#master leia

On the Falcon after leaving Crait, Leia and I caught each other up. I told Leia what happened with Luke on Ahch-to, the mysterious connection with Ben and how I realized there was still Light in him. I also tentatively confessed that I went to see her son...on the Supremacy. I told her what had happened with Snoke and how Ben and I had fought side by side.  Once I finished, Leia shook her head and sighed. She paused before speaking.

“As your General, I’m - well - a ‘General’ about it. That was tremendously risky and we could have lost you. I don’t think you understand just how valuable you are, Rey.”

I gave her a small smile. I was touched by her words.

“I’ve been told I’m nothing my whole life...It feels nice to be a part of something as important as this.”

Leia’s expression softened further. She looked like she was coming to a decision about something.

It was 2 years after the Battle of Exegol and the base on Ajan Kloss felt more permanent than ever. We were still living in pods at this point, no houses yet, and I had a dream.

In the dream, I was seeing the lovely jungle moon we had made our base and our home. The cliffs, the water falls, the large trees, so lush and abundant. Then the dream took me lower, down to the tree line, to the large area I had trained in with Leia. The place held so much potential.

Then, the voices of my Masters Leia and Luke spoke, gentle but clear and strong.

“Rey...pass on what you have learned. You will not be the last Jedi...”

The dream ended and I opened my eyes. I was in my pod, a small room that I had personalized and made my own. It was the first time I had ever had my own space (that wasn’t an AT-AT). I sat up, the thin brown blanket slipping to my lap, and contemplated. I had considered taking on students a few times following the war, but many other things had taken priority around the base. But now, the dust had settled. We had more options now.

Traditionally, it took years, decades even, for a student of the Force to ascend to the level of Master. I had less than five years of training in the Force; most of my development had occurred as a result of the war. I would have loved to have trained with Leia longer, but we made the most of the time we had. It was far from ideal, but I knew I had much to offer. Perhaps Ben would be willing to offer his experience as well.

I could probably take on a few Padawans easily, but what about something more? I allowed myself to dream big for a moment. What about an entire academy, one that not only taught the ways of the Jedi, but took the teachings further and made them more practical? I imagined a more rounded curriculum, one that wasn’t as strict as the Jedi teachings of old. Before her passing, Leia told me about the Grey Jedi and their many incarnations throughout history, those who explored both the light and dark sides of the Force without becoming corrupted by the Dark Side. A curriculum that embraced both Light and Dark side abilities while adhering to a Jedi Code seemed like the best path to take. Confronting one’s own inner darkness was something that was bound to occur in any student of the Force, so it might as well be fully addressed. Instead of completely repressing and avoiding all Dark Side tendencies, they would be allowed to breathe in a safe environment. Perhaps this way, the mistakes and problems of the past might be mitigated. Could I really pull something like that off?

I did not fool myself into believing that peace would last forever. The Dark Side would always rise again, and so it was not a matter of if war would come again, but when. The next generation of Jedi needed to be prepared for such an inevitability.

“The last Jedi...” I muttered.

It was all down to me. My Masters were right. I would not be the last. I knew there were countless Force-sensitive individuals out there who just needed the proper training. What my grandfather tried to destroy I would rebuild, one soul at a time.

There was something so final about this parting. I had trained with Leia for a year, and I didn’t want it to end so abruptly. This was my first mission, in the middle of a war, and I was being put to the test, whether I was ready or not. The thought of possibly not returning terrified me, but I knew that this was our best chance. I had to go.

“There’s so much I want to tell you…”

I had not told Leia about my vision of the throne of the Sith, too afraid of what she would think of me. It was the only time I had ever withheld anything from her, and now all I wanted was to tell her everything, knowing that I may not get another chance. But the words would not come.

“Tell me when you get back,” she said.

My eyes stung with tears as I tried to smile, and I nodded. Then, Leia presented Luke’s lightsaber, which only accentuated the finality of everything. I took it with reverence, and looked back at Leia, knowing what it meant. I did not feel that I had earned it yet, but that didn’t matter now. You don’t rise to meet the moment because you’re ready…you do it because it is necessary.

I bent down and embraced the woman I respected more than any other. I closed my eyes and the tears fell. She held me as a mother would, her hand gently holding the back of my head, her cheek against mine.

“Rey…never be afraid of who you are.”