Sol was brought from her cell by the same storm troopers that had brought her the day's meal. It was the same as the previous assortment, and Sol didn't complain when she ate the bread and meat stew while the troopers lingered close by.
Just like before, one trooper kept a stun gun trained on her back as she was brought through the destroyer's halls. Her wrists remained cuffed, and the Jedi was preparing herself to face Vader after their previous uncomfortable session.
But Sol halted in her preparation, as before she was brought to the east wing, the storm troopers pulled her to a stop. In a corridor like any other, Sol looked at the trooper beside her who gripped her bicep. She expected the white helmet to turn to her, but it stayed rigid on its armoured shoulders. With a glance behind her, Sol's eyebrows creased at the sight of the stun gun that was still aimed at her back. The troopers appeared to have paused without a reason, and Sol looked into the Force to see if she could find a reason for the unusual stop.
She sensed an incoming signature that she dreaded to see. It wasn't Vader, but the war lord whose star destroyer was Sol's prison.
Grand Admiral Thrawn turned the corner with a squadron of troopers on his tail. His steps were quick, and Sol found herself in front of him after seconds of him arriving in sight. The blue-skinned man with bloody eyes looked down at Sol without tilting his head to acknowledge her. It irritated the woman to see his eyes move, but for his chin to remain high.
In a private retort, Sol moved her eyes to look up through her lashes, as opposed to looking up at the admiral. She refused to be looked down on by the Chiss, and would give him the same treatment even if it went unnoticed.
'Jedi Master Sol,' Thrawn said, his greeting coming out as more of a statement. 'Once I knew who the Jedi was that Lord Vader brought aboard my ship, I understood his drive to capture you.'
'Is that right?' Sol raised an eyebrow to feign interest.
'I remember hearing about you during the clone wars. You and Anakin Skywalker made a name for yourselves with your tactics against the separatist movement.'
Sol's stare narrowed when Anakin's name left Thrawn's lips. She couldn't imagine how the Chiss would react if he knew that he took his orders from the man whose name he said so spitefully. But with her teeth engraved in her tongue, Sol kept her gaze through her eyelashes to keep herself from informing the man of the important fact.
She showed no emotion besides a small tinge of disgust at being forced to speak to the admiral. Sol's lips curled at their corner and she looked to the wall to give herself some relief from Thrawn's intense stare. But the man deadpanned at Sol's discomfort and looked to the two troopers that had brought Sol from her cell. With a motion of his head, the soldiers were dismissed, and Sol felt uneasy at being lonesome in front of the Imperial war lord.
'I've been informed that you are undertaking training with Lord Vader-'
'I am not training with him. He is forcing me to-'
'I have not finished speaking, you Jedi scum,' the man stepped closer and finally looked down at the woman with a tilt of his neck. Sol didn't know how it was possible, but Thrawn became even more intimidating when his face was inches from hers.
How much she wanted to Force push him into his squadron of mindless servants. She would love to be able to send an Imperial admiral flying down a corridor, but because of the Force-blocking restraints on her wrists, Sol was unable to use her power. She could do nothing but try and injure the man with the intensity of angled, purple eyes, and all it earnt was a smug scoff.
'Regardless of what Vader has planned for you, you will be transferred after today's meeting with him.'
'Transferred?'
'The Emperor has requested you to be imprisoned on the new space station in the Scarif system. There, he will decide with Lord Vader your-'
'What is the meaning of this?'
Admiral Thrawn appeared startled by the entrance of a new voice. Sol didn't need to look to see who had interrupted the Chiss, but her heart leapt at the sound of the deep tones. She couldn't stop her neck from turning with the snap of a whip to peer behind her. With her chin over her shoulder, Sol remained facing Admiral Thrawn but her eyes were centred on the Sith that stopped to linger over her much smaller frame.
'Lord Vader,' Admiral Thrawn straightened up and looked at his superior over the head of the Jedi. 'I apologise to keep you waiting for your prisoner, but after today, she will be transferred to the Death Star-'
'Why was I not informed of this?'
When being interrupted by Darth Vader, Sol was aware of how differently Thrawn reacted in comparison to her previous attempts. It was amusing to see the way his white uniform flattened against his torso from his straightened back and shoulders. In fact, he stood so high to attention, that Admiral Thrawn's boots clicked together as his feet shuffled to stand together. He was nervous in the presence of the Sith, and Sol wanted to let out an insulting laugh.
'The Emperor has just sent a transmission with the orders, my Lord. I thought that... he would have made you aware of this transfer.'
A silence ensued after Thrawn's excuse for his actions. Vader's ventilated breathing wheezed in Sol's right ear and it made her brutally aware of how close he was. He hovered behind Sol like a heavy shadow and his Force signature flared with a dangerous anger. The eyeless sockets of his mask burnt through Admiral Thrawn, and Sol could feel the heat of Vader's yellow eyes on the skin of her shoulder. It made her shift in discomfort, and Sol thought about stepping aside to avoid being caught in the crossfire of Thrawn and Vader's nonverbal war.
