Part Two
Meri age: 16 almost 17
Alex age: 23
Chapter 13
Darkness shrouded the Temple in the late hour, but Alex Arieh was still wide-awake, his ice blue eyes staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling. Sleep eluded him and no wonder with the heavy decision that lay on his shoulders.
Over the past few hours, he'd had to squash the idea of rising and fixing himself a cup of tea, for the young Master did not want to disturb his sleeping apprentice.The middle of the night was not the time to explain to Meri that he was going on a dangerous mission soon, a mission that he hadn't decided if she would be going on.Pushing back a few impertinent strands of black hair off his forehead, Alex swung his legs out of the bed, and moved to stand by the window.Outside, the high pitched whine mixed with the deep hum of transports could be heard. Coruscant was seemingly a planet that never slept, and at all hours of the night, the traffic never ceased.
//But at least it is safe. It is safe for Meri, maybe, she should stay here,// he thought, troubled. The Council certainly thought she should stay at the Temple, and had made it obvious they thought so. However, they chose to leave it up to him to decide. The next day he had a meeting with them and he would need to have his decision by then.
At sixteen, almost seventeen, Meri was more than capable of going on most missions, and if it were any *other* mission Alex wouldn't be debating with himself over this. It wasn't any other mission, though. Meridith Irhanah had been apprenticed to him when she was 14, at the death of her first Master, Master Ariana Caer. The two had carried a very close bond, and Meri had been traumatized when the strong bond she carried with her first Master was ripped away. //Traumatized is putting it mildly,// Alex thought with a small huff of air. His apprentice still had nightmares over what had happened and she hadn't even been there. At the center of it was Dubh nán. It was a small planet, which was not in the Republic. Said to be a beautiful planet, it was a world with the population consisting of mostly humans, yet it was a planet in unrest. Alex had often seen two planets warring over a trade route or something similar, but never had he seen such an ongoing, vicious, fight between
two peoples of the same planet. The violence on Dubh nán had lasted for years, and was mainly caused by a dispute between two political parties who fought to control the same piece of land. Mere land caused so much blood to have been spilled.
Therefore, it wasn't to anyone's surprise when one side of Dubh nán contacted the Jedi Council for help. The Jedi Council consented, hoping to see the long time conflict end. Of course, they sent one of their best Ambassadors with the best negotiation skills, who just happened to be Meri's Master, Ariana Caer.
Only 14 at the time, Dubh nán was no place for such a young apprentice as Meri. Violence erupted at the smallest whim, and things unspeakable were done to those caught in the middle, woman or child. Knowing this, the Jedi Council advised Master Caer not to take her apprentice, and she consented. Always the obedient padawan, Meri didn't make a big fuss over the decision, and saw her Master off with a smile. It was the last time that the two would see each other.
Things went well, and just when it seemed the two sides were coming to an agreement, a rebel group bombed the meeting house killing all inside, including Meri's Master. The conflict continued on, despite the fact that one more had lost her life in the struggle for peace. The Jedi Council withheld from sending any more Ambassadors; the cause was at the time, hopeless.Alex sighed, and rubbed his face wearily. His apprentice was still scarred from her previous Master's death, and he was determined to do all he could to keep Meri from more pain. It was now over two years later and Dubh nán was once again pleading for Jedi intervention. Jedi were the peacekeepers, it was their duty, and the Council once again consented. However, this time all the more experienced Jedi Ambassadors were not available, and it happened that one of Alex's gifts in the Force lay in negotiating. As a padawan, his Master had often let him do the larger part of the negotiating when they were on missions.
He always knew what to say at the right time. He knew just the words to speak to ease tension and cool hot tempers.
So, partly because no one else was available, and mostly because it was his gift in the area, the Council had chosen Alex to go to Dubh nán. To make matters more complicated the Council still thought Meri shouldn't go. Not only was it too dangerous, but she had still not put her Master's death fully behind her. Dubh nán was too dangerous; one unfocused moment, one second of lost concentration, and it could cost you your life.
And for a young woman like Meri, death was not the only threat. The Rebel group was still active on Dubh nán, and they hated Jedi. What they would do to if they captured a Jedi Apprentice, to a pretty teen such as Meri; Alex didn't want to even contemplate it. It was something he could never let happen. Never *would* let happen.
With these thoughts in mind, he made his decision. He knew she would take it hard. She might very well be angry with him for awhile, but if it kept her safe that was all that mattered. He never thought he would care so much for his apprentice and often wondered if his Master had felt the same towards him. He couldn't lose her now. Not after all they'd been through, the struggle they had gone through to become as close as they were today.
