Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.5.3

Ahsoka had to admit, the moment had caught her off guard. It could have been because she had been focusing on other people, but as she walked to the medical wing, she realized that she hadn't prepared anything to say to the Jedi once they recovered.

By the time she saw Kix standing outside the entryway to the recovery room, she still had no idea what she was going to do next so she decided to stall. "What can you tell me?" she asked him, desperate for time.

Stretching his neck, he shrugged. "They're all fine, but some are more stable than others. Some of them had to undergo surgery to treat a few internal wounds, but the others should be able to get up and move around in the next hour or so. No guarantees, of course, but we'll see how the next five hours go for them."

Five hours. They still had five hours before they got back to Coruscant. To Ahsoka, it seemed like an eternity. "Who received the worst of it?"

"General Gallia, General Adi-Mundi, and General Windu," he rattled off, representing each with a finger. "Broken rib, internal bleeding in the stomach, and a broken leg, respectively."

Ahsoka rubbed her temple, staring through the one-way glass that separated her from them. It wasn't ideal, but she was grateful it wasn't worse. Scarlet Haven was known for far more damage, as per her experience.

"The minor injuries?" She inquired further, knowing that there had to be something.

"Cuts, bruises, scraps, burns, dislocations, concussions, the works," Kix listed somewhat dismissively. "Nothing that couldn't be treated in minutes. All of those should heal in a week, if not sooner. I can give you a full report later, once I clean up a little bit."

Ahsoka nodded. "I can't imagine the mess you made to stabilize them all. Go ahead and do what needs to get done, I'll follow up with you later."

He smiled, pulling off a pair of latex gloves. "Thanks, Commander," he told her, before walking off to the surgery rooms to tidy up. Time to pull out the hydrogen peroxide.

After watching him walk away, Ahsoka looked back into the recovery room. She knew that once she walked in, there was no turning back. The Jedi Council could reclaim the authority of the cruiser and withdraw her rank in a matter of seconds if they chose to. According to Kix, none of them were in the condition to command a battalion, but all of them outranked her and despite the 501st's confidence in her, she couldn't fight them on anything concerning the property of the Senate.

Deeper down, she was still afraid of rejection. There was nothing for them to reject her from really, so the fear was irrational, but that wasn't helping her nerves. These were the same people that had expelled her and lied to her a year ago. These were the same people that failed to notice Sideous at the height of his power and stood by and watched as she made the sacrifice to kill the Sith Lord. As individuals, she knew they wanted to do good, but as a unit? No trust whatsoever.

They were going to ask questions, ones she probably would rather not answer or did not like. The only thing that gave her the courage to walk to the door and face her accusers was the knowledge and belief that her life was nothing to be ashamed of. Unless they pulled rank, they had no power over her anymore. They could not dictate her future any more than she could dictate theirs. She entered and steeled herself to the reactions she was about to receive.

Caleb, Jinx, and O-Mer had already gone in when Kix had finally allowed them to visit their masters. The Jedi had not asked about the mission yet, so none of them had revealed that anyone special was on board the cruiser, much less who it was. No one expected Ahsoka to turn the corner and walk in, so when she did the entire room fell silent. Even the medics who were keeping an eye on the Jedi quietly slipped out through the back door, not wanting to get involved in any drama.