Author's Notes: And so, we wind down the first story in the GFFA rewound (even while I figure out the series name. Any suggestions for the series as a whole are more than welcome). Some things are resolved, some things are left open, while still others begin. The next story in the series has been started … the title is 'A Heartbeat Away,' and chronicles the burgeoning relationship between Obi-Wan and Merit, as well as the Jedi's attempts to adjust to their new reality. As you can imagine, it doesn't always go smoothly. That'll be up shortly. So, in this chapter, someone who isn't happy about the changes confronts Merit (leading to a new enemy for the Jedi); while Palpatine begins to influence the little boy from Tatooine.

Epilogue

Into the Greater World

Six months later

As Mace Windu suspected, the mere announcement that the Code was under review sent shockwaves through the Jedi family. Also as suspected, there were many departures from the Jedi … some expected, others not so much. Still others weren't entirely sure what to make of the announcement. To be honest, despite his part in the decision, Mace fell into that third category. The announcement regarding the creation of the Jedi Home Guard created a great deal of relief among the initiates … and much to his astonishment, the overall performance of those initiates dramatically improved overnight. Merit Solo didn't seem nearly as stunned, observing that the pressure was off the children and now they could show what they were truly capable of. She offered a small smile as she returned her attention to her notes about the Jedi Home Guard.

It was actually remarkably similar to the Clans the younglings were assigned to in the crèche … Masters between padawans or knights not yet ready to take a padawan taught the youngsters (who had yet to be assigned a name, although Mace had to admit that he quite liked Obi-Wan's suggestion of Jedi Guardians). He wasn't nearly as sure about Merit's suggestion of what she called field trips into Coruscant; however, that received significant support from other Masters on the Council. Master Yoda kept his own council about the suggestion … but Mace noticed that he didn't speak against it. That spoke volumes to him … and to the rest of the Council. As the weeks passed, and both new Jedi began to settle into their new lives at the Temple, Mace began focusing on the future. At least, that was the plan, until the first push-back occurred.

In retrospect, he really should have expected that someone, sooner or later, would take more … direct action. No … no, because they were Jedi and because of their sensitivity to the Force and the power that gave them, he expected better of them. What was it that Merit sometimes said, always with that haunted look in her eyes? Oh yes … with great power comes great responsibility, and so it was with the Jedi. Most were up to the challenge. Some were not. Chief among this second category was one Neeti Anjul, a knight who came dangerously close to Falling not long before the Naboo crisis. Knight Anjul didn't just argue against the changes, but tried to actively destroy anyone or anything associated with those changes. Like many who came so close to Falling, she became almost manic in her devotion to the Code.

In the beginning, Mace approved of that devotion. However, now he was starting to see it for what it was … an attachment in and of itself (all the while, quietly acknowledging to himself that he had attachments … to the Jedi Order and to the Republic). He really should have expected she wouldn't give up, no matter how many times she was told that the changes would happen. She made repeated attempts to get the Council to end the Guardian program, argued on several occasions that they couldn't trust the daughter of a Sith … that Knight Solo was leading them all into dangerous waters. That part was true … the kind of changes being instituted were dangerous. They were also necessary for the survival of the Order.

For the better part of five months, while Merit was busy putting the Guardian Program together when she and Obi-Wan weren't involved with missions, Knight Anjul continued her one-woman war against the changes. Several of the Masters and Knights expressed concerns about the changes, but agreed to let things play out. Some of the padawans, too, were worried … but they were curious about what this new variation of the Code would look like. So Anjul found no support there … everywhere she turned, at least according to her viewpoint, she was blockaded by supporters of that 'little Sith upstart' as she so derisively called Merit.

The irony was, few people in the Order actually knew Merit, much less supported her. Their faith was in the Council, something that now staggered Mace when he thought about it. They put their faith and their trust in the Council, in the good will and wisdom of the Council. But what was truly ironic was that with her final attack against the Jedi from the future, Anjul ended up pushing those Jedi sitting on the proverbial fence away from her own perspective. Somehow, Mace doubted that she would appreciate that particular bit of irony.

