Allegiance | Kylo Ren

XXXVII

Kylo was back at training the next day, but we didn't train for very long. The dark circles were very evident under his eyes, and his movements seemed to be a heartbeat too slow. I knew right away that he had not slept that night after I left. So we departed early from training. Kylo rolled his eyes at my instructions to go sleep, but headed back in the direction of his room anyway.

I returned to the barracks, where Malia was waiting eagerly. Upon my arrival, she leapt to her feet and began handing me pieces of my armor, which she had unpacked from my case. I laughed quietly as I pulled it on piece by piece, and then followed the young girl out the door as she pulled on her own helmet.

"So the one guy's code is PQ-1788." She explained breathlessly as we walked quickly down the hallway towards the cafeteria. "And he's been harassing me for as long as I can remember. I mean, I know I'm short, but there's no need to remind me every other second. Plus, he's mean. He's always picking on the younger trainees, making them do things for him."

She continued to ramble on as we walked. I tuned her out after a bit, not needing to hear every single detail about this boy's life. I was pulled to a sudden stop by Malia's hand on my arm.

"Stay here." She whispered, and peeked around the corner before disappearing.

The sound of footsteps filled the air as she made her way down the hallway. Then they stopped, and there was a thud.

"Watch it!" A male voice snapped.

"There's no need to shove." I heard Malia retort. "The hallway is plenty wide enough for both of us."

"Whatever, shrimp."

"Don't call me that! Hey, don't touch me!"

I couldn't help but sigh to myself at their immaturity. It was very clear by their interactions that they were fresh out of training. They were only a few years younger than me, but they had a lot to learn before they could actually be considered fully-fledged troopers.

"Or what?" PQ-1788 challenged.

I took that as my cue to make an entrance. I stepped around the corner. The boy's back was to me, but as I appeared, I saw Malia's grin widen at the sight of me. Confused, the boy turned to see what she was looking at.

I stood silently, my hands folded behind my back as I gazed evenly at the boy. His eyes widened in shock, and he stumbled backwards.

"Y-You're—" He stammered as his eyes traced over my unmistakable black armor.

"A friend of mine." Malia finished his sentence for him, tilting her head cockily. "So maybe think twice before you shove somebody into the wall next time."

He flashed her an alarmed glance before backing away. After a few steps, he turned and broke into a full run.

The moment he disappeared, Malia dissolved into laughter. She put her hand against the wall to support herself as she laughed.

"Did you see his face?" She gasped for air. "That was fantastic!"

I couldn't help but smile at her glee. "Glad I could help."

She leaned her back against the wall, her hands on her stomach. "Wow, I can't wait to get this other guy—"

I held up a hand to stop her. "Woah, Malia. As much as I would love to help you scare everyone that's ever been mean to you, I don't have time to just follow you around all day."

Her grin faded slightly. "Oh. Right. Sorry."

It was only a moment before she broke into laughter again, and this time I joined in. I slung my arm around her shoulders as we made our way back to the barracks.

"That was kind of fun, though." I admitted.

"It was great!" She laughed. "I definitely owe you one!"

As I watched her shoulders shake with laughter, my own chuckles faded. She was so young, and yet she was allowed to go on missions, missions where she would face death everywhere she turned. Even with years of training, there was no way that she was ready to face a battlefield yet. I frowned slightly, turning away. What if something was to happen to her?

"I've got to go do something." I told her, making a sharp turn towards the elevators. "I'll see you around."

She gave me a curious look, but didn't press. Instead, she continued on down the hallway towards the barracks, a cheerful spring in her step.

I needed to check on Kylo, to see if he had listened to me and gotten some much-needed sleep. Somehow, I doubted it, but I figured he would enjoy my company regardless.

I also needed to ask him about these new rule changes, and why the First Order was suddenly so desperate to increase their numbers. If something was wrong, we deserved to know about it, and I wanted to be sure that we weren't risking the lives of our youngest members for no reason.