Jalix

> They don’t fear us because we’re invincible. They fear us because we can be killed, and we have had the strength to defy that fact and do battle in the face of impossible odds.
>
> Jalix, in Volume IV - "Despair"

## Jalix Nicholas Kane

### Home

Boston, Various military bases, Aerael, & Vanaheim

### Relatives

Kara Marie Valencia (Kane) (Wife)
 Valterius Valencia (Brother-in-law)
  Amy Lynn Kane (Daughter)
 Violet Annabelle Valencia (Stepdaughter)
 Raven Ava Schillinger (Stepdaughter)
 Caleb Nicholas Kane (Son)

### Race

Vampyre (Talented)

Jalix Nicholas Kane is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces Captain, MIT graduate in Finance and Accounting, and first love to Karalynn Valencia. Although Jalix's past is rooted in a complicated mix of emotional turmoil and mission for justice, he is known both within Kara's Counsel and in his past military career as being the "one that gets it done" regardless of the cost. He often managed to pull off more than one incredible feat unscathed while keeping the people closest to him alive first and foremost, creating an image for himself that followed his footsteps wherever he went. It was for that reason that, on their first and unexpected date, Kara saw potential and character within him reflecting some of her lost self. Jalix acted as an anchor for Kara, quickly becoming her tether to the grounded side of life and a guiding figure on her psychological journey from vengeance to justice.

Jalix showed increasing potential as the series and the events of *The Legacy of Sorrow* progressed, beginning as a new Vampyre turned by Kara and eventually taking many roles within their society as the need arose. During the timeline of Sorrow, Jalix took the role of Aerael's de facto leader while Kara was awaiting resurrection in the Raven Biomedical Phoenix facility in spite of his recent arrival to both the city and the Vampyre way of life. During the Outbreak, Jalix was the military liaison to the Department of Defense between Vampyres and Humans, providing summaries of tactical insight from lingering and uncommon Pyrate attacks, Human riot events that posed a threat of infection spread, and the state of Aerael itself as it began to deteriorate over time. In Desolation and Despair, Jalix became the equivalent of a General without any accompanying title as he readied the city of Vanaheim and all surviving free Vampyres for a ground war against Legacy and his army of Tortured.

While Jalix openly admitted his own flaws on a frequent basis, his sense of justice, equality, and belief in the overall sense of good in the world rendered him humble during his many contributions to wars on both the Human and Vampyre sides of the world's events, as well as the goodwill he did during his time with his employer, Syndicomp. While he struggled with the loss of confidence in his leadership ability after the loss of his Special Forces ODA team in November of 2014 due to Jalix's post-retirement replacement being an ineffective leader, his remarkable resilience in the face of physical trauma, psychological torment, excessive torture during Desolation, and the lifestyle he lived alongside Kara as her husband created what many began to call the persona of the Ultimate Soldier. Even in his final days, Jalix showed an unmatched strength of character and was the icon of righteousness for many that knew his story.

## History

Jalix was born to a couple in May of 1984, with his father being a federal prosecutor and his mother being a family care physician. Under those conditions, Jalix was both raised under the roof of parents with high expectations and the gift of a natural-born intellect and sense of analytical reasoning. At a young age, he was determined to have a "Gifted" IQ, and tiring of his schoolmates' immaturity, tested out of high school during his sophomore year at the age of 16. Already having college credits from early AP (advanced placement) courses paid for by his private school in Boston, he applied for and was accepted to MIT's Sloan School of Management for their Bachelor of Finance program. Although he had little interest in pursuing a career rooted strictly in finance, his vision was to obtain higher-level degrees in business and organizational management to become an industry leader in making better economic decisions. Often favoring those older than himself due to their expertise and maturity, he noted that his ability to engage with his teachers and professors was a boon in the realm of public speaking and developed a plan to infiltrate the corporate realm in order to provide justice and equality to the disadvantaged through changed policy and practices.

Unfortunately, his plan was disrupted at the age of 17 in 2001, when the World Trade Center was hit by al-Qaeda terrorists and ultimately killed his girlfriend of two years and both of his parents as she gave them a tour of her workplace. Jalix immediately spoke to his collegiate dean, borderline demanding that he be allowed to take almost double the number of requisite college classes allowed by MIT's policy, but ultimately won the argument after stating his circumstances and his intent to enlist in the United States military. The dean allowed it, citing that Jalix was only allowed to do so as long as he maintained a 2.5 GPA or higher in his final 2 semesters of coursework. Already having been taking additional classes to shorten the duration of his degree plan, Jalix graduated with a 3.9 GPA and enlisted as an Infantry Specialist shortly after his graduation ceremony, which he chose not to attend.

