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Fall of the Risen	By : Meleana24 Category: Star Wars (All) > General Views: 3080 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars and I am not making any money from this story.

Chapter List
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No one had been looking forward to the evening's meeting. Not the Jedi. Not the rebels and certainly not the Queen. Everyone knew it was going to escalate. Even the Jedi, though they tried to hold out hope that they would at least get both sides thinking about compromise. There were four times the number of rebels present for the meeting in the palace that had been at the hotel. Most were in full blast armor. For her part the Queen had her fair share of armored guards behind her. In addition to the Biernan's a representative from Syrus, one of the neighboring worlds, also sat with the Queen. Meleana finally felt normal in her disguise with so many armored guards around. She imagined herself as the Jedi's guard. Of course, she couldn't remember how to fight and she was unarmed, so she wasn't a very good guard, but she was as observant as... something particularly observant.
Meleana's eyes began to glaze over as the meeting went on. She was finally glad to be wearing her helmet. The talks went back and forth in a relatively civil manner. The Jedi cooled things off whenever they seemed about to boil over. Finally one of the rebel generals interjected with a point that could not be smoothed over with a politically correct statement from the Jedi.
“This discussion is moot unless Ikriv agrees to step down when Meleana or Marcellus agree to take the throne.”
The room became silent and all parties turned towards the Queen.
“Of course I'd agree to step down. The fact of the matter is Marcellus is dead, and Meleana has long since decided against returning to her home world. These rebels may call themselves the 'restoration movement', but there are no Ariadnes left to be restored to the throne. I did not take up this duty because I wanted it. It is what was required of me, and continues to be required of me.”
Obi-Wan spoke next, “Then surely, your highness, you will be relieved to give up this burden in favor of a democracy?”
Ikriv appeared unmoved, “I have grown accustomed to my duties. I know this world's politics better than anyone. I see no reason to step down. In fact I feel it would be a disservice to this world to leave them with a leader who does not know their needs as I do.”
“She only agrees to surrender the throne to the Ariadne's because she believes it impossible.” Kiarra said harshly.
“There is still one party we have not heard from. I would like to know what the delegate from Syrus has to say,” Ketana said, no doubt in an effort to keep the two sides from losing focus.
The delegate, a pale man with slicked back white hair nodded to the Jedi, “We are here to insure our own world is not impacted by the turmoil on Bierna. As you may know we do quite a bit of trade with this world. Many of those trade agreements were established by Queen Ikriv. An escalation in the civil war would negatively impact our world. For that reason we are willing to do whatever is necessary to secure peace on Bierna.”
“Meaning what exactly?” Meleana said, forgetting her promise to be silent.
“Meaning any attempts made by the rebels to disrupt the Biernan government will be met by the full force of the Syrusan military.”
Kiarra smiled graciously, “Thank you for the advanced warning. We will consider Syrus fair game when evaluating our targets.”
“There is no reason to assume it will come to that,” Obi-Wan's voice, though raised, was inaudible over the crowed. They had lost control over the meeting. Both sides were now freely trading insults.
Obi-Wan turned his head towards Meleana. In the chaos he'd forgotten she would have no idea what to say. She'd excelled at taking control over negotiations gone awry. Her flair for the dramatic and brute tactics had always made her better at handling out of control situations than she was with typical negotiations.
He stood up and yelled over the rabble, “enough!” everyone focused their attention on him, though none of them looked happy to do so, “I think that will be all for the day. Obviously all sides have a lot to think about. Particularly the consequences should this situation escalate. We will reconvene tomorrow evening.”
The room once again was filled with voices as both sides chimed in that their schedules would not allow such hasty plans to be made.
Obi-Wan clenched his jaw and swallowed hard, “alright, three days time? That should give all of you plenty of time to rearrange your schedules. Let's not forget peace must be our priority.”
The Queen's party stood and left without another word. The rebels at least took the time to thank the Jedi for their time.
“One moment, if you will,” Obi-Wan pulled Kiarra to the side as the rest of her people ambled out of the room, “I need to know more about the situation surrounding Marcellus' disappearance.”
“As I told Jedi Lesair, Meleana Ariadne is aware of those details. I would rather not give them out. Even to Jedi.”
“Meleana Ariadne was not assigned to this mission, we were. If you believe Marcellus to be alive why hasn't a rescue effort been made?” Obi-Wan said trying not to sound accusatory.
