Chapter Seven
How was your detention, Noaa'lan?" Asked K'aashi with a grin.
"Uggh. Professor S'aahai gave me one of those famous "responsibility" talks. Man, he sure knows how to torture his students!!" Groaned Noaa'lan.
The two boys were interrupted by the rustling of branches in the tree above their heads. They watched as a mop-headed boy dropped down right in front of them. He grinned at the thought of having surprised them.
"Ha! Did I scare you guys?"
"No, and for the last time, Kahl'aan, you know how mother feels about you climbing the trees around the palace!" Warned Noaa'lan.
"Well, mother and father are pretty upset with you right about now. You said that you'd help father with those plans for the interplanetary conference!" Kahl'aan said with a scowl.
"Well, if you must know, I had detention today, after school, and I was unable to assist him with that until now," Noaa'lan informed his brother.
"Oh. S'aahai again, I take it. Man, he sure hates you, Noaa'lan, but not as much as he hates K'aashi here, am I right??" Kahl'aan said with a sneer.
"Shut up, pipsqueak. If all goes according to plan, I might be part of his family," K'aashi said, messing up Kahl'aan's hair.
"Stop treating me like I was a little kid!! One day, I'll be big and powerful, and I'll be able to kick both of your butts!!" yelled Kahl'aan.
"Oooohh. Your little brother's got some angry attitude here, Noaa'lan!! Watch out, Kahl'aan. The dark side doesn't care if you're royalty or not," Said K'aashi.
Kahl'aan just frowned and squinted his bright blue eyes at K'aashi. "I'll never turn to the dark side. I'm not evil."
"No, you're not. You're just Noaa'lan's crazy little brother, right Noaa'lan?" Laughed K'aashi.
"Uh, K'aashi, he's got a name, right Kahl'aan?" Noaa'lan said with a smile.
"That's right, Noaa'lan, and your friend better remember it!! I'm sixteen years old, not six!!" Kahl'aan said adamantly. "So, what did you mean by Professor S'aahai being your FAMILY!!? Man, there's a laugh if I ever heard one!!"
"Well, it just so happens that I have a bit of a crush on his niece," K'aashi said with a grin.
"Uh-oh, you better be on the lookout for S'aahai with a blaster!" Kahl'aan taunted, and then added with a sneer, "You can bet that he won't set it to stun!! He'll shoot you right in the butt!! Chooom!! Ha ha!!"
"Get back here, you little Kish'aa monkey!!" Cried K'aashi as he chased after Kahl'aan, who had exited quickly after delivering the insult.
Noaa'lan just shook his head as he followed the two inside. Kahl'aan was a master at annoying people. When he was younger, everybody assumed that he'd grow out of it. Everybody but Kahl'aan. He'd fine-tuned his skills until "annoying people" became a true art form. K'aashi didn't live with him enough to be able to ignore his incessant badgering. However, Noaa'lan knew the one thing that could shut Kahl'aan up. Food.
"Kahl'aan, I'll make you your favorite dinner if you'll stop pissing off K'aashi!" Noaa'lan yelled over the din of K'aashi and Kahl'aan fighting.
"What do you mean I'M pissing him off!!? He's- OW!!!- he's the one who's beating me up!!" Cried Kahl'aan.
"Ok, then. I'll make you both dinner if you stop fighting!!" Noaa'lan said.
K'aashi and Kahl'aan looked at each other with grins on their faces, knowing that the only reason why they fought was to get a free meal. That was always all right with Noaa'lan. The crown prince had quite a knack for cooking, and he always took every opportunity to do so.
"All right. I'm ready for some nice N'aanwarian native cuisine. There's always the best food waiting for me in the Narundi kitchen, right Kahl'aan?" Exclaimed K'aashi.
"I live here. You get used to it," Kahl'aan said nonchalantly.
"Come on, Kahl'aan! You can't say that you don't absolutely LOVE your brother's cooking!!?" Said K'aashi.
"I don't get it often, so I really do like it. Mother and Father don't like him doing manual work," Explained Kahl'aan.
