Solo Training - Erase Your Signature

[Darth Ophidia]

Candles dimly lit the stone room deep in Malif Cove, casting the corners in shadows and blurring the lines of the world. The only artificial light sprung from a small metal pyramid placed on the floor, from the top of which emerged a diminutive holographic figure. The figure took the shape of a female Nautolan called Darth Sol. She was some bygone sith with considerable skills, but little glory to distinguish her from the others, making her Holocron easy to borrow.

Before the pyramid and the hologram sat the Rattataki Saiah, one of the Assassin Acolytes of the great order of The One Sith. Her pale eyes fixated on the Gatekeeper of the Holocron as she droned on about the discoveries of her life and all she could teach her. Most of which she had also been offered by the other Holocrons. All of whom had assured her they were the best of their age. Though erect and alert, Saiah was growing impatient, she had heard this Holocron held secrets that would allow her to pass undetected; a skill far too few among the Assassins prized.

“That is all well my Lady, but I have come to you for a very specific skill. One of stealth. I need to vanish, to be undetectable.”

Darth Sol seemed to sneer a little at the request, as if she had been insulted. Saiah glared at her, eyes narrowing and her pale irises reflecting the yellow candlelight. Could one intimidate a Gatekeeper? It would seem so, for after a few tense seconds the Nautolan shifted awkwardly.

“I will teach you the art of Force Concealment. This ability will allow you to mask your alignment within the Force, hide your force sensitivity, or even dissipate your entire presence!”

The Nautolan Sith in emitted from the metallic pyramid spoke as if it had been her own idea, and that she had just chosen the skill on a whim. Saiah would not argue, she had finally found something that sounded like what she needed.

“It is an honour to accept your teachings, Darth Sol.”

Finally. Saiah had wanted to crack the metal pyramid against the wall, but it was far too valuable for such treatment. Patience was key, but she nurtured a new-found hatred for Nautolans.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

“The first you must do is to meditate. Strip away everything until you find the core of your being. That is the source of your signature.”

Saiah closed her eyes as the Holocron’s gatekeeper spoke. She turned her attention inwards, spectating her own processes and labelling them better to set them aside.

I am Saiah, What is Saiah? Saiah is Sith. Saiah is Rattataki. Many are Sith, many are Rattataki, what is Saiah? Saiah is a name; Saiah is inconsequential. Who are you then? Maica Pec? Maica is dead. I remain. What is true is nameless. What is true then? What is nameless? Feelings – no. Thoughts – no. She stripped away layer after layer until she found only her own breath and the beat of her heart. The beat of her heart, the air of her lungs, the spark that kept her alive and the will to draw breath. She had found the core of Saiah. Like the hyper-dense mass that kept the Galaxy in line, she saw all that is Saiah align like stars and planets around the central black hole.

She raised a hand to her chest and gave the gatekeeper of Darth Sol a knowing look.

“You appear to have found your core, now comes the challenge: Concealment. There are many ways to do this. Some shrink their presence, thus was born the Art of the Small, but I sense you are not ready for this ability. You may shroud your appearance, so that those who are not looking will not see. Leave your presence in darkness my young Acolyte. The more adept you become, the stronger your shroud becomes. The better you will stay hidden from unwanted eyes.”

Leave your presence in darkness. How would one do such a thing? Saiah considered these words for a while.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Sometimes, it is simply better to do, rather than to think through what words mean. As such, Saiah gathered her signature and invited darkness. First, she found herself surging in Dark Sided power, but she found that this was not the way. If anything, it did the exact opposite of what she had intended. Instead, she let her signature slip into shade, not darkness. She let it dissolve into the background and become one with her surroundings. However, it was far from perfect. Only spots and splotches became camouflaged. Darth Sol’s voice crackled again through the gatekeeper.

“Deeper my child. Go deeper. Become nothing. Be your surroundings. Be stone, steel, air and fire.”

With an exhale and a furrowed brow, Saiah tried to go deeper. She was forcing her signature to adapt; hammering it like one would hammer a piece of heated metal into a desired shape. Become nothing, be your surroundings. She could feel the digital gatekeeper's eyes on her, and it brought her nothing, but fury.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Finding nothing but exhaustion in hammering on her own signature, she hung her head and frowned. Had she failed? No, she had simply done it wrong. There would have to be another way. How could she have been so foolish? She was not making armour, hammering her material would have no effect. It would be like hammering a cloak of shadow. A cloak, yes. Like a cloak of camouflage. Saiah would have to become comfortable and sure.She would have to allow herself to dissolve.

