The next morning, Anakin and Alpha awoke to a beautiful sunrise. They ate a breakfast of some purplish-blue fruit, packed away the tent and sleep rolls, and set off to reconnoiter the rest of Vjun. They had walked for about 10 kilometers when they came to a cliff over looking a sea. Alpha took out his macro-binoculars. "It's only about 5 kilometers to the other side, then 20 back to our ship," he observed. "Great! Last one to the other side is a rotten hawk bat egg!" Anakin yelled, scrambling down the cliff. Alpha hurried after him. When they reached the bottom, Anakin jumped in with no hesitation, only to discover- "AGGGHHH! It's FREEZING!!". Alpha joined his Jedi companion in the water, and found that; in the time it had taken him to step into the sea, Anakin had swum halfway to the other side. "Anxious to get out, or really competitive?" Alpha wondered. He began a strong, swift free-style. It took him approximately 45 minutes to reach the opposite bank. He slowly climbed out of the water, where Anakin was waiting for him. "What.. took.. you.. so... long?" Anakin asked between shivers. "You swam 5 miles in 2 minutes. If I'd had a speeder bike, I couldn't have beaten you. So, I decided to take my time and enjoy the exercise." "Can't blame you for that. We've scouted the whole planet, and haven't found a single trace of the Separatists. In fact, we haven't seen another life form." Anakin smiled. "Ready to go as soon as you are," Alpha returned the grin. They set off to finish the remaining twenty kilometers of the trip at a leisurely pace.
It took about an hour to reach their ship. They used the food prep units to prepare lunch. As Anakin warmed the engines up, he glanced at his chronometer. "Hey, Alpha we're about a day ahead of schedule." "Yes?" asked Alpha warily. "So, on our way back to Coruscant, could we stop by Naboo and pick up some flowers? This is Senator Amidala's sixth month on Coruscant, and well, she's probably homesick." To his great surprise, Alpha nodded. "It's a sweet gesture." Anakin had been expecting the straight-as-an-arrow ARC to refuse his request. But maybe, Alpha had more of a heart than Anakin had thought. Throwing caution to the winds, "Alpha, we're friends, right?" "We have worked together several times and have a mutual respect and liking for each other." "What?" "Yes. I am proud to count you a comrade and a friend." "Can I tell you something?" "Yes, Sir." "I'm married." "With all respect, Master Skywalker, I don't see why that's a problem." "Jedi are forbidden to marry. And.. I haven't told anyone. I feel really bad about betraying the Jedi Order, but I love my wife very much." Alpha just listened. "So, I guess what I'm saying is.. if you disobey the rules, but it's for a good cause, is it okay?" "If the circumstances are right, then yes" Alpha replied. "You won't tell the Jedi, right? Can you keep it a secret?" The ARC trooper smiled. "Yes. And I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me a secret like that." With that, their ship left Vjun.