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Chapter one

Transmigration into a Galaxy Far, Far Away...

It is a period of peace and prosperity for planet Earth. Much of the credit for this period of stability is in no small part due to our protagonist, Damien Winters.

Damien is a visionary, a genius, and an American patriot. Even from an early age, he displayed a brilliant and unique mind.

At the age of four, Damien built his first circuit board. At the age of six, he built his first engine. At the age of seventeen, he graduated, Summa Cum laude, from MIT.

In the year 2024, Damien’s life was struck by tragedy, when a racial supremacist group launched a terrorist attack on the Capitol of the United States of America. The attack resulted in innumerable deaths, including both of Damien’s parents.

Following in the wake of his parents' death, Damien devoted his life to defending freedom and protecting America, and her interests around the world. At the age of twenty-one, Damien founded “Winters Technologies”, specializing in smart weapon systems, satellite targeting systems, and Advanced robotics.

Now at the age of thirty-seven, the current world is at peace, and Damien has turned most of his attention to developing clean, renewable energy.

Underneath Damien’s private residence is a fully equipped and functioning state-of-the-art private laboratory. At present, Damien is inside, conducting an activation test, on his experimental prototype, “Atmosphere Reaction Containment system”, or for short, “ARC power core”.

During the test, A catastrophic failure results in a devastating explosion, reducing the entire residence to rubble.

Amid the explosion, when Damien’s life hung on the threshold separating life and death, God by an act of divine intervention, spared, Damien Winters’ life. However, our protagonist did not escape his fate completely unscathed...

Chapter One

Damien’s first thought upon waking up was "ouch!!!"

Damien’s second thought was "Death sucked, and she could go suck an egg."

Damien’s third thought was interrupted by somebody else's voice...,

"Hey kid, this isn't the afterlife, and you're not dead yet.''

Turning to look at the owner of the voice, Damien’s inner fanboy immediately squeals in glee. Ok, sure Damien’s response was a bit of a knee jerk reaction. But can we blame him? After all, what geek wouldn't squeal at the sight of a genuine "Force Ghost" sitting right in front of him, in all its hazy blue incandescent glory? For Damien, the “Star Wars” universe was the perfect “Heaven”. As a devoted fanboy through and through, Damien quickly wracked his brains for everything he knew about “Force Ghosts”.

The Force Ghost was the soul and essence of a deceased Force-sensitive being, who had come to terms with death and invoked this technique to preserve their identity. Some Sith Lords learned similar techniques, which allowed them to physically interact with their environment. This ability also allowed the Force user to interact with both living beings and other Force ghosts.

"Holy shit..., you, you, you were a Jedi! Who are you, or who were you? Were you famous? How did you die? Were you cut down by a powerful Sith Lord? Wait, did you say this isn't the afterlife?"

"Enough, let me stop you right there. Who I am does not matter. I have no place in this reality, or any other..., What you need to focus on right now, is the passage of time. We have very little of it, and it’s getting shorter with every second that passes..., Now listen carefully, you have a choice to make...,"

"Wait, what do you mean by “this reality”? ..., Holy shit, are you confirming that there is more than a single reality? A “Multiverse”? I mean, it has always been theorized that the multiverse was a plausible possibility, and yet..., to have it confirmed, is simply mind blowing. How does it all work?"

“Seriously, did you miss the whole part about running out of time? I mean it’s only your very existence at stake..., But sure, be my guest, let us waste our precious time discussing the existence of the Multiverse.”

“Can’t you just..., give me an overview or something?”

"Sure..., Let’s see, how to explain the vastness of the multiverse, so that even a primitive primate like you, can understand... I got it, imagine a string of pearls, with ne so far? Good, now, imagine each pearl as a reality. Following along? Excellent, now imagine that the string is the "Force", which connects all realities. Now here's where it gets a bit complicated, as each reality is divided into two parts. Picture it as a yin-yang symbol. The yang represents life, and the material world. The Yin represents death, and the netherworld. The reincarnation cycle manages the pool of souls in each reality. Picture a clock face overlaying the yin-yang symbol. The 12:00 position, which represents rebirth, is where a freshly purified soul departs from the netherworld and begins a new life. The 6:00 position, which represents death, is where the soul descends into the netherworld to undergo purification, where it is stripped of all its memories and identity. That’s the basics."

