Opposites Attract [Complete]

Obi-Wan had just finished speaking with the council when he heard Meleana call his name. She’d slept through all of his repairs to the ship and the grueling lecture he’d received from Master Windu. He walked into the main room. “How are you feeling?” He asked glad to see her up and about.
“Fine,” She took a seat at the table. “What happened?”
“After the fight?” She nodded and he continued. “You passed out. The ship had a medical facility, with a very strange, but competent medical droid. After nearly killing me he patched you right up.”
Meleana looked confused. “Why are medical droids trying to kill you?”
“He decided to give you more of my blood than he should have.”
“That was sweet of him.” She looked at the expression on Obi-Wan’s face. “I mean you.” Meleana touched her face. “I’m not horribly disfigured am I?”
“As far as I could tell you didn’t take any blows to the face.”
Meleana dropped her hands. “I try to keep the hurt bellow the neck. Where are we?”
“On our way back to Coruscant. The mission on Ithor was finished a week ago.”
Meleana sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Wonderful, they must be pleased with us.”
“Not exactly the word I would use. They want a full report from both of us as soon as we get back.”
Meleana frowned. “So much for wanting to go back to Coruscant.” Meleana stared up at the ceiling. “I’ve got the feeling I’m not going to make it to twenty-two.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I’ve had two near death experiences since turning twenty-one and that was only two months ago.”
“Near death, not actual death. You can’t live life assuming you’re going to die at any moment.”
“Why not?” Meleana looked at him. “Even a banker can wake up and be killed in a speeder accident on his way to work. People who live safe, quiet, comfortable lives die unexpectedly all the time. We’re constantly putting ourselves into dangerous situations. Thinking that death isn’t a possibility on any given day is ridiculous.”
“I’m not saying you should think you’re an immortal, but expecting to die on a daily basis is not healthy.”
“I don’t expect to die on a daily basis.”
“It sounds like you do. You know your fights might end better if you’d stop using your body as a shield.”
Meleana pursed her lips. “It’s not like I had much of a choice without my lightsaber. Where is my lightsaber anyway?”
“In the kitchen.”
“Why is it in the kitchen?”
He shrugged. “There were no clean knives.”
Meleana gave him a half smile. “I can’t picture you using a lightsaber to chop vegetables.”
“That just happens to be where I dropped it. I still think you should have been able to get out of that fight without sustaining quite so many injuries.”
Meleana rolled her eyes. “And you’re the authority on fighting now?”
“I did kill a Sith Lord.”
“I thought no one knew if you’d killed the Master or the Apprentice?” Meleana added.
“Must you always belittle me?”
Meleana nodded. “Pretty much.”
“I’m only saying you have room for improvement and there may be a few things you could learn from me.”
Meleana sighed. “Fine, show me what you’ve got then.”
“Right now? Aren’t you tired?”
“The bad guys usually ask me the same question just before they strike.” Meleana said in a sarcastic tone as she got to her feet. “I feel fine.” She moved into the center of the large room and got into a defensive stance. “Come on.”
Obi-Wan stood and analyzed her stance. From what he’d seen of her fighting so far she was fairly aggressive and relied heavily on her ability to move faster than her opponent. He side stepped behind her and grabbed one of her arms in a fluid motion. She moved with him keeping pressure off her arm. She reached up and thrust her forearm towards his throat. He gripped her arm with his free hand and tossed her to the floor. She landed with a heavy thump and rolled to the side to avoid another kick. She back flipped back to her feet. Meleana threw a punch at Obi-Wan’s head. He caught her fist and threw her backwards. Meleana recovered mid air and landed on her feet.
Obi-Wan landed a kick to her chest as her feet hit the floor. The force of it was enough to send her back against the wall. She flipped over him and threw a few punches. He blocked all but one. The punch jarred him enough to give Meleana a second opening. She kicked him in the side hard enough to knock him off his feet. He sprang off the floor as quickly as she had put him there and dropped low. He swung a kick under her legs, knocking her onto her back. She got his ankles between hers and twisted him down to the ground with her. They both jumped back to their feet.
