The hyperstorm had reduced half the village to skeletal ruins. The tribe huddled in the buried starship hall—the only structure left intact—its durasteel bones groaning under the weight of James' Force Reinforcement. Children coughed in the dust-choked air, and the elders muttered prayers to long-dead gods.
James stood at the hall's entrance, staring at the exposed ribs of the ancient starship. The storm had ripped away centuries of sand, revealing corroded engines and a cargo bay door sealed shut by rust.
The system flickered:
[New Quest: "Rise from Ashes" – Convert the starship wreck into a fortified settlement.
Reward: Starship Engineering (Lv. 1), +2 Tribal Cohesion]
"This isn't a shelter," his mother said, joining him. "It's a tomb."
James placed a hand on the cold metal. "Not anymore."
------------
The tribe worked in shifts, chipping away rust and hauling debris. James focused on the cargo bay, using Force Telekinesis to wrench open the door. Inside, they found:
A skeleton crew's remains, still strapped to decayed seats.
Crates of Old Republic-era tools: welding torches, hydrospanners, and durasteel ingots.
A cracked datapad with partial schematics of the ship's layout.
[Basic Engineering: 15% → 22%]
[Force Telekinesis (Lv. 10) – Precision +10%]
Rulan lifted a corroded blaster from a crate. "We could fight the Skarn with these."
James shook his head. "We'll melt them down. Swords and spears draw less attention than plasma fire."
[Tribal Leadership (Lv. 3) – Farsightedness Bonus: +5% Morale]
------------
Deep in the wreck, James found the reactor core—a dead hulk of fused crystals and frayed wiring. But something hummed in the Force here, a resonance that prickled his skin.
"This was a Jedi transport," his mother whispered, running a hand over a mural etched into the wall: a stylized lightsaber crossed with a starship. "The Old Republic sent them to colonize forgotten worlds."
James knelt, pressing his palm to the reactor. The Force surged, and for a moment, he saw visions: robed figures charting hyperspace routes, a young Jedi Knight burying something beneath the sand…
[Force Sensory Awareness: 15% → 20% – Detected Buried Artifact]
[New Skill Unlocked: Force Echo (Lv. 1) – Glimpse memories imprinted on objects.]
"There's something here," James said. "Something they left behind."
------------
The starship's cargo bay, now repurposed as a makeshift council chamber, buzzed with tension. Torchlight flickered across the faces of the tribe's leaders—elders, hunters, and refugees alike. James sat at the head of a rusted durasteel table, his mother to his right, Tharak to his left. The air reeked of ozone from the hyperstorm and the metallic tang of old blood.
Tharak slammed his fist on the table, making the corroded surface shudder. "You want us to live like vermin in this carcass? We are D'kari! Our ancestors roamed the sands free, not cowering in a metal tomb!"
Murmurs of agreement rippled through his supporters—warriors with painted faces and scarred arms, their distrust of the starship as palpable as the heat.
James kept his voice steady, though the system flashed warnings in his vision:
[Tribal Leadership (Lv. 3) – Morale: 65% → 58%]
[Crisis Management (Lv. 1) – Decision Threshold: 45% Success Rate]
"The storms are getting worse," James said. "The old huts couldn't survive the last one. This ship's durasteel can."
"Durasteel?" Tharak sneered, gesturing to the corroded walls. "This rusted scrap? The next storm'll bury us alive."
Rulan, seated with the younger hunters, spoke up. "We've already reinforced the east wing. The walls hold."
Tharak rounded on him. "You'd lick the Flame Survivor's boots too, boy? He's not your chief yet."
[Tribal Leadership Check Failed – Authority Challenged]
James stood, the Force humming faintly in his veins. "You want to sleep under the stars? Go. But when the Skarn return, or the next storm hits, don't expect these walls to save you."
Silence fell. Even the elders stiffened.
-----------
Tharak's faction rose, their shadows looming on the chamber walls. Ten warriors, their loyalty etched in old scars and older grudges.
"We'll camp outside," Tharak said, his voice low. "And when this metal coffin collapses, we'll be the ones laughing."
[Crisis Management (Lv. 1) – Options:]
Crush Dissent: Order the guards to seize Tharak's weapons. Risk: Civil war.
Compromise: Allow Tharak's group to leave—but cut their rations. Risk: Resentment.
Persuade with Force: Subtly influence Tharak's mind. *Risk: Galactic Attention +5%*
James hesitated. The Force whispered options, but his mother's hand gripped his wrist under the table—a silent warning. Too many eyes.
"Go," James said, choosing Option 2. "Take your tents. But the stores stay with the tribe."
Tharak's eyes narrowed. "You'd starve us?"
"You'd starve yourselves," James countered. "The hunt is scarce. Share, or don't. But the choice is yours."
[Tribal Leadership (Lv. 3) → Lv. 4 – "Diplomatic Strain" Penalty Removed]
[Tribal Cohesion: Stable → Fractured]
-----------
That night, two fires burned in the desert.
