Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Obi-Wan sighed as he walked into his rooms after a long day of meetings. One month since the Sith was discovered and defeated (and subsequently killed), and they were still cleaning up the mess left behind between the decades of Sith manipulation, and the war. The Jedi, now with clones as part of the Order, as they were no longer needed for the war (and were practically cast aside) were putting together an escape plan to get out, if things continued as they were.

In the meantime, they still had duties to the Republic. They were coordinating relief efforts with the clones willing to help. They were already resuming regular missions as things returned to normal. They had to work on their own recovery, and were working out some changes. They were especially working out how to ensure there wasn't more miscommunications about what it meant to be attached versus in love. Especially after a quick survey showed that an alarming amount of the Order, including masters believed what Anakin did about attachment and relationships.

The survey also showed that there were incorrect beliefs about what no emotion meant (with close to a majority suppressing their emotions and struggling to release them instead of working through; some did manage to release emotions through suppressing them, as everyone was different and there were people who could do so.). And a wide amount of people who struggled with control and being able to use traditional methods for things like meditation.

Obi-Wan's proposal was to have different paths or ways (name as yet undecided) for each Jedi to opt to follow, allowing them to choose the best one for them, and hopefully helping the initiates who struggled the most, much as he himself had. There would then be a core belief, core vows to swear, that everyone would follow. Those would only mention emotion so far as to say it would not rule their actions, though they were still working on specific wording.

It was exhausting, debating among all the traditionalists, with few having experiences like him of truly struggling. And fewer had to raise a padawan who struggled, especially as badly as Anakin did. It was only by opening up about his experiences he was making any headway, frequently having to pull out his experiences and how detrimental they were to him in order to get his point across. He didn't have much time every day to do other things. He woke up, meditated, enjoyed breakfast with Cody (when he wasn't busy himself), spent all day with the Council, even for lunch, and got home for dinner too mentally exhausted to do more than cuddle and give updates and listen to what Cody had done throughout the day.

He frowned when he got home; no sign of Cody. He was usually home first. He shuffled into the kitchen and sighed at the note he found. At least it was on top of a ready made meal. And it was sweet of Cody to write a note on flimsi instead of just comming him, which he probably did as well.

Obi,

We have been looking at plans for emergencies if things go bad. You've been so holed up with the Council and the Senate hasn't contacted you, but residents of the lower levels are rioting. Those on planets that didn't have good interactions with Jedi aren't too happy to leave you be after everything. I didn't want to stress you, but it looks like it's going to come to a head in the next few weeks.

But that's not the most important thing. We've been exploring the Temple trying to see if there was anything special we could do. Keeps the men out of trouble if they're restless, and we've learned a lot. I think we've found something. Well, two things, that are VERY important.

One, it kind of looks like there are ship engines attached to what we now know is the base of the Temple. It takes over an hour to even get to the base with all of the elevators and climbing down, and longer to climb up. We made it down there after weeks of exploration. It was when we looked at what was underneath that we realized we needed to investigate further.

I came back up to make sure you were taken care of while we finalize this investigation. We're not going to need too much longer, and we will be careful, but I don't think I'll be back until lunch or later. This could change everything and if we're right, we're going to recommend leaving as soon as possible. I'm not the only one leaving a message for someone about this.

I sent Echo, Tup, Tealeaf, and some others to the Archive to see if there is anything in the schematics about the Temple actually being a ship. That could solve a lot of issues about our plans to get out, if we can just launch the whole thing out. Just need to make sure we know where the borders are.

Love you,

Cody

Obi-Wan sighed. That was indeed more important than being here with him for the night. Cody was being a little more vague than normal, but that was okay. It wasn't like Obi-Wan had been able to describe the debates with the Council in detail to him. At least there was dinner. He sent a quick comm message to the Council about the riots, and Cody's brief description of the discovery. Then he settled in for his dinner. It was delicious, and yet another new recipe Cody was experimenting with. This was why he loved the man.

The discovery would take a lot of pressure of of them. Part of the reason they had been struggling with figuring out what to do about moving the Order was not just packing it all up, but all the debating they were doing about the direction of the Order making it difficult to decide what kind of planet they should settle on.

He finished his food, took care of the dishes, then settled on his couch to check the news, and see what was going on. The comments about the riots got him concerned about what was going on outside the Temple. The brief clips had him worried. He shot off a message to Dex, to see if the Besalisk had additional info, then investigated further, forcing himself to work a little harder when all he wanted to do was relax his brain for a bit.

Obi-Wan cursed when he saw the response. Essentially, there was no immediate danger, but Coruscant had felt neglected in the face of the war. They had felt its effects, whether because bombings or the Zillobeast caused damage to their levels. Because more spillover of issues occurred during the years of the war than any other time. And the budgets for repairs didn't increase. The relief money wasn't going to them at all, the way it should've. Naturally, they were blaming the Jedi over anyone else. If their issues weren't addressed... they would be causing issues in the near future.

Dex had also heard rumors that members of the Senate were looking to push a lot of blame onto the Jedi (as they did frequently) for their own decisions they forced the Jedi to adhere to. While there was no immediate danger, he recommended keeping Jedi from the lower levels, and to strongly consider relocating.

That update went out to the Council as well. There were other responses. It seemed most of them shared his thoughts and worry about the news. And it seemed there would be a late night session after all. Summons had been issued for the Senate early in the morning, and they needed to discuss which four of them would be there, and what they would be saying. What decisions they may have to make on the drop of a dime. It was going to be a long meeting.

Obi-Wan sighed, sent a quick message to Cody, just to keep him in the loop and went to take a shower so he at least was a bit fresh for the meeting. He was not looking forward to more debate. Everyone was so stubborn. He was too, but it felt like he was one of the only people looking for a compromise. Maybe the threat to the Jedi would get everyone in a more agreeable mood.

A shower, and a one and a half hour nap later, he was sitting in his chair, waiting for the meeting to begin. To his surprise, Yoda resigned as soon as it started, citing that it had become clear to him that he was too complacent and too set in his ways to lead the Order properly anymore. He would retire to help out the creche. He would attend this meeting, and nominate a replacement the next day, after the Senate meeting.

They actually discussed leaving Coruscant first. The decision was that they would get ready to leave at a moments notice, get as many of the clones into space as possible, and for now, tell anyone off planet not to return. They hoped it wouldn't come to that, but wanted to be prepared. They would quietly offer to any of their allies on planet refuge to allow them to leave the planet at the same time. Aside from anything necessary, Jedi would not be allowed out of the Temple in the meantime, especially as it looked like the riots were going to make it to their doorstep in the next few days.

Obi-Wan expected that Padme, along with a few other Senators might take them up on it; though that depended on what the Senate was doing. He planned on letting Dex know, and giving him info on how to take the Jedi up on that to anyone Dex thought would need it. Obi-Wan trusted Dex to know who needed it, and who wouldn't harm the Jedi.

Once they had that sorted, they turned onto the real issue of the meeting. The Senate, and what they were going to tell them. They mused over the specific wording of the summons. 'Report to the Senate at 0900. Subject at hand: Chancellor Palpatine's death, the Jedi's role in the war, and moving forward.'

It was specific, and yet vague at the same time. They decided that there was a good chance that this was a negative thing, and they would be facing more restrictions. Even Ki-Adi and Yoda, the two most resistant to any change, said that they could not take the chance that would happen. They would be ready to leave as soon as the Senate was done for the day. It might take a lot of work, but they could do it.

Then came selecting who would be reporting. They decided on Obi-Wan, their best negotiator and speaker, Mace, as head of the Order, and one of the ones who confronted the Chancellor, Shaak Ti, who spent the war mostly on Kamino and knew the clones the best, and Adi Gallia, who had been a good representative to the Senate for years in the past. She was a familiar face to many Senators. They all worked well together, and if someone chose an unexpected path when they were speaking, they would easily adapt to it.

By then, nearly an hour had already passed. All of them had caff or some other liquid stimulant in their hands as they started the long debate on what to tell the Senate about their investigation into the Sith, how the confrontation went down. How to explain their role in the war, and their decisions. What to say about the clones and whether or not to mention the chips. What they wanted to do moving forward (more relief missions, less bodyguarding, and rebuilding).

It was morning by the time they decided to stop. They had prepared as well as they could for the Senate. There was enough time to get a couple hours of sleep. While the four were off at the Senate, the rest would be running the preparations for the escape, should it be necessary. (The more they talked about it, the more they felt like the Force was telling them yes this is necessary).

Obi-Wan left before the others. He stopped by Dex's for an early breakfast, quietly telling his friend about the offer of refuge and their contingencies. Dex gave him a huge hug and said he couldn't leave his business that quickly, but was looking at leaving if things continue going downhill with the citizens. It wouldn't be worth it to stay in the capital if things kept getting worse, but he just had too much to pack up and arrange to leave like that.

There was one last hug, just in case fleeing was necessary, then Obi-Wan went to talk to Bail, Padme, and Riyo. Riyo was included because she was dating Fox from what Obi-Wan knew. They met up in the Alderaan Senator offices for breakfast, which Obi-Wan brought from Dex's and a quick stop at everyone's favorite caff and tea shop supplied the beverages.

“This is about the summons for the Jedi Order, isn't it?” Bail asked once they were all settled in with the food.

Obi-Wan nodded. “There are concerns about how the Senate is going to react. We put ourselves at the mercy of the Senate after the Jedi-Sith war in order to better be peacekeepers, and the Senate has consistently taken advantage of us. The last bad misstep the Jedi had, Galidraan, was met with sanctions even though everything about that mission had gone through the Senate including the bad information.”

“Right, that is why the Jedi going to Geonosis was a big problem. It wasn't just causing issues on a planet they didn't have a right to, but the amount of Jedi who went there. One of the sanctions was something like no more than four Jedi on a mission, right?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “We've gotten around that some by counting a padawan and a knight as one unit, so one Jedi, and by having multiple intersecting missions allowing for more, but we've had to be careful of it.”

“And then the war happened,” Padme stated quietly with a frown. Her hand was curled protectively over her stomach as she talked. Obi-Wan knew she was pregnant; Anakin was over the moon about it, and it had been one of the catalysts towards cornering the Chancellor.

