(A/N:this originally started out as a SW fanfic but it changed along the way and Keri sort of wrote herself into is just a rough draft)

Alternate Universe

Keri stomped to her room as noisily as possible and slammed the door hard. Deep down, she knew that she was being childish for wanting her mother to pay more attention to her but sometimes it hurt when she got overlooked. It wasn't the first time her mother had forgotten her birthday and it wouldn't be the last. After all, Keri was the fifth of ten kids.

Being the middle child was the hardest, from her point of view anyway. After all, her older siblings were all old enough to leave home and the twins Lujen and Luen were at 11 still immature boys. Next came 9 year old Sylvia who, being 5 years her junior, was far too young to understand her. Last but not least were Rhea and Raye, the 7 year old fraternal twins.

Keri really missed her elder siblings. Of them all, she was closest to Vaiya (at 16, Vaiya was only two years older) and her eldest brother, Luke whom she hadn't seen for far too long.

I bet he would have reminded mom she thought to herself. Tears blurred her eyes. She missed him dreadfully, it wasn't that she loved her other siblings any less (though her younger ones could be awfully bratty at times), it was just that Luke had sort of taken over the "protector" space in her life, especially since their father, a General, was never home.

She didn't even know whether her brother was alive, he had been at the frontline for nearly two years. In fact, he had never even come back after graduating from the Academy-they had just received a message saying that he had graduated as a Corporal at the top of his class and would be posted to the northern border of the Republic, which was at the front of the war with the Empire. Father however had intervened saying that a green recruit should not be sent into the thick of battle.

Luke had different ideas however and had gone off to join the StarFighter Corps, after all, he had seen no reason why he should stay at home when all his friends had gone off to war. Father had been enraged and very nearly had disowned Luke.

Keri shuddered, it had been two years since, but she could still remember the horrific sight of her parents arguing-it had been the first time but had not been the last.

A few months later, communications to that sector had been cut off by Imperial forces and there was no way of knowing if Luke was alive.

Now, her seventen year old brother, Tristan had been sent off to the frontline even though he was still a cadet and wasn't even in the command track. And father could do nothing about it-there were not enough officers, or soldiers for that matter. It was ironic in a way, how history repeated itself, and would have been amusing if it hadn't been her brothers who were being sent out to die.

She shook her head in self-frustration. Here she was, moping just because her mother couldn't come home for her birthday dinner (she was a very busy politician), whilst her brothers were risking limb and life for the Republic; it was a sobering thought.

(Footnote: This is all I've written so far, completely unvetted, its jus a story idea. Remarks anyone? Also, i'm looking for a more exprienced writer to collabrate with; anyone out there willing to give it a go? *puts on hopeful face* LoL .... ....press review now...quick!)