"Al? AL! Where is she?"
Red Hawk shrugged. "Keep your voice down, we don't want the general getting suspicious."
Sighing, Blue Jay checked another room and yelled inside. "Al? You in here?" When there was no response, he swore under his breath. "Where could she be?"
"What I don't understand is why she's hiding," Red Hawk muttered in response. "She wasn't in the barracks this morning. Did we go somewhere overnight?"
"Yeah," Axe said, leaning over his shoulder. "What are you looking at?"
Both Red Hawk and Blue Jay jumped back in surprise, Blue Jay letting out a yelp. Once their shock was under control Red Hawk glared at Axe. "Why the hell would you scare us like that?"
"I didn't do it on purpose," Axe retorted. "I was sent here by the general. He wanted me to tell you that we arrived at Coruscant a few minutes ago. Also he wants to talk to you."
Red Hawk sighed. "How long ago was this?"
"A minute I think, why?"
"Thanks Axe," Red Hawk said bluntly. He grabbed Blue Jay's arm and pulled him in the direction of the bridge. "You've been very helpful."
"No problem!" Axe called after them, clearly not understanding the rhetorical statement.
"What do you think the general wants?" Blue Jay asked in an undertone once they were out of earshot.
Red Hawk shrugged. "Maybe he misplaced his padawan. If we can't find her, he's bound to be looking."
His assumption was proven correct when the bridge doors opened and he found Krell standing on the bridge alone on a call with two other people whom Red Hawk guessed were Jedi. Krell noticed them come in, narrowed his gaze and continued to talk to the men in the hologram. "Thank you Master Windu. I will send troopers when the time is ready."
The holograms disappeared and Krell focused his attention on the two clones standing in the doorway. "Troopers."
"General," Blue Jay replied stiffly. Red Hawk wanted to hit him, but restrained himself from doing so. "You called us?"
"Yes, I did," Krell said, not moving from his position. "It seems my apprentice has...fled the ship for a mysterious reason."
"Al left?" Red Hawk said without thinking.
"Yes, she has," Krell said, not seeming to care that Red Hawk knew Al's name or had any relation to her. "I would like the two of you to go find her."
"Um, yes sir," Blue Jay said cautiously. "Do you, um, know where she went?"
"I believe she went down to Coruscant. I advise starting at the Jedi Temple, she has allies there. You are dismissed."
"Sir yes sir!" The two backed out of the bridge and Blue Jay grabbed Red Hawk's arm. "Why the hell did she leave the ship?"
"I don't know," Red Hawk said, his heart racing. If Krell was sending them to go look for Al, he must have no idea where she was and was getting desperate. "Okay, let's calm down. Where did Krell say to look?"
"The Jedi Temple, weren't you listening?"
"You know I space out when I panic. Come on, let's go there and see if we can find anyone who might know where she is."
<~>
Al wasn't at the Jedi Temple.
She was far from it actually. She couldn't even see it from down where she walked in the lower levels of Coruscant. She took deep, rapid breaths, clutching her burning forearm. Every now and then she would take her hand off and look down to see how the wound was faring. It would always greet her with a charred image of what her skin would possibly look like for the rest of her life and she would cover it up, revolted. Eventually, shivering in the cold air, she reached the one place she had been aiming for. Her little room she had crafted from scraps seemed calming and warm at the moment when it felt like every single person she knew was against her. She knew Red Hawk, Blue Jay, and Aayla weren't on Krell's side, but they would want to tell someone that he hurt her, and she didn't want to get Krell anymore mad at anyone then he already was. She had sensed his remorse and shock after he had cut her, but it was brief and short-lived; Al didn't expect him to keep it very long.
Stumbling onto the mattress near the large neon sign radiating heat, she collapsed upon the dusty springs with a sigh. Tears stained the sheets under her head as she curled into a ball and her whole body shook with sobs. She didn't want to go back to Krell, she wanted to stay here all alone. She didn't want anyone, she didn't need anyone to help her. It was like back on the Zygerrian ship after Cassi left. Al was alone, and she only had herself to worry about and concern herself with. As long as she stayed strong, she would survive the whole ordeal. But strength was an illusion, and survival just seemed optional at this point. She was about to give up when she heard footsteps coming her way. Jolting up and gripping the handle of her lightsaber firmly, she struggled to stand, anguish and exhaustion pushing her downwards. "Who's there?"
"Al?"
Her heart began to beat faster. Never in her life had she been more afraid to hear that voice. "Aayla?"
Aayla's head came into view, an extremely relieved look on her face. "Oh thank God you're okay. Commander! I found her! She's up here!"
"Great!" the voice of a clone called up.
Slowly, Aayla walked over to Al followed by Red Hawk and Blue Jay who approached the shaking girl a little less gracefully.
"Um, sorry," Blue Jay muttered standing up and readjusting the small crate stack he had fallen into. "I, uh, didn't see that."
"Are you okay?" Red Hawk asked, concern laced in his words. "We were worried."
"Were you?" Al asked a little harshly. Her eyes moved to each person in the room. "Did you come here because you wanted to, or because you were told to? He sent you, didn't he?"
She was talking directly to Red Hawk, and he could feel it. "We were looking for you long before Krell instructed us too," he said softly.
"What is going on?" Aayla asked. "Why are you like this?"
"Why does it matter?" Al asked, her voice raising. "Nobody ever cared about me. Nobody ever has!"
