“Master, where are we going? Why are you being so secretive?”

  “I will explain in a few minutes. Let us hurry for now.”

  Ahsoka went silent and followed after him, rubbing her eyes from him knocking on her door and waking her up so early in the morning.

  “We’re leaving the Temple? What’s going on?”

  “I’ll explain just outside. Only a minute or two more,” Obi-wan replied. Ahsoka looked uncomfortable but nodded and followed him out of the walls and into the nearby park that was relatively full despite the early hour.

  Obi-wan came to a stop and turned to Ahsoka as she watched him.

  “I’ve spoken with Anakin Skywalker,” Obi-wan said, “The inside of the Temple is monitored. We can risk talking out here.”

  “Skywalker?! The traitor to the Republic, who knew all about the CIS and didn’t tell anybody in the Republic when he could have stopped all of this? What did you talk to him for?”

  “Ahsoka, the war was inevitable. Anakin was right. Something that important was unstoppable beyond a certain point. He tried to do the right thing in warning us. You must know the kind of risk that he must have taken to talk to us about it even in the vaguest terms.”

  “I… I guess. But still, why talk to him now? Why are you being so strange?”

  “Ahsoka, I want to give you an important choice. I don’t want you to take this lightly, it is rather significant to your future path either in or out of this Jedi temple. But I will respect whatever final decision that you make.”

  “O-Okay? Master…”

  “I wish for us and many other dissatisfied Jedi to leave the temple,” Obi-wan said, “Break free of the Council and the Republic. And behave neutrally and sit out this war.”

  Ahsoka gasped, her eyes looking like they would pop out of her head.

  “Master!” she said scandalously, “That would be betraying the Republic! Why would you do something like that?”

  Obi-wan was silent for a moment before shaking his head.

  “The Council wants all of us to go to war on the Republic’s behalf. Even the padawans like yourself. You’ve seen it with your missions here on Coruscant that they’ve assigned to you, which are only the lowest stake missions that you would ever be on in a war. For us personally, they are making moves against me again. If we remain at the Temple then we will be separated, and I will no longer be your master. Your Jedi Knight trials coming up tomorrow will be a sham, a way to put you back under the Council’s sole authority whether you’re actually ready or not. Surely you must realize how irregular your sudden trials are.”

  Ahsoka had a complicated look on her face as she nodded, “I… Really? You don’t think I’m ready?” she asked.

  “No. You’re very talented for a padawan. But you’re not ready yet to be a full Jedi knight. I believe that this is a similar situation as it was with Anakin. The Council believes that you remaining under my care will corrupt you and make you wish to not join the war effort either.”

  “The Council… They wouldn’t…”

  Ahsoka trailed off as she tried to deny it before giving up and slouching slightly.

  “Maybe,” she admitted reluctantly.

  “That said,” Obi-wan said, “I will be leaving the Temple with a group of other like minded Jedi that I’ve been discussing things with for some time that also don’t like how the Council is running our Order. I would like you to join us as we go. And remain on the sidelines away from the war hopefully. Devote yourself to training and being a peacekeeper rather than a soldier. Anakin was correct that soldiers do not always kill for the most moral reasons, in the chaos of war. That isn’t the kind of thing you would want on your conscience. Or you can remain here in the Temple without me, and devote yourself to the Republic. Join the war despite your age and fight for the grand Republic. I can not force you to join me. But I would like you to.”

  “Master… What are you even going to do? You’re leaving the Jedi Order? Haven’t you been a Jedi your whole life? A lot of Jedi look up to you, with your talent in the Force and how you act so diplomatically with everyone. What would you do if you weren’t a Jedi?”

  “We’re not leaving the Jedi Order,” Obi-wan corrected, “We’re bringing it with us. We will form a new Jedi Order. A branch following the same code. Just without the Council. Many forget that. The way of the Jedi is a way of life, not an organization. Or at least it doesn’t have to be.”

  Ahsoka looked confused, “But what about the grandmasters? Without their guidance and all of the teachings of the archives, how will anyone learn?”

