Everyone went to bed late in the little house on the outskirts of Mos-Espa, and the conversations continued until nightfall. Asoka, in particular, did not want to part with the Magister. She dragged him into the courtyard and, looking up at the darkening sky, began to point out the stars and ask him without hesitation:
"Have you been there?
The Master calmly and patiently replied that he had been to Alderaan and Bespin many times, and even to Endor.
"How I wish I could see them all," sighed Ahsoka, wrapping herself more tightly in her shirt. It was getting chilly as night fell.
"You will see, we often have to fly all over the galaxy, because help may be needed anywhere," replied Master Plo, already anticipating all the difficulties that this girl would face when she first crossed the threshold of the Jedi Temple. For now, they had only crossed the threshold of Ahsoka's house to settle in for the night, as it was already late and tomorrow would be a difficult day. Sean immediately began bustling about, making arrangements for the guests to spend the night. Jar Jar declared that he would be the first to lie down on the mat in the kitchen, as he explained, closer to the food, and began to snore loudly. Phil went to the master's room, and Master Plo Asoka, despite her father's protests, dragged him to her room. He hurried to reassure Sean, saying that it made no difference to him where he slept, and Tano laid a mattress for him near the wall. The Master sat down on it and with great pleasure took off his cloak and boots. He didn't want to sleep, and he couldn't have, because questions poured out of Asoka like millet from a shot bag. It seemed that she was interested in literally everything, from the daily life of the Jedi to what they were given for breakfast.
"Yes, I sense great interest in her, I just hope I don't make a mistake," thought the Kel-Dor, looking out the window at the sky with its unusually large stars. Asoka was already asleep, but he couldn't sleep, too many thoughts were spinning in his head — "Will the Council understand me? After all, I've been arguing with them for a long time. But anyway, I'll train her, even if he opposes it. After all, I've earned the right to follow my own decisions. At least in that sense."
Having made up his mind, Master Plo turned away from the wall and closed his eyes. The morning began with loud cries and a commotion around the bucket of water that was to be used for washing. Gunungan pushed his way to the front and splashed half the bucket over himself, causing the others to complain. They ate almost nothing for breakfast, their excitement preventing them from swallowing a bite. And as soon as there were ten minutes left until the time agreed with Watto, they left the house. Sean went with them, even though Asoka asked him to stay home.
"But I'm worried about you, Soka," the man replied, hugging the girl tightly. "Take care of yourself, sweetheart."
Asoka almost cried at this. It was so painful to upset her father, whom she loved more than anyone else in the world, but there was no other way. After all, so many people needed her help. And pressing herself against his heavily patched shirt, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne and dried fruit, she promised that she would definitely return safe and sound.
"And then I will definitely get you freed from slavery," she added silently, kissing his rough, calloused hand, and boldly entered the canvas pavilion by the track, intended for race participants. It was quite large inside and already filled with people. Anyone could take part in the races, even those living on other planets, as long as they submitted their application on time and provided their own transport. And then it all depended on the racer and the capabilities of their vehicle. Asoka now saw for herself that her rivals were quite serious this time, and their vehicles were the most modern available. But even that wouldn't have bothered Asoka if...
"You showed up after all, Tano," Watto jumped out in front of her. "There's no limit to your stupid recklessness! However, don't get your hopes up, Sebulba will still be the winner!
And he pointed to a corner of the pavilion where his friend, a disgusting Teydorian just like him, was sitting on a chair with his feet up on the table, being fawned over by three pretty Twileeks. One was fanning him with a fan, the second was kneading his skinny shoulders, and the third was giving him a cocktail to drink through a straw and alternately slipping him the hookah pipe. Asoka wanted to respond with something sharp, but then she felt heavy hands on her shoulders. She turned around and saw the Master. He pulled her aside and said a mysterious phrase:
"Trust the Force, let it flow through you, it is a very powerful ally if you are in harmony with it.
Meanwhile, the stands began to fill with people, mostly wealthy and influential residents of Tatooine who had come here for excitement, and simple poor people hoping to eat and drink for free. This was possible after the final, when Jabba the Hutt, in his joy, organised a public drinking party, inviting everyone he felt like. Now he just sat in his VIP box and watched the racers line up, getting ready to fly out for the first lap. The race commentator, a two-headed humanoid, was telling the audience about each participant. Who they were, where they came from, and what race they belonged to. Hearing the name Tano, the Hutt whistled and snorted incredulously, then turned to his assistant, the Twi'lek Bibu Fortuna, who was sitting next to him and, at his request, repeating the biographies of the participants he liked:
"I've never seen anything funnier in my life. Sebulba will crush this bird again! Give me my hookah!
That nasty, snotty Jabba, how miserable he is, because he will never get to see this long-awaited spectacle.
Ahsoka was the last to line up, already sitting in the cockpit of the car, wearing orange pilot goggles and a special helmet. At the last second, both Jedi, teacher and student, stood on either side of her and said:
"May the Force be with you, Ahsoka.
It was the first time in her life she had heard those words. It was exactly what they usually said to their comrades and equals. Ahsoka was very happy and felt more connected to the Jedi than ever before. It was as if she was already one of them, and the race was just one of many tasks she had to complete before returning to the temple. Perhaps that was what the Master and the Padawan had meant when they addressed her as an equal.
