An Order in Crisis
(Joint IC with Sneaky, Bakerydog, Dlaf, Pluto, and Oxford)
The windowed, circular room perched at the summit of the Jedi Temple was bathed in light, the vast cityscape of Coruscant melting into the horizon in every direction. The eleven members of the Jedi High Council sat in silence, their faces grave and lined with stress and worry. Two seats were noticeably vacant, their emptiness filling the room with a deep sense of dread.
Grand Master Yoda’s holographic form flickered as he cleared his throat. Immediately all eyes turned to him.
“A dark and perilous time for us, this is,” he began, his long green ears twitching slightly as he spoke. “Called the council together, we have, to discuss a very important issue at hand - the future of our order, and the revelation of the Chancellor’s identity as a Sith Lord. Upon a knife’s edge, the balance of the Force rests.” He turned to Master Mace Windu, the man who had formally called the meeting, and nodded for him to speak.
The vestiges of exhaustion could be seen plain upon the Korun Master’s normally inscrutable face. His furrowed brow and the tightness of his lips give indication to the seriousness of the matter.
“Knight Skywalker approached me with the knowledge that Chancellor Palpatine was, in fact, the Sith Lord we had been searching for,” Windu’s baritone voice reverberated throughout the room as he spoke, “I gathered Masters Fisto, Kolar, and Tiin for the purpose of arresting the Chancellor. Upon entering the room...it was as if the Dark Side itself was feasting upon our souls. We attempted to arrest the Chancellor, but he resisted.”
Windu paused and his dark gaze rested heavily upon the two vacant seats. A dark glint would flash beneath his eyes as he continued to speak.
“Palpatine is a Sith Lord of immense power. He cut down Master’s Tiin and Kolar in an instant, incapacitating Master Fisto a moment later. It was only due to my Mastery of Vaapad that I was able to combat the Sith equally. Even now the taste of the Dark Side rests poisonously on my mind.” The man grimaced for a moment before closing his eyes in a moment of meditation. When he spoke again, his voice was calm...but no less severe, “I battled the SIth Lord to a stand still when Knight Skywalker entered the room. Skywalker’s presence caused the Sith to unleash a powerful burst of Sith Lightning; thankfully, we were able to block his assault and force him out the window. I called security and the rest of you know what happened from there.”
The Master of Vaapad grew silent as he looked around the room to those gathered, “Master Yoda spoke correctly when he said we must speak on the future of our Order. Therefore I put forth the motion to recall the Jedi to Coruscant and determine what part the Order shall play in this Conflict.”
Windu would grow silent, his darkened gaze awaiting a response.
Anakin looked at Windu disapproving. “Master, the war is going on full scale, pulling back all the Jedi could not only damage the current offensive but potentially drive the Republic back. We have a duty to the Republic to end this war as swiftly as possible, we cannot just retreat, the Republic forces would be in disarray.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi sat quietly, his mind clearly on other things as he rubbed his beard beard and nodded along with his former Padawan.
Ki-Adi-Mundi’s hologram flickers, “I am inclined to agree with Knight Skywalker, with the loss of their patron we must keep up the pressure on the Separatists. It is our duty to see that peace reigns within the galaxy as soon as possible, even if it means our continued involvement in the War. If we withdraw there could be catastrophic consequences in the Republic command structure, giving the Separatists needed time to replenish their forces and drag this war on further. However our involvement grows less popular by the day, not to mention the staggering costs on the Order and the Republic as a whole.”
“Disastrous it would be, to pull out now,” agreed Yoda, nodding his head. “A peacekeeping force, the Jedi have always been - prepared to defend the Republic in times of need, we have.” He frowned, apparently deep in thought. “Though too politically involved, I believe, we have become. So narrowly focused, we were, that a Sith Lord nearly destroyed us. Sustained in the future, the course we are on now cannot be.” He turned to scan the assembled Jedi Masters with his amber eyes. “Corrupt and decadent, the Republic has become. Weak and blind, we have too become. Step back, we should, upon the war’s end.”
Mace Windu’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly, “It is true that removing ourselves from the war immediate would have grave circumstances for the War. However, let it be remembered that the war itself was orchestrated by the Sith.” He pauses before saying, “I propose a balanced perspective. Bring all Jedi not vital to the War Effort back to Coruscant. We have lost too many needlessly.”
Obi-Wan kept his head down. “It seems to me,” he said carefully, “that General Grievous is the true obstacle to peace. Without the Sith pulling their strings the rest of the Separatist leadership is likely much more willing to accept peace.” He lifted his head to look at the rest of the council. “I would propose that we put every available Jedi and all our agents, including the whole of Republic Intelligence if possible, to work on locating Grievous himself. That is the way we end this war.”
Mace Windu shakes his head, “The Lord of the Sith is the real threat. I trust the Republic to handle Grievous. If we are to hunt anyone it would be Palpatine. Regardless of appearances, the Sith Lord was too powerful to die by falling out of a window.”
Anakin looked up. “I agree with Master Windu in regards to Palpatine, if he truly was dead we would have found his body by now, the lack of a corpse is troublesome.”
“Troublesome, but not entirely unexpected,” Obi-Wan put in gently. “There are many examples of Sith who left no body behind after death, whether because their physical form could not sustain itself without the dark side or for some other reason. One only needs to touch the Force to see that the darkness that once tainted it has begun to recede.” He rubbed his beard once again. “But I certainly would not oppose efforts to make sure we truly are rid of the Sith.”
