'I was able to escape the Jedi's betrayal. If you also escaped, meet me on Mustafar where we can finally be together.'
Anakin's transmission was just one of the many that were left on Sol's commlink. The wristlet was left on the side table of the bed that Sol and Anakin used to share. She had taken it off when she reached Padme's apartment after the attack on the temple, and Sol hadn't had the strength to listen to the transmissions that had tried to contact her. Most of the transmissions she had received were from the panicked Jedi that were immersed in battle against their clone legions, and it pained Sol to hear their confused calls for reinforcements and the sound of blaster fire in the background.
'Mayday, mayday! The clones have turned against us!'
'Master Sol, please respond! Anyone, please respond! We're under attack!'
'Oh, Maker, there's too many of them!'
'Help us!'
Sol felt an ache in her chest that felt as if her heart was dying at the Jedi's calls for help across the galaxy. Sitting on the bed and facing the balcony, Sol covered her tearful eyes and had to swallow the lump that formed in her throat. Yesterday's attempts to contact the same Jedi whose messages filled her commlink were as unsuccessful as Sol's attempt to go four hours without crying.
Her commlink held the deceased voices of her fellow Jedi, but if she could find any solitude in the transmissions, it was that she never heard from Master Aayla Secura. Obi-wan informed Sol that Master Yoda had escaped, so the lack of tranmission from him was not as worrying as the blue twi'lek's. Sol didn't know if she could handle a distress call from the woman who had been nothing but kind to her throughout her time at the Order, but its absence spared Sol an especially painful heartache.
But besides the distress calls, the one transmission that planted a deep fear in Sol, was from Anakin. Unlike how Padme described her call with him before he left Coruscant, Anakin sounded as if he was ridden with concern and worry. There was not the droid-like tone in his voice, but there was a yearn for Sol's reply after not receiving an answer through her commlink. It was hard to believe that Anakin had committed the monstrosities he had in the Jedi Temple, and that his allegiance had fallen to the dark, evil workings of Sith Lord Sheev Palpatine. If Sol hadn't witnessed the youngling massacre, she might have just believed that the Jedi Order had betrayed the Republic, and that Anakin was innocent of the accusations.
'We'll take my skiff,' Padme announced once Sol had voiced her plans of venturing to Mustafar.
'No, Padme. I don't know what he's capable of right now,' Sol rejected with a shake of her head. 'Revan will be with me, and I trust him whole-heartedly. It's not safe for you.'
'I won't hear a word of it. You are my friend and if Anakin is as unpredictable as you say, then I will not let you go without me. Remember that you are carrying his children, and that anything that happens to you, happens to them.'
'Padme... this isn't some separatist group,' Sol grabbed Padme's hands and looked down at her intently. 'This is the Sith. This is... Anakin.'
'Exactly. He's my friend, too, Sol. And I want to help him like you do.'
Sol knew that she wasn't going to change a senator's mind. With a weak smile, Sol pulled Padme into an embrace. She rested her chin on the shoulder of her friend, which was covered by a grey shoulder pad from her outfit. Padme wasn't dressed in some luxurious gown from Naboo but instead wore a grey top and white pants. With knee high boots, Padme was dressed for the possibility that would require a quick escape. Even though she was stubborn about accompanying Sol to Mustafar, Sol knew that Padme feared what they would have to face.
'I think you can save him, Sol,' Padme said as the two held each other in the apartment. 'You can bring back the good in him. I know it.'
Sol only hoped that what her friend said was true.
---
Padme's Naboo skiff waited for its departure from a Coruscant landing pad. It had been prepared by Captain Typho, who objected to the journey avidly. While the reflective skin of the ship showed the surrounding city that was now under the rule of the Galactic Empire, C3-PO walked with Senator Amidala, Jedi Master Sol, and Jedi Knight Revan Shan from their transport.