“And then the war happened,” Obi-Wan agreed. “We are concerned about what the Senate will think of our actions in the war, even though there were many decisions we followed that we did not agree with. We are worried about the clones, as now that the war is over, the clones are no longer needed to serve the Republic and are fully members of the Jedi Order, if they wish, as in accordance with the contract with Kamino. There's the riots going on in the lower levels. The Jedi are very unpopular. On a whole, the galaxy actually likes the clones more than us now.”

“What do you need us to do?” Riyo asked as she set down her cup.

“Nothing.” Obi-Wan responded. “We cannot ask you to put your lives, your people at risk for us. If you do wish to go against the Senate and the Republic, we are offering refuge at the Jedi Temple. We're keeping our method of escape to ourselves for now, but you'll be able to escape with us if you move in with us. But I hope that is not necessary.”

“If you think I'm abandoning my husband, you're nuts,” Padme stated flatly. “I've already sent in my resignation to the Queen, so I'm safe enough.”

“I don't want to leave Fox, I want to go where he goes,” Riyo stated quietly. Soft spoken, but a spine of steel, that one. “He deserves that.”

“But... your people...”

Bail laughed. “Our governments are not impressed with the Senate and the Republic. If things escalate to the point that the Jedi have to flee the capital, we have orders to pull out as quickly as possible. The war was fought by the Jedi and the clones, not by the Senate.”

“Another Separatist movement?” Obi-Wan asked in alarm.

“Yes, if that's what it takes,” Riyo responded. “But we're not joining them, we would rather start our own government from scratch. It's probably for the best, anyways. The Republic is too corrupt, too seeped in Sith manipulations to recover without being torn up and rebuilt from the ground up.”

“Just Pantora, Naboo, and Alderaan?”

“No, there's more than that,” Padme informed him, eyes bright. “We were gathering systems to sign a petition about the former Chancellor's emergency powers, and they are all on our side in this. Will you allow them to join us?”

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise then smiled. “I think that can be arranged. Here is the comm number for Master Plo Koon. He is in charge of the arrangements in our evacuation. You can go through him with everything.”

“Good. Once we've confirmed with him, I think we'll start our process of moving into the Temple, then,” Bail declared. “Show our solidarity now, before it's necessary.” Then he deflated. “I've also seen enough of other Senators and their ire at the Jedi to worry you may be run out of Coruscant by the end of the day.”

Obi-Wan grimaced. “That is a worst case scenario, and they were preparing for that when I left. Even the older initiates were helping with the arrangements.”

“Well, if you excuse us, we have some comms to make while we finish breakfast, if that's okay?”

“That's fine,” Obi-Wan nodded. “There's still an hour and a half before I need to be at the Order's pod, and a full two hours before the session starts.”

“I know the session was set early, but why did you want to meet for breakfast so early today anyways?” Bail asked.

Obi-Wan grimaced. “I wanted to get out of the Temple after we finished our meeting just five hours ago. By the time I left, they were waking everyone but the younglings to help prepare everything to leave. Cody meanwhile has been doing exploring with his brothers during the day, and they ended up doing an overnight after an apparently big discovery about what lays under the base of the Temple.”

“I understand.” Padme finished her portion and eyed the pastries. “I do find it harder to bear stresses when Anakin is completely unavailable at night. As it is, he looked rather confused by his early morning recall. Now I understand.” She pulled out her comm. “I assume I'll be able to room with him?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “It might be a good idea to have him or Master Koon put in a request with the Quartermaster for a different set of rooms. Right now he just has the basic Knight and padawan rooms. You'll likely want three or four bedrooms, one for you, one for Ahsoka, and one or two for the babies.”

Padme paused and stared at him. “...babies?”

He blinked. “...yes?” He tilted his head. He moved his hand. “May I?” At her nod, he placed his hand on her stomach. “Yes, there's two. They're both really bright, blending together, so it's hard to separate them out. No wonder Anakin didn't notice.”

“Oh... I've only had one scan... why wouldn't it have shown two?”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “The earlier the scan is, the more that can be hidden away from the results. It's very likely that one was blocking the other.”

“Actually that could explain the way their hearts' seemed to keep jumping around when the doctor was trying to get measurements, there's two.” She laughed. “I'll make sure to confirm with the healers before I tell him, though.”

Riyo excused herself to go take care of making sure the Panatoran staff knew that they would be seeking refuge with the Jedi, and that she needed them to work on that even while the session was going. Meanwhile, she was planning on tackling a third of the list of the Senators on their side. Bail of course was already working on one third, ignoring the flurry of activities from the others as he munched on the pastries.

Padme made calls as well, first to update the Queen, then to Sabe to get the packing started. Then she started in on her third of the list. Obi-Wan finished off his food, finished his tea, then found a corner to spend some time meditating while they waited out the time. He needed to take some time to better sort out his feelings in the next hour before he needed to be available.

.

Obi-Wan entered the Jedi Order pod, pleased that he was not the first there. He was not in the mood to hang out on his own. Mace nodded to him then frowned at his holopad.

“Tell me you have some good news?”

“Well, Alderaan, Naboo, and Pantora, along with any of the systems who were ready to sign petitions to strip the Chancellor of his emergency powers, are going to be taking refuge with the Temple as soon as they can get packed up and moved in. Apparently their governments have decided that they would rather side with us than the Republic and will be leaving the Republic if things go against us.” Obi-Wan kept his voice low, to lessen the chance of someone overhearing.

Mace's eyebrows went up. “I was hoping for support, and expecting some to want to stay with us, but I wasn't expecting that.”

“Me either. I'm glad to know they're on our side. They had already contacted Master Koon an hour ago. I don't know what they'll do for a government between themselves, but I do know we can trust them to not expect us to bind ourselves to them at all.”

“I was thinking of suggesting a contract by system or planet, rather than through overarching governments in the future. Once we are in the position to ask for that, at least. Then the Republic can be frustrated about planets wanting our help and try to place rules and sanctions, but they can't really control us without getting their own people upset about it.”

“I like it,” Adi said as she entered, Shaak with her. “I think that could work. We should draft up a few contracts so we know what we're negotiating.”

“It's going to happen isn't it?” Shaak asked quietly as she took her seat. “Everyone I've talked to today has been talking and acting as if it is going to happen, even though we're all aware it might not and don't want it to.”

“When I was meditating earlier, I got the feeling that we were doing the right thing with all our preparations, including the refugee idea, so I think it is,” Obi-Wan responded with a sigh. “But when I meditated further, and really thought about it... this might be the best thing that has happened to the Order in centuries. We've been tied to the Republic and it's rules and doings for too long. It's time to do things on our own.”

“You're right.” Shaak looked up at the dome, at all of the pods slowly getting full of the people who belonged there. “It will be a good thing. The Force dances and laughs when I think about leaving, but just seems to get heavy when I think about staying. A revisit of our roots, a return to our origins, maybe would be a good thing.”

“We'll see. First we need to get off planet and come up with what we're doing for our paths,” Adi stated.

“We could send teams to investigate old Temples,” Mace suggested. “At the least, they can be assessed on if they are still viable for us to live there, and at best, we'll find old texts and sources to learn about how the Order used to run. How much has been distorted over time.”

“Like how marriage went from widely accepted to something to be mostly not talked about.” Obi-Wan nodded. “So that would be... Lothal, and Tython for sure.”

“Dantooine, Ossus and Ilum as well,” Adi contributed. “And maybe even if those places aren't inhabitable we can find a planet in those systems.”

“Not a bad idea. I'll send it on to the others to work on,” Shaak volunteered, to Mace's relief.

Mace fished around for a happier topic. “Have you considered taking on a padawan?”

“I have. But I'm hesitant.”

“Why?”

“You know I requested Ahsoka and the Council interfered and assigned her to Anakin. Master Yoda told me it's because of my issues with attachments. Which is why I wanted to find out what attachment meant to everyone, because I didn't think I was attached.”

Mace looked speechless. But there was no time for any further talking; they had brought themselves to the time of the session to start, or at least close to it. Shaak and Adi pulled them into a conversation about the impending interrogation, and how they would be responding to any question.

They were both relieved when the temporary Chancellor got right down to business. Shaak started with their investigations into the Sith, mentions of rumors that he controlled the Senate, and no matter the source, it was worth looking into. Then Obi-Wan talked about how Anakin confided in him his concerns about some of the things the Chancellor had said to him, admittedly mostly innocuous things but they did start making Anakin doubt the Jedi.

Thankfully, Anakin chose to talk about them instead of bottling them up. What Obi-Wan didn't say was that Anakin probably only shared what the Chancellor had said once he had come to terms with Obi-Wan's marriage, and that it was things the Chancellor had said about his relationship with Padme that made him double check everything else.

From there, he mentioned a couple of the more alarming things the Chancellor had said, and how their investigation turned his direction. Adi talked about this part. They noted the alarming amount of leaks that happened when the Chancellor was the only one from the Senate who was supposed to know all the details of their plans. How he often insisted on very odd plans (like the Rako Hardeen fiasco), and how he seemed to like sending Obi-Wan especially, but also a few others, on missions that could go wrong. He would also send certain Jedi on back to back missions when he could.

Then it came down to Mace's account of the arrest gone wrong once they had enough information just one month ago. Thankfully, there was footage (which was shown), so there was proof that Palpatine was Sidious. He talked about the attempt to arrest, 'it's treason then', losing two masters, and thinking Kit was also lost, then dueling furiously until he lost his hand while Anakin hesitated, and eventually came to his rescue.

After their testimony was over, they had to face a battery of questions about how they approached the investigation, if they were absolutely sure that Palpatine had caused all of the leaks, and even questions about if they followed full legal procedure in making the arrest attempt. They fielded those as best they could, then let the Senate discuss.

Next came the predicted questioning about their role in the war, which they did the best to cover, thought they knew that orders wasn't always the most acceptable answer. Especially in a Senate that constantly believed they should pull off miracles despite restrictions, then assigned more when they didn't follow orders. Naturally that didn't go smoothly, but they were members of the High Council. They kept themselves calm.

Whenever the focus was not on them, Obi-Wan checked his comm, seeing a running commentary by Bail about those in support of them. And any shifting lines, what had been in their favor what hadn't. It was much appreciated, as it helped Obi-Wan redirect things as much as he could.