  “That’s where Anakin can assist us,” Obi-wan said, “Count Dooku obtained a copy of all of the temple records some time ago. If we agree to be neutral in the war then he will give them to us.”

  “Why would he do that? Isn’t that working with a traitor to the Republic?” Ahsoka asked, even if her accusation wasn’t as heated as it might have been if Obi-wan had mentioned it earlier in the conversation.

  “Every one of us that leaves and remains neutral is one less Jedi that the Republic has fighting for them in the war. Anakin has promised me that despite any Separatist assistance we may receive, we will never be forced to fight in any war. It was one of the key promises I managed to get from Dooku once Anakin allowed me to speak to him directly to finalize the last details.”

  “I don’t know, Master. It feels like betraying everything that the Jedi stand for. To just leave the Republic and sit on the side as soon as the Republic is actually under threat from war,” Ahsoka said, although her face was thoughtful rather than the reflexive denials from before.

  “Should we do immoral things for peace? Kill innocents for the greater good? Maybe we should. But I would not like to be part of it. That would be the true betrayal to our ideals. At least that’s the conclusion that I’ve come to myself.”

  Ahsoka didn’t answer.

  “Three days,” Obi-wan said as he saw her disturbed expression, “At any point, feel free to call me and have us speak somewhere secure again. Discuss this more. But you must make your decision within three days if you want to stay here or leave with me and the others.”

  “Are… Are the other padawans going too?” Ahsoka asked cautiously.

  “It depends on their masters,” Obi-wan said, “All will be given the choice on the day of, but only a select few will be informed ahead of time like you have been. Make sure to not speak of this to anyone. Can I trust you to do that? The others and I will be leaving peacefully, and it’s only for a few days more you have to keep the secret.”

  Ahsoka was silent before giving him a jerky nod.

  “I promise, Master. I’ll keep it secret. I have… a lot to think about.”

  “As I said, if you need to talk with me more about this, just let me know. But it would be best for you to gather your own thoughts first. Let’s return to the temple for now. And remember, not a word of it inside of the Temple walls. The whole place is being monitored by the Council in one way or another.”

  “Yes, Master… Let’s return.”

  They went back inside the temple walls.

  — —- —

  Ahsoka and Obi-wan spoke four more times in more depth over the next few days. Ahsoka went through her sham Jedi Knight trials and came back dissatisfied and a little depressed at her new title. It seems that she had fully realized that she hadn’t earned it and the Council had rigged the trial in her favor from the beginning.

  It was the last day and they were sitting out in the park just outside of the temple together. Ahsoka hadn’t said anything the whole time after telling him that she wanted to talk again.

  Obi-wan let her keep her silence and waited patiently for her to begin.

  “You were right,” she said, “It was a sham. I never thought that becoming a Jedi Knight would feel like this.”

  “You can still earn it. Despite what I said, you’re close. Give it a few more years of training and you’ll be able to pass them in truth. If you choose to stay or leave.”

  “I understand.”

  She went silent again and the two of them watched the people of Coruscant walk by as they sat on the park bench together.

  “I’ve decided,” Ahsoka said, “I’ll go with you. I’ll join the new order of Jedi.”

  Obi-wan blinked at the sudden declaration, “And you’re sure? It’s not a decision that you’ll be able to take back easily once it’s made.”

  Ahsoka wavered for a moment before nodding firmly.

  “Yes. I’ve been thinking, and you’re right. I don’t want to be ordered to do something immoral if I were to become a soldier. We can help where we can, without joining the war as soldiers. Without... Fighting for the Republic.”

  Obi-wan nodded, proud of her conclusion.

  “It will happen in two days. The announcement and our departure. Prepare yourself for that day. And maybe think of what you will say to your fellow padawans. They won’t have as much time to think about their choices as you have been.”

  “How will we leave with so many people?” Ahsoka asked.

  “Leave that to me and your elders. Despite our trust, the specifics of the plan aren’t something that I can share with you just yet. Not when there’s even the smallest chance of being overheard, even in this public park.”

