Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Private Don’t Feed the Holographic Rancor

Jack Sheltrak

Senator of Zeltros, Former Supreme Chancellor
Alexi di Garthos Alexi di Garthos

Jack was looking at more of it, Zeltros was always the same but he had slightly changed. The reinvigoration from visiting Alexi had done wonders for getting out of a funk he hadn't known he was in. More so it had given him the chance to bust out a few thing she didn't often when the long coat was there. The moon was temperature controlled but better for this and he had promised something she hadn't seen before... He didn't know if she would like it or enjoy it but he would endeavor to give the best of times and avoid the worst of times. He allowed a little styling for his hair... better styling as it were and after telling his pilot he had only gotten an odd look here and there. He was near the platform overloking it with a small nod of appreciation as the sounds of the people and the smell of food came to them.

The transparisteel tube shuttles slide to a silent halt at Hologram Fun World's main concourse, depositing visitors into a rotunda of softly curving white permacrete. Overhead, the moon of Zeltros hangs like a pink pearl against the velvet void, but inside, the air is cool and still, recycled through whisper-quiet vents. No blaring music or shouting barkers here only the gentle hiss of atmospheric seals and the muted shuffle of boots on polished floors. The entrance hall stretches into a wide, low-ceilinged gallery, where holographic kiosks flicker with serene blue light, each advertising a different immersive realm. Twi'leks in shimmering resort wear consult datapads while a stooped Ithorian murmurs to his children about the "Crystal Caves of Christophsis" exhibit. A pair of Toydarians hover lazily past a fountain that spits no water, only translucent, shimmering shapes of leaping fish that dissolve before they touch the ground.

Beyond the rotunda, the first attractions unfold like chapters in a dream-logic book. The "Jedi Temple Challenge" looms to the left a maze of mirrored walls and floating training remotes that project ancient Coruscant architecture around each corner. Visitors step through its archway into sudden silence, their footsteps swallowed by the illusion of polished stone floors. Adjacent, the "Podracer Velocity Simulator" takes the form of a semicircular bank of repulsor-cushioned seats, where patrons lean into invisible G-forces while the only sounds are the low thrum of engines and the occasional gasp of delight. Deeper in, the "Sarlacc Pit Plunge" offers a vertical drop through slow-motion holographic sand, its descent so carefully paced that one can count the shimmering teeth on the way down. Each attraction respects its own space, separated by soft, light-absorbing panels, ensuring that no stray laser blast or roar bleeds into the next experience.

The crowd itself is a quiet menagerie, each group moving at its own unhurried pace. A Mon Calamari family drifts past, their large eyes reflecting the pale blue signage as the youngest points at a "Droid Factory Build-A-Bot" station where customers assemble holographic components with thoughtful, almost meditative focus. Nearby, a lone Zabrak in dusty spacer leathers leans against a pillar, watching an advertisement for the "Cloud City Walkways" attraction his expression unreadable, perhaps nostalgic rather than eager. A gaggle of juvenile Rodians scampers between their parents' legs, chirping in rapid-fire Huttese about which ride to queue for next, while an elderly pair of human retirees consult a paper map (a deliberate retro touch) and debate the historical accuracy of the "Battle of Endor" log flume. Even the service droids glide by with unobtrusive beeps, their photoreceptors dimmed to avoid startling children.

At the far end of the central promenade, the "Underwater Gungan City" exhibit stretches across a wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling holotank, filling the corridor with a gentle, wavering aquamarine light. Bubble-shaped platforms float within, and visitors can step onto pressure-sensitive discs that make the illusory water ripple outward from their feet. A young Pantoran woman presses her palm against the glasslike surface, watching a holographic colo claw fish swim lazily past her fingers. No splashes, no noise just the soft, rhythmic pulse of artificial bioluminescence. Across the way, the "Mustafar Forge Walk" offers a narrow bridge over a simulated lava river, its heat lamps barely warm, its red glow casting sharp shadows across determined faces. Between these extremes, a refreshment stand sells chilled glasses of blue milk and cubes of compressed fruit, though even the vendors speak in hushed tones, as if the entire fun world were a library of impossible places rather than a carnival. The chance for Alexi to come and find something that might be interesting was highish he hoped but he was prepared to listen and talk with her as well.
 
