"She's too old," said Yoda as soon as the girl left.
"Besides, she's badly brought up, like every other person on Tatooine," Mace Windu agreed. "Did you hear how she spoke?
"True, and she has lived with a family for a long time and has developed strong attachments. This could easily lead her to the dark side," said Depa Bilaba, standing next to her former teacher.
"Don't judge her so quickly, comrades," said Master Plo. "Ahsoka is very capable, she is very honest, sincere and self-sacrificing, qualities that are essential for a Jedi, would you agree?
"We agree with you," replied Yoda, looking at his colleague thoughtfully. "However, I'm afraid we will have to refuse your candidate's admission to the Order.
"But why? I have seen her abilities, they are worthy of attention, and the level of midi-chlorians in her blood exceeds even yours," Plo objected heatedly, feeling involuntary resentment for his little protégé.
"That's what scares me the most," said Vindu, who was always dissatisfied with everything and everyone. "Who will take on the task of teaching her? Personally, I would never voluntarily take on such a responsibility.
"I could take her on," said a determined voice behind Windu. Everyone turned to see that it was Eleot, who had been silent until now but had quickly grown fond of Asoka and understood all her feelings.
"But how, Phil?" asked Master Yoda in bewilderment. "You're only a Padawan yourself.
"I already feel trained," Eleot replied stubbornly, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm ready to take the knighthood trials right now."
Everyone was stunned by this statement. Even the sharp-tongued Windu was impressed. Phil didn't say another word, but he was afraid to look at his teacher, feeling that this outburst would at least upset him, and he didn't want that, because he loved his Master like his own father. But the pause didn't last long, as it was broken by the usually taciturn Oppo Racinzi:
"Master Yoda, he may be right in saying so. I don't know about training a Padawan, but I think he should be given the chance to become a Knight," said the Tispias, glancing at the head of the Council, as if to remind him that the student's own will was not the least important factor here.
"We will think about it," agreed Yoda, secretly doubting that Phil would pass this test of strength, as he was very self-confident and impulsive. This could backfire on him, as it had done many times before. However, I consider it necessary to refuse to train a new candidate. Do you agree with me?
Then a peculiar vote began. The opinions of the Council members were strongly divided. Four were already firmly opposed: Yoda, Master Windu, his close friend and fellow Jedi, Seisi Tiin, and Depa Bilaba, a former student of Master Windu who considered his opinion and authority unquestionable. But just as many spoke in favour of training Ahsoka: Plo Koon, his apprentice, whose right to vote was still in question, Ki-Adi-Mundi, whose two brains thought alike, and Oppa Razinzi.
The rest expressed neutrality, leaning more towards a negative opinion.
"In my opinion, women cannot be Jedi at all," said Zabrak It Kot coldly.
"I would ask you..." Bilaba began, immediately flaring up, but Mace's stern gaze silenced them both.
Nothing came of it for the time being, and putting the question aside for a few minutes, the Masters decided to discuss what had happened on Utapau. Unlike the previous topic, this one was met with unanimity.
"We must go to Naboo immediately and resolve this situation, for it is what your Sith opponent told you about, isn't it?" said Mace Windu, alarmed by this message and the recording that Plo had shown them.
"Go there and sort it out," Mace summarised the problem.
"I sense a dark energy, this will not end well," added Yoda, and the question of Ahsoka's training was again pushed aside, obviously to be dealt with in the evening, which was only to the advantage of Master Plo and Phil, who had already made up their minds and cared little that the majority disagreed with them. Each of them promised themselves that they would train her, no matter what their colleagues said. Leaving the Hall to go straight to Naboo, they informed Asoka, who rushed towards them, her eyes burning with hope:
"You see, girl, not everyone on the Council was happy to see you, many are against you studying," the Magister began cautiously. "But I will try again to change their minds as soon as we return from Naboo, where we have been sent. Something very serious has happened there, and we must all help that planet. In the meantime, watch me and Phil, trying to pick up our mannerisms and way of thinking. And by the way, I think you should come with us, but be careful and don't take any unnecessary steps without our permission.
