I don't own anything related to Star Wars. Just playing in George Lucas' sandbox. This is something that I've been working on for one of my characters. My three main characters are all Zabraks, and they all ended up looking similar, so I made it so they are brothers. I just started writing a little blurb for one of my character's backstory, and it kinda mutated into an actual story. If I like how this turns out, I'll continue on to the other brothers. But this is a work in progress and I will still be focusing on my Harry/Star Wars story, so updates will be spotty for this one.

On the lower levels of Coruscant, the Capital of the Galactic Republic, a young Zabrak was digging around in the trash. He wore thread-bare clothes that had many patches and even more holes in them and dirt and grime covered his face as he scavenged. With a triumphant shout he pulled back holding a mostly intact power convertor.

"What do you have there, Ryn?" asked another Zabrak, who looked a few years older, as he came over from another pile of trash and debris. Like the younger Zabrak he was dressed very poorly, his clothes barely holding together. However, a small well taken care of holdout blaster could be seen in the small of his back under his shirt.

Looking at the two of them together, it was easy to see that they were related. The younger one, Rynoth, had blue eyes and a lightly tanned skin. The older one, however, while he had a similar face, he had developed red skin instead of the tanned skin his brothers had. His eyes were also a vibrant green as well.

"It's a power convertor! Even with it damaged we should be able to get enough credits for some food with this," Rynoth said as he turned to his brother. However, he frowned when he looked around. "Where's Xavus?"

The two brothers looked around for a few seconds before they heard a weak groan coming from a corner. They hurried over and found a third Zabrak curled up into a fetal position, clutching his stomach in pain.

"Xavus!" Rynoth shouted as he dropped the power convertor and rushed over to his brother. As they got closer, they could see sweat dripping from his face, his worn clothes soaked with sweat as well.

As they approached, Xavus looked up, his eyes dull and unfocused. "Rynoth…Khal'ek…I don't feel so good." With that, he passed out, his body going limp.

Khal'ek dropped to a knee and rolled his brother onto his back, putting his hand to Xavus' forehead and inhaling sharply at how hot his skin was. He turned sharply to Rynoth, who was standing nearby shifting anxiously.

"Rynoth! He needs a doctor. Run back to the shelter and try to find one!" Khal'ek told him. The shelter was a loose collection of down on their luck beings, and occasionally a doctor would come down from the surface to give free care to the sick.

"Is he going to be alright?" Rynoth asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

"He will if we can get help, now run!" Khal'ek nearly shouted.

Rynoth nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes and ran towards some tunnels at a full sprint.

Khal'ek looked back at his brother, worry clear in his eyes as he wiped Xavus' forehead with a cloth. "Hang on, Xavus. Just hang on."


Rynoth darted through the tunnels and paths through the debris of the lower levels, narrowly dodging around hazards and avoiding the large vermin that infested the area. As he passed by one of the few elevators that led to the surface, one of the even fewer that actually worked, he got a feeling that he should use it to go to the surface instead of back to the shelter.

He skidded to a stop as he looked hesitantly back at the elevator and then to the tunnel that would lead him to the shelter. After a few seconds of hesitation, Rynoth decided to trust his feeling and darted for the elevator, pushing a button at random. The wait for the elevator to go up a few levels and open back up seemed to last forever, but in reality was only a few minutes. As the doors opened, Rynoth took off again, looking around for anyone that looked like a doctor.

"Help, someone please help me!" Rynoth shouted as he ran. He eventually ran into someone, nearly falling to the ground before being steadied by a strong grip.

"Easy there, young one. What has you in such a hurry?" the person who Rynoth ran into asked with a chuckle.

Rynoth looked up at the man and his jaw dropped in shock. Standing in front of him was a Jedi, his lightsaber easily seen clipped to the belt of his Jedi garments. The Jedi had green skin and several facial tattoos, his medium length black hair falling around his face in a casual style.

Shaking himself out of his daze at meeting a Jedi, Rynoth gave him a pleading look. "Please, you have to help me! My brother is sick…he might be dying," Rynoth said with a sniffle.

The Jedi looked at the young Zabrak for any signs of deception, but when he saw none, he gave him a small smile. "Take me to your brother, young one. I shall see what I can do for him."

Rynoth smiled brightly as he grabbed the sleeve of the Jedi and started pulling him back towards the elevator.


Khal'ek had spent his time waiting for Rynoth to return clearing away as much of the debris surrounding Xavus as possible. He had found some interesting items that would sell for good credits and he placed them in a pile nearby. But he mostly spent his time worrying about his brother. He was the oldest of the three, he was supposed to protect them against anything, but how do you protect someone against something you couldn't see?

"Over here! He's over here," Khal'ek heard Rynoth say, and he sighed with relief. He was shocked to see his brother dragging a Jedi along, but he quickly composed himself. He subtly shifted his blaster so that it would be easier to pull should anything happen. Jedi were supposed to be good guys that helped the weak, but you could never be too careful, especially when you grow up in the slums.

When the Jedi gave him a calm smile, he knew that the Jedi understood what he had done. Gulping slightly, Khal'ek stepped forward. "Thank you for coming, Master Jedi. Our brother is sick and he's been unconscious for almost half an hour now. I can't wake him up…" Khal'ek trailed off as his young age showed in his uncertainty.