There was some talk about the clones as well, but thankfully the Senate didn't seem to have realized that the Order had claimed the clones as part of the Order. The talk was more about the Jedi valuing lives of clones more than they should. Opinions that the Jedi had no problems countering and reminding people that the clones were flesh and blood, feeling people. Then, finally, it was to the questions of the future. Which the other three had declared was best for Obi-Wan to handle.

“What will the Jedi be doing now that the war is over? Fighting more battles?”

Obi-Wan lifted his chin as he stood tall. “We are peacekeepers. It is time we returned to that philosophy. We will be reconsidering our agreement with the Senate, which, our copy states that we can make that decision any time a big event has impacted the Order. Since the start of the war, we have lost four thousand masters, knights, and padawans. We cannot risk losing more.”

He swept his gaze across the dome. “We will not only be looking at forming a new agreement, a new contract, with the Senate, we will be looking inwards to restructure and regroup. We got many things wrong during the war, and we have all suffered for it. We will continue to devote ourselves to helping keep peace in the galaxy. Whether it be bringing relief to planets, exploring the unknown to help displaced refugees, or mediating in diplomatic disputes, we will be aiming to solve problems through diplomacy and kindness first, lightsabers only a final resort.” He finished.

There was silence, and scattered applause. Obi-Wan had been keeping an eye on the Senators who most strongly had been asking questions against the Order. None of them applauded. Some looked alarmed. Some looked calculating. Others just looked angry. None had been swayed, but he hadn't expected that. After all, most of the Senators against the Jedi Order had been followers of Palpatine. Of course they would want to punish the Jedi.

Bail was quick to be recognized and voice his support, while most of the others had to take time to regain their bearings in response to the declaration. “I think this is right. The balance of give and take between the Senate and the Jedi Order has not been fair, particularly since the Jedi are listed as a religious order.” This caused sounds of surprise and anger. Bail raised his hand. “I know, it's hard to see a group such as the Jedi as religious. I know many of them don't see themselves as religious. But, they follow a set of beliefs about the Force, and I believe earlier iterations were far more religious in appearance than they are currently.”

Mace cleared his throat and asked to speak. “Thank you Senator Organa. Yes, we used to be a bit more religious in our beliefs and how we carried them out. As the galaxy changed, so did we. There has been talk about whether or not with this agreement we would apply to qualify as a religious order or not with our new agreement. Others have argued that it might be more beneficial if we applied to be a part of the Republic as an entity, much like the Trade Federation and the Trade Clans are.” There was a loud uproar this time. Mace sat back and watched, eyes sharp. The Council hadn't really discussed it much, but they had agreed that their two best options if they weren't leaving the Republic were the two Mace listed.

From there, the discussion devolved. Lots of arguing, lots of accusing or defending the Jedi for whatever reason. Some tried to claim the Jedi owed the Senate. Padme slammed her hand on the button to move her pod to the center to respond.

“If anyone owes anyone, we owe the Jedi. They lost 4231 Jedi over the course of the war. They started with 11489 Jedi. That is a loss of around 37%. They lost over a third of their Order to defend the Republic. Not a single planet or group has sustained losses that high from the war alone like they have. It would be prudent to consider how to repay them for such a sacrifice.”

The Jedi were well aware of how much they had sacrificed. It was those numbers that had helped lay the groundwork for convincing the traditionalists that maybe completely keeping traditions to should take a backseat to recovering from all the damage the war did to everyone. Hopefully, they could find some sort of middle ground after they had sorted such issues out, so that they could honor those traditions.

Then came the proposal everyone was dreading. It was the representative from Corsucant. “I motion that we reexamine our relationship with the Jedi so that we can render sanctions and restrictions so they can't just go fighting anywhere anytime. We are clearly not safe so long as we allow them freedom.”

Obi-Wan's comm went off with all the outrage. He checked over some of the other messages quickly. It looked like of the 1564 Senators that were taking them up on the offer of refuge, only 389 did not have all their belongings packed and in the Temple pending room assignment. Good. Depending on how their announcement went providing the motion passed, they might all have to leave quickly. He sent out the update, and asked if those that were not ready to leave had anything important left. If so, they should see if they can enlist some Jedi (check with Master Koon) to help move those most important items, just in case.

He put it away as the rapid fire debate in favor and against the motion died down. People's minds were too made up. The voting started. The majority was for, as expected, though it was surprisingly a closer vote than anyone expected. Obi-Wan, Mace, Shaak, and Adi huddled up for a brief conference on how they wanted to respond. A few minutes later they broke away.

In the meantime, the Senate had declared that there would be an investigation, and in the meantime the Jedi was restricted to only the missions the Senate approved, and no more and no less supplies and bodies involved than they specified. The interim Chancellor then asked the Jedi if they understood.

Obi-Wan nodded. “We understand that the Republic no longer trusts the Jedi to act as peacekeepers. As such, we will be leaving the Republic, and offering our services to any world in the galaxy, regardless of their affiliation. So long as it fits within our mission statement and morals.”

“The Senate has made a decision!”

“I understand that the Senate has decided to curtail us Jedi. Given that it is a stupid kriffing decision, we've elected to ignore it.” Mace crossed his arms, wincing a little when he remembered that one arm ended in a stump and did not fit as comfortably as before.

“We will not serve a public that wants to see us starve and die for their orders, orders frequently in conflict with our beliefs,” Shaak added in. “A group of people that did not see our men as sentients who deserved rights. The clone contract specified that they were for the Jedi in service of the Republic during the next war.”

It was Adi's turn “The clones are now part of the Jedi Order. As such, they will be leaving with us, so they can explore their options for the rest of their lives now that they don't have to fight a war. Maybe one day you'll allow us to return as equals.”

Their words were just as inflammatory as they intended. There was an uproar. Shouting ruled the chamber for ten minutes before anyone could regain control. Ten minutes in which the Jedi quietly sent around updates and made sure everything was arranged. Everyone but those within the Senate Dome were ready to leave Coruscant. They likely would be cutting it close, so a few clones were piloting shuttles outside the Senate in order to pick them up quickly and get them either to the Temple or off of Coruscant depending on how events unfolded. Someone had even organized it down to which shuttle each person would be taking in order for the more than two thousand people that needed the evacuation. After all, each system had at least one senator, and at least one aide. While many already were at the Temple, some liked to stay with the Senator in the pod.

“You will not make it off of Coruscant,” the Trade Federation swore. “We will help ensure there's a blockade to do so.”

“We will send the clones and the Senate guard to ensure compliance if we have to!” There were lots of echoes of that sentiment.

Riyo Chuchi's pod came forward. “Pantora will have no part in making the Jedi slaves of the Republic along side the clones. If you go forward with these plans, Pantora will be leaving the Republic.”

There was dead silence. Bail Organa came forward. “Alderaan stands with the Jedi Order and Pantora.”

“As does Naboo.”

There continued to be silence as the sentiment was echoed across any taking refuge with the Jedi. Finally, the last endorsement of the Jedi Order faded into the air as the loudest on the opposing side recovered and gathered their thoughts.

“That's foolish! The Jedi are dangerous! They would just as soon see you dead as the rest of us! Why would you leave the Republic now of all times?”

Padme was the one who addressed this. “I have never been for the war. I have supported clone rights. I have advocated for trying to make peace with the Separatists. I believed in democracy, in the Republic. I believed that all corruption could be countered eventually. I thought that the ending of the war would be better than this. The Jedi deserve so much more than you are giving them. I cannot keep supporting such a corrupt system. If it will not fix itself, then I will happily help start a new government.”

She paused. “As it is, you have not asked us what we think of the Jedi's actions. Naboo is the home planet of Palpatine. They killed him. We are happy he is out of office. He has not represented Naboo interests in a long time, if he ever has. His past was too clean, even the murders of his parents. While he was running the Republic, we were glad he was not actively representing Naboo interests, as that is not what the people of Naboo actually want. He has drifted far from our ideals and beliefs. Finding out he was a Sith this whole time? Finding out he was orchestrating the entire war? Naboo doesn't like murder, and we don't like violence, but for a man like that? I am glad he is not around to ruin more lives, to push more of his agenda.”

Padme stood straight and proud as she looked to the interim Chancellor. “The Separatists chose to escalate their leaving when the Republic would not meet their demands. We do not plan to do so. Let us leave peacefully, and maybe one day we can come to a different agreement here. We do not have any other plans besides let us mutually break the agreements we made when we joined the Republic. We will not start violence, but we will meet it in kind if we have to.” She smiled. “As much as Naboo hates violence, we are well versed in how to end conflict. We would not have survived so many assassinations otherwise.”

There was once again silence, though broken by clapping within seconds. It wasn't even half of the Senate, since it was primarily those who were siding with the Jedi. It died down quicker than usual, but that didn't matter to most people. They could see who agreed and disagreed just from that.

The Senate seemed to ignore the declarations and move on with deciding to place the Jedi under house arrest, pending investigations into the war, and even before the war. After that decision was made, a recess was called. Obi-Wan checked with Mace, Adi, and Shaak before messaging that it was time for everyone to get out. They weren't sticking around any longer than they had to. Not with how angry the remaining members of the Senate were. Not when they were expecting lockdown to start as soon as the Senate could manage. They wanted everyone out of the Senate before alarms could be raised about how many shuttles were suddenly landing at the Temple.

They casually walked out, as if they were just going to get lunch. They met up with Bail, Padme, and Riyo, which was pretty normal. A few other Senators, like Mon Mothma of Chandrila, joined them. They were assigned to the same shuttle, so this was working out rather well. Others were grouping up with their shuttle groups as well, and some going to different areas of the building, as their shuttles were spread out across the available loading zones in order to keep from having a crowd frantically getting onto shuttles.

There was some quiet talk about the state of the Republic, and the riots on Coruscant. At least the people of Coruscant could be happy, since their biggest gripe was the Jedi. But they probably would still have issues since the Republic still wouldn't give aid to the capital planet. Finally, though, the shuttle was in sight, and they were on their way back to the Temple.

Everyone relaxed once they made it onto the shuttle, now they just had to make it to the Temple.

“That was an impressive speech, Senator Amidala,” Shaak complimented. “Too bad it got pushed under the rug.”

Padme smirked. “Well, it may have gotten ignored for now, but it's something that will be remembered for a long time. One of my handmaidens recorded the whole session from a guest pod, and is going to be releasing it onto the holonet at her next opportunity. The people of Naboo will love it.”

