AN: Gotta start off by saying the response to the last chapter was insane. I never expected such a large following after just 5 chapters. Thank you so much for the favs and the reviews. I'll do my best to respond to as many as I can, but your guys' reviews are a huge motivation and are much appreciated. As I said at the end of last chapter, this one is going to have a couple of time skips, meaning the flow won't be all that great. My goal was to get to episode 2 by next chapter so the real good stuff can start, but it is looking like I'm going to need one more to get there. Also, there's been some confusion about Tyris's inability to use TK, but I'll touch on that at the end of the chapter.

I knew that the movies didn't do much to explain timelines, specifically during the course of one of the films, but it still surprised me how long it took. It had been three weeks since my run in with Obi-wan, and they still hadn't returned. I was confident that I hadn't done anything to affect this part of the timeline, so expected it wouldn't be that much longer before they showed up with Anakin, Padme, and the people of Naboo in tow.

I hadn't been idle during those three weeks, however. Training continued, Master Bondara still not pulling any punches. Since he had pulled Tac and I out of our general combat classes, he informed us that we would no longer be meeting after curfew. There was still some secrecy surrounding the purpose of our training, as we had been instructed that until we had formally been taken as Padawans to tell anyone who asked we were just receiving more personalized tutelage due to our advanced skill.

I had a feeling that Bondara's more cutthroat and brutal methods would be frowned upon by a majority of the Order. I also suspected there was more to it than that. With his status as Battle Master, I wasn't sure what kind of autonomy he had when it came to the teaching of initiates. Quite possibly no one, save perhaps a few Masters on the Council, outside of the three of us knew the true nature of our meetings.

Finals for the academic side of our schooling had taken place over the course of the last three days. I felt confident that I did very well in Galactic History, Force Theory, and Xenobiology. The more technical classes all I could hope for was that I didn't embarrass myself. With Darra's help, though, I felt I would scrape by in those too. We still had just shy of two weeks before the Apprentice tournament would begin.

I was on my way to our usual dueling chamber for another session with Master Bondara, but it was a different grim visage who greeted me as I walked in.

"Master Windu, forgive me, I must have entered the wrong chamber," I said, doing my best not to trip over myself while backpedaling out of the room as fast as possible.

"Hold, Kelborn," came his rigid voice, freezing me in my tracks. "Come in. I'm aware you were to meet Master Bondara for training. Once Initiate Tac arrives, I will explain my presence."

I entered the chamber and stood across from him, doing my best to avoid his hard and unnerving glare. And that's how I spent the longest and most uncomfortable five minutes of my life until Tac finally showed up.

He paused at the doorway in confusion when he noticed Master Windu, though quickly recovered when the Jedi Master gestured for him to join us.

"Now that you are both here, there are some things we must discuss. Firstly, the council was aware, if not entirely…. enthusiastic, of the personal instruction you both were receiving from the Battle Master."

Well, that answers my questions about if Bondara was flying solo in this venture.

"However, Bondara will no longer be able to conduct these private sessions, and no other has time to continue them. Especially considering the two initiates in question may soon have their own Masters that will take over said training soon anyways."

…. And back to questioning if Bondara restarted the Jedi Shadows of his own volition. If the Battle Master had the backing of the Council, partial or not, when he recruited Tac and I, they wouldn't have just halted our training at the drop of a hat. Something of this importance, resurrecting an ancient sect of the old Jedi Order, wouldn't get the axe because one master had to be delegated elsewhere. It also made sense why Bondara had been so adamant about the secrecy surrounding our status if literally no one knew the purpose of him taking us under his wing, so to speak.

Tac decided to speak before I could reign my thoughts in. "So, we are to re-enter our regular combat courses next term if we are not chosen by a master?"

Windu quirked an eyebrow. "In danger of inflating your egos, I find it doubtful either of you will spend another year at the Temple as an initiate," he said, and the look on his face implied that the compliment, backhanded though it may have been, tasted like vinegar coming out of his mouth.

I inclined my head, "That is very high praise coming from the Master of the Order."

The way he turned his gaze on me, I didn't need to be an empath to know that he already regretted saying that. "The tournament is not far off. The loss of your instructor is no excuse for complacency. Do not become lax in your training thinking that you will so easily best your peers."

And with that, his robes billowed as he strode out of the room.

