Naintarlow here, another chapter on the horizon at last.

This is more of a chapter used to set up the background of the game, mostly for those who are unfamiliar with Star Wars The Old Republic and its Knight of the Fallen Empire/Eternal Empire expansions.

The next chapter will return to the story proper but I used this chapter to introduce a few new characters that will have their roles in the story.

As usual thanks to Panzer_Hippo for betaing the story, your input has helped a lot as always. This is a rewrite after another awesome review from Agent94, thank you for the feedback and the opportunity to learn more.

Enjoy the story, feel free to leave reviews, always appreciate the feedback.

Chapter 2: Argo's Guide to a Galaxy Far Far Away

[System Reboot...Successful. All Systems Operate On 80% Efficiency]

[Initiating System's check...No problems found]

[Holonet Access...Granted.]

[Establishing Link...Access Granted. Pin: ****]

[Pin Accepted. Permission Granted, Establishing Connection]

[Permission Requested For Off-planet Access...Granted. Connection between Odessen And Tython Relays Have Been Established.]

[Accessing Alliance Database Level 1]

[Checking ID Privileges...Level 1 Access Granted]

[Loading Database...Accessing Tutorial Record...Tutorial Records Available to Viewing]

[Playing Tutorial Record First Entry Galactic Powers...]

The game's logo, Star Wars The Old Republic Online appeared on the screen as the download was finished. It was soon replaced by a recording of an old man, sitting in front of the screen with a patient look on his face, a pair of glasses resting on his nose.

He wore a grey, clearly militaristic uniform, which was devoid of medals or anything to distinguish itself from a standard uniform, yet fitted the 60 something man very well.

"Is this on? Oh Hello." He smiled as he seemed to fumble with the menu in front of him, only glancing at the screen at times. After a few moments, he finally seemed happy with the settings and turned back to the screen.

"Hopefully everything is working perfectly. My name is Nishida, a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He bowed, even though it was a recording, his kind smile never leaving his face."Outside this game, I was one of the people responsible for maintaining the SWTORO's server network connection as per our contract with Argus, the main developer of the game. In this world, I work for the Alliance, mainly as an administrative member, to support the deployment of the combat players as well as maintaining supply lines to other planets under the Alliance's banner. But I am rambling, please excuse me. I was asked to make this Tutorial Guide along with Argo-san, to allow players on lower levels to familiarize themselves with the basics of the game and help them advance safely."

"Honestly I am horrible with explaining things, especially young people as I tend to divert from the topic. Why I remember as a wee boy, going to my first star wars movie-" he started to talk before someone whispered to him from off-screen before handing him a small paper. He laughed in embarrassment as he fixed his glasses and looked at the paper. "Thankfully I came prepared with a written speech, so I hopefully won't lose track of what I am saying. Please try to pay attention." he said with a small mischievous smile.

The scene changed once again, now displaying the birdlike symbol of the Galactic Republic next to the hexagonal one of the Empire, Nishida's voice coming from the background.

"The two prominent powers of the setting of the game are the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire, the two factions that the player base currently or formerly belongs to. For more than twenty thousand years, the Galactic Republic has been the most civilized and advanced power in the known galaxy. Governed by the Galactic Senate with representatives from hundreds of star systems and planets, the Republic has been the center of peace and progress, a bright beacon in the darkness of outer space. It still far from perfect with corrupt and easily manipulable officials and senators, as well various groups from the inside working for their own end.

"In bright contrast stands the resurrected Sith Empire, born from the Remnants of the Sith of Old who managed to escape the Republic's Purge a thousand years ago. Ruled by the seemingly immortal Sith Emperor Vitiate, governed by the Dark Council formed by the highest-ranking Siths, along with the military. They patiently regained their strength, hiding in the shadows, waiting for their chance for revenge. In a world where might makes right, where power was the only real currency, it was survival of the fittest, even the lowest citizens or slaves were toughened up. Eventually, the Empire revealed itself and the large conflict known as the Great Galactic War was sparked and the fire of war swept through the galaxy.

"The long and bloody war ended with the Treaty of Coruscant which introduced a ceasefire between the two superpowers but all it managed was to postpone the conflict as both factions began to lick their wounds, recruiting and training new agents and ending up in a whole new Cold War. That's where the game's storyline started. This conflict was supposed to be the central point of the game's story. Until the Eternal Empire came. Until it all became real."

The scene was once again replaced by the spear-shaped symbol of the Eternal Empire, a symbol that caused many players to tremble and panic at the sheer sight of it. It was a symbol synonymous with despair to many.

"An entire Empire, hidden in Wild Space, an uncharted part of the Galaxy. They appeared out of nowhere and systematically crippled both the Empire and Republic while the two were busy fighting each other. They were supposed to be a new enemy of the coming expansion, an enemy that would unite players of the two opposing sides. Dare I say, it did exactly that, but not in a manner that any of us foresaw."

The image changed to show a person glaring at the screen, wearing silver ceremonial armor with gold linings. It was a human male, looking around 50-year-old, with a carefully trimmed beard and short silver hair. Despite the various wrinkles on his face, he retained a youthful appearance but his most glaring feature was his eyes. They were a sickly yellow, radiating malice that could be even felt through the fear, striking fear into the heart of the unprepared.

"The Eternal Empire is a totalitarian dictatorship, led by the Eternal Emperor, the immortal Valkorion. Though to us, he is known by another name, Kayaba Akihiko. The man who imprisoned us and is playing God with our lives on the line. He leads the Eternal Empire's conquest, along with his two children, Arcann and Vaylin, and won't settle for anything less than absolute domination of the known Galaxy and the extermination of us players. And behind him a considerable army waiting for his every command."

Another image popped up, this time showing a mass armada of spaceships. of an unknown, alien design.

