Bad Batch Episode:

"Pabu"

Myra and Comedia felt very strange going to school and not meeting up with Boba and Omega in the hallway before homeroom.

The two girls met with Vince and Benni, all of them looking saddened when Vince asked if either of them had seen the twins, only for Myra to inform the boys that Omega and Boba left Walker Prep.

"Omega texted me about it last night." Benni said, taking out his phone to show the message Omega sent him.

Benni,

I don't have much time. Mariverde is getting stronger and my family has to split up. So, I'm gonna be away for a while, I don't know how long, and I can't say where I'm going because I have to abandon my devices too. I love you so much, and I'm gonna miss you. I hope you'll wait for me. You started out stealing a ship, and then you stole my heart. XOXO *kiss and crying emojis*

"I don't get it," said Vince. "Mariverde clavatizes people and has a bunch of escapees all over the place. Why do they need to leave?"

"I asked Master Qui-Gon about it," said Myra. "He said Mariverde appears to target mainly where she knows the royal family will go quickly because she wants to send a message. Every time she clavatizes someone, it just shows her power is limitless and she's stopping at nothing to go through with her plans. Whatever they are."

"Qui-Gon also said everyone had to leave their phones behind," said Comedia. "Apparently, Garrett found some spell that would temporarily make everyone invisible to magic mirrors long enough for them to escape and go to wherever they're headed now."

A while back, while rescuing Olivia from Mariverde, the Batch noticed a mirror in Mariverde's old hideout, which was also cleaned out when they returned to find it empty. Thus, they theorized that Mariverde searched for victims using a magic mirror. But they had to leave their phones behind in case Mariverde was tracking them too.

"Does Master Qui-Gon have any idea where the others went?" Vince asked.

"Nope." Myra said. "Apparently, they all had to go to random places and drop contact all together, splitting between families too. God knows how long they'll be gone. Until this Mariverde witch is taken care of."

"I hope that's soon," said Comedia, her ears drooping. "I didn't even get to say goodbye to Remix or Emeraldi."

"Had I known just a few days before coming back here would be the last time we'd see the twins," said Vince. "I would've let them know they were two of the best friends I could ever hope for."

"Well, on the bright side," said Myra. "We can live out the rest of high school without worrying about Brittney anymore."

"Yeah, that's a pretty bright side," Comedia said. "But…I'd continue to deal with her the rest of this year if it meant we could have all our friends together again."

Myra sighed. Comedia was right. Nothing would be the same with two of their friends gone. They couldn't even send them a text now to let them know how much they missed them. And Vince and Myra were entering their senior year next year, meaning aside from Benni, Comedia would be all alone if Boba and Omega weren't back before then.

Meanwhile, at a cantina somewhere…

Patrons were sitting at some tables, drinking, playing cards, or chatting amongst themselves. However, in cantinas like this… there was usually shady business lurking not too far away. Like at this one table where Phee Genoa sat with Omega next to her with three men in jumpsuits, helmets covering their faces sitting across from them.

For a while, none of them said a word. But then, Phee broke the silence.

"Well, Crowder, are we gonna sit here all day, or can we do business? Let's see it."

The man sitting in the middle, apparently Crowder, looked at the man to his left and nodded.

The figure to Crowder's left pulled out an artifact and carefully placed it on the table. It looked like a little tree made of a jade-like stone. Phee was just about to pick it up, but Crowder placed his hand on it and said,

"Uh-uh-uh. Payment first."

"Not until I know it's not one of your two-bit knockoffs," said Phee.

Reluctantly, Crowder pushed the artifact toward the ladies for inspection.

At another table just across from Phee and Omega's, Hunter sat with his back turned toward them, acting natural.

Crowder seemed suspicious as Phee concluded her inspection.

"Hmm. I thought you worked alone?" He said.

"Things change," said Phee, Omega taking out a briefcase. "I'm teaching her the fine art of negotiation."

Omega slid the briefcase over to Crowder's henchman, who checked inside it to see that the payment was all there. Once it was confirmed, Crowder was satisfied.

"Looks like we have a deal."

Crowder poured a drink and slid it over to Phee, but she didn't drink it. She took a whiff of it and passed it to Omega, who got rid of it.

"Poison's not typically my drink." Phee said.

"Impressive, for a pirate."

Phee couldn't see it, but Crowder pressed something under the table, which opened a secret compartment in which there was a centipede-like creature.

"She's not a pirate," said Omega. "She's a liberator of ancient wonders."

"That I am." Phee said, proudly leaning back in her chair and placing her boots on the table.

Hunter quickly grabbed the wrist of a Bith who tried to sneak one of his credits from the table, still watching his sister and Phee.

"If you want to kill me, you'll have to do better than that."

And what Phee didn't know was that the creepy crawly worm, called a kouhun, was making its way up the back of her chair, ready to inject its deadly sting… until it was slashed by a sharp tool that was flung from out of nowhere!

