Neither Here Nor There

[Chevu Visz]

Chevu continued to constrict the struggling wolf man with her avatar's prehensile body. She could see him writhing, feeling some kind of sensation, a fake something, that was indistinguishable from real pain. This isn't real, remember? Chevu hissed and reared back for a vicious strike, aiming to clamp her fangs down on one of Coren's hands. She wanted out of this game and off the J'feh's ship. She wanted to be back home on Sullust. Or well, anywhere else but here.

He dug his fingers into her scales, trying to pry her off him, but she wouldn't budge. The noose kept getting tighter. The ground underneath them began to pool with her blood, trickling from the wound that Coren's pike made. Weakness was beginning to set in. The wound was perhaps more grievous than she'd originally thought. The end of her tail flicked out, aiming to send his pike flying. The sooner they finished this charade, the sooner they could go home. Or so she hoped.

In the distance, Chevu could hear that wet laughter again, a faint mirthful sound. I hope you choke on it, you queen.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

It wasn’t an unknown feeling. Coren knew he was aware during the time in carbonite. You dreamed, there were states of waking, no matter how good the carbonite’s cryohibernation unit was. You woke up, you couldn’t move, you could feel your body, you could feel the stone, but there was nothing you could do. This, the feelings transmitted from the virtual environment? It wasn’t that, this was something worse.

Something more painful and not just constricting. Coren was trying to reach out to the Force in the game, and wherever, and wasn’t finding purchase. He could fold himself out of this situation, he was focusing, but he couldn’t touch the Force.

He could feel himself weakening, but he could hear that damned laugh. How he wanted to stun that person and take what they were owed and get out of here, as the darkness kept slipping in.

[member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

There was a heartbeating sound that grew fainter and fainter and then a flash. Chevu and Coren stood in a large chamber on Ptoh's ship, still clad in haptic bodysuits. Their visors revealed only a claustrophobic blackness.

With a frustrated grunt, Chevu removed her visor, and squinted, letting her vision adjust to her disorienting new surroundings. Next to her was Coren, still outfitted in the game's uniform, his visor still covering his eyes. He seemed a tad stunned and obviously in the dark, but very much alive, thank the Force. Before the Mirialan floated the squid-like J'feh in her hovering globe, her many arms writhing with obvious amusement. This time it was the actual creature floating over them, not a Hologram.

Chevu's visor was flung to the ground with a thunk, as the Mirialan hissed angrily.

"Ok, you had your fun, lady. Now let us go."

It was time to go home.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Coren was not happy. He pulled himself from the VR pod and ripped the visor from his face. Getting to his feet, he was looking around, it was clear that there was the least bit of good emotions coming from him. He did not care for that experience. He was behind Chevu by a few steps and didn’t hear what she had said to their game master.

Freakin’ saw.

“Yeah, our gear, our ship, our reward, and you tell me where the hell we are.” He was going to get them both out of here, and just having a starting location, that helped so he knew where he was going, sort of. But right now? It didn’t matter. Get him near a navicomputer and let him work his magic.

[member="Chevu Visz"]

 

[Chevu Visz]

"That fight was entirely too short!" the J'feh complained angrily through her tiny bird-like beak. She sighed, a sound like pulling syrup through a straw, then floated over to Chevu.

"But I felt in the Force that your hearts were in it, so I will hold up my end of the bargain."

A panel opened up on the floor through which a pedestal rose. Sitting on its surface was a cylindrical object that widened Chevu's eyes. It looked to be some sort of scroll, just like the ones that Master Oomomo told her could found in ancient Jedi Temples, long buried in ozymandian disgrace. She hovered her hand over the artifact, then looked towards the J'feh, as if asking permission to take it. Ptoh nodded her bulbous dome in affirmation

"Just as you learned how to shift your body in Second Sphere, unfurling this object will teach you how to alter your features through using the Force. I usually do not give out my artifacts as a reward, but I feel the Force is strong in you, green one. It is strong in both of you."

While Chevu inspected the scroll, turning it over in her green hands, the J'feh's beady eyes rolled over towards Coren.

"Especially you," the cephalopod added, pointing a tendril in the pilot's direction.

"You lost the battle, but you get a parting gift. When you get back to your ship, you will know where you are. Trust me."

[member="Coren Starchaser"]