The rebellion base wasn't completely destroyed, but it would take a short while before it was fully operational again. The ceiling had caved in in some rooms, and walls had crumbled and were not deemed unsafe to pass as corridors. But for the most part, the base could still be used until the Empire decided that they wanted to destroy it completely. While they searched for a new base, the Resistance would remain in the ice and launch a counterattack to show that the Empire hadn't succeeded in crushing their hope.
But Sol was faced with a painful truth. While standing in the hanger, she watched droids attempt to sweep up some fallen ice with old brooms. Pilots checked the damages on their ships that occurred while bringing down the AT-ATs, and reports were being made of what could and couldn't be fixed. Sol's arms were crossed over her chest, which was covered by the white puffer coat. Her lightsaber was reconnected to her belt underneath the hem of the coat, but its presence had was now known among the Resistance.
Her cyan blade was seen by a crowd of people that arrived at the hallway where Ahsoka was being guarded by Sol and her weapon. Its appearance was met with wide eyes and whispers, and Sol knew that word of her Jedi status would be spread throughout the base. Not only this, but Revan's unconscious state was analysed, and Ahsoka's helplessness led had brought the suspicions that Sol hoped she would be able to avoid.
'Darth Vader would never turn away from a fight! He took down two Jedi on his own, yet he left that woman standing without even a scratch! What's going on here, Captain? Who is she, and are we compromising everyone's safety by having her here?'
Sol bit her lip when she overheard Padme and her commander's private conversation. It finalised the decision that Sol had been pondering ever since the news of the Empire's attack on the base. The Resistance was able to operate without the Empire's watchful eye because of their allusive members and hidden bases. But with Darth Vader knowledge of Sol's association with the movement, the Sith would now be working extra hard to infiltrate bases with the pretense of capturing Sol. And at the sight of Serrina's Mandalorian helmet, Sol was terrified of the power Vader held, and what he could do to good people who stood in his way.
'You don't have to go.'
Ahsoka took her place next to Sol in the hanger. The purple eyes that surveyed the working droids and maintenance pilots were troubled, and Ahsoka leaned forward to pull them to look at her. She was successful, but Sol turned to Ahsoka with the same glaze and struggled to keep eye contact with the Jedi.
'I'm sure Anakin said the same to you before you left the Order,' Sol said, her snow boots becoming the victim of her stare. 'But you still went. It's the same for me, except that I'm the problem, and the Resistance suffered because of me.'
'The attack was inevitable. These sieges were nothing to do with you-'
'I think Revan would say otherwise.'
Ahsoka sighed. Everyone heard the wail of the man who saw what remained of the female Mandalorian. After he awoke from his unconscious state, Revan wasted no time in running to where Vader had departed. Padme and the Jedi attempted to stop him, and the Resistance members that followed were confused as to what had happened between the purple-eyed woman who they knew was a Jedi, and the Sith apprentice himself. But when they reached the yellow-armoured body that lay in a pool of blood, the Resistance resisted questioning their captain for a moment longer.
It was painful to watch Revan hunch over Serrina's body while knowing that the face underneath the helmet was gruesomely deformed. He remained on his knees with a hand over his eyes and his sobs hitting the icy walls. Ahsoka stepped forward to place her hand on his shoulder armour, and Padme turned to her commander to organise an ethical burial for the woman they barely knew. It left Sol with the realisation and consequences of her presence on base, and after seeing Darth Vader for the first time, she started questioning her benefits to being with the rebellion movement.
'Well... I understand your reasoning. I suppose I just don't want to spend my time wondering about you if you're not by my side,' Ahsoka admitted, and Sol looked up from her feet. She wasn't able to sense Ahsoka's emotions, but she was able to see that Ahsoka was concerned.
Sol had forgotten that Ahsoka was still young, only just reaching her twenties, and she had seen her Master in his new Sith appearance all while watching another one of her mentors leave her. With her tight lips and pleading eyes, Ahsoka looked at Sol in a lasting attempt to convince her to stay. Revan's fate with the Resistance was unclear, and Padme was busy with plans for a new base and a counterattack. Sol was the only one that Ahsoka thought would remain and be her friend in Resistance, and they would work together like they had done in the Order. They had a common goal to bring down the Empire, all while fearful of what Anakin had become. But Sol's place was elsewhere, and Ahsoka's was with the rebellion.