"The might of the Eternal Empire is the Eternal Fleet, a fleet of droid-controlled warships with immense firepower. They are mostly stated around the capital of the Empire, Zakuul but smaller patrols still pass between worlds under the Empire's sway, as well larger pockets left around more important worlds. To further bolster their military might, their droid army, composed of the Zakuulian Skytrooper model is constantly getting upgraded, along with the inclusion of the force using orders originating from Zakuul, the Knights, and Scions of the Eternal Empire. They are neither Jedi nor Sith, or at least not in the conventional sense."

"But not all hope is lost."

The screen changed now showing a hybrid symbol made out of the Republic's and the Sith Empire's symbols. The left half was the Republic one, while the second half of the circle was the Empire. That was the symbol of the Alliance.

"The Galactic Alliance, also known as Alliance against the Eternal Empire or even simply as Alliance. It's a gathering of various smaller groups, imperial and republic defectors alike who wanted to make a difference. The creation of the Alliance was a gradual thing but something inevitable considering the size of the enemy we face. At first, only shaky cooperation between larger groups of players with the creation of the main base on Odessen and other parties joining, soon it was time to be something more formal, and the Alliance was born 7 months after the death game started and began to successfully several attacks and began to carve a piece for itself among the galactic power."

The scene changed one last time, this time showing a large gathering of players standing in a military parade. Sith, Jedi, Smugglers, Mandalorian, Assassins, and simple troopers of both sides stood side by side, unbothered by standing next to their mortal enemies.

"Players from different corners of life, following different philosophies came together, to stand against the madness unleashed by a mad man. Jedi, Sith those ideologies, hardly matter anymore, no one can face the coming horde alone, only in unity do we have a chance. It's not a fight for survival, it's a fight for our freedom. And if you are brave enough to step onto this path filled with obstacles, I can only say this: thank you and good luck." Nishida finished sincerely before the video ended.

[First Entry Ended...Loading Second Entry]

[Playing Tutorial Record Second Entry: Classes...]

This time the scene displayed Argo's grinning face as she spun around in her chair, without a care in the world. She did this for several seconds before a throat clearing from outside the screen reminded her of what she was supposed to be doing and she stopped with a pout on her face.

"Alright maggots, your favorite information broker is here to give you a little freebie about the basics of the basics that you really should have known already if you are stuck here in this game. But for the idiots who lived under a rock until here is a brief description of the one thing you should consider first when you are building your character: your class."

"Here in SWTORO, you basically have infinite possibilities in the way you potentially can make your character. Wanna be able to drive small fighters or large curriers? You can. Wanna know how to use various traps and explosives to cause anarchy for your heart's content? Be my guest. Wanna pilot a giant planet-sized robot that throws around entire galaxies like a frisbee? Well, we haven't found something like this but nothing says that there isn't one. Maybe you could even find and pilot it. So here is the obvious question: what does a class do exactly? Well, it defines what options and possibilities available to you and how hard or easy to gain access to them."

"There are technically eight classes available to players, but more like four. Four classes on the Republic side and mirroring them almost to a T, there are four classes on the Empire's side. And on that note, let's start a brief description of the first class, Republic Trooper."

The screen changed, showing a corridor. A group of dark grey sky troopers was walking on a tight formation, either a patrol or a scouting group. Suddenly the wall next to them exploded as a large mass of flesh and metal ran through it and into the middle of the pack.

As the dust settled down, the figure emerged. A mountain of a man wearing heavy durasteel grey armor, with a large pauldron on his left shoulder, a single orange line running through it. A bandolier of explosives was wrapped around his torso, a massive rifle in his hands that looked like it would weigh more than an average adult.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU PUNY LITTLE MOUSES CAN STAND UP TO THE WALL? WELL, YOU THOUGHT WRONG!" he roared out in a deep voice, before simply grabbing a grenade off his belt and throwing it into the middle of one remaining half of the droid patrol before turning away and facing the rest of them.

As he slowly walked away the grenade exploded behind him, the bright orange light caused by it was reflected on his polished armor, giving it a more ominous look.

Durasteel Wall didn't bother to even slow down as the remaining skytroopers opened fire on him, none of the shots even made a dent on his armor as he raised his weapon and began to pepper them with precision shots, unbothered by the kickback of his massive weapon. He didn't need more than one shot per droid, his rifle's rounds tearing out massive holes into their chests, sometimes simply destroying the head or just ripping a limb or two out.

When there were only three of the droids left, the massive player seemed to get enough of the slow approach and decided to make the end of this battle extra special. Holstering his weapon on his back, he charged forward, shoulder ramming the middle skytrooper, it meeting its unfortunate end between the Wall and the wall behind him.

"ONLY THOSE WITH THE PUREST, MOST HONEST SOULS CAN HOPE TO STAND EQUAL TO THE DURASTEEL WALL! YOU. ARE. NOT. WORTY." he told the droid as its unmoving remains fell to the ground.

Satisfied by his work, the player took a few steps back to admire it, not even noticing the futile attempt of ridding his body full of holes by the last two surviving enemies. Then, he suddenly reached out, grabbing the head of one of the droids in his massive hand, ripping it off with ease, only to put a grenade into the place of the missing head. He then proceeded to grab the body by its shoulder and throwing into its comrade, sending both to the ground.

As he walked away, the grenade detonation and once again coloring the background with a harsh orange glow, the recording stopped with the Wall facing the screen, looking like he came from an afternoon stroll, Argo in the background explaining.

"Lorewise, the Special Forces of the Republic military, the best of the best. This class has easy access to power armor that lets even regular people counter and overcome Force users, and many more. Do you want a massive rifle that punches holes into tanks or a machine gun that makes Swiss cheese of whatever standing your way? This is your class. Thanks to various military contracts, Troopers could be anything from combat medics, demolitions experts, to walking tanks with armaments appropriate to the name."

