A raid was conducted by the Ohnaka Gang on the Crucible during the Clone Wars. During this assault, the pirates targeted the Paladin-class corvette which was in transit back to Coruscant with Jedi younglings who had just completed the Gathering. The gang's goal was to steal their kyber crystals for black market sales. Although the younglings' protector, Ahsoka Tano, successfully repelled the pirates from the ship, she was subsequently captured, leaving the younglings stranded alone in space.
During the period of the Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano, a Jedi Padawan, received the assignment of escorting a group of Jedi younglings – specifically, Petro, Byph, Gungi, Ganodi, Katooni, and Zatt – to the sacred planet of Ilum. Their purpose was to undergo the ritual of the Gathering, a ceremony to obtain their kyber crystals and construct their individual lightsabers. Their mode of transport was the ancient starship Crucible, accompanied by the astromech droid R2-D2 and the ancient architect droid Huyang.
Following the successful completion of the trial by all younglings, the Crucible initiated its departure from Ilum. Huyang then commenced instruction on the fundamental aspects of lightsaber construction. Petro, characterized by his impetuous nature and eagerness to be first, assembled his lightsaber with the crystal matrix inverted. This error, as Huyang pointed out, would cause the weapon to explode upon activation, resulting in a reprimand. Simultaneously, Hondo Ohnaka, the pirate leader of the Ohnaka Gang, became aware of the younglings' voyage. Recognizing the high value of kyber crystals on the black market, he resolved to steal them. Despite some reservations among his pirates about engaging with the Jedi once more, Ohnaka dismissed their concerns, emphasizing that the younglings were merely children, not fully trained Jedi Knights.
The Acushnet, which is Hondo's Corona-class armed frigate, materialized from hyperspace in proximity to the Crucible. It promptly initiated an attack, targeting the engines and hyperdrive to disable the vessel. Tano, who was observing the younglings' efforts to assemble their lightsabers, departed from the hold to reach the ship's bridge. Upon arrival, R2-D2 informed her of the unfolding situation. She subsequently instructed the droid to commence efforts to facilitate their escape. Huyang, upon realizing that the ship was under attack, instructed all the younglings to relinquish their crystals to him for safekeeping. However, Petro feigned compliance, secretly retaining possession of his crystal.
The pirates launched grappling lines to secure the Crucible, after which gang members in spacesuits maneuvered the Acushnet's docking tube to connect with the Jedi ship's airlock. The pirates forcibly breached the airlock door and boarded the vessel. While hurrying back to the hold, Tano encountered the younglings and Huyang in the corridor. Recognizing the imminent arrival of the pirates, she directed them to conceal themselves within the air vents. They successfully hid just as the pirates entered the corridor, unknowingly passing over the concealed Jedi group.
Tano devised a plan and instructed Ganodi and Zatt, the most technically proficient of the younglings, to proceed to the bridge and assist R2-D2 in preparing to sever the Crucible from the pirate ship's hold. She instructed the remaining younglings and Huyang to seek refuge in the ship's hold, while she proceeded to the engine room to augment the power, enabling the ship to break free. Tano explained to her charges that breaching the airlock seal would generate a vacuum, drawing the pirates off the Crucible and back onto their own ship, before the parties separated.
Gwarm and Goru informed Ohnaka that the ship appeared to be deserted, the pirate captain rebuked his men's lack of intelligence. He then pointed out that the Crucible's passengers had obviously sought refuge in the ventilation shafts. He ordered smoke bombs to be deployed into the vents to force them out. Zatt and Ganodi reached the bridge and R2-D2, and were then spotted by a pirate who attacked them. The astromech then shocked the pirate unconscious, allowing the younglings to seal the bridge. While Huyang and the younglings in his charge were en route to the hold, the pirates' smoke bombs forced them out, delivering them directly into the hands of a group of the brigands. In the ensuing conflict, during which the children and droid were at a disadvantage, Petro inserted his kyber crystal into his improperly assembled lightsaber hilt. He tricked Gwarm into inadvertently knocking himself and the other pirates present unconscious when the weapon exploded. Petro recovered his crystal before the group continued on.
Encouraged by the success of his earlier tactic, Petro persuaded Byph, Gungi, and Katooni to retaliate against the pirates, despite Huyang's skepticism due to damage sustained in the scuffle. Tano reached the engine room and deactivated the power safeties. However, after informing Zatt, Ganodi, and R2-D2 of her success, she realized that the other initiates had not yet reached the ship's hold, and ran off to find them. In the hold, Katooni, Petro, Byph, and Gungi set the training remotes to maximum power and piled them up, before hiding behind one doorway as a few pirates entered the room. Katooni contacted Zatt and asked him to close the other door to the training room, although he wanted to know where she was. The pirates were incapacitated by the remotes, but when the four younglings and Huyang headed through another door in the corridors, they encountered more pirates, including Ohnaka himself.
As another group of pirates, including Goru, approached from behind to corner the younglings, Huyang sealed a door. Ohnaka demanded the younglings' crystals just as Tano arrived and used the Force to throw several of the pirates. Having previously met, Tano warned Ohnaka that the Jedi Council would not be pleased by his actions. In response, he threatened that they would never know he was responsible if there were no survivors. Tano engaged the pirates in combat as the four younglings and Huyang fled to the hold. On the way, Huyang was damaged by a female pirate who shot off his head and arms, although he was able to use his legs to knock her out, with the children gathering up his parts. When the other group was safe, Tano, despite being in the corridor, ordered Zatt to break the Crucible loose.
When the airlock was breached, as planned, the pirates and Tano were sucked toward the cofferdam. Most of the pirates made it onto the Acushnet, although a few were sucked into space. Tano personally ensured that Ohnaka was forced back onto his ship. Once it seemed that all of the pirates were gone, Tano ordered Zatt to jump into hyperspace as the grappling cables snapped. However, Tano was knocked into the Acushnet's cofferdam by one remaining pirate as the airlock of the Crucible shut and the Jedi vessel escaped.
Tano was captured by the Ohnaka Gang, with Ohnaka planning to sell her to compensate for the lost revenue from the kyber crystals. After bringing her to his base on Florrum, Ohnaka informed his prisoner that he intended to sell her to a business person who would pay handsomely for a female Jedi, dead or alive.
The younglings only realized that Tano was missing after the damaged Crucible dropped out of hyperspace. Calling for help, the children contacted Jedi General Obi-Wan Kenobi, who warned them against being heroes and said he would attack Ohnaka's base with his forces. Kenobi intended to send Clone Commander CC-2224 "Cody" to pick up the children, but his fleet was attacked by General Grievous' forces almost immediately after signing off with the Crucible. The battle was a defeat, forcing Kenobi to self-destruct his command ship Negotiator and preventing him and Cody from enacting any sort of rescue for the younglings.
As most of the younglings finished assembling their lightsabers, unaware of the reason for Kenobi's delay, Petro suggested that they rescue Tano themselves. Katooni was opposed to the idea, but Ganodi and Zatt reported that the damage to the Crucible was such that the ship had to make a landing, otherwise the engines would explode. Arriving on Florrum, Ganodi and R2-D2 stayed with the ship while the rest of the group set out for the pirate base, disguising themselves as acrobats to rescue Tano. The younglings, droids and Tano were recaptured, however, with the Crucible being destroyed. However, the attack of General Grievous and his forces in retaliation for Ohnaka having once held Count Dooku hostage led the pirates and Jedi to join forces, eventually escaping Florrum in the Slave I, with Ohnaka being paid handsomely to return the Jedi to the Republic fleet.