Author's note*
Some reading this have never seen Star Wars and many reading this have 100% forgotten everything about Star Wars I wrote in the first dozen chapters. I will be writing the Star Wars content to come with this in mind, introducing everything as if you've never heard it before and trying to do so in a way that is not an info dump.
Chapter 80 Do You Wanna Build a Spaceship?
The dark tunnels hidden beneath the surface of Tython would be a nightmare for almost anyone to traverse, but Force-sensitives were an exception as most could get to their desired destination blindfolded. Even without Force GPS, his Haki's ability to sense the flow of the world allowed him to practically map out the region just using the airflow. The only thing that didn't work was his Clairvoyance.
Using the Force on Tython was like treading water while shackled with weights. That was the reason that A Je'daii Journeyer could traverse Tython and gain the skill necessary to become a Je'daii Ranger and a Je'daii Master without a Master-Apprentice Force-Bond. The Force in most places was like a calm pool or lake, while the Force on Tython was like a massive storm at sea.
Rayleigh tried to listen to the background music of the world, but it was drowned out by the Force. That is to say, the Force was the background music of this world.
On his way out of the tunnels, Rayleigh made one stop. In front of him was a shriveled, ancient-looking corpse that happened to be wearing the robes of a Jedi Grand Master. Back when the team was on Tython, this fellow had been the source of many debates, since no Grandmaster was known to have died or gone missing in the tunnels. So who was this guy?
Rayleigh knelt down and touched the man's robes, twitching slightly at the feel of how itchy they were. He used psychometry on the ancient cloth and read its history backward until its origins were known.
"Huh. That's lame." Rayleigh couldn't help but complain aloud. Apparently, the robes were a forgery. This guy was a candidate for Jedi Grandmaster but didn't win, so he made his own robes. It seemed that he came here to trick someone, but said person didn't fall for that trick and wounded him before running away. Rather than return in shame and disgrace, this fellow just came here to die.
After rolling his eyes at the absurdity, Rayleigh stood up and continued his journey back to the surface. He wasn't particularly busy and Tython was never a safe place, so Rayleigh took his time to carefully tread forward without disturbing things that should not be disturbed or causing a cave-in. Another hour passed by and the light of day could be seen. Mostly. It was still very cloudy outside.
After another hour of walking Rayleigh had returned to the campsite where he spent his childhood. Unsurprisingly, there was no trace of habitation. The Jedi would not have left any signs of their presence like litter or leftovers and the harsh weather would wipe away any signs that had remained of their presence.
Rayleigh sprinted through the trees from the campsite to the landing station. On the landing station there should be a beacon that ships locked onto in order to descend to the planet, and considering the cloud cover, Rayleigh would need to make sure it was turned on if he wanted someone to land here.
The landing port was, thankfully, still in one piece. It had been here for thousands of years, and though covered in a thin layer of vines from recent disuse, it still served its purpose well. As Rayleigh suspected, the landing platform's signal beacon was disabled. The thing was solar powered so it's not like turning it off saved the battery life. Rayleigh suspected the Jedi Temple ordered the team to turn it off to prevent people from coming back.
When Rayleigh opened up the control panel to plug the beacon back in, he looked around to see if there was a note or message inside the panel. The Jedi he ran from didn't know he was dead and if he was alive, it was obvious that he would return here and turn the landing beacon back on, so this would be the best place to leave a note to him if they suspected that he was alive. But there was nothing.
Rayleigh was disappointed, but not too surprised. Even if this group were oddballs among the Jedi, they were still Jedi. Jedi do not form attachments. Jedi do not mourn loss. They likely just accepted that he had 'returned to the Force,' and left it alone.
After turning the signal beacon back on, Rayleigh opened his Player Menu, and for the first time in his life, he entered the Jedi Chatroom.
[Swordsman has signed in.]
[Swordsman: Is Pacifist around?]
[Lord of Madness: It's about time that you showed up. Listen, I got this job that I could use a bit of help on.]
[Gambler: I wouldn't bet on getting his assistance. Swordsman seems like a stick in the mud.]
[Blind Prophet: I already told you to give up on that heist you crazy idiot! You will die!]
[Lord of Madness: You said I'd die with anyone else's help, but you didn't say I'd die with Swordsman's help.]
[Pacifist: I'm free now. I can pick you up in three days. And although I cannot make the decision for you, I will ask that you refrain from blindly accepting any crazy requests, especially if they are guaranteed to be illegal in nature.]
[Swordsman: Thanks, Pacifist. And sorry Madness, I'm gonna be busy for a while.]
