I Hate Sand

…………………………

Hector P.O.V.

Breathe in… breathe out…

I control my breath to be in synchrony with my movements. My muscles shine with the light of the setting sun hitting the small layer of perspiration on my skin. The setting sun gives a fiery hue to my tanned gold skin.

Aah… My mind is still too much… This overthinker brain of mine… It’s so hard to empty my mind and clear my thoughts. It always drifts on useless thoughts while I am doing a routine.

It is hard for me to enter “the Zone”. Is that thing even real? Probably… Everything is real for me now. Maybe one day… When I-

Here I go again… Focus on the task at hand, Hector… is it boring? Yes. Can I do it with my eyes closed and while humming Chopin? Yes.

But is needed to be done with more than your body. Mind and body connection… That is a real thing, much more common, and something that any respectable gym person would tell you about.

You should focus on the muscle you are working, putting your mind there, and your strength will follow. Then the gains will happen.

This is what I’m doing… Body and mind working together to circulate my Chi.

Previously, I was kinda cheating with the Hercules Method, a shortcut that carried me in great strides, but at some point, it will become a much thicker wall to break through in the future. Time to “return to the origin” and learn properly.

When I do it the way everyone should, coupled with my experience and my “cheat”, I will not just run past the normal people that need to walk… I will fly.

When I came here, I kinda “wasted” my World Attunement just to increase my overall status and talent(by my theory on how World Attunement works), but it was a good move,

The Chi here may not make me throw energy blasts, overpowered spells, or even reinforce my hands like Iron Fist, but it really created a good foundation to my future Power Systems and also…

To demonstrate my thoughts, I concentrate my Chi on my Dantian(Hehe, dantian), and also bring the Dragon Talisman to me, making it touch the same area above my belly button.

Fwoosh Fwoosh

Then I start making a very good imitation of firebending, throwing a ball of fire from my closed fists while I punch around.

Being able to control my own Chi, allow me the ability to control the magic of the talismans. “Master yourself…” So many old adages come from those words.

“Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power…” Fwoosh

“Mastering yourself and you will master your life…” Fwoosh Fwoosh

“Master yourself. Master the enemy.” Fwoosh Fwoosh Fwoosh

I release a stream of fire from my open palm and move my arms around, making the flames lick the air, simulating the fire breath of a dragon.

And finally… I stop, joining my palms above my chest… I feel my chi moving upwards from my belly.

I take a deep breath… The air is going to my lungs, body, mind, and chi… coalescing in my chest.

Roooaaar Fwoooosh

And I fuck breath fire.

I enjoy the exertion of my Chi, the Talisman carrying most of the burden, but in this case, where I am not using it as the outlet to the flames, it's more exhausting than that than normal, of course.

Eventually, I stop and take a deep breath.

“Okay… Now I dominated this.” It’s not only the Dragon Talisman. Each and every other just needs to stay in contact with my body so that I can use it freely. With the exception of the Pig one, of course…

I can even heal people with the Horse Talisman without putting the talisman on them, just by touching the wounded person with my hand.

“The next step is being able to access the powers of the talisman while my telekinesis is touching them.” But that can wait.

Time for a very good night of sleep because tomorrow… is jumping time!

…………………………………..

My last day in the world is a day of preparation. Stocking necessities, ignoring consequences, and getting what I need… All of that is based on my next world.

The problem is that I’m in a little of a pinch here because I still haven’t decided.

I have a lot of options, so many options that it's hard to choose… So I start by eliminating the ones I can.

I planned to make a “Magical Item Collection” Arc and go around getting items like the Talismans I got here, but I noticed most of the worlds that have items that I want also have Power Systems that I want… and I still can’t use World Attunement. So it would be half a waste to go there.

“I can go repeat the same world later, but if it's like that, there are better options.”

A good part of worlds with magical items also have some requirements to use them, like their Power System.

Then, the focus should change from Magic to Technology. Anyone can use technology without having some sort of mystical energy running through their bodies.

I open my list of words again, and I put some tags on the doc so I just need to tap things like “Gadgets”, “Technology”, “Sci-fi”, or “Futuristic” to appear.

Typing “Gadgets” and “Cartoons” - because I’m still on the vibe of cartoons - I see some options.

“Dexter’s Laboratory, Futurama, Rick and Morty… Those are a little dangerous with their geniuses holding the best stuff. The Jetsons? An option…” I skimmed through the list, and two names caught my attention. “Danny Phantom and Generator Rex have to wait for World Attunement too… To make sure there will be no rejection when I get Ghost Powers and the Nanites.”