“So will Alderaan,” Bail agreed. He smiled wryly. “Especially since they do like violence more than Naboo, and were itching the entire war wanting to get involved. Now they can do their own thing if the Republic takes offense. And we can more freely show our culture without worry about what the Republic would think.”

“I look forward to see how not worrying about the Republic's sensibilities will change all of us,” Mace stated, a hint of a smile on his face. “We need to meet up with the rest of the Council to make sure everything is in order before we leave.”

“How are you getting us all into space, anyways?” Padme asked with a frown.

Obi-Wan grinned. “You'll see when we leave.”

Everyone groaned. Idle chatter about other things filled the time until they arrived. Then they all split up. Padme was cackling gleefully as she headed in. Anakin had no clue that she was coming to stay, and he might not have even known that the room arrangements had been changed to accommodate that. She had plans to go see a healer with Anakin as soon as possible just to get her records started with the healers at the Temple to make it easier for her later check ups. She also felt a bit safer knowing that her remaining six months would be under the care of a Jedi healer, who were known to be some of the best at detecting problems.

The Jedi left and met up with the Council. After some quick touching base, they concluded that they were as ready as possible, and everything was secure. They just had to make the final preparations, and they would be good to go. The exploratory group (Cody included) were staying near the engines to make sure everything was good to go.

Obi-Wan missed Cody, but they both had jobs to do. The Council and some Masters would be stationed around the Temple, ready to raise the Force shield around the Temple as soon as the signal was given. The shield wasn't quite a bubble, but it was something that would protect the outside of the Temple as it flew, and would act much like the fields on the ships that kept the vacuum of space outside when doors were open. It took a lot of power, but at least had charged up enough over the years to stay up.

The problem was that each section had to be activated by an individual Jedi, at close to the same time as all of the others. All of the best Jedi were stationed at one of the hidden anchors, ready to activate it at the say so. Obi-Wan found his station and settled in to wait. He monitored the outside situation. It seemed it took until after the session resumed to realize that the Jedi had left, and longer to realize that Senators had disappeared.

It wouldn't be much longer before they descended on the Temple. It was decided that since there were a few minor things they wanted to be done, they would hold off until there were a lot of people in front of the Temple. Once they had confirmation that the Senate was on its way with the guards, or whatever arrangement they used to confront the Jedi, they would activate the Force shield. They had rigged some traps and pranks to keep everyone at a distance, though the fact that the rioters had finally arrived at the Temple would help.

Obi-Wan laughed aloud from his perch as one of the more pompous Senators stepped on the stairs, only to have paint fly up from further up the stairs and land on him. He checked his comm, and sure enough, it was time. He took a deep breath, braced himself against the wall, and focused on the anchor and bringing it live.

He had to reach deep into the Force, hitting a meditative space to do this. He concentrated, feeling around the anchor and... there. There was how to raise it. He guided the pent up energy out. He coaxed it to spread out around the Temple, meeting up with other forming shields. He kept it up until there was just a tendril of energy connecting the shield to its anchor, then he let go and opened his eyes, breathing heavily, and without the energy to even sit up. At least he had picked a good place to collapse in, sitting against the wall in a window seat.

A glance at the window had him letting out a weak chuckle. The crowd had frozen, staring at the shimmering Force field. No one seemed to know what to make of it. A Senator gestured angrily at a Senate guard. The guard ran up to the field and bounced off of it rather violently. If he hadn't landed in the crowd, he could've been seriously injured.

Humming rose from below the Temple. Obi-Wan grinned. The engines were starting. Then, the Temple started rising. He raised his comm just in time to catch a wonderful picture of the gaping crowd before they were too far away. He let his shaking arm fall to his lap as he leaned back and considered taking a nap. The window seat was unfairly comfortable, and it wasn't like he had the energy to go anywhere right now. There was a diagram with who was assigned where. When someone noticed he was missing, they would find him.

For now, he rested his head against the wall and watched as Coruscant fell away from the Temple. The Temple flew into space, past the venators already waiting to fly out to find a new home. The clones had boarded the last of them at the same time the Senators had been evacuating, taking off when the Force field had gone up. It was time for the Jedi Order to find a new home, a new base. And to create new traditions so that the clones could be included despite their lack of Force Sensitivity.

He blinked tiredly at the stars going by, wondering why the Temple felt far Lighter than he ever had felt it. The Force practically sang as it danced around the Temple. Something about Coruscant was rotten, he supposed. He would probably get some answers when he woke, surely someone will have figured something out by then.

.

Obi-Wan woke to the smell of breakfast. He blinked at the ceiling, feeling oddly sore. He ran over what he last remembered. Breakfast with Padme and Bail after a two hour nap after a hours long meeting which was after an hour and a half hour nap. Meditating, the Senate at 0900. The session going for break at 1300. The shields were activated at 1500. He was too tired to stay awake after, so he fell asleep. He rolled over to check the time. 0800. That was more sleep than he was used to getting.

A lot more sleep than he should've needed. But, raising the shield on top of such short naps had done him in. He wouldn't be surprised to learn that a lot of Masters had to take a nap after raising the shields. He doubted most were as tired as he was, and ended up falling asleep right there. His stomach growled.

Right, breakfast. Obi-Wan sat up, then stood carefully, twisting and stretching to work out some of the kinks. That helped with the lingering soreness, as he had hoped. A quick morning routine later, and his mind was starting to wake up a little more and he realized someone had to bring him back to his rooms. He really hoped it was Cody because anyone else was just embarrassing.

“Good morning,” he greeted as he left the bedroom. Cody was just finishing up their breakfast and there were already two steaming mugs of their weird caff/tea combination they had finally worked out, and loved, sitting out. A lot of people didn't like it.

Cody handed a cup to Obi-Wan before returning to dish up the food. “Good morning. You scared me last night when I got back to find you weren't here.”

Obi-Wan winced. “I practically pulled an all nighter before that, in hindsight, I should've expected to pass out after such an exhausting endeavor. I hope you were able to find me easily?”

“I confirmed that no one had seen you, and found out your location. Spent more time worrying about you than I would've liked, but it was relatively simple. Thanks to whoever had made sure to keep track of who was assigned where.”

“Not my idea, but I fully endorsed it. I didn't want people going to the same anchor point thinking they were both assigned to that same one.”

Cody nodded and set down the plates of food before sitting down himself. “I've seen holos of the Senate session. I'm glad I didn't have to deal with that madness.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “Yes, it was a madhouse in there,” he agreed. “Though I'm still surprised at how many Senators left with us. How are they settling in?”

“Pretty well, some are a little jumpy and uncertain, but the Jedi and us clones who are here have been going about as if things are relatively normal so they seemed to be adjusting by the time I went to bed last night. And from what I've seen in messages.” Cody smirked. “Anakin was with us, along with other mechanics for the engines. So he missed the memo completely about the Senators joining us. I think he had been resigned to it being months before he could see Padme again, but he didn't want to just leave the Order right now.”

“Please tell me there's a recording of his reaction,” Obi-Wan pleaded, eyes dancing with delight at the idea.

“Rex and Ahsoka had walked back with him, so yes there is.” Cody chuckled. “First there's him complaining about the fact that their rooms had been changed around. I think Ahsoka already knew since she was the one recording and they were still a few minutes from arriving.”

“I can't wait to watch it, but there are things we need to do. Starting with... where are we right now?” Obi-Wan started eating as his stomach reminded him that he was starving.

“In hyperspace on the way to Kamino. Our brothers on Kamino have taken over as best they can, but they expect the Kaminoans to retaliate soon. There's not enough space on the ships for all the cadets and tubies, so we're all going to pick them up.”

“That's better than having no plan at all,” Obi-Wan nodded. “We're still trying to figure out where we want to go. I expect now that we're in space we'll want your input, too.” He considered that further as he chewed his next bite. “Why don't you contact your brothers, select twelve of you, and those twelve join the Council meeting later? Our first order of business is to select where we're going to place roots. We're starting with investigating existing Temples, and the next will be to select planets to start a new one on. I suspect that Naboo and Alderaan are going to be among the suggestions put forward. After that, we will be discussing the restructuring of the Order, and since you and your brothers are now part of the Order, we would like your input. It would not be fair to drop all of you into the EduCorps, AgriCorps, ExplorCorps, or MediCorps.”

Cody nodded thoughtfully. “There has been some ideas bounced around, and I think they would be good to implement, but I'll wait for the meeting to bring them up. Are you going to be changing how you bring in Force sensitives, and bring in non-Force sensitives?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “That's why Temples on planets like Naboo and Alderaan are going to be considered. One thing we're considering is allowing initiates to do more of a boarding or day school plan until they're padawan age, at which point, if we're still following the same model, they will be able to make their choice on what path they want to take- a non-Jedi path, one of the Corps, or a path as a Knight. At least we'd be running a trial run of it, but I imagine there will still be a lot of parents who are fine with parting with their child forever.”

“That's a good idea. So at least one Temple would need to be easy access for initiates and parents. What's the plan for non-Force sensitives?”

Obi-Wan sighed. “At this point we're looking at forming several new Councils, and we're not sure what to do about them. That's why you need to be at the meeting. You're the Force nulls, we want your opinion. We'll probably eventually open up the questions to all of those who fled Corsucant with us, since I'm sure at least Padme's handmaidens would be thrilled if that was ever an option for people like them. They might petition to be allowed to be Knights to protect Padme.”

“Now that would be something. ...Wait is part of the changes so that we can become Jedi Knights?”

“Yes, you interested?”

“Only if it means I get to do missions with you.”

“Depends on how the Council decides to handle our relationship.” Obi-Wan paused. “That reminds me. Master Yoda has resigned. I haven't heard who replaced him yet. Guess we'll find out.”

“How many are aware of Anakin's marriage then?”

“Same as ours.” Obi-Wan sighed. “I expect that they'll actually restrict us until we go through the usual prerequisites since we skipped it, no matter our reasoning. They'll probably let us retain leadership positions, but no missions until we're cleared. At least we'll be in better standing to get approved than most relationships.”

“You'd said that a lot don't get official approval even after they pass all the steps, right?” Cody asked.