"Since when was cooking manual work?? I'd call it more of an art," K'aashi said firmly.
"They think it's not the kind of work that a crown prince should be doing, but I find it to be a relaxing hobby, really. It's not work at all," Said Noaa'lan.
"Well, cook me up some sea sn'aala, with that special seasoning you use! I think we have some in the icebox," Demanded Kahl'aan.
"Right away, your highness," Noaa'lan said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at his brother. "You can at least help me by getting your own dishes!"
A beeping sound cut through the silent kitchen, as the comm. unit sprung to life. Noaa'lan washed off his hands, and accessed the transmission.
On the screen stood J'aa'nalia, wearing a different dress, the color of wine. She smiled when she saw Noaa'lan, but he could tell from the look in her eyes that she was upset about something.
"Hey, J'aa'nie. What's the matter?" Noaa'lan asked, giving her a warm smile.
"Well, you're going to think I'm crazy, but. . .um. . .I'm kinda' homesick," She said, trying to return his smile. The look on her face was more of a grimace than a smile, and she looked like she was about to cry.
"Shhhh, don't worry J'aa'nie! I don't think you're crazy! Everybody gets homesick sometimes," Noaa'lan said, reassuring her. "Hey, I'll tell you what. I'll take you to see your family tonight, all right?"
"Oh, thank you so much, Noaa'lan! It's just that I've never been away from home before, and I really miss my family." J'aa'nalia gushed.
"I understand. When do you want to visit them??"
"Uh. . .can you take me over now??" She asked hopefully.
"Right now isn't a very good time for me. I've got my parents mad at me for being late, and I have two hungry teenagers waiting for me to cook them something to eat," Noaa'lan said.
"You do the cooking in your family?? Don't you have a servant who does it for you??" J'aa'nalia asked with interest.
"Yeah, we do have a cook, but K'aashi and Kahl'aan like my cooking better. It's just a hobby of mine, that's all," Noaa'lan said, blushing. "It would be easier if I were to pick you up after dark, that way we wouldn't be seen by any of the resident advisors."
"That's fine with me, Noaa'lan," J'aa'nalia said with a smile.
"Who the heck are you talking to Noaa'lan, and where's my dinner!!?" Kahl'aan yelled as he gave Noaa'lan a punch in the arm.
"Ow! Hey, mind your own business! This is a private transmission!"
Kahl'aan scowled at his brother, and then at the screen. His scowl quickly melted into a sneer.
"Imagine that. Somebody of the female persuasion actually calling my brother! This is a momentous occasion indeed!"
Noaa'lan shot his brother a "drop dead" warning look. Kahl'aan had seen that look enough times to know what it meant.
"Um, I'll leave the two of you alone now, so you can smooch the screen!!" Kahl'aan laughed, making kissy faces at his brother. He bolted out of the room before Noaa'lan could lay a hand on him.
"I'm sorry, J'aa'nie. My brother. . .he's got some problems with his manners. He constantly annoys everyone around here. I'm sorry he picked on you," Noaa'lan said, his face turning red.
"That's ok. I used to do the same thing to my older sisters when they talked to boys. I think it has something to do with being the youngest in the family. We get our kicks by bugging people!" She said with a laugh. "So, I'll see you tonight??"
"At sundown," Noaa'lan said with a nod.
"All right. I'll see you then, Noaa'lan. Bye!"
"Bye," He said, and then he switched off the transmission.
"I thought you'd learned your lesson. I guess not," K'aashi said with a grin as he approached Noaa'lan from the corner of the room.
"What? I'm just giving her a ride to her home, so she can see her parents! What's wrong with that??" Noaa'lan asked.
"Kahl'aan said that you were flirting with her," K'aashi said with a frown.
"K'aashi!!! You believe Kahl'aan's word over mine?? You know that he makes up stuff!! Listen, for the last time, there is NOTHING going on between J'aa'nie and me! NOTHING! I'm doing her a favor!!" Noaa'lan cried.
