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“No, no, what have I done?” Jesse cried as he stood over his own grave.
He watched as Ahsoka and Rex took one last look in his direction before climbing into their ship and taking their leave of the moon.
Jesse sunk to his knees, staring at Ahsoka’s abandoned lightsaber that lay before his grave.
He was dead. All his brothers save for Rex alone died on that ship, and for what? They died fighting against what they’d always believed in. They were the real traitors.
“It’s not your fault, Jesse.”
Jesse whipped around to face the voice, a voice that sounded nearly identical to his. “Fives?”
Fives smiled as he walked toward Jesse. It was a bright, genuine, joy-filled smile that erased all other worries upon looking at it. “Yeah, Jesse, it’s me.”
“I can’t believe it,” Jesse breathed.
“Look at you.” Fives put a hand on his shoulder. “You became an ARC trooper! I’m proud of you, brother.”
Jesse couldn’t help but return Fives’ smile. “Well, you’re the reason I became one in the first place. I thought it was the best way I could honor you.”
“And honor me you did. I’m grateful for it.”
Jesse looked at the grim sight around them: the rows of graves, the wreckage of the ship, the desolate landscape. “What good did I do in the end?”
“Like I said, it’s not your fault, Jesse. None of you are at fault.” Fives gestured to their surroundings.
Jesse saw the spirits of his fellow brothers rise around him.
“We clones weren’t given much choice in life, in the end, we weren’t given any. All of our brothers here were victims.” Fives turned Jesse to look at him. “You had your free will stripped from you, but Jesse, when your mind was your own, you did so much good. I saw it myself when I fought by your side. You and all our brothers are good soldiers. This war may not have ended in victory for the Republic, but that does not diminish our worth.”
Tears welled in Jesse’s eyes. He turned back to his other brothers, watching as life returned to them as they embraced and chatted with one another.
“Come on, Jesse, it’s time for you to come home.”
Jesse didn’t hesitate to take Fives’ hand as he led him away. His other brothers followed on either side.
The galaxy they knew disappeared behind them, leaving them with a new and beautiful world before them. Pain, worry, guilt, and regret was erased forever, becoming nothing more than a distant memory. There was no room for anything besides joy and wonder and hope overflowing.
They came at last to a place like Coruscant, but brighter and cleaner and filled with brothers who raised their voices in song.
Jesse watched as the rest of his group rushed to join the crowd, cheering, laughing, smiling more than they ever did in life. His heart was overwhelmingly full at the sight of it.
“Welcome home, Jesse,” Fives said.
“Jesse! I’ve been waiting to see you again!” A clone embraced him so energetically, he was practically swept off his feet.
“Hardcase, you laserbrain!” Jesse teased through bouts of laughter.
Hardcase released Jesse and he stumbled forward into Tup.
“Hey, Jesse,” the long haired trooper greeted. “I heard you’ve had some wild adventures since I last saw you.”
“Yeah, I guess I have.” Jesse shrugged before giving Tup a proper hug. He broke away and examined the assembled brothers. “Kix isn’t here yet, is he?”
“Not yet,” answered Fives. “He’s still got his own story to fulfill.”
Jesse nodded.
“Well, brothers, why don’t we go celebrate our victory?” Hardcase suggested, gesturing to the crowd of cheering brothers.
“Our victory?” Jesse echoed. “What is our victory?”
Tup put a hand on his shoulder. “This is our victory over death, our victory over the nightmares.”
“It’s our victory over oppression, our victory for freedom and individuality,” Fives added.
“Our victory is our own, and it is forever. Here, we are in control, and no one can take that away from us. Not anymore,” Hardcase finished.
Jesse’s gaze flickered to each of his smiling brothers. This was forever. This was home. He was at peace with that. “Well,” he said, stepping towards the crowd of brothers. “What are we waiting for?”
"Vode an!"