"We didn't start this war. But we damn well sure will finish it," said Durasteel Wall, no longer shouting but no less intense in delivery.

The scene changed, showing a new recording. It was some kind of bar, full of various lowlives, armed to the teeth. It was a typical cantina on Nar Shadaa, full of various lights, a large open space with a large dance floor that also had a couple of poles to entertain the more adult audiences. And though there was some music in the background no one was partying. The tables have been overturned to act as cover, a full room of gangsters and thugs covering beneath them, all of them facing the single entrance into the room, the rather large front door.

They waited anxiously before one of the braver ones tried to lean out of cover to check things out. That's when the sound of a single shot was heard and the brave but foolish thug fell to the ground, dead. Panicking, all the thugs began raining down shots at the entrance despite seeing no one.

The assailant simply lined up another shot from behind a plated speeder that was parked in front of the open entrance to the cantina, completely unnoticed by their targets in their panicked shooting.

The attacker seemed undeterred as they continued to simply snipe the thugs one by one until the firing stopped, the only ones alive in the room who simply hid better and were completely out of view from the entrance. Those survivors didn't move, nervously waiting for the next move of the adversary.

Much to their confusion, nothing happened for a few moments, until a few small orbs rolled into the room. Before they could react in any way, the orbs began to emit a large amount of smoke, instantly filling the whole room with smoke that caused the gangsters to cough and rub their watering eyes.

That's when the sound of a roaring jetpack reached them as Sinon flew into the room in all her armored glory, her sniper hosted on her back and her blaster pistol in hand. She began to kill the remaining enemies, who couldn't even aim at her as they struggled even to stand.

A couple of them tried to rush her as she lowered her altitude but she simply activated her flamethrower, spun around, creating a wave of fire around her that those idiots ran into, screaming in agony.

As the smoke thinned out, she touched the ground, seeing that all of her adversaries seemed to be dead she lowered her arm. A quick check through her helmet's readings revealed no one and she turned around, walking toward the far end of the room where a single human in expensive clothes quivered, unable to move from fright.

"No, please! I can give you anything you want, money, men, women, whatever you want just please-" that was as far as the coward got before Sinon got bored and hit him on the head, instantly knocking him out.

She grabbed him by his legs and unceremoniously began to drag him out of the cantina, unaffected by the carnage caused. She only stopped when the wall behind her opened and a large mech with four legs and massive rocket launchers marched out, instantly aiming at her.

Sinon only grunted in annoyance as she simply raised her left hand, a small projectile shooting out from it and embedded itself in the mech's chest, beeping rapidly. She turned away, no longer caring about the clear threat to her life. As the droid began to charge its weaponry the beeping got more intense and just when it tried to fire, the whole mech exploded in a massive explosion. When the flames finally died down, the bounty hunter and her prey were nowhere in sight.

The scene once again paused, showing Sinon's back as she walked away.

"Soldiers of fortune, mercenaries for the highest bidders, warriors of honor and opportunity. Whatever you call them the Bounty Hunter class is not someone many people can run from once they get a price on their heads. Similar to the Trooper class, they have easy access to military-grade, even prototype weaponry. They have a large collection of gadgets available, flamethrower, jetpack, freezer spray among some of them. Their connection to the Mandalorians makes it almost a certainty that the players will become one of their numbers, gaining access to new contacts, weapons, and juicy contracts with a very large payout." Argo explained in the background once again.

"It doesn't matter what the job is. Killing a Sith, kidnapping the Chancellor himself, or even simply delivering a message. I will see it done, so you better ready my payment." Sinon commented before she started moving away, dragging her mark with her.

The scene changed once more, this time showing a group of imperial troopers without their helmets sitting around a large table, drinking and playing pazaak. One person stood out, thanks to his lack of imperial armor, a young man with short green hair, burnt orange bomber jacket, and goggles pulled up to his forehead.

He was dealing a new round, the troopers happily drinking from their cups, laughing around until suddenly all around him began to pass out one by one. Smirking, the young man simply collected all the money on the table, along with the cards, then stood up and sauntered out of the room as if he owned the place.

Getting outside, it was revealed he was inside an imperial base. He touched something on his belt and a moment later his stealth generator kicked in, making him all but invisible to the naked and electronic eye.

He walked past a couple of guards, a few patrols, taking various turns before stopping in front of an otherwise remarkable wall. Seeing no one around he decloaked and immediately kneeled next to the wall and began to randomly push it until he found the hidden mechanism that made the camouflaged door open up with a soft hiss.

"Jackpot." the smuggler grinned to himself as he stepped into the treasury, filled with priceless artifacts, gold and jewelry, and various stolen objects that the Sith Empire hoarded for themselves. He quickly began to fill his pockets with whatever he could get his hands on.

He seemed to forget about where he was exactly as he took his time, examining various artifacts, trying to decide what to pick with him. He was rudely interrupted when five imperials stormed into the room, rifles raised and fury on their faces.

"Kill the intruder!" the apparent leader yelled as they opened fire on him, the green-haired teen barely able to jump behind an expensive-looking statue as shots rained down on him.

They continued to fire for a while until the statue was all but unrecognizable but enough of it remained standing that it still served as an appropriate cover. Suddenly the smuggler ran out from behind it, dashing to the side, leaving himself completely open in the process.

The imperials took the opportunity handed to them on a silver platter and began to fire at the fleeing smuggler, only for their shots to pass through him as the blue static of a holoprojector colored his form.

They didn't even have time to properly understand just what happened when the smuggler in question stepped out from behind the statue, twin blaster in his hands, and made short work of them with only a couple of shots.

"A classic holo decoy. Good old Recon still got it," he said to himself as the last of the imperials fell.

The screen paused just as he twirled his blaster's around a satisfied smirk on his face, Argo taking over.

