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Plo left the Council Chambers feeling a little bit disillusioned. He felt a strong sense of regret at the way things with the young Skywalker boy were handled. They shouldn’t have taken their frustration at Qui-Gon out on the child, not when it wasn’t in any way his fault the maverick knight was once more causing them all headaches.
He was also sure that there was something that they were all missing. Some piece of information that would make the young boy from the outer rim actually make sense. He knew that the Council was an intimidating bunch, but he had never met anyone who had been so apprehensive and fearful of them before.
Finding out what they were missing out was at the top of his priority list, and the Force seemed to be in agreement. For he had barely left the Chambers before he was practically bombarded with the supernova that was the Skywalker boy. Though, his flame was heavily subdued with sadness and worry, things Plo never liked to feel coming off of one so young. Which immediately had him determined to check in on the child.
He didn’t have to look far as he found the boy in a chair down the hall, short legs swinging back and forth so slowly it was more like he was imagining them scraping across the polished marble. Plo was struck then with just how small this child was. He was so tiny that it was hard for him to believe that the boy was truly nine years old.
The child must have noticed him at the same time Plo had felt his presence, as his head was jerking up and over in his direction immediately. Bright blue eyes widened at the sight of him and he was quickly jumping to his feet.
“Master, sir! I, I was hoping that someone would come this way.”
Plo quickly moved to his side and knelt down to reach the boy’s height. Worried, but determined, eyes studied his face and Plo couldn’t help but to give a small smile behind his mask. Despite his own worry at the youngling’s fear, he was glad that the boy hadn’t backed away from him and was doing his best to stand firm.
“What has you so concerned, little one?” he asked softly and the boy's shoulders curled slightly into themselves.
“I, I know that I didn’t pass your inspection, Master, but I just. I wanted to know what happens to me now?”
Plo gave a heavy frown at his choice of phrasing and tilted his head. “I’m not sure what you mean, young Skywalker. I had assumed you would be returning to your mother. Is that not what you wanted?”
He gave a very quick shake of his head, “No, Master, sir! I want to be a Jedi!”
“Anakin, do you know what being a Jedi means?” he asked softly, unsure if Qui-Gon had even taken the time to explain even that to this child.
“It's being a protector, right?” he asked hesitatingly. “It's keeping people safe and stopping wars and stuff.”
Plo gave a soft chuckle at the very simplistic, but not inaccurate, description of the Order and a small nod. “Well, yes, you aren’t wrong. Though there is much more to it than that.”
“What do you mean?”
“The life of a Jedi is a commitment, young one.” he explained gently. “To the Force, to the Order, to the galaxy. It is putting all of that above yourself and understanding that everything you do, you do in service to the galaxy at large. It is working to the betterment of sentient life, sometimes at great risk to yourself. It is understanding that sometimes we have to make sacrifices. Personal, ideological, and the ones that hurt the most, sacrifices of the heart.”
“That sounds sad.” Anakin whispered softly and Plo gave a small nod.
“It can be, but at the same time, it isn't,” he replied. “The commitment goes both ways, young one. I am sworn to the Order, but the Order is sworn to me. Each and every Jedi, from the youngest crechling to the oldest master. Be it knight or corp member. Every single one of them is my family. I am never alone, and for every sad day I have, my family and the Force are there to give me a dozen happy ones.”
“I want that!” the boy swore vehemently. “Master, sir, I want to be a Jedi! I want to help the galaxy and keep people safe! I want a family of people like me who understand. I do! What, what can I do to be better? Is there anything?”
Plo once more frowned at his wording and asked, “You truly do not wish to return to your mother? Despite how much you long for her?”
He nodded. “I can’t go back, Master, sir. Watto wouldn’t want me, and the Hutts are so mad! I cost them lots of credits, and if I go back to Tatooine they’ll kill me for sure! Please, let me prove I can be brave! Let me show you I’m not afraid.”
