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The senate turned its back on her.

They were no longer going to help at this moment. After Aerol's message, people demanded a revote, only this time the majority voted against helping Chrysós.

She was stuck on Coruscant, no where to go and no one to care about anymore.

Venus was surrounded by the dark. She had been, for days following the catastrophe. She laid in her dark room, in her pitch black mind, all alone— cold and trembling and guilty.

It was ironic really. Venus only wanted to get her family away from Chrysós in the name of freedom and now...

now they were all dead.

There was no longer anything left in the galaxy for Venus. No one to comfort her and no one for her to comfort.

She would be better off dead.

There was a knock at her door, followed by the sound of it sliding open. The dim light from the hall shone in side, allowing whoever it was to see the silhouettes of the objects in the room.

"M'lady..." Athena cleared her throat. "There's someone here to see you."

Venus didn't answer, instead pulling the covers over her head to hide from the light. 

Athena tried once more. "At least hear him out?"

Still no response.

She could hear the shuffling around from her hiding spot. The footsteps were heavy— the person was definitely wearing boots. Venus figured it was one of the Jedi— who else would come to visit her?

"Your highness..."

General Skywalker. What did he want? Whatever it was, it didn't matter. Venus didn't bother replying.

Anakin looked up at Athena, who silently bobbed her head and left the two alone.

"I just want to talk to you." He awkwardly stood at the bedside. This wasn't appropriate at all— being in her bedroom.

That approach didn't work. For a moment, he thought about entering her mind and talking to her that way. It could be affective— but it was also invasive. Perhaps a heart to heart conversation would do just the trick— although Anakin wasn't the best with words.

So he said the first thing on his mind. "I was once enslaved on Tatooine." He started. "That's where I was born, that's where I grew up. I used to think that I would never leave that place, that I would be trapped there forever but one day, everything changed. Obi-Wan's, master Qui-Gon Jinn was able to bargain for my freedom but unfortunately, my mother had to stay... enslaved on that horrible planet."

Venus' breath grew soft while she listened to his story. What little sympathy she didn't have for herself, she had for him. There were many people who traveled to Chrysós, telling story's about the desert planet but she'd never heard any about the slavery.

"Qui-Gon died the next day. I was upset— I still am. He risked a lot to save me and look where it got him." Anakin got on his knees and rested his hands in his laps, eyes squeezing shut. "And my mother... I went to go check on her a few months ago. She was taken hostage and held captive for a while... I went to save her, but I was too late." His brows scrunched in anger, remembering the feeling of death as if it were happening all over again. His mother's last words, the terror he caused with the tuskens, it was still so fresh. "She died in my arms— I hated myself for letting it happen— I still do— but the point is that this kind of stuff happens all over the galaxy. I'm not saying to move on because believe me, I know how difficult it is— you may never move on— but you should at least be strong. You should avenge the people you lost, make things right. At least then, you can sleep at night knowing that you prevented them from causing misery to another family again."

Slowly, Venus removed the covers from her head and sat up, rubbing her swollen eyes. She didn't look at him, but she felt his cloudy blue eyes on her. "If I had just remained silent— if I had just waited for everything to take place as planned, they would all still be alive. My mother would've finally been able to retire, my sister... I did this all for my sister, so that she didn't have to marry someone that she didn't love, so that she wouldn't be abused as I was. I just wanted to save her from that— and Zae..." the tears started up once more. "Gods, Zae was only three years old. She was still a baby, I shouldn't have left her."

Anakin offered a gloved hand to her, his face as serious as ever. "Whether the Republic helps or not, I'm going to do everything that I can to make sure that your husband and brother pay. I will set things right for you. I promise."

She finally looked to him, lips parted. She didn't expect anyone to help her now and yet, here a helping hand was. The man that had once reminded her of her husband, now an ally, now a friend.

Rather than taking his hand, she scooted towards him and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Anakin."

The sound of his name rolling off her tongue made his stomach flutter. She'd only stuck to the formal titles before but now, she felt comfortable enough to call him by his name, to treat him like a normal person— not a Jedi or a General.

"I'm trapped in the darkness." She whispered into his ear.

His arms slipped around her waist, heart aching for her. "I know exactly how you feel."

Her breath hitched, heart skipping a beat. "You do?"

"It's lonely and frightening..." he gently nodded. "it's like, you're in a void, no way out."

"Yeah..." her eyes fell shut, body relaxing against his. "exactly."

Now, they were comfortable with one another— now they understood each other.

Now they had a true bond.