Author's note:
'Unlikely Brothers' will be a series of stories that take place in the lives of two new characters I created. Tannerlin Vai is Jedi apprentice who is nine years old at the time of the Jedi purge. He survives the purge and has to learn to move on from it. Dashen Lesedi, (fifteen years old at the time and with his own emotionally troubled past), is the one responsible for saving Tannerlin's life. Together, they figure out how to move beyond their pasts. And as different as they are, these unlikely brothers discover that what they need most of all, is each other. Included in their adventures is a criminal mastermind type named Virgil Colton who will help guide them in his own unique ways.
I started this idea over a year ago (inspired by the TV show Supernatural and the Cal Leandros & Korsak Brother books by Rob Thurman). This first in the series went through five major re-writes and countless edits to get it to where I wanted it. It's a series that I'm just having fun with. The stories will be in no particular order age-wise. As plot bunnies happen, stories will form around them. I will include Tannerlin's age in the beginning notes of each story to tell at what point in his life that particular story within the series takes place. The stories will bounce around back and forth, beginning when he is nine.
As with all my stories, these are non-slash/non-smut and most will be rated PG for some mild cuss/swear words. Each story within the series will also be told from a first-person POV.
Please forgive any typos, etc. I tried to get them all, but there are always a few that manage to escape. I hope you enjoy!
Story Title: Unlikely Brothers
Series Title: Unlikely Brothers
Author: Obi the Kid
Summary: A series of non-chronological stories taking place in the world of my new original characters Dashen and Tannerlin.
POV: Dashen
Rating: PG
Characters: Dashen Lesedi, Tannerlin Vai (Jedi) and Virgil Colton
"Damn it, Tanner, RUN! Faster!"
Okay, so running was probably a bad idea. It not only drew attention to us, but it made us look guilty…which of course we were. I was continuing to aid and abet a fugitive (of sorts) and that said fugitive was a red-hot commodity. A bright and shiny target on his head meant reward. Big reward. Problem was, the reward had the dirty hands of Emperor Paplatine smeared all over it and the fugitive I was helping? He was the grand ole age of nine standard years. Not even into the double digits yet. And to top things off, the kid was a Jedi.
And me where it concerns the Jedi? Not a fan!
Yup, Tannerlin Vai was a Jedi, one of the few left in the galaxy after the mass slaughter ordered by the new Empire. He'd been here on my home planet of Terra with his master and a small landing party of four others. No idea why, probably some political mumbo jumbo that Jedi were always getting themselves mixed up in. Whatever it was, they never made it. Ambushed and taken captive; destined to die, but only after information was extracted from each of them about location of other Jedi. I'd found the kid ten days after the fact in the bottom level basement of one of the many abandoned buildings on the outskirts of Kaolin - the town I called home. He was alive. Don't ask me how, but he was, if you could call it living. He was the only one in his party still breathing. The rest of them - all adult Jedi - long since dead. And they didn't go easy. Their deaths were savage. I didn't need to have been there to know it. The scene in the cold and wet basement – more like a dungeon really - was enough for me. I'd seen death before. A lot of it. I'd never seen anything like this though. I wasn't an admirer of the Jedi. Honestly, I kind of despised them – I just never really had a reason why – just one of those things I suppose that's born into your head – you know, human nature and all that. But the kid…well, Jedi or not, he was a kid. And he'd survived the attack by hiding in a hole in the wall, and because of that and that alone, he'd escaped the ghastly scene that was laid out in all its gruesomeness. Turns out he'd been put there by his Jedi master and told to stay concealed no matter what happened. How he obeyed that order and remained quiet while his fellow Jedi were being tortured just a stone-toss away, I couldn't begin to fathom. Hell, I didn't even want to fathom.
Eyes closed, clothing soiled with dirt and bodily fluids when I found him, I'd pulled him out of the hidden wall boards - he didn't have much left in him. Emaciated and dehydrated after ten days there…another day or so, the life might have drained right out of him.
I remembered trying to convince him to come with me...
/
"Come on, kid, you can't stay in there. You need to leave before they come back. Here, I'll help you."
I'd reached my hands toward him, but he didn't reach back. Scared, frozen, out of his head, I really couldn't tell, but he did look at me with strange pale russet eyes lost and haunted. I pulled my hands back and sat next to the hole in the wall; a hole no bigger than a rats nest and almost as disgusting. His legs were pulled to his chest because there was simply no other place for them to be.
No matter what I did or said, he wouldn't budge and half of my brain wanted to just walk away. I mean why would I want or even need to get caught up with a Jedi of all things? After all, weren't they nothing more than an order of high and mighty robe-wearing wanna-be gods who had some weird control over this Force crap and could toss things around with their minds? Did I really need that in my life?
That thought almost…almost had me up and out…but damn that kid. Something kept me there and I tried again to help.
"Can you tell me your name at least?"
He'd just kept still in that hole, staring at me no matter what I asked him; no matter what I did. Just those two brown eyes filled with tears of fear and terror and every other horrifying emotion.
"How about I just call you, Mouse? You're skinny and small and quiet and you have brown hair. That name just might fit, kid." No reaction. Nothing. I tried one last time and dare I say I actually pleaded with him. For my sake and his. Those Empire nuts that did this, they could return any minute. And I had no desire to take my last breath of life in this basement of death. One last time…"It's okay, kid. You can trust me. Just trust me. I'll get you out of this place safe. I promise."
Finally (whew!) he'd given me his hands and I yanked (yes, I had to actually yank him free, his legs were crunched in there so tightly) him from the hiding spot and held him upright on his knees for a long minute.
His legs were partially atrophied, but they moved enough for him to crawl over to the man closest to us. A small hand lay on the older man's forehead, then he touched his temple to the fallen Jedi…and said goodbye. The first words he'd spoken in the ten minutes since I'd found him. Silent tears flooded his young eyes as he gathered the meager belongings of the fallen and bloodied man. Then he turned to me, face as wet as the ocean, and nodded. I took that as a sign that he was ready to leave this hellish place. Filth covered and practically skin and bones, I carried him up and out.
/
If I'd had any sense, I would have put the kid out of his misery then and there. A mercy killing and not all that uncommon on this planet called Terra. I had access to drugs that could do the job quickly and painlessly. But I didn't use them. No, that would have been too easy and my life was never about easy. Me and all my brilliance decided to salvage the poor soul and drag him out of the basement and into some type of safety. Don't ask me why I did it. I've not a damn clue. Instinct just told me to, so I did. I guess it was instinct.
Now, we're about a month into this thing and someone tipped those damn clone troopers off that there was a Jedi-looking kid hanging around the city. We spotted them, they spotted us, so we ran. I had us running away from the general direction of my apartment so at the very least we could track back without being ambushed ourselves.
See? All of this because I had a moment of weakness and saved some scrawny little Jedi kid. Jedi. They really were more trouble than they were worth at times…what was left of them at least.