[Lord of Madness: Oh really? You don't have a spaceship, a pilot's license, any references, or a single cred chip to your name. Help me with this job and I'll get you everything you need and then some.]
[Grey Matter: He really doesn't need to piss off one of the largest organizations in the Galaxy just to get some pocket change. The Jedi Temple can take care of him easily. Pacifist, you can take him to Coruscant, right?]
[Tails: Wow, Grey Matter's being really assertive today. The new guy just got here and you already wanna take him home? What do you need him for? Did you already break that 'Lightsaber' I sent you?]
[Mechanic: There's no way she broke it. I especially made it for her and it looks just like a normal lightsaber hilt when not turned on, so even if someone finds it in her possession, they won't be suspicious. Considering how pent-up she must be, I figured it'd get a lot of usage. I'm such a thoughtful person. Be grateful.]
[Grey Matter: Shut up! Both of you! Some of us have actual responsibilities!]
[Tails: I'm pretty sure Mechanic has more responsibilities than you do and she still has time to have fun. You don't even have a Padawan, yet she has like a million employees.]
[Mechanic: Closer to a half-billion actually. Should I have sent a short 'lightsaber' instead?]
[Tails: No, you should have sent her a double-bladed 'lightsaber' and let her 'spar' with Star Prophet or Avatar.]
[Deadshot: Why is it when guys say stuff like that to girls, we're misogynistic, but when girls say stuff like that to girls, it is normalized?]
[Lord of Madness: Don't ponder it too much. That way lies a madness even I fear to seek out.]
[Swordsman: I may not have any money, but I am skilled in using the Hunter World's power system to make items below a certain size indestructible. I think I can get by reasonably well by selling that.]
[Lord of Madness: Wait, Hunters can do that?]
[Pacifist: Yes, Swordsman went over Divine Script in one of his lessons.]
[Lord of Madness: Dang. I must have forgotten that one.]
[Grey Matter: How does that work? Is it like Sith Alchemy? I should hope not.]
[Lord of Madness: Karen Alert! Karen Alert! This is not a drill! Get to the Bunkers before she gets the Manager!]
[Swordsman: Divine Script is essentially a written pattern of self-sustaining life force that can be imparted onto surfaces to grant certain effects. Technically, using your own life force to enhance the durability of something is not considered a Dark Side technique. Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas used his own life force to enhance the remnant lifeforce inside a wooden staff. The enhanced lifeforce within the wooden staff kept it together, allowing it to fight lightsabers. Look it up.]
[Mechanic: How long would it take you to make a ship indestructible?]
[Swordsman: Depends on the size of the ship. A small one-man fighter? A few weeks. Something larger? A few months. Plus I'd have to inscribe it on the inner side of the hull after assembly, but before the interior was set into place.]
[Mechanic: How long will the effect last?]
[Swordsman: Life sustains life, so if the ship was left abandoned in the vacuum of space for a while, it would likely lose its effect. As long as the ship has living occupants and frequently visits life-bearing worlds, it could last indefinitely or several decades at least.]
[Mechanic: Okay. There are a few things I'd pay very well to make indestructible.]
[Lord of Madness: Like the 'lightsaber' you keep in your bedside drawer?]
[Tails: Just because her boyfriend doesn't frequent the Chat Room, doesn't mean you can get away with saying stuff like that. The Force won't protect you if he blows up the city you're in from orbit. Ask Deadshot if he thinks that Mechanic's boyfriend ever misses.]
[Gambler: Vash the Stampede? Miss? Yeah, I wouldn't bet on that.]
[Deadshot: Do you really want to die? You do know that Tails probably knows exactly where you sleep, right?]
[Lord of Madness: Okay, okay, sorry. Don't shoot me from orbit!]
[Swordsman: If you're willing to pay me and can get me a ship, I'm in.]
[Mechanic: Ha! Then you'd better have Pacifist drop you off here, on Corellia. Lucky for you, we have the best starships and train the best pilots in the Galaxy and I have access to the best customizations and modifications on the planet.]
[Gambler: So... who do you think would win in a fight? Swordsman? Or ... you know.. Since they both..]
[Blind Prophet: There's no way he'd lose. I've never seen him lose a single fight in the future. Even Dooku got swatted away. One is just a man, while the other is a master.]
[Grey Matter: Swordsman would probably lose. Swordsman may have trained with the best swordsman in that backwater pirate world, but He trained with the best swordmaster across countless star systems. There's no comparison.]
[Lord of Madness: I for one would not mind seeing that pompous sword-for-brain get taken down a peg or twelve. Good Luck Swordsman! I'm rooting for you.]
