Volume I: Book of Friends-- Brother in Arms

[Daen C'allyx]

OOC: Basically there are going to be two threads (maybe more) with mini-fics of Daen's background. Just a way of doing a bit of a biography of his life before coming to Coruscant. This one consists of his relationship with his best friend on Almania.

IC:

The dark-haired little boy stared with wide eyes at the Jedi Temple. He had never seen anything like it in his life. Mind you, he was only seven years old and when one is seven they haven't really seen so very much. This particular seven-year-old was named Daen C'allyx, and he was going to be trained as a Jedi. That was what he had been told at least. His mother and Nox, her husband, had bid him goodbye last night and then Daen had spent the night at his Uncle Harp's house, who would take him to the temple the next day.

He had spent his whole life on Almania but never seen the Temple up close before. It was just so...big! The child didn't feel frightened by any means however, he was far from alone. He was only one of a small cluster of young initiates being led on a tour by a patient Jedi Knight, who had already answered a million and one questions about having a lightsaber and using the Force to 'kick butt'.

"Ya ever saw anything like this?"

A high-pitched voice next to his ear made Daen jump. He turned to see a grinning, salmon-colored Mon Calamari boy close to his age and only a bit taller. Shrugging uncertainly Daen just smiled. The Calamarian seemed not to notice.

"I came here last week with my father and we met a Jedi Master. I betcha one day I'll be a Jedi Master."

Daen's eyes shone and he nodded.

"Me too!"

"And we can work together!"

"And kick butt!"

"Yeah!"

"Cool!"

The two looked at each other with mutual respect and immediate friendship. The Calamarian spit on his hand and held it out pleasantly. With no hesitation Daen spat in his own palm and the two boys firmly shook hands. The stranger bobbed his head excitedly.

"I'm Jeb."

"Daen."

They had now fallen behind the group but the boys didn't seem to notice. They continued to talk rapidly, each one interupting the other every few seconds. In just a few moments the two had developed an oddly chaotic yet understandable conversation template. They each managed to talk at the same time, and both got what the other was saying. Finally they were called back to the attention of the group by the Jedi Knight and Daen and Jeb ran to catch up.

"Hey Daen," Jeb glanced at him, "What color lightsaber are you gonna have?"

Daen thought this over. Finally he shrugged.

"I dunno. Probally green. Or blue. Whatever is better."

Jeb nodded.

"Me too."

* * *

Two weeks later...

"Do it again Jeb!"

Amidst a fit of giggles Daen C'allyx and his new best friend sat up and stared at each other. Suddenly Jeb twisted his face into a squinty-eyed monstrosity and flapped his arms.

"Agga, agga, agga-ha ha ha ha!"

The two boys were rolling on the grass of the Temple grounds laughing again. Life didn't get any better than this. After a few more attempts at funny faces the two gave up and just guffawed until tears streamed down their cheeks. They had finished with their Force classes for the day, and supper wasn't for another few hours. This was playtime.

Jeb stood up and wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his small cloak.

"C'mon Daen, let's play Jedi Knights."

Daen stood up as well and nodded.

"Okay. But I get to fight the bad guy this time, and you have to get hurt."

"Yeah, but only a little hurt, and you think I'm dead but then you get in trouble 'cause another bad guy comes and just before he kills you I jump up and gut him."

"Alright, but remember that I get to fight first."

Jeb rolled his eyes.

"I remember, I remember. C'mon, let's play!"

Then the two friends raced off through the gardens, holding imaginary 'sabers, to save the galaxy from evil.

[Daen C'allyx]

The gazes of the Council seemed to bore a hole through him.

Don't look at Jeb...Don't look at Jeb...Don't look at Jeb...

"Padawan C'allyx, Padawan Leduc. What have you got to say for yourselves?"

The two apprentices shifted guiltily in the middle of the chambers, very careful not to glance at one another. The nine-year-olds looked at the floor intently. As per usual, Jeb spoke first.

"We were just playing a joke."

Daen nodded.

"It was funny."

One of the Council Members raised an eyebrow.

"Funny? I fail to see the humor in the situation. It was grossly inappropriate behavior."

The humanoid and the Calamarian scuffled uncomfortably. The Master continued.

"Jedi do not dive off the rocks into the pools naked. They especially do not do this in the presence of female initiates. This... What do you two call it?"