"Ok, so this is some, “Alice in wonderland”, “Wizard of Oz” type bullshit? By any chance, will I end up waking up in my bed, having learned a valuable life lesson? Maybe I should try clicking my heels together, or something?"

"Sorry kid, but I don’t see any path which leads back to your previous reality. As of this moment in time there are only two options; either stay in this reality or do nothing. By doing nothing, you will be ejected from this reality, resulting in your body and soul being obliterated, permanently. The choice is yours, kid."

"Wait, wait, wait..., putting aside the whole obliteration thing for the moment. Why don’t I get the usual Heaven or Hell option? Was the whole "God" thing a big lie or something? Oh, and which reality are we even in, if this isn’t my old reality?"

"Ignorant brat, it was "God" who pulled your flaming carcass from that shit storm you created, and it was God who dumped your ungrateful ass in this reality. So, you might want to show a modicum of respect and gratitude. As for the heaven and hell option..., Your still alive, and thus do not qualify. To answer your last question, you are exactly where you think you are. Welcome to a galaxy far, far away...,"

"I suppose it could be worse, I’m at least in a high-tech reality, with highly refined robotic prosthesis technology... I guess it's time to address the elephant in the room. Do you care to explain why I’m being rejected, since “God” was the one to place me in this reality?"

“Sigh"...you really are a nerf herder. Let me make one thing perfectly clear, this reality is no reward. In fact, this “galaxy” is the multiverse’s trash heap, where everyone dumps their undesirables, and most of the time it’s entire species. For you, it's more of a consolation gift in the form of a second chance. So don’t blow it.”

"Fine..., I take it you have a solution for me?"

“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth – nothing more.”

"Funny... Haha.... "The Matrix" that’s a good one... how do you even know about the Matrix..., you know what, don’t answer that. Hurry up, I don’t want oblivion, I want to live..., Give me the real solution."

"Why so serious?... Smile. All you need to do is touch that crystal, and let the magic happen."

The old ghost points to where a sinister looking black crystal is displayed on top a raised pedestal. For the first time since awakening to this reality, Damien finally takes a good look at his surroundings and wow... just wow. Creepy sacrificial Altar, check... Dark creepy old ruin temple, check. Damien doubted anything good would come from touching that crystal. Then Damien’s mind snapped into razor sharp focus, as he stared at the dimly lit black crystal. A wild, and ludicrous speculation began to propagate within his mind, making his heart race with excitement. If only it really is a “Kyber crystal”, that would be so freaking cool. He wracked his brain for any memories about Kyber crystals, recalling that Kyber crystals, are rare, Force-attuned crystals that grew naturally. They are used by both the Jedi and the Sith in the construction of their lightsabers. As part of Jedi training, younglings were sent to the Crystal Cave of the ice planet of Ilum to seek their own lightsaber crystals. There are also larger, rarer crystals of great power, and are used at the heart of superweapon by the Sith.

He suddenly snapped out of his fugue state, as he remembered that he had an even better source of information than “Wookieepedia” right in front of him.

"Hey..., Old ghost, that’s not by any chance a black Kyber crystal?"

"No, It's a Silver Kyber crystal. Unless you want to be hunted by the entire population of Mandalorian bounty hunters, I'd avoid black Kyber crystals.”

Damion nearly let out another squeal on hearing his answer but barely managed to suppress it. He quickly went through his memories, searching for what a silver crystal represented,

Blue Kyber crystals symbolize strength, loyalty, and determination.

Green Kyber crystals represent peace and harmony with nature.

Red Kyber crystals symbolize power, aggression, and a rejection of Jedi principles.

Yellow Kyber crystals represent balance, vigilance, and protection.

Black Kyber crystals represent leadership and authority among Mandalorians.

White Kyber crystals represent purity and neutrality.

Purple Kyber crystals symbolize moral ambiguity and a balance between light and dark.

Orange Kyber crystals embody courage, hope, and a balance between light and dark.

Pink Kyber crystals represent love, compassion, and emotional intelligence.

Magenta Kyber crystals symbolize charm, compassion, and unconventionality.

Cyan Kyber crystals blend the qualities of blue and green, representing a balance between strength and wisdom.

Indigo Kyber crystals represent a struggle between light and dark within the wielder.

Turquoise Kyber crystals represent a blend of combat prowess and Force sensitivity.

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Brown Kyber crystals symbolize a deep connection to plant life and nature.

