Log:Jedi Order: A Port in the Storm II

Another rescue attempt!

OOC Date: March 23, 2025
Location: Pamarthe
Participants: Nimeh, Qutha Buvu Pah, Finn, Rey, Jaq'n Greayf, Vega, Maddox Katarn

The initial group of rescuers sent to the outer islands after a terrible hurricane have made contact with the village. Word was sent back that additional boats and rescuers would be required to navigate the submerged ruins of the village and find what displaced villagers they could in order to bring them to high ground. Maddox Katarn holds a brief meeting near the shore as rain begins to pick up. The current hour is 09:23 AM.

"Can everyone hear me?"

Maddox waits a moment, his hand idly rising to allow his fingers to brush over his bushy mustache, a habit he had when he was anxious, or thinking. "I'm glad everyone could make it, but I'm afraid the hard part is just about to get started. A new storm is rolling in; word is it's going to be nearly as bad as the first that swept through. Unfortunately, we still have survivors out in the ruins of the village and they need to be collected and brought inland so we can get back to the shelters. If we don't get them, they will surely die."

"To keep matters simple, I need someone to pilot one skiff, I need a spotter to look who will look and listen for survivors, and I need rescuers who aren't adverse to climbing, carrying, or things that may require balance and creativity. Altogether, it will be one crew going out because the waterway is treacherous."

"I will remain here and be a point of contact for you all to communicate with; I will also have a backup crew on standby if the worst is to happen and you all need to be rescued, too."

One of the villagers stepped up then and nodded to Maddox, a gesture of gratitude. "By our estimation, we are missing about 10 people. With the fog, it's a nightmare trying to navigate the water without bumping into things; trees, especially. You hit the wrong thing and the whole damned skiff might capsize, so you spotters got some real work ahead of you. Please bring our people back, and be quick. Storms here on Pamarthe do not wait around. They move quick and they hit hard."

Katarn stepped back in, "Best get to work then. One pilot, one spotter, and rescuers.. call out what you're doing and get on the skiff. Pilot come see me for the comm-link."

Nimeh's got the armor on, the better to avoid debris. No loose clothes to catch, no easy way to get slapped or scratched by branches. She had started off toward the back of the crowd with her wide-brimmed hat pulled down as she caught a quick nap. Let's face it... always better to catch a nap when you can!

Nim jerks a bit as the sound of Maddox asking if everyone can hear him, pulling her hat up by the brim before she squeezes at her nose between thumb and a crooked index finger. A look around as she sniffs, a few blinks with her eyes going wider before blinking back down. Nimeh turns her head to look about at the others around her while she listened up. She crosses her arms, soft of wiggling a bit from side-to-side as she grows comfortable with her spot.

Holding up her hand, "I think I might be best as a spotter. These skiffs seem a bit more pilot a starship rather than a swoop or a speeder." Nimeh nods her head in the direction of the beach and the skiffs that are all parked there.

Moving among the people, Qutha walks with his hands hanging from his belt by his thumbs and his old pipe from the corner of his mouth. His own wide brimmed hat worn to keep the rain out of the bowl, moving among those people being helped,

"If'n ye give me they name, n'if ye have an image've em... It'll he'p greatly." Frowning a little as he looks out among the villagers, getting himself something of an idea while resisting the urge to chew the stem of his pipe. Nostrils flaring as he continues to speak, "Name... an they image. Remem'er them to me... I can see what I kin does..."

The mystic's head cants and he begins to reach out, eyes glazing while he looks to each person who speaks in time. Aware yet elsewhere at the same time.

Vega's been around to help, because she loved to get in the water. She gives Maddox a smile when he brushes his mustache, "Can hear you fine, Sir." she tells him. Then she quiets to listen to the run down and she looks around to the others. The white haired woman gives a soft nod to everyone, then back to Maddox, "If rescuing might need someone to dive I'm good with that." she states. "If someone that is staying on land could hold my lightsaber?" she looks around. Because lightsabers did not do well underwater. Mmmkay.

