The VR interface hummed warmly as Seris Kaelwyn adjusted the visor straps against her temples. Three… Two… One… SYNC COMPLETE.
Suddenly the sterile emptiness of her bedroom vanished, replaced by a wave of sensory immersion. The scent of ionized air, the distant thrum of engines, and the low hiss of hydraulics filled her ears. The Star Wars VRMMO: Galactic Expansion world materialized around her in vivid detail — a massive starport bay deep within the Core Worlds simulation.
Her vision flickered with HUD overlays:
LEVEL: 1
CLASS: Undefined
WEAPON: Dual Blasters
HEALTH: 100/100
ENERGY: 150/150
ATTACK: 15
DEFENSE: 12
MOBILITY: 18
XP: 0/100
no flashy menus, no text about backups or enhancements — just her raw stats and one piece of equipment.
Seris exhaled lightly, letting the reality of the game settle in. She'd imagined this moment over and over while waiting for access to open — but nothing compared to the stark clarity of actually being here.
A neutral system notification blinked briefly at the corner of her HUD, then vanished, leaving only the world and her boots on the cold metal floor.
The starport was vast and silent, except for the distant echo of maintenance droids scurrying over service corridors. Massive cruisers loomed overhead like titans, their hull plates gleaming under artificial lights. Traffic pods drifted on magnetic rails far above her head. She wasn't on Coruscant itself — but this simulation pulled deeply from the familiar geography of the Core Worlds.
Her fingers brushed the grips of her dual blasters.
They weighed perfectly balanced in her hands — standard starter issue for new players. Nothing exotic. Nothing cutting‑edge. Just enough firepower to make a beginning.
Above the hangar doors, a notification lit up:
Starter Mission: Report to Core Worlds Liaison.
Objective: Bay 7 Exit.
Reward: 500 XP
Seris didn't hesitate. She didn't need a tutorial pop‑up to tell her what to do first.
The Yard Beyond
She walked out of the hangar, heels clicking on metal grates, and stepped into the broad docking yard. The air here smelled colder — like static and engines cooling after a run. Transit pods glided across invisible rails overhead, their lights flickering as they passed. Freight drones buzzed like giant metallic insects between cargo stacks.
Her HUD pinged once.
Two scavenger NPCs stood near a burnt‑out gunship — rusted metal casting jagged shadows across the yard. They were level‑1 hostiles, the simplest of foes every new player encountered early on. Still, Seris's fingers tightened on her blasters.
No shields. No backup. Just her.
Her Tactical Interface locked on the nearest scavenger's weak spot:
Red markers glowed faintly.
One foot forward… she fired first.
BANG! BANG!
The dual blasters' plasma bolts lit up the yard as they flew in near‑perfect arcs. The first scavenger staggered and collapsed without a sound. The second tried to dodge — but her aim was steady and precise.
Hit.
Hit.
Moments later, the last targeting reticle went dark.
XP +80
XP +15
XP +10
The scavengers evaporated like dust in the wind. Seris stood still for a breath, letting the numbers rise in her HUD:
XP: 105/100
A soft chime followed.
Level Up!
New Level: 2
Skill Points: +1
She tapped her Skill Menu — but nothing complicated popped up. Just one thing she could invest in:
Dual Blasters: Mastery
Without thinking, she allocated the point.
Dual Blasters Mastery +1:
• +5% Fire Rate
• +3% Critical Chance
• -Recoil Slightly Reduced
Her blasters hummed in her hands — nothing seemed different yet, but she knew it would matter in the next fight.
A Step Forward
Turning back toward the waypoint indicator, Seris stepped across the yard's metallic floor. Distant transport horns blared faintly. In the background, a massive cruiser prepared for launch, its ramp folding shut with a thunderous growl.
Her boots hit the ground in a rhythm — steady, deliberate. The mission marker pulsed ahead of her, guiding her through corridors and over catwalks until she reached the Core Worlds Liaison station.
The Liaison NPC stood straight and neutral — just another bureaucratic face in a sprawling system — but when she stepped before it, the robot‑like voice spoke clearly:
"Player registered. Your presence is confirmed. Missions are available."
Seris kept her blasters ready at her sides, every nerve alert.
"Understood," she replied.
No voice chat. No fancy introduction. Just the grit of reality simulation and the quiet promise of progress.
The Liaison projected a new objective:
Data Retrieval at Abandoned Outpost.
Recommended Level: 2–3
Reward: 300 XP
Something about the assignment felt right — simple enough to start, but enough to test her resolve.
She nodded once, then stepped out into the vastness beyond the station.
Her HUD showed her path forward. Her weapons were ready. Her skills were minimal.
But this was where it began.
And every level after this one — every fight, every mission, every earned credit — would come from that moment right here.