sparky // a padawan story

chapter 38. onderon rebels.

Late 20 BBY. 15 years old.
Anakin, Ahsoka, and I stand in the center of the High Council chambers as the Coruscant sky gets darker out the window. I still feel uncomfortable in the Council's presence ever since... it. I shift around awkwardly and fiddle with the hem of my tunic.
"You're okay, Arlo," Obi-Wan assures through the Force. "Relax."
"Easy for you to say," I reply.
"I know. But someday you have to realize that they're not out to get you."
"Then they need to prove that. Until then, I'll keep being mad."
"...Have it your way, then." Both of us focus our attention back to the hologram before us and the rest of the Council. The familiar face of Lux Bonteri, former Separatist turned rebel, addresses us next to a fellow rebel.
"Unfortunately, the only way to reclaim Onderon will be through armed struggle," Lux informs us. "But we lack sufficient hardware and supplies."
"Onderon is in your king's rule and at the outbreak of the Clone War he chose to align with the Separatists," Obi-Wan tells him.
"Our true king has been silenced," the other rebel speaks up. "The one you recognize is a traitor and a Separatist minion. We need your help to survive this."
"Find a way... we shall," Master Yoda says.
"We await your answer," Lux says with a bow. Him and Ahsoka then share a discreet look.
"Aw. That was real cute," I joke through the Force.
"Really funny, Lo," she retorts with a hardly noticeable eye roll.
"There are pockets of rebels on many of these planets that just need guidance," Anakin tells the Council. "With training and resources, they could attack soft targets while the Republic continues to engage them on the battlefield."
"That sounds like terrorism, Anakin," Obi-Wan says as he uncrosses his legs. I hide a laugh at Obi-Wan's tone.
"Well, I think of it as an insurgency to help realign these planets with the Republic," Anakin replies.
"We can divide the Separatist forces and press them on two fronts," Master Windu says.
"A means to an end, fear cannot be. Stop those who spread terror, the Jedi must," Master Yoda tells him.
"Indeed," Obi-Wan agrees with him. "What you're suggesting would open up dangerous possibilities. And we must not train terrorists."
"Uh, rebels," Anakin corrects.
"How we conduct war is what distinguishes us from others. Funding rebels to overthrow a legitimate government puts innocent lives at risk," Obi-Wan states.
"We can minimize collateral damage by using arms that mainly affect droids," Anakin suggests.
"The least we can do is help them defend themselves test the tactic while we're at it," Master Windu says.
Anakin chuckles. "This could be a great new weapon for us." I look over at Obi-Wan, who leans forward and strokes his beard.
"Hmm. Train and observe. Send advisors, we will," Yoda decides.
"I'll assemble a team," Anakin tells him.
Obi-Wan stands up and walks over to the three of us. "I'm going with you."
"What, you don't trust me?" Anakin asks.
"Too much. That's what worries me." He pats Anakin's shoulder and looks at Yoda, who nods at him. Okay, so we're doing this.
—
I put up the dark grey hood of my robe as I hop down into the palm forests of Onderon behind Anakin and Ahsoka, next to Obi-Wan, and followed by Rex, who wears grey assault gear, a cap, and goggles instead of his usual armor. We use the Force to land on our feet while Rex uses his jetpack to land safely. Our ship flies away above us, and we start in the jungle through the darkness of the night, searching for the rebels. Obi-Wan and I walk across a large branch on a tree when we're suddenly stopped by a woman riding a horselike creature called a dalgo.
"Stay where you are," she demands. More rebels surround us from behind on their dalgos. "Identify yourselves.
Anakin takes off his hood. "It's all right. We're friends."
"Jedi," she says in disbelief. Obi-Wan and I hop down to the ground by Anakin, and Ahsoka does the same on the other side of him.
"I'm Commander Tano," Ahsoka introduces as she removes her hood. "We're here to help you take back your planet."
"My name is Steela," the girl, who I can now tell is just a few years older than Ahsoka and I. "I'll guide you to our secret base."
—
The sun had just risen as we finally reach the rebels' base. It's a decent size, not too extravagant, though. A man, who I recognize to be the man with Lux during our meeting, flies on a ruping onto the archway entrance. All of the rebels look at us as we enter.
"Hm. A bit rough around the edges, wouldn't you say?" Obi-Wan asks us, talking about the rebels.
"I'd say," I agree.
"That's why I brought Rex here," Anakin tells him.
"They're not exactly what I would call 'shinies', sir, but I could work with them," Rex says. The man on the ruping flies down and lands in front of us. He climbs off and approaches us.
