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

98.

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.