  “Okay. I trust you, Master. I’ll think about what to tell them.”

  — — —

  Obi-wan took a deep breath and glanced over at Plo Koon. It had been a great risk to their plan to contact the grandmaster and explain their intentions. Obi-wan hadn’t had a personal connection to the grandmaster sitting on the Council. But his allies in the conspiracy had insisted that he would be sympathetic to them and their plan. And from what he could tell it had paid off. Plo Koon was just as dissatisfied with the recent decisions of the Council as many others.

  He was already a war veteran from a large border skirmish with an unaligned medium sized coalition of planets decades ago, and while the grandmaster personally wished to fight for the Republic, he also wished to let those who didn’t wish to do so to remain neutral.

  All Plo Koon had wanted in return for his help was a promise that they would remain truly neutral and not assist the Separatists in the war. That was his only price for assisting them in their task. A condition that Obi-wan and his co-conspirators easily agreed to.

  Plo Koon led the way into the Council chamber where all the other grandmasters sat. The man nodded at Obi-wan and his two Jedi Masters flanking him before going to sit in his chair.

  “Obi-wan,” Grandmaster Windu said with a note of annoyance and even confusion as he squinted at the two Jedi masters obviously flanking Obi-wan on either side, “What is your business with the Council today? Grandmaster Plo Koon said that it was an urgent matter?”

  “It is indeed,” Obi-wan said with his chin raised slightly, “I shall get right to business. The Jedi are not an organization. It is a way of life, a code. An ethos to preserve peace, justice, and to commune with the Force and improve ourselves. I do not believe that this temple represents the best way to follow this ideal any longer. We are not soldiers, we are peacekeepers. So, a new Jedi Order will be founded by myself and other like minded masters will be formed and go out and embody those true ideals that are the true basis of our Order.”

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  He gestured to the two Jedi masters behind him who nodded in confirmation with serious expressions on their faces.

  “A New Jedi Order that returns to our roots, where we help who we can and do what is right regardless of what government or group is perpetrating that injustice. We have chosen to call this new order the Ranja Roots Jedi Order. A reference to the ancient Ranja roots, in reality a mycelium fungus that ferries nutrients through the soil and sustains the whole forest with nutrients ferried through its network to places where the soil would normally be too poor for anything but the smallest shrubs to grow. Just like this, our new Jedi Order will provide nutrients and do good for the whole forest rather than the single strong but inflexible thousand year old tree that the Republic and our current Jedi Order is today.”

  All of the Council was in shock, except for Plo Koon. Even Grandmaster Yoda was slumped against his chair and clutching his chest as if having a heart attack. Obi-wan peered at the green man in concern and Yoda waved him off to indicate that he was fine after taking a moment to recover from his shock.

  “This is a betrayal to the Republic!” Windu shouted after spluttering in surprise for a few moments, “It is our duty to defend it, as we have for over a thousand years…”

  “It is the Old Jedi Order’s duty,” Obi-wan interrupted, “But not for the Ranja Roots Order. We will remain neutral in the war between the separatists and the Republic. And we will accept any Jedi or padawan who wants to join us in doing so.”

  “Betrayal…” Windu said a little weakly before perking up again, “A Separatist plot! You’re looking to weaken the Republic to help them! I’m afraid that you are under arrest for your…”

  “Now Master Windu,” Plo Koon interrupted, “Let’s not be hasty. They informed me of their intentions two days ago, and I happen to agree with them. If they wish to leave and remain neutral, then I see no reason why we have the right to deny them. So long as they remain truly neutral and do not support the Separatists, then I will support the establishment of this new Order.”

  The Council started bickering, all of the Grandmasters arguing as Obi-wan and his two companions remained there silently. Of the twelve Grandmasters on the Jedi Council, only Plo Koon and two others seemed supportive of the formation of the new Order. Another two seemed somewhat neutral and genuinely considering Plo Koon’s arguments, and six were staunchly opposed and Grandmaster Windu especially was outraged that the issue was even a debate based on the tightening of his expression more and more as time passed. Grandmaster Yoda remained silent, observing the proceedings with a keen eye as the conversation swirled and shifted around him as the arguments went back and forth in the room.

