Chapter Text
The Council thought over what had been said so far, and considered what topic to cover next. Finally, with a sigh, Mace continued the meeting.
Next up was the report on arresting the Chancellor. That was hard to listen to. Then Anakin detailed how the Chancellor had been manipulating him, since he was nine. He talked about what he thought were the lies that the Chancellor, the Sith, had told him about the Jedi. He did not talk about every single instance, but gave enough details for everyone to understand the context
Anakin shifted and sighed. “And for that reason, I think I should take some classes or something to better understand the theories and rules. I don't know all the lies. Not all of them were contradicted, and I didn't grow up here. I think there were a lot of things that initiates just know because they grew up here, but I was never taught.
“I... after some reflection, I understand why you cannot name me a Master. I am twenty three years old, the youngest was twenty nine, and that came about due to that master taking over a padawan's training for three years. A master is someone who has shown mastery, either by raising a padawan to Knighthood, or by showing a mastery over some area, like Master Obi-Wan mastering Soresu before I was Knighted. If you do not want me on the Council now that the person who wanted me on it in the first place is dead, I understand.”
“Let's not be too hasty on that account,” Plo cautioned. “We do have to replace a few members, and I was going to propose we look at reforms for the Order as we have been too easily manipulated into this war. One of those suggestion was going to be two seats occupied by Knights, and two by padawans, in order to get a better grip on what the Order as whole likes, rather than just the twelve of us deciding.”
“Not a bad idea. There would be Knights and padawans who have a better idea of what is going on than us, who often get stuck here and doing paperwork for days, with little break. We could have them change out every year, that way the padawans and Knights aren't grounded for too long, since Council members don't do as many missions as the most.” Obi-Wan nodded, stroking his beard in thought. “I propose that pending rebuilding discussions and filling the other seats, likely at least two to three months, we leave Anakin at his post.”
Mace seconded the proposal, so it went to a vote. Anakin looked surprised to see that (even with him abstaining) it passed with 5-2 votes. The two that voted against accepted the vote and moved onto discussing recovery efforts, and how to move forward in the aftermath of the war.
“The Senate will want to hear our testimony of events.” Mace stated finally. “We should discuss our approach.”
“It might be better to wait until we've discussed any changings we will be undertaking, particularly since one thing I wanted to bring up was looking at our relationship with the Republic and by extension, the Senate. I feel we may want to be taking our long term goals into account for whatever we may say.” Obi-Wan looked around seriously.
He knew that Plo and Shaak were on his side, they were two others who had struggled with some of the rules surrounding attachments and emotions over the course of the war. Ki-Adi would be against it as he was very traditional for all that he did love his wives and daughters in the end. Stass surprisingly tended to be a little on the traditional side, but then, Obi-Wan thought it might be because she didn't struggle with the teachings as they were taught. There were many who did not, after all. Yoda for sure would stay traditional. Anakin, aside from voting, would likely refrain from inputting an opinion without being asked, since he didn't think he belonged. But he most certainly was not traditional. That left Mace.
Mace was interesting, all things considered. He had a tendency to appear pretty traditional, but he was not actually as traditional as he appeared. If he was, he would never have created Vaapad. It just so happened that a lot of times, the traditional way of thinking lined up with what logic and/or the Force dictated. Or the traditional and unconventional had the same ends, just different methods to get there.
“And why would we need or want to change anything?” Ki-Adi frowned.
“Look around the Temple. Really look. Our initiates are terrified, we have fewer padawans than ever, and over the course of the war, we have lost close to four thousand padawans, knights, and masters. We lost nearly a hundred more in one day, and it could've been so much worse if not for Commander Cody's quick thinking. We need to think on how we're going to retain numbers, how are we going to help the galaxy with so few, and how do we keep everyone safe?”
“That's not to mention how many decisions we've taken that were ultimately the Chancellor's orders. We were taking orders from the Sith. Because we didn't have the room to make the best decisions we could make under the control of the Senate.” Mace sighed, raising his hand up to rub at his temples. “I think our address to the Senate needs to include that we will be signing a new agreement with them, after the reveal that they were being controlled by a Sith, we are no longer comfortable taking orders from them.”
“Have operated this way for centuries, we have. No reason to change that, I see.” Yoda frowned. Obi-Wan knew he just wanted what was best for the Order, and he wasn't really wrong, but there had to be something they changed.
“The Chancellor had to order you to let me see him, didn't he?” Anakin asked quietly, studying the floor.