“He was not safe here. And he will not be returned until we know his life will not be in danger.”
“So you know where he is?” Obi-Wan met Kiarra's eyes. He was sure her mind was too strong for Jedi mind tricks to work, but he was tempted to try.
“Not as such.... we have a list of possible locations.”
“I need that list.”
“If I feel it is safe for him to return I will return him to Bierna myself.”
Obi-Wan looked to Meleana, “Excuse me for just a moment.”
He sat down next to Meleana and faced her so he could speak in a low volume, “How confident are you in your force abilities?”
Meleana arched her brow under her helmet, then remembering he couldn't see her shook her head. “Nonexistent as far as I can tell.”
Obi-Wan went back to Kiarra, “I will try to contact Meleana. Please consider trusting us. The Queen just agreed to give up her throne to him. We will protect him. I will contact you tomorrow morning.”
Kiarra nodded, “Again, thank you for your service Jedi,” she bowed and left the room.
“I like her,” Meleana said breaking the silence that fell over the room.
“What are you thinking?” Ketana asked Obi-Wan.
He paced around the room with his arms crossed, “We need to find Marcellus. We need to prove one way or another that he can or cannot take the throne. At least that will give us a leg to stand on.”
Ketana looked down at Meleana, “You can find him. You may not be able to control the Force, but the Masters tested you at the temple. You still have your connection to it.”
“How is this plan better than my plan of using me as a place holder?”
“It gets you in less trouble,” Obi-Wan said with a stern expression, “We can discuss our options in our quarters. The walls have ears in places like this.”

Genesis shut off his feed from the meeting room after the Jedi left. Their plan wasn't exactly a surprising one. The conversation with the masked figure was a bit of a twist, but not one he thought was likely to matter. Not if he was working for the elder sibling. He had his own quarters in the palace, which were set up to monitor security. He stayed seated at his large durra-steal desk and keyed in the transmitter code Meleana had given him.
“Speak,” She said when her image appeared. She was clad in black leather pants and knee high lace up boots. Her arms and shoulders were covered in a complex lace which tucked into her black leather bodice. Her fashion sense had certainly improved.
“The meeting ended poorly. The Syrusans are threatening to intervene in the civil war if the rebels escalate the conflict. There is good news, for you at least,” He gave her a charming grin, “The Queen said she would willingly turn over the throne to either of the Ariadne children.”
“Do you believe that to be true?”
“Absolutely not.”
She looked bored, “Then how is that good news?”
“You've been spotted a few times around the city. I heard a few of the security officers gossiping about it. I expect she'll be sending me to kill you any minute now. If she knows you’re here so do the rebels. They will fight for you.”
“What of the Jedi?” Genesis found the coolness in her voice intriguing. He wanted very much to know what had caused the change he was seeing in her.
“They are going to find your little brother.”
“Isn't he dead?”
Genesis shrugged, “Probably not. Unfortunately all of the people closest to him died during interrogation. What little information they did give up lead me to believe he's somewhere close. Well, relatively close when you think about the size of the galaxy,” he wrinkled his nose, “not really worth the effort to track though. So let’s keep his nearness our little secret.”
The Sith seemed uninterested, “continue to serve the Queen so long as it does not directly threaten me. In the morning I will reach out to the rebels.”
Genesis broke the transmission just as his door swung open. He glared at the intruder. The palace staff was terrified of him, whoever had sent him in must have been frightening enough to outweigh that fear.
“Sir,” The young man at his door began to scramble. He bowed sloppily, “The Queen demands an audience.”
“And she had you run all the way down here, rather than call?” He asked getting to his feet.
“I-I-I.... Just following orders, sir.”
Genesis rolled his eyes. What must it be like to go through life as such a pathetic creature? The young man was practically jogging as he led him down the hall. Genesis followed at a casual pace behind him. The young man stopped outside of the Queen's quarters. It was clear he was not going inside. Genesis narrowly dodged a vase that had been hurled at the door as he opened it. The Queen's sitting room was a disaster. She had torn up or tossed everything in the room that wasn't weighed down. She picked a data pad off her desk and hurled it at him. One of her advisers was standing off to one side. He did not look overly panicked, but was clearly making it a point to stay out of her way.