  “Disagree with this new Order, I do,” Yoda suddenly said, silencing all of the others instantly despite only speaking softly, “Only instability and chaos, will it bring. The Jedi have remained a unified whole for millennia. Conflict, competition, bad feelings, a division between us, such an organization would create. We in the Council understand your frustrations, Obi-wan. If you truly do not wish to fight, then fight you will not be obligated to. There is no need to split from our Order. These wounds that you have, can be mended. Keep our ancient Order whole, we must.”

  “I think there is a misunderstanding here,” Obi-wan said, “For one, Grandmaster Yoda. While we respect your guidance, there is no guarantee that any such promises will be kept once the war escalates. The Old Jedi Order is beholden to the Republic and if they ask for us to fight then we may not have the standing to refuse. And there have been years of decisions from this Council that have broken that trust with us. No, we are not asking you for permission to leave. We are leaving, all of us today. We are simply informing you of our intentions so we may split peacefully and without any need for further conflict and that we will accept anyone who wishes to come with us when we go. Even now those in the know are spreading the word in the Temple and offering people their chance to step away from this war.”

  There was a moment of tense silence as Obi-wan stared down the Council.

  “This will not go unanswered. By either this Council or the authorities of the Republic. They will find out if you’re working with the Separatists,” Windu warned with gritted teeth.

  Obi-wan nodded.

  “Go,” Windu said with a sharp gesture with his hand, “The Council must discuss what to do with this mess that you've dropped at our feet.”

  Obi-wan nodded again and left the Council chambers confidently with his two allies flanking him. Less than thirty seconds of walking down the halls later a wide eyed Jedi Knight appeared around the corner.

  “Master?!” the man said as he looked to the Jedi Master to Obi-wan’s right, “Is it true? You’re going to establish a new Jedi order? Leaving the temple today?”

  “Yes,” the woman said, “Follow after us, Felix. We’ll be going to the dueling ring. We’ll answer everyone’s questions there. Anyone who wants to go with us can go. I hope that you choose to do so, Felix. But I’d understand if you wished to stay and remain here in the Old order.”

  “Old order…” Jedi knight Felix said in a strange tone, “It’s really happening, Master? It all feels so sudden…”

  “Sometimes a change for the better is frightening,” she replied, “But come, let’s keep walking. I’m sure that all of the other padawans, knights, and masters have questions of their own.”

  The three of them as the leaders of the conspiracy with Felix trailing behind went to the dueling ring to find it already packed with what must be nearly the whole population of the Temple. It seems that word had spread fast, and Obi-wan saw many of those in the know surrounded by groups of others and in heated discussions with the much larger crowd of people around them.

  Obi-wan and the two others climbed onto the dueling stage itself and stood there, leaving Felix behind as they looked out to the crowd.

  “Hello everyone!” Obi-wan said, the dueling ring amplifying his voice, “We are here to answer any questions you may have. First off, yes. This is not a rumor, the new Ranja Root Jedi Order exists and is splitting off from the Old Jedi Order that we and this galaxy have known for millennia. We will not be supporting the Separatists, or the Republic, in the war. We will be neutral, and that is all. We will accept anyone who does not wish to become a soldier or experience the horrors of war for themselves. We will still do good in the galaxy, but on our own terms. Not for a government like the Republic that unfortunately is flawed just as every government of sentient beings must be. We will leave this Old Jedi temple at the end of the day, and take anyone who wishes to come along with us. We will now take questions.”

  He nodded to the other two and they all walked towards the edge of the dueling stage to a different section of the crowd. They were all bombarded with questions and one by one began to answer them. From the youngest wide eyed padawan to the oldest skeptical master with long beards.

