Playlist:

❶ "Growing Up"—Attack of the Clones Extended ST

❷ "Tatooine Resolution"—Attack of the Clones Extended ST

⊘ Silence

❶ Naluma smoothed out the creases in her gray service uniform, her hair bound in its square bun once more. She grabbed a sandwich from the galley and wandered onto the shuttle ramp.

Birds chattered at each other, perched in the trees surrounding the glade. A few brave ones circled the shuttle and squawked at the others.

The Padawan opened herself to the Force, just letting it flow through her while she nibbled on the ronto strip buttie Luke had left her. She salivated on the smoked sweet meat between two slices of bread.

A small bird with brilliant blue feathers hopped closer. A few of its friends followed a meter behind it.

She picked a speck of bread from the sandwich and tossed it toward the courageous contingency. The funny little bird ruffled its spiky crest at her before gobbling the crumb. When she tossed another chunk at her new friend, the others rushed forward, flapping their wings and chittering.

When they started yanking it away from each other, she grabbed it back and broke it up into smaller pieces. "There. Enough for each of you."

They looked up at her once more, their black eyes pleading.

A feeble cry stole her attention. She whipped her head above her to a tall tree. Its broad leaves wavered in the autumn chill, hues of bright red and gold clinging to the gnarled branches of the massive tree. She shaded her eyes with her hand to find the source of the plaintive whine.

The cry reached her again.

She closed her eyes and felt through the Force. "I hear you. Where are you, little one? Oh, my, yes, you're very high up."

The weak chirping transformed into an incessant, pained squeak.

All of a sudden, the bird tumbled from the nest. It flapped its right wing but held the left wing close to its body. After two more flaps, the bird spiraled out of control toward the ground.

Naluma reached out with the Force for it and steadied its descent. Slowly, she pulled the injured bird to the grass near her. "Sh, little one."

A feeble squawk was all it could manage.

She tossed a few hunks of bread far out into the meadow, shooing the rest of the band away from her patient.

"It'll be okay. Stay still." She held it still with the Force.

After a tiny rotation, she discovered the problem. Not just one bone, but the humerus, ulna, and radius all bent at acute angles.

"How did you do this?"

Another feeble squawk.

"You must be so brave, little one."

She stared into the sunlight and pulled the Force in until it had nowhere else to go. She closed her eyes and opened her sight to the energy field, static electricity arcing in her hands.

A beam of light trickled from her fingers, a beam only she could see. Running it over the bones, the Padawan applied the Force to the humerus first, stretching the muscles gradually, pulling the two pieces into alignment.

The bird whined with small chirps.

"I know it hurts. But it will get better."

She took a deep breath. I—

No, don't think, just do. She sighed and tilted her head, aiming her focus at the double fracture in the middle of the wing. "All right, sweetie, this one's tricky."

Naluma reached out once more, finding the condyles of the ulna and radius. Ever so slowly, she drew the bones out with an even gentler touch, bathing them in the light of the Force.

Now what? How do I make this stick? Keep them from retracting? Maybe a splint—

A prickle on the back of her neck stopped her from rising.

I wonder if the Force can really heal. She closed her eyes and dropped into full meditation. Here in the glade, the Force surrounded her and penetrated her. She undulated in its touch as it wrapped itself around her.

"Well, here goes nothing." She sucked in her breath and held it for a long moment before exhaling slowly.

The Force coursed from her heart through her arms to her fingers. She could almost see it arcing under her skin.

❷ Freshly showered and dressed in his dark Jedi robes, Master Skywalker climbed onto his meditation stool in his cabin and pulled himself into a full nerf-face position. He began with his breathing exercises, allowing the Force to swirl within him.

As his consciousness expanded, he felt the light of the Force surging around him and through him, dragging him into its maelstrom. Silvery stars pulled at him from the inky darkness in his vision.

He lost all track of time in this place. He could not even form a question, was not even sure what he was looking for, but he knew he needed to be here. He waited, allowing the Force to fill him.

Purpose?

Just be.

His thoughts churned in his mind. Naluma? How? How can I lead her, guide her?

Just be.

My illness?

Just be.

A voice he remembered hearing once before—maybe from his trials—a gentle voice filled with wisdom echoed in this space, reverberating across the stars.

Wait.

Listen.

Trust.

He felt himself zooming back into the shuttle from that place that wasn't quite a place. He shuddered and snapped open his eyes as his body dropped onto the meditation cushion.

With the Force still stirring in him, he stood at the top of the shuttle ramp. He halted at the sight of Naluma a few meters away.

She bent over something on the grass. While he could not make out her mumbles, he could not mistake the Force pouring from her in that controlled stream they had worked so hard to attain a few hours earlier.

He wanted to call out to her, to applaud her. His heart raced in anticipation as his pride overflowed.

Instead, he observed in silence.

He wasn't sure what she was doing, but it was taking her complete concentration. From experience, he knew that she had to end the work, not him.

His pulse pounded even harder. Emotion swelled within him, bursting to overflowing.

Wait. Listen. Trust.

Those words returned once more. But what about—

Wait. Listen. Trust.

Beams of Force energy shot out from her hands, bathing the object in light and warmth.

A tiny squawk came from her direction. She shushed the creature and lifted it in her hand, stroking its crest feathers.

She's so gentle with it, so caring. He bit his lip to keep his tears from falling. I wish ... I wish ...

Wait. Listen. Trust.

"There you go." She cupped the creature in her hands.

The blue bird wobbled on unsteady feet and flapped its wings. It craned its neck at the left limb as it thrashed.

"Careful now."

The bird nodded its beak at her.

"Ready?" She extended her hands as the bird launched above her. It circled the area and returned beside her half-eaten sandwich.

"Hungry, huh?" A warm smile filled with pride crossed her face as she tore off a piece of bread. The bird stole the larger piece and flew high above to its nest.

The Jedi Master sprinted down the ramp and lifted her by the waist above his head. "You did it," he shouted. His mouth broke into the widest smile and his eyebrows lifted. He thought his jaw was going to break. "You did it, Naluma."

As he set her on the grass, she wrapped her lanky arms around his shoulders. He pulled her into the embrace as the words echoed in his head.

Wait. Listen. Trust.

Long moments passed as the two held each other. Luke could sense the Force in both of them merging together. And for that instant he never wanted to let her go.

Too soon, she tensed in his arms and pulled away. "Sorry, master."

"So proud of you." He rubbed her shoulder and lowered his eyes for a moment, his face burning again. "It's your turn to fly now." He nodded toward the shuttle.

Did you know ...

● Naluma has always been drawn to medical care. She voluntarily added field medicine to her qualifications in the military because she couldn't bare to watch her fallen comrades suffer.

Tell me what you think ...

● Why do you think Naluma's first controlled use of the Force was healing?

● Who do you think was speaking to Luke?