Log:Jedi Order: A Port in the Storm

A rescue party reaches a destroyed village after a hurricane

OOC Date: March 13, 2025
Location: Pamarthe
Participants: Qutha Buvu Pah, Nimeh, Vega, Maddox Katarn

The morning approached as it always did on Pamarthe, but this day the tropical blue skies were not present. Storm clouds still lingered above with strong winds and a light rain. Fearing the worse, emergency services deployed water skiffs out to search the rural islands with hope that people had been smart enough to escape the wrath of the hurricane, or at the very least, moved inward to avoid the flooding.

Storms on Pamarthe were a constant, and a way of life. It is said that Pamarthens have a temper like their hurricanes, and this notion of a temper and storms feeds some of the lore around their people. Even the most famous drink of Pamarthens, the high-octane super-spice wine 'Port in a Storm' was as volatile as the people and their storms were.

Arriving along the shore, the rescue teams begin to search for docks to cast their lines and moor. A total of six skiffs have made the journey across tumultuous waters, each carrying supplies for rebuilding, rescuing, and survival in general.

Maddox, who pilots one of the skiffs, calls out over the sound of crashing waves. "Anyone see the docks or a place to tie off?!"

A squint around as she looks to the right and left, trying to see through the light rain and the gusts that kicked up further spray. The water whipping up and catching her across the face. Her hand coming up to wipe the salt water from her eyes as she keeps trying to spot it, "I don't see anything!" Nimeh calls back, "Hells this spray and wind are making it difficult to see much."

Nimeh turns and looks the direction of Maddox, the other boat a safe distance away but still close enough to see. She's not piloting the other skiff, she's leaving that to more experienced hands. Though she did rather wish she had tossed on the poncho over the armor instead. One hand holding the gunnel while the other cups part way around her mouth to help the sound travel farther.

"I'm guessing you don't see them either? Should we just beach 'em?"

Standing, hands folded behind his back with his hat off and the winds blowing his long hooded coat all around him, Qutha Pah's calm is stark contrast to the excitement of the world around him. Eyes half lidded and glazed looking the zelosian's head lifts slightly from whatever reverie holds him, approaching with a dreamy quality of his steps towards where Maddox is steering.

"Ayuh..." said as though that were enough to get the other's attention, "We's pas'm... presen'ly, they's unner'water back yonder..." One hand sweeping to point well behind them before it comes back around to motion towards stone spires thrust up from the waves.

"Reckon, we kin git'rselves moored up that'away... n'then we'se gotta wade in."

Quieting again and returning to standing with his hands behind his back as if he'd never even piped up.

Vega's not wearing the long outer robes today because that's definitely not what you wear to rescue and rebuild things in. The Echani is a bit gleefull to be off of Mustafar and in a world that has water. She keeps quiet though and listens to the others. When they get to the part of needing to moor, the woman gives a bit of a look over the water as she kicks her boots off, then she heads over to the tie ropes for the skiff, "It'll be a little rough getting them moored, but just follow me." the white haired woman states before she dives into the water and starts swimming like the water is her native habitat.

Maddox nodded to Master Koof to show he understood, "Seems like the tide hasn't receded yet. We'll need to search this place for people. I sure hope they went inland." The rain has left Katarn's hair wet, his face, too. He wears a wide-brim brown hat that he uses to shield much of the wind but it does little in the scheme of things.

Watching Vega, Katarn gave her a thumbs up. "Careful out there! Could be sharp things.." He calls out, concern for her boots being left behind. She appeared to be a great swimmer though, and when she calls out to follow, he gives a thumbs up.

Nimeh had not gone unheard. He answers her with first a gesture. "We're taking them inland! Master Koof says we already passed the damned things; which means the tide's still up. She's (Vega) is guiding us in. Keep an eye on her. Pamarthe has water dragons that have a taste for flesh!" He had cupped his hand to yell back, but it lowers to begin piloting their skiff.

The others from the rescue party follow the Jedi skiff in, slowly. They hear things scraping the bottom of their craft as Maddox tries to s l o w l y take them inland.

Vega finds her path has obstacles. There are structures beneath her, things that she feels scraping passed. As she goes though, she sees what was in the direction Master Koof had motioned. Spars from an inland wooded wall were still standing, and it was the nearest to a beach they'd get for now, and a great place to tie off.