'Maybe we can coordinate a meet-up,' Sol suggested. 'I think I'm going to the core, but I think the Empire are focusing on the Outer-Rim at the moment.'
'Is that safe? You're not going to Coruscant, are you?'
Ahsoka saw the hesitancy in Sol's pause.
'You are going to Coruscant. Why?'
'When Revan said he found his parents on Concordia, it got me thinking about my parents. I lived on the lower levels before the Order, so I'll start there. The lower levels are still as they were during the Republic, so at least I can blend in with all the other fugitives that are undoubtably down there.
And besides, the Jedi Order never found out who the Chosen One was. If I could somehow find where I came from, maybe we could finally get an answer.'
'And what happens if you find that you are the Chosen One? Are you prepared to destroy the Sith now that Vader is the forefront?'
Sol fingers fidgeted between each other. The Chosen One's destiny was to bring balance to the Force, and as of now, it was wildly imbalanced with the dark side in its favour. The Force created someone to destroy the Sith, and whether that was Sol, then it had to happen. Satele always said that she was to guide Sol towards her destiny, but never revealed if hers was the much discussed important one. What if, after the Order's years of suspicions, and Palpatine's attempts to squander the talk, Sol was the one to destroy the Sith, and in turn, destroy what Anakin had become?
'Whatever I find, I'll do what is best for the good.'
'And what about what's good for you and your children?'
Sol said nothing.
---
Padme was always so generous, and when she presented Sol with a ship, Sol still didn't know how to express her gratitude. The Amidala functioned in her trait of giving to others who needed it, and the Resistance was a perfect example of what Padme wanted for the galaxy; democracy and the comfort of peace in a galaxy valuing the good.
'It's hyperdrive is one of the best you can get, and you'll never have to worry about the engines failing on you. It's the best in the business,' Padme said, and Sol eyed the green and grey starfighter.
'So, for someone like me has the flying skills of a C3-PO, it'll get me from A to B?' Sol joked and Padme laughed with a nod. The mention droid stood with R2 and was confused as to what the unfamiliar woman was referring to.
'What is she talking about, Artoo? I've never flown a starship before?'
R2 beeped in avoidance to C3-PO's confusion.
Padme was saying goodbye to Sol for a second time. She embraced the Jedi who had given back her white coat and wore her poncho over her robes. It was a different embrace to their previous ones, as Sol had never been entering into as much danger as she was now. Sol was going to the core, where the Empire had the most control and influence over. With only a ship and her lightsaber, Sol was going to evade the Empire while being right under their noses.
'Thank you, Padme. You do too much,' Sol said into her friend's shoulder. She gripped her puff vest and clenched her eyes shut to be able to take in the feeling of their last embrace.
'Only for those who deserve it.'
Sol broke the embrace and stepped back to head towards the starfighter. Ahsoka stepped beside Padme, having already said goodbye to her friend in a tearful moment, while Revan had remained silent up until this point. He hadn't smiled Serrina's death and Sol feared that her cousin had developed a dislike for her. But when Sol went to climb the ladder to settle into the cockpit, she was stopped by the man's flat voice.
'Sol,' Revan called, and she stopped. Turning slowly with her shoulders raised, Sol prepared as if she was about to be scolded for not returning a library book to its correct spot.
Revan stopped in front of Sol. They were out of earshot of Padme and Ahsoka, who stood waiting for Sol's departure. Sol resisted another fidgeting session with her hands and looked up to her cousin. She noticed the deep lines that stretched from his nose to his mouth, showing that he had aged in the last few hours with the grief and loss of his wife.
'My father's name is Marcus, and my mother is Lara. Your father was the only connection that I heard about, and my father knew little about him,' Revan informed. 'I hope you find what you're looking for.'
'Thank you, Revan,' Sol's shoulders relaxed. She was relieved to hear that Revan wasn't angry at her or upset with her for what happened to Serrina.
'But-' he started again and leaned down to look into her eyes with a flame increasing in heat. 'If you are the Chosen One, you better do what you're destined to do. Because if you don't, I'm going to kill Anakin myself, and I don't care about what you have to say about it.'