Where did it really come from? Hunter throwing it.

"New pet?" Phee said, showing no fear.

Crowder's men all lifted their blasters, prompting Hunter to remain still.

"I'll be taking the artifact now," said Crowder. "You should've brought more muscle than that, Phee."

Then someone chuckled, and it turned out to be…

"She did." Wrecker stood up from his seat, cracking his neck to look intimidating.

And Pinto emerged, snorting and lowering his hat slightly.

"Now it's getting interesting." Phee smirked.

One of Crowder's men attempted to hit Wrecker, only for the largest clone to beat him easily. And he wasn't the only one. Hunter engaged in battle with the henchmen as shots were fired. Then Mila and Kara emerged, the latter igniting her lightsaber to deflect shots, and keeping a hood over her head to avoid being recognized. Pinto, Teatra, Emeraldi, and Estrella engaged too, and Omega used her electric crossbow.

Crowder had a clear shot to hit Omega, and he might have, had the young not quickly fired another arrow at the support of a light above Crowder. It fell over him and it made a loud clang that sounded like a church bell crashing

Meanwhile, Tech was waiting in the ship with Indira, Diamond, Mona, and Gonky.

Naturally, Diamond and Mona stayed back because they were too young for this battle, and Indira lay down in her pegasus form since Hunter didn't want her fighting in her current condition, despite that she hadn't even begun to show yet. Tech, however, was playing a game with himself.

Gonky honked something to Tech.

"Yes, I am playing against myself," said Tech. "It is the only time this game is a challenge."

"Didn't Mila beat you forty-three times at that game yesterday?" Diamond pointed out.

Before Tech could reply, the comlink beeped with Hunter on the end.

"Tech, we need a pickup."

Tech immediately got to the pilot's seat and began warming up the ship, Mona helping out.

"On my way."

The cantina commotion was still raging strong. Omega hid under a fallen table for protection.

"I think it's time to go." Omega hollered.

"Wrecker." Hunter called.

Quickly, Wrecker and Hunter placed what turned out to be little gas bombs that created a fog that gave the team enough time to hop on the horses' backs and giddyup on out of there!

"Yeehaw! Now that's what I call a showdown!" Pinto whooped.

Blasts were shot again as Crowder's men made their way to the door, Wrecker firing back and Kara deflecting more with her lightsaber.

Thankfully, everyone made it to the ship safely, and they were on their merry way out of there.

Things seemed a lot calmer now that the mission was over and the Marauder was in hyperspace now.

Hunter went to check on his wife, who confirmed she was fine; the former had worried since Indira had faced some morning sickness since discovering her pregnancy.

"I think Tech needs you in the cockpit more than I need you worrying right now," said Indira. "I won't start to show for at least two more months."

"Now that was a fun mission," said Omega, brushing Estrella's mane.

"You got that right," chuckled Wrecker.

Gonky honked in agreement.

From the cockpit, Phee watched as Omega continued to brush Estrella while Kara was cleaning her lightsaber.

"Omega was pretty impressive back there." Phee praised.

"Her training's paying off," said Hunter.

"Oh, I know she's got the whole soldier thing down, and Mona's not too bad either. But don't you think they should learn some other skills?"

"What other skills?" Tech asked.

"Omega spends all her time with you three… and your girls."

"What are you implying?" Mila said.

"They need friends. Ones their own ages and who don't share their genetic profile."

"Omega has friends her own age," said Kara. "Unfortunately, she had to leave them behind in order to keep them and the rest of our family safe from harm. The same goes for Mona."

"We never had such a thing before the royal family," said Tech. "I do not see the issue."

"So nothing's changed for the better since you married me?" Mila said, sounding offended, which scared Tech a bit.

"I did not mean it that way, Dear. Many good changes have occurred since our marriage."

Mila rolled her eyes. It had been a few weeks since the royal family split up, and Mila, among some of the others, were beginning to get cabin fever.

The Marauder didn't have quite as much privacy as a proper bedroom like in the palace, which meant the couples in the Marauder had limited times when they could have proper makeout sessions, and other things.

"She's a little cranky being cooped up in here." Hunter said.

"No kidding." Phee said.

Suddenly, the comlink started beeping again.

"We are receiving a transmission," said Tech. "It is from Cid."

"Let's hear it," said Hunter.

Wrecker, Omega, and Kara entered the cockpit to listen to the message from Cid.

"So, it's been 20 rotations and no word. You better be dead, because your absence has cost me a few scores. Remember our mutually beneficial arrangements, and how well we know one another, if you know what I mean. You'd do well to not assume I am just threatening you boys."

Cid's transmission ended there.

"You didn't mention you cut ties with Cid." Phee said.

"Our mutually beneficial arrangement wasn't so beneficial, mutually." Hunter said.

