The planet Scariff was usually a destination for sandy beaches, tropical terrain, and a hint of volcanic activity on its deserted islands. It held a small population and regardless of the planet being on the Outer-Rim, the crime was limited. Families dwelled in bricked estates, and some ventured there for holidays. It was isolated; the perfect planet to relax on and get away from the galaxy core's buzz. But that was until it caught the eye of separatist colonies, and the beaches were void of families and quiet holidayers.
In the crowded jungle of palm trees and diverse plants, Sol pushed her legs to tread the dirt that mixed with sand from the nearby beaches. In a slow jog, the Jedi kept her lightsaber in hand while she eyed the end of the treeline ahead. The humid temperature caused her hair to stick to the sides of her face, and she was glad that she had decided that morning to wound her hair back in a bun at the back of her head. Its brown length was getting out of hand and was in dire need of a trim, but between missions, she simply didn't have the time to venture to a hair stylist.
'Commander Sol, we're in position,' a voice sounded from her commlink. She stopped beside the thick trunks of palm trees that lined the beach and brought her wrist that held her commlink to her lips.
'Good. I have the base in view,' she said while looking down at the screen that displayed her legion's transmission. 'Skywalker should be in position and have the controls in hand. Wait for his signal. I'm sure we won't miss it.'
'Yes, ma'am. Stay safe.'
Captain Des, of the 336th legion, cut the transmission and Sol was left in the serenity of the beach. There was little to no wind to rustle the trees and the waves that rolled onto the sand was gentle. Scariff had a cool blue sky with clear clouds, making it the perfect weather to swim or sunbake. But the perfect scenery was tainted by the grey slab that sat on the large plot of land in the middle of surrounding beaches.
Sol watched the droids on the roof of the rectangular base change guards through a set of binoculars. Labels appeared on the green screen she looked through and was able to pick up the conversation between the captain battle droid to the changing rotation. There was some mindless babble and Sol dropped her binoculars, squinting through the sunlight to look for a sign of entry from her fellow Jedi.
The treeline shaded her location from anyone who surveyed the beach from the base, but she crouched down to decrease her chances of being seen. The separatists were unaware of the Jedi's presence on Scariff and Sol wanted to keep it that way. Sneaking through the hot jungle with nameless creatures that slithered through the trees wasn't the cruisiest of missions, but it would be worth it if it meant that another separatist base was compromised, and the republic could be at ease knowing that Scariff was void of separatist activity.
'Anakin?' Sol said into her commlink. 'Any updates? Are we nearly done here?'
There was a crackle through the transmission and a stroke of worry hit Sol. She glanced at the base, seeing some movement underneath where a hanger was located. She squinted, forgetting to look through her binoculars, but could see what looked like battle droids running around frantically.
'Ugh...' Anakin's voice made Sol look down at her commlink. 'You could say that.'
With an almighty explosion, the roof of the base erupted in flames and a cloud of smoke wafted into the sky. Sol's eyes widened as more explosions appeared from the sides of the grey slab and it wasn't long before the hanger filled with smoke. Jumping to her feet, Sol looked through her binoculars and saw droids on fire as they ran into the ocean to put themselves out. The booms of the explosions carried over the water and through the jungle, and Sol was in disbelief at the demolition of the base that occurred within seconds.
'Commander Sol! Are you alright?!' Captain Des frantically connected through her commlink, his voice the same as any other clone, but particular to his commander.
'I'm fine, Des, but it looks like it's blown up from the inside,' Sol mumbled while looking through her binoculars. She searched the shoreline before something rushed out of the flaming hanger. She followed it as it left the sand and went over the top of the shallow water, heading towards her at top speed.
'Oh, you're kidding me...' Sol's voice hinted a groan and Captain Des' became even more concerned.
'What is it, ma'am?!'
'Nothing. Just a frag-head on a speeder.'
'We'll await your arrival, Commander. But be quick! We're the last of the legion left on this planet. Over and out.'
Letting her binoculars fall and her weight shift onto one leg, Sol watched the speeder finish the water that separated the two pieces of land from each other. It slowed as it reached the sand and Sol held an unimpressed look as the engine was cut by its driver. She would say that she was surprised to see her co-worker on a speeder after blowing up a separatist base, but she would be lying.
'What, not happy to see me? I thought you'd be overjoyed after that, Solaris.'