Jalix had enlisted out of pure rage rather than a sense of justice for the attacks, and combined with his intellect and physical fitness, qualified him for additional opportunities after he graduated from Basic Combat Training (Infantry OSUT) . He was selected for Airborne school, and after graduating with distinguished honors from both OSUT and Airborne school, Jalix was offered and immediately accepted the opportunity to attend RASP: the prerequisite training to become a United States Army Ranger. After passing RASP (wherein candidates are specially "selected" rather than forced to meet a pass/fail standard) and finishing his training, he completed U.S. Army Ranger School and was subsequently assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment: the United States' premier military direct-action raid force. With an impressive entry, Jalix was groomed by his superiors to become a Sergeant, although he wouldn't qualify for the promotion until a year later.

Jalix was deployed shortly thereafter to Iraq in 2003, taking part in the famous airborne assault on Objective Serpent as a Squad Automated Weapon (SAW) gunner. Although the airfield capture was successful, multiple artillery barrages and a car bomb in one of the following days tested Jalix's ability to perform under more intense conditions. As the Rangers shifted some of their forces to aid in the capture of a nearby dam, an Iraqi couple detonated an explosive device that killed themselves and three Rangers that had approached the vehicle to provide - what had appeared to be - necessary medical aid for the passengers. Jalix, guarding the nearby blockade position, rushed to aid the wounded Rangers and provided aid until it proved to be futile and his comrades succumbed to their wounds. In a later report by the CIA, anonymous members of which were present for the attack as a support element, Jalix was described as "the finest combat medic with absolutely no combat medic training and a potential candidate for higher-level military operations." For his efforts, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal with Valor device and sent home shortly afterward to receive more specialized training.

Briefly returning to the United States, Jalix was sent to Fort Campbell, Kentucky to attend the Sabalauski Air Assault School and then the U.S. Army Sniper Course in Fort Benning, Georgia. He returned to his unit overseas only to be vaguely informed that he would be aiding an unidentified USSOCOM (United States Special Operations Command) element in an upcoming operation. Jalix was assigned to a mixed unit of Marines, Army Cavalry, British SAS, SEAL Sniper Task Elements from the Naval Special Warfare Task Group, and Army Special Forces personnel as they prepared to take the city of Fallujah in Iraq. The operation Jalix took part in would later be known as the Second Battle of Fallujah, or Operation Phantom Fury. While not considered a "black op," Jalix's small and colorful team - as well as its purpose - was kept a secret until the initial attack, where they were referred to collectively as "Task Force Basilisk" during the invasion and occupation. On November 7th, 2004, Jalix worked alongside the Army Special Forces and British SAS elements providing long-range sniper and Joint-Terminal Air Controller support until Jalix, still maintaining an analytical and strategic perspective during his view of the battlefield, saw an opening in which the local insurgents had gathered to stage a counterattack.

Jalix had reportedly ripped the radio from his commander's chest, calling in a precise coordinate from his optic's rangefinder which resulted in a massive artillery barrage and set of airstrikes on the Fallujah train station. According to a British SAS report from after the battle, "Specialist Kane suffered a friendly-fire incident from a series of four blunt-force instruments on his commander's hand, which Specialist Kane promptly brushed off with a thanks for keeping him awake. While his commander was not yet pleased, Specialist Kane had incidentally contributed to the destruction of one of the largest enemy reinforcement locations within the area of operations. Had he not been so closely tied to the flag of his country, we would have gladly adopted him on the spot." Jalix went on to help a detachment of Marines clear a holdout location for hiding insurgents, being "lightly" wounded via mortar shrapnel to his right arm and ribcage. He continued his operation, feigning that the blood was that of an enemy's until he was pulled back for rest and food, wherein he collapsed from his injuries and fatigue. He was evacuated to a medical facility in Germany for care, where he was awarded his first Purple Heart Medal and Bronze Star Medal with Valor device. His commander called on the day of his discharge from the hospital, informing him that he was being promoted to the rank of Sergeant effective immediately.

Jalix was sent back to the United States two months later, where he was interviewed by the CIA, the Department of Homeland Defense, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, and a series of psychologists in a rapid-fire set of interrogations that interrupted his regular unit training at Fort Benning. Since he had been separated form his traditional unit for so long in place of being utilized in small, specialized teams during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Jalix was confused and bewildered as to the purpose of the interrogation until his former commander (having been promoted after the Second Battle of Fallujah) informed him that he was being offered the opportunity to apply for the Army's Special Operations Forces as a weapons sergeant. Jalix politely declined, stating that he would only consider the offer if he could attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) first. his commander accepted immediately, and in October of 2007, Jalix passed OCS and was commissioned at the rank of Second Lieutenant.