I glanced at Tac and rolled my eyes. "If sternness and condescension were force abilities, Master Windu would be the most powerful Jedi in history."

Tac just stared at me, emotionless.

….. Or, at least I thought it was emotionless. Though I was quite adept in xenobiology, the nuances of other species' facial expressions and body language still escaped me. I was pretty sure that there was nothing going on though. I sighed.

"You've really gotta work on your sense of humor, buddy," I said in an exasperated tone. "Well, we are already here. Care for a duel? No limits, if you'd like."

This time, Tac deigned to acknowledge me, "Not this close to the tournament, Kelborn. The next time our blades cross will be in the free-for-all. Don't dishonor Master Bondara by being eliminated early. Even with your… disability, I'd be highly disappointed if that happened." And then he was gone, out the door without a backward glance.

A sour look stained my face. The way he had said "disability", like I was somehow less of a Jedi due to my lack of talent in TK. I don't know if that's how he meant to sound, but regardless, it hit the one button I have that will always light a fire under my ass. Intolerance due to difference. I felt a bite of anger hit me, and almost immediately my Jedi training tried to tamp it out. I went to take a deep breath to let it go.

And then, it seemed like a small voice in the back of my head spoke up.

No.

My breath caught, preventing the calming breath from purging the anger. It continued to build, a pressure in my chest, my knuckles going white from clenched fists. I could feel myself getting truly upset, and again, the part of me that had spent the last three years living and training as a Jedi forced me to unclench my hands and, again, tried to center myself with a breath.

NO!

Louder this time, with enough force that it knocked the Jedi part of my mind to the side. Slowly, my hands formed fists again, but they weren't white knuckled any longer. I felt the anger slowly building in me…. but it didn't feel bad. It wasn't clouding my vision, and I wasn't imagining myself pummeling Tac to a pulp, nor was I plotting ways to get revenge on him for what he'd said. I was imagining how sweet it would be if I managed to defeat him during the tournament, regardless of my so-called "disability".

Then it hit me. This anger wasn't poisonous. It wasn't white hot rage where I couldn't see straight. It was a slow burn anger, a bright orange glow, like a stoked forge ready to heat and change metal into a stronger form. This kind of anger wasn't bad. This emotion can spark determination. A desire to better one's self. Anger at inequality spurs people to bring about awareness and change. Anger at injustice leads people to call for reform and unity.

And anger at inability can lead to a personal drive to better one's self.

I facepalmed. Hard. But it wasn't Tyris Kelborn, 8 year old Jedi Initiate who facepalmed himself. It was Tyris Kelborn, the kid who survived the streets of Nar Shadda, who had the mind of a near 30-year old stuck in his body. I had been so caught up and star struck with the fact that I was living as a Jedi, that I just ate up everything I was being taught without question. I shunned my life experiences and hard earned wisdom in the face of wanting to soak up every part of this universe. It was time to start training my way, not the emotionless, detached, "true" Jedi way.

I looked at the rack of training sabers on the far wall and, after a moment of contemplation, set my feet in motion. I'd been passively spending my time here, not doing much to affect the continuity of the universe. It was time to start making a difference.

Line Break

How quickly enthusiasm wanes.

Over an hour later, I was sitting on my knees in the center of the room. Arrayed in front of me was my comlink, a practice saber, and a training remote. I could feel the back of my tunic sticking to my spine from perspiration, and my knees were on fire from sitting in this position for so long. Normally, I'd be meditating while sat like this, which had the side effect of easing aches and keeping me relaxed. However, I was not channeling the force inward this time.

Since my come to Jesus with myself, I'd thrown my energy into rectifying my most glaring weakness. I'd made progress. In fact, using my emotions, I'd made more progress in a half hour on the comlink than I had the whole time I'd been at the temple. Though incredibly difficult at first, the joy I felt at even small progress seemed to compound on itself, fueling my connection to the Force and making further progress easier. I could now move the comlink around quite accurately, if not quickly, without to much effort.

Then I hit a wall. When I moved on to the training saber, I expected it to be more difficult, but in the forty-five minutes since I had switched from the comlink I'd barely made the thing budge. I was feeling a migraine coming on from concentrating so hard on making it move. I knew I was making progress, but something was off. I had a feeling it wasn't that big a leap in difficulty between the mass of the objects. It was almost like I had a mental block preventing me from progressing further.