In this measured and thoughtful manner, the Master told her about their current plans. He deliberately emphasised what would be of interest to Asoka, while pushing the worst parts to the background and presenting them in the most mitigated form possible. The manoeuvre was successful. From everything Master Plo said, Togruta instantly grasped the main point, or rather, what he deliberately presented as the main point. She was being taken on a mission! A real Jedi mission! Like an adult! How exciting! And how honourable! A little blinded and even somewhat bribed by this joyful news, Ahsoka hardly paid any attention to what the Council had said about her. Why should she? Nothing had been decided yet, and Master Plo had promised to look into it. Was it worth worrying about, if that was the case? So Asoka didn't, and with a smile she stepped after him. How interesting it was to look out of the ship's window, now that she was flying away from the Order, it only added to the significance of the event.
"What happened on Naboo? Are they really the Sith?" Asoka asked Phil when they took off, wanting to show her awareness and interest in the matter. "The same ones who once stole old Ben's son?"
"Yes, they are Sith, and it seems they are working with the Trade Federation," Eleot explained verbosely, gradually assuming the role of mentor he hoped to become in the near future. "But whether it's them or not, but considering that it was more than thirty years ago, I doubt that the kidnappers are still alive. Perhaps one of them is a student of those Sith, but that's unlikely.
"What exactly should we do when we arrive?" Asoka asked the next question, not taking her eyes off the window, where clouds were now floating unusually close to it, so close that it seemed as if you could reach out and feel their airy, moist coolness.
"First, stop the production of combat droids. That will reduce the Trade Federation's capabilities, and then, if we're lucky, we'll talk to our dear Sith friends." Phil spoke to Asoka as an equal, making no allowance for her age. The girl liked this very much; she even felt proud that she had been recognised as a worthy ally, because on Tatooine, older slaves usually just looked down on the younger ones, and the master scolded and called them brats. But the next moment, the Togrut's pride was dampened. "You'd better stay on the ship. I don't think it's a good idea to take you into battle on your first day. The Council is unlikely to thank me for that."
Ahsoka nodded in agreement, not voicing her disappointment, knowing that this would not make a good impression. Everything had been going so well. The Council clearly liked her, and how could it be otherwise? Ahsoka had remembered everyone's names and addressed each of them correctly. She even paid compliments. Then they clearly saw how good and polite she was, how she honoured her family. That simply couldn't be overlooked. But obedience was also valued here, so sometimes it was necessary to remain silent, no matter how difficult it was and how much she wanted to object.
"All right, I'll do as you say, because you'll be my teacher, won't you? That means I have to listen to you in everything," said the Togruta and smiled at him.
"I would very much like that, Asoka, and if the Council allows it, I will gladly teach you, but first I must pass the tests myself," said Fila, sincerely touched by the girl's ardent affection. for he was a kind and responsive young man by nature, who had always been burdened by loneliness and therefore understood well that, having lost her father's care, Asoka's heart would unconsciously seek a replacement, and that replacement had become Phil. The young man did not object to such a role; he himself wanted to try his hand at being a teacher. Deeply moved, Eleot reached into his pocket and held out his open palm to Asoka, revealing a candy in a colourful shiny wrapper. Togruta happily took it and ate it in an instant, but for some reason she didn't throw away the wrapper, but put it in her pocket. The candy was very tasty, chocolate with a fruit filling. They didn't make anything like that on Tatooine, and in general, sweets were in short supply. The most they had were hard caramels that tasted like pieces of resin. And they tasted like that too, by the way.
"Thank you, teacher," Asoka's smile grew even wider.
"Any time, my Padawan, any time," Phil smiled back and even hugged the girl. She pressed her forehead against his chest in response, as she often did with her father. This familiar gesture filled Asoka with confidence that she would manage and everything would be fine. And then they arrived. It seemed as if the sounds of gunfire could be heard even before they landed. Sure enough, droids of various colours, covered with a transparent protective field, were racing across the green field. On one side, they were attacking the civilians who were fighting back, and on the other, the Gungans were rushing towards them on their kaadu runners. They were shooting at the metal creatures, sometimes even hitting them. However, the opposite was more often the case, with another Gungan falling off his runner, struck by a shot, or breaking his neck after falling from a runner that had been shot through. One of them seemed familiar to all three, so clumsy was he as he stuck his foot into the stirrup and, pulling it out, got stuck in it. Soon they realised they were not mistaken: it was indeed Jar Jar Binks, who had not been afraid to come and defend his homeland. However, it was not going very well: the grass was almost smoking from the shots, and new droids continued to appear from the round building at the edge of the field.
