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

49.

That morning, he left Sol in bed as he ventured to the Senate building to speak with the chancellor. Much to Anakin's dismay, Sol was curled up in the covers with a tired smile on her face, and with her violet eyes half-lidded as they watched him get dressed. He wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and gather Sol up into his arms. But he sufficed with a kiss to her lips before leaving through the city to avoid being seen. It would be fatal to use Sol's extremely identifiable speeder, so he ventured to the Senate building by hailing a taxi speeder.

'If I didn't know any better, Anakin, I would say that you're infatuated with this Sol.'

A panic settled into Anakin's chest. With a quick meditation, he settled his pounding heart and used the Force to fill the possibilities on how this situation could end. If he slipped up and begged the chancellor to not tell the Order, Anakin could ruin everything. The chancellor held the most power in the galaxy, but he had no power over how the Jedi existed in the temple. Even if he were sympathetic to Anakin's situation, there was no telling what the Order would do if Chancellor Palpatine informed them about Sol and Anakin's secret relationship.

'Forgive me, Chancellor, but that's ridiculous. Any form of attraction or affection is forbidden in the Order,' Anakin said, feigning defense. 'What would make you say this, sir?'

Palpatine eyed the boy who put on a good front. A smile grew on the older man's face and the kind look that he always showed Anakin was filled with understanding. With a motion of his hand, the chancellor guided the Jedi out of his office and into the hall. He calmly directed Anakin to the right where government officials passed and greeted the chancellor with respectful bows of the head.

'Anakin, I know you don't take me for a fool, so don't think I am being defensive,' Palpatine said as they walked the halls. 'But I know when a young man is troubled. And not just the normal troubles that a Jedi can face, but the sort that the Order would not like to hear.'

The two stopped at a doorway that led to a garden that had been made on a balcony. If the city views from one of the tallest buildings in the capital weren't enough, the plants and flowers from across the galaxy would amaze any species. With red and pink tulips lining the pathway, trimmed grass sat around a bench that faced the city. In the cluster of concrete skyscrapers and hologramed advertisement boards at every turn, the small garden was one of the only splashes of natural colour and plantation that Coruscant had.

'I've brought you here so that we can talk about delicate matters. There is no access to holograms here, and most officials are too busy with the clone war to have time to stand out here. So, I want you to be honest with me; is there more to this Sol than just being your co-worker?' 

Anakin knew that he could continue the lie if he wanted to. He had spent a year upholding the image of being irritated by Sol and he had convinced Obi-wan, his own Master, that Sol was his worst enemy. Chancellor Palpatine would be no different and he could even try a Jedi mind trick to ensure that there was nothing going on between him and the mentioned Jedi. But Anakin found himself crumbling, and he put it down to the pent-up frustration that he felt from the Order's lack of acceptance. He was yearning to gush about the woman who had dazzling purple eyes and a beautiful smile. And this was his chance, as trying to talk to Padme about Sol was like explaining how to use a blaster to a clone.

'Sol is... like no one else I have ever met,' Anakin said, his mind slipping into the serenity of the woman. 'She's so graceful in everything she does. When I'm near her I feel like... I can't breathe. She takes my lungs and holds them in those gloved hands of hers. I bought her these gloves when we graduated into Knighthood and she's never taken them off-' 

Remembering the presence of Chancellor Palpatine, Anakin paused and glanced to his left. The older man was listening intently, and Anakin was relieved to find a small smile on his slightly wrinkled face. He appeared to want to hear Anakin's rambles and he felt accepted for how he felt. The bench in the garden was there's to keep and the chancellor wouldn't allow anyone to bother them. Anakin was thankful for the man's attention and in comparison to Obi-wan, Palpatine acted as if he were a father; listening to his son's feelings that he would never reveal to anyone else.

'Sol is all I ever think about,' Anakin said after some more thought and finished with a look to the chancellor. 'She's like a drug to me.' 

'Well, Anakin, I can see that you're very much in love with this woman,' Chancellor Palpatine said in reply to the young man's confessions. 'You won't have to worry about the Order finding out about this. I will not tell a soul, as a politician can do whenever they please. But I wish to meet the woman who has taken you so. Would you be able to arrange this?'

'Of course, sir. Thank you for being so understanding. I feel like I could now come to you with anything.'

'My door is always open, my boy.'

--- 

'Sol! Sol, I need to talk with you!'

The woman who was shoulder to shoulder with Captain Des paused. Both her and her clone commander turned and caught sight of Revan Shan making his way towards them in a quick pace. As his robe's sleeves swept behind him with each quick step, a large book was tucked underneath his arm. Other Jedi and clones that walked past eyed the young man who recently became a Knight, but Revan's gaze didn't falter from his target of Jedi Knight Sol.

'I will leave you for now, ma'am,' Captain Des said with a nod to his superior. 'I'll prepare the ship in advance, but we'll be ready to leave by tomorrow afternoon.'

'Thank you, Des.' 

The clone captain left as Revan stopped in front of Sol and caught the conversation before Des's departure. He pulled the book out from underneath his arm and watched the clone leave before addressing the woman.

'You're going on a mission?' Revan asked.

'Yes, with Master Obi-wan to Hoth. There's been some sightings of ships entering its atmosphere, so we're going to go check it out,' Sol explained briefly before eyeing Revan's sweating brow and frantic breaths. 'Are you okay?'

'Yes, I was actually in the archives today. I have that book you were talking about? The one with The Great Galactic War?' 

Sol looked down to the book in Revan's hands and recognised it as the one she had been immersed in. She had meant to return to the archives to research more into mentions of Satele Shan, but she hadn't found the time. While house-sitting with Anakin at Padme's apartment and running through paperwork for upcoming missions, Sol had spent most days in the office part of the temple, and with Anakin. Mealtimes were still spent with whoever was in the temple, which was mostly Obi-wan, Anakin and Ahsoka, but Sol's daytime was filled with things away from the archives.

'It says that Satele disappeared from the field for a while. It must have been when she fell... you know,' Revan motioned his head in place of the word that could be sensitive in the temple hall. Sol nodded in understanding, and Revan went on.

'When she returned, she soon became Grand Master of the Jedi Order. You're right about it being only a basic outline of what happened, which is why I'm going to look into the records.'

'The Jedi records? They're locked away. You have to get permission to access those, Revan.' 

'I know. I asked Master Windu, and he denied my request. But with your help, I think I can still get access.'

'You mean... break in and look at them anyway?'

'Yes.' 

Sol put her face into her hands. She knew how she looked to those who walked by, and she felt Revan's stare on the backs of her fingers. Ever since telling Ahsoka about her situation, Sol had seen the formation of a snowball effect. Her anxiety had been high with Ahsoka running around with her own plan of finding out about Satele Shan, and with Revan in the know, Sol had been in a deep fear of being found out by the Council. And now, Revan was talking about breaking into the Jedi records, which were under the close eye of the Council. 

'I hope you're not planning to do this today or tomorrow, because I don't have the time. Obi-wan needs me to get some things done before we leave, and I don't know how long I'll be on Hoth,' Sol hoped her absence would make Revan wait and think about what he was planning. But this didn't hinder the young man, as he merely shrugged and said,

'That's fine. Ahsoka said that she wants to help, so I'll ask her, instead.'

'Oh... great.'