His mind and heart were set. Meri would stay at the Jedi Temple.
|===|-----------
Meri lounged languidly on the floor of the padawan's recreational room, listening to the banter of her friends flowing around her. She didn't often come here, but her Master had a meeting with the Council--a meeting she was not invited to, and that fact disturbed her somewhat. So, she had come, really, to distract herself by talking with friends, but had ended up just listening.
The girls often gathered in the room to talk about this and that, whatever caught their attention. And, just like every time they gathered here, they pointedly ignored the group of boys who occupied the opposite side of the room and their occasional lingering gazes at the girls.
Bringing her thoughts back to the present, Meri tuned back into the conversation flowing around her and tried to push thoughts of her Master out of her mind. Reaching into a bowl near by, she plucked up a bright cherry colored berry and popped it into her mouth. The tangy-sweet tasting berry was one of her favorite snacks and she always kept a stash of them at her room.
"I can't believe you watch that!" shrieked one of the girls perched on the sofa. "It's so, so, tacky," she finished with a scowl of disdain on her face.
"I only watched it because I found it funny!" defended Aria.
"Riight," Jade drew out her words as though she didn't believe it. "Like watching Madam Tuls stroll around like a...a, well you get the point, is funny. Besides, I bet Meri doesn't watch that type of thing do you, Meri?" The fifteen-year-old turned her gaze to the older padawan, with a look akin to worship.
Meri glanced up and the smile on her face held a hint of mischief. "Ohh, actually I've seen that, but only once when I was over at a friends. True, it is not something I would make a practice of watching. That Madam character does have a rather interesting...if you could call it that, walk."
"Supposedly it attracts the guys," Tessiana said with a small shrug of her shoulders. "I don't think I could walk like that if I tried....the way she over swings her hips.." The small teen stood and tried to imitate the movements only causing the group of girls to erupt into laughter.
"You're only supposed to move your hips, Tess, not your whole body," Meri murmured amused, as she reached for another berry.
"I was!" Tessiana said loudly. "Let's see you do it then, Meri!"
"No," Meri said quickly.
"Oh, come on! Do it, do it!" they all began to chorus.
"Absolutely, positively, NO," she remonstrated. Even as the words left her mouth, Obi-Wan, who was across the room sent her a Force thought.
//You're just saying that because you can't do it any better than Tess.//
"Come on, Meri...Puuulease," the girls cajoled.
//Brat, shut up!// Meri sent back to Obi-Wan, while waving off Tessiana, who was trying to pull Meri to her feet.
//I dare you,// Obi-Wan sent the magic words, knowing he had won.
A slight smile tugged at her lips and gracefully she stood to her feet. "Oh, fine then," she muttered, trying to sound put out.
She turned and walked away, unaware that some of the younger girls even envied her normal walk. In their eyes she was extremely graceful and fluid and hoped that someday, they could move just as elegantly.
Turning to face them, she took one look at the watching group and changed her mind. "Nevermind," she said while trying to slide away, but before she got far Tess had her by the arm and was dragging her back.
"Noo, Meri, you said you'd do it, so do it!"
Meri sighed, put her arms down at her sides then sent Obi-Wan a lethal glare. He just grinned impishly before sending the thought, //I'm beginning to think you really *can't* do it.//
With that a glint came into her eye; she smiled sweetly at Obi-Wan and then began to walk towards the group of girls, moving her hips in a slow, seductive walk.
"That's it! That's it!" They all shrieked in laughter as Meri continued across the floor, mimicking the movement of the character of the cheesy holo program perfectly.
The boys on the other side were watching and began to make catcalls and sharp whistling noises as Meri moved across the room. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Seeing Obi-Wan out of the corner of her eye, she flashed him a brilliant victory smile, which only caused more mayhem on that side of the room.
Coming to a stop in front of the girls, she broke into laughter, joining the giggling of the others with her melodious laugh.
Suddenly they all stopped, the whole room dropping into a hush. Meri turned to see what they were staring at, already sensing what she had failed to earlier. Her breath caught in embarrassment as her dark eyes widened in surprise.
