The change in the energy surrounding the island had been significant enough for Hunter to notice it. Having been raised on Kamino he was used to the changing fluctuations in an ocean. The constant flow of currents and under currents across his home planet had been similar to the movements around Pabu. When the tide began to pull back, Hunter noticed that the flow of energy changed, and the receding waterline caught his attention as everyone milled about waiting for Veraxsis and Y/N to return.
As soon as he saw the two of you, Hunter had rushed over wondering if you were sensing the same phenomenon. You and him sensed through two different sources, but your ability to track the flow of energy via the force had lined up with his own feelings before.
"Y/N do you sense anything?" Hunter asked as he came up to you.
You looked confused at his question "I, what?"
"There is something happening. I can feel it" Hunter replied, as the recession of water become more obvious to him. It had only been a faint feeling on the edge of his senses before, but as time went on he could feel a greater energy building resulting in the feeling becoming more clear. He heard you take a slow deep breath, usually a cue that you were connecting to the force and watched your face closely. Suddenly you turned around to face the ocean, looking in the same direction Hunter could feel the movement centralizing.
"Its the water" you say out loud "Its ... moving... away".
Hunter immediately knew this change in energy was a threat and Veraxsis looked to him with a serious gaze in his yellow eyes. The others present had been listening to what was going on, and as soon as the Mayor looked out to the ocean he turned to his sister; "Phee, sound the alarms" Mayor Shep commanded before turning to Rex "Captain, please have your men get the villagers to higher ground".
Now with the threat confirmed and the clones sent into action Hunter and Rex found themselves barking out orders and running about through every street helping the waves of people ascend to the top of the hill. Crosshair and Wrecker guided traffic, while Nemec, Echo, and Marcher ran about warning people and assisting some groups into the crowd. In a moment of pause Hunter heard Tech comment "It would appear there is a tsunami approaching the island".
The clone in question had been assessing the situation via his mobile holopad and had paused at a higher balcony to examine the area.
"damages?" Hunter asked pausing to look at Tech's holopad over his shoulder.
"Extensive, and the withdraw with only last another few minutes. Anything slightly above sea level and below will be wiped out" Tech explained casually looking to Hunter and putting away his holopad.
"Great" Crosshair chimed in sarcastically, and Echo stepped past "Then lets get on it".
Hunter agreed with Echo, time was very important and they were running short. The crowds were huge and there was only so much room to ascend the primary staircase to the top of the island. Hunter could see Nemec and Rex at the top of the stair well helping people up but the flow of people was still to slow. From this high the water line could clearly be seen and there were numerous boats now sitting on the sandy sea floor where the ocean had been just moments ago.
Something flew through the air and caught Hunters eye, and he saw Tech holding Phee against him ascending to the top of the hill via his grappling hook. Shortly after there were a multitude of rope ladders being tossed over the top edge down the long sides of the hill.
"That will help" Hunter thought out-loud now directing able bodied traffic towards the ladders.
At the top of the mountain Tech helped Phee loose the emergency ropes after shrugging her off of him. Tech wasn't sure where Y/N was, but he wanted to trust that she was safe. With the rope ladders loosed more people were able to swiftly climb up and soon Tech saw Crosshair and Hunter making their way through the crowded people on top of the hill.
"We've gotten most of them up here, just a few stragglers" Hunter commented quickly checking over the side to make sure no one was left behind "Hows the water levels?"
"Unfortunately higher then predicted, it has allowed us more time to retreat but the damages will be more severe" Tech replied, loading up his holopad again and walking to the edge where Phee and Rex were standing with Veraxsis. The smuggler had gotten caught up on the crowds but people had still managed to keep their distance from him. This of course allowed him to move swiftly and freely through the crowd where others would have had to push past the residents. Even with the commotion Phee was keeping a close eye on him.
"At least the people are safe" Phee replied, reaching out and patting Tech's shoulder "buildings can thankfully be rebuilt".
