…

…

A small draining noise reaches me as I slowly come back to consciousness.

…

They must be pulling me out of the bacta.

The gelatinous, thick substance creeps down my bare body before I dare to open my eyes.

Yup.

Cayle is already peering at me, while an attendant glances at a tablet before saying something to him. Cayle responds with a nod before a voice comes to me.

"Ezra, if you can hear me give me a thumbs up with your right thumb."

Right thumb.

Doing as I'm told; I give the thumbs up which elicits a small smile from Cayle as the tank continues to drain. He and the attendant share a few more words before Cayle's left alone with me.

My eyes drift around the room and find a small pile of robes off to the side before Cayle's voice interjects again. "Hang tight, I'm gonna get you out of there buddy."

I give him another thumbs-up, which gets a bigger smile out of Cayle before I timidly reach out into the Force—

…

…

What's wrong now?

…

Something's definitely wrong.

They didn't get him. I—

I failed. He got away.

Exhaling heavily, I let myself drop my head before digging back into my brain.

I lost. I failed.

I'm sure the Council will be more than happy to tell me what I did wrong.

…

Last thing I remember thinking was calling Twos and declaring Maul trapped.

(Flashback)

"TURN OFF YOUR BRAIN!" Dad yells at me as I'm strung up in the basement. "I never should have told you that the Sith have outthought the Jedi!"

Dad angrily walks around the heavily dimmed room, electro-whip on his—

"AHHH!" I cry out in pain as the whip connects with my body and a surge of electricity flows right through my body blocking out everything else, including the whip's cutting into my skin.

"You slow yourself down by thinking! I can do more than enough thinking for the both of us Lord Vader!"

Here comes the—

My cry this time comes out as more of a moan, which—

I'm hit with the whip again, with the end result being that I'm limply dangling from my chained position. "SILENCE!"

(End Flashback)

"The tank can move a lot. It's going to slowly pivot so you can roll out of it like it's your bed." The attendant's voice returns as Cayle's looking at—

My phone.

Oh great.

Sabine…

"—beginning realignment process."

The tank I'm in begins tilting down and to my left, which sends the remaining bacta sloshing around the tank. Reflexively, my breathing ticks up before the bacta rushes over my head only for the mask to render my primal concerns moot.

Stop thinking. Everyone else is in control.

…

I failed. I shouldn't think.

I lost.

Closing my eyes, I do my best to accept that fact as the tank continues moving ninety degrees, going from vertical to horizontal before I probe again and am met with a similar result.

Attendant's anxious. Cayle's…

He feels like a mess.

I don't think he wants to tell me something.

The tank finally finds its desired plane and the tank gets cracked open, sending a rush of freezing cold air onto my body—

COLD!

I move towards a seated position before the attendant gently but decisively slows me down. "Easy sir, you've been in there for three days. Take it slow."

"Three days?!"

Oh no…

"You were severely injured. You scared a lot of people, my Lord—"

"Don't call him that!" Cayle snaps off harshly at him. "He has a name!" The attendant freezes up at Cayle's outburst which only keeps going. "I read what comes next, go get somebody else to do your job."

…

…

"GO!" Cayle emphatically points for the attendant to exit thru the door. It takes a moment, but the attendant gently sets me into a seated position, gathers his small bag, and exits the room.

He's going to get into trouble for that.

"Sorry…" Cayle quickly apologizes. "He was just going to check your temperature and help you get dressed."

"Have I really been out for three days?" My voice comes out far weaker than I intend for it too.

I was supposed to start my online class two days ago then…

Cayle nods while his attention is on a handheld thermometer. "Hold still for two seconds…"

Another failure on my part. Online classes have a very tight window to get things done.

They may have withdrawn me from the class. And that'll—

It'll be on my permanent academic record.

Adding to my failure.

"100.1. Within standard limits. Your body is still recovering, but all of your internal injuries have healed enough for you to get out of there for a few hours." Cayle reports to me.

Internal injuries.

"Here's that, I'll turn around…pick your head up." Cayle passes me some fabric, then adds a little more sternly.

New underwear. Great.

"I failed."

Cayle quickly shakes his head while keeping turned away to give me privacy. "No, you didn't. It would have been a lot worse if you hadn't done what you did—"

"Then why was I just in a bacta tank for three days Cayle?!" I bite back at him, my voice finally finding some of its fire but really only coming out hoarse.

