Play Testers Wanted Pt. 10

This one took on a life of its own. I sketched out critical scenes I wanted to make sure were written and followed a logical sequence of events. Pfft!! As always, I begin writing a scenario and whoosh, I am off into the Unforeseen Country. I am like where the hell did that come from? I am forced to ask myself critical questions. Is it cool? Does it add to the storyline without wrecking it? Is it visual or have a heavy sensory component to it? If it fits one or more, I'll likely keep it. This is going to come in four rapid fire posts, ten through twelve. The whole thing is over 120 pages, so I am going to post one part a week for three weeks.

Enjoy. Vote. Comment.

*****

Training Day:

Aoki and Kyanna were sharing a bath while I showered. I had never dated two women at the same time, but it was clear that is what was happening. I glanced down at my upper thigh where the robotic arm had extracted the tissue and bone sample. The deep bruise was almost gone and after only ten hours. I touched it gingerly at first but when it didn't hurt, I washed it to remove the remainder of the chemicals that had been sprayed on it.

"Hey Booker," Kyanna called out.

"Yeah?" I replied as I turned to face the tub.

"What are you going to do after this... I mean the playtesting." She said her voice faltering.

"What she wants to know is if you'll still want to hang out with us." Aoki giggled and I felt the same fear of loss.

"I've grown quite attached... what I mean is..." I stammered and I heard the dual splash as they left the tub and crowded around me. "I care about both of you and..." Kyanna kissed me into silence and then Aoki took her turn to kiss me after that. "I still want to finish the Marvel Vs. Disney Princess, I hope that doesn't come off as selfish."

"We understand," Aoki giggled. "If I had the chance, I'd be on that in a heartbeat."

"Same here," Kyanna said and then bit her lower lip. When I asked her, what was bothering her she jumped up and down and I couldn't help but smile. "I was accepted into the US lightsaber team!"

"Huh?" I said and Aoki knew all about it.

"The French made lightsaber dueling an official Olympic event this year. The world is snatching up the best duelists for their teams. I'm surprised they haven't approached you yet." Aoki explained with a puzzled expression.

"Maybe we just missed each other," I stated and wondered if working for Numenor disqualified me.

"You know what," Kyanna said excitedly brainstorming. "We could open our own dueling school.

Maybe Kat would sponsor us... I mean if you'd want to..." I kissed her into silence this time.

"Speaking of Kat. Have either of you seen her?" Aoki asked and I felt a sudden pang of guilt tinged with fear.

"Crap," I cursed. "Listen, I need to make sure she is okay. I'll catch up with you in the cafeteria or worse case in game."

I rinsed, dried off, and dressed. I took the elevator down to the sublevels. I moved quickly and quietly to my old room. It didn't appear to have been reassigned. I slipped in silently that came from so many hours skulking around in game and with a marriage of practice and muscle memory. Many of the other play testers still slept and so I went cautiously. I tried to remember what part of the wall the wet footprints had led to.

"Booker? What are you up to?" Surfer whispered manifesting without warning.

"I want to make sure Kat is okay. If anything happened to her, I'll never forgive myself." I said and I saw the A.I. thinking over whether to help me and add to that her unbidden manifestation I was painfully aware of her strange behavior. I was about to ask her what the fuck was going one when she cursed.

"Damn it!" She said and a hidden door slid silently open.

I heard voices speaking and one of the them was Kat. I followed Surfer's avatar down the empty hall to an empty room. The dim illumination given off by Surfer was more than enough light for me to see by. It was a large room and it was clear by the scratches along the walls and floor that it had been cleared out quickly and recently. Some of the paint was flayed and the metal beneath gleamed under Surfer's radiance. What the hell was going on in here? The next two rooms were much the same as the first with damaged walls and floors, but in the third room there was the faintest hint of that chlorine smell I had woken up with before. I heard Kat speaking in hushed whispers with someone else, a male voice I didn't recognize.

"Did you hear something?" Kat asked.

