sparky // a padawan story

chapter 61. dead or alive.

My father's guards turn and point their electrostaffs towards me as I lower the hood of my robe. Boil and our men aim their blasters towards them and shoot them down easily, then aim at my father. I hold up my hand to tell them to hold their fire.
"So we meet again, my daughter," my father sneers. His hair is still slicked, and I notice his ear is nearly cut in half from our last encounter.
"I'm no daughter to you. Tell me, how's the spice business going these days? Is it... blowing up?"
"Where you get that sparky attitude from, I know not."
"Some say I get it from my father."
"I thought I was no father to you?"
"Well I never said I was talking about you. Now enough with the pleasantries. I am under no obligations to bring you in alive, so you can either do this the easy way, or you will suffer the consequences."
"You can't kill me. You won't. You're bound to your precious Jedi Code."
"That Code is not precious to me in any way. And even if it was, I have the Council's orders to do what I must."
"Still, you don't have the guts, the heart. You may think I don't know you, but I do. I see right through your Jedi apparatus. You're not good enough, and you never have been. All I see when I look at you is a scared, weak little girl. That is all you are."
I feel a small anger start to bubble up in me, until I hear a small voice in my head from what seems like forever ago.
"You can't let such things anger you. Because you know that's not true. You're one of the best Padawans a master could ask for. You're more than enough to me, my young Padawan, and that's what counts."
The memory of Obi-Wan's voice manages to calm me. "...No. No, you know me for who I used to be. Not who I am. I'm not a scared little girl anymore. Now allow my to reintroduce myself. My name is Arlo Just. I am a Jedi Padawan and Commander of the 212th Attack Battalion. I've found a family that I love, and they love me back. I am enough, and I always have been. And most importantly, I am not afraid of you anymore."
"You say that now—"
I shrug off my robe and pull out my lightsaber, igniting it and pointing it at his neck. "And I'll say it later. Once again, they don't care if you're dead or alive, and frankly, I don't either. It's your choice."
He backs away slowly and bends down to pick up one of the electrostaffs off the ground. "Just so you're aware," he starts as he turns on the staff, purple electricity crackling on the ends of it, "I'm not scared of you either."
"Leave us," I say as I turn and tell Boil.
"Sir—"
"Trust me, Boil."
"All right, Commander. If you need us... we've got your back." I nod to him as he and the rest of the platoon leave the alleyway and back out to the main street to help the rest of the Spark Company.
I twirl my saber and point it at him. "Your insolence will be your downfall, Father."
"And your naivety will be yours."
"Naivety to what?"
"You trust others too much, too easily. You never used to be like that."
"I've learned this thing called loyalty. And if my loyalty is my downfall, so be it." I swing my saber at him, and it clashes with the end of his electrostaff. We push against each other.
"You'll regret this," he sneers through the interlocked weapons.
"Oh, I don't think I will." I kick him back. He stumbles but keeps his balance, then twirls the staff expertly in his hand, swinging it harshly at me. I fend off his ravish attacks one by one, fending off both sides of the staff. I leap over a swing at my legs then duck over one at my head. I swing at his midsection and he manages to avoid it. I then block his staff, coming down just above my head, and he pushes my blade and his staff close to my shoulder. I can hear the sizzle of the interlocked weapons right by my ear clear as day. I grunt as I push the staff away over me so it and my saber are locked and pointed at the ground. As I move to block the top end of the staff, the bottom half barely grazes my side. I groan in pain as I tumble to the ground and drop my lightsaber by my side. I feel a tiny bit of blood trickle down my side and deep into my now-tattered shirt. Kriff, am I glad that didn't hit me any harder.
My father stalks over, standing above me with his legs on either side of my arms and holds the electrostaff above his head, preparing to bring it down. "Looks like this is it for you, doesn't it, my daughter?"
"Well, you see, Father, things are never as they seem." I glare at him, then jab my knee up to him privates, which causes him to stumble away from me, hunching over. I scramble back up and grab my lightsaber, reigniting it, and pointing it at him. He stands up straight again and holds his staff at the ready as we stare each other down.
"I don't want to kill you, Arlo," he lies.
"So what changed from last time, when you were practically begging Dooku to finish me once and for all?"
"You're my daughter. I've missed you, I've been worried sick about you for oh so long. I suppose I was just... envious. If you had just stayed before, we could've done so many great things! We could've made this outpost, this planet, the way we want it. And we still can! All you have to do is just stay with me, your father. Your real father. Please, I just... can't imagine living without you around anymore, I've had enough of it."
And there it is. The love I used to crave from him, I'm finally getting. I begin to put my lightsaber down as I step towards him, but stop myself.
No.
No.
He's manipulating me. I know he is. He's lying to me to try to make me vulnerable. He's just going to use me. But for some reason, it's still so tempting. But I know it shouldn't be. Because he doesn't actually care about me.
But Obi-Wan does. And Anakin, and Ahsoka and Padmé. Korkie. The 212th, the Spark Company. Cody, Boil, Rex. Satine did, too, and so did Waxer. There are people, living and passed, that care. They haven't been there for me just to go running back to what I've been running away from for so long.
"No," I breathe out. "Not a chance."
"Arlo, I need you back—"
"You lie."
"...Then you'll die."