The bigger problem with all of this was that he kid was still recovering from his injuries and condition, both physically and emotionally. He didn't think on his feet and his body didn't react when it needed to. His nine year old mind was still in a constant state of disbelief and panic. Part of the time he was barely functional, semi-responsive and just flat-out slow. Not to mention he was short. I, myself was tall – well, tall for fifteen. Tall and wiry. I could out sprint almost anything on two legs around these parts. But I had to remember that I wasn't alone anymore. It wasn't just about saving my own butt. I had this kid to look after. And at nine, I guess he wasn't an expert in all that Force stuff that Jedi learn, not to mention that he refused to use it – did I forget that part? I'm not sure if he was just too terrified or if he didn't know his abilities, but so much for having a Jedi around. At this beginning stage of his recovery, he couldn't do a damn thing to help himself.
Why did I save this kid again?
I ran back, grabbed his arm, took the next left and dragged him into a red-mortar building, then through the seldom used, hardly known passage to the underground caves. It had saved me in the past and I needed it to save me again. I needed it to save us both.
It took me a while to catch my breath. I sat on the ground – hands on my thighs - leaning forward with my black shoulder length hair hanging in my face. The kid was still upright, that had to be a good thing, right? Breathing was hard though; too hard for such a short sprint. I grabbed his arm and pulled him into a sitting position to see his face. The light in the caves, provided by what I called glow-stones (I didn't know and couldn't pronounce the long, boring eighteen letter scientific name) was adequate for me to see him - to really see him. Struggling wasn't the correct word, but it fit well enough. His uncertain eyes were darting back and forth and I could have hit myself at that moment. Nice work, Dash. Real solid thinking there. Drag the kid back into another claustrophobic dungeon. Give him instant flashbacks to his own personal hell. Yup, use those brain cells.
I do tend to be brilliant at times. Naturally, this was not one of those times.
"Damn it, I'm sorry Tanner. I didn't think. We won't be here long, okay? Just enough to shake them, then we can go home."
Home was a cramped apartment about twelve blocks from where we were right now. We could follow the cave tunnels and come out several streets past my place. It would be safer from a 'don't-get-killed' standpoint, but I didn't think it best for Tannerlin.
Tannerlin Vai. Nine years old, light auburn hair, pallid brown eyes, short and thin. Built for quickness – once upon a time. He wasn't anything close to quick since I'd known him. A month recovering from the worst of the atrophy to his legs, but he still had some weakness there. Not to mention the nightmares that kept him up half the night. I wasn't a healer, but I'd say he was still somewhat under nourished as well, despite me pushing as much food as I could into his system. I couldn't sneak him into a healer – not while he still looked so much like an escaped Jedi (which he was), and it was slow getting weight to stick as his body seemed to enjoy being half-starved. And of course, it didn't help that his appetite was about that of a mud shrimp either. He was eating though, and that was positive. More importantly – emotionally - he was still pretty broken. I didn't know what he was like before all of this, but I'm confident it wasn't anything that I'd seen.
Time. I kept telling myself that time was the answer. It had to be.
I also kept asking myself why the hell I was doing this. It was a problem I didn't need and didn't want. I could drop the kid off at the local orphan shelter and move on with my life. But no, no I couldn't. I've seen the kids there who spend their unhappy lives shuffled from place to place, never having a true home or a true family. Not that I was Tannerlin's family. I was just helping him get strong enough so he could figure out what was next for his life. Eluding the Empire would be a big part of it, and I had no want, nor need to be spending my next forty years running away from ole Palpy and his power hungry pals. The Jedi were his sworn enemy…and I wanted no part of any of it.
Help the kid recover and then move on. Right. Sure. That was my plan exactly.
I stood after a few minutes and pulled him with me. I'd decided against surfacing. Those guys up there weren't giving up that easily, not yet. We'd have to walk the tunnels.
"We can't go back up yet, Tanner. These tunnels lead just past my place. Remember I was telling you about the tunnel system that runs around the city? It's not used much anymore (except by moronic children) and people tend to forget about it, but it's still open and available. It's just dark and cold, most of it. There aren't a lot of glow stones in some areas. I think it's safer for now though. So, just grab onto my jacket and stick close, all right? We'll be home soon enough."
He nodded, still not much of a talker. Another side effect of the trauma, I guessed. Or maybe all Jedi kids were like this, who knew? He spoke when he really needed to say something. But he did quietly latch onto my jacket and didn't lose that grasp until we reached the surface. I moved us fast. We each stumbled some and in the darker areas, he wrapped two hands into my coat - a little more difficult to maneuver, but doable. Climbing out of the tunnel, I found calm. A few passersby, but no one who paid any mind to two filth covered kids crawling out of a hole in the ground. Kids were kids no matter what planet you were on and kids liked to explore. To anyone else nearby, that's all we were.
We hurried the few blocks to the apartment building. I tossed a casual wave to Jonna, apartment manager (a giant dragonfly type creature) and Pojo Chezit, the resident wall-ornament slash security guard (something of a cross between a Hutt and a Wookie. Ah, don't ask – don't tell, and I really don't want to know, but he was good people.)
Upstairs, Tannerlin stood silent in the doorway at the entrance to the main room, which also doubled as his sleeping area. The apartment was only one small bedroom, a box-sized kitchen, a bathroom and a common area with a half couch. The couch doubled as his bed (thankfully he was small), but he didn't walk towards it. He only stood quietly gazing off into nowhere. I'm sure his mind was racing off to the past and thinking of horribly evil things that were done to him and his friends, thanks to me and my brilliantly terrifying escape route.
After a few minutes I tugged the apartment door shut and I went to get him, moving him over to his bed. "You should rest, Tanner."
He resisted and pulled away from my hand on his elbow. Rising panic surfaced quickly. "How did…they find me? What if they catch me and take me? They'll kill me just like they killed my master."
Ah, so betrayal was on his mind. Someone had apparently ratted us out, or not so much us as him. The people of Terra were a good people for the most part, but it did have a solid population of scandalous and immoral types (don't all planets?) and my town of Kaolin was a prime location for some of the bigger names. I'd no doubt that given the right price one of those greedy monsters would sell the kid out in a second if they even guessed that he might be a Jedi. A few might hesitate because of his age. Some criminal types weren't so cold hearted as others. The rest were pretty damn ruthless. All I know for certain is that it wasn't me who had given up the ghost. I mean, sure I'd halfway thought about leaving him in the basement dungeon that long month ago, but he was a kid! A child, not even a decade old and after understanding part of that fear that was living inside of him, I could have never willingly turn him over to be murdered in cold blood. I'd die before I gave him up for that.
So, what this all meant was that the jury was out on who may have ratted on us. The only people I saw everyday were Jonna and Pojo, but I'd dragged Tannerlin with me to several other places in the last week. He still looks Jedi with the short spiked hair and the banded braid. It wasn't a popular hair style around here and he stood out. But I couldn't make hair grow and our attempts at camouflaging the braid (he wouldn't allow me to cut it off) were only partially successful, so I guess I just needed to do a better job of hiding him.