"He's right on time," the other replied. "I'm sorry." He said and I felt he was addressing me. The overhead lights came on and instinctively I looked up. Those same lights began strobing at a fast-intense rate. I lost control of my body. There are two types of seizures. In the old days they called them Grand Mal and Petite Mal. Grand Mal are the ones you see in the movies where the person drops and flops. I was subjected to the second type, what they call a 'partial complex' seizure. It can manifest from the weak end with mild auditory or visual hallucinations to the more severe fugue state where you just go away and lose X amount of short-term memory. The victim of these types of instances usually get used to it and go back to the last thing they can remember to figure out how bad the seizure was. Low end memory loss can be as little as an hour, but on the high end it can be as much as seventy-two hours. There can be flashes of events that occurred during the seizure, but they feel more dreamlike than true memory.

In my case I went away. I don't remember my body hitting the floor. The rest are obscure bursts of images, smells, and pain. I am on my back looking up at the blossom shaped surgical lights. I hear Kat crying off to my left. I feel wet and smell that distinct chlorine scent. I see a bright red laser line painting my left arm just below the elbow. I feel sick to my stomach and my arm burns. My body is hovering in fog and It feels like someone dumped ice water into my veins. Then the male voice returns out of that fog.

"Test. This is a test. Remember that... a test."

I felt like I was falling. I didn't hit bottom, but the sensation ended. I was surrounded by darkness. I could see, was I in the game? To see if I was, I tried pulling down my HUD and saw that my equipment was once again greyed out, but all my abilities were accessible. This was a test. I went to task and used far sight to see where the hell I was. I was in interstellar space. The asteroid I was trapped inside was slowly tumbling towards a structure off in the distance. It looked like a lighthouse after a fashion.

"Fuck you asshole!" I cursed and tried to teleport to the structure. Nothing happened. I tried folding space but that failed as well. "Fine. I'll have to dig my way out. Let's see what I am dealing with." I growled as I scanned the properties of the asteroid. It was composed of equal parts 'unknown element' and meteoric diorite. "Great!" I snarled. Diorite was just this side the hardness of diamond. The only reason I remembered was when mom talked about replacing the kitchen counter tops with it. I did research and wondered at the time how the hell she could afford it. She never did say. I couldn't attack the diorite with my spells since I would be at ground zero, but I could remove the unknown element to my heart's content.

I used the spell for mining and attacked the main mineral content inside my prison. I had to shift to gaseous form to keep from being covered in the strange dark powder. As it filled the empty pocket, I added the 'strange alloy' to my inventory so I didn't drown in it. Once I had mined all the strange alloy from the asteroid I went on the attack. The diorite resisted my best attacks. While I waited for my meters to recharge, I pondered how the hell I was going to escape before the asteroid smashed into the lighthouse.

"I am so fucking stupid!" I said as I remembered something my dad had taught me. "Place a firecracker in an open palm and you get singed a bit. Close your hand around it and you'll lose fingers from the same explosion. I am going to crack this fucker like an eggshell."

I would try and use Force burst but in reverse. Instead of building up a compressed ball of telekinetic energy I was going to fill this space until it popped. I remained in gaseous form so I could survive the explosion to come. I built up the energy slowly and once it was full, I added more and more. It felt like taking a garden hose to a balloon. It can only hold so much water before it burst. The same was true of the asteroid. It shook like a bitch until finally the structural flaws gave way and the rock split into seven pieces that flew off in different directions.

"Yes!" I exclaimed when I pulled down my HUD and had access to all my equipment. "Let's take a look, shall we?"

I teleported to the lighthouse. I looked up the configuration and Surfer came back with a hyperspace warning beacon. These were towed into place and anchored around anomalies or dangers that pilots should avoid at all costs. I couldn't get in, but I did notice the strange space nearby that when I scanned it came back as an erasure anomaly. What the hell did that mean? I received a message from Aoki and Kyanna. They were in game and waiting for me aboard my ship. Their names triggered something. I didn't remember logging into the game. I was just suddenly inside the damn asteroid. I remembered being in the shower with them and then nothing. No there was a hint of something. Fog and a bright glowing flower. My left arm twinged as if an electrical current ran through it or I had hit my funny bone. It wasn't painful just annoying. I flexed my fingers and wondered if it was just a glitch. My biggest problem was more urgent did I use my Ghost Fire persona or Katria? As if on cue a wave of dizziness slammed into me and I nearly let go of my grip on the lighthouse. You know that sensation when you get up and walk into a room and can't remember why you did it. This was that except I didn't remember getting up.