A future father, Hunter understood more than ever how essential it was to keep his family safe. His kid may not have been born yet, but he was determined to keep his wife safe until and well after the baby arrived.

"Figured that out, did you?" Phee said. "I've known Cid a long time. She's a useful ally, but not someone you want to cross."

"We've come across quite a few folks like that," said Kara.

"Do you have a plan?"

"You're looking at it," said Hunter.

Mona looked up at Hunter worriedly. She just had to leave the only real home she'd ever known behind, and her friends now had no clue where they were going.

"When I said I wished I could travel more, this isn't what I meant." Mona crossed her arms.

"In that case," said Phee. "You all are coming with me."

Phee placed a hand on Tech's shoulder as she typed in some coordinates.

"Head to these coordinates, Brown Eyes." Phee said. "Don't worry, Mila. I'm not gonna steal him."

"Don't even joke about that." Mila said.

Soon, the Batch were on their way to a planet that they had never seen before. The coordinates led them to a remote island somewhere in the middle of the ocean. There were buildings that looked to be made of stone, lots of green and colorful plants growing all around, and the sky was as blue and beautiful as the one on Naboo.

The Marauder landed on a platform at the top of a mountain, where Phee was the first to exit the ship.

"Welcome to Pabu, my home away from home." Phee said. "It's a hidden sanctuary of sorts. And I get the feeling Mona especially should feel at home here."

Mona and the others weren't exactly sure what she meant by that.

For now, the group arrived at a beautiful weeping maya tree, which stood in front of a building Phee explained was called the Archium.

"It's where the artifact will be stored. It holds treasures from all over the galaxy."

Tech did some calculating on his tablet and said, "My analysis indicates that this so-called artifact you recovered is of very little to no monetary value."

"Treasure can mean many things."

"It's true, mi amor. It could refer to something expensive such as our wedding rings or the crown jewels," said Mila. "But treasure also can mean something of sentimental value, such as family members."

"Most of the villagers on Pabu are refugees. Many of the items I recover are remnants of their cultures, and that's worth preserving. After all, I am a liberator–"

"A liberator of ancient wonders," said a new voice.

And into the picture came a bald man with a girl about Omega's age.

The man laughed and said, "About time you showed your face around here."

Phee shared a hug with the man and said, "Miss me, Shep?"

"Maybe now she'll leave Tech alone," said Wrecker, elbowing Mila, knowing she got annoyed whenever Phee flirted with Tech.

Mila rolled her eyes in response.

"Auntie Phee!" exclaimed the girl, hugging Phee. "What'd you bring this time?"

Phee then took the jade tree from her bag to show the girl.
"Looks one of a kind," said the child.

"Good eye." Phee smiled.

"That's not all you brought, I see." said Shep.

Phee introduced the man to her friends. His name was Shep Hazard, Mayor of Pabu, and the girl was his daughter Lyana.

"Shep, Lyana, meet Omega, Hunter, Wrecker and Tech."

Tech and Hunter introduced their wives, and the other horses introduced themselves. Mona just hid behind Hunter and tightened her cloak a bit.

"And I am Kara." said the Jedi, removing her hood.

Shep shook hands with the humans, Wrecker giving a rather rough handshake.

"Put her there!"

And the horses sniffed the Hazards.

"That tickles!" Lyana laughed as Estrella sniffed her head to get acquainted.

"I think Estrella likes you." Omega laughed.

Estrella let Lyana go so the human girls could get properly acquainted.

"Phee's never brought friends here before." Lyana said, approaching Omega.

"Never?" Omega gasped. "Not even Cid?"

"Nope." said Phee.

"So why bring us?" Hunter said.

"Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

"She must really like you," Lyana remarked.

"All right, that's enough out of you."

The girls laughed, and so did the horses.

"Then it's settled," said Shep. "You'll join us for dinner."

"There's no saying no to Shep's famous feast." Phee said. "Lots of food, drink, and general merrymaking." She looked at Tech. "You'll probably hate it. It'll be great."

"He's been around my familia. He's desensitized mostly." Mila said.

"Lead the way, Shep. I'll catch up."

So, Shep led the way and the others followed.

Mila sighed as she walked with Tech. Tech looked at his wife. It wasn't that they weren't getting along per se; with all that was happening, there was tension all around. Mila had to leave her entire family behind too, and literally her entire world. In fact, they had to break the mirror back to her home just to ensure Mariverde would never be able to get to her family. It was the hardest thing Mila had ever had to do, and she wasn't sure she'd ever see her family again. Now, the only family she had here was her husband, and they still hadn't managed to get pregnant.

Shep led everyone down the mountain, the big girls running down and having a great time. Mona, on the other hand, stayed close to Hunter. The horses didn't hesitate to start running as fast as they could.

"Yeehaw!" Pinto shouted, zipping past the girls.

