Author's Note: Chapter Two is here! We'll get a little more information on the Force System, reunite with some Immortal Gaming employees, and find out the opinions of Asuna and the others after Kirito spills the big news. Bigger question though...how did Kirito do on his mid-term test?

Also, I do not own SAO or Star Wars.

Chapter Two - A New Virtual Reality

"Hold on, Kirito stayed up late to get the games with the others? That's totally unfair!"

Rika Shinozaki, or Lisbeth as she was known in the VR world, was walking with a group of friends down the streets of Tokyo as she and the others made way for Andrew Mill's restaurant—the Dicey Café.

With her were several of her school mates, including her best friend Keiko Ayano (Silica), and her friend from a different school Suguha Kirigaya. Behind them was the rather quiet couple, and former heroes of Sword Art Online, Asuna Yuuki and Kazuto Kirigaya. Suguha had just finished explaining why Kazuto was so sleepy that day during school, because she was the only one who knew the real reason for his late-night loss of energy.

"That little brat…" Rika bit her tongue and tried to quell her comical bout of anger. "No wonder he fell asleep on his mid-term form. He was probably up last night getting through the tutorial too!"

"Well, not exactly…he never even played it." Suguha clearly explained what he was doing the moment she found him.

"He wasn't playing yet?" The little Keiko asked. "But didn't you say you unplugged his AmuSphere? What was he doing?"

"I'm not really sure." Suguha smiled softly with an ounce of embarrassment. "Anyway, if you guys are really that mad, I wouldn't even sweat it."

"No kidding." Rika smirked and turned her head half way around. "I bet she laid on the anger the moment they left the school."

Behind the three girls, Asuna Yuuki and Kazuto Kirigaya marched rather slowly to give themselves space from the others. From the looks on their faces, you could tell not much talking actually took place, but instead a whole lot of internal judgement was being cast around the pair.

Kazuto's face was nearly white, and he kept his eyes hanging really low. Meanwhile, the passive Asuna held her hands behind her back, and her chin up as she kept her eyes closed in thought. She never really said much after hearing the news, and she was still wondering whether she should be mad or not.

To be completely honest, Asuna would have been more shocked if he hadn't done it. She knew this game meant a lot to him, and she definitely knew it was more important that their exams that week. That was one thing she admired in Kazuto—he always knew what he wanted, no matter what.

Now, it was time for Kazuto to try and clear things up, before they got to the café. He swallowed all his pride and tried cracking a smile.

"Well…if it means anything, I really never played any of the game without you."

"I know." Asuna replied, flatly. "It probably would have been better if you had."

"Agh!" Kazuto literally had no idea how to respond to diffuse the negative tension, but just then he turned to find Asuna beaming with delight as she reached for his hand.

"That way, you would have had a positive memory on the day you failed your test!"

"…" Kazuto had no intention of denying that remark, but it turns out the poor grade from that day's exam was just enough of a punishment in Asuna's eyes, and deep down she really did know that this was an important game for him.

That alone left her confused. "Which still leaves me worried…why haven't you play the game yet?"

"Oh." Kazuto was glad to be holding her hand, but let his blood settle before releasing his information. "Well to be honest I was totally ready to pick my faction and play through the tutorial, but I don't think I got a regular copy of the game…"

"What?!" Asuna frantically replied. "Well you better return it! The game's already sold a record of new copies! You might not get a chance to play it until…!"

"Well actually, you didn't get a normal copy either…nor did Sugu."

"Ah…wh-what?"

Kazuto was right. Since he, Andrew, and Ryoutarou split buying their friend's games between the three of them, Kazuto not only bought his own disc, but also Asuna's and Suguha's as well. After his younger cousin woke him from the mysterious video, she asked him what the game was like. His response was rather vague.

"I told her it wasn't the game, and that it was some weird invitation to play a newer version of it downtown. Then we both checked her copy, and yours, and they were the exact same."

"That's totally creepy." Asuna tightened her grip on his hand. "So were the others invited to this…thing as well?"

"I'm not sure. It's possible since we were all in line together." He looked forward at the three girls out in front. "The five of us, Agil, Klein, Sinon, and we even ran into that Recon kid from Sugu's school at the store. All nine copies could be invitations."

"Well, that could be a coincidence…or maybe they saw your name on the pre-order and said everyone in your group should get one!"

"What?" Kazuto looked confused, but then noticed Asuna winking form her remark.

"After all, it's only a matter of time with every new game. You'll get dragged into some weird mission, and we'll be there to follow along."

"Yea, I guess so…" Kazuto weighed that thought as the Dicey Café's sign came into view. "I just need to do more research."

~Meanwhile, inside the newly released galaxy of SWTOR Online.

