The gathering was scheduled for eight in the morning. Immediately after breakfast, the younglings were led to the launch pad, where Asoka and Master Yoda were already waiting for them. The group consisted of older children, some of whom were already supposed to become Padawans this year. If this did not happen before they turned fourteen, none of the Masters would agree to take them on as apprentices, and they would be sent to the service corps. It is said that many of the current Masters had faced this danger, but at the last moment they managed to prove that they were worthy of more than spreading manure on vegetable beds. Asoka also visited Bendomir once, where there was an agricultural corps, together with her teacher, and she still could not forget the look in the eyes of the young workers — all failed Padawans. Their gaze was full of undisguised envy, hostility and hidden pain. Now all that remained was to hope that all seven students would find their Masters at the end of this year, just like Asoka — and that she would receive the title of Knight that had long been promised to her. Her teacher had been talking about it for a long time. Thinking about the coveted title, Tano fixed her gaze on the group led by Anakin and Ferrus, who were striding briskly along, casting hostile glances at each other, of course only when the curator wasn't looking. Next came the Twi'lek and the Cerean, followed by three others: a Rodian, a Tifan, and a red-haired girl who was constantly laughing at everything. Anakin, as always, kept to himself, only occasionally exchanging a few words with a girl named Darra Tel-Tanis and a Tifan named Tru Veld. This trio were the undisputed leaders here, a title also claimed by Ferrus Olin, but he rarely succeeded, as his remarks were too out of place. However, the lively conversation died down as soon as the children reached the ship and saw their escort. Anakin smiled broadly when he saw his friend and asked her first thing:
"How's your scratch? It doesn't bother you too much, does it?
He asked very quietly, so that only she could hear and the nasty Ferrus couldn't make out a word.
"Thanks, it doesn't hurt at all anymore," Ahsoka replied with a warm smile. "I hope you're ready for the test. But I can see that you are."
Asoka had indeed noticed that Anakin had changed a lot since yesterday. He had smoothed his unruly hair with an effort known only to himself. He was wearing a clean, ironed beige tunic and had polished his boots to a mirror shine. Almost all of his teenage pimples had disappeared from his face. He looked fit and serious. He had spent the whole night studying the star map of Ilum so that he could be the first to find the crystal and show it to Ahsoka, hoping that this would make her look at him differently, seeing him not only as a friend and a little boy, but as a real, serious man. He already knew what he would do on Ilum — he would lead the group.
"I tried, Asoka," he admitted without a hint of embarrassment. "I understand how important this moment is for us.
"Would you like to fly with me in the cockpit?" Tano asked, touched by his efforts.
"Are you asking? I've been dreaming about it!" "To sit next to you, feel your breath, hear our hearts beating," he almost added, but stopped himself, remembering that he had decided to hold back his feelings for now so that Ahsoka could notice them herself. But for now, she was focused on the group, making sure no one fell behind. Only when everyone had taken their seats in the cabin did Togruta, along with Yoda and Anakin, enter the cockpit.
"Skywalker, it is an honour to see you here," the Grand Master of the Order began immediately upon seeing the boy, the eternal companion of Padawan Tano. "Master Entana has told me much about your great successes."
"I serve the Republic," Anakin said with a touch of pride, taking a seat next to Ahsoka, between her and the pilot. Yoda then went into the cabin, as he couldn't stand flying in the cockpit. Rumour had it that he suffered from severe motion sickness and, in this state, sang strange songs in an incomprehensible language, risking summoning the spirit of an ancient Sith, which had been used to frighten disobedient younglings for decades. Whether this was true or not, no one knew for sure, but few were willing to find out. In any case, the two teenagers sitting nearby, discussing the upcoming gathering, paid no attention to them.
"What do you think I'll find?" asked Anakin, not without a hint of envy, though harmless, looking at Ahsoka's silver sword hanging from her belt. Its blade was green, and she was now collecting a second one, which she had secretly told him about.
"The one that's meant for you," Tano replied simply, not letting him start the song beloved by many younglings about how they want a crystal of a specific colour and no other.
"Barriss said that they sing, and only the owner can hear them. I wonder what their repertoire is like? I personally respect Republican heavy rock, which is why my friends sometimes call me SkyRocker," Anakin grinned, thinking he had knocked the girl off her feet with his wit. Ferrus said they loved it. However, he was clearly not a genius in this field, because Asoka didn't even smile, but continued with the same seriousness:
"Only you will hear the song, and you will immediately understand that the crystal is yours, it cannot be otherwise.
"Master Entana says that sometimes it happens that two crystals are meant for you at once," Anakin recalled the lectures of his lightsaber master, Master Soera Entana.
"That's right, it happens, I'm an example of that," Ahsoka agreed. "But that's not what you should be worrying about right now. It will be much more important to be able to listen to the crystal's call once you enter the cave. And not to get lost in there. That's also very important.
"Don't worry about that!" Skywalker declared confidently, raising his index finger. "I know these caves like the back of my hand!"
"Don't say that, you've never been there, but I've been there and many of the guys got lost, but luckily they returned before the end of Ilum's daylight, which only lasted a few hours," Tano warned him, fearing that the situation might repeat itself, as there were too many people who were overconfident. And how many of them were pulled out of the caves a second before closing time. Some were found the next day. And not always alive. Yes, things like that happened in the Order. Asoka really didn't want him to become one of those poor souls who learned about the funeral pyre before they learned about the Padawan braid.
