Tomorrow promised nothing unexpected, or so everyone in the temple thought, but as we all know, you can give something without promising it, which is exactly what happened. However, in the morning, everything was quite peaceful, as usual. Master Plo did not remind Asoka of the evening's incident with a word or a glance; what he had said to her yesterday was enough. At the same time, he reminded himself once again what kind of student he was teaching. Asoka was not like the others. Not only had she arrived at the temple much later than her peers, making her older than everyone else and giving her some experience of life outside the Order, but she had also skipped the junior stage and become a Padawan straight away. Most importantly, Tano was not just an ordinary student, she was the Chosen One. A prophet awaited for many years, she bears not only an honourable title, but also the heavy burden of prophecy, which foretold that she, this funny, cheerful girl with sharp elbows, protruding knees and sticking shoulder blades, would one day free the galaxy from the oppression of the Sith. It was impossible to believe this, looking at her now, it seemed that she was interested in nothing but pranks and funny jokes. However, the prophecy did not lie, and this difficult fate fell on Asoka, and no one else, and all that remained was to wait for it to come true. Wait and gently guide the girl on the right path, not letting her stray and be tempted by the unacceptable. However, for now, there was no need to fear any of that. The Sith had not reappeared over the years, the identity of the second one remained unknown, and how could it be possible, since he had not revealed himself in any way. So the only thing Asoka could be reproached for was breaking the rules, which manifested itself in disobedience and frequent arguments with her elders. She completely lacked the humility inherent in other Padawans. While the other students were mostly silent and listened, Asoka actively participated in conversations, often expressing her opinion, whether it was appropriate or not. Sometimes she even dared to argue with the plans for assignments. When the other Padawans dared to speak only when addressed by a teacher or another senior, Ahsoka often began to speak herself and took on the role of leader. Naturally, such behaviour was not to everyone's liking, and she was often reprimanded by the head of the Council and rebuked by her teacher. It is not known what hurt her more. Her peers shared a similar opinion, as few of them liked such a disrespectful attitude towards what was sacred to them — the Code, the Council, and the rules. Some of them just shook their heads disapprovingly when they looked at her, while others openly expressed their dissatisfaction to the girl. This did not help her make friends, and so Asoka never made any friends in the Order.
"They're just jealous of me," she thought at such moments. "Of course they are! They have every reason to be! In my few years, I've seen real life in its most obvious manifestations! What have they seen in all those years, except the grey walls of this Temple?"
Thinking this, she unwittingly poured out her resentment at her loneliness and unwillingness to acknowledge what she deserved. Yes, it was true, the qualities that had previously been suppressed by difficult life circumstances, such as slavery and poor living conditions, were now, with that behind her, beginning to blossom. Ambition, belief in her own abilities, and most importantly, a certain uniqueness that Asoka knew set her apart from everyone else. And it was doubly hurtful that others, as if on purpose, did not see this, treating her like a simple apprentice. But that was not the case. Ahsoka was different from everyone else. She was the one who destroyed the droid production station, she saw the battle with the Sith, she won the race when the chances of victory were less than a grain of sand. And at that moment, she was only ten years old. Who else could have done all that at such a young age? No one! And as she said all this in her mind, and often out loud, during individual training, striking the droids with her newly assembled sword, Tano felt herself becoming more and more embittered by it. However, fortunately, these impulses did not last long, and she left the hall as she had entered it — a cheerful and lively Togrut, ready to help everyone. It was precisely this zest for life, responsiveness and desire to protect those dear to her that balanced and compensated for Asoka's quick temper and somewhat rough manner. Just as tears counterbalanced her recent aggression, they were sometimes caused by the same rejection and loneliness. At such moments, she would go where no one could see her, or at night, she would cover her face with a pillow and begin to sob. How she wanted to feel someone close and dear to her at that moment, and the girl involuntarily began to remember her home, her friends, her old father, whom she had not seen for so long. His embrace, his warmth, his quiet, familiar voice. And this made her tears flow even more, so that the next morning she could light up her face with a smile again. This happened year after year, for five years, and there was nothing she could do about it, and Asoka didn't even try, she just didn't tell anyone, knowing that she was unlikely to find support. Showing emotions and personal attachments was not encouraged in the Order. Only one teacher saw the girl's condition and understood it, as it was close to him, especially after the death of his previous student. He tried to be close to Asoka and leave her alone with her heavy thoughts as little as possible. The only thing that saddened him was that she could not and did not want to learn to work in a team, which is necessary for a Jedi. After all, there are always only two Sith, while there have always been thousands of Jedi. But no, Asoka shunned large groups and worked either alone or in pairs.
"Don't worry so much about her," Master Plo Shaak Ti would sometimes say, "remember how they used to say the same thing about me. That Togrutas are social and friendly creatures by nature. I, on the other hand, was always withdrawn and closed off, never having had any friends, but look what happened to me in the end.