For now he didn't need hiding, he just needed comforting. I'd try…"No, they won't take you, Tanner. I promise I won't let that happen. We'll figure this out, but they will not take you, I swear it."
What the hell was I saying? I think I was having a brain meltdown, or an intelligence melt down at least. I couldn't promise that! I wasn't much of a fighter. My skills were in eluding and running away, not outdueling Empires. Yet the words just babbled themselves out and bam! I'd just promised the kid I'd keep him safe from the most dangerous force in the entire galaxy.
See? I'm not only an idiot, but during those certain special times, I'm the most brilliant idiot around.
I conceded what I was and allowed it to wander my mind for a bit when the kid decided – out of the blue – to ask me that one question that I was hoping I'd never hear.
"Why?"
There it was. The dreaded why. Why, why, why, why…and I tried immediately to play dumb.
"Uh, why what?" It didn't work. He went for the jugular.
"Why do you want to help me? Why are you helping me? You don't even like Jedi."
Ouch. And how did he know that I didn't like Jedi? I know they can be a little creepy with that Force stuff, but psychic, this kid? Nah. Eh. Worries for later.
As for the why in general, I thought I had my answer. I'd had a family once. Parents. A brother. They all died. The death of my little brother (eight years old at the time) hit me hardest. We were on our own after our parents had passed. Kossi got sick. Really sick. On our own for two years, I didn't have the resources of the connections to get him the proper help. I bought what I could off the street with the little money I had, but the medicines didn't help and a few months later, he was dead. Kossi's death left me broken and completely on my own at thirteen, almost two years ago. Since then, other than some patchy help from a sort-of friend, all I've really had was me.
Then this kid shows up, needing help…and Jedi or not, I guess maybe that's why I jumped in when I did. A reminder of my little brother? Maybe. Maybe this was Kossi's way of forcing me to move on and make my life mean something past the age of thirteen, because honestly – for these past two years, I'd been running on fumes. Finding work as a solo runner only because I needed to keep my cheap apartment and occasionally make sure I had food in my belly.
But now…now I had this inkling of something…something that made me believe that Kossi's death was a stepping stone in my life; that I needed to keep moving forward somehow; and that I couldn't give up on me….or on this kid.
I didn't spill all those beans – not completely, and I was ready with a prepared work of fiction to toss at the kid, but looking at all of those conflicting emotions running across his face, I opted for the truth instead. It was the simplest road after all and being in innocent in this whole thing, Tanner didn't deserve anything less.
"Why? Because you need help and because you remind me of my little brother. He died almost exactly twenty months ago. He got really sick and I couldn't do much to help him…I can help you though."
Tannerlin watched me intently – an odd feeling when a Jedi stares into your soul – for a minute that went on forever until he finally turned his lips into a sad smile. A smile that was for me and me alone. Then he went and said something that no one else had ever said to me in those twenty months.
"I'm sorry about your brother."
Yup, stabbed me right in the heart. That's what he did. Just when I thought I was over Kossi's death, someone had to go and say something sympathetic and caring and damn it, all! But, man it felt good. For the first time in a long time, it actually felt like someone gave a crap about what happened to me. Even if it was a Jedi kid I'd known for barely a month and who had no idea who Kossi even was other than being my dead brother. And now…now I'm having to wipe my face and my hands are still dirty, so I've got dirt smeared all over me and…and…Tannerlin bent down towards where I was on the couch and put his arms around me in an unexpected hug. And just like the words, it got me. Something I'd needed for a long time. Twenty months to be exact. All this time, I'd just needed someone to honestly and truly care about me, even if it was only for a few minutes. Funny how that all works out. Here I was – here I am – helping this kid recover from something horrible, when I hadn't ever finished recovering from my own something horrible.
Irony can be so ironic.
Damn Jedi…
I accepted the hug and returned it, patting him lightly on the back and saying not one word more.
I slept better that night than I had in a long, long time. That being said, I only slept until 2AM. 2AM is when the world came crashing in on me…again.
I launched myself out of bed, pushed my window open and then ran to the couch. Without warning, I dragged Tannerlin off his bed and to the far side of the room. To his credit, he didn't resist, although I think I scared the living daylights out of him. The floorboards came up easily enough and I stuffed us into the cubby hole below, locked the 'door' from the inside out and slapped a hand over the boy's mouth. As much as I hated cramming him into another hole to hide (he still had nightmares about the first), it was our lives on the line.
"No sounds. They're here."
I didn't have to get any more specific. Those damned Empire driven clone things had figured out where the missing Jedi-boy was living and they were storming the apartments. I'd planned for this since they'd started on our tail a few days ago. The cubby we were in though wasn't really designed for two people. I'd put it in myself a year ago -a place to hide if any of my not-so-nice clients (or victims of those clients) ever tried to kill me. Hadn't happened yet, thankfully; but this…well this might be a tad bit worse than that if we were found.
Our heads weren't but a few inches under the floor, so we felt and heard everything as they made their way into and around my apartment. Items were tossed – thrown really – or hurled? Perhaps hurled is a better term. Yup, it was. Items were hurled across the room, crashing into and breaking my non-valuables. Just stuff. It was all just stuff. I could replace stuff. I'd had enough sense to pre-hide Tanner's Jedi-identifying items in the cubby already. No evidence of what he really was would be left for those troopers to find.
There wasn't much. His and his master's light sabers; a few trinkets; a lock of his master's hair that was intertwined with his own; a small data pad and a couple of other odds and ends. Nothing that took up a huge section of room. Hopefully those Empire boys would fall for my decoy and go. It was ten minutes later, but they did. I overheard a few words about an open window and a fire escape then boots pounded out of the apartment.
A quiet minute went by and I made a motion to unlatch the overhead door, when Tanner grabbed my wrist. I couldn't really see him in the dark, even though he was practically wrapped in my arms (did I mention this cubby was small?) but I had feeling he was shaking his head, telling me not yet. I kept still. The kid hadn't said or shown much of those Jedi senses in the few weeks I'd known him, but it was obvious he knew something I didn't.
His hand didn't move from my wrist. It was his signal that it wasn't safe yet. A half hour passed. My legs cramped. An hour. My neck cramped. Another ten minutes. My feet were numb from being stationary and restricted for so long when finally, I heard it -a muffled comm order followed by the sound of two sets of boots moving out and away. Yeah, the kid had just saved both our necks. Not to mention our lives. They'd left two behind in case we reappeared. Sneaky. Not sneaky enough for Force-boy though. At least I guessed that's how he knew.
He released my wrist a few minutes later and I reached up to unlock the door overhead. Slowly and painfully I unwrapped myself from Tanner and climbed out. I pulled him up behind me. My first thought should have been, 'My home! Destroyed!', but no, it was more along the lines of 'run the hell away!' I turned to Tanner and pointed down into the hole. "Get your things. We can't stay here anymore. It's not safe. They'll be back. We have to go. The travel bag I gave you, stuff as much as you can into it. Your belongings and then whatever clothes you can. All the rest of this…it's not important."
