The year that had passed had been a mixture of sorrows and successes for the heroes of the galaxy.
It had taken some time for Anakin to come out of his state, but once he had, it was as though he had become the living embodiment of the Force. He fought with a precision and grace none had seen in him before. This was never more apparent than in the Battle of Coruscant, where, with the combined effort of himself and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin disarmed and captured Count Dooku of Serenno.
Obi-Wan himself began to search the Force for deeper meaning than what he knew of the Jedi Order. The words of Darth Invictus resonated within his mind, and as much as he did not like it, he had to acknowledge the darkness in his own heart. This level of introspection lead Kenobi far from Republican space, where he disappeared for several days, before returning, with greater strength and more balanced in himself than ever.
Ahsoka Tano was framed for a bombing of the Jedi Temple, and expelled from the order. Even when her master had proven her innocence, she declined the invitation back into the order. She was last seen at the Battle of Mandalore, concurrent with the Battle of Coruscant. Troopers of the 501st with her reported that she "felt something" before leaving with the escort of Captain Rex.
But perhaps the most radical change came in the months immediately following the capture of Dooku.
Anakin Skywalker, The Hero With No Fear, willingly and peacefully left the Jedi Order. His reasoning? The pregnancy of his wife, Senator Padmé Amidala-Skywalker.
When he revealed this secret to the Jedi Council, he was met with shock and outrage from most. But the one he was focused on, the one man whose opinion mattered more than all others, stood, and walked calmly to him.
In a rare display of emotion, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi pulled Anakin into an embrace, tears running down his weathered face.
"I am proud of you, Anakin. Go home, give Padmé my love and congratulations. I'll be by later to say as much in person. Thank you, for trusting us with this now."
His statements had once again thrown the council chambers into a flurry.
Plo Koon seemed mildly amused, and more curious than upset.
Kit Fisto smiled and laughed, much to the chagrin of some of his peers.
Ki Adi-Mundi was furiously trying to convince the others to strip Skywalker of all rank and repute, even going so far as to suggest erasing him from the records.
Shaak Ti had an air of disappointment but acceptance.
Saesee Tiin looked resolute, his brow furrowed and his arms crossed.
Mace Windu silently fumed, his consternation easily visible through his eyes.
All of the chatter and bickering that had intensified was ceased by the sound of wood tapping against the tiles.
Master Yoda stood from his seat, his diminutive stature still commanding the attention of all present.
"Skywalker. A member of this council, you became only recently. Lied to this council, you have. Continue in secrecy, you could have. Tell us now, why have you?"
"Padmé and I have been tired of living in secrecy, Master. And now she's expecting. We cannot in good conscience force our child to live in secrecy as well."
Master Tiin spoke for the first time.
"If I recall correctly, when Obi-Wan had just taken you as his padawan, you expressed how you had always desired to be a Jedi. Are you really so willing to abandon the life you have lived? Abandon your comrades?"
"If it means I may be free to build my family, yes. But I will not abandon this war. I will not abandon my men. And I will not abandon my friends."
Tiin's mouth merely quirked upwards at the edges as he sat down.
"I move to permit Anakin Skywalker to honorably remove himself from the Jedi Order.,. With an invitation open to himself and his child, should they be born with an affinity for the Force."
Kit Fisto smirked at Anakin.
"Seconded."
Mundi looked aghast at the two masters.
"And what of the code. Do we simply ignore thousands of years of tradition? Opposed."
"Though I do not believe he should be shamed, I also oppose Master Tiin's motion."
"Skywalker has given much to the Jedi. He has served dutifully in the war, and he worked hard to clear the name of 'Soka. However, his lies and violations of the code are apparent. I must abstain in this decision."
"Obi-Wan's vote will not be taken, as it is clear that he is incapable of remaining impartial. I will stand by my decision, just as I did when Qui-gon brought the boy before us. Opposed."
"Skywalker… true it is, that much you have done. True it is that oppose your training, I did. But true it is also, that broken the code, you have. By vote, this council has decided. But not without mercy am I. Leave the Jedi Order, you shall. No invitation shall you receive. No invitation shall your child receive. This also I grant you… The title of Master, you will carry. And an ally, shall you find in the Jedi."