Inside the starship, refugees huddled around the reactor-core-turned-hearth, its durasteel ribs glowing faintly as James channeled Force Reinforcement to stabilize the structure. The air buzzed with uneasy chatter.
Outside, Tharak's warriors pitched tents in the shadow of the wreck, their campfires dotted like angry stars. Rulan watched from the east watchtower, his sling heavy with stones.
"They'll die out there," Mira said, joining James on the ramparts. "You know that."
James stared at the distant fires. "They chose their path."
"And if the Skarn come? Or the Jedi?"
He said nothing. The system flickered:
[Force Cloak (Lv. 2) – Galactic Attention: 8% → 6%]
-----------
At midnight, shouts erupted outside. Tharak's hunters had ambushed a scavenger party returning with salvaged wiring.
"The stores are ours by right!" Tharak roared, his axe gleaming in the moonlight. "You want to hoard the scraps? Fight for them!"
James descended the ramp, alone. The tribe watched from the ship's mouth, breaths held.
"Stand down," James said, his voice carrying the weight of the Force. Not a command—a plea.
Tharak spat in the sand. "Or what? You'll bury me in your metal grave?"
[Force Persuasion Check: Available – Galactic Attention Risk: 6% → 11%]
James clenched his fists. No. Not yet.
"Take the wiring," he said, stepping aside. "But when the storms come, remember this moment."
Tharak froze, pride and shame warring in his eyes. His hunters took the crates and retreated.
[Tribal Leadership (Lv. 4) – "Moral High Ground" Bonus: +5% Morale (Inside Tribe)]
[Tribal Cohesion: Fractured → Tense]
-----------
Later, in the reactor chamber, James' mother found him scrubbing engine grease from his hands.
"You let him win," she said.
"I let him live," James replied. "For now."
She placed a scaled hand on the mural of the Jedi Knight. "This ship… it changes us. Not just the tribe. You."
James glanced at the vision-haunted wall. "We needed time. Now we have it."
[New Subplot Unlocked: "Tharak's Defiance" – Future raid/redemption arc.]
------------
Padawan Zarr arrived at dusk, her robes dust-stained. She lingered at the starship's edge, studying the reactor core.
"You're digging up ghosts, Warlord," she said. "This ship… it's one of many. The Republic abandoned these colonies millennia ago."
James tightened his grip on a hydrospanner. "Why are you here?"
She nodded to the mural. "The Jedi who died here buried a holocron. A map to other lost outposts. Let me retrieve it, and the Order will leave you in peace."
[Force Cloak (Lv. 2) – Galactic Attention: 8% → 6%]
"No," James said. "What's under this sand belongs to my people now."
Zarr's montrals twitched. "Then you'll dig your own grave."
Zarr's words hung in the air like a blade unsheathed. The reactor chamber's dim glow flickered across her Togruta markings, sharpening the resolve in her amber eyes. James stood motionless, the weight of the holocron's secret pressing against his ribs like a second heartbeat.
"You think the desert will protect you?" Zarr took a step closer, her hand resting lightly on her lightsaber—not threatening, but deliberate. "The galaxy doesn't forget. The Sith hunt artifacts like this. They'll raze your tribe to ash for it."
James didn't flinch. The Force whispered warnings, but his voice stayed steady. "Then why are you here? To save us? Or to take what the Jedi abandoned?"
A flicker of frustration crossed Zarr's face. She glanced at the mural—the Jedi Knight's faded likeness—and for a moment, her rigid posture softened. "This holocron… it's a map to outposts like yours. Colonies the Republic failed. If the Sith claim it, every one of them dies."
"And if you claim it?" James countered. "Will the Jedi protect those colonies? Or just pick them clean?"
Zarr's lightsaber hissed to life, its blue blade casting jagged shadows on the durasteel walls. "You don't understand what you're holding."
[Force Cloak (Lv. 2) Activated – Galactic Attention: 6% → 4%]
James' presence in the Force dimmed, like a star veiled by dust. Zarr's montrals twitched—she sensed the shift but couldn't pinpoint it. Her blade wavered.
"You're hiding," she said, half-impressed, half-wary. "But for how long?"
------------
The air thickened. Zarr's free hand lifted, and James felt the Force coil around him—a probing tendril, not an attack. She was searching for the holocron's location buried in his mind.
James gritted his teeth, channeling Force Reinforcement into his mental shields. The reactor core behind him hummed, its ancient machinery resonating with his effort.
[Force Reinforcement (Lv. 1) → Lv. 2 – Synced with starship's residual energy.]
[Force Cloak Stability: 4% → 3% (Strain from dual efforts)]
Zarr pressed harder. "You're strong. Untrained, but strong. The Order could make you more."
"Or leash me," James spat, sweat beading on his brow.
The mural behind him began to glow faintly—a reaction to the clash of Force energies. The Jedi Knight's etched eyes seemed to watch them, sorrowful.
[Force Echo (Lv. 2) Triggered – Vision Fragment: The Jedi Knight burying the holocron, whispering, "For the unbroken."]
Zarr staggered back, her blade extinguishing. "What was—?"
