Prologue - Where Am I, And What Happened To My Pants?

I was standing in a white room. No features, no nothing. Naturally, I decided to look around this strange place I had found myself in. It was when I started moving (cause yeah, for all the weirdness I could still walk), I felt certain dangly bits… move, more than I was accustomed to outside of the shower, so I looked down. And promptly swore, my first words in this strange world. "Well, fuck my ass and call me Sally," I muttered. "Not only am I in some Life Howling-type white room, who or whatever did this took my goddamn pants." This was my usual mode of dealing with, well, unexpected things. Curse and complain, then solve the problem and move on. But standing in the middle of a bare white room, alone, you can imagine my surprise when something talked back.

"User input not recognized. Please restate." The voice came from everywhere and nowhere, and when I didn't respond it spoke again. "Examining data. Subject appears to be what is colloquially known as 'bitching', or saying stupid shit that doesn't solve a damn thing." As the voice continued, the robotic tones disappeared and it sounded more and more like a person. Specifically, like a certain old man I had known before I came wherever here was.

I figured since whatever it was was responding to me, I might as well try to get some answers out of it. "Hey, voice thing. Where am I?" I shouted.

"Everywhere, and nowhere."

I rolled my eyes. We were back to the robot. "Ok, then why am I here?" I continued.

"All will be revealed in the fullness of time."

I started to ask a question, then paused. That last statement sounded familiar. I dredged my brain for a moment, then came up with where I had heard it before. "Did you just quote Alaric Garaunt?" I asked incredulously.

"'All will be revealed in the fullness of time', a quote used by fictional character Alaric Garaunt throughout the Sanctuary Series, written by Michael J. Crane. Congratulations, User. World One is unlocked.

"Alright then," I muttered. "Whatever that means. If this is nowhere, am I just insane? Is this happening inside my head?"

"Of course it's happening inside your head, but why on Earth should that mean it's not real?"

"You just quoted Albus fucking Dumbledore."

"Correct. Congratulations, User. World Two is unlocked. People have an annoying habit of remembering things they shouldn't."

"Brom, Eragon," I rattled off, right before the quote made me, funnily enough, remember something I probably shouldn't. "Oh, fuck," I gasped. "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Congratulations, User. World Three is unlocked. To answer your question succinctly, yes. But you're no good to me dead."

"Really?!" I yelled. "Another quote?! I'm dead, asshole! You could at least let me work through that!"

"Please identify the quote in the next sixty seconds, or your Second Life chance will be forfeited, in which case you will move on to the eternity of your chosen religion."

I seized onto the words 'Second Life', and sputtered out the answer. "Boba Fett, Empire Strikes Back."

"Congratulations, User. World Four is unlocked. Second Life is confirmed. You may now ask questions of the interface before moving on."

"How did I die?" I asked immediately.

"What do you remember?"

"I was in Kabul, in Afghanistan. I was a Marine scout sniper, and I had been tasked with finding a kid, some dumb college student, who got lured in by ISIS. I found them, there was a gunfight, then I grabbed the kid and ran for it. That's the last thing I remember."

"The 'kid', as you call him was wearing a suicide vest. He detonated it as you hauled him away. Do you have any other questions before we move on?"

I shook my head mutely, unable or unwilling to respond.

"Physical input accepted. Proceeding to World Selection. Of the four worlds you have identified, which would you like to be reborn into?"

Arkaria

Harry Potter

Alagaesia

Star Wars

"Wait, what?" I said, shocked back out of silence. "None of those are real, and may I say, that's a pretty shit selection out of all the sci-fi/fantasy worlds out there."

"Incorrect. None of these world are real in your home dimension, however they all exist elsewhere in the multiverse. The creators of each of these stories were special beings afforded glimpses into the multiverse. Additionally, you may choose any universe you know of. These four were chosen based on your knowledge of their worlds."

"Not to be rude to a disembodied voice that holds my life in its hands, but this sounds like the kind of shit fanfiction I would have written when I was fourteen."

The voice once again adopted the tone of my former drill instructor. "Fuck you, asshole."

"Y'know, shouldn't I be freaking out? I mean, I just realized I'm dead, and an invisible robot is making fun of me."