"All right! I believe you! Calm down, because the more time you spend talking, the less time you spend cooking my dinner!!" K'aashi said with a grin.
"Oh, why don't you learn to cook it yourself!!?"
"I tried that once, remember? Fifth grade?? You parents sure were pissed at us for messing up your kitchen!!" K'aashi laughed.
"That just shows you that you still can learn to cook. I wasn't very good back then, either," Noaa'lan pointed out.
"Yeah, but you actually LIKE to cook. I don't."
Noaa'lan sighed as he placed the newly thawed out sea creature on a black cooking platter. He added the spices and placed it into the oven. Noaa'lan then frowned as he realized he was still in his school clothes. His parents would be upset if they knew he'd been hanging around the kitchen in his nice clothing.
"K'aashi, you watch the food and take it out when the oven beeps, all right?? I have to go change." Noaa'lan said.
"Yeah, you go ahead and change into your party clothes, because you've got a hot date tonight!!" Kahl'aan yelled from the other room.
Noaa'lan rolled his eyes at K'aashi, and then exited the kitchen up the back stairs. The palace was full of secret passageways, and almost all of the rooms had some sort of hiding place or another. The secret stairway leading down to the kitchen from the dining hall was always one of his favorites. The walls were covered with intricate stone carvings and statues depicting the war where, generations ago, the N'aanwarians won their independence from their cat-like oppressors. Half-human, Half cat, N'aanwarians were regarded as the lowest of the lower class, and used to build gigantic temples to the sea god, El'aanus. Then, one day, an ancestor of Noaa'lan's, whose name was Lan'aalai Narundi, discovered from a lonely street urchin that he had a great power inside him, the power of the force. Lan'aalai worked hard to develop his power, and in time he helped to develop that power in his fellow N'aanwarians, for it seemed that being a jedi was an innate ability for most of them. Then, the N'aanwarians, with Lan'aalai as their general, led a slave revolt on the Ten'aaha Empire. In one of the biggest bloodbaths in the history of this planet, the N'aanwarians were victorious over their enemies. They renamed their planet N'aanwaria, for they were proud of their ethnic heritage. As the millennia went by, N'aanwarians became more and more human, and less cat-like. Only the darksiders displayed their cat-like features, which appeared with strong, primal emotions, such as anger and fear. Noaa'lan ran his fingers across the carving of one of the Ten'aahas, marveling at the ferocity of the creature. The dim light of the hololamps flickered, casting shadows across the wall which caused the carvings to jump out at Noaa'lan. The most interesting one was of his ancestor, who stood there, clad in only a slave's tunic with some rags covering his feet. He brandished an ancient lightsaber, and in his other paw he held a long staff with a sharp blade on the end. The G'aanha was originally a tool used for cutting stones when building the temples, but the N'aanwarians used it, along with their make- shift lightsabers, to cleave their opponents in half during battle. As a boy, Noaa'lan had looked up at Lan'aalai with deep admiration. From that angle, Lan'aalai had looked powerful, almost menacing with the scowl he wore across his face. Now, Noaa'lan stood eye to eye with the carving, and he noticed that Lan'aalai wasn't scowling at all. His face was still powerful, but his lips were firmly pressed together in a straight line. Noaa'lan thought for an instant that he could detect a small amount of fear in the statue's eyes.
'Of course he'd be afraid,' Noaa'lan thought. 'What he did was both amazing and crazy at the same time!! He took a tremendous chance when he declared war on the Ten'aaha!'
Noaa'lan exited the dark stairway, blinking as he entered into the bright light of the dining room. His mother was waiting for him.
"Down in the kitchen cooking again, I take it," Bel'aanaea said with a knowing smile.
"I know. I'm not supposed to be cooking, especially when I'm wearing my school clothes-"
"Just hurry up and change before your father sees you, Noaa'lan," Said his mother.
Noaa'lan smiled at her, and then he turned around and bounded up the stairs to his room. His mother was always so understanding, much more so than his father. His father would have probably scolded him, and then taken away some of Noaa'lan's privileges, starting with his landspeeder. Noaa'lan didn't want that, because he needed that speeder to sneak out of the academy with J'aa'nalia tonight.
