sparky // a padawan story

chapter 26. the citadel.

Ahsoka and I dash through the temple corridors.
"I can't believe we're actually late," I say as we run.
"I know! I thought we were on top of it," Ahsoka replies as we turn a corner. We see Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Master Plo walking down the halls and jog up to them. "Master! Sorry we were late," Ahsoka says to Anakin.
"Yeah, sorry," I breathe out. Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow at me as I begin walking alongside him.
"We just heard about the briefing. We're going to rescue Master Piell, right?" Ahsoka asks.
"Um, Ahsoka, I don't think—" I start as her and Anakin stop walking. Obi-Wan had already told me I wasn't coming with them earlier. I was disappointed, but I understood why for the most part. But I still wanted to go with him instead of going to my classes.
"You two have much to discuss," Master Plo says to Ahsoka and Anakin.
"Yes, come along, Arlo," Obi-Wan says. The three of us continue walking along the hallway. Ahsoka catches up to me after a moment.
"Arlo, will you come... study with me?" she asks as she pulls on my arm.
"Uh, yeah, I guess—?" I start as she automatically pulls me away.
"Be good while I'm away, Arlo!" Obi-Wan calls back to us. She runs towards her quarters and drags me along with her. She shuts the door.
"Ahsoka, what—?"
"We need to go with them," she tells me.
"What? Ahsoka, even I know that's crazy."
"But they're being too protective of us, don't you think?"
"They might not even make it out alive, of course they're being protective."
"Arlo, sometimes the best thing isn't to follow orders. I know you know that."
"...Yeah, I know."
"So let's go, then." She opens the door. I nod and follow her towards the hangar that they're supposed to be in. The one with the carbon-freezing chamber. She walks up to Master Plo. "Master Plo? May we speak with you?"
"What is it, little ones?"
"Master Skywalker doesn't want me to go. And Master Kenobi is making Arlo stay, too."
"That is their choice," he tells us.
Ahsoka sits down on the wing on his starfighter. "I know, but I think they're being overly protective. As for me, he's picking and choosing which assignments I can be a part of."
"He is your master," Master Plo says.
"Yes... but it's not for him to decide when and how I should put my life in danger. That should be my choice," Ahsoka says.
"And you, Arlo?" Master Plo asks.
"I guess... yeah. Ahsoka has a point, I suppose." He nods, and then walks away. "So we're really doing this?"
"I mean... Master Plo didn't seem completely opposed."
"So that's a yes?"
"Yeah, that's a yes."
"Then I guess we're getting carbon-frozen."
"To the back, come on." We sneak around towards the back of the carbon freezing chamber and step in the spots. We nod at each other as we go down into a hole. I clasp my hands together and close my eyes as the freezing cold air blows out at me. The last thing I remember thinking about is how much I hate the cold.
—
It's hot.
The carbonite melts and I step out of it. I stretch out my arms and legs and rub my eyes. Ahsoka steps out next to me, and our masters step out nearby.
"Hey, Snips," Anakin mindlessly says to Ahsoka.
"Hey, Master," she says back. Obi-Wan's eyes widen as he realizes that we're here. Anakin suddenly realizes also and gives us an angry look.
Obi-Wan rubs his shoulder as he walks over to us. "I must have carbon sickness because I could swear that's Arlo and Ahsoka." He crosses his arms.
"Your eyes are fine. It's their hearing that needs help," Anakin scolds.
"We received orders to join the team. We thought you knew," Ahsoka lies.
"Orders? From who?" Anakin questions.
"We discussed it with Master Plo," Ahsoka makes up.
"He didn't tell me."
"You were already in carbonite," Ahsoka tells him. Obi-Wan nods at me to follow him as Anakin and Ahsoka continue to argue. "I should've known you'd follow me."
"We were given orders."
"Right. Orders. You know, if you had stopped messing with the hem of your tunic, I might've believed that." I look down and notice I was absentmindedly playing with my tunic.
I let go of it and let out a frustrated sigh. "When am I gonna stop doing that?"
"This wasn't your idea, was it, though?"
"...How do you know everything?"
"I'm not stupid, my Padawan."
"Clearly."
"Well, I'm glad you're here. But you disobeyed orders, so I'm not helping you if anyone finds out."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry."
"I know you are. And, please, especially now, be careful." I nod as he now begins talking to Cody.
"If there's one thing I've learned from you, Master," I hear Ahsoka start from a distance, "it's that following direct orders isn't always the best way to solve a problem."
Obi-Wan takes notice of the argument once again and walks over, tapping my shoulder for me to follow him. He places his hands behind his back. "I see Anakin's new teaching method is to do as I say, not as I do. Welcome aboard," he then tells us as we start our way off.
