I can hide, but not well. (complete)

[Leten Snat]

Leten had been worknig on his force powers earlier, he was pratcing sencing the force, and sencing other people through the force. But after he left the training room he found that he left his lightsaber in the room. He hurries back to the room only to see it is in use by one of the higher ranking Jedi. They are sitting on the floor meditating. Leten still want his lightsaber back, but doesn't want to disturb the person on the floor. so he quietly setps into the room, and tells the force that he doesn't want to be seen.

He still has no control over his illusions, so the force just randomly picks an object in the room and makes him look like it. Anybody looking on at him would see a meditation pillow creeping along the side of the room slowly towards the lightsaber on the floor. Through the force it is clear that it is a person moving along the wall, but to the eyes he looks like a pillow.

[Navaria Tarkin]

Letan couldn't see the small smile forming upon Navaria's face. He was concentration so hard, that he missed the slight turn of the Knight's head towards his direction. An amused brow was raised upon seeing a pillow shuffle along the floor. Not quite a good choice when trying to be sneaky.

Navaria returned to her 'meditation' and lifted his sabre just off the table and moved it to where Letan was against the wall. A polite way of saying 'You've been made."

[Leten Snat]

Leten is suprised when his saber floats towards him. He stops focusing on not being seen, and takes his saber from the air. he turns towards Navaria.

"Ummm... Thanks. I'm sorry for disturbing you. I guess I didn't do a good job of hiding."

[Navaria Tarkin]

Her control over the weapon was released once Letan took it. "There is no need to be sorry." Navaria turned around and looked hardly irritaed by his presence. "We forget things. It happens but a pillow?" Navaria had to question, "What made you choose that?"

[Leten Snat]

Leten gives Navaria a questioning glance...

"I looked like a pillow?"

He hangs his head.

"I didn't choose that. I just tell the force I want to hide, and it trys to hide me by picking an object that has alot of it in the room. If it can't find an object, it makes me clear."

Leten looks back up at Navaria...

"I've been doing this since I was really young, and in the lower levels almost any objects can blend in. But I've been having troubles with it's randomness up here. My first Force class I snuck into the room as a walking spear."

[Navaria Tarkin]

She laughed, not out of maliciousness. It was jut the image of spear hopping into the room that made it happen. A warm smile brightened her face and Navaria motioned that the Padawan should have a seat with her. "Leten, right? You said that you ask the Force to make you look like something? Have you ever tried asking it to do something specific instead of something so random?"

[Leten Snat]

Leten walks over and sits next to Navaria. He nods.

"Yes I'm Leten, and I have tryed, but it doesn't work. I just get a feeling that lets me know I'm hiding, but I don't get that feeling when I try to look like something specific. I didn't even know it was making me look like things untill Lui Fong found me and brought me to the GJO.

I don't really tell it that I want to look like something I just tell it I want to hide, and it helps me hide." Leten shrugs " That's all I really know about what I do. Even if I could find out what I look like without somebody telling me what I look like at least then I could act like the object."

Leten gets a questioning look on his face...

"Just wondering... How did you know my name? and may I ask your name?"

[Navaria Tarkin]

That was an interesting possibility that Leten had pointed out unfortunately, Navaria had no idea how illusions worked. Perhaps there was a way she could help focus his mind into one direction though for the time being, so he wasn't so fractured when using his ability.

Her mind was still going over possibilities when the Padawan began questioning her about other matters, "Well, it is my job to know who you are. I'm Jedi Knight Navaria Tarkin. A member of the Council."

[Leten Snat]

Leten smiles and bows his head in respect after finding out she is on the council.

"I'm pleased to meet you. As you already know, I'm Leten Snat, Former street kid and salvage expert.... Well I may not be an expert, but I'm good at finding things."

[Navaria Tarkin]

She returned the bow, "Of that, I have no doubt." Navaria leaned forward and spoke with confidence, "And eventually you will be an expert with your illusions. Now, I will have to be honest. I myself possess no personal knowledge of them, but I do think that with some exercises in control, you can adapt them to your illusions."