Standing behind her was her Master looking at her with a strange, unreadable face expression. Meri could feel the blush beginning at the base of her neck and blooming on her cheeks. She'd never been so embarrassed in her near seventeen years! The next thought followed swiftly // I'm going to kill you, Obi-Wan Kenobi! //
Meri age: 16 almost 17
Alex age: 23
Chapter 13
Darkness shrouded the Temple in the late hour, but Alex Arieh was still wide-awake, his ice blue eyes staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling. Sleep eluded him and no wonder with the heavy decision that lay on his shoulders.
Over the past few hours, he'd had to squash the idea of rising and fixing himself a cup of tea, for the young Master did not want to disturb his sleeping apprentice.The middle of the night was not the time to explain to Meri that he was going on a dangerous mission soon, a mission that he hadn't decided if she would be going on.Pushing back a few impertinent strands of black hair off his forehead, Alex swung his legs out of the bed, and moved to stand by the window.Outside, the high pitched whine mixed with the deep hum of transports could be heard. Coruscant was seemingly a planet that never slept, and at all hours of the night, the traffic never ceased.
//But at least it is safe. It is safe for Meri, maybe, she should stay here,// he thought, troubled. The Council certainly thought she should stay at the Temple, and had made it obvious they thought so. However, they chose to leave it up to him to decide. The next day he had a meeting with them and he would need to have his decision by then.
At sixteen, almost seventeen, Meri was more than capable of going on most missions, and if it were any *other* mission Alex wouldn't be debating with himself over this. It wasn't any other mission, though. Meridith Irhanah had been apprenticed to him when she was 14, at the death of her first Master, Master Ariana Caer. The two had carried a very close bond, and Meri had been traumatized when the strong bond she carried with her first Master was ripped away. //Traumatized is putting it mildly,// Alex thought with a small huff of air. His apprentice still had nightmares over what had happened and she hadn't even been there. At the center of it was Dubh nán. It was a small planet, which was not in the Republic. Said to be a beautiful planet, it was a world with the population consisting of mostly humans, yet it was a planet in unrest. Alex had often seen two planets warring over a trade route or something similar, but never had he seen such an ongoing, vicious, fight between
two peoples of the same planet. The violence on Dubh nán had lasted for years, and was mainly caused by a dispute between two political parties who fought to control the same piece of land. Mere land caused so much blood to have been spilled.
Therefore, it wasn't to anyone's surprise when one side of Dubh nán contacted the Jedi Council for help. The Jedi Council consented, hoping to see the long time conflict end. Of course, they sent one of their best Ambassadors with the best negotiation skills, who just happened to be Meri's Master, Ariana Caer.
Only 14 at the time, Dubh nán was no place for such a young apprentice as Meri. Violence erupted at the smallest whim, and things unspeakable were done to those caught in the middle, woman or child. Knowing this, the Jedi Council advised Master Caer not to take her apprentice, and she consented. Always the obedient padawan, Meri didn't make a big fuss over the decision, and saw her Master off with a smile. It was the last time that the two would see each other.
Things went well, and just when it seemed the two sides were coming to an agreement, a rebel group bombed the meeting house killing all inside, including Meri's Master. The conflict continued on, despite the fact that one more had lost her life in the struggle for peace. The Jedi Council withheld from sending any more Ambassadors; the cause was at the time, hopeless.Alex sighed, and rubbed his face wearily. His apprentice was still scarred from her previous Master's death, and he was determined to do all he could to keep Meri from more pain. It was now over two years later and Dubh nán was once again pleading for Jedi intervention. Jedi were the peacekeepers, it was their duty, and the Council once again consented. However, this time all the more experienced Jedi Ambassadors were not available, and it happened that one of Alex's gifts in the Force lay in negotiating. As a padawan, his Master had often let him do the larger part of the negotiating when they were on missions.
He always knew what to say at the right time. He knew just the words to speak to ease tension and cool hot tempers.
So, partly because no one else was available, and mostly because it was his gift in the area, the Council had chosen Alex to go to Dubh nán. To make matters more complicated the Council still thought Meri shouldn't go. Not only was it too dangerous, but she had still not put her Master's death fully behind her. Dubh nán was too dangerous; one unfocused moment, one second of lost concentration, and it could cost you your life.
And for a young woman like Meri, death was not the only threat. The Rebel group was still active on Dubh nán, and they hated Jedi. What they would do to if they captured a Jedi Apprentice, to a pretty teen such as Meri; Alex didn't want to even contemplate it. It was something he could never let happen. Never *would* let happen.
With these thoughts in mind, he made his decision. He knew she would take it hard. She might very well be angry with him for awhile, but if it kept her safe that was all that mattered. He never thought he would care so much for his apprentice and often wondered if his Master had felt the same towards him. He couldn't lose her now. Not after all they'd been through, the struggle they had gone through to become as close as they were today.