“Yes, he did,” Mace nodded. “None of us were comfortable with it. I'm not proud of how easily we gave in, and even more so after what happened, but he had a lot of threats about what he could do if we continued to refuse. I was a bit alarmed at how much more thoroughly he knew what the Senate could do than I did. So I did some looking. I can send the summary I wrote up to everyone, so you can see what has been restraining us. Over the years the Sith was Chancellor, it became more restrictive.”
“And what if that cuts us off entirely from the Republic?” Ki-Adi protested.
“I'm pretty sure a lot of planets would either leave as well, or continue to request our services anyways,” Obi-Wan replies. “After everything they've put us through, us peacekeepers, to run their war, I think we need to take a step back and figure out how we're going to proceed. We have the clones to think about. With no war, they are now entirely part of the Jedi Order. That can help solve some of the issues, but not all, and that is a lot of people to ensure have places to sleep and food to eat.”
Shaak nodded. “If we start looking, I'm sure we can find another planet to live on, a safer place for us to be, and a better place to serve the galaxy from.”
Anakin finally looked up. “I think we do need the change. The Jedi are too disconnected to the galaxy. Too idealistic. The Ch-Sith was able to manipulate me so easily because his words echoed my thoughts, he just then took it further to encourage me in the opposite direction.
“Thanks to the Senate, the only reason Master Qui-Gon was able to free me from slavery on Tatooine was because he placed my freedom in his bet for the parts needed for their ship. But the Republic isn't supposed to interfere in anything outside the Republic, even when it comes to things like slavery. I understand that it would be very difficult to free every slave, but we should have more freedom than that.”
He took a deep breath. “Further, being so distant alienates us from the rest of the galaxy. People were distrustful of us before the war. Now I think in some places even the clones get better ratings than we do. We have been blamed for the war, and for the fighting. We've played politics too much, no matter how understandable it is when faced with it yourselves, to the outside world, we're just playing along.
“They don't see the impossible choices, they don't see how tied up we are to the Senate and their word. They don't see how this war has been tearing us apart, causing some like Padawan Offee to Fall. It is hard for many to reconcile following the Force, peace, diplomacy, and other core beliefs of the Jedi with how we've had to behave in war. The lives we've had to take, the men we've felt suffer and die. The men we've had no choice but to order to their deaths. The constant choosing of saving many lives instead of a few, when all life is precious.”
Anakin shook his head, tapping his chair. “We need a change,” he repeated. “This cannot go on, and even if there weren't things we needed to reevaluate, we need to heal and recover from the last three years. Rebuild our lives and reputation, rebuild our numbers. That alone should be enough to see to some sort of change. The Order hasn't changed much since Master Yoda was a youngling, but historically it had gone through several changes before that. Often enough, after something like a war.”
“Well said, Anakin,” Plo said warmly. “There is a lot we have to discuss about this topic. I suggest we focus on what we will tell the Senate, and worry about the rest at a later date. I believe we are not scheduled until the day after tomorrow, so we can meet tomorrow just for the purpose of ironing it out.”
Anakin twitched in his seat at the mention of the meeting but kept himself mostly still. “Can't we just say that with the Chancellor being a Sith, and having the support of so many people, we started looking into things further, saw the bills he passed, saw the ones passed over the last thirteen years specifically regarding the Jedi, and decided to reconsider? That we plan to go over the prior agreement and be ready to present another in a certain time frame? But, uh, with better words of course,” he added sheepishly.
“We could,” Stass Allie nodded slowly. “It's not a bad idea.” She turned to Yoda and Ki-Adi. “While I am also hesitant to push change, I do think we have to reconfigure our agreement with the Senate and the Republic. We can state our intentions, and give ourselves weeks or a month to come up with our agreement, which will also allow us to debate the decisions that will affect the terms of the agreement.”
With that, the two hold outs agreed, and it was time to move on again. They spent a good hour focusing on the remaining battles, what few there were with the droids powered down. They discussed moving the clones around, taking care of the chips, and getting the clones off of Kamino, with the input of Wolffe, Grey, and Cody, of course.
“I think, we should discuss who will be representing the Order,” Shaak stated. “I am sorry to bring it up again, but the meeting is tomorrow, and I think we would be better off giving our speaker or speakers the chance to start working on their speech.”
“I think there should be three. Mace and Anakin, as they fought the Chancellor, and someone else, probably Obi-Wan,” Ki-Adi nodded to each of them in turn.