"It's okay, I'll manage," he said, ignoring Anakin's warning and looking out the window at what appeared to be a huge, bright white ball approaching the ship, glistening with ice and reflecting the light. In reality, the ship was getting closer and closer to the perpetually ice-covered planet of Ilum, where many generations of Jedi of the Republic had gone to undergo the final test of the younglings — the ability to achieve their goals and be responsible not only for themselves but also for their comrades. This was yet to be discovered by the seven teenagers preparing to disembark. Ten minutes before landing, Asoka ordered everyone to put on their fur capes and prepare for disembarkation. When the ship landed in its traditional spot — a small gorge between two snow-covered mountains that formed a kind of gate — everyone was ready and carefully descended the gangway so as not to slip on the famous ice. They froze motionless as soon as they saw the large cave towering above the snowy plain. This was entirely justified, as the cave looked like a fairy-tale palace from the outside, glistening in the bright but cold sun. It was as if it had been built from transparent ice bricks, and the gates looked like the entrance to a magical kingdom. This impression was enhanced by the yellow and red reflections playing on the ice blocks. The young people were so mesmerised that Master Yoda had to tap his cane on the ice three times and Asoka had to clap her hands just as many times to get their attention.
"Listen and remember," the Togrutar began loudly, standing slightly ahead of the younglings. "The entrance to the cave will open in a minute. You will enter one at a time and try to listen to yourselves and understand where your crystal is, but remember, you only have a few hours to do this, then the day will end and the gates will close, and you will have to wait until the next morning, or even remain in the ice forever.
The last words sounded harsh, almost threatening, unlike the usual cheerful Asoka. This made a deep impression on the younglings. All except one, who remained true to himself as always. No sooner had Tano fallen silent than the cave gates began to open with a soft creak, and cold, shining darkness peered out from inside. Darra shuddered and took a step back, Tru looked thoughtfully into the opening and stopped cautiously, Ferrus tried to push the others aside and squeeze in, but Anakin beat him to it and fearlessly stepped inside. The rest had no choice but to follow. The last to enter were the Cerean, the Rodian, and the Twi'lek, the most modest and silent of the group, whose names were difficult to remember at first. Even Ahsoka confused them, knowing only that one of them was Jinx, another was Omer, and the third was called Norman. Finally, all seven disappeared inside, moving further and further away from the gate. Soon, the last cloak flashed in the doorway and dissolved into the darkness.
"You are worried, Padawan, as if you sense trouble," Yoda remarked, seeing the pensive expression on Thano's face.
"Danger in the ice is a common occurrence, Master, we must not forget that," Ahsoka replied distractedly, thinking about her own thoughts, which were only partly related to the gathering. She would have been very surprised to learn that her thoughts were not unique and that her young companion was thinking about the same thing at that very moment. Anakin had spent the whole night reading about the cave of Ilum and now believed that he knew all the ins and outs of this mysterious place better than anyone else. Inside, the cave resembled a hall where everything was covered with sparkling ledges and clusters of glittering crystals that shimmered in different colours, from transparent white to red. Only purple was missing; those crystals grew only on Harun-Kele, where Master Windu, the bearer of just such a crystal, came from. The others were abundant, but why were none of the boys rushing to approach them and pick them up? There was only one reason: silence. The cherished song was in no hurry to sound, calling out to them.
"Oh! I hear it! It's singing! It's singing right here!" Ferrus suddenly shouted and jumped up and down with excitement, causing several clumps of crystal to fall to the ground.
"Be quiet, you lunatic!" Darra hissed at him, grabbing his sleeve. "It's impossible to concentrate like this."
"Get off me," Olin said rather rudely, shaking off the girl's hand, and then began to dance in front of her and sing, "Red-haired, freckled, killed all the Sith with a shovel! Why did he use a shovel? Because he drank away his sword!
Darra flushed with anger and rushed at Ferrus with the intention of beating him up before Asoka and Yoda saw them. It was unclear who was scarier, as the Togrutta also had a heavy hand and could hit so hard that you would forget your own name. Only Skywalker was left untouched. Why? No one knew, except Ferrus, but Darra definitely didn't want to talk to him right now. The thing was, the girl had bright red hair, almost red, and from early spring to late autumn, her face was covered with large brown freckles. She was very upset about this and reacted painfully to any joke about her appearance.
"I wonder how he sings?" Tru asked no one in particular. "Can mine sing romances?"
"That's not funny, Veld," Norman, a Rodian, rebuked him. "Better not disturb the others if you don't care.
Gradually, all seven scattered around the cave, climbing into various corners. Ferrus and Darra, who had rolled under a high ledge during the fight, knocked down several crystals and, forgetting their quarrel, began to figure out which of the fallen crystals had sung to both of them. Others climbed up to the ceiling, and someone even broke away from the rest and, taking advantage of the fact that no one could see him, rushed straight across the frozen surface of the lake, his heavy boots hitting the ice, tapping out some kind of rhythm. He ran for victory, but it would only come after he lost the first syllable.
***
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