Play Testers Wanted Pt. 15

"Motherfucker... he claims to be a Je'Daii Master... has he ever been to Typhon?" I asked.

"My spies have tracked his movements through his videos and those of his closest followers. No, he has not. As far as I can tell none of the worlds, he has visited had any ties to the Je'Daii Order." She replied. "I have looked at the members of the Brotherhood and found that a full third of the members were Force users. Of those, thirty seven percent of them were light side users while the rest were Sith. None of them were grey."

"I need time to assimilate this. Prep the Wraith for flight, please." I directed and she kissed my cheek and returned to the ship. I looked at the images of the robes he claimed were Je'Daii and they were not even close. "Your brotherhood is coming to an end asshole." I walked one circuit around the lake and pushed down my rage and played out my plan seeking flaws in it. By the time I returned to my starting point I was smiling. "Shit is about to get real. Time to get things started."

Whisper welcomed me aboard the Ivory Wraith and took her place in the pilot's chair. She plotted the course and soon we were on our way. We had a three-day jaunt until the ship would drop out of hyperspace and I needed to get rid of a lot of stress. I stood behind Whisper and gently stroked her lekku. It was not unlike giving a human male a hand job.

"If you keep that up," she moaned. I turned to leave and left a trail of clothes leading to the captain's bedroom. She followed me eagerly. Three days later the interior of the Wraith smelled strongly of our little interrupted love play. "Damn, I needed that." She purred. We cloaked the ship and a freshly showered Twi'lek brought us out of hyperspace. "We are here boss."

The Wraith orbited the nearly forgotten world of Zantooine. Like many worlds in this universe one biome dominated the entire planet. In Zantooine's case it was misty river valleys. The Je'Daii temple had sunk and was now half drowned. I set the ship down on a patch of dry land, kept her cloaked, and alone walked to the closest point where the shore looked out over the top of the dome of the temple. I missed my tail and the shape of the white furred cat like humanoid. There was a bounce in my step as I approached the river. I stopped and examined the small stone outcropping that was the very top of my goal. I levitated, took up a meditative position, and opened myself up to the will of the Force. Did I attempt to lift the temple out of the river or alter my shape and swim through the drowned temple for what I sought?

The Force vision was clear. I accepted the will of the Force. I prepped the scene and my appearance. I dove into the river, seeded the structure, and exited dripping wet and covered in mud. My four M3 droids were ready to film the scripted encounter. I conjured the shadow creatures, paid them ahead of time since I would be dispatching them during the scene, and whispered the magic word.

"Action."

The droids began filming. I was live online, and my minions rushed me in a fifty to one battle royal. My lightsaber that Whisper had made for me was in one hand and my vorpalite blaster in the other. Purple blaster bolts lit the darkening landscape as the blazing blade of the lightsaber cut down enemies that got too close. The scene played out perfectly and I got one hell of a workout. I sent the last shadow beast back to its home plane and knelt gasping on the grassy hillside.

"I must be getting close." I stated as I sat and explained to my audience. "I found this forgotten world listed on an ancient star map. Look at this! I saw this just before the creatures attacked. If I am right, and I hope I am, there is a clue leading to a fabulous treasure. I don't need it myself but the benefit to the people of the galaxy would be enormous!" I stood and staggered to the shore. I fired a flare pistol, and the crimson light illuminated the top of the dome. "Look! If I am correct that is an ancient Je'Daii temple!"

I extended my arm, reached out with the Force, and slowly lifted the entire monument out of the river. It felt like it took forever but the structure finally settled onto the dry ground away from the river. It was more of a shrine than a temple. Water continued to dribble from entrance of the structure. The droid's lights illuminated me and portions of the shrine.

"Thousands of years have passed since anyone entered this shrine. Follow me inside and we will see what treasures might be inside. Yes, I said might. I am not guaranteeing anything. This could end up being a huge bust. Let us go."

To maintain a dramatic effect, I ignited my lightsaber and used it as a torch. My feline sight allowed me plenty of ambient light but not so much for my audience. I went slow and examined the wall art and markings of the nearly extinct order of the Je'Daii. Few players knew that I held the rank of Je'Daii Master unlike that poser. I pointed to the more interesting images and one of them was a faded blue skull motif.