Meleana swung a high kick towards him. He kicked her leg down then grabbed her wrists and slammed her into the wall with enough force to make her see stars. Obi-Wan kept hold of her wrists and pinned her legs down with his.
Meleana tried to twist her wrists free then to push them off the wall. “Are we allowed to use force powers?”
He shook his head. “We’re not trying to kill each other.”
“You could have fooled me,” she strained as she tried to out muscle him.
He allowed her to lift her wrists a few inches off the wall only to crush them back down again.
“Ouch! Was that necessary?”
Meleana gave up trying to free her wrists, she was better with her legs anyway. She pushed up with her arms as hard as she could to distract him and slid one of her legs free. Obi-Wan used his full body to press her into the wall.
“Congratulations you have one leg.”
Meleana moved her leg up intent on kicking him in the shoulder and pressing him off of her. He let go of one of her wrists and pinned her leg, with her wrist behind it, back against the wall over her head.
“That looks painful,” He said with a smile. Meleana was making it very difficult for him to keep his focus.
“Alright let me go.”
He shook his head. “You’re going to have to get away on your own.”
Meleana pushed up into him and winced at the painful stretch in her leg. “I can’t.” she moved her other leg, hoping things would work out better for her on this attempt. Obi-Wan caught it and tangled it between his. He pressed her more firmly into the wall making it difficult for her to breath.
“You win,” she choked out.
“The point wasn’t for me to win.” The more she squirmed against him, the less he wanted to let her go, though that had nothing to do with combat training.
“Just let me go,” she said breathlessly.
“No,” His lips grazed her cheek as he spoke.
Meleana pushed her hips into his, he may have been able to feel her racing heartbeat, but she felt a much more obvious indicator of his arousal. He pressed back into her with equal force. His grip tightened on her limbs, as though that would tether him to reality. She kissed him forcefully, he may have her pinned to a wall, but she hadn’t completely lost control. He moaned, there was no hiding his need for her, but he wouldn’t let her win the fight with feminine whiles.
“Does this tactic usually work?” He asked breaking the kiss.
“I’ve never tried it before,” She said nipping at his neck. “You tell me.”
“That depends on what the desired result is.” He moaned again as she ground her hips into his stiff cock.
Meleana brushed her nose over his and widened her violet eyes at him. “Do you want to fuck me?” She whispered batting her eyes.
“Yes,” It wasn’t as though he could conceal that fact, “But I’m still not letting you go,” he added. “Just so we’re clear.”
“Then at least I’ll enjoy my time on the wall.” She tugged gently at his earlobe with her teeth. “Undress me,” she purred.
He kissed her trying to think of a way to undress her without losing his grip. “You won’t try to get away?”
Meleana pushed her hips into him again. “There’s only one way to find out,” she brushed her lips over his. “How long can you stay pressed against me like that before it starts to hurt?”
“It already hurts.”
“I’m not wearing any underwear. That should make things a little easier for you.” She said in a playful voice.
He moved his hand off of her leg, holding it down with just his forearm. He flicked his wrist and she yelped as her shirt tore off of her.
“I thought you said no force powers,” She said.
“This doesn’t count as part of the fight.”
He nearly called the whole thing off, seeing her large chest heaving against his. He wanted to touch her, kiss her, but doing so would definitely give her the chance to get away, and he wasn’t entirely sure her advances weren’t a ploy.
“How are you going to get my pants down without letting go of me?” She kissed him softly and wiggled against him. “Let go of my hands and I’ll take care of yours.”
He let go of her leg, which freed the wrist pinned beneath it and hoped for the best. He moaned feeling Meleana’s free hand tugging at his pants. She gripped his erection and traced a finger over its head before pulling it free. He coiled his hands in the fabric of her pants and quickly slid them down around her ankles. Meleana kicked them off before he positioned himself at her opening. Her moans were muffled by his mouth clasping over hers as he slid into her tight opening with one hard thrust. He smiled at the squeal Meleana let out when he’d buried himself inside of her.
“You didn’t even ask if I wanted to be on top,” Meleana said in a high airy voice.
“If you’d like to be on top you’ll need to get me off you.”