An ache returned to the Force. Sol knew that Ahsoka felt it too, because it was enough for a strain to pull in her neck. Sol searched Revan's eyes, but he turned away before Sol identify any changes in their irises. His Force signature was still hidden, but the changes in the realm's receptors alerted Sol of Revan's dangerous emotions. He was angry, and the threat was something that Sol had heard before during the fallen Republic. Nothing good could come from Revan's current state and ambitions, and Sol hoped that Satele was listening.
When Revan joined Padme and Ahsoka, Sol climbed the ladder into the starfighter's cockpit. She was forced to push aside her unease when she powered up the ship and the roof lowered to encase her in its hold. The engines whirled to life and Padme, unaware of the nature of the conversation between Revana and Sol, raised her hand to wave Sol off with a small smile. But Ahsoka was busy resisting the urge to turn her gaze to the Shan who stood motionless next to her, and Sol didn't look out the ship to meet eyes with anyone who stood in hanger.
The starfighter left the base's hanger and Sol flew Hoth's sky before she left its atmosphere. The base's scanners picked up the Imperial star destroyer that lingered in the Hoth system, so Sol was going to head away from the base before she would fly off of the planet. It gave her a moment to think of Revan's last words, and pray that what happened to Anakin wasn't happening to Revan, as well.
---
'You are weak. Your infatuation with the Jedi blinds you.'
'Yes, my Lord. I... she has bewitched me. The light side of the Force is so strong with her, that I could not bring myself to-'
'These are pathetic excuses. The dark side holds the power to crush this spell she has over you. You are stronger than her, and it is your duty to expel the light out of her.'
'Yes, my Lord...'
Darth Vader was left in darkness when the Emperor's hologram faded. On one knee, Vader raised his head from its bowed position and knew that his Master was disappointed in him.
To hear that his apprentice willingly walked away as soon as the Jedi they were looking for appeared was infuriating. The Emperor had worked hard to ensure that there was only anger and hatred in Vader's heart, and was certain that Anakin Skywalker was gone. But the Emperor saw that there was clearly more training to do, and that the dark forces inside Vader had had their first glimpse of light that had been absent for years.
They would never be able to capture Jedi Master Sol if Darth Vader was entranced at the very sight of her. He had conquered worlds and created a name of fear that surrendered the galaxy's workings to him. How could one woman, who was naïve and pathetic with her trust in the light of the Force, render Darth Vader to a hesitant, love-struck boy?
He had to be better. When the time was right and the opportunity arose, Vader had to be able to overpower Sol and use her weaknesses against her. He had the upper hand, because he knew what she feared and what she truly desired. He could use these against her, and it would allow him to begin enticing her to the dark side of the Force. But in order to do that, Vader had to push aside what he thought he desired. The light was playing games with him, and he couldn't let it blind him.
'Lord Vader?'
The Sith was pulled from his thoughts and looked to the general who had approached him in the hallway. After leaving the room where he had contacted his Master, Vader stopped and stared at the wall in thought. The general approached him cautiously but was sure that the information he held was important enough to address her distant leader.
'A starfighter has just jumped to hyperspace on the east side of Hoth. We were able to place a tracker on it before it jumped.'
'Good. Have another ship set course to follow it. I will prepare my ship and intercept whoever is closest.'
'It appears to be heading for the core, sir. Would you like me to alert the Grand Admiral in that sector?'
'Yes, General. Grand Admiral Thrawn will do just fine.'
---
Coruscant was still as Sol remembered it. With its tall buildings and orange sky, the planet covered in cities allowed Sol's ship to appear just as inconspicuous as any other.
While avoiding speeders, Sol descended past the tallest buildings' tips, through the smaller structures and slipped through the cracks that most didn't dare to reach. It wasn't long until the sun's beam was blocked by the surrounding buildings, and the light of the day was reduced to a hazy air. The pollution from the concrete jungle of the city above settled over the lower levels, and Sol prepared to climatize to the thick, toxin-smelling oxygen outside her new starfighter.
