**Chapter 612**
**Scene 1**
**Jedi Temple – Dagon's New Quarters**
**Dagon POV**
I lay on the large, surprisingly comfortable bed in my newly assigned quarters, staring up at the high, arched ceiling of the Jedi Temple. The room was far grander than anything I had expected — a former Council annex that had been quickly repurposed for the new Grand Master. Soft light filtered in through tall windows, casting long golden beams across the polished stone floor. It felt too quiet. Too permanent.
"How did it come to this?" I muttered aloud, my voice low and tired. "I wanted Jedi Lord… not Grand Master of the Order after Yoda. Now not only has fate changed — fate has completely messed up."
Kayla, sitting comfortably on my lap with her head resting against my chest, let out a soft chuckle. Her fingers traced lazy circles on my armor plating. "Yep, we're done for. Hey, you did save a lot of Jedi at Geonosis, remember? That has to count for something."
I sighed, running my fingers through her long hair. "Honestly, it's what you expect. Things will always go bad before they get better. Wait — we need to inform the Senate and the GAR headquarters."
Shin, leaning against the headboard beside us, shook her head firmly. "I already put Nhon on that. Until Mandalore is solved, the Jedi High Council business is secret. Till then, it stays quiet. No leaks. No rumors."
Zule, sprawled across the foot of the bed with her head propped on one hand, looked genuinely worried. "Wait, what of Master Plo and Master Windu on Mygeeto? Wouldn't they object?"
Ahsoka, sitting cross-legged nearby, frowned deeply. "They wouldn't know… but I suspect… oh dear. Dagon is Gray Jedi, free-spirited, and Mace is strict rules. Wouldn't that lead to a clash?"
"A Jedi civil war between the new and the old?" Sakura added, half-joking but with real concern threading through her voice.
"It won't come to that," I said, though I wasn't entirely sure myself. The Force felt turbulent, like a storm gathering on the horizon. "Where is Master Kit? I think I could convince him."
Aayla stood up from the nearby couch, stretching gracefully. "I'll contact him. Also, Grace and Lee — those girls in charge of the Mern 13 where you offered credit and rides for the Masters. The least I can do."
She left the room to make the calls, her footsteps fading down the corridor.
I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the warmth of the girls around me ground me. The bond thrummed with a mixture of excitement, worry, affection, and the faint undercurrent of fear about what this sudden shift in power meant for all of us.
Kayla shifted slightly on my lap, pressing closer. "You're carrying too much again," she whispered. "Let us help."
I smiled faintly, pulling her in for a gentle kiss. "I know. I'm trying."
**Scene 2**
**Jedi Temple – High Council Chamber**
**Obi-Wan Kenobi POV**
Obi-Wan paced slowly across the now-quiet Council Chamber, his footsteps echoing softly against the ancient stone. The room felt hollow without Yoda, Oppo Rancisis, Even Piell, and Shaak Ti. The pile of lightsabers that had once rested on the central pedestal had been carefully collected and stored, but their absence still weighed on him like an open wound.
He reflected on everything — his long arguments with the Council over the years, Qui-Gon's words of wisdom that now felt more relevant than ever.
*"Don't center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs."*
So much had changed in a single afternoon. The very foundation of the Jedi Order had shifted beneath their feet.
"So, Master, what do we know?" Anakin asked, standing near the tall window overlooking the Temple courtyard. His voice carried a mix of confusion and restrained frustration. "I mean, as the General or High Jedi General, what is our responsibility now?"
"For now, we keep what happened quiet," Obi-Wan replied, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "Strictest secrecy. Dagon especially referred to you — no talking to the Chancellor or Senator Amidala for now. You are to stay in the Temple lest you trigger a galactic crisis."
Anakin looked conflicted but nodded slowly. "Yes, Master. Should I go see about the younglings?"
"Right, yes. You have five classes to see to. Here is the schedule," Obi-Wan said, handing him a datapad.
"Five? Come on, Master. Shouldn't I get a better—" Anakin started, but kept quiet when Obi-Wan gave him a firm, tired look.
Obi-Wan watched his former Padawan leave the chamber, then sat down heavily in one of the remaining chairs. The weight of the recent events pressed down on him like a physical force. He rubbed his temples, trying to process the rapid changes. Yoda stepping down. Dagon as Grand Master. The Council fracturing. It all felt like a dream — or a nightmare.
*Everything is changing,* he thought. *And I fear we are not ready for what comes next.*