No words (did I mention the kid wasn't yet much of a talker when there was no need for it?), but he nodded and worked quickly. Within fifteen minutes we were ready. I stood in the doorway. "Well, it's been home for a while. I'll miss it, but it's just a space. We'll find another one. Come on, Mouse. Hurry."
His version of hurry still wasn't very fast. Lingering aches and pains in his legs did just that, lingered. Even in a nine year old, a body so deprived needed time to heal completely. So I tried not to pull him too fast along beside me. The streets were typically saturated with the Kaolin nightlife. Until about 3AM, the place was bustling. The crowd – the nightlighters as they were called – were out and about like swarms of flies. There was never a dull moment in Kaolin. I'd miss this place, but I enjoyed breathing better, so we were over this town. I had to make a stop on the outskirts first though. I kept an eye and ear out for any sign of the clones as we scurried in and around and between. I did my best to look less like an escapee and more like a nightlighter. I think I was partially successful. As long as we made to our destination without any blaster holes in our chests, I considered that a success.
It was several grueling miles later when I banged on the large metal door for a very lengthy five minutes. When it finally opened, the big man on the other side looked less than thrilled to see me. Wait a second, no, that was an understatement. Royally ticked off? That seemed the better choice here.
Standing a few inches over six feet with shoulder-blade length blonde hair and murdering sky blue eyes, with a well-tanned strong and sturdy build, Virgil Colton was both the ladies man and a master criminal. Turns out he was playing one of those parts at the moment and the 'ladies' for the evening - two half human, half whatever's, came wandering to his side…half dressed. I smacked a hand over Tanner's eyes, (What? The kid was nine!), and waited for the ladies to giggle themselves past us, down the block and out of sight. Okay good. I removed my hand from the kid's face and looked up trying to forget about what I'd just seen.
I was fifteen. I had active hormones. It was difficult.
Focus, Dash, focus!
"Colt, we need help."
"What the hell, Dash? When I don't answer the door after a three knocks, you leave. Remember our rules? Damn it, kid. I know what this is about, so I'll forgive you for interrupting my…" His eyes moved to see Tanner then back to me. "My…never mind. Get inside before you attract attention and get shot in the head. Idiot! I swear to the Gods!"
Idiot was his pet name for me. I often lived up to it.
Colton pulled a shirt on and pointed to the extra large couch. No, extra large wasn't being generous enough. Super-sized? It took up most of the massive lounge room. The couch was bigger than my entire – and former – apartment. I loved that couch.
"You, kid," he started, "the little one. Sit and stay. You, kid. The foolish one. Come here."
I followed Colton down the hall into his office where he shut the door behind us, put hands on either side of my face and shook me. "What the hell is wrong with you? Bringing him here! Do I need to draw more attention to myself? No, I don't think so. I am a criminal, Dash, in case you've forgotten that and all that I've taught you in the last what? Almost two years. Damn it, kid! One thing you don't do is leave a trail of bread crumbs for security forces to track right to the house of a criminal. You just don't do it. I know I've told you that, I know I have. Please tell me I have."
I figured he'd be ticked, but I could defend my actions. Colton was my sort-of friend that had helped me along my meandering path since Kossi's death. I worked jobs for him. I crashed on the giant couch occasionally. He'd tossed a meal my way when he saw that I had nothing. I'd listened and learned from him and I wasn't always a complete idiot.
"No trail, Colt. I swear," I said through a smushed face. "And no tail either. We're clean. Come on, you don't think I'd lead an Imperial gang right to your front door, do you? Give me a little credit."
He thought about that one and finally released my face. I rubbed my reddened jaw as he grabbed a small blue band from his desk and tied his hair back. "You're right. You're not a total idiot all of the time, just some of it. And I do trust you to cover your tracks. Otherwise, you'd have been dead long ago. Runners don't live long if they can be followed, right? Anyway, that kid is a problem."
Couldn't argue there, but, "It's not his fault, Colt. And I couldn't leave him to rot and die, and I can't leave him on his own right now. Someone has to look after him. You did that for me." He had, as I said before. When I'd said I'd been on my own these past almost-two years, I'd meant it, but that didn't mean I refused a little help from someone I mostly trusted. "I'm old enough to pay it forward."
"True, but you can't stay in Kaolin. You need to disappear for a while."
"I know that, but I don't know where we can go. I have a life here, a job, income to live on. Now I'm supporting two. I can't give up running, it's all I know."
A long pause before Colton decided, "All right. I can help you, but I need to think about this. You can stay the night, or what's left of it. Go get the kid set up in the front guest bedroom. You've crashed there before, he'll be comfortable. We'll figure the rest out once the sun comes up. Go on, Dash. He's your tag-a-long, not mine. Take care of him."
So I did. As usual, Tannerlin was quiet. Nervous. Scared. All easy emotions to see. Especially on a child. Too much chaos happening around him, what with people trying to kill him, running for his life, hiding in holes, roaming through tunnels, seeing the galaxy's biggest couch…all that fun stuff. I motioned him towards the small bedroom and pushed him to sit on the mattress. He sat, but clung to his bag. The dark green bag, the one with his meager belongings, he had it clutched to his chest and it didn't get released from his grasp until I physically removed it. "Lie down, Tanner." He hesitated before climbing under the covers.
"But I'm all dirty."
"Wouldn't be the first time this bed had a dirt covered kid in it. It's okay, we're safe here. In the morning – well, in the real morning, there's a nice big tub you can take a hot bath in and get cleaned up. A big breakfast too. And we'll plan our next move. Get some sleep now. I'll be in the next room, just yell if you need me."
His head nodded that it was okay, but his mind didn't believe it. And there was something else…he caught me with it just before I left the room.
"Dashen?"
I returned to the bedside. "Yeah?"
"I'm going with you, right? Tomorrow?"
What kind of stupid question was…well, maybe not so stupid to think it from his point of view.
"I'm certainly not leaving you here. It's not safe in Kaolin for either of us.
"Because of me."
Oh good, now he's blaming himself for this? Sure, why not? Didn't I do the same when my parents died and then again with Kossi died? I'm sure I did, although the memories are a bit fuzzy – intentionally fuzzy. I couldn't have this kid doing the same. I'd done the blame thing, it didn't work then, and it wouldn't work now…and it actually upset me that he was trying to use it.
"No, Tanner, not because of you. None of this is any of your fault, and don't say it again, okay? You're a victim. And for some unknown reason, I was meant to help you. Maybe it's that Force thingy you guys cling to. Who knows, but understand that this is not in any way, shape or form, your fault. Got it?"
The 'okay' that slid from his lips was hushed and awkward as he chewed desperately on his bottom lip; and that was it for me. I have no idea what happened, but his frightened and soft response snapped my barely contained outpouring of stress-emoting in half and the moment I said my next words – with dagger like sharpness - I regretted every single one of them.
