Setting: Jedi Council Chamber, Coruscant | Tython – Valley of the Deep Flame
Date: 24 BBY
The light filtered dimly through the stained glass of the High Council chamber.
Holo-recordings of Cain's speech and the four holocrons still shimmered in the center of the room—an echo of a moment no one could ignore.
Ki-Adi-Mundi shook his head, face grim. "It was reckless. That boy has stirred unrest in the Temple. We should never have allowed him access to those holocrons—how did he even find Revans holocran I thought it was lost.
Depa Billaba leaned forward. "But he spoke the truth."
Oppo Rancisis hissed, "Truth without order breeds chaos."
Mace Windu sat still, deep in thought, hands folded. "We have taught obedience too long. Now we are punished for silence."
Then, Plo Koon stood.
"He warned you. He brought you the truth. From the chips in the clone army, to the corruption of the Senate, to Dooku's betrayal. And you still debate how he did it instead of what he did."
Master Fay rose beside him. "The boy has done what this Council could not. He listens—to the Force, to the people, to the past. He walks without pride. That is more than many of us can say."
Satele Shan's holocron, still active, shimmered beside the table. Her voice echoed faintly:
"The ones who walk forward do not always wait for permission. They follow the current of the Force. That is where Cain walks."
Silence.
Then Plo did the unthinkable.
He unclipped his lightsaber.
And placed it on the Council table.
"I no longer serve this Order. I serve the Force."
Fay followed.
Then Adi Gallia, her voice quiet but steady: "I saw the way Cain looked at the world. Not as something to control—but as something to heal."
Shaak Ti, often silent, added her saber to the growing pile. "I would rather be a Jedi who learns… than one who forgets."
One by one, four Council members stepped down.
The chamber's silence cracked.
On Tython, Cain stood atop the stone rise that overlooked the construction below. His robes were simple, but his presence filled the cliff like sunlight at dawn.
Below him, dozens—nearly a hundred—Jedi, Mandalorians, and free citizens stepped off transport ships. They carried bags, tools, children, and purpose.
Seris joined him, arms crossed, gaze thoughtful.
"So," she said. "Who's going to be Grandmaster? You?"
Cain didn't laugh. He just shook his head, watching the crowds.
"I'm barely seventeen. I'm not even a Knight."
She raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't seem to stop anyone from following you."
Cain smiled faintly, then turned to look at her, the morning wind lifting his white hair.
"We guide each other. We learn from one another. No Masters. No Grandmasters. Just voices with experience."
Seris nodded slowly. "And today?"
Cain stepped forward, lifting his voice so those arriving could hear.
"Today, we build."
From the second transport, Anakin Skywalker emerged—robes dusty from the shuttle ride, lightsaber clipped to his belt. Obi-Wan Kenobi followed him, quiet but proud.
Behind them came Fay, Plo Koon, Gallia, and Shaak Ti—the first former Masters of the Jedi Council to willingly join a cause not blessed by the Order.
Barriss walked among new healers. Derran directed Mandalorian scouts helping with terrain mapping. Serra Keto was already teaching Form IV to a group of teens who'd left the Temple with their Knights.
Anakin approached Cain, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
"You really did it."
Cain shook his head. "We did."
Obi-Wan stepped forward, looking around the ancient valley.
"So this is Tython…"
Fay smiled. "The birthplace of the Jedi. And now—possibly—its rebirth."
Codex Entry 018 – The Ones Who Stayed Behind
The Council debated. Plo told me what they said. I'm not angry.
The Jedi Order was always slow to change. I just didn't think I'd live to see four Council members lay down their sabers and walk into the wild with me.
We're not the Jedi they expected.
We are the ones who stayed behind to learn what they forgot.
No Grandmaster. No Council. No Temple rules.
We have the Force.
We have Tython.
We have each other.
And as of today… we have hope.