"Still see her?" Maddox called out squinting at the fog and holding his hat on with one hand.

Nimeh grabs the gunnel again as the craft lurches amidst the troughs of waves, her hand coming up to shield her eyes as one of the crests hits the skiff and sends a shower of spray back into her eyes once again. She's forgone the clothes and hat, and even poncho, for a light set of armor - the better to protect from bits of flotsom and scratchy bits. She wipes again at her eyes as she hears Maddox call out once more.

"Kriff! Lost her in the spray." One hand coming up to cup her mouth as she shouts across once more. Her legs staying a bit bent to absorb the constant shocks coming up through the soles of her boots as the skiff dips and rises. Even the rain seemed to be intent on blocking her ability to see splashes, though hopefully not so bad that she misses any obvious outcroppings to avoid.

"Ain' be callin' me master none, daggummit..." One hand lifting to rub a knuckle against his lip, the winds concealing the scratch of the moustache against skin. Eyes half closing as he begins to concentrate, then let go. Understanding that there might be predators now that Maddox has called attention to it. Taking a deep breath and letting his attentions sink down, or at least he tries.

Wind and rain whipping at him causes focus to slip and Qutha grumbles out something that might be an expletive if his speech weren't so heavily thickened by the heavy mid-rim accent. Another deep breath becoming a rough string of coughs as a hunk of lichen, or moss, blown from an inland tree foes rocketing into his mouth forcing him to attend -that- problem for the moment.

"Bother..." Hacking and slamming his fist against his chest as he doubles over, wheezing out "Bother'n blow..."

Vega's a little certifiable when it comes to water, but it is easy to spot where she is heading given the cleared trail that she leaves for the skiffs as she breaks apart the dangers that are between them and the safety of mooring. "Chione would love this." she grins as she thinks about the water serpent on Ach-To. She stops to breathe for a second before she powers through the next round of debris, using the force to guide herself and the others on safer paths in the storm. And for the moment she's not called out in distress, so all should be well...right?

"Just being respectful is all; meant nothin' by it." Maddox offers to Koof, a crooked smile following. When Nimeh says she cannot see Vega anymore, Maddox is a touch concerned. Not that she's been eaten by a dragon, but that she could be trapped by debris and they could hit her without knowing it. When they draw closer, Nimeh is witness first to the fresh wake caused by tremendous telekinetic power. From her perspective, it was something large moving beneath the surface!

Koof, Maddox, and Nimeh could possibly detect the power stirred by the use of the Force, though. It took a great deal of energy to use the technique Vega used, and such a feat would not have been concealed easy in the cosmic nexus that was the Force.

Unable to see Vega himself, Maddox does his best to follow the origin of the wake, adjusting their course and easing back on the engines a bit. The motor gargled aloud, going WUBWUBWUBWUBWUBWUB.

"Anything now?!"

The fog had thickened, only distant shades and swirling gas lingered ahead. They were not close enough to see the Echani at home in the water!

"Woh! Either that was a water dragon or something else!" The feeling behind it nudged at her though and she gave a squint, her hand coming up to make sure that she can be heard again. "I think that was Vega!" Her hand coming down from the side of her mouth to instead point in the direction that she saw the noticeable wake in the water. She turns her head, calling back to the pilot of the skiff. "Follow him!" Nimeh pointing in the direction of Maddox.

Her hand comes up and she cups it half way around to again call out, "Straight ahead! I felt something that way! A bit to the right, I think she did something under the water - hope she's alri-" And then one of the waves hits the bow and Nimeh finds her face full of the salt water. Hacking and spitting it out over the side of the boat.

"Bleeh."

Opening himself up, a vein pulses for a moment at Qutha's temple as he finally sinks down into the depths, his mind becoming a place for thoughts to travel to - head tilting as if he were listening to something while remaining still on the skiff. Bending with each bob, tilt and shift of the waves.

How appropriate for a flora to bend like a reed in all of the turmoil of the storm.

Brow knitting he simply feels and listens, as well as -listens-.

Like drifting beneath the waves he lets the energies around him flow and the effect is immediate as his clothes cease moving with the force of the wind, falling still as if he were in a breezeless room. Voice lifting up, momentarily, "Listenin' f'any 'aught I might be able to hear thinkin' near, ken? Call out to'em I's see... if I kin hear her."