"You are fine, understand? You have to move past everything and move away from what you were and what you lost. Just…you just have to, okay? People die. Friends die. Family die. It's a fact of life. Crap happens. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and deal. The Jedi are gone. Dead. All of them. You can't stay in the past. You have to move on from the life you had before. You do it or you die. There's no other option."
Ahhhh, damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
The words came out too fast and to curt, and I couldn't take them back. But seeing my side of the situation - this whole parenting role I was on lately, it just wasn't me. I was still a kid myself! And when it came to non-family; not only non-family but a Jedi of all things…I wasn't ready for what this kid was bringing to my life.
And then I turned and left the room just as Tannerlin's Jedi control that he'd been fighting so hard to sustain, broke away. Like a river busting through a dam. And the next thing I knew I was being dragged into the living area by my jacket collar and shoved forcefully onto the colossal couch. Colton stood over me, intense blue eyes glaring hard. Colton was menacing when he was angry. I've seen it before, too many times. This time though it appeared if he had the option of smacking my head against the wall and leaving me bloody and unconcious, he would have. Thankfully I was spared the violence. I got the well-deserved lecture instead.
"Not your smoothest move ever, Dash. Everybody dies. Crap happens. Suck it up. Just get over it and move on, huh? I don't think those were words I ever uttered to you after your brother passed. A little more sympathy would have been a nice way to leave him instead of helping him fall apart completely. I mean, I know the kid is trouble with his baggage – hell, I called it as soon as you walked unwelcomed into my house…not to mention the fact that he'll probably have to dodge blaster fire for the rest of his childhood, but come on. You're better than that. You of all people…are better than that." A pause as he turned and walked a few feet from me…pausing for dramatic effect…then the finish that I'd readied for. "I swear to the Gods that you are such an idiot at times! You really and truly are. I don't understand it! How can one person who has suffered so much loss in his own life, be such an idiot when it comes to this kid? How? Just…how? Not many things get me, Dash, but you…you boggle my mind."
Ouch. Not many people could make me feel like crap about myself. Colton could. I'd known him most of my life. My parents were, not friends of his, but they respected him enough to stay out of his way, but I was always the curious one and ran into him on purpose more than rarely. I was a stupid kid and he humored me. When my folks died, Colton offered advice, information and an occasional supportive shoulder to lean on, usually when I was being an idiot and he was aware of it. Colton was aware of everything that happened in and around this town and in neighboring towns. It's why I hadn't questioned him on how he knew about Tannerlin. No need. Virgil Colton had eyes and ears all over and very little got past him. During my brother's illness and after he'd died, I found myself turning more and more to Colton for advice and in the end, he'd hired me as a runner on a regular basis. He gave me enough to keep me busy and to keep me from jumping off a bridge and calling it a life. Colton helped make me into the runner that I had become – what he called, one of best around.
A runner by trade is essentially a lightweight criminal. Most of my usual jobs are moving items (and occasionally stealing them) and other things from town to town for specified individuals and in general lay under the radar since some of those 'other things' can get me fined or tossed in a cell for months to years. I've never asked a lot of questions of the clients that Colton would send me too – or even the clients that have hired me independently. I've never really wanted or needed to know the why's of it all. Just do the job and collect the payment. Keep questions to a minimum. Clients hate questions, especially the criminally minded clients. Since my time in training, so to speak, under Colton, I'd garnered a top reputation and prior to taking on Tannerlin, I was moving up in the unofficial ranks of runners and finding a great deal of self-governing work outside of Colton's supervision. The best runners make the best money. Pretty simple math, right?
But since the kid…I'd been stagnant and had to cancel most of my jobs. No runs, no money. Seems the stress of it all, the money and the kid (his physical and then emotional recovery), the flashbacks of my dying brother (which included reoccurring nightmares), oh and the whole scurrying for my life bit, had finally collapsed inward. I hadn't meant to be harsh with Tanner, (he was a good kid and had been through hell) but it'd happened, and I regretted it. Leaving him as I did and with words much too knife-like for someone in his mental state, I'd been flat-out wrong. I really had been the idiot that Colton often accused me of being. And he wasn't about to let me off the hook. And for that, I was grateful.
The big man eventually turned back to me and lashed me down even further. It was okay. I'd earned it.
"You know how you felt when you lost your brother? Torn and broken? Well this…and don't take this as an insult to what you lost and what you went through, but take those feelings and multiply it by twenty. I don't give a damn about how you feel or felt about the Jedi. That kid you've been dragging around… his entire world is gone. Friends, family, home, everything he knew…completely wiped from the galaxy. Then you, the only person around who actually gives a crap about him, talks him down then walks out on him as he crashes and burns. The kid is nine years old, you idiot. Nine! As much as I hate that you brought him here, putting my place and operation at risk, and I've still not a damn clue why you seem to have adopted him in the first place - he's still a nine year old boy. And, if you've taken the time to notice, problem or not, the kid is sane and vertical most of the time, right?" I nodded. "That says something about him. He's pretty determined for someone his age, but you've got to allow him his emotional collapses – but without causing them. Remember, I did with you."
He had. And I remember too well all that I felt after Kossi died; a horrible mix of aloneness, heartbreak, guilt, anger and everything else that filled my head. Nights were most difficult because I had too much time to think and on the worst of those nights (to help keep myself from actually jumping off that bridge), I'd come pounding on Colton's door. Usually he had to excuse himself from the ladies, like he'd done this evening (the man is popular, what can I say?) But not once did he ever turn me away and not once did he ever get frustrated with me for being an emotional, confused wreck. He was there because I needed someone to be and there wasn't another sole on the planet that gave half a crap.
Probably exactly like Tannerlin feels now.
And now…and now I really did feel worse than terrible. Damn it!
Colton saw the realization on my face as he relaxed his posture and gave me a winked smile; his tone softer. "For some reason, you felt the need to save this kid when you could have just put him out of his misery and saved him a lot of heartache. Gods know why you did it, but you did. You don't strand him now, Dash."
I breathed out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I get it. I understand."
"Good," he said as he stepped forward and mussed up my already mussed-up hair. Even idiots need affection sometimes. "Now, go make sure he's okay then go to sleep. Please! Before the damn sun comes up. You already ruined my night; I can't have you ruining my morning too."
Hoping not to see what I was about to see, there it was. Tannerlin was curled in his bed, tangled in the blankets and sobbing very softly into his overstuffed pillow. Yup, just rub it on in. Make me feel even worse. I deserved it, but still. Not quite sure how my life had changed so much in a matter of a month, but…here it was. And it was time to get over the guilt and live up to my end of the bargain. I had saved the kid and Colton was right, I couldn't leave him standing alone after all that had happened. He truly had lost everything he'd ever known and he was now was being dragged around on a strange planet being pushed in whatever direction I sent him. He didn't know me, not like he knew his Jedi family, but he kept trusting me. Most of the time I didn't even trust myself, so I'm not entirely sure how this kid was able do it. I guess in the end all that really mattered was that he did trust, the reasons why, were not so significant. I just hoped that I could live up to that trust.