My inner reverie was interrupted when the door to the room whooshed open, and two cloaked Jedi walked in mid conversation.

"-know, it's just going to take some time my friend."

Both figures stopped when they saw me.

"Tyris?", the taller figure inquired. I wiped some sweat from my brow and actually focused on the pair.

"Master Koth?" I asked. It had been a long while since I had last seen him. Which is unsurprising, really. I don't think initiates have much access to the council members.

"I apologize that we interrupted, Master Halcyon and I were wanting to have a friendly spar and this room seemed to be unscheduled."

It took me a second to place the familiar name and recognize that the other Jedi in the room was Nejaa Halcyon, a Corellian Jedi Master and future grandfather of one Corran Horn. After I shook the shock off, I glanced at the chronometer on my personal data pad and noticed I was well over the time we usually had the room booked for. I sighed heavily before addressing Master Koth.

"No need, Master. I've stayed well past my scheduled time and was just finishing my exercises anyways. The room is all yours," I said as I began to stand and gather the items I had been using. While I was cleaning up, I noticed Koth fold his arms out of the corner of my eye. I'm pretty sure Obi-Wan heard my eyes roll all the way from Tatooine.

"Does something trouble you, Tyris?"

"No, Master Koth, just tired and sore from a rigorous training session and in dire need of a shower," I said, hoping he would leave it at that.

I should've known better. While I literally owe where I'm at almost entirely to Koth, and he was perhaps one of the few Masters I truly respected, I also was aware how painfully nosy he could be.

"Very well. Let me rephrase that, Initiate Kelborn. This room reeks of frustration and stress, you're attempting to vacate the room as fast as possible, and you are being overtly respectful which does not track with your past behavior." His stern gaze softens slightly and he glances over his shoulder towards Halcyon. "Would you mind postponing our bout for a few minutes, Nejaa? I have a….. vested interest in young Kelborn's well-being."

Halcyon waved a hand in the air. "By all means, please. I'm interested as well if you don't mind me remaining. Kelbor's exploits have been like oases of interest during my very dull time being stuck here at the temple."

Well I appreciated Koth's concern for me and was flattered that even Jedi Masters such as Nejaa Halcyon we're keeping up with my progress, my first reaction was to again deny Master Koth and exit quickly, not very likely, or at the least ask Master Halcyon to leave. But, I decided to give it some thought, and realized Halcyon was rather…. well equipped to help me with my current predicament. I once again sighed heavily, then turned to fully face the two Masters.

I looked at them for a long moment before finally beginning to speak. "There are some areas in my training where I seem to excel, Master Koth, and others where my progress doesn't seem to have changed much at all in the years since you've brought me here."

Koth frowned for a second before addressing me again. "Last I checked in all I kept hearing was how much of a savant you were with a blade in your hands, Tyris."

Halcyon chimed in when he heard this. "I believe the initiate is speaking of his difficulty in using the Force to physically influence objects outside of himself, Eeth."

I gazed at the Jedi Master with a quirked eyebrow. "It seems my instructor is a talkative one, particularly about a topic that could be considered an insecurity for a youngling learner at the temple."

Halcyon looked at me for a second before remarking, "Anyone ever told you that you don't speak like someone of your age?"

Koth snorted.

Halcyon continued. "Regardless, there is a reason I was told about this. Your instructors don't blab about their students' difficulties just to gossip."

I sighed once again. I was tired, frustrated, and speaking of my drawback always soured my mood despite whatever situation I was in. I could feel my insolent side rearing its head, especially with my recent embracing of my emotions.

"Yes, Master Halcyon, I'm aware that you are mostly unable to utilize the Force to move things, and I am also aware that you are a practitioner of a certain Force ability that allows you to absorb energy and use it to fuel your power with the Force."

Both Koth and Halcyon looked at me with raised eyebrows. About as dumbfounded as a pair of Jedi Masters could look.

I shrugged. "What? I've been here almost four years with little to no progress in TK. I did some research, wanted to make sure that I could still be a Jedi without it."

Halcyon finally gathered his wits and glanced at Koth. "Well, I think that's enough of that. I always look forward to crossing swords with you, Eeth." He stepped towards one of the racks at the side of the room. "However, it has been many a year since I have contributed to the tutelage of the young minds at this temple." He turned back towards us, now with one of the training remotes in his hand.

