Saga That Which Is Remembered OC(Sequel to TLAWR) Updated 7/23

Finally at long last, the sequel to http://boards.theforce.net/fan_fiction_stories_classic_jc_board_reply_only/b10016/1351574/p1]The[/url] Lond and Winding Road. It is rather important that you read TLAWR first, otherwise you might be just a little bit confused.

I'll try to post often, maybe once a week if not more, but please be patient if things drag a little longer than that And feedback would be much appreciated!

**

Title: That Which Is Remembered(TWIR)Part One

Author: JediKnight-Obi-Wan

Disclaimer:An-Paj is Jane Jinn's.

Summary: Five years after Alex Arieh's mindwipe, his padawan, Meri Irhanah attains her knighthood. When the unexpected happens, Meri is forced to deal with her past and the one person she now wishes she'd never known.


Cast Part 1:

Alex Arieh: age 30
Meri Irhanah: age 24

Appearances by:

Obi-Wan Kenobi: 23


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Darkness shrouded the room where Meri Irhanah stood; one of the vacant meditation rooms in the Temple. Her normally graceful and poised posture was more careworn than usual, yet relaxed in a way that suggested she knew she was alone and had to keep up no pretense for others. Long ago she had learned that the easiest way to handle questions was to have them not asked at all and any visible weakness brought on such questions. Her brow was drawn in a contemplative expression as her fingers restlessly fingered the long padawan braid that hung over her shoulder.

Her dark eyes gazed unseeing out at the busy view of Coruscant, where ships made patterns across the skyline as they followed the different sky lanes. No one seeing her from the outside would have guess at the sudden upheaval of emotions within the young woman. Nor would they have understood why.

Only a few hours before, Meri had learned that she had attained the goal of her life. The goal that she had been constantly working for the past twenty odd years of her life was finally accomplished. She had passed her trials and yet…she was not happy. If anything her soul was being sucked down in a swirling vortex of grief and despair at the realization of what achieving this goal meant.

She almost didn't understand it herself. She had thought that long ago she had reconciled herself to the realization that Alex Arieh was not going to regain what he had lost, most importantly, his memory of her and their past together. Yet the prospect of relinquishing the small bond they still held as master and apprentice shot tendrils of fear and pain through her heart.

At that thought she stopped and questioned herself. In truth it wasn't the breaking of the training bond she feared. That was so insubstantial that it caused no passing concern. However there was another bond…another…something. She had never quite pinned it down. The thing she cherished most was that it held the sense of her Alex, the old Alex. This particular tether between the two was inactive, with Alex's end disappearing behind the blank wall that was his memory loss, yet still Meri treasured the connection. On days she felt the most alone she could lightly touch it and feel the faintest echo of the Alex she had long ago fallen in love with.

Hope…

She thought all hope had died long ago, but she had been deceiving herself. She had hoped. In order to survive she had held onto the last tiny grain of hope that Alex would someday wake up and remember her…remember what they had once shared.

But he hasn't… and he won't Meri…why do you torment yourself even hanging on to the prospect?

She had no answers for the question. In the last five years she'd thrown herself and her very soul into one focus, that of becoming a Jedi knight. Now with that attained she should be happy. She was free of facing the person who, inwardly and without ever suspecting, caused her unbearable grief.

Why then was she so sad?

"Meri?"

The voice cut through the chaotic thoughts of the wounded young woman and immediately her posture melted into the front of a poised Jedi even as she turned to face the familiar voice.

"Why do you do that?" Obi-Wan asked sadly as he stepped out of the shadows. "Do you think I don't see?"

Meri carefully kept her expression neutral as her long time friend Obi-Wan Kenobi stepped closer. "And what do you see, Obi-Wan?" she asked allowing only a hint of emotion to show. Without waiting for his answer she turned back to the floor length windows, her gaze fixed outward.

She could feel his eyes studying her and she flinched visibly when he touched her cheek softly with the back of his fingers.

"I see someone who never grieved for a loved one. And it's eating them inside."

Meri drew in a shuddering breath and clenched her eyes shut tight. "Not now, Obi-Wan. Please, not now."

Obi-Wan allowed his hand to drop back to his side. "You should be happy, Meri. This is a day that should be celebrated."

