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“But you’re a girl,” One of the boys whispers, lip poked out in defiance. Rey has to take a deep breath so she isn’t tempted to make his head ring with her staff.
“Last I checked, the force could care less what parts I’ve got,” Rey responds. She gives the little boy her best ‘shut it or stuff it’ look. It has no effect.
“But they don’t tell stories about girl Jedi heroes,” The boy insists.
“But they tell stories of Leia Organa, and she has the force.”
The little boy is far from convinced, “But she is no Jedi Knight.”
Rey entertains the thought of explaining that Leia did train as a Jedi before turning the job down. But what use is there in arguing with a ten-year-old boy? The best she could hope for was a chance to prove to the little snot that girls are as good as boys.
“Stop it, Jupe,” the third of the kids huffs. Rey has to hide her smile at the little eleven-year-old girl that is already bossing everyone around, “There aren’t any stories of a girl Jedi, yet. But don’t forget that Master Rey defeated Kylo Ren.”
Jupe looks like he is ready to continue the argument, and Rey chooses this moment to leave the children in favor of the cockpit.
She has a galaxy to save and some kids to keep alive. She isn’t even sure how it happened. One minute she is shipping herself to the Supremacy in hopes of convincing Kylo to turn the tide of the war. The next she has three little younglings that the force has set on her path and nowhere to take them. All they can do is move through space at hyper speed to ensure the First Order doesn’t catch a whiff of them.
Which they will, soon enough. It’s hard enough keeping her location safe from Kylo Ren. It is even harder hiding three little hellions when he decides to pop in for a force visit. Especially when one of them thinks Kylo Ren is the best thing since sliced bread.
Gods she thinks, what did I do to deserve this? One bossy girl. One lazy little boy that only uses the force to bring him snacks. And one that is obsessed with everything Kylo Ren and will ditch her at some point to join the Darkside. She hasn’t slept in weeks, trying to keep him out for fear he will discover her new charges. Of course, she knows she is fighting the inevitable. He will come when she is at her weakest. Which is, apparently, right now.
She feels that little tug followed by his arrival.
“Rey,” He says her name like he did on the Supremacy. It makes her ache with the thought of what they could have been if he had just listened. But then her eyes flash to the person behind him and her heart stops. Kylo catches on immediately and twists around. Now they are both looking at the little boy that looks like all the galaxy has arrived for him on a platter.
Well, bantha’s out of the bag now. Rey thinks.
“Kylo Ren,” Jupe whispers with reverence, his cheeks flushing at the sight of his idol. Even though Kylo is not in his usual regalia, Jupe has studied his face enough to know him without his mask.
Then again, it is hard to forget a face and a body like his.
“And what is this?” He half turns to peg Rey with a look she does not like one bit.
Jupe, the little idiot, has no idea what danger he is in, and Rey starts moving to grab him and run. Maybe stash him in a closet out of Kylo’s sight? Not that it would do anything. But at least that horrible look on Kylo’s face would disappear. But as she moves to grab Jupe, Kylo swings his arm out to stop her. She freezes, not sure what to do. Alarm bells are ringing in her head, even as he drops to a knee to get to Jupe’s height.
“And who are you?” Kylo asks, pulling his arm back to his chest. Rey stands at his side, head whipping back and forth between the two of them. Not able to do a thing, she watches with wide, frightened eyes.
“Jupe,” the boy says with confidence and then takes a step closer. Rey moves, and Kylo’s arm shoots out again, this time he pushes her back a little at looks at her with a raised eyebrow.
“And why are you with the Resistance, Jupe?”
Rey hisses and considers grabbing his stupid hair and yanking him backward. Maybe she could slam his head against the floor? Would the bond let her?
And the ten-year-old, none the wiser, tells him everything and more. “Oh, one of the pilots found me on Corellia and brought me to Master Rey for training. I’m going to be a Jedi Knight someday. The greatest one.”
“Are you now?” Ben turns his head to look at Rey through his curtain of hair and the twist to his lip make her want to punch him. “You know, being a Jedi Knight isn’t everything they say it is.”
Oh, hell no, Rey hisses in her mind. He isn’t going to try and steal this little one from her.
“You’re not a Jedi Knight. You could have been if you wanted.” Jupe declares and takes another step closer.
“I tried. It didn’t…work out.”
“And now you are the strongest warrior in the galaxy. The Supreme Leader,” Jupe adds. Another step. And now Kylo is holding a hand out and Rey is desperately trying to push his arm out of the way. Stupid force bond that won’t let her use her saber.
“Yes, I am.”
Jupe looks at his hand and then glances up at Rey with wide eyes. He turns back to Ren and takes his hand. Rey climbs over Ben’s back trying to stop the connection.
“I can’t wait until you are my teacher,” Jupe gushes and then lets out a little laugh, “But Master Rey says you are being an idiot right now. And Master Rey beat you, so you aren’t the strongest person in the galaxy. Maybe when you become a Jedi Knight again then Master Rey won’t be able to beat you and you’ll be the strongest in the galaxy again.”
And Jupe is pulling his hand out of Kylo’s and turning back to return to his two friends leaving both of them in shock.
Rey’s body gives out as she lets out a heavy sigh, all her weight on Kylo’s back where she had been fighting to get to Jupe. Kylo doesn’t even move. He continues to sit on his knee with his hand outstretched.
Then Rey laughs, all the weeks of running and trying survive finally making her break a little. Tears start running down her face as she laughs hysterically. Between hiccups, she starts talking.
“That is not how I expected that to go.”
Kylo pulls his hand back into his chest as if it has been burned. Rey rolls off him onto the floor, hands at her stomach as she laughs and laughs.
“I’ll destroy you all, you know.” Kylo’s eyes flash in anger, and she can see the traces of the hurt boy Ben Solo in them. Rejected again. She can read the thought clearly across the bond.
And then Rey reaches out, and presses a hand to his thigh and pulls herself up.
“You know, we have never rejected you. We reject the dark, but not you. You can always come home.”
And then the bond winks out, and Rey tumbles to the floor breathing heavy and thanking the force. They managed to survive the first encounter without losing Jupe to the dark side. She’ll take the small victory.