sparky // a padawan story

chapter 52. the scheme.

"Oh, Arlo, it is just... so good to see you again," my father sneers through gritted teeth.
"Wish I could say the same," I snap back as I cross my arms. I can see him reach down into his pocket as I continue to glare at him.
"I just never thought you'd actually come back." He pulls a knife out of his pocket and throws it at me, but I stop it in the air with my mind right before it reaches my chest. I look down at it, then look back up at him. He's stunned.
I smirk as I grab the blade by the handle and spin it through my fingers as I walk towards his desk. "It's funny. This blade looks so familiar, I just can't put my finger on why. It's almost as if you... killed someone with this, maybe? You know, you really should've just stuck to spice this time, Father, because now I have two options for you." I stop in front of his desk and stab the knife in the middle of it. "You can either call off your deals with the Separatists, or we put you into a world of hurt by blowing up everything you're selling them into ashes. It's your choice."
"You don't even know where my product is."
"I know every single little nook and cranny of this shithole because of hiding from you when I was little, so I have my ideas."
He glances down to a clock on his table, then back up at me. "I suppose... we could work something out." I look back over at Obi-Wan, who moves the sleeve of his robe just enough to show me that the tracking device on his com is blinking. Cody's found something. I then look back at my father.
"I'm glad you think so," I say.
"Leave us," he commands. His guards begin to exit the room. "You can go as well, Master Jedi. I think I should be able to talk to my daughter alone."
"You just threw a knife at her—"
"Obi-Wan," I say quietly. Obi-Wan looks at me worriedly. I know he doesn't want to leave me. But if we want to get to the bottom of this... I have to do what I have to do. "Go. I'll be okay." I look down at his tracking device, then back up, to imply to him that he needs to go find Cody. He hesitates, but nods, and walks out the door. I turn back to my father. "So what kind of trap do you have set up for me?"
"No trap," he very obviously lies as he walks over to the side of the desk I stand on. "I just want to... catch up. You know, I had police officers come by my house a while back to tell me that your mother died, but you were alive, and a Jedi. I was amazed to hear you were a Jedi,  but your mother... oh, I was devastated."
"Oh really? But they didn't come here to arrest you because you're the one who killed her?"
He steps up to me and glares, completely towering over me. "What did you just say?"
"That's right. I know what you did."
"Do you, now?"
"Why? Why'd you have to do it?"
"I killed her when you ran away to make sure you never came back looking. But here we are."
"You know, it's not like I wanted to come back. You're a bastard—" I'm met with a hand smacking across my cheek. And that's it. Any calm I had was completely gone now. "No. No, you don't get to do that anymore," I seethe.
He grabs me forcefully by the chin. "Haven't you figured it out by now? I do what I want," he sneers as he raises his other hand up again. I grab his arm and use his momentum to twist it, then I use the Force to help me fling him over on his back on the ground. I step a foot on his throat as I kneel down to him as he tries to pry my foot away.
"Oh, do you now? You know, I have a third option that I could do right now—"
"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but killing a defenseless man isn't the Jedi way, is it, my dear?" a voice from behind suddenly says. I know that voice. I stand up and kick and slowly turn to see Dooku standing in the doorway. He steps inside the office, and the door closes behind him. "It's a pleasure to finally meet in person, Arlo Just... or should I say, Arlo Casimir?"
"Say that name next to mine again, Count, and you're gonna find yourself in an early retirement," I snap back.
"Hm. Something looks... different about you from the last time we spoke, am I wrong?" He gestures to the visible part of the scar on my face.
"...I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Count, what do you mean? Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot you're old and you're probably nearing the beginning phases of dementia. Or maybe you just need a pair of old man glasses."
"Cheeky as ever, my young friend. Now... I thought we agreed on no third party, Casimir?"
"They weren't invited, believe me," my father replies as he gets up and dusts himself off.
"They? Who else is here?" Dooku questions.
"Just that Kenobi," he answers.
"Of course he's here. She follows him around like she's a lost animal. I'm surprised he's not right next to you now while reuniting with your father after so long... it's not like you were trying to replace your real father with Kenobi, right?"