…

"The attendant you called for is just outside." I throw in after a moment before moving to change undergarments. Cayle takes his window of opportunity to chase down the medical professional…

Before coming back empty-handed.

"I don't know if you felt him or what. But he's not in the hallway." Cayle reports softly.

Great.

I scared him away.

…

…

"You're nervous."

"Yeah." Cayle lets out a laugh. "You're still intimidating as hell when you're pissed off."

"Sorry. I'm not pissed at you."

I failed. I lost.

I'm a loser.

"You should be." Cayle's tone changes entirely before he sets my leggings beside me. "Easy putting those on. Tell me if it hurts to turn or anything, I'm supposed to report it I would imagine."

"Okay. What's wrong?" I obediently grab my leggings.

Slow.

"I…" Cayle starts, before his whole Force Signature rattles and shakes before he paces in the opposite direction of me.

"What happened?"

Let me guess, I'm going to jail. The Jedi Order doesn't want a loser Sith Lord in their midst.

And I lost the duel with Maul. He stuck my own dagger in me and left me bleeding out…

I failed. The Jedi aren't going to want that.

"I'm going to jail, aren't I?"

"No, you're not going to jail!" Cayle shakes his head as his own temper rises up again. "Why are you so obsessed with going to jail?"

"Because half the country wants me in jail!" I point out to him. "I just saw it with my own eyes, remember?"

I'm sure an unspoken agreement between the US government and the Jedi is based on the fact that I serve the Jedi successfully. And I didn't.

I lost. I failed.

Cayle takes a second as I slip the leggings over my ankles and begin slowly inching them up. "Okay, I see your point. But no, Palpatine's still behind you. Even if he stuck his foot in his mouth."

"What'd he say?"

Cayle shakes his head and waves my question away. "That's not the point. His people were here up until yesterday because of what you did. You saved them. You saved a lot of people."

"What did Palpatine say about me Cayle?" I repeat my question.

Who cares about Palpatine's people.

Cayle lets out a sigh before glancing at me. "Please keep getting dressed. The Council's going to be convening here in a bit."

"Cayle."

…

"He was making a speech in Arizona. Not a border town, but not Phoenix or Scottsdale either. He made an offhand remark that they, the government, aren't interested in Sith Lords that lose, but—

Loser Sith Lord.

You gotta be kidding me.

"—but it wasn't in the speech. It was completely off the cuff. He quickly backtracked and said that he didn't mean it—"

He's right.

By the letter of the law, I am a former Sith Lord who lost his biggest fight since converting.

Loser Sith Lord.

"—you're not listening to me, are you? Dammit…" Cayle mutters angrily before pivoting in frustration. He paces for a moment as I resume getting dressed.

"For what it's worth, the Council pulled your friends from Palpatine's camp into their chambers and ripped them a new one. Within an hour of it ending there was an official statement from the White House apologizing to the Order, and you personally."

No need to apologize for the truth.

"They're not really my friends." I tell Cayle.

They're allies, if that.

If that.

Cayle's lips quirk up into a smile. "Gonna have to disagree with you on that. They were super worried about you the entire time they were here. Refused to leave, said you needed somebody to advocate for you while you were incapacitated—"

That's nice but unnecessary.

"—it's madness out there, but it'll calm down."

I can't help but laugh before moving to grab the top of my robes.

Calm down. That's funny.

Cayle's visible response isn't that it's funny at all, only for my Probe that follows to confirm it. "That's not it, is it Cayle?"

…

Cay—

"I screwed up. With Sabine." He says, then fully turns his back to me.

Oh yeah.

She's going to kill me.

She's not going to want anything to do with me. I lost her beskar.

The almost priceless Mandalorian heirloom she entrusted me with. Over her mother's objections at the conclusion of the semester.

Sabine said I could be trusted, that she couldn't trust me more.

And now…

She's gonna kill me.

"You know what you said, that night when we made those pork chops with the potatoes that sucked? That when Sabine gets so worked up it's like she stops listening?"

The night Sabine and I had our first real, back and forth fight.

Yeah. She probably hates me now.

He isn't going to understand, it's not just about losing the beskar. It's about the honor. The shame of it.

The breaking of trust.

If Sabine doesn't want my head, her mom sure as hell will.

I doubt the Countess is known for her compassion.

