SW System 7: The First Upgrades (Patreon)

"Let's see the tutorial," Iggios whispered to himself after he was done barking orders to the clone lieutenants and captains.

As he spoke, the entire world lost its color, and all movement slowed to a stop. Although Iggios could still move, it was clear that the System wanted him to focus entirely on the tutorial. A translucent screen appeared in front of Iggios, and words followed suit.

Tutorial Initiated.

Scanning for Achievements…

A small bar on the translucent screen gradually filled as the System reviewed Iggios' life. The young Jedi stood there, waiting and hoping that his accomplishments would at least be worth something.

Scan Complete.

Points Received [7] (List of Point-Granting Achievements compiled)

Iggios stared at the screen displaying achievements that were worth points, though he wasn’t entirely sure what that meant. Perhaps he could use these points to enhance his Force affinity or something similar?

It appeared that the points were awarded randomly. For example, impressing Yoda was worth one point, while mastering intercorporate negotiation wasn’t. The System seemed to award points for arbitrary things instead of having some kind of metric.

Impress The Grandmaster [1]

Win the Initiate Trials [1]

First Kill [1]

Friend with bright future [1]

Senator Crush? [1]

Survive the Arena [1]

Awaken the System [1]

Not concerning in the slightest. What do you mean by "Senator Crush"? Did he really accidentally seduce a senator? Great, just great. Well, that did give him a point. And it's not like she was unattractive or anything—no! Stop, focus.

At least Ahsoka didn't have any romantic feelings for him according to the System. A bright future, though? Iggios wasn't too sure about that. But then again, he had never watched the Ahsoka TV show, so who knew? Maybe it meant that she survives the rise of the Empire.

Iggios quickly shook his head and refocused on the screen before him. "So, System, what can I use these points for?" he asked, and the text in front of him changed again.

User can exchange points for upgrades.

It may seem like a very simplistic response, the System appeared to favor visuals over lengthy explanations. The screen shifted again, revealing what he could only describe as a character sheet.

"Hmm, at least it's easy to navigate," he muttered to himself as he examined the screen.

Name: Iggios Stritt

Sex: Male

Species: Human (Mandalore Origin)

Rank: Jedi Padawan

Force Affinity: B

Danger Level: B+

Traits: Force is One, Duelist, Diligent

Abilities: Saber Constructor-Inator

The read was interesting. He hadn't even realized he was a Mandalorian, and he doubted anyone else knew either. However, it would explain why he had such a passion for dueling; it was literally in his blood, as well as in the memories of his past life.

The Traits were mostly self-explanatory. The "Duelist" Trait enhanced his ability to learn combat-related skills, while "Diligent" gave him a slight boost in willpower, training speed, and Force Affinity.

He could also gather slightly more information from the "Force is One" Trait. This Trait significantly increased his Force Affinity, confirming his suspicions. If he had to guess, his original Force Affinity might have been at best C-Ranked.

The Danger Level was intriguing as well. It rated his physical prowess, dueling experience, and Force abilities under one letter. Iggos suspected that someone like Dooku would rank around S-Rank, while Sidious and Yoda would likely be S+, if such a rank was even possible.

On the screen, he noticed a small button labeled "Upgrades." With no reason to hesitate, Iggos tapped the button as if it were a floating tablet. The screen changed again, displaying multiple choices for upgrades along with basic explanations for each option.

The User can go down any path displayed here. More paths may unlock according to the User's actions and needs. User is encouraged to mix and match different paths for the best results.

"Good. It seems that the System won't force me into a single path..." Iggios muttered as he started to read through the upgrade paths currently available to him.

Personal Upgrades upgrade the User's Force Affinity and even grant new combat-related Force Abilities along with new Abilities and Traits. User can become the greatest Force User in the Galaxy by focusing on this path.

The first path was very useful, but Iggios decided to read up on everything before deciding how to spend his hard-earned points.

Auxiliary Upgrades can grant anything from better cooking skills to powerful non-combat Force Abilities. Support others on their path to greatness by focusing on this path.

