sparky // a padawan story

chapter 67. corellia.

"Ah! There you are, kiddo! We ready to go?" Hondo asks far too enthusiastically as I sit down in the copilot's seat of his ship.
"I guess so," I reply. "Let's bounce."
"Let's!" he exclaims as he starts up the ship and takes off. Soon enough, we're flying through the atmosphere and into space. I take one last look back at the planet.
So long, Obi-Wan.
I try to push away the sad thoughts as we take off into hyperspace. But it's hard. We've been by each other's sides for years now, and now I feel like I'm leaving part of myself behind.
"So where are we headed?" I ask in an attempt to distract myself.
"Well, I decided to be nice today, and not take you directly to Kessel to get my spice. Thoughtful of me, I know! Anywho, we are on course for Corellia. You can find spice smugglers swarming around the streets. It should be quite easy to get your hands on some, but I cannot say the same for most others. Sneakiest in the galaxy, those Corellians. But not as sneaky as Hondo!"
"Wait, wait. What makes you think it's gonna be so easy for me specifically?" I question.
"All you have to do is tell them you're Casimir's daughter! You're like a goddess in the spice business!"
I let out an unamused huff. "Hondo. I'm wanted. I can't just go around telling people who I am."
"...Right. I knew that. Well, uh, good luck to you, then, because by the Maker, you're gonna need it."
I bury my head in one of my hands. "You have got to be kidding me right now, Hondo. Like, you're completely shitting me."
"Nope, nope! I'm almost sure that you'll make it out alive. These smugglers cannot be worse then those crazy Sith and your men turning against you, no?"
"Yeah, Hondo, thanks for mentioning the trauma. And I'm sure I'll have more of it after this." I roll my eyes, then mutter under my breath. "Shabuir."
"Well, I hate to break it to you, Arlo, m'dear, but it's too late to turn back now, yes? Though I have never known you as one to wimp out of a challenge."
I scoff at him. "As if. I'm getting the damn spice, Hondo, I made a deal with you, and I intend to keep it. This isn't the first death trap I've dealt with, after all."
"Ah, there is the Arlo I know!" he exclaims as we exit hyperspace. "Now go get my goods!"
—
I can't say I feel completely safe walking around the slums of Corellia, even if I have Hondo's spare blaster on my belt. Maybe it's because I left my backpack on Hondo's ship, which is holding both of the lightsabers. Those weapons are my life.
Oh, kriff. I left my life in Hondo's hands. Now I feel even less safe.
Distracted in my own thoughts, I run straight into someone, falling onto the ground. I curse under my breath.
"Hey! Watch where you're going—!" a boy my age begins to grumble in annoyance, but then smirks. "Oh, well, hello."
"Sorry," I mutter back as I get up and brush myself off.
"Not much of a problem. S'long as I'm not the one hitting the dirt," he tells me. He has brown hair, a navy vest, and an overly-confident disposition about himself. "You got a name, there, girly?"
I raise an eyebrow. "Yeah."
He nods. "So do I."
"...Congratulations, I guess?"
There's an awkward silence, then he talks again.
"What's yours?"
"Lora," I instinctively lie.
"All right, then, Lora, I'm Han. You look lost, there somethin' I can do for ya?"
"Actually, yeah. I was wondering if—"
"If I'm single? Well, I hate to break it to you, but—"
I cut him off quickly. "Absolutely not. I was actually gonna ask if you could show me where I could, uh, find some spice?"
"...Oh. Well, you certainly don't look like a spice dealer."
"That's because I'm not."
"Then why—?"
"Just quit asking questions. I'm doing this for a friend, I owe him and he doesn't take credits."
"Hm. Good with me. I'll show ya where, but I want payment, too."
"Fine. I'll get you a crate of spice, too, and you can sell it at your own will. For more than it was actually worth."
"Smart. I like you, Lora," he tells me as we start walking.
"I'd be shocked if you didn't," I reply with an eye roll.
"So, you don't happen to be... taken, do you?" he asks.
I slightly cringe at the question. "And why do you care?"
"Just curious. Oh, and because I already told you about me."