As he walked into his room, Noaa'lan tripped over what appeared to be a pile of clothes. Nobody, not even Noaa'lan, could navigate his room in the dark and not trip over something. He turned the lights up a notch, just enough so he could see what clothes he was about to put on. He decided on a plain white shirt and a pair of wrinkled slacks that were among the piles on the floor, and, after confirming that they didn't smell bad, put them on and headed down the stairs. Halfway down, he realized that he had forgotten to put on shoes. That was always ok with Noaa'lan, because he had spent most of his childhood walking barefoot through the halls of the palace. However, it wasn't all right with his father, who stood waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.
"Where are your shoes?" His father asked, scolding him on his appearance.
" I was just. . -"
"-Going down to the kitchen, yes I know that. More the reason why you should have some shoes on your feet!"
"Father, I have to get down there before K'aashi screws up the roast!" Noaa'lan said, not realizing his error until after he had blurted out the words.
"Ah, so you were down there with your school clothes on. Noaa'lan, if I'm going to let you cook in this house, you're going to have to abide by my rules. Understand?" Cel'aanaeus said firmly. Noaa'lan nodded. It was no use arguing with his father. He didn't want to get into further trouble than he already was.
"How was your first day of school?" Noaa'lan's father asked with interest.
"Ugggh. It was stressful!! I don't think I've walked that much in a very long time! Plus, Professor S'aahai gave me a detention!!" Noaa'lan said with a groan.
"What was J'aa'nalia like? Was she polite to you, or did her father's prejudices get in the way?"
"Actually, I have no complaints about her. She's sweet, polite, and she's also much nicer than I'd expected!"
"Ah, yes. You didn't actually think that all of the T'naa'lichis were as thick-headed as her father, did you??" Cel'aanaeus said with a chuckle.
"What's her old man actually like? Why does he hate you?" Noaa'lan asked earnestly.
"He's stubborn, sharp-tongued, and very over-protective of his daughters. Especially J'aa'nalia. She's the baby of the family, and sending her here was the last thing that he wanted to do. He didn't have much of a choice, once her mother died. He said that a friend of his recommended the Academy to him, and said that J'aa'nalia would have a great time here. We were all too willing to help him out, something that I'm sure he was very uneasy about."
"She's a little homesick right now. I didn't know that her mother died! It must be horrible to go away from home after something like that happens!" Noaa'lan exclaimed.
Cel'aanaeus smiled at his son. Noaa'lan was one of the most empathetic people he'd ever known, and he had a very tender heart. Still, Noaa'lan's sensitive nature had been known to affect his judgment in the past, and his father knew it could be one of his greatest weaknesses. He decided it was best to keep a close watch on his son, just in case Noaa'lan became too sentimental with regard to J'aa'nalia.
"I'm sure that you'll think of something to remedy that," Cel'aanaeus said, beaming at his son. "You always were the people person in this family. Now, why don't you go back upstairs, get some shoes on, and hurry down to the kitchen! I don't want K'aashi making a mess out of it!"
"Yes father," Noaa'lan said, nodding his head. Then, he raced up the stairs to his room, smiling secretly to himself. His father hadn't taken his privileges away after all. His heart pounded at the thought of the danger he and J'aa'nie would be facing when they sneaked out of the academy late that night. The danger of getting caught was almost always half the fun.
"He seems excited," Bel'aanaea whispered softly as she wrapped her arms around Cel'aanaeus' shoulders.
"Yes indeed," Cel'aanaeus muttered, leaning back to kiss her cheek. "After nineteen years of getting to know Noaa'lan, I'd say that was cause for alarm, don't you?"
"Oh, stop it, you!!" Bel'aanaea said, smacking him on the shoulder. "Our son has the right to be excited without being scrutinized!"
"Yes, you're right. Say, do you think Noaa'lan made enough food for us too?"
"I don't know. Lets go find out, shall we?" Bel'aanaea said, taking his hand and leading him down the passageway to the kitchen.