Anakin Skywalker sat back with his hands slapping against his thighs from the handlebars. His head tilted back, and his lips held a growing grin, eyeing the woman who popped her hip out with her binoculars in hand. His hair had grown since his knighthood, the dark blonde turning into curls around his ears and down the nape of his neck. Without his Padawan braid and ponytail, Anakin looked older, but it had been only a year since their knighthood. One arm was still covered with a black glove, hiding the silver metal that made up his limb, but other than that, Anakin was the same, sarcastic, mocking, handsome Jedi.
'Blowing it up was not part of the plan,' Sol changed the subject and motioned her chin to the smoking base. Across the water, the walls of grey had begun to collapse into itself, pumping more black smoke into the clear sky. It was a shame to pollute the untouched planet with the fumes from a burning building, but the Scariff population would be much happier knowing that there was no longer a functioning separatist base on their planet.
'Well, the plan changed. I got caught up,' Anakin shrugged nonchalantly before looking over his shoulder at his work. The hanger's flames had died down but was replaced with more movement. From the Jedi's place on the island across the water, they could see a flurry of droids before the sound of speeders caught their attention.
'And it looks like its further catching up,' he added at the sight of droids on speeders crossing the water. 'Might wanna hop on, Solaris.'
With a roll of her eyes, Sol shoved her binoculars into her pocket and threw her legs over the back of the speeder. Before she was able to grip Anakin's middle, he roared the engine to life and shot off into the jungle. Sol's fringe was blown back from the jolt and her fists clenched Anakin's dark brown robes in their hold. Trees and leaves whipped as if alive at her legs, but the speed of the speeder forced them to part and quiver as they roared through the shrubbery.
Anakin looked out ahead and Sol inched her chin over her shoulder, seeing that the speeders from the base had made it into the jungle. She counted three, all of which were driven by angry droids that had been sent to exterminate the destroyers of their Scariff base. But what worried her, was that their speeders were different from the one that Anakin had stolen; there's had guns on them.
Blasts were fired and red lights shot past the Jedi Knights. Trees were hit and burned with simmering flames, and wildlife scattered at the sudden commotion. Sol felt the heat of a blast that soared by her ear, and she jerked her head away at the close shot. She knew that Anakin had seen and heard the blasts but had nowhere to go. Zigzagging the speeder was useless, as clusters of trees made it dangerous to veer off-course even in the slightest.
'You couldn't have picked a speeder with guns on it?!' Sol yelled into Anakin's ear, the wind taking most of her voice and the sounds of blasts exploding in the dirt dulling its transmission.
'I didn't ask for the best price, either! Maybe you should be the insider next time!' Anakin threw over his shoulder and if they weren't in a high-speed chase, Sol would have hit him in the bicep.
Blasts continued to explode next to the speeder and they would soon be reaching the 336th legion that was waiting for them at the edge of the island. Sol knew she had to do something about the droids before they reached her team's destination, as it would be impossible to take off while under gunfire. With one hand clenching Anakin's robes, she brought her other to her belt where her lightsaber sat. She unclipped it and ignited the blade; its cyan colour humming through the jungle.
She sensed one of the speeders was gaining on them from her right and she looked ahead to see a large palm tree trunk gaining on them. Rearing back her arm, she pushed her saber through the trunk as Anakin sped past it. In combination with their speed and the searing degree of Sol's weapon, the tree was cut in half and began to topple over. The droid let out a yelp and pulled its speeder to the right in panic, making it collide with another trunk that it hadn't seen in time. An explosion sounded and droid parts flew across the jungle, signifying that the Jedi had two left on their tail.
'Des!' Sol avoided Anakin's head as she moved her hand holding her weapon to her mouth to speak into her commlink. 'Come in, Captain Des!'
'I hear you, Commander! Are you alright?!'
'Start the ship! We'll need an immediate take-off!'
'Understood, ma'am! Over and Out!'
'Got any ideas on how to get rid of these guys?!' Sol yelled once Captain Des ended the transmission. Anakin glanced over his shoulder and in the second she saw his face, Sol was aware of how much her request bothered the man.
'I can't do the whole mission by myself! Think of something, bright eyes!'
It was at times like these when Sol wondered how Master Kenobi ever spent those long years training such an insufferable, ill-mannered Padawan. But even with his comments, Sol still couldn't help but grin at the playfulness that shown through Anakin's replies that he only ever expressed to her.