sparky // a padawan story

chapter 31. undercover.

"So? How do I look?" I ask Ahsoka as I brush myself off. My typical grey tunic and pants have been replaced with Zygerrian armor, a darkish brown leather that's almost black and laced with gold. It's definitely not the most comfortable thing to wear. The usual ponytail in my hair has also been replaced with a braid down my back. I braided my padawan braid into it so no one suspects anything and so that the gold Zygerrian helmet, resemblant of the Zygerrian's head shape, that I hold in my hands fits on my head easier.
"You look like a slaver," she tells me. "How do I look?" Ahsoka wears and extravagant teal servant's dress.
"You look like a slave."
"Then we're doing good," she says. I leave her as she finished putting on her headdress and a robe and walk into the cockpit of the Zygerrian ship as we approach the planet. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Rex had also put on their slaver disguises already.
"It looks like Zygerria is a popular place these days," Anakin tells us.
"Hm. Whatever is happening is attracting plenty of high-class scum," Obi-Wan states. The ship flies into the light orangish atmosphere and lands just outside the gates to the city.
"Let's hope the information our spies gave us about the Queen is accurate," Anakin says as we walk to the door of the ship and he slips a glove on his real hand. "Remember, I'll keep her occupied while you locate the missing people of Kiros." Anakin slips his Zygerrian helmet on.
"How do you plan on keeping the Queen occupied?" Obi-Wan questions as he puts his own helmet on Rex and I, behind the two of them, do the same.
"Well..." Anakin chuckles. "With my magnetic charm, of course."
"Ew, gross, Anakin," I mutter. Rex snickers beside me.
"Oh, yes, of course," Obi-Wan replies sarcastically.
Anakin holds out his lightsaber to R2. "Hold on to this, will you, buddy?" R2 beeps and holds out metal clampers to grab his saber. I hand my own to Obi-Wan, who tosses both of our weapons to R2, too. The doors of the ship whir open and the four of us walk out onto the ramp, Ahsoka close behind, covered in her robe so only her eyes are visible.
"Remind my why I'm the one playing the part of the slave," Ahsoka says.
"I tried it once. I wasn't any good at it," Anakin lies. "Besides, the role of master comes easily to me."
"Really? Well, this time try to be convincing at it," Ahsoka retorts. We walk down the ramp and into the city through the tall gates. As soon as we enter, shouts and yells fill the streets. Small pets fight each other next to markets along the sides. I grimace. These streets almost remind me of Batuu. But it's even worse here. "Ugh, how can a civilization this advanced still practice slavery?" Ahsoka questions.
"It makes them wealthy and powerful at the expense of others," Anakin tells her. "Before the Hutts bought my mother, she was sold in a market just like this." We continue to walk the streets as discreetly as possible until we come across a group of Twi'leks in handcuffs in front of us. One of the males falls.
His Zygerrian master stalks up to him. "Get up, you useless skug!"
"Master, the bonds, they are too heavy," the Twi'lek pleads.
"Tell it to my whip!" the Zygerrian sneers. He pulls out an orange electric whip and holds it over his head. Obi-Wan quickly drags me away in the opposite direction before he brings down the whip, and Rex follows close behind us.
"So, any idea where to find the colonists?" I ask Obi-Wan.
"I'm open to suggestions at the moment," he replies.
I think for a moment, then I notice two Zygerrians just a bit older than me talking nearby. "Well they look friendly, don't they?" I say sarcastically as I walk ahead of Rex and Obi-Wan towards the two of them.
"Arlo, what are you doing—?"
"Trust me, Master. Hey!" I call out to them. They turn to me as I stop in front of them. "If you don't mind, my associates and I could use some help."
The two of them look me up and down, then smirk. "Sure, darling," one of them says. It takes everything in me to not throw up at that statement on the spot.
"What can we do for ya?" the other asks.
"We hear there's been a new shipment of slaves. Where would one be able to find those?"
"And why should we tell you that?" the first Zygerrian questions.
"Yeah, who even are you?"
"...You ever heard of Casimir?" I ask them, crossing my arms.
Their eyes widen. "Abraham Casimir? The big Batuuian spice dealer?" one questions.
So my father's name is Abraham. Good to know, I guess. "Precisely."
"Yeah, we've heard of him," the other says.
"Well, he's interested in buying... more slaves. And if you know of him, you know he only goes for the best of the best. So I want the newest, freshest, and strongest slaves you may have."