Daen and Jeb answered immediatly, at the same time.

"Flying Flash."

Out of the corner of his eye Daen saw his Master bite back a smile.

"Well, this 'flying flash' was tasteless and shameful. There are a number of young ladies who were extremely vexed by your 'joke'--and if you don't know what vexed means ask your Masters. Later."

Daen and Jeb closed their mouths.

"You will apologize to the Padawan's who fell victom to your exhibitionism."

The boys nodded.

"Yes Master."

"You will meditate on when jokes are appropriate, and how far they should go."

Inward groans. Stoic nods. Straight faces.

"Yes Master."

"And both of you are going to clean the second floor bathrooms for the next week, and I mean scrub every evening."

Jeb almost protested, and Daen barely caught himself; he gave Jeb a slight kick and shot him a look. The mischievous youths answered again in chorus and waited impatiently to be dismissed. The Council let them squirm for a few moments in silence before requesting a work with their respective Masters, in private. Daen and Jeb walked briskly out into the corridor to wait. As soon as the chamber doors closed they started to giggle quietly, trying not to let the Council--or their Masters--hear. Jeb clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Did you see Gaia's face when we jumped?"

Daen nodded and did an imitation of the horrified look that had been on the girls face as the two Padawans had jumped into one of the garden pools nude. This sent Jeb off in a fit of laughter, which in turn made Daen double over with mirth.

"She... was...ha ha ha...!"

"And Kaikala! And He'v...I thought they...were going to scream!"

In the end the young boys had to hold onto each others shoulders to keep from falling over. It didn't seem to matter that they'd gotten in trouble with the Council. They'd been in it together, and somehow that made it easier.

"Hey Daen." Jeb grinned and looked up. Daen cleared his throat and nodded.

"Yeah?"

"I think we make a good team."

Daen nodded again.

"Me too. You still got those soap bombs?"

Jeb nodded slowly, a sly look crossing his face.

"Uh-huh. You got a plan?"

Daen just brushed the side of his nose.

"Brother, there's always a plan."

[Daen C'allyx]

There was nothing more boring than philosophy class. It was a combination of things really. For one, the heater in the classroom was always on, and so it took only a few seconds for one to feel drowsy. The lighting was dim in a very relaxing way. Master Gnirobe, who taught the lessons, had a droll, monotone voice that, when paired with the text he read from, had a lulling effect.

Put a group of twelve-year-old Jedi Padawans in the room and you were bound to run into some trouble.

Daen C'allyx yawned and slid farther down in his seat. His short hair was mussed and wild, as if the boy had been running his hands through it in an attempt to stay awake. When he really wanted to Daen could sit still and pay attention and honestly apply himself. When it came to philosophy, he didn't want to. Neither, it seemed, did Jeb Leduc.

The boys had already been made to sit on opposite sides of the room during their first class. It was hoped that this would put an end to their constant whispering and disrupting of the class. However it took more than a dozen students and a Jedi Knight to stand between best friends. The two had devised a way of speaking to each other, using various digits. Telepathy would have been easier, but the two were neither well schooled nor skilled in the act.

As soon as Master Gnirobe looked away Daen 'pssst'-ed at Jeb. His good buddy looked over and raised one eyebrow.

What?

Daen waggled both his eyebrows, stuck out his tongue briefly, crossed then closed his eyes, and held up two fingers on his right hand. It was abundantly clear what he meant.

Go to the bathroom in five.

Jeb gave him the thumbs up sighn. Just as Master Gnirobe began a new subheading in their lesson, Daen groaned loudly and clutched his stomach. His eyes scrunched up pain. The middle-aged Knight frowned and looked up.

"Padawan C'allyx, are you alright?"

Daen shook his head and moaned again.

"There's an awful pain, ooohhhh, right here in my stomach."

Jeb was looking away at the wall to keep from laughing. It took all of Daen's concentration not to smile. He doubled over dramatically, a look of shock on his face. Master Gnirobe lurched forward and grabbed the boy, putting a hand on his back in concern. The teacher's face grew worried and he stroked his chin.

"Maybe you ought to get to the Healers."

Daen tried to look as weak and in pain as possible.

"Y-yeah, I think I be-ow!-tter."