How was your detention, Noaa'lan?" Asked K'aashi with a grin.
"Uggh. Professor S'aahai gave me one of those famous "responsibility" talks. Man, he sure knows how to torture his students!!" Groaned Noaa'lan.
The two boys were interrupted by the rustling of branches in the tree above their heads. They watched as a mop-headed boy dropped down right in front of them. He grinned at the thought of having surprised them.
"Ha! Did I scare you guys?"
"No, and for the last time, Kahl'aan, you know how mother feels about you climbing the trees around the palace!" Warned Noaa'lan.
"Well, mother and father are pretty upset with you right about now. You said that you'd help father with those plans for the interplanetary conference!" Kahl'aan said with a scowl.
"Well, if you must know, I had detention today, after school, and I was unable to assist him with that until now," Noaa'lan informed his brother.
"Oh. S'aahai again, I take it. Man, he sure hates you, Noaa'lan, but not as much as he hates K'aashi here, am I right??" Kahl'aan said with a sneer.
"Shut up, pipsqueak. If all goes according to plan, I might be part of his family," K'aashi said, messing up Kahl'aan's hair.
"Stop treating me like I was a little kid!! One day, I'll be big and powerful, and I'll be able to kick both of your butts!!" yelled Kahl'aan.
"Oooohh. Your little brother's got some angry attitude here, Noaa'lan!! Watch out, Kahl'aan. The dark side doesn't care if you're royalty or not," Said K'aashi.
Kahl'aan just frowned and squinted his bright blue eyes at K'aashi. "I'll never turn to the dark side. I'm not evil."
"No, you're not. You're just Noaa'lan's crazy little brother, right Noaa'lan?" Laughed K'aashi.
"Uh, K'aashi, he's got a name, right Kahl'aan?" Noaa'lan said with a smile.
"That's right, Noaa'lan, and your friend better remember it!! I'm sixteen years old, not six!!" Kahl'aan said adamantly. "So, what did you mean by Professor S'aahai being your FAMILY!!? Man, there's a laugh if I ever heard one!!"
"Well, it just so happens that I have a bit of a crush on his niece," K'aashi said with a grin.
"Uh-oh, you better be on the lookout for S'aahai with a blaster!" Kahl'aan taunted, and then added with a sneer, "You can bet that he won't set it to stun!! He'll shoot you right in the butt!! Chooom!! Ha ha!!"
"Get back here, you little Kish'aa monkey!!" Cried K'aashi as he chased after Kahl'aan, who had exited quickly after delivering the insult.
Noaa'lan just shook his head as he followed the two inside. Kahl'aan was a master at annoying people. When he was younger, everybody assumed that he'd grow out of it. Everybody but Kahl'aan. He'd fine-tuned his skills until "annoying people" became a true art form. K'aashi didn't live with him enough to be able to ignore his incessant badgering. However, Noaa'lan knew the one thing that could shut Kahl'aan up. Food.
"Kahl'aan, I'll make you your favorite dinner if you'll stop pissing off K'aashi!" Noaa'lan yelled over the din of K'aashi and Kahl'aan fighting.
"What do you mean I'M pissing him off!!? He's- OW!!!- he's the one who's beating me up!!" Cried Kahl'aan.
"Ok, then. I'll make you both dinner if you stop fighting!!" Noaa'lan said.
K'aashi and Kahl'aan looked at each other with grins on their faces, knowing that the only reason why they fought was to get a free meal. That was always all right with Noaa'lan. The crown prince had quite a knack for cooking, and he always took every opportunity to do so.
"All right. I'm ready for some nice N'aanwarian native cuisine. There's always the best food waiting for me in the Narundi kitchen, right Kahl'aan?" Exclaimed K'aashi.
"I live here. You get used to it," Kahl'aan said nonchalantly.
"Come on, Kahl'aan! You can't say that you don't absolutely LOVE your brother's cooking!!?" Said K'aashi.
"I don't get it often, so I really do like it. Mother and Father don't like him doing manual work," Explained Kahl'aan.
