Star Wars: The Old Republic – An Isekai Tale

Chapter One: Welcome to Tython

It was supposed to be a normal day.

The Jedi Temple on Tython was as peaceful as ever, the sun shining and the dulcet tones of masters instructing their padawans resounding around the courtyard. Not all were so fortune, Padawan Kira Carsen bemoaned internally, all the while trying not to let the boredom show on her face.

While it was certainly an honor being taught by a member of the Jedi Council, the meetings themselves tended to be rather boring. Standing by Master Kiwiiks side, it was all she could do to not let the boredom show on her face as Master Kaedan droned on about the Flesh Raiders for the third time this week. Despite his measures having received no support, and even being assigned to a mission to Tatooine, he continued pushing for Jedi intervention.

Rather than resting his case and preparing for his upcoming off-planet assignment, the stubborn Jedi had instead doubled down on his efforts leading up to his departure.

"Despite recent efforts, the beasts continue to make a nuisance of themselves at Jedi operations all across Tython. The Empire has been growing restless, and we cannot afford this distraction."

Kira barely resisted the urge to groan, muscles sore after standing in place for so long. It was all an overreaction in her opinion; the Flesh Raiders weren't even advanced enough to have blasters, much less pose a true threat.

Master Orgus had no such qualms, sighing as he rested his head in his palm. "So, no you intend to justify their slaughter as culling a distraction? They're hardly mindless beasts, you know. Too much blood would be spilled, on both sides."

It seemed as though the Grandmaster of the Order, Satele Shan, was of similar mind as she rose from her seat. Though none could deny she valued all her fellow councilors opinions, after three days worth of pointless meetings, even her patience had its limits.

Whatever Master Satele had been about to say was interrupted by a flash of light that blinded the entire Council, their startled shouts almost masking the heavy thump of something- no, someone, hitting the table.

When Kira was finally able to blink away the spots in her vision, she saw those masters present in the room had ignited their lightsabers while the holo-communications had cut out. Whatever had caused that light, it had to have been powerful to interfere with their electronics. Her own dual-bladed saber in hand, though not yet ignited, she turned her gaze to the source of this disturbance.

She blinked, taking in the bloodied form of a dark-haired human male approximately her age, though the blood made telling difficult, laying limp on the council table. The room was utter silence but for the hum of their blades, only broken by a sudden rattling breath escaping their mystery intruder.

"Send a healer to the Council Chambers, it would appear we've caught an intruder."

Master Satele recovered first, steel in her voice as she spoke into her personal holocommunicator. Extinguishing her blade, the decorated Jedi cautiously approached the 'intruder' only to find that he was clearly unconscious.

Stepping to the side to get a better view, Kira noted that his face wasn't one she recognized. It wasn't as though she could say she knew every Jedi in the order by face alone, but the fact that his presence in the Force was entirely alien was cause for concern. Jedi or Sith, regardless of belief, force-sensitivity or species, everyone she'd felt through the Force possessed certain key characteristics in their presence that marked a standard of life as she knew it.. Though he possessed some, others were entirely missing. Further alarming was how his presence flickered weakly, as though it'd take nothing more than a breeze to extinguish the man's life.

"A healer?" Master Kaiden repeated, appearing offended by the very suggestion. Though the other council members had followed in Satele's example, Kira noted that his saber alone remained lit. "We ought to prepare him for questioning!"

Satele's lips pressed together in a thin line as she finished her examination, evidently having come to the same conclusion as the lone padawan in the room.

"If you do, his blood would be on your hands." The Grandmaster turned to face those who remained, including a padawan who was still trying to wrap her mind around the unexpected twist this day had taken. "With these injuries, he shouldn't be alive. It is only the Force itself tethering him to life."

Stunned silence greeted her; for an unknown to sustain their life with the Force, without any Jedi training, without even brushing up against the Dark.. It was unheard of. Young or untrained Force-Sensitives had certainly been known to utilize the Force without training when in stressful situations, but their use was always blunt or spotty at best. Healing was a skill that required a delicate touch, and not one that even all Jedi could master.