  Obi-wan had to weather them all. He wasn’t sure what were harder to answer. The old masters asked intellectual philosophical questions, asking them about the doctrine and philosophy of the new branch of the Jedi Order. While many were offended and argued about their duty to the Republic, many of the wisest seemed thoughtful and didn’t seem opposed to the idea of a second ‘branch’ of the Jedi Order in principle. They liked it when Obi-wan was able to cite the ancient accounts of wandering Jedi before a central authority was established. The appeal to history and returning to the ‘roots’ of the Jedi Order seemed to be an appealing concept to them.

  Meanwhile the padawans and younger Jedi cared less on the academics and were more focused on politics and the practicalities. Where this Order would be placed, how the Republic would respond, if there would be consequences for them joining…

  Obi-wan found these questions harder to answer than the old masters' more sedate but precise ones. He frankly didn’t know the answers to many of the practical questions. A planet had been chosen for them to establish themselves on. A newly terraformed world on the outer rim that had barely a dozen settlements on it, with plenty of room for them to live and build a new Jedi temple.

  They’d contacted the locals already, and with a hefty one time payment they’d been more than happy to accept a Jedi settlement and sell the land in the area that Obi-wan and his compatriots had chosen to settle on.

  Not that it was strictly necessary to do that as the planet was practically wide open with little concept of land ownership just yet. But still, best to be friendly with the neighbors. And shore up any legal claims for later just in case of retaliation by the Republic against them.

  But there were so many other things to consider, that that information barely lasted him through the first few minutes of questions from the crowd.

  He answered all of the practical questions that he could except for the way that they all would be leaving the planet.

  He didn’t want to give the Council or the Republic a chance to stop them from peacefully leaving by revealing the method too early.

  After many hours of discussion later, the milling crowd of Jedi young and old was still discussing whether they would join the new Order or remain behind. By now any concerns about the legitimacy of the offer had faded away as a few of the old and wise masters declared their intentions to join the newer order themselves and lent the new Ranja Root Order their legitimacy and own reputations in support.

  Most of the older Masters and Jedi wished to remain, but nearly a fifth had declared their firm intentions to leave by now, which meant that it wasn’t a small number who wished to go either. And more masters were wavering, even if they weren’t fully convinced just yet.

  Among the padawan and younger crowd, that proportion of who wished to go was even higher. By Obi-wan’s estimation nearly half of them had already declared that they wanted to go, while only a tiny number were absolutely firm in wanting to stay. It seemed to be breaking along master padawan lines so far, with the padawans following their masters lead if they chose to leave. But the opposite wasn’t true. There were many padawans who desired to leave despite their masters wishing to stay in the old order. Even now the masters and padawans in many places argued, trying to convince the other to stay or go.

  Many of the statements of their intent to leave were likely just ones of youth and excitement to follow the crowd. But Obi-wan could see that nearly all of the padawans were tempted, especially when many of their padawan friends had already decided that they wished to go with the new Order.

  Then the Council and the Grandmasters themselves made an appearance. Alongside them was the director of Republican Intelligence with a severe expression on his face as he surveyed the milling crowd. Seeing the grandmasters approaching, all conversation in the large room petered out as everyone focused on the group.

  “It is our decision as the Council,” Windu said loudly with an almost constipated expression on his face as the members of the Council came to a stop at the entrance of the room, “That any who wish to join this new Ranja Roots Jedi Order shall be allowed to do so and be able to leave peacefully. However, if it is found that this new Order is working with the Separatists to undermine the Republic, then they will be declared enemies of the state and any members will be responsible for any anti-state activities that they may engage in during their time away from the true Jedi Order. Consider carefully your decision before leaving this Temple that has nurtured the Jedi in the heart of our beautiful Republic for over a thousand years. There will be consequences to joining this false new Order. It remains to be seen what those consequences will be. That will be all.”

  Without taking any questions, the Council turned on their heels again and left, the director of Republic Intelligence. To everyone’s surprise, a few minutes later Plo Koon returned by himself and waded into the crowd to give his own opinions on the issues. He quickly drew a massive crowd around him as everyone looked to him for guidance. He remained neutral, saying that it was an individual’s choice on the merits on whether to join the new Order. But that he personally supported the existence of the new Jedi Order branch as an organization that should be formed. And that he didn't begrudge anyone for joining the Ranja Root Order despite his own desire to support the Republic in the war.

