The deal went exactly as planned. Watto got the coveted car he had been drooling over for so long, the Jedi got the opportunity to repair their ship, and Asoka got her long-awaited freedom from oppressive slavery. Only Sebulba gritted his teeth in dissatisfaction, shaking his plastered limbs threateningly at the winner, but no one paid any attention to him; everyone was absorbed in the general jubilation, for it was not every day that such a young participant won. "And so talented," many added, not quite understanding what exactly this talent was and what this girl owed to it. Fortunately, there were those who understood, and they were now walking alongside Asoka, who was hurrying home to get ready, because, as had been decided, immediately after the races she would leave with the Jedi for the distant and unknown Coruscant. The girl walked without paying attention to the road, because her thoughts were already far away, millions of parsecs from this dusty ball. Togruta could already see the whole setting of the Temple before her eyes, which she had been told a little about. She already imagined herself in real Jedi clothing with the insignia characteristic of the students. She was already having mental discussions with her teacher, which for some reason seemed not serious to her, but cosy and playful, as if she were talking to her father. And suddenly, thinking about this, Tano stopped abruptly and stumbled as if she had tripped over something. The heavy truth dawned on her in a few quick steps and fell on her head like a sharp axe blade. She remembered the price she would have to pay for her lifelong dream. She would have to pay, because there was no other way. And so the first thing the girl did when she rushed into the house was to throw herself at her father, grab his hands, and look into his face, meeting his tired, sad eyes with her searching gaze:
"Dad! Can't you fly with us? Are you going to stay here?
Sean Tano almost shuddered from the heavy emotional pain that pierced his heart despite his efforts to prepare himself mentally for the inevitable separation from his daughter. It seemed that the man had already convinced himself that it would be better this way. Yes, it would be very hard and very painful without his little girl, but it had to be done for her future. After all, there, in the Order, she would be able to achieve so much more than here on this grey, boring planet. It had to be done, and he would cope, he would be able to let her go and start a new life. And now all those convictions were about to crumble because of a single glance. Because of those sweet, pleading eyes of the one who needed him so much, no matter what. And now Asoka understood that. She understood that no dream was worth losing the most important thing in any person's life — the love of a loved one, their warmth and the unity of their souls. How keenly and intensely Sean now wanted to hug his daughter and tell her that she would not fly away and would stay with him. That he would not let her go anywhere. He was already ready to do so, just a second passed before the man gathered himself to say it, but...along with that second, a moment of weakness and even, as it seemed to him, selfishness passed, and with a heavy sigh, overcoming himself, the man hugged Asoka to his chest one last time and, trying to speak calmly and evenly, said:
"My girl, it has to be this way. It's the only way to make your hopes for the future come true. Here, with me, you'll never be able to do that.
"But, Dad, then you won't be with me. I'll be there alone, how bad and hard it will be for me without you. Without your love," Asoka cried out in despair, taking her father's strong, calloused hands again, ready to shed tears at any moment.
"Asoka, my dear, don't cry, you really don't need to cry," the old labourer was ready to cry himself, so unbearable it was to look at the eyes of his beloved, filled with grief and tears. "The fact that we won't be together anymore won't diminish our love in the slightest. I will love you just as much as I did before. I will never stop thinking about you, and every time I look up at the sky and see the ships flying by, I will send you my greetings. And then, if you study hard, they will let you come here. I will wait for that moment.
"Dad, but you'll stay here, and I'll be there," Asoka objected, but not as confidently as before.
"My little girl, love knows no time or distance. It simply exists and will remain within us as long as we live. We don't have to be together to know that it exists," her father explained, continuing to hug his beloved daughter, wanting to soak up her warmth one last time. "Now go, gather your things and board the ship. May your dream come true. I'll wait for you as long as it takes."
These words had an effect on Asoka, and although she continued to worry about the separation, knowing that she would miss her father for a long time, the girl obediently went to her room and took her backpack from under the bed, into which she had packed everything that was dear to her. The most important thing of all was a holographic photo of her and her father together. They were standing near their house, hugging each other and looking straight into the camera, smiling and happy. She knew that Jedi were not supposed to have personal attachments or anything that could keep them outside the Temple, but parting with thoughts of her beloved father was simply beyond the girl's strength. It was like having a piece of her heart cut out, so she put the photo at the bottom of her backpack. This gave her strength, and she left the house almost calm. The repaired ship was already standing in the yard; all that remained was to get in and take off. Both Jedi stood near the ramp, Asoka and her father slowly approaching, or rather, Sean reached the middle of the yard and stopped to hug his daughter once more, silently watching the ship rise into the sky and disappear into the heavenly distance.
