AN: Thank you to everyone that has reviewed and read this fic! This will be a slow start since its an origin story but eventually we will see some of the old True so please be patient- I have to make it fit into the Jedi way so it's taking me a bit to work that part out. If anyone has any ideas for when I get to that point please feel free to PM me!
The following morning, True woke to find Qui-Gon kneeling with his eyes closed. She didn't know what he was doing but her bladder was ready to burst and she didn't want to interrupt so she slowly got to her feet and slipped outside. When she returned she found Qui-Gon packing up the few items he had in a hurry. "What's wrong?"
"Are you alright?"
"Um, yeah. I just had to pee."
Qui-Gon ran his hand down his face and took a deep breath to center himself. He had been so surprised when he came out of his meditation and saw True was missing that he lost some of his Jedi serenity. He could not explain how the girl left without him knowing.
True saw his expression and knew what he was thinking. "I am really good at moving without being seen or heard, It's why I was sent on so many runs to steal important documents from the Division."
"Another trait you inherited from your Mother." He smiled. "Drove the creche masters insane." True could not be more than eight years old and, while seemingly mature beyond her years due to her circumstances, he could not fathom sending her to do a job normally handled by an experienced adult.
"Drove my brother insane too." She helped him finish packing up. "I know how to get us to the Spaceport without being seen but have no idea what to do when we get there."
"Leave that to me."
True led Qui-Gon further into the cave until they reached a very large rock covered with vines. She pushed it to the side and brought a flame to her hand. "Come on." Once he was through the entrance she pushed the rock back in place and led him through a maze of underground tunnels. At times he was worried that they were lost but True confidently made left and right turns until they came upon a ladder. "When we get to the top we will be in a little used alley just outside the Spaceport."
"I want you to stay here while I find a way to smuggle you onto the transport back to Coruscant. The captain knows I am coming and is not sympathetic to the Division so you will be safe once on board." Qui-Gon said and hurried up the ladder.
It felt like an eternity before he returned and called down to her. When she reached the top she saw a droid holding a container just large enough for her to fit in. "Inside quickly." She slipped inside and tried to hold on as the droid started to move but there was nothing to grasp and her body kept hitting the sides of the container. She had no idea how they were going to get past the checkpoint with the thumping noise but trusted that Qui-Gon had a plan.
She prepared herself for a fight when the droid stopped and she heard Qui-Gon speaking to someone one. She could hear angry voices but not the actual words and after a few tense moments the droid started to move again. When it stopped for the second time the container was opened and True found herself in the cargo hold of a ship. "We will need to remain down here until take off but you are safe now."
Qui-Gon lifted her out of the container and sat her on top of a crate so they were eye to eye. "It is a long journey back to Coruscant and not everyone aboard can be trusted. Once we get to our assigned quarters you will need to remain inside until we arrive. I do not want to risk anyone alerting the Division that you are still alive. Do you understand?"
True nodded. The ship took off not long after she was lifted out of the box and she sighed as some of the tension left her. "How am I supposed to get to my room without anyone seeing me? Jedi mind trick?"
Qui-Gon gave a small laugh. "I cannot mind trick all that we come across." He scooped her up in his arms and wrapped his cloak around her. "Keep your head down. If anyone stops us, remain quiet. Let me handle it."
Luck was on their side and while the Jedi Master was given strange looks, no one spoke to him. Once inside he removed the cloak and placed her on the bunk. "Are you hungry?"
True shook her head no and buried her face into the pillow to hide the tears threatening to spill over. Now that she was on board the truth of her situation truly hit her. Sure she was not physically alone, but she was still alone if that made any sense. She had no family, no friends, no enemies now that they thought she was dead. Her total existence and everything she knew had been wiped out. The thought was terrifying.
Qui-Gon could feel her emotions and thought it best to allow her to rest and grieve on her own for a bit. She was just a child and what she had been through over the past few days would have been too much for an adult to handle. She needed to process what had happened so they could look to her future.
He covered her up with the blanket and took a seat on his bunk. He had already informed the council he was bringing a potential force sensitive child to the Temple, but he did not tell them of her lineage out of fear she would be turned away. Maren was well loved by all and her defection hurt many. He did not want her Mothers past to affect True's future. The question now was if the counsel agreed to train her, was he willing to give up the freedom he had to become her Master.
He would be spending many years teaching and training her in the Jedi Arts and would not be sent on anything more than peace talks until she was old enough for the more dangerous missions. The counsel would not force him to take her on as padawan but the thought of training Maren's child was intriguing. If she were anything like her Mother it would be quite an adventure. He decided to meditate and let the force guide him.
The trip to Coruscant was uneventful if not frustrating. True has spent most of that time lying in her bunk barely eating enough to keep an Alderaan night bird alive. Her grief was all consuming but Qui-Gon was not about to let her wither away into nothing. It took a few threats to force feed the girl to get her to eat enough to stay healthy.
He had taken her to the healers as soon as they landed ten days ago and she had been there since. The healers at the Temple were the best of the best and they made great strides with her health, both physically and mentally. She was still underweight but was no longer considered malnourished and the infection they found had been cleared up. They had even managed to help her control her nightmares so she was no longer waking up screaming each night. Even though he knew they were skilled he was still surprised they'd accomplished that in only ten days.
On the eleventh day she was pronounced healthy enough to leave the ward and was on his way to pick her up to take her to meet the council. He entered the room and froze when he saw her sitting on the side of her bed. The only clothing small enough to fit her were pants and tunic the younglings wore and she looked so much like her mother that it took him a moment to regain his balance. "Are you ready?"
"I'd rather be thrown into a Sarlaac pit."
Qui-Gon smiled and took her hand. "They will not eat you child. They only want to meet you and ask some questions to determine if you should be trained. Come."
Once admitted, they moved to stand in the middle of the room. "My Masters." Qui-Gon bowed.
"This is the child you brought back from Altec."
"Yes. Her name is True."
" How old are you?
True cleared her throat nervously. "I just turned eight."
"A bit too old to begin training." Ki-Adi-Mundi stated.
"The force around you, I feel." Yoda said and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them. "Grieving you are. Alone you feel."
"Yes."
"A Jedi you wish to become?"
True didn't know until this moment that she wanted to follow in her mothers footsteps."Yes."
"Qui-Gon said you have special powers. We would like a demonstration."
A small push from Qui-Gon got her moving and it took only a few moments for True to show them what she could do. She looked at the council and noticed Yoda starting a hole into Qui-Gon but he did not say anything.
"How long have you been able to do this?" Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.
"As long as I can remember. I don't know how I do it, I can just do it. Qui-Gon said my mother could do it too."
"You knew her mother?" A council member asked Qui-Gon.
Yoda spoke before he could reply. "Tell us who this child truly is, you did not." He accused his old Padawan. "This child, daughter of Maren, she is."
Qui-Gon ignored the murmurs and comments from the rest of the council. "Yes my Master. I did not want her lineage to cloud your judgment."
"Take her as your first Padawan,will you?" Yoda asked.
"If I am permitted. I feel the force brought us together for a reason."
"As do I." Yoda closed his eyes again, this time for so long True thought he fell asleep. When he opened them again he looked directly at her. "Agree with you the council does. The child, your Padawan Learner, she will be."
