Chapter 22: Leaving The Order
"Let's go we can't stay here," shouted Master Pall to his followers. Their war against the Jedi wasn't going to be decided in a day so before they lost too many, he ordered a retreat from the planet. Thankfully he planned this out before he declared war against the Order, so they had enough transports standing by for them.
If they wanted to beat the Jedi Order and the Republic, they would need time to gather their forces and launch campaigns against Republic worlds to weaken them.
The Jedi Order tried to mount a counterattack seeing the enemy retreating, but they ultimately failed and the Dark Jedi and their followers were able to escape.
The Jedi High Council themselves had joined the fight and managed to kill a few Dark Jedi followers before they escaped. But the 12 main Dark Jedi were able to escape from the planet which would prove to be a problem for the Jedi High Council as they wanted to put an end to this war quickly.
Approaching the Temple still wearing his golden armor, Daimon was almost stopped by a few Temple Guards as they had never seen him wearing this armor before. But after he removed his helmet, the temple guards let him pass without any problems.
The Jedi High Council at this time was convening a meeting with themselves. Out of the 12 Members of the Jedi High Council, only 8 were present.
Walking through the doors of the High Council chamber, Daimon was met with the glaring eyes of the 8 members of the Jedi High Council.
"Ah, Master Daimon. We didn't expect to see you here so soon after the battle," Master Alric greeted, his eyes narrowing slightly at the sight of Daimon's armor.
Daimon didn't want to waste too much time talking to the Council, so he got straight to the point, "How long is it going to take the Council to realize that some changes need to be made to the Order for it to not have situations like these happen, huh."
His blunt question echoed through the chamber, causing a ripple of shock among the council members. The silence was broken by Master Caelen, one of the wise and seasoned members of the council. "We understand your concerns Daimon," he responded. "Your anger is justified. We have indeed suffered greatly today, but we must remain careful not to let emotion cloud our judgment."
Shaking his head, Daimon felt disappointed at the fact that the Order was so caught up in its one-sided worship that it was blinded to what was logical. "Emotion will always be a part of us Caelon. It's time you realized that sticking to old ways won't help us in these changing times."
This time it was Master Quillon who interrupted, his stern voice echoing through the chamber, "Watch your tone, Daimon. You may not agree with our methods but remember your place. We are not emotionless beings but nor are we ruled by our emotions." Among the council, he was the main person who wanted to banish Daimon and the Wardens of Unity.
Daimon glared at Quillon thinking about whether or not he should choke him out here in front of the Council. Ultimately, he decided not to as that would turn the council against him, which is something he didn't want to do right now.
"I'll ignore what you just said, because of what I am about to say next." Daimon responded. "Since the Order won't change, I can no longer see a good future for the Order. This same thing happened with the Legions of Lettow thousands of years ago and now it has happened again. Nothing will change unless the Order starts using logic over blind adherence to old ways. Thus, I will walk my own path.
Master Caelen was the first to respond. "Daimon, your idea is radical," he said cautiously. "Our traditions have been molded from centuries of wisdom and learning. If you want to leave, then by all means."
Hearing this, Master Lyara a diplomat known for her empathy and skill in resolving disputes interrupted the two, "Daimon, I know why you want to leave, but after what just happened, I had hoped to rely on your skills during this dark time. Now more than ever we need people like you. However, if you must leave, then I understand."
The other members of the Council besides Master Caelen had each nodded their heads at what Master Lyara just said. They each knew Daimon's strength and influence within the Order. Even Master Caelen knew, he just hoped the other members of the council would back him up.
"I'm sorry Master Lyara, but my time here is up. I wish you and the Order well in your future endeavors, and may the Force be with you." Daimon responded turning around, heading towards the door.
"And may it be with you Daimon." Master Lyara responded as she side eyed Master Caelen.
As Daimon made his way out of the Council chambers, he pulled up his communicator and told Cortana to prepare his ship. He had successfully left the Order on good terms, preventing his name from being tarnished in history and being exiled from both the Order and the Republic.
Returning to the Forge, Daimon was met with a few members of the Wardens of Unity and the Jedi Knight who was 2nd only to Daimon. He had been training this Knight to eventually take his place when he leaves the order.
The Knight's name was Kellan, a 30-year-old Jedi Knight in charge of overseeing the creations of Lightsabers in Daimon's place.
Standing in front of the group, Daimon prepared to make his announcement, "I have decided to leave the Jedi Order," he began. The room fell into an instant hush, "I realize this will impact each of you differently, but I believe this is best for all involved."
A/N: Daimon's reasoning for not taking the Warden's with him is due to the fact that they have all already been indoctrinated by the Jedi teachings. While they strive for Balance, outright performing Bad actions like the ones Daimon will take and have already taken will raise some questions from within. So instead, the Wardens of Unity will remain a part of the Order and continue teaching Balancing the Force for the foreseeable future.
Kellan was the first to break the silence. "And what should we do now, Master?" His question was the same as all the other ones had.
Daimon looked at each one of them before responding, "You will continue to teach the Balance of the to others in the Order as we have done for the past 20 or so years. Your place is here within the Order, continuing to teach the ways of Balance within the Force to the next generations to come. Kellan, I have prepared you for this for the past decade and you are more than capable to lead the Wardens of Unity in my place."
Kellan nodded understanding his new responsibilities, but still curious as to why Daimon wanted to leave the Order. For all he knew, Daimon was the most powerful Jedi at this very moment. And now they were losing him at a crucial time. He began to imagine that it was probably the Council that said or did something, but now was not the time to throw blame around.
He must respect Daimon's decision and move on.
As Daimon left, the message was passed down to the other Wardens of what happened. A few minutes later, Daimon's ship took off from Ossus and took to space, ready for the next chapter in Daimon's journey.