—
The purple, rocky terrain and yellow lava bubbling below is terrifying. Everyone is a bit more on edge than usual as we walk across a trail of sorts cut into the purple rock. We stop near a ledge overlooking the towering prison. Obi-Wan and Anakin squat down. Anakin pulls out binoculars and examines it.
"I see the entry point," he tells us.
"You were right. The wind conditions are too strong for jetpacks," Cody informs him.
"Yes, we'll have to do it the old-fashioned way, with ascension cables and a steel grip," Obi-Wan says.
"I don't think so," Anakin tells him as he lowers his binoculars.
"What do you mean?" Obi-Wan questions.
Anakin puts the binoculars back up to his eyes. "Electromines." Anakin hands his binoculars to Obi-Wan. "There's nowhere to put a grappling hook at that height. And we hit one of those, the mission's over. They'll know we're here." Obi-Wan places the binoculars to his eyes.
"I suppose that means we free-climb it," Rex says. They nod and stand up as we start up the wall. I climb up right beside Obi-Wan, avoiding the electromines on the way up. The wind blows roughly around us.
"You doing all right there, Arlo?" Obi-Wan questions as he looks over at me.
"I'm doing incredibly, as always," I say with a smirk.
"Of course you are, Sparky. Be careful with the wind."
"Got it, Master." We continue to scale up the wall higher and higher.
"The entry point is just a few more meters," Obi-Wan says as we climb just below the entrance platform. Obi-Wan and I climb up to a ledge and fling ourselves over. We crawl up it and Obi-Wan jumps up to the platform and hangs on the edge. He peers over. A machine whirrs, and he lets go, now hanging onto the edge with just his fingertips. He ducks underneath the platform and puts a finger to his lips at the rest of us. Anakin, still climbing up the wall, holds a hand out to tell the troopers to stop. He looks up, holding his breath, as the rest of us just hear clanking. I assume they're droids of some sort. We here something enter as Obi-Wan peers back up over the edge. He dangles back down and rests his feet on a rock below, then looks at us. "They locked the door. It's ray-shielded."
"Ray-shielded?" Anakin questions. "That wasn't the plan."
"Well, it's in the plan now!" Obi-Wan tells him.
"There's an opening up there!" Ahsoka calls up.
"I see it too," I say.
"We know. They're ventilation ducts, but they're far too small for us to gain access," Anakin tells us.
"Too small for you maybe, but I think Arlo and I can squeeze through."
Obi-Wan shrugs and looks at Anakin. "Well, we hadn't planned on them being here."
"Perhaps she's right," Anakin agrees. I Force jump up onto the platform, and Ahsoka climbs up and follows. She takes off the grate to the vent and crawls in, and I squeeze in behind her. We crawl through the vents as quietly as possible. Ahsoka moves another grate to the side and pokes her head out. She flips down to the ground, and I jump down beside her. Ahsoka walks up to the control board and deactivates the ray shields. Obi-Wan hops up, followed by Anakin, and they help pull up the troopers.
"See, I can handle myself after all," Ahsoka tells Anakin and he walks towards us. He rolls his eyes and walks on.
"Charger!" We suddenly hear Fives shout. We hear a scream and a grunt, then the sound of electricity. Obi-Wan and Rex run towards the edge.
"Well, they know we're here," Obi-Wan says as alarm begins to blare.
"In, quick!" Anakin shouts as all of us run into the prison. We begin to creep quietly through the halls. I stay by Obi-Wan. Ahsoka and I peek around a corner and watch as a few droids run across an intersection and disappear from sight.
"Clear," Ahsoka says. I nod. Anakin and Obi-Wan run in front, the two of us close behind.
"Take out their surveillance," Anakin tells Fives. He squats down and points his gun at the camera, shooting it. Suddenly, lasers begin shooting at us. Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and I crouch against the wall as Anakin and the troopers take out the lasers. Obi-Wan nods at Echo to tell him to tell everyone to stop their fire as him, Ahsoka, and I run out and slash the laser-shooters with our lightsabers, destroying them. Suddenly, purple electricity begins to appear, from the floor to the ceiling, spreading out to both walls. It begins to creep towards us.
"The walls are electrified, go, go, go, go!" Longshot shouts. We take cover into a nearby side hallway. Only Longshot gets swept into the electricity.
"Longshot!" Cody yells.
I start to walk towards Longshot, but Obi-Wan stops me. He gives me a sorry look. "We must keep moving." I sigh and nod as we continue onto where Master Piell is being held.