His mind and heart were set. Meri would stay at the Jedi Temple.
|===|-----------
Meri lounged languidly on the floor of the padawan's recreational room, listening to the banter of her friends flowing around her. She didn't often come here, but her Master had a meeting with the Council--a meeting she was not invited to, and that fact disturbed her somewhat. So, she had come, really, to distract herself by talking with friends, but had ended up just listening.
The girls often gathered in the room to talk about this and that, whatever caught their attention. And, just like every time they gathered here, they pointedly ignored the group of boys who occupied the opposite side of the room and their occasional lingering gazes at the girls.
Bringing her thoughts back to the present, Meri tuned back into the conversation flowing around her and tried to push thoughts of her Master out of her mind. Reaching into a bowl near by, she plucked up a bright cherry colored berry and popped it into her mouth. The tangy-sweet tasting berry was one of her favorite snacks and she always kept a stash of them at her room.
"I can't believe you watch that!" shrieked one of the girls perched on the sofa. "It's so, so, tacky," she finished with a scowl of disdain on her face.
"I only watched it because I found it funny!" defended Aria.
"Riight," Jade drew out her words as though she didn't believe it. "Like watching Madam Tuls stroll around like a...a, well you get the point, is funny. Besides, I bet Meri doesn't watch that type of thing do you, Meri?" The fifteen-year-old turned her gaze to the older padawan, with a look akin to worship.
Meri glanced up and the smile on her face held a hint of mischief. "Ohh, actually I've seen that, but only once when I was over at a friends. True, it is not something I would make a practice of watching. That Madam character does have a rather interesting...if you could call it that, walk."
"Supposedly it attracts the guys," Tessiana said with a small shrug of her shoulders. "I don't think I could walk like that if I tried....the way she over swings her hips.." The small teen stood and tried to imitate the movements only causing the group of girls to erupt into laughter.
"You're only supposed to move your hips, Tess, not your whole body," Meri murmured amused, as she reached for another berry.
"I was!" Tessiana said loudly. "Let's see you do it then, Meri!"
"No," Meri said quickly.
"Oh, come on! Do it, do it!" they all began to chorus.
"Absolutely, positively, NO," she remonstrated. Even as the words left her mouth, Obi-Wan, who was across the room sent her a Force thought.
//You're just saying that because you can't do it any better than Tess.//
"Come on, Meri...Puuulease," the girls cajoled.
//Brat, shut up!// Meri sent back to Obi-Wan, while waving off Tessiana, who was trying to pull Meri to her feet.
//I dare you,// Obi-Wan sent the magic words, knowing he had won.
A slight smile tugged at her lips and gracefully she stood to her feet. "Oh, fine then," she muttered, trying to sound put out.
She turned and walked away, unaware that some of the younger girls even envied her normal walk. In their eyes she was extremely graceful and fluid and hoped that someday, they could move just as elegantly.
Turning to face them, she took one look at the watching group and changed her mind. "Nevermind," she said while trying to slide away, but before she got far Tess had her by the arm and was dragging her back.
"Noo, Meri, you said you'd do it, so do it!"
Meri sighed, put her arms down at her sides then sent Obi-Wan a lethal glare. He just grinned impishly before sending the thought, //I'm beginning to think you really *can't* do it.//
With that a glint came into her eye; she smiled sweetly at Obi-Wan and then began to walk towards the group of girls, moving her hips in a slow, seductive walk.
"That's it! That's it!" They all shrieked in laughter as Meri continued across the floor, mimicking the movement of the character of the cheesy holo program perfectly.
The boys on the other side were watching and began to make catcalls and sharp whistling noises as Meri moved across the room. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Seeing Obi-Wan out of the corner of her eye, she flashed him a brilliant victory smile, which only caused more mayhem on that side of the room.
Coming to a stop in front of the girls, she broke into laughter, joining the giggling of the others with her melodious laugh.
Suddenly they all stopped, the whole room dropping into a hush. Meri turned to see what they were staring at, already sensing what she had failed to earlier. Her breath caught in embarrassment as her dark eyes widened in surprise.
Standing behind her was her Master looking at her with a strange, unreadable face expression. Meri could feel the blush beginning at the base of her neck and blooming on her cheeks. She'd never been so embarrassed in her near seventeen years! The next thought followed swiftly // I'm going to kill you, Obi-Wan Kenobi! //