Jaq'n Greayf listens to the announcements and ponders how he can help, when Vega speaks up he makes his way toward where she is and speaks up, "I can fly if no better pilots are available." he offers.

It has been decades since Finn has been considered 'reinforcements' and although they may not be called that at this exact moment, this sure feels like something similar. Something of the long since removed past. Something so very different from what the plan here is. Ages ago, he would be reinforcing violence and murder. Now? He is here for the complete opposite.

This feels so much better.

Despite the storm that's rolling in, Finn remains with the others for the moment, listening to the plan of action. As the roles are mentioned, Finn waits for the call to pick his peaceful poison. "Count me in for the rescue team." And with that, Finn's headed toward the skiff, tugging at the jacket he's chosen to wear for this operation. A little smirk of surprise on his lips because it still fits!

Rey peered out from beneath her hood, her hair was mostly tied back in a bun behind her head, but several loose strands were crossed over her face, her brown eyes squinting ever so slightly, as she regarded the Jedi Katarn. She had already been trying to locate those lost through a number of means, but in the moment, she was aware of the plan, and eager to participate.

A glance was given to the others, as Rey pulled her heavy exterior robe off of her form, and draped it over the ledge to her left. She gathered up her combat staff, and looped it back over her shoulder via its canvas strap.

"We'll bring them back alive." She said to Maddox, with a assured certainty on her voice, as she showed a quick smile toward him, and a touch to Finn's arm with her natural right hand. Her metallic left hand gripped a set of binocs, that she carried with her toward the skiff.

"I will help as a spotter." She called out.

"Sounds like a solid team," Maddox says, then passes the comm link to the pilot of the skiff. Vega's lightsaber is accepted, and Katarn fastens it beside the holster that's home to his dad's old Bryar blaster. "For safe keeping," he said, smiling. "Good luck, ya'll. I'll be on the horn if you need me."

Maddox walked further inland with a few of the villagers and disappeared behind the treeline. The skiff was somewhat easy to manage, the controls were simple enough that is, and pushing off from land was as easy as untying from the tree and walking it into the water.

The skiff was a semi-large vessel that actually rested atop the water. While its motor was more modern in technology, the fundamentals were still old-school. One could apply piloting concepts to the skiff and navigate the water well; this process was the sole reason some of the best pilots in the galaxy came from Pamarthe.

Unfortunately, the situation was made worse when the fog set in. Fog, rain, choppy waters, and unknown terrain ahead. Thankfully, the information Qutha received, both physically and through the Force was enough to alert him that there were still 10 people alive. What remained to be answered was Where.

The skiff putputputs along rocking.

A glance was given in the direction of Rey as she guaranteed the retrieval of people alive. Her eyebrows going up and her mouth pulls into a thin line and off to the side. She worried at the inside of her lower lip for a moment as she turns her eyes out toward where they would be going. She pulls off the hat and dons the abbreviated helmet for now, it's more like a visor clipped to a headband.

Nimeh glances once more at Maddox as he starts to move his way off and she gives a pull up at the corner of her mouth before working her way down to the skiffs with the rest of them. The settling of the fog obscuring the view, creating yet another complication in a never ending string of complications. That was, after all, part of the territory. She positioned herself up near the prow of the boat, one hand on the railing. "I got some trees, dead ahead. Hard turn to port." She looks about, trying to spot any possible locations through the fog.

"Hey, I think I got something up ahead!" She points in the direction she sees it, "Some sort of structure!" Her eyes immediately looking toward the water again, worrying more about the closer obstructions than how to get to the longer term goal.

Eyes's closing, even as a datapad is slipped into his hands, Qutha's head tips from one side to the other as images and thoughts begin to flood towards him. Nodding faintly to himself. Letting the others get things organized as he lets himself reach out into the force. Searching for the first of those sought while also sharing his sense, in a manner of speaking, with the others.