[Swordsman: I assume you're talking about the Player, Swordmaster? Yeah. I've already heard of him. I look forward to meeting him.]
Although Rayleigh never entered the Jedi Chat, he knew enough about the Jedi Players from the General Chat and spoke with the Jedi Players in person. Just like Rayleigh, every Player had a specialization.
Lord of Madness specialized in draining knowledge, skills, and lifeforce from others. He was already quite rich just from capturing some wealthy gangsters and taking their bank account info directly from their brains.
Gambler specialized in luck manipulation. He could steal, store, save, and use luck at will, basically creating his own plot armor.
Pacifist had the same Paw Paw fruit as the robot-bear from the Pirate World and specialized in attack redirection and damage nullification.
And as their names suggested, the Prophets specialized in seeing and predicting the future. Star Prophet is primarily a Jedi while Blind Prophet's primary class was actually Hunter. From what Rayleigh heard in the General Chat, Blind Prophet removed her eyeballs and created a Hatsu that materialized new eyes that could see into the future. Due to the sacrifice and dedication required to perform such an act, the Hatsu was extremely efficient and she could maintain her Hatsu at all times.
Other Players he didn't know much about, but the Jedi Player mentioned the most was Swordmaster. Rayleigh was not the only Player to take the path of the sword after all. Swordmaster had not lost to any Player in a Lightsaber duel, both in and out of the Tavern's Arena. He was also the disciple of Mace Windu, said the be the strongest Lightsaber wielder, only below Grandmaster Yoda. Of course, he hadn't fought every Player. He definitely had not challenged Dragon Chef or Titan. Still, he was acknowledged as the strongest Jedi Player, and since Rayleigh was technically a Jedi Player, then logically, Rayleigh was weaker than Swordmaster.
Of course, a majority of Players were unaware of the existence of the 20-Talent Bundles. Only other 20-Talent Players knew about them. And Rayleigh knew that he was the only Jedi Player to get the 20-Talent Bundle for the Jedi Class.
As for the other Players, Rayleigh could somewhat guess their specialties from their IDs. Avatar, Mechanic, and Deadshot were easy to guess. Grey Matter and Tails, less so. He already heard about Vash the Stampede since he was originally a Pirate Player who came to the Jedi Galaxy. Other Pirate Players would be arriving soon, so Lord of Madness would likely get some accomplices for whatever crazy scheme he thought up sooner or later.
Rayleigh spent the next few days exploring the area, but the animals he got to know years prior were nowhere to be found. Did they migrate due to the Force Storms or get killed by something else? It was hard to say. Tython was really too unpredictable and random.
He also tried using the Devil Fruits inside his Kyber Crystals, but they were not easy to use. From what Mimic told him, Devil Fruits granted its user the Physique that can use the Law associated with the Devil Fruit, but since Rayleigh didn't eat the fruits, he didn't get the Physiques. Said Physiques also assisted in using the fruit, granting instinctual access to the Law's effects. This meant that Rayleigh had to find out how each Law was used and manually perform each stage of its use.
Between the two laws, Darkness was actually more difficult to figure out than Space Vibrations. The Law of Space Vibrations requires converting a large amount of stored potential energy into kinetic energy in a single instant. Thankfully, empty space actually has a ridiculous amount of stored energy. The Law of Space Vibrations allows the user to use their own energy as a catalyst to access the vast potential energy stored in empty space and release that energy, converting it into a kinetic energy shockwave. The potential power was almost limitless, but the drawback was that Newton's Third Law was obeyed during this release, so the person who provided the energy as a catalyst would also experience the recoil of the shockwave. The Law's associated Physique would grant resistance to this recoil, but it didn't grant immunity.
Ironically, this drawback could be canceled out if used with the Law of Darkness. The Law of Darkness absorbed everything and rejected nothing. It could even absorb the recoil, preventing the body from being damaged when using the Law at the peak of its power. However, Darkness was conceptually unknowable and far more difficult to infer than space vibrations, meaning that Rayleigh needed more experience and tests to fully bring out its power.
A rare break in the clouds happened to occur on the third day, allowing Pacifist easy entry, guided by the landing port's beacon and his own skillful navigation. His ship was very small, only a bit larger than a van but shaped like an arrowhead with blue painted highlights.
The see-through cockpit's dome lifted and retracted forward. Rayleigh was pleased to see that it was a two-seater as he would have protested sharing a seat. A cylindrical droid with a red-painted head dropped down from the craft and started making whirring and beeping noises. Since Rayleigh was essentially taught every general subject by droids on Tython, he understood its meaning clearly. A familiar face stood up from the pilot's seat and jumped directly to the ground a few meters from where Rayleigh stood.