“Yes, the High Council has to approve because unlike the Council of Reassignment and the Council of Reconciliation, we get to decide what falls in line with the Code and what doesn't. It's never been a fair system.”

“Can you tell me more before we go? I want to be as prepared as possible.”

“I can try. There's a lot going on right now. But, I'll start with the Councils. We're not sure what to do because for the High Council, we want it to be a combined Force sensitive and Force null Council. That will either mean splitting the current Council in half and adding the numbers in Force nulls, or some other iteration. Either way, we want equal representation. Maybe in the future we won't need that, but for the start? It's completely necessary.”

Obi-Wan finished his breakfast and leaned back. “We're adding a Council of Family. That will mostly deal with families of anyone in the Order. Which reminds me, we are planning on integrating the Corps back into the Order more fully, as paths Knights can take, or other options. Maybe someone does education and agriculture, for example. And once they're mostly or all trained in one, they can get some training in another. Maybe they can make it all the way in the others, maybe not. I think that will help with the numbers. After all, if Corps members can come back and become a knight? That will change things everywhere.”

He cleared his throat. “But back on topic. So anyone who has family outside the order, whether by marriage or birth, or even adoption, can run issues through the Council of Family. They will also be there to make arrangements for the initiates who are doing day or boarding school type options. It may also add in some issues that arise within lineages that normally can't easily be addressed.”

“I like that idea. I think it might make parents more comfortable with the new direction, and what is happening with their children. Can you explain what the three Councils currently do, and what the distinctions are?”

“Right. The Council of Reassignment is basically in charge of initiates becoming padawans or aging out, padawans going from junior to senior status, Knighting Trials, and Mastery tests. They cover who goes where with the Corps, and intake as well. It does okay, but does sometimes miss the mark, like when they decided I'd be a good farmer. I think, especially with how my skills and interests have developed as an adult, I would have withered. I live off of learning, after all. With my language skills, I could really work well in any of the Corps.”

He sipped at his drink. “Anyways, they also deal with any issues that arise between masters and padawans, teachers and initiates or padawans and even differences in crechemates. Their role is assigning people around, and reassigning as necessary. They also sometimes deal with assigning missions, depending on the mission, since some missions do get divided up between the councils as necessary. The High Council can't deal with every mission all the time. Not with so many Jedi. If nothing else, the High Council approves the mission and then sends it to the Council of Reassignment to be assigned to a good working pair.”

Cody nodded, following along. He moved so that they were touching and able to lean on each other. It was always nice to do so after time apart, even as little as a few hours. After working together for so long it was hard for them to be apart.

“The Council of Reconciliation is... difficult to explain. They mostly deal with disputes, both within and outside the Order. Sometimes a bad dispute gets passed to them from the Council of Reassignment. Sometimes a master does something that calls into question their ability to teach their padawan, so the Council of Reconciliation sends that recommendation over to the Council of Reassignment. They are also the Council that deals with the interplanetary diplomacy issues the most, so they handled approving those and assigning them unless they were swamped with requests. We'll probably split the Council so that we have one meant to deal with most disciplinary disputes, and one to deal with diplomacy issues with other planets.”

“And the ideas for new Councils?”

“Well.. first I just realized there were two I neglected to tell you. Council of the Shadows, which of course deal with the Shadows and their work. We might get a mission for the Shadows, but otherwise we don't do anything with them. And Council of First Knowledge, which is about finding and archiving Jedi history that has been lost. Anyone who works in the archives reports to them. Sometimes they issue missions to go dig up artifacts at old temples or check out rumors. That probably won't change at all. We need that. They'll have to coordinate with others, since we'll be relying on old mission reports and everything else the archives has to offer in order to settle down and sort out what we're doing.”

Obi-Wan finished his tea and stared at it. He checked the time and sighed. “Come on, let's start moving meditation while I talk. We don't have time for anything else.”

Cody nodded, pressing their foreheads together briefly before he followed Obi-Wan to the area they had set up specifically to have room for such an activity.

“The new Councils will have one for each Corps. Education will cover education outside and inside the Order, organizing classes and all that. That used to fall under a mix of the Council of First Knowledge, Council of Reassignment (for the Corps), and the High Council. This will streamline it. If we add other Corps, they'll each have their own Council as well. We're considering adding a Council for Initiates and one for Padwans. These would be run by elected Initiates and Padawans with a master or two and a knight or two to keep an eye on things and add any adult insight or knowledge needed. That way they can come up with things to petition for. They can work out what needs to be better taught or dealt with. They can come up with ways to support anyone struggling. And their ideas will help keep the traditionalists on their toes. A child's mind is a wondrous thing.”

“Those are good ideas.” Cody nodded. “What about a Council for issues like ours? Things that don't have a place but can't always be seen by the High Council. Something like a Council of... Regulations? I'm not sure what it would be called, but it would take off a lot of pressure off of you.”

“Not a bad idea, it will need some work though, before we have it ironed out, but then a lot of our ideas need that.” Obi-Wan sighed. “We have too much to try to change right now. While I am planning on making our relationship known today, and use that to back my point about reconsidering how we approach the issue of attachments, ultimately, this meeting is about just a few things.” He fell silent to put his thoughts into words. They were moving in sync as they usually did.

“First on the agenda, is narrowing down our plans for the Temple- will we leave this as a flying fortress, will we find a planet to set it down on, or will we eventually abandon it. We had been thinking maybe we would because the Temple had felt murky, but after we lifted from the surface... It's felt a lot Lighter, so that might no longer be an option we consider.”

“Oh, right, I never told you what was underneath the Temple. It was a Sith Temple. We took some Shadows to investigate it, to be sure we were right. Once we had enough evidence, we left, and the Shadows with us told us that they could see the dark energy floating up into the Temple.”

“That makes a lot of sense. I knew that the Sith had Coruscant at one point, but I never considered that our Temple was built on top of theirs. No wonder we never noticed the Sith in the Senate.” Obi-Wan shook his head and breathed into the next movement.

“We will discuss some of our criteria for other Temples- there's the one we want to be available for parents. We might end up doing more than one. If Mandalore will have us and we can make amends, I'm going to suggest it as a site for the future. Might be decades until we can do it, though. We're also considering separating out differing branches. With most of the Jedi in one Temple, and the rest out on missions, it would've been rather easy to wipe us all out with one blow. A big bomb to the surface of Coruscant could've wiped us out. We're not going to get things set in stone, this is about just getting ideas down.”

“Sounds simple enough. And if we clones want a Temple to ourselves?”

“That'll be possible. It might be a good idea to have a Force null Temple anyways. Temples, places in general can get... weird when Force sensitives live in the same place for long enough.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

Obi-Wan laughed. “After that, we will be discussing the different Councils. The sooner we get those set up, the more we can delegate changes. A Council for the AgriCorps, for example, will be able to better decide on changes than us, and all they have to do then is present it to the High Council, and we can approve or suggest tweaks. It will save us weeks of debating per Council, I believe. That would be the time to suggest the ideas for other Corps, since it'll be simple to just add Councils for those too.”

There was silence for a moment. “So... that's all the Council is discussing today?” Cody asked incredulously.

“I don't think we need to discuss freeing your brothers from Kamino. We will likely be following your lead. You grew up there, and you don't need to listen to our orders anymore. I will be bringing up the attachment issue, and I can use that to suggest something like the Council of Regulation or the Code maybe so as to keep my relationship status from becoming a matter of debate in the High Council, same with Anakin's. It shouldn't need to go that high, when we have so many. We discussed those still outside the Temple before Senate meeting. Most of anything else can wait, and if we have the Councils formed quickly, they'll take on a lot of the workload. We can't exactly debate those topics until they are formed, and we know for sure we don't need to. We might suggest one member of the High Council on most of the Councils, just so that it's a better line to the High Council between the Councils, but that's it. Maybe someday, High Council members will be decided based on the Council who needs a representative.”

Obi-Wan kicked the air and finished the form. “And besides, we all need a break. A chance to adjust to the new situation. None of us had even known the Temple could fly. We didn't have time to consider what that meant. But looking out the window right now? That's pretty strange when I know I'm in my rooms at the Temple. I imagine every room with windows are the same. So, we do what's absolutely necessary, set expectations, and adjust. I'm hoping we'll be done by 1400. If not, there's always tomorrow for the break.”

Cody grinned at him. “Don't worry, my brothers don't have the patience. I'm sure we'll cut down on the arguing so you-we will be done faster.”

Obi-Wan grinned back. “I hope so.” He stretched. “Make sure I get a better meditation session in later.”

“It didn't do anything?” Cody asked worriedly. He knew how Obi-Wan could get when he wasn't able to meditate properly. It was why sometimes he let him get away with meditating and getting less sleep. A peaceful but tired Obi-Wan was better than an unsettled and awake Obi-Wan.

“Not enough,” Obi-Wan corrected. “I feel a little more balanced, but there's been a lot of changes that I haven't had the chance to process yet. Plus... With the Sith gone, the war ending, and us leaving Coruscant... I don't think I've ever felt the Force this Light. This... happy, and playful. It feels... balanced. I never knew that it didn't feel right. I honestly am looking forward to experiencing meditation with the Force like this.”

“Okay, got it.” Cody nodded. They started getting ready. “So... how can it be balanced with the Sith defeated? Wouldn't balance imply an equal amount of each?”

Obi-Wan nodded. “You're right. This is a concept that's rather difficult to grasp, so stop me anytime. The Dark side is insidious. It spreads far more easily than Light. So, there's more Dark per person than Light. On top of that, as much as it seems like it, the Dark side isn't inherently evil. It is selfish, powerful, insidious, and corrupting, but not evil on its own. The Shadows walk a fine line between Light and Dark, sometimes dipping into the Dark side, but rarely Falling and becoming Sith. Mace's form, Vaapad, is restricted because it is considered a gray technique. It harnesses emotions, and one can easily use the Dark side when using the form. So long as there are Dark side users in the galaxy, the Force is likely to be in balance. It's only when there's a Sith that it can upset the balance. Because the Sith is overwhelmingly powerful, and evil. They often force themselves to live beyond their lifespan.”

“I think I get it.” Cody mused. “It's... It's like with flavors. There's some that are overwhelming so you just need a pinch, while others need far more to get the flavor you want. What happens when there's millions of Jedi though?”