Guiding his thoughts towards Jaq'n first as several voices begin calling out and the rat-tat-tat of anything hard that can be banged against anything hollow.

The Zelosian has found himself upon the newest padawan's skiff, though he looks as though he is looking nowhere but dully ahead.

"Foller them sounds, ken?"

Vega hands over her lightsaber to Maddox and there is a smile, "Thank you." she tells him. Then she's heading out to the skiff to board and head out with the group. Keeping herself busy was probably the best thing for the moment. Her pale eyes squint through the fog and she tries to keep her ears open to see if she can hear anyone.

Jaq'n Greayf climbs up into the pilot's seat, hands moving over the controls with an easy familiarity. He keeps his focus sharp, listening to the spotters' callouts and adjusting course as needed. His gaze flicks between the water ahead and the shifting shapes just beneath the surface. A slight tilt of the controls guides the skiff past a cluster of submerged trees, the craft skimming cleanly around them. On the other side, he shifts again, veering clear of fast-moving debris carried by the current. When one of the spotters calls out through the fog about a building's remains, he angles them in closer, steady at the helm, keeping the skiff smooth and responsive through it all.

Finn's as focused as he can be on the skiff. Even though he's not technically a spotter, he's got both his eyes and his ears open. He's definitely going to help with whatever be he can. Which is why his head tilts almost immediately, hearing voices on the wind or something close to it. His eyes narrow for a moment as he stares at the structure ahead.

"I hear people!" Finn points at the structure, which is looking like it's barely holding together. Them waves are making it seriously rock.

Finn moves to the edge of the skiff and motions to Vega. "Let's do this together. We can get to the top faster that way." Finn drops some team climbing suggestions into the mix for when they get close enough to make their rescuer moves.

Aboard the skiff, Rey's white and tan hued clothing whip about her body as she uses her combat staff to stay stable upon the unstable ground. When they began to set off, she had found a place to peer out at the situation before them. Her skin was covered in a sheen of water now, with her loose strands of hair framing her face wet, but still blowing in the wind about her pink tinged cheeks.

She softly shook her head at the logs, and debris from the huts... A feeling settled over her, washing across her like the waves of the ocean.

"If this storm gets more intense, the debris itself will become a threat to our own survival out here." Rey warns the pilots,, as well as the rest within ear shot still.

"Lets navigate carefully, and ... prepare for an onslaught of dangerous debris!"

She stepped back to her chosen spotter's place, her metallic hand wrapping around the skiff's aged railing, utilizing it for support, as her eyes closed, and her mind focused on the flow of the Force to help her find survivors amongst the chaos.

The skiff arrives at the structure. It appeared to be the remnants of a primitive clinic, two stories with the top story being a tangled mess of wooden spars, ropes, and sharp wire. Everytime the sea brought in another wave, the entire structure moved, since it wasn't perfectly anchored down with a foundation. This made the climbing and retrieving difficult, but both Vega and Finn appear to have the matter at hand.

Following the rescue of two villagers, they find a place on the skiff to sit and hold one another. They were cold, shivering, and scared. There is no talk about the storm or how they got there, just gratitude for having been rescued.

Using a bit of rope, Nimeh tossed a loop with a knot that could be undone with a pull around a nearby spar while the loading of the villagers was under way. One foot on the gunnel while the other was on the deck. Both hands on the rope as she used the bigger muscles as best she could keep the skiff at bay. Her eyes keeping a look out for the tides and currents... Until the last one gets aboard and they press off once more.

Nimeh gives a pull on the rope to free the lashing from the bit of debris and used one hand to grab the railing once more. Her eyes scanning about. Her free hand pointing again. "Submerged debris! Push hard starboard!" The debris was still going to hit, but it looked more lie it would hit, sink and slide on by instead of catching and fouling things up or poking holes in the craft.

"O'er yonder..."

