Chapter 114: V.2-C.15│The Departure III│
"I will be leaving the Order."
"What did you say?"
"I said I am leaving the Order. As of this instant, this moment, I will no longer be a Jedi."
"Anakin. You can't possibly mean what you are saying. Do you even hear what you are saying?"
The two talking to each other are Anakin and Qui-Gon.
"Of course I know." Anakin replied. "If I was unaware of what I had just said, I would be insane."
Qui-Gon with clear dreadful surprise asked as a pit in stomach was felt. "Please, you should reconsider your decision. I suggest that we both forget that this conversation even took place."
"Master. You cant unhear and undo my decision."
"Do you not understand the things I have gone through to have you join?" Qui-Gon asked. "What about all of the things I have taught you?"
"I am well aware of your efforts and the efforts of everyone else that has helped me, but that doesn't mean I should stay. Chosen One or not, I am my own person and my decision is final." Anakin stated firmly.
"Anakin." Qui-Gon started. "I know that you have had your disagreements about the code and with the Order overall, but you cant just go when you may be needed most. Do you not understand that leaving now could have major consequences?"
"I understand."
"I dont think you do. There are many of whom would just like to leave the Order, you aren't the only one and if you go. The CHOSEN ONE, leaves. It would create a chain reaction within the Order, with many Jedi leaving either to follow after you or go to wherever else they can." Qui-Gon said.
Anakin had wanted to inform his Masters, both of them. First he has confronted Qui-Gon about his leaving and this reaction is the one he expected.
"Look, I have had at many times wanted to leave the Order myself. Especially after discovering the truth about spiritual immortality by becoming a ghost, but that doesn't mean I left. I stayed because, by the Force, do I know that I am needed." Qui-Gon explained with a weary sigh and a sagging of his shoulders.
"Have you not though about why I wanted to go?" Anakin questioned.
"I have." Qui-Gon answered waiting for Anakin to continue.
"Then you mustn't stop me. I will go and inform Master Windu as well. I wanted to give the both of you a proper good bye and thanks for what the both of you have provided for me." Anakin said, grateful for the twos guidance, but thats just it.
It was just guidance, nothing more, nothing less.
Having nothing more to say to Anakin, Qui-Gon could only sigh. "Fine. If that is what your decision is and believe that it is the right choice... May the Force guide you down your path, as it knows and I know that you will need it."
Bowing, but not a full on bow, Anakin says. "Thank you, Master." Anakin was not bowing anymore. "There is something I wanted to ask you however, and that is if you wanted to leave with me, but from your reaction it would seem that despite considering it and having done so for some time, you are unwilling to go."
"You are correct in assuming that I would reject your offer. The Republic is now within a precarious spot, and even after the war, I would probably stay. There is nothing more outside of the life of a Jedi for me." Qui-Gon said.
Anakin knew that Qui-Gon would stay as a Jedi, and even if he left, he would leave as a Jedi, and he would most certainly die a Jedi. It was within Qui-Gon's nature to be like this.
"I will now go to Master Windu and also inform him of my decision before going to the Council." Anakin said.
"Yes, that is for the best." Qui-Gon replied as it seemed he had aged quite a bit.
Anakin could have gone off the grid just like Dooku had and reappear with the Empyrean, leading his people into new heights while the Jedi scramble to find him. But that wouldn't create the impact he wanted, he needed to make his decision public, at least within the temple.
Then there was the girls he had grown close to that would undoubtedly be sad if he just disappeared out of no where because they would try to follow him as well. How could allow them to stay behind but leave himself, he didn't want to make anyone choose between himself and something else.
That was wrong, just as he didn't want to choose one girl over the others as that would be against him. If he had to choose between who to save off of a cliff and someone had to die, he would go against the options presented and create his own, even if it meant he would die trying to change that fate.
If he truly had to choose between the Order and the Empyrean however, he would choose the Empyrean. It was the thing he had spent alot of time and effort on, and while he has tried within the Jedi to create an environment that is better, he couldn't.