She turned to look at him, plastering on a fake smile she had learned to perfect in the past years. "I am happy."

Hazel eyes studied her face for long moments. He tilted his head, before shaking it sadly. "No, you're not. You're dying inside, yet you refuse to see it…or admit it."

Dying…?

The word danced through her mind and Meri couldn't deny the appeal it seemed to have. Without giving herself time to analyze that train of thought, she focused her attention back on the young man standing before her who saw too much.

She gave a light, false laugh before shaking her head. "A bit melodramatic don't you think?"

Obi-Wan released a sigh that conceded she was not going to talk about her past or any other element of it. After all, she never had and that, above everything else worried him.

"You are happy then? To be knighted?"

"Of course," the lie rolled of her tongue with practiced ease. "It's what I've been working towards my whole life."

"Are you excited? I heard the ceremony is to be tomorrow evening."

"Yes. I'll be glad to put it behind me," she added quietly, her tone inflections faltering ever so slightly over the words. "You'll be there?" She recovered herself quickly enough to ask him.

"I wouldn't miss it, Mer," he said softly, a hint of distress still lingering in his tone. "Not for anything."

 

Excellent start JKOW...Obi's a sweetheart, and Meri THINKS she is a good liar

 

Oh. Very nice.

 

bravissimo! great start, JKOW!! poor Meri...still....i can't wait for more! get that next post up soon, please!

 

Nice start.

What? Did you think the red headed black sheep of the Boards miss a geniune work?

FORWARD!

 

I'm so glad this finally got started! Awesome start, and can't wait for more!

 

Thanks for the replies everyone. Here is the next post. This is where it starts getting interesting...Enjoy!

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Meri smoothed her hands nervously over her cream colored tunics before clipping her lightsabre to her belt. The slight trembling in her hands was the only outward sign that she was nervous with what was about to occur and her lips curled upwards wryly as she thought that she just might rather be in the infirmary than face what she must. And she had a long-standing hatred for being restrained to an infirmary bed.

With a last sigh of resignation, Meri shrugged on her robe and fingered her long padawan braid one last time. The idea that this term of her life was over seemed hard to accept. With another wry twist of her lips, Meri couldn't help but think she should be used that by now. Her life was one long story of accepting rough circumstances.

Ahh a Jedi's life…, she mused sardonically, giving herself one more glance in the reflective mirror.

She looked presentable at least, even if her insides were a churning mess. Pulling on the Force, Meri allowed it to soothe her jittery nerves and the sense of foreboding that seemed to hang with her. It was her knighting ceremony. Nothing was especially foreboding about that. Don't let your personal feelings get involved, she instructed herself in what had become a familiar mantra over the past years. She repeated the mantra a few times as she continued her steady pace to the arena where the ceremony was being held.

She couldn't let anything show now. Not today of all days. If she allowed herself to release one bit of emotion, it could sweep her away with its intensity. She knew it would be difficult to do, but she also knew the past five years had schooled her to hide any emotion behind the blank facade she had long ago created.

Pushing aside any remaining nervousness, Meri entered the arena in tight control. She gave brief, but gracious replies to those who offered her congratulations while her eyes scanned the room, taking note of who was present.

Only a few of the Council members were there to officiate the ceremony. Mace Windu, Plo Koon and Adi Gallia. Obi-Wan was present with his Master, as well as a few of her other acquaintances.

Her eyes briefly met Rani Veko's across the room before she allowed her gaze to slide away in a natural shift of sight. A few of her Master's friends were present as well, apparently. She stomped down any emotions seeing the older woman brought to her. The past was just that…and it was going to stay there.

Before she was ready, she was summoned to the center of the arena. Automatically she knelt before the three Council members with her master standing off to the side waiting. She had to fight down another burst of almost panic that rose within her, brutally crushing it before it even began to grow. Only the tips of her fingers twitched to show her displeasure at her lack of control.

No personal feelings…not now, she commanded herself sternly, the words of Mace Windu drowning out in the wake of her jumbled thoughts.

When Alex stepped to her side she was forced to bring herself back to what was going on in front of her. With a gentle hand, Alex tilted her head and cut her braid. Meri repressed a shiver at the feel of the cold metal against her neck as he clipped it free.