  This convinced many of the Jedi Masters who had been wavering on the edge, and by the time the sun of Coruscant was setting the situation had changed dramatically.

  By the time Obi-wan and the two other leaders started leading the large group of Jedi out of the Temple, they had gained quite the number. Nearly a third of the oldest and wisest masters had decided to leave. Of the younger masters, they had held on a little stronger and a little less than a sixth of them had chosen to leave in a surprising reversal to what Obi-wan had initially expected of them.

  Among the Jedi Knights, a fifth of them had decided to leave. It was far and above more than Obi-wan had ever expected to agree. But it seems that between Plo Koon’s endorsement and the discussions of them becoming soldiers rather than sticking to their idealistic values, many had been convinced. They were younger and while many wanted to fight, just as many also wanted to help on their own terms rather than be forced to so in a war. The number of them joining the Ranja Root order was more than Obi-wan had thought possible. He had almost expected none of them to join him, considering how eager to fight most of them were.

  Among the padawans, despite nearly all of them declaring that they wanted to go at some point, many backed out. Only a small fraction, one hundreth or less of them, decided to leave in the end.

  All told there were roughly ten thousand Jedi Knights alone in the galaxy. Of the Jedi Masters, it was probably another two or three thousand of them. And of the padawans or younger, another thirty or forty thousand. Not all padawans were destined to become Jedi, and many failed their tests or trials at some point and either became support staff or went into the wider galaxy to strike out on their own path. And the life of a Jedi was dangerous even in peaceful times.

  Of those numbers, the Jedi Order were spread out around the galaxy and not all at the Jedi temple. But even with that, the crowd that Obi-wan out of the doors of the Jedi temple was leading was filled with over four thousand Jedi or padawans all together. Many Jedi had returned to the Temple in the advent of the war to receive their new assignments so there were more of them here than there would be in peaceful times.

  They all walked through the streets of Coruscant, pedestrians gawking at the procession of Jedi walking together along the road.

  After two miles or so of walking, they finally reached the spaceport, Republic security forces circling around in their vehicles and slowly having more and more soldiers surrounding them on all sides.

  Personally, Obi-wan thought that the show was a bit much. They were a group of four thousand Jedi. If they all attacked at once, there was almost no amount of non-Force users that would be able to counter them. Not that it would come to that.

  They entered the spaceport and generally interrupted normal business as they all made their way to the designated set of terminals that Obi-wan and his allies had reserved. A whole portion of the spaceport was dedicated to their shuttles up to orbit.

  And despite the tension from everyone, the next few hours went smoothly with their sets of designated shuttles taking groups up to the central massive cargo ship that Obi-wan had bought for their use.

  The massive cargo ship was easily large enough to accommodate double their number now that it had been emptied of its normal cargo. It would be what the new Ranja Root Order would be using to live on temporarily while they established their colony on their new homeworld.

  Obi-wan was the last one to leave, giving a short nod to the Director of Republican Intelligence who was glaring at him with a sour look on his face among the clustered group of Republic soldiers forming a perimeter around them.

  “You are all traitors,” the director shouted loudly as Obi-wan stared at him, “We’ll find your separatist connections. I knew we should have never trusted the Jedi. You’ll all pay for your betrayal of the Republic.”

  Obi-wan ignored the comment and turned around and entered the last shuttle ready to leave.

  It was time to do the hard work of establishing the new branch of the Jedi Order. But things had gone well so far. Many more had been convinced to come than Obi-wan had expected in the beginning.

  It seemed so strange that only a few weeks ago that all of this started. And Ahsoka was here and going with him. Without the Council she could train and be a girl for just a bit longer before being forced to confront the darker portions of the galaxy.

  Obi-wan didn’t relax until the cargo ship finally exited into hyperspace away from Coruscant.

  The newly founded Ranja Root Jedi Order had made it away without any violence.