36 ABY, Jedi Academy campus, Ossus
The Masters had remained behind after the assembly had dispersed, and they had requested in much more circumspect and deferential tones that Master Skywalker return and clarify a few points of his address, something Luke was perfectly happy to do. Mara already appreciated the shift in attitude. Kyp, Corran, Kyle, and all the rest had recognized Luke's tacit threat to resurrect the office of Grand Master and take the entire Jedi Order in hand, and they were minding their manners accordingly. So far, the ploy seemed to be working.
Personally, Mara thought the ploy too clever by half. If she could have her way, they would skip this charade and just take the plunge. She had been needling Luke for a while to stop asking and requesting certain behavior from the Jedi Knights loosely in his care; he was the most senior Master, and he should command them, lead them. Unfortunately, Luke wasn't the sort who wanted command of anything. He had led his friends and comrades in battle, certainly, had held the rank of commander and briefly of general, but he was more comfortable receiving orders than giving them. Those who had tried to tempt him with fantasies of galactic dominion had been sadly disappointed. Luke was fanatically loyal and recklessly courageous, with more power and skill in one little finger than many Knights could ever hope to achieve in a lifetime, but he was a born subordinate, most at ease when he was free to devote himself to a larger cause.
Luke didn't want to be Grand Master. That was the reason there was no Grand Master despite the re-formation of the Jedi Council eight years ago, because if Luke didn't claim the title, nobody could. He had been functioning as the Grand Master in all but name ever since assembling his first students on Yavin 4, though he had always tried to deny it. He was counting on his fellow Masters to pull themselves together in an orderly fashion and eliminate the need for any governing authority beyond their council of equals. Mara's belief in that idealistic democracy of goodwill was already dead, but Luke would hold out until the last gasp. She didn't relish the thought of him being forced to accept the role of benevolent tyrant, but with the council splintering in all directions it seemed unavoidable. Leia had already expressed her blistering disapproval of any measure that smelled like monarchy, which Mara thought was rich coming from a princess.
The debate about how to handle the Killiks swung back and forth in a very tiresome but unfortunately very necessary way. The only consensus was that they had to do something. Jacen was once again appealing to a conveniently unverifiable Force vision to justify his unauthorized raid on a Chiss supply depot, arguing that he had started the war in a larger effort to prevent it, provoking a sharp debate on that point within the larger dispute. Many of the Masters were beginning to give Luke significant looks, hoping for some kind of guidance, but Luke was simply listening, waiting for them to work the problem themselves.
"I know how to end the war," Jacen finally announced, inserting himself into the middle of the knot.
All other debate stalled.
It did not escape Mara's notice that Jacen placed himself very near Luke when he was invited to explain himself, almost too near, as though he were consciously or unconsciously trying to fill the apparent power vacuum. She didn't like it.
Of course, he scandalized many present by bluntly suggesting they assassinate Raynar Thul to end the crisis, and the general uproar began again.
"We talked about this before," Corran protested.
"We did?" It was the first thing Luke had said in a while.
"When you and Han were trapped on Woteba," Mara explained. "It was our backup plan."
"And now it should be our primary plan," Jacen insisted. "It's the only way to prevent the war."
Luke's expression gave nothing away, but Mara could feel his unspoken conflict on that score. "Go on," he said, still cautious but willing to hear it out.
It was a very straightforward plan to eliminate all threats and potential threats indiscriminately, the Colony, the Dark Nest, Raynar, Lomi, without exception. It was indicative of the cold and ruthless way the Jedi had been behaving for the past few years, but Luke had already corrected that course, a consideration Jacen obviously didn't think applied to him. Now Luke was drawn farther into the debate than he had intended, attempting to keep order as the tangential dispute between Jacen and his circle of friends grew more heated, calling Jacen's integrity into question.
"That's enough!" Luke snapped at the younger Knights, a very uncharacteristic show of temper that made the whole room tense. "This debate is among the Masters, and when we ask for your opinion, you're going to give it in a civilized fashion. Is that clear?"