"Perhaps it's time to rectify that," he said with a smirk.

My shoulders dropped in defeat when I saw a similar look on Koth's face as well. I had a pretty good idea what Halcyon had in mind, and while I was grateful and very excited at the prospect, I was tired and sore and was not looking forward to the pain I'm sure this training would cause me.

"Well, looks like I won't be getting rest any time soon. Just give me a sec to recuperate, please?"

At this, a sympathetic look actually crossed Koth's face. "It's fine, Tyris, I know you've been working hard. How about a twenty minute break and then we-"

"Eh eh eh, shhh!" I raised a hand and cut him off, ignoring the stunned expression on Koth's face as well as the choking cough that Halcyon let out, which sounded strangely like poorly concealed laughter.

I took a breath and centered myself. In the three years I'd been training, there was one skill I had that, in my opinion, eclipsed even my prodigious martial skills. I allowed myself to fully sink into my connection with the Force, briefly becoming unaware of my surroundings. A warmth started in my chest, before beginning to spread and eventually reaching all my extremities. I snapped my eyes back open, all the aches and pains now gone, feeling completely refreshed, like I had just slept a full eight hours and was ready for a full day's training.

Force Revitalize was definitely my trump card and secret weapon. Until just now, Darra was the only one who knew I was able to use it in a blink of an eye, and even she wasn't aware that it brought me all the way back to one hundred percent. I didn't like relying on it because even though it completely filled my tank and brought me back to peak efficiency, I wasn't at that peak for as long as I would be after a natural rest, and the crash when I eventually did get some rest had me feeling like the day after my 21 run in my original life.

But, man, there wasn't much to compare to going from ready to drop from exhaustion to feeling like I was going to burst with the energy that I had. I imagine it's kind of what doing cocaine would be like. I was so wired that I started bouncing on the balls of my feet and shaking out my arms. The expressions on the two Masters made the feeling all the sweeter.

Koth recovered first, slightly shaking his head and then massaging his temples. "Just when I think that there isn't more that you can possibly surprise me with. We will be talking about this later, Tyris," he said with a slight smirk.

Line break

Some time later, I had made more progress than I thought possible. We had started off quite slowly, with the remotes turned down so low that I'd felt worse shocks walking around on carpet in my socks and then touching something. It wasn't until Halcyon suggested turning the power up high enough that my failure to absorb the energy would have consequences. The next several dozen attempts were incredibly painful.

And then, it finally happened.

Most of the time, when the main character of a book or tv show finally makes some kind of breakthrough involving training or learning something new, it's almost always preceded by some kind of inner monologue or a stirring pep talk from a mentor.

Yeah, I got the pep talk right out the gate, and had that inner monologue after about the twelfth time I got zapped by the remote after it had been turned up. I don't know why it finally worked. Maybe I hadn't been concentrating enough before. Maybe I'd been concentrating too hard. Or, and this was my prevailing theory, the Force had laughed at my pain enough and finally decided to do what I was asking of it.

Whether an act of divine intervention, or, more appropriately, the lack of divine prevention, the next time I got shot, something was different. It still hurt like hell, but there was something, a sort of reservoir, that hadn't been there before. Something I could tap into.

And so I did. I slowly raised my hand, a smirk adorning my face, and reached. Instantly I knew this was different than any attempt at TK I had made before. I felt attached to the remote in a way. I began moving the remote around the room, its actions perfectly mimicking the movement of my arm.

"Excellent, Tyris!" Exclaimed Halcyon. But I wasn't done. I could feel the foreign reservoir quickly draining, and wanted to get my pound of flesh, or rather metal, out of this thing. It had caused me quite a bit of pain, after all.

I whipped my hand towards the wall opposite me, and nearly bounced the remote of the incredulous visage of one Darra Thel-Tanis who, apparently, had just opened the door. I managed to adjust it at the last second, which sent it over her shoulder and out into the hallway. Even with the boost from Force Absorb, looks like I've still got a lot of work to do with my control.

Darra and I made eye contact, and I could tell she was not impressed.

"Uh, oops? Sorry about that Darra!" I said, rubbing the back of my head with a hand. Even to my ears I knew how pathetic of an apology that was, and braced myself for her retribution.