"Quick, Clever, Answers to No One. Sometimes luck is more important than skill, but it never hurts to have both. That's essentially what a Smuggler is. Stacking up enemies as fast as they stack up credits, Smugglers only survive in this galaxy by being slick, sneaky, and street-smart. Whether sweet-talking an attractive alien or bargaining with a hardened criminal contact, the Smuggler's charm is a notorious asset, and often the ticket to turning around a deteriorating situation. This class has the earliest and easiest access to the best starships be it a quick, agile fighter with illegal modifications or a large freighter with almost impenetrable hull and cloaking technology. They are quick on the draw with various tricks up their sleeve but their largest assets are their far-reaching criminal contacts and the ability to slip behind all kinds of blockades and defenses."

The screen started playing again, showing Recon walking out of the vault, dragging a heavy briefcase with him. Just as another group of troopers rounded the corner he activated the stealth generator, walking past them and none the wiser.

"So, what's in it for me?" his voice rang out as he disappeared completely, the scene turning to the next video segment.

A prison block was shown, with five men sitting in one of the cells, lounging on the bed or angrily snarling at the glowing ray shield in front of them. A single sentry, a Knight of the Eternal Empire stood in front of the cell, standing guard. He was in full armor, force pike, and shield in his hands.

A pair of skytroopers walked past on their patrol route, the guard not reacting to their presence. Unnoticed by him, one of them had a small dagger-like object on its back and as they rounded the corner and disappeared from the guard's vision the skytrooper reached out and stabbed a similar dagger to its back. The droid shuddered for a moment its lenses turning into a strange glowing pink before it returned to normal and the two seemingly continued their patrol.

The knight looked up, tensing when another person approached him but relaxed when it was just another knight, waving at them.

"It's already time for the next shift?" he questioned receiving an enthusiastic nod in return."Thank Valkorion, that was one of the longest shifts in my life. I would rather be on kitchen duty than guard these good-for-nothing outsiders once again. Good luck," he said as he walked past the new knight, finding it a little strange that they didn't carry their weapons but wasn't bothered by it enough to voice out.

He suddenly choked on his blood as he felt a thin, deadly blade enter his chest, the tip bursting through his chest piece with barely any resistance. He tried to cry out, to alert the facility to the danger inside but before he could get even a sound out, a second blade this time a small dagger, slashed his throat, only gurgles escaping it as he fell to the ground, as good as dead.

His killer behind him silently giggled as they wiped out the blood from the blades, their form flickering with static before the hologram faded, revealing a very short woman who reached not even to the shoulders of a person of average height. She wore a skin-tight black outfit that dangerously highlighted her generous curves, a belt full of pouches, and high heels that looked like they could be used as weapons by themselves. She also had a sniper placed on her back, a small blaster strapped to her right thigh along with another dagger strapped to her left thigh. Her long hair that reached down to her back was half pink and half brown, with white streaks on the pink side.

She smiled at the corpse of the knight as she holstered her rapier on her and the dagger on her lower back, parallel to the ground, before turning around and walking toward the group of prisoners who watched the proceedings with each other, taking care to sway her hips with great emphasis.

In a nearby control room a group of technicians watched in horror at what happened through a nearby camera but before they could try and alert the rest of the facility the door opened and the two skytroopers from before walked in. They raised their rifles and killed all of the technicians without any hesitation, then simply left and returned to their assigned patrol route, none the wiser.

Back to the young woman, she cheerfully waved at the prisoners who all stood up save for the apparent leader who remained seated on his bunk, looking at the girl with interest.

"Well look who the cat dragged in. I told you boys, didn't I? Those holier-than-thou idiots wouldn't be able to keep us here for long." the leader smirked at her, gesturing toward the cell shield. "Be a dear and get us out of here. The Wild Ogres have a little pillaging to do, after that, you can even keep my bed warm if I won't break you, little girl." he laughed, his crew roaring along with it, a few even whistling at the woman's attire.

She simply smiled pleasantly, not at all offended by the catcalls as she released them. But at that moment her smile turned cruel as she whipped out her pistol and simply shot the four men standing in front of her in quick succession, never losing her smile as she strolled into the cell.

"What...what are you, you crazy midget? Do you know who we are? The Wild Ogres are the most feared pirates this side of the Outer Rim, even the Republic fears or mere name! You won't get away with this you hear? You can run to the edge of the galaxy but the ogres will find you and make you pay for this." the leader shaking in fear tried to boast but it soon died in his throat as she stopped in front of him, smiling down at him coyly.

He tried to get up, maybe to make a run for it if he was able to get past her but she simply grabbed him by his shoulders, forcing him back as she took her seat in his lap. Ignoring his fidgeting, she pulled a camera out of her belt and made him pose with her for a selfie.

After that she smiled at him, making him even more nervous before she kissed him briefly. Before the shock could properly set in she was out of his lap and casually walking out of the cell. A moment later the pirate leader began to cough, then choke before falling forward. By the time he fell and she stepped out of the cell, he was already dead.

"Assassin, Saboteur, the Empire's Secret Weapon. The Sith Empire dominates scores of star systems across the galaxy, but not through the power of the dark side alone. Behind the scenes, the cunning Agents of Imperial Intelligence track down and eliminate the Empire's enemies—from intractable Republic senators to traitorous Imperial Moffs to bloodthirsty rebels with Republic ties. They have a large range of abilities, from seduction to hacking, from rigging explosives, to kill silently even in the middle of the crowd. Agents usually have first dibs on prototype technology, exotic gear, and various contracts that can let them through almost every door, for the right price of course. Like the Smugglers, Agents tend to blur the line from good and bad, their allegiances and motivations in a constant fluctuation."

With Argo's explanation finished, the screen started moving again, the mysterious woman blowing a kiss towards the scene before her form flickered and she was once again in her Knight disguise, walking away without a care in the world.

