**Chapter 608**
**Scene 1**
**Jedi High Council Chamber**
**Dagon POV**
The tension in the Jedi High Council Chamber was thick enough to cut with a lightsaber. The assembled Masters stared at me with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and cautious curiosity. I stood at the center of the circular room, the weight of their gazes pressing down on me like the gravity of a collapsing star.
"Now before you guys get angry, let me explain," I said, raising my hands in a placating gesture to calm the rising storm of emotions I could feel through the Force. "Obi-Wan is a terrible choice for this mission. First of all, you have a former incident with the Duchess. Second, you are too peaceful. Third, you're a terrible diplomat when it comes to warrior cultures. Fourth, you don't know anything of true Mandalorian customs beyond what the archives tell you. Fifth, you can't defeat a determined opponent without relying heavily on the Force. Need I go on?"
Obi-Wan looked slightly offended, his brows furrowing, but he didn't argue. He simply folded his arms and waited. Even Piell leaned forward in his seat, his small stature not diminishing the intensity of his stare. "And idea you have, Marek?"
"Yes," I replied firmly, my voice steady. "I already met with some Mandalorians — a secret sect that still believes in the Way of the Mandalore, an ancient path which will basically be the key to uniting them. I have killed Durge, who killed the official Mandalore two hundred years ago. His armor I returned to them, as well as several tons of beskar I recovered from Malachor V."
Kit Fisto smiled faintly, his tentacle-like head-tails shifting with amusement. "Guess this is during your second visit to Tatooine where you obtained a Krayt dragon — or a Leviathan one, to be exact — similar to the Mythosaurs that are extinct on Mandalore."
"Yes," I confirmed. "And best of all, I know who to fight. But to do this, we need to trick the Mandalorians into seeing us as worthy allies rather than outsiders."
I activated another hologram from my gauntlet. A small green figure appeared in the center of the chamber — another member of Yoda's species. The entire room fell into stunned silence. Gasps echoed off the ancient stone walls.
"This is Vandar Tokare, a Jedi Master from the Mandalorian Wars. This is Oteg, an Admiral and Jedi Master during the Galactic War. And this little kid… I am guessing you, Master Yoda," I said, looking directly at the hologram of a tiny baby Yoda floating peacefully.
Master Yoda's eyes widened dramatically. Several Masters gasped or leaned forward in disbelief. Adi Gallia's hand flew to her mouth. Even Piell muttered something under his breath. The revelation hit them like a shockwave.
"Master Yoda, forgive me for not sharing this with you earlier, but it was on a Sith holocron, not a Jedi one. When I learned about this, the point is that this Padawan-Master relationship shows that if any Jedi should go, it is Master Yoda. As even the stories of Yoda will be there," I explained.
Master Fay, the immortal Jedi, suddenly clutched her lightsaber tightly. Her face paled dramatically, and she broke down crying. "She didn't know the link… she didn't…"
She was having a full panic attack, her breathing rapid and shallow. I reached out with the Force immediately, sending a gentle wave of calm and healing energy toward her. Fay's breathing steadied, her shoulders relaxed, and she slumped forward, falling into a peaceful sleep in her seat.
**Scene 2**
Master Fay was gently taken to the Temple medical wards by two attendants, her lightsaber carefully placed on a nearby table.
Master Yoda, once calmed, looked deeply shocked and confused by the recent news. He paced the Council Chamber in a slow circle, his small gimer stick tapping rhythmically against the polished floor. The sound echoed softly in the tense silence.
"Are you mad? Not revealing this or actually revealing this at the worst possible time?" Oppo Rancisis snapped angrily at me, his serpentine body shifting with agitation.
"Well, sorry, but in case you forgot — this is war," I replied evenly. "And our responsibility to the Order comes first. Back to the original point: I need Yoda to accompany me to Mandalore. I will pose as a Jedi Temple Guard. We investigate, take the Darksaber, unite the Mandalorians, and bend the knee to the Duchess. Simple, right? The Duchess gets peace, we get allies, and no one is the wiser," I explained.
A round of heated arguments erupted from various Masters almost immediately.
"Sending Master Yoda into such danger—" Adi Gallia began, her voice sharp with concern.
"Death Watch is unpredictable and fanatical—" Even Piell added, slamming a small fist on the arm of his chair.
"The political implications alone could destabilize the entire sector—" Ki-Adi-Mundi started, his tall cone-shaped head tilting in disapproval.
"Enough!" Yoda shouted suddenly, his voice cutting through the chaos like a lightsaber through fog. The chamber fell into immediate, respectful silence.
Yoda turned to face the assembled Masters, his expression grave but resolute. For a long moment, he simply stood there, eyes closed as if communing with the Force. Then, with deliberate slowness, he unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and placed it gently on the central pedestal in the middle of the chamber.
"Gather what you need and tell me when to meet in the hangar. Master of the Order, I am no longer," Yoda said firmly, his voice carrying the weight of centuries.
The weight of his words settled over the room like a heavy cloak. No one spoke. The implications were clear: Yoda was stepping down from his leadership role temporarily to undertake this dangerous mission himself.
I bowed my head slightly in respect. The Council chamber felt smaller somehow, as if history itself was shifting in that moment.