As I continue to read, my eyes pass through a name that I almost ignore because my brain already sees that universe as one that “I will visit much later”. It is one of my favorite worlds, a universe that I want to stay for years, enjoying the plot, the character, learning the power system…

But… Maybe I can visit twice, now and later… The timeline is also extensive… I can stay to learn the power system later and visit now to gain some knowledge.

“Should I?” I muse. “Should I visit the galaxy far, far away?”

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

I don’t even need to visit the timeline during the Clone Wars. I can go at the time of Luke, or much earlier… Heck, I can go during the time of peace while Anaki was training in the Jedi Temple.

I remember planning to go during a “timeskip” to enjoy some peace.

Without “World Attunement” I can’t become a force user, but the Star Wars universe is pretty cool even without it… different from what Star Wars Outlaws showed.

Nothing impedes me from getting a lightsaber, either. Fulfilling one of my oldest wishes… 

I would learn engineering at a high level and many other “futuristic” specializations. I mean, at some point, I will need to get some rest in the power-hungry ways and start learning life skills.

What sort of Omniversal Traveler will I be if I can’t even cook? Or build a spaceship? Shokugeki no Souma can wait a little, the big galaxy is calling me… It can be a good opportunity to sharpen the skills I learned in the post-apocalyptic world.

And the sexy twi’leks too. Not gonna say no to togrutas either.

Hmmmmm~ The more I think about it… Is it a dangerous universe? Yes… But not really. It’s not like I’m gonna try to bang Abeloth and the daughter, or kill the Father and Son.

And maybe I’m getting a little too confident, but I don’t think Darth Sidious can kill me either.

I will need to see how really strong a lore-accurate force user is, but I’m pretty confident in my durability.

Other dangers like alien beasts, the void of space, and Black Holes can be minimized by being careful. Now that I have the Horse Talisman, I don’t need to fear a virus that can kill me without a chance of fighting back. Not even Space Aids.

Most sentient aliens don’t go too much beyond humans, and I’m strong. Yes, the talismans gave me a huge boost.

It will be one year… I can think of some ways to get a ship to myself, even if English is not the main language; translating droids can be used.

The original plan for my stay in the Star Wars universe would be to use World Attunement, de-age myself with the wish I got from the genie, and then “conveniently” appear at the doors of the Jedi Temple as a toddler.

The problem with this little plan is that I would be stuck in the temple in Coruscant till I’m a Padawan. It would be at a minimum of a decade. Truthfully, I don’t mind. I’m patient enough to do that, and I would be undergoing Jedi training. Why the fuck would I complain?

But maybe it would be a good idea to go around the galaxy to learn things on my own. I will not be brainwashed by the Jedi, but getting learning common sense without any external influence would not hurt.

I would also learn about the unsavory things that can’t be learned in the Jedi Temple. I mean, a bounty hunter's life is almost certain if I’m going…

And I’m going! Why not? I want, and not even my overthinker mind think is a bad idea.

Let’s go!

Considering that I don’t want to travel a war-torn galaxy, the best course of action is arrive between the plot of The Phantom Menace and the Attack of the Clones. I will not even consider the sequels, even if I kinda want to see adult Luke. But the Legends version, not the failure that Disney forced him to become.

“Hm, I can use metaknowledge of the first movie to get some boons… They were in a dire situation. I just need to intervene at the right time and claim some reward later. Padmé would not be stingy, right?”

A little contact with some beloved characters, watching a large-scale battle, a duel, and maybe ending with a little spaceship in my hands… I can make this deal.

Now, should I appear on Tatooine? Naboo? Or Coruscant?

It is better to help people when they are at their lowest, so… Naboo, in the heat of the battle? But maybe the chaos can obscure my contributions? 

In Coruscant, it will make no difference…

Tattooine it is then… But their problem there is that their ship needs a certain piece… And I can’t provide that shit… Maybe I can, if I steal it, but then it can mess with Anakin being recruited.

“Hmm….”

“...................”

“.............................”

“Should I simply shamelessly offer my services to Padmé? Haha.” I laugh at this plan-that-is-not-a-plan.

Not much thinking, just a little half-honest direct talk. Can I pull this off? Do I have enough points in Charisma? The Jedis and her guards would absolutely be suspicious… Meh, SHE will be suspicious.

But I would be offering help at her lowest… And asking for a small reward makes my intentions clear… She can question my abilities… What can I do? Fight. At that point, she is not expecting a battle.

Complicated… but still feasible…

“I don’t know… It looks interesting to try either way.” I rest my chin on my fingers while considering my options.

