The Jedi's getaway speeder reached the treeline of the jungle, where Sol's legion of clones waited with their ship. At the sight of the droids in pursuit, the clones set up a missile launcher and prepared to fire. With one knee to the floor and the launcher on his shoulder, a clone awaited his captain's commands. As Sol and Anakin exited the jungle and were out of the firing line, Captain Des cried,
'Fire!'
The missile launched and its handler jerked backwards at the recoil. With smoke emitting from its back, the missile locked onto the heat signature of one of the speeders in pursuit. A scream was heard from the droid driver before an explosion was seen. It was so large, that it caused the second droid to jerk its speeder too far right, forcing it to overcorrect its path. The tip of the speeder dived and hit the jungle floor. The back of the speeder flew forward and the droid was lost in another explosion, the trees of the jungle unaffected as fires burned around them.
At the elimination of the threats, the 336th legion turned to their commanders that had made it out alive despite the drastic changes of events. Anakin turned off the speeder and swung his legs around the side, waiting for Sol's feet to touch the ground before he dismounted. Sol's legs were wobbly as they held her upright, still not accustomed to the flying on speeders that weren't the advanced-Coruscant models.
'Are you two alright, Commander?' Captain Des asked as he stopped in front of Sol, his blaster in hand and his face holding concern underneath his helmet.
'We're alive,' Anakin butted in from beside Sol, his expression stoic when talking to legions of clones. 'But we should get off this planet as soon as possible. Is the ship ready to take off?'
'Yes, sir.'
'Good. Let's go.'
Commander Des turned to gather his men onto the ship and Anakin went to follow, only to stop when his elbow was grabbed. He resisted a grimace at the grip around his bionic limb, but turned back to the woman who held a face of fury. Anakin raised an eyebrow at his co-worker, trying not to make a joke at how unintimidating Sol was when she tried to do the opposite.
'Do I have to remind you that you do not command my team?' Sol held back the urge to release the anger she felt. 'I don't go around yelling orders to Captain Rex, so Captain Des is not at your command in the same sense.'
'Oh, lighten up, Solaris. We were assigned to this mission together, and your team just so happened to be assigned with us instead of Rex, so don't fret about who gives the orders-'
'We only were assigned on this together because Master Obi-wan went to Mon Calamari with Master Plo Koon. He probably would have brought his legion if you and him were assigned-'
'We're ready, ma'am.'
Sol and Anakin turned their heads in synchrony, seeing Captain Des as the only clone left on Scariff ground. The smoke from the demolished separatist base was growing and it was only a matter of time before more speeders left its hanger and made their way through the jungle. They needed to depart Scariff and head back to the temple to make their report, leaving out some of the details that Anakin had graciously added to the original plan.
'We'll be there in a moment, Des,' Sol said, and the captain nodded, heading into the ship through the landing ramp. With the clone captain gone, Sol turned back to Anakin, whose face had lost its teasing tinge, making Sol's stomach churn in knowing that there was a tense reply in pusuit.
'If you weren't assigned to this, I would be perfectly capable of this mission without Obi-wan,' Anakin said as he leaned down to lower his voice, which was now serious and daunting. 'Now, can we leave, Commander Solaris? Or do I have to order the departure of your legion in place of you, as well?'
Without a word, Sol took quick strides away from the Skywalker and up the ramp of the ship. The tips of her ears were red as she passed her team that were seated for take-off, and she thundered her steps towards the cockpit. She didn't care if Anakin followed her onto the ship, or if he was still stood in the jungle, she strapped herself into the driver's seat and flipped the switches to fire up the engine. Sol clenched the joysticks of the controls and let her anger flow into her hands, raising the ship into the air with a jerk in haste. The clones looked to each other from beneath their helmets as they rocked around in their seats before Anakin Skywalker passed them in the direction of the cockpit.
The ship left Scariff's atmosphere and Sol entered the coordinates to reach the core planet of Coruscant. The buttons were bruised from her forceful fingertips and the ship shuttered as it prepared to enter hyperspace. The Jedi Knight didn't turn her head when Anakin entered the cockpit and as he dropped into the passenger seat, the ship entered the rushing lights of hyperspace. When the controls were set, Sol stood up from her seat just as Anakin settled into his. He went to utter a word to stop her departure but was too late as Sol left the cockpit in a quick pace. The automatic door slid shut and Anakin was alone with the whites of stars and planets passing at lightning speed.
'Good chat,' Anakin mumbled to himself and sat back, knowing that the temple will be filled with tension once they docked on its landing pad.
Sol headed to the private quarters of the ship. She was thankful that it was located outside the cockpit, meaning she didn't have to pass her legion of clones who sat in light chatter in the hull. She was able to enter the code on the keypad and be alone in peace, where she could nap on the cot if needed or lodge reports on the transmitter at the desk. A bathroom was attached to the quarters, making it easy for Sol to take a shower to relieve the strain she felt in her shoulders. The Force was hanging heavy over her, and her back was feeling the weight.
But before she ventured into the bathroom, Sol sat down on the edge of the cot. With her hands clasped together and her legs spread apart, she looked down at the black gloves that revealed her fingers.
