Sol swiveled around on her heel with wide eyes. The storm troopers surveyed the crowd and couldn't help but notice the way the woman froze before turning to head back the way she came. Her poncho and brown hair were the only features that were apparent to them, and from the Duro child's description, the squadron became suspicious of the retreating woman.
Sol tried not appear as if she was avoiding the squadron. She kept her pace slow without a panicked rush, but the fear that was building within her was edging her to make way from the armoured soldiers as quickly as possible. And when she sensed the movement from her guarded starship, and the troopers headed into the crowd, Sol knew that she had been spotted.
With an increasing pace, Sol started to turn sideways and slipped through members of the tightly-packed crowd. Her heart hammered as she heard 'hey!'s and 'watch it!'s behind her. The Imperial troopers didn't care to slip inbetween conversing groups or excuse themselves past slow walkers. They shoved their shoulders into bystanders, prompting their yelps of offence, but when people saw the white armour that was symbolic to the Empire, they turned away and hunched low to avoid a confrontation.
'Stop her! Stop that Jedi!' a storm trooper yelled.
'Jedi?! There's a Jedi?!'
'I thought they were extinct?!'
'It's her! That girl there!'
The crowd continued to bustle and Sol was forced to duck to avoid swinging arms and squeeze through small spaces. People turned her way and gawked, but no one attempted to stop her. She had no choice but to break out into a run and her arms swung to help increase her speed. Pants fell from her open mouth and Sol was thankful for the gaps between crowds that allowed her to quickly immerse herself into another group of bodies.
'Stop! In the name of the Empire!'
Steam erupted from a nearby stall of cooked meats and Sol turned her head to the side as she ran through it. The heat hit her for no longer than a second before she broke out of its path, and Sol risked a glance over her shoulder.
A helpless Gungan was shoved to the ground as the squadron of troopers made it the edge of a crowd. They continued in their pursuit and in the short glimpse Sol made, she was able to see the stun guns that were clutched in their hands.
They were set to capture Sol, and a lightsaber blade was useless in blocking a stun gun's blast. She had to try and outrun the squadron and make it back to her ship without being hit, otherwise Sol could forget about continuing her evasion of the Empire.
In a desperate attempt, Sol raised her hand and used the Force to grab a crate that sat on the table of a spice stall. She felt the pull of its weight through the Force as it lifted from its place and Sol whipped her hand behind her to send it into the in-pursuit storm troopers. She heard a cry as the crate collided with the trooper at the front, but it did nothing to slow down the surrounding squadron.
The entrance to an alleyway came up on Sol's right. Digging the soles of her boots into the tar of the street, Sol turned to take the alternative route and was released from the busy crowds. If Sol could get ahead to the street at the end of the alley, she could lose the troopers in the new crowds and circle around to get back to her ship. She knew Coruscant's city tops like the back of her hand, and when she broke through the lower levels, Sol could leave the planet undetected.
She ran the length of the alley and a wired fence sat in between the streets. Sol had no problem sending the Force to her knees and crouching to leap over the top and landed after a single spin to cushion her landing. The next street was in sight Sol and saw salvation in its continuous flow of people. Her sprint increased as she sensed that the troopers behind her had made it to the alley, and she was about to reach its end, when something dropped into her path.
Sol's boots grinded against the street and she was forced to halt in her sprint. She barely had a moment to stop herself from colliding with the figure who had dropped from the roof of a short rise building. Her shoulders heaved from her previous chase and heavy pants sounded from her nostrils. It had been a while since Sol had needed to run for her life, and after giving birth to twins, she had lost some of her physical fitness.
The storm troopers arrived at the fence behind her, and they worked on climbing its wall while Sol was distracted by the new, dark presence.
His Force flame was red with a black middle. Just like on Hoth, Darth Vader was intense in his aura and his towering figure made Sol's knees tremble. With the black helmet over his features and the chilling breathing sounding from the ventilation, Darth Vader rose from his landing and blocked Sol from reaching the street behind me.
'You have evaded me long enough, Sol,' he said, the eyes of his mask centring on the retreating Jedi. 'I have searched every system for you, and now, after all these years, I have found you at last.'
In the Resistance base, Sol had struggled to find her words. The teasing boy who had been her safe space in the Order had become something so menacing and evil that Sol couldn't believe that Anakin lay underneath the black leather suit. This was their second exchange, and Sol didn't feel any less stunned to see how the dark side had warped the loving, passionate Skywalker that had once wanted a peaceful life away from war and destruction.