He caught it and looked at the image on the screen. It was a loop of a security feed that showed Meleana walking past the national treasury. She must have known where the camera was placed because she looked up and winked at it as she walked past. That seemed more like the Meleana he knew.
“I want her dead! Tonight, before anyone else notices her! Those Jedi brought her! I want them arrested! I wanted them executed for treason!”
“We can't execute them for treason, they are loyal to the Republic, not Bierna,” Genesis said matter-of-factly.
“Then I want you to kill them!” The Queen was shrieking irrationally.
Genesis perked his brows up at her, “Your highness, I thank you for thinking so highly of me, but I cannot stage the deaths of four Jedi while tracking and killing another all in one evening,” he took a seat on her white sofa, which had been cleared of all its loose pillows by the temperamental queen, “why don't we take a moment to discuss this rationally?”
“Are you saying I am not being rational? The Jedi are trying to take everything I have worked so hard for, again! The rebels are gaining popularity. I am living in a public relations nightmare! I want the Jedi arrested immediately. I can think of what to do with them later.”
“Your highness, arresting the Jedi after a meeting which ended in strong words with the rebels will not play well with the public,” Her adviser said. Genesis respected him for having the backbone to stand up to her. She'd executed more than a few of her staff in the past.
“He's right. As long as I am here neither the Jedi, nor Meleana pose any threat to you. We need to find a way to make it look like Meleana is working with the rebels-”
“The rebels will gain support! The public loves her! And the Jedi! I can hardly walk past a bloody toyshop without seeing her stupid little dolls complete with Jedi accessories in the window!”
“Let me finish,” Genesis said sternly. She couldn't execute him. Though she had tried, “Then we vilify them. Her popularity is built on a myth. The public’s love of Meleana Ariadne will quickly fade if they believe she's a terrorist.”
“They will not be so quick to believe a Jedi has turned to terrorism,” the adviser said.
“Why is Meleana here if she is not a member of the negotiation team?” Genesis posed. As his plan came together in his head he worried it might be too good.
“They are covering for her! Buying her time so she can steel my throne!”
“Your highness, while I am sure you are correct, that explanation will not play well with the public. The council sent double the Jedi they did last time. Meleana hasn't been in the news for well over a year. Perhaps she is no longer with the Jedi? Perhaps she has fallen to the darkside? Now if the Jedi knew about this, and knew she was on Bierna, it would make them partially responsible for any deaths that occurred by her hands. If the Jedi knew she was a danger to your world, under your laws, they are obligated to inform planetary security.”
The Queen looked at her adviser who shook his head, “your highness, we are talking about killing innocent people.”
“If the rebels start a war more will die, better we should end it swiftly. What do you suggest as a target?”
Genesis looked from the Queen to her adviser, who'd gone pale. Perhaps he would be executed after all. “That will take a bit of thought. We need the right kind of target for it to be believable and cause a public outcry.”

“Ketana,” Obi-Wan said softly poking her in the back.
Ketana rolled over in bed to look at him. She'd almost fallen asleep and wasn't happy about being woken up again so soon.
“I need you to do something. We need Meleana to remember being a Jedi. You knew her when she was being trained,” his voice was so soft it was barely audible, even right next to him. “She was reading her diary all day, and that may do something, but not enough. You need to go into her head and dig out the memories she needs.”
Ketana shut her eyes, “Why in the galaxy would you wait until now to bring this up?”
“I was just thinking about it. She asked me to help her, but I'll be useless in helping her remember her training. You just have to probe her mind a little. Once you get into her head if you start focusing on a memory you share she should pick it up.”
“Oh, you're an expert on the subject?”
“Do you have a better way to track down Marcellus? Who knows how far off he is. We don't have time for her to remember on her own. Locating a family member should be basic enough. I've heard stories of Force sensitive civilians doing it.”
Ketana mulled it over a moment. He was right. If their next meeting went as poorly as their first they would need Marcellus to prevent the planet's war from escalating. It could take days for Meleana to reach him, and just as long to bring him back. “Okay, I'll do it.”

Meleana whimpered in pain when she woke up. Obi-Wan sat up in his chair. He had been watching her sleep all morning. Ketana had gone to meet with the rebels again while he made sure she was alright.
“Hello,” he said softly. Meleana shut her eyes again.
“My head,” she squeaked out.
He knelt on the floor next to the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder, “You're alright, just take a deep breath.”