Anakin looked alarmed. “I'm not sure I'm up for that.”
“It will make you look more sincere,” Mace told him.
Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. “Why don't we have a backup for Anakin in case it is too much for him?”
“I think that is a good idea.” They selected Ki-Adi for that then moved on quickly.
It was nearing time for the meeting to draw to a close. Change had been proposed and barely accepted. Obi-Wan knew that a large part of the problem was that they were worried about trying to be more like the rest of the galaxy, about losing themselves. They had lost enough of themselves to the war, and Obi-Wan could not watch another cultural genocide happen.
No, he just wanted change to clarify things for misunderstandings, to shore up weaknesses, and to help them grow in number once again. They also had to figure out how to integrate the clones, and that would mean change on its own.
“I do have one last item,” Obi-Wan announced. “I want to put forth that I myself do not expect any big changes to the Jedi Order as we consider what to do. We do need to adapt to the galaxy, but that does not mean we need to lose ourselves. No, I want to consider the sticky issue of relationships. I know everyone has differing opinions on what it means to be attached, and I think ultimately it should be left to what is best for the individual. Which means, I think we need to consider more widely allowing relationships to occur within our members instead of dismissing them out of hand.”
“Why?” Mace asked.
“Well, I have many reasons. We will retain our numbers better, and maybe if the partner was not part of the Order, they would be willing to help out in areas that need help, such as the creche or the Quartermaster. There is also the fact that it is distinctly unfair that some,” he nodded in Ki-Adi's direction, “get to make it work due to certain circumstances, and prove time and time again that it is very possible to be married and be a dedicated Jedi.”
Ki-Adi shifted uncomfortably and looked away. That actually was a sore spot for him; he was a traditionalist, but was able to take advantage of something few were allowed to. “I can agree with that logic,” he sighed heavily.
Obi-Wan then smiled. “We don't have to discuss this today. I just want it on the table because I am not willing to give up my relationship with Commander Cody.”
“Since when have you been in a relationship? Who knows?”
“Mace knew,” Obi-Wan responded, “and I haven't been the only one in a relationship with a clone over the war. I don't think we can begrudge any Jedi keeping such a relationship secret, not with the Senate's opinion on clones, their lack of rights, and unfair rules regarding relationships in general.”
Everyone stared at Mace who glowered at Obi-Wan before rubbing his forehead and sighing. “There was a betting pool, which I won by the way, about Obi-Wan and his commander. I was not the only one on the Council in on it, either, so it cannot just be blamed on me.” He glowered at Plo in particular.
“But Obi-Wan is right. The current rules are unfair. We don't bother anyone who can keep their relationships discrete. Who don't let their relationship get in the way in the duty, and it is only once marriage is involved that we start discouraging relationships actively. Celibacy is not required, after all,” he added to add some levity.
Plo leaned forward and nodded. “The Council's hard line on marriage, and even attachments in general have given many the incorrect impression that relationships are actually completely banned, and those who know that it is not still feel the need to practice discretion to avoid any trouble or lectures.”
“What do you mean the hard line on attachments? Being attached is not the Jedi way.” Ki-Adi frowned. “And it is different than love.”
“Is it?” Obi-Wan asked before Anakin could blurt out his disbelief. He now suspected that Palpatine was behind Anakin's refusal to accept that answer, but from his own experience he knew that the way it was handled could easily leave the wrong impression.
He held up a hand when protests were made. He waited until all were silent.
“When I was an initiate, I was told that I needed to mind my feelings, my attachments, when I worried about my future. When I complained about being assigned to the AgriCorps instead of the EduCorps or the ExplorCorps. I was not given any leniency for my emotions as an initiate. When I defended my friends from bullies, and they defended me, we were treated to lectures about controlling emotions. Not from our crechemaster, and not from every master, but from many masters we admired, and about half of the High Council at the time, plus a few from the other Councils as well.”
Obi-Wan took in another breath. “That pattern continued as time went on. When I temporarily left the Order on Melida/Daan, many of my friends got lectured by their own masters about being too attached to me. I know at least one even got a lecture from someone on the Council.”
“I learned from all the lectures I accumulated over the years, and the ones my friends received that we had to not complain about our friends being hurt or missing. That we could not express a single worry about them if we wanted to be taken seriously. Everything had to be approached with logic. Any feeling we could not let go meant attachment. Even if we were just starting to work through it.
