The Council chamber was quieter than it had ever been.
War had a way of hollowing out even sacred spaces.
The Council chamber was quieter than it had ever been.
War had a way of hollowing out even sacred spaces.
The circular room atop the Jedi Temple, once filled with living presence, now shimmered with blue specters. Holographic forms flickered in their seats—distorted slightly by distance, battle interference, unstable transmitters from war-torn systems. The galaxy felt very far away and very close all at once.
Only four chairs held physical occupants.
Grand Master Yoda sat small and still at the center arc of the circle, hands folded within his robes, eyes half-lidded but aware of everything.
Mace Windu sat upright beside him, posture rigid, violet-bladed lightsaber resting at his side.
Ki-Adi-Mundi's tall frame leaned slightly forward, long fingers steepled.
Saesee Tiin remained motionless, eyes dark and unreadable.
Every other seat shimmered in pale blue.
Kit Fisto's holo-image flickered.
Agen Kolar's transmission crackled faintly with artillery fire in the distance. Even Piell's signal wavered from an Outer Rim siege.
And one seat—Obi-Wan Kenobi's—was empty of both flesh and light.
He was still in the field.
The war had not granted the Council the luxury of gathering in full.
It had forced them into pieces.
For a moment, no one spoke.
The hum of the Temple's air circulation echoed faintly in the silence.
Then Mace Windu broke it.
"Reports from the Mid Rim are conclusive," he said evenly. "General Skywalker's 501st has broken the Separatist blockade at Ord Radama and secured three hyperspace lanes previously considered lost."
A few holo-forms shifted.
Kit Fisto's image tilted slightly, his voice carrying through static. "His maneuvers were… unconventional.
"Effective," Shaak Ti's projection replied calmly from Kamino. Behind her, the soft thrumm of training clones moved in regimented patterns.
Mace's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Yes. Effective."
The word carried weight.
Ki-Adi-Mundi inclined his elongated head. "In three months, Skywalker has accomplished what would have required three separate strike forces under standard doctrine."
"He has lost fewer ships than projected," Saesee Tiin added quietly.
"And more enemy leadership," Agen Kolar's holo murmured.
It was true.
In three months, Anakin Skywalker had crippled supply chains, eliminated Separatist admirals, and destabilized outer sector alliances with surgical precision.
Sometimes publicly.
Often not.
Yoda's eyes opened fully at last.
"Victory he brings," the Grand Master said softly. "Swiftly. Boldly."
His gaze drifted to the center of the chamber.
"But balance, the Force demands."
There it was.
The unspoken tension in the room sharpened.
Even Piell's hologram leaned forward slightly. "The concern is not his effectiveness."
Mace folded his hands. "It is his influence."
A faint hum rippled through the chamber.
Ki-Adi-Mundi spoke carefully. "The Chancellor has reassigned additional cruisers to Skywalker's fleet. More than any Knight commands."
"He now operates one hundred and fifty Venator-class destroyers under Admiral Yularen," Shaak Ti confirmed. "And that is not counting the attached support flotillas."
"That is a fleet suited for a Master of the Order," Saesee Tiin said.
"Or a sector marshal," Kit Fisto added.
Mace's voice lowered.
"It is not customary for a Knight—newly knighted at that-to command that scale of force."
Yoda's gaze drifted slightly toward Mace.
"Customary, these times are not."
A few holos flickered in subtle agreement.
The war had shattered many traditions.
But Mace did not look convinced.
"There is also," he said evenly, "Oblivion Cell."
The name seemed to cool the room.
Even through holograms, unease traveled.
Agen Kolar frowned faintly. "A black-operations unit sanctioned under direct Republic authority."
"Sanctioned," Mace repeated, his tone precise. "Yes."
His eyes lifted slightly.
"But operating beyond oversight."
Shaak Ti's voice remained calm. "Their missions have eliminated high-value targets with minimal Republic casualties."
"That is not the point," Mace replied.
"The point," Even Piell cut in sharply, "is that no Jedi should command a force answerable only to the Chancellor and the Council."
"Skywalker does not answer to the Chancellor," Ki-Adi-Mundi said.
Mace's gaze shifted.
"Does he not?"
The silence that followed lingered longer than it should have.