She tried to push him off of her, figuring she may as well give it one more go, but only succeeded in putting more pressure on her own body. A sharp cry escaped her lips as his length pressed deeply inside of her. “Oh force Obi, you’re going to kill me with that thing.”
He chuckled and brushed kisses down her jaw line. “There are worse ways to go.”
Meleana attempted to escape once more. This time Obi-Wan put even more pressure on her as she pushed towards him. “Oh, I give up.” Meleana leaned back against the wall and Obi-Wan pushed even harder.
He bit her neck and thrust his hips up into hers again. “Keep trying. I’m enjoying it.”
“I can’t,” she said breathlessly.
“Too much for you doll?” He snickered and spun his hips in a tight circle. “Just say you give up and I’ll ease up on you.”
Meleana shook her head, “I already tried that, besides this fight just got interesting.”
One of her legs came up around his hip and she pushed her body into his. He took the hint and started moving against her. Her body relaxed between him and the wall as he built up a slow gentle pace.
Meleana’s head fell to her shoulder. Her exposed neck was quickly covered by soft lips. Teeth latched onto her skin as the speed of Obi-Wan’s thrusts increased abruptly. The sounds he was eliciting from her barely registered to her. All of the worry and pain she’d felt in the last few months melted away. The intense mix of pleasure and pain he was inflicting on her with his deep hard strokes were suddenly the only thing that mattered.
Meleana slid her arms from his grip and wrapped them tightly around his shoulders. She could feel herself growing closer to climaxing. She wanted more of him, the firmness of his body pressings her into the cold wall wasn’t enough. Some how this man, who Meleana still wasn’t entirely sure she even liked, had managed to give her something she hadn’t felt in months, peace. Her lips clasped over his just before her vision went white. Her hips spun in tight circles on his as she rode the waves of her orgasm. Her lips moved away from his and she muttered something unintelligible.
He slowed to a stop and gave her a deep probing kiss. Meleana arched her hips into his wanting to feel him. Her limbs were still coiled tightly around him when he moved away from the wall. His hands gripped her ass firmly to hold her in place. He carried her to the table with remarkable grace for having his pants around his ankles. He moved away to finish undressing himself.
Obi-Wan’s eyes washed over Meleana lying in a heap on the table. He followed her eyes to his own pulsing organ and smiled, that coupled with her parted lips made him wish he’d dropped her on the floor. He stood over her and traced his hands over her body.
“Please,” Meleana breathed out sliding her hips towards him.
He gripped her hips firmly and slid her forward. He moaned deeply as he plunged himself back inside her. Meleana grabbed him and pulled him towards her. She bit his lips gently before kissing him. He moved his hand down her body to massage her clit. Her hips arched into his touch.
His hips thrust faster as he started coming she moaned and arched into him as his swift pace pushed her over the edge again.
“Thank you,” Meleana said kissing him through labored breathing. “That was very informative.”
He smiled. “This was not my original intention.”
“We probably shouldn’t make a habit of this,” Meleana said relaxing underneath him.
“Well we should be back on Coruscant tomorrow.” Obi-Wan got up and grabbed his pants off the floor. “I’m sure we’ll be too preoccupied to chase each other down in the hallway.”
Meleana furrowed her brow. “I’m not much of a chaser even when I’m not preoccupied.”

Meleana woke up first the next morning. She lifted Obi-Wan’s arm off of her and set it gently on the bed next to him. She got out of bed and grabbed some fresh clothing while the events of the previous day ran through her head. They’d spent nearly the entire day dressing and undressing each other. She sighed and walked into the washroom. There had to be a logical explanation for all of this. They were bored. They’d been together all day everyday for over a month. Things were bound to happen.
She turned on the water and hopped into the shower. They were two attractive young people. It wasn’t unheard of for people like that to engage in the behaviors they had. It didn’t explain the change in the way they acted towards each other. She was worried that she might actually be starting to like him. Try as she might she couldn’t keep her mind off of him. She picked up a bottle of soap and started to read the label. Somehow the words ‘rich lather’ steered her mind in the wrong direction. She scolded herself and put the soap down. She just needed to hold it together for a few more hours, then they’d be back at the temple and she’d never have to be alone in a room with him again. At this point any further inappropriate interaction with him would only make matters worse.