"How the hell did I get here?" I muttered to myself. "Left hand... what about it? Must be a minor glitch. I'll remember it or not. Fucking nightmares." I murmured as the memory proved elusive. "Damn, I just can't remember! Back to the things at hand. Surfer? What should I do?" I asked and she manifested next to me staring out at the wonder of the view.

"Nice isn't it. Do? Please specify." Surfer requested a bit stiffly.

"Ghost or Katria?" I asked.

"I already informed the ladies that Katria was going to help them out." She stated with a wistful smile.

"Katria it is. Can you transition me?" I asked and she bowed low.

I was back in the white room with a ten second countdown. The last of the unease seemed to melt away. The clock reached zero and my eyes opened. I was staring up at familiar surroundings. There was a naked body next to me under the covers. I shivered and clutched my left arm. What was that? I turned my head and spied the heavily tattooed shoulders and lekku of Whisper Shadowborn, formerly Darth Talon. We chose a new name since she'd be existing outside her normal timeline and we didn't want to create continuity errors. I looked to the other side and it was just me and the Lethan Twi'lek in the bed.

The cabin door opened, and I was happy I had shut off the comic book features which added thought bubbles and crazy sound effect tag lines to everything. Aoki's avatar, a sapphire skinned Twi'lek, stuck her head in and informed us that the ship would be dropping out of hyperspace soon. I pulled down the covers and slapped Whisper on the ass rousing her. She let out a long sensuous moan as she thrust her ass upward and brought her knees up.

"Again," Whisper tittered. "I dare you to slap my ass again!" I cupped my hand and pulled back slowly. Crack! The slap that was heard all the way to the cockpit. "Yeah! I am up now!"

Whisper sprang into action and pinned me to the bed. She kissed me fiercely and left me breathless as she disengaged and headed for the shower. I watched her saunter away and purred. Being a Cathar she heard me and beckoned me to join her. I did. A shower and a nutrient bar later and all of us were in cockpit watching at the luminescent cloud before us dissolved and we reentered normal space. The blue-green world before us resonated in the Force.

"Welcome to the planet... Alpheridies." Kyanna informed us. "Never heard of it."

"Neither have I." I admitted. "It is strong in the Force though. A perfect place to train if they'll give us leave to land."

"I am sure they will," Kyanna said as she triggered the ships communication array. Her avatar was a member of the Mirialan race, near humans with their green skin, long black hair, and face bearing small geometrical tattoos. "We are receiving a message."

"Unknown vessel, what is your reason for coming here?" A strong male voice came over the speakers followed by pops and mild distortions.

"The is the Ivory Wraith and I am looking for a place to train my young apprentice in the ways of the Force. We seek shelter on your world for a time. We mean no harm." I said and as I felt a thousand minds reaching out as one to sense our intentions. I endured it and felt their grudging admission that we meant them no harm.

"We don't get many visitors." The voice returned. "We will give you coordinates to a place where you may stay until her training is complete."

I was about to thank them but Kyanna shook her head. They had already cut off communications. We followed the coordinates down to the surface and as we flew in on final approach there were no cities that stood out or any large structures to speak of. The planet was as wild as if it were uninhabited. We set down on a shelf of rock near a cave opening. The surrounding area was an orchard of fruit trees. Well, at least there was food. Kyanna powered down the ship and we decided to explore the cave to see if it were habitable. We unpacked spelunking equipment and headed out eager to see this new world.

"Will you look at that!" Aoki said pointing to the deep etchings on either side of the cave. "They look like lady justice, blindfold and all."

"Now, I know where we are." I stated. "The Miralukans live here."

"Never heard of them," Kyanna chimed in.

"They are physically blind but perceive their environment through the Force. The entire race is Force sensitive." I said. "No wonder they weren't expecting visitors. Few even know this planet exists."

"Let's see why they chose this spot for us to train." Aoki said and we entered the cave. But it wasn't a cave, it was a tunnel. A tunnel that led to an entire living area that appeared to have been abandoned for centuries. In the center of the enclave was a single tree and I felt its power before we even left the tunnel.

