Few things were as constant in life as pain. The physical pain of the blaster wound in her left leg, that was expected. She was a Jedi Padawan, after all. A commander in a long, brutal war. Loss was another constant. She foolishly thought she'd be mostly untouched. The loss of the clones was one thing, and though saddening, was expected.
The loss of her Master, however, was not.
The moment he was hit, she knew. She saw him go down in the dust. The singed and burned fabric of his tunic around his heart told her what happened almost as clearly as the painful shockwaves she felt through the Force. Seeing it caused Padawan Ashley Laylinn's knees to buckle. She was vaguely aware of the scream emanating from her lips, though she could barely hear it. A stun blast sent her to the land of restless nightmares.
The young human slowly awoke with a moan, and the painful, empty feeling came rushing back. She laid there trying to comprehend it. After a few minutes of denial, a flash of anger, and several minutes of grief, she decided to handle it like a Jedi - for there was nothing else left to do - and silently bid her Master goodbye and lamented his passing.
She closed her ocean blue eyes and sat up, forcing herself to work through the pain. She could feel her long, silky, golden blonde hair lightly touch her back. Examining the room, she found it was a medical bay, but not that of the Justice, what had been her Master's flagship. She needed to know whose ship she was on.
She moved to stand, but the medical bay doors opened just before she could get up. In walked one of the most famous generals of the war, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Well, there was her answer. She stood and gave him a respectful bow. Her voice, young but now mature beyond her years, broke the silence in the mostly empty room.
"Greetings, Master Kenobi." She sounded somber. He looked at her with compassion, obviously intending to tell her something she already knew. Or perhaps it was his silent way of expressing his condolences.
"Please come with me, Padawan," he requested. She obediently followed. He lead her through the halls of the Jedi Cruiser, and confirmed her initial assumption. It wasn't the Justice. She could tell. Though all Jedi Cruisers were manufactured exactly the same, they all had little things that made them different.
The hall just outside the medbay on the Justice had a long, black mark on the wall. Jep had run though the hall with a paintbrush after decorating Tank's armor. The mess hall door was scratched from when it was locked and Dan was stuck outside, trying to get in after Zax had had a bad day. The dozens of scuffs and prints on the walls, floor, and ceilings after too many days spent chasing each other.
If she had a faint smile on her face, it disappeared. Her family, her life, everything she'd been used to was gone now. She didn't know what would happen to her next. Would she be assigned to a different Master? Would she leave? How would she move on? A hundred questions rolled around inside her head, and she forced them to be quiet when they entered the strategy room.
The only other notable person there was Commander Cody. The holotable wasn't even on. Did the meeting to decide her fate already happen? "Padawan Laylinn, can you tell us what happened?" Master Kenobi asked. She looked at him, drawing in a shaky breath. Her Master had told her that showing emotion wasn't a weakness, but it sure did feel like one right now.
"We were sent to Rydellia to stop the Seperatists from taking the planet. Our unit went down to the surface, where we were ambushed. The troops were picked off one by one by snipers, or mowed down by the advancing Seperatist line. We fought as best we could, but we were overwhelmed. The last trooper within my line of sight went down just before-" her voice broke for a moment as she relived the pain. "Before my Master, General Tanakra was killed. As far as I know, I was the only survivor."
The look on the General's face confirmed her last statement, and she felt every single death like a lead brick falling on her stomach. "Thank you, Padawan. Commander Cody will lead you to your temporary quarters while we make the trip back to Coruscant," Master Kenobi answered. She nodded, bowed, and followed the clone commander out of the room.
After a long trip of feeling lonely, they arrived at the shipyard docks not far from the Temple. She and Master Kenobi walked to the Temple, where the funeral was held for her Master. She set her face as a stone in order to keep her emotions in check. Once the ceremony was over, she lingered a little longer and said her final, private goodbye to her Master, teacher, and the only father she'd ever known.
She also attended the ceremony for the clones. She watched as their names were carved into a never-ending wall of black stone which held the names of every clone lost in the line of duty. She said her private goodbyes to the men who'd given her courage, inspired her to reach higher, and who were like the older brothers she'd never had.
Ashley walked back to the Temple in complete silence, trying to figure out what to do next. She was staying with the Order - of that she had no doubt. Her only question was who she would be assigned to. She was called to the Jedi Council chamber, where she stood in front of all 12 of them.
"A difficult week, you have had, Padawan Laylinn," Master Yoda started. "Wish to continue your training, you do?"
"Yes, Master," she answered, hopefully sounding more confident than she was.
"We reviewed your service record," Master Windu informed, his sharp gaze seeming to bore a hole straight through her. "You're smart, but headstrong. You have good ideas, but you don't always know when to pull out." She did her best not to bow her head in shame.
"You remind me of my last Padawan, General Skywalker," Master Kenobi spoke up. Every youngling and Padawan in the Temple grew up knowing the unique case of Anakin Skywalker, the Hero With no Fear. "That's why I'd like to take you on as my Padawan." Her eyes widened, trying to process what she thought she just heard.
She heard it right. Master Obi-Wan Kenobi himself just offered to take her as his Padawan. She gave him a respectful bow. "I'd be honored, Master."
"In that case, we already have a mission for the two of you. The Seperatists are attempting another march on Christophsis and we're sending you two to fend them off," Windu informed. Obi-Wan stood, walked over next to his new Padawan, and turned around. They both gave a respectful bow to the Council and walked out, side by side.