The lower levels were full of crime and vigilantes, and Sol could remember all the types of people she used to counter in the dingy bars and illegally-ran businesses. On missions from the Order, Sol used to be on the hunt for escaped convicts or members of separatist groups. She would have to speak to slimy men and conniving women who only gave information when threatened at the sight of Sol's lightsaber on her belt. If that wasn't enough, Anakin, who would insist on accompanying Sol on lower-level missions, would take over the interrogation by inserting himself in-between Sol and the bad-mouthing criminal.
'I wasn't talking to you, moof-head.'
'Well, you are, now. Don't look at her, look at me, because I'm going to be the one to gut you if you don't tell us where the Trandoshan went.'
Their missions always ended in some unplanned chase or in a fistfight that could have been avoided if Anakin hadn't been so short-tempered. But they always completed the mission and brought the accused criminal to the justice of the Courts. It was what earnt Sol and Anakin their names of feared Jedi in the galaxy, but times had changed since then, as did people.
Sol had to pay a young Duro child to keep her starfighter from being stolen. The boy insisted that he would guard the ship with his life and wouldn't ask questions about why such an extravagant ship was parking on a low level of the city. Sol had no choice but to hand over some credits, before she headed down the street that was filled with stalls and dodgy occupants.
She made sure to cover her irises with the brown contacts that she had kept with her. Even though the presence of storm troopers would be low, Sol didn't want to risk standing out with her purple eyes. Most of the Empire's troops would be on the Outer-Rim for their sieges, but it was the criminals loyal to the Empire that Sol had to be careful with.
Sol kept close to the stalls of the street. Species of all kinds passed her, some more sketchy looking than others. She kept her gaze ahead and made a conscious effort to not let her brown lenses linger on anyone that passed.
Stalls called for her attention with the promises of a good price, but unlike the Outer-Rim, stall owners were wary of who they could be enticing towards their businesses. There was no touching to force people to look at their goods as that could earn the loss of a limb. People were more aware of what people were hiding beneath their robes and didn't dare try to grab or tug people in the direction of their stalls.
Smells of spices and obscure cooked meats tickled Sol's nose, and it brought back memories of before the Order. Her thieving tactics at a young age were past her, but the minute pleasures of what she used to live off of seemed enticing even now.
'Hey, you! Somebody stop that girl! She's a thief! She's a thief!'
Sol heard the stall owner who had alerted the police of her thieving when she was barely ten years old. The rush of leaping over walls and climbing fences came back to Sol, and it wasn't until she was intercepted by police that Sol was taken to the local police station. That was where Master Yoda and Master Secura found her, and Sol was thrown into the events of Jedi, war, and politics.
At the thought of where she came from, Sol's feet took her through alleyways and down streets. She was aware of her surroundings, but where she was heading was beyond her consciousness. People thinned in their masses, and it wasn't along until a few stray loiterers remained. They leaned against the walls and smoked their electronic cigarettes. Sol ducked out of the foul-smelling smoke, and she finally came to a halt in an alleyway that branched off a street of gambling houses and spice stalls.
A corner of the alley was that was blocked from the street was where Sol used to live. The blankets and few belongings Sol had were gone, but the familiarity of the nook remained. Sol didn't feel sad to see what she came from, as she lived a life that was comparatively better than what she had. She was able to appreciate the safety of the Order and they taught her how to use her Force sensitivity in a graceful and enlightening way.
Luke and Leia would be shocked to see what their mother once lived in. They were content with living in the Tatooine desert even though they rarely were allowed to play with any other children from the cities. They were grateful for what they had, and Sol would never want to see a child living in the conditions that she once did. The only reason she was able to escape the vicious cycle of homelessness as an orphan was because of her discovery by Master Yoda and Master Secura. Not everyone was as lucky as her.
The hairs on the back of Sol's neck rose. A twinge in the Force made her gaze rise from the empty nook and look over her shoulder. She shuffled around to face the alleyway, and saw a door sat ajar against the black-bricked wall. Someone had been watching her, and the Force told Sol that they wanted to be seen and followed. Sol never thought anything of the doors that lined the alleyway, as they usually led to the back of businesses that a child wouldn't want to be involved in. But one had opened, and Sol had her wits about her as she headed to walk through it.