"What the hell!" Crosshair exclaimed as he looked out over the edge. The cool and reserved clone now showing frustration in his eyes as he grabbed the side of the rock wall and nearly broke the toothpick in his teeth in half. "What is she doing?! Tech I thought she was with you!".
Tech moved away from Phee and looked over the edge where Crosshair was standing with Veraxsis, Rex and Hunter looking also. It was hard to make out at such a distance, but far off on the docks was a small figure.
"is that Y/N?" Hunter asks Crosshair, knowing his eyes are the only ones that could identify someone from that far away.
"No its some other rando with a death wish!" Crosshair replied sarcastically.
"Y/N's down there?" Omega asked, walking up with Lyana in tow.
"Thank goodness you two are okay" Phee sighed with some relief hugging her niece as Omega walked over between the two captains and stood next to Veraxsis barely able to see over the rock walls edge.
"Why is she down there?" Crosshair asked looking to Tech but all of those around him stood silently.
"I don't think she can stop the water" Rex commented and Hunter quietly shook his head.
"I do" Tech replied quietly.
"What do you mean stop it?" Crosshair asked and Veraxsis gave him a sharp glare "Would you shut up? We're all concerned about whats going to happen".
Crosshair closed his mouth giving Veraxsis a sharp glare in return, but everyone's focus turned back to the small figure on the dock.
"You can do this" Omega quietly whispered as she peered over the rock wall.
--You can do this-- Tech thought to himself –Please come back safe. I'm right here if you need me--.
The silent dread takes over the crowd as onlookers step up to the edge and see the large wall of water clearly forming outside the cove. Its shining blue surface was breathtaking and the faint rumble of water could be heard. Just as the wave was formed it suddenly started to come rushing in. The rumbling grew louder as the wave crashed sending a flood of mist in front of it.
The water level seemed so high.
Children clung to their parents.
Fists were clenched.
But no one could look away.
Rex, Hunter, Tech, Crosshair, Veraxsis, Phee, Omega, Lyana and now Wrecker with the other clones were watching your small figure closely. Your tiny arms raised against the wall of water crashing towards you.
At this point you could feel the force channeling through your body and especially through your arms and shoulders. The energy was more intense then you had ever experienced before and for a moment you faltered wondering if you could even channel this much of the force through your body at one time. The sun sparkled across the wave crashing into the sandy bay. The energy flowing through the wave was rushing towards you. Its force felt overwhelming like an army charging at you. The sheer power of nature was against you and you braced yourself as it came closer to you. Your arms were outstretched in front of you as if you were going to 'push' it back.
You knew when the energies had collided because you felt it slam into your body as your 'force wall' was hit by the oncoming wave of water. Your feet started slipping and you bent your knees to hold against the weight pushing towards you. The force was holding it back, but you could feel the burning in your arms as you pushed out against it. Your elbows were locked, and your palms could feel the cold touch of the water.
The wave was so powerful it continued to push you back, and you began to feel the wave of mist coming off of its rolling form towards you. You closed your eyes, calling on the force as much as you could. You cried out in yell that was silenced by the rumbling as you continued to stand your ground and your shoulders cramped painfully. You felt multiple people surrounding you, holding up your arms and keeping you in place. You knew there was no one there, but the force still echoed their familiar presence. You wanted to let go, you wanted to stop, but you knew you had to keep going. Their strength flowed into you, and you took a deep breathe of the cold, wet, sea air.
--I have to redirect it-- you think to yourself, barely squinting your eyes open in the salty spray descending upon you. --its too much to hold back--.
You moved your hands closer together, and touched your finger tips together with the palms facing out creating a triangle shape. The mist was so intense you couldn't see what was going on, but you could feel the weight of the water against the force you were wielding and knew it was shifting. By keeping this structure of energy you caused the tsunami to split off into two separate waves. You acted more as a deflection between the oceans destructive force and the island instead of a wall. Through this method you were able to redirect the energy causing the tsunami to wave and curl back onto itself and take its energy back towards the ocean.
