Chapter Thirty-Six
The following few days, Obi-Wan found Padmé to be unfocused and a bit distracted, as if she had lost her sense of direction. Perhaps it was time he shared his.
As they performed their nightly stroll through the refurbished palace gardens, Obi-Wan took her hand. It was becoming more and more comfortable to do so. Ever since sharing their first kiss, when he had expressed his desire to slow things down, Padmé had made an effort to do just that. Sometimes, especially in the middle of the night when he couldn't sleep, he regretted having made the suggestion. However, Obi-Wan strongly believed anything worthwhile took time, just like the these gardens, which were far from reaching their former beauty.
Captain Panaka used to accompany them on these walks, but gradually Obi-Wan had gained his trust as well, and now they could stroll along together, in the privacy of their own company.
It was beneath a recently planted Arboray tree, upon a mound of lush green grass, Obi-Wan pulled Padmé down to a kneeling position. Silently, he placed her hands on each of her bent knees, palms open to the sky, before mimicking the same actions. He took a deep breath and explained:
"When I was young and under the care of a kind, elderly man I called, "Sir," he taught me how to control the havoc and chaos of everything about me by focusing inward, upon the power which sustained me, guided me...which led me to you," he paused and smiled before he continued.
"Since then, I began experiencing visions during these moments of reflection, as well as in my dreams. At the time, I hadn't realized what I was seeing, and not much of it made sense. However, I had faith I was being shown these things for a reason, that I was given these insights to fulfill a purpose I could not yet see or understand. I had no idea what any of it meant, until I stepped forth into this world and found you. Now, I can see exactly where my path lies, although the journey is far from complete.
I was hoping to share with you what I've experienced, all that I've seen and discovered, and maybe you'll begin to understand where your future now lies, since it obviously no longer lies in leading the people of Naboo."
Obi-Wan could tell his words stung a little, but it was time Padmé stopped feeling sorry for herself and opened her eyes to a much bigger picture, although even he wasn't sure what that was exactly.
She nodded once and gazed at him with such honest acceptance, it stole his breath away. Before they began, and not quite being sure what was about to happen, Obi-Wan decided there was one thing he needed to take care of first.
Coming up to his knees, he leaned forward, cupping Padmé's face in his hands, placing a tender and somewhat lingering kiss to her mouth. The touch had been unexpected and she opened up to him like a blossom to rain, her mouth in quick pursuit of more when he withdrew, but there was much to be done before he allowed himself the pleasure of Padmé's touch.
"Wait," he stopped her, caressing her lips with the slide of a single digit. "I'm not sure what we're about to discover, but before we begin, I wanted you to know how much I admire and adore you. Do I have your trust?"
Her eyes darted back and forth to his as if he had asked a rather obvious question. "Completely," she answered.
"Good. Then, let's begin."
Returning to his previous position, Obi-Wan breathed deeply and asked Padmé to do the same.
"Clear your mind," he told her. "Now...close your eyes. Focus on the sounds you hear, the smells about you. The flowering trees, the chirping birds, the distant rippling waters, Sabé complaining to the kitchen staff about the lack of seasoning in her food."
He heard Padmé snicker and smiled himself before returning to the task at hand. "Now. Find the energy which moves between them all, which binds them together. It flows from the rocks, to the trees, to the waterfalls, and even from Sabé. Do you see it?"
Padmé did as Obi-Wan instructed, doing her best to focus even with the distracting memory of his kiss.
"Take your time. You can not only see it, you can feel it. A steady, pulsating, living entity all about us. Between us. Look."
Padmé ignored the birds, the trees, and everything else, and instead concentrated on what was most important to her: Obi-Wan. It was then that everything came into focus and a shimmering pale blue glow appeared, outlining his body. Around her was more of a rose shade, and together, in the middle between them, it blended to be something closer to lilac.
"I see it," she uttered in fascination.
"Now, follow me."
Almost as if it were truly happening, Padmé stood and took Obi-Wan's hand as they walked together into the distance; the gardens, the falls, Naboo itself vanishing behind them. Before them, amidst a velvety cloak of darkness hung the planet of Coruscant, which boasted the capital of the Republic - Galactic City, along with the Galactic Senate. Being an ecumenopolis, it presented itself in space as a sphere of silver and golden manufactured light - so unlike the natural and blues and greens of Naboo.
As they viewed the city planet, Padmé noticed a thick, black ooze beginning to seep from its periphery, reaching outward across the galaxy, engulfing every planet and sector in its path. She and Obi-Wan retreated just beyond the dark shadow's reach, until they found themselves back on Naboo, standing in the Grassy Plains outside the city. In the vision, it was springtime, with the gentle flow and color of the tall grasses broken up only by the red blossoms of the millaflower. The setting would have been peaceful if it weren't for the approaching shadow, which continued creeping toward them, swallowing Varykino, Theed, and onward across the plains, leaving nothing but blackened crags and gray ash in its wake. When it swept upon them and over them, Padmé shielded her face with her free hand, the other still firmly in Obi-Wan's grasp, and although she felt safe, she could not mistake the sense of absolute evil which accompanied the dark wave.
After it had passed, there was nothing behind it. To Padmé, it felt all too similar to death, but not just of a single planet or system, but of an entire galaxy.
The suffering of the millions who had been tortured or died in the wave weighed heavily upon them, bringing both Obi-Wan and Padmé to their knees upon the scorched earth; the pressure only lessening when they supported one another in an embrace. Padmé held tightly to Obi-Wan, unsure how much more she could take, when the burden lifted unexpectedly, and she heard his voice once again.
"Look," he whispered, and together, they turned to view across the plains to a long line of shadowy figures which now crossed the horizon. They were too far away to discern any specific features, but who they were was not as important as what they were here for as one by one, spears of glowing colors came to life in their hands, casting a prism of light up into the dark sky like the promise of a rainbow following a devastating storm.
She then heard Obi-Wan say her name and felt his pull, not on her hand, but somehow in her mind. Padmé responded, resurfacing back in the palace gardens, and opened her eyes to see a much beloved face.
"Who were they?" she immediately asked.
Obi-Wan pondered the vision for a moment as Padmé patiently waited. She had had her share of dreams in the past, but never anything quite like this. She was counting on him to interpret exactly what they'd seen, confident he would be able to do so. He had much more experience in these things than she did.
"Soturi," he explained finally, wonderment in his voice. "I know what we must do."
She waited again, nearly frantic in anticipation, though fully committed to whatever he was about to say, no matter what it was. Wherever Obi-Wan was going, she would follow.
"We must build an army," he told her. "An Army of Soturi."