Gold Kyber crystals represent exceptional attunement to the light side of the Force.

Silver Kyber crystals embody neutrality, purity, and balance.

Bronze Kyber crystals symbolize seniority, intelligence, and a deep connection to the Force.

"If my information, isn’t wrong, a “Silver Kyber crystal” embodies neutrality, purity, and balance. Huh, I always pictured myself more as a Purple...,”

“Kid, you don’t choose the crystal, the crystal chooses you. Now, stop daydreaming and start moving. You are literally running out of time."

Damien looked at the distance to the pedestal and realized a significant problem. Ever since he woke up in this reality, he had been doing his very best to ignore the fact he no longer had arms or legs. From the condition of his stumps, it was obviously caused by the explosion. Fortunately, all his wounds had been completely healed by the time he woke up in this reality. However, none of this was getting him any closer to reaching that crystal, and he so desperately wanted to touch it. Unable to come up with a solution, he turned to the only hope for a solution, the Force ghost...,

"Hey bub..., Any chance you can get me to the crystal, or get the crystal to me?”

The old ghost looked at the distance between me and the Silver Kyber crystal, then at the height of the pedestal, and finally at all the obstacles that lay in between. Damien watched as the old ghost became more and more dispirited. Finally, the old ghost released a heavy "Sigh".

“Fine”

Damien was completely taken by surprise, as the old ghost suddenly, without any warning, used the Force. With a simple flick of the wrist, the old bastard, sent the crystal hurling into Damien’s chest with all the speed of a Nolan Ryan fastball...,

"Gah"

At first Damien thought the old codger was trying to finish him off once and for all. However, that thought, and all other thoughts ended the moment the Kyber crystal made contact. In that exact moment, time and space seem to stop. Inside that frozen moment, Damien felt like he was being electrocuted and having an orgasm, all at the same time. Even that bazar sensation was overshadowed by the alien presence that enveloped him, permeated him, and completely overwhelmed him...,

Damien woke with a strange sense of disconnect. It felt like being submerged deep in the middle of the ocean, unable to tell up from down, left from right. He might have remained disoriented if not for the reappearance of the Force ghost, providing a much-needed anchor...,

“Take it easy..., It’ll take some time for you to adapt to your newfound powers. This sensation you’re feeling is the foundational ability of all Force-sensitive beings. It is known as, “Force Awareness”, its strength of connection is relative to the user's sensitivity to the Force. Over time you may even discover more of these unique inherent skills.”

“It’s so..., All encompassing, Overwhelming.”

“Don’t struggle, do not try to control it, relax your mind, and just focus on breathing..., In and out, that’s it, just breathe. I sense incredible potential within you. It seems you’ve benefitted greatly from your baptism. Your Midi-chlorian count is beyond anything I've ever felt. You shall be a powerful Force user in time. My time here, has been exhausted, and I feel my spirit withdrawing back into the Force.”

Damien could only nod his head in acknowledgment of the Force Ghost’s evaluation, as he found the Force Ghost already fading from reality...,

“Thank you, for everything...., May the force be with you.”

“And the Force with you, kid.”

The Force ghost’s voice faded along with his apparition, and with its departure, the old temple fell into a sense of desolation and loneliness. Nevertheless, Damien did not have the time nor luxury to be bogged down by such emotions. Shaking off the negative, and embracing the positive, that has always been Damien’s Modus operandi.

The first order of business as always was basic survival and taking stock of his present condition and resources. Damien’s present condition was both excellent and terrible. Excellent due to all residual damage from his previous life has been completely regenerated during the baptism. Terrible since he was still missing both legs and both arms. He could only speculate that his benefactor saw no need to regrow that which was already missing.

Damien’s available resources were similarly excellent and terrible. Excellent due to now being a Force user, with a higher-than-normal Midi-chlorian count. This signified great potential for the future, but little to no advantage in the present situation.

As for material resources, such as food, shelter, and clothing, Damien was in even worse shape. There simply was no food, nor did he have the mobility to hunt or forage. “Shelter”, he at least had the old ruin temple to shield him from the elements. However, there was no warmth, no fire, and no fuel to burn.

The ancient temple was so old that everything that hadn’t been made of stone had long since turned to dust. “Clothing”, was a bust from the start, since he had entered this reality as naked as a newborn.