Your shoulders were aching horribly, and you were not sure you could even feel your legs. In fact, it was hard to feel anything but the cold and wet mist spraying you. Your body was so in-tuned with the force it was as if you didn't have a body anymore, and the feeling of cold salty sea air touching your skin was the only thing keeping you grounded.
The wave that had been far over your head was now flowing and ebbing into the cove. Its momentum interrupted, the waves just splashed and flowed about chaotically. There was not enough power to destroy any buildings but the water still made its way up the shore around you, sporadically flipping boats and boxes everywhere while it flooded houses along the beach. You were still holding back most of the water, and as you felt the energy die back down you moved your hands back out, pushing the water back into the ocean.
From the hilltop behind you the villagers had started cheering as the water returned to its calm state. From their perspective it was a miraculous feat, and as the wall of water had come crashing towards the island it had stopped suddenly as if it hit an invisible wall. Whispers rushed through the crowd;
"What?"
"How is that happening?"
"Is she a Jedi?"
Then after it continued rising up this 'wall' it had just as suddenly started splashing back over itself and moving back into the ocean. When the smaller waves had enter the cove the main concern had been for your own safety, but as the boats got tossed about and you remained on the dock the villagers started to cheer. "A Jedi!" "She saved us!" "Hail the Jedi!" Now the water had lost its momentum and was steadying itself. People where starting to descend the stairwell excitedly, but Tech was already swinging down the hillside with his grappling hook.
"Shes ... a jedi" Crosshair said out loud as Omega grabbed his hand trying to keep the group together within the crowds.
"Yeah" Omega replied a mix between excitement and concern "I hope she's okay".
Crosshair was shocked. It made sense with your personality, but seeing it first hand was even more awe-inspiring and surprising. It made even more sense why they had been so concerned for you being captured, it added up how you had survived in a room so many others had been lost in. --Y/N is more then I expected-- Crosshair concluded as he joined the others descending the stairs. Rex and Hunter were at the forefront, while the others continued to direct traffic under the Mayors guidance. The majority of the group were heading to their homes, but there were those who had boats or houses within the waters reach and others who wanted to help aid in repairing the damages as soon as possible. Thus the large crowd thinned out, but there were still a large amount of people coming down to the docks.
As the waters energy and flow returned to normal you lowered your arms, feeling your shoulders relax from the tension. As the force connection lessened, you fell to your knees no longer having the strength to stand. The echo's of presence surrounding and supporting you faded away one by one, as if each 'person' was withdrawing back into the force. Your body ached, and as the fatigue set in as you knelt on the wet dock looking at the sea foam bubbling playfully against its beams. You breathed slowly, your body no longer wishing to move.
You could hear the sound of people approaching you, a flurrying of boots against the stone pavement. You wanted to turn and look, but your body felt so stiff you didn't want to fight your muscles and remained where you were. The steps came running up the dock, and half out of breath Tech kneelled down beside you wrapping an arm around you to stabilize you.
"Y/N?" he asked, his brown eyes looking concerned through his orange lenses as he examined your face. Tech had seen you fall to your knees while he was running towards you. His medical mind was thinking through the variety of possibilities but given the circumstances this would be beyond his medical knowledge.
"I did it" you gently smiled at him "I'm really spent now. I've never channeled that much before."
"Yes you did" Tech sighed "It was quite an incredible display. Lets get you back to the house". Tech helped you slowly stand as Hunter, Crosshair, Phee, Wrecker, Lyana and Omega came running up with Rex, Veraxsis and Echo just behind.
"Are you alright?" Hunter asked.
"She's stable" Tech replied.
"That was some amazing thing you did" Phee commented "not sure it was worth it, but I must say I'm impressed". Crosshair and Tech both shot the pirate a sharp glare and you just sighed as you all started to walk along.