After 18 months, Jalix was promoted to First Lieutenant and applied for the Army's Special Forces Officer program, which he was selected for and subsequently became an integral part of. He was assigned his first ODA (Special Forces Team) in the Army's 5th Special Forces Group, which participated in several operations over the following years. He grew close to his team as he gained experience as a seasoned Captain and a "Mustang" (officer that was formerly enlisted). During this time, an anonymous representative from the Department of Homeland Defense offered Jalix the opportunity to become a member of the "1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta," commonly down as "Delta Force." Although this was the most prestigious combat or command position he could have been offered in his career, Jalix declined in favor of more frequent and shortened deployments to Afghanistan, where he trained local forces and felt himself being able to shift the tide of the Global War on Terror through a positive mindset and a larger influence on the local populations. Knowing that turning down a spot in the prestigious Delta Force was practically career suicide, as the rest of his command team would have believed he didn't have the motivation to succeed in the Special Forces sector, Jalix made plans for the next step of his career.

Jalix requested a transfer to the 19th Special Forces group (Army National Guard) in 2012 to allow himself an opportunity to view life on the "civilian side." He applied for a job at a multibillion-dollar hedge fund investment company, Syndicomp, where he was hired the day of his interview by Gregory Hartman personally, and began work between deployments as a financial analyst before quickly becoming one of the senior analysts at the company. His six-figure salary and continued military pay made was gradually saved in the hopes of one day purchasing a quiet countryside home after his retirement.

During September of 2014, Jalix and his new ODA (Callsign Basilisk in homage of his history) participated in an operation to investigate a potential weapons distributor in Iraq that had ties to ISIS and their supply of armament during their insurgency. While ISIS was based in Iraq and Syria, the ODA had intelligence from their command that an individual, Saalim al-Ishak, was primarily responsible for arming ISIS soldiers and was hiding in a remote village within the Kandahar province of Afghanistan. During the team's investigation, the village's chief set off a remote explosive that immediately started a raging battle between the ODA and the hidden fighters within the buildings that surrounded them. Jalix's team was split across a roadway, and when trying to consolidate them to coordinate close-air support, Jalix was buried in the rubble of a home that was exploded by an RPG fired from the mountainside. He was buried for three days without food or water until his ODA, aided by Sonya and Kara under the guise of private military contractors, rescued him from the rubble. Sonya was critically injured during a secondary assault, as the village was under watch by Taliban fighters, and both Sonya and Jalix were evacuated under direct fire to Walter Reed Memorial Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland for recovery.

In October of 2014, Jalix's entire team was killed due to a misguided decision made by his replacement team commander when he tried to emulate Jalix's heroics in battle. Jalix never forgave the incompetency for the military to allow such an individual to take over, and he requested a medical discharge and an "alternative duty status" (leave of absence) until his discharge paperwork was finalized. He was medically retired with full honors in November of 2015 and begun his advancement within Syndicomp alongside a woman he had met: Karalynn.

*Expanded Universe: Saalim al-Ishak was a pseudonym adopted by Kilkovf to arm the ISIS and Taliban fighters in the area without revealing his Russian origin. Due to his ties with Moscow and the Russian oligarchs, Kilkovf needed to maintain anonymity behind the mask of a fake Islamic persona courtesy of Robert Schillinger.*

## Personality & Beliefs

Jalix has always been troubled by the trauma of his parents and girlfriends' passing from his younger days, haunting him with a rage and sense of righteous vengeance that got him through most of his military training. During his deployments, however, that perspective changed when he saw the reality of how distant every geopolitical point was from another; he subsequently realized that among the thousand of ideologies, beliefs, and opinions, he had no singular thing at which he could direct his rage. From that point in 2007, Jalix was more focused on creating good than he was on defeating evil, although he had no problems engaging in combat with those terrorist groups that threatened the free people of the world. this shift in mindset gradually became stronger until he felt "out of place" surrounded by those who didn't share his mentality. His request for early retirement by way of medical discharge (due to his multiple injuries) was an indicator of this change.

Jalix had been diagnosed with a wide range of mental and physical illnesses during his time in service, to include Post-Traumatic Stress with Normal Response, peripheral neuropathy in his right arm, multiple concussions, sciatica, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Each of these was diagnosed by an out-of-pocket expense via a private healthcare provider under a pseudonym so as to keep any blemishes away from his military medical record. Despite not wanting to show weakness, Jalix knew he could only remain in his prime condition as a soldier by treating and addressing these issues, and he was known for closely following the protocols and medications given by his doctors. This may be an homage to his late mother and the respect he had for her as a physician.

Jalix's religious and spiritual beliefs are rather unambiguous, as he finds religion more confusing than comforting during times of stress. His general belief is that "whatever God is out there is out will make the decisions they choose to for reasons I'll never understand or try to." His connection to Kara in 2014 pulled him away from his past long enough to realize the profundity of his potential future, and he made efforts to build a life for the woman be believed - strongly - would one day become his wife. These beliefs did not change in any way once Kara converted him to Vampyrism.