"Please, you can call me Jerick. How long has he been showing symptoms?" Jerick asked as he knelt next to the sick boy. A chill went down his spine as he realized that none of the boys were older than thirteen standard years of age, yet they appeared to be all alone. Putting his fingers to Xavus' neck, he felt the boy's pulse, which was dangerously weak, his breathing erratic.

"He's been feeling off lately, but he told me he was feeling better," Khal'ek replied slightly defensive. He hadn't wanted Xavus to come with them as he hadn't thought he was better, but Xavus had convinced him.

"It's okay, I'm sure you trusted him. It's not your fault," Jerick said soothingly. He closed his eyes and drew on the Force, using it to see what could not been seen with the eyes. After a few minutes, Jerick opened his eyes to see two very worried boys watching him.

"Your brother is very sick," Jerick told them, causing Khal'ek to roll his eyes.

"We know that. Can you help him?" Khal'ek asked impatiently.

Jerick sighed as he brushed Xavus' hair away from his face. "Not here. He's too sick for me to heal through the Force alone. He needs medication and time in a kolto tank."

Khal'ek nearly collapsed when he heard that. "We can't afford food, let alone medication." Tears started to fall from his eyes as he realized that his brother was most likely going to die.

Jerick looked up at the heartbroken brothers and gave them a comforting look. He hadn't just been scanning Xavus, but he had looked at the other two boys as well, which had revealed something interesting.

"The Jedi have plenty of medication, as well as kolto. We can treat him and it won't cost you anything," he told them, causing Rynoth to smile brightly. However, Khal'ek narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"What's the catch? No one does anything for free," Khal'el said accusingly.

"Khal! He's a Jedi. They help people," Rynoth hissed as he elbowed his brother.

"No, your brother is correct. There is something that I want," Jerick told them, hold his hand out to stop them from interrupting him. "I sense the Force in the three of you, and I want you to come with me to the Temple to be tested. Your brother will still be healed, but this will give you the chance to do something with your lives."

Khal'ek opened his mouth to ask more questions, but was interrupted by Rynoth. "We accept!" the younger Zabrak said, glaring at his older brother.

Jerick smiled at the two brothers as he scooped up the unconscious Zabrak. "Come with me, young ones. I can have someone come back and pick up your belongings later."

Khal'el and Rynoth shared a look, before Khal'ek spoke up. "We…we don't have anything of value. We don't even have a place to stay, just an old rusted out cooling unit where we sleep."

Jerick frowned at the level of poverty on the lower levels of the Capital. With all the wealth of the upper level, one would think someone would do something to help the unfortunate people on the lower levels. "What about your parents?"

"Dead," Khal'ek replied quickly. It was a touchy subject for him.

Jerick frowned, but nodded in acceptance as he started walking back to the elevators. The Force had brought him to these boys for a reason, though he wasn't sure what that reason was yet.


"I'm sorry, but while the Force is strong within the youngest one, the older ones are simply not strong enough in the Force for training. There is nothing we can do for them," Ven Zallow told Jerick softly as they stood just outside the room where the three brothers were staying at the Temple. Xavus had made a full recovery, though he still had lingering weakness that would require therapy to fix.

"Please, there must be something we can do. I can't bear the thought of them returning to where they were before," Jerick pleaded with the Council member.

Ven scratched his chin as he looked through the open door at the three brothers as they sat on a sofa reading from a single datapad. It was a heart warming sight, and not even a Jedi was immune to it.

"The older ones could stay on and help maintain the Library. It would allow them to stay in the Temple and with their brother, though they can't interfere with his training," Ven said after a few minutes. He turned a steely gaze at the Mirialan Jedi. "I hope that I will not come to regret this, Jerick."

Jerick smiled at Ven. "You won't, Master Zallow. If you would allow me to take young Rynoth as my Padawan, it would allow me to oversee the other two as well."

Ven looked at Jerick in surprise. Jerick had never taken a Padawan before, always claiming that he felt that he wasn't ready. "You are sure about this?"

"I am."

Ven nodded and put his hand on Jerick's shoulder, the Mirialan returning the gesture. "I wish you luck, my friend. May the Force be with you."

"And with you, Master Zallow."


For the next several years, Khal'ek and Xavus helped out around the Temple, helping the Jedi in charge of the library keep it maintained as well as doing other small jobs that couldn't be done by droids while their younger. But by the time Khal'ek was seventeen standard years, he had made up his mind to leave.

"But Khal, you can't leave. Where will you go?" Xavus asked as Khal'ek packed a small bag of the few possessions he had collected during his years at the Temple. He sloppily tossed some clothes into his bag, not bothering to fold them.

"There's a war going on, Xavus. The Republic Army isn't asking too many questions to those enlisting. I've already been accepted and I start basic training in two days." Khal'ek took a holopicture that had been taken shortly after Rynoth had been accepted as a Padawan, with the three of them smiling and hugging each other, and put it into his bag as well.

"But you aren't old enough," Xavus protested, grasping at straws. "You'll just get yourself killed!"

"Xavus, give me a little credit here. I know what I'm doing. Besides, what else am I going to do? Stay here and be a glorified janitor for the rest of my life?" Khal'ek asked with a scoff. "I don't think so."

Khal'ek sighed as he heard a sniffle from his brother. He pulled the slightly resisting Xavus into a hug. "No matter where life takes me, I'll always be your brother, and I'll always be there for you. But I need to get out of here, Xav. I'll keep in touch."

With that, Khal'ek stepped away, grabbed his bag, and walked out of the room, forcing himself to not look back.