chapter 60. war at the spire.

732 35 1
                                    

I start down the halls towards the large landing bay, where two star destroyers wait. The Negotiator and one other.
"Commander." Cody walks up to me.
"Hello, Cody," I say with a smile.
"We received word that you'll be headed to Batuu. We've prepared an old cruiser for you and we've formed a new company that will go with you, while the rest of us go off to Utapau with General Kenobi," he tells me.
"They're sending him to Utapau?"
"Yes, sir. To destroy Grievous."
"Ah. I should've figured that's why they wouldn't send him with me. Do you know where he is?"
"I'm right here, little one," Obi-Wan says as he walks over to us.
"So, Utapau, huh?"
"I wish I could go with you, but Grievous—"
"It's okay, Obi-Wan. I understand. You're obviously the best choice to finish Grievous."
He chuckles. "Oh, don't flatter me too much, little one. Now let's go say hello to your new company, yeah?" I smile and nod as him and Cody lead me into the cruiser they got ready for me. The doors open to reveal all 200 or so men of the company, standing in perfect formation. In the very front of all the rest was Boil.
"They named themselves the Spark Company," Cody tells me. "Because of the General's nickname for you."
I find myself nearly speechless at the gesture from the clones. I smile at them. "...Wow. Uh, I... don't really know what to say. Thank you all so, so much."
"Thank Boil. He volunteered them," Cody tells me. Boil steps forward towards me, and I place a hand on his shoulder.
"You would do the same thing, Commander," he tells me.
"You know, Boil, there's no one I'd rather have as my second-in-command. So what do you say... Lieutenant?"
"Sir, did you just... promote me?"
"You've earned it." I take my hand off his shoulder and salute. He does the same.
"Thank you."
"Thank you," I say as I put my hand back down. "Really."
"I'm afraid we have to go, Commander," Cody says to me.
"Thank you for everything, Cody. I hope to see you soon," I say as I turn to him.
"You as well, sir. And Commander?"
"Yes, Cody?"
"Don't forget we've all got your back."
I smile fondly. "I won't." With that, Cody walks out of the cruiser.
"You're absolutely sure you want to do this?" Obi-Wan asks as he rests his hands on both my shoulders.
"It was okay when the only person he hurt was me. But now the whole planet is in danger because of him. I may not want to go... but I know what I have to do."
"Noble as ever, my Padawan. I'm very proud of you."
"You don't have to worry about me right now, I promise."
"I always have to worry about you, Arlo."
"Focus on Anakin right now. He needs you."
"I just said goodbye to him a few minutes ago, he seemed okay then, but still just not the same."
"Maybe you should get Ahsoka to speak to him?"
"I'm sure she wouldn't want to hear from me."
"But she would want to help Anakin, too."
"...All right. I'll contact her soon."
"Sounds good. Now let's go finish this war, yeah?"
He nods. "Let's."
"I'll see you later, Obi."
He takes a deep breath and lets go of my shoulder as he begins to walk away, but then looks back. "May the Force be with you, my dear Arlo."

