CHAPTER TWELLLLLLLLVE:
Following the sith-y revelation sinking into the three of them within the sitting room of Padme's apartments, Padme had to ask the most obvious next question:
"Who's is it?" she asked, holding up the ring to their tri-view.
"We might know once my smuggler friend gets us the Hutt coordinates," said Obi-Wan, scratching his beard thoughtfully. "At least, that's what I hope."
They all three fell into a mutual moue for a long moment.
"So," ventured Padme, "how do we fix it?"
"It'll need healing, I believe," said Obi-Wan.
"You can heal a rock?" asked Padme.
"You could sense it was hurt, couldn't you?" Anakin asked her.
"Well, yes, but…" she said. "That was just the only way I could describe what I felt from it."
"I'm going to investigate it a moment," said Obi-Wan, placing his hand over Padme's and the ring and closing his eyes. She watched him silently, then looked up to meet eyes with Anakin.
He winked at her and then held out his hand over the ring as well, falling deep into his focus.
Realizing she was the only person not sensing anything at the time, she felt a bit left out and decided to join in, closing her eyes and trying to feel.
Right away she sensed the equal but different brilliances of Obi-Wan and Anakin, one being cool, still water, and the other being an ice-white heat. Great powers of give and take were within them both, but differently expressed, and while Obi-Wan's energy seemed placid and calm, Anakin's was agitated and seemed to be ever searching, searching, but for what, even Anakin didn't seem to know.
It was difficult for Padme to ignore them and instead focus on the crystal, but she made herself do it.
The kyber crystal had a mild, if injured, energy about it which reminded her of a houseplant for some reason. She opened her eyes to look at the two men near her. Anakin had already finished, but Obi-Wan was still investigating the thing.
"Hey," she said to Anakin. "I'm curious."
"Yeah?"
"Your force energy… it reminds me of ice. But, like, hot, white, burning ice," she said.
"Huh," said Anakin thoughtfully.
"And his reminds me of water. Like a calm, still, cool lake," she said, casting a glance at Obi-Wan.
"That sounds about right," said Anakin.
"So, what's mine like?" she asked.
"Starlight," said Obi-Wan, opening his eyes to look at her.
"Definitely," said Anakin, agreeing.
"Not strong, but subtle and beautiful," said Obi-Wan.
"Well, I uh, guess so," said Anakin, furrowing his brow at Obi-Wan. "If you want to be poetic about it."
"That's just how it is," said Obi-Wan, as if he was just the messenger.
Padme felt flattered, and thus needed to change the subject.
"How do we heal it?" she asked Obi-Wan.
"What does the crystal remind you of?" he asked her.
"A, um… a houseplant," she said, feeling ridiculous.
Anakin snickered.
Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin, then smiled at Padme.
"Very good," he said. "How would you heal a plant in your care that was injured?"
"I would give it water, sunlight… that sort of thing," she said.
"Yes, but," said Obi-Wan. "What else would you do?"
"Uhm…," she ventured poorly.
He gazed at her as if waiting for more.
"I might… um, talk to it, I suppose," she said.
"Why would you do that?" he prompted.
"Because plants respond to that," she replied. "Anyone who knows plants knows that."
"What good does that do?" asked Obi-Wan. "Plants can't hear."
"Yes, but they can feel," she said, and then gasped. "Oh!"
Obi-Wan smiled at her discovery.
"Do you think plants actually respond to the words you say?" asked Obi-Wan. "Or the energy you send to them?"
She beamed at Obi-Wan, at the idea, at the way he'd brilliantly coached her into finding the solution, and not just finding it, but knowing it. It was a testament to the excellence of Obi-Wan's ability as a mentor. She found so much delight in the idea that the sudden urge to hug Obi-Wan swelled in her, though before she'd even made a movement, she saw a flash of panic in his eyes; she felt a quick shift in the force around him, as if he was worried she would.
So of course she didn't.
She gave him a smile, though. One that, she hoped, expressed her appreciation of him and his talents. He seemed grateful. She wondered when communicating with people without talking had become her mode d'être.
"Okay, okay," said Padme, holding up her hand. "Give me a moment. I'm going to try something with it."
Obi-Wan leaned back as Padme dove into the force as subtly as distant starlight and focused on generating empathy within herself. She drew it in, built it, and then radiated it out, focusing as hard on the kyber crystal as she could. She tried to assure it that it was going to be fine, it was under her care, it could heal and she would keep it safe from now on.
The thing was more responsive than she could have imagined. It sang back at her in its own frequency in the force that none of her plants ever did, responding and building upon her starlight, like dark, verdant vines that began to grow and curve upwards in the depth of night.