"Sorry?" She started quietly. Oh god, I'm dead. Quiet Darra ranks only slightly below an irked Vokara Che. "Tyris! Those remotes are heavy! You have to be aware of your surroundings if you are going to start whipping it…. around… with… the Force?"

Her tirade stopped in its tracks before it could even get started, ending in a bewildered question as she came to a realization. Her eyes widened and expression softened as she continued to put the pieces together.

"Were you just…?"

"Yep," I stated with a lopsided grin smugly affixed on my face.

She then gestures to the two masters in the room who both wore slightly amused looks. "And they…?"

"That's right," I encouraged.

"But how did you…?"

"Cause I'm a badass," I shrugged, continuing to not let her finish. And then the next thing I know I'm receiving a Force bolstered pinch on the tender part of the back of my arm.

I whirled on my assailant, expecting to see one of the Masters reprimanding me for almost taking Darra out. Instead, I was greeted by a red headed initiate who was glaring at me.

My pain was momentarily forgotten, superseded by the surprise I felt. I stared at Darra for a moment, slack jawed, before pointing to her, to the door she had just vacated, and back again.

"How the heck did you….?"

"Shut up!" She said, interrupting me this time. "Watch your language, Ty! There are two Jedi Masters in the room, but considering your severe lack of awareness, I shouldn't be surprised you haven't noticed!"

At this, I heard another suspect cough, this time coming from Koths direction. I glared over at him for only a second before I was taken completely off guard by the feeling of two arms winding themselves around my waist and pulling me into a fierce hug.

"I'm so proud of you, Ty! I knew you could do it! After all these years, I don't think there's any in our age group who could have flung that remote with such force! This is amazing!" She exclaimed, with the side of her face smashed against my chest and making her best attempt to squeeze my spine out of alignment.

Recovering from my momentary shock, I smiled and returned the hug.

"Wouldn't have gotten to this point without you, DT," I said with a soft smile, enjoying the embrace.

Which got longer.

And longer.

"Uh, Dar?"

"Hmmm?"

"While I love hugs as much as the next person, this one has gone from friendly and quaint to awkwardly long, especially considering the company we have."

I practically hear her eyelids slam open, and then almost as fast as she crossed the room to assault me, she untangled herself and was giving the other occupants of the room a low bow.

"Please forgive my outburst, Masters. That was highly inappropriate."

"Nonsense, child, it is only natural to be excited for a friend who has overcome an obstacle," said Halcyon, waving a hand dismissively.

"Yes, think nothing of it. I find it comforting that young Tyris has friends who care for him," Koth added, smiling at the two of us.

At that, Darra shot out of her bow, ramrod straight.

"Tyris! Speaking of friends, Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan returned almost an hour ago! They were met at a senatorial landing pad and are on their way here now! I've been looking everywhere-"

I was already out of the door.

"Wait!" I absentmindedly heard Darra yell, as well as apologizing to the Masters before making her way after me.

This was the moment I was waiting for. Everything else fell to the wayside. My recent revelation about emotion, my progress, the success of Force Absorb, even the disheveled appearance of myself. None of it mattered. I had tarried far too long without making any meaningful changes, and I wasn't going to let this chance go.

"Wait, Tyris! I don't think they are going to let a couple initiates on the landing pad to receive such an important group! I only know about it because I overheard Master Fisto telling Bant that Obi-Wan was ok and that they would be here soon!"

I looked at Darra out of the corner of my eye for a moment, without breaking my stride.

"You ever have a feeling, Dar, that something important is about to happen? Something that is going to set your course for decades to come? I must speak with Obi-Wan as soon as I possibly can. If I don't talk to them before they leave again, I fear something terrible will happen."

I didn't notice my mistake until Darra pointed it out.

"Leave again? What are you talking about, how would you know that?"

Ah, shit.

At that, she reached a hand out and halted our progress by turning me to face her. She looked in my eyes for a moment, searching for something.

Something that she apparently found.

"What is it? A vision? You know something, Ty, I can tell," she said, still searching my face. Truly, I do not give this girl enough credit. Her intelligence is quite intimidating. I could see by the look on her face that she was connecting the dots. "Ever since they left! That day, before you came to lunch, you said you ran into Obi-Wan, and that he and his master were going on a very important mission. There was something off about you that day, and ever since, you've been different. I assumed it was just stress about finals and the tournament, but you've seen something, haven't you?"