Obi-Wan shrugged. “That's more Force users that might Fall or use the dark side. Besides, there are a lot of people that are lower than the minimum midocholorian count that eventually get stronger in the Force or are naturals at it despite the low counts, and they can unconsciously dip into the Force, and therefore the dark side at any point and never realize it.”

“Huh.” They started walking to the meeting. “That's... not something I would've ever have guessed.”

“Most are unaware of it, but I've always been curious enough to read up on any theory I can get my hands on.”

Cody laughed and took Obi-Wan's hand, deciding that if they were announcing it to the Council, it would get out soon anyways. Besides, he had plans for after the meeting.

Obi-Wan took his seat when they arrived, while Cody moved to join his brothers. Bly, Fox, Neyo, Gree, Wolffe, Rex, and Ponds were already there. Colt was on call with Shaak. They were just waiting on Monnk, Alpha 17 (who would be on call as well), Bacara, and Grey, for the other clones. A few of the Jedi hadn't arrived yet.

It was weird for all meeting in the Council room, when all they could see outside was the light of hyperspace. It added an eerie quality to the room. Obi-Wan quietly engaged Shaak in conversation, checking in on what was going on at Kamino. Thankfully, it seemed that the Kaminoans of the other cities hadn't launched a counter attack yet, though everyone knew it would likely happen soon. They wanted to stay in the Republic, and the clones were their best work. If they lost all of their clones, trust would be lost. That was good for the Jedi.

Meanwhile, Cody was updating his brothers on some of the explanations Obi-Wan had given him regarding the Councils. The brothers were surprised but pleased that they would be allowed to form their own Council (though technically it would be the Force null Council), and that they would be working with the High Council to run the Order. It would take some adjusting, but it would be good for all of them.

Finally, Kit Fisto sat down in his chair, and Monnk joined the clones. It was time to start the meeting, with everyone there. All the Jedi Masters straightened in their chairs, still trying to be comfortable. Mace turned to the clones.

“We brought in the extra chairs for a reason, take a seat,” he stated. There indeed were more chairs, alternating with the usual Jedi Council seats.

There was some hesitation, then Cody claimed the chair next to Obi-Wan, and the others soon followed, taking seats next to the Jedi they were most used to working with when they could. There was some silence for a bit, then Yoda stood up.

“My replacement, I have chosen. Good, Master Jocasta Nu would be. If not accept, she does, Master Vokara Che, I elect. My second choice, she is. Waiting, they are.”

Shaak sighed. “Master Nu is your first choice, but you know she'll reject it, don't you?”

Yoda just smiled his trollish smile and jabbed his gimer stick at the door. “Let them in, we should.”

“Very well.” Mace nodded.

The two Masters were let in. Neither batted an eye at all the clones in the room, and took center stage. That relaxed some of the tenseness lingering in the clones who felt out of place sitting with the Jedi like equals.

Yoda relayed his announcement of retiring, and his nominations. He was immediately hit with a glare from Jocasta Nu.

“I have enough work with the Council of First Knowledge and the archives, especially now that we have displaced ourselves. I have no time for this council.”

“Expected, that was. Still my first choice, you are. Accept your rejection, I do.”

Master Che meanwhile, seemed flabbergasted she was even considered at all, let alone as the second choice. “What about the Healing Halls?”

“You do more supervision than actual work unless it's busy, or a patient that only sees you is in,” Plo pointed out.

“Besides,” Kit added in, “we're planning on adding more Councils, so that we can delegate more decisions to those who are better suited.”

Master Che huffed. She considered everyone there, eyes lingering on the known troublemakers who avoided healers, then sighed. “I accept.”

Yoda beamed and led her to his chair before leaving to go troll the Temple or hang out with the younglings. It was hard to tell which one he would do sometimes. Especially since he would do both if he could.

She settled into the chair quickly. Every Jedi knew she'd be requesting a different chair by the end of the meeting. Only Yoda had an easy time with the chair he chose, since it was perfect for his small height. Not so much for anyone else.

From there, Mace led the discussion on everything that had happened, their destination (accompanied by a tag-team report from Colt, Alpha, and Shaak on what had happened on Kamino), and the last minute revelation that they had been living on top of a Sith Temple. Once everyone had digested that, they jumped right into a proper discussion on what to do about the Temple, and where they were going to live.

Vokara (as she'd told them all to call her) mostly just watched and listened to the discussion. Eventually she spoke up. “Why don't we do one Temple or two Temples for the younglings- if two, they would be with different types of teachings at each- then one Temple where Knight missions are done out of, and is the main Temple that interacts with the wider galaxy, which means padawans would be taking most of their lessons there, then a Temple that serves as the headquarters of each Corps or maybe at this point we would be better off calling the different groups branches of the Order, since we are all Jedi in the end.”

“That has merit,” Ki-Adi agreed reluctantly. “We'd still have Knights at all Temples, healers at all Temples, even farmers, pilots, and archivists and educators at each, but then they would each have their own primary Temple to learn at, and the Temple would be a good base to send out those missions from.”

“Which means we just need to settle where to have our Temples,” Kit nodded. “I'd say Naboo or Alderaan would be the best for the younglings. They have a wide variety of climates, which will give the younglings more experience than they would get on Coruscant. The cultures of the two planets are such that they will welcome the opportunity to have the younglings grow up on their planet with open arms.”

There were agreements with Kit, then they moved onto where to place other Temples. They settled on Tython to place the flying Temple, as there was not actually any Temple left. Lothal would work well with the EduCorps, though they would want to expand the existing Temple to accommodate everything. They had some tentative plans to use Dantooine for the AgriCorps, as the planet was unoccupied, and did have good soil. But if they decided against Tython for the main Temple (due to its location), it was a good second choice for it, so it might not work out. Other planets were put forward with suggestions for other branches.

Then came to discussing the Councils. They finalized that, at least for now, there would be an equal amount of non-Force Sensitives and Force Sensitives on the High Council, and they would keep numbers as is until things were more settled. Reorganizing the existing Council's mandates came next.

It was only once they were discussing the Councils for the Corps, or branches as Vokara had suggested, that Cody spoke up. He waited until there was an opening.

“There might be several Councils if we do one for each branch. And if we have have one member from each branch on the Council, that might permanently making the Council bigger,” Adi Gallia said. She was rather neutral.

“And would that be a bad thing?” Obi-Wan responded. “That would make the High Council's main job coordinating between each Council rather than running everything about the Order. It'll make things a lot easier.”

“I was thinking,” Cody finally started, “that other options for branches,” that was his preferred term now, “would include a diplomacy branch, security branch which would cover body guarding missions, and an entertainment branch. The entertainment branch would be about creating content to earn money off of in order to help keep us from relying on other sources. It could include docuseries, theater and film, music, art, and even sports.

“I'm not entirely certain what would happen to the role of Jedi knight, but I suppose if you just changed up the requirements, it could work. A padawan, of course, would automatically become a knight when trained by one, regardless of what branch they are in. But there could be other requirements to get the title later. Masters maybe could skip being a Knight entirely if they can demonstrate that they have mastery over a certain aspect. I imagine that under that requirement there will be several masters in each of the Corps currently who never became knights, but certainly have mastered their craft now.”

“That is a great idea, thank you Cody,” Plo responded warmly, leaning forward. “I think that is the right track. I suggest that we consider taking a break after further debate, split up, what would fall under each Council, and any other Corps or branches we should be contributing.” Plo was one of the ones leaning towards doing away with the Corps, but knew that others were not there yet.

There were agreements, and the debate began anew about different things the Jedi could do to serve the galaxy. The clones weren't contributing much yet. Cody had actually had the biggest contribution, and many of the others were still staring at him in shock because he didn't hesitate, didn't have any signs that he was anxious about speaking so boldly to the Jedi. Only those that had seen him with Obi-Wan knew this was pretty normal, especially now that he was basically allowed to do such a thing.

Rex leaned forward from his chair on the other side of Obi-Wan. “If we don't have the numbers for an entertainment branch, surely some Jedi would be willing to occasionally take a break to do film or music? Even then, the Jedi serve the galaxy, so wouldn't entertainment be a good way to get people off of their feet when they're recovering, especially refugees and Freed slaves?” Of course, Rex had never been far behind Cody in such matters thanks to his exposure to both Anakin and Obi-Wan. Now there were looks at him as well.

Wolffe sighed and took the plunge next, speaking gruffly. “Those people probably would love to help with the younglings or go into security, or really, most of the roles that don't require much training. From there, they'll have savings, job experience, and maybe even some education, if they chose that. They could leave and start up on their own, or they could choose to become Jedi themselves. Assuming, that with the day/boarding school suggestion, we are accepting older people into the Order.” He looked a little embarrassed, just the slightest tinge of pink to his cheeks as attention turned to him.

That broke down remaining barriers, and soon all but the most uncertain of the clones were contributing. The Jedi Masters of course, treated them like equals and allowed them freedom of speech. The conversation took several turns, bringing up interesting points about the Code, and regular doctrine. Points that the traditionalists either ignored or shot down quickly.

One too many passed by and Obi-Wan straightened, clearing his throat. He was just glad that Yoda was no longer on the Council. Yoda's lectures with his backwards grammar were difficult to listen to even for those who were used to decoding it.

“I wouldn't be so sure that relationships can distract people from their duties. That they won't do what's necessary regardless. Cody and I started dating about one year into the war. We have been married for a few months. By our records, would you have known?”

Cody took his hand and raised an eyebrow at some of the looks he got from the few brothers who didn't know. He hadn't realized they never heard, but it was hard to keep track with the war going. Alpha 17 just looked smug.

Ki-Adi sputtered then glanced at Mace. “You're not surprised.”

“No, I'm not. I was actually one of the ones involved in their betting pool. I've known since that gathering on Alderaan when their clothes followed Alderaani custom for dating.”

The other ones involved with the bet (Kit, Shaak, Plo, and Depa) were not surprised. Everyone else was. Those that did know other traditions had brushed it off as a misstep or miscommunication. They had no clue that it was real. No clue at all.

The conversation went downhill for a bit after that, though with the clones on their side, they won the debate about the 'attachment' issue, though it would be debated in the Council that would be created specifically for that. In the meantime, Obi-Wan and Cody had permission to proceed so long as they immediately started the right processes to be approved. They had already proven they could handle themselves.