It wasn't only that this final test flight of council-led government was poised to crash and burn. Mara was also reminded that Luke had only just come down from the regnant meditation that had called each and every Jedi to that assembly by name, with no proper rest and nothing to eat for a solid week. The strain was beginning to show.
Tahiri, Lowbacca, and Tesar wisely chose not to press their luck. "Yes, Master.
"Thank you." Luke gestured back to Jacen. "You were saying?"
The debate was realigned. They discussed the possibility of a more surgical approach to the Dark Nest, while Jacen continued to advocate for the complete destruction of all the core colonies. Many Masters refused to condone the outright killing of Raynar Thul, a young Jedi they had all known and mentored, who was arguably more insane than evil at present. There was much back and forth conjecture about whether they would even have the option of sparing him if the Dark Nest was intrinsically linked to the original Colony.
Mara was too distracted by Luke's gnawing fatigue to bother interjecting an opinion. She gently supported him through their bond as he tried to proctor the debate without dominating it, determined to let the Council see it through to the end. She didn't bother trying to disabuse him of the dream; the scene playing out in front of them was discouraging enough.
Then Leia came around to her son's way of thinking, and posited that it was their duty as Jedi to stop Raynar, even to kill him. The objections from Corran and the other Masters were swift and stiff, Han jumped to her defense, and then some uncomfortable comparisons were made to their daughter. Jaina was conspicuously absent, still participating in the Killik hive mind, and one of only two Jedi who had dared refuse Master Skywalker's call. Would the Solos be so eager to perform this lethal duty if it were Jaina's life in place of Raynar's?
The argument that erupted then eclipsed all others. The Solos objected violently to the inference, the Masters were adamant, and the whole assembly degenerated into a loud partisan display of personal loyalties. The Force was boiling with resentment, annoyance, hostility, and grievance, and beneath it all simmered an ugly undercurrent that was Luke's shame, his frustration, and his bitter disappointment.
It was then that Mara knew the dream had died. Luke couldn't watch the order he had built and nurtured tear itself apart, and that was clearly what would happen unless he took control of this madness. Someone had to take control. Luke would always be an idealist, but he could recognize when he had only one card left to play. Mara touched him through their bond, prepared to stand with him, and he reached back, disillusioned but newly committed. Luke squared his shoulders, lifted his chin, and his intentional command of the Force sharpened.
"Thank you," he said. He didn't raise his voice, but his words resonated in the mind of everyone present, and his tone ended the argument at a stroke. It wasn't cold, but it was heavy, and it was final. The numinous silence that followed left no doubt that the situation had changed.
"Thank you for your opinions," Luke continued now that he commanded the floor. He stepped back onto the dais, removing himself from the chaos below. "I'll consider them all carefully and let you know what I decide."
"What you decide?" Kyp protested, more out of disbelief than insolence, giving voice to all the astonished faces in the room.
"Yes, Kyp," Mara confirmed, stepping up to intercept whatever challenge he might care to offer. "What Luke decides. Don't you think that's best?"
Just like that, it was done. Realization dawned in waves, but none dared question the new regime. None, Mara observed with some disgust, except Luke's own family.
Han turned on his heel and stomped out of the assembly hall, and Leia was quick to follow. Luke said nothing. He would have been well within his rights to command his sister—who had freely committed to Jedi discipline—to fall in line, but he chose not to press that confrontation. Mara glowered after them, unable to hide her honest assessment of their behavior, not least of all because she could feel the hurt it caused her husband.
Master Sebatyne wasn't so willing to let her headstrong apprentice go unchallenged. "Jedi Solo!" she bellowed. "Where are you going?"
"With Han," Leia quipped. "To get our daughter back."
"What about the order?" Saba insisted.
"What order?" Leia scoffed, not even bothering to turn.
That stung, and Mara felt her lip curl as Luke simply absorbed the barb and let his own emotions drain away. He had expected that reaction from her, but that didn't make it any less unpleasant. He turned and left by the back door without another word. Mara cast a severe glance over those who remained, and then followed him.
