Accismus⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.• Anakin Skywalker⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.•

40.

A shot of pain made Sol's shoulder jolt backwards, making her body follow. With a curse at letting herself be distracted in the middle of a battle, Sol looked to the culprit of the blast that had hit her shoulder. She threw her ignitied lightsaber in the direction of the droid that had hit its target, and it crumbled from its top being separated from its legs. The weapon boomeranged back to Sol and she caught its handle, wincing at the pain that throbbed in her shoulder.

With four Jedi among the squad of clones, the droid army thinned. Anakin was thankful to see Obi-wan and the unknown Jedi take care of most of the droids, allowing him to head in Sol's direction. Slaying the last few droids that got in his way, Anakin made it to Sol, who had her back to him. With her lightsaber in one hand, she turned around and the look of relief that once graced Anakin's face faded.

'Solaris-'

'I'm fine, I'm fine, it's just a blaster burn.'

Sol clutched her bare shoulder with her right arm. Blood soaked the short sleeve of her beige robes and thin streams of red ran down her forearm. Through the woman's blood covered fingers, Anakin could see that the the wound was indeed just a blaster burn. No bone had been hit, but the torn flesh made blood leak out and create a deep worry in Anakin's chest.

'You need a medic. Now.'

Once the droid army had been taken care of, Anakin grabbed the clone whose armour dawned the blue markings of a medic. The red symbol of life on his arm confirmed his status, and the clone rushed over at the mention of a Jedi in need. Forced to sit on a boulder, Sol clutched her shoulder as the clone knelt in front of her with a first-aid pack at hand, which drew the attention of Obi-wan.

'It's good to see you two alive,' Obi-wan said, his lightsaber sheathed and attached to his belt. 'I found Captain Rex on the side of the island. He is with Commander Cody. They should be here soon.'

'I assume that the Council were agreeable about using the 212th?'

'They thankfully were,' Obi-wan turned to look down at Sol who was having a bacta patch placed over her wound. 'You two are quite the talk of the Council as of late.'

'I'm sure Master Yoda was unimpressed,' Sol mumbled, a hint of mocking in her voice. It made Obi-wan chuckle lightly and the stoic face of the young woman humoured him.

'Not at all. He was concerned about you. It's not everyday we hear about an underwater separatist base on such an obscure planet. Not to mention the fact that its the planet of the first Jedi Temple.'

While Obi-wan made Sol crack a small smile, Anakin looked to his left at the sight of movement. Among the clones that headed back to the ship, was the unknown Jedi that entered the battle with Master Kenobi. A small woman stood with auburn skin and with white and blue-stripped lekku down her shoulders. Two montrals sat on top of her head, and her blue eyes were large on her small, heart-shapped face. The green lightsaber that Anakin saw slicing through droids was clipped to her belt, and a Jedi's presence in their time of need usually wouldn't concern Anakin. But at the sight of the teenage Togruta stood with a lightsaber on her belt among the corspes of battle droids on the planet Ahch-To, Anakin couldn't help but question her arrival.

'Obi-wan?'

The named man turned from Sol to his previous Padawan and followed his gaze that was yet to waver. Obi-wan's eyebrows shot up as if only just remembering who he had brought along with the 212th legion, and stepped to be next to Anakin.

'Anakin, this is Ahsoka Tano,' Obi-wan gestured to the teenager with a smile on his face. 'Your new Padawan.'

'What?!'

Anakin and Sol cried in unison. While Anakin whipped his head towards Obi-wan, Sol looked towards the Togruta with her mouth hanging open. The youngling beamed at the mention and closed the gap between herself and the Jedi that she had been introduced to. The clone medic had finished his procedure and slipped away from the scene, allowing Sol to stand from the boulder and join Anakin and Obi-wan.

'It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Skywalker and Master Sol-'

'O-Oh, I don't have Master status, yet-'

'Neither do I,' Anakin cut off Sol, his brow heavy over his eyes. 'Obi-wan, what is this? A Padawan at this time? Was this the work of the Council-'

'Master Yoda thought it would be a useful opportunity for Ahsoka, as well as yourself, to be paired as Master and Padawan,' Obi-wan said while sounding excited for Anakin. 'Although you're not yet a Master, there is no harm in having a student by your side. Training the new generation of Jedi is a great priviledge. You can learn things about the Force, and feel the satisfaction of your student's success-'

'I don't want a Padawan. I don't have time for one.'

Sol didn't have to look at Anakin to know that his eyes were clouded and his lips were tight in a frown. The tone of his voice was definitive and Obi-wan looked to him with parted lips and raised eyebrows. Sol bit her lip at the harshness that shocked not only Obi-wan, but the new youngling, Ahsoka. 

She stood with an almost hurt look and her hands were clenched by her sides. At first, Sol thought it was because of anger, but when she saw Ahsoka Tano's orange fingers unclench and fidget, she realised it was out of nerves.

'We have a base to find, and I don't need some youngling sticking to my side,' Anakin continued his harshness and looked to Ahsoka, making the girl swallow at his glare. 'You don't even look old enough to be a Padawan. Sorry to burst your bubble, but we're at war, and this is not a place for a youngling.'

'I'm prepared for war! Master Yoda and Master Kenobi briefed me on the separatists on this planet, and I can help-'

'You can't be prepared for war as a youngling-'

'I'm not a youngling! I'm a Padawan, and whether you like it or not, I am your student!'

The island went silent. In the short back-and-forth, Anakin and Ahsoka had moved to be facing each other with a metre between them. Obi-wan and Sol gaped at the way Ahsoka glared up at Anakin; her demeanour changing from nervous to confident in a matter of seconds. With raised eyebrows, Anakin looked down at the Togruta who dared to talk back to him. She didn't falter with her hard eyes and clenched jaw, despite feeling the slight unease at the sight of the Skywalker's intimidating expression.

As a moment passed, Anakin let out a humourless 'tsk' and said,

'You're snippy.'

'Alright, I think we should articulate a plan with the legions,' Sol inserted herself into the conversation. She couldn't stand the tense blanket that hung around their necks, and despite the pain that lingered in her shoulder, Sol stepped to be in the space next to Ahsoka and Anakin. 

At her appearance and words, Anakin flickered his gaze to her, unconsciously looking to the bacta patch that was over her blood stained shoulder, before letting out a close-lipped sigh.

'Right,' Anakin said, leaving Ahsoka with a lingering statement. 'Stay out of the way, Snips.'