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Six - Forcefield

"Mai! Ahsoka! Barriss!" I called. I finally found them back in the main chamber. Mai leaped up and took Squeak, laying her down near the fire. I ran and skidded on my knees, coming to a stop by my bag. I opened it and frantically rummaged around in it, hoping I had thought to pack some sort of medicine.

"There...there's nothing helpful in here," I said desperately. "Nothing to help her get better, nothing for Barriss..." I glanced over at Mai, hoping she had had better luck. Nope.

"Ahsoka, maybe you could do something? We all know how Force-sensitive you are," suggested Mai. Ahsoka glanced up sharply.

"What? Me? Nah, not a chance." she said shakily.

"Yes...yes, yes you can, Ahsoka," said the Mirialan confidently. Ahsoka looked at Barriss and softened. "Or you can try. But, I suppose, you know what master Yoda says-"

"There is no try," finished Ahsoka. She sighed, then said, "I could give it a shot," We all semi-clapped as Ahsoka went to kneel beside Squeak.

She closed her eyes and placed her hands on Squeaks' shoulders. Her hands began to faintly glow, but maybe it was just my imagination.

"Megena Syn," she whispered. Squeaks' eyes fluttered open, and she sat up.

Now we all full-on clapped and applauded as she rubbed her temples and nervously tugged at her head tails.

"Are you OK?" whispered Ahsoka. The Twi nodded, her orange head tails swinging.

"That's good," said Mai. "We were worried, Squeak," Squeak began to shiver. "Squeak! Are you getting cold again? I could ramp up the fire and-" Squeak began to sob. Mai immediately ran over and put her arms around her, and Squeak sobbed into her hair.

"No one...has ever...been worried...about me...before..." she cried. Mai sighed and exchanged a glance with me. I felt my own tears welling up.

"Squeak," I said softly, my voice breaking. Barriss took up the slack, telling Squeak that she was cared about by us.

*****

"Mai, are you awake?" I whispered. She shifted in the bunk next to me.

"Yeah, why?" she whispered. I slowly sat up and beckoned to Mai in the darkness. She nodded, and slowly picked her way out of the sleeping pile to come with me. We sat a bit away from each other, and from where the others were clustered around the fire.

"Mai, I think we should cast a forcefield, around our group, so that when the blizzard is let in at dawn, we don't all freeze to death."

"That is a good idea," mused Mai. "But I think Ahsoka, or maybe Squeak, are really the only younglings that are force-y. I mean, maybe together we could manage it-"

"Ya, exactly what I was thinking!" I said excitedly, rubbing my hands together. "So, here's the plan - we use the force to enter each other's minds, and then we give each other enough time and strength to build half a forcefield. Make sense?"

Mai shifted uncomfortably. "I guess. But about the 'in each others' heads' bit, I uh-"

I put my hands on her shoulders and had her do the same. She sighed, and we closed our eyes.

"Forcefield," I whispered.

"Forcefield," Mai repeated.

I suddenly felt as if I was going into hyperspace. My body turned itself inside out and back again. My eyes burned and my throat constricted. My muscles went limp.

And then, I was standing in a crowded room. In one corner of the room, I saw our group, minus Mai. In another room, I glanced at the Jedi Council, discussing something important.

And in the center of the room, there was a girl. And her name was Mai. She sat in a huge chair, issuing papers to traveling tradesmen.

No, that's not right. She was giving out wanted posters to bounty hunters. Tentatively, I walked over and glanced at the wanted posters. I sucked in a breath when I saw whose mugshot was printed in the middle.

HANDO ONAKA, it read. The pirates' face was displayed prominently. WANTED FOR A REWARD OF 10,000 CREDITS. I internally whimpered, then inhaled deeply and turned to face Mai.

"Mai!" I said. "Mai, please, look at me!" She didn't turn away from her posters. I grabbed her shoulder and shook her. "MAI!"

Now she turned to look at me. I saw her eyes snap to attention. "Mai we need to make the forcefield because we need to protect our friends!" I gushed.

Mai stood up from her desk. She waved away the bounty hunters, and her posters dissolved into smoke. She placed her hands on my shoulders and whispered, "Forcefield,"

I placed my hands on her shoulders. "Forcefield," we said together.

I stumbled away from Mai as a little shock ran through my body. I glanced around the cavern and saw that a translucent dome surrounded the fire. It gradually expanded, now encircling our whole group.

"Mai, we did it! We made it!" I whispered triumphantly, holding out my hand for a high five.

She high-fived me. Then she whirled around and said, "Clarissa, when I was in your mind, I saw, uh, I don't know, I feel like-" I shushed her.

"You don't need to tell me, Mai. Don't worry." I said. "Please don't worry about what you saw in my head."

"No, Clarissa, I need to worry about this! I saw him...I saw your father, in your mind."

I sucked in a breath. "Clarissa, I saw him! I saw Caleb Dume!"