"I certainly hope not," my father practically growls.
"At least Obi-Wan doesn't throw knives at me."
"You know that blood's thicker than water, don't you, my daughter?"
"Blood may be thicker than water... but water cleans out blood."
"And blood leaves stains."
"It certainly does, doesn't it?"
"I hate to break up this heartwarming reunion, I really do, but we have business to attend to, Casimir, and your lovely daughter here can't be a part of it," Dooku says.
"And I would hate to get in the middle of your... business. So I'll be off now, I know my way out—" I start as I begin to walk towards the door, but I'm met with Dooku igniting his red lightsaber and pointing it right at my chest. I take a few slow steps back from the blade and put my hands up. "Woah, getting feisty there, are we, Count?"
"I don't think you'll be going anywhere quite yet, my dear," Dooku says as he holds his saber up, then twirls it back down to his side. Oh, I really wish Obi-Wan were here now. "Now you can either surrender now and make this easier for yourself, or you can put up a pointless fight." I consider my options. Dooku can defeat me easily, I'm sure, but would he actually try to kill me? "Hm. I wouldn't think you would be someone to back down so easily. I've been told you were like my former apprentice, Qui-Gon Jinn, but I guess they were wrong. That's quite a shame."
I glare at him as I shake off my robe, letting it fall to the floor, and take my lightsaber off my belt, igniting it with a twirl. "Like hell I'm gonna surrender to you, Dooku."
"Interesting. Not a usual crystal color, gold is."
"Well, I'm no usual Jedi."
"That, I can tell." We swing at each other, and our blades lock. I use all my strength to push him away, and we begin to parry rapidly with each other, blades constantly clashing together, high and low, left and right. I quickly realize that his fighting style is quite odd. He uses one hand, the other behind his back, and his swings are long and fluid, almost elegant compared to my sharp and quick attacks. Our blades lock once again, and I Force flip backwards to get away. He shoots lightning from his fingers at me, which I'm able to absorb with my saber at the last second. "I'm impressed. You put up quite the fight for a mere child," he tells me.
"I won't lie, I'm impressed too, Count. I'd have thought the arthritis would've kicked in by now," I retort. He throws another long slash at me, which I deflect and counter with my own swing, to no avail. Our blades connect and he backs me towards the desk, pushing down on my saber as far as he can until I'm practically lying on the table behind me. The heat from the sabers close to my neck burns slightly. But that burn is met by an invisible hand grasping and pushing down hard on my neck. I drop my saber as I grab my neck to try to rip the invisible hand off and I gasp for air as he lifts me into the air with the Force, then shoots me back into the wall with lightning. I groan in pain as I slide down the wall, barely awake anymore. Dooku takes my lightsaber with the Force.
"Do you have anywhere to keep her?" Dooku asks.
"The basement," my father answers. "Why don't we just kill her?"
"I have a few questions for my young friend here before we proceed. Perhaps we can draw Kenobi out from wherever he's hiding around here," Dooku says. My father slings me over my shoulder effortlessly as I lose consciousness.
—
The first thing I notice when I wake up is that I'm suspended in the air. Electric shackles hold my arms over my head and keep my legs in place. I struggle against my bonds, but it does nothing.
"I hope you enjoyed nap time," Dooku says as he stalks up to me, "because now I have a couple of questions that I want answered. Why are you here?"
"To say hi to my incredible dad, obviously." Dooku looks over to a Separatist droid at a control board in the corner, and it presses a button, sending electricity rushing throughout my body from the shackles. The pain is excruciating, and I groan. The electricity stops.
"Play time is over, my dear. Now answer. Why are you here?"
I roll my eyes and sigh as I answer reluctantly. "Because my father is illegally doing business with you."
"Very good. Now, tell me, were you and Kenobi alone?"
"We came to my house alone, yes." Technically, I wasn't lying. Cody never came here, he's just nearby.
"And where is Kenobi now?"
"I don't know." I seriously don't know.
"Answer me."
"I told you, I don't know." The droid electrocutes me from behind its control board again, and I curse in pain.
