Author's Notes: So, as I said in the epilogue of Out of the Ruins, Out of the Wreckage, I've decided to split the changed Star Wars EU into smaller pieces. This is a series of one-shots that chronicle the changes in Obi-Wan's relationship with Merit and explore the adjustments the Jedi make as a result in the changes in the Order. They won't be in any particular order … some will be funny (hopefully), some will be sad, and others might even be sexy. Just depends on where the muse takes me. We're kicking it off with this piece taking place two years after the end of Out of the Ruins, Out of the Wreckage, which was inspired by the tv show Arrow. I've been trying to work out why I prefer Slade Wilson and Malcolm Merlyn, two of the bad guys on the show, to the hero Oliver Queen. Some of it has to do with the fact that they (or the actors who play them) are around my own age. In any event, I was amusing myself with the idea of Slade as an Assassin in Assassin's Creed and then as a Jedi. Specifically, what if Slade was a Jedi, as was Shado, and how would things play out. And, of course, the next thing I know, I have Jedi Knight Tayn Sione talking at me. So, just for the sake of clarity, there are six Arrow-inspired characters: Tayn Sione (Slade Wilson); Tama (Shado); Zalan (Oliver Queen); Jadzia (Sara Lance); Dr. Veles (Anthony Ivo); and Alastor Bezalel (Malcolm Merlyn)
Disclaimer: The Galaxy Far, Far Away doesn't belong to me. Nor do the characters you recognize. Tayn, Tama, Zalan, Jadzia and Alastor were inspired by characters and situations on the tv show Arrow, so I probably shouldn't claim them. Merit, however, is mine … feel free to borrow, just ask first and return her intact.
Part One
Life or Death
Over the last two years, as the Jedi Order lurched forward into this galaxy that was undergoing so many changes, there were several times when Merit scared the Force out of him. However, this was the greatest scare yet. She stood with the unlit lightsaber pressed against her breastbone, her face utterly serene … it was Obi-Wan's heart that was currently racing like an out-of-control speeder. If their emotionally unstable brother Jedi turned his 'saber on, Merit would die. There was no way she couldn't know this, and yet there she stood. And there wasn't a kriffing thing he could do to protect his partner. Her eyes remained locked with the trembling Jedi in front of her as she repeated in a quiet, firm voice, "If you want to kill him, you'll have to go through me. Is it worth it, Tayn? Are the consequences of killing a sister Jedi worth killing a civilian who couldn't protect two people at once? And we've already established that I won't move, so don't even bother telling me that. Is … it … worth … it?"
Obi-Wan didn't know Jedi Knight Tayn Sione that well. He was several years older, for one thing … and for another, like Ky Narec, he'd been stranded on Rattarak. His marooning lasted a little over six months, but it was still six months of being stranded. Obi-Wan made a mental note to warn the Council about that planet … Jedi kept getting stranded there. Like Ky Narec, Tayn Sione found others also stranded and like Knight Narec, Sione trained the two young civilians he found there along with his partner on the mission, the newly-knighted Tama Ubreki. But where Ky Narec left the planet with his new padawan (whom Obi-Wan still hadn't met), Tayn would be leaving without his partner. Earlier that day, Tama Ubreki died at the hands of an insane scientist using the planet as his own personal lab. He was dead as well, killed by the grief-stricken Jedi even now pressing his lightsaber into the sternum of Obi-Wan's own partner.
"She chose him … she chose him and when she needed him most, he chose Jadzia!" Knight Sione retorted hoarsely, terrifyingly close to breaking. Merit was slowly shaking her head and Obi-Wan didn't have to see her face to know that her eyes were filled with pity. The knight repeated, "He chose someone else over her, when she'd chosen him … when she'd protected him." And still, Merit shook her head. The knight's thumb trembled, but the lightsaber remained off. For now. Obi-Wan tried to calculate how long he would have to save her if she was unable to talk Tayn Sione down, but it didn't look good.
"Tayn. Think. You and Tama are both trained Jedi … Zalan is a civilian. Yes, while you've been marooned here, you've taught him a great deal. But … you … are … a … Jedi. He is not. You cannot expect him to be in a situation which you've been trained for, and he hasn't, and have him make the same decisions, it just doesn't work like that! But more than that, the blaster wasn't pointing at Tama during the confrontation … it was pointing at Jadzia. Zalan just moved to protect the woman who was currently in danger," Merit said in that same quiet, firm voice she'd used all along. Obi-Wan dared a quick look at the heartbroken young man standing behind her, the aforementioned Jadzia at his side, holding his hand tightly. Merit added, not even glancing over her shoulder, "You will be silent, Jadzia … if he hears your voice, there will be nothing I can do to stop him." It was understood because she would be dead.
The girl closed her mouth with a snap and glared at Merit's back, but Merit ignored her and focused on Tayn. He was trembling now, and Obi-Wan allowed himself the brief thought (however unworthy of a Jedi) that Veles died too quickly. The drug he'd been testing on inhabitants of Rattarak was bad enough on beings without Force sensitivity … it turned them into super soldiers while shortening their lives … but what it did to Force-users was equally horrific. While it enhanced their speed, strength and endurance, it also cut off their access to the Force … and without that access, that comfort, Tayn was a perfect storm of grief and rage.
While he'd been struggling, as so many of their brothers and sisters were in the wake of the lifting of the no-attachment rule, he'd been stabilizing in recent months. He'd even taken to giving Merit's adopted son Bran piggy-back rides around the Temple when the little boy wouldn't go down for his nap. Until Veles injected him with this serum of his, wanting to see how it would affect a Force-user … see how it would affect a Jedi. Now he was being torn apart by his grief over Tama's death, his anger at Zalan and Jadzia (as well as himself), and the loss of his access to the Force. Yes, Veles died far too quickly. Curiously, the Force seemed to agree with him. It swirled around Merit and Tayn in agitation.