“May I join you?” Obi-Wan’s voice jolted her from her thoughts.
“Sure,” Sure! She thought to herself, she’d just told herself she’d avoid inappropriate interaction and then immediately invited him into the shower?
“Why do you look so angry?” He asked with a laugh as he stepped into the shower.
That would have been the perfect time to tell him she’d made a mistake and politely excuse her self. “I got soap in my eyes.”
“Do I need to teach you the proper way to shower defensively as well?”
“Is that going to turn out the same way the fighting lesson did?” She asked in an innocent tone.
He kissed her and pressed her against the shower wall. “Why don’t we just skip to the end of the lesson?”
Meleana’s tension quickly melted away under his touch. She ran her hands up his chest as his hands slid down her body. “Stop.” She said into the kiss.
“What?”
She pushed him away and got out of the shower. She grabbed a towel and raced into the bedroom, locking the door behind her. Meleana buried her face in her hands why couldn’t she just talk to him like a normal person? Now she’d have to talk to him and all she’d succeeded in doing was making things more awkward.
She got out of bed and dressed quickly. She stormed back into the main room and almost plowed into Obi-Wan on his way out of the shower. “Ok, that was stupid and I am really embarrassed. So I’m just going to keep talking and completely humiliate myself.” She hadn’t thought things through enough to know what she was going to say next.
“I thought you were going to talk?” He said after a long pause.
“I am!” She shouted. “I just don’t know what to say! I’ve never really been in a situation like this before.”
“And what situation would that be?”
She gaped at him for a minute. “One that involves repeat performances.”
“Oh... then there won’t be anymore performances. Is that all?”
Meleana’s eyes widened. How could he be so composed when she was flipping out? “What do you mean is that all? I’m losing it and all you can say is ‘is that all,’ what’s wrong with you!”
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows. “Nothing is wrong with me. I’m sorry I made you feel uncomfortable. I’m used to multiple encounters, I had no idea it would make you feel so awkward.”
“Well it does.”
“I apologize. Can I get dressed now?”
Meleana stepped out of his way. “Sorry.” She followed him into her bedroom. “This isn’t going to change anything is it?”
Obi-Wan turned to look at her. “We won’t be having sex any more.”
“I should let you get dressed.” She walked out and sat down at the table in the main room with her head down.
“Are you hungry?” Obi-Wan asked casually as he walked into the main room. “If you say no I’m going to cook for you anyway.”
“Then I guess I’m hungry.”

Obi-Wan walked back into the main room with two plates of food and sat down across from Meleana.
“I’m sorry,” She said. “You must think I’m incredibly immature.”
He shook his head. “Not at all. It’s really not a big deal. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
“I’m sorry I’m not good at… people.”
He chuckled. “You’re a trained negotiator.”
“I know, I mean professionally I’m fine. Personally I’m a disaster. I’ve got three friends, one of which I haven’t even seen for four years. Only one of them is a Jedi and I don’t even think she’d talk to me if we hadn’t been friends since we were younglings.”
“And what about friend number three?”
“She’s a game designer. I ran into her on one of my secret nights out of the temple. She was in trouble, I saved her. We kept in touch. She’s an odd girl, which probably explains why she likes me.”
“Are you happy with your friends?”
Meleana shrugged. “I guess… why does it seem like we’re always talking about me?”
“Because I don’t like to talk about myself. If there’s something you’d like to know ask and I’ll tell you.”
Meleana shook her head. “No. I don’t really care.”
Obi-Wan had to stifle a laugh to keep from choking. “I think I’ve figured out why you don’t have any friends.”
Meleana shrugged. “What’s the point? We’ll be back on Coruscant in a few hours and we’ll likely never see each other again. So why bother?”
“Has anyone ever told you your honesty is refreshing?”
“Yes.”
“They were lying.”
“Would you rather I lie? I’m not going to sugar coat things so you feel better. You’re a big boy.”
“I’m only saying, your abrasive personality might explain why you’ve only got three and a half friends.”
“Half?”