"Since when was cooking manual work?? I'd call it more of an art," K'aashi said firmly.
"They think it's not the kind of work that a crown prince should be doing, but I find it to be a relaxing hobby, really. It's not work at all," Said Noaa'lan.
"Well, cook me up some sea sn'aala, with that special seasoning you use! I think we have some in the icebox," Demanded Kahl'aan.
"Right away, your highness," Noaa'lan said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at his brother. "You can at least help me by getting your own dishes!"
A beeping sound cut through the silent kitchen, as the comm. unit sprung to life. Noaa'lan washed off his hands, and accessed the transmission.
On the screen stood J'aa'nalia, wearing a different dress, the color of wine. She smiled when she saw Noaa'lan, but he could tell from the look in her eyes that she was upset about something.
"Hey, J'aa'nie. What's the matter?" Noaa'lan asked, giving her a warm smile.
"Well, you're going to think I'm crazy, but. . .um. . .I'm kinda' homesick," She said, trying to return his smile. The look on her face was more of a grimace than a smile, and she looked like she was about to cry.
"Shhhh, don't worry J'aa'nie! I don't think you're crazy! Everybody gets homesick sometimes," Noaa'lan said, reassuring her. "Hey, I'll tell you what. I'll take you to see your family tonight, all right?"
"Oh, thank you so much, Noaa'lan! It's just that I've never been away from home before, and I really miss my family." J'aa'nalia gushed.
"I understand. When do you want to visit them??"
"Uh. . .can you take me over now??" She asked hopefully.
"Right now isn't a very good time for me. I've got my parents mad at me for being late, and I have two hungry teenagers waiting for me to cook them something to eat," Noaa'lan said.
"You do the cooking in your family?? Don't you have a servant who does it for you??" J'aa'nalia asked with interest.
"Yeah, we do have a cook, but K'aashi and Kahl'aan like my cooking better. It's just a hobby of mine, that's all," Noaa'lan said, blushing. "It would be easier if I were to pick you up after dark, that way we wouldn't be seen by any of the resident advisors."
"That's fine with me, Noaa'lan," J'aa'nalia said with a smile.
"Who the heck are you talking to Noaa'lan, and where's my dinner!!?" Kahl'aan yelled as he gave Noaa'lan a punch in the arm.
"Ow! Hey, mind your own business! This is a private transmission!"
Kahl'aan scowled at his brother, and then at the screen. His scowl quickly melted into a sneer.
"Imagine that. Somebody of the female persuasion actually calling my brother! This is a momentous occasion indeed!"
Noaa'lan shot his brother a "drop dead" warning look. Kahl'aan had seen that look enough times to know what it meant.
"Um, I'll leave the two of you alone now, so you can smooch the screen!!" Kahl'aan laughed, making kissy faces at his brother. He bolted out of the room before Noaa'lan could lay a hand on him.
"I'm sorry, J'aa'nie. My brother. . .he's got some problems with his manners. He constantly annoys everyone around here. I'm sorry he picked on you," Noaa'lan said, his face turning red.
"That's ok. I used to do the same thing to my older sisters when they talked to boys. I think it has something to do with being the youngest in the family. We get our kicks by bugging people!" She said with a laugh. "So, I'll see you tonight??"
"At sundown," Noaa'lan said with a nod.
"All right. I'll see you then, Noaa'lan. Bye!"
"Bye," He said, and then he switched off the transmission.
"I thought you'd learned your lesson. I guess not," K'aashi said with a grin as he approached Noaa'lan from the corner of the room.
"What? I'm just giving her a ride to her home, so she can see her parents! What's wrong with that??" Noaa'lan asked.
"Kahl'aan said that you were flirting with her," K'aashi said with a frown.
"K'aashi!!! You believe Kahl'aan's word over mine?? You know that he makes up stuff!! Listen, for the last time, there is NOTHING going on between J'aa'nie and me! NOTHING! I'm doing her a favor!!" Noaa'lan cried.
"All right! I believe you! Calm down, because the more time you spend talking, the less time you spend cooking my dinner!!" K'aashi said with a grin.