"The healers won't make it in time." Satele observed grimly before turning her attention towards Kira and her master. "Master Kiwiiks, I need you and Padawan Carsen to meet the Healers halfway." An odd look came over her as she glanced back towards their mystery man, no longer hostile but almost.. puzzled - by whatever she was sensing from him in the Force.

"Of course." Master Kiwiiks easily acquiesced with a nod before rushing to the man's side without a moment to waste. This only served to further stoke Master Kaiden's ire, Kira noted to her own amusement, though he'd at least had the good sense to finally extinguish his lightsaber.

Despite the sheer oddity of the situation, there was a small grin on Kira's face as she followed behind her Togruta master. Council Meetings could be an absolute bore and she still couldn't bear to pay attention for more than a few minutes at a time, but missions? That, she could handle, and this was certainly shaping up to be her most interesting one yet. "We'll have him relaxing in a kolto tank in no time, master."

This whole situation was just.. unreal. There was no sign of forced entry in any of the walls, and the hiss of the chamber doors marked its first opening since their meeting had begun hours ago. It was as though the man had just appeared out of thin air.

Well, Kira mused to herself with a grimace as she slung an arm over her shoulder and felt his blood begin to soak into her robes. Though uncomfortable, it'd be more fun to complain to the man responsible once he was awake. Provided he wasn't secretly some Sith Lord attempting- er, having successfully breached the temple, that is. After getting a glimpse of his presence in the Force earlier, it was that much easier for her to find once again and begin pouring healing energy into his broken body in an effort to stabilize it. When I hoped things would get interesting, this wasn't quite what I had in mind.

It was supposed to be a normal day.

The insufferable Florida heat had finally dropped a few degrees into the range of regular temperatures, signaling the approach of winter. Jaiden Gray sighed as he exited the pharmacy, cellphone in hand and scrolling aimlessly in search of a song to listen to. The bottle of pills in his bag clattered about incessantly, doing nothing to help his mood. He had plenty of options, but nothing lately had seemed to really… click.

Story of my life, he thought with a hint of bitterness, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in heavy sigh as he began his long journey home. The temperature didn't often drop into anything resembling a bearable range here, so he was committed to enjoying it while it lasts… Even if it happened to turn a five-minute trip by car into a half-an-hour walk. All the more time to relax and listen to some music rather than worry over his future in a world ravaged by a global pandemic. Still being ravaged, actually, though at least now we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Jaiden's gaze lingered on a 'Help Wanted' sign at the local diner on the street corner, visibly recoiling at the thought. He'd had enough former friends work bussing tables and working in retail to know he wanted nothing to do with either field… nor anything else that really dealt with customers.

It never ceased to amaze him how stupid humanity could be, as a whole. Including himself, of course.

The flicker of the crosswalk drew his attention back to the present, adjusting his grip on the small plastic bag from the pharmacy and starting across. He was about halfway down the crosswalk when the loud screech of tires to his right pierced through the loud tunes blaring in his ears. It's like a 40 mile zone, who the hell's speeding through-

Jaiden barely saw a flash of red before a sudden sense of weightless overtook him. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he blinked, eyes locking onto the backside of a red truck in confusion as it sped through the crosswalk… directly where he'd been standing just moments ago.

Time sprung back into motion the moment it sank in, and he came crashing down onto the hard concrete with a sharp crack and a pained cry. Jaiden could hardly even breath, much less think past the sharp pain screaming throughout his entire body. He'd broken bones before as a kid, but god, that was nothing compared to what he felt now. And unlike back then, he didn't have his parents waiting just off to the side of the park to shepherd him away if he'd hurt himself.

Oh gods – mom. She'd be in hysterics over the whole situation, his sister and father too, regardless of how often they argued nowadays. But his mom… she'd be absolutely inconsolable; he could already imagine how she'd refuse to let her 'baby boy' go walking to the store ever again, regardless of the fact that he was twenty-three and could make his own decisions. Not that that was evidently going very well for him lately.