"I let her get to me man. I'm…I'm sorry." Cayle voice breaks, suddenly sounding watery.

Whoa.

I turn to Cayle, only for him to be visibly upset. "I…I….she started yelling at me. I shouldn't have yelled back. She kept going on about how you lost, and her honor and all kinds of bullshit—"

"It's not bullshit to her. It's her culture. Her people."

It's really important to her.

"Well, that's great." Cayle motions at me. "But after a certain point that she realized that her beskar was lost in the fight, it was like she forgot about you and started going on about how you failed her."

"I did fail her."

"No, you didn't." Cayle dismissed the idea.

EXCUSE ME?!

Without thinking, I pop to my feet. "Who took the History of Mandalore class? Huh? Who studied and listened to lectures on all aspects of Mandalorian culture? You? Or me?!"

ME!

Footsteps suddenly hustle into the room, and Temple Guards appear from nowhere to secure the situation. "Padawan Cayle…Padawan Bridger…we're going to have to ask both of you to calm down."

"He's not listening!" Cayle points at me. "I'm just trying to get through to him."

The Guard nearest me takes a step closer before another replies to Cayle. "Then we advise you inform the Council of this."

I start to say something before I'm bodily stopped by a Guard. Cayle watches the exchange, then gives me a small smile. "I'm sorry man. I'll…I'll be back."

"The Council wants you dressed and in the main Chamber in five standard minutes, young Padawan." Another guard says before two new men in lab coats ease into the room.

Feeling their discomfort through the Force, I put my focus towards dressing myself as the lab technicians take my temperature and ask a couple of basic questions.

Does anything hurt? Has any motion I've made caused me pain?

Before I can make a move to pull the top portion of my robes over my head, the two technicians team up and raise it over my head before settling it over my shoulders. "The Council will tell you this, but it's imperative that you limit raising your arms above your head. As well as lifting loads over five pounds until you're more fully recovered."

"Five pounds is nothing." I turn to the attendant. His partner in crime chuckles once before I see my attendant seem to agree.

"Yes, but you're due for more bacta sessions until your physical fitness has returned to a level that you may resume training at."

Good.

"Thank you." I say quietly, then finish pulling on my boots.

"No, I believe it is us that should be thanking you." The Temple Guard who seems to be in charge states in a stately British-esque accent. "Now come."

Doing as I'm told I slowly move towards the doorway, only to be accompanied on either side by a Temple Guard.

I probably have an audience waiting outside.

…

Instead of a waiting crowd, the corridor outside the medical bay is deserted. The Guards experts guide me to an elevator that takes us to the third level before we exit and begin walking again.

Get off the main level as soon as possible. The elevators to all five of the spires connect at one, centralized location but can be reached at just about every level except for the nursery.

A lesson from many moons ago I would expect.

Wordlessly, the Guards lead me to the main elevator and call for the car, which comes hastily before we all pile in and the Guards press the keypad for the Council's chambers.

Making a point to breathe, the doors open to reveal the ornate antechamber's statues, paintings on the walls, and the normal pristine carpet before the three of us proceed towards the massive doors.

There's already a conversation going on inside. We'll have to—

Oh.

The lead Guard just pushes right thru, killing the conversation inside before the scene opens up to reveal the full Council, along with Cayle in the middle reporting on something.

My refusal to listen.

"Masters…I apologize for the intrusion."

"No intrusion, Master Issacs." Master Windu tells him. "Thank you." The Temple Guards retreat from the room before Master Windu turns back to Cayle, leaving me lingering awkwardly behind him.

"Our discussion on this will continue as we speak with young Bridger. Please—" Windu motions for Cayle to find a place on the wall.

Since all seats are taken.

Cayle sidles off to stand on the wall, and I move to take his place in the center of the room. "Masters."

"Young Bridger…it's very good to see you up. Welcome."

"Thank you." I accept the greeting from Master Windu.

I—

"I'm sorry."

The Council seems to shift as one but in their own directions. "Nothing to apologize for, you have," Yoda tells me.

I open my mouth to reply, only for a choked-up sound to come out. "I disagree Masters, but I'll do my best to defer to your judgement."

They haven't been in bacta for three days. They know a lot more than I do.

"It is a sign of your growth that you can recognize that, young one." Master Jinn speaks up.

Master Luminara adds "How are your legs feeling? Would you like a seat?"

