[Avatar of the Force] 9 – The First Instance

As I neared the academy, I read the description of my new skills over and over again while I dragged the corpses of two of the larger slugs and as many pieces of some of the other slugs I killed as I could in the limited number of pockets and pouches I had. When I got close enough to the Academy doors, I had the chance to use one of my new skills, [Inspect], on one of the Academy Guards.

[Sith Academy Guard - Level: ??]

As I neared the bounty board, I cast [Inspect] again, this time on the droid.

[Marsecurity-class Protocol Droid - Level 10 - A Marsecurity Protocol Droid purchased for use by the Sith Academy of Korriban] [#1]

Why could I see the level of the protocol droid but not the Sith Academy guard? Was it a level difference, or was it because of some other matter? Trying it again on another guard left me with question marks again. I kept using the skill over and over again until I tried it on one of my fellow acolytes.

[Sith Acolyte - Level 15 - An Acolyte of the Sith undergoing training in the Sith Academy on Korriban]

Trying it over and over again as I waited in line to get to the droid, I think I had finally narrowed down the limitations of the skill. Level. The highest level I was able to [Inspect] so far was ten higher than my own; past that point, they get a question mark. What more than one question mark meant, I had no idea as of yet.

When I finally reached the front of the line, I gave the two slug carcasses to the droid as well as a handful of teeth, brain matter, and hide, getting a nice bit of credits in exchange, enough to actually pay back the loan I had taken to obtain the sword I used and a twenty more credits I would have left over if I decided to go back the loan now.

Deciding that was a good idea for now, I motioned to move towards the entrance of the Academy, planning on heading to the amory to settle my debt and get some bags or pouches before I stopped in my tracks as one of my skills activated on its own as I stepped through the door.

[Instances Found!]

[Skirmish on Korriban (Past), Difficulty Level: 8/10. Description: Revean, one of the strongest and most notorious Sith in known History, once set foot in this very Academy, and when he left, no Sith remained]

[Overwhelming Odds, Difficulty Level: 9/10. Description: Without any warning, a naval cruiser carrying a few hundred trained Jedi Knights, Padawans, and Jedi Masters arrived atop Korriban. The meager amount of Sith on the planet stood no chance] [#2]

[Legacy (Future), Difficulty: 6/10. Description: The Academy, abandoned for countless years, is no longer empty. You are not alone] 

What?

In a moment of pure foolishness, I reached out and touched the instance closest to me, Legacy.

[Entering Instance: Legacy. Note that some Instances will lock the exit until the main objective of the Instance is completed or the user fails]

Suddenly, my body collapsed into a pile of Ash before the entrance of the Academy, in view of multiple guards, acolytes, a few Sith Knights, droids, and a great deal more.

...

With a coughing fit, I fell to my knees and onto my hands as I momentarily had all the oxygen in my lungs disappear and turn into ash. Tears flooded my eyes from the momentary suffocation before I was able to wipe away my eyes and get a deep breath of air into my lungs.

As my vision cleared up, a screen appeared before me.

/======+======\

-[Instance: Legacy]-

Level: 6/10

Description: The Academy, abandoned for countless years, is no longer empty. You are not alone.

Main Objective: ???

Secondary Objective: Survive for one week within the ruins of the Academy

Tertiary Objective: ???

Optional Objective 1: ???

Optional Objective 2: ???

Optional Objective 3: ???

\============+==========/

What the hell?

As I looked past the screen, I saw a decrepit and abandoned replica of the Academy I had been in a moment before. Only the Academy seemed to be in far worse condition, and rubble, dust, and debris littered the area. I did not know how the academy even stood.

As I climbed back up to my feet, I turned around...and was met with a shimmering barrier blocking the exit out of the Academy.

Reaching out for it, I was met with resistance.

[You may not leave the Instance until the Main Objective is completed]

Before I even finished reading the message, I felt a chill from behind and immediately dived to my right away as [Danger Sense] flared in warning. Yet...nothing, why didn't I see anything?

[Danger Sense] tripped again, and I rolled away as if being attacked by an invisible monster.

As I rolled away, I felt my [Danger Sense] flare in response from a different direction than where I initially felt the danger.

Throwing a [Force Push] did nothing, and with no choice, I decided to flee and make the distance between myself and whatever clumsy invisible threats kept trying to attack me. I sprinted down the hallway away from the two invisible threats, only to have to dodge as Danger Sense flared again. 

I dodged to the side, as whatever my Danger Sense alerted me of passed where I was but a moment ago.

Gritting my teeth, I threw another Force Push to no avail and no apparent effect.

I continued to flee down the long corridor of the Academy until I reached the central chamber that acted as the hub of the Academy. Only here did my Danger Sense not spark to life, letting me know I was safe...for now.

The central chamber was...different. Sure, the stairs, or what remained of them, still curled around the room up to the second floor of the academy, and I could see some of the corridors that led to the different wings of the Academy, a few with collapsed entrances, but that wasn't what caught my eye.

Instead...it was the strange sarcophagus covered in Sith script and etchings. 

Did someone turn the Academy into a tomb? Why? Were they asking for their body to be fucked with long after they were dead?

Without a second thought, I used [Inspect].

[????]

Before I could react, the sarcophagus began to pulse with an eerie red glow, each of the markings carved into it shinning with a blinding light. A humanoid figure made of ash formed in the air above the Sarcophagus and focused immediately on me.

[Force Specter - Level: ???]

--

[#1] - As Starwars doesn't really go that in-depth with droids, especially in the Old Republic era, I will need to come up with unique companies and classes of droids]

[#2] - Instances are more than past and future events recreated. They are also windows into what could have been