Tw: Self-doubt,

~Hunter~

"So..." Wrecker trailed off. "What do we do now?"

I sighed, crossing my arms. "I don't know. This is just a mess."

Crosshair curled his lip at Porgy as he chirped, hopping around. "Do we need to report Keres to our supervisors? Does this count as a Jedi? I'm so confused."

"I'll just... report this and see what our orders are from here," I decided, scooping Porgy up and placing him on Crosshair's lap after he nearly fell off the table.

Wrecker rubbed the back of his neck. "I have to admit, I'm scared. The last time somethin' like this happened was with Omega. Those rebels did that to us and her. She's gone because of them. I don't want Amita or Tech to die."

"Tech's not dead." A laugh bubbled up in Crosshair's throat, but it was far from one of humour. "He betrayed us."

"Hey, Tech wouldn't do somethin' like that," Wrecker muttered.

"Where is he then?" Crosshair demanded, spreading his arms wide. "Where is our precious Tech'ika then?"

"Enough!" I angrily said. "This isn't going to fix anything!"

"Then what will?" Crosshair hissed, standing up abruptly. Porgy slid off his lap with a shrill shriek, and Wrecker caught him.

"I don't know!" I buried my face in my hands. "I don't know."

"Some leader you are," Crosshair mumbled, falling back into his chair.

I flinched.

"Hey!" Wrecker glowered at Crosshair. "He's tryin' his best!"

"His best isn't good enough!" Crosshair exclaimed. "Look at what's happened to us! Our brother betrayed us, our sis- other teammate got captured, we're working for the Empire!"

"Don't speak badly about the Empire! If we're anything, it's loyal!" I snapped.

"Maybe I don't want to be part of the Empire anymore," Crosshair quietly said. "Maybe I want to live my own life."

I lifted my chin. "Then I'd have to turn you in for treason."

Crosshair fished around in his belt and pulled out a toothpick, placed it in his mouth, and stormed out.

Wrecker glanced at me before following him out.

I felt Porgy climb onto my shoulder, and said to him, "The team is falling apart."

~Rex~

I finished my speech, and as everyone exited the briefing room, I took the holodisk out and placed it in my pocket.

"Where's Amita?"

I turned my gaze to Zeb, the Lasat who towered over me. "Did no one tell you?"

"I just got back from a long assignment." Zeb shook his head. "Tell me what?"

"Amita... got captured by the Empire," I told him, feeling the wisp of resentment curl inside me. "We tired to get her back but she didn't want to leave them."

"Amita's a buckethead now?" Zeb frowned, hands gripping the table. "This doesn't make any sense."

"It surprised us as well." I scowled. "Echo's still upset. I've moved on. I've learned to block out these feelings."

"She just joined them?" Zeb asked, seeming angry and confused. "Why? She hated them as much as any of us."

"Ahsoka said her enhancements might've had something to do with it, but was very vague about the whole thing." I pressed my lips together. "She's been acting weird lately too."

Zeb rubbed the back of his head. "I still can't believe it."

"I don't know what to tell you." I felt something hit my leg, but didn't bother glancing back. I just wrapped my arms around it. "It still hasn't sunk in for me either."

Zeb muttered, "Karabast."

"She didn't have an inhibitor chip either," I said. "Well, not one that we know of."

Zeb stalked out of the room, muttering curses.

"Where's Echo?" I asked.

Omega shrugged, unlatching herself from my side. "I don't know. The last time I saw him, he was in the hanger."

We had rescued her from the Empire's grip months ago, and she had quickly accustomed to life at the base. Echo and I had felt a strong connection with her since she was technically our little sister, and Ahsoka had also grown attached to the little girl.

I ruffled her hair. "Thanks, kiddo."

Omega beamed up at me. "I'm going to go play outside now!" She skipped away, blonde curls bouncing with her movements.

"Hey, Rex," Ahsoka said as she entered. She glanced down at Omega fondly as she bound past. "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course." I nodded, wondering what it could be about. She seemed serious. 

Ahsoka closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. "I feel a disturbance."

"In the Force?" I questioned.

Ahsoka shot me a dry look. "What else?"

"Go on," I encouraged after rolling my eyes at her remark.

"It feels familiar, yet strange," Ahsoka said, entwining her hands behind her back. "I need some guidance."

"Hate to tell you this, but you came to the wrong place," I said. "I know nothing about Jedi stuff."

Ahsoka sighed. "I know, but who else can I turn to? I just need to talk to you and get your opinion."

I motioned for her to continue while rooting through a drawer for the datapad kept in the room. 

"Have you ever wanted to make a decision with no logical reason why?" Ahsoka asked. "Have you ever wanted to throw away everything you've worked for, just to follow a gut instinct?"

"Not exactly," I carefully said. "But doesn't the Force try and guide you sometimes? Could that be what this is?"

"I guess." Ahsoka fiddled with the hem of her sleeve before glancing up at me. "Do you think I should do it?"

"Do what?" I asked.

Ahsoka took a deep breath. "I think the Force is telling me to find Amita. I sense a dark presence near her, and I can feel her pain through the Force."

I put down the datapad I had located. "Ahsoka, you are a strong, independent woman. You're no longer the inexperienced, young girl who ran into things without thinking. If you think the Force is telling you something, I think you should follow your instincts."

"Really?" Ahsoka looked proud.

"Really." I grinned. "Sure I might be mad at Amita, but I trust you. If you think this is what you should do, then you do it. You're not a Padawan anymore, you don't have to run everything past your Master or I."

"I never became a Jedi though." Ahsoka rubbed at her forehead. "What if my skills aren't fully developed? What if this is the dark side trying to draw me in?"

"But what if this is your chance to save Amita? What if this is your chance to avenge the fallen Jedi?" I argued. 

Ahsoka slowly nodded. "Thanks, Rex. I think I've made up my mind."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to confront whoever this user of the dark side is," Ahsoka announced. "I'm going to trust myself, and trust in the Force."

Mando'a translations:

Tech'ika~~~~~ Little Tech

We finally found out what happened to Omega!

Also, I love the bonding moment between Ahsoka and Rex in this.