A few days passed. A lot happened too. In fact I performed my next Jedi miracle. "Anakin." "Master quigon. Welcome back." Indeed quigon Jinn walked through the Force portal in the under city. He wore the gray robes of the new order; we then saluted each other with lit gray blades. We then clasped forearms and shook them.
"You're really okay with this?" Quigon nodded. "I am. I can't speak for the rest of the Jedi communion but I'm okay with it. I know Obiwan and Yoda aren't for the Gray code; but they don't see in the shades of Gray we often do." "Indeed."
Calling quigon back here was for the simple reason of his helping to run the gray Jedi in my absence. They would need someone wise to helm things. That was quigon's role.
No offense to Obiwan but this was the man that should have trained me. We both felt things would have been very different if they had. Well, they were different now. And I needed him to be what he couldn't be before.
Amica joined us, fully aware of the plan. "Master quigon. Welcome back. Anakin speaks very highly of you." "Amica. Nice to meet you."
She then focused her ocular sensors on me. "About half of the old Jedi have agreed to serve under your leadership boss." "That's about what we expected." "Yes; but there's been an interesting development. Chancellor Marna now believes that nearly half of the republic worlds will secede for these same developments."
I took a few steps away from them in thought. We had anticipated this as well. It seemed bad at face value; but big government had always been a big part of the Republic's problems. Now we could downsize the government and make it lean and mean. This was a great way to combat the dark side too. Socialists wanted their big government. Forcing that out of the equation was exactly what was needed to counter the dark side's spread across the galaxy.
This reformed republic would be smaller and more efficient. Taxes would be lower along with corruption. The parasitic bureaucrats would need to get real jobs for a change.
"I remember how corrupt and incompetent the senate was even in my time," said Qui-Gon. "This enabled Sidious to flourish; as you know better than anyone."
I faced them. "Sidious only exploited what was already there to his own gain. These secondary changes will help prevent what the socialists were already doing. We can better prevent it this time."
This would keep the Republic united either way. Even it it was smaller. This could very well be the victory we were looking for. We just had to play it out. "Master, please take control of the Gray order however needed." "Of course Lord Jedi." It was good to have him back. More than he could realize. I needed people I could trust. With quigon that wouldn't be an issue. Together we'd run it like Yoda and windu did the old order. But without the inflexibility and arrogance that had doomed them.
This would be a new era in the Force and that of the Jedi. It didn't matter if one failed. That was gonna happen. What mattered was if one got back up to keep fighting the good fight. To never give up was the greater wisdom here. And in the end that's all that mattered.
Amica and I left quigon to get back to work on getting the Republic to where it needed to be. We checked in with marna still in protective custody on the Freedom.
"Amazing," she said to quigon's return. "So you believe a smaller republic and Jedi order is best for us all?" "I do excellency. Big government is a tool of the dark side. Palpatine needed big government to make the empire happen. The reds want the same thing." "Repeating history." "Precisely." "What about gyzar?" "With the 501 now solidly under my command and the Jedi split gyzar has effectively been isolated." "Might makes right." "In my experience it usually does excellency." That was true as both the hero without fear and Darth Vader.
"What now lord Jedi?" "I'd say patience for now. We need to let the political aspects play out more in the senate." "Should I say anything on our behalf?" "You can but I don't think it's necessary. I think the people will see things our way when it's all said and done." "Very good Lord Jedi. Keep me informed." "Of course chancellor."
"That went well. And she now uses honorifics befitting your position," observed Amica. Yeah. Saving one's life can do that. That's what we saviors do.
I nodded and took a seat. Amica remained standing and continued scanning over holo net traffic for anything important.
The added goal here was to let those worlds that wanted to separate from the republic do so peacefully. Unlike the lie that had led to the clone war. This seemed contrary to what the republic was founded on regarding unity but it was all about free will most of all.
Plus there was the curse of endless wars. Those conflicts fabricated only for money. These were the greatest lies of all. Sidious had used such lies as another tool to make the empire reality. And the bankers and arms makers had still made a fortune while Jedi clone and innocent alike had suffered. Separatist civilians had suffered for this lie as well.
This reformed republic would indeed be lean and mean. Its gray knights could be as ruthless as needed to make things happen. And to prevent those endless wars where hand tying Jedi codes only guaranteed failure.
The mistakes of the past would indeed not be repeated here. And the Balancer that was both Jedi and Sith was the beacon of light that had to make it happen. I understood both paths equally well. This gave me a wisdom that neither side had of the other. I had found my true calling. I would be the Balancer forever. There's nothing else I'd rather be.