Poe Dameron later brought the Jedi to General Organa's private briefing room. Inside it, several generals and politicians that reluctantly allied themselves with the Resistance stood at attention around the hologram table.
"Right on time," said General Organa. "Thank you, Poe. You should go check on the X-wings, make sure they're ready."
"Of course, General," Poe said with a nod. He gave an encouraging smile to Anakin and Tahiri and exited the briefing room, leaving the two Jedi to the generals and politicians.
He'd forgotten the murmurs that being a Jedi had brought along with his mother's co-workers. He could sense that some were pleased to see the return of Jedi, but what he mostly sensed was fear.
"Knight Solo, Knight Veila, thank you for coming on such short notice," General Organa said, smiling affectionately at her son.
"It's our duty," Anakin said, risking a quick glance at Tahiri, who nodded.
"We have called you in for your special talents," General Organa continued, making a sweeping gesture at the briefing room. "The situation with the Knights of Ren has grown to a breaking point. Kylo Ren has grown too powerful and threatens the return of Skywalker."
"What do you need me to do?" Anakin asked.
"We have no other options-your mission is to assassinate Kylo Ren," General Organa said, her voice cracking with grief.
Whispers hissed around the briefing room. One general in particular with pink hair gasped and dropped her datapad.
"General Organa, we cannot start having revenge tallies," said the pink-haired general. "I understand Kylo Ren killed General Solo, but we simply cannot-"
"I accept," Anakin said, ignoring the pleading in the Force. "He's grown too powerful. Soon he will become too powerful for anyone to fight. I will do it."
"This is the problem with Jedi," the pink-haired general said as she shook her head sadly. "They are much more trouble than they're worth."
"Sorry that we're not worth much, then," Tahiri mumbled.
"The Jedi are just too powerful to let continue," a dark-skinned general in a gold dress said. "First the old Jedi fell because of Darth Vader-and the new have fallen too. Because of another roguenJedi. If the rumors are true, General Organa, your eldee son is the cause of all this."
General Organa kept her face blank, neither confirming nor denying said rumor.
"General Whitesun has a point," Admiral Ackbar admitted, nodding at the pink-haired general. "But we cannot deny the peace the Jedi brought for a thousand generations before them. The Old Order recovered from rogue Jedi before, if the legends are true. They can recover again."
"I will make sure they do," Anakin said fiercely. "The galaxy needs Jedi- I know the Force better than you. It needs the balance the Jedi bring."
"Your religion and 'force' has brought a cycle of violence," an elderly Nubian senator reminded him. "It took the best queen my planet ever had and allowed a monster to enslave the entire galaxy. Are we all to be playthings for the benefit of some cosmic Force most beings cannot even sense?"
"No," Anakin said. "It's our job to make sure you aren't. Now isn't the time for this discussion. If you'll excuse us, I believe the Twin Suns has a job to do."
With that, he gave his respectful nod to General Organa, and took Tahiri's hand before leaving the briefing room. He hadn't really realized that he was holding her hand, however, until they'd stumbled down three different corridors before finding the exit to his mother's underground complex.
As they walked outside into the setting sun over the endless meadows and landing strips, he let go of her hand.
Why did you do that? he chided to himself.
You know why.
He shook his head and started towards the canteen when he realized Tahiri had stopped. He turned around to see her staring after him, with her sad smile.
"What's wrong?" Anakin asked.
"Nothing," she lied, her ring finger twitching; her telltale sign. "Come on, let's go watch the sunset. We won't get to see as many, where we're going."
Anakin allowed himself a smile to indulge her. Sunsets and sunrises and stars had always been Tahiri. She loved the skies and would stop to admire a pretty one. He remembered her confessing that she missed the twin suns of Tatooine the most when she'd first arrived at Yavin.
There was something foreboding about how she described their mission- where we're going. As if it was somewhere they could never come back from. And, Anakin supposed, she was right.
He's not your brother anymore, he's not Ben anymore, he told himself, screwing his eyes shut and driving out images of his older brother playing in the mud, coming when Anakin had a nightmare, teaching him out to use a lightsaber before Uncle Luke would let him pick one up. . .
He's not any of those things anymore.
Tahiri stopped and turned around again, offering her hand to Anakin. "Come on, silly."
He accepted it, and allowed her to guide him up the hills. They sat atop the peak of one and just sat in silence for a moment before Anakin retracted his hand from hers. She seemed not to mind, stretching her legs and bare feet out in front of her, basking in the dying light.
Anakin's mind had already jumped to make a plan. Stay tonight-Mother's requested private dinner with both of us. Sleep in the barracks, and then get on the Sunrider, and try a Tracking Meditation. Then follow it. If that doesn't work. . .
Enjoy here and now, he told himself. For Tahiri.