Allegiance | Kylo Ren

XXXVI

When I returned to the barracks that night, I was surprised to see a trunk and stacks of clothing on the bed next to mind, the bed that had previously been left empty after the death of its former occupant.

I sat on the edge of the bed, wondering who had been assigned the spot. I looked up at the sound of footsteps, my eyes widening as I recognized Malia. She stopped dead when she saw me, and I looked her over.

She was standing up straight, but walked stiffly. A lump underneath her shirt revealed the many bandages covering her newly-treated wound, but she showed no signs of being in pain.

"You're here?" The words tumbled out of my mouth, forming an incoherent and incomplete question. I mentally kicked myself for sounding so stupid.

Malia gave me a little smile, placing the pile of clothes she was holding into one of the drawers of her bedside dresser. "Yeah, I graduate tomorrow, but they're letting me move my stuff in ahead of time."

I sat on my bed, watching her as she unpacked. "Do you feel ready to be graduating?"

She shrugged. "I know I'm young, but I guess they're a bit desperate for numbers right now. I don't mind, though. Training wasn't exactly fun, and I'm excited to be able to go on missions."

I laughed quietly, recalling my own training and how much I despised it as I neared graduation. After the first few years, repeating the same drills became monotonous and boring, and we grew restless as we waited to move up in the ranks.

"Well, you can't go on missions until you're twenty." I reminded her. "So you'll stay on domestic service until then, which isn't much fun, either."

She shook her head. "They changed that, too. First-years are being sent on missions now."

My eyebrows rose. "I had no idea. It sounds like they really are desperate."

I wasn't sure how much I liked the idea of fresh graduates being dispatched on dangerous missions so soon. It sounded dangerous, both for them and the other troopers with more experience. A mistake on their part could put many lives at risk.

"How's your side?" I asked, changing the subject.

She ran a hand over her bulky bandage. "It'll heal. I'm going to have a gnarly scar, though."

I gave a light laugh and lifted the hem of my shirt to show her the scar from my first mission. "I know how that feels."

Her eyes widened as she took in the t-shaped scar, and moved closer so she could better examine it. "How did that happen?"

"Blaster shot on my first mission." I winced as I remembered writhing on the ground, blinded by pain. "It wasn't fun. Resulted in a lot of internal damage and stitches."

"No kidding." She looked up as I dropped the hem of my shirt. "I guess I got off lucky."

I shrugged. "I'm not sure any injury is lucky."

"You're probably right." She gave a small smile as she resumed unpacking. "Hey, where do you store your armor? I'm not sure these drawers are big enough to hold all of it, especially my helmet."

"I've got a case I keep mine in." I nudged the silver case out from under my bed with my foot. The lid was slightly open, left carelessly unclasped the last time I had used it. As the case moved forward, the case opened, revealing my coal-colored armor in all of its glory.

Malia took in a sharp breath, staring at the armor with wide eyes. "Y-You're them. The Black Ghost."

I frowned, not sure I had heard her correctly. "The what?"

She stared at me in awe. "The Black Ghost! It's you!"

A barking laugh escaped my throat. "The Black Ghost? That seems a bit dramatic."

"All the trainees are so amazed and terrified of you." The words started to tumble out of her mouth. "Y-You're like a legend at the training school. We would always watch you leave with the others on missions. You seemed to just appear out of nowhere one day. You never spoke, never interacted with the others, you just kind of drift through the halls. I'm not sure who was the first to name you the Ghost, but that's what everyone in training calls you now."

I gave a strange smile. "You make me sound so mysterious."

"You are!" She grinned. "I can't believe it's actually you! We always had these arguments about what you would look like under the armor, whether you were a guy or a girl, and where you came from."

"Well," I glanced around, wondering how I could best explain myself. "I graduated from training school just like you, and I had white armor once—just like you."

Her eyes widened, and she leaned forward slightly, absorbing my every word.

"But after my first mission, I befriended someone important while in the hospital—"

"Kylo Ren." Malia interrupted.

I gave a curt nod, wondering how everyone seemed to know so much about me. "Yes, I became friends with Kylo, and he was the one who gave me the black armor. I'm nothing special, really."

She didn't seem to hear my last words. "Just wait until the others hear that I'm rooming next to the Ghost." Her words didn't seem to be for my ears. "They'll be dying to know everything!"

"Malia, please." I laughed. "You're blowing this out of proportion. I'm just a person like you."

She shook her head excitedly. "No, you're what every training trooper aspires to be! Everyone wants to stand out like you someday, to have their own title and stories and—"

"But you gave me the title." I argued. "I didn't ask for that. I had actually never heard of it until just now. I'm not a ghost, I don't drift down the hallways." A laugh escaped my lips. "I just don't talk to the others because I don't have many friends."

"But the others don't know that!" Malia grinned. "I'm going to be so popular when I tell them how I'm friends with the Ghost!"

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't keep the smile off my face. "Alright, alright. If you need me to do anything to help, let me know."

A mischievous smile spread across the younger girl's face. "I have a few ideas."