Chapter Text
Plo Koon had to make a decision. The Jedi Order was forcing him to choose between Wolffe, his seven year old son in everything but blood and being a Jedi. The decision itself was not a tough one, it just took one look into Wolffe’s eye to remember his promise to the boy – to always take care of him, that his happiness would now always depend on Wolffe’s happiness. But he would miss the Jedi way of life and his friends among the Jedi.
“Are you sure Plo? You are a great asset to the Order, you will be missed” Mace Windu said.
“I understand the gravity of this decision but it was not a hard decision to make. I will leave tomorrow with my boy and have no regrets” Plo looked at Windu through his mask waiting if there was any more to discuss.
“You will no longer have the freedoms being a Jedi grants you, I wish you all the best my friend” Plo nodded to the gathered group, consisting of Windu, Yoda the grandmaster, and the other masters of the Jedi Council. Plo bowed and left behind the only life he had ever known, walking towards his dorm where his son was waiting for him.
“ Buir , how did it go?” Wolffe looked up with his one eye in anticipation towards Plo.
Plo could see that his boy was nervous even though they had discussed this the previous night. His growing legs crossed and fidgeting feet and hands. “We leave tomorrow son, just you and me”
“I’m sorry you have to give up being a Jedi for me”
“No, my boy, you were not happy here and the Jedi were not happy with many of my choices, not just you. I promised you that I would be your father and being your father has made me happier than being a Jedi ever has” Plo placed his claw on Wolffe’s shoulder “Please do not fret, this is a new beginning”
*********
Plo and Wolffe made their way towards the coastline in hopes to set down roots in a small coastal town. He used his savings to purchase a small dwelling by the port and settled into a life of fishing and raising his son.
Seasons passed and Wolffe just turned eight. Plo, while content being a father and fisherman, still wanted to act like a Jedi and was always helping the town folk, he was soon regarded as one of the leaders of the town. But the usually peaceful town wasn’t without its troubles.
“Providing a port for the Hutt clan is wrong Shep, we should tell them that they need to take their shameful activities elsewhere, or better yet tell them to stop their slave trades altogether!” Plo exclaimed to Shep, the mayor of the town.
“I know where you’re coming from Plo but what they are doing is not illegal. They are providing fair compensation to dock here and I cannot go against the Kingdom’s norms” Shep said with his head down, not quite meeting Plo’s face.
Plo, about to continue his argument, paused, he felt a strong disturbance in the Force from the direction of the dense trees near the docks. Holding up his claw hand to Shep to indicate he was done and he nodded, he then sprinted towards the source of the disturbance. He stumbled upon the source, a person, next to a large tree.
“Shhh, it’s ok baby, you’ll be ok” a Togurta woman was whispering to a fussy young child within her arms. Plo inspected the woman and saw that she was injured, blood soaking the clothes around her injury. She was leaning against the tree, not able to support herself.
Plo cautiously made his way towards the mother and baby to not scare the woman. Crouching down, he rustles the leaves to alert her of his presence. “Do not be afraid, I can help you” he said, imbuing some Force persuasion into his speech.
“The slavers, they’re looking for us. I attacked my buyer and now they’re going to kill me and take my child. I’m too injured to continue, please take my daughter and find her a good home. I will tell them… I will tell them that I killed her so that she would no longer be a slave”
“I will come back for you once I have taken your daughter to safety, what are your names?”
“I am Pav-ti, her name is Ahsoka, Ahsoka Tano, she’s two years of age and she is special, different from other children”
Understanding washes over Plo and he realized that this baby is the disturbance in the Force, that she is a force sensitive youngling. “I will be back for you, I will hide Ahsoka with my son in my home” He gently took Ahsoka from Pav-ti’s arms and pushed the feeling of calm through the Force. Ahsoka's fussing decreased to almost silence.
“Thank you…” Pav-ti whispered with relief, sinking into the tree.
Plo used his Jedi skills to avoid the search parties in the trees. Just before leaving the dense trees, he covered Ahsoka, holding her close to him within his clock with one arm and walked unsuspiciously towards his home. Wolffe was fishing off the side of the cabin and looked up to see Plo. Plo nodded to the cabin door to indicate that they needed to get inside, Wolffe looked closely and saw that Plo had something close to his chest. Wolffe followed Plo into their home.
“ Buir? ” Wolffe asked as Plo was just about to reveal what was within his clock.
“Wolffe, I need you to take care of little Ahsoka while I go help her mother. Do not leave the cabin until I get back. Understand?” Wolffe nodded in response. Plo sets the two year old Togurta baby on the bed. He bent down and gave Wolffe a hug. “I will be right back, do not worry and try to keep Ahsoka quiet”
Plo closed the door and waited to hear Wolffe lock it. He then sprinted back to the tree line, no longer burdened with concealing Ahsoka. Just as he was about to enter the forest some unsavory men walked out.