“Hence my desire to recall the Jedi to Coruscant. I will be frank; until we are certain of his demise, the entire Jedi Order is at risk,” Windu’s baritone reverberated with conviction at this words.
The other members of the Jedi High Council chimed in with their opinions, some in agreement, others dissenting. A silence filled the room as all heads turned to Yoda - the Grand Master had yet to voice his own opinion. His eyes were closed, and his hologram appeared to show him in a meditative state. At length, he opened his eyes and spoke.
“Second Master Windu’s proposal, I do. An exceedingly dangerous man, Palpatine is, able to deceive all of us and infiltrate the Republic’s highest office. In peril will our Order be, until he is dealt with or his death confirmed. In order to hunt him down, all Jedi not deemed vital to the continuation of the war effort should be recalled.”
Master Mundi nods in agreement with Master Windu’s proposition.
Obi-Wan didn’t need to reach into the Force to know that he would lose this argument. He inclined his head, accepting Yoda’s ruling.
Anakin looked down, disappointed, perhaps even partially annoyed before looking back up at the masters. “Master Yoda, Master Windu, how will it be decided who is vital and who is not?”
Windu glanced over at Yoda for a moment before speaking, “Those in High Command will retain their positions aside from myself. I will be resigning my position in the Grand Army of the Republic and will focus on the hunt for the Sith Lord. All Knights and Masters not currently in hostile combat zones will return to Coruscant. Those in hostile zones will continue their missions until completed and we will determine on a case by case basis on whether they shall continue in their command or return.”
Anakin looked down in disagreement. The next bit of the meeting revolved around the selection of the new Masters on the Jedi Council. The council went over several candidates, eventually deciding upon Aayla Secura and Luminara Unduli, both having proven their powers during the war and their dedication to the Jedi order. The room was silent for a bit before Anakin began looking up at the other council members, before looking at Obi-Wan, trying to make up his mind as he looked back at the other members. “Masters, is the story of Darth Plagueis the wise true?”
As the other Jedi in the room descended into murmurs of confusion at the question, Yoda sat motionless and narrowed his eyes at the Jedi Knight.
“A dark and powerful name, that is. Who did you hear it from, I wonder?”
Anakin looked into Yoda’s eyes. “Palpatine.”
A ripple of shock throughout the room.
“A Sith Lord reportedly capable of preventing the deaths of others, Darth Plagueis was. Preserve the life of his loved ones he could, a man so adept in the Dark Side of the Force.” Yoda paused, his gaze unbroken. “Unknown whether he ever truly existed, it is, but doubtful. Destroys, the Dark Side does. Fear, aggression, anger, and hatred, it is born from. Know why Palpatine told you this, do you?”
Anakin nodded. “Not long ago I came to you, master, I told you about someone close to me that I dreamt would die, you told me to let go off my attachments, he told me of another way to prevent death.”
“Explain how to prevent this, he did?”
Anakin shook his head. “No, he told me we could discover it together.”
“This is that which you spoke of to Palpatine before he sent his final attack?” Mace Windu interjected, his dark eyes boring into the Jedi Knight.
Anakin just turned to Windu and nodded.
“If entailed you becoming his apprentice, this “discovering” did, would you have done so?” Yoda asked, his voice firm. The seriousness of this question was lost on no one.
Obi-Wan took the opportunity to speak up, upon hearing Yoda’s tone. “Master Yoda,” he said calmly, “Anakin made his choice in the Chancellor’s office, is it truly necessary to question him like this?”
“Acknowledge his decision, I do, Master Obi-wan,” Yoda said, before returning back to Anakin. “If told you, I did, that the stories of Darth Plagueis were true, what would you do?
“I don't know.” He said short, irate at the questions even being asked, as well as his loyalties.
“The veracity of Darth Plagueis’ historic powers, I know not. Nothing but rumors have I heard of the man,” Yoda said finally, a frown clearly writ in his features. He turned to Master Windu, and then back to Anakin. “What exchange does Master Windu refer to?”
“What I told Palpatine before he turned and attacked us, when he knew that I didn't believe him.” Anakin said, looking at both the masters.
“This continued line of questioning seems irrelevant as Master Kenobi has stated, given the fact that Skywalker helped Master Windu defeat the Sith Lord he chose where his loyalties lie. Need we have a repeat of the Ahsoka incident? In these troubling times we have been doubting those we should trust most, further doubt will only disrupt the unity of the Order and reflect the corruption plaguing the Republic along with the Galaxy as a whole. Skywalker gives us an opportunity to awaken the Order from it’s slumber and reform into the great Order we once were.” Master Mundi interjects as he thoughtfully watched the conversation proceed.
The silent presence of Mace Windu would suddenly shift, his dark eyes remaining fixed upon Skywalker. What transpired within his mind none could tell, but finally the man spoke, “Anakin Skywalker has earned my trust. Regardless of extenuating circumstances he is loyal to our Order and peace. I agree with Master Mundi, for esoteric matters I would suggest Skywalker speak with Master Yoda privately unless it has some bearings on these proceedings.”
Yoda nodded, though his eyes continued to linger on Anakin. “I agree. The end of it, that will be. Unless there are any objections or further propositions, adjourn, this council shall.”
There were none. Back in Kashyyk, Yoda pressed the button deactivating the hologram of the Jedi Council Room and sighed heavily. He would have to talk to the Skywalker boy soon, before his doubts and fears consumed him entirely.
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