Obi-Wan and Merit just returned from a mission and both were in high spirits. Mace and Yoda, as well as others, noticed the growing friendship between the two Knights … as did others. Some approved, others were concerned … but none would intervene. They had too much respect for Obi-Wan, even if Merit made them nervous … which she did. Not because of anything she did, but because the breath-taking changes to their well-ordered lives (no pun intended) began with her arrival. Even those who only heard of her figured that out.

The average Jedi knew three things about Merit Solo: her brother died saving Master Jinn's life; she arrived under mysterious circumstances; and her arrival heralded the changes within the Order. It was also well known that when Merit was at the Temple, she spent much of her time in the room where she first arrived in the Jedi Temple. There, she found solace and peace as she worked to put her program together. They already had twenty candidates, who knew they wouldn't be chosen and didn't really fit into a particular Corps.

That was the case this particular day. Obi-Wan was teaching a class while Merit worked in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. As was her custom, she sat alone, with her back to the wall. Mace quickly realized it was her way of protecting herself. With her back to the wall, she could see people entering the room … and be prepared. As Mace heard later from Tama Ubreki, the padawan who witnessed most of the confrontation, she was murmuring to herself and making notes on her data pad when Neeti Anjul stalked up to her and accused her of casting a spell on the Council. Merit looked up at her, studied her for several moments before calmly pointing out that if she thought Mace and the others were so weak-minded as to be swayed by 'spells,' it would seem the Jedi Order had far worse trouble than Merit herself (Mace refused to admit that he laughed aloud when that comment was relayed to him. He didn't laugh. No. Not at all. Tama and the other padawans were spooked by something else).

And, naturally, Anjul didn't find this even remotely amusing. While no one saw for certain what exactly she did, all accounts were clear on one thing: she attacked Merit. That was her first mistake. Her second mistake was assuming that Merit's skills hadn't improved in the last few months. It seemed she quickly realized that while Merit's footwork when she first arrived in the current era was pathetic (to be kind about it), it dramatically improved over the last several months. Part of it was her friendship with Obi-Wan and the rest of his age-mates … but part of it was being in a stable environment, where she could learn such skills. Of course, such a battle attracted the attention of others. By the time Mace and the rest of the Council arrived, the fight was over … Merit stood in front of her kneeling opponent, her lightsaber trembling in her hands as Anjul tried to goad her into 'being true to her Sith heritage' and kill her. She was also in serious danger of being ejected from the Order for drawing her weapon against a sister Jedi.

In a slow, measured voice that Mace would later come to recognize (her 'you do not want me as an enemy' voice, Anakin would call it), Merit retorted, "I am a Jedi Knight. I am sworn to protect innocent life. I do not wish to kill another Jedi, but I will not let you kill me, either. We don't have to be friends, but I also don't want us to be enemies." Obi-Wan, who just arrived on the scene, stepped closer to his partner. He didn't touch her. He didn't speak. He didn't need to do either. However, there was someone else who did speak, someone who followed Mace after receiving the report from the padawans regarding the confrontation.

"Knight Solo may be the daughter of a Sith … but it is you who are behaving like one, Knight Anjuli," Master Plo Koon said icily. Plo Koon, who was among the Masters opposed to the changes … who now stood on the other side of the Jedi from the future. He glowered at his former compatriot, before turning his attention to Merit and saying in an impossibly gentle voice, "Power down your lightsaber, my dear. Your father was a Sith … but you are not. And there are no others in this Temple who would hesitate to stand at your side." Merit stared at Knight Anjul for a moment longer, before doing just that, returning the lightsaber to her hip. She bowed her head and Master Koon murmured, "Very good."

"Forgive me, Masters," Merit whispered. Only then did Obi-Wan put a supportive hand on Merit's shoulder, a touch she leaned into. Mace studied her for a few minutes. She drew her lightsaber on a fellow Jedi … but she acted in self-defense. The padawans who came to him told him as much. And once she bested her opponent, she maintained her defensive posture. One did not turn one's back on a defeated opponent merely because they were defeated … that was an excellent way to end up dead. And then Merit raised her eyes to Mace … the Councilor was stunned to see fear there as she added, "I will submit to any punishment you deem necessary."