It seemed the key to Damien’s continued survival lay with his high sensitivity to “the Force”. He just needed to figure out a way to tap into that potential. What he needed was a direction to proceed in, and he believed the “Force ghost” had pointed him towards one. “Midi-chlorians”,

Damien surprisingly found it effortless to recall every article he had ever read on “Mini-chlorians”. It appeared that his mind had also underwent significant improvements during the baptism. It now operates more in line with that of a computer. The only way he could describe his memory was, perfect interactive recall. Shaking free of his musings, he dove into his research.

“Midi-chlorians” were microscopic, intelligent life forms that originated from the foundation of life, in the center of the galaxy. By taking up residency within their hosts cells, a symbiotic relationship has formed with all living organisms. “Midi-chlorians” act as an interface between “the Force” and all living beings. However, only living beings with a sensitivity to “the Force” over a certain threshold can use “the Force”.

To gauge an individual's potential in the Force, blood tests were used to estimate the number of midi-chlorians within the subject's cells, known as an M-count. For example, “Anakin Skywalker”, his test resulted in a M-count of over twenty-thousand midi-chlorians. Making his potential in the Force, the highest in galactic history.

Damien found the information enlightening, but not very relevant in his current situation. He already knew he was over the threshold to be a Force-user. No, what he needed was information on how to apply theory into practical application.

Which reminded him of “Jedi training”, “Force Powers” and “Force Technique”. So, he pivoted his research in that direction. “Force Powers” are manifestations resulting from Force-sensitive beings connecting with the Force. The nature and practice of “Force Techniques” are abilities capable of being passed down through bonds such as Master and Apprentice. There are also unique Force abilities that Force-sensitive beings are naturally born with and use on instinct.

There are also those who practice using the Force as a form of magic, such as the Witches of Dathomir, Nightsisters, Mind-witches, and the Sith who also practice “Sith magic” and “Sith alchemy”.

The Jedi Order teachings in “Force powers” are divided into three schools of thought, which focus on channeling the light side of the Force. They are “Control”, “Sense”, and “Alter”.

The Sith’s teachings in “Force powers” are divided into three schools of thought, which focus on channeling the dark side of the force. They are “Offense”, “Body”, and “Mind”.

This research direction showed promise, providing Damien a starting point. He would focus on the Jedi schools of thought. This was a matter of compatibility more than any sense of good versus evil. He simply felt no affinity with the aggressive nature of dark side teachings. The real question he needed to answer, how much of Earth’s Star Wars dogma, is true and how much artistic license was used in its making....,

The Jedi Order’s Initiates are first introduced to “Force powers” through the school of thought called “Control”. “Control” techniques focus on abilities that centered on one's own body. “Control” abilities included “energy absorption”, “self-healing”, and “meditation”.

The Jedi Order further their Padawan’s training by introducing the Padawan to the school of thought called “Sense”, “Sence” techniques focus on abilities that extend one's awareness into their surrounding environment and expanding their understanding of the “Living Force”. “Sense” abilities included “life detection”, “Sense Force”, “postcognition”, and “projected telepathy”. These were considered the core to Jedi teachings.

The Jedi Order further their Jedi Knight’s training by introducing the knight to the school of thought called “Alter”. “Alter” techniques focus on abilities that physically impacted their surroundings. “Alter” abilities included “telekinesis”, “affect mind”, and “alter environment”.

Following his plan, Damien delved deeper into the Jedi school of thought “Control”.

“Tutaminis” was the umbrella title used by the Jedi Order to classify Force abilities related to energy absorption. These abilities granted their user the capability of dissipating concentrated energies such as Sith lightning, blasterbolt. or lightsaber blade.

“Curato salva” was the umbrella title used by the Jedi Order to classify Force abilities related to self-healing. These abilities granted their users the capabilities to stay fit and maintain endurance, extend their lifespans by staving off decay, and to flush out any poisons or diseases within their bloodstreams.

“Altus sopor” was the traditional term for the ability to increase a user's focus on the Force. “Altus sopor” was a basic component of the control area of Force techniques, and when developed, could allow a practitioner to merge into the Force so that they would become invisible to others even to those with the most acute senses.

Damien wasn’t surprised that the information he had from Earth lacked any actual guidance in Jedi training. He was grateful all the same for the bleeding through between realities, that sparked the inspiration leading to the phenomena that is “Star Wars universe” on Earth. It at least gave him accurate target goals to aim for. Besides, it’s always easier to recreate a thing, than to invent it.