"Well, darling, you're in luck. My father works as a slave master down in the pits, and I'd be happy to show you and your associates the way there."
"That would be much appreciated," I say. He holds out his hand and I take his arm as he leads us to the camps, leaving his friend behind. I turn to make sure Rex and Obi-Wan are following me, and through the slits of his helmet, I see the most annoyed look on Obi-Wan's face that I've ever seen before. I turn back around, facing forward, and talk to him through the Force. "I may have just found the colonists. What's got your tunic all in a twist?"
"I despise teenage boys."
I hold back a laugh. "No worries, Master. I've got this under control. Besides, he's not my type."
"What do you mean, 'your type'?" he questions.
"Well it's the same as yours, Master. Royal Mandalorians."
"Arlo!" I can see the disapproving look on his face without having to turn around. "That wasn't funny!"
"But did I lie?"
He avoids the question. "Whatever. You've got this 'under control", so keep it that way."
"Will do."
"Watch your step here, darling," the Zygerrian says as we approach a staircase going down.
"Oh, thank you," I reply as we step down the stairs into a pit in to ground. A few slavers from around the galaxy look into the square holes in the ground.
"I could introduce you to my father, if you'd like. He can show you some of our best options to go for in the upcoming auction," the Zygerrian offers.
"I believe I can decide 'the best' for myself, but thank you. You have my gratitude for your help, but you may leave us now."
"As you wish, my darling." He kisses the back of my gloved hand. "I hope to see you around soon."
"As do I, my dear." I turn back to Obi-Wan and Rex as the Zygerrian walks away and wipe the back of my hand against my pant leg with a grimace. "Ugh, gross."
"Well, I admit, you actually did have that under control," Obi-Wan says in a hushed voice. "And if we can't find the colonists here, this auction... we may be able to find them there. Good job, my Padawan."
"Thank you, Master. And I promise I won't flirt with one of the cats ever again. Mostly for my own sake, though."
Rex sniggers at my comment next to Obi-Wan, who sighs in exasperation. "But partially for mine, I hope. I'm curious, Arlo, did your father actually have slaves?"
"Do you count me as one?"
"Excluding you, Arlo."
"Then no, he didn't. But the people who work for him may as well be, honestly."
"Ah. Well, act like we belong here. If we get split up, we'll meet each other at the auction." Rex and I nod. The three of us spread out around the same pathway and pretend to be interested in the slaves, as to not rise any suspicions.
A Hutt nudges Obi-Wan. "Ganda chuba kuna, koochoo pulta!" He then slugs away. I walk back up to Obi-Wan, and Rex walks in front of us.
"Sir, take a look at this," he tells Obi-Wan as he stands over one of the dark pits and waves us over. We jog over to him and take a look for ourselves. Governor Roshti, the Togrutan governor of the colony, cowers in the corner of the pit.
"You two, stand watch. I'll take a closer look," Obi-Wan tells us as he jumps down into the pit. Rex and I stand guard at either corner of the pits, and after a minute, Obi-Wan Force jumps up with the governor on his back. He sits him on the ground. Rex and I rush over to them.
"Sir, did you find out where the others are?" Rex questions as we bend down to the governor.
"Not yet. We've got to get him out of here," Obi-Wan says.
"Up there, Master, there's a... brezak, I think." I point up to the orangish lizard-like creature standing above the pits. He nods and Force jumps up to the animal and pushes off the slaver that previously sat on it. He pulls on the reigns and rides it back down to us in the pits.
"You there! What are you doing with that slave?" a slaver yells towards us. Rex and Obi-Wan quickly pull up Governor Roshti and help him on the brazak. Rex takes the reigns, I hold onto him right behind him, then the governor behind me, then Obi-Wan holding him up in the back. The brazak runs and hops through the pits. Suddenly, we hear a blast, and Obi-Wan and Governor Roshti fall off the back of the brazak.
"Master!" I shout as I try to jump off the brazak and go after him. Rex, however, holds me back as the brazak flies away. "Rex, go back! We have to go back!"
"I'm sorry, sir, I wish we could, but we can't. Remember what he said? We'll meet him at the auction."
"But—"
"Commander. You know him. He'll be just fine."
I sigh. "...You're right. Hey, look over there, that arena." I point out in the distance to a large arena close by to the castle. "Do you think that could be where the auction is being held?"
"Looks like it, sir. I don't see anywhere else it could be."
"We can't land this thing by there, it's too big. We're gonna have to jump." I stand up on the barzak's back and help Rex do the same.
