"I wish you would stay," said Poe. "I need you."

"You do not," said Rey, as she stuffed what little clothing she had into a bag. "The only thing I've ever done for you is distract your dinner guests from the real work and scare people a little."

"I like it when you're here. You're easy to talk to."

Rey arched an eyebrow. "Finn and Rose are here. They're super easy to talk to."

"Fine, yes. They are. But they're always together."

"I can't believe you even have time to have this conversation. Or to think about socializing. Don't you have a government to build?"

"About that. Why me? I'm a soldier." Rey felt bad for him. It would have been her fate, too, if she hadn't refused. If she hadn't had the power to refuse. People saw them as leaders, whether they wanted it or not. No one seemed to consider ability or aptitude. They just assumed it was there.

"You'll do great. I have faith in you. Also, you need to stay so somebody can bring Finn to Ahch-To when it's time. You'll come, right?"

"I'll come. And I'll bring the Falcon."

She hugged him. "Thanks, Poe."

"How long until you need Finn?"

"I have no idea. Months? Years?"

"You can't stay on that island alone for years."

"Why not? And I won't be alone. BB-8 is coming with me. And Yoda and Ben will teach me."

"A Droid and two dead guys is hardly company."

I don't know about that, thought Rey. One of those dead guys in particular seemed like he would be amazing company, ghost or not. The litany of 'I get to see him!' had become a steady pulse, ever present in the background of her mind.

Poe still hadn't quite come to terms with the idea of Ben Solo. He wasn't as willing to trust Rey as Finn was. Skepticism was probably a good trait in a man who had to decide which power hungry people should make decisions that would affect the entire galaxy.

Poe walked her to the hanger, where she loaded BB-8 and her belongings into Luke's old X-wing. Taking a starfighter to training struck her as funny. Both Yoda and Ben had been excellent pilots. Maybe their ghosts could join her for a flight around the planet.

The flight to Ahch-To was long and uneventful. Poe worried too much. He thought about pirates and other normal predators. After facing down an arena full of Sith, Rey wasn't sure if anything would scare her again.

One of the Caretakers met her as she heaved BB-8 out of the X-wing. From the woman's hand gestures and motions, Rey understood that the incident with the blaster during her training with Luke had not been forgotten or forgiven. She somehow needed to learn to communicate with these Caretakers, and let them know that she did not intend to go around shooting up buildings while in residence.

She found Luke's old hut. It was the largest, and had built in shelves for books. By the time she had removed the Jedi texts and provisions from the X-wing, she was exhausted. She lit a candle and opened one of the eight texts. She needed Yoda. Luke hadn't taught her anything in these books. He might have hated them. While he had helped the Resistance in the end, he had spent nearly a decade and a half holed up on this island, disillusioned with the Jedi and all they represented. The process of translating had proven more tedious than she expected.

"Rey Skywalker, greetings," said Yoda, and Rey jumped. She had dozed off sitting up with the book open in her lap.

"Master Yoda. I was just thinking about you."

Yoda smiled. "Nice, it is. To be thought of. Quite a job you have there. Difficult, the translation will be. The texts are old."

"I see that. I thought I'd get around this by looking for all of the answers I need in Coruscont's library. There was so little on the Jedi. Can you answer my questions?"

"Mm. Unlikely. In these books, your answers may not be."

"Oh." Rey hadn't even considered it. She had assumed that everything she needed to know about the Jedi was written in a book somewhere. She just had to find the book. Or translate the books she had.

"Many questions, you have."

Yoda's ghost form sat down on a short wooden stool, and he folded his arms over the top of his cane.

"Why do you need a cane?"

"Need it, I do not."

"Because you're a ghost? Is it rude to call you a ghost?"

He chuckled. "Not rude, no. I like my cane. Have need of it, I still do. Luke is on the other side, too. A difficult student, still. He sometimes needs a knock on the head. This is your first question?"

"No. I have many though."

"Short, my time is. Begin."

"What do I need to do?"

"Practice using the Force. Learn. Become Jedi."

Rey took a slow, deep breath. Yoda had been Luke's teacher. Rey didn't know much about that situation, but she knew that Yoda's teaching style could be utterly infuriating. She was more patient than Luke, but the burden of time pressed on her. She didn't have 900 years of life ahead of her.

"But what is Jedi? And why me?"

"Jedi are users of the Force. Protectors. Teachers. In your hands, this is."

"And I'm it?"

Yoda pursed his lips, and was silent for a long time. "Yes and no. For yourself, you must decide why you. Others will come. Most are children. You will be teacher, mentor, and mother figure."

She knew all of this, of course. Knew it deep down inside. She had been handed many lifetimes of work. She realized she had been thinking of it as a task to compete - a list of simple steps. Become a Jedi. Check. Teach other Jedi. Check. Find a new Jedi master to replace her. Check. Oh, and translation these ancient texts and learn everything in them.

Yoda stood and examined the texts. "Start here." He pointed his cane at a book she hadn't looked at beyond a cursory scan. "Go, I must. If young Solo can come, it will be soon."

He began to fade. "Wait! What do you mean 'if'?" But he was gone with a smile.