Vega's not been in the water in...17 or so years, so there is something therapeutic about it. But she isn't going into dark thoughts right now. Once the water hazards are cleared the Echani makes her way onto the shore and she turns to see if she can spot people. "OVER HERE!" she calls out, hoping that her voice will carry over the sound of the waves and the skiffs engines. And that is where she waits for the moment to make sure she doesn't lose track of them or them of her.

As Koof asks for it, the Gremlin's voice is heard cutting through the fog. Through his connection with the living force through meditation, and his mind open to thoughts, he detects the direction well before Maddox can pinpoint it. From Vega's perspective, the first skiff is WUBWUBWUBWUB'ing into view as a slow shadow that cuts through the fog.

Just by chance, Maddox catches sight of the short female and has to make an adjustment in their course toward her. He eases back on the accelerator and they glide slowly toward her, the waves making the vessel rock something fierce.

For Nimeh and the other skiffs' benefit, Maddox calls out as loud as he can, "OVER HERE!" To help, Katarn fires a flare. It angles up for the others to see and move toward. When Maddox and Koof's skiff get within range of Vega, Maddox has popped the chamber of the flare and dropped the steaming spent cannister inside, hissing when he used bare fingers to pull it free.

A particularly violent wave sizes up to hit against the bottom of the craft, both her hands grabbing onto the gunwale. Her mouth staying closed as the wind whips off into her face as the heavier fog sets in. The crack of sound has her head turning, almost too far before suddenly there's the violently bright light up in the sky. As she turns her head back the other way, calling back to the pilot of her skiff. "Port!" And she does a knifehand gesture in the direction to turn and head.

The wind cutting down and some of the waves kicking up less as the excess flotsom under the water dissipates some of the current creating the disturbances of the ocean. Her eyes squinting until land is ahead. The scrape as the bottom drops for a second and then the repulsors catch back up to carry them ashore far enough that the waves are no longer going to be lapping at her heels.

Nimeh hops over the sidewall, landing with a grunt as starting to shake out her legs as she still feels the sort of bobbing motion even on the land. Her knees slightly bent as she makes her way in Maddox's direction, looking a bit unsteady as her body grows accustomed to /not/ having something moving under her. "Nice thought with the flare." She nods in the direction of Vega, "And hell of a water show you put on. Thought it was one of the underwater critters at first."

Gripping onto thoughts like threads the zelosian begins walking towards the prow of the ship, opening himself up as a conduit for thoughts to come to him and then flow out.

Easing the need to speak, perhaps a touch late with the flare fired and Vega caught sigh of. But Qutha keeps up his concentration, walking with his pace and path set by the Force as he finally, fully, taps in, his voice echoing towards the others,

.oO("Aughta he'p with all the wind n'noise...")

Smiling to himself despite it all while he continues to ride, letting those more apt for steering the craft up until the point its moored, content to let them hear and speak through the lines of the force that the flora-man has gripped onto. Hopping over once the boat is where he can walk at long last.

"The water is far more dangerous when you can't see things that are beneath." Vega states when the others make landfall. Anyone else could have done what she did, so it's no fuss. "Apologies for not asking before I did things." she states. There is a look to Nimeh and a grin, "I do take careful lessons from a water dragon on Ach-To." she chuckles. "Where are we needed the most with reconstruction efforts?" the Echani asks the group.

The skiffs are tied off, and crews begin to offload slowly, though Vega's question is the million-credit-question. "Dunno," Maddox intoned as he joined the two ladies after scaling the bow of his skiff and landing on firm ground. Maddox appeared to be stretching, and adjusted his hat by removing it to slick back his hair; then he placed the hat back in place.

Nimeh's compliment the flare was answered with a shrug. "Seemed like a good idea at the time.."

But that good idea quickly morphed into something as a demanding voice yelled, "HANDS UP! GET YOUR DAMN HANDS UP!"

Emerging from the treeline, several Pamarthen natives had sallied out with blasters in hands. "Pirates.. all of ya's. Coming out to claim what ain't yours no doubt!" The speaker was an untrusting elder woman, and she wasn't alone. Several people moved out behind her and emphasized that they had guns.

