~Bant~
"AAARRRGGHHH!" This throaty, earsplitting call, native to the particular species of female we were dealing with told me, a sixteen–year-old Jedi Healer that The Princess is panicking just as much as I am.
"Be quiet!" I hush, but it is futile anyway, I doubt the twelve bounty hunters can hear her over the sound of a thousand people screaming and trampling each other to get out of the way.
I watch in horror as the bounty hunters blast randomly into the crowd, laughing as they slaughter those innocent people.
Where are the boys? I lost track of Dray long ago, when we were separated by the tearing crowd. He might be lying on the ground somewhere, trampled to death by the swelling of panicked and feral bodies. Siri had told me to watch the Princess, and the Princess I plan to watch. Even if Siri is down. I can't see her anywhere in all the running people.
One of the bounty hunters shot her directly in the shoulder as she was trying to over-power him on top of one of the buildings. The last I seen of her was when she had fallen backwards into the crowd, lightsaber flying from her hand. Currently, The Princess and I are hiding behind the building we came too when we first arrived.
I gasp lightly as the ground shakes with another shock bomb. I've read about these things. They aren't meant to cause damage quite like other bombs, they were created to cause groundquakes that destroy dwellings and edifice's.
Several citizens running past stumble or fall to the ground, crying out from injuries, and my instinctual Jedi response to help has to be drowned out by my duty. I must get the Princess out of danger, but how? The Princess groans softly, and I can feel her terror as acutely as my own.
"Obi, where are you?" I mutter, peeking over the side of the wall. I squeak and duck back when a blaster bolt wings past my face, scorching the corner of the building.
The clay dust has stirred up underneath all the feet, and it hangs in the air in clouds of reddish/gray dust, carrying with it the scent of blood, tears and terror. The Force, too, is raging around me like a typhoon of emotions. I've never felt so many at once.
It's so hard to concentrate!
"Ahhh!" The Princess cries out as the ground trembles again, and we both are forced to our knees by the impact. "Come out, come out my Wookie friend! If you surrender now we might sell you on your home planet, how does that sound?" The voice of one of the bounty hunters asks, callously, his voice ringing through the square.
"It's sounds like a pile of Poodoo," I murmur. The princess Grips my hand, her eyes pleading for me to do something. She does not want to go to slavery, she's terrified, I can feel that.
What I can't feel from the force is how to do anything about it! "Don't worry, everything will be okay," I cough out. The air is unnaturally dry here. Mon Calamari are used to cool, moist air. I'm a water creature, and all this dust is getting into my gills.
Force, where are the boys? If they do not get here in time… "Hello Bant, you okay?" I let out a small scream and twirl, in time to see Garen standing behind us, eyes scanning the area as civilians rush past. On his shoulder is an unconscious Siri Tachi.
I notice her saber hanging on his belt. "Siri!" I cry, as he lowers her to the ground. From around the corner the sound of lightsabers flashing to life is prominent. "More Jedi, huh? Well, we'll deal with you the same as we dealt with your little friend!"
I grit my teeth and ignore that as my hands wander over my friend, in auto-drive mode now, checking for injuries. Her arm is broken, nothing more thankfully. "Obi and Quin-lan are out there?" I ask. "Yes. Where's Dray?" He asks in return, quickly.
There is a buzz around him in the force that speaks of a warrior, ready to do his duty. I take strength from it. It is good to know that even if I cannot do anything, Garen is ready and willing to do everything in order to finish the mission and save these people.
"I have no clue. We lost sight of him when people started running. I do hope he's alright," I answer breathlessly. I cough haggardly; this dust is choking me.
Garen kneels beside me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "We need you to get everyone out of here, Bant. Take the Princess and evacuate the town," he orders. "How in the universe am I supposed to do that?" I demand, aghast.
How does he expect me to try to focus and lead people out in this sort of atmosphere? And where will they go? What about Siri? "Figure it out! I have to help Quin and Obi-wan," he peers around the corner and suddenly grabs his saber. The blue blade slowly slides out, hissing eternal vengeance on enemies of the light, singing a soothing lullaby to the innocent, and then Garen is off.
I sigh and look at the Princess, who is likewise staring at me with wide eyes. She is afraid, and I know she will do whatever I say. She trusts me, she needs me, and that is enough to push away my fear. I've been needed before, but not like this, not when it's this dire and when it's this important.
Healing is the process of patience and acceptance; this is the opposite. This situation is action and refusal to accept anything. I refuse to accept defeat, not when she needs me. "I guess it's up to us now, huh?" I retort, standing to my feet again.