Canons flashed, and laser projectiles soared through the air on the war-torn planet of Alderaan, which sat just off the major sector of core systems in the center of the galaxy.

Here we find defenders of the Galactic Republic, guarding this land with their lives, and at the center of command sat the keepers of peace in the galaxy, and masters of the Force—the Jedi Order. Created in the olden days of the galaxy, these Jedi Knights were sworn defenders of peace and justice, and used their skills in combat to lead the defensive maneuvers of the Republic all across the galaxy.

One however, was no ordinary Jedi, but in fact was a rather high-ranking member of TOR's developing team. She was a co-GM, head writer for the game and co-producer, and currently she held an equally high rank within the Jedi Order.

"Master Amun-din, the Sith are advancing too fast for our forces to recoup. We need to plan our evacuation route immediately!"

A squad commander in the Republic army was briefing his higher order officer on the war front just off their camp inside the thick, Alderaan forests. They could see the fires and smoke from all over the planet, but the current Sith advancements were heading right for the Republic command and capital buildings of the once peaceful planet.

The female Jedi Master sighed and placed her hands on the railing in front of her. "The Sith have less men than they would like us to think. Not to mention the game was just recently released to the mass public. I'm sure more and more Republic players will join our relief."

"Master Jedi, they won't be enough." Cried out one extra commando. "We need to pull out our resources and begin our primary defense of Coruscant. We have no time to waste on this burning pile of nothing."

"…" The Jedi Master was trying to keep her spirits high, but it was all too dark in the hour of need. Alderaan provided a very easy pathway into the capital regions of the Old Republic, and all of its major enemies were currently trying to claim its system and hyper lanes for themselves.

One such enemy happened to be the ancient and evil order of the dark side of the Force—the Sith Empire. The Sith were making a move for the inner core of the galaxy, and Republic forces were trying their hardest to secure this war front, and drive the conflict out of the core and away from their capital. Immortal employees playing as Sith characters also managed to send a sabotage cruiser into the Coruscant Jedi Temple, and blew the building sky high before the official release. Master Amun-din knew how vital this place was, and she was rightfully behind defending it at all costs.

In reality, she was no Jedi, but instead a simple game developer who found herself stuck in the middle of a conflict she wanted no part of joining. Her name was not Amun-din, it was Amanda. She was raised in North America, and her family had taken great stakes in the Virtual Reality market. Now, she was leading a virtual fight, and as all hope seemed to fade for her imaginary Republic, one extra commander spoke her mind.

"Well, we will have a new addition to the war front this evening. Isn't that the release time for the Force Project?"

Amun-din turned her head, and looked right at the female commander's eyes. Her own eyes opened wide, and with that came a new spark of hope.

"Yes, and those copies were reserved for the world's best players. If we can add their strength to our cause, we might have a chance after all."

"Yes, but there is the possibility the Empire will recruit them first. It's more of a gamble if you ask me."

Amun-din ignored most of that remark, and as the flaming missiles and fire red lasers grew closer and closer to her command post, she looked on with certain belief.

"Well, if that's so, then it's a gamble I'll have to take. At the very least, they'll all be very skilled players…and they should be easy enough minds to mold in our favor."

Now, we finally reach the Dicey Café with Kazuto and all his close friends. Andrew Mills serves his guests drinks as Kazuto, Asuna, Suguha, Rikia, Keiko, Ryoutarou, and Sinon all discuss their brand new but slightly off video game.

"So none of us actually got the game? We only got video invitations for a new version of it?" Sinon sat at the bar with several other friends as the rest of them sat at close tables nearby.

Suguha nodded. "Yea, and Kazuto said the description clearly states we can exchange it for a regular copy at full price."

"So let's just do that then!" Rika stood slightly from her chair. "I just want a regular game with no creepy interruptions, and this warehouse testing thing sounds like it's going to be a total mess."

"I suppose so." Asuna nodded, but kept her eyes on Kazuto who was deep in thought about something. No one really knew what he was thinking, but Kazuto was almost too intrigued to receive these invitations.

"Why did we all get them though?" He asked. "I mean I understand why I got targeted, but Agil and Klein?"

"Hey, you saying you're more important than I am, Kirito?" Ryoutarou cracked a smile and continued joking around with Kazuto. "I'm just as big of a gamer as you are."

"Yea right…" Rika rolled her eyes and slid back into her seat. She then turned towards Kazuto. "Seriously though, what are you going to do?"

"…" Kazuto paused for a long while, which left the entire café rather quiet as well. They all could have made their own decisions, but if he insisted that the company specifically wanted him, then they too felt obligated to join in.

"So…" Kazuto finally stood off his stool and looked at the small crowd of friends before him. "I'm going to head down to the company's address and see what's up. I might even get some playing time in if I like what they have to offer. I don't expect any of you to join me, but I…"

As he tried to finish, Asuna stood as well, and grabbed his hand to finish both of their thoughts. "…Will be glad to have all of us right behind you."