The screen changed showing a battlefield, with various fallen bodies covering it. Some were skytroopers, some republic soldiers, some imperial troops. There was the odd Sith, Jedi, or eternal knight lying around as well. There was a lot of death but no living, this part of the battlefield already had been abandoned, even as starships raged their fight in the sky.

A group of sky troopers was marching through it now, with an Eternal Knight leading them, his force pike held up proudly, even as his armor showed various scorch marks and dents.

"Don't you dare slow down. We must cut off those rebels' escape routes before they can reach their vessels. Not even one of them allowed to even try to take off, we will stop stem, for the glory of the Eternal Emperor." he declared with a passionate voice, the droids behind him could only nod in mute agreement as per their programming as they reached the large canyon that divided the field into two halves and the sole bridge that still stood between them.

Only to abruptly stop when reaching the bridge, they met with a hooded person sitting in the middle of it, completely unbothered by the scenery or the approaching unit.

"You there, rebel scum! Have you come to surrender to your rightful ruler, Emperor Valkorion? Give up your sympathizer friends and you may escape with a lighter punishment. Or resist and die in the name of the Eternal Empire." the Knight gave his ultimatum as he approached the sitting figure, the dozen battle droids following him, weapons trained on the hooded man, waiting for orders.

The figure instead of answering, silently stood up, letting the hood of his cloak fall back and reveal the face of Diavel. The Jedi Knight's expression was void of any emotions as he stared down the approaching group, his breathing even and controlled.

"You shall not pass." he declared, not even raising his voice but still clearly heard.

"Insolent Outlander! Die in the name of the Eternal Empire!" the Knight declared, pointing his spike at him as the droids took aim.

Diavel didn't answer, simply took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A golden glow overcame his form, before harmlessly fading away, then his eyes suddenly opened and he charged ahead at a speed that caught his enemies off-guard.

"Kill him!" the Knight roared in answer and began to charge forward as well as the skytroopers opened fire.

The Jedi smirked as he raised his right hand forward, a large force catching the eternal knight on the chest and sending him behind his droids, then he grabbed and activated his two blue lightsabers, just as he reached the droids.

By the time the force user from Zakuul stood up, half of his squad was already gone. Diavel was a storm of death, his twin sabers playing a dangerous dance as he sliced the droids into little pieces. Blocking a shot with one of the blades, transitioning it into a slash that removed an arm, he was constantly in motion, his moves precise and controlled, his calm expression never leaving his face.

It was barely a matter of seconds and there was only one droid left, which he finished by plunging his off-hand saber straight into his chest. But before he could breathe in relief, his other arm rose, casually blocking the attack aimed at his back from the knight who finally reached him.

"Die, you insolent Rebel!" the Knight yelled as he locked blades with Diavel, the other looking barely winded.

"You first." was the short answer before Diavel pushed him back, turned around and the two began to trade blows.

The Eternal Knight was good and experienced but he soon began to lose ground, unable to keep up with the Jedi's speed. He tried to use the staff of his force pike but while it was made of a metal alloy that was somewhat resistant to lightsabers, in the end, it still reached its breaking point.

When trying to block a slash to his midsection, Diavel's saber simply passed through it, the pike coming apart in two pieces. The second saber was in close pursuit of the first and with nothing to block it, seamlessly severed the neck of the Knight.

Diavel didn't look particularly pleased at being able to best one of the Eternal Empire's finest and he simply deactivated his sabers and turned back to the bridge and walked away while in the distance the battle continued.

"Valiant, Determined, Guardian of Peace A symbol of hope in dark times, the Jedi Knight stands for the legacy of the Jedi Order—more than twenty-thousand years of protecting the Republic and keeping the peace across the galaxy. Jedi Knights have served as generals, guerilla fighters, and warriors for generations, with few able to challenge their legendary combat prowess, at least lore-wise. As a Force user class, there are very few limitations in front of the players. They have easy access to various sword fighting forms, various Force powers, and even military training. Be the tank that could take out an actual tank or a flurry of movement that no one can ever catch, the Jedi Knight is definitely the most iconic class inside the game but as true for all Force users classes, one of the hardest to use to their full potential too."

Diavel walked away from the corpses of his enemies, grabbing the edge of his hood and placing it over his head.

"Do or do not, there is no try. And I don't like losing." was all he said with a small smile as he walked away and the scene changed.

The scene showing the inside of a half-destroyed hangar. There were fires everywhere as well as a couple of destroyed ships, with various droid parts thrown across the room. The sounds of repeated blaster shots turned the camera's attention toward the far end of the hangar where a single surviving person, wearing the infantry armor of the Eternal Empire was desperately shooting at something in the middle of the raging fire, fear etched across his face as he tried to run away, only to bump into a wall.

Out of the fire, a large figure stepped out, completely unharmed, almost lazily moving his red lightsaber to block the bolts sent at him. The man wore pitch-black, heavy armor that covered all of his body save for the head and his arms, barring only exposed biceps. He had a pair of large, spiked pauldrons set on his shoulders and a blood-red cape trailed behind him.

His head was bald, save for a few vertical lines of red hair. The left of his face was full of angry red scars that along with his frown, gave his face a rather intimidating look.

"No! Not like this! I don't want to die." the unfortunate soldier cried out as he continued to shoot, only to suddenly stop as he began to clutch his throat, something choking him. A moment later the rifle fell out of his hands as the same invisible force that choked him began to rise him into the air.

The Sith just watched him with an emotionless face before simply closing his raised hand into a fist, the soldier falling to the ground, his neck snapped.

Not giving the fallen soldier anymore thought he turned away and began to stride through the hangar, grunting in annoyance as two squads of soldiers were running towards him. Raising his head he noted an unstable beam above one group. He then casually threw his saber at it, cutting the last of its support, the beam falling at the surprised group, leaving him only one to face.

Catching his returning saber, he crouched down before suddenly jumping across the hangar landing in the middle of the surprised and horrified soldiers. With a few strokes of his weapon, they died too and he was free to continue his rather unworried walk.

