Hello everyone, just FYI, I will be taking the 19th and 22nd off. Thank you for your patience!
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Despite my confident, gung-ho words, we did not immediately set about gathering everyone we could think of to go over the idea. Instead, I suggested that the Jedi spend some time putting the concept down on paper, or a datapad in this case, so they could better organize their thoughts, fine-tune their ideas, and so we could share the concept more easily.
I gave them the rest of the day and the following day before going around to organize the meeting. The obvious people were invited, but I also invited Corvak, Vi Galti, Ezra and Sabine, Luke, who would be attending through a holoprojector, as well as several other people. We would be meeting in the lecture hall, where we would use a format that had worked well for us so far and that we had refined since our last use.
Basically, people who were invited sat at the front of the hall, while anyone who wanted to attend could sit in the back, as well as the secondary hall, which would be connected through projectors. The people invited would do the speaking, while the people watching could send messages via data pad to the people who had been, who could then voice those questions if they thought it was necessary. It was mostly to keep the meeting open without slowing it down, since we tried to actually focus on every question from every padawan and private, nothing would ever get done.
In a less close-knit situation, it might not have worked, as requiring your boss or leader to voice concerns, if your concerns were about them, or negatively affected them, or were in a tone or on a subject they didn't approve of, would undoubtedly cause some issues, especially with how some Jedi gained holier-than-thou attitudes as they got older.
Thankfully, most of our people knew that I would rather hear about a problem than not, and the groups were too interwoven for issues with one leader to not to reach the ears of another.
When the meeting arrived a full day later, we convened inside the lecture hall, and there was immediate concern about a shift in power. I had been very clear to all groups and people that had joined, which mostly consisted of Jedi, Mandalorians, and a few smaller groups, that I would not tolerate power blocs forming inside the Skyforged Vanguard or its civilian counterparts. The groups forming around the builders, shop owners, and more were close enough to make myself and others pause, but everyone seemed to understand that those groups needed spokespeople, and forming these loose groups was the best way to organize that.
Forming the Skyforged Consortium, however, would run counter to my words directly, and I honestly couldn't disagree. The Consortium would consist of many warriors, be they Jedi, clones, Mandalorians, or anything else. They would also have some level of autonomy, even if I would be in control over just exactly what they could do. That, plus the fact that they would likely have quite a few members, basically meant that even if they swore off any sort of power, simply changing their own policies would affect the greater whole. Whether they wanted to or not, they would have power.
In fact, any sort of Jedi Order, in whatever form, ran counter to what I had been working on. As long as they lived here and had enough of our people inside their organization, then it was going to be an issue.
Now, part of me wanted to wave it off and tell them to get over it. The situations were clearly different. The most vocal of those speaking up were Mandalorians, which was unsurprising as I had been the hardest on them about the concept. But comparing Mandalorian history to the history of the Jedi was ridiculous, as the Mandalorians had been causing their own issues for thousands of years. Comparing their history to a newly reformed Jedi faction wasn't fair. Sure, the Jedi have a long history of being idiots, but not nearly as often as the Mandalorians, and this was such a massive attempt to fix their previous mistakes that it felt wrong to compare them.
In the end, however, I couldn't deny that they were right. Power blocs inside the Skyforged Vanguard were something to be avoided at all costs. They paralyzed governments and groups and, more often than not, caused the rise of more extreme groups that competed for power.
Even if, or more precisely when, I was no longer directly leading the Skyforged, even if my successor didn't agree with all my policies, having their power unimpeded by political bullshit would let them act quickly and decisively. Sure, how well that went would depend on their own skill and direction, but that was leagues better than the Republic would have been, with constant political bullshit locking them in place, keeping them from doing what needed to be done.
The debate continued for some time, ironically locked at an impasse, looking for a solution. It was a Knight, one of Amescoll's group, who finally started us on the path to a solution. Rather than looking for a single large solution, we could implement several smaller ones to prevent the group from consolidating and exerting undue weight.
Personally, I wasn't worried about that happening at the moment, but I had to admit it was something worth preventing in the long run. Memories from some of the Jedi-focused books proved that the Jedi were just as capable of being stubborn, contrarian assholes as normal politicians.
The first change we agreed to was the removal of the Consortium's independence, specifically by making the funds come from the Skyforged Vanguard, rather than building up accounts themselves. They would still be seizing criminal assets as they worked, but now that funding would go to the Skyforged, and any money they needed would come from us.
Not only would this make it easy for people to check what they were up to, but it would also add a layer of dependence that would prevent uncontrolled growth.
Pushing the concepts of dependence and openness further, we agreed that every aspect of the Consortium would be publicly accessible. All records of mission reports, training, resources, and money spent would be easily found and read by any civilian who was so inclined.
A bit later, we agreed to abolish any leadership or ranks within the organization. This caught some flak at first, but as we discussed it, the idea unfolded into something that seemed relatively functional.
Essentially, instead of ranks like Padawan, Knight, Master, and Grand Master, there would only be Councilors. Councilors function as both Jedi Masters to Padawans and as the leaders of group teachings. If you wanted to learn how to fight with a sword, be it beskar or a lightsaber, you would go find someone you knew was skilled in the style you wanted to learn. If you wanted to learn long-range shooting, you would go find someone who knew that skill.
Alternatively, if you wanted to teach a certain subject you thought was lacking in teachers, you could form a class. All of them would be Councilors, but none of them would hold official Councilor positions, as when they stopped teaching, they would no longer be Councilors, removing the power from the role.
This was obviously drastically different from the Jedi Order, the Consortium's method being considerably more communal and open, which was good for us and those inside the organization, as it meant people were getting multiple teachers, expanding their understanding, and giving them more points of view, not just one single view of their Master.
