The cargo bay had gone silent. Yelra kept her head between her knees with her arms hugging her knees. Her mind raced as she took deep breaths, remembering her teachings. She was safe for now, which was more than she could say for everyone else. She was lucky that she was running an errand for her master to the spaceport when the madness happened.

She took another deep breath as fear threatened to grip her heart.

There had been Jedi at the spaceport when the clones opened fire. So many killed within seconds, Yelra ducked into a cargo crate near her without so much as a thought. The captain she was speaking with also took cover, but no one else had seen her. She didn't even know what ship she was on, and she didn't care. She was breathing and alive. She wondered if her master Jarrad Lacsap had survived as well. He was a resourceful Jedi Knight, but she couldn't be sure that he could survive a surprise attack from his own troopers.

Yelra waited for what seemed like weeks in the cargo crate as her stomach grumbled. She wondered what she would do know. She had just turned fourteen, hardly old enough to be out on her own. Panic started to set in as she didn't have any contacts outside the Jedi Order. Were they okay? Was this a fluke incident where the clones went mad? Or was it every trooper? If it was every trooper, how many Jedi were left?

As she thought of all the possibilities of what had happened on the outside, she didn't notice the footsteps approaching her crate. The crate opened with a few clicks and Yelra blinked in the light. When her vision cleared, she could see a Twi'lek man looking down on her.

"What the- What are you doing here?" he asked, holding his hand out. She took it and stepped out of the box. "What's a little Togruta like you doing on my ship?"

"The clones shot the Jedi and I jumped into the nearest empty crate to hide," Yelra explained as she found her footing. She stepped away from the man, but she didn't run away. The man opened his mouth to ask another question when she saw the padawan piece hanging from her right montral.

"You are a padawan," he whispered as he frowned. Yelra clenched her jaw and reached for her hidden lightsaber, ready to run. "You have been in there for a long time, padawan. It's been three days since we left Coruscant."

"Three days?" Yelra repeated before she swallowed. "What happened with those clone troopers?"

"I think we better sit down," the man whispered as he led her out of the cargo bay. She followed him a respectable distance in case he betrayed her. He walked into the galley and sat at the table. She sat across from him as he sighed. "The Chancellor has branded the Jedi Order as traitors to the Republic."

"What?" Yelra whispered. She felt as if he had just kicked her in the stomach as her heart dropped. "What does that mean?"

"Most Jedi were killed on the spot by the clone troopers. They're reporting death in the thousands. No one has seen one left alive," the man explained softly. Yelra took deep, quick breaths. "Even… even the younglings didn't make it."

"Are you going to turn me in now?" she murmured as fear entered her. She couldn't keep it at bay any longer. However, the man shook his head.

"I believe that the Jedi Order was good. I've seen their work firsthand, and my sister was one," he reassured, leaning closer. "Do you know where you'll go?"

"No, I have no idea. I don't even know where is safe anymore," Yelra answered as she tried to regain her composure. "Where are you headed?"

"The Outer Rim for starters. The Purge caught us all by surprise."

"Is that what they're calling it."

"Yes, but not officially. The Chancellor called it a cleansing," he scoffed before shaking his head. "But where are my manners? The name's Anoon and this is my ship the Silver Star."

"I'm Yelra," she informed.

"Pleased to meet you, Yelra," Anoon greeted with a forced smile. "So, I'm assuming you would like safe passage?"

"Yes, please," she nearly sobbed. Anoon nodded and stood, taking her to the bridge.

"I'm thinking of heading to Ryloth for a little while," he began as he pulled himself up to the captain's chair. "My room is through that door to your left and there's a crew quarters to the right. I hardly need a crew, so you'll have the place to yourself."

"Thank you," Yelra murmured, rubbing her arm.

"My pleasure," he smiled as he noted her padawan chain again. "I know that it's important, but I think it might be best to lose the chain. Keep it somewhere safe, but we don't know how widespread this is."

"Oh, right," Yelra replied. She reached up and removed the chain before staring at it. It symbolized everything she had known and now lost. Anoon cleared his throat before gesturing toward the copilot's chair. She nodded and took a seat as he put in a new set of coordinates. "What brought you to the cargo hold?"

"I forgot to run a routine check on the cargo to make sure there were no stowaways. When the sensor beeped, I assumed that I caught a mynock," Anoon replied, shaking his head. "I didn't expect to see a padawan in there."

"I'm glad you forgot."

"You and me both. I usually do them before takeoff," he grumbled. She shifted in her seat as they entered hyperspace.

"Why are we going to Ryloth?"

"I have family there. We might be able to hide you there until we can figure out what to do."

"Why are you helping me?" she asked, almost afraid of the answer. He glanced at her before turning his chair to face her.

"I wasn't in close contact with my sister, as I'm sure you figured out, but I had reached out to her a few months ago. That's why I was on Coruscant," Anoon continued calmly. He took a shaky breath, staring at the floor. "I had commed her to tell her that I was here, like we planned. We were going to chat, nothing more. She was curious about her family. A few seconds after she had answered, I heard her die."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. It hit me harder than I thought it would," he sighed, rubbing his face. "But if I couldn't save her, maybe I can help save someone like her. Maybe I can help save something she believed in."

"Thank you," Yelra smiled. "Are you sure, though? I don't know much about legal things, but I'm pretty sure harboring a labeled traitor is frowned upon."

"And what have you done against the Republic? You are a kid, learning things I could never imagine. You haven't committed any treason, have you?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then there is no reason why you should be hunted down like an animal. Something doesn't seem right here, and I am not going to blindly follow just because my leader said so."

"Those are bold words."

"They shouldn't be," Anoon sighed. "If you're hungry, you're welcome to anything you can find. We should be at Ryloth in a little bit, but if you're tired-"

"Thank you for everything," Yelra cut him off with a head bow. Anoon smirked and returned in kind before watching the console. She turned and made her way back to find something to eat.