Nimeh's head turns along with the rest of her body soon after as she looks toward the voice. Her eyebrows furrowing as she tilts her head to the side. The hands come up part way and she jerks her head a bit in the direction of the skiff she just got off. "I'll bet we aren't the first skiffs showing up, right?" She doesn't particularly seem phased by seeing the blaster pointed her direction.

"But here, tell ya what. Keep it trained on me, I'll move nice and slow, yeah?" She makes her way to one of the nearby off-loaded crates, moving around it so that she didn't have her back to the woman - and also the woman could see what she was doing. She crouches down slowly and pops open the small crate, lid lifted to the side so her hands were always visible.

"Foodstuffs. Medical supplies. We even got some extra ropes and some metal sheets. When's the last time you've seen pirates coming loaded with supplies like they're about to deliver them, hm?"

Some of the party with this woman seem convinced. Hell, even the lady's brows lift. Nimeh had /a/ point, but the woman still seemed skeptical. "We got a saying around here. If something seems to good to be true; it ain't. -- Maybe you'se robbed that from another island; now come to get what we got?" There's some dissent among her group though, some worried she might chase these people away...

"Peace..."

Qutha's voice is carrying even if he has barely raised it. Hands lifted and walking forward precisely three steps before he halts and turns to put his right foot further back from the left. Head tipping to one side and the other before the gemstone like irises lock onto the woman in the lead, swimming fully into focus.

"We'se here t'provide he'p is all. No funny stuff. Give m'word, ken?"

The Zelosian's head tips again, as if he were being told something from someone just behind his right shoulder and he starts walking again, hands lifted and his movements slow.

"I's kin he'p with re-plantin' crops, n'I's also know's how t'build, so's I kin he'p with them there repairs, ken?" Proceeding with quiet confidence until a blaster is pointed at him, and even then he seems to be pushed gently along for another step - or until he is just out of arms reach of the woman in charge.

"Tells us where we'se kin he'p... we'll he'p."

Further evidence, at least from actions, that the people who had come ashore were not pirates. What pirates would stand allowing guns to be trained on them. "Sheva," one calls out to the lady. "..maybe they're telling the truth. They ain't pulled no guns on us. He's talking about crops; ain't no pirates farmers.."

Sheva seemed hesitant, though partially convinced..

Vega sort of squints as people start drawing guns and there is that knee jerk reaction to JUST. START. PUNCHING. But she reins it in as she's guessing they'd already have shot if they wanted them hurt. She doesn't interrupt Nimeh or Qutha as they speak, but she does raise her hands and gives a smile, "As they have stated we are just here to lend assistance. If you have electronics that are damaged or wiring that needs repaired I can help with that. Just...ignore my love for swimming." she chuckles as she is standing there barefoot and drenched looking like a crazy person.

Skepticism can only go so far, and one of the crew with Sheva speaks out. "Damn it, Sheva. We don't have time for this. -- Look, we got injured, and there's still people stranded out in the water. We need first aid, we need food and water; hell we need lots of things. If you all are here to help; then help. For gods' sake no one shoot; we've had enough killing for one morning -- now come on.. we're running out of time."

There's a brief pause, then Sheva breaks the silence. "Well, you heard the man." She holsters her weapon eying Vega like she's a crazy person. She turns from the group and stalks off. Maddox offers Vega her boots, a crooked grin on his face emphasizing his bushy mustache a bit. "I think they could do with-a bit of crazy." He chuckles.

Nimeh seals the box back up so the rain doesn't spatter down on them as she moves over toward Maddox and Vega. She puts her hands on her hips as she looks Vega up and down, a raise of an eyebrow, "Back to what we were talking about... I'm pretty sure you're already half way looking like a water dragon from Ach-To as it is." A nod of her head in Maddox's direction, "Probably so. Bit of crazy always does shake things up enough to knock people out of their thought loop. I got a couple fun stories about that."

Vega breathes in as she realizes that things will not devolve into violence. She was used to that for a long time. She gives a grateful dip of her head to the group with the guns and then turns to look at the other Jedi with a smile, "Well that went better than expected." she chuckles to that. "Chione is an old lady, much like me." she muses to Nimeh. "She's probably got grand-serpents and things now." she tells her. Then she reaches out to take her boots from Maddox with a look up to the taller man, "Thank you for that. And I am definitely the right person to bring if crazy is needed." she chuckles.