"Why does that remind me of something?" I stated for those watching live. "I don't think it means death or a warning... I believe it represents someone." I continued. "There appear to be a ring of three or so outer niches outside the central chamber. Let us check those out first." There were in fact four of them. Each chamber was color coded but the symbols on the walls were similar. "Here goes nothing." I said and stepped into the empty central hub. The droids followed me in from each of the four outer chambers. I stood near the middle. I cursed and looked at the markings for any clues. I lifted my head to the dome hoping for a sign.

"M3 scan records for recurring images in this shrine and see if there are any references to the time of the Je'Daii." I said and waited. Eighteen seconds later precisely one of the M3 droids chirped and alerted me. It was quickly joined by the other three. "What has gotten into you guys?!" I asked as they directed me to the mysterious pillar that had mystically appeared behind me on camera. Anyone watching would see it just come into being right behind me. I imagined them hollering at the screen. 'Behind you! Look behind you!'

I turned and stared at the five-foot pedestal crowned with the baseball sized golden sphere. I walked around it and made sure the droids were filming. The deep blue skull motif decorated the stone pillar. One of the droids chirped and beeped.

"You found a record? What does it say?" I paused as the droid said one name, a name out of legend, a legend of wealth and power. "Xim the Despot!" I snatched the orb for myself. The trap was triggered, and I raced out of the shrine as it self-destructed. I dove out the entrance and rolled to my feet. I held the orb aloft in triumph and cut the live feed.

"And cut!" I laughed. If that does not whet their appetite, I do not know what will. I spun the sphere in the palm of my hand and looked at the ruins I had left behind. "Time to go. Let us get the hell out of here before they trace the signal."

The droids followed me back to my ship. The ramp lowered and Whisper greeted me with hands on shapely hips.

"We need to talk." She said clearly upset.

"Okay, get inside guys." I directed the droids inside. I joined Whisper inside the ship. The ship powered up and generated a random destination. Whisper followed me to the shower. I stripped out of my dirty armor, started the shower, and stepped inside. "Why are you upset?"

"Upset! Upset! You pull this stunt and don't bother giving me a heads-up Booker!" She exclaimed.

"Kat?" I spun to face a naked Whisper. "Oh hello."

"What are you up to?" She asked as Kat's voice came from the Twi'lek's mouth. I told her.

"They are making life for casual gamer's miserable. It is time someone fought back." I explained.

"I didn't complain when you designed Katria so closely after Captain Amelia from Treasure Planet since we didn't have plans for her, but now you are tying her, the orb, and the legend of Xim to this dastardly deed. It is a twisted version of the movie Booker."

"I know," I laughed. "It is a nice fit, speaking of a nice fit." I giggled as I cupped her ass cheeks in my hands. "I can cancel it and... why are you smiling?"

"Have you checked how well your live feed was received?" She asked. "No. I can see that you have not. Look," she strongly suggested. I pulled up the records via my HUD. I whistled and saw how much I looked to get from it. "Impressive."

"Record breaking. You did an amazing job of seeding the rumor of a live feed today through your gaming friends. Genius, pure genius! I'll let it slide and let things fall as they may for now, however, the Devs are hard at work thanks to you." She warned.

"You mean an actual treasure planet might appear?" I laughed. "I wonder what happened to her after she left me on Typhon?" I mused as I kissed her neck and she pressed close.

"Can I see it?" She purred in my ear. "The orb silly."

"Sure." I said and conjured a holographic version of it.

"You copied the star map perfectly." She said. "What are you really up to?" She asked and I told her. "You are a naughty kitty." She laughed even as she winced. "That is only going to make them come after you more. They have already put a bounty on your head. The Mandalorians are quite literally gunning for you."

"It'll be Latveria all over again." I laughed. "What fun."

"The difference is that now you are the one training Predators. Tell you what... if you can survive say twenty Mandos the Guild will lift the bounty or you can try and find out who placed it and either kill them or make them rescind it."