Some people would gain reputations for one concept or another, including people who consistently held lessons in things like meditation, theories of combat, or negotiation, but that was inevitable in general. People became known for doing things well all the time, after all. But without any power beyond teaching someone who wanted to learn, they wouldn't hold any power or sway. Or they would at least hold considerably less power and sway.
On top of that, it also meant that there wouldn't be an internal organization. People could still be put in charge of things like schedules or quartermastering, but they wouldn't hold ranks over anyone. This would make everyone equal, and while people would respect a seasoned fighter or a skilled diplomat, they wouldn't be able to order people around and influence them into an organized bloc.
The last addition added, for now at least, as there would likely be small adjustments up and down the process to keep power from building up inside the group, was actually an addendum. Because people would frequently be working with the Skyforged Vanguard while still part of the Consortium, in addition to removing ranks inside the group, we also decided that anyone who was a part of the Consortium wouldn't be able to hold ranks outside the group as well.
Anyone joining the Consortium was not allowed to hold or be promoted into a position of power over anyone. They could be respected enough that someone might follow their direction, and an actual superior officer could order someone to cooperate with them, but a member of the Consortium would always be at the level of the combat teams or crew, never the combat leaders, captains, or even in charge of more civilian jobs.
If you wanted to rank up, you could leave the Consortium and rise up the ranks of the Skyforged, but you couldn't do that while still part of it.
It was harsh, and would likely lower the number of people looking to join the group, especially civilians, but in the end, it was necessary to make everyone happy, and keep the group in check as time went on.
This did mean that I wouldn't be able to join the Consortium, and neither could Ezra or Sabine, Vi Galti, Corvak, or several dozen others who would likely have joined, even as just a show of support. Thankfully, all of them seemed to understand the reasoning, and once we assured everyone that not being an active member did not mean they would be kept from spending time with everyone, people were more accepting of the idea.
Shockingly, once the sharp edges and initial knee-jerk reactions were over, the Jedi almost unanimously supported the changes. None of them ever wanted to repeat what had happened during the Clone Wars, so the concept of not holding rank, even being actively denied a rank, was welcomed with open arms. On top of that, being funded rather than providing money themselves would likely smooth out any ups and downs in their funding, which was fine with them as long as they had enough resources to do their jobs. They trusted that I would keep them supplied with what they needed, and that was enough for most of them.
Eventually, after implementing the three major limitations of the organization, we also better defined what the benefits of joining were. Obviously, teaching and learning resources were the primary reason for joining, especially while the Empire was still in power. Funds for projects like lightsaber construction or load-out improvements were also added to the list.
Unfortunately, the Consortium's guild function, where they would act as the hub for those looking to help and for finding people who needed help without them even reaching out, was obviously restricted when the dominant power of the galaxy wanted most of the group dead, especially as they were under our flag. On top of that, sending out anyone in pairs or small groups was usually unwise, lest they be ambushed by Imperial forces. That meant there was no real purpose for solo members, people who joined the Consortium but weren't part of the Skyforged Vanguard.
At the moment, the reasons for joining the group were small, and beyond learning resources, the only real reason to join was that you wanted to. Eventually, reputation and resources would be enough for people to want to join, but for now, the group would likely stay small, which was fine for the Jedi who brought it up in the first place, as it was enough structure to help those of the younger generation who were feeling listless and without direction.
Despite reaching an initial agreement, the concepts and details of the Consortium still took quite some time to discuss. We ended up breaking for lunch and coming back for a few more hours, unsurprisingly to a considerably smaller audience.
In the end, we finished the framework, something that was finished enough to agree to and institute. It was an awfully official process for us, as we tended to be a lot less bureaucratic and much more meritocratic. Although when I said this, Tatnia rolled her eyes.
"Just because you run around blind to your data trail doesn't mean it doesn't exist," She explained, shaking her head. "It's in its early stages, but we do have some developing bureaucracy, mostly around buying and selling stuff. Loans too."
"We do loans?" I asked, causing both Tatnia and Ahsoka to groan, both of them walking out and leaving me in the entrance room of the lecture hall.
In truth, I did know that the Skyforged was developing into something more concrete, an actual entity rather than a mercenary band and its attached retinue. I was just messing with them for the most part. I had absolutely no head for paperwork and very little in the way of bureaucratic skills, so I did my best to stay out of the way as much as possible.
After a moment, I stood up and followed the pair out, who had been joined by Julus, who had been napping in the back corner of the hall, having long since stopped being interested in what we were doing. Plenty of Jedi were still around, as were some of the magic users, a lot of them intermingling. I made a mental note to ask people to start selecting the next group of magic users, as it had been a full month and a half since we debuted the first group.
"So, do you think this is going to work?" Julus asked bluntly as we walked, Tatnia and Ahsoka turning to hear my response.
"I think it will work well enough that we can find what's wrong with it and change it before it implodes," I admitted. "That's the real key, spotting and changing issues rather than stagnating."
"Like the last system," Ashoka said.
"Exactly. This is a good start, good enough to fill the void that needs to be filled," I continued. "No doubt in a few months someone is going to realize we missed something stupid, and we can all sit down and figure out what we want to do about it. It will serve as a framework at the least, and if we are lucky, it will be the seed that grows into something new and amazing."
All four of us continued to walk, taking our time as we made our way through the city. Ahsoka and I invited Julus and Tatnia to our house for dinner, which they accepted. It was a surprisingly domestic moment, especially right after spending most of the day with Jedi, Mandalorians, and mages about setting up a pseudo guild.
Eventually, after Tatnia and Julus left for the night, Ahsoka and I spent a while sitting on our couch, reading and enjoying each other's company.