"How's it going?", Kanan asked as he sat down next to the medical table back at the P.R.A.E's base.
"Fine now", Ezra answered. "Kind of took the wind out of me back there. Haven't done that in....forever."
Kanan chuckled. "Yeah, Ganobi said you're body wasn't used to exerting so much energy. But with some more practice you should be able to get the hang of it".
Ezra smiled, but then let it drop. "What's wrong?", Kanan asked, sensing Ezra's concern.
"It's......Kanan, do you trust me."
Kanan raised an eyebrow. "Of course I do. I told you that when you asked me last night during the fight."
Ezra took a deep breath and looked into his master's grayish green eyes. "The Eighth Brother showed me something while I was imprisoned. Something I know that is true."
Kanan slowly nodded. "What was it?"
Ezra didn't say anything at first. "He showed me this video of the rebellion. They......they came from hyperspace and headed toward a small cargo shuttle that was led by a x-wing. The empire came at the same time and place; they were all mixed up. Someone sent a message from the x-wing for help. They said the cargo shuttle had surviving jedi and younglings inside. Then....."
Kanan sensed Ezra's fear rapidly growing. "Then what?", he asked.
Ezra took a sharp shaky breath. "The rebellion aimed and fired at the cargo shuttle, killing everyone. The rebellion, Kanan."
Kanan just sat very still, his heart beginning to pound. "Maybe it was a misunderstanding", he said, his own voice sounding unsure. "Maybe the rebellion thought-"
"No, Kanan. They knew. I also saw security footages of force sensitive people being murdered in different part of the galaxy." Ezra paused. "I was doubting it myself. Until I looked through the force for an answer."
Ezra sat up and grabbed Kanan's hands. "The rebellion wants freedom just like us. But they don't trust the jedi. They want a world where they don't have to depend on the jedi. To them we are just as bad as the empire."
Kanan let this all sink in. "But why? The jedi served the galaxy during and before the clone wars."
"Maybe that's just it", a voice said behind them. Kanan recognized it as Hera's voice.
"How long have you been standing there?", Ezra asked.
"Long enough. I know that people blamed the jedi for the clone wars. I assumed those kind of people would be very wary of jedi nowadays. But I no idea the rebellion was so anti jedi."
"Neither did I", Zeb muttered bitterly as he walked into the room. "All this time and we've been fighting with the wrong side."
"No Zeb", Hera said sternly. "We have been fighting on the right side." She paused and bit her lip. "We just didn't see the distrust they had for the jedi."
"And Lux can testify to the video Ezra saw", Sabine said sternly as she slipped into the room with Chopper. "Lux had been in in the area and almost witnessed the whole thing."
"Almost?", Zeb raised an eyebrow.
"Well, he didn't see anything get blown up, but he saw some of the rebellion's ships mingled with imperials."
For a moment everyone was silent. Everything they knew about the rebellion- everything they thought they knew- felt like one big lie.
"So......what do we do now?", Sabine asked.
"The only thing we can do", Hera replied. "We break off from the rebellion."
"But what about the people?", Ezra asked quietly. "They need our help."
"And we will continue to help them", Kanan replied. "But not with the rebellion's help."
"Do you think Ahsoka knows?", Ezra asked after a moment.
"Probably not", Hera answered. "But maybe the rebellion doesn't even know she's a jedi. Otherwise they wouldn't have trusted her with so much."
"Speaking of Ahsoka", Sabine replied, "but how are we gonna break away from the rebellion without Ahsoka knowing? Ezra is still not a hundred percent recovered from the battle and she'll want him to be well rested for when she leaves."
Ezra cocked his head curiously. "Why would she need to wait until I'm better for her to leave?"
The crew looked at each other, then back at Ezra. Hera was the first to say something. "Ezra......Ahsoka feels you should continue your training with her."
Ezra's face went pale. "She's....going to take me away? Away from the ghost crew?"
"No!", Kanan said suddenly, putting a hand on Ezra's shoulder. "We're not going to let that happen."
"But how?", Zeb asked, his ears now droopy. "Even if we could think of something, Ahsoka will suspect something."
"That's true", Sabine chimed in. "She knows all of us well enough to know when we're hiding something. Nothing gets past her; she's Fulcrum for crying out loud."
"Perhaps I could be of some assistance", a voice said behind them. Everyone turned and saw Lux standing in front of the door. "Ahsoka doesn't want anything to do with me, so she'll be trying to avoid me. I could get you all out." He paused. "That is, under one condition."
Hera crossed her arms and stared at him hard. "And what is that?"
"Join my crew", he said, breaking into a smile. "If you don't want to be part of the rebellion then join my team of rebels. We play by our own rules and have nothing to do with the rebellion except for wanting to free the galaxy of the empire. And knowing Ahsoka she won't let any of you back out onto the field again."
Lux stuck his hand out. "What do you say?"
Everyone gave each other a causious glance at one another. Was this a risk they were willing to take?
Kanan stood up and felt his way toward Lux. He took his hand and shook it hard. "What's the plan?", he asked.