Chapter Text
Luke sighed to himself, stroking Artoo’s chrome and blue gently. The Jedi Master stood from the crate he had been sitting on, and fastened his cloak around himself. He smiled down at the Astromech by his side, and began to walk casually through the ruins.
As the sandy-haired man walked, robes billowing like a holo-film star, he reached out with his senses, feeling the Force swell around him. It was as comforting as his cloak was, soft as a hug. But it was simultaneously as vicious as a sandstorm, whirling through the deserts of Tatooine, and as intimidating as the first time he stepped into a starship.
Luke could hear whispers and feel touches from the spirits around him, drifting in the Force. These ruins were ancient, far beyond anything he had seen, or possibly that even Yoda had. The little green master had told him tales of a planet that Luke’s father and Ben had traveled to, where embodiments of the Force itself had reigned. Luke didn’t think this was quite that ancient, but it spanned back far enough to feel creatures he didn’t think existed anymore.
Approaching a slightly crumbling archway, he saw a woman with exquisitely done hair standing under it. Luke smiled at her, and embraced his sister gently.
“Are you ready?” Leia Organa-Solo asked him, smiling back with twinkling, prideful eyes.
Luke nodded, clutching the saber at his hip. “I think so. And if I’m not.. may the Force be with us all.”
Leia hugged him again, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll do great. Everyone’s waiting for it to begin.”
The Jedi Master took a deep breath and entered a large cylindrical chamber. Around the edges of it were eleven chairs, arranged in a circle. In the center of the floor was a pool of water, carved into the rough shape of a bird—the Jedi symbol.
Luke took a seat in one of the seats, pulling his hood back and looking around the room at the six other occupied seats, the two figures standing by the doorway, and a final figure by the eastern side with their arms crossed and cloak up.
He folded his hands in his lap. “Thank you, all of you, for agreeing to meet me here today. As you know, my name is Luke Skywalker, and my father was Anakin Skywalker. The man who both became—and killed—Darth Vader. I was trained by Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Yoda. They believed I had a strong connection to the Force, which I have spent the past decade or so honing and training.”
Luke paused for a breath, making eye contact with Leia, still standing by the door. She nodded, encouraging him to continue.
“Despite all of that, I know that a Jedi cannot be alone in their training. It requires study, practice, and most importantly, community. But some of the Jedi practices were flawed, as a few of you have observed firsthand. That is why I wish to start the Jedi anew, for a new era of prosperity, and to not make the mistakes that those of old did. We know people who need training, such as my sister Leia, Caleb Syndulla, and a being known only as Grogu Djarin.”
“If you will accept my proposal, fellow Jedi, I would welcome you to the Order of the New Jedi.” Luke smiled warmly, letting his emotions and peace wash out in the Force, and flow over the rest of them, saber still aloft. “If you have any comments or questions, would you each please introduce yourselves to those unfamiliar with you?”
The first seat to Luke’s right stirred, and an orange Togruta cloaked in white rose from her seat, pulling the hood off her montrals. She smiled around the room, a similar peace radiating off of her, but almost more divine in nature.
“My name is Ahsoka Tano. I was the student of Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker, and he was one of the finest Jedi, and people, that I ever knew. Some did not trust his brash and reckless ways,” she glanced slightly aside at one of the other seats, then at the figure against the wall, “But they had their reasons, which sadly came to be true. This was one of the many reasons I began to lose trust in the Jedi, their refusal to trust and assist one of their own in an hour of need. It happened to me personally, when I was put on trial for crimes I did not commit. Anakin was the only one to prove my innocence.”
Ahsoka took a deep breath and drew her shoto-saber, igniting the pure white blade to the surprise of the others. “We’ve all been through much. I even died, and was resurrected through the divine power of a goddess of the Force. Sometimes I feel like she works through me, giving me strength, and deepens my connection to the Force.”
She turned, deactivating her shoto, and nodding to Luke with a smile. “Both Jedi and Sith were flawed. I would be honored to help start anew.”
Next was the seat to Ahsoka’s right, and the one right after that. They both faltered for a second, before one conceded to let the one closer to Ahsoka go first. He straightened himself, brushing back a mop of ginger hair, and wielding a hefty saberstaff at his hip.
“My name is Cal Kestis. I was not a Jedi for very long, only twelve years old when the purge happened. When the clones turned on my Master and I, we fought them off, only for him to perish, and for myself to be trapped on a scrapper planet for five years. My life changed yet again when another former Jedi, Cere Junda, took me in and trained me to reach my full potential.” Cal glanced down at his saberstaff, gently running a thumb over the leather-wrapped switch that had belonged to Cere, and the pronged end that had belong to Master Tapal.
“I faced down bounty hunters, witches, Inquisitors, and Vader as well. I may not have the most raw potential as Masters Skywalker and Tano, but I have my own skills, and determination to use them for the better.” He grinned, gesturing to a woman sitting next to him. “My wife, Merrin, is one of the things that makes me better every day. The Jedi may not have allowed or encouraged relationships such as that, and I hope that is one of the things dissolved if we join the Order. We also need a place to train our child, and would be honored to have such talented masters assist in that.”