Unexpectedly their eyes met, blue fastening on dark brown and for long moments they seemed to be measuring one another. There was a flicker of emotion in the crystal blue depths of Alex's eyes and Meri looked down quickly. She knew what was to come next and had the strange feeling he was dreading it almost as much as she.

Meri took in a deep breath, trying to steady herself as Alex prepared to dissolve their fragile training bond.

Closing her eyes, she placed her hands flat on her thighs and waited for the gentle touch from Alex that would proceed the dissolving of their bond. She wasn't expecting there to be any mental pain or anguish at the occurrence. Ever since the mind wipe five years previous, they hadn't held a bond of any significance; not unless one counted the almost phantom bond that connected her to Alex, but she didn't expect that to be touched. She knew Alex wasn't aware of it and she had her doubts that it even was a bond of any sort.

Meri's brow creased in a frown as she felt the tall knight reach out, linking their minds. At first his mental contact was gentle as he easily dissolved the small training bond between them, but then she felt him grasp the phantom bond.

She almost jerked at the shard of pain that went shooting through her mind at the unexpected contact and barely refrained from gasping audibly. It took every ounce of her control not to fight what he was attempting to do. The sensation was akin to sitting back and letting someone attempt to slice her throat with a vibro blade.

Before the first pain had even time to fade to an echo another one tore through her mind…and then another. This is wrong, she realized blindly through the haze of pain clouding her mind. It shouldn't hurt this much…

The pain didn't stop, but increased, feeling as if the Jedi master were tearing and shredding the bond between them as opposed to dissolving it. Meri wavered on her knees as the pain cascaded over her, her hand shooting out to catch herself on the floor before she fell and curled up into a fetal position, as she wanted to.

At last it stopped and Meri fought to open her eyes and look up at the knight before her. Alex was pale and beads of sweat glistened on his brow. He was looking down at her confused, pain clouding his blue eyes.

Meri looked up at him, wounded betrayal written clearly in her face as she wobbled unsteadily on her knees. Her breaths were shallow and she felt tremors begin to sweep over her body as the sharp pain in her mind dulled to a throbbing thought numbing pain. The sensation overrode any headache she had ever had, topping even the severe migraine she had once had during an illness.

The void growing within her at the phantom bond's sudden absence was like an empty dark hole, sucking in everything else and Meri faltered as she attempted to understand the aching, gnawing pain. Her lips tried to form words to protest what he had just done…the betrayal he had just committed. He'd stolen her Alex…the real Alex from her…he had no right to do that. This wasn't supposed to happen…he wasn't supposed to touch that bond.

Faintly Meri heard the applause as she was introduced as a knight to the order and vaguely she realized this was a prompting that she should rise to her feet. It was expected of her…wasn't it? Suddenly she wasn't sure of anything any more. The room reeled and dark spots alternated with bright flashing globes in front of her vision as the pain flared to a new height. Her hearing began to fade in and out as the murmur of concerned voices grew.

Her gaze narrowed as she watched Alex stumble away, Rani and Mace Windu reaching for his arms to steady him as they questioned the pale knight in concern.

There was another violent contraction of pain in her mind and she didn't even notice the moan that slipped out as her hand came up to cradle her head.

She didn't notice how deathly still the room had become, nor the fact that Obi-Wan was about to break protocol and rush to her side. She didn't even notice when Adi Gallia approached, her questions sliding over the new knight like water as Meri fought the unbearable pain inside.

The concerned questions never reached her ears as she toppled forward, unconsciousness a welcome darkness without pain.

 

oh. my. goodness.


//lifts jaw up from off the floor//


you MUST post more today. oh. my. oh. my.

//wrings hands//












Tell me again why i read your stories? they always leave me in agonies!!! //glare// why'd ya have to be such a good writer anyway!

//considers going off in a huff

//realizes huff = missing story

//gathers dignity

//waits

 

Ack! You canst not leaveth it there! Poor Meri...and darn Alex, breaking the wrong bond!

I smell trouble...

 

Up! Maybe more people will see and read.

 

Looks good.

Makes note to self, swf start replying to stories you are reading.

 

Yes! Please reply.

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An-Paj had never been so stumped over an ailment of a patient in his life. Sitting down at his desk, he pulled the stack of medical data cards closer and began to quickly peruse them.