…

"My legs are fine, but a seat would be welcome. I don't know how long I'll be able to stand properly." I confess.

Master Windu motions behind me and Cayle immediately ducks out of the room, presumably to find a chair.

"Before we begin, we should tackle the elephant in the room young Bridger…Padawan Cayle reported that he informed you of his heated disagreement with Miss Wren." Master Windu starts drilling down.

Yeah.

I nod but otherwise stay silent before Windu continues. "He relayed your thoughts to us, citing that you believed yourself more well informed on the source of her fury."

"If I may be so bold Masters… I am."

I have no right to do so though.

I lost.

"Go on then." Windu tees me up before settling into his seat. "You are correct in your belief that you are better informed on Mandalorian culture than him, or for that fact a majority of us."

"Okay." I reset myself. "From what I understand of the disagreement, it really kicked into gear once Cayle told Sabine that I lost her beskar—"

"You didn't lose it." Kanan interrupts me. "It was stripped off of you."

"Master Jarrus." Yoda turns to him. A tense silence follows before Yoda motions with his cane for me to continue.

"That beskar was a family heirloom. Mined from a deposit, presumably on Mandalore. Sabine's mother, the Countess Ursa Wren reminded Sabine of this while we were packing her up at the conclusion of the semester."

"You reported that only Sabine's father came to help her pack up." Windu queries.

"He did. Her mother remained in Chicago. But I overheard the conversation on speakerphone once Sabine told her father that she wanted me to keep the beskar over summer break."

Master Kenobi follows up. "And how'd that conversation go?"

"Sabine and her mother have a more…combative relationship than Sabine and her father do. But Sabine convinced her of my trustworthiness and won out in the end."

"Your trustworthiness." Master Plo singles out the word.

I nod once before Windu speaks again. "That would give a touch more clarity to why she became so suddenly furious."

"Indeed. Sabine told me multiple times that Mandalorians think that all beskar belongs with Mandalorians at all times. It's their birthright, dare I clarify their heritage given form. And I lost it."

It surely is being viewed as a betrayal of trust, a failure of honor not only for myself but for Sabine because she's the one who gave it to me.

"From reading the transcript, her pride is very clearly wounded." Shaak Ti placidly pipes up.

Sabine believed in me without hesitation. She was my fiercest defender, even when I said to her father that it was fine with me if I gave up the bar for the summer.

Sabine was having none of it.

"The Mandalorian people's pride and honor has been a source of much conflict with our Order over the millennia. Albeit, not quite in this manner." Windu addresses the Council.

"With your permission Masters, I'd like to read this transcript so I can give you a better understanding of how Sabine's feeling."

"That is not the focus at the moment." Master Tano interjects before the door behind me opens up. Turning, I see Cayle toting a folding chair.

"Thank you." I nod to Cayle, who gives me a slight smile before gently touching my shoulder and returning to his location on the wall.

"What do you mean 'not the focus at the moment' Master?" I ask, unfolding the chair and moving to sit down.

Much better.

"Well, for one thing, Maul's still at large." Master Kenobi reminds me. "Only a small loose end."

Kenobi's joke gets a laugh out of most of the Council. "In addition to that." Windu picks up Kenobi's point. "There is what Maul and his associates stole, how they got in, and how the Order moves to strike back at him for the transgression."

"He stole my lightsaber. My old one, the one I used as a Sith." I report.

"No, he didn't, but let's stay focused." Kanan redirects me.

Hang on.

"All due respect." I raise my hands to the Council before turning towards Kanan. "I saw it on Maul's person just before I engaged him. And I lost, so he still has it."

It's not that hard.

"We duplicated your old lightsaber years ago, betting on wisdom from Masters gathered through the years fighting the Sith. They're obsessed with old Sith items and relics. And even now, they follow that old formula." Master Jinn reveals to me.

"You duplicated my lightsaber?!" I blurt out in shock.

Master Jinn nods once. "The lightsaber they stole is a fake. We believe they know that now."

"How?"

Master Windu heads me off before I can continue. "Focus, young one. This Council shall return to that in time. For now…let's return to Miss Wren."

Right.

"I reported to the Council something similar to what you said, Ezra." Master Tano takes the opportunity to jump in. "Mandalorian Iron is fiercely protected and guarded by the Mandalorian government and their people, even to this day."

The mine in China.

Master Tano's lips tilt into a smile. "You're well informed."