Cal sat back down, sending out waves of affection to the aforementioned Merrin through the Force. The Dathomirian woman blushed lightly and smiled, reaching out to take Cal’s hand. She didn’t stand, but spoke with enough bravado to fill the room.
“I do not have much to say, except that I fully agree with and support Cal’s words. Our daughter needs teaching that she cannot get from us. I do wish to instruct in Nightsister magicks, at the very least to inform of the dangers it can pose, and strength it can grant.”
Next to Merrin‘s seat was a dark-haired man in orange and tan garb, with a full beard and matted hair. He stood, lightsaber clinking against his belt. Deep pain filled his eyes, dark bags under them.
“Uh.. hi. I’m Ezra, Ezra Bridger. I’ve.. been gone for a while, fighting in the Unknown Regions. About.. What was it, twelve years ago? I sacrificed myself to defeat Grand Admiral Thrawn, taking him through hyperspace by way of the purrgil. The fight wasn’t over when I sacrificed myself, though. Thrawn and I fought for what felt like days aboard his ship, until we crashed on a strange planet. For years, we were tracking each other down and fighting, one of us always slinking away after. Ahsoka eventually found me, but not before Thrawn could connect with his old Empire buddies and regain power.”
Ezra took a deep breath and rolled his eyes up to look at the ceiling, relaxing his stance and glancing around the room. “Fighting during the war was hard, I faced a lot, we all did. I uncovered a few mysteries, like the Bendu, or the World between Worlds. I fought some hard fights, and found love in a difficult place. But I know I still have a lot to learn, and to explore. I’ll join.”
To the left of Luke was an empty seat. The man standing against the east wall strode forwards, pulling back his tattered and charred cloak, revealing a scarred face. The scars coursed from his left eye across his face, like lightning bolts dancing over his flesh. Darkened skin, graying hair, and a steel gaze. He sighed heavily, looking at Ahsoka with slight regret.
“I failed the Jedi. I failed the Republic, I failed myself, I failed everyone. When I fought Darth Sidious on Coruscant, I was arrogant. I abandoned the Jedi way, trying to kill him, when Anakin demanded that he stand for trial.” The dark man gestured to the togruta. “I had believed I made a mistake with Master Tano. I didn’t want to fail the Order again. I am not fit to be a master in the corrupt Order I once served. But maybe I can learn to be one here,” Mace Windu mused, taking a seat next to Luke. “I would be proud to learn from Master Skywalker.”
The next seat in line was occupied by a dreadlock-bearing Kiffar, who looked like he was going to burst out laughing. He bit his lip with a grin and leaned over to pat Mace’s shoulder. “I know that must’ve been hard for you.” Mace simply glared back.
The Kiffar stood, stretching slightly. He had been sitting longer than the rest. “Quinlan Vos. Former Jedi Master, former Sith Apprentice,” all figures in the room tensed at that descriptor, “and returned to the light by way of love.” He took a deep breath and stepped forwards slightly, shifting back and forth. Quinlan was a restless talker.
“I’ll keep it blunt with you. I’m not like the rest of you powerful Jedi, having done heroic deeds, and saving planets. I’ve done some bad scrag. Hell, I was a
damned Sith Apprentice, to Count Dooku himself. I’m not going to try and defend myself about him controlling my actions, it was still my body that carried them out. But my love, Asajj Ventress,” Merrin’s eyes widened at those words, “saved me from the Dark Side, healing me. And in her last moments, I like to hope that I saved her too. It’s been decades since my mistakes, but I suffer from them all the same. I only ask that you all help me learn to overcome that pain.” He sat again.
The final occupied seat was being used by a woman with fiery red-gold hair, and a black sleeveless tactical jumpsuit. She rose from her seat nervously, but warmed as Luke’s radiance washed over her.
“Love seems to be a uniting part of us all. Cal and Merrin’s love for one another, Ahsoka’s love for her masters slash family, Luke and his sister, Quinlan and Miss Ventress, Ezra and an unnamed person, and Mace and… something.” She started walking towards Luke’s seat, passing behind Mace and Quinlan’s respective chairs. She laid a hand on Luke’s shoulder, breath hitching as his power flowed through the room.
“My name is Mara Jade. I was an Emperor’s Hand. I was never a Jedi. I was a horrible person, carrying horrible acts under the thumb of Palpatine. Like a few of you, I had many dark moments. The one who brought me back from them was the man that I love, Luke Skywalker. I know he doesn’t need to prove himself, and neither do any of you. Because when we have love in our lives, and we trust in the Force, we are strong.” She started back towards her seat.
As she walked, Mara kept speaking. “If this new Jedi Order is to succeed, and given how we all are unanimously joining, we need to form some rules. My love, would you like to begin?”
Luke smiled, looking around the room at the seven other occupied chairs, and the three remaining empty ones. Hopefully, someday they would be filled. But for now, Luke was the only one to perceive a faint blue glow in each of them. A short, pointy eared one. A wise and mischievous-eyed old man. And finally, the visage of his father in his prime, smiling down at Luke with infinite pride.
The Jedi Master stood, raising his lightsaber and igniting it. “Then I call the first meeting of the New Jedi Council to order.”