'My Lady, please let me accompany you,' Captain Typho urged as they stopped beside the awaiting ramp. 'Remember that you are dealing with Jedi. I still think that you should consider turning them in-'
'I will not listen to this kind of talk from someone like you, Captain,' Padme said sternly. 'You have been my protector for far too long for you to suddenly object to my choices of friends just because of the Chancellor. Sol is my friend, and her fellow Jedi, Revan, sought refuge at the betrayal of their own army. I will not abandon them. They are mine to protect, and Anakin is nothing less.'
'I'm sorry, My Lady, but I only fear for your safety. No one is safe from the charge of treason, not even you...'
Sol didn't take Captain Typho's suggestion to heart. She knew that there was a bounty on all Jedi heads, and she and Revan were no exception. She knew Captain Typho was not personally against Sol as a Jedi, but he feared his senator's prosecution for not turning her in. From what the public had been brainwashed into believing, Sol wasn't sure if she would be adamant on the Jedi faith's innocence.
Captain Typho bowed his head in slight shame but looked up to Padme with his one eye. As Sol, Revan and C3-PO stood back towards the ship, the man pleaded for the senator to not go one last time. Padme softened from her defenses for her friends and reached up to place a hand on her protector's shoulder. She had known him a long time and knew that his intentions were always in her best interest.
'I'll be alright, Captain,' she said with confidence. She then turned to her skiff and walked with her friends up the ramp and into its hull.
Captain Typho watched as the engines powered and the ship rose from the platform. He held his cap that attempted to fly from the wind, and noticed that when the landing ramp began to recoil, a robed figure dropped from its belly and ran into the ship's hull. He could identify the facial hair and robes anywhere, and regrettably watched his senator's ship fly off with Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi now onboard.
---
C3-PO and Padme sat in the cockpit of the ship as it entered hyperspace. Planets and stars soared past the windshield and the protocol droid babbled about finally getting the hang of a starship's controls. Padme found peace in the light talk with her golden droid and kept an eye on the levels that were displayed on the screens of the control panel.
While the cockpit was a comfortable space to be in, the hallways of the ship were filled with tense anticipation and immense worry. Sol sat on a bench that protruded from the padded white walls and nibbled on the nail of her thumb. She didn't know what to expect on Mustafar besides the rivers of molten lava that ran from the planet's volcanic mountains. It was a baron place that was mostly unvisited on the Outer-Rim for a reason, but what awaited her arrival was what Sol feared the most.
Whatever was about to happen on Mustafar, Sol had to think about the future for her unborn children. If Anakin had turned to the dark side beyond return, Sol had to be prepared to walk away from him and keep her pregnancy a secret. It was not in the Sith values to raise a family in the way that Anakin and Sol had dreamed of. If Anakin wanted to raise their children, it would be in the denial of what he had done. Sol couldn't let their children believe that their father was a good man, while he held yellow eyes and wielded a red lightsaber.
But at the same time, what if the Chancellor had Anakin under some sort of control? Even though Sol had watched Anakin commit his crimes in the temple, she couldn't help but think that the Anakin she knew would never fall for the lies of the Sith. What if he had been under the same control that the clone army was? What if Anakin had been framed when he wasn't responsible for his actions?
'You must stay with the light and do what is best for the good. Do not tread towards what you think is the light and keep what you know is close.'
Satele's words echoed in Sol's head. Satele knew that this decision would come to Sol, and like she reaffirmed every time, she was to guide Sol to make the right choices.
Sol knew that she was falling into a state of denial again. She couldn't be blind like she had been with Anakin's descent to the dark side. Her lack of action affected everyone; even those who were yet to be born. Sol had to do what was right, because it was her destiny.
'Do you sense him?'
Sol turned to look up from the floor. Revan leaned against the padded wall opposite her with his black hair tied back in half a ponytail. In his grey robes, the Shan's mind was sharpened after a short meditation in the private quarters. Unlike Sol, he was able to immerse his mind in the Force and try to find at least some of the light that remained in its realm.