"Oh, why don't you learn to cook it yourself!!?"
"I tried that once, remember? Fifth grade?? You parents sure were pissed at us for messing up your kitchen!!" K'aashi laughed.
"That just shows you that you still can learn to cook. I wasn't very good back then, either," Noaa'lan pointed out.
"Yeah, but you actually LIKE to cook. I don't."
Noaa'lan sighed as he placed the newly thawed out sea creature on a black cooking platter. He added the spices and placed it into the oven. Noaa'lan then frowned as he realized he was still in his school clothes. His parents would be upset if they knew he'd been hanging around the kitchen in his nice clothing.
"K'aashi, you watch the food and take it out when the oven beeps, all right?? I have to go change." Noaa'lan said.
"Yeah, you go ahead and change into your party clothes, because you've got a hot date tonight!!" Kahl'aan yelled from the other room.
Noaa'lan rolled his eyes at K'aashi, and then exited the kitchen up the back stairs. The palace was full of secret passageways, and almost all of the rooms had some sort of hiding place or another. The secret stairway leading down to the kitchen from the dining hall was always one of his favorites. The walls were covered with intricate stone carvings and statues depicting the war where, generations ago, the N'aanwarians won their independence from their cat-like oppressors. Half-human, Half cat, N'aanwarians were regarded as the lowest of the lower class, and used to build gigantic temples to the sea god, El'aanus. Then, one day, an ancestor of Noaa'lan's, whose name was Lan'aalai Narundi, discovered from a lonely street urchin that he had a great power inside him, the power of the force. Lan'aalai worked hard to develop his power, and in time he helped to develop that power in his fellow N'aanwarians, for it seemed that being a jedi was an innate ability for most of them. Then, the N'aanwarians, with Lan'aalai as their general, led a slave revolt on the Ten'aaha Empire. In one of the biggest bloodbaths in the history of this planet, the N'aanwarians were victorious over their enemies. They renamed their planet N'aanwaria, for they were proud of their ethnic heritage. As the millennia went by, N'aanwarians became more and more human, and less cat-like. Only the darksiders displayed their cat-like features, which appeared with strong, primal emotions, such as anger and fear. Noaa'lan ran his fingers across the carving of one of the Ten'aahas, marveling at the ferocity of the creature. The dim light of the hololamps flickered, casting shadows across the wall which caused the carvings to jump out at Noaa'lan. The most interesting one was of his ancestor, who stood there, clad in only a slave's tunic with some rags covering his feet. He brandished an ancient lightsaber, and in his other paw he held a long staff with a sharp blade on the end. The G'aanha was originally a tool used for cutting stones when building the temples, but the N'aanwarians used it, along with their make- shift lightsabers, to cleave their opponents in half during battle. As a boy, Noaa'lan had looked up at Lan'aalai with deep admiration. From that angle, Lan'aalai had looked powerful, almost menacing with the scowl he wore across his face. Now, Noaa'lan stood eye to eye with the carving, and he noticed that Lan'aalai wasn't scowling at all. His face was still powerful, but his lips were firmly pressed together in a straight line. Noaa'lan thought for an instant that he could detect a small amount of fear in the statue's eyes.
'Of course he'd be afraid,' Noaa'lan thought. 'What he did was both amazing and crazy at the same time!! He took a tremendous chance when he declared war on the Ten'aaha!'
Noaa'lan exited the dark stairway, blinking as he entered into the bright light of the dining room. His mother was waiting for him.
"Down in the kitchen cooking again, I take it," Bel'aanaea said with a knowing smile.
"I know. I'm not supposed to be cooking, especially when I'm wearing my school clothes-"
"Just hurry up and change before your father sees you, Noaa'lan," Said his mother.
Noaa'lan smiled at her, and then he turned around and bounded up the stairs to his room. His mother was always so understanding, much more so than his father. His father would have probably scolded him, and then taken away some of Noaa'lan's privileges, starting with his landspeeder. Noaa'lan didn't want that, because he needed that speeder to sneak out of the academy with J'aa'nalia tonight.