'I see. The Emperor did not inform me that the Death Star was near its completion,' Darth Vader said, his words slow and daring for Thrawn to challenge him. 'I will contact the Emperor about this decision, but it is not your position to address my prisoner. That is to be done by me, and me alone.'
'I-I'm sorry, Lord Vader-'
Thrawn's apology was cut short by a strained choke. His arms that had found their way behind his back fell by his sides, and his mouth fell open at the sudden loss of oxygen.
Darth Vader was livid to hear that the Emperor had neglected to tell him that he wanted Sol taken to the Death Star. It made it even more infuriating to hear the information from Grand Admiral Thrawn, who he caught leering over Sol in the middle of the corridor. Vader felt an unexpected need to interfere with Thrawn's attempt to intimidate the Jedi, and couldn't resist making the admiral suffer for making Sol feel uncomfortable.
Sol was Vader's prisoner, and she would soon be by his side when she surrended to the ways of the dark side. In his perspective, that meant that Sol belonged to Darth Vader, and she was his to protect from any other Imperial officer that despised the Jedi faith. No one knew how much Sol meant to him, and if they dared to harm or disrespect her, Vader was prepared to execute them in any way he deemed fit.
Sol watched as Thrawn tried to appear unphased, but the grip that could be seen around his neck showed the desperation of his situation. She forced herself to look away when the man's tongue slipped out of his mouth, and the sounds of his chokes made Sol want to block her ears.
She had seen the effects of a Force choke before but had thankfully never had the misfortune of experiencing its torture. It was never a pleasant act to watch, and Sol felt the need to resist seeing the way Thrawn gasped for air. Even though she didn't like the war lord, anyone who suffered the power of the dark side was someone to be pitied.
Darth Vader saw the way Sol turned her head away from Admiral Thrawn's struggle. The dark side of the Force flourished through his grip, and Vader felt satisfaction at feeling its strength bend at his power. But the twist of Sol's face as she looked away made Vader doubt the seduction of the darkest powers of the Force.
Vader didn't like the grimace that Sol wore. He didn't like the wrinkles that formed on her smooth forehead and the scrunch of her nose was different to how it used to move when she laughed. Sol didn't want to watch Thrawn die in such a way, and Vader cursed the softness he still had for the woman in front of him. The grimace that sickened her features made Vader feel like he was torturing her instead of Thrawn. So, the Sith broke his concentration and the Chiss was released from his hold.
Thrawn collapsed onto one knee. As he desperately breathed in and out, the admiral's storm troopers were at a loss as to what to do. They glanced at each other through their helmets as their superior crouched below, but while still in the presence of the terrifying Sith, the troopers remained standing awkwardly. If they were to help the gasping man, would they be choked too?
'I trust that you have learnt where your place is, Admiral,' Vader mocked the man's title before he took hold of Sol's arm.
Without an objection, Sol let the man lead her away from Thrawn, who was eventually tended to by his storm troopers.
---
'Do you have any idea what you two have risked by being here?!'
'Did you even think?! I expected more from you, Leia!'
'You should be protecting your sister, Luke, not following her into danger!'
Ahsoka and Obi-wan took turns in scolding the twins who were sat on a tree stump. On the outskirts of the rebel base, the two Jedi stood with their arms crossed and their faces riddled with frustration and disappointment. Luke and Leia sat with their hands in their laps and their heads hung in shame.
Leia struggled to meet the adults' eyes that flickered back and forth between the siblings, while Luke stomached a handful of glances at his Uncle Obi. But Ahsoka's blue eyes were left to burn through whatever they landed on, as the new side of the Togruta chilled the twins to their bones. They were used to fun and playful Ahsoka, not the one who scolded them with the ferocity of an angry Bantha.
'Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru must be beside themselves,' Obi-wan shook his head with a sigh. 'This is not some joy ride. This is a very dangerous place to be in. Do you even know what planet you are on, right now?'
'Yavin 4?' Leia mumbled and Obi-wan's eyes narrowed at the girl that looked up from her lap. 'I heard Aunty Padme say it...'
The little girl couldn't resist mentioning the woman she had caught sight of in the base. After Ahsoka had pulled the twins over to their uncle, who gaped in disbelief at seeing his niece and nephew, Leia had rushed to look around the base before their unavoidable scolding. Talking with a golden droid, was Padme Amidala, who Leia had seen in the limited holograms that her mother had shown her. She knew her as Aunty Padme, but it was Leia's first time seeing her in person.
Leia was in awe at the woman's beauty. With her brown hair braided in a bun at the nape of her neck, and with two more hanging down her back, Padme wore a red, velvet robe. A gold belt sat around her waist and the robe's large sleeves were cuffed at her wrists. With beige pants underneath her robe that were tucked into some knee-high boots, the captain of the Resistance was yet to look Leia's way, but the girl was content with admiring her from afar.
'You have no idea how dangerous it is on this planet,' Ahsoka said to the two on the tree stump. 'If your mother knew you were here, she would be distraught.'