He nodded. “I only like you fifty percent of the time.”
“Better than none of the time, and I like my abrasive personality, it tends to weed out the people that aren’t worth my time.”
“So no one is worth your time?”
Meleana rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I wander around interviewing people for the position of Meleana’s friend.”
“Oh you’re referring to yourself in the third person now? That’s always attractive.”
“Meleana doesn’t care what you think of her.”
“That’s been obvious since the beginning.” Obi-Wan finished his plate and pushed it away. “So what are you going to do when we get back to Coruscant?”
Meleana thought a moment. She didn’t like being at the temple, but she was equally sick of hyperspace. “I don’t know. I haven’t really been there in a while. Not for an extended period of time at least. Maybe I’ll catch up with my friend if she’s there. What are you going to do?”
“Train my new apprentice. Dodge any questions he may have about this disaster of a mission. See my plethora of friends.”
“Well I hope you and your plethora of friends enjoy yourselves.”

They arrived on Coruscant a few hours later and went to report to the Council immediately. The Council was not at all pleased with them, and most of the blame fell on Meleana despite Obi-Wan’s admission of guilt.
Obi-Wan had to rush to catch the turbo-lift with Meleana she’d run out of the Council room so quickly.
Meleana gave him a humorless look as he caught the door and hopped in. “If you’re going to try to cheer me up don’t waste your time.”
“They are not terribly fond of you.”
Meleana crossed her arms over her chest. “No they aren’t. They weren’t very fond of my Master either. I’ve been guilty by association for a while now.”
The lift stopped. Obi-Wan held the door. “If you need someone to talk to, feel free to come find me.”
Meleana nodded. “Thanks.” Obi-Wan stepped off and the doors closed. She leaned back against the wall and let out a deep sigh. She didn’t want to be in the temple. Every corner of the temple reminded her of her Master. If she hadn’t felt out of place and unwanted before she certainly did after being reamed by the Council. She was sick of looking at the inside of her ship, but she wasn’t in the mood to wander the halls of the temple either.
She decided to leave the temple. The bustling Coruscant streets were exactly what she needed. No one knew who she was or cared. If she hadn’t been in such a rush to get out of the temple she would have taken the time to fix her speeder bike to take it out for a ride, but given the circumstances walking through the crowded streets was exactly what she needed. She made her way into a Cantina when she was sick of walking. It was early and the cantina was filled with only the most die hard drinkers and depressed citizens of Coruscant. Meleana scoffed at the idea that she felt more at home here than in the temple she’d grown up in. She sat down at the bar and ordered a drink.
Before her Master had died all she could think of was becoming a Jedi Knight. Now she didn’t know what she wanted. One event had completely changed the way she looked at the world. After spending the past month wanting nothing but to be left alone she suddenly felt very lonely. She had too much on her mind to be left to her own devices. She downed her drink quickly and tossed some credits on the bar. If she was ever going to find any peace she needed to stop avoiding her problems.
She spent the early half of the day working on the exterior of the ship. She finished the repairs to the hull of the cabin and buffed out the metal scraps Obi-Wan had used to make the earlier repairs. She found an extra can of the burgundy paint she had originally used on the ship and touched up the rough areas. She stepped back to admire her work. It didn’t look as good as new, droids probably would have done a better job, but it was back in working order. She stood in the docking bay for a long time watching the paint dry thinking of nothing in particular.
A loud growl from her stomach snapped her out of her trance. She looked around hoping no one was around to hear. She was starved, but she hadn’t restocked the food on the ship yet. She cringed at the idea of eating in the dinning hall, but wasn’t in the mood to wander through the streets looking for suitable cuisine either.

The dinning hall was crowded. If Meleana hadn’t spent so much time watching paint dry she could have been in and out before the evening rush, but she was never that lucky. She grabbed a tray of food and scanned the room for a place to sit. There were no empty tables, which meant she’d need to find someone who wouldn’t mind her squeezing in with them. Her eyes caught a familiar face, though not one she was in any hurry to eat with. After a minute more of searching she walked over to Latira, a woman who had been in the same group of younglings as Meleana. They weren’t friendly, but as far as she knew there was no recent reason why they wouldn’t be on speaking terms.