"So here's what's going to happen," I start as I pull up a map of Batuu on the holotable in the bridge of the cruiser. Boil and two sergeants stand around me. "We need to land the gunships in the woods nearby the Black Spire Outpost. We have to stay as hidden as possible. I want a platoon to make their way towards the Duke's mansion and guard it. Two other platoons will take on the clankers around the Spire, while another platoon, lead by me and Lieutenant Boil, are hunting down my father. If we do this right, my father will be stopped in one form or another, and the Seppies will be forced to leave. Let's make quick work of it, yeah?"
"Yes, sir," they say in unison.
"Boil, make sure the platoons are ready and load them on the gunships."
"On it, sir," Boil says, leaving the bridge as the cruiser exits hyperspace and stops in front of the green world. I take a deep breath as I pull my dark grey robes a little bit tighter around me, almost as if I was trying to give myself a sense of security, and start down to the gunship hangar.
"Sir, the platoons are prepped and in the gunships. Are you ready to go, Commander?" Boil asks me.
"As ready as I can be, I suppose," I reply.
"Hey, we believe in you, kid. You need to believe in yourself, too."
"...All right."
"So we're doing this?"
"Yeah. Yeah, we're doing this." The two of us step onto a gunship with a few other troopers on board and it takes off towards the surface of Batuu. We land, and the doors open. I step out into the woods. The very same woods I hid in when I was just five years old. I deeply inhale the fresh air. It's so different than the musty, intoxicated air at the Spire. It's clean, calming. A few ways away, I see my old tree. The tree I was on when Master Yoda saved me. I walk over to it and rest my hand on the trunk.
"Sir?" Boil asks as he walks over to me. "Do you know our best way in?"
"Not yet. Hold on." I hop up the trunk of the tree and pull myself up onto one of the branches, then begin to scale my way up to the top. This tree has always been the tallest out here, though it looks minuscule compared to the mountains behind it. I soon find myself standing on the sturdiest branch I could find towards the top, among the leaves, and looking out towards the Black Spire Outpost. I watch as a platoon of droids starts towards the Duke's palace from the north. More droids fire upon rebels in the main road of the Spire. I start to climb down, but stop when I see something out of the corner of my eye.
The alleyway my house used to be in is heavily guarded by a platoon of commando droids. Where my house used to be is now just a hole of ashy wood and bricks. There's no way he could still live there, but he's obviously in the area. But... why? There's nothing there that I know of. I climb back down the tree and hop down to the ground.
"Find anything, sir?" Boil asks.
"We've got a platoon of droids heading towards the palace from the north. I need the first platoon to go and stop them."
"Sir, yes, sir!" I hear some of the members of the platoon reply and break away from the group. "There are rebels on the streets of the Spire fighting the droids. The rest of us will help them out, then Boil and I's platoon will sneak away when the time is right. I have an idea of where my father may be. Follow me."
"Got it, sir." I start towards the front and lead my men towards the Black Spire Outpost, creeping through the brush and trees. As we reach the end of the woods, I put up my hood. "Where exactly are we going, Commander?"
"We're about to go through an old passageway I know about. It will put us towards the center of the Spire. Just up here and around the corner." I point to it as I lead them over there and into the alleyway just by Oga's Cantina. We step over old shattered glasses, spilled food, and trash bags towards the gunfire ahead in the middle of the main street of the Spire. I stop them before we run out. "Wait for my signal, Boil."
"Yes, sir."
I step out of the alleyway and watch the reds and blues of the blasts before me. Vendors' stands are ruined, windows to cantinas and shops shattered. I look up to the sky to ground myself, like Obi-Wan said all those years ago. The blue sky is tainted with dark black smoke from fires nearby. I step out a little further into the mess and concentrate my focus on the droids nearby. I close my eyes and raise my hands, lifting up the droids with the Force, high into the air. I open my eyes as they fire at each other and fall into the center of the street around me. I let out an exhausted breath from the energy it took for me to destroy those droids as rebels, citizens, and drug dealers alike look out at me in the middle of the Spire. I see Oga out of the corner of my eye by her cantina and smile, them turn to address my people.
"My name is Arlo Just, but many of you may know me as Arlo Casimir. I know word travels fast around here, so you most likely already know I'm now a Jedi Padawan and Commander. And I'm here to finally make things right. My father has brought the war somewhere where no one wanted it only for his own sake, and I swear to you all that he will be stopped. We cannot let him get away with this. Not again. You all have fought valiantly and defended your home well, but me and my men can take it from here. I thank you all for taking a stand for what you think to be right. And... I suppose I should apologize. I should've come back to stop him sooner, but—"
"You ain't your father's actions, Arlo," Oga speaks up. "Hell, why would you wanna come back? You've been doin' great things for our galaxy, we're just grateful you've even got the time to come here, so don't 'pologize!" The rebels murmur in agreement with Oga. "They can hide out in my cantina while you get to work, Arlo."
"Thank you—" I start, until blasts begin to fire at me on both sides again. I whip out my gold lightsaber and ignite it, blocking the blasts. "Boil, now! Oga, get them out of here!" Oga nods and helps the rebels inside as Boil and the rest of our men charge out of the alleyway. They begin to fire back at the droids.
"Boil, is our platoon ready?" I shout over the gunfire to Boil, right next to me, as I block blasts by his side.
"Yes, sir, whenever you are!"
"Good! I want both sides to start forward!"
"Got it, Commander. Both sides, forward!" We begin to charge at the droids while the men behind us do the same. I slice through droids and continue to deflect blasts shot at us, down the main street and past Smuggler's Alley. I turn to take a right into the furthest alleyway, but I'm met by two commando droids, who I automatically cut up into pieces. Then, of course, the rest of the droid platoon turns my way, blasters pointed straight at my head, and fire. Boil and the rest of our platoon hide behind the walls as I somersault forward beneath the blasts. I slice two droids apart as I stand back up, then get to work on all the rest as my platoon follows slowly behind me, not even having to back me up or cover me because I'm too quick for the droids to react. Left and right, one by one, I leave the commandos in pieces as I continue down the small alleyway, robe flapping behind me with all of my quick movements. I lift the last two droids in the platoon guarding the alley with the Force and crush them, revealing a man with a familiar build, and two of his friends, wielding electrostaffs.
I put my lightsaber away as I step towards him. "Abraham Casimir, in the name of the Galactic Republic, you are under arrest for violation of neutrality, conspiracy, illegal dealing of spices, and murder of the first degree."
He turns to me slowly, menacing and threatening, face calm with a sinister smile. "Is that so?"

i can't believe this is chapter 60 like. that's a lot of chapters holy crap 😳
thanks for reading! -a 🪐

sparky // a padawan storyWhere stories live. Discover now