9.3.3

                                    

                                          
Sometime later, a group of shinies asked Rex to watch over their blaster training. While he went off to oversee the rookies, Ahsoka took to wandering the cruiser. To her surprise, she still remembered the paths of the white hallways. Fifteen months wasn't enough to erase three years of living in these ships. 
                          
As she walked, troopers were saluting her as she passed them. At first, she felt guilty, knowing that her rank was not permanent and that they shouldn't call someone who left the Order a commander. Yet somewhere inside her, Anakin's voice spoke to her.
                          
That doesn't matter to them. It's a sign of respect. They know what you went through, day after day, battle after battle. Loyalty means everything to the clones.
                          
A small smile escaped her. It might have been their new bond, which she still didn't understand, or maybe it was just from knowing him for so long, but Anakin still seemed to be teaching her things. Well, reminding her. 
                          
So after that, instead of pondering the salutes, she smiled and called as many of them as she could by name, acknowledging them. It was the least she could do. After all, if a regular civilian tried to do this, they wouldn't receive anywhere near the same respect she did. Ahsoka tried imagining Leslie or Jackson trying to lead a battalion and had to stop herself from giggling. 
                          
Eventually, she found herself in the med bay. How she had gotten there, she didn't really know, but she hadn't seen Kix yet and figured she owed him a visit. After all, he had treated her wounds how many times? She had no idea.
                          
When Kix saw Ahsoka, he dropped the bandages he was carrying and ran over to her, lifting her up in a hug. "What took you so long?!?" he asked, and Ahsoka shrugged as he set her down on her feet.
                          
"Making life work in the Lower Levels, like most other civilians," she answered modestly. "Do you need some help stocking supplies? I have a feeling we're going to need them."
                          
"I'd never turn away help, especially from you, Commander," he answered, and Ahsoka picked up the bandages he had dropped with the Force, stacking them neatly in an empty cabinet. Kix pointed out the fresh tools he needed to move, and Ahsoka did it in seconds. It was quick work, with a Force-user helping.
                          
She smiled at him. "I assume you want to double-check and make sure everything is in order."
                          
He shrugged. "Normally I would, but I'm not worried about that right now. What about you? Are you okay?"
                          
Always the medic, Ahsoka thought. "I'm doing well. After I settled in on Coruscant, I haven't had many issues. Thankfully, most of the ones I did have weren't medical."
                          
"Most of them?"
                          
"I burned my side on the first night here," she adjusted her shirt so Kix could inspect it, for, of course, he wanted to. "Someone else had a piece of debris cut their leg a month or go ago, and my friend's mother was injured too, but none of those were me."
                          
Kix nodded, not really focusing on her words. "Well, you've been taking care of it," he deducted, focusing on her side. "It's healing well, and the scar doesn't look like it was ever infected. One of the stitches might have been a bit crooked, though. Who closed it, just a local hospital?"
                          
Ahsoka shook her head. "I couldn't have afforded to see a professional medical center. I had to close it myself, unfortunately."
                          
"On yourself???"
                          
"Yeah, it's one of the downsides of living on your own. There's no on-site medic at the ready. Actually," she reasoned, "lately, I've become the on-site medic. All of those lessons you gave me have come in handy more than I would like to admit."