The woman was telling the truth. Asoka was now repeating much of her compatriot's fate, but she had managed to complete her training and even become a Master. However, she had no luck with her students: three Padawans in a row died on missions, and since then she had vowed never to take any more. But that didn't stop her from treating Asoka with understanding and supporting her when necessary. And she wasn't the only one. There was another person who clearly felt something close to Asoka, although he didn't show it too openly, mostly observing from the sidelines and hardly ever interfering. That person was the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. It was him that Ahsoka saw this morning when she went to the dining hall to get something to eat before the task that the Council had unexpectedly assigned to her and her teacher. This turned out to be the surprise when, having barely washed and put on their uniforms, they both entered the Council Chamber, almost certain that their names would not be called out when the Jedi assigned to the new mission were announced. After all, just a couple of days ago, the two of them had resolved a complex conflict on Bespin, freeing it from pirates, and clearly deserved a rest. But, obviously, the Council did not think so:
"We have received information that the planet Shili has been invaded by pirates, whose goal this time is to seize fertile lands and eliminate the peaceful population. More than a thousand young Togrutas have already been taken prisoner," Master Windu said methodically, standing on the podium. Standing in the middle of the Master's Hall, the Padawans listened with bated breath, each of them waiting for their name to be called, and sighed in disappointment when Windu said:
"To eliminate this capture, I consider it necessary to send Master Plo Koon with his Padawan Asoka Tano, and Master Luminaru Unduli and her Padawan Bariss Offee.
That was how it had always been said, not Master Plo and his Padawan, but Master Plo with his Padawan. It came naturally to everyone, as anyone could see the warm relationship between them and would not even think of separating them. Even now, it made Ahsoka smile, then frown and clench her fists. Not only had she been denied a proper rest, but she had also been sent with this Offee. The fact was that of all the Padawans in the Order, it was with Barris that Ahsoka had the worst and most difficult relationship. Offi was two years younger than Ahsoka, but unlike her, she had already been on various missions. This intensified the spirit of secret rivalry, and Barris was in no way inferior to Tano in her claims to leadership. But unlike Torgut, who never hid her feelings and was always herself with everyone, Barriss, who belonged to the Mirialan race, was quiet as a mouse in the presence of her teacher and others higher in rank, not even raising her voice unnecessarily, listening attentively to their every word. But as soon as she was among her peers, she underwent a striking change. Out of nowhere, she became arrogant, contemptuous, boastful, and eager to elevate herself above everyone else. Mockery and insults poured out of her, especially towards Asoka, whom Offee saw as her main rival. And it was no surprise, because at fifteen, Asoka had already learned so many interesting things and, on top of that, was bright and attractive, while Barris, at thirteen, remained a grey mediocrity. This angered and hurt the Mirialan girl's nature. Even the fact that no one had long since distinguished between Ahsoka and her teacher resonated in her with envious bitterness, and seeing that Tano had gone to the dining room, Offi followed her, and when she was already walking towards the table with a tray holding a cup of tea and a plate of grain porridge, she casually walked right in front of her, causing Asoka to bump into the Mirianalka. The tray swayed and the cup of tea tilted, sliding down and spilling a good part of its contents onto Asoka's tunic, with a few drops falling on Barris.
"What are you doing, aren't you looking where you're going?!" Offee squealed indignantly, jumping up and down on the spot. Before that, she had looked around the dining hall and made sure there were no elders there.
"You shouldn't be jumping in front of me!" Asoka retorted immediately. "Or maybe your scarf is too low and it's covering your eyes."
"I don't hear any apologies," Barris snapped again. "Or did the tea spill on your horns and you can't hear me?
"Don't wrap yourself up in your scarf! Or are you afraid that Master Yoda will faint from your beauty? Don't worry, there's nothing to fall on!" Barris teased Togruta, knowing how she was concerned about her appearance.
"Then let him look at your teacher, there's plenty to faint over," Barris replied even more pointedly, adding, "I don't know what your father is like, but judging by everything, he's just as old and ugly as you are, otherwise why would you be so attached to your teacher?
Asoka could no longer bear it. She could endure insults directed at herself, but she was not going to tolerate them directed at those dear to her. How could this ridiculous creature wrapped in a scarf speak like that about those for whom Asoka was ready to die? Or kill.
"Take back what you said! Right now!" cried the Togruta, grabbing Barris by the neck with one hand and pushing her face into the porridge on the tray with the other. Offee struggled desperately and gasped for breath. Soon, everyone else in the dining hall gathered around the fighting women and rushed to pull them apart. It was a difficult task. Barris was crying uncontrollably and smearing porridge all over her face, while Ahsoka's eyes flashed with rage and her face turned red with anger. Naturally, most of them sided with Barris, and only one of them thought otherwise, but he did not approach them, standing in the doorway of the dining room and nodding approvingly, thinking that his calculation had been correct. But was that important to Asoka now?
***
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