Now he would have to continue making his own path.
Within the Force, his life, the empire and lives of those within and finally his own destiny would be taken into his own hands and not placed within the decaying hands of the Jedi. As when those hands decay he could fall right into the decaying hands of Sidious where he would most definitely try to crush him with all his might.
Anakin left Qui-Gon alone within their training room they used to use.
[]
"Master Windu." Anakin said as he had arranged to meet up with Mace.
"Anakin? Why have you called me here, specifically to talk alone?" Mace questioned him.
"I am here to tell you about an important decision I have decided to make." Anakin said as Mace waited for him to continue. "I will be leaving."
"What do you mean leaving? If you are talking about going somewhere, you are a grown adult. There is no need to inform me of your decision..." Mace could see that Anakin wasn't talking about leaving Coruscant for a little bit.
"But that isn't what you meant, is it." Mace finished.
"No, it isn't." Anakin said with a shake of his head.
"Ok then. It would seem that is something important. Don't tell me you have somehow broken the code, perhaps? Have you grown attached to something... or someone?" Mace questioned Anakin.
"It is not just about the code, Master." Anakin replied.
"Not just about the code, so you have broken it? What else have you done then?" Mace was questioning him calmly and didn't seem all that upset with his implied reasoning for Anakin coming to him.
"I am leaving the Order." Anakin decided to just drop the bomb.
This gets a reaction out of the calm Mace as he wasn't expecting something like this. "What?!" Mace was now standing from his seated position. "Did I hear you correct?"
"I hope you did, your ears must be failing you." Anakin tried to implant some subtle humor to make sure Mace doesn't get to heated.
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
"My ears are not failing me, of course!" Mace replied but continued while staring intensely at Anakin. "I meant, NO, you are not leaving. I will forget this conversation has ever started or happened at all, leave now before I reprimand you."
Strangely enough, Mace was within the same denial that Qui-Gon was experiencing when Anakin had said he was leaving, trying to come up with excuses, reasons to stay. They were both going through the stages of loss but in a weird manner.
Shock and denial. Pain and guilt. Anger and bargaining. Depression. The upward turn. Reconstruction and working through. Acceptance and hope.
"Master Windu, you cannot undo my choice. It doesn't work like that." Anakin stated. "I will tell you now that I am not the only one who is looking to leave the Order and I am sure you aware of the fallout that would happen when I leave."
Calming down, Mace sits back down. "What is the reason for your leaving." It seemed like he got over it quite quickly.
"There are many, some you are aware of and some you are not." Anakin answered.
"May I know of the ones I am unaware of?" Mace continued to stare at Anakin intensely as if he was trying to see through him and look into the enigma that Anakin is.
Anakin then went on to tell Mace a many number of things, not everything per say but enough to inform him of why exactly he is leaving and that he is aware of the fact they wouldn't change even if he left but it would still make them reconsider how they have been doing things.
Of course, the reason wasn't only just because of the Jedi, there were also his own selfish reasons of wanting to go and who he would be taking with him. Anakin didn't leave out much of why and he did supply he was going to go back to the Empyrean and there he would take his place as the new ruler.
Not that he wasn't always the sole and only true Emperor of the prospering empire.
"And that is all, at least all I am willing to share." Anakin finished.
"Anakin, no Master Skywalker." Mace started. "It would seem that you have been lying to the Jedi Council since the very start."
"I hope that you do not take this the wrong way, but I have always had my reasons for joining and those reasons were inherently selfish in nature." Anakin replied. "I wholeheartedly appreciate the teachings, guidance and everything else the Jedi, no you and Master Qui-Gon have taught me."
"Without it, I am sure that I would not be where I am today without you two. Without the Jedi, I would not have progressed so fast and developed in a way I liked, and for that I thank you." Anakin bowed to Mace as he finished.