[Leten Snat]

Leten is a little suprised when Navaria offers to help him...

"You want to help me? Even after I interrupted you meditations? I'm not complaining! Not don't get me wrong! I learned a long time ago to never turn away help when it's offered, I'm just not use to people wanting to help me. Though I think I should be by now since I've been at the GJO for 3/4 of a year now, But I guess that's not enough to counter act 12 and a half years of fending for myself."

Leten stops talking and hangs his head slightly after he realises that he is rambling.

"I'm sorry about my rambling. It's probably rather borring you. So I guess I should just ask how you think I could gain control over my illusions?"

[Navaria Tarkin]

"Leten, it's a duty as a Jedi to help others, and more importantly ... to help one another." She gave the Padawan a stern expression, "And for the record, you're not boring me. I enjoy getting to know my comrades in the Order from the youngest of Padawans to the eldest of us all.

Now, as for your lesson. You fended for yourself for a long time." She studied his face carefully, "How did you do that?"

[Leten Snat]

Leten nod in understanding as he is told about the Jedi's duty to help others, then pauses and thinks for a moment about Navaria's question about how he managed to live...

"Well, I guess when you live in the lower levels, ether you fend for yourself or you die. My mother died giving birth to me, my father was killed when I was 4.5 - 5 years old, by a gang. After that I was taken in by an old lady that always talked in riddles, or she would tell me something and not explane when I asked questions about what she said.

Though for the whole time I knew her everything she told me came true or was true. She was like a mother to me. Whenever I got mad she would sit me in a corner and tell me to close my eyes, take deep breaths and think happy thoughts. She told me that the deep breaths and thoughts would calm me, and they did.

I was always good at finding things, but after she noticed, She told me that if I ever needed something really bad, that I was to calm myself with the deep breaths and think of what I needed and I would find it, and that also was true.

She also told me that is I was ever in danger I was to find a corner, hide there and concentrate really hard on hiding and I would not be seen. That was true untill I got here. As you have noticed.

She was helping me with good advice untill I was 7 years old and I was making money with my salvage skills. I came home one day after a salvage run and she was just gone. Infact there was no sign that she was ever there. My stuff was still there, but hers was gone. After that I just did salvage runs, and lived my life by her advice untill I went to the upper levels and was brought here.

And Here I've been finding out that all the stuff the old lady taught me was not far off from what you people are teaching. Like the way she taught me to use a pipe to fight off people I couldn't run from was not that diffrent from what Jedi Knight Shade was teaching me yesterday with my lightsaber.

And so far there is one thing she has told me about my life that has not yet come true, but from what she said I hope it doesn't come true."

[Navaria Tarkin]

The woman that had taken Leten in was obviously Force Sensitive, and as the story unfolded ... seems that the woman was also once trained as a Jedi. Curious.

Navaria never once interrupted the Padawan and listened intently to every word and watched his features carefully. It was the best way to understand someone by hearing and looking for things little things that weren't said. Leten didn't seem uncomfortable when he spoke his last words so Navaria questioned him gently about it. "What did she say that you wish won't come to pass?"

[Leten Snat]

"She told me this when I asked Do you think I will have a good life? Will I find a girl that will love a little snat like me?"

Leten pauses for a moment, looking at his own feet as if trying to remember the exact words...




"Years for you will come and go,
But the face of love will never show,
Untill enters a girl of animal speek.
Then you find the love you seek.
When this is done, motions are made,
Dark Time will come to see them payed
The future of past will come to play,
And leave a shadow that will try to stay.

Soon after this a time will come,
Where you reach a choice to fight or run.
If the choice you make is to meet your end,
And place yourself between foe and friend,
Sent back to your home you will be
By the abyss that will lie beneth thee.
In the darkness you will find,
Evil things that warp our mind.
With your blade of light your foe will see,
Exactly how dangerouse a Snat can be."