"Are you sure about that, sir?"
"Do you have a better plan? Because I'm completely open to other ideas."
"...I guess we're doing this, then."
I wait a moment to time the jump. "Jump, now!" The two of us jump off the brazak and let him fly away free. I stick out my arms as I fall stomach-down and smile slightly to myself. It reminds me of back on Coruscant with Korkie. I land on both feet in an alleyway near the back of the arena. Rex, flailing in the air, nears closer to the ground close by me. I use the Force to slow his fall and turn him so he lands on his feet.
He sighs in relief. "That was a lot less stressful than when General Skywalker and Commander Tano make me do that." I laugh as we take off our helmets and slump against a wall in the alley. "I can't wait to get back into my own helmet."
"I can't wait to get out of one. This thing is heavy and uncomfortable. And I miss my normal clothes, too." I sigh. "There's got to be a way we can alert Anakin that Obi-Wan was captured. But we don't have coms."
"Maybe he knows about the auction?" Rex suggests.
"Yes... yes, Rex, that's it! If the Queen is at this auction, maybe Anakin is with her!"
"But how will we know if she's there?"
"Ask around with these incredibly kind and hospitable cats, of course. And maybe Obi-Wan escaped, who knows? And if he hasn't, we can just find and tell Anakin at the auction. He'll have a plan."
"I'm sure General Kenobi fine. Now let's go make a few more friends," Rex says as he puts his helmet back on. I do the same, and we walk out of the alleyway and to the front entrance of the arena. A long line waits to be let inside. Rex and I start towards the back of the line.
"Hey!" someone calls over to us. I look and see the Zygerrian from earlier in the middle of the line. He waves us over. Rex and I share a discreetly annoyed look.
"Don't mention this to Obi-Wan, yeah? He doesn't need a heart attack at age 37." Rex holds back a snicker as we walk up to the Zygerrian boy. He kisses my hand again. "Pleasure to see you again, darling. I hoped we'd meet again soon."
"Oh, I did too," I lie. Rex tries not to laugh and pretends to scratch his face to cover it up.
"My father said their was a bit of a skirmish in the pits. I'm glad you're all right."
"Oh, yes. I saw it, but I don't quite know what happened. It caused quite the ruckus."
"Did you see any you liked down there?"
"I found some that were... suitable. But Casimir still wants the best of the best. And I've seen far better in my time working for him. Last time I was here, Zygerria had much better options. I recommended Zygerrian slaves to Casimir myself. And my options aren't even good. It's disappointing, actually."
"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that. But why'd you come to the auction, then?"
"I've heard rumors that the Queen will be here. I want to see if she could do anything for me."
"The Queen comes to every auction. Have you never been to one?"
"I can't say I have, no. Casimir usually handpicks them right out of the pits and camps. He is first class, after all. We just work as his slave masters."
"Right, right. Well, you're lucky you have me to show you the ropes, darling. As for the Queen, you're not gonna get to talk to her. That's impossible."
"We'll see about that, my dear. I have my connections."
"Connections? Well lucky for you, darling, I love a woman with connections. I never got your name, by the way."
I hesitate. "Um, my name is, uh..." Okay, not Arlo. What's Arlo spelled backwards? Olra? That's not a name. Okay, how about different names to spell with those four letters. Um... kriff... oh! "Lora. My name's Lora."
"Just Lora?" he questions.
"No, not Just, it's, uh—"
"Wait, what do you mean 'not just'?
"Oh! Um, that was a joke. Like you were saying my last name is Just. So I was saying that's not my name. That would be a silly name, after all, don't you think?"
"Oh, I understand. That's funny."
"Anyway, my last name is..." Well now I can't misspell Just, that's too obvious. I start to play with the end of my shirt, but I feel the leather armor instead of the familiar feeling of my tunic. I blurt the first name that comes to mind. "...Kryze!" I internally smack myself. Kriff, I hope he doesn't somehow recognize that name...
"Lora Kryze. I'm Varla Om'seca. And your friend here is?"
"This is, uh... Dex."
"Dex. And where's your other pal?"
"Oh, that's... that's Ben. He couldn't make it, um, he's tangled up in a... deal... right now. You know, business is always booming when you work for Casimir."
"I can imagine. And I must say, for an offworlder, you look most stunning in our armor."
"Oh, stop," I say. I turn to Rex and roll my eyes at the Zygerrian boy's comment. "Seriously, stop," I mouth to Rex. He snickers slightly.