Damien’s first step on the path to becoming a “Force Master”, was to gain proficiency in the ability, “Altus sopor”, which was a fancy term for meditation. Lacking any actual guidance to proceed with, Damien turned to Earth’s diverse cultures for inspiration. Upon diving into his memories, Damion was soon made suspicious of his finding. He realized that nearly every documented civilization or cultural organization has at one point or is currently cultivating a meditation technique. If his suspicions were to be believed, then it couldn’t be a coincidence. If not a coincidence, that made the implication even more staggering. Was God cultivating Earth’s population of humanity into “Force sensitive beings”? Maybe that was the “End Game” of Revelations in the Bible and answered the necessity for phenomenon like the rapture. The more he thought through the correlations, the more the Rapture resembled the act of becoming a Force Ghost. It also could explain why those who will be “Raptured” vanish without leaving behind a physical body.

Damien forcefully pulled back from the rabbit hole of speculation and conjecture. He no longer had a part to play in that reality. He had his own troubles to overcome and needed to get back to finding, a correlation between all the meditation techniques...,

Damien was finding meditation difficult to define as it covers a wide range of dissimilar practices in different traditions and cultures. In general, he found the word "meditation" and the phrase "meditative practice" are often used imprecisely to designate practices found across many cultures. Basically, anything that claims to train the attention of the mind or to teach calmness or compassion, is included. He could only conclude that there was no correlation of necessary and sufficient criteria for meditation within the modern scientific mind frame.

Damien found most of the difficulty in precisely defining meditation has been in recognizing the particularities of the many various traditions, and theories, when practice can differ within a tradition. Even mainstream faiths such as "Hindu" or "Buddhist" schools may teach distinct types of meditation. In addition, he felt most techniques of meditation do not exist as solitary practices but are only artificially separable from an entire system of practice and belief. For instance, while monks meditate as part of their everyday lives, they also engage in the codified rules and live together in monasteries in specific cultural settings. Thus, creating a symbiotic relationship between technique and environment, resulting in a rigidly controlled lifestyle.

Damien realized that what he hoped to find was science, but instead he found spirituality. The scientific method was neat, a step-by-step procedure, you question, you test, you verify and prove the answer. Spirituality was messy, emotional, and chaotic. Meditation is a tool, it is used to tidy that which is messy, to calm that which is emotional, and to bring order to that which is chaotic.

More importantly, Damien realized meditation was personal, to everyone. Leading him to his conclusion, meditation was a process of trial and error, until enough experience is accumulated to create a customized technique personally.

And thus ended Damiens pursuit for knowledge, and began his pursuit for enlightenment...,

“Here goes nothing.”

Damien closed his eyes and tried several calming techniques, most, however, proved ineffectual due to the pervasive state of clarity his mind is now equipped with. Such stringent clarity of thought was proving stubbornly resistant. Even as a child, he had been chaotically hyperactive, making interactions with other people frustrating and tedious. It was only with his first introduction to computers, and the programming and coding world that he first found his own brand of inner peace. He recalled the state of peace he would fall into, while working on a new piece of coding for an experiment or new design.

It was then while recalling that feeling of peace, the material world and all its noise vanished. It was so absolute, leaving Damien bodiless while floating in nothingness. Only the piece of him that was self-aware remained and the alien situation scared the living hell out of him. The shock catapulted him out of his inner peace with such power that his awareness was flung completely out of his body. Like air newly free from a burst balloon.

Damien’s awareness expanded explosively, as he spread out beyond the temple and kept going. Soon he reached beyond the entire volcanic island, where the temple was located on. Continuing his expansion, he quickly surpassed the entire planet, and before a heart could beat once, he had exceeded the entire star system. It was only then he finally reached his limit.

In this expanded awareness, it was not clarity he felt, but vastness. Damien felt his very identity on the verge of dissolving and merging with the Force. In that defused state of awareness, Damien no longer felt the world’s influences, such base feelings as fear, anger, hate, desire, impatience, or frustration. All Damien could feel was peace, acceptance, and belonging,

It was so tempting for Damien to just let go and no longer struggle under such overwhelming conditions. Conditions that even he was not sure he could overcome under such circumstances. However, now that he considered giving up, another part of his psychology revolted. This part was tied directly to his survival instinct and the core of human nature. The piece that laughs in the face of death, that bit that made the human spirit indomitable...,

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