Leten looks back up at Navaria

"I think I have already met and fallen in love with the girl mentioned. So that meens this has been set into motion, and I fear that alot will be riding on my shoulders."

Leten takes a few deep breaths...

"Incase you don't know, a Snat is a small rodent that thrives on the waste of others and makes it's home in garbage. It's harmless, weak, stupid, and is the lowest thing on the food chain in the lower levels. It's only defence is to run and hide in trash. I took it as my last name because I was tired of people trying to insult me by calling me a little snat, and it describes me rather well.

The Abyss is a part of the lower levels that is a shear drop from floor 150 to floor 5 that was created by a ship that crashed there when floor 150 was the top floor. There are a few stair cases that go over the Abyss but they are very unstable. I use them inorder to get away from gangs. My home is all the floors from floor 25 to floor 0.

So from the way I understand what she says, I'll end up falling into the Abyss while protecting a friend, living through the fall somehow, and finding a dark evil that I will need to get rid of with a lightsaber."

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria knew Coruscant intimately. It was her home for a long while when the Empire was still in power. Her mother always impressed upon her that a Tarkin would never be caught dead in the lower levels of the city and went into great detail as to why.

"Perhaps your destiny is written out, but I would like for you to consider that the future is always in motion. Not everything is written in stone. We sometimes forget that there are many ripples within the Force that a Jedi can see. The past, immediate present and then future... It is so hard to discern the true path of any individual but we are not to take such warnings lightly.

Do not let this prophecy control you, nor ignore the warning Leten."

[Leten Snat]

Leten nods...

"I don't beleave that it has to happen with me falling, since it still says I have a choice to run, or stand and face the foe. It's accualy because of what she said that got me to make my lightsaber not that long ago, and also try to practice on my own, which got shade teaching me. I'm taking this very serious. Every other thing she has sayed about my life has come true, so I will asume that this one will too, but I will not turn away the posibilty that it could be false.

I Want to be ready for what I may find if this does come true. I want to know what I'm doing enough to live long enough to get back. Do you think what you are wanting to teach me could help with that?"

[Navaria Tarkin]

She nodded in agreememt, "All of your training as a Padawan will help you to defend yourself for any reason. This omen as well. So we should get started then?"

Leten looked eager to begin the lesson, "What would have made more sense as an illusion to sneak into this room?"

[Leten Snat]

Leten nod and starts to thinks about the question. as he looks around the room. most of the objects are objects that can't move. He thinks for a little more.

"I guess it would be better if I had been invisible, or maybe looked like a cleaning droid."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"Being truly invisible is almost impossible. Especially if you are trying to hide from another person that is Force Sensitive. When you use the Force for any purpose, it causes a domino effect that spreads out in all directions. How powerful the use is of the Force, increases that ripple effect. Those that can sense the Force have a chance to know that someone is in the immediate area, but not know exactly where.

If you are disguised, at least you have a chance of going unnoticed. The cleaning droid is a good idea. You could have moved around with ease, most beings would not have given it a second thought. How good are your meditation skills?"

[Leten Snat]

Leten hadn't realised the using the force made him easer to detect. He make a mental note to remember that. At least one of his choices was a good one.

Leten responds to Navaria...

"I'm good at relaxing myself, I'm good at opening myself to the force, and I'm good at going into a partly meditative state in order to help me find a certen object I'm looking for. Other than that I don't know much."

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria nodded, "Good. I'd like you to do that. Relaxing and opening yourself to the Force. Clear you mind of any thoughts..."

[Leten Snat]

Leten closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. His body relaxes quickly, and soon his mind is void of all thought. He opens himself to the force and and floods his sences with the life energy that fills the room around him. He can sence most of the living things in the GJO Grounds and Academy.

He then waits for further instructions.