"Have something to say there, Dex?" Varla questions.
"Oh, uh, no sir— sorry, no, it's because... the line is finally moving! And I'm excited to get in." Rex points up to the entrance, where the line ahead of us begins to move in.
"I can show you the best seats in the house," Varla offers.
"Alright, then," I say. "Lead the way." Rex and I follow Varla into the arena and begin walking up the stairs to the supposed 'best seats in the house'. I notice Varla carries a Zygerrian blaster on his belt. I look around to make sure nobody is watching me, then discreetly grab the blaster with the Force and hand it to Rex. He puts it on his belt and nods in thanks.
"What about you?" he mouths to me.
"If Anakin is here, then R2 is here. And that means my saber's here, too. Be on a look out for Obi-Wan, by the way," I mouth back. He nods. We enter the main walkway of the arena and step towards the railing.
"The advantages of having a father that's a slaver? You get to stand guard at the auctions. It has the best view," Varla tells us. The arena fills up quickly and cheers ring throughout as the Queen walks out onto her platform, along with Anakin, Ahsoka, and R2, and a slaver speaks from the slave's platform below. I look around the ground for a sign of my master.
"Looking for someone?" Varla questions.
"Oh, no. Just... observing the crowd. It's quite large."
"Your Highness, Zygerrians, guests from a thousand worlds! Our auction begins with slaves of unmatched quality and impossible quantity. I give you Togruta, from the Kiros system." The door opens in the pit of the arena and Governor Roshti is pushed out. My eyes widen.
"What's wrong, my darling?" Varla questions as he notices me.
"Oh, I just... didn't see this slave while I was in the pits. This is a good slave, yes," I lie.
"This handsome sample represents a lot numbering no less that 50,000 beings!" the announcer calls out.
"Hey, we're gonna move a little closer, if you don't mind," I tell Varla. "You can stay here."
"That's all right with me. Enjoy your first auction, darling."
"I will, thank you." Rex and I move to the side to try to get in Anakin's line of vision. "What a nerfherder," I mutter to Rex. He chuckles.
"Note the compliance. Virtually untrained in combat. There will be no rebellion from these slaves," the announcer continues. Anakin takes notice of Rex and I from the Queen's balcony. Rex pats on the blaster on his hip. Anakin nods discreetly at us. Another Zygerrian, the one that was on the call with D'Nar by Dooku, walks up to the Queen and whispers something into her ear. The Queen stands from her seat and approaches the railing on her balcony. The people begin to cheer.
She extends her arms to settle down the crowd. "Before we begin the auction, I would welcome a most special guest, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Knight," the Queen announces. The doors below open and Obi-Wan shields his eyes from the light as he's forced out towards the stage in handcuffs. The crowd jeers around us. The armor Obi-Wan had worn was discarded for just his robes underneath, which were battered and torn, cuts of blood seeping through the tan fabric. He walks with a heavy limp. If he didn't look a mess before, he certainly did now. I gasp and lean over the railing. Rex pulls me back away.
"Commander, we have to wait for a signal," Rex murmurs to me.
"I don't like this, Rex," I mutter back.
"I know, sir."
"I didn't think this is what he meant by meeting up at the auction."
"I know, sir."
"The Jedi are not so tough," the Queen continues. "My friends, my good friends, do not fear the Jedi. They are no different from others we have forced into submission, for they have forsaken their ideals to serve a corrupt Senate. Every Jedi has become a slave to the Republic."
"That's not true—!" I start to mutter. Rex elbows me and shakes his head. "Right. Sorry."
"Lora!" Varla says as he walks back up to us. "That Jedi! That's the slave you should buy for Casimir."
I shrug. "Possibly. But we shouldn't underestimate him, should we?"
"Those Jedi scum. They ruined our empire that lasted thousands of years. They deserve this," he sneers as I watch as Obi-Wan step onto the stage and look out wearily into the crowd. He meets my worried gaze, only partially hidden by my helmet, then I look away to the slavers around him angrily. How could they do this? I go to play with the hem of my shirt, but I'm once again met with the leather armor instead.
"Relax," I suddenly hear him say to me through the Force. I sigh, then take a quick, deep breath, and regain my stoic look from before.
"The Jedi order is weak, and we will help break it." The Queen hands a whip to Anakin. "Teach the Jedi his place." Anakin takes the whip and turns to leave, reappearing in the pit and walking up onto the stage with Obi-Wan, standing over him. Shouts of "Whip the Jedi!" fill the crowd. I notice Anakin mutter something to Obi-Wan, then looks back up at the Queen. "Prove to me you are a slaver. Swing that whip, or die beside him," the Queen commands him.