The Knight helped the boy stand and then crooked a finger at Jeb. Daen's heart raced. Slowly Jeb walked over, an innocent look on his face. Master Gnirobe eyed him seriously.

"Jeb, I want you to escort Daen to the Healers and stay with him as long as they allow it. Understood?"

"Yes Sir."

Jeb and Daen glanced at each other with contained surprise. What luck! Very slowly and pathetically Daen hobbled out the door of the room, supported by a sympathetic looking Jeb Leduc. The charade continued until they had turned into another corridor. Then the grins broke out and the two jostled each other playfully as they trotted along.

"Good 'un Daeny. You had ol' Gnome eatin' outta your hand!"

Jeb's big silver eyes gleamed. Daen giggled.

"Yeah'n you played the Flo Nightin'gale part real well buddy!"

Jeb growled in faux-menace.

"Who you callin' Flo, slimeball?"

With a whoop Daen took off, Jeb right behind him.

* * *

Later...

A blur of Jedi Padawan burst through the door of quarters marked KANN/C'ALLYX, dropping a cloak, outer tunic, boots and a pile of datapads onto the floor with superhuman speed. Daen scratched his itchy neck visiously as he padded through the apartment.

"I'm home!"

The boy yelled at the top of his lungs, making his way to the kitchenette. He opened the cooling unit, stared for a minute, and then shut it again after pulling out a bottle of water. A sigh came from behind and the young boy turned to see his Master, Iro Kann, looking at him. The Knight's ears pricked up and he wore an expression of distinct annoyance.

"What have I said about screaming in the quarters?"

Daen grinned and shrugged.

"Not to?"

With a roll of his eyes Iro nodded and walked to the cooling unit himself, tugging on Daen's Padawan braid affectionately.

"Then kindly take that to heart, or else you'll be stuck in meditation for the next ten years of your life."

Daen laughed and darted away before his Master could run a paw through his hair and mess up the carefully gelled spikes, like he often did. Iro shook his head and pulled a bottle of water for himself from the cooler. He twisted the cap off and leaned against the counter nonchalantly, sipping. Daen situated himself at the table and began to look at the back of the cereal box that he had forgotten to put away. Iro cleared his throat.

"How were your classes?"

Daen shrugged absently.

"Fine."

The Knight raised an eyebrow, though his apprentice did not see.

"What did you learn?"

In the typical vague manner of a child Daen answered with a shrug.

"I dunno. Stuff."

"Stuff like how to con your way out of philosophy?"

The look on the Padawan's face was priceless. Eyes wide, brows up, and mouth clamped shut into a thin line, Daen looked at his Master. The Knight smiled sweetly.

"I know you and Jeb think you already know everything, but it might be helpful to remember that not only have us old timers been alive a lot longer, we invented every trick and excuse that you fellows use. When you didn't object to going to the Healers, Master Gnirobe's suspicions were confirmed and he gave me a call."

Daen had yet to say a word. Now his Master's face grew serious.

"So why did you lie?"

"I...didn't."

The long ears of the Knight pricked again.

"Explain that to me, because I fail to see how that statement is true."

Daen swallowed.

"Well, from a certain point of view, Jeb and I were really only putting into action diplomatic skills. We worked as a team to resolve a haneous situation, and we did so without harming anyone. Also, I didn't lie to you either. I just didn't tell you."

Iro sighed and rubbed his face with the condensating bottle of water.

"First of all," He began, his gruff voice muffled momentarily by the drink, "Not saying anything is just the same as lying. We've had a talk about that before. And secondly, I don't care about 'a certain point of view' because we both know that the certain view in question is yours and is designed to excuse your actions."

Daen flinched under the stern look he got, but then frowned and shot an indignant look at his Master.

"But that's my opinion!"

Iro nodded cheerily.

"Well it's nice that you have opinions. I don't care right now however, because your opinion on this matter is wrong. You lied, Padawan, it's as simple as that."

Daen scowled and stared thoughtfully at his Master. The man and the boy stood and sat, respectively, in each others' gaze for a long moment. The apprentice was the first to break. He shook his head in amazement.

"How the heck do you always find out?"

Iro snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes.

"I'm a genius." He smiled softly and then pointed to the living room with a serious look."Now you and I have got some serious talking to do. Jeb too, he'll be here shortly with his Master."