Meri Irhanah and Alex Arieh had been brought in, both suffering from acute signs of shock and some sort of mental pain and this right after the breaking of a simple training bond. The healers had been forced to sedate Meri as they fought to bring her body out of the state of shock it had fallen in to. Alex was in the same condition, but in a somewhat lessened state. He would at least be coherent enough to talk in a few hours and An-Paj was counting on that to clarify a few things.

Quickly An-Paj brought up the list of bonds that were known among the Jedi, eliminating those that didn't match the symptoms of his patients. Meri and Alex must have held some sort of bond that was very strong…and from what he could see, dangerous. He wasn't a mind healer by any stretch, but even he could see that Meri wasn't responding to their methods to bring her out of the shock she had fallen into.

The list of bonds quickly dwindled to three remaining types…the Master and Apprentice bond, a Life bond, and a Union bond. All choices seemed almost highly unlikely to the healer. A master and apprentice bond had never had this kind of power over the two individuals. It was strong, but the breaking of it did not crush the individuals. And knowing that Meri and Alex had not held a bond their entire life eliminated the Life bond. That left the bond of Union.

An-Paj's brow furrowed at as he re-read the criteria of the bond. It fit….and that is what shocked him most. It was rare, that he could be sure of, having never seen a Jedi pair in his life that held one. And according to the history of the bond in this data card, it had long ago been marked off as "dangerous" by the Jedi Council. There were other reasons for their blatant disapproval of the bond however. A Union bond was only held by two Jedi in a relationship…a romantic relationship. This was perhaps the most shocking news of all for An-Paj. According to these data cards a Union bond was formed when two Jedi physically consummated their relationship.

First of all, the Jedi Council was strongly against the relationships in Jedi almost to the point of forbidding them. Very few Jedi held relationships and those that did hold them usually connected to a non-Force user. Secondly An-Paj had known that Meri and Alex were more than what they seemed. He knew that Meri was in love with Alex, but he had never suspected this depth of a relationship prior to the Jedi's mind wipe. He couldn't imagine Alex having the gumption to actually sleep with Meri under the Council's nose…but apparently…according to what he was reading, he must have.

An-Paj pushed his chair back from the desk, his white brows almost reaching his hairline at the implications of what he was reading. The Council wouldn't be happy…not in the least.

Findings such as these were grounds to expel the both of them, especially Alex Arieh, from the Jedi Order. However times had grown rough for the Jedi. The galaxy was no longer so kind to the protectors of peace and the Jedi's numbers were decreasing at a startling rate. Just what the Jedi Council would do with this information, the healer couldn't be sure. What he did know was that this information could not be hidden.

He was due to turn in a report within the next few hours to the Jedi Council, who were expecting a full debriefing on both his patients. Quickly An-Paj typed up the report before setting it aside, his thoughts on Meri Irhanah.

If what he'd read was true, then the young woman in his care was in grave danger. Union bonds could grow to such a strength that if broken it could kill. If one were to die in combat the other could very well follow suit. If by chance one managed to survive the other's passing they faced severe depression. Some of the cases that An-Paj had read in the history data cards had ended in suicide.
It was no wonder the bonds had become extinct in the way of Jedi living. The healer had had to search long and hard to find the small bits of information that he did find. He didn't even know what a bond of that magnitude could mean. His natural healer instinct wanted to test and analyze such a thing, but up till now it had been unheard of. What could two Jedi do that were connected in such a manner? Were their Force powers increased?

Moving to his feet An-Paj pushed the curiosity from his mind and moved down the hall and into Meri's room. The young woman was tossing and turning and even in her sleep he could sense her discomfort.

There was a rustle at the door and An-Paj turned to see one of the healer apprentices.

"Master, Padawan Kenobi wants to know if he can see her?"

An-Paj shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not. Tell him it will be awhile yet."

The apprentice nodded and left and An-Paj turned back to gaze at Meri for a bit longer. If his perceptions were right then he worried about what would happen when Meri woke. He knew with what he was sensing they would have to tread carefully. She had a long road to recovery ahead of her…if she could.