I knelt down next to the bed and touched one of the hands that was busy strangling the life out of the pillow. "Tannerlin." The hand pulled away and reached to his face to smear a few tears across his dirty cheek. His light brown eyes floated in seas of red as he looked at me. "Hey, Mouse. Hi. I'm…I'm sorry for snapping at you. I didn't mean it. The stress of everything got to me and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm sorry for those things I said."
His head scuffed back and forth on the pillow in a 'no' motion and he didn't scowl at the nickname as he said, "This all really happened, didn't it? All my friends…my family, they're all gone. I can't even go home anymore – to my real home." Stopping long enough to smear more wetness across his face, he finished with a tearful and broken, "I…I miss Master Ayden. I really, really miss him."
I almost…almost got up and walked away again. That's how distressed he sounded and it made me want to run away and not deal with it. Then I glanced over my shoulder, feeling a shadow in the doorway. Colton was there, either in support or to grab the scruff of my neck if I did try and escape again. Whichever it was, it was effective. I stayed put and tried not to become an emotional ruin.
"I know you miss him." I was going to say more, about my past, about my brother, but at this rate, I'd end up bawling next to him and it was enough that one of us was a wreck. Someone in his duo had to hold it together for the other.
So I didn't say anything else. Instead I pulled the nearby chair over to the bedside and sat, tucking Tannerlin's smaller hand into my own and staying until his hitching breaths stopped and he planted himself into a deep sleep. That was another hour gone and it would be light soon. I didn't figure to try and sleep. What was the point?
Okay, so the point wasn't mine to make and when I came out of the bedroom, Colton was there motioning toward the couch. On one end (remember this couch reached to Hoth and back, so that end was pretty far away) was a blanket and pillow. I pursed my lips together and contemplated the couch for a very brief moment until I was shoved in that direction.
"Lie down and sleep. And if you don't, I will knock you out. I've done it before." He had, twice actually. "I won't hesitate to do it again. So lie down, shut up and go to sleep." Wait for the finale…"You damned idiot." Perfect!
I slept and then woke long after the rest of the house was well into their day. Mid- afternoon by the position of the sun that was currently blasting through the eighteen skylights above me. A little overkill on the natural light, but it made for a warm wake up. I stumbled around the house until I found my sea legs and until I found my housemates. Tannerlin was sitting in the planet-sized kitchen looking like very tiny against the massive breakfast bar – the massive bar that was designed to seat a small army. Colton appeared to be making sandwiches. Secretly I hoped for that crazy good sandwich he used to make for me on occasion. I had no idea what was on it and probably was better off not knowing, but it was a meal to kill for. Colton might be a criminal, but the man could create some food.
The big man didn't turn toward me as he spoke, already knowing I was there. He'd heard my socked feet padding across the wooden floor. I hadn't heard my own feet, but Colton didn't get to this point in his life – without having gone to prison – by not knowing when some would-be sock-killer was sneaking towards him. "Sit down, Dash. No questions. You know I hate questions about my cooking, so don't even think about starting."
I pulled up a stool next to Tanner and nudged his shoulder. "Hi. Okay?"
He nodded and smiled at me, looking ten times brighter than last night. A good emotional release wasn't always a bad thing. I'd discovered that a bit less than two years ago. "Mr. Colton made me giant eggs this morning for breakfast with giant bacon. I had seconds!"
Seems his appetite had come alive since last night as well. Or it was a slam on my cooking, which was, well…let's be totally honest. My cooking sucked eggs. Yup, my cooking lacked…a lot. Taste being tops on that list. Eh, didn't matter. What did matter is that Tanner had just committed a cardinal sin, and I was about to call him on it when my head suddenly bumped forward thanks to a whack from behind.
"Ouch! Damn it, Colt!"
Another whap.
"Watch your mouth around the kid and why didn't you tell him?"
"I've been a little short on time to remember every little specific weirdo detail of your life, you know.
"Tough. Tell him now."
I sighed and turned to Tanner and repeated – with absolutely zero energy or enthusiasm behind it - the stupid axiom that had been force fed into my brain during my first few meetings with Colton. "One will never refer to Virgil Colton as Mister. One will never refer to Virgil Colton as Virgil. One will never refer to Virgil Colton as Sir. You will refer to him only as Colt or Colton or you'll have a lump on the back of your head the size of a bantha dropping for the next week. Thank you." There. Done. Joy.
I partially expected Tanner to shrink down into his chair, cowering for the mistake he'd made – which he hadn't know about of course. But he didn't. Instead he was grinning and giggling. Giggling? Do Jedi giggle? This one did. And he was smiling because Colt was smiling at me, thankfully sparing me a third smack to the head.
"Very good, Dash. Oh and by the way, kid, it took him about five years before he actually caught on. That's how he earned his nickname."
Idiot.
To be fair, it was five years sure, but when my parents were alive they didn't allow me to visit much, him being a criminal and all, but yeah, I got swatted a lot. And I certainly had earned that nickname.
Plates were set in front of us and now it was my turn to smile. My favorite – whatever it was (he never would tell me) – and I wasted no time in devouring my entire sandwich in several large mouthfuls. Perhaps I should have been embarrassed when a second sandwich landed on my plate, but I wasn't. It hadn't taken Colton long to figure me out when I was younger. I could eat like a Wookie could grow fur. And these things – these crazy-bad-for-you-taste-so-good sandwiches – these things I could eat until I exploded. Bad way to die, I know, but if I died, at least I'd die happy and content.
He joined the two of us as I started on the second half of my second sandwich.
"So, the kid here told me about himself. I like him, Dash. Do me a favor and don't get him killed. Yourself either. Now, we have to plans to discuss. New town, new home. You're one the best runners out there and I know I can trust you not to skim when you run for me even if you work from another town, so you name where you want to go and I'll get you set up with new clients. If I might make a few suggestions, I would stay out of Argil and Bole. Too much international traffic there and they both house large space ports. Good for business, but if you're dead, business doesn't mean a damn thing. You want some place smaller, but not too small. There should be some tourist traffic and far enough away from here to be safe from anyone recognizing you. I've narrowed it down to three towns." He punched up his large wall-mounted holo monitor. Yes, he had one in the kitchen. He had one in almost every room in the house. This one was the size of a Starcruiser. The three towns marked with red dots were displayed. "Cinder. Loam. Firma."
I spit out my first thought. "Loam." I'd been there. I liked it.
"No."
"Ah, uh…what?"
"Pick another one."
"But you narrowed it down and gave me the option and said to pick…are you playing with my mind? You know it's all stressed, it can't handle games right now."
"Not a game. Loam is…well, I've lost some business there recently. Vargus has expanded his reach and I may just back off and let him have it."
"Okay, Firma."
"No."
"Damn it, Colt! Stop it! Why not?"