“The boss isn’t going to be happy, he wanted her killed but still wanted the kid. Can’t believe she murdered her own daughter, kind of relieves the guilt of killing her huh?” The larger man said to the other. “Sucks that I have to lug her dead body back to make an example out of her.”
Plo stopped in silence. Questioning whether he should take out these slavers, take out the entire slave ship currently at the docks. He paused his thinking, closed his eyes, realizing the dark side was enticing him, he cannot do that, he has his family to think about.
“Hey! This kid has a tail-head, looks like the child. The wrench must of lied.” Plo’s eyes snapped open to see the man not carrying Pav-ti snatch Ahsoka out of Wolffe’s arms and shove him to the ground. Plo acted immediately, he rushed towards them putting himself between the man and Wolffe. Startled, the man assessed him. “Hey ugly, we were just taking what is ours. We’ll be on our way”
“I think not,” Plo said. “Wolffe, be ready to catch Ahsoka” Wolffe stood up, ready to follow his father’s lead. Plo reached out and grabbed the man with the Force. Shocked and panicked, the man dropped Ahsoka, who Wolffe caught before she hit the ground. “You are to leave this child in my care and not bother us again” Plo exclaimed while tightening his Force hold around the man’s neck.
“We can’t do that ugly” The larger man must have dropped Pav-ti’s body and waved over more of the slavers. Many of the townsfolk also were watching the exchange, shocked that Plo could wield the Force and was choking this man. Murmurs from the crowd indicated to him that whatever goodwill he had gained with these people was gone.
“Wolffe, you and Ahsoka look away from me, but remain alert. Do not be taken by these vile creatures” Plo removed his clock and extended his claws. Ready to confront these men. He watched and waited for them to make the first move.
The large man dashed forward with his sword, aiming for Plo’s chest but Plo reacted faster. He dropped the man he was holding with the Force and dodged the stab. Plo then grabbed the man’s chest before his sword could get too close to the children and slammed him powerfully to the ground. He quickly knocked him out with a kick to the head and took up the fallen man’s sword. Now equipped, he made short work of the rest of the slavers. The townsfolk watched on as he tore down the group of over a dozen men with nothing but a sword and the Force.
Covered in blood he gathered up his clock before placing a claw on Wolffe’s shoulder. Still keeping his son facing away from the bloodshed. “Let us head back to the cabin”
“ Buir , I’m so sorry I left the cabin. Ahsoka was crying and things started shaking. I didn’t know what to do” Wolffe said while crying.
“It’s alright son, I should have persuaded her to sleep before leaving you. I’ll do that when we get back and you need to pack. We are no longer welcome here” Plo said while directing them towards the home they were now leaving behind.
“What will you be doing?”
“I will finish up at the dock. I think there are more slaves to free” They walked swiftly in silence until they reached their cabin. “I’m going to persuade Ahsoka to sleep now. Remain inside and pack our things. Keep your hunting knife on you in case you must use it.” Wolffe nodded in response and set squirming Ahsoka on the bed. Plo wiped his hand on his clock before gently touching Ahsoka's forehead “Sleep little one” and she relaxed and her eyes closed.
“Are we going to keep her, Buir ?”
“She will remain in our care for now. I am responsible for finding her a suitable home.”
“But she is like you right? Force-sensitive?”
“Indeed”
“Then I think we should keep her. Or else she’ll go to the Temple! You’ll be able to teach her Buir !” Wolffe then shuffled his feet a little and looked down “I know I messed up and she almost got taken but I won’t let that happen again, I’ll be the best ori’vod … I promise” Wolffe raised his head again to look at Plo.
“We shall keep Ahsoka then if she has no other family, my son” Plo took the hand that he wiped off and squeezed Wolffe’s shoulder “I will be back in two hours, pack only what is essential, lock the door and do not leave until I return.”
“Yes sir.”
Plo left Wolffe yet again in the cabin. He first went back to the area where he fought and received Pav-ti’s body. He carried her body with him to the dock harboring the slave ship. Having already taken out a dozen men, there were only a dozen left at the ship. Once he was a distance away so that both parties could see each but not within striking range, he lowered Pav-ti’s body to the wooden dock.
“I am taking the ship and the slaves. Yield to me and you will be spared” Plo said, taking off his clock and flexing his claws.