They walked back to his office in silence. Mara didn't try to intrude on his thoughts with words, but she was aware of how much Luke appreciated her presence, of how tired he suddenly felt, and how burdensome his new responsibilities seemed the longer he dwelt upon them. There was nothing more to be done about it now. They would face it together, the same way they faced everything else.
As soon as they were behind closed doors, Luke folded his legs beneath him and collapsed onto the cushion in the corner. Mara began rummaging behind the jumble on the shelves, emptying those secret caches of snack bars and sweet pick-me-ups that she knew about, throwing the spoils at him. "Eat something," she demanded, "anything. I can feel your glucose crashing from here." She glanced back when he didn't answer. "Oh, for kriff's sake . . ."
Mara snatched the ration bar away from Luke and tore open the wrapper herself because his fingers weren't cooperating. He was silently thankful.
"You're going to hurt yourself one of these days pulling stunts like that," she said.
Luke answered with a look that didn't contest the assertion. "All in the line of duty," he said. "Considering the nature of the gathering, I wanted to set a certain tone from the beginning."
"Considering how it turned out, I'd say you succeeded."
He sighed, idly focused on trying to make his hand stop trembling. The calories would do him good. "Leia wasn't happy," he observed.
"Nobody asked for her opinion," Mara insisted, perhaps a bit more sharply than she had intended. "You would think a former chief of state who still retains a royal title wouldn't be so allergic to these things."
"Chief of state is an elected position."
Mara scoffed. "Elections aren't always the best way to choose a leader, as I thought we had daily proof. But even if we put the question to the Council, to the Masters, or even to all the Knights here now, is there even the slightest chance you wouldn't be chosen?" She gave him a significant look, but then sank to the floor to sit beside him. "Leia can moan all she likes, but we need this. Every team needs a leader, and every ship needs a captain. Even the Senate needs its executive, as she very well knows. Why should we be any different?"
"I don't know," Luke admitted, weak and listless now that the ordeal was over and the die was cast. "I'd hoped we could be."
"We're the Jedi Order," Mara insisted. "Order implies a structure, a hierarchy, standards and expectations. Obligations. We're not the Jedi Confraternity, not the Jedi Association, not the Jedi Tea and Caf Club. Ask for counsel, by all means, but we can't sit here dithering over conflicts of opinion until the whole thing melts down. Someone has to set the course and hold the line, and I know you know that." She smiled and tried to drop the severe tone. "The real trick," she said, "is choosing someone with enough perspective to see the way, enough goodwill to be compassionate, enough influence to be effective, enough idealism to be incorruptible, and absolutely no personal aspirations to the office." She jostled his shoulder affectionately. "That's you, love. You've been running from it for decades, but it's finally caught you."
He frowned, but had to agree. "It does somehow feel like bowing to the inevitable," he said. "But the old order had its own share of problems. I was hoping we could change it for the better, not just reinstate it with all its flaws."
"It is changed," Mara insisted, driving a fist into his arm, "or haven't you noticed? You've been able to field some of the most capable Jedi ever known, and why do you think that is? Because you built them, trained them, tried to perfect them through acceptance rather than denial, acceptance of our true natures, acceptance of emotions, acceptance of relationships, acceptance of redemption. We love, and feel, and care, and hope in ways the old guard would never have allowed. Who does that sound like? The Jedi have been entirely remade in your image, Luke, and no one regrets it."
Luke sighed again, staring vacantly into the distance. "Yoda might have."
Mara rolled her eyes. "Yoda had several centuries to sort out their problems and didn't, so I don't want to hear it," she said. "Yoda told you to abandon your sister and kill your father. He wasn't exactly a leading authority on human feeling."
"There was no place in the old order for human feeling," Luke protested. Then he turned back to her. "But I guess that's your point, isn't it?"
"Yes." Mara got up and brought him a cup of water. "Eat. Hydrate. Then everything will make more sense." She tousled his hair and hit him with a kiss the way she always would no matter what exalted rank he achieved. "I promise none of us is going to be the worse for having to answer to a Grand Master. In fact, it may be part of that winning combination we've been working on."