9.5.2

                                    

                                          
Caleb, O-Mer, and Jinx all decided to go check in on how everything was holding up in the medical wing. Ahsoka, who knew Kix well enough to know they wouldn't be allowed in, contemplated trying to stop them but didn't see how she could. They hadn't seen their masters in a full day by this point, and she didn't have the heart to prevent them from trying to talk to them. Besides, she needed to find Rex.
                          
She walked up to the command center, passing the troopers who were up for the morning shift. Many of them praised her for the success of the mission, having heard from their brothers the results. While accepting their congratulations, she couldn't help but remember that no such compliments had been given when she was a Jedi. Ahsoka couldn't help but think that it was because success was supposed to be the standard for Jedi, or that they seemed too righteous to be bothered by such manners. 
                          
Lately, she had thought about a lot of things in this way. Ever since she began working to balance the Forces within her, she had taken to looking very deeply and analytically at her old lifestyle, her current lifestyle, and the lifestyles of others around her. It had resulted in a lot of changes concerning her behavior and her belief system. Now that she was finally free to think and form opinions for herself, she chose to exercise that freedom regularly. Sometimes, like right now, it made the universe seem like a very cold place. It was why she needed to unwind, and preferably with someone she trusted.
                          
The doors slid to the command center slid open, and the room was empty save for Rex. He wasn't doing anything actually, other than sitting against the wall. When Ahsoka walked in, he smirked. "I was wondering when you were going to get here."
                          
"The Padawans and I were contemplating the meaning of life," she summarized, not really joking. "You missed a very solemn debate about the morality of the Jedi Council."
                          
"I'm sorry to hear that," he responded, standing up. "Sounds like you hit a few interesting points."
                          
She snorted, joining him as he activated the hologram table. "More than you know. So, how did it go?"
                          
He pulled up a few charts that O-Mer's squad had made during the mission, depicting the number of prisoners they escorted. "The only real hiccup in the plan was the transportation of the ex-slaves. The boys counted 103 people total, ranging from kids to adults, neither of whom should be doing manual labor at their age. Compared to your guesses, they captured five times as many people as they used to."
                          
"I'd say it's more than that," she argued. "Those were only the slaves that were still alive. Unless they had just been taken, their numbers could have been as high as 150 when they first arrived on site."
                          
Rex nodded, following along. "They had enough resources that they could spare the ones who die."
                          
Grimly, she pressed her lips together, fuming at the idea that anyone could be expendable for the sake of profit. She knew it happened all the time, Rex and the other troopers were proof of it, but it still raised her blood pressure every time she thought about it. 
                          
"We had that fighter malfunction," Rex went on, pulling up the scan the mechanics had taken before commencing repairs. "But that was the only other bump in the road. The pilot was fine, you saw him earlier on his way out. Mechanics are already repairing the damage."
                          
"Did they get a diagnostic on the malfunction?" She asked, and Rex highlighted the part on the screen.
                          
"Busted gear, snapped upon the fighter's exit of the atmosphere. A few other dents were made because of it, but nothing that can't be replaced in an hour."
                          
Ahsoka opened her mouth to ask why it had to be replaced, rather than just fixed, or remade. Wasn't it cheaper than paying for a new part? Then she remembered that the 501st Legion was funded by the Republic and that government war battalions didn't have to worry about expenses as Gauges and Gears did.