"Leave," James said, seizing the moment. "Tell your Council the desert keeps its secrets."
------------
Zarr straightened, pride warring with pragmatism. She deactivated her lightsaber, but her gaze lingered on the mural. "This isn't a victory, Warlord. You've bought time, not safety."
She tossed a small device at his feet—a Republic-issue beacon, its light pulsing faintly. "When the Sith come—and they will—activate this. It might save your people. Or condemn them."
James didn't touch it. "Take your beacon. We don't need Jedi scraps."
Zarr smirked, a hint of respect breaking through. "Stubborn as a bantha." She turned to leave, then paused. "That holocron… it's not just a map. It's a key. And keys attract thieves."
With that, she vanished into the night, her ship's engines roaring to life somewhere beyond the dunes.
[Galactic Attention: 4% → 7% – Jedi curiosity becomes suspicion.]
------------
James knelt, picking up the beacon. It hummed with a low, insistent frequency.
"You should destroy it," his mother said, emerging from the shadows.
"No," James replied, pocketing the device. "We'll study it. Learn its weaknesses."
[New Quest: "Decrypt the Beacon" – Analyze Jedi tech. Reward: Galactic Intel (Lv. 1)]
Above them, the mural's glow faded, but the reactor's hum deepened—a sound almost like approval.
-----------
Using the starship's tools, James and the tribe built their first smelter. They melted scavenged blasters into ploughshares, Skarn bone into mortar. The reactor core, though dead, became a communal hearth—its durasteel skeleton repurposed into beams for new huts.
[Basic Engineering: 22% → 30% – Unlocked "Salvage Crafting"]
[Force Reinforcement (Lv. 1) – Strengthened structural supports. Settlement Durability +15%]
At night, James returned to the reactor, practicing Force Echo on the mural. The visions grew clearer: the Jedi Knight burying a hexagonal holocron deep beneath the ship, whispering, "For those who rise after the fall."
[Force Echo (Lv. 1) → Lv. 2 – Visions now include audio traces.]
-----------
[STATUS PAGE]
[Age: 12]
[Current Identity: "Victorious Defender of the Tribe"]
[Affiliation: Tribe of Stone Ridge]
[STATS]
[Strength (Physical): 14]
[Agility (Movement & Reaction Speed): 15]
[Force (Midichlorian Count): 8,000]
[Luck: 8]
[SKILLS]
[Staff Combat: 55%] [Advanced] [Foundation skill; opened into subskills like Whirlstrike and Fluid Assault.]
[Combo Chain – Fluid Assault: Lv. 2] [Allows for smoother, uninterrupted chains of attacks during melee.]
[Momentum Skill – Whirlstrike: Lv. 2] [A forceful spinning strike, useful for clearing space or staggering foes.]
[Pain Resistance: 50%] [Allows to keep fighting while injured. Developed from repeated exposure in training and battle.]
[Tactical Insight: Lv. 2] [Grants limited predictive combat intuition; recognizes enemy stance shifts and weaknesses.]
[Force Body: Lv. 3] [Boosts physical resistance and stamina recovery; triggered through willpower during the first trial.]
[Force Sensory Awareness: 12%] [Allows user to detect hidden threats, resources, or presences (e.g., water sources, approaching enemies, or Force-sensitive beings) through the Force.]
[Force Telekinesis: Lv. 10] [Most used Force ability. Can lift, push, and crush enemies mid-combat. Precision is improving. Lift limit is expanded.]
[Force Cloak: Lv. 2] [A rare and advanced Force ability that allows a user to mask their Force signature, making them undetectable to other Force-sensitive beings. It's often associated with Sith stealth tactics (e.g., Darth Sidious hiding his dark side presence) or Jedi Shadows (elite Jedi who hunt dark side artifacts covertly).]
[Force Reinforcement: Lv. 1] [A utilitarian Force skill that strengthens objects, structures, or the user's body. Jedi often use it to reinforce shields or fortify defenses (e.g., Bastila Shan's Battle Meditation indirectly bolstered allies). Sith might enhance weapons or torture tools.]
[Strategic Planning Lv. 1] [New skill unlocked from tribe leadership and defensive planning. Provides insight into long-term survival and defense strategies.]
[Basic Engineering: 30%] [Construction and fortification design.]
[Salvage Crafting: 22% Success Chance] [Repurposing scavenged materials (starship parts, Skarn weapons, etc.) into tools, weapons, or infrastructure.]
[Tribal Leadership: Lv. 4] [Governing, morale management, organization.]
[Environmental Empathy (Passive): Lv. 1] [Grants an instinctive connection to the planet's ecosystems, letting the user "read" environmental patterns (weather shifts, geological stability, resource distribution).]
[Hydraulic Mastery: Lv. 1] [Grants advanced understanding of water systems (+10% irrigation efficiency).]
[Crisis Management Lv. 1] [Enables the user to make rapid, effective decisions during emergencies (raids, natural disasters, resource shortages).]
[Starship Engineering: Lv. 1] [Can repair basic systems (life support, power grids).]