'You can come quietly, but-' Sol hadn't noticed that he had his lightsaber clenched in his gloved hand until its red blade was ignited. '-I know how stubborn you are.'
Sol's hand went underneath her poncho and she grabbed the silver cannister from her belt. She didn't know why, but when she ignited her lightsaber, she thought of Luke and Leia. They were back on Coruscant unknowing of Sol's ventures and were unaware of the fact that she was about to battle their father.
If she was captured now, Sol might not ever see them again. If it meant that they remained on Tatooine, hidden and safe, for the rest of their lives not knowing what happened to their mother, then Sol would fight to the very end. Sol left Tatooine to protect them, and while in Obi-wan's care, their father would be none-the-wiser to their existence. She didn't regret leaving them, but it hurt to think that she would never hear Leia's wit, or see Luke's wide grin again.
'I spent years refusing to believe that you could become like this, Anakin,' Sol said, forcing her voice through the restraining pull in her chest. 'But I was naïve-'
'Do not use that foul name. That name belonged to a Jedi who was weak and pathetic,' Vader spat, and Sol jumped when he started advancing towards her. 'I am no Jedi! The dark side is at my hand!'
The woman brought her lightsaber up and blocked the red blade that came crashing down from above. Vader's advance made it so that Sol was able to see Vader up close, and the reflection of his red lightsaber beamed off the black metal of his mask. Her arms ached at the strength at which the man pushed his blade against hers, and Sol's back began to arch. With clenched teeth and wide eyes, Sol was already being overpowered by Darth Vader with one single attack.
'Surrender, Sol. You were no match for me before, and you are no match for me now. I am more powerful than you could ever hope to understand,' Vader seethed.
Sol's back was on fire. If she attempted to pull her blade away to swing from the side, the Sith's blade would continue in its path that would burn through her flesh. The darkness that oozed from his signature was toxic and Sol could barely feel the orange that once warmed her soul. Vader's arms were strong in their hold of his weapon and the buzz from their connected lightsabers was millimetres from the tip of Sol's nose.
When Sol faced Anakin on Mustafar, he had scared her. His signature was made of more red than orange and his eyes had been surrounded with darkened skin. She had struggled to fight him then, but now, she had no eyes to look into and an evil abyss swirled at the centre of his flame in the Force. She had nothing but the burn in her arms to feel, and the horrifying figure that leant over her to see.
Sol was giving in, and Darth Vader could feel it. The storm troopers behind her waited for their orders and Vader was high on the feeling of Sol's impending surrender. He gave her a moment's grace by stepping backwards and letting his lightsaber swipe to the side. Sol let out a cry at the release in her arm muscles and stumbled backwards, but at Vader's nod to the squadron, a stun blast was released in her direction.
Sol felt the impact and her defeat came with a shaming stab. Sol's saber dropped to the tar of the alleyway and her eyes widened at the stunning sensation. But the blast took its effects and Sol's lensed eyes fell shut, her consciousness dwindling in an instant. Sol fell forward and Darth Vader effortlessly caught her upper half before it could slam against the street below. Her arms hung limp and her fingertips skimmed the ground, but her peaceful face had been saved by Darth Vader's hands.
He wordlessly gathered the woman he had searched far and wide for into his arms. To feel her robes against his gloved fingers, and to see her unchanged face up-close, was beyond blissful for Darth Vader. He had done well to keep his composure during their short battle and had let the dark side blanket his vision for the duration of their encounter. It had succeeded in keeping him from being blinded by Sol's appearance and had shown merely an inch of what his power could achieve if he were to let the dark side takeover. Just as he suspected, Sol had given into him, and Vader was able to admire her sleeping face that he had seen in his dreams through the eyes of his mask.
'Lord Vader?' the squadron leader called, and the Sith turned to the men who stood waiting at the fence. Sol hung in his arms, and he barely acknowledged the storm troopers that had been silent throughout their battle.
'The Jedi called you Anakin. Is it true that... you're what's left of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker?'
Vader stared at the squadron through his mask. How tiresome and irritating it was to be faced with this situation when his love was in his arms after years of evasion. She had revealed his identity and the storm troopers had witnessed their leader's reaction. It had to be true, and they whispered to each other about the fact that the Sith apprentice was once a Jedi of the Galactic Republic.
'Is your chip still in position, PY-852?' Vader asked.