"Tayn … Obi-Wan and I were on approach when it happened, after we left you. Let me show you what happened. No, we don't know how Veles turned the tables after we evacuated you, but we did see how it ended. We were too far away to do any good, but close enough to see what was happening. Let me show you," Merit said softly. Obi-Wan shuddered, because he remembered too. He remembered clinging to Merit's waist as they soared on the bike … he remembered peering over Merit's shoulder just in time to see Zalan jump in front of Jadzia, only for Veles to turn the blaster toward Tama … and he remembered the anguish that pulsed over his bond with Merit when she saw the younger Jedi collapse. It was only Tama's third mission since her Knighting, and she'd been the first Jedi after Obi-Wan and Bant to truly welcome Merit to the Order as a friend. She was also the padawan who immediately ran for help after the confrontation in the Room of a Thousand Fountains with the Fallen Jedi, Neeti Anjuli.
"Let me show you what really happened, Tayn, because you know Veles didn't tell you the whole truth. Why would he? Jadzia, one word out of you, and I swear by the Force, I will gag you with anything available!" Merit threatened. To his credit, Zalan hadn't spoken … just stared at Tayn with large, imploring eyes. For the second time, Jadzia's mouth snapped shut and her glare at Merit's back grew even hotter. Merit added without turning around, "Don't think I can't feel your glare, little girl. If it weren't for what it would do to Tayn, I'd let him have you … I said be silent! I know that you betrayed Zalan and Tayn to Veles, so don't even start! Tayn … you are a good man, and a good Jedi. I've always known that you don't entirely trust me, and that's okay. I literally dropped into your Temple and changes followed in my wake, upending your life and the lives of so many others. You don't trust me, but that never stopped you from having my back. Let me do this for you now."
Brown eyes stared into brown eyes, and Obi-Wan held his breath. How far gone was Tayn? Was he still capable of listening? But then, a miracle of the Force happened … the hand holding his lightsaber began to slowly drop. Now it pointed at Merit's abdomen … and while he could still kill her if he didn't like what he saw, 'could' was far better than 'will.' Obi-Wan speared Jadzia with a glare, warning her to keep her mouth shut. Merit move a little closer, forcing the lightsaber down toward her hip, and put her fingers to Tayn's temples. She closed her eyes, drawing their heads closer together, until their foreheads touched. Only the tightening around her mouth told Obi-Wan that she was mentally replaying the horrific encounter they were unable to prevent. And the growing anguish on Tayn's face told him that he was seeing it through Merit's eyes … Jadzia and Tama on their knees in front of Veles, the young Jedi and her two charges surrounded by Veles' henchmen … seeing Zalan trying to protect both women … the young man shifting to one side to protect Jadzia, only for Veles to re-direct his blaster toward Tama instead. It wouldn't surprise Obi-Wan if some of Merit's own guilt leaked through the memories … Tama might still be alive if she had insisted on staying with the young Knight. Or, they could both be dead, as Obi-Wan well knew. As did Tayn.
The lightsaber fell from Tayn's nerveless fingers, and Obi-Wan Called it to him before Jadzia had the bright idea to use it against Tayn. A few seconds later, the older Jedi's knees hit the ground, tears pouring down his face. Merit went with him, drawing his head to rest against her shoulder at first, and then against her chest as Tayn wept. Zalan dropped Jadzia's hand and fell to his knees beside Tayn, gripping his shoulder and apologizing for not telling him the truth earlier, for letting Zalan hear about the truth of Tama's death from Veles instead. He, at least, understood … this wasn't about him right now. It was about Tayn.
Obi-Wan approached slowly, resting his hand on Tayn's other shoulder. Zalan had buried his face against Tayn's back as he held him, also weeping. He heard the boy wondering, 'should I tell him now or later?' Obi-Wan had no idea what he was thinking about, aside from Tama … but he had the sense that now was not the time. True, this mess came about because Tayn found out about how Tama died from Veles … but Tayn needed time to stabilize first, before he heard whatever Zalan had to say. He caught the boy's eye and slowly shook his head. Not now.
He would be glad of that decision later, once he heard what Zalan intended to tell him … right now, Tayn's grief and guilt were overwhelming him. When he learned that Tama was ending thing with Zalan, hoping it wasn't too late for another chance with Tayn, his heart broke all over again … not just because of the chance he and Tama would never have, but because he nearly killed Zalan over something that ended up not being true. And Merit was there for him as he began to slowly heal, in whatever role he needed her to take.
Zalan accompanied them back to the Jedi Temple, where his mother, siblings, and the rest of their extended family awaited them. In the years to come, he would become first a diplomat in his own right, and then a soldier, and then a Senator. The time he spent on Rattarak with Tayn and Tama provided a turning point for the boy, who became a man to be proud of. Jadzia's journey took her elsewhere … first to the Trade Federation, and then to the Separatists. It was later learned that Veles was working with the Separatists, who received word of the clone army and wanted to have one of their own.
It was also through Zalan that the Jedi met Alastor Bezalel, a Force-user and long-time friend of Zalan's family who seemed to help the Jedi (when it suited his ends) … and whose true allegiance wasn't known until the end. But Obi-Wan wasn't thinking about the future in those moments. No … no, he was only thinking of how grateful he was to the Force that his dear partner yet lived. Their partnership was created by the Council, their friendship was forged in the fires of the Naboo blockade … but it wasn't until he saw the unlit lightsaber held to Merit's chest that he began to realize just what she meant to him. That provided the first indication … it would not be the last.
TBC