Memories…




His unconscious dreams were dark and murky, filled with memories that seemed just out of reach. Always that blank, white wall loomed in his mind, blocking him from questions that burned in him to be answered. Now the aching pain in his mind seemed to originate from there and with a huge push of effort, Alex threw everything he had against the blank wall…and to his surprise it crumbled…


In his mind's eye he saw her again…flowing robes of blood, clawed hands with sharp talons reaching for the helpless, graceful figure at her feet. The sith witch; She who was responsible for this, the one who had taken his memory of her…his heart…


Meri!



Love tore through him then, so strong it caused his heart to stumble in its rhythm before taking off in a mad dash. Everything crashed in on him, in this strange dream images from throughout their years together since his memory wipe ran through his mind and he saw the consequences. He saw the pain and understood the betrayal on Meri's face as she looked up at him after he broke their bond.
'No, no, no,' his mind took up the internal chant as he realized just what he'd done and what affect it had on Meri. He was appalled at what he'd done, at what had occurred. It wasn't supposed to happen this way…he was supposed to have his memory. He was supposed to be free to love her now.


In his mind's eye he saw her before him, just out of reach, standing dejected with a face so full of anguish he felt an echo of it within him. 'I'm sorry,' he thought to the image…reaching for her, longing to touch her face, to taste her lips...but she turned from him.


'Meri! NO!'


Alex jerked upright in the infirmary bed, his breath coming in huge gasp as he fought for air. A smooth sheen of sweat covered his brow, his black hair tousled and his tunics rumpled.

Frantically Alex tried to hold onto the dream he'd just had…or was it a nightmare, but all memory of the dream slipped out of his grasp, and he was left only with a madly pounding heart and shortness of breath. Coming back to awareness, he found his lightsabre in his hand, and realized he was still dressed in his formal Jedi attire. It was then he also realized he had an audience and the dark, calculating gaze made him instinctively raise his mental shields.

Wincing, Alex eased his hand up to cradle his aching head, waiting for Mace Windu to speak. The dark gaze left him feeling strangely wary and uneasy. He couldn't have explained why. Perhaps it was the lingering effects of whatever dream or nightmare he'd just had.

He had questions of his own to ask, but he would defer to the Jedi Master before him. The last thing he remembered would have placed him back at his padawan's knighting ceremony. Now he was obviously in the infirmary with an aching head that would have put anyone with a hangover to shame. And details of what had occurred before that were rather unclear.

Mentally, Alex probed the blank wall in his mind, but the only thing he accomplished was realizing the pain was originating from there, the wall still stood firmly. At last he opened his eyes and couldn't help the small groan that eased past his lips, as the light seemed to assault his eyes.

Gingerly, he raised his head to meet the inquisitive master's gaze, keeping a tight reign on his mental shields.

"How do you feel, Master Arieh?"

Alex grimaced, lowered his hand and answered honestly. "As though I've drank a whole barrel of Correllian brandy," he said dryly.

The Councilor's brows rose imperiously, and his lips twitched, but he showed no other emotion.
Rebelliously, Alex wondered if it was against their personal mandates to show humor or any personality whatsoever.

"Do you know what happened?"

Did he know what happened? Why yes, let me write up a report and I'll have it done within the hour…


Alex had to bite his tongue to keep from responding with an answer so full of sarcasm it would have made his padawan proud. He didn't understand why he was feeling so hostile towards the Jedi Master and tried to imbue some control over his thoughts. The pain in his head made that difficult however, and that was the only reason he could think of for his wayward thoughts.

"Not exactly, no," he managed to answer.

The dark skinned Jedi's face showed no expression at this news. "The healers came to the conclusion that it had something to do with your bond…," he trailed off as though expecting the knight in the infirmary bed to confirm or deny it.

"Perhaps," Alex returned just as vaguely. How was he to know what had happened? he wondered.

"Alex, did you have a…close relationship with your apprentice?"

The question couldn't have come as more of a surprise and the hint of implication made his blood quicken in the slightest bit of annoyance.

The ever-perceptive Councilor picked up on the slight change in the currents of the Force around the younger Jedi and hastened to continue. "Any thing you can tell us will help us decide what might have gone wrong or what caused this."

Alex nodded, though the wary feeling of earlier had returned stronger than before. "Our relationship as a master and padawan has been relatively normal, Master. I can't think of anything that would have caused either of us to react in such a manner."

"Were you close?" the older Jedi pressed.