## Description

Jalix is five feet and eleven inches tall, having an athletic and muscular figure with a weight of 170lbs on average. Jalix is known for his dark brown hair and cobalt-blue eyes, having an appearance that would, in everyday attire, leave someone guessing his role in the world being a civilian business consultant rather than someone with his elite military history. While Jalix is comfortable in a suit or in combat attire, he rarely wears casual clothes as a matter of preparedness, as he was often called upon through both Syndicomp and the military at the eleventh hour to contribute some sort of effort to the respective field. Jalix is a formidable person to converse with, as his directness and bluntness are matched in respect and courtesy in a highly unusual blend of being both friendly and succinct.

## Titles

### *The Ultimate Soldier*

A term first used by Schillinger, the phrase was a play on Kara's notoriety as the "Ultimate Huntress" and subsequently choosing an elite tactician and warrior as her husband.

## Relationships

*(SERIES-WIDE SPOILERS AHEAD)*

Some of the following content is considered to be *Expanded Universe*, and is not expressly stated in the series:

Jalix only ever had one true relationship prior to his courtship with Kara, being the woman who died in 2001 alongside his parents. Although he had a few one-night encounters between deployments, Jalix was rarely the antagonist in any of these encounters, as women gravitated toward his apparent "strong, silent type" when in reality he simply wanted to drink with his friends at a bar and go home to a good night's sleep. He was often known for being chivalrous, making his intentions clear quickly that his lifestyle didn't afford the opportunity or psychological security for a long-term relationship.

Once he met and eventually married Kara, he inadvertently adopted Kara's two daughters: Violet and Raven. Unbeknownst to him at the time of their marriage, Kara revealed this fact immediately after the events of *Sorrow*, feeling regret that she didn't have the chance while she had been alive prior to her resurrection. Jalix accepted this without any further thought and ensured that Violet was treated like his own daughter in spite of being only three years his junior. Even in knowing that Schillinger had been the father through forced pregnancy, he treated Violet with the highest respect possible and even allowed Raven a level of mutual respect after the events of *Desolation* (although he never had any intent of making an interpersonal effort with her as he had with Violet). Aside from his two stepdaughters, he conceived a singular daughter with Kara during *Sorrow* named Amelia Lynn Kane, and after the events of *Despair* had his final child: a son named Caleb.

Through his marriage to Kara, Valterius became his brother-in-law, which was happily accepted by both of them as they shared more in common than nearly any other two men in Aerael or Vanaheim. Their experience in fighting wars, sense of brotherhood, chivalry, righteousness, and goodwill made for an immediate connection while Kara and Jalix were still dating, and they remained best friends until Jalix's eventual passing. This was matched closely by his long-standing friendships with Krystal (eventually becoming his daughter-in-law), Eric, Sonya, and Alice.

## Expanded Universe - Epilogues

*(SERIES-WIDE SPOILERS AHEAD)*

Some of the following content is considered to be *Expanded Universe*, and is not expressly stated in the series:

In the epilogues of Despair, Kara and Jalix have their final child, a boy this time, named Caleb Nicholas Kane (Caleb was the name of Jalix's father and Nicholas is Jalix's middle name). Caleb grew up being best friends with his cousins and followed in their footsteps with academic study right after high school. Kara and Jalix lived out of the spotlight to the best of their ability, favoring a domestic lifestyle and enjoying the peace and quiet. While they desired to have more children, Kara had medical complications after Caleb's birth (being her first to develop over the 9-month human gestation period) that resulted in a tubal ligation. In spite of this preventive effort, Kara's health declined after a few decades of wellness and she received a dual-diagnosis of ovarian and cervical cancer in 2065. Kept secret to all but immediate family, Alice personally performed surgeries to remove the masses, but the aggressive nature of the cancer led to her eventual death in the mid 2070's.

During this time, Caleb was informed, but was studying abroad in Australia when news of his mother arrived. He flew home to see his aging father and they buried her in a plot of land on their Pennsylvania countryside property. Jalix requested to Caleb that he not return to their home, as Jalix believed that he would best live out her memory in isolated peace. Caleb said goodbye to his father, and although they kept in touch over video and phone calls, Jalix stopped responding to them six months later. Caleb returned to find the property incinerated with his father inside, his mother's grave intact, and a new unmarked grave next to Kara's. An autopsy revealed multiple aggressive cancers in Jalix's body that should have killed him long before his wife. In spite of the house fire, charred medical equipment was found near Jalix's body, and it is widely believed that he was voluntarily, consensually euthanized by an unknown medical specialist that aided in a peaceful death. The source of the house fire was never confirmed, and a vandalization of the unmarked grave two weeks later ensured that whoever else had died on the property would forever remain a mystery.