There was one single ship left that looked functional: a pair of skytroopers standing guard in front of a frightened young girl who further cowered when his attention turned towards her. She wore expensive clothes, clearly a noble and probably the daughter of someone important.

The two droids opened fire on the approaching Sith but he simply redirected one of the shots back to its owner, killing it before he grabbed the second droid with the force and began to crush it into little pieces. As its remains fell to the ground, his long strides reached the young girl who trembled under the eyes of the man standing above her.

"No! Please! I don't want to die," she begged, tears freely falling from her eyes as she closed them, not wanting to look her killer in the eyes. She waited for the hopefully quick death but was surprised when a rather gentle hand grabbed her arm and helped her up and pulled her toward her shuttle.

"I'm not here to kill you. I won't even harm you if you cooperate," he told her gruffly, rolling his eyes at the surprised look the girl gave him as he pushed her forward. Seeing no better alternative the noble did as instructed, fearfully walking into the shuttle, the sith lord behind her.

A dying soldier nearby tried crawling after them, calling out with a faint voice as he feebly reached toward the girl. The sith only frowned before with a simple wave he sent nearby debris to crush him to death, then walked to the ship, his mission completed.

"Sith Warriors crush their opponents and stride toward their goals with dreadful determination, leaving ruin and annihilation in their wake. Emanating awe and terror at every step, they accept nothing but absolute obedience from their followers. Whether as an invincible Juggernaut walking through enemy fire without a care in the world or slicing through bodies like a demon-possessed, these Sith bring true terror into the battlefield. They have access to various Force training, fighting techniques, and heavy armor, none dare to stand up to them when they are in their element. But be vigilant because the path to the dark side is slippery." Argo explained once again before the screen showed the unnamed sith casually walking into the ship, his cape billowing behind him.

"Let the world tremble and tear itself apart. I am Sith, and I endure." he declared confidently just as the ramp of the ship closed.

The screen changed showing an ancient temple, old and ravaged by time standing in the shadow of a mountain. A small camp was made near the entrance, a group of soldiers as well as a couple of who might be either scholars or archaeologists studying various findings.

A soldier walked through the camp, toward a small on the side. Stepping in, he was greeted by two people. One of them was a soldier, lying on a cot, head bandaged and his armor dirty and damaged.

The other person sitting at his side was a woman who had an excessively tall figure, with glossy, dark green hair so dark that it is nearly black hanging down her back. She had white skin, almond eyes, and a regal face. She was wearing Japanese-style clothing, a sharp contrast to the clothes most people wore. Her feet clad in high crimson clogs peeked out from beneath the hem of her leaf green kimono, a single lightsaber hanging from her obi.

Overall she was a very beautiful, regal person that would take the breath of any young man away. Currently, she was concentrating on the man before her, her hand hovering over his chest, shrouded in a faint light.

The soldier patiently waited until she was finished healing the wounded soldier, who thanked her with reverence but the Jedi only smiled pleasantly.

"Lady Sakuya!" the new arrival spoke up, drawing attention to himself as he stood there with a military salute. "Commander Lind's squad finished scouting ahead and found a possible entry point into the lower dungeon. He awaits your okay to go ahead," he reported, his gaze focused on the far end of the tent, instead of the smiling woman in front of him, lest he made a full of himself.

"Excellent news. I will best join him before he sets off another trap in his eagerness." Sakuya giggled to herself as she pulled out a small fan from her sleeve and opened it, hiding her mouth behind it. Giving a reassuring smile to the soldier lying down, she stood up and excused herself.

With purposeful and regal steps she walked through the camp, politely returning the greetings her colleagues and subordinates sent to her. After a short walk, she reached the temple, where a small group of soldiers was waiting, led by a man with a slightly different, bulkier armor with blue hair that was pulled into a ponytail.

Noticing her approach the man snapped into a salute, the others following a moment later, eliciting a small smile from Sakuya which she hid behind her fan.

"Commander Lind, I trust you and your men are ready to move out," she asked in an amused voice as they noticed the previously locked side entrance to the temple. No doubt Lind and his men managed to find the trigger to open this particular door.

"Ready as ever Ma'am." was the sufficient reply and the Jedi only smiled as she led the group down into the temple.

But before they could step into a temple, they heard growling around them, lots of growling that had all the soldiers tense and point their guns around warily.

"Nexu!" cried one of them fearfully as from the bushes and behind the rocks, reptile-like feline creatures with four eyes and a dangerous row of teeth climbed out growling angrily at the intruders to their territory.

There were a lot of them, at least a dozen from what they could see, surrounding the small group. Lind was about to order his men to attack when Sakuya put a hand on his rifle lowering it, a mysterious smile on his face.

"Don't be so quick to rush into battle Commander, when there is no need. Leave this to me," she told him with a quiet but powerful tone.

One of the soldiers opened his mouth to object but Lind shut him up with a look. He turned back watching warily as Sakuya stepped out of the protective circle made by his men and walked towards the largest, meanest looking nexu, probably the leader of the pack. Stopping several feet away, she reached her hand out towards him as if asking to pet him, a sort of ethereal light around her as she concentrated.

At first, nothing happened but gradually the nexus growling died, giving way to content and peaceful expression as all looked toward the leader who approached the smiling Jedi. Even Lind was about ready to fire as the large nexu towered over her before simply lowering his head and allowing Sakuya to pet him, even began to purr in the process.

As the soldiers watched on with amazement, Sakuya turned back to Lind, her new pet muzzling his face into her side, amusement clear on her face.

"Didn't I tell you, Commander? Knowing when to fire is more useful than simply firing many times." she lectured him with her ever-present smile.

Lind, who had a sort of exasperated look at him, opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a loud roar, much more threatening and malevolent than the growl of the nexu.