"Pinto, be careful!" Emeraldi scolded, running after him.

Lyana and Omega looked over the rail together. The view was so spectacular! Omega couldn't believe her eyes.

"Wait till you see it up close." Lyana said.

How Omega wished her siblings were here. Boba loved to start water fights in the ocean, and Gabby loved building sandcastles on the shore. Then she thought about how if Anakin were down there, he'd probably be whining about getting sand in his boots.

For now, Omega followed Lyana farther down the mountain.

"Upper Pabu is the oldest part of the island." Shep told Hunter. "As we've grown over the years, we've expanded below the wall into Lower Pabu."

That was when an older man walked by and greeted the mayor.

"Hi, Mr. Eenta." Shep greeted. "How are Sari and Micha?"

"They're doing good. Thanks for asking, Shep."

"Wow, uh–" Wrecker chuckled. "Do you know everyone here?"

"Of course. We're all like family."

"Any idea what Phee meant when she said I'd feel more at home here?" Mona asked Hunter.

"I don't know, but we'll probably find out soon." Hunter said.

While the horses ran about the island to enjoy themselves, Shep brought the Batch and the girls to a nice dining space.

"Make yourselves at home." Shep said.

The humans took a look at the view from up there. Lower Pabu was even lovelier closer up.

"Not too shabby, is it?" Phee said.

Suddenly, Omega heard a chittering sound, which turned out to come from a monkey-like creature. And he wasn't alone. Two more came along and they roamed the floor, Lyana and Omega keeping a safe distance to watch them.

"They're called moonyos," said Lyana. "The elders say they've lived here since before Pabu was inhabited."

One of the moonyos climbed onto Lyana's shoulder before making its way to Omega's. The girls both laughed.

"I have not heard her laugh like that in some time," said Tech.

"Neither have most of us," Kara said, smiling for what felt like the first time.

Shep soon brought out a covered dish for the feast, and Hunter decided to speak with him about something.

"Phee said the villagers here are refugees."

"Many, yes." Shep said. "Pabu has been a safe haven for those forced to flee their homes during the war and others after. Believe it or not, it was inhabited even before then."

"By the moonyos?"

"Them, yes and no. Turned out there were people living here too, people we thought unusual at first… but, then I married one of them."

"Where is she then?"

"Honey," said a woman's voice.

"Right here." Shep said. "Oh, Adelina. Let me get that."

Shep took another dish from a woman the others had never seen before. She had dark skin and long hair tied in a lovely side braid, but what surprised everyone else was that she had green and yellow butterfly wings! And by the look of her stomach, she was about eight months pregnant.

"Everyone, meet my wife, Adelina."

Mona was especially flabbergasted by this revelation. That must've been what Phee meant when she'd said Mona would feel at home here.

"Your wife's a maricamba?" Kara gasped.

"Oh no…" Adelina suddenly looked worried.

Kara reassured Adelina though, that none of them meant her any harm.

"Don't worry, we won't hurt you. We're friends with maricambas."

"She's telling the truth." Mona said.

Mona removed her cloak and spread out her wings. It felt good to let her wings out in the fresh air.

"That feels better."

According to Shep and Adelina, there were lots of maricambas living on Pabu. Apparently, Pabu was also a safe haven for many maricambas seeking refuge from doresho hunters or anyone else seeking to bring them genocide.

"You're not worried Mariverde will find any of you?" Hunter said.

"Why would she?" Adelina said. "She can't find us here. Our combined power has made it impossible for dark forces to detect us."

"Plus, there's the fact that we're a remote island with limited resources," said Shep. "But if somehow Mariverde does try to find us. We'll manage."

"You don't know her as well as I do." Mona said. "She's attacked our friends lots of times."

"But, we always managed to save them by working together." Kara said.

Lyana and Omega laughed as they continued to play with the moonyos, Shep and Hunter watching them intently.

"Be careful, girls." Adelina said.

"We will, Ma." Lyana said.

Shep watched his daughter and sighed.

"Some come to Pabu looking for a clean slate. A chance to start over." He told Hunter. He held Hunter's shoulder. "As a father, you couldn't ask for a better place to raise a child."

"I did know one good place." Hunter sighed, thinking about the palace, and more so the rest of the family.

Hunter could only imagine how much Omega was missing her parents. Pabu was nice, but a beautiful place could only provide so much, even if it did have people who knew how to work with limited resources.

"Something to think about, isn't it?" Phee said.

"You're suggesting we all stay on Pabu permanently?" Hunter said.

Phee and Hunter looked at the girls playing, this time with Mona joining them.

"They seem to like it here."

Hunter thought and said, "If it were just us, maybe I would consider that, but Omega's got another family, and she's gonna be back with them again."

"With a bad butterfly after you, who knows when that will be?" Phee said. "Until then, a little stability might do you all some good."

