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There was always the chance that someone, or anyone, close to him would be killed.
But like every child before him, he thought it would never happen to him.
Until it did... In a way.
Matt looked around him as the storm clouds gathered, his eyes watering. “No..” He breathed. All around him the barren land was littered with bodies.
Dead bodies.
Broken and beaten and bloodied.
It was the one battle he was too late for.
“NO.” Matt whispered this time, his voice grew stronger. He slipped down the steep slope. His little sister would have mirrored his movements two months from now.
He saw a soldier attacking a surviving rebel near the trench, recognizing the rebel as a kythran. “Get away from him!” He yelled, attacking the galra soldier full on. Swinging his staff around to hit them to the ground, then used his staff as a lever to break the galra’s neck against a boulder. Panting, and crying, his knees buckled as he knelt down at the dying Rebel.
The same feathered ears that marked all kythra unfolded from beneath the helmet, and dropped just as fast. Jade green and crimson colors swirling on their face, and a stream of red dripped from the side of their mouth and their neck was broken at an odd angle.
“K-Ky-o?” Matt’s voice broke. He gasped as he saw the gaping wound on their his side, guts spilling out. “Ky-o… Ky-o, don’t- Don’t worry I’m-” He broke off panting. Ky-o’s breathing turned from ragged and starting stopping for longer each time. In barely a whisper, they said, “M-Matthew?”
“Ky-... Ky-o, I’m here, it’s gonna be ok, I’m gonna get some help!” Matt’s voice turned into a frantic whisper as he whipped his officer code out to contact any rebel he can, he didn’t mind it as the tears fell onto the device. But then Ky-o’s eyes slipped into the back of his head and his eyes went dull.
Matt’s eyes went wide as he stumbled back beside his friend. “... No… No!!” He breathed. “Ky-o, please I-” His voice cracked... trailed off as tears finally fell. The corners of Matt’s mouth turned down, his eyes scrunched as hiccuping sobs escaped.
He hadn’t cried like this in a long time, not since his father Sam, was separated from him. His cloak was soaked in Ky-o’s blood. The tears didn’t last long however, they never do.
This planet had been prone to emotion. It sensed the freedom fighter’s determination and fear, once before. And now the grief of a friend.
The clouds that lingered over what remains of the planet fell into rain.
Grief turned into determination, eventually. Matt stood up and looked around, stunned at the number of bodies. He had gotten word of this battle days ago, almost every Rebel was called to fight, for they were losing- yet holding their own.
This one seemed to have just slipped past him.
But now he had a job to do.
Wiping his snot on the sleeve of his cloak, Matt got his staff and started burying whomever he could, everyone he knew, and even the Galra. Who , he thought, I guess were just following orders .
He knew it was irrational, one person couldn’t have made a difference, but he couldn’t help but think that he was too late. He let them die alone.
--o0o--
Arth- Severed by sword.
Rask- Arm sliced off.
Wymi- Bloodloss, Matt guessed.
Pam- Head shot off, Olia’s brother, she’ll be heartbroken. Left for Olia to bury.
Seyne- Slashed in the gut.
Seffi- Died protecting Seyne.
125 galra soldiers at the far end of the peak, didn’t bury.
Xyro- Sword to the head.
Albus- Throat slit.
Orion- Laser bullet to the chest.
Nyroc- Broken wing and blood loss. (AN: Get it? Eh? Eh? Ah well it's only sad for Guardians of Ga’hoole fans)
Q- Burns
Bez- Choked, He guessed this as well.
52 pairs of bones and disintegrated flesh, unknown.
A girl who looked like Matt’s little sister back home, his heart pounded until he realized it was Officer Ly’s daughter.
Fyre- Shocked, fried.
Rose- Crushed.
H’rath- Shot in the head.
Akyla- Blood Loss
Camicazi- Throat slit.
Aryn- Shot with gun.
Xeros- Skull crushed, multiple open wounds.
Assiluto- Sliced by axe.
Windy- Disintegrated, nothing but bones and feathers.
12 rebels unknown, left for others.
Knax- skewered by staf- Matt cut off.
There was too many.
Too many to bury.
He was just a communication’s officer.
With a shaky hand, he steadied his breath enough to open a comm link with his device.
“Gywnith, Nymag… -get your teams, get your crews over here, and contact anyone you can. The battle’s over but.” His voice turned sober. “But we have a lot of graves to dig..” Matt cut the comm link before they could raise any question. The blood was already washing into the cracks of the ground with rain.
--o0o--
- “And if I die…”-
Matt buried the last body in his square, then carefully lowering her into the pit.
Jik’ak- Mutilated with a blade, throat slit.
He looked around to see if he missed anyone. Not one. Olia had her head wrenched over the ground, sobbing over her dead sibling.
He took a deep breath. Whoever came here to kill would be back, they would know that the rest of the Rebels would come even after the fight. It being the largest death toll they had had for years. They would all be in danger. Is this Zarkon’s way of wiping out the Rebellion? Matt thought. Must be... He had a plan already, to wipe himself off the grid. He already told his friends, but they chose not to follow him.
So instead, Matt took a blank grave stone and walked up the the peak of the memorial. Each and every dead body marked with a metal stake. The graves lit up like lights in the dark, every now and then, they flickered like candles.
And he’ll soon be a part of it.
He knelt down to start digging. Then looked at the grave in his hands and hesitated before entering his name, birth, and death day in.
Matthew Holt
007.00--...
He cut off, thinking.
Then he backtracked, erased his birthday, and entered the code he and Sam made up. The one that they used to fool the Galaxy Garrison… The one that Pidge might still be using.
…
Matthew Holt
005.012.2451
(AN: I forgot the exact number that was listed here, because this entire fanfic was a three day highly edited word vomit written right after season 4, I’ll edit it later with the actual numbers)
How far am I from Earth? The realization hit him hard enough for his fingers to quake.
He pushed the thought away for now, and dug into his cloak for his locator. Hesitating once again as he pushed the device into the hard ground, covering it with dirt. Matt clenched his jaw and setting the gravestone firmly in front of it.
-”...Forgive me.”-
--o0o--
-“In honor of the 127,098 brave warriors that stood against tyranny. The quest for freedom is won through sacrifice.” -