Chapter 2

Rhys wasn't scared. She could feel in the Force – as Qui-Gon had called it – that this was the correct road to take. She knew that her destiny lay with the Jedi and not on Naboo with her parents. She loved her parents, but they couldn't understand what she'd felt. She would miss them and Sola – even though her four-year-old sister was still angry at her for leaving her behind.

As she waved goodbye to her family from the ramp of the ship, she felt a small hand on her shoulder. She looked over and saw Master Yoda right behind her, beckoning to her. With one last goodbye to her family, Rhys scampered up the ship's ramp and to the side of the little green Jedi. He motioned for her to kneel in front of him that her head was nearly level with his.

"Your first lesson in the ways of the Force will I give you," he said, "The Force is all around us, in every living thing. It connects and binds all life together. We live in harmony with the Force – not just warriors with a lightsaber are we, but protectors of life."

"Master," Rhys hedged tentatively, "I heard Master Qui-Gon speak about midi-chlorians. What are midi-chlorians?"

Master Yoda looked pleased by his new apprentice's curious nature, smiling softly at her questions. He spent the rest of the hyperspace journey back to Coruscant answering her endless stream of questions about the Force, the Jedi, and – strangely enough – his own life. Rhys proved to be insatiably curious about her new Master, loving the ancient Jedi's endless fountain of wisdom and stories. She especially loved the stories about his time as a padawan more than eight centuries ago. Qui-Gon watched the interaction with amusement – his padawan, Xanatos, had been very curious like that.

But Xanatos was gone now, swayed by the power of the dark side. No one had seen or heard of the fallen apprentice since he had turned and fought with Qui-Gon. Since the fall of Xanatos, Qui-Gon had thrown himself furiously into his missions and hadn't even thought about taking on a padawan since. But this curious little girl that had spent most of his time on Naboo pestering him with talk and questions made him yearn for his years spent teaching a child the ways of the Force.

As they neared Coruscant, Qui-Gon gave Rhys a spare set of robes and a tunic that was commonly worn in the Temple. Rhys would eventually get her own sets, but for now she could use the spares. The tunic was a little long and the shirt a little baggy, but the little girl was ecstatic upon receiving them.

Instead of going to one of the larger landing pads, Yoda instructed the pilots to land the shuttle in the holding bay usually reserved for the members of the Jedi High Council. Qui-Gon agreed with the old master – Rhys would most likely be overwhelmed if they entered by way of one of the other landing pads. As soon as they touched down Rhys eagerly scampered to the lowering ramp.

"Padawan," Yoda chided, "By my side is your place." The girl's face fell for a moment, then brightened as she took her place by her master's side.

"Yes, Master," she chirped as she walked beside him. Qui-Gon smiled at the pleased look on the older Jedi's face – Yoda rarely had such a receptive or obedient student.

As they descended the ship's ramp, Qui-Gon could make out the forms of Masters Plo Koon and Ki-Adi Mundi. Both were recent additions to the High Council, and were several years older than he was. They stared at Yoda's new padawan with surprise and amazement as the three met them in the hangar.

"Masters Plo Koon and Ki-Adi Mundi, meet my new padawan, Rhys Talik." Both masters bowed slightly, with Rhys returning the gesture. Qui-Gon gave a small smile of approval – Yoda had taught her much in the small amount of time that they were on the shuttle.

"Master Yoda," Plo Koon said, his voice filtering through the anti-ox mask he wore, "You're needed in the Council chambers." Yoda closed his eyes in thought.

"Very well," he said, then turned to Qui-Gon, "Expect your report, the Council does, Master Jinn."

"Yes, Master," Qui-Gon replied.

Mace Windu was baffled when Yoda insisted on bringing Rhys into the Council chambers. Generally, the Council members with padawans hardly ever brought them into the Council room unless to give them some task or to give their report. Mace tried to argue, but the ancient master simply raised a hand.

"Need this experience, she will, in the future." Mace gave up arguing and sat down in his chair.

"Your report, Master Jinn," Mace said tiredly.

Rhys sat, spellbound, on the floor by her master's seat as she listened to Qui-Gon give his report of the events on Naboo to the Council. The Force was so strong in the room she could practically feel it churning around her. She felt the urge to touch the flow of energy and – like a child stirring a still body of water – produced small ripples in the river of the Force. Yoda immediately felt what his padawan was doing and fixed her with a pointed look. Once Qui-Gon had left, Yoda presented her to the Council.

"Young, she is, but strong in the Force," Yoda said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Powerful she will be," Yaddle, an old Jedi of Yoda's species, said as she pointed to the new padawan. The other Council members seemed to be surprised by her voice, but took her wisdom with great thought.

With those words, the Council dismissed and Yoda took Rhys on a tour of the Temple. She was amazed by the vastness of it all, and didn't bother holding back her questions. Countless other Jedi passed them, bowing to the ancient master in respect. Yoda finally stopped in front of his quarters, where Rhys would stay as his padawan. Yoda showed her to her room, where better clothes had been laid out for her. The girl quickly changed into a cream-colored tunic with brown pants tucked into her boots.

They continued their tour, stopping in front of the Jedi Archives. Jocasta Nu, the wizened keeper of the Archives, met them at the entrance and immediately to a liking to the new padawan. She, too, was pleased by the endless barrage of questions and was all too happy to answer them. Master Nu soon showed Rhys the Archives, explaining every statue and relic as they went. Too soon, in Rhys's opinion, Yoda led her away from the Archives and to the Medical Wing.

"Master Yoda!" Barrit Chopa, a young Togruta healer greeted, "What can I do for you?"

"A midi-chlorian test, my padawan needs, Barrit," Yoda said, guiding Rhys to linen-covered bed. Barrit seemed surprised – he had never heard of the Grand Master having a new padawan, but he saw nothing wrong with a youngling having a midi-chlorian test. Most younglings had their midi-chlorian count monitored for their first few years at the Jedi Temple.

"Of course," Barrit answered, grabbing a data-reader and a small needle. He knelt next to the bed, holding Rhys's hand out. "What's your name?" he asked her.

"Rhys Talik," she answered, curiously gazing at the young healer.

"Well, Rhys, I'm going to poke your finger so that I can get a bit of your blood. It won't hurt much, but it needs to happen, all right?" She nodded her assent and presented a small finger.

True to Barrit's word, the poke did hurt, but the Rhys's pain was soon forgotten as she saw the healer place a few drops of her blood into the data-reader. The small machine made a high-pitched beep, then presented its findings. Barrit stared at the results in confusion – the reading was off the charts, even higher than Yoda's!

"Master, there must be some mistake!" Barrit exclaimed, showing Yoda the data-reader. The old master simply smiled and returned the data-reader to Barrit's hands.

"Confirmed, my suspicions are," Yoda said, turning to go, "Helpful you were, young healer. Come, Padawan. Much more to do today, we have." Rhys gave the dumbstruck healer a winning smile as she followed her master out of the Medical Wing.