Granger happened to be the one closest to the communications console when it started ringing. After making sure the doors were locked, he accepted the call. He didn't expect to see Fulcrum appear.

"Representative Granger," Skywalker greeted him, though a bit more sullen than usual. "I'm sorry for the random call, but I was hoping I could talk to your partner."

"He should be around here somewhere," he reasoned, clicking a button on his personal communicator. O-Mer would know what the beep meant. "Is something wrong?"

With a half-hearted laugh, he gave his answer carefully. "...sort of. It's not urgent, but it's something he needs to know. Preferably sooner rather than later."

Nodding, Granger had a feeling he knew what this was about, at least a little bit. "The Force works in mysterious ways."

"Exactly," Skywalker affirmed, and a shadow of a grin appeared, if only momentarily. "I see you've learned the code for 'it's complicated.'"

"After hanging around with him?" he asked, looking over his shoulder where O-Mer coincidentally just walked in. "I don't have much of a choice. You people always have something going on."

"That we do. Thank you, Granger."

"Anytime," he called back, moving out of the way for O-Mer. This was probably supposed to be a private conversation. Even though Granger was knowledgeable about Jedi, he wasn't that knowledgeable. He didn't want to be, either. Too complicated.

O-Mer settled into the seat in front of the console. "Wasn't expecting a call from you. Did I miss something?"

The Jedi Master nodded, but he didn't look happy about it. "For better or worse, yes. Senator Organa told me he hasn't had the chance to tell you yet, but Kanan, Ezra, and I just took a trip to Malachor."

"Malachor?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes. "That name sounds vaguely familiar. Am I supposed to know why?"

"It's been taboo for thousands of years," Master Skywalker explained. "We found out why a few days ago."

"Are you guys okay?" he asked. If something had happened to Caleb...

"Kanan took a hit to the face, but other than that, we're all alive," Master Skywalker reported, only dissolving O-Mer's fears slightly. "He'll be alright, but he's going to need time to recover."

He bit his bottom lip as he looked away. That wasn't good. O-Mer always knew it might happen one day, but he was still worried all the same. "Who hurt him?"

"Remember Maul? I doubt you ever ran across him, but his name has been floating around for a while."

"He's still alive?"

"Unfortunately."

O-Mer mumbled something that probably wasn't appropriate to say on a business call. If Master Skywalker heard it, he didn't say anything.

"Is that what you called to tell me?"

Master Skywalker shook his head, and O-Mer braced himself to hear something worse. He didn't know what was coming, but if it was worse than Kanan getting hurt, then it was bad.

He breathed out before speaking. "We ran across another Inquisitor while we were there. A blue Twi'lek, male and in his mid-thirties. Kanan recognized him almost right away. If you had been there, I think you would have too."

O-Mer froze. He didn't speak, didn't react, didn't move, except for that his mouth dropped slightly open.

"He told us that he had been speaking with Master Windu when Order 66 was activated. Both of them escaped the Temple as the clone began to attack and chased down Barriss Offee, who later became Darth Jadis."

"No," he whispered, backing away from the hologram. "No, no no no..."

"According to him, Windu died by her hand that night. Windu's death pushed him over the edge to the Dark Side. Jadis took him with her as she left Coruscant, and he became an Inquisitor."

"That's not true," O-Mer said, trying to convince himself. "Jinx was in the Temple when they attacked! He died with the rest of them!"

"O-Mer-"

"He's not one of them!" he insisted, standing up. "Jinx would never do that!"

"Jinx was already hurting after his first master died in an attack," Master Skywalker reminded him. "The loss of someone close to him blinded him. He would have been alone out there, with no one to help him afterward. Maybe Jadis forced him, maybe he caved-"

"Jinx is dead! It took me this long to finally accept that, and now you're saying he's alive? And he's with them?" he asked, pointing out the door in reference to the Empire. "No, it's not true! Jinx wouldn't do that!"

"O-Mer, I-"

He didn't let him finish. O-Mer ended the call and deactivated the hologram, refusing to listen any longer. He shut the whole console down and left the room, making a beeline for his quarters.