"We care about you," Blue Jay said weakly from the corner of the room.
"Sure," Al scoffed. "Of course you do. Your clones. You're programmed to feel."
She looked away from their faces, anger rising within her for some unknown reason. Aayla rose and gestured Red Hawk over to the side. When she was sure Al couldn't hear them if they lowered their voices, she mumbled softly, "Krell must have influenced her."
"He must have," Red Hawk said, his heart hurting for the child. She was young, she didn't know where to go, who to trust, what to do. It was all a blur for her and Krell was only making it worse. "But he has been for a while, what tipped her over the edge?"
"Her injury maybe?" Blue Jay chimed in.
"Injury? Where?" Aayla looked back at Al with raised eyebrows. "She seems externally fine."
"See how she keeps one arm inside her chest?" Blue Jay said. "Something must have happened to it and now she's all moody. Either that or it's a boy."
"She's been on a cruiser with no other life forms but Krell and us," Red Hawk said bluntly. "What boy could you be referring to?"
"Just a suggestion."
Aayla walked back over to Al. "Give me your hand. Your left one."
Al slowly held out her arm, her eyes shining with unfallen tears. When Aayla saw it, she froze. "He cut you."
"He WHAT?!" Red Hawk exploded, rushing to Aayla's side.
"Holy shit!" Blue Jay added as if the tension wasn't high enough already.
"It was an accident!" Al said frantically. "We were sparring and he accidently hurt me!"
"Al this is infected," Aayla said, showing her that a sickening bruise was forming around the charred skin. "Sure it might have been an accident, but it's a deep cut and clearly neither one of you treated it."
"I didn't think I just ran," Al said through sobs. "I didn't know..."
Red Hawk held her tightly and she leaned into his embrace apologizing over and over. He rested his head on hers and comforted her. "It's okay. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now."
"We need to get her to the medical droids at the Temple," Aayla said to Blue Jay. "They can treat her there."
He nodded and motioned to Red Hawk and the four left to the speeder.
<~>
"He should be healed in a few days."
"A few days?" Anakin tried to sit up, but fell back, wincing. "I can't wait that long."
"Looks like you don't have a choice," Ahsoka said, leaning against his cot. "Sorry Skyguy."
Anakin groaned dramatically. "Fine, whatever."
The medical droid who was tending to him turned to the door as the newcomers hurried in. "Welcome. How may I assist you?"
"She has an infected lightsaber wound," Aayla said, holding out Al's arm. "Can you heal it?"
The droid didn't respond, but began to spray it with a disinfectant gas that sent shivers down Al's back. While the droid rolled away to get more medical supplies, Ahsoka walked over to Al. "How the Force did you get a lightsaber wound?"
"It's a long story," Al said with a smile as Aayla lead her to an empty cot. "What's up with you?"
"My Master did something stupid," Ahsoka said with an eyeroll.
"Hey!" Anakin snapped from the other cot. "It's not my fault the ship crashed!"
"It kinda is," Ahsoka replied with a teasing smile. She turned back to Al. "Well I hope it heals. Were you in a duel or something?"
"Yeah," Al muttered. "Or something."
The medical droid returned with a bandage for Al and Ahsoka returned to her master's side. Aayla patched up Al's arm and looked at the child's damaged eyes. "How does that feel?"
"Better," Al mumbled. Her eyes met Aayla's. "I don't wanna go back there."
"Don't worry," Aayla said, squeezing Al's hands reassuringly. "I will talk to the council about your treatment."
"Tell them to keep it quiet? I don't want anyone else dying or getting hurt by my doing."
"If anyone does get hurt by Krell's hand, it won't be your fault," Red Hawk said softly. "The more people he hurts, the more the blame falls on him."
"Besides, the guy's a bitch what'd you expect?" Blue Jay said with a playful smile.
Al laughed and hugged her legs to her chest, carefully setting her arm in a place it couldn't get hurt anymore. Aayla looked at the two troopers and gave a knowing look. They nodded seriously and the Jedi turned to Al. "I have to attend a Council meeting, you stay here with Red Hawk and Blue Jay."
"What about Krell?" Al asked nervously. "What do I tell him?"
"We will just tell him finding you was difficult and when we did, you were injured so we went and got help," Red Hawk said simply. "Easy."
"You just came up with that, didn't you?" Blue Jay asked with a smug smile.
"Shut up," Red Hawk snapped.
Aayla sighed, questioning her actions. "You watch her. Hopefully I didn't miss any of the briefing."
"What's the council talking about now?" Anakin asked, sitting up. Al jumped, forgetting he was there.
"There's some political riff going off on Mon Cala they want to send a Jedi or two in to help settle the issue."
"Anyone else?"
"Well they were going to send Senator Amidala," Aayla said, scratching her nose like she did when she was thinking. "But it hasn't been decided."
"Oh," Anakin said, looking downcast. "Okay."
"Get your rest Skywalker," Aayla said with a smile. "Heal yourself before you go back to saving others."
Anakin rolled his eyes and fell back onto the cot. As Aayla left, Al rested her head on Red Hawk's shoulder and fell into a deep, calming sleep. Red Hawk looked at Blue Jay. "Wanna make that transmission to Krell now?"
Blue Jay sighed. "Must I do everything?" But he took the holodisk anyway and stepped into the hallway just as Red Hawk was resting his head on Al's and steadying his breathing until his eyes closed and he was asleep as well.