This signaled massive potential to Iggios. Perhaps abilities like Force Healing and Battle Meditation would be included? While not particularly useful in a duel, they are ideal for a Jedi commander... or a chef, according to the System’s description. Though it was mostly just using cooking to demonstrate the breadth of upgrades available.

Commander Upgrades help the User and his lieutenants buff their troops on the battlefield, as well as improving the Commanding interface. User will learn to rule the battlefield by focusing on this path.

"Ah, I got a little hasty," Iggios grinned.

Could this be similar to the 'Captain system' from Bannerlord? Assigning leaders to squads to enhance their effectiveness would be invaluable for small unit tactics. And even small buffs applied to an entire Clone Battalion would not be a bad option.

Alternatively, there could be upgrades for units akin to those in Total War games or the Starcraft 2 campaign or co-op mode. Those would undoubtedly be more powerful and quite pricy, though.

Special Powers & Summons are unique and powerful upgrades the User can buy to improve anything from their personal hygiene to Battlefield Deployment. Protoss player, perhaps?

"Huh? You mean I could drop an entire battalion anywhere I want?" Iggios asked, unsure of how that would actually work. Would such powers even function here?

They would certainly seem out of place, especially if he managed to summon the Golden Armada or something equally absurd. Psionic Storms or Mindblasts would definitely seem out of place in this Galaxy.

All abilities not of the Star Wars universe are converted to work off of the Force. Do not worry about standing out too much, User.

"Well, lucky me..." he muttered. Those special powers would undoubtedly be expensive, and the summons would most likely even more so.

All Force Powers and similar abilities purchased through the System must be mastered by the User. The System merely gives the User an opportunity to learn.

Iggios was taken aback by the unexpected warning. Typically, Systems were excessively overpowered, but this particular one seemed to require significant effort to gain strength. What it offered was still incredibly powerful, though. He decided to explore all the available upgrade categories before making any commitments, uncertain if having seven points was considered good.

As he clicked through the categories, he noticed that some upgrades indeed had high costs. For instance, 'Battle Meditation' not only required his Force Affinity to be at A-Rank or higher but also demanded the purchase of a Trait. With a cost of ten points, Iggios realized he would need to accumulate many more points. However, given the formidable nature of that specific Force ability, the high cost was understandable.

He also discovered that certain Traits could be leveled up. His Duelist Trait was actually an upgraded version of Aspiring Duelist and could evolve into Master Duelist. Alternatively, he could purchase the Master Duelist Trait for the total cost of all seven of his points.

His current level of the Trait provided bonuses for learning combat-oriented arts, the Master Duelist Trait would greatly enhance the basic precognitive ability that all Force Users possessed, while still retaining those previous bonuses. It was safe to say that every top lightsaber duelist had this Trait.

The fact that his Trait had already upgraded itself led Iggios to believe he didn't necessarily need to spend his points if he trained hard enough. This led him to read up more on the upgrades he would not be able to achieve by training.

To his great disappointment, many of the Commander Upgrades were currently unavailable. He understood that he would have to wait until he was assigned to a specific Clone regiment, or whatever command he would ultimately lead, to access those upgrades.

In the end, Iggios decided to spend his points on abilities he couldn't train himself to acquire. He chose an Ability from the Auxiliary path called 'Danger Scouter', which cost him only two points.

This ability allowed him to assess the Danger Level of anyone in his field of vision once per day. The only drawback was that the effect lasted only ten minutes, but it would enable him to avoid battles he couldn't win, provided he used it wisely.

He spent his remaining five points on another ability called 'RTS Holomap'. The name was apt, as it granted Iggios the ability to monitor the battlefield through a Holomap similar to the typical battle maps used in the Galaxy. The advantage of this version was that it didn't require air superiority to maintain accuracy, making it an invaluable tool for a commander.

The best part was that he could imbue any existing holomap with this ability, ensuring he would always receive perfect data.

"Alright, System. How can I earn more points?" Iggios asked, and the screen morphed again to provide an answer.