"Sabine told me the story when she entrusted me with the bar. Double jeopardy doesn't apply to economics and trade discussions." I reply.

"Indeed." Master Tano nods graciously.

"I spoke with the Duchess Satine on the matter, young one on behalf of the Council." Master Kenobi is the next to speak. "She believes that her fury and fire comes from not only her wounded pride but her honor and that of her family. Her mother reported the Mandalorian iron missing yesterday, which indeed caused a stir amongst some of the older Mandalorian families."

"My professor, Dr. Foster described the upper echelon of Mandalorian society as a sort of modified aristocracy. Given Sabine's mother's standing…they're all under a lot of pressure right now."

"Excuse her outburst towards your friend though, it does not." Yoda drops the hammer.

Windu leans forwards as his expression hardens. "We know she's your friend Ezra and how important she's been to you throughout the school year. However, this Council grows tired of her immature outbursts. Especially when the source of her anger is a misunderstanding due to her pride and said fury."

…

"I understand, Masters."

They're going to tell me to drop her.

"No." Master Dooku speaks for the first time. "We are not. Her fury is likely to burn itself out over the summer. There is little use in trying to calm her down given her history. We are not going to forbid you from communicating with her…but we advise that you take a break from speaking with her."

Dooku continues laying it out for me. "Your talents are greater than she could possibly imagine, the details of the theft of the beskar in question differ in her version than the truth. And your time is better served to combat the forces of the Sith and reacquiring the beskar."

"Yes, Master."

"Your activities, once you've fully recovered, outside of this Temple may resume as normal. It is vital to maintain your cover as a college student, otherwise, the past year has all been a waste of valuable time and money. And the time spent outside of the Temple has allowed you to blossom in ways the Order never thought possible six years ago." Dooku says graciously before throwing a kindly old smile my way.

I'm still free.

"Thank you, Masters." I move to stand and bow respectfully as my legs quake slightly.

By the Force I am weak—

Wait.

"Lord Maul, the remainder of the Temple's defenses are in shambles. They've lost us." Maul's lieutenant states before turning to me. "Wait is that—"

He saw my face.

Another security threat.

"Young Bridger." Master Windu interjects before I notice the Council's focus on me.

"We've reconstructed the events of Maul's break-in and subsequent escape as well as your actions to try and stop him." Master Skywalker informs me. "But we pulled your viewpoint from your glasses, which stopped recording when they were taken off you."

"More to say, Maul had." Master Yoda cuts to the heart of the matter.

Windu locks eyes with me. "What did he say young one? From the beginning."

From the beginning…okay.

I nod before swallowing, only for my throat to be very dry. "First off, the cane he was using as a lightsaber? It's double-sided. He kept that reveal in his back pocket until he had me alone."

That's how he beat me. I fought him one-on-one the entire time. I never considered the possibility that he was still using his old style of lightsaber.

I should have though. I knew he specialized as a Sith Assassin, with a dual-bladed lightsaber.

"Don't be too harsh on yourself young one. He clearly had thought the entire encounter through. We've watched the entire fight many times—"

I need to see that fight.

Kanan laughs from his nose, pulling my attention before Dooku speaks for the Council. "In time, young Bridger. Right now, the footage is being analyzed by Battle Masters around the globe."

Great. My failure's worldwide.

Windu tweaks me. "The Order, your, Order, failed on that count. We were too distracted with worldly concerns such as Palpatine, his people, and his machinations to see Maul's break-in being formulated."

"You did not fail." Dooku corrects my thinking.

"Forgive me Masters, but if I successfully trap Maul all this is a moot point. I failed to do so, and lost."

Ki-Adi Mundi finally speaks, having heard enough. "Your time in the bacta deceives you, young one. You do not know the scope of Maul's attack, nor how much of it you neutralized single-handedly."

Yeah, I was just the first to spot Maul. Going off what Windu says, he was prepared.

Preparation defeats poor planning.

"Our investigation has uncovered Maul and thirty-four other assailants infiltrated our Temple. Maul and his associates knocked out Master Gnost-Dural and killed the Temple Guards before grabbing whatever they were looking for. They stole the faux duplicate of your lightsaber before penetrating the Holocron vault."

"The Holocron vault?!" I blurt out.

"And at some point disabled the vast majority of the Temple's defenses." Master Skywalker adds.