'Where is Mum?' Luke dared to ask in an effort to shift the attention off him and his twin. But deep down, past the guilt from sneaking onto Ahsoka's ship, Luke and Leia were disappointed that they still hadn't seen their mother. No one had even mentioned her, yet they had seen everyone they knew from their birthday parties.
Why wasn't their mother there with their uncles and aunties?
Obi-wan looked to Ahsoka in worry. She looked back at the man with the same creases on her forehead and the twins looked between them with raised eyebrows. Obi-wan and Ahsoka hadn't prepared an explanation for Sol's disappearance that was suitable for two children. They couldn't tell them that she was captured by the Empire, nor that it was their father who had lead her kidnapping. But their mother was missing, and the last time Luke and Leia had seen her, was with Ahsoka.
'Is she okay? Was it... was it that storm trooper from Mos Eisley?' Luke's voice shook as he spoke, and tears started to pool in his blue eyes. 'Did they take Mum? Is she dead?'
Ahsoka crouched down in front of a tearful Luke. She put aside her worries for the twins' safety and pulled the boy to stand from the tree stump. With her arms loose, Ahsoka embraced the boy whose shoulders started to shake. The woman's chest ached to hear Luke's sniffles and she wondered if she would forgive anything the boy did if he teared up in front of her. Him and his sister were Ahsoka's ultimate weakness, and even when she was angry with them, she couldn't let Luke think that he was the reason for Sol's capture.
'This is not your fault, Luke,' Ahsoka said as she grabbed his shoulders to look at him directly. 'This is so much bigger than that, which is why you can't be here.'
'Ahsoka is right,' Obi-wan stepped forward to grab Leia's hand and help her off the stump. 'We're taking you back home. This is more than enough of an adventure for you two.'
Luke and Leia's shoulders sagged. While using the sleeve of his robe to wipe his nose, Luke looked through his haze at the adults. He didn't want his time on another planet to end so quickly and he wanted to see his mother. He couldn't understand what was so awful about Yavin 4. It was so lush with trees and dirt, and Luke liked how he didn't feel sand in his shoes every time he lifted his foot.
Why was Uncle Obi and Aunt Soka so worried?
'Can I at least see Aunty Padme before we go?' Leia asked and made sure to look up at Obi-wan with her wide, purple eyes. She knew the effect that she had on her uncle, and when she saw his hard eyes soften, Leia knew that she had worked her charm once again.
'Alright then, but we are leaving straight after!'
Leia grinned and Obi-wan rolled his eyes with a growing smile. She was so much like Sol in looks but acted like Anakin in almost every possible way.
Obi-wan wasn't surprised to hear that it was Leia's idea to sneak onto the T6, as it was something that Anakin would have done when faced with a similar situation. But with her purple eyes and innocent face, Leia made it so that Obi-wan could never truly be mad at her. While Leia looked like her mother and acted like her father, Luke was the opposite.
As they headed back towards the base, Obi-wan saw that Luke was holding Ahsoka's hand. She was still trying to comfort him and Obi-wan couldn't help but notice how Luke walked with his shoulders hunched and a small pout on his face. Obi-wan watched as Ahsoka made the boy crack a smile, and the way it grew across his face was exactly how Anakin's used to look.
With his light hair and smile that changed his whole face, Luke had taken his father's looks, while having his mother's sensitivity. He had gotten upset at the mere thought of getting his mother into trouble with the storm troopers, and Obi-wan knew that Sol's traits were to blame.
'Padme?' Ahsoka called once they entered the base. The senator, who was talking with C3-PO and her lieutenant, looked in the group's direction.
'Do you have a moment?'
Padme went to nod before she looked down to the little boy whose hand was clasped in Ahsoka's. With a quick glance to Obi-wan, she also saw the little girl that rushed to be beside Ahsoka.
At first, Padme was dumbfounded to see two children on Yavin 4. The Resistance base was no place for young kids and the senator was prepared to hurl her questions at the two Jedi. But when she saw a pair of purple eyes and a smile that was the perfect image of Anakin Skywalker's grin, Padme realised whose children she was gawking at.
'Oh, kriff,' Padme gasped and Ahsoka and Obi-wan stopped in front of the captain with the children by their sides.
Luke and Leia were shy, but excited. Leia stepped forward with Obi-wan's encouragement and Padme lowered to her height with a knee to the floor. Padme couldn't believe that she was finally seeing the twins that she had heard so much about but was not prepared for how familiar they seemed to her.
As Leia beamed with her bright eyes, Padme almost wanted to tear up at how much Leia resembled Sol. And when she glanced at Luke, who was yet to lose his smile despite showing signs of previously crying, Padme felt a ball form in her throat at his likeness to his father.
'Hello,' Padme was able to say as she looked at Leia. 'Would you so happen to be Leia Skywalker?'
'Yes...' Leia grinned a smile with two missing teeth, before she excitedly pointed over her shoulder to her twin. 'And-and this is my brother, Luke!'
'Of course, it is. It's very nice to meet you, Luke and Leia. I'm... Aunty Padme.'