I took a deep breath, wondering how complicated things would get if I told her about my 'vision'.

"Yes. The day I ran into Obi-Wan, I saw something. If I don't warn them somehow, and that vision comes true, then I would be directly responsible for not doing something to prevent it."

The grip on my arm slackened slightly, less a vice grip and more a reassuring clasp.

"Tell me, Tyris. I am your friend, but I can't help you if you don't let me."

I looked at her for a long moment, considering. "Ok, Darra, but on the way."

We turned and continued our trek to the landing pad as I began to recount the climax of Episode 1. With an appropriate amount of vagueness, of course. I didn't want her getting suspicious about how detailed my vision was.

Line Break

By the time we arrived at the landing pad, I had finished telling her of the 'vision', and she had begun to grill me on why I hadn't brought this to the attention of a Master.

"I mean, seriously, Ty? You have more access to several different Jedi Masters than any initiate I've ever even heard of. You are the only student Master Che knows by name, you've had one on one tutelage with the Battlemaster for almost a year, and today I find you training with a Council Member and a well known Jedi Master. But you never thought to mention to any of these people that you had received a Force vision about a mission a Master and his Padawan had been sent on?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "You might be the smartest person I know, DT, but sometimes you are quite naive. The people you mentioned may have listened to me seriously, but the council would have dismissed it as a youngling worrying for a friend. Visions are so rare now that the easier truth for them would have been that I didn't know what I was talking about."

She rolled her eyes right back at me. "I may be naive about some things, but you've only been here three years and you sound more jaded than someone four times your age."

The irony of that statement made me snort.

Any retort I would've given was cut short as we reached our destination. Right on time it seemed.

As we exited the temple out onto the pad, we saw a transport shuttle that was already at the end of its landing approach. The next five minutes was a flurry of activity, which most likely aided in the fact that we were not noticed and asked to leave. Several figures exited the shuttle. It seemed the entirety of the Naboo party was absent, most likely heading to 500 Republica and their quarters there within. However, the three figures I had been looking for did exit the shuttle. Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and…. Him.

Even before Koth had found me on Nar Shadda, I had thought about what it would be like when I met Anakin Skywalker. I knew it would happen eventually, whether I sought him out or we met by chance, I always wondered what would happen, what I would do.

I was so enthralled by the Force Nexus that was Anakin, that I didn't realize we were still standing right at the entrance, which meant that it didn't take long before the disembarking party were standing right before us. Unfortunately, one of the Jedi that was at the landing pad to greet them was none other than Mr. Stony Face himself.

"What are you doing here, Kelborn?" Mace Windu asked.

"I came to greet Obi-Wan and Master Qui-Gon and ask how their mission went, Master Windu. I hope I'm not breaking some part of the Code by checking on friends, sir." I heard Darra audibly inhale through her nose, no doubt downright scandalized by my very thinly veiled challenge to the Jedi Master's question.

I did have a hard time keeping a straight face, though, what with the comical expression Obi-Wan wore and the vein on Windu's forehead that looked like it might explode.

"And how, pray tell, did you know they had returned, initiate?" He said, making the word sound like it was an insult. "No one outside of the council is aware they were due to return."

The last couple of hours had been a roller coaster for me. I could feel every spot on me that had been hit by the remote, and I could feel myself starting to come down from the boost Revitalize gave me. I wasn't in a great mood, and this was such an important moment, I wasn't going to let Mace Windu's need to be gruff and superior stop me from doing what needed to get done.

"Oh, I didn't know it would be today, Master. Ever since they left I have been coming to this pad every day in case they returned. I was so concerned about their well being that I wanted to be here right when they got back to welcome them home." I said all this bullshit with a completely straight face, and I imbued just enough Force to remove any hint of deceit from my voice.

Don't get me wrong, anyone with half a brain would be able to tell that I was lying my ass off just because of the ridiculousness of what I was saying, but with no proof and the sheer sincerity of what I had said I think completely threw WIndu off. I'm sure my Darra was going to make me regret doing this later, but it feels so gratifying at this moment. Obi-Wan might also be on my case about this later, as well. But when I looked at Qui-Gon, I saw an expressionless face, however, there was a small twinkle of mirth in his eyes.