"Whoa! This is a sacred space, treat it like one." I stated.

"You that calls yourself Katria, come forward." The tree said touching my thoughts. I did and the others hung back. "Place your hand upon my trunk so that we can know each other better." My hand was shaking as I raised it and touched the silvery grey bark with my open palm. The rush of images was staggering. I saw the tree being planted by two shimmering figures, Celestials the tree explained. They had fashioned the tree as a living holocron. It learned from Force users that visited it and it in turn passed on its accumulated knowledge to them. "You are in balance. The Je'Daii are extinct. I will accept you as my padawan. I will teach you even as you instruct them."

"Yes, my Master." I agreed gleefully. "Let's get our shit stowed we have some training to do." I said as I turned to face the others.

The enclave could easily house dozens of Force users. We searched it for the best place to settle ourselves. The interior had once been a natural cavern but that was centuries ago. The Miralukans had shaped the stone using the Force creating a natural flowing creation. One room merged into a serpentine tunnel and on either side rooms, chambers, and spaces for storage or allowing airflow to give the entirety an unplanned yet organic feel. There were two sources of water for the area. One of them was a waterfall that fell from above the enclave and allowed for natural showers and a source of drinking water. The other was an underground hot spring that surfaced in a carved bath.

"One that calls herself Katria, I require your presence." The tree called. I was near the top of the enclave, easily forty feet from the surface of the great hall as I thought of it. I hopped over the railing and landed quite easily with very little use of the Force to soften my landing. "Impressive. I have set your other companion, the scarlet one. She aids me of her own free will."

"Of course, she does." I said. "What do you need?"

"Show me your lightsaber," the living holocron asked. I took out the weapon that Whisper had made for me. "Interesting. You didn't fashion this weapon."

"No. It was a gift lovingly crafted as you can perceive." I replied and I felt the Force flow over and inside the lightsaber. It broke apart into its components and I was surprised to see two crystals inside of it. One was a deep green crystal while the other was an unusual silver gem. "Interesting indeed. Natural silver crystals are rare, exceedingly so." The weapon flowed back together and settled into my hand. "You will use the training holocron in your possession to show me how quickly you learn a new fighting style. I will monitor your progression. The Mirialan will teach the Twi'lek the first three forms of combat. I will judge all of you and reward you as I feel you deserve. You may begin when you are ready."

I dove into the training provided by the Svartalfar battle master. He was brutally demanding but I refused to give up. As with all things the dark elves developed their martial skills as a blend of power and beauty. The actions might appear similar, but the muscles used were different and left me sore and in need of a good soaking within the enclave afterwards. I wasn't the only one. The tree was equally demanding of the others.

"And that was just day one," I muttered at one point.

"What are you doing?" Kyanna asked. "I peeked during one of my breaks and didn't recognize that sword style."

"I found something akin to a holocron and am trying to master it." I said being deliberately vague.

"It is pretty to watch," Aoki said. "I managed to levitate two rocks today."

"Excellent, if you have the strength and patience try a few grains of sand," I suggested.

"Sand, that'll be easy!" Aoki exclaimed and then looked at Kyanna. "Have you ever done it?"

"Honestly, no, but let's give it a try." Kyanna said and looked over a cracked stone and some rock dust near the break. She blinked a lot and her face showed strain as she focused.

"You are trying too hard," I said soothingly. "Relax." I offered as the dust rose up and formed several configurations as I levitated it. I let the dust fall to the ground.

"Just when I thought I've figured you out, you do something like that." Kyanna laughed. "What is the most weight you've ever lifted at once?"

"To solve a puzzle, early on, I lifted six multi-ton obelisks, and moved them to new positions. I learned later there was a hidden control panel to shift them using that. I felt so damn stupid." I said and missed their shared expressions of awe. "My second instructor was impressed since he was watching at the time."

We had our evening meal and I meditated until my stamina was fully restored. I continued training as they slept. I added a second weapon to my form before they woke up that morning. I was meditating when they woke up. I ate with them and learned I needed to craft an energy shield to move onto the next level of training. I never used a shield in combat before. I showered and changed before taking the schematics from the crystal to the crafting station onboard my ship. Whisper had been busy working for the Tree and when I walked onboard, I found out what she had been up to.