Hunter thought about that. Phee did have a point. Stability was pretty scarce since fleeing the palace, and the last thing the kids needed was going place to place all willy-nilly, and Indira needed that even less while she was expecting. The others figured Lamenta's family had it easy; all they had to do was have Carmine do his regular job while introducing his wife as a new disguised musical partner, and having Ms. Susy take over Caroline's position as their manager with Lamenta hiding backstage. In short, an upgraded version of their lives before Carmine and Anakin met.

The Batch was soon seated at the table for the feast as the sun was beginning to set.

Drinks were poured for everyone and there was lots of good food, including sushi. Except, Indira had to pass on that and stick with crudites because, one she was a vegetarian, but also because she'd learned raw fish, such as that in some sushis, wasn't good for pregnancy. This, Shep also knew. In part, due to Adelina's pregnancy, fruit and fresh veggies were abundant in serving tonight, and Adelina had some odd combinations of food to satisfy what cravings she still had.

Lyana decided to show Omega something that could be seen from where they were now.

"You have your own boat?" Omega gasped.

"Uh-huh. You wanna take it out and watch the sunset?" Lyana asked.

"Really?"

"That sounds like a great idea, doesn't it?" Phee said, looking at Hunter.

"Can I go?" Omega asked, looking at her aunt.

"Just be careful." Kara said.

"Me too?" Mona asked.

"Have fun." Hunter said.

And Mona eagerly left her chair to join the big girls on the boat.

However, Wrecker began to groan and hold his stomach.

"What's with you?" Hunter asked.

"I'm full," answered Wrecker, surprise clear in his voice. "I am never full."

It was true. Wrecker had been to many feasts since moving in with the royal family, and somehow he was just never full when they fed him. Then again, they didn't serve sushi at most of those events, and even when they did, Master Fisto had a habit of hogging most of it.

"I will note the date and time to commemorate such a momentous occasion." Tech said, getting out his tablet.

And that was when Shep returned to the table with another dish, to Wrecker's surprise.

"Hope you saved room for dessert," said Shep, uncovering the plate, which was covered with lots of exotic-looking sliced fruits.

"I love this place!" Wrecker cheered.

Meanwhile, the girls made their way down, and to Mona's great surprise, there were more maricambas on the island. Maricambas with big wings, maricambas with smaller wings, maricambas with spotted wings, maricambas with striped wings, maricambas with sparkly wings, all kinds of maricambas young and old.

Mona looked at one home where a lady maricamba was welcoming a human man, presumably her husband, home, and she was carrying a baby in her arms. The baby happily reached over to the man, making him laugh and start playing with her.

Mona couldn't help feeling sad then. She missed her family. Her adopted parents, her sister, and her friends. She'd finally had the family she always wanted, and Mariverde just had to ruin it for her.

If there's a lesson I'm supposed to learn here, I'm missing it. Mona thought, looking to the heavens above.

"Mona, don't fall behind!" Omega called, prompting Mona to literally fly over.

Mona felt some adrenaline run through her veins as she fluttered through the air; she rarely ever got to do that outside.

"Woohoo!" Mona cheered. "Incoming!"

The big girls arrived at the boat, only for Mona to knock both of them in when she tried to land.

"Oops! Sorry." Mona said. "Guess I need to work on my landings."

"You think?" said Diamond, entering the picture.

The girls all got onto the boat and rode a few feet away from the island.

Omega took a deep breath of the sweet ocean air. It reminded her a little of when her family visited Garrett's childhood home at the beach, and the time her maternal grandparents took her and the kids on a boat ride. How she missed them as well, and her parents. Padme would've loved to see this, while Anakin probably would've gotten seasick, like he always did on a boat. She thought about how Boba might've decided to get sneaky and jump in the water to splash the girls with his merman tail. But it also made her think of Kamino.

"I spent most of my life surrounded by the ocean," said Omega. "But it didn't feel like this place."

"Why'd you leave?" Lyana asked.

"Well, I found a family."

Omega took out a family photo she had. It was the first family photo she'd taken with her family after her adoption was finalized. She showed it to Lyana and told her the names of everyone in the picture, like when Boba first showed her his family photo of their family before they'd met Omega. And then she showed Lyana some other pictures of Garrett and his family.

"Our family grew and grew. But then, Mariverde got stronger, and our family had to split up just to keep everyone safe." Omega said. "When I got adopted, they told me royal life wouldn't be easy, but I didn't think it would be this hard."

"It's hard for all of us," said Diamond. "I just got my dad back, and now I have to be away from him, my mom, and my auntie."

"And I was just finally knowing the outside world." Mona said. "My own so-called mother kept me a prisoner all my life, and only about a year ago did I finally get to know how to be a kid."

Lyana felt terrible that all of the other kids felt so sad now, having to leave most of their family, their friends, and everything they knew behind.

