A/N: Hi everybody. It's been a real long time since I posted something. So happy to be back.
This is actually the first fanfiction I ever wrote. (It's not the first one I posted here.) I started it about 2 years ago but never really finished it. It's supposed to be a very long story, so I divided it into three parts. I really hope that you guys like it. And that I can finish it one day. :-)

Now, enjoy the adventure of Lieutenant N-7, Mereel. :-)

There is no word for 'Hero' I: Blind in the Force

01. Prologue

Lieutenant, may I ask for a favour? We need your help.

New intels from Republic Intelligence have provided alarming leads. We assume that the System of Khunalis which has stayed neutral in this war so far is now aiding the Separatists. It looks like that the new Khunali king is secretly building an army to march against the Republic. He has caused us trouble for many years now. He is wealthy, powerful and very convincing. With him in charge, Khunalis System might become an enemy the Republic cannot afford to have.

You might be wondering by now why I am telling you this, Lieutenant. Truth to be told, all we have are assumptions. We want you to travel to that world and find out what is really true about these rumours. The agents we have sent there are either dead or traitors now. That's why we need someone whose loyalty is unquestionable.

Once you are there, you are on your own. Apart from the truth, we could use the intels you gather and your support if diplomacy fails. I won't lie. It will be tough and it will take long. They don't like us and their intolerance for Jedi is on the edge of hatred. This is a very delicate matter. That's why we need the best man we have.

And you are one of the best, indeed. Are you up to the challenge, Lieutenant?

Jedi Master Iri Camas, Leader of the SE Brigade, to Null-ARC trooper N-7, Lieutenant Mereel. Two standard months ago.

Arena of the Fallen, Alits, Capital of Khunalis Prime, Khunalis System, Mid-Rim. Six standard months after the battle of Geonosis (ABG).

"Malusta! Malusta! Malusta! Malusta!"

"And this year's champion is… Malusta!"

"I offer two hundred thousand!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

Mereel knew that they were shouting our sums to buy him and anger came back to his consciousness.

The crowd that had feasted on his blood was yelling now. They cheered and cried out of joy with hunger in their faces. Even the women, their lust satisfied by the sight of his bare muscles were squealing now for they all loved seeing him sweaty and bloody.

He despised them. All of them.

They all longed for Mereel. For their hero they said. But in the inside, they didn't even know who their hero really was. And they didn't care. Were Mereel dead, they would have forgotten him before the sun was set. But Mereel didn't die. Mereel was their hero.

But there was no word for hero in his language, Mereel remembered. He needed to focus.

He spat in the red sand beneath his feet. The sand wasn't red when Mereel was brought here this morning. The blood of eleven men had coloured it red. He had killed them all. It almost took him the whole morning to do that. But now, they were dead at his feet and Mereel was alive.

He would never forget them. He had never forgotten a thing in his live. He would always remember that they had been innocent. He would always know that they had no choice but to die. Maybe he even relieved them from their sorrow.

And he should never forget how he had ripped their flesh open; how he had broken their bones and how he had taken their lives in the end. He should always keep in mind how his blade had entered their bodies; how his bolts had burned their skin and how they had looked at him in the last moments of their existence.

They would not be forgotten, Mereel vowed to himself.

I'm sorry. He thought. That hasn't been clean deaths. I would have spared you if I could. But believe me: you did not die in vain.

The voices from the audience were still roaring in his ears. He would rather scream and tell them all to shut up. But the character he played was a gladiator. Made and kept alive to entertain. The character he played was a fierce worrier. A man who had just won the greatest event of the year and earned his right to rise with his head held high.

So Mereel did what his mask commanded. He opened his arms and cheered. He challenged the nobles of Khunalis with slaps on his bare skin and provoked the peasants with shouts of his own. He walked in circles and let them see what they were bidding for.

The sum had reached a million by now. Mereel knew the prize for a common slave and was flattered but the high number. But deep inside, he was screaming. Screaming because every minute this show went on, bits of him was dying. He had buried his dignity a long time ago, but his humanity was a tribute he wasn't ready to pay.

Not for all the wealth in the galaxy.

But there was one man Mereel wanted to be bought by. The only man that mattered at all. The only man he couldn't see. Up on the podium and behind a white silk curtain was the man whose next action would define Mereel's live.

Come on, buy me! Mereel prayed in his heart. Come on! I know you're looking! I know you want me!

Strange words escaped Mereel's lips. Words that scratched his throat and he didn't mean. Words he knew by heart to encourage the crowd. In his own place, many might have laughed at Mereel's acting. They would have laughed until tears filled the corners of their eyes and hands covered their bellies. In his own place, Mereel himself would have laughed.

Faces and voices of his beloved brothers came back to his mind. They were all so far away and Mereel missed them every day. Did they know it? Did they miss him? Were they still able to?

Distraction was a luxury Mereel couldn't afford. He didn't have the time to dwell of those beautiful memories. He needed to focus. He needed to reach his goal.

Once again, he raised his head towards the podium of the king. Royal guard dressed in black and gold stared down at him with fierce eyes but Mereel didn't falter. He needed this. He needed his victory. He needed to give his existence a purpose.

An unfamiliar chill went down Mereel spine. For an instance, the world became still and motionless. The white podium in front of him seemed to enlarge until it filled Mereel's whole vision. The silken curtain of the king waved ghostly in the wind and a whispering voice reached his ears.

Mereel shivered and listened. But as suddenly as it came, the quiet faded and Mereel knew that the king had left.

The taste of defeat was heavy on his heart. He sighed, looking down on his own hands. For a moment, Mereel wondered if his mission had failed. If his mask was broken and his life at the end. But then, the fat man emerged from behind the curtains and all was saved. Mereel knew him from his briefings. His name was Florr and he was the salve master of the royal palest.

Looking at him, Mereel could almost predict his moves. Florr would raise his voice and claim him as a slave. Only then would Mereel let out the breath he had been holding for two months.

As Mereel had thought, Florr whispered to a man behind him. When he finally lifted both of his arms, the arena fell silent. The slave master didn't say anything but put out a red cloth from his robe and opened his fingers. The wind caught it in its force and took it up in the air. Mereel watched the piece of silk fly and held his breath. It was a ritual he didn't knew but its meaning he still understood.

Eventually, the small piece of red fabric landed right in front of his feet and the arena broke lose.

Finally! Mereel breathed out.

He glanced up. He saw the white veil and past it. His eyes followed the peak of the ancient and rested on the golden roof of the royal castle in the distance. Exactly there, in the oldest of all Khunali's buildings, Mereel's fade shall unfold.

Pietas Acrimonia, I am coming for you.

So... I hope you liked it.

I still don't really know what I should do with this story. This fandom isn't very big and slash is kind of non-existent here. But I just couldn't stop writing about Mereel and this world I created. Too much thought and too many sleepless night were devoted to this story. (I think I'm crazy. XD)
I did a painting for this story once and I'm thinking about doing more along the way. I'll post them when the time is right. ^^

Thank you so much for reading. I'll be so happy if you leave a comment and tell me what you guys think. :-)

HeavenOnFire