Kael Solaris trudged through the Tatooine desert, his newly upgraded boots crunching across the coarse sand. The twin suns glared overhead like they were trying to boil his skull from the outside in, and despite his long-lived Elarian physiology, Kael was already craving shade and a cold drink. His robes, purchased from the system's modest clothing shop for 10 credits, were loose and tan—styled like something between a Tusken nomad and a Jedi padawan. They billowed faintly as he walked, concealing the lightweight blaster pistol holstered at his hip.
[ Objective Updated: Locate civilization ]Distance to nearest settlement: 23.7 km – Mos Espa
Kael groaned.
"Alright, MercNet," he muttered aloud, "you got anything like a mount or... teleportation?"
[ Mounts not yet unlocked. Teleportation unavailable until level 20. Suggested option: Deploy Newbie Reward: HLAF-500 Starfighter. ]
Kael sighed, rubbed the back of his neck, then selected the inventory tab.
[ Inventory ]
2,000 Credits
HLAF-500 Starfighter
Canteen (Full)
Basic Survival Kit
Basic Energy Blaster
Elarian Cloak (Common)
Deploy starfighter? [Y/N]
"Y."
With a low hum and a shimmer of blue light, the HLAF-500 materialized behind him. Sleek, dagger-shaped, and matte black with silver paneling, it looked like something stolen from a bounty hunter's fever dream. The cockpit opened with a hiss.
Kael whistled. "You are gorgeous."
He climbed in, admiring the intuitive layout—classic Corellian make, modified for speed and stealth. Within moments, he'd buckled in, flicked the engines on, and initiated takeoff. The ship lifted from the sand like it had done it a thousand times, and within minutes, the endless dunes shrank beneath him.
Mos Espa shimmered in the distance like a mirage: squat domes of beige stone, speeders zipping overhead, and the occasional plume of black smoke curling from alleyways. Kael banked low, scanned for a landing zone outside city limits, and found a small, abandoned moisture farm half-buried in sand.
He touched down, killed the engines, and opened the hatch. The moment his boots hit the sand again, he dismissed the starfighter into his inventory with a mental flick.
[ HLAF-500 Stored. Inventory Slot: 01-A ]
Kael nodded to himself. "I love you, MercNet."
Kael's walk into the city drew a few curious glances. Tatooine locals didn't often see newcomers arriving on foot from the desert—especially ones that looked like him. His Elarian features were subtle but unmistakable: pale silver eyes, flawless complexion, angular cheekbones, and silky black hair that shimmered faintly under the suns. He looked like someone out of a myth. And on a planet like this, that meant trouble.
He kept to the shadows, moving with quiet confidence, watching everything.
[ New Quest Available: "Enter the Underworld" ]Objective: Join the Bounty Hunter GuildReward: 500 Credits, Access to Guild Missions, MercNet Title: [Rookie Gun-for-Hire]
Kael smirked. "Now we're talking."
He tapped the minimap icon and saw a flashing indicator on the city's southern quadrant—right near a cantina with a flickering neon sign that read "Oonta's Den."
The interior of Oonta's Den was dim, smoky, and alive with the low thrum of alien music. Patrons of all species filled the booths: a Rodian arm-wrestling a Wookiee, a trio of Twi'leks whispering over data chips, a Nikto with a cybernetic jaw cleaning his blaster on the bar.
Kael stepped inside, letting the shadows swallow him.
He approached the bar and flagged the gruff Devaronian bartender. "I'm looking for guild business."
The bartender grunted and tilted his head toward a side door. "Back room. Ask for Voro."
Kael nodded, dropped a credit chip in the jar, and slipped past the curtain.
The back room was lit by a single hanging light, swaying gently over a dusty round table. A woman sat alone, booted feet on the tabletop, one hand lazily spinning a vibroblade between her fingers. She was tall, copper-skinned, with a black ponytail and a cybernetic eye.
"You look young," she said without looking up.
Kael leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I'm efficient."
She glanced at him then paused—eyebrow arched slightly at his face, then at the blaster on his hip. "Name?"
"Kael Solaris."
"Aliases?"
"Not yet."
"Warrants?"
"Not yet."
She smirked and stood. "I'm Voro Kres. Local handler for the Guild. You want in?"
Kael nodded. "I do."
"Got creds?"
"Enough."
She tossed a small datapad his way. "Fingerprint and voice scan. 250-credit buy-in. Rules are simple: no cheating contracts, no killing other guild members unless authorized, and if you mess up big—don't expect backup."
Kael pressed his thumb to the scanner.
[ Guild Membership Confirmed ]
[ Reward Claimed: 500 Credits + MercNet Title: Rookie Gun-for-Hire ]
[ MercNet Perk Unlocked: Bounty Terminal Access ]
Voro blinked at the flash of light behind Kael's eyes, but didn't ask. Smart woman.
"You want your first job?" she asked, already scrolling through a datapad.
"Hit me."
"Low-tier bounty. Local swoop gang idiot, name's Krex. Took a shipment from a Hutt-run warehouse and ran. He's holed up in an abandoned scrap depot east of the city. 800-credit payout, dead or alive."
Kael took the file. "Alive pays more?"
"Dead saves effort."
He smirked. "I'll decide when I meet him."
An hour later, Kael crouched atop a rusted storage crate, eyes fixed on a ramshackle warehouse covered in sun-bleached tarps and crumbling metal. Inside, two guards played cards, and a third—Krex, a skinny Trandoshan with an oversized blaster—paced back and forth, paranoid and sweating.
Kael checked his blaster, then tapped MercNet.
[ Quick Purchase: Skill – Basic Starfighter Piloting (500 credits)? ][ Already Purchased ][ Available Skill Suggestion: Close Quarters Combat I (750 credits)? ]
He bought it instantly. The moment the transaction cleared, knowledge surged into his brain. Grips, stances, footwork. Years of practice compressed into seconds.
[ Skill Acquired: Close Quarters Combat I ]Passive Bonus: +10% melee accuracyBonus: Can disarm basic-level opponents with ease
Kael dropped from the crate, blaster raised.
The fight was short, efficient, and clean. The first guard didn't hear him coming. The second fired once before Kael stunned him with a spin-kick to the face. Krex tried to run—Kael shot his leg and hauled him over his shoulder.
Thirty minutes later, Voro nodded in satisfaction as Kael dumped the unconscious Trandoshan at her feet.
"Well, you're fast."
Kael shrugged. "I aim to please."
[ Quest Completed: Enter the Underworld ][ Rewards: +800 Credits, +200 XP, MercNet Reputation +2 ][ New Shop Items Unlocked ]
As Kael stepped out of the cantina into the rising Tatooine twilight, he opened his system menu and grinned at the blinking "Shop" tab.
Ships. Weapons. Armor. Skills. Even… Summoning Tokens.
One in particular glowed faintly with a pulsing blue outline:
[ Cross-Realm Summon Token – Tier 1 Available ]
Kael's eyes widened.
"Oh… this is going to be fun."