“Hi,” Meleana said taking a seat across from her.
Latira looked away from her conversation and smiled politely at Meleana. She was a tall human with olive skin and deep brown eyes. Her narrow features had always given her a delicateness that was completely at odds with her personality. Meleana caught sight of her Padawan braid and wondered if her lack of one might cause a problem. When her group had grown old enough to be chosen as Padawans they split into two very competitive sides. Meleana and Latira hadn’t seen eye to eye on anything since their tenth birthdays.
It had only taken one member of their group to cause the rift. Unis, the most aggressive girl in their all female pack had become jealous of Meleana and forced everyone else to pick a side. This only increased Meleana’s popularity. The other girls didn’t like being forced to pick their friends and most sided with Meleana by default. Other than Meleana, only two went on to be chosen as Padawan’s. Latira and Ketana, Meleana’s only Jedi friend. Of the three Meleana had become a Jedi Knight first.
“I hear you passed the trials.” Latira said in a cold tone.
Meleana nodded, not really wanting to talk about it. Latira’s tone was enough for her to know she still held a grudge.
“You’re ability to win sympathy from the Council amazes me. How is it something always happens to make you look like the victim at precisely the right time?” Latira narrowed her eyes at Meleana. “Is someone going to trip and drop their food tray on you now so you can avoid answering my question?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Meleana wished she’d stayed on her ship. Eating a ration pack and watching paint dry didn’t sound too bad anymore.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Unis had been Latira’s best friend. She had left the order after attacking Meleana during a training session. Latira had always blamed Meleana for provoking her and driving her away. “Do you honestly think you deserve to be here at all? Much less as a Jedi Knight?”
Meleana saw a table clear across the room and got up without another word to Latira. Obviously ten years wasn’t long enough for her to get over her issues. She sat down and stared at her untouched plate of food. She looked up when someone else sat down at her table.
“Hello,” The Jedi, who closely resembled Obi-Wan, said in a friendly tone.
“Hi…” Meleana was a little confused at the familiarity in his voice. “Do I know you?”
“No. I was told to sit here and watch you.”
Meleana had a mixture of confusion and worry on her face. “Why?”
“I’m not allowed to tell you.”
Meleana furrowed her brow. “Who told you to watch me?”
“I’m also not allowed to tell you.”
“Obi-Wan?”
The other Jedi frowned. “Well that didn’t take long. I’m Garen Muln.”
“Do you do everything he says?” Meleana wasn’t in the mood for games.
“Don’t be mad at Garen,” Obi-Wan said hearing the bitterness in her voice as he approached. He took a seat next to her. “Not only did you have the only free table, you also looked like you were about to burst into tears. I thought I’d send him over to make sure you didn’t embarrass yourself. You need to stop looking forlorn over your food. It’s a little pathetic.”
Meleana bit the inside of her cheek and started to get up. “Go fuck a Hutt.”
He grabbed her arm to keep her from running away. “I was just teasing you.” He saw Anakin coming. “Please sit down and get anything else you might have to say to me off your chest before my Padawan gets here.”
Meleana rolled her eyes at him and sat back down. “I’m not in the mood for… anything.”
“Awe did you miss me that much?”
“I hadn’t noticed you were gone until you showed up again. Are you stalking me?”
“Only if you want me to,” He said with a smile trying to get a laugh out of her.
Anakin sat down between Obi-Wan and Garen. “Hi.” He said to Meleana. “I’m Anakin Skywalker. Are you a friend of Master Obi-Wan’s too?”
Meleana raised a brow at Obi-Wan. “Only by the loosest definition.”
“Huh?” Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan. “What does that mean?”
“She’s upset with me for playing a joke on her.”
“Oh.” He looked back at Meleana. “Are you the one with a starship?”
Meleana nodded. “If you can call it that.”
Obi-Wan nudged her in the arm with his elbow. “Stop questioning my Padawan’s vocabulary.”
“Can I see it!” Anakin asked excitedly. “I’m a pilot you know! Maybe I can fly it! Master can I fly it?”