"General Skywalker," the man greets.
Anakin bows his head slightly out of kindness. "At your service." He gestures to us and introduces us in order. "This is General Kenobi, Commander Just, Commander Tano, and Captain Rex."
"We're looking forward to taking the fight to those scrappin' droids," he says, clenching his fist.
"Yes. All in good time," Obi-Wan tells him.
"Saw," he introduces as he crosses his arms. "Saw Gerrera."
"He fashions himself as our leader, though no one elected him," Steela tells us as she punches Saw playfully in the arm.
"Well, for now, we're in charge, and there is much to learn," Anakin says to them. The two of them lead us to the center of their camp, where a few rebels wait nearby a holotable for us. We take off our robes and sit them nearby, then begin to address the rebels. Anakin begins. "The Separatists have strength in numbers. We're gonna show you how to target and destroy them."
"Now, to be clear, we are not here to fight your war, rather, to show you how to conduct it in the most efficient and successful way possible," Obi-Wan adds.
"Captain Rex," Anakin says as he gestures to Rex.
Rex steps forward. "I'll show you how the 501st destroy clankers," he tells the rebels with a smirk. "First, I need volunteers to carry supplies from our entry point a halfklick west."
"Shouldn't be a problem," Saw tells him.
"Excellent," Rex replies. The rebels and him start towards the supplies.
I nudge Ahsoka. "Go say hi," I say, nodding to Lux.
She smiles. "Yeah, yeah," she sighs as she starts towards Lux. Anakin and Obi-Wan look at me suspiciously as I turn back to their conversation.
"What was that all about?" Anakin asks me.
I internally debate whether I should actually tell him what's going on. I mean, she told Obi-Wan about Korkie, and him knowing has been a weight off my shoulders, and he's been nothing but helpful about it, so maybe Anakin would be the same. After all, Anakin seems to have a lot of attachments, too. He's close to all of us, and I've noticed more often that he's close to Senator Amidala, too...
"Arlo, you're playing with your shirt, I know you're hiding something," Obi-Wan interrupts my thoughts. I look down and notice that I was, in fact, messing with the hem of my tunic, and I sight in annoyance. "Now out with it, little one."
"Ahsoka likes Lux," I say quickly, quiet enough so Ahsoka doesn't hear me tell them.
"Really?" Obi-Wan questions.
"I knew it!" Anakin exclaims.
"...No, you didn't," Obi-Wan and I say in unison.
"Whatever. I had my suspicions. I'll handle it," Anakin tells us.
"...Right. You certainly will," Obi-Wan says, then gives me a no-he-won't look. I snicker as the three of us begin towards where the rest of the rebels went off to.
—
I stand next to Ahsoka in front of the rebels with Rex, instructing them. Obi-Wan and Anakin stand off to the side of the disarmed Separatist tank that we stand in front of.
"The pilot in the front hatch controls the tank, the shells, and the short range blasters. The commander in the top hatch controls the turret and the main cannon," Ahsoka teaches.
"You have to take out both chambers, otherwise, the tank will remain operational," I add. Ahsoka nods at Rex to demonstrate. He hops up onto the tank and opens the front hatch, tossing a droid popper in, then hops onto the cannon and swings up. He balances across the barrel over to the top hatch. He throws the second droid popper in the hatch and does a backflip off the tank and the poppers go off, lining the tanks with electricity for a moment.
"Everyone, divide up into teams of two and we'll practice an assault on both hatches," Anakin commands. Ahsoka and I step off to the side. Saw and Lux team up first.
"I'll take the top," Lux says with a smirk.
Saw nudges him roughly. "Let's see what you're made of, Bonteri." Rex tosses each of them a popper, and Saw shoves him as he immediately rushes to the tank. Lux stumbles but chases after him. Saw easily gets to the front hatch while Lux jumes up to the barrel of the cannon and slips as he climbs on, sending both him and Saw falling off the tank. I grimace.
Lux offers a hand to Saw. "Sorry about that."
Saw smacks it away as he gets up on his own. "You're a terrible soldier, Bonteri." Rex tosses two more rebels droid poppers, and we continue to observe the rebels' training with intent. I eventually find myself standing in between Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, the rebels getting slightly better at taking out the tanks, but their stamina is beginning to slow.
"Come on! Move it like a soldier!" Rex shouts as two more rebels take on the tank.