I start to think as we walk. All those troopers I met back on my first day seem to drop like flies. And every time, it gets worse and worse. They say they're made to be expendable, but to me... to all of us, they're real people. With real lives. Their deaths don't mean nothing, especially not to me. They've protected me since the day I arrived, I've become close with most of them. I've even given some of the new ones their nicknames, one time, on Kamino.
I then think back to the first conversation I had with Longshot. I asked him how he got his nickname, he said two reasons. One was because he always took chances. He was always the first to put himself in danger. He always took risks, and if it wasn't risky, it was boring. The other one was that he had one of the best distance shots in the 212th. I've gotten to see both in action, and I can definitely confirm it.
"Arlo!" Obi-Wan whisper yells as we walk.
I jolt. "Hm?"
"You were zoned out. This isn't the best place to do that, if you haven't noticed."
"Right. Sorry."
"It's all right. I understand." I nod as we creep closer to Master Piell's cell. The troopers storm in first and shoot down the droids, followed by Anakin with his saber ignited, Obi-Wan, me, and Ahsoka.
"Secure the entrance," Anakin commands as he cuts the containment field, and Obi-Wan catches him and sits him on the ground. The two of them kneel down to the short, battle-worn master.
"Master Piell, are you all right?" Obi-Wan asks.
"Obi-Wan. What took you guys so long?" Master Piell replies. Obi-Wan and Anakin share an amused look.
"At least your sense of humor is still intact," Anakin says as he helps him stand up again.
"It takes more than they got to break me, Skywalker," he tells him as Obi-Wan hands him his lightsaber.
"So you have to coordinates to the Nexus Route?" Anakin asks.
"I got them, all right. Half of them, anyway. My captain's got the other half. I erased the computers when we were boarded and had us both memorize part of the intel. That way, if somehow I cracked, the information would be useless to them without the other half," Master Piell explains. He stomps on the head of one of the droids.
"Where's your captain?" Obi-Wan asks.
"Being held with the other officers, I assume."
"We're going to need a new plan for getting out," Anakin tells Obi-Wan. He nods as they stand up and follow Master Piell out the doors. We begin to creep back through the hallways towards where the officers were being held. As we turn a corner, three commando droids roll towards us and stand up, guns pointed at us. I ignite my saber next to Obi-Wan, and we step in front of the clones. Three other droids come up on the other side. Anakin and Ahsoka do the same as us. They begin firing at us, and we quickly block their blasts at us. They hop of the walls as they get closer and closer. Obi-Wan begins to wrestle with a droid, as does Cody. I slash the droid attacking Cody in the back to get him off so he charges at me, then I chop it straight in half. Obi-Wan removes himself of a droid's grasp and cuts him up. Master Piell finishes off the last droid. Ahsoka stands up off the ground as their half finishes up.
"We have to keep moving," Obi-Wan says. We continue down the hallway with our lightsabers ignited and ready. Suddenly, a loud, high-pitched buzzing noise sounds. All of our weapons are taken from our grasp and attach to the magnetic ceiling. I cover my ears from the noise, as does everyone else. Anakin is then also taken up to the ceiling from his robotic hand. "Anakin!" The ceiling begins to release purple electricity, which electrocutes Anakin.
"Master!" Ahsoka yells. The electricity stops.
"You fools!" a voice over an intercom laughs and commando droids surround us. "I hope you enjoyed the reunion with your fellow Jedi, because you're going to be my guests for a very long time." Obi-Wan and Master Piell share a look and nod. Obi-Wan then looks to me.
"Push," he says through the Force. I nod, then the two of us push the droids on our side back with the Force. Ahsoka and Master Piell do the same on the other side. We use all the strength we can muster, but they don't budge. They just bend backwards. "They're magnetized!"
"Of course they are," I mutter as we push even harder. Their blasters fire into the air as the clones charge them and try to take them out. They're immediately pushed back towards us. Since pushing the commando droids does no good, we hold them back with the Force as we figure out a plan. The electricity starts above us again and Anakin groans in pain, but it suddenly shuts off as Anakin's lightsaber ignites and all of our weapons fall to the ground. He must've destroyed the source of it. Obi-Wan and I catch our sabers over our head in unison and ignite them. We block the blasts from the two commando droids in front of us as we creep closer to them. Obi-Wan chops one at its waist while I slice off the head of the other, then stab it in the chest just to be sure. Ahsoka and Master Piell made quick work on the other side, too.
"Are you all right, sir?" Echo asks as he helps Anakin off the ground.