Alex's blue eyes narrowed and his body tensed. "No more and no less than any other master and padawan."

A flash of memory of Meri looking up at him with a sense of betrayal on her face sped through his mind and he frowned as he felt an answering twinge of guilt. What did he have to be guilty for?

"You don't think that your apprentice might have harbored feelings for you, do you Master Arieh?"

The tensing of his body was visible this time and his annoyance at such a question was clearly felt through the Force. He didn't like what he was being accused of, or his padawan for that matter. He wanted to be the one asking questions…after all, this had happened to him. Whatever 'this' was!

"No." He answered coolly. "I'm not feeling well. I'd like to speak to Healer An-Paj."

Master Windu smiled tightly as he rose slowly to his feet. "Don't get upset, Master Arieh. We are simply exploring all directions with this strange occurrence."

Alex's blue eyes were glacial but he didn't meet the gaze of the Jedi Councilor. Something was wrong here and he wanted answers.

"Where is my padawan?" He had a sudden burning need to know and a strangely compelling urge to go find out for himself.

"Knight Irhanah is doing fine. We look forward to having such a talented Jedi Knight in our order."

Alex didn't miss the emphasis put on 'knight' and again that strange sensation washed over him. He forced himself to nod in acknowledgement of the Councilor as he left, but the questions swarming his mind were becoming too many.

 

[face_shocked] whoa! those last two posties were just out of this world! amazing, JKOW! i'm eagerly awaiting more!

 

Wonderful post.

 

Hurray, it's finally here. How I missed the first posts, I don't know...but I found it in the index!
Very powerfully written. Poor Meri and yet Alex still doesn't know. A Union bond and with the bond's break, depression and even death. Is that only for those who know about the bond (Meri) or does that include both partners?
The Council will not be pleased!!!!

 

Poor Meri...being stuck in the infirmary again...and for losing her deep gbond with Alex I really liked his conversation with Mace...kinda looks like the council is going down!

Excellent work....thou MUSTETH post more soon!

 

when two Jedi physically consummated their relationship

when the heck did *THAT* happen?!?

 

That first post really pulled me into the story... all that torment... wow, beautifully written. I'm glad to see that at least Obi-Wan seems aware of what's really going on with his friend. Oh no... not the phantom bond too!!! I was beginning to wonder at the room full of Jedi unaware of the pain going on with Meri. So Alex does have some sort of memory of what he shared with his apprentice.. if only in dreams. Though I understand the relevence of Mace's questions, I don't blame Alex for getting upset. Perhaps the one to help look into this situation is Yoda, as he was aware of how Alex and Meri felt... at least five years ago.

Awesome start JKOW. I was surprised to see this here as the timeline seems to fit better with [/b Before the Saga[/i]. *shrug* Either way a fabulous start!!

Post often, post soon!

 

Before the Saga, The Saga, ah, so many places to be, so little time.

Sorry, I'm a bit loopy with the lack of sleep and all.

Great start JKOW! It's nice to see this extensive story arc slowly make its way toward the conclusion. I can't wait to read how it all turns out!

 

I'm glad to see some of my old readers found this thread

Okay, in answers to some of the questions.

A Union bond and with the bond's break, depression and even death. Is that only for those who know about the bond (Meri) or does that include both partners?

It includes both of them. Alex will just experience it to a lesser degree because of his memory loss.

When two Jedi physically consummated their relationship...when the heck did *THAT* happen?!?

LOL it didn't. The healer is just assuming. This type of bond is very rare, so the only thing they know about it, is in the history records. Therefore, he's going by what they already know. Meri and Alex just shared such a strong connection that it happened without that small factor. For instsance, it may have happened that time at Solstice.... Though they didn't go all the way, they were pretty involved with each other.


So Alex does have some sort of memory of what he shared with his apprentice..

Yes, he does and that will be key later as he keeps having dreams of the past more and more.


Perhaps the one to help look into this situation is Yoda, as he was aware of how Alex and Meri felt... at least five years ago.

Actually in The Long and Winding Road I changed that bit from USJS. I didn't have Yoda find out about them. But, you do have a point and I did mean to mention that at this point of the story Yoda's not involved because he's off in one of his long meditation sessions that he goes into. So the Council is going to make some decisions he probably wouldn't have agreed with entirely.

