Accismus⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.• Anakin Skywalker⋆౨ৎ˚⟡.•

35.

'How could we not have foreseen this? We would have surely picked up its signal! An underwater base, of all things!'

'Are you positive about this observation, Commander Sol?'

'Yes, Rex. Even Artoo saw it. That blasted symbol is etched into my mind.'

R2-D2 sounded in reply through the commlink. With Anakin, Obi-wan, Captain Rex and Sol in the call, the four discussed Sol's findings on the other side of the island. The wind had picked up since that morning and Sol stood with her back to the ocean to speak into her commlink without disruptions. With her hair blowing over her shoulders and her bangs blowing into her face, Sol leaned over her wrist with R2 on the cliffside.

'We don't have the equipment to search underwater. They could overrun the island at any time with their advantage,' Anakin sounded, and Sol felt her heart inflate at his voice.

'I'll hold a conference with Master Windu and the Council,' Obi-wan said.

'But isn't everyone on missions? There won't be many Masters left at the temple by now,' Sol said and the commlink line went quiet.

'Blast it,' Obi-wan cursed. 'I'll never get everyone together through the holonet. We should head back to Coruscant-'

'Then this mission would have been a waste of time! Rex and the legion prepared so much. We can't just leave,' Anakin sounded upset at Obi-wan's suggestion. Sol had to admit that she would also be disappointed to leave Ahch-To without ridding it of separatist activity.

'We don't have a choice, Anakin. We have no way to get to the base in the ocean and not enough of a team to fend them off if they decide to hit the island,' Obi-wan's logic irritated both Anakin and Sol, but neither would admit that he was being rationale. 'Come back to the camp, Sol. We'll head back to Coruscant, and I'll beg an audience with whoever  is avaliable from the the Council.'

'Okay,' Sol sighed into the commlink. 'I'll be back in the hour. Over and out.'

With her connection lost from the commlink, Sol let her arm fall to her side limply. She turned to the ocean and the wind whipped back her hair with full force. The waves were yet to reveal another underwater vessel with a separatist symbol, and she wasn't sure if she was relieved or worried about that fact. As the chill of the winds pinched at Sol's skin, she decided to unfold the over robe that she had brought with her.

Once it was situated over her shoulders, Sol looked down to R2 who waited for her next move. She knew that everyone was displeased to know that they would have to leave Ahch-To to inform the Council about the separatists' new method of occupation, but like Obi-wan said, by staying on the island, they would risk capture if the separatists were to overrun the island from the sea.

'Come on, Artoo,' Sol said with a flat tone, and she allowed the droid to take the lead as they headed back up to the gravel path.

After half an hour of walking, Sol and R2 had overcome more rock piles and slippery ledges. They were near the camp and Sol was beginning to tire from the harsh wind and from the incline of the path. She was glad to have her over robe, but when the strong whips of wind hit her skin and made its way through the opening of the fabric, her muscles seized from the cold with the dimming of the day.

With her robe clutched around her middle, Sol stepped over a rise in the path after R2 had raised himself over it. As she took another step, a tug in her stomach made her pause. Unlike the ache she felt when something was wrong, Sol felt something different in the Force. It was like when Sol would enter her quarters back at the temple in the dark, and the motion sensors would take a moment to activate the lights. She would feel uneasy, but there was nothing for her fear. Her quarters were safe, but the dark was unsettling to any species whose sight was based off light.