"Eh, what the hell? I'd like to know more too!" Ryoutarou stood from his perch at the bar and walked around to put an arm over Kazuto's shoulders. "Besides, I'd like my name on this product if it ends up selling a billion copies."

"Whatever, fine!" Rika stood with a slightly angry face, but tried to hide her fiery emotions. "But I'm only going because Asuna's in too. Kirito, if anything happens to anyone in this group, I swear to god I'll…!"

"Whoa, save the anger for outside!" Andrew laughed and raised his hands. He shrugged and put up his white dish rag. "Man, I guess I can take time off to jump into some project. What's the down payment for helping again?"

"I forget, but I think it's pretty decent!" Suguha stood to join the others. "Anyway, I do feel like it's time the AmuSphere got replaced with something bigger and better. I bet this device is going to be pretty cool."

Keiko and Shino were the last to stand, but both held smiles on their faces as they joined the others. In addition, Shino even added a comment. "I better get to shoot something inside this game. It's futuristic, right?"

Little Keiko added on. "Yea, and what is this new machine exactly?"

They all laughed at Shino's joke, while Kazuto chose to answer Keiko. "It's called the Force Program? I don't know. They have some new way of transferring consciousness into the Virtual Reality. I'm almost more excited to see it over the game."

"Eh, don't go saying that, Kirito." Ryoutarou walked back over to the bar to grab his drink. He then downed it all in one go before finishing his thought. "You love this game, and some nerdy new invention isn't going to keep you from enjoying it."

"That's not what I…ugh, never mind." Kazuto let his head hang low as Asuna covered up a smile. He then released his breath and confirmed his final decision.

"Okay everyone, meet here tomorrow. We'll go to Immortal Gaming headquarters together."

The next day came slowly but surely as the entire world already had 24 hours to enjoy TOR Online. Fans were giving it high marks, but very little information was being released by the company, not even comments to accept its praise. Nonetheless, Kazuto Kirigaya and his band of gaming friends felt the need to investigate some more by taking the offer of a lifetime, and decided on taking part in a new Virtual Reality demonstration.

He and the others had just finished clearing their schedules, and were now parked just under the Immortal Gamming Tokyo headquarters. From there, the new group of nine which included the eight from the café, and now Suguha's school friend Shinichi Nagata (known better as Recon in the virtual world of ALO), were all taking a seat inside the main lobby of the company building.

They all chose to dress rather moderately, both for meeting company officers and for spending time in the gaming lab, and Kazuto kept his eyes on the door to the stairs the entire time.

Asuna caught onto this and nervously grabbed her hand. "Kirito, is something wrong?"

He shook his head without hesitation, and then gave her his attention. "Nah, just thinking on this new technology. They called it the Force Program in the video. I guess they designed a new method of taking you into the VR world, and it might be more efficient and more realistic."

"More realistic? What, like SAO?" Asuna was slightly confused. "Even that was impressive for its time, but I still knew it was fake. ALO's the same way."

"Yea, and GGO with them. I just can't seem to believe that this game will be any different." He then looked at the top side of a newspaper lying right next to him.

"Besides, TOR Online is already a hit. Why would they waste time inviting customers to some gimmicky presentation and steer them away from buying regular copies of the game? It's just kind of odd if you ask me…"

"Well, hopefully my team and I can change that opinion for you."

Kazuto stood up with great haste, and Asuna with him as they both looked to the stair way door. Now Ryoutarou, Suguha, and all the others were at their feet as several business men and women made way for the group of gamers.

The first one to speak continued his thought. "And that makes the final nine. I'm glad I counted that right…welcome to Immortal Gaming…erm, uh…" He kept looking around before he could confirm that the talking black haired boy was the one he wanted. "…Kirito!"

"Kazuto." The boy replied. "Kazuto Kirigaya. That's my name IRL."

"Right, apologies!" The elder man looked humbled, and almost even embarrassed for upsetting his guest. He was rather old, and appeared to be in his mid-70s, though you could tell his eyes were still sharp. He had a short head of slick grey hair, and a trimmed set of facial hair to match. Finally, he wore and all grey suite with a black undershirt, and a light gold tie as he approached Kazuto and his friends, and without further hesitation he stuck out his right hand.

"My name is Peter Mathis. I'm the CEO and creator of Immortal Gaming. I'm also the head developer of Star Wars: The Old Republic Online, and the primary stake holder of this operation."

"Geeze, enough titles?" Ryoutarou whispered into Rika's ear, which made the brunette girl laugh out loud and immediately cover up her mouth.

Kazuto ignored his friend's blunder and carried on. "Right, I recognize you. Your game sounds pretty successful so far."