Saiah found her signature again, and reflected upon her surroundings. The candles, the walls of stone, the tall ceiling, and the sandy stone floor, spread with carpets and pillows for more comfortable study. She projected an image of everything around her on her signature. She let shadows creep into the corners and obscure her presence. Had she finally cracked the code? She looked at Darth Sol, the Nautolan Sith glared back at Saiah with her glossy eyes. Apparently still not impressed with her progress.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Saiah pressed the deactivation button on the holocron, and with a few muffled protests, Darth Sol disappeared, now she was only a distraction. The Rattataki acolyte stood up and wandered out of the darkened room and into the stone pathways of Malif Cove. We are not seen because we are not there. She turned a corner and walked bare footed down the hallways of the dormitories. I have no trace, no scent, no sound. There is no hint of my passing. She was wary of her surroundings, but did not extend out through the Force. Her entire concentration was on maintaining her anonymity, a cloak of insignificance. What the senses observe means nothing if the mind does not percieve it. Saiah halted suddenly as one of the doors opened and an acolyte stepped out. This was the moment of truth. Saiah walked behind the girl quietly. Walk outside your opponent's perception.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

The did not look, perhaps it was easier seeing as she was tired, and Saiah was very much awake. She followed the girl, nearly breathing down her neck until her test subject took a turn into a bathroom. She did not follow. Instead, she heard the clanging of weights. She followed the sound and stood in the doorway, repeating the mantra internally. No trace, no scent, no sound, no hint of my passing. Walk outside their perception. Inside the room, an acolyte was working his physical strength. He was very focused on his task, but also quite awake. He would be a little more difficult than the sleepy girl, but still distracted.

Saiah walked around in the room, trying to see if he would catch a glimpse of her. He did not spare her a glance. She started moving things around, but still, he paid her no mind. Not until she actually stood right in front of him and touched the dumbbell he was lifting, did he raise his gaze with a sound of surprise.

"Oh! I didn't see you there. When did you come in?"

Saiah only smiled and left the room.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

Next she went to the kitchen, the kitchens were always in use, masters, knights, staff or acolytes. As she entered the kitchen, she noted a knight who immediately spotted her, but his acolyte apprentice did not. Thus she could conclude the level of her current prowess. She could slip past the attention of an acolyte when they were busy, but not a knight, and certainly not a master. She signalled that she was simply passing through and the knight turned his attention back to his apprentice, who was telekinetically trying to knead a dough.

Saiah entered the pantry and got a small snack she had hidden away, and as she focused her power she tried again to sneak past the knight's attention. He noticed, but it took a little longer. Good, good, she could improve. She was improving. Still, she could feel it drain on her energies. This was a skill that required much attention and diligent practice.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

As she ate her sweet, crunchy snack, she walked down new hallways, trying to pass by anyone she met. Most acolytes didn't notice her unless she made physical contact, in which case it was difficult to shake them off once more. She was able to bury her presence, go by unnoticed, but could she mask her alignment? Or her force sensitivity? That would be much harder to determine. She thought for a while about how to test it, and when she finally returned to her room she had an idea: Simply ask. To prepare herself for the task ahead, she sat down in meditation. Mentally she worked with her signature. First of all, she would try to mask her sensitivity and appear as just another person. She altered her cloak of insignificance to allow this. It was slow, meticulous work. However, she was beginning to get the hang of it.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

When she felt ready, she reactivated the Holocron. Darth Sol reemerged and looked at Saiah with an unimpressed glance.

"Highly unnecessary, acolyte Saiah. Yet, I can sense some improvement."

"Apologies Darth Sol, I needed to take a walk. I thank you for your teachings, and again I need your watchful eye to observe my progress."

The Nautolan guardian of the holocron looked a little displeased, but in the end she gave in. It was in her nature to teach and to pass on her skills.

"Fine. Show me."

Again, Saiah wrapped herself in her cloak of insignificance, burying her force-sensitivity deep inside her and adopting a plain presence. This was somehow more difficult than disappearing completely, seeing as she had to constantly control how much of her presence should bleed out. Yet, Saiah stared at the guardian, who watched carefully as Saiah wrapped herself in the mundane.

 

[Darth Ophidia]

"Yes, that's it. Become mundane. Ordinary, uninteresting. Now adopt a mask of light, acolyte Saiah."

This part, she had not practiced. Saiah would have to simply wing it. She remembered back to her first meeting with a lightsider, the feeling they radiated was irritating. Like staring at the sun. She tried to replicate the feeling, as if wrapping a second layer over her anonymity. It took practice, work and far more effort than she first thought, but in time she was able to replicate a weak and faltering light-side aura. She did not want to keep it up too long seeing as the alarms could go off, but Darth Sol nodded nonchalantly.

"Good. You are far from any sort of mastery, but the affinity is there. Practice on your own. Use it whenever you can, and perhaps one day you will become as proficient with this ability and infamous in the art of stealth as I."

"Thank you once again for allowing me access to your wisdom Darth Sol. You are truly a great Master of the art." A lie, Darth Sol was less than a footnote in history, but she was still susceptible to flattery.

More cautiously this time, Saiah turned off the Holocron and let go of her stealth. She once more slipped into meditation to commit everything she had learned to memory.