The User can earn more points by performing grand feats or simply living their life. And most importantly, by performing well in important battles.

Destroy a Death Star with minimal casualties for a massive point payout, survive General Grievous for a smaller payout.

Or get into a relationship with a Senator without being discovered by the Jedi Council. Hint, hint.

“Are you really telling me to get laid for points?” Iggios grumbled at the cheeky screen.

Unfortunately for his mental health, the only response he received from the System was a goddamn fucking emoji with a tongue sticking out.

At least he wasn’t required to sleep with every woman in the galaxy, although he suspected the System would reward him for that, too.

“So, the better I perform, the better the rewards, right?” Iggios asked. “And why did I only receive a single point for each of the achievements?” he inquired before clicking out of the tutorial and waiting for the System to respond.

That is indeed the case, User. Lower casualties on your side and more decisive victories are among the main metrics that calculate your points. But a successful, well-organized retreat can also give you a good payout.

The System did not expect the User to collect so many achievements so early. The average number of achievements collected by reincarnated individuals is three, if they awaken the System in the first place.

The System detects a ninety-two percent failure rate to awaken among reincarnated souls. The System was forced to correct the amount of points given out. The usual Awakening package is rounded up to five points from the usual 2-3. Good job, User; you have done much better than expected.

Iggios resisted the urge to face-palm. Seriously, who were these reincarnators anyway? And was there some cosmic rule to these systems?

Regulated Systems for reincarnators work on merit. Making a random edgelord with outsider knowledge into an overpowered menace has proven a hassle for the powers beyond the System's comprehension.

Alright, that made a lot of sense. "Wait a minute, put a little love in it... Am I one of the edgelords?" Iggios asked, not sure if he wanted the answer.

Negative. Murder number too low. Meddling in affairs beyond User's ability too low. The System did not detect an attempt at subverting fate either.

User is still alive after five years in this world. Median survival for an 'Edgelord' User is six months.

"Well... that makes me feel more hopeful about my chances of survival," he grumbled. But if the average Redditor could be reincarnated and tried to headcanon his way through any fictional universe…

"Yeah, I can probably understand why." He admitted with a heavy sigh. There was a good chance some of them would try to assassinate Sidious within the first week, or worse, join him only to be backstabbed later.

"One last thing, System. Can I speak to you outside of the tutorial? And if so, what information can you provide me?" he asked, relieved that he hadn't forgotten to ask his most important question.

The text on the panel disappeared, replaced by a new one.

The System can only reveal information about its functions, not about the timeline or future events.

If you wish to contact the System, you are free to do so from your screen at any time.

The System is regulated to improve the chances of survival for promising individuals, not to make them a god in a span of a year.

While he couldn't ask the System whether he was in the canon timeline, he had gathered a wealth of information and potential power today, and Iggos would take that as an absolute win.

"Alright then," Iggios breathed heavily, trying to commit as much to memory as possible. "Let's finish this battle. I have some stupid orders to revoke." He grinned viciously.

The world slowly began to regain its color, and the people started to move once again. The sounds of artillery and distant explosions returned as time itself resumed.

Iggios wasted no time and infused the nearest Holomap with the new ability he had purchased. The shaky images became clearer, and the view of the battlefield expanded, allowing him to see the battle as a whole or zoom in on specific sections.

He quickly assessed the situation. The droids and clones had not yet fully engaged. There had only been a few skirmishes with the general droid infantry by the Jedi-led clones. But now, the grounded Coreships were releasing heavy machinery alongside a literal ocean of battle droids.

Iggios called for the clone commander to assess the situation with him. "Refocus the artillery shelling on the enemy infantry. How far are we from wrangling the Gunships?" he asked quickly, watching with concern as the mostly unsupported clones marched against the droid masses.

"Gunships are retrieving heavy walkers to support the infantry," the clone replied after a brief moment of hesitation. "The few we can get would be better utilized to deploy the Commando units."

"This whole offensive was planned out along the way to Geonosis, wasn't it?" Iggios deadpanned, and the clone shrugged. He clearly had no idea either.