“You won’t can’t take down all of us. You’re just one ugly bastard”
Plo force pulled that man towards him with one hand and once in range used his other hand to take the man’s sword. Promptly stabbing him in a nonlethal location before knocking him out with the hilt. After a moment of shock, the rest of the men charged him. But Plo was able to handle them, trying his best not to deliver fatal injuries but in defense of himself some were unavoidable. Once all the men were either injured on the ground or dead, Plo paused briefly and looked over the carnage before continuing to the ship.
Covered in blood and rather disgusted with himself, Plo saw the captain of the ship cowering behind the handrail right next to the entry stairs with his sword in hand. Plo force jumped out of range of the captain onto the deck.
“Take the ship! Don’t kill me!” the corpulent captain begged
“Drop your sword” the captain immediately drops his sword at Plo’s command. “I am going to knock you out now, you have my word that you won’t die from my hands” And with those words Plo swiftly knocked the captain out with the hilt of his sword, but not before he saw that the captain had soiled himself. Lovely .
Plo made his way down through the ship to the hold where he found a few more guards that he took care of. The slaves were in the hold, he counted about twenty of them ranging from children to middle aged.
“I have taken care of the slavers. I am going to release you now and you will be free. You can leave this ship or wait here and I will return to take you all home. If any of the townsfolk give you trouble, tell them that you are under the protection of Plo Koon.” And with those words he unlocked the barred door using one of the guard’s keys.
The slaves looked at each other before a Twi’lek woman said “Thank you sir! We’ll stay on the ship.” Plo nodded, not sensing any malice from them in the Force he led them to the main deck.
“I will return with my son and little Ahsoka” the slaves brightened up some more upon hearing Ahsoka’s name. “Then we will take off. I know enough about sailing to get ourselves to a more respectable harbor where we can recruit a crew”
Plo picked up the knocked out captain and jumped down off the ship. He left him on the dock with his fallen comrades and walked off the dock. The people of the coastal town gave him a wide berth and only Shep, the mayor, came up to speak to him.
“Plo Koon, you have brought bloodshed here, you are no longer welcome” Shep said seriously.
“I will be on my way once I get Wolffe, Shep. If those seeking vengeance come here then let them know it was I who freed the slaves. I do not want to cause any more trouble for the town” Plo said and continued towards the cabin.
Plo gathered Wolffe, Ahsoka and the belongings Wolffe packed. After a quick rinse and check over of the cabin they left their old home behind. Once they got back to the dock, he handed sleeping Ahsoka back over to Wolffe so that he could gather Pav-ti’s body among those on the dock. They solemnly got on board to be greeted by the freed slaves.
“Oh Pav-ti” one of them said upon realizing who he was carrying.
“Did she have any family?” Plo asked the group.
“None that we know of besides Ahsoka”
“Ahsoka is force-sensitive like myself. I will raise her then so that she can come to harness the force” the slaves nodded, some already had guessed that was why Ahsoka was different.
Once he set Pav-ti down, Plo raised the anchors to get them away from the town where he was once welcomed, where so much blood had been shed. “We will head south, there is a larger town where I can recruit a more experienced sailor.”
Out at sea, they hold a funeral for Pav-ti, where they burned her body. Plo saved some of the ashes and her akul necklace for Ahsoka.
“What are we going to do after we get everyone home, Buir ?” Wolffe asked.
“We begin again my son, you, me and little Ahsoka.”
*********
16 years later
*********
“Petro! Get off the mast, you’ll fall and get hurt” Katooni shouted to the teenage boy who was walking across the boom of the sail.
Ahsoka, who was scouting ahead with her spyglass, turned around to the commotion. In her field of view she took in the entirety of their home, the Fulcrum, the ship that she had grown up on. She saw Wolffe, her ori’vod , manning the helm; Sinker and Boost were sparring with Gungi watching; Dash was mopping the deck; Comet was moving some crates around; and lastly she focused in on Katooni, who was looking up at Petro tightroping across the mainsail.
“Come on Katooni, between the two of us I am sure we can break my fall” Petro said.
“Ha! So you admit you’re going to fall. Plo won’t like us using the force to save you from your stupidity” Katooni replied back.
Ahsoka smirked at the younger crewmate's antics. “I dunno Katooni, this seems like some good practice. I assume you’re using the force to help balance yourself Petro?”
“Huh, ya, of course I am,” Petro said.
“Yep, and then it would also be good practice to learn how to soften your fall. Besides you’re not that far up, probably just end up with a sore shebs ” Ahsoka then directed her attention back to Katooni “Don’t be too hard on him, he should be fine, no need to worry.”
“Aw, you’re worried about me, Katooni,” Petro teased.
“As if! I just didn’t want to explain to Master Plo that I let you hurt yourself when I could have stopped you” Katooni said back.