"Ahsoka, stay in the cockpit and don't come out," Master Plo ordered her, activating his lightsaber and, together with his apprentice, made his way to the surface, where they both rushed to the centre of the action. Togruta stared at the ship's windscreen and watched the events outside with interest. And there was plenty to see. The girl mostly watched the movements of the swords and even tried to repeat some of them, imagining that she had a sword in her hand. But soon she realised that the forces were unequal. And how could she cope when the destroyed droids were immediately replaced by others? Asoka looked more closely, wondering why this was happening, and soon noticed the silver ball on the other side of the field, and it dawned on her that if she destroyed it, the droids would have nowhere to come from. But how could she do that? The girl estimated the distance between herself and the sphere. It wasn't very far, and in principle, it wouldn't be difficult to reach it if she knew how to fly the ship. It was slightly different from the one they had flown in on from Tatooine, much smaller and easier to control, but even such a primitive mechanism was unfamiliar to Tano. However, she decided in the next second that there was no mechanism that she couldn't figure out. Togruta quickly began to recall everything she had ever read about this in science fiction books and repair manuals. Then, after thinking a little more and feeling her knees tremble and her fingertips grow cold at the most crucial moment, Asoka moved to the pilot's seat and began to examine the instrument panel. Judging by what she had studied, the layout of the buttons and levers was not that difficult if you knew exactly how each one was used. And if not...
"So," she muttered under her breath, pressing each button in turn and pulling the levers toward her, "this is what you use to steer, and this one, I think, is for shooting. Let's try it."
The first few attempts ended in short, jerky movements or backward lurches. Once, the ship dug its nose into the ground and stood almost vertically. Asoka almost burst into tears of despair until she pressed two buttons with the fingers of one hand and pushed one lever down as far as it would go, freeing it from its trap and then noticing with surprise that she had risen almost a metre off the ground. This encouraged her and lifted her spirits. It was a pity she hadn't remembered how she had achieved this result, but never mind, there were plenty of buttons left. A few more presses and holds of some buttons and the ship flew smoothly in a straight line, almost without swaying. She already had a rough idea of which buttons and levers were for flying and, trying not to fly off the edge of the field, she moved straight towards the shiny ball. The new knowledge so captivated Asoka that she accelerated quickly and flew almost vertically upwards. The sensations were more intense than on the go-kart, even though the ship was much larger.
"Now let's spin!" said the girl cheerfully, turning the steering wheel almost 180 degrees and making a dead loop. However, remembering her goal, she corrected the ship's direction and was soon back near it.
"I was told to stay in the cockpit and not get out? Fine, I'll do that," said Tano in a firm voice and began studying the buttons again, this time looking for the ones that activated the guns. The first, an indecisive test shot, scorched the grass, the second knocked down a bush, but the next time, when Asoka took careful aim, the gate from which a new batch of droids was emerging was reduced to pieces of twisted metal.
"Not a bad start," Tano said to herself. "Now let's have some grown-up fun!" And filling her lungs with air, she shouted, "Fire!"
With her shout, she activated all the cannons at once, causing all the charges to converge into one large fireball that instantly rushed towards the metal and engulfed it, levelling it to the ground and forcing those nearby to cover their ears and eyes. The droid production station was no more. Everyone saw and understood this, but they did not yet know to whom they owed this. The Naboo did not know. The Gungans did not know. Only the Jedi paused for a moment, but before they could even take this fact into account, the one they had already seen and expected to see here appeared. But only one met him. Master Plo walked away to the ship, or rather to the place where it had been standing, waiting for an attack on the launch pad, just like last time. Then it came from where no one expected. A disgusting black and red ship descended near the wrecked station and revealed the same figure.
"You think you've won, you filthy Jedi?" Darth Maul began menacingly and uncompromisingly, and it was indeed him. "You destroyed the station and think that's enough? You relaxed too soon!"
"I never thought you'd retreat!" Phil replied in kind, waiting for his teacher to arrive. "But this is the last time I'll be late!"
"I doubt it, Jedi!" Maul laughed maliciously and, activating his red staff, lunged at Eleot. In response, Eleot activated his green blade and began to parry his attacks, accompanying his lunges with endless jumps and flips in the air, which were made possible by the form of Ataru he had chosen, requiring strong acrobatic training. Mol was not inferior to him and slowly pushed his opponent to the edge of the other platform, which was located above the abyss. Here he calculated correctly, as it would be difficult for Phil to use his acrobatics in such a narrow area, otherwise he would simply fall down. That was the Sith's calculation. And just then, the Master came to the rescue, landing precisely between the combatants. The fight reignited with renewed vigour, and nothing indicated that it would be the last for either of them, or for the mission...
***
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