The hospital bill would certainly be a bitch-and-a-half, but he knew his parents wouldn't complain, even if the thought of further draining their limited funds seemed to further weigh him down with guilt. Wait, no- his chest was actually starting to feel heavier. That certainly doesn't seem good. Catching a breath grew harder and harder with every second, but it'd be fine. Surely the ambulance would show up any minute now, everything would be fine, and he'd be waking up to an ambush by tearful and relieved parents before he knew it.

Except… Jaiden should've been hearing sirens by now.

There was no sound at all but his shuddering breaths, growing ever weaker as blood spilled out from his broken body into whatever ditch he'd been flung into. Even if it hadn't arrived yet, sirens were obnoxiously loud, so he should've been able to hear it off in the distance at the very least. Whoever'd hit him clearly hadn't had the decency to stop and call for help, and as far as he could tell, there hadn't even been another vehicle turning down this road since.

His breathing hitched as he choked, coughing and hacking, struggling to breath for what felt like an eternity before blood sprayed past his lips and allowed air to fill his lungs once more. Oh god, that's definitely not good. Jaiden's thoughts grew panicked as he struggled to move his broken body, desperately reaching out for his phone. Sitting up was impossible, his fingers felt heavy as they scrabbled onto the surface of his phone.

Darkness crept in from the corner of his eyes just as Jaiden latched onto the device, scraping it across the harsh concrete, too weak to do more than grip it with the remains of his strength. "Please, no.." He gasped out, his voice barely a whisper even to his own ears.

I don't want to die here.

Whether he was pleading to a god or the universe itself didn't matter, no ambulance miraculously arrived and there was certainly no angel appearing to ferry him to the heavens. The world around him was dark and oh so cold, like nothing he'd ever felt before; a biting chill that he could feel down to his very soul as he lay there alone. Jaiden's breathing grew faster and faster, terror filling him as the time between each heartbeat grew longer. It felt as though his body were being crushed under the weight of the world, even a simple twitch of his fingers felt practically impossible, and then…

Utter weightlessness.

Oh.. I'm dead.

I thought being dead was supposed to be peaceful, Jaiden bemoaned inwardly, only letting out a soft groan after being blinded by what reminded him of florescent lighting. He'd have thought the afterlife would have something a little easier on the eyes, but he also hadn't exactly been expecting to die anytime soon, so clearly his judgement wasn't very effective.

Blinking did little to help the stars in his eyes, though his groans had garnered some attention. The unwanted kind, unfortunately, as his eyelids were peeled open and treated to an even brighter light blinding his poor retinas. "Hey, you're finally awake!" An unknown voice greeted the recently deceased, to Jaiden's endless surprise. Was sleeping an option in the afterlife? I could take the whole 'sleep when you're dead' thing literally.

"Sorry for the abruptness, but you need to get up!"

Or not.

"What're you talking about?" Jaiden finally questioned, reaching up to rub at his eyes. Finally managing to blink away the stars in his vision, the sights before him took his breath away. The rooms sterileness reminded him of a hospital, but the similarities ended there. A sudden bout of terror struck him, "How long have I been out?"

The doctor, or whoever he was supposed to be, was focused on carefully unwrapping and removing the bandages on Jaiden's chest and so his voice came out distracted. "Hm, only about a week or so. You were priority care, so only the lead Healer and the Council know the exact details."

Only a week, that's… not great, but understandable… Wait, that's my chest?!

"And when did I get these?!" Reflecting on this moment in the future, Jaiden would always insist that he did not in fact, squawk, and that his voice merely cracked from disuse after a week in a kolto tank. Regardless, he was blushing to the tips of his ears as he examined his mostly bare body that'd- somehow- transformed from the lankiness he'd been accustomed to all his life into a lean swimmers' frame. Huh, maybe I am dead after all.