"Correction. I am not a robot, meatbag. I am a highly advanced artificial intelligence created to interact with humans who pass through the Second Life program. Explanation. Emotions are currently suppressed due to subject's extreme emotional state on realizing they were dead.

Unique Skill created: Gamer's Mind

Passive Skill

Effect: Extreme emotion will be suppressed, allowing user to think clearly in dangerous situations.

"Skill? What is this, some kind of game?"

"Of sorts. You will be reborn into your chosen world with the abilities of a game character, such as the ability to instantly acquire skills and abilities. Additionally, your life will no longer be tied to your physical wellbeing, but to a Hit Point system. Hit Points will be set at character creation."

"Character creation?"

"Character creation will begin after a world is selected."

After a few minutes of mulling it over, I decided that the Star Wars universe was probably my best bet, as I knew the most about it's depth and lore. "I want to be reborn into the Star Wars universe."

"Choice accepted. Legends, Disney canon, or modified?"

"Modified?"

"You may pick and choose which elements of Legends and canon are included in the universe."

"Select modified. Use Legends continuity, with the addition of the Clone Wars movie and TV show, with the exception of all data related to Mandalore. Mandalore will remain as described in Legends." Much as I liked that show and respected Filoni, he fucked up Mandalore and the Mandalorians bad.

"Choice accepted. Proceeding to Character Creation. Please select your given name."

"Ryn." The name of an OC I had made when I was eighteen, and one of the few I had actually made into a fleshed-out character.

"Name accepted. Please select your race from the list."

I scrolled through the list, and idea beginning to form. Certain races in Star Wars were known to have strong Force affinity, to the point that most, if not all of them, were able to manipulate the Force to some extent. The trouble was deciding which one. Miraluka had been wiped from the face of the galaxy during the aftermath of the Jedi Civil War Revan had started, so they were out. Korunnai could use the Force, but the vast majority of them were extremely weak. Most of the other species were non-humanoid, and I wasn't interesting in changing my physiology that much. It was at the bottom of the list I found my answer. The Sith species were powerful Force sensitives, the problem was that they were all either dead or in hiding, and the Jedi would destroy me on sight. Luckily, there was an option for a half-Sith. Guaranteed Force abilities, along with looking human. "Select half-Sith species," I said.

"Species accepted. Please indicate other genetic half, as well as hair and eye color."

"Human, dark brown hair, brown eyes. No sense in standing out," I responded.

"Hair accepted. Eye color invalid. All Sith and Sith descended species have either red or yellow eyes."

"Well, if I can't go low-key, might as well go for intimidation factor. Red eyes."

"Accepted. Please select age at which you would like to enter the universe."

For my plan to work, I would need to maximize my training. And for the group I planned to use to achieve my goals, I knew what age I needed to be to begin my training. "Set age to eight standard years," I said.

"Age accepted. Please distribute stat points. The stat values available are: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. Your Sith species grants a +2 bonus to both Strength and Wisdom. The six abilities are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Charisma, and Wisdom. Would you like an explanation of each stat?"

"Yes."

"Strength sets your physical prowess. Higher strength means you can equip heavy equipment and effectively use most weapons. Constitution sets your Health Points, as well as determining your unarmored armor rating. Dexterity measures your speed and reflexes. High dexterity means you can move faster and use weapons more efficiently. This stat also provides bonuses with ranged weaponry. Intelligence is your ability to understand and perform complicated tasks. High intelligence is required for most technical skills. Wisdom measures your understanding of the world and intuition. A high wisdom modifier also allows you to resist mind-affecting substances and force powers, as well as boosting your own force effectiveness. Finally, Charisma is your ability inspire and lead others. Generals have high charisma, while footsoldiers have low Charisma. As this is the real world, charisma can only make you more likely to succeed in a persuasion attempt, but a well-thought out, logical, or emotional appeal can substitute for a high Charisma if you know what to say. Every two points in a stat provides a +1 modifier for that stat."

"What is the real-world equivalent of these stat values?"

"At a base 10, or +0 to each stat, a fully mature half-Sith would be able to easily lift 50 kilograms (Strength), run a kilometer in two and a half minutes (Dexterity). Constitution does not possess a real-world equivalent, as most sentients do not possess HP. They would also easily perform what you would call college-level academics, provided they have been taught the material (Intelligence), influence small groups of people to help them or do their bidding (Charisma), and have a simple understanding of how the galactic order works, and resist weaker mind-altering substances and minor Force abilities (Wisdom).

