Kael Solaris never expected to die on a Tuesday. He was twenty-one, healthy, and seated in his apartment's living room on Earth, surrounded by Star Wars memorabilia—lightsaber hilts, a hand-painted Revan statue, and a wall-mounted replica of a Jedi holocron that pulsed faintly in the glow of his TV. He'd just paused The Clone Wars for the fifth time to grab instant noodles when the world suddenly blurred.
No pain. No noise. Just… static.
And then, nothing.
He didn't even get to finish his noodles.
Kael blinked. His body felt... weightless, like he was suspended in a vacuum. White space surrounded him, endless and featureless. A void without time or shape. Floating in it was a man—if one could call him that. His presence shimmered, not from any light source, but as if the universe was trying to decide how to render him.
He wore a white button-up shirt, sleeves rolled, and a pair of jeans. Casual. Relaxed. Ridiculous.
"Yo," the man said, waving as if greeting someone at a bus stop. "My bad."
Kael stared. "…What?"
"Yeah, so, long story short—I'm a god. Or the God, depending on who you ask." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "And I… kind of deleted your soul by accident."
Kael's mouth opened. Closed. "You what?"
"I was clearing corrupted data from a collapsing universe, and—well, you were in the metaphysical blast zone. Don't worry, your Earth's fine. Just you that got... misfiled." He gave an apologetic smile. "Think of it like a cosmic Ctrl+Z gone wrong."
Kael ran a hand through his hair, not even questioning how he had a body. "So I'm dead?"
"Yup. Deader than the Alderaan tourism industry."
"…Seriously?"
God snapped his fingers. A bottle of blue milk floated into Kael's hand. "Hey, I figured you'd appreciate the reference."
Kael's fingers curled around the bottle, dumbfounded. "Okay. You're a god. I'm dead. Now what?"
"Well," God said, clasping his hands together, "normally I'd reincarnate you back into a boring Earth timeline. But you seem like a good guy—and I really don't like paperwork—so I'm offering you a deal. Five wishes. Any five. And you get to pick the universe you want to be reborn into."
Kael didn't hesitate. "Star Wars."
God grinned. "Knew it."
Kael's heart—or soul, or whatever—pounded with something close to giddy awe. "You're serious?"
"As a Sith's temper. Five wishes. Any reasonable rules or logic?"
God held up a hand. "Just two rules: nothing that erases free will or rewrites history outright. You can bend events, but no retconning canon out of existence."
Kael nodded rapidly. His brain spun with possibilities. After a deep breath, he lifted his chin. "Alright. Here are my five wishes."
"One," he began, "I want Revan's full abilities. Combat, Force powers, intelligence, charisma—all of it."
God's brow arched. "Ambitious. Revan was a powerhouse, both Jedi and Sith."
Kael grinned. "Exactly."
"Granted."
"Two," Kael said, "I want to be completely untraceable by Force users. No one should be able to sense me unless I allow it. Not even Palpatine or Yoda."
God let out a low whistle. "Sneaky. I like it. Granted."
"Three," Kael said, voice steady now, "I want a system—an RPG-like interface that tracks my progress. I want to earn abilities, knowledge, items, ships, and space stations by completing tasks or buying them with money I earn or steal in the universe. It should also allow me to summon characters from other sci-fi universes to serve me—completely loyal."
God blinked. "…You want a space mercenary gacha game?"
Kael shrugged. "Pretty much."
"Granted," God said, shaking his head in amusement. "You're going to break the galaxy."
"Four," Kael said, "I want an enhanced learning ability. Photographic memory, hyper-focus, fast mastery of anything I study."
"Granted."
"And five…" Kael smiled. "I want to be part of a long-lived, humanoid race—something like a space elf. Exceptionally Force-sensitive, stunningly beautiful by galactic standards."
God raised his brows. "You want to be pretty and powerful?"
Kael smirked. "If I'm going in, I'm going in style."
"Alright, alright," God chuckled. "You'll be reborn as Kael Solaris, an Elarian—a forgotten offshoot species. Elegant, ethereal, and packing Force juice like a kessel spice keg."
Kael felt a thrill course through him. "Perfect."
"Now then," God said, floating backward. "When and where?"
Kael's eyes gleamed. "Send me to Tatooine. Year 32 BBY."
God froze. "Ooh. Right before that podrace. Smart. You want to catch the prequels before they start spiraling."
Kael nodded. "I want to explore the universe, sure. But I'm not just gonna watch it burn from the sidelines."
"Spoken like a true main character," God mused. He raised his hand. "Alright, Kael Solaris. You're armed, dangerous, and destined to rewrite galactic history."
Kael took a deep breath. "Let's begin."
God snapped his fingers.
Sand.
Kael hit the ground face-first in a dune. The twin suns of Tatooine blazed overhead, scorching his back. He spat out a mouthful of grit, groaning as he pushed himself upright.
"Ugh… okay. Not the most elegant arrival."
A faint chime echoed in his head.
[ MercNet Online. Initializing... ]
Welcome, Kael Solaris.Race: ElarianAge: 18Location: Tatooine – Dune Sea
[ Newbie Reward Available! ]
2,000 Credits
HLAF-500 Starfighter
MercNet Shop Unlocked
Kael blinked as a translucent blue interface flickered before his eyes—elegant, efficient, minimalist.
[ Quests Unlocked: ]
Locate civilization
Join the Bounty Hunter Guild
Prepare for Event: "Boonta Eve Classic" (182 Days Remaining)
He exhaled, brushing sand from his shoulder. "Alright… Kael Solaris, mercenary of the galaxy. Time to raise hell."
Far in the distance, twin vapor trails streaked across the sky.
He smiled. Adventure awaited.