"Too much construction right now, not enough work. Pick again."
"I guess its Cinder then."
"Perfect. You can leave this evening. I have a nice base set up there. Not as expansive as this one, but comfy. You'd be on your own for housing, although I'll get you started with some rent money until you get set with decent employment. Lots of money there, you won't have trouble finding jobs even without my help. Some of them are a little, well, on the uneven side so be wary. Don't get caught moving some of that stuff or even I won't be able to help you get out of the jam."
Tannerlin wanted to question what exactly Colton meant by 'uneven' but I indicated to him that we'd talk about it later. I looked closer at Cinder on the map. It was a hike and we had no transportation. "Can you get us a ride? We can't walk that, not this time of year. Or any time of the year really. Would take us week."
"You're not walking there, you idiot. You'd get eaten by something stupid your first night in the forest. One of my drivers will take you. Wake up the brain, Dash. You are the leader of this little two man outfit, right? Come on, follow me." We followed to his office where he presented us each with a heavy duty packing bag and backpack. "Those bags the two of you came in with are one thread shy of junk yard material. Take these. There are two changes of clothes for each of you in the packing bag, just in case you can't figure out how to find a clothes store in Cinder. Tannerlin, unlike what he's found for you, the clothes in this bag will actually fit you."
I had to take offense at that. "Come on! The clothes he has on now fit…sorta." Don't dare ask how Colt knew what size we were or when he had time to get these clothes during the short time we'd been here. He is who he is and I gave up asking those types of questions long ago.
"Depends on what your definition of 'fit' actually is. Mine is accurate. Yours is well, never mind. No more clothes dealers, okay? The kid looks like a street orphan. Go to actual stores. They are there for a reason. Use them, shop in them. Oh and it gets cold in Cinder since it's near the sea, so keep that in mind when you work longer jobs, Dash. Cinder is a big place and its nearby towns are a trek on foot, so you may have to do a little overnight camping in the woods during the course of a run. You do remember how to get a fire started, yes?"
"I'll make sure I have an igniter on me, right?"
"The stones, you idiot, the stones. This is a bad idea. Maybe I should make the kid the leader of the group."
The stones! Oh, yeah. How'd I forget that? "I got it. Flare stones. Scrape them together until they spark, then set them to light brush to get the fire started. I'm still taking an igniter though." Flare stones were small rocks that weighed nothing and there was little chance that I'd blow my face up when using them, as opposed to the igniter with which I'd had several accidents (an did almost blow my face up), but I was stubborn.
Colton rolled his eyes at me before nodding towards the boy. Tanner yawned. Nine year old boys weren't supposed to look so fatigued and ragged in the middle of the afternoon, were they? I nudged him. "You should get some sleep before we go. Go on. I'll wake you." With a nod, he wandered away and I took our bags into the living area. Colton followed.
"He's a good kid, Dash. Heartbroken, but good. You two will make a solid team."
I sat on the couch across from him. "I don't think so. He's not really sold on what I do. That politically-correct Jedi training of his doesn't sit well with me carrying illegal contraband from point A to point B."
Colton shrugged. "He'll get used to it and in the end, it doesn't matter all that much. It's a living and right now he doesn't have anything else. My best advice once you get to Cinder is to keep your head down and don't attract any unwanted attention. Figure out your 'story' ahead of time. I'd go with big brother-little brother thing."
"Yes, because we look so very much alike. That whole black hair-green eyes/brown hair-brown eyes connection thing, right? Whatever, Colt, no one is going to believe we're related."
"Use your brain and be inventive. Just keep the story simple and lacking in details."
Lacking in details I could do. I'd just forget most of them anyway.
I let an hour slide by before I went to wake the kid. Turns out that I couldn't bring myself to do it though, he was out cold and at peace with his dreams for once. I'd have to con Colt into letting us stay one more night.
"You really are trying to ruin my reputation, aren't you?"
"Come on, Colt, your Playboy rep will survive two entire nights. Like keeping your shirt on is such a difficult thing? The ladies will understand. As you told me, have a little sympathy." The deep-chested sigh and the cock-eyed stare he offered was him giving in. I didn't often claim victory over Virgil Colton, but there was a first time for everything. "I swear we will be out of your chest-hair tomorrow morning."
I ran, knowing full well a couch pillow was being bulls-eyed at my head. It missed, but I laughed anyway.
Morning brought rain. Lots of it. But the weather made no difference. We were soon to be on our way to our new home. Or…so I thought.
Colton found me just as I was setting our bags near the front door. Picking the bags up after I'd set them down, he deposited them on the gigantic couch. "Change of plans. Cinder just became the Terra base for the Empire. Evidently they are setting up shop on just about every planet. So, you won't be going there or anywhere right now. As much as I hate to say this, guess what that means? The upstairs apartment? Home sweet home, Dashen, my boy."
I was stunned. "Uh…what?" Yeah, wordsmith's got nothing on me. Colton pounded me on the shoulder…three times. Complete with dramatic pauses and everything.
"You." Pound! "Stay." Pound! "Here." Pound!
"Um…okay?"
So, I deserved the whack on the head I got that time. It shook me out of my daze though.
"It's not safe out there. Not right now at least. Things need to settle. This whole Jedi business needs to calm. And the boy needs to look less like a wannabe-victim with a target on his head. Cinder had been quiet for a long time. I got wind of something a few hours ago and had my people check it out. I suppose its quietness is why the Emperor has claimed a stake there. Change of plans all around. You'll work directly for me for now – although you can pull a couple of your old clients in if the money is right - and I'll keep you as away from Cinder and surrounding towns as I can. You two will live upstairs. The apartment is clean. My father lived there during his last few years, you remember."
I did, although I'd only ever been up there once. It wasn't huge, but was still bigger than the flat we were coming from. Two small bedrooms, a bathroom, a decent kitchen and a medium-sized lounge room. Tanner would get his own bedroom. An actual room and an actual bed! The apartment also had an inside and outside access. The outside entrance being helpful of course so that we didn't disturb Colton when he and his ladies…oh, never mind. It gave him his privacy, okay?
"Figure out when you want to work the first job. Let me know. And figure out what you'll be doing with the kid. If he doesn't want to learn the job, that's fine, but you can't just leave him here alone all day."
That was true. But things were moving so fast at the moment I couldn't think…oh wait a second. School? Yes! That was it! Tanner wanted to go to school. That much I knew. He wanted to be a teacher eventually…just like his master was. Keep the legacy alive and all that stuff. That part though would have to wait as teachers on Terra were required to be at least 20 years old with specified and targeted classes under their belts before they could take on students of their own. He had a ways to go. But, it was a good place to start.
"School. I need to enroll him somewhere."
"It has to be private and small for now. Otherwise, he'll draw attention until he fits in better and is emotionally stable."
I sighed. Yeah, private, sure. That wouldn't cost me my entire life savings…if I had a life savings. "Colt, you know I can't pull that. I have enough money to buy us dinner and that's it. Okay, how about a tutor for now? That might work."