"Necessary, that is not. Committed no offense, you did. Acted in self-defense, you have," Master Yaddle said and Mace blinked, for the first time seeing the tiny Master. She stood behind Knight Anjul, holding the younger Jedi's lightsaber in one tiny claw as she explained, "Witnessed everything, I did … asked for my assistance, Knight Solo has." Mace watched the color drain from the Knight's face, and Master Yaddle added scornfully, "Meant to act the victim, you did … conduct unbecoming a Jedi, that is!"

"I never would have killed her! And I am trying to save this Order! Why can none of you see, she is just as dangerous as Skywalker! She took some of the younglings and padawans out of the Temple the other day, and without their Masters. A field trip, she called it!" Anjul protested as she was hauled to her feet by Tama Ubreki and another padawan. The Councilor raised his eyebrows, glancing at Merit, who merely offered a small shrug and an equally small smile. Oh, he couldn't wait to hear this. Anjul, perhaps thinking she'd won, went on, "She's corrupting the children, Master … the very future of the Order!"

"On that, we do agree … the younglings are most assuredly the future of the Order. If there is any question of impropriety, I received permission from Master Drallig and the individual Masters … the children in the Order need to see more than the walls of the Temple. There's another facet to the field trips. During the last several weeks, I've often gone out in ordinary street clothes. There's a lot of misinformation out there about the Jedi. We're correcting that, one person at a time," Merit answered. Mace wasn't sure about this particular idea … there was a lot of misinformation, yes. However, he didn't want to replace one piece of misinformation with another. It seemed she understood that, for she added, "I want the general populace to trust us, and it's best to start small." Trust … the Jedi? Why wouldn't they? Merit added, "Come out with me sometime, Master Windu … you'll see what I mean."

"Or get roped into helping to deliver a baby," was Obi-Wan's rather dour contribution. Mace looked at the young Knight and was more than a little annoyed to realize that his hair was quickly growing out. It wasn't as long as his former Master's, but it was definitely growing out of the padawan cut. Mace returned his attention to the disagreement. Just in time, too … the corners of Merit's quirked upward, and she affected what Mace was sure was meant to be an innocent expression. Helping … to … deliver … a … baby. There was an intriguing story here, he was sure, but right now, he couldn't afford to be distracted by that (no matter how good the story was). Obi-Wan added after a moment, "Mind you, I'll never forget the look in the mother's eyes when she was holding her baby. It …" And then, he stopped. He looked at Merit in astonishment, but what really surprised Mace was Merit's answering smirk. The newly-minted Knight said slowly, "It isn't just about what we can give to the people around us … but what we get back from them." Merit inclined her head, smiling faintly.

"We are a part of this world … this galaxy … this universe. What we do impacts those around us," was her simple statement. And yet, that statement was far from simple. True, but not simple. He wondered if she realized that the Jedi needed to remain detached in order to fulfill their purpose. A sad smile twisted her youthful face, as if hearing what he was thinking. However, all she said was, "If you need anything further from me, Master Windu, I should return to my quarters." He made a dismissive gesture, and she bowed to both Mace and to Master Yaddle, before departing. Obi-Wan did the same, and then followed her.

That just left what to do about Knight Anjul, who remained defiant before him. His shatterpoints warned him that there were risks in just about every future, no matter what path he took. Then again, it wasn't just his decision to make. For now, she would be confined to quarters while he and Master Yaddle briefed the Council. It would force him to delay his meeting with Qui-Gon, to hear how Anakin was settling in, but Mace wasn't worried about that. In truth, he'd just as soon give that meeting a miss, especially since Qui-Gon was ignoring their warnings about allowing Chancellor Palpatine so much access to the boy. He would have issued that warning, even if Merit hadn't flinched every time he was mentioned. They were Jedi, and they couldn't afford to serve two Masters. And yes, Mace realized he bore some responsibility … but Qui-Gon was the boy's Master and what he did held far more impact than what Mace did.

Orders were provided to escort Knight Anjul to her quarters, where they would be met with guards to ensure her compliance. For the rest of his life, Mace would regret that decision. It began with the deaths of two Jedi … it would end with far more.

SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW

So far, being a Jedi wasn't nearly as wizard as Anakin thought it would be. For one thing, he was drastically behind the other younglings, much less the other padawans (although, no one expected him to be on par with the other padawans, since he was several years younger than they were). For another thing, he missed his mom … and Padme … and now Merit as well. He missed Master Thane, too. And much to his surprise, he missed Obi-Wan as well. And that led into the next problem he was finding as a Jedi … word got around about the encounter in the Council Chambers when Master Qui-Gon first took Anakin as his padawan learner, even though Obi-Wan was still his padawan.