Saw stand on the other side of Ahsoka and yells. "Come on, Dono! Pick it up, Hutch! You can do better than that." He then looks over to his side, and walks away towards Steela and Lux, Steela patting Lux's face down with a damp cloth. I don't pay much attention, until I hear Steela break up a small argument between Saw and Lux. "Sit down, boy, this isn't the Senate. You've got no talent for this."
"It's going to take a lot more than muscle to defeat the Separatists," Lux argues.
"Politics have failed us. We have no choice," Saw says as he turns his back to Lux.
"We always have a choice," Lux tells him.
"Then make yours."
"Look, if we're going to succeed, you'll need to be exceptional with words and action," Steela tells them. "There will be time for both." Saw storms away from them, and I look away from the conversation, as does Ahsoka.
—
A while later, we go on to teach them about destroyers. Anakin stands in front of three inactive destroyer droids as Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and I watch to the side.
"Destroyers are quick, pack twin blasters, and come with their own shield generators," Anakin tells the pack of rebels. "Nothing short of a cannon will pierce it. But they do have two weaknesses and you will need to work together to exploit them." Anakin looks over to Rex, who turns on one of the destroyers. The shied forms around the droid. "The shields deflect high velocity attacks." Rex pulls out one of his pistols and fires at the destroyer, but his blasts are easily repelled by the shield. "What the shields don't stop are slow or stationary objects. They're designed to absorb them so nothing hinders their movement." Ahsoka steps forward and pulls out a droid popper and gently rolls it towards the droid, easily going past the shield and disabling the droid, shutting it back down.
"Destroyers are blind from behind," I tell the rebels. "A distraction combined with a rear assault will give you a kill."
"The trick is to get the right speed on the droid popper," Ahsoka informs them.
Rex powers on all of the destroyers and they activate their shields, then holds up a popper to the group. "These are unarmed. Just concentrate on getting it past the shield," he says as he tosses to popper to Saw.
"Watch and learn," he says smugly to Lux as he rolls to popper far too hard towards the destroyer. It bounces off of the shield.
Lux crosses his arms. "Quite brilliant," he says sarcastically. Ahsoka tosses him a popper next. Lux rolls the popper at a perfect speed, and it penetrates the shield.
"Hm. Nice touch," Ahsoka tells him.
"Thanks," he replies. Anakin smirks at the two of them beside me, and I shake my head in amusement.
"Not bad," Steela says from behind Lux as she nudges him playfully on his shoulder. Ahsoka throws a popper to her, and, like Saw, rolls it too hard. She groans in frustration.
"Be mindful of your frustration. It'll only hold you back," Obi-Wan advises.
Lux walks up behind Steela and begins helping her. "Here. Use your shoulder, let your arm swing, and keep your eyes on the target." He holds her wrist as he guides her through the motion from behind her. I look over to Ahsoka, who's eye widen, a sort of hurt expression on her face.
She looks down and scrunches her face. "Great."
"Okay, let's get back to work. Everyone pair up. We'll practice in groups," Rex commands as the rebels begin practicing their popper-rolling skills. She starts to walk over to hand Lux a popper, but he's already walking away with Steela. I put a comforting hand on Ahsoka's shoulder.
"Hey, Commanders, how about one of you helping me practice?" Saw suddenly asks as he walks up to us. "Or both."
I laugh. "Sure, we can do that. But this is more up Ahsoka's alley than it it mine." The two of us follow Saw to a destroyer, and Ahsoka tosses him a popper. He misses. Again. And again. And again. He sighs in frustration.
"I can't get the distance or the speed right."
"Don't give up. Learning this could save your life and those around you," Ahsoka tells him.
"You've gotta loosen up a bit, Saw. Your arm is too stiff, and it's adding more force to your throw. And you just see, really tense right now. And no one is a good fighter when they're tense," I tell him.
Ahsoka hands him another popper. "A little backspin might help," she suggests. She then looks over to Lux and Steela, but I nudge her to make her look away as Saw finally land the popper in the destroyer's shield. The rebels around us clap for him, and I give him a high five.
"That was perfect, Saw!" I exclaim.
"You got it!" Ahsoka says excitedly.
"You're good teachers, Jedi," he says.
Ahsoka, once again, looks over at Lux and Steela as the ladder storms away. "Uh, keep practicing with Commander Just," she tells Saw as she starts to walk towards Steela. Saw looks at me, slightly confused.
"You heard her. Do it again, start working on your consistency," I tell him.
"Got it, Commander."
—
We now work on the rebels' blaster skills. Steela hits the head of a droid spot on with her rifle.
"Impressive," Anakin says. "Most impressive."