"Imagine that you must win on the Council's orders. The lives of innocent people depend on it," she heard a voice that sounded very much like Master Plo's soft bass, and her excitement immediately disappeared, replaced by a rush of adrenaline. A cool wave of adrenaline swept from the tips of her montralls to her fingertips, and she vividly imagined herself successfully completing the task and receiving the Council's gratitude. The eldest of the Jedi said to her in front of the other adepts:
"Ahsoka Tano has shown great courage and incredible perseverance, and she asked for nothing in return. I declare my gratitude to her. Follow her example!
Her teacher will stand beside her and, just as he did today, will place his heavy hand on her shoulder and tell her how proud he is of her. For it was he who had raised Asoka to be such a great and worthy Jedi. But when the girl turned to her mentor in her dreams to smile at him and tell him how grateful she was for his teaching, she suddenly saw that no one was standing next to her. Or rather, he had been there, but right before her eyes, his tall, strong figure began to blur and melt into the air. It happened so quickly that Tano didn't even have time to realise who it was. But she did hear Bib Fortuna's starting whistle and, preparing for take-off, immediately started the engine and began to rise. A second ago, all the participants were standing in a straight line, but now the whistle had broken it into several uneven segments, and soon they too broke into dots, which gradually turned into cars, disappearing into the distance along the track. However, Asoka did not see any of this; in an instant, everything around her disappeared, as it always did when she rose into the sky. Everything disappeared, leaving only It. The sky. Her old friend with fluffy pillows of clouds and the friendly eyes of both suns. Apparently sensing that their excessive light and suffocating heat would not be conducive to the success of their favourite, they tempered their ardour this time and limited themselves to a warm, soft glow that gently touched her montrals. The clear light blue surface of the sky made the track even more visible, allowing her to see it in its entirety, as well as her rivals. Many of them had flown far ahead, while some were still lagging at the very beginning of the track. Only one was keeping pace with her, shouting curses and threats in the language of Tatooine. It was Sebulba, and he was doing his utmost to eliminate his opponents at any cost. Sometimes he managed to knock one or the other into the ditch, but right now, he had just made a powerful move to the side of a beautiful blue and silver car, which rolled over several times and flew somewhere under the track. This caused the twielka sitting there to fly out of the cockpit and crash into the sheer rock face of the canyon with a scream. The sharp corners were stained with blood, and two Muuna medics rushed to the scene of the tragedy on a white speedster with a red cross. Asoka watched all this out of the corner of her eye, while Sebulba, not at all embarrassed by what he had done, calmly continued to accelerate, this time aiming at Asoka, who was the most serious opponent at that moment. But then, miraculously, whereas in previous races this would have caused her to panic and huddle together, trying to stay close to the edge of the track so as not to be seen, now she was overcome by a strange calm. It seemed as if she didn't care at all that she could see the finish line and was flying straight towards it, right in the middle of the track, positioned like a queen, which is how she felt. The words of the elderly Jedi sounded like a lesson in her head. He told her to trust the Force. It was like Asoka turning off her consciousness and trusting her inner feelings, allowing them to guide her and fear nothing. As Tano did, she continued to hover over the canyon, and when soon the car's body was shaken by increasingly noticeable jolts, she did not even think of moving, continuing to fly in the same line, like an unshakable rock, to which these blows were like the claws of rock drillers for a huge rancor.
"Yes, yes, yes! The situation is heating up!" The two-headed creature came to life in an instant. "Which one of them will prevail? Youth or experience? Perseverance or enthusiasm? What will win out?"
Sebulba tore and threw, crumpling the entire cabin of his chariot, poking it into Asoka's vehicle, but he couldn't knock it down, and soon, when Torgute finally got tired of it, which coincided amazingly with the finish line, Tano suddenly pressed the gas pedal.
"We have another force majeure!" the commentator exclaimed. "Look at what young Tano is doing! This is a huge step towards victory!"
Kar shot forward like a blast from a blaster, leaving Sebulbe with nothing to do but blink. More precisely, he only managed to blink once, because in the next second he was knocked down by the next participant and, continuing to spew curses, flew into the ditch.
"Following the results of the last race, the winner of today's race by a large margin is...," Bib Fortuna paused dramatically and finished with a gasp, "Asoka Tano! Our youngest and most talented participant!"
Asoka stopped her car and got out, taking off her helmet and goggles and wiping her sweaty forehead wearily. The race had been nerve-wracking, but it was worth it. She had done it, she had won. She had survived the battle. Victory blinded her, elevating her above the whole world and allowing her to become equal to a god. But only for a moment... And wasn't that moment worth all the emotional and physical effort? The moment passed when all those who had cheered her on so enthusiastically came up to her. And the one who had been quietly worrying about his little girl, sitting in the third row.
"Congratulations, my girl, I knew you could do it," Sean said emotionally, hugging his sweet Soku tightly, so small but already so determined and persistent. She wrapped her arms tightly around her father's neck in response, pressing herself against him with pleasure, soaking up his warmth. Asoka was so happy at that moment that she didn't notice that her beloved father's face had become terribly sad, and tears were hidden in the depths of his large blue eyes, surrounded by a network of wrinkles. Not everyone was brought joy by this victory; for some, it would also mean great pain.
***
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