No one was overtly cruel … but they were wary of him. It hurt. And he was lonely. Master Qui-Gon forbade Merit to have any contact with him, something that hurt as well. When his Master tried to explain to him that she was the daughter of a Sith, and therefore dangerous to Anakin, the little boy reminded him that the exact same thing was said about Anakin. Besides, Master Thane was her older brother, the son of a Sith, and he died saving Master Qui-Gon's life. Not surprising, his new Master had no answer for that, aside from a feeble, 'it's different.'

But he was no longer a slave, and he promised his mother that he would become a Jedi, that he would never look back, and so Anakin tried to focus on that. And there were bright spots … when he was able to see Obi-Wan, his older brother was unfailingly kind and always told him that even though she was busy with the Jedi Home Guard and was respecting Master Qui-Gon's wishes, he was never far from Merit's thoughts. He also reassured Anakin that he was taking proper care of Merit, because she didn't always think to take care of herself … something Anakin remembered clearly. He also told Anakin about the Home Guard that Merit was creating, and why it was necessary.

The newest Jedi padawan thought that was a truly wizard idea, and declared to Obi-Wan that forcing unchosen Initiates to leave was stupid. It wasn't until much later, when he met their grandmaster, that he realized why Obi-Wan's smile turned suddenly sad when he said that. And that brought him to Grandmaster Dooku. Anakin's mouth turned down just a bit at the thought of the man who was now his Jedi grandfather. That was how Merit explained it to him when he asked what grandmaster meant. And while he was unfailingly courteous to Anakin, the boy had the distinct feeling that Grandmaster Dooku didn't like him very much.

He'd left the Jedi Order two months earlier, despite the changes being made, and there'd been a terrible argument between Master Qui-Gon and his former Master, and terrible things were said on both sides. And it was then that Anakin met the other bright spot in his new life: Chancellor Palpatine. He'd actually met the Chancellor during the Victory Parade once Naboo was free, but it wasn't until Anakin quietly left the quarters he shared with Master Qui-Gon during that argument that he met the new Chancellor once again during his tour of the Temple with Master Windu. It was pretty clear that Master Windu didn't approve of much of anything Master Qui-Gon did nowadays, but that didn't stop him from inviting Anakin to join him on the tour … this was Anakin's home now, after all.

Anakin happily accepted and trailed between the Jedi and the Chancellor, and thus began his friendship with Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. Master Qui-Gon encouraged it, although Anakin suspected from listening to his master's arguments with Master Windu that it was more because Anakin was the Chosen One than anything else. While it seemed at first that being this Chosen One would be wizard, Anakin was growing less and less sure that was what he wanted to be. It didn't seem like a lot of fun. And while the Chancellor was a politician, he let Anakin have fun when they spent time together, even telling Anakin how wizard he thought Anakin was just for being Anakin and that because he was so powerful, he shouldn't follow the same rules as everyone else. He was special, so the rules didn't apply to him. By the end of Anakin's first six months as a Jedi padawan, he was telling Chancellor Palpatine things he wouldn't dream of telling Master Qui-Gon … because the Chancellor saw Anakin.

Except … he didn't. And it took Anakin entirely too long to realize that.

Fin

Additional Author's Notes: (Stares in shock) Wow. After eight years (including a four year hiatus), this story is done! As I mentioned earlier, the next story is already started and will be posted shortly. The story about Merit and Obi-Wan delivering a baby during their travels around Coruscant will likely be included in A Heartbeat Away, because as you can imagine, it does strengthen the bond between them. And, since it does involve the Jedi adjusting to their new existence, we'll take a peek at the creation of the clones on Kamino and Dooku's part in that. Once I've filled in the pieces, we'll jump ahead to the re-imagined Attack of the Clones and no … it won't be titled that. Not sure what the title will be, I'm still musing over that. This will also not be the last time we see the Jedi and Clones in the Force. As to Pieces of the Truth, I'm still working on that and am hoping to have the next chapter up by the end of the year.