"Master Windu, forgive my interruption, but I think this might be rather fortunate for us. I'm sure the Council is eager for our report and would like to hear it as soon as possible. However, I think most of us are acutely aware that if our new charge isn't checked out in the Halls immediately, we will earn the ire of a particular Master Healer, and I think we are all wise enough to want to avoid that." Qui-Gon definitely didn't linger on Windu while he said that last part.

"What are you suggesting?" Mace asked, the tone of his voice suggesting he didn't have time for this.

"Well, if what Obi-Wan has told me is true, our young Tyris here is…. Intimately familiar with the Halls and the Master Healer in question. I think he would be capable of escorting Anakin down and making sure he got taken care of."

At the first verbal use of his name, Anakin and I finally made direct eye contact and… something happened.

Something in the Force shifted, and it seemed all sound around us dissipated instantly, almost as if a spotlight had shown on us and the entire universe was watching to see what would happen.

Almost instinctively, I extended a hand at almost the exact same time that he did.

"I'm Tyris. Tyris Kelborn," I said as we clasped hands.

"Anakin Skywalker," he responded.

In the back of my mind, I knew how ridiculous this interaction probably would look to a non-Force-sensitive. Two young children meeting with an over-the-top sense of formality.

However, to anyone with a significant connection to the Force, we were like two tectonic plates in the Force coming together.

After a moment, the feeling seemed to settle, and we released the grasp. When I looked up, everyone else was staring intently at us. Even those who hadn't been a part of the conversation were looking over towards our group.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were looking at us like the whole world had just been turned upside down, and I had to double check that Darra was still breathing and wasn't going to vomit. But the one expression that truly unsettled me was Winu's.

Brows raised, eyes widened, and not quite slack jawed, but when you compare it to the amount of emotion he normally shows, it might as well be a squeal of surprise.

After a moment, Windu blinked a few times, shared a look with Qui-Gon, and then seemed to gather himself.

"Very well, Qui-Gon. Kelborn, please show the young one to the Halls of Healing. We will send Kenobi when the council is ready to see him." He tried to put his hard visage back in place, but I think both of us were too put off by what just happened for it to have any effect. I also thought I caught a glimpse of concer, which really threw me off.

And without much preamble, the three adults left the pad to head to the council chamber.

I turned back to Anakin. "Alright, we've got a bit of a trek to the Halls, so let's get started. This is Darra Thel-Tanis by the way."

Anakin greeted her, but all poor Darra could muster was a head nod and a grunt.

I sort of looked forward to seeing Vokara again, it had been awhile since one of my escapades had ended with me needing a trip to the Halls. At least, I was, until I realized I was going to have to explain what all the welts and burn marks all over me meant. A shiver ran down my spine at that prospect.

However, after a moment's thought, a mischievous smile worked its way onto my face. After all, Master Che was going to want to know how I got the injuries. We continued on as I let that thought help me stave off the exhaustion that was starting to creep in.

Up in the Council chamber, where the Masters were all waiting in trepidation for perhaps the most important debrief in millennia, one Jedi Master Eeth Koth was suddenly gripped by an unshakable terror.

AN: So, I'd like to start off by saying sorry to any of those hoping for a quicker update time, but I hope everyone can appreciate that it wasn't nearly as long as the last one. In addition to everything that went on in this chapter, I wanted to also get through the initiate tournament, the results of Tyris's attempts to affect Episode 1, and Tyris being chosen as a padawan. I know there had been concern about Tyris being too bought in with the Jedi's way of thinking. I hope this chapter helps put that to rest. He was just so caught up in where he was and what he was doing that he was more concerned about being a good Jedi rather than still being himself. To touch on Tyris's drawback, aka lack of ability in TK, I've tried to convey that it isn't a natural weakness. There's something keeping him from reaching his full potential, and that is something that Tyris will address and rectify during his journey. I also realized I hadn't given Darra much face time so far, and she really is playing a pivotal role in his adjustment to life at the temple, and will be a big influence on him going forward.

Next chapter will be about 20% results of Episode 1 and Tyris's Master, and 80% the tournament with more long awaited action and lightsaber combat, so look forward to that! Again, thank you for the support, and make sure follow, favorite, and review if you are enjoying it so far!

TeeJayy out