“We decided as we got older that it was ridiculous, and supported by some reactions from other Council members and masters, that attachment had a different definition than the implication, so we started going with that. But the damage was done, and I was forced to cater to what I was lectured for if I wanted to avoid lectures and extra meditation, and I felt like I had no choice but to start with that with Anakin instead of easing into it because of how he was treated by this Council. Because of how he was immediately told to let go of his attachment to his mom. An understandable, if unhealthy, attachment based on his history.”
“I have noticed similar patterns,” Shaak admitted. “Many Jedi would come into the Shadows with the strictest of definitions of attachment, believing they had to stop themselves from feeling whenever possible. That if they loved at all it was a warning sign. I learned that certain teachers would teach that. I learned that others learned from their masters or an errant thought that got them in trouble with Council members who decided that their passing worry was attachment. I have seen many Jedi come into the Shadows broken because the Council decided to break working partnerships out of fear of attachment, most often former master-padawan pairs.”
Plo nodded. “I have spread what attachment is supposed to be when I could, and been mindful of ages, maturity, puberty, and asked for further information before assuming. But I have indeed seen that this Council does not act as it should, and reacts to any implication instead of waiting and asking what the Jedi in question was truly feeling, and giving them a chance to work through it and let it go. We may be Jedi, but we are still sentients who have difficulties in controlling how we feel, and many of us come from species that thrive off of being around others.”
Anakin was watching in astonishment. He had never considered that others had struggled just as much as him. That maybe he had the wrong idea all along or that maybe others were being stricter than actually necessary. Sure he'd thought they were being unfair, but he never thought others would consider them unfair. He wasn't sure he understood what they were saying about attachment, though.
Obi-Wan nodded. “All I ask is that we put that on the list of things to consider, and soon.”
“Because of your relationship with your commander.”
He was rewarded with a dry look and a raised eyebrow and looks from others around the circle. “I am in love with Cody. I intend to stay with him. I have sacrificed enough for the Order over the course of my life. I am tired of doing so. I am tired of striving to be the perfect Jedi. If I can't have Cody, it isn't worth staying anymore.”
Cody blushed next to him, but didn't say anything, though his brothers were certainly shooting him looks over the fact that his general was making a statement for him. He knew he would have to endure some conversations soon, though that had been a given now that his relationship with Obi-Wan was revealed.
“On that note, I believe this is good enough to call it for today. Tomorrow we will talk to the Senate and inform them of changing our agreement with them. We can only hope that they will agree.” Mace sighed heavily.
Everyone agreed, and Shaak and Colt winked out of existence to attend what they needed to. Wolffe and Grey immediately headed for Cody to talk (yell) at him about his relationship with Obi-Wan and to further interrogate him about Order 33 and how he pulled it off. Both were feeling guilty, naturally.
With the meeting over, Caleb rushed in, looking around for Mace. The paranoia would fade with time, but he was young, and Mace was willing to humor his grandpadawan in this as he gave him a hug. Mace then gestured at Anakin.
Anakin winced, checked the time, and then stood up. He had another hour before Padme would be mad at him if he didn't show up, and he had yet to get an urgent 'get here now!' message from anyone. He stood there awkwardly.
“Caleb, this is Anakin Skywalker.”
“Hello, Padawan Dume,” Anakin greeted carefully, hoping that his hands weren't as sweaty as they seemed.
“If things go well, he will be assisting in your training. With my hand, it will be a while before I will be up to my usual standard, if I can ever regain it, so he will be doing much of your lightsaber training, and taking you on missions.”
Caleb frowned but nodded. “Nice to meet you Knight Skywalker. Thank you for agreeing to train me.”
“You're welcome.” Anakin glanced around the Council room. “Um. Padme is in labor and expecting me to be there soon, so I would like to get going, and we can discuss training at a later date?”
Mace smiled. “We can wait. May the Force be with you.”
“May the Force be with you,” both Anakin and Caleb echoed in tandem, glancing at each other in surprise. They would be a good pair, at least in the field. If Anakin could get better control of his emotions now that they had a better starting point.
Anakin tried not to rush obviously out of the room, but he was sure he failed. It was also a temptation to break laws flying but he knew that if he did that, it would take him even longer to get to Padme's side. He just hoped everything would go alright. He couldn't lose her or the baby after everything. It would hurt too much.
.
Obi-Wan sat down next to Plo and engaged him in conversation while their commanders had their conversation, neither too inclined to break it up early, but knowing better than to leave without them at this point.