As he walked into his room, Noaa'lan tripped over what appeared to be a pile of clothes. Nobody, not even Noaa'lan, could navigate his room in the dark and not trip over something. He turned the lights up a notch, just enough so he could see what clothes he was about to put on. He decided on a plain white shirt and a pair of wrinkled slacks that were among the piles on the floor, and, after confirming that they didn't smell bad, put them on and headed down the stairs. Halfway down, he realized that he had forgotten to put on shoes. That was always ok with Noaa'lan, because he had spent most of his childhood walking barefoot through the halls of the palace. However, it wasn't all right with his father, who stood waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.
"Where are your shoes?" His father asked, scolding him on his appearance.
" I was just. . -"
"-Going down to the kitchen, yes I know that. More the reason why you should have some shoes on your feet!"
"Father, I have to get down there before K'aashi screws up the roast!" Noaa'lan said, not realizing his error until after he had blurted out the words.
"Ah, so you were down there with your school clothes on. Noaa'lan, if I'm going to let you cook in this house, you're going to have to abide by my rules. Understand?" Cel'aanaeus said firmly. Noaa'lan nodded. It was no use arguing with his father. He didn't want to get into further trouble than he already was.
"How was your first day of school?" Noaa'lan's father asked with interest.
"Ugggh. It was stressful!! I don't think I've walked that much in a very long time! Plus, Professor S'aahai gave me a detention!!" Noaa'lan said with a groan.
"What was J'aa'nalia like? Was she polite to you, or did her father's prejudices get in the way?"
"Actually, I have no complaints about her. She's sweet, polite, and she's also much nicer than I'd expected!"
"Ah, yes. You didn't actually think that all of the T'naa'lichis were as thick-headed as her father, did you??" Cel'aanaeus said with a chuckle.
"What's her old man actually like? Why does he hate you?" Noaa'lan asked earnestly.
"He's stubborn, sharp-tongued, and very over-protective of his daughters. Especially J'aa'nalia. She's the baby of the family, and sending her here was the last thing that he wanted to do. He didn't have much of a choice, once her mother died. He said that a friend of his recommended the Academy to him, and said that J'aa'nalia would have a great time here. We were all too willing to help him out, something that I'm sure he was very uneasy about."
"She's a little homesick right now. I didn't know that her mother died! It must be horrible to go away from home after something like that happens!" Noaa'lan exclaimed.
Cel'aanaeus smiled at his son. Noaa'lan was one of the most empathetic people he'd ever known, and he had a very tender heart. Still, Noaa'lan's sensitive nature had been known to affect his judgment in the past, and his father knew it could be one of his greatest weaknesses. He decided it was best to keep a close watch on his son, just in case Noaa'lan became too sentimental with regard to J'aa'nalia.
"I'm sure that you'll think of something to remedy that," Cel'aanaeus said, beaming at his son. "You always were the people person in this family. Now, why don't you go back upstairs, get some shoes on, and hurry down to the kitchen! I don't want K'aashi making a mess out of it!"
"Yes father," Noaa'lan said, nodding his head. Then, he raced up the stairs to his room, smiling secretly to himself. His father hadn't taken his privileges away after all. His heart pounded at the thought of the danger he and J'aa'nie would be facing when they sneaked out of the academy late that night. The danger of getting caught was almost always half the fun.
"He seems excited," Bel'aanaea whispered softly as she wrapped her arms around Cel'aanaeus' shoulders.
"Yes indeed," Cel'aanaeus muttered, leaning back to kiss her cheek. "After nineteen years of getting to know Noaa'lan, I'd say that was cause for alarm, don't you?"
"Oh, stop it, you!!" Bel'aanaea said, smacking him on the shoulder. "Our son has the right to be excited without being scrutinized!"
"Yes, you're right. Say, do you think Noaa'lan made enough food for us too?"
"I don't know. Lets go find out, shall we?" Bel'aanaea said, taking his hand and leading him down the passageway to the kitchen.