"Alright then..." Iggios sighed as he took stock of the available forces. "Twelve Commando teams? That's not many." He pondered. "There are supposed to be over six thousand commando clones. Where in all the Krayt Dragon's shite have they gone?" he asked.

The clone commander quickly looked through the deployment plans but found nothing.

"It seems they were absorbed into general infantry," he said, his tone rather derisive. Iggios couldn't blame him, though.

"I will be recalling them immediately. Please start assigning the Commando teams to the tasks they should actually be doing," Iggios instructed, quickly contacting the frontline commanders, trying to get through to them before they managed to kill their most elite clones in the first battle of the war.

This discovery was fortunate in another way, too. The Gunships, which typically provided cover and extraction for the commando clones, could now conduct a few strafing runs before picking up the commando teams from the front lines.

"Commander! I've drawn up the strafing lines for the Gunships. Relay the orders, and for the love of the Force, please stop the advancing infantry!" Iggios called out to the clone commander. "Also... what's your name, Commander? I can't keep calling you by your rank."

"Will do, sir. I am CT-8442," the clone replied, managing the Gunship pilots while sending out coordinates.

"That's a serial number, not a name. Either give me something I can remember, or I'm just going to call you Zack for simplicity," Iggios replied, not glancing away from the holomap.

"Zack will do, sir," the clone said after a moment, looking a little less stiff around the young Jedi.

"The first strafing runs report success. The droids seem to have inadequate anti-air capabilities. We detect no strikecraft from the enemy," Zack reported, although Iggios was already aware. The Vulture droids must have been buried deep inside the Coreships, or perhaps they weren't manufactured on Geonosis or were tied up in orbit? In any case, the enemy ground forces had no air support and limited anti-air options. It would be a shame if the Gunships strafed them a few more times.

As Iggios and Commander Zack redrew the strafing lines for the Gunships, another Coreship was permanently grounded by artillery, causing a spectacular series of internal explosions. That ship would likely not deploy much of anything.

The battle already looked much better than it had in the movie. Iggios vaguely remembered that only a few Coreships had originally been destroyed, with most escaping. He would ensure that this time the result would be different.

It was immensely satisfying to watch the enemy armored units disappear from the Holomap, and Iggios grinned each time the Gunships found a high-priority target. However, the droid frontlines were getting dangerously close, making it dangerous for the cannon artillery to support the clones, and increasingly difficult for the Gunships, too.

The Gunships eventually peeled off to pick up the Commandos, much to the chagrin of Master Windu, who had hoped that the elite units would help him break through the droid frontlines.

He wasn't exactly wrong; the Jedi would certainly face challenges and the Commando clones would certainly help them push through. However, he missed the larger point about the elite units, much like anyone who wasn't well-versed in army composition and command would.

Iggios couldn’t entirely blame the Jedi for lacking leadership skills, but it frustrated him that they ignored the advice of the Clone Commanders on-site and proceeded with their own plans anyway. Iggios quickly decided he needed to intervene with the Jedi 'Generals,' many of whom had appointed themselves to those roles at this point.

"Master Windu, the Commandos are necessary for taking control of the droid factories and clearing the underground tunnels," Iggios said through the comlink, sighing heavily.

"Young man, the Jedi Council has already made a decision," the older Jedi replied, not even attempting to defend the flawed tactical choice.

"I understand the Council has made a decision, Master Windu, but given it’s a stupid-ass decision, I’m electing to ignore it," Iggios responded firmly, not sure how the older Jedi would take it.

"All this will do is result in the loss of elite clones to enemy fire through that sandstorm you are heading into. I am reallocating them to perform meaningful tasks. Instead of six thousand ground forces, I will send you fifty gunships for air support. The Commando Clones need to be allowed to do their jobs." He explained his reasoning again, but there was little Master Windu could do.

In a moment of either brilliance or recklessness, Yoda had put Iggios in charge of the Command Center, unwittingly granting the young Padawan overall command of the battle.