"Switching it up so quickly?" I question as I twirl my lightsaber and swing it at him. He blocks it as I continue an offensive attack against him, slashing and stabbing at him relentlessly, and him barely being able to fend me off. Once again, our weapons lock, and I press my saber closer and closer to his neck, the only think blocking it being his staff. "You won't get away with this, Father, I assure you."
"Revenge is hardly the Jedi way."
"Revenge and justice are two different things."
"So you mean to tell me you're doing this for what you think to be justice, but not for personal reasons? Because I find that hard to believe."
"This isn't just for me. It's for everyone who's ever been wronged by you. Your time is up."
"Then I'll haunt you forever."
"As if you haven't already done that? You left me completely emotionally damaged, and it took forever for me to build myself back up again. But I did it. And you will never tear me down again, even when you're dead." I push his staff away and flip over him as he swings it towards my head. I land and slash up at his back, but he manages to block it with his staff just in time. I swing to the right, then to the left, then I slash down at him. It cuts his electrostaff in half, deactivating it, and he drops the two halves in shock, revealing the nasty cut I left down the middle of him. I turn off my saber and put it back on my belt as he looks at me. Not a glare, or a sneer, but a look of pure disbelief. I catch him as he falls and I kneel to the ground with him.
"Do you... regret... this?" he asks me, nodding down to the gash I left through him.
I take a deep breath and shake my head. "No. No, I can't say I do."
"One... day... one day, you... will..." His hand, slick with blood, grazes my left cheek, leaving crimson streaks across it as it falls into him lap, and he goes limp in my arms as he breathes his last.
As inhumane as he was to me and to nearly everyone he ever encountered, I push it away as I lay him down on the ground and close his eyes. Like I would normally do for anyone else. Of course, I still have a major grudge against him, but now... now, I can move on. It's over. He can't hurt me.
I stand up off the ground, sucking in a breath as the wound on my side begins to sting as the adrenaline wears away. I begin to exit the alleyway, taking one last glance over at the rubble of my childhood house as I step out into the main street. I start down the middle of the street, no longer occupied by droids, towards Boil and the rest of my men.
"Commander!" Boil exclaims as he jogs towards me. "We have good news. The Duke is safe, and the Separatists are repeating. The planet is secure. Did... did everything go okay on your end?"
I nod. "Yeah. He's dead."
"...Are you okay, kid?"
"I'm fine, Boil. Honestly... it's kind of a relief."
"Here, let's sit you down, get you a medic," he says, leading me over to a supply crate. I sit down on top of it as Boil calls over our medic. I sit still as my side is bandaged up and the medic talks to me.
"I'm sorry there's not more I can do right now, sir, but this will have to do. It's not the worst wound I've ever seen, but it still needs more attention once we get you back to the Jedi Temple."
"It's okay. Thank you." He nods as he walks away.
"Great news, Commander. We just received word from Utapau that General Kenobi has destroyed Grievous," Boil tells me.
I smile in relief. Obi-Wan is okay, and this war might just finally be over. Finally. "That's... that's wonderful news, Boil! I'm going to go check in with Oga. Start clearing out of the area, and let's get out of here."
"Yes, sir," Boil says as I stand up and walk off towards Oga's Cantina. I enter and see Oga serving the rebels, all cooped up around the bar. They all turn to me in anticipation.
"Well?" Oga asks.
"It's done. He's finished, the Duke is safe, and the clankers are on the run." They raise their hands in the air and cheer and holler in excitement. Some of them clap me on the back and shake my hand, thanking me. I just nod, and don't really respond to anyone. Oga walks up to me last and wraps me in a hug.
"We really do appreciate ya, kiddo," she says.
"I'm glad I could help you all," I reply.
"You doin' all right, there?"
"I'm okay, Oga. Thanks. I just wanted to check in on you all."
"Ah, we're just fine now. All thanks to you."
"Oh, it wasn't just me, I assure you. You all did your fair share, and my men did a fine job as always."
"Aw, you gotta give yourself more credit. We're in your debt. You ever need anything, let us know and we're on it. Maybe there can be a little more peace 'round the Spire these days. Or, at least as peaceful as it can't get, which ain't a lot."
"But it's still something. Hopefully we can say the same for the rest of the galaxy."
"So do I, kiddo. 'Til the Spire." I smile and wave as I exit the cantina. I take in my surroundings as I walk down the familiar street. The smoke from the fire and explosions begin to fade away. The sky slightly darkens as the sun begins to set, partially hidden by the silhouette of the mountain range on the horizon. Batuu is settling down (or at least as far as Batuu can actually settle), and the rest of the galaxy will, too.
I decide to call Obi-Wan to check in on him. I press the small button on my wrist and speak into it. "Master, I heard about... Master?" I get no response, instead all I hear is static. "Master, do you copy? Obi-Wan, answer me!" I still get no response. I can sense he's alive, but I have no idea of his condition. I jog over to Boil on the other side of the street. "Boil, I need you to help me make contact with Master Kenobi—"
I stop myself when I notice Boil holds out a com on the palm of his hand, and a small hologram of a hooded man stands before him, speaking in a damaged and menacing voice.
"Lieutenant Boil, now is the time. Execute Order 66."
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one of the (many) big reasons why i made arlo stay in the jedi order that i haven't been able to really tell you all until now? because it makes these next few chapters even more tragic :)
thanks for reading! -a 🪐