Out of the temple, a large terentatek stalked out, a monster of the dark side and a vicious predator. Its attention was zeroed on Sakuya who frowned at seeing the powerful monster charging toward them. She stopped petting the nexu at her side, its brethren already ran away in fear of the terentatek and turned her attention to a large fallen statue nearby.

"Fire at will, Commander," she ordered softly as she concentrated on the statue, raising it into the air before throwing at the charging beast, stopping it momentarily when it collided with the large stone object.

Lind and his soldiers began to fire at the terentatek but only managed to slow it down, most of the bolts unable to get through its thick hide. Meanwhile, Sakuya focused on her Force Powers, throwing large rocks at it, as well as keeping it off-balance.

It almost reached them, when the big nexu that Sakuya tamed jumped at its back, with its roar, the other nexu quickly joining in attacking the larger monster became overwhelmed by the sheer number attacking him and ended up on its back, and soon died at the hands of the ferocious felines.

"Looks like being friendly pays off, don't you agree Commander?" Sakuya asked with a smile as she scratched the behind the ear of a far too pleased with himself nexu, before he left, with his pack following. With them gone Sakuya's face turned into a calm mask as she turned toward the temple."Shall we move on?"

The captain only shook his head exasperatedly before he shouted for his men to start moving and a small team finally moved to the temple.

"Visionary, Ambassador, Seeker of Jedi Wisdom. Jedi Consulars channel the power of the Force for strength in combat and wisdom in diplomacy. Intimate attunement with the deepest Force mysteries gives Jedi Consulars the insight and empathy to deftly handle charged conflicts that confound even the most cunning Senators and governors—but Consulars know when it's time to talk and when it's time to fight. Out of the other classes, it has the least focus on combat, having access to a lot of skills some might call unnecessary. They are less about lightsaber combat and more about using the Force in a subtle way, shielding their allies, confusing the enemy, and taming beasts. Consulars are mostly seen as Scholars and Crafters but it's far from the truth. If you want a silent killer who could walk through a horde of enemies without even once giving notice or someone who could shake the very ground, you need to look for one of the Consulars."

As Argo finished her explanation the screen changed to a close-up of Sakuya who smiled behind her raised fan.

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

The scene changed once again, now showing the inside of a catacomb of an obviously sith temple. In the middle a large sarcophagus lied, ravaged by time but still impressive looking. A hidden door opened into the burial chamber, a small group of people with various gear, who looked like pirates at first glance, warily stepping into the room.

"Looks clear boss." One of them with a large flamethrower on his back yelled out and a moment later Rosalie stepped into the room in all of her glory, a lumbering mass of muscle, known as a dashade walking beside her.

She looked around the room, like a Queen surveying her subjects, nodding to herself with pleasure

"Excellent. Khem, be a dearie and open that thing for me," she said sweetly to the monster at her side.

It growled to itself in an alien language but did as commanded, walking to the sarcophagus and grabbing the lid on top. For a long moment, nothing gave as he began to try and raise it but eventually, the lid moved away, falling to the ground with a large sound that had many of the men wince.

A moment later movement came from the corners of the tomb, ancient droid protectors coming to life, some grabbing dusty old rifles while a few drawn old but still working vibroblades. The men raised their weapons, forming a loose circle around their employer.

"Do try not to die, or at least kill a few before you do." without showing the slightest care either toward her subordinates or the droids trying to kill her she simply walked in the direction of Khem who was busy killing the few droids that tried to take it on, ripping out limbs without the slightest care.

The sith simply rolled her eyes when a droid armed with a vibrosword tried to stand in her way, with a lazy wave of her hand she sent a torrent of lightning at it. Without even slowing down or bothering to make sure she took it she walked forward, leaving the smoking mess of the guardian droid behind her, stopping next to the sarcophagus.

Her eyes lighted up with delight as she spotted her prize, a Sith Holocron resting among the dust left behind by the body of the owner of this crypt. The small pyramid, containing knowledge forbidden even from sith, glowed with an ominous red light as she raised it to her eye level.

"All this knowledge, all this power is finally in my hands. Nobody can stop me now," she said reverently before crying out in pain as a burst of energy came from inside the Holocron, shocking her slightly and making her drop the Holocron.

"Who dares disturb my crypt? Who dares steal from the great Darth Almage." the force ghost of the Sith to who the Holocron belonged to appeared before her, glaring at her maliciously.

He was a sith pureblood, his red eyes brimming with power even after thousands of years after the death of his body but Rosalie was hardly frightened as she looked down on him like he was something foul she stepped on.

"I don't care." was all she said before she grasped hold of the spirit with the force, her eyes lighting up red as she activated one of the more obscure skills available to Inquisitors, Drain Essence. It basically allowed her to raise her strength and skill by absorbing the stats and skills of others. It was harder to do on living beings, especially on players than force ghosts and not without its own heavy price. Usually, the strengthening was done at the cost of another attribute, usually the physical ones. Absorbing too many reckless tended to kill the body while even addling the mind.

She raised her hand and a dark trail of energy connected them, the ghost unable to even cry out in protest and it struggled in its place suspended.

Rosalie grinned as dark side corruption spread over her features. Her skin paled to an unhealthy white, dark veins appeared on her face as her eyes sunk back and took a sick yellow. But after a few moments of struggle, she absorbed the spirit entirely, letting out a tired grasp as she hunched over, using the sarcophagus to keep standing.

After she caught her breath, she began to cackle like a madwoman, gaining the attention of both her men and the still working droid who immediately targeted her, their sensors picking up the Holocron on her person. Rosalie only grinned at them before she raised her hand.

The wind started to pick up, stronger and stronger as it circled around her, quickly turning into a miniature whirlwind that picked up the droids one by one. Her men had the presence of mind to back off and grab hold of anything nearby to keep themselves anchored, while Khem simply stood, waiting for his next order with crossed arms, completely ignoring the storm.