His comm blinked. Obi-Wan looked down and smiled when it was just a message from Ahsoka about her landing. He informed Mace and Plo about it, and the two agreed that they could handle meeting them. Their commanders could follow or not. Caleb was happy just to be included.
They commed ahead for some Jedi to take Maul into custody and then they quietly just left, Caleb giggling as he glanced back at the three commanders.
“I bet it takes them five minutes to notice,” Plo suggested, amusement apparent.
“I think that is a good estimate,” Obi-Wan hummed. “On one hand, when they get going like that they can block out the world for at least ten minutes, on the other hand they are extra paranoid after what happened, and want to keep us in view, so they'll check on us sooner than they might otherwise, while being so caught up in their conversation it takes longer than their paranoia might normally have allowed.”
“Grey's not left me alone since he decided it was safe to be around me!” Caleb exclaimed. “He feels so guilty, I had to tell him to stop apologizing because it wasn't helping anymore and I already forgave him because it wasn't him.”
Mace sighed. “I'm not surprised. The clones are all very protective of their Jedi, commander or general. It's going to take a while for them to relax.”
“Telling them that the Order has always intended to keep them, and telling the Senate that tomorrow will go a long way,” Plo said slowly. “I do not think they know.”
“I think you're right. They've been made to be soldiers, made to serve under the Jedi for the Republic, but the contract specifies that they are for the Jedi, and that they are ours when the war is over, especially since the Republic didn't have a standing army, and the Jedi having one was meant to be a loophole.”
Obi-Wan rubbed his chin in thought. “I'll need to get a copy of that contract for the meeting, the Senate will want to read it themselves.”
“At least it'll give many a reason we're requesting a change in our agreement. Some will not accept the answers we offer, but they might accept that we're protecting and assimilating the clones into the Order and therefore our agreement with the Republic needs to reflect that.” Mace sighed. He rubbed his head.
“There's a shatterpoint looming. Tomorrow is a big day for it. I think that either we will have to leave in the aftermath, or things will go so well it will allow us to establish boundaries that will last the next millennia without an issue.”
“I do not think that most of the Senate will agree. Many have treated us terribly even before the war. But that does not mean we cannot prepare and try to leave on the best terms possible.” Obi-Wan mused. “Maybe offer to find an unclaimed planet or a planet registered as belonging to the Jedi and reenter the Republic that way.”
“That would soothe many ruffled feathers, and we would have the autonomy to truly make a difference in the galaxy, no longer restrained by what the Senate says. We'd have to worry a little about Republic laws, but that doesn't stop us from being able to more freely move and support relief missions.” Plo said in satisfaction. “That is a very neat solution we can try.”
Mace winced. “I can't tell if that means the idea is sound or if it just affects the terms on which we leave.”
Caleb looked at him with wide eyes. “How bad would it be if we left.”
“It wouldn't have to be bad,” Obi-Wan replied. “Just difficult. We have to pack up everyone and everything, and make sure there's nothing left behind for others to get into. Then we'd have to likely rebuild where ever we settle and rework what we're doing. It would be good though, for all of us, I think. The clones might actually feel more settled as part of the order if they can help us with that.” He shook his head.
“But this is all woolgathering, so I think we should move on before they catch up with us. I sense that they have finally noticed. They seem rather panicked.”
Plo tilted his head in agreement. Caleb giggled again while Mace just sighed. They were almost to the hangar before the clones finally caught up, having taken a few wrong turns and gotten off the lift at the wrong floor.
“Why are we h-” Cody cut himself off when he saw Rex with Ahsoka, both looking very exhausted.
Cody swept Rex into a hug as Obi-Wan approached Ahsoka. Some other Jedi were taking Maul away already, and none of them spared a second thought about it. Obi-Wan opened his arms. Ahsoka brightened and dove into them, hugging Obi-Wan tightly.
After a minute she pulled away. “Where's Skyguy?” she asked, looking around in confusion. Obi-Wan grinned at her.
“He's with Padme. She's in labor.”
“She's having a baby?” Ahoska asked excitedly.
Obi-wan nodded. “I'm sure they would be happy to see you.”
Ahsoka beamed. “Do you know where?”
“I'll forward the details to you.” Obi-Wan pulled out his comm.
Rex pulled away from Cody and stared in confusion. “What's with the robes?”
“Obi-Wan convinced me to try them. It's not too bad if there's nothing to worry about.”