"Set Strength to 13, Dexterity to 14, Constitution to 15, Intelligence to 12, Charisma to 10, and Wisdom to 8. What would that give me?

"Accounting for racial bonuses, a Strength of 15 would allow you to easily lift 60 kilograms, a Dexterity of 14 would allow you to run a kilometer in two minutes unencumbered, a Constitution of 15 grants you one hundred and fifty Health Points (HP), and Intelligence of 12 allows you to learn advanced skills and understand complex equations, e.g. hyperspace equations, Charisma of 10 would allow you to influence a small group, and Wisdom of 10 allows you to resist minor confusion, control, or illusion effects. Would you like to confirm these stats?"

"Confirm stat distribution."

"Understood. Current stat levels are as follows:"

Hit Points: 150/150

Strength 15

(+2)

Constitution 15

(150 HP)

Dexterity 14

(+2)

Intelligence 12

(+1)

Charisma 10

(+0)

Wisdom 10

(+0)

"Congratulations. Your stats grant you to following proficiencies:"

Melee Weapons

Light Weapons

Medium Weapons

Light Armor

Medium Armor

Heavy Armor (combined Strength and Constitution scores)

Novice Mechanic

Novice Slicer

Squad Leader

Acolyte

"What benefits do these proficiencies give me?"

"You can effectively wield melee weapons, blaster pistols and rifles, and all forms of armor. You have basic mechanical and computer skills, can lead a small group, and your Wisdom makes you an Acolyte, which when combined with your racial traits grants you access to basic Force powers if you can find a teacher. You may receive additional proficiencies, as well as skills, after selecting your class. Display class list now?"

"Yes."

"Available classes are as follows:"

Novice Force User

Lightsider

Darksider

Soldier

Mercenary

Smuggler

Scout

Citizen

"Can I get an explanation of the classes?"

"Affirmative. Dedicated Force-using classes are as follows: Novice Force Users have access to basic Force powers, such as telekinesis, minor telepathy, and Force Push, as well as being unaligned to any Force-using faction. Lighsiders possess the same abilities, in addition to an easy route to learn more in return for being bound to a light-side Force faction. Darksiders are the same, just bound to a dark-side faction."

"Tell me about the non-Force user classes."

"These classes are not dedicated Force users, but are still capable of learning Force abilities if the user has the potential, as you do. Soldiers are warriors of their chosen faction, fighting honorably against their foes. Soldiers possess the ability to use any and all weapons and armor, as well as having battlefield medic training. Mercenaries have the same bonuses while being unaligned with any faction, able to work for anyone for their own reasons, as well as not possessing a code beyond what they choose for themself. Smugglers…"

"Stop there, please," I interrupted. "Select Mercenary class."

"Confirmed. Please review and confirm or change final character sheet."

~Name Not Set~

Level 1 Half-Sith Mercenary

Strength: 15 Proficiencies: Melee, Light, Medium, Heavy

Dexterity: 14 Weapons, Light, Medium, Heavy Armor,

Constitution: 15 Novice Mechanic, Novice Slicer, Squad

Intelligence: 12 Leader, Acolyte, Battlefield Medic

Charisma: 10

Wisdom: 10

"Confirm character sheet."

"Character sheet confirmed. Please choose entry point in timeline."

"Rise of the Empire era. Battle of Galidraan." I had a plan, and that plan

required me to test my abilities as soon as possible.

"Warning: Player has chosen extremely dangerous insertion point at current level. Proceed anyway?"

"Proceed."

"Input confirmed. Please choose family name. Alert: well-known names may be chosen, however they will force events to unfold along predetermined avenues."

"Set family name to Greth."

"Identity confirmed. Would you like to review your character information before entering the world?"

"No."

"Proceeding with Second Life Protocol. Have a good life, Ryn Greth."

As I watched, the world swirled, then turned to black, as I left the last vestige of my old life behind and entered this strange new world.

A/N: Hey guys, sorry make you read all the exposition shit again, but now it's different! And (hopefully) less totally fucking broken!