Star Wars: Divided Loyalties 4

Ahsoka groaned before she was fully awake. She opened her eyes. Where am I? She examined her surroundings and realized she was imprisoned in a small room. By the vibrations she felt, she guessed she was on a ship. Ahsoka had been in situations like this before. She sat up and the blanket someone had placed over her slid off her back and onto the mattress she was on. That's different. No one who captured her ever worried about her comfort. Who captured her anyway? She remembered Rex aiming the blaster at her. Rex wouldn't do that. She tried to clear her head but the memory stayed the same. He did shoot me. Why?

She wracked her brain in a desperate attempt to figure out what happened. Maybe Rex was forced to do it. The pirates might have forced him to do it. Rex wouldn't stun me just because he was in danger. Ahsoka's eyes widened. Maybe the pirates caught the rookies and were going to kill them if he didn't capture me. That was the best explanation she managed to come up with.

Ahsoka stood and examined the walls and door of her room in an attempt to find a weak spot. Apart from the blanket and mattress, there was nothing in the room. Ahsoka wondered if she could use the Force to open the door but decided against it. She needed to figure out what she was up against before she tried anything. That was what Yoda would do. She cast her senses but could feel no life forms nearby.

She sat on the mattress and waited for someone to come.

After a wait that felt longer than it was, Ahsoka heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She stood up so she would be eye to eye with her captors but she doubted they'd open the door. Only someone with a death wish would open the door when there was an unrestrained Jedi Knight in the room.

The door whooshed open. Ahsoka's eyes widened in shock. Rex stood in the doorway, alone.

Her gaze was drawn to Rex's belt, where her two lightsabers hung. Rex didn't have his helmet on, making it easy to see his guilty expression.

"This doesn't have anything to do with pirates, does it?" Ahsoka asked.

"I wish it were only the pirates," Rex said, his voice miserable.

"Rex, what's going on?"

Rex didn't look at her. "The Chancellor ordered us to kill the Jedi."

Ahsoka felt as if her insides had turned to ice. "You mean the clones?"

Rex nodded, his gaze still centered on the floor. "I doubt any of them disobeyed orders like I did. We were told the Jedi made an attempt on his life but I know you'd never go against the Republic like that."

Ahsoka used the Force to grab her lightsabers from Rex. She put them on her belt and tried to shove past him. "I hope this thing's headed for Coruscant."

Rex blocked her path. "We're headed for Saleucami."

"Get this thing headed back to Coruscant, this instant," Ahsoka ordered.

Rex didn't move but he met Ahsoka's gaze. "And what do you plan to do when we get there?"

"We'll figure that out as we go. Now, get out of my way."

Rex stood firm, the guilty expression he had worn a second ago gone. "No."

Ahsoka ignited her lightsabers and held them against Rex's throat. "Get out of my way."

Rex flinched but didn't give. "Go ahead and kill me. It's not like there's much left for me now."

Ahsoka deactivated her lightsabers. She couldn't kill Rex after he disobeyed the order to gun her down. "We can't let this happen."

Rex's guilty expression returned. "If the Jedi masters couldn't stop this, what makes you think we can?"

Ahsoka hung her head. "I don't know." She thought of all her friends. Had any of them managed to escape? The Force felt empty but her senses were not powerful enough to tell her if the Jedi were dead, or if her mind was playing tricks on her.

Rex put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't like doing nothing either but we won't do anyone any good if we die in a blaze of pointless glory. If we lie low, we might be able to find a time in the future when we can do something."

Ahsoka and Rex were silent. Ahsoka attempted to plan a way of saving the Jedi Order but Rex was right. There was nothing they could do, at least not now.

"Rex, why Saleucami?" Ahsoka asked. There were other planets where they would be less likely to be discovered.

A slight grin crossed Rex's face. "I know someone there."

"Who?"

"Someone a lot like I am now."