“Uh huh… whoops” Petro swayed a little and ended up falling. Katooni's eyes widened in panic and she reached out her hand. Ahsoka sensed that the two of them would wield enough force to break his fall, letting the fall play out. Petro opened his eyes to see himself floating with his face almost kissing the desk.
“Looks like you need more practice. That position does not lead into a good defense form. I think you and Katooni should keep practicing until we hit land in the next two hours”
“Alright Master Ahsoka ” Petro said smirkingly. Smiling, Ahsoka turned back to sea to take a quick scout ahead. She saw the outline of the Galactic Kingdom coastline on the horizon. She used her spyglass to look for a place to anchor, knowing that they can’t just dock at any port. Because for the last couple of years their ship, the Fulcrum, has been wanted by the Galactic Kingdom under the charges of piracy.
*********
They found a vacant beach to anchor down at without being spotted later that evening. The following day Ahsoka and Boost went ahead into town to meet up with their contact. Luckily they didn’t have to be disguised since no one knew what the crew of the Fulcrum looked like, thanks to Plo wiping the memories of those that have come in direct conflict.
“Hey, that person matches the description,” Boost said, pointing to a human woman.
“Looks like she recognizes us too” Ahsoka replied when the woman spotted them and started heading over.
“Well, not too many Togruta on the west coastline of the Kingdom'' Boost said while discreetly placing a hand on his hilt as the stranger got closer.
“Hi, I’m Phee, are you the ones making the trade?” Phee asked.
“We are,” Boost took his hand off his hilt and held it out for a handshake which Phee accepted.
“Excellent, we have the supplies as you requested”
“Here’s the location,” Boost said, pulling out his map and pointing to a rendezvous point between the town and their ship. “We’ll meet you there tomorrow for the hand off if you can make that happen. We are still going with the negotiated exchange deal.”
“Yes, more than generous. You all have quite a reputation along this coastline” Phee said.
“You are paid handsomely to make sure that the credits get disturbed to the struggling farmers” Ahsoka said seriously with her arms crossed. “If you want to be our point of contact for this town in the future you must follow our rules. We’ll know if you do not.”
“That is also a part of your reputation I mentioned. Don’t worry I’ll give them the amount you allotted. The tensions in the east are even reaching out here, with Coruscant requiring us to provide resources to the front with little to no compensation.”
“It was unwarranted wasn’t it? Why aren’t the Jedi stepping in?” Ahsoka asked.
“The Jedi? They only do humanitarian efforts, and don't get involved in the political war stuff. Besides, Palaptine just declared the Kingdom an Empire so I don’t think they could get involved now anyway.” Phee explained to Boost and Ahsoka.
Ahsoka was taken back by this news and looked seriously at Boost before turning back to Phee. “When was this announced?”
“Papers say five days ago. Ryloth and Geonosis look to be what Emperor Palpatine is after.” Phee dug into her bag, “Here’s the paper.” She handed over the rolled up paper to Ahsoka. “I’ll be on my way. Got to load up everything. See you at the rendezvous point tomorrow.” Phee walked away back to the busy market.
Ahsoka turned the paper to the front and saw the announcement right at the top of the first page. Do your part of the Galactic Empire , recruitment efforts and needs for supplies written within the article. But what really got her blood boiling was the guise of bringing order and prosperity to these savage regions. Plo had taken her to these nations numerous times to return slaves and stolen treasures. She had seen first hand that Ryloth and Geonosis did not want Palpatine’s prosperity , that trade was going fine with the Kingdom under Alderaan’s management. That the Kingdom had been the nation to start the tension with no repercussions for slave trafficking from Ryloth and illegal mining within Geonosis.
Boost gave the article a look over and studied Ahsoka’s raging face before saying “There is not much more we can do besides what we’re doing right now. We’re just a pirate crew.”
“I know. But we’ll be swept up into this mess if it continues to escalate. Looks like Palaptine is heading towards war.”
Boost gave her a sigh and put a hand on her shoulder, directing her back in the direction they came. “We need to tell Plo and crew this news. But I’m sure Plo will agree that we shouldn’t involve ourselves, we’re not an army or soldiers.”
“You’re right, let’s head back” Ahsoka said reluctantly.
They arrived back after three hours of trekking. Plo did not seem surprised at the news and agreed with the majority that there was not much they could do besides continuing to support the locals with their stolen credits. He did say that they would have to be more cautious and crafty, that the Empire could tighten security or even stop many of the trades along the waters. The adults discussed plans while everyone prepared the ship for the supply exchange the next day.
Hours passed and the crew fell asleep under the stars but Ahsoka remained up to keep the first watch. She wondered what would change now that the largest nation had become an Empire and how that was going to affect her and her family.