"I wish I had more time to go over all the details with you, truly." To his credit, the- healer? - did truly sound remorseful as he hurried over to a locker and retrieved a bundle of clothing only to drop it at the foot of his bed. "I've seen the charts; severe blunt force trauma, massive internal bleeding in your chest and skull.. It's amazing you survived long enough to receive medical care."

Jaiden's face continued to pale as the list of injuries drew on, shifting uncomfortably in place. An awkward cough as he tried to come up with a way to change the subject; whether his death had sent him into a weird sci-fi afterlife or this was all some delusion brought on by his dying brain, his medical phobia apparently hadn't gone anywhere. "Right, well.. Everything's okay now?"

The healer nodded his assent, "That scar near your wrist was too old to do anything about, but we caught everything else just in time. You may find a few bruises, but they'll disappear over the next couple days."

Jaiden's sudden silence didn't seem to bother the man at all, busy was he was gathering up supplies and depositing them onto the medical bed.

"It must've been quite the battle; we'll need some of that skill to fend off the Flesh Raiders."

"The what?"

"I know, it surprised us too. They went from sticks and spears to blasters practically overnight, we need every Jedi out in the field to defend the Temple."

"Jedi? Look, I think there's been a mistake here-"

"I wish we had more time to speak, but I need to get ready to tend to the wounded. I've found you some spare robes and you can borrow my vibrosword, I'd be better served working here than in the field." The healer interrupted Jaiden's protest with an apologetic smile, "You really should hurry, and may the Force be with you."

Jaiden watched on in disbelief as the man had the utter audacity, as though he'd done anything more than leave him more questions, to turn his back and rush off into another room. Frozen, he spent a solid couple seconds staring after the healer before throwing his hands into the air with a strangled noise of outrage.

Far too many minutes later and with a healthy amount of grumbling, Jaiden managed to wrangle himself into what he recognized as the classic style of Jedi robes, like what he'd seen in the movies. Even as confused and disoriented as he was, he'd be lying if he said his inner child didn't cheer once he was dressed in the full ensemble. Wherever he was, at least the temperature was much cooler than what he was used to; this many layers, the outfit was practically a death sentence in Florida.

Speaking of which…

"Huh," Jaiden remarked, voice remarkably calm despite his internal screaming as he exited the Jedi Temple and watched as Jedi, actual Jedi!, fought with a pack of ghastly-looking creatures along the perimeter of an area that was definitely not Florida.

"...So much for a normal day."

Authors Note: Hello, everyone! This was my first true attempt at writing a fanfic in… I'd like to say around 6 years, so I hope you've enjoyed! Life is hectic and I can't promise anything even resembling a healthy update schedule, it'll all depend on my muse, but I'll do my best. (Might also make a separate fic once this one has enough of an established plot where I can just put drabbles and such – we'll see). Apologies if there's any typos or grammatical errors, it is very late when I'm posting this and I have no Beta or anything to go over my writing and let me know when I'm doing a dumb (which I do, often).

There was some quote I read, that I've yet to find again, that basically talked about how we need to create content and not just simply consume it. This really stuck with me as I've been greedily reading every fic I can find related to SWTOR over the last few weeks and been left wanting more. How can I expect people to keep writing in here when I'm not doing my fair share? I'd already been sucked in by the amazing story of the game after first playing through all the Jedi Knight content and DLC over the last month, and then all these amazing fics sent my imagination into overdrive till I knew I had to write something. I'd also like to give a huge shoutout (as much as a no-name writer can give, haha) to SWTORpadawan and his incredible writing for unknowingly inspiring me enough to take that plunge and dive into this community. Recently made a Tumblr (J-The-Jedi) if you wanna check me out there and send prompts or whatever!

May the Force be with you all.

I don't know if we have to add this anymore, but just in case; I do not own Star Wars, Star Wars: The Old Republic, or anything other than my OC, Jaiden Gray.