Anakin bowed, first to Yoda, then to each of the council members, before removing the kyber crystal from his saber and presenting it to Yoda.
"Troubled, are you, Master Kenobi?"
"No, Master, only a bit unsure of the years to come."
With that, Obi-Wan Kenobi used the Force to raise and disassemble his lightsaber before all of the council. Taking hold of his kyber crystal, he reassembled the scattered pieces, and presented the powerless saber to Master Yoda.
"As I promised Qui-Gon that I would train him, I promised myself that I would do all in my power to support him. Farewell, masters. May the Force be with you."
Before the shock had worn off, Obi-Wan guided Anakin's stupified body out of the council chambers.
The stunned silence was broken, first from the cackling of Master Yoda, then from the boisterous laughter of Masters Tiin and Fisto.
In the months that followed, word had spread like wildfire throughout the Jedi. Two of the youngest council members had withdrawn from the order… for love.
This revelation shook the order to its core, as dozens if not hundreds of Jedi began to leave the order. Among them were masters Koon, Fisto, and Tiin. But despite the Jedi Order taking such a massive blow to their official ranks, The Grand Army of The Republic saw morale improving and victory cascading after victory.
The 501st and 212th Legions slowly but surely conducted massive chains of surgeries, removing thousands of artificially produced biochips, and saw zero increases in the impulsivity of their troopers. This prompted hundreds of Generals, Jedi and former Jedi alike, to conduct similar operations. The names of Tupp and Fives became known throughout the Republic as tragic heroes, afflicted by the unpredictability of these chips.
And here they were, on the same planet where their lives had changed so radically, only a few years before.
The second battle of Christophsis. And at the heads of the legions of clones, side by side, stood Generals Skywalker and Kenobi, more composed and powerful than ever.
Despite this, the battle was forming into a stalemate.
"General! Our Eastern flank is being hammered by artillery!"
"Understood! Cody! We need a portable shield generator moved to the Eastern flank! And reinforce the West!"
"Captain Art, pull the center column back behind the defensive lines! Funnel the seps towards us!"
Static answered Anakin for a moment.
"Sir, Captain Art was taken out by a mortar shell. We're being pinched over here, escape isn't an option. We've made our peace and are requesting immediate bombardment on our position."
"That's a negative, trooper. Hold tight, we're on our way."
"Sir, we won't be able to… wait. What's that? Who is that?"
The former Jedi looked up to see a defender class light corvette, midnight black in color, flying over, its turrets blazing.
As they carved through droids on their way to their trapped soldiers, they could see that the cargo ramp of this corvette open up, and three speeder bikes fly out over the battlefield.
As they crested a broken piece of the landscape, they saw a sight that stole their breath.
Three streaks of light following the trails of the bikes.
Blood red.
A warm autumnal crimson.
And a yellowish green.
The lightsabers of these interlopers sang through the plasteel bodies of the separatists forces.
Not ones to be absent from battle, Anakin and Obi-Wan moved swiftly to help defend their troops.
The skirmish was short. As the two masters relished this moment of reprieve, the three bikers stopped not far from them, their plastoid body gloves lightly glistening in the daylight, and the full helms truly shining.
Only one truly stood out to them though. The shortest of them had more of a mask than a helm, in order to accommodate the two curving montrals.
She removed her mask, showing a brilliant smile.
"Well look at us. Back where it all began, right Skyguy?"
Anakin did not speak, only pulling her into a hug.
"Oh, isn't that just precious? Tell me something, Kenobi, is it true that you and Skywalker left the Jedi behind?"
Recognizing the voice, Obi-Wan gave a sly smirk.
"It would appear, my dear, that we now have a but more in common."
The figure removed her helm, revealing the white haired nightsister, Asajj Ventress.
"It is good to see you again, Obi-Wan."
"Indeed it is."
The only male of the three approached slowly.
"I can also sense that the two of you have grown far stronger and far more balanced than last we met."
Removing his helm, Kenobi and Skywalker saw someone they almost didn't recognize.
Darth Invictus spoke confidently, without the sorrow of the last time they met.
"I too have grown stronger and more balanced."