"Die!" the power-hungry Sith roared as she unleashed a literal lightning storm, destroying all the droids with one swift move before their smoking carcasses fell to the ground.

Her men slowly picked themselves up, looking at her in awe as she smiled with satisfaction, the dashade obediently following after her before the screen paused and Argo once again took over.

"Sinister, Deceptive, Prodigy of Force Power. Treachery hides around every corner in the Empire's dark corridors, and survival depends on an individual's natural cunning and the will to manipulate and defeat their enemies and allies alike. The Inquisitor experiments with forbidden powers to not only survive in this cutthroat environment but to excel and seize authority. Similar to their Jedi counterpart, this class offers many options to experiment with. Want to leech away your opponent's life to strengthen your own, maybe cause a literal lightning storm and destroy everything in your path, or maybe be the unseen blade that plunges into the heart of your enemies? It is yours for a price. You will have many options but it will be up to you to live up to your potential."

Rosalie smiled seductively at the camera as she walked forward, putting a great emphasis on the movement of her hip.

"I am the future of the Sith Order, and I intend to reshape it in my image. The Empire and the Sith belong to me." she declared haughtily before the screen faded to black.

"Of course there is a lot more to the game than simple classes and paths you can choose to start with," Argo said as she reappeared on the screen, lunging lazily in her chair, her ever-present grin on her face. "It only provides the foundation that you can use to make your very own character. The possibilities are practically endless, you can become anyone. But for that, you have to brave the world out there, put your life in danger. But you wouldn't be here listening to little old me lecturing if you weren't ready for it already. So my advice?" she leaned forward, looking deadly serious and staring into the screen as if she could see into the soul of whoever was watching this video. "Take the plunge. Take your first step and grab hold of your destiny with two hands and make it yours."

She remained stone-faced for a moment after her small speech but it didn't take long before she burst into chuckles as she retook her seat, and waved away the formerly serious atmosphere.

"Nah, don't have to take me seriously but consider this. After all, we are trapped in this game, it has already been more than a year, sometimes I wonder how long will we stay here? So if you are here with nothing else to do other than to wait for others to try and find an answer, why don't you go out and play? Give it a little thought. And in the meantime, get ready for the next tutorial, we are taking a long and hard look at one of the most interesting and frustrating aspects of the game, the Force." she said before she reached to the side and the recording stopped, the screen turning blank.

[Second Entry Ended...Loading Third Entry]

[Playing Tutorial Record Third Entry: The Force...]

[Error. Connection Terminated.]

[Shutting Down.]

"Why did it have to cut off just when it came to the good part?" a young girl whined softly, earning a few scolding looks from people around her as the Jedi library's holoprojector died down.

She had rather short, milk-tea-brown hair. She was wearing a vivid royal-blue one-piece dress with golden frills, something that looked quite out of place on a Jedi but looked nice on her. Her outfit was supplemented with a pure white cape, the hilt of a simple vibroblade peeking through from her shoulder.

"I mean we were told that connection to the main Odessen server is wobbly as it is since the relays tend to be destroyed by Zakuul's spaceships." the teenage boy at her side replied somewhat shyly, as he tried to calm her down, lest one of the masters come over and lecture them about how to act in a library. Again. "But I don't see why you wanted to go over these Yuna-chan. These are all stuff we already know."

He looked around 17, he was a thin, timid-looking boy who had decaying leaf-colored hair and light brown eyes. He wore the traditional brown Jedi robes, with only a little armor plating on his arm and shin. He had two lightsabers on his belt, both looking as if they were constructed yesterday, showing no wear or tear.

He was surprised when he found Yuna's finger in front of his face, the girl pouting him with puffed-up cheeks which only made her look even cuter.

"It's important to go over the basics, to be ready for whatever waits outside the relative safety of Typhon. After all, we are about to embark on our own quest, to make our mark on the galaxy and take the fight against the tyranny that rules it. There is nothing wrong with being prepared, especially if we want to make a good first impression on the alliance when we get there, Eiji," she explained passionately and the boy found himself hard-pressed to argue against her.

"Please use my in-game name, Nautilus, you know people tend to be a little irritated by any reference to the real world. And shouldn't you finish your training quest first and earn your lightsaber before thinking about leaving Tython behind?" he asked and privately was delighted at the blush that overtook Yuna's face as she refused to meet his eyes. But then his amusement disappeared as he let out a sigh and frowned at her."You know you don't have to push yourself right? It was my decision alone to leave Tython behind and join the Alliance. You don't have to rush to come with me, in fact, I would be much calmer if you were to stay be-"

He was silenced when Yuna leaned forward and grabbed his right hand with both of hers, raising them up to their eye level as she looked resolutely in Nautilus' eyes. It honestly took his breath away.

"But you know as well as I do, I just can't stay behind. It's been so long since the game started, I don't want to spend all my life here cowering in fear. I want to go out there, to see those distant stars, to experience all this world has to offer, but more than that, I want to help people, to use my power for something meaningful," she exclaimed heartily as she continued to smile at her childhood friend and self-appointed protector. "I know it's dangerous out there, but even if things look bleak, I will have you to save me, won't I?"

Nautilus tried to object but as he opened his mouth no sound came out. In the end, he gave in, a small smile resting on his face.

"Of course I will always be there to protect you." he agreed in the end.

Yuna cheered loudly, catching him slightly off-guard as she pulled him up and began to run toward the exit, tugging him after her.

"Then there is no time to waste. Master Yuan, I am ready for my trials!" she shouted with excitement even as people sent the two of them disapproving looks as they ran through the halls of the temple.

"Yu-Yuna! Please slow down, we will be scolded by the Masters," Nautilus pleaded but his words fell on deaf ears, even as one particularly old-looking Jedi shouted after them.

Just what did he get himself into?