'Yes, sir.'
'Then execute Order number 84.'
Darth Vader turned away from the squadron as its leader abandoned his stun gun. The weapon's fall sounded with a clatter, and the rest of the squadron looked in confusion to their superior who grabbed the blaster from his waist.
'What's Order 84, sir?' the corporal asked and noticed how Darth Vader crouched low to leap out of the alleyway.
Vader heard the discharge of the blaster as the Force powered him up to the building's rooftop. The final blast was heard, and he knew that the talk of his identity would never leave the lower levels from the gossip of a storm trooper.
The chip implanted in the Republic's clones had become useful after Order 66, and it was a requirement that every squadron required a clone as its leader. This ensured that if anything was jeopardized, especially when it came to Darth Vader's identity before the Empire, then the squadron leader would execute his team before turning the blaster on himself. Order 84 ensured that the Sith could continue his anonymity and that any talk of his identity was disposed of in the most effective way.
Heading towards his ship, Darth Vader barely noticed the weight in his arms. He walked with a purpose and his ship that he had parked on the rooftop of the short rise building awaited its pilot. Vader had to remember that the Emperor was expecting his and his captive's arrival at the Senate building, and he would have time to marvel at Sol later. But when he lowered her into the cockpit behind the piloting chair, Vader let his yellow eyes wander over the woman who was graceful and elegant even in her sleep.
Sol's short hair sprawled out below her head and one arm laid over her to rest her hand on her stomach. The other laid arched beside her and her eyelashes skimmed over soft, pale cheeks. Sol's robes were the same light beige they were during the times of the Republic, and she still wore the fingerless gloves that Anakin Skywalker had given her from their joint Knighthood.
'I didn't get you anything.'
'It's more of the fulfilling of a promise.'
Vader remembered the moment in fondness. Even though it was the time of his sickeningly good prevail as a Jedi, Vader remembered every moment with Sol in bliss and with a yearn to relive them in their entirety. Every smile and laugh they shared was engrained into his mind, and even the dark side couldn't convince him that they were worthless memories to hold onto. And now that Sol was in front of him, her beauty just as magnificent as he remembered, Vader never wanted to let her go. He wanted to make new memories of her and without the rules of the Jedi Order, he and Sol could rule and be together for eternity.
---
Sol awoke disorientated. Her eyes peeled open and the lenses on her irises stung at being left underneath her eyelids during her unconsciousness. The first thing she did was use her knuckle to rub at the soreness, and the brown lenses came out on her finger. There was a small relief, but then the unfamiliarity of her surroundings kicked, and Sol went to sit up in a panic.
She was on a sofa. It was made of red leather that looked as if it had barely used in its time as furniture. When Sol sat up, it squeaked as its cushions rubbed together. She was still in her robes and the stun gun's blast that collided with her back lingered in the form of dizziness in her head. Sol put her gloved hand to her temple and let out a groan, before she looked to see where she had been brought to.
It was an office. A large window displayed Coruscant's city, which Sol took a moment to marvel at after years of missing its commercial sights. It hadn't changed with its constant flow of speeder traffic and the sky's singular, mildly warm, sun was a nice change from the two that bleached Tatooine.
The office was bland with a circle chair that sat with a desk in front of the window. Not only this, but a deep ache in the Force was felt in Sol's chest, and she assumed that something terrible had once happened here.
Standing from the sofa, Sol noticed the lack of weight on her utility belt. With a quick glance down, she saw that her lightsaber was missing. It reminded Sol that she had been stunned in an alleyway of the lower levels, and that she had encountered Darth Vader for the second time. He had brought her somewhere in the city, and he was somewhere in the building, as Sol could feel his intense signature nearby.
At the thought of Vader, Sol noticed the connection to the Force that the office she was in held. She took careful steps towards the window, where she caught the outline of her reflection in the glass. The Force dwelled with anger in the place she stood, and shivers ran up her legs and through her body while standing on the windowpane. Darkness tainted the area and Sol felt the desire to leave the spot and never venture towards it ever again.
This was where Master Mace Windu was overpowered, and where Anakin fell to the dark side at Palpatine's offer for power and glory.
The sound of the door sliding open made Sol look away from the tainted window. With a dry gulp, Sol watched two people enter the office, and was immediately rendered under the sickly presences of two Sith. The yellow eyes that plagued her worst nightmares stared at her from underneath the hood of a robe, and Sol felt a familiar hole burn into her chest at being in the same room as the evilest man she had ever met.