"I'm so sorry. But you're safe here." Lyana said. "You and your friends can stay here as long as you want."

"We don't stay anywhere for long now." Omega said.

"Never? Doesn't that get lonely?"

"You have no idea."

Omega showed Lyana one more picture she had with her friends.

"I had a group of friends back home. See? There's Vince, Myra, Comedia…" Omega felt tears come when she looked at the picture of the boy she was holding hands with in the picture. "And Benni… my boyfriend."

"He's cute."

"I didn't even get to say goodbye to him properly. I could only text him."

Omega might've started crying had Diamond not come up and nuzzled her. The former hugged the jewel pegasus, who'd actually grown a little in the last few weeks.

It was hard on everyone, though some were better at hiding their sorrow than others. No one could deny they were sad, scared, even worried. Pinto just lost his sister, the Batch lost a brother, and there was no telling how long they would be separated.

Back at the table, Tech was doing some more work on his tablet, Mila leaning on his shoulder.

"It's almost time," said Phee.

"For what?" Tech asked.

"See for yourselves."

Mila got her husband to get out of his seat, and they followed Phee over to the wall. There were birds singing, and some pink flowers in front of them over the walls, which Mila started to sniff.

"I do not see anything," said Tech.

"What are we looking at?" Mila asked.

"Just wait. It'll be worth it."

And just as Phee promised, there was a sight worth waiting for. As the sun set over the horizon, lights began to glow in all the houses, and lots of glowing butterflies began fluttering up in the air. Mariposa had shown the family these creatures before; they were called Flutter-Fires, which were like butterflies, but with a firefly's ability to glow, except from their wings. It was so beautiful Mila felt like crying.

"Pretty spectacular right?" Phee said.

"Que bonita." Mila sighed, leaning closer to her husband.

"I suppose those are two ways to quantify it." Tech said, adjusting his goggles.

"It's wonderful, and you know it, Techy Bear."

Mila kissed Tech's cheek.

From the boat, the kids could see the spectacular view.

Omega immediately thought about how Lamenta would've loved this kind of light show. She was the one person she knew who was never afraid of the dark because she literally had the power to light up the night.

Hunter sat with Indira, who suddenly froze before taking on pegasus form and tapping the floor with her hoof as the moonyos chittered and scurried off. Hunter was beginning to feel something too. Adelina suddenly gasped, feeling something too, and it wasn't from her pregnancy.

It seemed the villagers could feel something too, and there was the sound of the waves crashing.

"Something's coming." Hunter said. "We need to-"

BOOM! CRASH! CLANG!

The ground started to shake rapidly; probably the whole island was shaking! It spooked the horses as well as the inhabitants, and any maricamba who hadn't been flying when the shaking started found their wings popping out as they were startled.

Omega and her friends could see the shaking and feel some of it on the water.

"What was that?" Omega asked.

"Just a tremor." Lyana said. "It's no big deal. Happens all the time."

The boat suddenly rocked a little, causing Mona to fall on her bottom.

"Ouch!"

Omega started to think about how tremors happened like that back home frequently from a time Qui-Gon had a cold and his sneezing shook the palace every five minutes for a week! That mess took forever to clean up.

"Yeah," said Lyana. "But let's head in just to be safe."

Lyana started the boat and turned it back to the island, when Omega heard her comlink beep with Hunter calling her.

"Omega, come in. Are you okay?"

"We're fine. We're headed back to shore now." Omega said.

Mayor Shep called down below to see if everyone was okay. Most people waved or gave a thumbs up to signal they were okay.

"Addie. Are you alright?" Shep asked his wife.

"I'm fine, Shep." Adelina breathed, sitting down with help from Mila.

"Well, that was different," said Wrecker, getting up, only for a very big cowboy hat to fall over his eyes.

And Pinto found that he had a bowl on his head instead of his hat.

"Alright, who's got my hat?" Pinto asked, looking around.

Wrecker lifted the hat off his eyes.

"Ha ha! Look, I'm Pinto. Howdy, howdy, howdy!"

"Very funny, Wrecker," said Pinto sarcastically, then he bit the hat off his rider's head. "Gimme that!"

And he placed his hat back on.

"Uh, a small tremor. It's nothing to worry about." Shep assured the others. "Part of island life."

Although, Shep couldn't say he wasn't worried about how the tremors were affecting Adelina in her condition. By human standards, she was eight months pregnant, but by maricamba standards, she was due to have her baby within the next day or two.

"Addie. You still okay?"

"I'm fine…I told you," Adelina breathed, holding her stomach. "The baby won't be coming for at least another day."

"I don't think it's over yet." Hunter said.

And he was right.

The tremors resumed, this time getting stronger, terrifying most of the residents, and shaking the waters the girls were riding on.

"That was not a small tremor." Hunter said.

"No, it was not," Shep agreed.