As he walked, not making eye contact or talking to anyone he passed, phrases started floating through his head:

...a blue Twi'lek, male and in his mid-thirties...

...been speaking with Master Windu when Order 66 was activated...

...already hurting after his first master died in an attack...

...Kanan recognized him right away. If you had been there, I think you would have too...

...he would have been alone out there, with no one to help him...

...Windu's death pushed him over the edge...

...to the Dark Side...

...he became an Inquisitor...

O-Mer didn't know what happened, but the last thing he remembered before everything blacked out was Granger telling him to stay awake.

~

When Obi-Wan boarded the Rogue, Anakin was sitting in front of the communications console, looking defeated. "He didn't take it well?" he guessed.

"Didn't even accept it," Anakin corrected, rubbing his forehead. "Refused to believe it. He thought it was bad enough that Kanan got hurt, but this... he was always closer to Jinx, ever since they came back with Ahsoka that one time."

It made sense. For O-Mer, this was the unthinkable. The idea that Jinx was dead was terrible, but everyone else was dead too. The idea that Jinx was alive and had joined the Empire? Impossible, at least, until now.

Obi-Wan sat down next to Anakin. "You've done what you can. You can't hold yourself responsible for his reaction. It's terrible news, Anakin. You've been in his place before when we first thought Ahsoka was the Inquisitor."

Oh, Mortis, that had been horrible. Anakin remembered how confused he had been, how afraid. It felt like a nightmare at the time.

"The only perfect solution to this would be if it wasn't Jinx at all, but it is. If you can't change that, and if Jinx isn't planning to betray the Empire as Ahsoka did, then there's nothing we can do to help."

"I could be there," Anakin countered, fiddling with his glove straps. "It doesn't have anything to do with helping. It's more important to just be there, even if you can't stop the pain."

"Did Ahsoka tell you that?"

"Yeah."

Obi-Wan sighed. It was a good philosophy, one he wished he had come up with. He wouldn't be surprised if Anakin had been using it for a while. "If we could be there for each other more often, I imagine the galaxy would be a much less painful place."

Yes, it would, but they couldn't, and the galaxy was harsh and cruel because of it. Anakin hoped someone, maybe Granger or Senator Organa, would support O-Mer through this discovery. It didn't seem like O-Mer was going to let Anakin do it.

A gentle, warm breeze flowed around them. A small comfort from Ahsoka despite the situation. It was enough to make Anakin smile, and the proof Obi-Wan didn't need in order to know that Ahsoka's proverb was true. The knowledge that one was not alone did not ebb away the pain, but it certainly made it more bearable.

Now that he thought about it, Obi-Wan was sure this wasn't the first time Anakin had used this idea. He remembered the year after the Jedi Purge, and particularly the first several months. Obi-Wan had all but shut himself off from everyone, even Anakin, to a certain degree. Anakin hadn't tried to pry him open or even to magically fix the problem. No, his brother had sat next to him, not speaking. He didn't make Obi-Wan be vulnerable about his mental state, but he refused to let him be alone.

Unironically, that was what finally led Obi-Wan to let out what he was feeling and ultimately started his healing process. After weeks and months of silence, Anakin listened to every fear, every doubt, and every heartbreak Obi-Wan had suffered from Order 66. In that time, they became more like brothers than ever before.

Anakin knew that it worked. He had seen it before, and all he wanted was to offer that same warmth to everyone who needed it, particularly the Jedi who had been alone for so long. O-Mer had given up the Jedi Way, and no one thought any less of him for it, but now he was suffering because he had learned what happened to Jinx. He was on Alderaan, and Anakin was on Naboo. In turning off the call, O-Mer clearly signaled that he didn't want Anakin's warmth. If no one else came alongside O-Mer, he would bottle up everything that was building inside him. Obi-Wan knew from experience it would result in an emotional explosion, which likely meant that someone would get hurt.

They couldn't force O-Mer to open up, though. They didn't get to make that decision for him. Quietly, Obi-Wan suggested, "Time may help. If you visit him after he is able to process the news, he may take to seeing you better."

"I hope so," Anakin agreed in the same quiet tone. "I'm not sure what else I can do."

"Then let that be enough."