Qui-Gon had felt the ship drop out of hyperspace and could hear the sublight engines kick in. He estimated they would land in twenty to thirty minutes, depending on the traffic entering and exiting Coruscant's atmosphere. He knew it was evening on the planet, but that mattered little. Coruscant never slept.
He adjusted the sleeping baby in his arms. He had held her the entire trip, unable to put her down. He would forever be in Madame Thelcar's debt. She had guided the Jedi and his young charge safely to the waiting transport. When the time came, the woman seemed reluctant to let the child go. The little girl was the last link she had to Kayda. Tears streamed down her face as she gently kissed the baby's forehead, bidding her farewell. Madame Thelcar then thanked him for saving the baby, making him promise to find her a good home. He had watched her leave. The woman blended into the shadows as she retreated and he hoped she would be well.
Qui-Gon would be true to his promise. He would find the child a good home. The only question was where? His mind told him the obvious choice, and the only choice, was the Temple. He could already tell the infant was strong in the Force. There would be no way to know how strong until they reached the Temple.
He knew she should be trained. The Force itself was telling him this child must be trained. Depending on how strong a child was, it could be detrimental to an individual's well-being to build a life without proper instruction. They grew up never understanding their abilities as well as being shunned by the society they are raised in. It is much easier to be different in a large group of similarly distinct beings.
But, the life of a Jedi was a hard one. A Knight was always on the move. They often found themselves in life-threatening situations. It was far more frequent for a Jedi to be cut down too young than to live out full lifespan. Qui-Gon knew that this life was right for him. It was what he wanted. But how was he supposed to make this decision for another? Could he sentence his own daughter to such a life?
He had always wondered what parents of potential Jedi felt on the day their children were taken from their loving arms. Now he knew. He felt torn in half. He loved her and Qui-Gon suspected that he had since the moment he saw her face and knew she was his. It was amazing how quickly it had all come. He felt the compulsion to protect and be there for her. To raise her. There was so much he had already missed. He had not been there when she was born. He had not been able to watch her grow and would never be able to do so. He knew that no matter what happened in the next few hours, Qui-Gon would be separated from her.
Leaning his head back, Qui-Gon closed his eyes and sighed. When the time came, he knew he would do what was right. What the Force told him to do. He had always deferred to the Living Force and this time would be no different. No matter what it cost him. He was a Jedi and though he might go against the Jedi Council from time to time, he would never defy the will of the Force.
Glancing down, he saw that the infant was wake and watching him. "Hello little one, I hope I didn't wake you." His use of the term "little one" jogged something in his memory. "I suppose you need a proper name don't you?" Qui-Gon studied his child. He had never named anything before, let alone another human being. "Well, my mother's name was Ursula," he mused out loud. The baby made a face at him and Qui-Gon could not help but laugh. He was not sure if she detested the name or if it was just gas, but he decided to err on the side of caution. "I'll take that as a no."
His mind sifted through all the names he had ever come across in his travels. He found none of them appealing. Deciding to continue with his original idea, he tried to remember all the names he had heard in relation to his biological family. Nothing connected. Qui-Gon cast his thoughts wider, letting them drift to his birth planet in general, remembering all that he loved about it. He recalled the sunrise he had witnessed less than a week ago. The sky had been ablaze with the exquisite hues of yellow and orange. It had been one of the most beautiful things he had ever saw.
"How about Amber?" he asked to no one in particular, continuing to watch the child. She was pulling at a small part of his robe that was beginning to fray. He smiled down at the baby. "Amber." he said quietly. The name seemed to fit her somehow. Amber gave the material a good yank and Qui-Gon reached out a hand to stop her from unraveling the whole of his robe. It was the first time he had actually touched the baby's skin. Irrational as it was, he had been afraid to do anything short of hold her, fearing he might harm her in some way. The baby looked so small compared to the large Jedi Knight.
It was immediate. As soon as his fingers brushed the soft skin of her tiny hand, there was a surge in the Force. Their eyes connected, as if it was the first time either had truly looked at each other. Qui-Gon began to see images. Most were blurry or unintelligible, but some where more clear. Numerous images of Madame Thelcar flashed through his mind. Qui-Gon found himself feeling happy and safe.
Then, he saw Kayda's face. The image lingered longer than most, then disappeared. Everything shifted and he found himself viewing a dimly lit room. He saw Qorbin enter the room, walking past his line of sight. There was nothing to see, but Qui-Gon suddenly felt terrified. He could hear angry voices, which he recognized to be Qorbin and Kayda. Silence filled the air and he felt an immense amount of pain coming from someone else in the room followed by a sudden void. Qorbin reappeared. He was looming over Qui-Gon's field of vision. Qorbin began to reach down, but wheeled around at the last minute. The man retracted his arms and quickly moved away. The image disappeared with him.
Qui-Gon blinked a few times, trying to dispel any lingering effects of entering the baby's mind. The Jedi found that he was sweating and breathing hard brought on by the fear he had felt. Distantly he realized that a bond had just formed between them. That fact was the last thing he was concerned with at the moment however. He was filled with rage. Some of the first feelings his daughter had experienced where pain and fear. Not only that, Amber had witnessed the murder of her own mother. Qui-Gon released as much of his anger as he could to the Force, but a little shred of it lingered. There was nothing to be done to bring Qorbin down. Images projected over a Force-bond could hardly be considered evidence. But, at least now Qui-Gon knew Madame Thelcar had been right.
"We've landed, sir," the Pilot announced. Qui-Gon only nodded as the man returned to the cockpit. The Jedi Knight shook himself. He would have to meditate on all of this later. Qui-Gon rose and holding Amber closer to him, accessed the ramp. Night had indeed descended on Coruscant. The Jedi Temple rose before them, blocking any view of the city that lay beyond. But, Qui-Gon's eyes did not see the Temple as he stepped off the ramp. At the end of the landing platform, standing at the entrance, stood Master Yoda.
Qui-Gon quickly crossed the platform and came to a stop in front of the Jedi Master, bowing. Yoda's gaze took in both the young Knight and the baby he held in his arms. The Master turned. "Come," he said as he re-entered the Temple. Qui-Gon followed.