"Hunter, I believe this island is at risk for a significant sea surge." Tech said.

"Agreed." Mila said.

"How much risk?" Hunter asked.

"Highly probably to imminent."

"We haven't had a sea surge in more than three decades." Shep said. "If we were at risk, the early warning system would've activated. And-"

HONK!

The honking sound of an alarm blared throughout the air, prompting Pinto to cover his ears with his hooves.

"I don't like the sound of that." Wrecker said.

"Neither do I." Pinto said.

The siren blared louder, the shaking grew more violent, and the ocean began to move in a way that had Tech worried.

"The water has already begun receding." Tech said. "We must evacuate all of Lower Pabu."

"Lyana," gasped Adelina. "She and the other girls are still out there!"

"I'll grab our ship and get them." Hunter said. Then he looked at the others, including his wife. "You five, move everyone in town to higher ground. Pinto, you carry Adelina to higher ground. Emeraldi, Teatra, fly down and warn as many inhabitants as you can. Estrella, Kara with me."

Quickly, everyone headed to their battle stations.

The girls, meanwhile, found themselves doing more rocking in the boat than riding. Diamond was beginning to get seasick.

"Why aren't we moving?" Omega gasped.

Now it was definitely a good thing Anakin wasn't here for the ride.

The water receded so much that fish were left on the shore.

"The tide's pulling us out." Lyana said, looking in the direction the boat was being pulled. "We're gonna hit the rocks. We have to jump."

Mona and Diamond didn't hesitate. Having wings, flying came easy, but the teen girls were too heavy for them to carry. So, to buy them time, Diamond wrapped her tail around a rail on the boat and flew in the opposite direction, and Mona pulled with her hands to slow the boat down a little before it reached the rocks.

On the count of three, Lyana and Omega jumped off the boat, leaving Mona and Diamond to release the boat into the rocks.

"That was way too close for comfort!" Diamond gasped.

"You think?" Mona said.

On the island, things weren't much better.

Shep, Wrecker, Tech, Mila, and Phee went to warn all of Lower Pabu.

"Knock on every door. Check every home." Shep instructed the others.

So, they knocked on every door, and the horses helped out.

Meanwhile, on what used to be the ocean, Omega picked herself up and spotted Lyana laying on the ground.

"Lyana. Lyana!" Omega shook Lyana by her shoulders. "Wake up!"

Lyana grunted as she got up, holding her head in pain.

"Are you okay?" Mona asked, catching up with the two girls and Diamond.

"I think so." Lyana said.

The girls saw they were kind of far from the island.

"We have to keep moving," said Omega.

But then, Lyana heard something, and it wasn't anything good. It was a giant wave!

"Hunter, we're in trouble," Omega said into her comm. "There's a giant wave coming, and we're too far out."

Kara heard that and was quick to become worried.

"Keep your locator on and head to shore!" Kara said. "We're coming to get you."

So, Mona and Diamond began flying, which reminded Omega… she sprouted her wings too.

"You didn't tell me you could do that!" Lyana gasped.

"I might be rusty." Omega said, taking Lyana's hand, only to be a little wobbly with flying herself.

Meanwhile, the grown ups were helping the others get to higher ground. They'd managed to clear every house, but getting everyone up was easier said than done.

"There are too many trying to get through at once." Tech said. "They will not make it before the surge hits."

"Heads up!" Mila shouted.

Mila tried to speed things along by throwing people up to higher ground so Emeraldi and Teatra could catch them and soften their landings.

"How often have you had to do that?" Phee asked.

"Never." Mila said. "We don't get many emergencies like this. I'm winging it at this point! Okay?"

"Even with your added method, not everyone will make it before the surge hits." Tech pointed out.

"If you're going to suggest anything, now's the time to do it!"

"We can deploy the rescue ladders," said Phee.

"Where?" Tech said.

"They line the top of each wall."

Phee pointed up to where the rescue ladders were supposed to be.

"Allow me."

"Wait, what are you-?!"

Phee didn't get to finish her sentence, as Mila threw her and then herself and Tech up the wall. Luckily, Emerald caught Phee on her back and landed safely.

"Glad I could catch you." Emeraldi joked.

Omega, Mona, and Diamond flew as quickly as they could to get back to the shores, and they just barely managed to make it to the docks, all of them panting for breath.

Mila, Phee, and Tech made their way to the switches to deploy the rescue ladders. Except, there was one problem.

"The mechanisms are rusted through." Tech said. "We will need to manually unfurl them."

So, Phee and Tech used their knives to get the ladders open while Mila used a hammer and its claws, and Teatra used her magic horn.

In all the commotion, however, Pinto heard Adelina gasping.

"Everything alright up there?" Pinto asked.

"No… I think…" Adelina gasped. "It's time!"

Pinto didn't need to think much to know what that meant.

