14 State of the Game

(I retconned something in chapter 10. I removed Revan's name since I realized that he was already dead at this point in the timeline. That Jedi is now known as Yolar and the padawan is still unnamed.)

After that fun, I found myself sitting in a booth with my dad, Viktor, and Galen. We were currently having drinks in a diner nearby. Although not as high as the sub-levels of Coruscant, CoCo town did have a considerable crime rate. Fortunately, my new speeder was safe since it was both insured, and was durable enough to prevent break ins.

Viktor took a sip of the cold ale, heaving out a powerful exhale as he relaxed. "Son, how did you get enough credits for that speeder?"

I laughed and nodded towards Galen. "Galen and I ran into some luck. I can tell you about it later." This was implying that I'd tell him off-stream.

Viktor nodded, but then sighed in apparent frustration. "Ughh, you really are lucky. I'm out here hunting for scraps but you're dripped out and rolling in cash."

I shrugged, glancing towards Galen and seeing that he still had no intention to talk. He was probably starstruck. "What are your plans?"

Viktor perked up a bit, climbing out of his self pity. "Well, I was gonna finish this investigation that I'm on and then check out the enlistment office. Why do you ask?"

I chuckled. "Well, I'm sure you are much more in touch with the other travelers than I am. Have you been hearing any rumors?"

Viktor smirked. "Yeah, I've heard a few things. There's only two that are verified thus far."

I nodded. "Alright, I'm listening."

Viktor nodded, taking another sip of his ale. "Alright, so the first is regarding the whole 'no classes' situation. Some people have discovered that you can get certified as a professional."

I tilted my head in confusion, furrowing my eyebrows. "Professional?"

Viktor smiled. "Yep. I've even done it myself. I'm a footsoldier. It was one of the easiest ones so I decided that it'd be a good place to start. The CSF actually gave me that certification. It is the most common certification in the force."

I nodded, kind of understanding. "Are there other certifications?"

Viktor nodded. "From what I've heard, yes. Aside from certain organizations being able to certify you in specific areas, people have been saying that the Bounty Hunter's Guild can certify you in all of them. Only three other professions have come to my knowledge; namely Bounty Hunter, Gunslinger, and Heavy."

I looked towards Galen. "Maybe we should check that out." Galen only nodded, remaining silent.

Sighing was all I could do. He was acting very strange. "So what's the other rumor?"

Viktor sighed, shaking his head. "The other one is a bit troublesome. There are groups of players that are ganging up and acting very territorial. Some people are saying that they are unofficial guilds, but I can't confirm that suggestion."

I laughed. "They are probably right. Those high and mighty guilds are probably feeling like fish out of water right now. They are so used to having an advantage that they are strangling anything they can find. I do wonder, however, what is in those areas that makes them so protective."

Viktor shrugged. "Who knows and who cares? There is one other point surrounding that situation. Supposedly, travelers can start their own guilds when they have enough experience."

Now I was confused again. What did "enough experience" mean? "What do you mean by that?"

Viktor chuckled. "Level 10."

I nodded in understanding. "Ahhhh, I see."

On that note, I had realized that I never looked at my level. I had honestly thought that the level meant nothing but maybe there was more to it. Pulling out my comm, I tapped on the ID icon. When it popped up, there was an additional piece of information which was my level. It currently displayed "Level 3 (47%)".

Looking back at my dad, I became curious about something. "How much experience do you have?"

Viktor smirked. "I'm currently at 2 with 50% progress. I'm pretty proud of it since most travelers haven't even exceeded 1. What are you at?"

I laughed wryly, scratching the back of my head. "I'm a full level ahead of you."

His eyes widened, slightly shocked. "Oh, I don't feel so proud anymore."

I shrugged. "Eh, it's just one level. It doesn't mean that much."

Viktor sighed, shaking his head. "Well, it'll just be a pain in the ass. My viewers are already going off about how my own son is doing better than me." He took a deep breath, pushing those thoughts away. "Anyways, what are your plans?"

I glanced towards Galen. "Galen and I are gonna buy a light freighter. We decided that we want to leave Coruscant. Do you want to come?"

He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I'd rather not. I want a more authentic experience that doesn't involve freeloading off my son."

I shrugged. "Suit yourself. Anyways, what have you heard about this war?"

Viktor got visibly excited at this question. He really was a Star Wars superfan. "So I found out that we are currently somewhere between 3681 and 3653 BBY. You understand BBY, right?"

I rolled my eyes, nodding. "How could I not? You've explained it eighty million times."

Viktor nodded, quickly getting back to what he was saying. "This war is known as the Great Galactic War. The conflict is about reaching a climax which means that they will be lowering recruitment standards. It will make it much easier for us to enlist. I know that it is reaching a climax because it is currently a complete stalemate and I have heard rumors that a massive deployment to Alderaan is currently being prepared by the Republic. This means that it won't be too long before the war reaches Coruscant."

My eyes were sparkling as I recalled some of the movies and shows I had watched with my parents. Some of them explored this time period and the battles were epic. It might be a better idea to switch gears and enlist.

He noticed the look in my eyes and smirked. "Hehe, you're thinking about changing your plans, aren't you?"

I sighed. "Eh, fuck it. I'm sure it will be interesting." I turned to Galen. "What do you think?"

Galen shuddered as if he had just been struck by lightning. "I… That sounds fine, I guess."

I nodded, turning back to my dad. "Alright, that's that then. Do you know where the enlistment office is?"

Viktor nodded. "Yeah, there's a bunch of them all over Coruscant. There's actually one down the street from here."

-GE-

A straight faced woman was sitting across from me. "Name?"

I was currently sitting in an enlistment office. It was extremely bland with blank walls, a few chairs and a desk. I had been reflecting on what brought me to this point, curious as to how things changed so quickly.

Sighing, I answered the question. "Soryn Brenko."

The woman nodded, typing on her terminal. "Homeworld?"

I tilted my head in confusion, not sure what to answer. I didn't really have a home world. Wouldn't it sound ridiculous if I said, "The Wellspring of Life"? After thinking for a few moments, I snapped out of my daze. I was going to make something up. The first thing that came to mind was, "My homeworld is Naboo."

She nodded, typing again. "Combat experience?"

I chuckled. "Shouldn't that already be in my file?"

She looked up at me with a bored expression. "Combat experience?"

I shook my head. "I had a run-in with the Pykes and was recognized by the CSF as a Good Samaritan."

She nodded, typing a few more things. "Alright, Soryn, you are going to be enrolled in the officer training program with an expedited status."