“Well, they look good on you. Weird. But good.”
Cody smirked. “Good, you're going to try some too.”
“Wait, no I don't think I want to,” Rex complained.
“Grey and Wolffe have.” Cody pointed at them. They waved as Rex gaped.
Then Rex sighed. “Fine. What's going on here anyways?”
“They're working out what to do with the Senate. For certain, they know they're going to say we're part of the Order, as the contracts with the Kaminoans state that when war is over, we 'belong' to them. And at the same time they're going to ask to rework the contract with the Republic so that they, we, aren't as beholden to following their every whims. Since the Senate as a whole is corrupt, they're also preparing for having to move off planet if necessary. They're hoping it's not, but it might be.”
Rex winced. “That is not going to be pleasant, but at least we're not going to have to worry about the galaxy not giving us our rights. The Jedi will see to that. And we'll help them.” He frowned at the padawan standing with Mace and Grey. “Hey, why are those two with General Windu anyways?”
Cody winced. “Order 33 didn't get through fast enough for them.”
It took a moment then Rex let out a sigh. “Oh. And it nearly wasn't fast enough for General Koon either, I see.”
“Wolffe's pretty shaken,” Cody confirmed. “I'm actually going to go with him and Grey to the healing halls so they can get their chips out to be studied.”
“I'll join them,” Rex decided. “I don't like the idea of leaving them in.” he hesitated, glancing back at their transport. “Can the medics learn for the rest of our men?”
Cody smiled. “Direct them to the 212th, Helix, Bones, and Manner were on top of that immediately. The Jedi are going to be too busy as we work on the recovery efforts, no need to bother time too much.”
Rex nodded slowly. “I can't believe it's all over, finally. All our lives, our very existence for three, nearly four years of bloody war.”
“I know,” Cody replied softly. “But we made it, and now we can do better for our younger brothers.”
Rex brightened. Before he could reply though, Ahsoka tackled him.
“Anakin is going to be a father!” she yelled excitedly. Rex regained his balanced and gaped at her.
“No way!”
She nodded excitedly. “Padme is in labor, I'm going to go visit soon. You wanna come with?”
“No,” Rex shook his head regretfully. “I better take the time to get my chip out first. I don't want to risk anything.”
Ahsoka frowned, then nodded. “That makes sense. But you better come visit as soon as they let you!” She gave him a hug.
“I will,” Rex promised. Then he sighed and followed Cody over to Grey and Wolffe. It was time to get it over with.
.
The next day, the Senate meeting started. Anakin slipped in late, a dopey look on his face as he cradled one of his twins in a sling. Everyone shot him looks.
He shrugged. “Padme and I haven't decided how to proceed, but they did a check of midochlorians, and they're rather high for their age, so it would make sense for us to have claimed them. This one is Leia, she's the loud crier, so we thought it would be better to have her with us, where we can soothe her and help her stay more unnoticed. Luke is quieter and Padme is going to switch out with one of her handmaidens, Sabe I think? As needed, and whoever isn't in the pod is going to have him.”
“Good thinking,” Obi-Wan praised. “I'm surprised she was able to make it after yesterday.” The babies had arrived just before midnight.
Anakin grimaced. “She refused to even think about not showing up. She has layers and layers on because of...” he shuddered.
“I did not want to know what women have to go through after giving birth, and she's prepared to deal with that. That's actually a large part of why she's going to switch with Sabe, because doing too much can make... that... worse. I guess otherwise it was a decently easy birth because she already seems like she's back to normal, but then I already knew she was wizard like that.” The dopey look was back.
Obi-wan chuckled and placed a hand over Leia's head. “Yes, she is already strong with the Force.” He brushed his Force presence over hers in a soothing matter. “You may want to go to the creche to get better instruction on how to protect little minds from other emotions.” He helped Anakin a little, and Leia let out a sigh, snuggling in.
Anakin sighed. “I know. I'm hoping to do so later today. Padme isn't sure what to do about our relationship now that we have babies, but I'm sure the right answer will appear... I did warn her about our concerns, and she said she's put in her resignation now that the war is over, so at least we won't have to worry about that once her replacement is elected.”
“I'd be worried about how you two are making such reasonable decisions on such little sleep, but I know how hard she works. If she needs help with nursing, we have a lot of resources in the healing halls. The creche is also used to taking babies as sort of a daycare service as needed.” Mace spoke up.