Yoda closed his eyes briefly.
"Favor, the Chancellor gives him," the small Master said quietly. "Close to Skywalker he has been… since Naboo."
Eeth Koth's holo-image flickered. "The Chancellor has long held an interest in the boy."
"He sees potential," Kit Fisto said.
Mace's jaw tightened again.
"The Chancellor does not assign war fleets out of sentiment."
"Nor does he risk star cruisers for affection," Saesee Tiin agreed.
"Then why?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked plainly.
No one answered immediately.
Because they all knew.
Because they did not like the answer.
Shaak Ti finally spoke.
"Regardless of political influence," she said, voice steady as rain on Kamino's oceans, "Anakin Skywalker is a decisive factor in this war. His strategies have preserved thousands of clone lives."
"His clones follow him with unusual loyalty," Even Piell added quietly.
That, too, hung in the air.
The 501st did not simply obey Skywalker.
They believed in him.
That distinction mattered.
Mace's fingers tightened against his armrest.
"Power gathers around him," he said. "Fleet power. Clone devotion. Specialized strike forces. The Chancellor's confidence."
His eyes turned toward Yoda.
"That is more authority than any Knight should possess."
"Agreed," Even Piell said sharply.
"But remove him from command," Ki-Adi-Mundi countered, "and we risk fracturing our most successful front."
"And losing momentum," Saesee Tiin added.
Yoda remained still for a long moment.
The war pressed against the Temple walls like a distant storm.
"He is powerful," the Grand Master murmured. "Powerful in the Force. Powerful in war. Powerful in influence."
His gaze lifted.
"Too powerful, perhaps."
The word perhaps carried more gravity than any accusation.
Mace exhaled slowly.
"There is also his attachment to the Chancellor."
Kit Fisto's holo flickered slightly. "You believe it clouds him?"
"I believe," Mace said carefully, "that the Chancellor seeks to cultivate him."
"Cultivate to what end?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.
"That is precisely the question."
Yoda's ears tilted faintly.
"Trust in Skywalker, I do," he said quietly. "But trust… must not become blindness."
The chamber fell silent again.
Shaak Ti spoke once more, measured and composed.
"If we curtail his authority now, we weaken our war effort. If we do nothing, his influence will continue to grow."
Even Piell nodded.
"And if we lose this war, debates of doctrine will matter little."
Mace's gaze hardened.
"I will not see the Jedi Order transformed into military governors."
"No one suggests that," Ki-Adi-Mundi said.
"Not yet," Mace replied.
Yoda rose slightly in his chair, the movement small but commanding.
"Watch him, we will."
His eyes turned to Mace.
"Guide him, we must."
Then, softer:
"Fear him… we must not."
The words did not resolve the tension.
They merely defined it.
Outside the Temple windows, Coruscant's endless skyline glittered beneath artificial daylight.
Across the galaxy, fleets burned.
And somewhere in the vastness between systems, Anakin Skywalker commanded an armada of red-marked ships, black-armored shadows moving beneath his authority.
The Council could feel it.
Power shifting.
Not yet rebellion.
Not yet corruption.
But something… gathering.
Mace looked once more at the empty chair that had once belonged to Anakin as a Padawan in this very chamber.
Then to the vast circle around them.
"Three months into the war," he said quietly. "And we are already speaking of him as if he were something apart from us."
No one contradicted him.
Because he was.
And that, more than his victories, was what truly troubled them.
...
Sorry for another short chapter but this is a glimpse of whats going on, its been months since the begining of the clone wars. In canon it only lasted for 2-3 years wich made no sense to me. Also the fleets and clone army are alot larger. theres like quintillions of droids and only 2 million clones for an entire galaxy, yeah no. Theres about 2.3 trillion clones because thats an army to actually be able to counter the sepratist force galaxy wide legitamitly, and every jedi gets 150 venators along with a number of other escorts. Anakin got 150 tho and hes got 23 million men under him. anyway these are the numbers and the next chapter will be christophsis. Theres a bit of canon clone wars were gonna do so we can get ahsoka in on this then jump into divergence level stuff. Also theres this thing called oblivion cell, thats for later, whos in anakins secret black ops unit, give me some guesses.