Okay… It’s decided. The worst-case scenario is me getting stranded on Tatooine, a fucking shitty planet that is governed by the Hutts. It looks bad, but it will just be a minor setback.

I can still get some money from Jabba. Credits are physical objects, too.

Hehe~ Why do I suddenly want Padmé to refuse me now? It would be interesting to try to steal from the Hutts.

Okay, that is enough thinking, Hector. Time to action… We act as the situation changes from now on.

I stand up and teleport away to make my last preparations, get a lot of food, water, and maybe some precious metals that can be used to do some exchange.

………………………………………..

All done. I filled my Inventory - that in the last year evolved from the size of a two-store house to a small hangar - with anything my overthinker mind be,lieves I will need if things go well or bad.

I de-aged myself to a teenager to diminish people’s sense of danger and changed my clothes. I learned that with a combination of the Hercules Method and Age Control, I have a say in the hair around my body. Being able to control whether I have a beard at 20 years or not. It’s like Bonney’s alternative futures ability, but only about my hair… 

Beneath everything, there is a one-piece isolation suit, sealed like latex but very comfortable and breathable. I haven’t used one of those since the post-apocalyptic world.

Above that, the usual for harsh environments: cargo pants, boots, a long-sleeve shirt, a trench coat with a hood and a scarf to protect my neck from the sun. It can also be used to envelop my head and face. 

“Hm, I will keep this wide-brim hat hanging on my neck by a string.” With that, I completed my hot-environment adventurer drip.

Not bad, not bad… The grey tones are nice. I will not use black on a desert, but a light grey is acceptable. 

“Not that I can’t control my own temperature…” The Hercules Method was a very good investment.

I take a blaster to put on my thigh and a wrist computer, so that I can mingle with the people around. I thought about getting some cosplayer clothes, but if Han Solo can go around like a cowboy in space, I can use whatever I want.

“Well, that is it… time ti go.”

My fingers slowly move on the list, selecting Star Wars, the timeline, and the place. Before clicking, I pause.

“I didn’t even say goodbye…” I look at the overall direction of San Francisco.

I guess that is how life is… There is no way closure, and closure is not always the right path. I think that I would leave in a worse mood if I went there now to say my goodbyes.

“Yeah, let’s just leave it as that.” I sigh and shrug, quickly smiling again while looking at the name of one of my favorite franchises in front of me.

And I’m about to accomplish the impossible dream of so many nerds. I have no right to be sad right now.

Let’s go. I’m so hyped! Nothing can destroy my mood now!

……………………………………………

Tatooine sucks!

Damn, I thought that I was ready for it because I lived in Agrabah, but boy… This place is… I don’t know, some part of Hell that escaped.

Two suns?? And not only is this place covered in sand, but this planet is also windy as hell! That is why Anakin said that sand gets everywhere. It is flying in the air most of the time. How can it not get everywhere?

I was fucking right in putting on my isolation bodysuit. But even so, it didn’t take long for me to start cheating by using telekinesis to create a layer of protection around me, like a Walmart version of the Limitless of Gojo.

And inside the cities, things don’t change much. Maybe the walls protect a little from the winds, but people and animals moving around raise a lot of sand in the air too. And the vehicles! More than once, I thought about using my telekinesis to make some vehicles crash. Son of bitches with no manners running past me.

I arrived in Mos Espa, Anakin’s birthplace, by morning and floated invisible above the place at first. I also confirmed that the Eye of Aurora doesn’t work outside the Jackie Chan universe. Disappointing but not unexpected.

No towers of vigilance, no security drones, no forcefield, and no cameras with motion detection or heat sensors… This place is no different from Agrabah if we ignore the aliens and the high-level tech scattered here and there, as is common.

Droids, aliens with cybernetic enhancements, floating wagons, and the ships flying in the air on the horizon are all indications that put this place in the Sci-fi section.

That is enough, though, because it is pretty cool to see those things for real. The way the aliens move, the droids… This is no makeup or CGI, this is real.

And it is fuckign awesome. Already made me forget about the sun, the sand, and the wind.

“Luckily, I stocked myself with water…” I say while taking a sip of my canteen. Even if I can go a month without drinking anything, the sensation of cold water going down my throat and cooling my torso makes wonders in keeping this place bearable.

From the timeline, the Jedi will arrive tomorrow. One day is enough to scout this place and acclimatize myself. The main priority is obvious: money.

Most of the galaxy uses the digital currency system, with credit chips carrying it like crypton, and people transfer from one to another. Mostly carried on their wrist or in something akin to a phone.