"Where is he? Tell me now."
"I don't know!" I shout at him. Dooku motions at the droid to tell it to stop the electricity, and it does just that. I try to catch my breath as he pulls out the comlink he stripped from my wrist and holds it up.
"Perhaps he'd be willing to join us, then?" Dooku presses the button on the com and speaks into it. "Obi-Wan, my friend, I believe I came across something that belongs to you?"
"This is pointless, Dooku, don't you think I'd be a bit more calm if I knew where he was? And it's not like he's gonna tell you anything!"
"Arlo—?" I can hardly make out his voice.
"Oh, I think he will." Once again, the electricity begins, painfully shocking every single part in my body. "I think it would be in your and your apprentice's best interests for you to come and say hello, don't you?"
"Obi-Wan!" I shout, voice lined with pain. "Obi-Wan, don't—!"
"Have it your way, Dooku. I can play your game, but don't you dare hurt her."
"Very well. I trust I will see you shortly." He then motions for the droid to increase the shocks sent through me. "You can sleep until your master returns." A lightbulb suddenly goes off in my head. I pretend to lose consciousness as the droid stops the electricity. "Perfect," Dooku mutters.
I hear the door open, and hear my father's voice. "Why isn't she dead yet?"
"Patience. We must wait for Kenobi, then we kill them both. They cannot get back to the Republic with the information they have."
"And where is Kenobi?"
"She didn't know. But I'm almost positive he was looking for these munitions that I've come to see. I hope to see that they're as high-quality as they say. I have several worlds in need of these."
"I assure you, I only deal with the best of the best. They're the highest quality on the market."
"And I trust that they aren't hidden somewhere as stupid as where you hide your spices?"
"They are well-hidden inside this house. They will never find them, not even my daughter."
"So where do my ambassadors pick these supplies up?"
"Tell them to find the hole in the wall."
"Very well. I would like to see them before I leave, if you don't mind."
"Not at all. Would now be a good time, before Kenobi arrives?"
"I don't imagine he will be here for several more minutes, so yes. I believe we have time." I heard the two of them exit the room, but I keep my eyes closed. Everything begins to click in my head. What Cody found was his spice stash. But his munitions are hidden in a hole in the wall... that has to be the hole in my room. It must be a passageway to where the weapons are. I have to escape and warn Obi-Wan and Cody before they get here, or else this mission is screwed. Especially since Dooku is involved now.
I use the Force to sense my surroundings without opening my eyes, and I notice my lightsaber pointed towards the droid, who is still at the control board. I move the droids hand to the release button on the control board and make it press it while I also ignite my lightsaber through the droids chest with my mind. I expect to fall to the floor from my bonds, but a familiar pair of arms catch me.
"Obi, what are you doing here?" I ask quietly. "And how did I not sense you?"
"You were rather concentrated there. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Obi-Wan, but you know shouldn't have come."
Cody walks over and hands me my lightsaber as Obi-Wan places me back on my feet. "Good to see you're all right, sir."
"Thanks, Cody."
"I know what Dooku's up to, Arlo, so I'm not worried. I just had to come get you. We had sort of a false alarm, Cody found—"
"Spices. Yeah, I figured. I found out where the weapons are, but there's no way we can get past Dooku. Unless... we distract him."
"What do you mean?"
"Dooku and my father aren't expecting you for a few more minutes. The plan is to kill us because we know too much. They just went to look at the weapons a few minutes ago, so we escape here and blow up his spices. It will distract both of them and hopefully lure them out of the house, which will give us just enough time to sneak back in, arm the detonators where the weapons are hidden, and blow it all up while we escape."
"Although it's a brilliant plan, part of me can't help but think that you just want to get under your father's skin by blowing up his spices," Obi-Wan tells me, eyebrow raised.
"If I'm given an opportunity to reign hellfire upon this place, then I'm taking that opportunity. Now let's go, we've got goods to blow up and illegal businesses to ruin."
—
one more chapter in my made up batuu arc and then we get back on track with the actual series. i'm having a lot of fun writing this, so i hope you all are enjoying it, too!
thanks for reading! -a 🪐