“Oh yeah, I remember that! I thought it was weird but that actually could be good, if only so we can actually get some sleep!”
Talk continued about babies, and giving Anakin reminders about how to handle newborn babies. He had gotten a crash course when the twins were born, but there was a lot more he needed to know. While the creche didn't often get newborns, they did often enough that all of the Jedi in the pod had experienced it at some point. They kept to that talk to avoid their anxiety about the upcoming meeting.
Cody, Wolffe, Rex, and Fox were in a separate pod, invited as guests to report on their view of the end of the war. They were anxious, but more worried for the Jedi than themselves. They would not allow themselves to be separated from the Jedi if they could help it, but there were concerns that an attempt might happen, contract or not. They had discussed several ideas on how to handle it, but ultimately decided to play it by ear and play any argument that might help when it came to that.
Then, the meeting started. First, they had to get through a summary on where all of the troops were. With the Chancellor and Grievous dead, the Separatists had called for a cease fire and wanted to reenter peace talks. They did have genuine concerns about the corruption in the Republic, no matter how the war was influenced by the Sith. The fact that the Chancellor was a Sith and running both sides of the war was just an obvious sign of the corruption.
Finally, after a few hours, they called a break, and then finally called on the Jedi to explain themselves. Obi-Wan gave his account first. Then Mace and Anakin took turns with their side of things. Anakin held himself well, and didn't stumble. Obi-Wan was very proud. He would not have been able to do that at the start of the war. Or even just a year ago.
The Senate then asked a lot of questions. Way too many, really. Some were pointless. Some were trying to paint the Jedi in a bad light. Then, that drew to an end, and Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila asked what their plans were with the war at an end.
Obi-Wan stepped forward with a smile. “We will continue to offer support and relief to any planets that need it. With the war over, we plan to help the clones integrate more into the Order than the war allowed. We will also be revisiting our agreement with the Republic and draw up new terms for our association.
“You see, we're not comfortable with how much the Senate refused to let us police our own, how we did not have much room for refusal. While a lot of the issues came from the Chancellor, it is alarming that he had the power to do so in the first place. We are a peacekeeping organization, following the Force. We have no interest in power, just in helping the people. It is time we were allowed to go back to that instead of being treated like a military force as we have for decades.”
When there were protests, Obi-Wan just smiled sweeter. “Here are some documents about an incident at Galidran. You'll note that the Jedi were not given much option about refusal. That those involved were not even allowed the chance to do their own research. It was this incident that disillusioned Count Dooku about the Jedi, as he was the one who led the attack against the wrong force based on the faulty information the Senate gave him and his team.”
He left out that the Mandalorians had shot first and refused to stand down. Dooku had approached the situation based on his intel and would have approached it differently if he knew the truth.
That brought many to stunned silence and then they started shouting over each other. Padme came forward and spoke about the Jedi and how they only ever did what was necessary, nothing more, and a lot of their poor reputation was given to them due to the Senate's choices for missions, neglecting mid and outer rim planets in favor of minor disputes in the core that had no real urgency.
Then she smirked and sent everyone the documents of the agreement between the Jedi and the Senate, pointing out that the last time it was modified was over five centuries previous. They never let any group with the Republic go more than a hundred years without renewing an agreement.
That swayed a lot of the Senate over to the side of revisiting the relationship between the Jedi Order and the Senate. Some likely realized that it would be easier to lobby for more control for the Jedi if they could do it from scratch. Most though probably recognized that it was not a good look to refuse to revisit it when they were four hundred years over due.
“We will not be aiming to do it any time in the next week or two. We have a lot of rebuilding to do, and we need to go over all of our options,” Mace explained to the Senate. “If we aim to get negotiations done in the next month that should be enough time for everybody interested to read the former agreement and to come up with suggestions. We are not sure what we will do at this time. We just know that after this war, we need a change.”
Then the focus moved to the clones. They answered as truthfully as they could without revealing things they didn't want the wider galaxy to know (like the chips). Then the questioning began. Surprisingly, there seemed to be more on the clones' side now than before the war ended. But it quickly became apparent that they were seeing the clones as the victims and the Jedi as the scapegoat.
It finally reached a boiling point that got a reaction out of Cody.
“Did the Jedi ever asked you to do anything you were uncomfortable with?”
Cody clenched his fists and took a deep breath. Rex and Wolffe looked furious and Fox was just resigned.