'Anakin?' Sol asked and Revan shook his head.
'No. Our stowaway.'
With a confused look, Sol took a quick glance into the Force and immediately recognised the teal signature simmering nearby. She had been so filled with worry that she hadn't sensed the man who had asked for her to help him find Anakin. He had been on the ship since its take-off and was hiding in one of the private rooms, acting as a stowaway after hearing about Sol's planned departure from Coruscant.
'What is he thinking?!' Sol cried after she opened her eyes from the Force. 'This could already turn sour with Padme, and now Obi-wan? Oh, Maker...'
'Don't think about it, Sol. If anything, the more back-up you have, the better,' Revan said with a calm aura. 'There's no telling how Skywalker will react when you turn up-'
'I'm not going to fight him, Revan. He's been looking for me because he thinks I don't know the truth, but I can't fight him. Not when I'm pregnant, and I can't let Obi-wan kill him. I just... I want to hear what happened... if it's true that he has turned to the dark side, then...'
Sol didn't know how to finish, but Revan didn't need her to. There was a need for closure and Revan understood Sol's dire situation. He didn't expect Sol to abandon Anakin like most would, as they obviously had a history together, and that she carried his children. He couldn't begin to imagine what it was like to know that the person he felt a powerful bond with to the point of having children with, had turned to the deepest evils of the galaxy. Revan sympathised for Sol but knew that there was an indefinite outcome to the choices she made.
'I sense we've arrived,' Revan said, looking away from the conflicted eyes of his cousin. He couldn't continue to look into the soul of someone who was about to face such a crushing choice. Instead, Revan prepared to face the man who had Force choked him before killing an academy full of younglings. To him, there were no difficult choices, only difficult outcomes.
The skriff left hyperspace and descended to Mustafar. As it entered the atmosphere, the heat of the burning lava that covered its earth immediately hit the interior. Sweat built on hummanoid skin and the cooling system was working on overdrive. C3-PO commented that he hoped his circuits wouldn't overheat, while he and Padme landed the silver ship on a platform that was surrounded by lava.
Connected to the platform, was a path that led to a tower that overlooked the dark scenery. With its brown mountains of dirt and its black skies of smoke, the landscape of Mustafar was nothing of beauty.
Anakin watched the ship's engines die with his hands in the sleeves of his dark brown robe. With his hood over his tousled hair, Anakin stared with dark eyes and a tight jaw. As the landing ramp lowered to the platform, he made hurried out of the tower to reunite with his lover.
'I'm going to wait here,' Revan said from the top of the ramp. Sol and Padme stood together, preparing to descend into the fiery heat of Mustafar's air. It was already suffocating inside the ship, but whether that was from the anxiety of everyone onboard or from the heat, they longed to finally ease their minds with truth.
'Be careful. I'm masking my signature, so hopefully, he won't sense me. But if anything is about to go wrong, I'll be there, okay?' Revan said and clamped his hands on both of Sol's shoulders. 'May the Force be with you, cousin.'
'And with you, cousin.'
Padme looked between the two in a mild shock, before Sol turned to head down the ramp. Her heart hammered against her chest and when she heard Padme's footsteps behind her, she tried to remember that she was not alone. Her hands shook and her shoulders heaved from her heavy breaths. The hot air blew her hair back from her face and her robes felt itchy against her skin, but Sol continued down the ramp until she saw the man who had plagued her mind for days.
'Solaris...'
He smiled at her with a relief that she could tell was real. The hood of his robe had fallen down to reveal his light brown hair and the cut down his eye and cheek had permanently scarred. Sol was lost in the sight of Anakin's bright teeth through his wide smile and she found herself running towards him. Her past tears were forgotten in a momentary bliss and when she felt his arms enclose around her, Sol thought that she could look past it all.
'Ani...' she whispered and wrapped her arms around his middle. She felt the leather of his robes against her biceps and the stiff fingers of his right hand gripped her shoulder with a tightness that she had longed to feel.