Awesome start JKOW. I was surprised to see this here as the timeline seems to fit better with Before the Saga.

The reason I put this story in The Saga is that the main story line will take place about four to five years down the road and I was under the impression you had to place the story in the category that most of the story takes place in. So four to five years later would make Obi-Wan a master to Anakin and all that. And if I'm not mistaken The Saga deals with the events from TPM to the Return of the Jedi.


Thanks for reading all! I'm really glad to see you all replying. For a while I thought everyone had abandoned me

 

are you kidding?!? I check for posts from you almost every weekday...

 

Leona mentioned to me that you had started posting and I'm so glad she did!

Like everyone else I was sucked in with the first post! I look forward to more! Awesome start JKOW!

 

Now the Order is getting nosy and poor Alex still doesn't have a full clue what's going on. Don't you hate those left behind Sith curses?

FORWARD!

 

Thanks for readings and replying everyone! It's so heartening to hear from yall!

Well if you though the Council was being unwise before...just wait till after this.


|=======|---------------------------->

* 24 standard hours later:*

An-Paj was stunned as he stared at the Council member before him. He had to be mistaken. "I beg you pardon?" he asked quietly, sitting up straighter in his office chair. The dark skinned Jedi before him did not just suggest what he thought he did.

"We have decided to send Meri to Urukier to recover. We have a Jedi center there; she will be able to recover in peace…away from the Temple. Alex will remain here, under your care, Master healer," Mace Windu repeated carefully.

"With all due respect, Master, you don't know what you're saying," the healer began, fighting to keep the disbelief from his voice. "Meri Irhanah cannot be sent away, not now. The state she is in is too fragile. I specified that in my report, you can't…,"

"Master Healer," Mace interrupted firmly. "We have read your report and we have come to a decision. Knight Irhanah will be sent to Urukier."

An-Paj stared dumbfounded at the Councilor before him for long moments. And then it began to sink in. The Council didn't want this revealed. If it were, they would be made to take a more forceful course of action, ending in expulsion for one or both of them. They needed Alex Arieh…he was a talented Jedi Master and with Jedi numbers dwindling they couldn't lose him over something like this.

However Meri….An-Paj's jaw hardened at the realization of what they were doing and everything within him that was healer cried against it. Because of Alex having more years behind his status he was placed above Meri in importance. And since the healer had implicated in his report that Meri might not survive this after her past history in this area, the Council was essentially condemning her to death.

"Master Windu," he began his voice almost shaking with repressed emotion. "You cannot send Meri away! She needs the Jedi now more than ever. You must realize what you're doing…we can't just turn our backs on her!"

The Councilor's dark eyes were full of remorse as he shook his head. "Master An-Paj, the Council has made its decision and I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" An-Paj questioned, his blue skin beginning to flush almost purple in anger. "You are willingly killing one of our own and you are sorry?"

This time the dark eyes flashed in warning at the healer. "Remember your place, Master An-Paj. This matter is no longer of your concern. Have Knight Irhanah ready for travel by morning." With those words the Councilor swept to his feet and out of the healer's office.

Urukier



The Jedi center on Urukier was no more than a small building, built to accommodate only two Jedi at most. It was situated close to the beaches of Urukier and the rolling water and crashing waves could be seen from the back portico, where chairs had been placed for just such a pass time.

It was here that Meri sat slumped in one of the fine wicker chairs, her head tilted to the side, resting against the large wooden poles that supported the overhang. Her dark eyes, though looking toward the beach, were unfocused, and the large, dark circles under her eyes that marred her pale skin could have been mistaken for bruises.

The air was humid, but a gentle breeze blew and kept it from ever getting too warm. The air smelled fresh and had a salty tang and the waves could be heard in the distance as they crashed rhythmically onto shore. The entire set up was made to be comforting. But Meri wasn't comforted. She'd been on Urukier only two days, and already the change of scenery had worn off. It hadn't changed things. And it certainly hadn't changed the consuming acknowledgement of her failure.