Unlike Rayleigh who spent the last year on an island getting a tan, Pacifist was still neon white with long, sandy blonde hair tied into a ponytail, his Padawan's braid gone and his hands in the pockets of his Jedi Knight Robes, likely a habit to hide the paw pads on his hands.
Pacifist gave a light smile and stated, "It is good to see that you are well. Now before I unleash you on the Galaxy, I do have a question. Is there anything you are unwilling to do?"
Rayleigh nodded as it was a pertinent question. He answered, "Just the usual. I don't wanna burn down churches, kidnap children, torture civilians, or jaywalk. You know, evil shit."
Pacifist nodded, seemingly satisfied with the reply. He then looked around and stated, "So this is Tython huh? Are there really a bunch of Holocrons here?"
Rayleigh shook his head, "You know, I never found a single Holocron in all my time here. But I do have Psychometry, so I used that to learn the skills of those who trained here."
"That makes more sense. Some Players really were tempted to come here and get some holocrons, but the Force Storm didn't help and the Landing Beacon was disabled, so it never came up. The Force does feel different here though."
Rayleigh tossed up Master Dyanameez's Lightsaber and said, "Want to give it a try? I also want to see if you've gotten rusty."
Pacifist lifted a hand into the air and the lightsaber hilt at his side flew from his belt to his hand and ignited. "You know, technically, it is not legal for those who are not Jedi to possess a Lightsaber, right?"
"That's fine. This is actually borrowed and I'll let you have it if you promise to return it afterwards. For now though." The green blade extended.
Pacifist gently stated, "Begin." He approached with two steps and lightly tested Rayleigh's reflexes with a swipe of the tip of the blade that Rayleigh swatted away. The swipe was a feint that turned into another slash, but Rayleigh lightly bent back to dodge it.
Pacifist circled and gave an opening that Rayleigh was happy to test with the former mirroring the latter's previous counter and dodge.
Once both got a feel for their opponent's reflex speed, they started exchanging move after move, adjusting their stance with every step and aiming for a vital point with every swing.
A small series of back-and-forth exchanges started the warm-up as Pacifist began moving more assertively, adding spins and flourishes to his blade work with speed and strength empowered by the Force. Rayleigh countered and deflected using a few basic spins of his own.
Pacifist stated, "You're using Soresu's defense against me, huh?"
Rayleigh smiled and replied, "I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain."
Pacifist continued, "Naturally. You must expect me to attack with Makashi!"
Rayleigh agreed, "Naturally. But, I find that Djem So cancels out Makashi. Don't you?"
Pacifist laughed, "Ha! Unless the enemy has studied his Ataru..." He then did a front flip over Rayleigh and landed behind him, "Which I have."
Both Players momentarily stopped and stared at each other. Rayleigh was the first to break down laughing, with Pacifist following shortly. Each was on the ground, rolling and clutching their chests, tears dripping from their eyes.
It took two minutes for the pair to regain their dignity and Pacifist stated, "You are the first person to get that reference."
Rayleigh looked horrified. "Don't tell me Swordmaster and those others have never watched Princess Bride."
Pacifist, "No, they watched and got it afterward, but I tried the same on everyone else and no one else figured it out during the spar."
Rayleigh nodded and said, "Since we're both right-handed, you should have grabbed your Lightsaber with your left hand. I would have done the same and we could have gone further into the scene."
"I didn't think you'd catch on so quickly. Wasted opportunity but I'm still happy with what I got."
With that, Rayleigh disabled his borrowed Lightsaber and tossed it to Pacifist. "That belongs to Jedi Master Dyanameez. You know her?"
"Of course. She runs the archives with Master Jocasta Nu. I'll make sure to give it back to her."
"Thanks. What are you going to say?"
"That the Force told me to come here and I saw an active beacon so I landed and picked you up."
Rayleigh acknowledged, "That works."
Pacifist returned to the pilot's seat of his ship, something he called a Jedi Starfighter. His whirring droid re-entered the ship and Rayleigh jumped into the ship's back seat and buckled in as the ship closed up and the engine started.
It only took a few moments for the ship to lift into the air and rise through the cloud cover back into the blackness of space. There, floating in orbit above the world was a house-sized ring with engines on either side. The small starfighter docked into the ring and locked into place as the engines on the ring lit up and Pacifist started, "Preparing to jump into hyperspace."
A moment later, the dots of light that made up the various stars in the distance turned into lines as the ship was propelled forward.
