Star Wars: Rebel Rising(14)

There was a gleam in Saw’s eyes, a spark that terrified Jyn.

And it excited her.

Saw turned to Jyn and swooped toward her in long strides. He wrapped his big hands around hers, pressing her fingers against the truncheons she still held. “That’s what Steela taught me,” he said. “One fighter with a sharp stick”—he held Jyn’s hand up, brandishing a truncheon—“one fighter with a sharp stick and nothing left to lose can take the day. You just have to make sure that fighter believes. ”





Seeing Idryssa must have spurred Saw into reuniting with some of his old compatriots. Xosad and his small crew came first, and then Reece arrived. This time, he wasn’t alone; he had a group of three other humans and a Lasat who didn’t talk much. They looked at Reece as if he was their leader, and Jyn had a hard time puzzling that out. He was not the kind of person she would have fought for.

The outpost was starting to feel more crowded than usual, and Jyn in particular felt outnumbered. Reece’s men were young and immature, reckless and destructive. When Jyn was target practicing with her A180 modified blaster, Reece’s crew picked up their own blasters and joined her. But they were not concerned with firing one shot and moving on to the next target; they massacred the dead droid bodies hung up on the rafters of the broken comm tower, laughing wildly as the metal burned.

“When are they leaving?” Jyn asked Saw in a low voice on the third day after they’d invaded her home.

Saw laughed. “I know. They’re insufferable. But they can be handy,” he added in a louder voice.

“Really?” Jyn said, doubt dripping from the word.

“Really.”

Jyn stared at Reece, evaluating him. He was about a decade older than her, but he lacked any discipline. He was broader, sure, with larger muscles, but she doubted he had ever formally trained.

“Like what you see?” Reece said, strutting over to Jyn.

“Not really,” she said coolly.

“Keep a leash on your little girl,” Reece told Saw. “She needs to have more respect.”

Jyn’s blood boiled, but Saw raised his hand. “Jyn’s not a little girl, and if you have a problem with her, take it outside.”

Reece laughed. “Yeah, okay,” he said sarcastically at the same time Jyn snapped, “I’m fine with that.”

Reece raised an eyebrow at her.

“Come on,” she said, heading to the door.

Reece’s men whooped at him so loudly that he had no choice but to follow. Saw lumbered behind them. Jyn went to the cleared area on the island where she and Saw practiced sparring daily and waited for Reece to face her.

“Cause no lasting damage and keep it clean,” Saw said in a somewhat bored voice. “This is a spar; you’re not fighting the Emperor here.”

“I’ll be gentle,” Reece said, sneering at Jyn.

“I was talking to Jyn,” Saw replied, stepping back.

Reece squared off in front of her. He had too much bravado; he was far too aware of the group of men circling them. Jyn kept her gaze on his face, knowing his tell would show there. She saw the instant his eyes changed from mocking to serious, and she had her arms raised in a block before he’d even finished making a fist. She knocked his arm aside with one of hers, driving a fist into his solar plexus with enough force to wind him.

Reece stumbled back, fury turning his pale face red as his men howled with laughter. Jyn kept light on her feet, careful.

She almost always sparred with Saw, and Saw kept his temper in check, especially with her. But Reece was not Saw. He boiled with anger at being mocked, and his next attack was as random and ferocious as an enraged animal. Jyn hadn’t been ready for it, and she went down, slamming into the dirt.

She leapt up before Reece had a chance to turn around in triumph, scooting back and lowering her center as she watched him with narrowed eyes.

“You should have stayed down, little girl,” Reece growled.

Jyn didn’t bother answering. Words didn’t hurt. Fists did. Tired of the defensive, Jyn struck first, feinting a punch, then leaning back into a kick that connected with Reece’s shoulder. He took the force of it in stride, barely stumbling back, and Jyn kicked out again, aiming higher. He knocked aside her leg this time, throwing her off balance, and pushed against her, hard, so she thudded back to the ground. This time, he didn’t assume she was out; he dropped his knees on her chest, painfully, smiling as the air whooshed out of her.

Her arms were still free, but Reece was positioned on top of her in such a way that she couldn’t easily throw him off or gain any leverage. He smirked…and then his eyes narrowed. He leaned down so close to Jyn’s face that for one horrifying moment she thought he was going to kiss her—but instead he yanked at the leather cord around her neck, pulling up her kyber crystal necklace.

“You’ve got us chasing the Empire halfway across the galaxy looking for these things,” he yelled at Saw, “and your little girl has one around her neck? What are you playing at?” He flicked the kyber in Jyn’s face and laughed when she flinched.

Jyn’s lips moved. Reece was so focused on them that he didn’t notice the way her fingers wrapped around a large stone on the ground.

“What was that, little girl?” Reece asked, leaning closer.

“I said,” Jyn replied in a quiet voice, “that was my mother’s.” And with Reece’s head so close to her own, she slammed the rock into the side of his skull. He fell off her, dazed, and Jyn stood, kicking him viciously in the stomach.