Back in the Game (COMPLETE)

9.6.2

Eventually, the cruiser did reenter Coruscant airspace, and Ahsoka had to say her goodbyes. She promised, multiple times, that if she was ever around she would give a shout. Despite the generous offer, Ahsoka had to refuse taking her decorated fighter underground with her. There was no way it was getting down there.

Some of the Jedi Masters, Mace Windu in particular, had to be carried off on a stretcher, but most of the others were able to walk off on their own power. They were escorted to the halls of healing, where they were admitted for at least an hour of rest. Even Anakin had to go down and submit to the healing wards. 

The best part for Ahsoka was the look on the emergency council's face when she stepped off the cruiser with the other Jedi. It was clear that they were not expecting her to survive, succeed, or to have had such a good time doing so. Not only that, but they were impressed and mildly intimidated by the lack of casualties, so much so that she was invited to stay for lunch. The only reason she accepted was because the rations were free, even if they were bland and tasteless.

She was finally starting to wear out, though. The joy she had felt from a successful mission and from seeing old friends was thinning, and she wanted to go home. Work was going to start up again tomorrow, and Ahsoka needed to change and shower before that happened. 

The Jedi Council, the official one, didn't seem to be aware of this fact, though, because once they had been released from the Halls of Healing, they summoned her to a 'quick' meeting. Frankly, Ahsoka was dreading it. The last time she had stood before this Council hadn't ended well.

While she was waiting for the Council to let her in, Anakin walked up to the room and waited with her. She knew they didn't have the freedom to say what they wanted like earlier, or at least he didn't. Ahsoka could speak her mind all the livelong day.

"It would be nice if they just said 'good job' and let me go, for once," she muttered under her breath, so only Anakin could hear. 

"To them, it's not that simple," he reminded her. "They'll want to know your motive, your intentions, why it's different from before..."

Ahsoka groaned lowly. "I did it because I wanted to. End of story."

He snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that. You might want to try a different answer."

"Ya think?" She rubbed her temple, already feeling a headache coming on. They walked another meter or so before Anakin cleared his throat. 

"After this is done, I can give you a ride back underground," he offered, but when Ahsoka saw his face, she could tell there was more to it. "Might be faster than walking."

She nodded but made eye contact with him. "Thank you," she said, but in her mind, she was focusing on their bond, trying to convey that she understood what he wanted to say. It must have worked, because he returned the nod quickly and looked straight ahead again, not saying a word.

They came to the waiting area outside the Council meeting room and sat on the benches provided. Ahsoka rested her hands on her knees, but they were white from clenching them so hard. 

Ahsoka had not been summoned to speak with the Jedi Masters, she had been summoned to speak with the Jedi Council. Not the people she was willing to trust, to a certain extent, but the commanding, and almost political body that had decided her fate without consulting her first. The group that chose the Republic over her. The group that expelled her without a second thought, and thought she would be willing to just walk right back in. 

The worst part was she still felt like she had something to prove to them. Ahsoka had no idea what, in particular, she was thinking of, but something. Maybe that she could survive without them, or that she was still a capable fighter, or that the Dark Side wasn't untamable, or that they had been wrong. Things that shouldn't have mattered and weren't worth delaying her departure, and things she didn't want to talk about. So why was she so tense over them?