"It's a stupid question."
"Oh, come on, just answer!"
I let out a short huff. "Fine. I'm not."
"You mean to tell me that you don't got a boyfriend, Lora?"
"Well, not exactly."
"Why not?"
"Let's just say... it's... against my religion."
"So you're saying you can't get a piece of this, and it's not that you don't want a piece of this?"
My nose scrunches. "Well, I definitely do not want whatever 'a piece of that' is. And, I already like this one guy."
"Fine then. I already like this one girl."
"Then why—?"
"For my own ego boost."
"Sure."
"Really!"
"Right."
"I'm telling the truth! I'm no liar, Lora."
I roll my eyes. "And I think you're full of shit. That's the worst lie someone's ever told me."
"I was hoping more for a confident-and-charming demeanor, but I guess I can work with 'full of shit'. Now turn this corner." He grabs my bicep and yanks me down an alleyway with him.
"Hey! I can walk on my own, thank you very much."
"Yeah, yeah, now hush it. If they hear us, we're goners. Trust me, I know these guys, and they ain't pleasant, that's for damn sure. And, well, they're not too fond of me."
"Believe it or not, Han, I find it extremely hard to trust you. And I don't blame them, either—"
Han suddenly halts as we reach the end of the alleyway and hides against the wall, dragging me with him. I peek over the dead end, which drops into a pit of some kind. A pit with a seemingly endless amount of spice crates.
"All right, here's the plan," Han starts in a hushed tone as he points down at his feet, where he stands on top of a sewer. "We'll sneak down into the sewer, there's a secret passageway that we can use to get down to the pit. From there, we'll just take the closest spice to us and make a run for it."
"Wait... we're stealing the spice?"
"Course we are."
"But I have some credits for it—"
"Look, Lora, do you want to go off and pay those bastards who make those slaves suffer in those nasty mines all day so they have even more credits to deal with so they can make even more people suffer, or would you rather make them pay a little bit for them being, you know, bastards?"
I pause, then nod affirmatively. "...Wow. I didn't know you actually had a heart."
Han shrugs. "I may be a menace to this galaxy, but I do occasionally have a moral compass."
"More like a moral roulette wheel."
"Well, what can I say? I keep things interesting."
"That's an understatement. And not in a very good way."
"Hey—!"
"Freeze!" we suddenly hear a voice from beside us shout. We slowly turn our heads towards the source and see a big, scary looking man holding a blaster in our direction. "Just what do you two think you're up to?"
Han grimaces. "Oh, we were just—"
"Stow it, Han, I can't stand listening to you try to negotiate," the man cuts him off. "What about you, girl? What do you have to say?"
"Well, I come from a lineage of great negotiation, but its not exactly my strong suit, so I'm just gonna... uh... yeah, I got nothing." With that, I whip out Hondo's blaster and take a shot at him at the same time he shoots at me, but we both miss. "Oh, kriff these uncivilized hunks of metal!" I mutter as I stick it back on my belt then throw a punch at the man. It hits him square in the throat.
"What the hell, Lora?" Han questions.
"No worries, I have this completely and totally under control!" I call back at him sarcastically. The man practically growls as he shoots at me again, aimed towards my head, and I duck out of the way just in time, letting it hit the wall behind me. I land a kick to his chest and punch to his jaw, then I kick his blaster out of his hands. "Han, now!" Han takes his cue and pulls out his own blaster, shooting the man down. I let out a relieved sigh as I wipe my brow and dust off my hands.
Han smirks. "Damn. I've gotta say, I'm impressed. Where'd you learn to put up a fight like that?"
I pause for a moment as I recall a time back at the Jedi temple, about a week or so after I became Obi-Wan's apprentice.
"You know, Lo, Master Kenobi isn't the best at hand-to-hand combat. Trust me, I've seen it. It's bad. But lucky for you, I can teach you!"
"But why would I need to know that?"
"Because if someone starts to beat up on you and I'm not there to help, I need you to do it for me. Always stand your ground, Arlo, and don't ever let anyone knock you around. You're stronger than you will ever know."