"I like those odds." I laughed. "Get over here you!" I said kissing her. Kat spent her lunch hour in my bed. I thanked her before she logged out for embracing my little bit of madness in the form of the hunt for Xim's treasure. I sent a message to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. If Kyanna's character was going to be anywhere it would be there. To find Aoki, I sent a message to her personal account. It read simply Tattoine. I went through the various alien races since arriving as Katria was foolish. After seeing how exotic Winter had been, I settled on an Arkanian Offshoot. I liked how closely the coloring matched Katria's. I stood in front of a holographic mirror. I tweaked my appearance from the galactic standard. The offshoots were near humans with white skin and hair, vibrant blue eyes, lips, and tongue. I especially liked the tongue, it was long, muscular, and damn near prehensile. I grew my hair to where it hit just above the curve of my ass cheeks. I would have Whisper braid it to keep it under control. I tweaked the length and shape of my ears giving them a cute elfin look to them.

"I feel so weird being this short." I said and Whisper laughed. "Oh shit, I almost forgot!" I stopped and tweaked my voice. I played around until I found one that fit the five feet nothing girl in the mirror. It was pitched higher with an Irish accent. "That was close. Wait! One more thing..." I exclaimed as I raided the armory for a rifle that was nearly as tall as I was. "...perfect!" I donned thin armored clothing, on top of that I layered an armored hoodie, and the last and my outer layer was a Cortosis weave long coat of my own fashioning. The dark blues and greys were a great contrast to my ivory skin and hair.

"You will not stand out in a crowd." Whisper lied as she braided my hair into one long rope like strand.

The ship landed on the outskirts of Mos Eisley at first and then Whisper flew off to hide the ship away from prying eyes. I pulled up my hood, walked into the city and got looks but my formidable firearm kept the undesirables at bay. It was not far to the nearest cantina. I dug through my inventory and got my fingerless scanner glove just in case. I slipped that on and stopped at a few stalls along the way to see if I was being followed.

"...creepy eyes..." one of the street urchins whispered. When I looked at them, they raced off in fear. I looked around for a reflective surface and pretended to examine an elegant metal wind chime. While I had chosen blue eyes my dark side taint was showing. The orange iris was a clear sign I was a Force user and not a pleasant one. It was because of the ritual I had performed to create the orb. I delayed my arrival at the cantina and wandered around for a good deed to be done. The beggar was blind. He must have either been exposed to an explosion or otherwise wounded.

"Hello old soldier," I greeted him. "Where did it happen?"

"Out on the Outer Rim." He replied bitterly. "Spare a few credits for..." He fell silent when I placed my hand over his eyes. It was difficult at first, but I was able to channel the healing aspect of the Force. He gasped when he felt the tingling of his optic nerves regenerating and he whimpered when his eyes were restored.

"Keep your eyes closed and count to ten." I stated. I lifted my hand free and saw the tissue around his eyes free of damage. He counted under his breath and I activated my armor and walked away. Anyone watching would simply see me slowly vanish from sight. I pulled down my HUD and looked to see if I was in balance or not. "Not quite." I muttered. I wandered the outer reaches of the town looking for someone to help. My keen nose picked out the smell of Glitterstem or spice. I followed the scent to its origin, a drug house. A semiconscious Rodian was guarding the door. I placed my hand on the top of his head and poured healing energy into him. His pores opened as I cleansed him of the deadly narcotic. He slipped into a pleasant dreamless sleep. There were more inside. By the time I left my eyes were a deep radiant blue. I slipped away unseen under the camouflage of my cloak. I walked around to make sure I was not being followed and only then did I find a spot to drop my cloak and then headed for the cantina.

The Krayt Dragon was the seediest of the watering holes in a city of scum and villainy. I strode in and several customers spied me and laughed. Perfect. I walked to the bar and waited for the BT-9 droid to float over and take my order. Instead the hammerhead robot scanned me and spat out a surprisingly tasty alcoholic beverage. It had passed my glove's scan and I savored it and attempted to reverse engineer the drink with my taste buds. I failed but when I looked at my bar tab, I saw that I had been charged for three Corellian Sunrises. The recipe was available for a small price.

I was a bit tipsy when Aoki's Force sensitive gunslinger walked into the cantina. While I had been greeted with laughs, she was met with stony silence. She had a definite bad ass attitude mastered. The Vorpalite blasters I had made for her hung on those curvaceous hips of hers. The guns had aged well, and the leather holsters creaked a bit as she took her own spot at the bar. The droid served her right away. Two minutes later I felt the disturbance in the Force. I instinctively activated Force cloak as the hooded figure strolled in. Her gate was easy, but her gaze missed nothing. She joined Aoki and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Is she here?" Kyanna asked.

"Not yet," Aoki replied. "Though for a moment there I felt it then it just dried up."

