sparky // a padawan story

chapter 48. the bombing.

It's a calm afternoon at the temple. I sit back on my couch, curled up in a blanket, skimming through the chapter I'm supposed to read for my Philosophy class, taking undetailed notes over the important parts. My hair is down, and I'm not even wearing my proper robes, just the dark grey shirt and pants I usually wear underneath. A completely normal, relaxed day.
Until I hear an explosion.
I shoot up from my seat and quickly slip on my boots before running outside my door. I look down the wide corridors and see other people poking their head out of their rooms. I look to my left a few doors down and see Barriss standing outside of her door, too.
"Barriss!" I yell over to her. "What just happened?"
"I'm not sure," she calls back. "I could try to find Master Unduli and see—"
"Arlo!" I suddenly hear Obi-Wan shout as he runs down the halls.
"Obi-Wan!" He stops abruptly in front of me and puts his hands on both my shoulders as he catches my breath. "What was that?"
"Arlo... someone's bombed the temple hangar."
My eyes widen. "...W-What? You can't be serious—"
"I know, I thought the same thing."
"Do you think it's the Separatists?"
"I don't know, Arlo. Stay here for now, okay?"
"Okay." He lets go of my shoulders and runs off again. I look over to Barriss. "You can come sit in here with me if you want, Barriss. I'm not doing anything, just taking some Philosophy notes."
"No, thank you, uh, I'm not feeling too well, actually," she replies. "I don't think that lunch sat right with me."
I laugh slightly. "Yeah, that soup was kinda gross. Well, I hope you feel better, then. I should probably get back to my homework."
"Yes, thank you. I'll talk to you soon?"
"You bet," I reply as I walk back into my room and flip back on my couch. I don't work on my notes, I'm too deep in thought. If it's the Separatists, how could they have pulled this off. And if it's not them... then who?
—
Now fully dressed, I start towards the Negotiator outside, where Obi-Wan had just commed me to meet him at. The commotion rages on, and clusters of Jedi talk about the rumors together in the corridors. I walk past them quickly as I bump into someone as I get closer to the cruiser, and look up to see Ahsoka.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Ahsoka," I say with a small giggle.
She laughs. "It's okay, Arlo. Where are you off to?"
"The Negotiator. I'm not sure where exactly to yet, but Obi-Wan said to meet him at the cruiser. So you and Anakin are on investigation duty?"
"Sure are. By any chance, did you see anyone acting suspicious before the bombing?"
"I'm sorry, but I didn't. I was in my room, then I heard it happen and went out in the hall to see what happened. I asked Barriss, she didn't know, then Obi-Wan came and told us what happened. I'm sorry that's not very useful to you, I wish I could be of more help to you."
"That's okay, Lo."
"Do you... do you really think it's a Jedi?"
She sighs sadly. "I hope not. It's too hard to comprehend that a Jedi would be willing to attack a place as sacred as the temple is. It's unsettling."
"I agree. I usually feel so safe here, but now, it could potentially be anyone around us."
"It'll be okay, Arlo. Anakin and I are going to find out who could have done this, okay?"
"I know you will. There's no one better for the job than you two."
She smiles. "I'm glad you think so."
"I'll let you get back to work, then. Let me know if you need anything."
"I will. I'll see you later, Arlo."
"Later, Soka!" I say. I sigh. I hope her and Anakin can figure this out, and figure it out soon.
"Commander!" I suddenly hear a clone call. I look over and see Cody walking towards me. "The General sent me to find you, sir."
"Oh, shoot, I almost forgot! Thank you, Cody," I say as I begin to walk to the cruiser with him, but my mind still lingers on the chaos going on in the temple.
—
I hate the funeral chambers.
Yet I stand there, the very day after the bombing, in between Obi-Wan and Anakin, surrounded by fellow Jedi, as Master Yoda gives a eulogy to the Jedi that were killed in the bombing. Obi-Wan and I had to return from the Anoat system for the service.
"One with the Force, they are," he says as he paces in front of the covered corpses. "And our job, it is, to remember that we will, in time, also pass on. Luminous beings, are we, but temporary vessels, our bodies are. And we shall all find ourselves here, in time. A moment of silence, I ask, to remember, and to move on." There is silence. I look down solemnly. "Live for the living Jedi, we must. Live through us forever, they will." The bodies are lowered and covered as the beam of bronze light shoots up from their tombs. I can't look at it without remembering Obi-Wan's funeral, so I put my forehead on his shoulder and shut my eyes. He looks down at me, realizes, and doesn't move a muscle until we leave once I look back up again.
—
Everything seems to be normal again. The criminal was caught and imprisoned, and Obi-Wan and I are already back in space, heading to battle.
"We've uncovered a Separatist plan of attack," Obi-Wan says as we address the Council. A hologram of a planet system is before us on a holotable, and holograms of Jedi Masters stand around us. "We shall travel to the Anoat system here, then move across to Saleucami."
"So far out of our way?" Master Windu questions.
"Unfortunately, we must avoid these neutral systems," Obi-Wan says as the planets disappear, and a hologram of Tarkin pops up. I roll my eyes. Not this guy again.
"Excuse me, Master Jedi," he says.
"Yes, Admiral," Master Windu replies. How in the galaxy did he get promoted from Captain to Admiral?
"Commander Tano, your presence is requested by prisoner Letta Turmond," he says. Obi-Wan and I look at Ahsoka's hologram.
"The prisoner from the hanger bombing?" she questions.
"Why is she asking for Ahsoka?" Anakin asks.
"Not exactly sure," Tarkin answers. "But Commander Tano is the only person the prisoner will speak to."
"I'll report back with whatever I find out," Ahsoka says as her hologram walks away. We leave the call and share a look.
"I wonder what that's about," I say.
"As do I," Obi-Wan agrees. "But let's focus on our task at hand. We have a battle to win."
"That, we do."
—
"Heads up, Commander!"
I stick up my lightsaber and slice through a battle droid flying on a speeder above me, then chop of its head as it falls.
"Thanks for that, Boil!" I shout behind me to him as Cody and I take cover.
"These clankers can't hold out much longer, sir," Cody tells me.
"I agree. So let's finish them off quickly," I say as we stand from cover and begin to shoot and blast some of the final droids from the platoon that was sent at us. Before we finish them all, though, they begin to retreat. "Good work, boys," I say to the men. "Now let's get back to Obi-Wan. Where'd he even go?"
"Back to the Negotiator, sir. He said something about an emergency Jedi Council meeting," Cody says.
"Well that can't be good," I mutter. "Let's go, then." We start on our way back to the Negotiator and find Obi-Wan in the bridge, sitting down, stroking his beard in thought, brows furrowed in worry. "Master, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing yet, Arlo, but we need to get back to Coruscant immediately. Cody, I'm leaving the men and the Negotiator with you. Arlo and I will take a ship."
"Yes, General," Cody says as Obi-Wan stands up. We share a worried look, though I can't actually see his face through his helmet, then turn back to Obi-Wan.
"Come along then, my Padawan," Obi-Wan says as he begin to walk towards the hangar. I wave goodbye to Cody, then follow Obi-Wan.
"Master, seriously, what's happening? Does this have something to do with the bombing?"
"...Yes. It does."
"Obi-Wan! Tell me what's going on!"
He doesn't turn to face me, as if he can't stand to see my reaction to what he's about to say. He speaks softly, hesitantly.
"Arlo... it's Ahsoka. She's on the run... because she's been accused of all of it."
—
sorry this is so short and it's really bland, but the next chapter should be a lot longer, and it'll be the last chapter of part 5... 😬
thanks for reading! -a 🪐