"No, the kid needs to be around people other than you and me. I'm a master criminal and you are a wanna-be part-time thief with brother issues. How's that for influence? Just find him a school. I'll foot the bill for now." My mouth fell open. "Don't worry, I'll take it out of your hide eventually."
He would too. But at least I'd live through it. Now, where was the kid anyway?
"Dashen?"
As if on cue, he came up behind me.
"I'm ready!"
He looked so clean and neat and even happy. He'd gotten his hopes up for the new home and new life in Cinder…ah, bubble bursting time!
"You're awfully fancied up for the long journey up the stairs and to the right, aren't you?"
"Uh, what?"
"Kid sounds like you, Dash," Colton cut in, "you teaching him your abbreviated sentences of stupid?"
"Funny, Colt. Tanner, follow me."
He did. The little mouse would follow me anywhere. Me and my shadow, right? I still didn't know how it was possible for him to trust me so quickly (barely a month now) and so easily. Of course, the pressure was on me with this…I couldn't let him down.
We traversed the stairs after I'd grabbed our travel bags. Inside the apartment, I walked into the smaller bedroom and tossed his bag on the bed. "Welcome home, Mouse."
"Home? I thought…but…Cinder?"
"Well, Ole Palpy has set down roots there in the last twelve hours. Cranky old man and his minions. And I told you, Colton has eyes everywhere and all the time. Long story short…we're taking up residence here until further notice. Your room is here. My room is across the hall. Lounge, kitchen, bath – with a tub, you'll love that. Not too bad, huh?"
Not sure I really knew what to expect reaction-wise from the kid. He was the quiet type and seemed to go along with whatever. I have to say though, seeing him a little disappointed was a bit tough. That's how invested I guess I'd become in Tanner's life and his future – I truly gave a crap that he was even the tiniest bit upset at our change of plans.
I was such a sucker.
I put an arm around his shoulders and squeezed. "Sorry, kid. We don't really have another option right now. Not if you want to live to see your tenth birthday. You have a target on your back the size of an imperial cruiser until you look and act less like what you are. It's tough to change, I know. I mean it hasn't been all that long since…" I left the sentence hanging. He knew where I was going and smiled sadly. "It's all right to be disappointed though."
The small shoulders shrugged under the light weight of my arm. "I was looking forward to Cinder. I was reading about it a little while ago and it sounded really nice and near the sea. But it's not safe there now, and you're just trying to keep me safe. I know that. This isn't so bad. I like Colton. He's funny. And you like him too. Maybe this is a sign that we need him right now."
A sign? I hoped Jedi-boy wasn't going all Force-y on me. "Maybe. Or maybe…maybe crap just happens. Right?"
The young face broke out into a genuine smile. "Yeah, maybe that too."
"So we're good, yeah? Good. I'll be working for Colton and you'll be going to school. If you want to be a teacher one day, you've got to start somewhere. How's that for the immediate future?"
He nodded approvingly. "I like it." Then he glanced around his new room, opened his bag and took out the few trinkets that meant something to him. His master's lightsaber, and his own. And old worn book. The woven braid that locked the hair of he and his Jedi teacher together in life. A small brown piece of the same man's robe. Tanner had asked me to rip a piece off before we left that death-filled basement.
His past, pulled out of a bag, and each piece set carefully in its place.
It's similar to something I had done after Kossi had died. I carried memories with me in a small knapsack and once I'd found a place to call home, those simple things helped me to deal with each painful day. They were just things…but each had a memory attached. Watching Tannerlin handle each item so carefully, I asked him the obvious, "A memory for each?"
With his back to me, he shrugged. The last article he set in place held his attention longer than the others and he lingered a finger on it. I stepped closer, trying not to intrude, but curious at the same time. Was this a Jedi custom or just a remembrance hitting harder than the others?
I saw what it was. A piece of wood-stone; a small rock that looked like a petrified chunk of wood. I'd seen him with it often, rubbing his thumb across its smooth surface at times, especially during the first couple weeks of his recovery when he cried himself to sleep at night and then woke up screaming with nightmares. I wondered why this small, plain brown stone was so important. I couldn't begin to know for sure, but when he turned to me and set it in my hand, I felt something. Cold at first touch and then warm. Warm and strange at the same time. Tanner wrapped my fingers around it and it warmed even more. Glow stones were one thing, but stones that could warm immediately just by touching them?
"What is it?"
"It carries the Force around it. My master told me the story once. I can't remember all the smaller details, but it belonged to his brother. Master Ayden's brother – an older brother, Airic- was a Jedi too. They were taken by the Jedi at the same time. They grew up together in the Temple. When the day came that they were chosen by masters and would begin working without each other, Airic gave Master Ayden this stone. Master Ayden kept it with him always, except for that day the clone troopers came and trapped us in that basement. Right before he pushed me into the hole in the wall, he pressed the wood-stone into my palm and it warmed. It warms when it finds where it wants to be. It's why I hold it when I get upset. It brings me comfort. Master Ayden loved his brother more than anything. And that he would give it to me before he died…"
I leaned my head back and blinked my eyes wide to keep the water in. Damn that kid, making me an emotional mess in these last weeks. Then I pressed the stone back into his hand. I knew what he was doing and I couldn't allow it.
"No, Dash, I want you to have it."
"I can't, Tanner. Come on."
"It's for brothers."
So much for keeping the water in. I wiped it away quickly though. Had it really come to this? Had I lost one brother only to gain another? That wasn't possible, was it? I sighed…and sniffed back another threatening round of waterworks. How could I refuse the stone now, after that? This hurt my head…and my heart.
The kid didn't say anything else as he held his palm out. Life didn't prepare me for these types of situations and decisions. I could outsmart local security and outrun any thief around, but I couldn't take a rock out of the hand of a nine year old boy.
Tanner took care of it for me. Again he set the stone in my palm and wrapped my fingers around it. And again the cold melted to warm. This time I held tight. As much as I wanted to, I didn't give it back. Tanner didn't want it back. As one brother passed it to another long ago, another was passing it to his brother now. As unlikely as it seemed, we were brothers. We weren't related by blood. We were different in countless ways. He was a Jedi. I was a thief (well, a partial thief). But yet we needed each other…like brothers did.
"I'll keep it with me always, Tanner. I promise. Thank you."
He cried then; too much in such a short time for such a young boy. Jedi or not, he was human and he hurt - in his heart, more than anything.
Although I hadn't received the same after my parents and Kossi died, I offered the only thing a brother could at this moment. I wrapped him in a hug so tight and held him there until the worst was done.
This was us. What a pair, huh? Add Colton to the mix and we were like the odd couple and the weird uncle. I could only imagine the trouble we were bound to get into together.
A month ago, life was pretty damn crappy.
Today, life was changing.
And with a newly found brother to look after, annoy and aggravate, that crappy life was looking pretty damn good now.
The End/The Beginning (and the story of Dash and Tanner will continue…)