"Carry Siri," I command, as I stick my head around the side of the building once more. On top of a selling stand across the square from us Obi-wan, Quin-lan and Garen are fighting the bounty hunters in a deadly triangle of courage.
Where will I lead the people? "Need a hand?" Once more, I jump, surprisingly unafraid as I turn to see Dray standing behind me, smiling.
"Dray! Are you alright?" I ask, delighted that he is alive. "Fine. What does Garen want us to do?" He asks quickly. The ground shakes again, and more deaths are added to the mental tally the force has required me to keep. "Shouldn't you be out there helping them?" I ask, pointing to his saber.
He shakes his head ruefully. "I'd only hinder them. I have not used this thing against skilled adversaries in years. Now, what's the plan?" I wish I had a plan.
I had sort of hoped you could come up with one, Dray, after all you were the field Knight, but no, you're staring at me with that trusting smile and amused eyes. How can you be amused, even now?
"Garen said to evacuate the town, but where? And how?" I ask. Dray screws his lips pertly. "The only safe place right now is the desert," he gestures towards the desolate tract of clay residing outside the town's barriers.
"And controlling a crowd is reasonably easy if you can get their attention, my dear," he tells me. "Sounds good …Except how do we get their attention?" I demand. There are twelve far more interesting bounty hunters shooting into the crowd, dropping bombs and battling Jedi. How could we possibly compete with that?
Dray only chuckles. "We have a Wookie, and the force. Getting their attention will be the easy part, keeping it will be harder," he says.
"We can't let the bounty hunters see the Princess!" I cry promptly. "Why not? They already know she is here. Hurry along now; there is no time to lose. Follow me," well, we have no choice in the matter, now do we?
I grab the Princess's arm (she is carrying Siri like a baby, which will infuriate my friend when she wakes up, but I couldn't care less at the moment) and drag her after Dray as he parades us into the merciless bundle of people running and screaming in every direction but the right one. You'd think they'd be smarter, but no, this is what fear does to people. It clouds your vision. No wonder the masters forbid it.
Distancing ourselves from the firefight still happening a small distance away, Dray picks The Princess and me up with the force and quickly catapults us onto a small stand. His grasp of the force is flawless, and full of such brilliant light that it reminds me of Master Yoda.
"Now, Bant!" He calls up, cupping his mouth and trying to avoid being trodden under foot. "When the Princess gets their attention, you lead the way. All they need is a leader!" Great, I have to lead more people? Truly splendid. My master will never believe me when I tell him this. Leading is for people like Obi-wan.
"How is she supposed to get their attention?" I shout back down. The princess grunts in agreement. Her eyes are still full of fear, but she stands atop the stand with dignity, if not knocking knees.
"She's supposed to do what Wookie's do best! Roar!" He shouts. I sigh and turn to my charge. "Well, you heard him. Roar, your highness! Roar as loud as you possibly know how!" There is more dust up here. My gills are burning with dirt and debris.
The Princes nods, and with much gusto, throws her head back and emits a roar that makes my ears ring. I look down to see that some in the crowd have stopped, but mostly they are running still, The Princess's scream shaving gone unheard in their own catastrophe. "It didn't work!" Dray tells us, unnecessarily, eyes twinkling with merriment.
Is he having fun? He must be mad.
"Try it again! Louder this time! You can do it, Princess!" I yell when she stops, hovering uncertainly. She nods, quickly, and throws her head back once more. Drawing in a monstrous breath that could have filled a planet with oxygen, she does it again, roaring so loud the ground trembles as if hit with another bomb. The air trembles with terror at the pure atrocity of it.
The buildings quake. That certainly does the trick. Coming to a sudden, blessed stop from running and screaming both, the entire population of the town stops, ogling.
I waste no time in delivering my message. "Everyone to the desert! Follow me!" I yell, and hop down from the stand without waiting for any answers. The Princess quickly chases after me, and the swell of people tags along as well, pants and cries of help multiplying to replace the former hollers of panic and alarm.
Adrenaline floods through me, giving me a peace of mind and clarity so sharp it's giddying. I run faster than I ever have before, leading the town's inhabitants and the Princess out of the line of danger. It feels… Magnificent.
This feeling of helping with action rather than talent, of saving with deed instead of knowledge, it is a different source of pride. It is a power so light that I have to smile as I lead them out of the city gates.
Most of the time, I am the hero's healer, but for the first time in my life, I am the hero.