Skywalker's Apprentice

Last of the Jedi

Ahsoka sat bolt upright in the back of the speeder. She felt like her shoulder was a piece of meat on a kabob stick. It was a while after Rex's depressing conversation with the youngling, MJ, and they were still flying through the lanes of traffic on the planet's surface.
" You are awake!" Beamed MJ from her new seat next to Rex who was flying the speeder. Apparently, she had gotten over her fear of the clone captain while Ahsoka had been out. 

"How long have I've been out," asked Ahsoka fighting the urge to throw up from the pain. She glanced nervously at the source of the pain but sighed in relief to see it had been bandaged while she had been out. Lightsabers never killed their victims by blood loss due to the fact that they cauterized the wounds they made by burning the flesh. It was the shock or the loss of the limb that usually did the victim in. Ahsoka knew she had been lucky. She would have a nasty scar but it was no more than a flesh wound.

"You have been out for about four hours now," said Rex. Ahsoka braced herself to ask the next question.

"What happened," she needed to know even if her heart stopped at the thought.

"Made be we should wait," said Rex discreetly nodding at MJ. MJ's young face changed to a frown catching the exchange.

"The people like him, they came," MJ started. pointing one tiny finger angrily at Rex and his white uniform. Ahsoka could feel the rage boiling off the young girl. Jedi don't feel rage, her training spoke in the back of her mind but the two adults sat horrified listening to the youngling's tale. "They said they had something to tell the jedi. Then they started shooting. A padawan told us to hide in the council chamber. They told us we would be safe there," she finished her eyes welling with tears. Ahsoka wrapped her arms around her, letting her cry.

"What were you doing at the temple?" Ahsoka asked Rex suspiciously fingering her lightsaber. She could not believe that Rex would ever kill younglings but then again she hadn't thought it possible of Anakin either.

"I got there late. I wasn't part of the clone force assigned to the temple. I was contacted by Senator Organa who had seen what was going on. He sent me to try and do what I can. When I got there and saw what the general was doing... I froze. I should have shot him but I waited and missed my shot... that's when you showed up." Rex glared straight ahead focusing on the lanes of traffic . Ahsoka understood the struggle that Rex was going through. Anakin had saved their lives so many times. He had been their commanding officer, mentor, master, friend and nearly family. How could you shoot someone like that in the back? He killed children. Ahsoka's brain reminded her. No matter what reasons he had, there is no forgiving that. He is no longer the person she knew.

"Where are we going?" asked Ahsoka changing the subject.

"We are going to Senator Organa's cruiser. He said he is going to try and warn any surviving Jedi."

When they got to the cruiser a golden protocol droid greeted them.

"It is very nice to see you. I hope you are all well," said the droid gesturing with his stiff robotic arms. "The Senator told me to relay his regrets for not being here in person but he had to leave on urgent business and that you should make yourselves at home," finished the droid gesturing for the trio to move past him and into the large cruiser. Rex stepped up to the droid a frown forming under his helmet.

"What urgent business? Don't mess with us clanker. I have had enough of your kind."

"How rude," protested the droid backing up from the clone captain. "The senator said that he may have located master Yoda and master Obi-Wan. They replied to his emergency distress signal." Ahsoka first reaction was joy at hearing that the two jedi were alive then her heart sank.

"Two. Only two jedi? So you are saying that no one else replied?"

"I'm afraid so," replied the droid. Rex put one white armored hand on her shoulder in comfort saying, "Just because they didn't answer doesn't mean they are dead." Ahsoka would have found comfort in Rex's words if she hadn't been able to feel the force. Confusion, fear, pain and rage flowed from it like never before. The calming peaceful minds of the jedi order gone.

"So that is it. We are the last of the jedi," whispered Ahsoka not wanting to believe her own words.

"No," said MJ pulling on Ahsoka belt for attention. "Orange lady, you and I are not jedi."