“Maybe another day Anakin. Jedi Ariadne is probably tired.”
Meleana looked at the eagerness in the boy’s eyes. “I need to do some things tomorrow. Would you like to come see it the day after?”
“Can I?” Anakin asked looking to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan nodded. “Can we come by in the morning?”
“Sure,” Meleana said clearing her plate. “I should get going. I’ll see you later.”

Meleana spent most of the next day cleaning and restocking her ship. After such a long mission everything needed to be replenished and cleaned. By the time she finished it was already late in the evening. She went to bed for lack of anything better to do, but found herself unable to sleep. It was late enough that most of the Jedi in the temple would have already been asleep. It seemed like the perfect time for her to enjoy the temple in peace.

Meleana was floating on her back in the lake inside of the Jedi temple. For the first time in a long while she felt completely serene staring up at the night sky on the ceiling. She was alone in the room, contemplating the galaxy and gently kicking herself through the water. She moved to the shore feeling another presence in the room. She knew it was Master Yoda without looking.
“Up late you are.” He said walking to the shore line.
Meleana stopped before she got to shore, not positive she was comfortable talking to a Council member in a two piece swimsuit. “I just needed to clear my head.”
He nodded. “Time to reflect need you. Run from your troubles you do.”
Meleana took a deep breath. “I don’t run from my problems. I just do what I need to do to keep them from affecting my life.”
“But affect you they do. Though a Jedi Knight you may be, much to learn have you.”
Run-ins like this were precisely the reason Meleana stayed locked in her ship most of the time. “That’s why you sent me on a mission with Obi-Wan, so I could learn from him?”
“Much in common you have.”
Meleana saw no point in concealing her annoyance. Whether her face showed it or not Master Yoda would know her feelings. “You must see something in us we don’t.”
Master Yoda chuckled. “So stubborn you are.”
Meleana was beginning to think there wasn’t a point to this midnight meeting with Yoda. “If there is nothing else Master I’m very tired. I was just about to head out when you came in.”
“A mission for you I have. On Corellia Ketana is. Heard from her we have not. Find her you will. Details I will send to you. Leave tomorrow you will.”
Meleana bowed in the water. “Yes Master.”

Meleana woke early the next morning and contacted Obi-Wan to see if he and Anakin could come by before she left. She wanted to cancel on them, but felt terrible when she thought back to the excitement on Anakin’s face. Obi-Wan said he’d wake Anakin up and bring him down right away. He even offered to cook for her to thank her for indulging his Padawan.
Meleana smiled at them as she answered the door. “Good morning,” she said to the sleepy looking Padawan. She brought Anakin into the control room while Obi-Wan went to the kitchen.
“This is great! Can I fly it?” Anakin said taking a seat in the captain’s chair.
“Not today. Come on I’ll show you the engine room.”
“You built this whole thing?” Anakin hopped out of the chair and followed her out.
“All by myself.”
Meleana finished showing him all of the mechanical bits and pieces of the ship just as Obi-Wan was setting the table.
“Can I live in here?” Anakin exclaimed peeking into the cabin.
“I don’t think your Master would be very happy about that.” She pat him on the back. “Let’s go eat. You’ve seen all the good stuff.”

They finished eating and Obi-Wan sent Anakin to look at the outside of the ship. “Where are you going?” He asked.
“Corellia. My Jedi friend was on a mission there. She was due back a week ago and she hasn’t reported in. It’s probably nothing, but Master Yoda wants me to go track her down.” Meleana didn’t get the sense that Ketana was in trouble, but it wasn’t like her not to check in.
“Well be careful. I won’t be around to catch you.”
Meleana gave him a slight smile. “Have you gotten hero syndrome?”
“There’s a syndrome?” He gave her a quirky grin. “Let me know when you get back. I’m sure Anakin would love to take a ride in your ship.”
“Are you using your Padawan as an excuse to see me?” She smiled as his face flushed red. “That’s sort of cute and very desperate.”
“I’ll take what’s left of my dignity and let you get going.”
“You’re cute when you’re humiliated.” Meleana said with a smile. “I’ll see what I can do about getting Anakin a ride in my ship.”