupping the boy’s cheeks and wiping his tears with his thumbs.

“How’s Calder?” Rex asked you.

“Nothing new.” You reported quietly. “The Mandalorians agreed with Tech’s assessment.”

Rex nodded, resigned, and Athena turned to you.

“Calder?” She asked. “He’s here?”

You nodded. “He’s in the ship, in an incubation chamber. He was premature, but he’s alive and – and okay.”

Athena gave you a half-hearted smile. “Congratulations.”

You gave her a weak smile in return, your eyes drifting back to Quill’s body. “What’re we going to do about him?”

“Fives and I have prepared everything.” Athena said, inhaling slowly and centering herself. “Rex and Echo, we’ll need you to help carry him to the lake.”

“Of course.” Rex said. “Whatever you need.”

Fives and Kiran walked back to the group, Fives holding Kiran’s hand. “He’d like to say goodbye.” Fives told Athena. “Is that alright?”

Athena hesitated, glancing to Kiran. “Are you sure?” She asked the boy. “He doesn’t look like you remember, sweetheart. He – he was hurt a lot, and people look different when they die -.”

“I wanna see him.” Kiran interrupted. “I wanna say bye to Quill.”

Athena nodded, turning back to Quill’s body and ensuring the wounds were covered, leaving just his face exposed when Fives picked Kiran up again and brought him over. Athena had closed Quill’s eyes as she worked on his body, and Kiran peeked anxiously around Fives, clinging to the man as he peered down at Quill.

“He looks like he’s sleeping.” Kiran said quietly. He was quiet for a few minutes, sniffling to himself, before he lifted a tiny hand in a wave. “Bye, Quill.”

Fives turned his head away, hiding his face in Kiran’s back as he pulled the child away, setting him down again so he could return to Athena.

“It’s time.” Wolffe said quietly, stepping back up to the group. “We’ve loaded up the last of the survivors, and a few men have managed to salvage some of your ships and supplies, which we’ve added to our fleet.”

“What about the Cordillera?” You asked. “Gol’Chek’s ship?”

“I’ll fly it.” Fives said quietly. “I’ve done it once before. I can do it again.”

“Dispatch the rest of the ships.” Rex instructed Wolffe. “And send coordinates to my comm for where we’re headed. We’ll all follow behind you in the Cord and Marauder.” He hesitated. “Our son is still in the incubation chamber aboard your ship. Is there any way -.”

“I’ll have it moved to the Cordillera and will send a healer and medical droid along with it.” Wolffe promised at once. “Once we’ve done that, we’ll dismiss the ships.”

Rex nodded. “Thank you.”

“I’ll… give you a moment to finish here.” Wolffe said, and politely excused himself.

Rex turned to Echo. “Wrap him up.”

Together, Rex and Echo wrapped Quill’s body in sheets, carefully picking him up and walking him towards the lake while the others followed. You glanced to Fives, watching as he solemnly marched along, his head angled down and his hand still joined with Kiran’s.

When you arrived at the lake, Rex and Echo gently set Quill’s body down while Fives and Athena unwrapped him one last time, this time gathering the rocks from the pile Fives had made and carefully laying them along the insides of the sheets parallel to Quill’s body, stacking a few in a straight line down from his chest to his pelvis.

Fives carefully adjusted his tendrils so none were being crushed, and he stroked Quill’s face delicately, brushing his thumb over cold lips. He lowered his head, pressing his lips to Quill’s cheek, and then touching their foreheads together one final time.

“Akay vi urcir tug’yc.”

He pulled away at last, and wrapped Quill’s body again.

It took Echo, Fives, Rex, and Athena together to lift Quill’s body and wade out into the water with it. You remained on shore, holding Kiran’s hand and watching as they walked out until they were nearly up to their chests. When they reached the drop-off where the water became deep, they stopped, slowly lowering Quill’s body into the water, and let it go. Fives remained, standing in the center of the semi-circle and watching as Quill sank, gazing into the black of the water until it swallowed him up for good.

Rex put a hand on his shoulder. “Come, brother.” He said quietly. “Let’s go.”

Fives nodded, at last pulling his gaze away from the water and trudging back to shore with the others. He paused, picking up Quill’s jacket once more and putting it back on, and drawing the trident into his grip. He held it firmly, and gazed back out towards the lake.

“Are you alright?” You asked him.

“No.” Fives replied quietly. “But I have to be.”

He turned and walked back towards the ships without another word.

*Akay vi urcir tug’yc. - Until we meet again.

Tag List: @wild-karrde @tsundere-cherry-girl @jesjestraverse @theroguesully @clonecyaree @salaminus @book-of-baba-fett @starwarsmeninhelmets @ladykatakuri @cosmic-persephone @djarrex @literallydontlook @bobafettuccini @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life @a-c-lee @chromia7567 @embarrassedauthornerd @itsagrimm @seriowan @gotomarvelgal @space-b33 @moonstrider9904 @frietiemeloen @writingbylee @witchklng

#ro writes #ro's protected #TLBO #The Light Between Oceans #Oc Kiran #OC Athena #OC Rose #OC Ju'Lah #OC Quill #OC Finn

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