"Fixed targets are one thing. How about this?" Ahsoka says as she lifts one of the droid heads from the line on the table with the Force and begins moving it around. Steela shoots at it as Ahsoka makes it dodge her blasts, then she hits the dead center of the head. "Nice job," Ahsoka tells her as Lux puts a hand on Steela's shoulder, and Ahsoka walks over to Anakin, where they have a quiet conversation.
"You have clearly mastered your ability to focus," Obi-Wan tells Steela. She nods in thanks to him.
"A headshot is the only decisive way to disable a droid," Rex says to the rebels. "They don't need arms, legs, or even bodies to pass intel to central command. All right, shoot at will." Rex motions to the droid heads in front of us.
Steela holds up her rifle again, out then puts it back down. "Wait a minute. What is that?" She holds the rifle up again and looks through the aiming device.
"Droids!" Saw shouts with a point. And sure enough, a whole platoon of droids is headed our way.
"Take cover!" Rex shouts as a super battle droid fires a cannon at us. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and I flip backwards out of the way of it and ignite our lightsabers, blocking the platoon's blasts at us as we move for cover. Steela shoots at the droids from beside our safe spot.
"It appears that training is over," Obi-Wan says.
"No shi—" I start.
Obi-Wan cuts me off. "Don't you finish that, Arlo."
"Yeah, whatever," I say as I stand up again and begin blocking more blasts. Obi-Wan and Anakin do the same.
"I'll take the left flank if you all take the right," Anakin says as we crouch down to cover once again.
"No, Anakin. We can only protect them. We cannot fight this war for them," Obi-Wan tells him. He turns to Steela beside us. "There are too many. But Anakin, Ahsoka, Arlo, and I can hold them off while you get your people out of here."
"You didn't teach us to run," Steela tells him. She holds up a wrist com to her mouth. "Saw, use your disrupters to take out the droids."
"I'm on it," he replies through the com. Saw and the other rebels throw the disrupters towards the droids. They explode, destroying nearly all of the ones nearby.
"Not bad," Anakin tells Obi-Wan and I.
"That is only the first wave," Obi-Wan reminds him. A Separatist tank nears closer to the base and fires. We shield our eyes from the dust and rubble from the cannon. "We'll handle this," he tells Steela.
"No, I will," she volunteers. She points her rifle near our heads. "Duck!" The three of us duck under her line of fire and she blasts open the gates holding the dalgos. They run out towards the battle and trample over the droids. I watch as Lux and Saw run towards the tanks and do as we taught us earlier, taking out both hatches. Ahsoka Force jumps up onto the tank and closes the top hatch for Lux with the Force as they jump off just before it explodes. We stand up from our cover and regroup with the rebels.
"Take confidence from this victory," Obi-Wan tells the group. "But rest assured, there will be more droids coming, now that they know your position."
"It doesn't matter. You're ready now. We are going to take the fight to the droids. You don't have to hide in the jungle any longer," Anakin says.
"Droids were a bit dim, more so than I imagines," Saw comments. I nod in agreement.
"They make up for it in numbers," Ahsoka tells him. "They're designed to overwhelm."
"But they're not designed to deal with our approach," Anakin adds.
"We hit them where they least expect it," Lux suddenly chimes in. "And before they realize what happened..."
"We fade in with the rest of the population," Steela finishes for him.
"Exactly," Anakin says with a smirk.
"We need a plan to get inside the city," Ahsoka says.
Lux ponders it for a second, then speaks up. "...I have an idea."
—
"Put your hood back up, Arlo," Obi-Wan whispers to me.
"Right. Sorry," I mutter back as I release one of my hands from around his torso and pull the hood of my robe back up, then put my arm back around him. We ride beside two wagons of our "product" on a falumpaset. Lux's plan was to sneak into the city as "hunters", and so far, it was going quite well. We begin to near the ray-shielded city entrance.
"Halt," a battle droid commands. "What were you doing outside of the city gates?"
"Hunting," Lux lies cooly. "We've been trekking for days."
"Did you register before your excursion?"
"No, but most of our time is spent in the bush collecting our traps. We come to the city to sell," Lux tells the droid. "You can't get thrip larva like this in Iziz. Only the biggest trees on the other side of Onderon."
"Hey, listen, we need to deliver all of this in time for supper," Steela yells down at the droid.
"Hm. Are you scanning anything?" the droid asks the droid next to it.
"It's hard to tell with so much organic matter," the other droid replies.
"Come on!" another rebel yells from the back of our group. "Our merchants are waiting inside! Can you hurry it up?"