After their knighthood, Anakin had stuck to his bargain they had made on Naboo. When she and Anakin walked the corridors of the temple to head into the city for a celebration, he had stopped her with the mention of a surprise gift.
'I didn't get you anything,' Sol frowned as she faced Anakin.
'It's more of the fulfilling of a promise,' Anakin shrugged and dug into the pocket of his pants. He pulled out its contents and held out a new pair of black, leather fingerless gloves. Sol's eyes widened and she looked up at Anakin in surprise, seeing the glint in his eyes that told her that he knew she would react like this.
'B-But I never ended up training you...' Sol let out through her shock. She remembered back on Naboo at Padme's family estate, where Anakin said what he would give in return for Sol's teachings of her way with the Force. Never had she thought that he was serious after all they had been through since then.
'You still tried. And with me as the student, that's saying something. I'm a bit of a slow learner,' Anakin said, and Sol let out a small laugh, making his heart flutter. Sol eyed the gloves in Anakin's one hand, the other staying by his side with its bionic circuits hidden. She had never received a gift before and never had bought anything new for herself since becoming a Padawan. It wasn't like a Jedi to enjoy materialistic things, and gifts from another Jedi that weren't to improve in their duties weren't accepted, but Sol had come to accept that she wasn't a perfect Jedi.
'Thank you, Ani...' Sol stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Anakin's middle. With the side of her face against his chest, Sol indulged in the feeling of being against the man she had graduated from Padawan status with. As he enclosed her with his own arms and laid the top of his head on hers, Sol felt safe.
Sol traced the stitching of the gloves that hadn't left her hands since they came into her possession. They helped grasp her lightsaber better and saved her from a few injuries that had been too close to her hands for comfort. Anakin had never mentioned them since she had started wearing them, but that was to conceal the situation that was ongoing between them.
Nothing had progressed since their confession in the cells of Geonosis; neither Sol nor Anakin had asked about each other's feelings nor acted on them. They embraced from time to time and gave each other smiles and teasing looks from across rooms. They sat together in the cafeteria when neither of them were on missions, and Obi-wan occasionally joined them. He never took notice of their small exchanges, only made comments about how much they had grown since they had first met.
'See, I told you two that you would work so much better together if you were just nicer to each other,' Obi-wan would say and patted his ex-Padawan on the back with his usual fatherly smile on his face. Anakin would look at his old Master through half-lidded eyes before he would turn to Sol, seeing her holding back a grin by biting her bottom lip.
Sol stood from the cot in the quarters and knew they would be exiting hyperspace soon. She headed to the bathroom and was going to run the shower but thought better of it. They would be entering the Coruscant atmosphere and be docking at the temple in the evening, meaning Sol would not be far off from retiring to her personal quarters to sleep. It would be much more pleasant showering in the comfort of her own space.
Instead, she leaned against the sink and looked at her reflection in the round mirror. Light blue lights beamed from behind it, dawning Sol in its hue. At the sight of herself, she thought about the week of her knighthood. It was two days after she had been promoted from a Padawan when she begged an audience with the Council at the concerns of what happened on Geonosis with Count Dooku.
'Troubled, you are, Sol?' Master Yoda asked when she came to him with the desire of a meeting. 'About what, do you want to speak with the Council?'
'It's about Dooku, Master. In the arena, he made some claims that I think are of the Council's interest.'
Master Yoda perked up at the sound of Dooku and eyed the young woman who was no longer his Padawan. With his hands on the top of his walking stick, the Grand Master thought about the events on Geonosis. He had promoted Sol and Anakin to the rank of Knight because of their initiative and skills on the battlefield. He was waiting for the moment where Sol came to him with questions about her treatment as a Padawan, and her dying question of why he never gave her missions off Coruscant. But at the sound of Dooku, Master Yoda pushed aside those thoughts and was all ears to the new Jedi Knight.
'Do tell, young one,' he urged.
'Well... before the execution was set to take place, Count Dooku kept me aside and said that I held information that was useful,' Sol started and fiddled with her fingers that dawned her new gloves. 'He said that I... knew the Chosen One, and that the execution would only be for Master Obi-wan and Senator Amidala.'
Master Yoda was interested in this. He let out a hum and looked to be deep in thought, making Sol stand awkwardly. She still was tense in the Grand Master's presence, but she knew that her words were of value to the Council. She hoped that Master Yoda would usher her to the conference room to give the full rundown, but Master Yoda made no move to do so. He looked back up at her and sounded a grumble as he moved with his walking stick to turn away.
'New information, this is. A Sith, Dooku now is, and if he believes Skywalker is the Chosen One, trouble, this may cause.'
'I thought the same, Master. Do you think-'
'Tell no one of this, you will. Not a word to Skywalker nor Obi-wan, you will utter. Do you understand, Sol?'
Sol barely nodded her head through the shock as Master Yoda left her standing in the corridor. She watched her old teacher hobble away and other Jedi walked past her in their duos without taking notice of her. Master Yoda became small as he walked further down the corridor and Sol was stumped, feeling left in the dark for the countless time.