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

66.

Sol's first Jedi Council meeting was different from what usually took the form of discussion. Instead of the reports of separatist planet occupancy, the Council were alerted about the happenings in the Galactic Republican Senate. Later today would be the gathering of senators from across the galaxy, where they would vote for more executive powers to be held by Chancellor Palpatine.

In her chair in between Obi-wan and Master Shaak Ti, Sol sat with her knees together and her feet spread apart. She kept her hands clasped in her lap in an attempt to appear listening and alert. With her hair wrapped in a bun of braids, Sol resorted to her best manners and posture as the newest member of the Jedi Council.

'The Republic has been a democracy for centuries,' Master Ki-Adi Mundi's hologram said from his chair. The blue transmission allowed the Cerean to join the meeting from his mission that he had set off on yesterday.

'It seems that it is a similar case with the Chancellor's term,' Master Saesee Tiin said with a hint of humour in his tone. 'How many terms has he been in power for now?'

'That is another issue. The Senate is about to vote for a dictatorship just as the war is coming to an end. I sense conflict in the stability of the Republic,' Master Windu pondered aloud but sounded confident in his words.

'Never liked the Order's presence, the Chancellor has,' Master Yoda spoke up and Sol turned her raised eyebrows to the Grand Master. 'Our erasure from power, I sense he wants.'

This was certainly news to Sol. She never knew that Chancellor Palpatine disliked the Jedi Order, but when she thought more of it, she realised that it was silly to think differently. The Chancellor emphasised to Sol and Anakin when they had their dreaded first meeting that he believed the Order's rules on attachments were barbaric. That's not to say that Sol didn't think the same, but she was sure that if she were to pry at the awful man, the Chancellor would reveal more of his dislikes for the Order. There was no doubt that Anakin had heard the Chancellor's true thoughts, and Sol didn't want to imagine the two in the Senate building bickering about the Jedi way.

'Anakin has a strong relationship with Chancellor Palpatine,' Sol found herself saying. 'He went to meet with him earlier this week.'

'It's true,' Obi-wan followed in support of Sol. 'The two are close.'

Sol shrunk back when the stares of the Council members flickered back and forth between herself and Obi-wan. Her mouth had opened on its own and she had felt the need to make an input into the discussion. It was her first Council meeting as a Master, and she wanted to appear as a member that was of value with information, but she was now worried that she had said too much.

She wanted to slap herself. Anakin was her best friend, soulmate, and perhaps her husband-to-be, and she was talking about him to the Jedi Council. They had a secret to keep, and here she was, betraying him behind his back. She had been on the Council for mere days, and they had one argument that they were yet to solve before she was discussing his personal relationships with the very people they were keeping their bond from. Sol felt awful, but at the same time, it all seemed necessary when it came to the topic of Chancellor Palpatine. Sol despised the man and wanted Anakin to stop associating himself with him. Perhaps if the Council knew about his relationship with Palpatine, she could finally see Anakin distance himself from the politician.

'Meet with him, you say, Sol?' Master Yoda inquired from his small chair. Sol bit her lip at her ex-Master's attention and nodded unsurely, hoping that she hadn't jeopardized Anakin's trust.

'Interesting, this is,' he hummed as he sat back. 'Useful to us, it could be.'

'We could use Skywalker as an informant,' Master Windu suggested while looking at the Grand Master. 'Keep us updated on what is going on in the Senate and with the Chancellor's doings.'