Emperor Palpatine walked with his apprentice. His blackened hands were hidden beneath his robe sleeves as they were clasped together in front of him. The skin of his wrinkled face was sickly grey and if it wasn't for his disgusting grin, Sol would have wondered if it still had the ability to move with his features.
With sweating palms, Sol waited for Darth Vader and the Emperor to make their way across the room. It was agonising to have no way to escape, and if she even tried, Sol was sure she would be intercepted by a mere sidestep of Vader's. He remained on the Emperor's right, his height almost a head and a half taller than the shriveled old man's. Sol dreaded to be in front of him again and their battle in the alleyway had made her fearful to make one wrong move in his presence.
'Jedi Master Sol,' Emperor Palpatine's voice came from his black lips in a slither. 'Many years have passed since I have seen your pretty face.'
'Palpatine... you look old.'
The Emperor paused in front of Sol and the smug grin that was once on his face slipped away. He knew of the Jedi's daring humour from the days of the Republic, and he would have loved to Force crush Sol's throat so that she could never utter a word to him again. But she was vital to his apprentice's journey, and if she was seduced by the dark side, then the Emperor would have two of the most skilled Force users in the galaxy at his command.
His Sith yellow eyes pierced through the woman who kept a façade of confidence. At her snarky words, the Emperor turned away to head towards the chair and desk that awaited him. While he passed, Sol tried not to grimace at the darkness that followed his black signature, and let her eyes travel to Darth Vader instead, as the lesser of two evils.
Darth Vader omnious stare made Sol squirm. She didn't want to think what was going through his head, nor what he looked like underneath the haunting mask and suit. Obi-wan had left him to burn, that it could be as to why he was covered head-to -oe in protective leather. But had his face been as it was? Did the scar over his eyebrow and down his cheek still remain? Was he still capable of the smile that Sol's heart used to leap at seeing?
'Bring her to me.'
At the Emperor's command, Darth Vader stepped forward. Sol went to step back, but his gloved fingers enclosed around her bicep. The leather was rough against her skin, but Vader's grip was firm as opposed to being forceful. He pulled her around the desk and made her stand in front of the Emperor, before letting her arm go and remaining behind her.
'It must be warming for you to be beside your lover again,' Emperor Palpatine said from his chair. Sol sensed the smugness in his croaking voice and Sol equaled the experience to being stood in front of Jabba the Hutt.
'Not after what you did to him.'
'I did nothing, my dear. Darth Vader is what the Jedi would never had dared to become. They feared what he was, and now, you fear what he could do to you.'
Sol was aware of Vader's motionless presence behind her. They spoke about him as if he wasn't in the room, but the Emperor didn't seem to care if what he said about his apprentice was heard. Vader remained behind Sol like a shadow that weighed 100 tons and his heavy breathing from his mask was constantly reminding her of his current state. But even though it was true about what the Emperor said, that she feared what Darth Vader could do, she was more afraid to be in front of his Master in comparison. The Emperor was sickening to look at and be around, and Sol would choose to have Vader behind her any day if it meant she wasn't alone with the Sith Lord.
'Leave us.'
Both Sol and Darth Vader stiffened. The Emperor's demand was clear and Sol felt a sense of doom fall into her stomach. She wanted Vader to object. She wanted the trait to challenge every request to resurface in the Sith, because she had seen his previous self do it so many times before. Even to Obi-wan, his own Master, Anakin Skywalker would question why he wasn't allowed in on Council meetings, and why he had to stay with the clones while Obi-wan went off to fight.
'As you wish, my Master.'
Sol's shoulders sagged. Darth Vader turned to head for the door of the office and Sol was about to be left alone in front of the Emperor. She wanted to sink through the floor to avoid the man's yellow stare and without Vader, there was nothing stopping the Emperor from doing whatever it was he had planned for Sol.
'Don't go...' Sol pleaded through the Force, but she knew it was futile. Vader's allegiance had changed, and the Sith Lord was his new Master. A pathetic plea from his love was miniscule compared to the orders of Emperor Palpatine, and Sol would have to be strong in her facade in front of the man she loathed the most in the galaxy.
At Sol's plea in the Force, Vader stopped and he hoped, by some miracle, that the sliding door wouldn't open. But as efficient as it was, it disappeared into the wall, and Darth Vader left the Emperor's office to wait in the hall outside.