Master Mundi continues. "After plundering the vault, Maul made his way to find you. At that point two of his other associates got lost in the elaborate halls and tunnels meant to confuse a thief, leaving thirty-three intruders."

Yeah?

"Ezra you defeated all but two." Kanan reveals to me.

"Thirty-one of thirty-three," Windu emphasizes. "Maul and the other associate you saw escape thru those old sewage passages are all that escaped."

93.999%.

Don't care. It's not 100%.

"I drove him down there because I thought they were sealed off." I defend myself.

Clearly, they weren't.

"Indeed," Yoda answers me. "Dangerous, this line of thinking is. Only a Jedi could have erased those files."

"Yeah, but—" I catch myself and glance to Yoda, only for him to be waiting for me to continue. "That's supposed to be impossible."

"Used your AI, you did to access this Temple's floorplan. Drove him down based on that intelligence, you did."

Yes.

I nod and await Master Yoda's next answer. "Meditate on this, I will."

"Thank you, Master." I bow my head towards Master Yoda.

"What else did Maul have to say?" Master Kenobi steers the conversation back on track.

…

Without thinking I get to my feet and begin pacing. "He taunted me for becoming a house-trained Jedi. Said my ability for compassion was a weakness."

"He is mistaken." Dooku declares, before Windu asks for, and receives silence.

I continue after a moment. "He said that the Jedi would soon fall, as well as my precious Republic. He pointed out, correctly that the US system of government is not a true democracy."

"True democracies are for ideologues. They are impossible in true practice. Go on." Windu nods.

"He mocked me for becoming a shadow of my former self, that all I am now is a shadow, a whisper. Called me distracted, undisciplined."

Sabine distracted me. I kept on checking my phone again and again, hoping she'd texted me.

My discipline failed me.

"He frisked my pockets. Pulled out my keys, wallet and flung each of those into a pipe to be lost forever. He pocketed the beskar, then glanced at my phone."

"Your cell phone." Windu deduces.

"He used…he used my mother against me, Masters. He knew the date my Mom passed, which was my passcode and correctly guessed it. He saw my screens, of Mira on the lock screen and Sabine as my main background. Mocked me for Sabine as well."

Sabine…

She doesn't matter right now.

"If this is true, then despite her words she will need extra protection." Master Plo points out.

Master Kenobi agrees. "I'll speak with the Duchess. I'm confident we can hammer out an arrangement."

"The less intrusive the better. Might I recommend using young Bridger as her personal protector when she returns to USC for the fall semester? I would imagine they would protect her in the meantime."

That won't fly.

Windu turns to me. "Perhaps."

"You are more than capable of protecting her, are you not?" Dooku needles me.

"Yes, but seeing as how she's livid with me she won't go along with it."

"It is likely she won't believe the situation is that serious." Master Tano foresees.

"Mistaken, she is." Yoda pronounces.

She is. He'll come after her.

"We've taken the bold step of taking Maul's face public. He cannot go out without us knowing. He has gone to ground." Windu enlightens me.

"Maul also needled me for my improper training, in his eyes. Said more or less that I was focusing on the wrong things. He sounded very much like my father."

"How so?" Master Jinn queries.

"He made the point that power comes not from the muscles, but the will. That I've fixated on the wrong things."

"That's not for him to decide, right or not." Master Kenobi declares.

He is right.

"The last thing he said…was who he was working for. That Elias said hello."

And then he left.

It felt like a lifetime until I heard Cayle's footsteps and their search for me. I…

I was afraid I was going to bleed out right there, alone.

…

…

I thought I was actually going to die.

"So the boy finally makes his appearance." Windu turns to Master Yoda.

Master Yoda nods solemnly. "Through the shadows, no less. Much to think about, this Council does."

"Indeed." Windu nods then turns back to me.

"For now, Ezra what we need most is you back to fighting strength. Return to the medical bay. They'll set you up for another session in the bacta tanks to accelerate your healing."

I nod to show my understanding. "Yes, Master."

"Maintain your cover. Lay low either here, or at the Syndulla's until we can get you a new wallet, keys in a safe and secure manner. Then you may go out and see your friends. I believe they are concerned about you."

Maybe.

"May the Force be with you, young Bridger. Be well."

"May the Force be with you, Masters. Thank you." I rise and bow to the Council. The Council returns the gesture before Cayle grabs my chair and moves to help me from the room.