"Yeah, let's get out of here," he replies. We continue to rush through the hallways to where Piell's officers were being held hostage. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and I crouch by the locked door. Anakin ignites his saber and stabs through it, and the door unlocks. Ahsoka and I jump in and ignite our sabers. We take out the two commandos guarding inside easily. The officers stand up as Master Piell walks in.
"General," one of them says. The troopers come in to help the other officers out.
"Captain Tarkin," Master Piell replies.
"I never thought I'd see you again. And you brought friends," Captain Tarkin replies
"Tarkin, this is Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker," he introduces as the two masters walk in.
"Now that you've found us, how do you expect to get us out?" Tarkin questions. "If they've locked this fortress down, there's at least ten squads on their way. It's going to be impossible to escape."
Obi-Wan strokes his beard. "What if we split up? My team will create a diversion, while Anakin leads the others away. That way, if one of us is captured, the enemy will only have part of the information, and not all of it."
Tarkin wears a disgusted look on his face, and I can tell from the decent amount of space between us that the man absolutely reeks. "General Kenobi, I think it's better if we stick together," he tells him as he practically struts towards us. I roll my eyes. Someone's full of himself. "A stronger force would have a better chance of protecting the information."
"Yeah, well, you're not the General, so you don't get to decide—" I start to mutter. Tarkin glares at me furiously.
Obi-Wan begins to talk loudly over me and nudges me with his elbow to get me to stop. "Not in this situation." He places a hand on my shoulder and turns me around toward the exit, and he does the same.
Tarkin follows us. "But surely we'd have more strength in numbers, rather than divide us."
"Obi-Wan has a point. I'll go with him, you go with Skywalker," I hear Master Piell tell Tarkin as Obi-Wan and I step up the stairs and exit the cell.
"I need to teach you this thing called a filter," Obi-Wan scolds. "So then you don't say everything that comes to mind."
"You didn't like him either."
"I never said that."
"Nobody in their right minds would like that—"
"Don't you finish that, Arlo."
I sigh. "Fine."
"Thank you. Cody!"
"Yes, General?" Cody answers as he and two other 212th clones walk up to us.
"You three will be with us and Master Piell. Us and some of his officers will go and create a diversion so Anakin and the others can get out. That way, the information is separated."
"Got it, sir."
Master Piell and three of his clone officers meet us outside the cell. Tarkin and the others follow Anakin and Ahsoka out. We run through the halls and Cody and the other troopers pull detonators out of their backpacks and place them on the walls.
"Hey!" we hear a battle droid yell. We run a bit faster towards the end of the hall. Obi-Wan and I stay slightly behind the others as he presses a button on his wrist, and the detonators go off. We barely sprint away from the flames from the bombs that engulf the halls. We find Cody hanging out of the ceiling from the inside of a vent. He points up at it and climbs all the way in as Obi-Wan and I hop in. Cody closes the grate behind us as we quietly begin to crawl trough. We crouch above a chute.
"This passage will get us near the landing pad," Obi-Wan tells our crew. He begins to climb up and I follow right behind him, Cody and the others not far behind. We climb into another side tunnel as the rest continue the climb up. "R2, send the shuttle to the rear landing platform," he says into his com.
One of the battle droids R2-D2 reprogrammed responds. "We've already been given the go-ahead by General Skywalker, sir. Assuming you are still on schedule."
"The trick will be if Anakin arrives on time," Obi-Wan says.
Cody suddenly yells down at us from above. "A probe!" Obi-Wan and I share an uh oh look as we begin to climb up the chute towards it. Suddenly, Master Piell Force jumps up from below us and slashes at the droid with his saber. He falls and catches himself back on the chute.
"Did you get it?" Obi-Wan asks. Master Piell doesn't answer, but just looks above us. Doors in the chute begin to shut rapidly. "Security doors, move, or you'll be cut in half!"
"That sounds pleasant," I mutter as Obi-Wan and I let go of the beam we held on to and grasp onto a slightly lower one. The door below us closes. "And now we're trapped."
"Not for long, Sparky," Obi-Wan says as Master Piell's saber cuts a circle through the security door.
"We lost one," he tells us as he pokes his head through the hole. "Looks like we've got some cutting to do."
"Let's get to work, then," I tell him as we drop down into the shut door and hop down through the hole.
—
guess who finally finished this part!! :) for those of you who like to watch the episodes while reading, this chapter actually has part of the second episode of the citadel arc in in (counterattack). so this arc might end up only being two chapters since i split it like this, but i'm not for sure. it just didn't sit right with me ending it where the first episode ended. sorry this took forever, i hope it was at least ~kind of~ worth the wait.
thanks for reading! -a 🪐
(p.s. if you understood the smelly tarkin reference from ANH you get a cookie i'm proud of you 😌🍪)