Wrecker and Shep checked for any remaining villagers, and they spotted Mr. Eenta sitting at a table having a drink.

"Eh. Can I help you?" Mr. Eenta asked.

"Everything will be fine Mr. Eenta." Shep said.

Wrecker held Mr. Eenta in his arms and ran as quickly as he could to get him to safety. The ride was rather shaky though, and Mr. Eenta had no clue what was going on.

Everyone with wings, their wings were too tired to continue flying, so the kids had to continue on foot. The water was coming to the land really fast!

"Don't stop running!" Omega shouted.

And that was when Omega spotted the Marauder, and the girls started waving.

"I see you! Hang tight!" Hunter said over the comm.

Hunter opened the ship, and Kara used the Force to carry the two older girls up, while Estrella swooped down and grabbed Diamond and Mona on her back or with her magic horn, getting all of them safely onto the Marauder.

Nearly everyone made it to Upper Pabu, and the waves started to hit the homes on Lower Pabu. The only ones left to get up the ladder were Wrecker, Mr. Eenta, and Shep. Thankfully, all of them made it. Shep would've fallen and drowned in the water had Wrecker not grabbed his hand in time.

The Marauder flew by, Lyana and Omega waving down to let the others know they were okay.

Shep sighed with relief knowing his daughter was okay, but he was in a panic when he heard Pinto shout, "Make way! Woman in labor needs some space."

And as if on cue, Adelina screamed, prompting Shep to make his way over to his wife.

"Let me through!" Mila said. "I have medical experience!"

"Make way for me too!" Indira said, flying over.

Despite the devastating sight of the wave washing away the homes, it appeared this night was about to be brightened by a miracle.

The morning came sooner than you could say 'tsunami.'

Lots of people were gathered at the Archium once the storm was over. Many had lost their homes to the surge, and they were devastated. Lives were saved, but now many villagers of Pabu were left without a roof over their heads.

Wrecker and the girls were all fast asleep by the weeping maya tree. Tech might've woken them up had Phee not stopped them.

Mila still hadn't returned from helping Adelina, and Tech was beginning to get worried. Not only was she helping a woman give birth, but part of him wondered if this was hard for Mila since she and Tech still were struggling to get pregnant.

Tech confided in Phee about how he and Mila were trying to have a family of their own, only to have no luck, and Phee told him it could happen sooner than they think.

"Shep and his first wife, they tried for eight years before they got Lyana." She said.

Meanwhile, Shep could only look at the results of the watery disaster from last night to distract himself while his wife was giving birth.

"We got everyone out in time." Shep said. "That's what's important."

"Based on my estimations," said Tech. "It will take several rotations to rebuild the damage sustained in Lower Pabu."

"Yes. Property was destroyed, but my people are resilient. We'll band together and rebuild."

"I was thinking," said Hunter. "We could stay and help out with things."

"I had the same idea," said Tech.

"Did you now?" Phee teased.

"That is, if you don't mind us sticking around for a while." Hunter said, looking at Shep.

"You would be most welcome."

"Speaking of welcome." Indira said, walking over and giving Hunter a kiss. She had a big smile on her face. "I think there's someone you'll want to meet."

And Shep was happily surprised when Mila came, wheeling Adelina over, the latter carrying a small bundle in her arms.

Shep couldn't believe his eyes when he looked at the little bundle in Adelina's arms. She'd given birth to a healthy baby boy. He looked just like his father, but he had his mother's blue eyes.

"Meet Shep Junior." Adeline smiled.

Shep smiled at his son as the baby gripped his finger.

"He's perfect."

The baby just started crying, as newborns tended to do, prompting his mother to rock him.

Pinto felt prompted to at least wake Lyana so she could meet her baby brother. You can probably imagine Lyana was ecstatic, and congratulations were in order from the people of Pabu on the mayor's new baby arriving.

Despite the devastation that hit Lower Pabu, the arrival of a new baby seemed to lighten the mood a bit. Shep Junior was fortunate to have been born after the surge was over. The people, maricamba and ordina alike, took it as a sign that a brighter future was ahead, even after they'd faced what was perhaps the darkest time most of them may see in their lives.

Mila sighed sadly watching the Hazards happily welcome the new baby into their family. Tech wrapped his arm around her.

"That will be us someday, Mila." Tech said. "We will keep trying."

"We haven't been able to in weeks. How do we know we'll even have a chance?" Mila said worriedly.

"It may take a while, but... I believe we have as great a chance as any couple attempting to conceive a child. However, there is the option to adopt a child."

Mila supposed adoption would do, but she really did want to experience having a baby of her own if it was in the stars for her.

For the time being, the Batch found their own spots to sleep, and Mila and Tech found one that was a little more private, which meant, they could start with a kiss, and then things would get... a little hotter from there.

Hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter. This may be the longest one I've ever written! Please review