Here, in this little place on the edge of the law, physical currency is the one that is mostly accepted. Credit ingots, coins, and other forms of solid currency are the way around.

And that is very good for me. Hehe~

If ingots and coins exist, then they are made of something… It seems Earth’s precious metals will not be entirely useless around here. Not as valuable as on Earth, but I can make some exchange to fill my pockets.

I was leaving a pawnshop, finally walking on the ground without my invisibility, when I took a wrong turn, and I was surrounded by three aliens.

“Pass everything you have, and you will not get hurt.” Lizard face man hisses at me while showing off his blaster. 

“My first altercation around her,e and it has to be a weequay, a tradoshan, and a rodian.” I shake my head. The average criminals races are trying to jump and mug me “Is racism strong around here? I heard that weequays only constitute as 13% of the-”

“What the hell are you talking about??!” The Weequay shouts at me with an angry accent of a pirate. Pulling his blaster and pointing it at me.

“Hey, I was making a joke.” I frown and immediately paralyze him with my telekinesis.

His hand opens, and his blaster falls while his body starts contorting and floating slowly.

“A Jedi!” The Rodian shouts, already turning around to leave

“Worse.” I say calmly. Hehe, I have just been called a Jedi for real.

I thought for just a moment… and decided to just break their four limbs. 

My mercy comes from the fact that they didn’t shoot me at first sight, so there is a chance that they are only trying to steal from me “peacefully”.

My cruelty comes from the fact that they're probably holding back because, as much as this place is lacking in the upholding of laws, people still need to pretend to be civilized to not mess with the Huts. That means: No killing, keeping their word with bets, and etc…

Obviously, I will steal everything from them, too. 

“I hope we never see each other again, gentleman.” I nod to them while taking their blasters, money, and wrist comms. “For your own good.”

I ignore their groans of pain and move away. The main characters arrive tomorrow, so I don’t have much time to sightsee. I still want to enter a cantina, drink something disgusting, and shoot someone first.

………………………………………….

Next Day

I haven’t slept. Mainly because I don’t need to do it that often and I’m too paranoid to lower my guard on a unknown place. The night in this place is not long anyway… two suns!!

I just selected the tallest building and sat on the roof to look at the stars all night.

Unfamiliar stars… I never thought much about the stars, but now that I’m looking at a different night sky, I can’t help but sense a feeling of… of… incongruence? There is a strangeness here… a discomfort.

I guess that is what happens when you put an animal in a different environment. Out of their natural habitat. Humnas are highly adaptable, and the whole planet is their natural habitat, but now I’m outside Earth.

Never have I felt so lonely as right now…

“Huhuhuhu~” Yes, I’m chuckling. beneath the uneasiness… The small fear of the unknown, that cold in the stomach… I am feeling excited.

“Ah men… I’m really into this life, huh?” The confirmation is like that moment of unexplainable happiness that you feel when you go under the covers during a cold night.

The night is cold, but you are happy because you know that you are safe and comfortable.

Yes, the situation is strange, uncomfortable, and maybe even hostile… but I’m in my element. 

“I can deal with it. Huhu~” I hug my shoulders, sitting on the roof, and my back to a wall. Waiting for the suns to rise, the night sky is being substituted by an orange screen.

When it is officially day, and the streets are filling again, I get out of my butt and float above the city, invisible again and waiting. Paying attention to anyone coming from the horizon in all directions.

It’s a mentally tiring and boring job, keeping watch, but I can do it. My ADHD, created by years of watching shorts with split screen,s was cured by an equal time of meditation and training.

I was multitasking training with some paperclips with my telekinesis, training my control, when I finally saw them.

It was not Qui-Gon that I saw, or even Padmé… they are using clothes that are too common to catch anyone’s attention. I would have seen them when they got closer, but I saw them much before that because of him…

Fucking Jar Jar Binks. 

Look at that creature walking… Should I punch him now? He is kinda on my list of people to punch. Maybe it's a bad idea; he can be a secret Sith Lord.

I carefully follow them, walking through the streets- Hm? Oh, Mr. Master Jedi is trying to look around. Is he feeling my gaze? Impressive, but expected.

I thought that I would have some advantage by being a human completely free of the Force, but it seems it doesn’t stop him from noticing that he is being watched.

But the fact that he can’t pinpoint my location reinforces my theory that I’m probably an anomaly to force users. Like a Heavenly Restriction from Jujutsu Kaisen or something similar.

Qui-Gon Jinn whispers something to Padmé and Jar Jar before resuming his walk, the two now following much closer. Yep, he knows that he is being watched.