'My darling, you're safe, now,' Anakin's smooth tones caressed her ears with a slight hoarseness. He pulled away to see her face but kept hold of her with his arms locked around her back.
'I... I made it out of the temple,' she stammered at the sight of the dark purple that bruised the skin of his eyes.
'I tried to find you. I couldn't find you. I was afraid that you had been killed,' Anakin's eyes stared into hers with intensity, before they shifted to look over her shoulder. 'And you brought Padme...'
'I did.'
'Anakin...' Sol heard Padme start and she felt a tense in the arms that were locked around her.
Padme looked at Anakin with no hint of a smile, but with a face of regret. She didn't want to jeopardise what Sol had to say to him, but it seemed that he had already sensed Padme's unease. The loosening of Anakin's arms let Sol take a step back. She hoped that she could create some distance between them before she spoke again, but her actions made his gaze whip back to her. This allowed Sol to see the darker shade of blue that his eyes had turned. As if a scowl wanted to form on his face, Anakin's lips twisted, and Sol swallowed dryly.
'Ani...' Sol tried to keep her voice steady. 'I know what you've done. You... you have been different for a while now. I thought that you wanted the galaxy to be at peace when we left-'
'It is at peace. I've made a galaxy where we don't have to leave anything behind to be together,' he cut her off. 'The Chancellor is going to teach me how to save you, Sol.'
A bubble of compressed lava burst in the river nearby. The heat was rising, and Sol could feel the sweat building in her hairline. She didn't like the look on Anakin's face as he stared at her. It wasn't comforting or kind like it used to be; it was dark and lusting. There was no playfulness or tease, and Sol yearned to see that Anakin again. With a last attempt, Sol took a breath and said,
'The Chancellor is a Sith Lord. He has made you do... terrible things.'
'For the good of the Empire,' Anakin said, his words forcefully thrown back at the teary-eyed woman. At the sight of Sol's trembling hands, Anakin chose to soften his words.
'We can be together, Solaris. I am more powerful than the Chancellor. I can overthrow him, and together, you and I can rule the galaxy! Make things the way we want them to be!'
Sol knew that Anakin was lost. The smile that had replaced the boyish, confident smirk was filled with a malice and twisted with the lust for power. He had stepped forward to be close to Sol but was met with a step back as Padme came to be behind Sol's shoulder. This made him look at the senator again and an irritation grew on his face.
'Did Obi-wan tell you these things, Padme? Have you fed Sol the lies from that foolish man?' Anakin's gloved hand clenched into a fist. 'I bet he knows about the bond we have, right? He wants to turn you against me, just like that Revan Shan wants, too. But they can't protect you, Solaris. They're not strong enough. Not like me... who will make sure that they suffer. I promise you, Sol-'
Anakin took another step closer and looked at Sol with his head tilted downwards, and with his frightening eyes learing at her.
'-no one will take you away from me.'
The threat chilled Sol's bones. She knew that she couldn't tell him about their children now. Anakin was evil. Anakin had become a twisted Sith Lord. Satele had warned her of the dark times, but the dark times had been building right in front of her. Anakin had been corrupted, and Sol had never felt a greater pain than the one she felt in her heart at the sight of his yellowing eyes. The colour of the Sith had replaced his beautiful blue irises, and they were looking directly at Sol with a deeply-rooted hatred and anger.
'I can't believe what I'm hearing,' Sol shook her head, and a burst of realised pain came from within her chest. 'I don't know you anymore, Ani... you're breaking my heart. You're going down a path I cannot follow...'
'Because of Obi-wan? And that Shan?!'
Anakin spat the name that he didn't know also belonged to Sol.
'Because of what you've done! Because of what you plan to do,' Sol felt tears stream from her already sore eyes. 'Don't do this, Ani, please! I need you! I love you!'
'LIAR!'