I read Anakin's lips from our place. "Well those are some lousy options." He looks back up at me and Rex. The two of us nod at him. He smirks and looks up to Ahsoka, next to the Queen. Ahsoka nods.
"You leave me no choice, Highness," Anakin calls up to her as he bows and ignites the electric whip. He salutes up to the balcony. I hardly hear R2 beep a response. Rex and I share a look and nod. That's the signal. Anakin swings the whip and his the announcer with it as Obi-Wan rolls to the side and pushes him off with his hands still cuffed. From the balcony, R2 shoots Anakin and Obi-Wan's lightsabers to them in the pit.
"Guards, subdue them!" The Queen commands from her balcony. The guards around us begin shooting at Obi-Wan and Anakin, and Rex begins shooting at the other guards.
Varla goes to grab his blaster, like the other guards, but it's gone. I smirk. "That blaster is Rex's now, my dear."
"You mean Dex—?"
"No, it's Rex. Captain Rex. Now allow my to formally introduce myself. My name is Arlo Just..." I start as I slip off my uncomfortable helmet while R2 shoots my lightsaber into the air. I use the Force to pull it over to me, igniting it over my head and bringing it down to my side. I pull the padawan braid out of the larger braid down my back, letting it hang out behind my ear. "...Jedi scum. And that down there is my master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Let me tell you something, you good-for-nothing, slaver lowlife. If you mess with one of us..." I give my saber a twirl. "You get all of us." He lunges at my angrily, but I easily Force push him back into the wall. Some of the guards by me and Rex fire at us, but I block their blasts away from the two of us with ease as Rex shoots them all down. Once all of the guards shooting at us are dead by Rex's blaster, we make a run for the stairs to get to the bottom of the pit. We're stopped by three more guards with their blasters pointed at us. Another guard from the side runs up and tackles Rex over the railing, sending him falling into the pit. He lands with a grunt as the guard tries to push me in, too, but I pick him up with the Force and throw him into the three other guards. Another guard then comes up behind me. I turn to him as he shoots a blast towards my head. I move my head slightly to the side as it whooshes past. I raise an eyebrow at the guard, unimpressed. "You really wanna try me?" I question. The guard doesn't stand down, so I slam him into the ground with the Force. I do a backflip over the railing and land on my feet in between Anakin and Obi-Wan.
"Ahsoka, the Queen!" Anakin shouts up at her. Ahsoka, still on the balcony, points her saber at the Queen.
"Looks like your slave empire is finished... again," Ahsoka says as she holds the balde to her throat.
"Get that thing out of my face, you little skug!" the Queen demands as she presses a button in front of her, electrocuting Ahsoka from the collar around her neck, which causes her to turn off and drop her saber as she falls to the ground. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and I hold our sabers out at the ready.
"You know, you've seen better days, Master," I joke.
"You were the one who looked like they could have killed someone because of it," he retorts.
"Oh, relax, I was just trying to diffuse the tension," I say as more guards run out of the doors and ignite their whips. Over to the side, Rex gets whipped and grunts as he falls to the floor. I fend off whips slashing at me with my saber, blocking and dodging them as they're relentlessly sent my way. Three whips are sent my way at once. I manage to duck under one and block another with my saber, but the other one wraps around my neck. Thousands of little electric shocks are sent through my neck and start to spread through my body. I drop my saber and seize the whip around my neck to try to loosen it as my breath becomes more shallow and I fall to the ground on all fours. The whip uncoils from my neck and is slashed across my back just for sure measure. I let out an "Agh!" in pain as I fall on my stomach.
"Arlo!" Obi-Wan shouts. In his distraction with me, two whips catch him on the arm and around the neck and pulls tight. He grunts as he drops to his knees, then falls beside me, unconscious. I muster up all the strength I can and get up on my knees, grabbing Obi-Wan's saber from his hand and igniting his familiar blue blade, but it doesn't last long, as two more whips wrap around my neck and pull, and I lose consciousness.
—
not gonna lie this was SO much fun to write. also, i love rex. i definitely think him and arlo are good friends. i also wrote all of this at school the past day or so, so if it makes no sense, it's probably because i was multitasking. but i've read through it a few times, so i think it should be okay. hopefully.
thanks for reading! -a 🪐