"Are you okay?" Omega asked and Wrecker comforted her "She'll be fine, just needs a minute probly"
"Y/N" Rex said as the others arrived "You used the force to stop the tsunami". His words were stated as fact, but you could hear the disbelief in his voice.
"more like the force used me" you chuckled.
"Its a relief you're alright" Veraxsis commented, with Echo nodding his agreement.
"Please move away" Tech added on, as everyone started to gather around "There will be further details and information once Y/N has rested".
You had to chuckle a little bit at Tech's comment, but you were more surprised when he picked you up bridal style and started to walk with you away from the crowds.
"you don't need to take me up all those stairs" you commented after Tech had carried you ahead of the group "I can still walk".
"Alright, if you wish. However I must demand that you lay down as soon as we arrive. It is my advice as your medical officer"
"I trust your advice" you smile back at him as he gently lets you back down "but I'll need to speak with my fiance first".
Tech just smiles slightly and continues to walk you up the stairs with his arm around you.
Nemec, Wrecker, Phee, Marcher, Echo, Lyana and Omega all start to disperse among the lower levels to aid in damage control. Although, the girls soon make their way off to the Mayors house while the remainder help reorganize the docks. Hunter, Crosshair, Rex and Veraxsis followed you and Tech back to the Bad Batches current house where you are laid down on the couch with a blanket. Tech sits on one end and you snuggle up to him, leaning on his shoulder, barely awake after all that had happened.
Rex and Hunter start discussing something in the kitchen, while Veraxsis sits across from you and Crosshair stands in the hallway leaning against the wall away from the group but still able to watch and listen. Any time you look over to him, you find his sharp brown eyes staring you down a look of neutrality plastered on his face, but his body language showing he was closed off and alert. Veraxsis was likewise watching you closely, but his yellow eyes had softened and he sat relaxed against the couches arm across from you. Tech had pulled out his holopad at this point and now the captains returned from the kitchen where Hunter had made you some tea.
The clone captain placed the tea on the coffee table for you, and as you sat up you heard Hunter say "We'll leave by sundown once we know the damages. Rest up".
"Okay" you sighed before looking over at Veraxsis and saying "I never answered you earlier. I'll do it".
Veraxsis nodded, and the others present perked up curiously but asked nothing. Tech in particular was interested about what you had just promised the smuggler, but he assumed you would inform him at another time. He could feel how heavily you leaned against him and knew you were moments away from drifting off. The tole on your body was not damaging, but clearly had used up the majority of your energy.
"What is your next move Commander?" Veraxsis asked, breaking the tense silence in the room.
"My men are closing in on our next destination. If you can supply us with the weapons we discussed then we can continue on course for our infiltration." Rex replied, standing near the couches next to Hunter. Ironically neither captain wanted to deny the other a seat, so they both remained standing.
"and where will you go?" Veraxsis asked, looking to Hunter.
"Well, we definitely can't stay here" Hunter sighed, and the smuggler cocked his head slightly.
"Due to Y/N's influence on the force today, the inquisitors may be aware of our position and come to this location. Our best chance of remaining undetected, and sparing the citizens of Pabu would be to leave immediately." Tech explained and Veraxsis nodded "I was not aware force-users could sense each other but I suppose that would be possible. I intended to maintain contact with your group as well. We will all need to be cautious moving forward".
The others nodded, and Crosshair slid further back into the shadows. Tech looked down to you, now asleep on his shoulder and sighed "I do not know what compelled her to such an action, but it was a fortunate outcome to say the least."
"I've greatly underestimated Jedi" Veraxsis commented with a sly smile crossing his face.
"The others will return shortly" Hunter commented, turning to Rex "I'll inform my group and meet you on top of the hill before sundown to depart".
"Roger" Rex nodded shaking Hunters hand and later Veraxsis's as well before you all flew off Pabu in the night.
~~ End of Chapter ~~