Qutha motions towards a structure half sunk by the flooding. Eyes glazed and he has made to sit down, though the zelosian's legs simply lift to cross and he bobs gently mid air, keeping with the skiff as he does.

"They's in trouble n'whe done need get there quick like." Reaching out not only to those Jedi whom he can reach but also to within to those who are trapped. Urges being planet to begin moving. Old, wrecked, skiffs now their best source of salvation.

"Er'body..." Farmer Pah's voice echoing in minds willing to listen, "We gotta git on gittin' on', I worry they's not gonna have enough time, reckon." Urgency working its way into his projected thoughts while his voice remains calm. Resisting the urge to use the Force to turn the rudder himself, trusting in Jaq'n.

Vega perks up when Finn gives her the information on where the people are trapped and she moves to help the man get the people off of the submerged building in a safe manner. "We'll get you back to shore and warm just as quick as we can." she tells them as they get settled on the skiff. Hopefully that would be sooner rather than later.

Jaq'n Greayf keeps his focus sharp as the last of the villagers are hauled aboard, glancing briefly toward Nimeh as she frees the rope lash and moves to the railing. Her shout comes sharp and he doesn't hesitate. Hands tighten on the controls, pulling the skiff hard to starboard. The hull groans, and the debris clips them, but it slides off harmlessly, just as she called it.

He steadies the skiff, eyes flicking over the deck to make sure everyone's clear before his attention shifts again. Qutha's voice carries, both aloud and slipping beneath the surface, pointing toward another half-sunken structure looming through the mist. There's urgency in the tone, even if his voice stays calm. Asinis adjusts course without a word, guiding the skiff toward it, each movement deliberate. The skiff moves clean through the choppy water, steady hands and sharp eyes keeping them on track toward the next rescue.

Finn works alongside Vega to get those people off the clinic and down to the skiff. Finn takes a little extra time to make sure that the movements are safe and as solid as possible. Saying this goes smoothly is kind of difficult to do considering the treacherous waters and fog and other thing this angry nature has in store.

Isn't there like a Calm Nature Force Ability or something? Somebody find that Holocron.

His ears are back to work the moment the rescuees are safe (as they can be) aboard the skiff. "We got more!" is called out to the skiff pilot that's been killing it through these waters thanks to those top tier spotters in action. "Longhouse! Longhouse!" Finn's almost hanging off the edge of the skiff to get his finger pointing action going. He does not want to miss /anyone/.

Rey swept herself from one observation point to another, her eyes scanning through the wreckage, and the clutter left behind by the dangerous weather pattern. She raised her natural hand up to strike it across her face, as her eyes caught movement in the waters, and she stared at the scales of something impressive... but sadly not a person in need of their attention.

The mysteries of every planet's wildlife was a sight to behold, all in itself, and some part of Rey feels as though she just spotted a mythical creature, and were it their goal here today, she may have just struck the jackpot...

But it wasn't, and with a pang of disappointment, she pushed herself from that spotting point, and moved back to the original spot she had claimed on the opposite side of the skiff.

"Keep going!" She called out. "You're doing wonderful!"

As the skiff gets closer, the shadows in the fog give way to what once was a longhouse. It was destroyed, and the twisted mayhem that await them looked murderous and terrible; it was a wonder that anyone could have survived that. What Koof felt in fear, and what the rescuers heard in the voices of those stranded in that tangled mess only heralded what was to come next.

Rey had seen the scales briefly as the creature crept within the fog and sea water, prowling as it were, for its next meal. While the screams were for help, it wasn't until Jaq'n got the skiff closer to the wreckage that the screams made sense. Eight people pointed and yelled, and then something happened.

The noise was like something had emerged from the water forcibly, and a low throaty growl like a T-Rex followed.

"WATER DRAGON! WATER DRAGON!" And sure enough, the massive serpent with white sparkling scales nudged the side of the skiff rocking everyone on board. It dove back into the water, its growl some how heard from underneath the skiff, too.