“The Jedi are not infallible.” Cody took another deep breath. “You only need to look at the report about General Pong Krell on Umbara to see that. But the vast majority of them have been nothing but courteous to us. Oftentimes too cautious and accommodating, considering the war.”
“There are rumors about relationships-”
“That the clones often had to be the one to ask the Jedi out because they were too worried about our feelings and the power imbalance to make a move themselves. As one of the clones in a relationship with a Jedi, I can assure you, I am completely comfortable and happy with General Obi-Wan Kenobi.
“I could not have asked for a better general, or a better partner. We made it work, and we are looking forward to exploring what our lives can be now that the war is over and we don't have to worry about him technically being in charge of me for all that he tended to treat me as his equal.”
Fox took the mic. “I have spent the entire war being jealous of my closest brothers, two of which are right here in this pod with me.” Rex let out an offended noise. Fox rolled his eyes. “Rex was the annoying one. Anyways, I have been jealous of them the entire war. They got Jedi. They got superiors that respected them. Most commanders did. Not me.
“I got stuck in charge of the Coruscant Guard. On a planet that did not respect us because we're clones. Often having to work with the Senate Guards and interact with the former Chancellor. I actually forged his signature on a lot of his paperwork because he, and other senators, would not stop passing their paperwork to us. I would have been far happier to have to work with the Jedi, and I am glad that the war is over so I can do so for once.”
He stepped back with a slight smirk, though his eyes still looked a little dead. Chaos erupted. Rex clapped him on the back.
“I knew you had it in you!” He chuckled.
“I think that's exactly what was needed!” Cody laughed.
Wolffe shook his head. “Brave man. Far braver than I ever realized.” He smiled at Fox fondly. “And to think we were worried about you never regaining that sass.”
Fox huffed. “I was overworked and dealing with a Sith. I've had time to recover now thank you.”
They turned their attention back to the chaos still erupting around the Senate, all huddled close in brotherhood. Not wanting to withdraw support from any of the others.
Bail looked like he was about to die from trying not to laugh but managed to hold his composure well enough to speak over some pompous Senator and point out he had witnessed that very Senator dropping off paperwork at the Coruscant Guard. He then spoke, applauding Fox and Cody for speaking up the way they had, at risk to themselves.
Hours later, the session finally concluded. Many Senators persisted with believing that the clones were the victims and the Jedi to blame for the whole mess. That side had been dealt heavy loss as the four clones heavily defended the clones again and again.
Rex got especially vicious when the trial of Ahsoka who was wrongly accused was brought up, reminding them that the Jedi didn't exactly have much of a choice did they? Either they betrayed one of their own, or they risked their very position in the war and the ability to make decisions on their own. He finished the grand speech by saying that at least the Jedi knew they had made a mistake and did their best to make up for it. What had the Senate done?
Cody was so proud. He was still talking about it as they left the building, though he was now holding onto Obi-Wan's hand. If his relationship was going to be out to the Senate and the wider galaxy, he was going to take advantage of it.
Obi-Wan let out a long sigh. “This is going to be a long process, but there's still hope we can keep this Temple as at least a base. I think we're going to look at adding more Temples regardless.”
“I will stay by your side. The clones and Jedi will stick together, and we should therefore do the negotiations together. Maybe if they see it in action they'll lay off,” Cody offered.
Obi-Wan smiled. “That's a good plan. By the way, the Council does approve of me taking Initiate Zatt when I'm ready. I got back the responses early this morning. You were freaking out too much about the session to hear about it then.”
Cody brightened. “We'll get to raise a kid?”
“We will,” Obi-Wan confirmed with a nod. “And we'll aim to raise more, too. After all, the clones are integrating into the Order which means there will be precedents for non-Force sensitives. We'll just have to be the ones to help establish the rules.”
“Oh, I love you.” Cody stopped and pulled them together, resting their foreheads together. “Always thinking of the best things for the both of us. I cannot wait to see what life brings us, no matter what happens with the Senate.”
“Me either,” Obi-Wan breathed, meeting his eyes. “Marry me?” Then his eyes widened. “...that was not planned.”
Cody laughed. “Oh, I would love to marry you.” They kissed enthusiastically.
“Ugh, couldn't you wait until you had a room?” Wolffe complained.
“Seriously,” Fox agreed. “I didn't realize how sappy you had gotten in your old age, Cody.”
Cody made a rude gesture at them without moving himself from Obi-Wan. “We'll face whatever comes together,” he promised.
“Together.”