"Everything will be fine. I believe that now my little girl will be happy. My sacrifice will not be in vain," said the man, wiping away an unbidden tear, and when the dark dot in the sky dissolved beyond the horizon, he returned to the house, so empty and cold now that his little girl was no longer there. How difficult it would be to get used to this. But he was not alone in facing this difficult task. Little Asoka sat in the ship's saloon and looked sadly out of the window at the receding planet that had been her home for so long. Yes, she would like to forget much of what she had experienced there, but there had also been many good things. It would not be easy to forget and accept her new lot in life, even if it was so desirable.
"Are you worried about your father?" asked Eleot, sitting down next to her. He sensed the heaviness in the girl's heart and wanted with all his heart to comfort her.
"Very much. I can't imagine how I'll live without him," Tano replied sincerely, folding her arms across her chest as if to keep warm.
"You know, Asoka," he said suddenly, struck by a sudden idea. "Of course, I understand that I can't replace him, but if you want, I'll be there for you whenever I can. I'll tell you stories about life in the Galaxy, stand up for you if anyone hurts you, basically, I'll be like an older brother to you. Do you want that?"
Asoka had only a vague idea of what an older brother was, as she had never had one, but among her Tatooine friends there were those who were older, and she understood what Phil meant. And she liked it.
"Of course I want to!" said the Togruta with a smile. "It's so important to have a friend where you don't know anyone else!" And with that, she held out her hand, palm up. That was how friendships were usually formed. Eleot understood and shook her hand firmly.
"Well, now that we're friends, tell me about how you started to feel the Force. When did you first realise you were sensitive to it?" Phil asked, afraid to talk to her about home yet, lest he disturb her fresh wounds. He chose the perfect topic to distract Asoka, and she immediately latched onto it, telling him about the incident in the canyon and how she had beaten Watto with a whip the next day. Phil laughed at the last sentence, and it became clear that this was a very young and cheerful young man, who in return told her that he had been taken from his home at the age of three and brought to the temple on the planet Stuzen. He added that shortly before that, his cousin had been accepted into the Order and was now also a Padawan, but already in the final stages of training to become a knight, as Obi-Wan, as he was called, was seven years older than Phil.
"Were you given to the Order because you wanted to, or did your parents decide for you?" asked Ahsoka, remembering her conversation with old Ben.
"It was more because the Force chose us and we couldn't resist its will. It's strange that you weren't noticed earlier, that your gift only manifested itself now," said Phil, and it was unclear whether his words were tinged with regret or bewilderment. No, it was more the former, because the next moment he said:
"Your age may cause problems, but I hope my teacher will convince the Council to accept you and allow him to train you. Although, to be honest, I would have done it myself with great pleasure, but alas, I am still learning myself.
"But that won't stop us from being friends, will it?" said Asoka hopefully, not wanting to lose the friend she had just made.
"Of course not, you can come to me anytime," Eleot hastened to reassure her, squeezing her hand encouragingly.
"Can I now?" Asoka perked up immediately, almost jumping out of her chair. "Tell me, where are we flying now?"
"Oh! That's no secret. First, we're going to Coruscant to report to the Council on the completed mission and show them you, and then we'll head to Naboo to deal with the blockade ring.
The answer satisfied Asoka, and she asked another question without thinking about what was happening in the cockpit at that moment, something that would at least change their initial destination. But before that, somewhere far away, not a thousand parsecs, but not just a stone's throw away either, on a small planet on the far edge of the galaxy, sitting in a small black ship, a tall, elderly man with his face completely hidden by the hood of a dark cloak, was communicating with one of his henchmen, sending him a holographic message, which was immediately received, as was the reply.
"Greetings, Lord Sidious," Nut Gunray said solemnly, speaking with his usual strange accent. "The situation is dire. We have been detected by the Jedi. Two of them were at my place yesterday, and according to the latest intelligence, they have gone to Tatooine.
"Don't worry, my friend," replied the cloaked figure he called Lord. "I'll take care of them myself, or rather, my apprentice, Darth Maul, will. He'll intercept them on their way out."
Ganrey clearly liked this easy solution to the problem and gave his approval, while the one whom the Lord had designated as his apprentice sent another message to other individuals who had just taken off from Tatooine and were forced to abruptly change course to the small planet indicated in the message from the strange sender. What did he want, and what would follow?
***
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