"She is here. She is far too clever for the Brotherhood to find easily." Kyanna chuckled. "Let's see." She reached out and looked over the cantina. "Ha! There she is come on."

They walked right at me and then passed. I turned to look over my shoulder and they approached a tall striking female figure in elegant dark armor.

"You can't hide from me." Kyanna greeted her and the energy in the bar changed instantly.

The snap hiss of a scarlet lightsaber activating sent many scurrying for cover. I swapped out my vibro sword for Mornar the Mambian lightsaber. I palmed it into my left hand. I watched them duel and felt a sense of panic when the woman shifted into form eight! Kyanna recognized it too and back pedaled fully on defense. I dropped Force cloak and let my aura come out strong and vibrant. The woman in black faltered and Kyanna almost impaled her with her blade but the crimson blade was there to beat it aside.

"You!" The woman hissed as I dropped the splinter rifle and activated my own weapon.

Snap! Hiss!!

The dual colored blade took everyone by surprise. I went on the offensive and her crimson blade was there to meet mine. We both used form eight. I had not met another practitioner since the Sith that had trained me. I let her lead the duel watching her style, technique, and skill. She balanced her blood rage with the form you would expect from a noble like Count Dooku. She caught me analyzing her and nearly killed me. She struck a quick linear slash which I barely parried, then she switched off her weapon and reignited it. The only thing that save me from certain death was my wrist shield. I activated it and caught her blade on it.

"Ooh," she purred behind her black adamantium mask. "I want one of those!"

I went on the attack. I surrendered to the Force and let it guide me. I spun bringing my saber in high and as she committed to blocking it, I slashed her belly with the edge of the energy shield. Her armor smoked and the Kaiburr powered shield sliced deep. She tossed the thermal detonator as she fled. Kyanna caught in on the fly and used a Force enhanced pitch to throw it after the Sith. It went off wounding her but collapsing the entrance of the cantina.

"I didn't train her." I said before Kyanna asked. She examined my new lightsaber and whistled.

"You nearly killed the Shrike!" A Kel Dorian bounty hunter exclaimed. I deactivated my lightsaber and palmed it back to its forearm sheath. Kel Dorians were humanoid aliens with nut brown skin and stood out by their necessity to wear a breather unit and dark goggles. The breather filtered out oxygen, which is poisonous to them, and fed them a rarified form of helium unique to their home world of Dorin.

"Drinks are on me until they free up the front door." I declared. The atmosphere of distrust evaporated.

"Impressive as always." Aoki greeted me without using my name.

"If you did not then who did," Kyanna asked still focused on the Shrike.

"The one that instructed me perhaps." I offered as I sipped my fourth Corellian Sunrise.

"Why are you here?" Kyanna asked a smile on her lips.

"I hate bullies," I stated. "Someone needs to push back."

"You are going against the Brotherhood?" Kyanna asked and I held up my drink.

"I am going to crush them. They are ruining things for the others." I stated staying in character and not blurting out my true feelings.

"You are going to face them alone?" Aoki asked or was she hinting that she was no longer an ally.

"We will go with you." Kyanna added quickly. The micro changes in her lovely features broke my heart. The briefest of glances at my HUD answered the glaring question. Aoki and Kyanna had turned pro and were members of the Brotherhood. I hated games that adopted guilds. Guilds by their very nature divided players. The strongest players collected, and new players or casual players suffered for it. I might be fighting a trend that was inevitable but damn it I had to try.

"I know that look," Kyanna chuckled. "I pity those that stand against you."

"No shit," Aoki laughed. "Ooh, a new video is available."

The holonet projector flashed, sparked a few times, and with some effort displayed the video, my video. It had been edited. It showed me fighting my way to the shrine and capturing the orb. Aoki squeed when I triumphed.

"The galaxy is in an uproar as the legendary figure of Katria Forgemaster faced perilous odds and claimed the mythical star map of Xim the Despot!" The narrator paused for the audience to swear, plot, and promise to take it from me. "Will she reach the Tomb of Xim before she can be stopped? Stay tuned, subscribe, and set it on alert for the latest updates. For those of you still watching Katria sightings are limited to Alderaan, Tattooine, and Coruscant. Good hunting heroes! End of line." The transmission ended and the cantina went wild with the patrons trying to get out.