The young boy’s eyes were wide and brimming with tears and Plo felt his chest constrict at the sight. He lifted a hand to lightly rest it on Anakin’s shoulder, but he flinched away and closed his eyes. It was an action that was finally able to clue Plo in on what they had been missing.
Still, he wanted to hear it from the youngling himself so he asked gently, “Anakin, I believe that I am missing some very crucial information. Could you answer some questions for me?”
He gave an enthusiastic nod that Plo returned much more sedately in thanks.
“First question young one, why do you believe the Hutts would kill you?”
“I wasn’t supposed to be in the Boonta Eve race, and I really wasn’t supposed to win. Since I did, and they had bet on Sebulba, they lost a bunch of credits. Like, thousands. So I’m like, Hutt enemy number one right now.”
“I see. And why were you in a pod race?”
“Cus they’re fun!” he exclaimed before blushing and adding, “And cus if I won, then Master Jinn could use the reward money to buy the parts he needed for his ship so he could bring the Queen here.”
Plo nodded, already not liking the direction this story was going in. “Okay. And who is Watto?”
“He was my former master before Master Jinn won me in a bet on the race and my mom’s current master.” he explained simply before muttering, “If he doesn’t sell her like the sleemo he is cus he lost all his money.”
That was all the confirmation Plo needed to understand some of the youngling’s fear. Before coming here, he had been enslaved. He had no idea what possessed Qui-Gon to have him not inform the Council. Knowing would have changed the way they had proceeded with young Anakin’s interview. Would have changed the way they had gone about everything pertaining to this child.
Despite understanding, he still asked to be sure without any doubt, “You were a slave?”
Anakin’s eyes went impossibly huge and he gasped out, “ Were”
Plo leaned his head back and asked in a worried, tight tone, “Little one, surely you do not believe yourself to be still enslaved?”
“I, well, I mean, yes?” he replied as he curled his shoulders into himself. “I thought maybe not, but Master Jinn still has my detonator, everyone here is a Master , and, and I was taken to that evaluation, auction thing with you and all the other head Masters! And none of you wanted to keep me, so now I’m going to have to go back to Tatooine and Jabba is going to eat me !”
Now the child’s intense fear made perfect sense. He still believed himself to be enslaved, and not only enslaved, but on auction too. Plo felt like the worst sort of monster for being in any way responsible for this bright, precious child’s fear.
He desperately wanted to gather Anakin into his arms and comfort him, but he knew the boy wouldn’t be receptive to that at all. So instead, in the softest voice he could manage, he said, “Young one, I swear to you on everything I hold dear, you are free . I am so sorry that we made you feel otherwise for even the briefest of moments. I assure you, my fellow Councilors and I had no idea of the hardships you have been forced to live. That your mother is still forced to endure. Had we known, today would have happened very, very differently.”
Anakin’s lip wobbled and he asked wetly, “I’m free?”
“You are free, little flame.”
“And I don’t have to go back to Tatooine?”
“Never again, if that is what you desire.”
He gasped out and surprised Plo by vaulting himself into his arms. He accepted the young boy’s hug with ease, gathering him to his chest and placing one hand gently against the back of his head.
“Thank you,” he whispered into Plo’s shoulder. “Thank you, thank you, thank you .”
Plo lighty ran the hand not holding Anakin’s head down the boy’s back. “There, there little one. It's okay. I’m here.”
Holding this small, sobbing child within his arms Plo came to a resolute decision. This child deserved to be trained. Not because of his midichlorian count. Not because of some prophecy. But because he was one of them, and as Jedi, they had a commitment to each other. They protected each other, and sending Anakin away to be vulnerable to others, be it the Hutts, slavers or the possibility of a darksider, was not an option.
No, as Jedi, they had a commitment to giving this fire of a child the best possible future imaginable. He knew without a doubt that that future lies here, with the Jedi. And he would be damned if he didn’t hold his fellow councilors to that commitment. He knew that the Force was entirely in agreement with him. He also knew that when he explained, the others would be too. Come morning, Anakin Skywalker would be the Padawan of Jedi Master Plo Koon.