Vokara cleared her throat. “In that case, I suppose it won't be a problem that Senator Amidala is pregnant with twins. Knight Skywalker's twins.”

The chaos that unfolded was glorious. Even Rex choked- he hadn't heard that she was having twins, just having a baby. Obi-Wan leaned back with amusement as he squeezed Cody's hand. He was pleased that he was right in the end. And that Padme would be having the medical care she deserved while Anakin would be supported.

“Okay everyone, calm down,” Mace raised his voice to be heard. “We just determined to let one relationship stand. While Anakin and Padme have not gone through the proper processes either, the fact that they have functioned well together is a good sign. Anakin is not the most stable, but I have noticed that he has been much more stable since he was her bodyguard despite the war. He was also willing to leave her behind to get the Temple out of Coruscant when he was unaware she was being offered a place here. I myself expected an outburst about it, but he grimly set about taking care of what he was ordered to.”

Depa nodded. “If nothing else, they will serve well in showing another type of relationship- Padme, even if she resigns from being a Senator, will be mentor to whoever takes her place in the new government most likely. Anakin will be a Jedi, and their kids may well follow a day/boarding school model while still living in a Temple most of their lives, just with their parents instead of the creche or initiate dorms.”

Saesee leaned forward. “That is a good point. In just a decade, we'll have a good measure on how these new policies we are considering are working, regardless of how much else we have been able to get started by then. I can see the merit in letting them continue on. But we will need to make sure they understand the expectations placed before them.”

“Of course,” Obi-Wan said serenely. “Anakin has always done better when he knows and understands what is expected of him. It was always the subtle expectations that eluded him when he was younger. I'm not sure he grasps them even now.”

“If that is all, I believe we can call this meeting over?” Plo suggested. There was a chorus of agreements as many checked the time. Earlier than Obi-Wan predicted. By about half an hour.

Cody stood up and pulled Obi-Wan with him. “Come on, if I'm going to be a Jedi, we need to figure out if I'm going to wear full armor, or armor and robes like you, so we're going to the Quartermaster.” He shot a look to Rex who nodded knowingly

Obi-Wan blinked bemusedly. “Where did this need come from?” he inquired before they were out of hearing.

Rex turned to the remainder of the Council who were looking utterly confused, save for a few in the know. He explained what was going on and offered invites to everyone, as he knew Cody wanted him to do. Alpha 17 looked put out that he couldn't be there in person. Until he was updated on the position of the Temple. They would be at Kamino in just two hours, so he could make it, just barely.

.

“I will try the purple, if you promise to try adding a little color to your wardrobe too,” Cody compromised. They were enjoying trying on the options. The Quartermaster had a set of robes in all colors available so Jedi could see if the color would work for them. Thankfully, they were left alone for this part, so they could take their time.

Obi-Wan sighed. “I suppose...” He turned to the colors offered and looked around. After nearly aging out, he preferred to stick to the rules to the letter. To stick to traditions to the letter, no matter how much Qui-Gon went against the Council and some traditions or wouldn't care. Years later, the traditional robe colors was still one of the ones he had trouble letting go of.

He glanced at Cody who had put on the purple robe he had suggested. It was a pretty dark purple, a little more on the blue side than the red side. If he wanted to match his husband, he would need to consider carefully which colors he went with.

After some consideration he picked up his selection and disappeared into the changing room (not wanting anyone to walk in on him. He chose robes more in the style Anakin preferred, but with a cloak. He left the changing room. The undershirt was still the nice cream he preferred, but everything else was a different color. He chose a dark red and a dark blue. He had grabbed a patch of purple to test it against the colors, thinking that if he did go with these colors, it would be a nice accent to go with the robes.

He stopped and stared at Cody. Cody had taken the other changing room and removed his armor and blacks. Instead, he was now wearing a gold undershirt with the dark purple set matched with a nice shade of reddish-brown. He shifted and smiled at Obi-Wan.

“You look good, what do you think?”

Obi-Wan swallowed. “It suits you more than I could've imagined.”

Cody blushed. “Well, that's the color sorted, mostly.”

“Let's see if the Quartermaster can help us narrow it down, and if there's anything we can have in the meantime.”

The Quartermaster nodded when they showed him their color choices and then got them to stand still in underclothes for a fitting with one of the tailors. They had a few Jedi who were older but loved sewing and other such pursuits. They would spend time when possible making sure robes really fit the Jedi. This was how they could wear the robes without worrying about too many layers or tripping over it.

While that was going on, Cody and Obi-Wan discussed possible armor/robe arrangements. They were slowly coming to the agreement that it would be most fair if they mostly spent time in that, unless things called for full armor or full Jedi. They also took moments to add to the tailors what they were looking for (Obi-Wan wanted accents in purple and gold, but trusted their judgement; Cody wanted a lighter blue for accents), but mostly just discussed that, thankfully with some input from the tailors about what would work/not work. The two even volunteered to spend some time working with them to see if they could make it work.

Apparently they had some robes that mostly matched and with some very quick adjustments they would be ready to go, at least temporarily. It would take more time to get them completely ready to measurements, especially a full wardrobe.

Obi-Wan blinked. “We don't need to walk out of here with our new robes.”

“Master Kenobi. We've been waiting for the moment you decided to forgo the traditional colors. Please don't make us watch you walk out of here in that.” The rodian tailor begged, already working frantically on the alterations to make the robes fit the vision laid out.

Cody snickered. “I wouldn't mind walking out with a set of robes to try to adjust to,” he admitted. Obi-Wan huffed and sat down.

“Very well, I can see that I'm not going to win this one.”

“Think of it this way,” Cody sat down and pressed their shoulders together. “You can surprise everyone by wearing these. ”

“True, true. Anakin's face is the one I'm looking forward to most.”

“He's so easy to bother,” Cody laughed. “But his reactions are always the funniest.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “You know, he doesn't actually like any revealing clothes at all,” he confided. The tailors rolled their eyes; they had either been on the receiving end of rants or heard about them. “He got mad at me for having a v-neck undershirt when I started training him, so I stopped wearing it and never went back. It was easier in the beginning to let him have some familiar things instead of fighting it all the time.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Obi-Wan leaned back. “He grew up on Tatooine. Uncovered skin was unprotected by the sands. Sure, people would leave skin uncovered, but they were considered fools and generally were known outsiders. Imagine his surprise when he left Tatooine to discover that people showed skin. Changing my own clothing to something he was a little more comfortable with was minor compared to the people he saw daily with bare arms and legs.”

“Wait.” Cody sat up and stared at him. “Is that why he was practically sobbing about Ahsoka's choice of clothes the first few months? I had to endure Rex's endless whining and worry about that.”

Obi-Wan snickered. “Yes, yes it is. It was a good lesson in adulthood for him, I think. Ahsoka should have been wearing armor at least, but her outfit isn't really out of the ordinary for Jedi, especially those who mostly negotiate or bring relief to planets.”

Cody sighed. “I noticed. At least it gave him pain.”

“You never did get over that first impression, did you?” Obi-Wan enquired, stifling a laugh.

His love gave him a deadpan stare. “He called me ugly, told me he couldn't be replaced, and said he was watching me. He then spent the next several missions constantly finding excuses to glue himself to your side, practically hissing and growling at me like a tooka, until Ahsoka showed up. I never would have guessed he was old enough to be an adult, nor that he normally demanded independence.”

Obi-wan couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed. “Ah, yes my padawan's unfortunate habit of clinging to people. That was actually why I had requested a padawan of my own; hoping that it would help him understand he was on his own. I am sorry you had to deal with that, that was unfair of him.”

Cody shrugged. “I got him back. Messed with a few of his shinies, pranked him a few times... it was a good time. And even Rex still doesn't know it was me.”

“I am glad he has had someone to keep him on his toes and grounded.” Obi-Wan shook his head. “And now he has to be a dad, so hopefully that will help him grow that last bit.”

“Here, they are done. Now go put them on and never put on just browns and creams again,” one of the tailors ordered.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes; he had dealt with their comments about his color choices before. Of course they would be into making sure he didn't go back now that he was going in on this. He put the robes on and looked in the mirror. They looked pretty good. The gold and purple highlights were placed just right. He just needed to find a cloak that matched.

Cody came out a minute later, looking good in his choices too, as he tied it together with light blue. He then led Obi-Wan over to the wide selection of cloaks. He pulled out three.

“One of these, I think.”

Obi-Wan regarded them. They were in the comfortable fabric he liked, and his size. He just had to decide on if he wanted the light green, the pale yellow, or the red-orange. The green was a pretty shade, but it didn't quite go with the reds. The yellow was the same. So that left the red-orange. It was like a sunset. It was perfect.

He then pulled out three robes for Cody to choose from. A white one, purple (lighter than the dark purple Cody had chosen), or a blue in a shade close to the 501^st was Obi-Wan's choices. He then stepped back and let Cody choose between them. Cody decided he liked the blue and took that one. With that they took a few minutes to finalize their order before leaving.

Cody checked the time. “How about we go to the Room of a Thousand Fountains? See how that held up?”

“Sounds good to me. Maybe I can get in a good meditation.”

“Not a bad plan, but I was hoping we could spend some more time together? It's been so crazy lately, and we've never really had the chance to do that.”

“Oh, you're right, that's a better plan.” Obi-Wan nodded as he walked forward. Cody lingered a moment, breathing a sigh of relief. He knew he would need to make sure Obi-Wan had the chance to meditate later, but there was time for that in the end.

They made it through the Halls in good time. It was nearly time. If plans didn't work out, then, it would be just a party, but if they did... Cody was looking forward to if it did. But it all relied on what Obi-Wan would say. Cody just hoped he'd read it right. He knew he got the details right, he just wasn't sure this was what Obi-Wan wanted.

Obi-Wan eyed him suspiciously, but didn't say anything. He trusted his love. Even if he was acting oddly. He let his senses wander and was brought up short by the amount of people familiar to him gathering in the Room ahead. Including the 212^th and 501^st, and... Shaak Ti and others who were on Kamino. They had just gotten close enough to meet them, now that he thought about it. Many Jedi were there, or heading there, all Jedi he knew personally, including the Council. Now he was sure Cody was up to something, but he was willing to wait and find out what.

