The two amphibious younglings walked down their chosen path in silence, feeling a pull in the Force guiding them. The air around them began to grow humid and they could feel their path making a slow decline. The two of them could detect the faint scent of salt water. They guessed they were coming upon an underground water system that connected to the ocean.
Their guess was confirmed as they came upon a dead end and a pool of water. Nemo blinked before shifting his gaze around the floor. He found a small stone and gave it a toss into the pool.
It fell in with a splash, and they could hear no clack with a stone floor, indicating that the pool was deeper than it looked. They exchanged a glance before walking forward and descending into it.
The underwater cavern was dark, but their eyes being more suited to low light conditions allowed them to navigate. They followed an unknown route, the cavern dipping then rising, twisting, and turning.
They eventually came to a fork. Nemo stared down the path to his right while Lan Wu looked to her left. They looked to each other, feeling that the Force was leading them in different direction. With nods they split up, each going down their respective tunnel.
Nemo swam swam down his path. Up ahead he could spy a faint flashing light. He perked up and began to swim faster. He could hear something in the water, a ringing that seemed to be calling out to him. He came up to what looked like a collapsed portion of the cave.
The rocks were huge. But between their cracks he could see it. The light. A steady flashing blue light shining between the cracks of the boulders. Nemo felt giddy with excitement.
He'd found his his crystal.
He swam closer to the rocks, trying to peer between them. He could see the light, but he couldn't see the crystal. He tried to move and shift the rocks, but their size and weight were too big.
After a few moments of trying he swam back a few feet. He took a moment and closed his eyes, he brought his hands together to focus. He began to channel the Force in an attempt to move them.
The rocks before him shook a little, but they were too big and tightly wedged together to create a significant enough gap. He gave a growl in frustration before trying again.
Meanwhile, Lan Wu had continued down her tunnel. Hers grew darker and darker, getting further away from any light that even her eyes had trouble seeing anything. Despite conquering her fear of deep water it was hard not to be afraid of darkness like this. It was instinctual, a natural fear of the unknown.
She stopped, floating and staring down into the abyss, not knowing what could be down there, that deep. Her instincts were screaming at her to turn back. To not descend into the pitch black pit before her.
Yet she could still feel the pull in the Force, calling to her, beckoning her.
She stared at the blackness before taking a breath. Then she closed her eyes.
She she began to swim. Down and down. Deeper and deeper into the blackness she navigated her way in, not with her eyes, but with the Force.
She pushed away her anxiety, her apprehension, and her fear and she focused on the Force. Feeling it. Connecting to it. Letting it guide her.
Then she stopped. She raised her hands up, cupping them and then bringing them together. She felt something in her hand, pulsing against the skin of her palms. She opened her eyes. She was still surrounded by blackness on all sides. She wouldn't be able to see her own hands in front of her. But she could just make out a light flashing before her, filtering out through the cracks between her hands.
She opened her hands and the light began to pour out. It lit up the caves and drove away the darkness surrounding the young Gungan.
She stared at the purple crystal in her hand, feeling the remnants of her fear leaving her, driven away like the blackness.
She smiled before glancing around, then up, and finally swimming back the way she'd come.
Back with Nemo, the youngling was growing increasingly frustrated with his lack of success at moving the boulders which he knew his crystal was under. The boulders were too large and tightly packed together, and no matter how hard he tried he could not make them give.
He didn't know how long he'd been trying, and he knew the more frustrated he got, the more it would hinder his connection to the Force. He held his arms up, palms open and trembling as he once again tried to shift the boulders.
But they didn't budge. He dropped his arms and growled. He stared at the boulders, contemplating what to do.
As he was in the midst of his contemplation his companion swam up behind him. He sensed her, glancing over his shoulder and at her.
"Hey Lan Wu. Any luck?" he asked. Lan Wu smiled brightly before raising her hand up, showing him her crystal between her fingers. Nemo's eyes widened and turned around, swimming closer to get a better look at it.
"Wow. You did it," he said in amazement. He looked up at her and gave her a smile, both happy and proud for her. "I've found mine too," he said as he turned around to stare at the boulders.
"I just can't get it," he said, still frustrated. He raised his hands again and began to channel the Force.
Lan Wu watched as her friend tried to shift the rocks but was unable too. She could feel his frustration growing. "Nemo," she said to get his attention. He paused in his latest attempt to move the stones to glance back at her.
"Yousa want help?" she offered.
"No," Nemo immediately responded. "Thanks Lan Wu," he added after a beat. "But this is my crystal and I have to get it alone," he said before facing back toward the stones. Once more he tried and failed. Then he tried again, and again, all to no avail.
He growled in frustration, unable to tell how much time he was wasting trying to move the stones. He glanced over his shoulder to see Lan Wu still waiting for him. He stared at her, starting to reconsider her offer of help.
But was it right to accept it? If this was his crystal wasn't it also his responsibility to attain it on his own.
But then again...no one said he had to get it on his own. And wasn't it better to ask for help and succeed then go it alone and fail?
With a sigh he turned to Lan Wu and quietly said, "Lan Wu...will you help me?" Lan Wu cocked her head to the side curiously at his sudden request. But being his friend she smiled and gave a nod.
She swam up beside him and together they closed their eyes and extended their palms. They focused their minds and began trying to move the rocks.
And this time, with their combined efforts...the rocks gave a tremble before they collapsed. The younglings opened their eyes and swam back a few feet as the pile of stones gave way, and from underneath the pile Nemo caught sight of a flashing blue light.
He swam toward it, nudging a few smaller rocks aside before picking it up.
His crystal, a deep blue in color, stopped flashing. Its light remained constant and steady in the hands of its chosen.
Nemo glanced back at Lan Wu and smiled. She smiled back, and together they began to swim back the way they'd come. They eventually emerged from the water and began making their way back towards the entrance.
As they did Nemo gave an awkward cough before looking to his companion.
"Thank you Lan Wu."