The shuttle doors parted with a soft hydraulic sigh, and Alexi stepped out into the cool stillness of the concourse without hurry. Her gaze lifted almost immediately; not toward the attractions themselves at first, but toward the structure of the place around them. The symmetry. The pacing. The deliberate restraint in it's design.

It was not what she had expected. That realization did not show openly on her face, but it altered something subtle in her expression as she moved forward from the shuttle platform. Her attention drifted across the rotunda slowly, absorbing the muted lights, the careful spacing between exhibits, the almost meditative cadence of the crowds moving through them. For a world so often associated with indulgence, there was remarkable discipline here.

The observation lingered with her as her eyes finally settled on Jack. And there - just briefly - that near-smile returned. “You were intentionally misleading,” Alexi said as she approached, her tone calm, though touched by quiet amusement. “I was expecting sensory warfare.” Her gaze shifted toward the softly glowing corridor leading deeper into the park. “Not… this.” There was no criticism in the words. If anything, it was the complete opposite.

She slowed beside him, her attention briefly catching on the immense holotank farther down the promenade where waves of aquamarine light moved across the polished floor. The reflections danced faintly against the pale fabric of her sleeves before fading again. “It feels curated,” Alexi said after a moment, more thoughtful now. “Not chaotic. Every section separated enough to preserve the illusion of it's own world.” A slight tilt of her head followed as she watched a family disappear into the Jedi Temple attraction. “That requires more precision than most people would notice.” Only then did she look fully back toward him again. “I think,” she added softly, the faintest trace of warmth threading through her voice, “you were hoping I’d realize that.” Her gaze lingered on him a moment longer before drifting upward slightly, taking in the styling of his hair, the coat, the unmistakable effort that had gone into the evening despite how carefully he was trying to make it appear natural. The near-smile deepened just enough to become visible. “And for what it’s worth,” Alexi continued lightly, “you clean up rather well for someone attempting to lure me into a holographic death trap.” A small pause followed as her attention flicked briefly toward the Sarlacc attraction. “Though I reserve the right to reconsider depending on where you take me first.” Then, quieter now, but genuine, she added: “Thank you for arranging this, Jack.”

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Jack Sheltrak

Senator of Zeltros, Former Supreme Chancellor
Alexi di Garthos Alexi di Garthos

He looked at her arrive and gave a chance for it. Breathless might be too much but she did look beautiful when she arrived and she was taking all of it in. Herr appreciation and surprise even if minor was an impressive thing. "There is a time for sensory overload but they know the balance of it. Here it is about attracting the most people outside the casino's. It makes the planets economy quite strong and their exports of holgram technologies and hardlight technologies are some of the best in the galaxies." He said it but bowed to her statement about it. He wasn't sure what to show her but smiled. "Well then we'll go with something easier. What is a place that you wish that you would be able to go to but have never had the chance?"
 
Alexi’s attention lingered briefly on the shifting lights of the promenade as he spoke about the technologies behind it all. There was something fitting in the way Zeltros had transformed indulgence into infrastructure; spectacle refined into precision. She could understand the appeal of that far more easily than she might have expected.

But his question caused a quieter pause. Her gaze shifted back toward him, thoughtful now in a more inward way than before. Not guarded exactly….just searching for an answer she had never given much reason to articulate. “A place?” Alexi repeated softly. A small silence followed as she considered it properly. “I don’t think I’ve ever measured travel by desire,” she admitted at last. “Usually only by necessity.” The words carried no regret. Only honesty. Her attention drifted briefly toward the immense holotank again, watching the pale blue currents move in slow, artificial rhythm. “Most of the worlds I’ve visited were chosen because there was something expected of me there.”

Then, just slightly, something shifted in her expression. Subtle, but real. “When I was younger,” Alexi said more quietly, “I used to study old surveys of Naboo.” Her gaze remained on the shimmering waterlight for another moment before returning to him. “Not the cities. The lake regions. The terraces. The way everything was designed to exist alongside the landscape instead of over it.” A faint breath followed, almost thoughtful enough to become distant. “It seemed....peaceful. And intentionally so.” The near-smile returned, gentler this time. More self-aware. “I realize that’s probably not the answer you were expecting in a place with holographic Sarlaccs and podracing simulators.” A slight tilt of her head accompanied the remark. “But I suspect you asked because you wanted a real answer.”

Her gaze met his again then, steady and softer at the edges. “And you?” Alexi asked. “What’s the place you still haven’t managed to reach yet?”

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