Of course, he didn't really know if she was alright. Ketana had spent hours trying to recall memories in Meleana's mind. If reading her diary had also triggered some she was likely overwhelmed. He doubted that it would be life threatening, since her brain had never been damaged. There was nothing physical happening to her.
“Try to meditate. Calm your mind.”
“Where is Master Ari? Why isn't he here?” She was becoming more distressed as she went on.
He shushed her and took her hand in his, “don't worry about that.”
Meleana struggled with her pain. Her face contorted as her thoughts were interrupted by her agony. Her hand clenched tightly around his, “Why are you here and not him? Where is Ari?”
“You can't think about that right now, Meleana. You need to get control over your mind. Just breathe darling, breathe.”
He watched her struggle to control her breathing through her pain. Tears rolled from her closed eyes. Slowly her breaths went from short gasps to long draws. Finally her whimpering stopped. He wasn't sure if she'd fallen back asleep or not.
“Meleana?” He said too softly to wake her.
She moaned softly in response. When she didn't offer up anything else he left her alone, assuming she was still processing things. He went back to the chair when his knees began to hurt from kneeling. He guessed another hour passed before she finally took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
Obi-Wan felt a tug at his belt then watched his lightsaber float into Meleana's hands. She turned it around curiously before looking over at him, “where's mine?”
“Do you remember how to use it?”
Meleana slowly sat up in bed, “Well enough,” she floated his lightsaber onto his lap and rubbed her temples. Her eyes washed over him appraisingly, “I remember so much, but I still don't remember you.”
“This was more important,” Obi-Wan clipped his lightsaber to his belt and went to his bag to retrieve hers. He'd kept it after she'd died. He never thought he'd be handing it back to her.
Meleana took the lightsaber when he pressed it into her palm. “Why do you have my lightsaber? Who are you?”
“You asked me to hang on to it for you.”
“Why?” There was desperation in Meleana's eyes. The more she remembered the more she knew she was missing.
“Don't you think you have enough on your mind right now?” Obi-Wan sat down next to her on the bed and took her hand in his again. “I promise, I will help you remember me, but I am not important right now. We need to focus on our mission.”
Meleana shook her head, “Why would I give you my lightsaber? I wouldn't just give someone my lightsaber.”
He smiled at her reassuringly. “I am not just someone.”
She gaped at him, the way she always did when he said something she thought was stupid, “In what way is that helpful?”
“It isn't. You need to focus on finding your brother, not on me.”
Meleana let out an exasperated sigh and glared at him thoughtfully, “He's on Dedra.”
“I'm sorry, what?” Her response seemed impossibly fast.
“The wreckage of his ship had to be close enough for Biernan's to get there and think it strange that they did not find a body. Meaning no one else would have had time to come by and scavenge the ship or remove the bodies. He would need to go somewhere he had allies. That leaves Coruscant and Dedra. Coruscant is out because it is too far, and the space between here and there is too heavily traveled. Ikriv would never look on Dedra. They provide more than half the food supply for Bierna. She can't afford to piss them off. That and the Dedra are just super nice. Everyone loves them. If I had to go into hiding, without a friend in the world, I would go there. Making friends would be so easy.”
“Sorry?”
She shrugged, “He's on Dedra,” she swayed her hands around, “Oo Force magic... yeah. Dedra.”
She was even more insufferable than usual. Of course, she only had solid memories up to her adolescence, so he was essentially dealing with a teen Meleana, “...right...”
Meleana slid out of bed and started gathering her clothes from her suitcase, “It isn't fair that you and Ketana get to decide what I remember. If you want me to trust you, you need to start answering my questions.”
“I will answer any questions you have, provided I do not think those answers will distract you from completing our mission,” Obi-Wan said in a level tone.
Meleana huffed, that was obviously not the answer she wanted to hear, “That is exactly what I'm talking about.”
Obi-Wan knew there wasn't anything he could say to make her feel better. He couldn't tell her her Master was dead, they were in love despite the conflict with the Jedi council's policy on the matter. Or that a Sith had murdered her to posses her body, so she was likely just a clone. But if she was just a clone, why was she regaining her memories?
“Anakin will accompany you to Dedra. You should prepare yourself for the journey,” Obi-Wan left it at that and went to fill Anakin in on the new plan.
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Fall of the Risen