Ben Solo

XXII

After the boys got back, Onya and Ilia went out to the next settlement, Inops.

They returned with almost the same answer.

It looked like they were not going to have any children come.

But then, three days later, twenty came.

Seven young boys and girls from Tutum, and two older, a boy and a girl.  From Inops, eight young ones and three older, two girls and a boy.

Poe and Ben were in charge of assigning rooms to the Tutum children.

Out of the seven young ones, there were five girls and two boys.

The two older ones introduced themselves as Siv and Aklee Corliss, twins.

Siv, the boy, had black hair, and eyes like Ilia's, but somehow darker.  Aklee, the girl, was slightly taller, and her hair hung behind her in a curtain.

They were twelve, and their little sister Essia was with them.  Ben and Poe assigned them to share one room, the one by Averann's.  He set the name as Corliss.

The other six they assigned two to a room, since they were all four years or older.

One of the boys, seven years old, followed Ben back to the speeders to unload the food.

"My name is Cody."

Ben ignored him.  "Mhm."

"Daddy said I could be a Jedi."

"We'll see."

"Are you a Jedi?"

Ben shouldered a bag of grain.  "Not quite yet."

"Do you have a lightsaber?" Cody grabbed a bag of vegetables to follow him.

"Yes," Ben replied, getting irritated.

"What color?  Daddy said that Master Skywalker has a green one.  Is yours green?"

"Yes, mine is green."

Ben, annoyance painted across his face, shot a look that said 'help me' at Ilia.

Her eyes twinkled with internal laughter as she passed.  Anina was following her, already at home in the base.

He dropped the bag in the storeroom just off the kitchen, and turned around, almost tripping over Cody.

Ben sighed.  "Cody, could you do me a hand and gather all of the other children in the training room?  It's the big one by the barracks."

Cody grinned.  "Okay!"

He ran off, and Ben let out a deep sigh.  He had shaken the little red-headed boy.

He helped Poe, Onya, Ilia, and Averann carry in the rest of the food, and then went to the training room.

Cody popped up as soon as he entered the door.  "I brought them all, see?"

All twenty of the children sat around the training room.  Essia was clinging to her brother and sister, over by the dummies.

Luke came in a bit later to talk to the children.

"Welcome.  Your parents sent you here to protect you from the First Order..."

He was cut off by Cody.  "Are we going to be Jedis?"

"A select few may be.  But you are here to keep you safe from the First Order.  We have a few rules.  There are five older children here, from your settlements, to take care of you, because sometimes, we will be training.  You may not disturb any training sessions.  You are not permitted in anyone else's barrack.  Siv, Aklee, Jonas, Hana, Jyn, I trust you to keep up these rules."