This at least brought some cofort to the Padawan. With a downcast look Daen headed into the living room with his Master close behind. He was sure that he and Jeb would be there for a while. Within moments the said friend and his Master arrived, looking much the same as Daen and Iro. The two boys smiled at each other hesitantly. Daen finally shrugged and patted Jeb on the shoulder.

"Well, can't win 'em all, can we?"

Jeb shook his head and then broke out into a grin. Bright-eyed he looked back at his best friend and clapped him right back on the shoulder blade.

"No," Jeb said, "but we sure do have fun tryin'!"

[Daen C'allyx]

"Hey Jeb."

The bright sun and warm grass didn't seem to fit on a day like today. Daen almost wished that it were pouring buckets; it might have made grieving easier. The fourteen-year-old Jedi Padawan wasn't the one in mourning however. It was his best friend, Jeb, who had lost his cousin. Daen didn't quite understand the connection that Jeb and Jauli had had, for his own family was very small and didn't communicate anymore.

Jeb was sitting in the gardens, by their favorite pool with his legs in the water. He looked straight ahead at the burbling waterfall as it foamed lightly at the base of the water. Big, salty tears slowly fell from the Calamarian's eyes, but not once did he make a sound or move his face. He just stared. Daen swallowed and slowly lowered himself beside his lonely friend, pulling off his boots and sticking his own feet into the cool, satiny water. He sat there quietly for a moment.

"Your Master asked me to talk to you." Quickly Daen glanced at Jeb. "But that's not why I'm here, I came because I wanted to...y'know, see you. And, oh I dunno...help, maybe."

They had been through so much together. Training, Masters, classes, Council summons, missions. Now when his friend needed him most, Daen didn't know what to do. He felt so awkward sitting there, the silence so thick it could have been cut with a vibroblade. Again Daen swallowed, staring at the same spot that Jeb seemed to be looking to. Jeb hadn't said anything yet.

"I don't have any cousins. My uncle never wanted kids. But I guess if he'd had any, it wouldn't have mattered anyhow. We probably wouldn't have liked each other anyway."

"If you're trying to make me feel better, it's not working. Go away."

Daen looked startled, and then hurt. But he didn't move. He just sighed and shook his head.

"No, Jeb, I can't 'go away'. 'Cause then one day, when you're just fine, you'll be mad that I didn't stick it out with you when you needed me most. Besides, you've had enough people go away for one week."

Jeb blinked slowly and hung his head. Daen scootched closer carefully and put an arm around his friend. He didn't say anything, just gripped Jeb's shoulder tightly. The Calamarian began to shake, crying quietly. Daen's throat grew tight. He felt tears come to his own eyes and blinked them back, embarrased. Soothingly he patted Jeb's back.

"Hey, buddy, it's fine. Just...yeah, just do what you have to do. I won't leave."

Jeb shook his head, took a sharp breath. When he looked at Daen his face was a tear-streaked mess.

"He was like my brother Daen. I promised him that I would be there for his mom's birthday, we were going to go fishing. Just last week, I promised him."

Daen nodded. Again he couldn't find the words to fill the cavernous rift that was between the two. He just sat, arm around his friend, staring at the water. Finally Jeb stopped crying, and let out a shuddery sigh.

"I'm so tired Daen. It's like...I'm tired everywhere, in my bones, in my mind. I can't even see straight." Jeb paused and let his shoulders drop. "I don't even want to get up in the mornings."

Daen's heart raced but he tried to stay calm. He peeled off his shirt and slowly slipped into the water, goosebumps raising on his skin as the heat of the sun was cooled.

"You gotta get up Jeb. I know you feel lousy, but you gotta get up. Who else is going to wake me up when I'm late?"

Jeb didn't say anything. Daen sighed and swam to the waterfall and back. He went slowly, using the lap for a chance to think. When he made it back to the edge where Jeb sat, he rested his arms on the bank and looked up at his friend.

"It'll pass, Jeb. It'll pass."

He waited for some sign that Jeb was okay. His friend looked away and closed his eyes. It seemed to take a millenia for him to answer.

"I got to go. Stuff."

He stood and beagn to walk away. Daen watched his retreating back with wary eyes, before backpeddling in the water. He was halfway back to the waterfall when he heard his name called. Daen turned around and looked at Jeb, standing halfway to the Temple. His friend nodded, a painful look on his face.

"Thanks."