Chapter Text
“This way, Master Jedi” the presumably somewhat important adult led the Jedi Master who was dressed in his traditional brown Jedi robes with his blue lightsaber attached to his belt, not that one would know that the lightsaber was blue just from looking at the silver hilt. He had arrived on the planet, aware that a young Force-sensitive was somewhere on the planet and he had been sent as an official envoy of the Jedi Order to pick up the child and take her back to Coruscant to begin her training as a Youngling. He was led into the center of the city to a particularly ornate building where he was promptly given further information by one of the Ruling Council of the planet. The Jedi Master had turned down the offers of a meal or rest since, though he was in no hurry personally, he sensed a certain amount of disquiet among the population and a certain amount of fear that wouldn't do the little one any good. He has been asked to prove he was a Jedi, a rather unusual request but he was assured that it was imperative that he did so. The Master had promptly whipped out his lightsaber and lifted it with the Force in a way of identifying himself since Jedi didn't carry formal identification beyond their lightsaber
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“I am so glad you could come, Master Jedi” the envoy who had been sent to escort him to the small village where the prospective Youngling lived spoke for the first time once they dismounted their speeder on the edge of the village and unlike the earlier discussion, the envoy spoke with the due deference that was afforded to Jedi. Aside from the slight disrespect he experienced earlier at the hands of a member of the Ruling Council when they had asked him, no demanded he prove himself to be a Jedi, he had been treated in the usual way, as a visiting dignitary which was something he didn't really care for all that much since he was a simple man with simple tastes. Respectfully, the Jedi Master didn't bring it up.
“Tell me a little about the young one” the man looked over at the third stranger who had met him at the edge of their little village, a woman who was clearly someone of importance in the moderately sized village
“Well she's a bright little girl, eager to help out,” the woman began, “though being so young inhibits how much she can help. She's about three years old and has the heart of a Jedi. Kind, compassionate and so full of love”
“Is that so?”
“She also has a natural instinct toward fighting, we sometimes catch her twirling around various sticks and stuff as if they were weapons” the woman sighed in exasperation though not without a sense of amusement at just how much mayhem she could cause, “that little girl had been all kinds of a little terror once her Force abilities started to develop and she has been constantly getting into little scrapes and little situations, the most serious of which she had actually gotten herself out of. It was very much her instincts that saved her”
The Jedi Master sighed quietly, he had heard rumors about that particularly nasty incident and despite himself, he found a small amount of anger at those who had set out to hurt the young one who sounded so pure and innocent. After attempting to release his anger into the Force he spoke again, “I’d love to meet her”
Fifteen minutes later, the bare-footed elder had led the Jedi Master to the center of the village where they entered the chieftain's house which formed part of the communal halls at the center of the village. Ah yes, social species he remembered.
“Good afternoon, Master Jedi” the man spoke. “I hear you're here to see our daughter” he gently nudged a tiny child out from behind his leg.
“Say hello to the Master Jedi, sweetie” his wife gently encouraged
The Jedi sensed the child seemed nervous so the Jedi master kneeled down in front of her, “And what's your name, little one?” her asked softly as if he was trying to approach a skittish Lothcat
“Tis 'Soka!!” The little youngling squeaked at the man, quickly overcoming her fear of the man due to her immersion in the Force which she trusted to tell him he was a good person. The Youngling’s tiny montrals were hardly a bump on the top of her head and her blue and white striped lekku barely came down to her shoulders
“Well, Lil' 'Soka, a pleasure to meet you, my name is Mas-” he suddenly stopped and changed what he planned to say, “Plo. My name is Plo”
“Ploplo!!” The Tiny Togruta squeaked, melting the older man's heart
The Kel Dor Master chuckled from behind his mask, “Okay, Lil' ‘Soka, Ploplo it is then” he extended his hand toward the Tiny Little Togrutan youngling. The Tiny Little Togruta slowly and cautiously extended her left hand toward the man’s hand, the beginning of a small smile pulling on her lips and her big round blue eyes watching him closely. The man knew then that he and the little Youngling would become close as the Force resonated at their meeting, for at that moment he knew that the orange-skinned girl with white markings on her forehead with blue and white striped lekku would become very important to him regardless of the Jedi’s oath of non-attachment, possibly even important to the Jedi Order itself. The Jedi Master had never wanted to leave the teachings of his ancient order behind more than in that moment for more than one reason, his heart not only melted but it also broke and the Kel Dor felt righteous fury even after releasing what he could of his emotions into the Force. How could anyone ever try to enslave the beautiful child who was clinging to his finger with surprising strength? How dare they!! Plo picked the Tiny Little Togruta up and held her close, protectively. “Nobody's gonna hurt you now, Lil' 'Soka” he vowed, smiling gently behind his antiox mask.
“Thank you Ploplo” the child replied solemnly with a relaxed smile, her arms thrown around the Kel Dor’s neck, her body language totally relaxed and her lekku completely still as she slowly drifted off to sleep in the arms of the Jedi