He even goes as far as walking in circles for some time till he finally decides to go to Watto’s shop.

“So that is where it is… The Chosen One.” I’m not as excited as I expected. I want to at least meet him as Darth Vader, or as General Anakin “War Crimes” Skywalker, not as a brat.

After a small consideration, I decide to lower myself to the ground and follow inside while invisible.

“...” As I discreetly enter, I’m very surprised to see Qui-Gon staring directly at me.

But I slowly walk to the side, getting out of the way of the door, and his eyes don’t follow me. 

I see, he is checking if anyone would enter to follow him, or look inside the shop suspiciously

So even from this close, he can’t feel me… yep, I exist outside the Force.

This almost makes me reconsider becoming a force user, or a user of the many power systems out there in the universe. But I think the advantages of being on the Power System outweigh being “invisible” to the users.

Especially since I just need to leave the “root universe” so as not to meet any users of the system, and this advantage would disappear naturally. I bet there are plenty of ways in the Omniverse to mask my presence completely, too.

Now inside the shop, I watch the events of the movie play out exactly as they happened.

Oh, look! Force Jesus!

Damn, Watto is a bitch. And he smells bad.

Hmm, it is weird to watch a teenager Padmé talking with a child knowing that is her future husband. But I guess intention is what matters… She is not grooming him.

Jar Jar is an idiot.

Nothing new, but I feel like I’m watching the movie inside the set. Watto guides Qui-Gon on the innermost side of his mechanical shop, leaving Padmé and Jar Jar behind, so I guess this is my cue.

I calmly walk behind the sitting Padmé and pull one of my military knives from inventory… Hm, it was on my covert harness, maybe I should have worn that.

I turn down my invisibility at the same time that I put the knife to Padmé’s throat.

“Nobody move.” I say calmly.

She immediately stiffens, Anakin's eyes grow wide with terror and Jar Jar takes long to notice the change in situation, but when he notices, as the idiot he is, he is about to make a scene.

“Jar Jar! Calm down.” Padmé says with her voice tight 

“Hm… Impressive.” I praise. That is a badass woman. Her heartbeat is accelerated but she is keeping herself calm.

“What do you want? I don’t have anything of value…” Ah yes, she is playing as the handmaiden.

“I have to disagree… your highness.” The last words are said in a whisper in her ear, she shudders because of the reveal, but still kept his calm.

“You…” Oh, she lost her line of thought, can’t even formulate a sentence “How did you find me?” Her voice sounds resigned.

Ah, okay… Let’s stop here. Better not let her think that she is about to die for too long.

“Okay, I do not want to hurt you…” I say much  more lightly

“But you are going to… Go with it if-” She is spatting those words with some venom that even hurts my soft heart, so I had to interrupt.

“No, I’m really not gonna hurt you.” To prove that I remove the knife from her throat and step in front of her “Don’t escalate the situation.” I warn before anyone does something dumb… I also give a particularly mean glare to Jar Jar.

“...” Padmé stares at me while her hands go around her neck. Anakin is holding the wrench tightly. Oh, brave~ Wanna try to hit me with that and protect your future wife, little man? 

Heh~, only one day here and I already have the Messiah of this world hating me.

Now, before things escalate, time to the act… I hope you are as smart as I remember you, Padmé Amidala.

“Forgive me for the extremely rude greeting…” I go full White Knight mode and take a knee to get on the same level as the sitting Padmé. “It was just the most effective method to prove that I don’t have any evil intentions against your person.”

She looks at me in disbelief, before letting a little of her royal dignity slip “By threatening me. This is how you prove that you don’t have evil intentions?”

“...” I look at her and then look at Anakin and Jar Jar. She is smart because she immediately caught what I meant and schooled her features to act more casual and return to her handmaiden act. “What better proof that I don’t want your dead than literally having your life in my hands and doing nothing?” I ask

“...” Now this shuts her up.

What better way to pass as an honest person than helping someone at their lowest and not abusing your power when you have them in your hands?

The only variable is the human emotion… if Padmé holds a grudge… But is she that childish? On one side, she is a Queen, but on the other, she is a teenager.

It can go in any direction from now on.

Here it is… The crossroads that will decide my next year in this Galaxy.

“I have a proposal,” I declare, enjoying playing the knight to the queen troupe more than I expected. Maybe one day I will play as an buttler or something.

“... I want to offer my services to your cause.”

“...” She stares at me for a long moment. Now is the moment of truth, and she opens her mouth to decide how things will play out.

I don’t know what she will say, but in any way I will have fun~

……………………………..