Meri had trained for 24 years to achieve the status of Jedi knight only to realize that she had just been sent off to a remote planet out of the Jedi Order's way. She didn't pretend to understand why, but she could guess. And the only thing that seemed to stand out in her mind was her reaction at the knighting ceremony. At the time she had thought she couldn't help it, but she had gone back and analyzed it multiple times and finally come to the conclusion that she hadn't met the standard. She hadn't stood up to their expectations. They had told her differently, certainly, said that it wasn't unusual for a new knight to go off for some time alone to regroup his thoughts. Yet no time limit had been placed on her stay and in fact she'd been told she would be informed on when she would need to return. An assurance she didn't quite believe in.

But she no longer cared…about anything. Her tunics were rumpled and she hadn't changed them in a day. Her hair was unfettered and hanging down about her waist, a mass of tangles born from tossing and turning sleeplessly in bed. She had given up on that as well…She hadn't been able to sleep since she had awoken from the infirmary.

The healers had informed her that she'd experienced a trauma when her master broke their bond and that it wasn't entirely unusual for such a thing. She'd woken up disoriented, with a headache that had no equal before it; and the hungry dark hole within her had only grown stronger. She could no longer fight the sense of betrayal she felt toward Alex.

At the thought of the handsome Jedi Master, Meri couldn't admit to feeling or wishing that he would remember her. Now she only wanted to be left alone. She felt as though she had been torn into ten different directions and she no longer knew what she felt for him.

Admittance never would have passed through her lips, but she feared him. Never had she experienced such clawing biting pain and it hadn't dulled. Yet at the same time, she craved to be held in his arms, the only place she had ever felt safe. At any hint of those thoughts, Meri slammed them brutally out of her mind. Look what that had gotten her so far…look what loving him had accomplished. She wasn't worth anything sitting out here in the sand and her feelings and emotions had only created a useless Jedi. She was useless.

The wounded young woman was so consumed in thought that she didn't see the approaching figure until he was almost standing right next to her. Belatedly her Jedi senses registered the new presence and startled, she glanced up into the face above hers.

The man wasn't overly tall, and looked to be somewhere in his forties. His build was thick, but muscular and his hair was a brownish gray. His eyes were the deep gray/blue of a cloudy day and his face was kindly. He looked down on her and she didn't miss the surprise and then pity that came into his eyes. Immediately she drew the remains of her shattered defense around her and shuttered her expression.

"I hope I'm not intruding," he offered kindly. "But it is very rarely that any Jedi come to stay and in their absence I am responsible for the upkeep of the center."

Before she answered, Meri made move to stand up, but she tried too quickly and swooned as blackness covered her vision. Frantically her hand flayed for a hold on something and suddenly two strong hands grasped her wrist. Slowly her vision cleared and she saw the concerned gaze of the older man looking upon her.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," she answered curtly, pulling her hands away from his. "I just forgot to eat this morning," she lied. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten.

If he was skeptical, the man didn't show it. "I'm Dylan Saluone," he introduced himself and then looked at her expectantly.

Meri's eyes drifted away from his gaze briefly as she debated and then turned back to him. "You can just call me Meri," she answered shortly.

"Jedi Meri," he began, but Meri lifted her hand. "Please, just Meri." A bitter smile twisted her lips as he looked at her strangely.

He nodded before continuing. "Meri, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. My wife and I live just down the beach."

"Thank you," she words sounded stiff even to her own ears.

"I also wanted to warn you against swimming in the water here. On the other side of the bay there are certain times swimming is safe, but here the undertows are too dangerous. They will pull you under if you wade out to far."

Meri nodded and again mumbled a 'Thank you,' though his warning hadn't escaped her notice. She felt his eyes studying her bedraggled appearance and she felt the first pangs of self-consciousness at the state she had allowed herself to fall in.

Dylan smiled warmly at her in a reassuring manner before taking a step back. "I'll let you get back to your peace and quiet. I just wanted to say hello and let you know about the water."

Meri dropped her eyes and then flushed when she realized she wasn't even wearing shoes. "Thank you," she said softly, the first hint of vulnerability creeping into her tone.

Meri didn't see, but Dylan's eyes softened as he looked at the young woman. "Perhaps you can come to dinner some evening. I'm sure my wife would love to meet you as well."

Without giving her a chance to answer he nodded in farewell and turned away. After he left, her eyes strayed to the blue/green water and white sandy beach before she headed inside.

 

Good post.

Someone needs to knock some sense into the council. I know, it will never happen.