Mace got up and walked to Anakin and placed a hand on his shoulder and sighed. "Anakin." Mace paused before continuing. "There is not much I could say to change your mind now is there." He said this more to himself then to Anakin as he knew, right from the start that Anakin was different from the rest.
Different from his previous students, different from every other Jedi and his thoughts while being more in line with Qui-Gin, was still skewered away from the Jedi. Not necessarily in line with the thoughts of the Sith but it was still not the way a Jedi would think and because of this the Council wanted Anakin away from the temple as much as possible.
They have given Anakin the job as a teacher and his way of thinking had infected alot of their students. Unfortunately everything that lead up to such a thing and his continued persistence in staying within the temple in the end won out.
"No, there is probably nothing you could do. Your words will be ignored and your actions would be taken as a threat to my safety and freedom." Anakin stated.
"I will call an emergency meeting then." Mace sighed and still decided to support his former student.
[]
An emergency meeting was being held and Shaak knew that this meeting was going to be a huge factor in deciding whether or not she would leave with Anakin. She was extremely connected as while she loved the Order, her feelings had at this point surmounted the her attachment to the Order and now she wanted him.
Especially after his secret marriage with Senator Amidala and her fellow Jedi, Aayla Secura.
Filing in, while some masters on the Council were not present and had been sent out of Coruscant to help with the war efforts.
"Master Windu, why have we all been gathered here. And why is Master Skywalker here along with us? Is it something important." Mundi asked as if he had some important business to get too.
"Yes, tell us you will." Yoda added as he was curious as well, it was not often an emergency meeting was called. Even more so by Windu as he wasn't the type to talk things through and would rather solve problems himself immediately by taking action.
It was seen throughout how he did things, whether that was from teaching to missions and other things Jedi do. At least he could be calm enough to meditate.
"It is not I that has something important to say, but Master Skywalker that needed everyone's audience." Mace answered as now everyone looked concerned because there was something within the Force, telling them that something of grave importance was happening at this moment.
Shaak was the only one who knew what this meant, she has been an active participant after all when it came to fostering Anakin's desires to leave. It didn't help that how she had become connected to him in a more intimate manner.
"Well, what is it then?" Yaddle spoke as she was somewhat close to Anakin because he had some interest in the species herself and Yoda are.
"I have come to all of you today to say..." Anakin left off to create some dramatic effect. "I am leaving the Order."
This sends the room into some chaos as every so often the masters would talk over each other to question Anakin, why he was doing this, how could he do this and many other things were said. Anakin with his superior hearing was even able to pick up a, 'Well, it finally happened.'
"Silence!" That got everyone's attention as Yoda now commanded the room. "Enough this is. Young Skywalker's reasons he must explain."
Anakin then went on to recount everything, all of this reasons, conveying his disappointment that he was unable to do anything to change their fate, which raised a few eyebrows, physically for those who had eyebrows and mentally for those without.
He didn't go into as much detail with everyone here as he did with Qui-Gon or Mace but he still said enough to make sure that they knew that he wasn't the only one going to leave. He would be leaving with Barriss, Aayla and his now new apprentice Ahsoka.
Something of which had surprised him, as he didn't think Ahsoka would still become his apprentice because of the changes he had made.
"Hand over your lightsaber, you must." Yoda didn't give an argument and just asked Anakin for the saber he had with him. This was one of the reasons he was not all that fussed about what lightsaber he would get as lightsaber are lost all the time.
He knew that he would be returning it, it was a feeling even if he left secretly he would have still left the saber behind. It wasn't perfect and it certainly could have been done with much more effort, creating something truly unique for himself would come soon enough.
"But Master Yoda!-"
"No! Silent everyone must be. Skywalker's choice respected it will be." Yoda said as Anakin needed to hand over his saber but he did something with the crystals within because that could be dangerous. He manipulated the Force energies of both to completely mix with each other, causing both of the crystals to become full on purple.
After everything had been settled, it was now time for Anakin to leave, but Shaak had something to say herself. "Wait!"
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