He entered the Room of a Thousand Fountains with Cody holding onto his hand. He stopped, seeing already the crowd near one of his favorite spots in the whole room. One where he had spent some time with Cody at night with no one around just cuddling and kissing. He looked at Cody.

Cody took a deep breath and faced Obi-Wan. “I brought everyone together. We've done so many things in other cultures, even in what little my brothers and I have developed for ourselves. I want to be married in your traditions. I've set everything up for a bonding ceremony. If you don't want to go through with it today, it will just become a celebration of surviving the war and making it out. If you do... Everything we need is here.” He looked at Obi-Wan, a bit uncertain about how his efforts would be taken, but sure of how much he loved him.

“Oh Cody.” Obi-Wan smiled happily, pressing their foreheads together. “Nothing would make me happier. I would never have asked, you know.”

“That's why I knew I had to do it myself,” Cody nodded, wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan contentedly, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the press of foreheads and bodies together. It always felt more intimate than a kiss, to him. A reassurance of safety and love.

Obi-Wan had also closed his eyes, taking comfort from the Keldabe kiss for different reasons. Anything he did, flirting, kissing, even sex, was often performative. He didn't always view those the same way. He had long suspected he may even lay a bit more on the asexual end of things. It was just a good way to manipulate a situation. A Keldabe kiss was promising everything but expecting nothing, and that was hard to come by in his life. He had meant it when he told Anakin that his life was meant for infinite sadness.

He pulled away. “So, I take it we are set to start in just a few minutes?”

Cody nodded. “We are.”

“Then I suppose we should go take our places.” Obi-Wan took Cody by the hand. “I would like to know how you came by the ceremony, though.”

“Some research and questions to the right people, is all.” Cody smiled. “I started just looking at Jedi traditions in general, then stumbled across bonding and investigated that a bit, and then found this. I'm glad I did.”

“Me too.” They encountered the group and carefully moved until they were at their goal.

Obi-Wan smiled when he saw Anakin standing next to Rex. Typically, in this bonding ceremony, a Jedi's master would oversee it, with a close family member of a non-Jedi taking the same role. The two best options for Obi-Wan were Anakin and Yoda. And he was glad it wasn't Yoda. It meant more to him to have Anakin stand in.

“We are here for the bonding of Obi-Wan and Cody,” Anakin began, beaming. “A deep union, two becoming one in the way of the Force. As padawan of Obi-Wan, and representing our lineage, I bring what has meaning.”

Anakin set the items down on the table. Obi-Wan's favorite teacup, some pretty rocks he had kept around, some jewelry he had gotten as gifts and kept (mostly from Bail and Padme), a piece of Yoda's last gimer stick, part of Dooku's saber (and how Anakin got a hold of that, Obi-Wan did not want to know), wood from a tree Qui-Gon had been working on growing when he died (the sickly sapling being in their rooms at the time), spare parts Anakin kept around for his favorite projects, including his prosthetic arm, and a few items from the start of Ahsoka's collection of items (still being a padawan and without a special interest like Anakin, she hadn't had as much time to grow it).

Rex took a breath. “We are here for the bonding of Cody and Obi-Wan,” he recited. “A deep union, two becoming one in the way of the Force. As brother of Cody, and representing our family, I bring what has meeting.”

He set those items down on the table as well. This was a less eclectic collection, and it looked to mostly be armor and blaster parts. There were a few things that stood out, like the paints, or the pieces that had to come from Clone Force 99, but overall, it was a sad reflection of how little the clones had for themselves. Cody looked very happy with it though.

The two of them kneeled down on either side of the table. Cody placed his blaster to the side and Obi-Wan placed his lightsaber on the other side. Then they got started. Obi-Wan used the Force, and Cody did it by hand. The first thing that formed was a little statue of a (mostly) anatomically correct heart, created out of a good amount of each of their items. This little ritual was meant to show that they were in sync, with or without the Force. The resulting statue didn't need to be a heart, just a representation of their love to them.

Next they took apart their weapons and passed the collection of items back and forth to add little modifications. Obi-Wan once again used the Force, and helped Cody when needed since no tools were provided. Eventually they finished, they had exchanged a couple of parts to modify their weapons, and Cody had picked up the two pieces of beskar that Obi-Wan hadn't initially noticed Anakin put down (they would've come from his collection from his time on the run in Mandalore). They exchanged smiles and added the beskar where it would be most effective as protection.

This was a show that they considered each other close to the heart. After all, the lightsaber is the heart of the Jedi. In cases where the partner did not have a weapon, they used an item they considered important to themselves. When the items pulled together by their family/lineage didn't have enough for proper modifications, they were used for decorative bits. A little bit of ribbon wrapped around the hilt of a lightsaber, for example.

Obi-Wan tested his lightsaber and smiled at the result. Thanks to some tweaks with the beskar and one of the rocks (which was mildly Force Sensitive), his blade was a darker shade of blue, and the hilt was now accented in 212^th gold thanks to the paint. It was perfect. Cody turned and shot at a target and smirked at the distance the bolt went. Good modifications all around. He had added the wood from Qui-Gon's tree (which Obi-Wan had managed to raise the rest of the way to health after Qui-Gon had died) to the grip to make it more comfortable, and it worked surprisingly well.

The weapons were set down to the side and they looked at each other before picking through the remainder of the mess of items, picking some apart, and setting some aside. This left a small pile in the center for the rather difficult next part. This next part was impossible without one partner being Force sensitive (though it could be modified to accommodate for that if necessary and it likely would be in the future). They gripped each other's forearms and closed their eyes in meditation.

Obi-Wan reached out with the Force to Cody. He pictured his mind connecting to Cody, adjusted it a bit and there was a sudden snap as the bond popped into place. He immediately flooded it with his love to Cody. Cody jerked a bit in surprise, but didn't lose his grip, and soon was returning the feelings of love, a bit more tentatively until he was more confident in what he was doing.

With that done, Obi-Wan nudged him with a question about the next step. Cody sent back a picture of what he wanted, a bit fuzzy from lack of practice, but enough for Obi-Wan to get started. The pieces they had left started moving around. They opened their eyes to watch the progress, and between Cody's growing confidence in conveying his ideas, they soon had were making progress. Though they had no tools, they did have fire to heat what was necessary to better be able to do what they wanted with the items in the center.

Soon, there were just two necklaces floating in place. They stopped gripping each other's forearms to grab one necklace. This step was done to make their marriage jewelry. The Jedi didn't care what it was, just that it was matching, and that they worked together. It could be bands, rings, even earrings. Cody and Obi-Wan had both felt like necklaces were the best option. This also was a good way to start exercising the bond and adjusting to to its existence, especially for someone who had never had a Force bond in place before.

They stood and moved so that they were closer than the table had allowed. Obi-Wan unclasped the necklace he was holding and admired it for a moment. It was a strong, silver chain. Hanging from it was the handle of Obi-Wan's favorite teacup. Stuck inside the light blue handle was a little golden tooka figure with a Tanzanite gem at its paws. It was encased in a protective clear plastic to keep it safe. He placed it around Cody's neck.

“I give you this necklace as a physical sign of our bonding. We are one in the Force. May the Force guide us on our path of love and as Jedi, so that we may never be led astray.” He did the clasp quickly.

Cody held up the other necklace, smiling tenderly. This one had a gold chain, and hanging from it was a piece of his armor from the first time it got broken. There were fresh lines of 212^th gold on it. It curled protectively around a flower carved out of a wood that was almost silver in color. He placed it around Obi-Wan's neck.

“I give you this necklace as a physical sign of our bonding. We are one in the Force. May the Force guide us on our path of love and as Jedi, so that we may never be led astray.” He did the clasp and rested his forehead on Obi-Wan's as Anakin and Rex stepped forward for the last part of the bonding ceremony.

Anakin had ribbons entwined with kyber, most singing with familiar songs. Most kyber used for this part of the ceremony were temporarily added to the ribbons and came from the friends and family of the Jedi involved. They would claim their kyber back later on. For now, they were being used in a joyous occasion.

Rex had ribbons entwined with blaster parts. It was going to be a nightmare for everyone involved to retrieve their parts later, but it was well worth it to follow the Jedi tradition. They were already considering how they could better do this part later on for others.

They tied one end of their ribbons together and from that center point walked around in opposite directions to wrap Obi-Wan and Cody in those ribbons. Obi-Wan sent joy to Cody, and Cody responded with smug satisfaction and quiet pride at how everyone worked to learn each part of the ceremony to get it right. Even Anakin who had no clue it had existed.

Anakin and Rex finished wrapping the ribbons around Obi-Wan and Cody. They tied the ends together and stepped back as the couple wiggled around so that they were facing the crowd.

“May you have the love that never ends,” the crowd said. All of them. They could see many of them sharing copies of the blessings with those who didn't know it. Cody snickered and mentally pointed to Wrecker leaning over Tech trying to read it. “Lots of friends, and lots of successes.” Obi-Wan blinked back tears, seeing his master's flickering form saying the same blessing. “Health be yours, whatever you do, and may the Force send many blessings to you!”

Then there was cheering. The ceremony was over. Now they were bonded, and married, according to the Jedi. And it was time for the big celebration.

Cody and Obi-Wan kissed, smiling brightly, and both near tears at how happy they were, and the fact they could feel how happy the other was, easily. Then they nearly fell over and glared over at their brothers. Rex and Anakin both looked confused.

“You can undo this now,” Obi-Wan stated dryly.

“Oh right.” Anakin hurried over. “Do you think Padme would be okay doing this with me?” he asked hopefully.

“I think so, but you better start the relationship approval process first,” Obi-Wan warned. “It'll include therapy for you, and you don't want to overwhelm her with your feelings.”

Anakin's eyes widened. “Oh, yeah, I should deal with some stuff first.”

Cody rolled his eyes at Rex's snickering as somehow everything was far more tangled up now than when they were wrapped. Obi-Wan huffed after a minute and used the Force to lift it all up over their heads and drop it on top of Rex and Anakin, who had been making it worse instead of truly helping. Both yelped and fell over, getting all tangled up in the ribbons.

“Come on Obi, let's go start the rest of our life together.” Cody took his hand, gesturing to the food with his other.

“Let's,” Obi-Wan agreed, squeezing his hand as they walked with a little bit of a skip in their step away from their struggling brothers. Who totally deserved what they got.