She heard a gasp but wasn't sure if it had been Obi-Wan or Anakin, so she opened her eyes. Both men were staring at her.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
It took a beat for them to respond.
"Nah," said Anakin, just barely.
Obi-Wan cleared his throat softly.
"You healed it very quickly," he said, seeming understated.
"Oh, good!" said Padme, glad that part was over with. "Now should I turn it on?"
Obi-Wan and Anakin each moved back a pace right away.
"Ah, hold on," said Anakin, holding his hands out towards her. "Wait until we're clear. We don't know what that's going to do."
"Except you know it isn't going to kill me, right, Anakin?" she said, rising from the sofa.
Obi-Wan, who by now was standing on the other side of the sofa, eyed the apparatus critically.
"Right, Anakin?" he asked, turning to gaze at Anakin.
"Uh, well," said Anakin, and then seemed to speed up his talking in response to the looks on Padme's and Obi-Wan's faces, "It is extremely unlikely that it will harm her."
"Okay…," said Padme.
"I mean that," said Anakin. "It's unpredictable, sure, but I just don't think it's going to hurt anyone. I mean, judging by your particular force powers, Padme. It would just seem uncharacteristic."
Obi-Wan seemed to relax; perhaps he found some sense in what Anakin had just said.
"It's fine, Padme," reassured Anakin. "You'll be fine."
"Alright then, I suppose I'll do it, now," said Padme, feeling trepidation at the red button in her palm, which now seemed to be glaring at her.
"Probably fine," muttered Anakin.
She pressed the button.
There was a low, bass hum, more felt than heard, and the prickle of a multitude of particles around them activating in some yet unknown way.
All at once a faint crescent of shimmering energy burst into existence in front of Padme, and she yelled in response, flinching back from her own hand. It projected from the ring a few feet in front of her and measured from the floor to around her height, facing outward as a convex shield of energy. After a moment of watching to see if it was going to kill her or do anything else (which it didn't), she began to relax and even felt curiosity arise. It moved as she moved her hand, the sound of it humming in response to each motion. It was almost translucent, but with just enough opacity to be perceived.
"Interesting," she heard Obi-Wan say.
"I can't believe it worked," said Anakin.
Padme stared at Anakin.
"Is it a shield?" Obi-Wan wondered, approaching the projection and considering it, his hand on his beard. Very carefully, he reached out and touched it. The energy grew opaque beneath his touch, strengthening and disallowing any penetration. "It is."
"Nice," remarked Anakin, pulling out his lightsaber.
"What are you doing?" Padme asked him.
"If it's a shield, we've got to test how strong it is, right?" he asked, flicking on his saber in a blue flash and a low thrumming crackle.
"Yes, but-," began Obi-Wan, who had no time to continue.
Anakin immediately swung his lightsaber in an arc, a perpendicular strike to the shield, and the blue of his blade hit it with a screeching crackle and a flurry of sparks.
"Anakin!" yelled Obi-Wan at the same time Padme shrieked. It wasn't one of her most self-possessed times.
As the sparks faded, it was clear the shield had held. Anakin looked more excited than she'd ever seen him. If his mind was usually always moving, now it was whirring.
"Where's your blaster?" he asked her.
"Anakin!" she chided, not at all interested in being shot at.
"This is important!" insisted Anakin.
For whatever reason, they both turned to Obi-Wan for a summary judgment. Obi-Wan glanced between them both, and then considered a moment.
"If Anakin's lightsaber couldn't break it, there's little cause to worry a blaster bolt could," he said, shrugging a little at Padme. "It is good research? I mean… shouldn't this come in handy? Perhaps?"
"Hopefully I won't be in a situation where this is necessary," said Padme, gazing at the lightshield. "But, Anakin, please aim to a spot where it wouldn't hit me, regardess?"
"Oh, sure," said Anakin, as if he hadn't thought about that.
Then he fired.
The bolt hit the shield and dissipated in fading bits of energy.
"Ha!" yelled Anakin, delighted.
"Great stars, Anakin," said Obi-Wan, scratching his beard and considering the shield. "You've invented something entirely original."
"Wow," said Padme, then she looked at Anakin. "Thanks, Anakin."
He smiled at her.
"I think you're going to change the galaxy," she remarked.
"Shut up," he said, teasing her. He shot her shield again and made her yelp in surprise.
"Okay, I'm going to turn it off now, please don't shoot me," said Padme, and then she disarmed the lightshield. The faint arc and subtle thrum of its innerworks faded away in an instant. She gazed at her hand. "I love it."
The three of them looked at each other for a moment.
"So…," said Anakin.
"DT-2!" called Padme, turning away to avoid further awkwardness. "Would you prepare dinner for my guests?
"Nice," remarked Anakin.
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