Star Wars: Astra Renovamen

A gasp resounded from the man as he jolted awake. The man's eyes dilated into round orbs, desperately searching for any visual input. The man began to choke as he tried to breathe but his lungs remained empty. The noise of his own body was deafening, his heartbeat pounded in his skull. He flailed and thrashed about, but it did nothing, he was floating.

"Calm yourself."

As if he were an obedient *machine*, his body locked, and all was still. Gently, the resistance holding him in place lowered, allowing him to move again.

As if someone hit a light switch, he could see again. He then unceremoniously fell to the ground, gravity suddenly coming into existence.

Coughing, he stood up and looked out across...white. Infinite white in every direction. His head returned to facing forward and an orb materialized.

The orb was mesmerizing, it looked as if it contained a...Galaxy. The more he focused on the orb, the more detailed it became. It felt wrong, the ability to make out millions of individual stars all at once. The detail was inhumanly high, something his mind told him he shouldn't be seeing.

"What...what is this?"

"Existence. Of one galaxy in particular at least."

"It's beautiful…"

"It's *everything*."

The unknown voice and the man stared at the galaxy.

"Why am I here?"

"That beautiful galaxy...it suffers. It is in pain, as it is being ripped apart by the seams."

"What do you mean?"

"Where you come from, your Terra, is the origin of all things. Humanity was birthed by our 'one above all things' to create, to sow beauty and be a genesis. From the time you were just learning to walk to the time you reached the stars, you created for us, building other worlds with your mind, building with your dreams."

"Like... mythologies? Gods?"

"At first. But you developed into something we could never predict. You started as an infinitely complicated machine built to serve a simple purpose, life was created to make more life, but you evolved. Humanity became so advanced that any of you could create a world on your own. Mythologies turned to fantasies and dreams of the beyond. You began to write down the worlds, defining them. When more humans attached themselves to one world it gained definition, became solid, using the computing power of every mind to fill in the gaps the creators did not.

"The world of Middle Earth was mythical, Tolkien being particularly good at creating worlds, but it was the combined minds of millions that processed all the little things. How politics worked, everyday life, how relationships were built."

The man couldn't comprehend the meaning behind her words. Those stories he knew were real, they were out there somewhere.

"Then why...am I here? It's amazing, astounding, unbelievable even, but it is not the reason."

"We never accounted for how you would develop worlds and the impact it would have. Some worlds, you split in half. The universes can handle small changes, like aspects of individual people or pieces of technology, but some changes are just too great."

The man listened but his primary focus was on the galaxy...3 galaxies. One large one, one smaller above, grazing the larger, one a little below, removed from the others.

"This is the Star Wars Galaxy."

"Yes."

"It was ripped in half in the Disney split...that change was too much, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"And I...do what?"

"I am going to split them into two, as I have done with other universes, but there is a problem with that...the divergent path would be disconnected from human minds."

"And it would cease to exist."

"Yes."

"How do I help?"

"I'm going to put you in the divergent path, you will keep the universe stable with your presence. Do you accept this duty?"

"...who are you?"

"I am Astra."

"Why me?"

Astra chuckled.

"You never existed. You are purely a manifestation of human knowledge regarding Star Wars given form. Your mind was modelled after a great philosopher that I refuse to name for your sake, along with a rather optimistic young man I found a fondness for."

Something clicked in his mind then. He had no memories, only knowledge and information. A void filled his soul then, an emptiness.

"So I am nothing."

"Yes. But this gives you a chance to become something."

There was silence. The man stood still for an unknowable time, as Astra waited patiently.

"I accept. Where will I go?"

"You must decide. Do you wish for the older or the newer of the universes?"

"Older. I...older."

"I see. I will place you in a position that allows you the most amount of freedom possible to decide your path."

A sucking feeling came from his stomach as he was pulled into the orb.

"Thank you, Astra."

"Live well, Jaden Starsearcher."