I smile fondly at the memory, then answer Han's question. "My sister taught me."
"A sister, eh? Does she happen to look anything like you?"
I cringe. 'You're repulsive, Han."
"Hey! It's all in good fun."
"I'm sure. Now can we get this spice?"
He opens up the sewer and nods to it. "After you."
I start down the ladder, nose scrunching at the rancid sewer smell. Han follows close behind me. As I reach the end of the descent, I notice the long passageway ahead. I hop off the ladder, as does Han, and I quietly follow him through the passage. When we reach what seems to be the end, another passage leads to the right. We go down that route before Han stops and holds out his arm to block me in my tracks as well. I look to my right and see a hole in the wall, just big enough for a crate of spice to fit through.
"I'm assuming this is my entrance?"
Han nods in response. "Make it quick."
I nod and walk hesitantly towards the hole, crouching down next to it so I can peek through. The closest crate to where I am is about 10 feet away to my right. Too far for me to walk out there, grab it, shove it back through the hole, and then go get another crate, all without being seen. I look around the pit through the hole and make sure no one is looking in my direction, then reach my hand out towards the crate, quickly pulling it over to me with the Force. I drag it the rest of the way in and push it to the side.
Han chuckles. "Did they really put a crate right outside here?"
"Uh... yeah. Right outside," I lie.
"Hmph. Idiots," he says, completely believing me.
"There's another one right outside, too, lemme just..." Once again, I reach my hand out to my right, and pull over another crate with the Force, then drag it the rest of the way through the hole.
Han smiles. "Easy enough, yeah? Nicely done, Lora."
"Heh. Thanks," I reply. "Take a look in there and make sure it's legit. I'll check mine." Han walks over and opens up his crate, as do I. My nose immediately scrunches at the foul stench of the spice, and I shut the crate, as does Han.
He grins at me. "Well, I've gotta say, that's the most fun I've had making trouble in a long while."
I give him a smile back. "I guess I'd have to say the same. Though it's been a while since I've actually been able to cause any mischief... so, uh, thanks for that. And for your help."
"No problem, Lora. No problem at all."
—
I carry my crate up the ramp of Hondo's ship, but not without turning back one more time, just to see Han sneak down an alley with his spice crate that I stole for him. I shake my head in amusement before placing the crate in front of Hondo.
"Well done, Arlo, well done! I only doubted you for a couple of seconds, truthfully," he exclaims as he hands me my backpack. "I tried to steal the crystals out of your lightsabers, but I couldn't figure them out, so before you ask, I didn't steal them."
I can't help but laugh at that. "Real typical, Hondo. I'm not even surprised." I take both of the sabers out of my backpack and clip them onto my belt, before slinging the backpack over my shoulder. "Well, thanks for the lift, Hondo. You may be a menace sometimes, but I'm glad I can occasionally count on you."
"Anything for you, m'dear! As long as I make a profit. The best of luck to you, Arlo, because the stars know you'll need it. You will need it a lot."
"There's no such thing, my friend."
"On the contrary, we all need a bit of luck. Unless you're as charming and witty as the incredible Hondo Ohnaka! But otherwise, you probably do. And I wish it to you," he tells me, a sort of sincerity in his voice as he puts a hand on my shoulder. "You may have the survival skills of a womp rat, m'dear, but those damned Imps are out for blood these days... especially yours."
"Well then... I suppose I'll take your luck. Thanks, Hondo."
As I walk down the ramp of his ship, he calls out to me one last time. "My offer from last time still stands, my young friend! If you need a crew, Hondo will always welcome you with open arms. You may not know where I am, but I certainly am not a hard man to find!"
I smile gratefully. "I know you will, Hondo. You are my oldest friend, after all."
"And it is truly my honor. I have told you since you were a little child running around the Spire... you are a fighter. I trust you won't prove me wrong, m'dear... please, do not prove me wrong."
—
i've always loved writing the duo that is hondo and arlo, and writing about han and arlo very much gave me similar vibes. pure chaos. and all the bickering.
oh, and a small warning: there will be MAJOR deja vu next chapter. do with that information what you please.
thanks for reading! -a 🪐