"...Let them through," the droid finally says.
"Rodger, rodger." The ray shields turn off as we enter through the gate to the city.
"Not a bad start," Anakin says quietly to the rebels. "But now the hard work begins."
"You must find recruits and choose your targets wisely," Obi-Wan tells them.
"They'll be looking for us," Steela says.
Lux stands up from his seat. "We should split up."
"Regroup after nightfall. I'll alert our brothers," Saw says. Him and Lux both hop down.
"We'll make sure you have the supplies you need," Anakin tells Lux.
"Rex and I will take care of that," Ahsoka says.
"Good luck," Lux says with a small smile.
"You too," Ahsoka and Steela reply in unison. The group disperses, leaving Anakin and his wagon, and Obi-Wan and I on our falumpaset.
"How do you think they'll do?" Anakin asks Obi-Wan.
"I have a feeling we'll be pleasantly surprised," Obi-Wan tells him.
"So you admit our new strategy will work?" Anakin questions.
We begin to move in the opposite direction as Anakin on the falumpaset. "I am hopeful, Anakin. Hopeful."
—
After a day of overseeing the rebels take their stand, which went very well, may I add, we regroup in a safe spot in the city. We sit on the couches shaped in a circle. I sit between Anakin and Obi-Wan, and we all put down the hoods of our robes.
"Your success will not go unnoticed," Anakin says. The rebels begin to cheer.
"I agree, but we need to be mindful of public perception," Obi-Wan tells us. "What was your observations, Padawans?"
"The people were fearful, Master," Ahsoka tells him.
"I agree, Master. They were scared. I believe they thought we were there to hurt them as well," I add on.
"Indeed. Judging from the reactions I saw today, as Arlo said, I'm afraid they will mistake your intentions."
"We need to do more damage," Saw says as he punches his hand. "A few dozen broken down droids will do little to free Onderon."
"The people need to believe we can succeed. Without their support, our efforts are meaningless," Steela adds.
"If they're afraid, they won't support us," Lux chimes in. "We need to assure them of our intentions."
"I don't understand. Why are they afraid?" Saw questions.
"They're afraid we're not strong enough to win. We need to earn their trust," Steela tells him.
"You'll have plenty of time to earn their trust," Anakin assures. "All of you are going to be very busy."
"Today was only a taste," Rex says. "You'll get your chance."
"In the meantime, make the most of your victories. Welcome and learn from them," Obi-Wan tells the rebels.
"Perhaps if we hit something big, gave a show of strength, they will overcome their fear and join us," Lux suggests.
"Do you have something in mind?" Ahsoka asks him.
"I know the perfect target," he replies. Ahsoka nods. Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, and I exit the room with Rex, and we put our hoods back up.
"I think they're ready to give the 501 some competition," Anakin jokes with Rex.
"Let's not get carried away, General," Rex replies. "Though these rebels have impressed me."
"We will share the developments with the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan says. "Ahsoka will remain here as an advisor."
"What about Arlo?" Ahsoka asks.
"I'd let her stay, but for some reason I have a hunch that I'm gonna need her with me," Obi-Wan tells her. "Monitor them and report back with their progress." She bows as a yes.
Anakin puts a hand on her shoulder. "Are you up for it, Snips? Or would you like to return to Coruscant?"
She thinks for a second. "No, Master. I want to stay."
"Good," Obi-Wan says. "We should continue to provide supplies and credits, but they must learn to operate on their own. Their survival depends on it."
"Yes, Master," Ahsoka says
"Remember your purpose," Anakin tells her as he, Obi-Wan, and Rex begin to walk away. I hang back with her for a moment.
"Please tell Obi-Wan to let you stay, Lo, I can't—!"
"You can, Ahsoka. And as much as I want to stay to help you through this... you need to figure this out with Lux on your own. You know that. And Anakin and Obi-Wan know that, too."
"Wait, they know?"
"You knew they already knew. They know everything."
"...Yeah, I know."
"You'll figure it out. I know you will. May the Force be with you, Soka," I say as I begin to jog back up to the three of them.
"Yeah. May the Force be with you, Arlo."
—
in honor of the beginning of part 5 (and the fact that the old one was just sloppy), i made a new cover, and i'm so happy with how it turned out!! i hope you all like it as much as I do because i am SO excited about it. this is probably the most excited i've been for a specific part in this book, because season 5 is definitely my favorite season of tcw.
thanks for reading! -a 🪐
(oh, and before anyone asks about the scar by arlo's cheek on the cover, if you even noticed it... we're getting there 👀)