Pacifist said, "It will take about nine hours to get from here to Corellia. Are you sure that's where you want to go? The Temple can take care of anything you need."
Rayleigh shook his head. "No thanks, the Temple might be able to help me live, but it won't help me get stronger."
Pacifist stated, "I really don't think there is anywhere in the Galaxy that has more knowledge on the Force than the Jedi Temple."
"It's not the Force I need to make stronger, it's my heart. Mind, Body, and Heart. Those are the three parts that must be trained to become stronger. But Jedi literally forbid training the Heart because training the Heart the wrong way can lead to the Dark Side. Instead of figuring out how to train the Heart the right way, the Jedi abandon the Heart entirely."
Pacifist asked, "What's the difference?"
"I'll tell you if you tell me a bit about what's going on in the galaxy and what the Players are doing. It's a long flight after all."
Pacifist only considered a moment before he agreed. It wasn't like it was a secret or anything.
According to Pacifist, the Jedi Players had three general factions.
The Temple Faction is loyal to the Jedi. They wanted to protect the innocent, maintain the peace, keep suffering as low as possible. They were made up of himself, Avatar, Grey Matter, and Star Prophet.
The Senatorial Faction was not loyal to anyone but partnered heavily with the Senate and the Supreme Chancellor. They worked on a collective give-and-take relationship where the Players would perform tasks for certain senators and get rewards in the form of money, tech, or resources. Swordmaster, Gambler, Blind Prophet, Lord of Madness, and Deadshot were members of this faction.
And the Independent Faction is currently composed of Mechanic, Vash the Stampede, and Tails. They worked together yet did not help the Senate or the Jedi.
Rayleigh suspected that the Pirate Faction would soon be added to that list. Rayleigh didn't like the Senate or the Jedi, so the Independent Faction was his best bet for the moment.
Pacifist continued, "According to Star Prophet, war is coming. A former Jedi named Count Dooku will lead an army against the Republic. The only way to stop it would be to kill Count Dooku, but he is really hard to track down. Especially since Blind Prophet often gets in the way when Star Prophet tries to find him."
Rayleigh asked, "Why is she helping Dooku?"
"Star says it's because the war will make the Republic stronger and the Jedi weaker. The stronger the Republic, the more benefits the Senatorial Faction can get for themselves."
"Has anyone thought of telling this to the Jedi Masters?"
Pacifist released a long and tired sigh at that question. "It wouldn't work. There is a history of Seers in the Jedi trying to stop a horrible future and end up causing it. Due to this, the Jedi Policy is that if you see something really bad, ignore it. If you are found trying to stop it, you will be locked up to prevent the possibility that your actions could cause the very thing you tried to stop."
That one actually stunned Rayleigh speechless. "Really?"
"Yeah. Honestly, a lot of us are just trying to keep the casualties as low as possible. I'm really not looking forward to this."
Rayleigh replied, "Sounds like a good chance to train your Heart then."
Pacifist asked, "So you don't think Jedi train their heart?"
Rayleigh scoffed, "Jedi literally go out of their way to avoid training their Heart. When you have no idea what to do, you're supposed to listen to your heart and let that guide you. The stronger your heart, the better the decisions you can make. But the Jedi never listen to their Heart. They listen to the Force. Any action or duty that requires the Heart is done using the Force as a substitute."
"Is that such a bad thing?"
"The Force doesn't care if you or anyone else dies. The opinion of Ghosts should not dictate the rules of the living."
The rest of the journey continued in silence as Pacifist chose to meditate on their conversation. Jedi star crafts didn't have bathrooms or entertainment, so it was standard for Jedi to just meditate throughout their travels.
Rayleigh always had at least one Will meditate, but since he lost his conversation partner, he had the other Wills do combat training. He only used Jedi lightsaber forms in that little spar with Pacifist, but that was all he needed to see the depths of the latter's sword skill, so a few of his Wills copied Pacifist's full strength, and Rayleigh practiced against him. Rayleigh also knew the effects and powers of the Paw Paw Fruit thanks to seeing it in action, so he could give his mental representation of Pacifist those skills as well.
The result? A beat down. The Paw fruit had two weaknesses. It could only reflect and redirect forces that came into contact with the hands, and he only had two hands. Rayleigh just had to use some omnidirectional attacks. Like send a slow flying slash, change position, send a medium-speed flying slash, change position, and send a high-speed flying slash. When calculated right, all three arrived at the same moment at different angles and his Paws could only block two. Of course, he certainly would not be standing still, so Rayleigh had to predict where he would be in advance and outspeed and out-predict him. It was a fun little exercise to take up his time until they reached their destination, Corellia.