"Arlo? Arlo!" I hear voice shout out in the hangar. I turn to see Ahsoka running over to me.
"Oh! Hello, Ahsoka!" I say. She holds out her hand for me to shake. I take it, and she shakes it up and down excitedly.
Obi-Wan follows up behind me as Anakin follows Ahsoka. I shake Anakin's hand as Ahsoka leads me around the 501st's cruiser, the Resolute.
"So, where are you from?" she asks me.
"Batuu, you?"
"Shili."
"This might be a weird question, but, do you have any... friends at the temple? Like, did you get along with everyone in your year?"
"Of course! I sense you don't feel the same, though. You were in the class one year younger than me, right?"
"Yes."
"But aren't you the same age as me? That's what Master Obi-Wan told Anakin."
"I'm 13, almost 14, so just a few months younger."
"Well dang! I wish you would've been in my clan. Everyone says you're really skilled!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! And rumor has it you have a gold lightsaber, is that true?"
"Very. The people in my clan always made fun of it."
Ahsoka gives me a confused look. "But that's so cool! Mine is green." She points at the hilt on her belt. "Oh, hey, Rex!"
"Hello, sir," a blonde clone replies as he puts his helmet down. The 501st clones are clad in blue and white, unlike the orange of the 212th.
"This is my new friend Arlo," Ahsoka says. "She's General Kenobi's new padawan. Arlo, this is Captain Rex."
"Good to meet you, sir," he says as he shakes my hand firmly.
"You too, Rex," I respond.
Ahsoka and I continue to walk, chatting and laughing together as if we've known each other our whole lives.
—
Weeks later, Ahsoka and I stand on the bridge of the Resolute, waiting for instructions from Anakin and Obi-Wan. They had devised a plan to fake Anakin's capture to locate the dreaded Count Dooku. The static alerts us, so we look down at Ahsoka's comlink.
"Ahsoka, Dooku managed to escape. We're in pursuit, but we could use reinforcements. Follow us in what ships you can round up," Anakin informs us
"We'll get there as soon as we can," Ahsoka assures as she rounds up her troopers and we run to the hangar.
—
We soon find ourselves zooming onto the planet Vanqor.
"Comlink still isn't working, Arlo. We have no communication with them anymore," she tells me.
I close my eyes and search around for Obi-Wan's Force signature nearby, something he recently taught me to do. I sense he's still alive, and he's somewhere close by. I open my eyes.
"The cave," I say as I point down to it. The ship flies down as we walk up to the stone-covered entrance. "What have they gotten themselves into?"
"Who knows?" Ahsoka says as we reach out our hands and move the boulders with the Force and move them to the side.
"There they are!" I exclaim as the boulders fall to the side and I begin to walk towards them.
"Master! Looks like we got here just in time," Ahsoka says. Anakin and Obi-Wan get up off the ground and exit the cave.
"What do you mean, 'just in time'?" Anakin asks.
"You were in very big trouble!" Ahsoka states.
"Trouble?" Obi-Wan questions. "We were simply searching for Count Dooku."
I raise an eyebrow at him, and he shrugs with a smirk.
"We had the situation well under control, my little padawan," Anakin tells Ahsoka.
"I see," Ahsoka says sarcastically. "So which part of the situation did you have under control?"
"The blocked entrance?" I suggest.
"The poison gas?" Ahsoka adds.
"Or that gundark behind you?" I say as I point to the gundark making its way towards the entrance of the cave.
"Gundark?" Anakin asks.
"You mean the one that's 'too far away to worry about'?" Obi-Wan asks, completely exasperated at Anakin.
"Block the entrance," Ahsoka commands our troopers as the gundark begins to charge. The clones shoot at the rocks above, causing them to fall and cover the entrance once again.
"There's still Dooku to deal with," Anakin states as we make our way back to the ship.
"You let him get away?" Ahsoka questions.
"No, not 'get away' exactly," Anakin tries to defend. He glances back at Obi-Wan, who's standing next to me. "Jump in, anytime," he then mutters.
Obi-Wan gives me a smirk, then looks back at the two of them. "Oh, no. We're enjoying this far too much."
—
I now sit in the copilot's seat next to Ahsoka as we wait for the Republic to arrive with the spice in trade for Count Dooku on Florrum.
"This is taking forever," I tell Ahsoka. "I sense something is wrong with Obi-Wan and Anakin. Shouldn't we have heard back from them by now?"
"I suppose, but you know our masters—"
"But they aren't responding to our messages. At all."
"They're just making sure Dooku is there."
"Then why won't they respond?"
"I don't know. But they told us to stay."
"Oh, please. They could probably use my help, actually. I probably know more about pirates than they do, I mean, I grew up around them at the markets on Batuu. They're—" I pause as we suddenly hear the door of the ship open. "That's it, I'm going to find them. Something's obviously wrong here, anyway, if the door just randomly opened. This is ridiculous." I leave the cockpit, and Ahsoka follows close behind.
I hear a old familiar voice from outside, I peek out of the door to see a Weequay man that I haven't seen in many years. "After everything, you're just going to walk away?"
"We have no quarrel with you and we seek no revenge," Obi-Wan says calmly.
"Indeed. Very honorable, Master Jedi."
"Oh, Captain, you will find that Count Dooku does not share our sense of honor. And he knows where you live," my master says as he and Anakin turn and enter while I peek out the door. "It's all settled now, Arlo, thank you for staying with the—"
"Hondo?" I say as I step closer.
"Well, well, look what the womp rat dragged in!" the old pirate says with a smirk.
"You know him?" Anakin asks. Obi-Wan shushes him.
"Where've you been, Arlo? Haven't seen you around the Black Spire for a long while."
"Left that place years ago. I'm a Jedi now. This is my master," I say as I point to Obi-Wan. Hondo's eyes widen. "So, you still doing business with my father?"
Hondo scowls at the mention of my father, and rightfully so. "Your old man scammed me years ago. Left him a while back."
"Good for you. Man's a bastard."
"Language," Obi-Wan scolds.
"Ah, yes, I learned that the hard way," Hondo sighs. "Never again. Well, it was certainly good to see you, m'dear."
"You too, Hondo. I do hope we cross paths again."
"Me too, my little friend. Until next time, stay well!" He offers me a lazy salute. I do the same as I follow Anakin and Obi-Wan into the Twilight.
"If we knew your padawan knew pirates, Obi-Wan, maybe they wouldn't have taken us as prisoners," Anakin says.
"They took you as prisoners?" Ahsoka questions as Anakin takes her spot in the pilot's seat.
"I knew I sensed something off," I mutter.
"I'm assuming you were on your way to find us?" Obi-Wan asks, eyebrow raised. "Even though I specifically told you to stay on the ship?"
I look away from him and fiddle with the hem on my tunic. "Possibly."
He sighs as our ship jumps into hyperspace. "We're going to talk about that, you know."
"But Master—"
"No, no. No buts."
I let out a huff. "Fine."
—