"It does, and I hope it continues in growth across the globe." Peter Mathis turned slightly and gestured towards the stair door. "Please join us in the conference room on the next floor, I'd love to get started."

Asuna grabbed Kazuto's hand even tighter than before, and he accepted as they both led their group of friends into the mysterious back stair well and onto their final meeting. From there the group was debriefed with their initial mission, and as they all reluctantly accepted they were split off into groups of 2, with one remaining group being made up of 3.

This was Kazuto, Asuna, and Suguha. They both stuck with Kirito for every step of the way as the others volunteered to take the early routes. Both girls had watched their best friend walk into far too many games alone without any control, which left the two of them nervous every second.

Finally, Mathis personally led the remaining trio into the back of the hall, where the final testing room held their next mission phase. He opened the door and instructed for his three guests to get comfortable for the explanation.

"Kazuto and friends, please allow me to introduce the star of the production—the Holocron."

Kazuto and Suguha were completely blown away, but it was actually Asuna who gathered the most intrigue from the display before their eyes. The Holocron's design was largely similar to the medical-use VR machine, the Medicuboid, which happened to hold the bodies of several members of the Sleeping Knights Guild of ALO, including her former friend Yuuki Konno.

The Medicuboid was designed by scientist Koujiro Rinko which in turn was based on the high intensity and output scanner that Akihiko Kayaba used to copy his consciousness onto the Internet permanently at the cost of his life.

Kazuto stepped forward after ignoring the smug look on Mathis's face, and took in everything he saw from the three remaining machines. The basic design of the Holocron was almost too impressive for a regular VR device. It appeared as a very large rectangular cuboid machine that, along with the other two consoles and cooling equipment, took up an entire third of the large room, nearly reaching the ceiling at the top.

The outside of the machine was made from aluminum and gave off a dark grey-silver glow that provided the eye with a mechanical feel. The machine also held the logo of the manufacturer, and the simple words «HOLOCRON» in English on its side, along with a large number on top.

Kazuto froze for a moment before looking back towards Mathis for the first time since the lobby. "This is completely different from the AmuSphere. You probably should have mentioned that in the promotion video."

Like the Medicuboid, the Holocron came complete with a 3-meter-long soft bed attached, where the user could lie down, and allow a protruding helmet-like interface to completely cover the user's area above the shoulders, and envelop them in a pure world of Virtual Reality.

Mathis continued looking rather pleased with himself, despite Kazuto's recent concern. "I figured its size would scare the volunteers away. Our company is fully accredited, but a machine like this may have…stigmas attached to it."

Kazuto fully agreed, and now he had more questions for the man. "What, how many did you need to test in the first place?"

"One thousand units. Each located somewhere around the world."

"A thousand!?" Asuna and Suguha both yelled out in a gasp, and even Kazuto's eyes grew larger.

"You got one thousand people to sign up for the test?" Asuna replied with a cold voice. "Why so many?"

"Because the whole group of you will experience nothing like the other million players. Yes, you may be able to contact them in the open world, but you will only share the experience of the 1000 Force Programmers located around the world. This machine will help fully launch the future of gaming, and it will allow players to unlock the total corners of their minds and even wield…" He trailed off as his eyes narrowed with a vision of pleasure.

"What?" Suguha turned slightly. "Wield what?"

Mathis paused for a moment, but then took a bow as he started noticing the young participants growing more and more frightened. Then, like any gentlemen, he simply smiled. "I don't wish to spoil the game, but it will feel magical. Please, enjoy."

He turned around, and exited the room without shutting the door. Despite his slow departure, Suguha ran right away and shoved the two steel doors all the way shut before voicing her own opinion.

"That guy was totally creepy! Are we still cool with this?"

"Well…" Asuna began thinking about their six other friends who were already apart of the project. "I don't think we have a choice now." She turned and looked to her closest friend on earth, and tried receiving an honest answer. "Kirito? You still okay with all of this?"

Kazuto Kirigaya paused for a very long time without giving either of them his full eye contact. His mind was still wrapped up in Mathis's last comment. "Wield the power of…" What could he possibly mean by *wield*?" This left him too curious to stand idly by.

Then, Kazuto turned and put his hands on both of their shoulders. "I'm more than okay, Asuna. In fact, I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Sorry for an over load of their Japanese names. I like to use those when the characters are in the real world, then use the character names once inside the game, unless of course they're being used in dialogue (like how Asuna never calls him Kazuto.)

So we got to meet Amanda's in-game persona. She seems nice, but very ambitious...as does the head man, Peter Mathis. I based his appearance on a very important character from SWTOR...lol. May give something away.

Also, I finally started watching the new Alicization arc episodes. WOW! It's really good stuff!

Chapter 3 will be out whenever I get the chance to release it. Until then!