[Navaria Tarkin]

"Now, I want you to picture the cleaning droid clearly in your mind. It needs to be perfect down the last detail."

[Leten Snat]

Leten hadn't seen many cleaning droids in his life, so he pictured one that he took to the salvage yard about a year ago. He remembers that one rather well since it took him almost a week to get it completely out of the rubble it was baried under.

He gets the image into his mind in great detail, but still nothing happens...

"I have the image, But I don't feal any diffrent."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"Ah, ah, ah..." She corrected, "Just because you are thinking of the object doesn't mean you are going to instantly become it. By focusing on the image at first, you then project that thought through the Force to try and mask your true identity."

[Leten Snat]

Leten concentrates and trys to put the image around him using the force. After few of tying to force the image around him, nothing happens. He stops trying to force is then goes to drop the attempt, slipping through steps he would to stop himself from hiding. For about 3 seconds Leten falls into the state which he uses to hide with, still holding the image in his mind. For these 3 seconds Leten looks like a beten up, partly junked, class 3 old republic cleaning droid. But since he was in the process of bringing down the illusion he doesn't realise what he has done.

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria held out her hand and coxed gently as the 'droid' appeared over the Padawan, "Leten. Whatever you are thinking of doing stop. Keep focusing on the droid as you were before."

[Leten Snat]

Leten Stops trying to shut things down, and keeps the image of the droid in his mind. He doesn't know why he is doing this, but he just was following the instructions of Navaria.

His body was telling him that he was hiding, but he still didn't know what he looked like.

"Okay, what did you want me to stop? I was just stoping my self from trying to hide since nothing was happening when I was trying to tell myself to look like the droid."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"But you did Leten. I don't see anything but a Droid before me. You cannot tell the difference because you won't feel different, but you can feel the work of the Force correct?"

[Leten Snat]

This suprised Leten... He opens his eyes, and looks up at Navaria. The leten preforms ths actions the droid does not.

"Really?! I did it?! Wow!"

Forgetting that he is still in the illusion, Leten hurries over to Navaria and gives her a hug. Again even thought Leten is moving like this, the droid is not. The droid stays in the same position, and looks as if it is draged towards Navaria. The droid image gets right upto Navaria then she can feel the hug, but still the droid hasn't changed it's position.

"Thank you! Thank you! I've never mannaged to make myself look like something of my choosing before!"

[Navaria Tarkin]

Leten was so happy that the Knight hated to burst his bubble. He was so proud of what he accomplished, as he should be, but the illusion held no merit if it didn't follow the Padawan around.

Reluctanly, Navaria pulled Leten back. His arms were still holding her shoulders but the 'droid' still did not move. "Yes, you did Leten! Which is wonderful progress, but we still have so much to work on. Your illusion doesn't follow your movements. When you jumped up to hug me, I saw you and your illusion just sat there until you stopped moving. Even now, I am looking at a droid but Leten arms are holding me."

She titled her neck to look at what should be Leten's face, "But don't worry. We're going to fix that."

[Leten Snat]

"Oh... But at least is better than before!"

Leten sighs

"So what do we do now? How can I get it to move with me?"

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria was glad that the set back didn't deter Leten. "The best solution I can think of is for you to actually picture yourself as the droid, moving as it within your mind. I am pretty sure that should be projected into the image I am seeing.

It will take alot of concentration at first, even when you do suceed in it. With time and pratice, it will become a reflex."

[Leten Snat]

"Okay..."

Leten lets go of Navara then closes his eyes, and pictures the droid doing the same movements he is. He then moves his right arm up above his head, and the droid Image does the same. Leten can feel his brain starting to hurt due to the split concentration, but he still goes to continue moving. He then looks down at his arm pit, and the droid does the same.

Then he wants to see if he can have the droid do things that are not happening to him. So he pictures the droid's head falling off, and it happens.

At this point leten's head is hurting so much, he has to stop. The image goes away and Leten sits on the floor holding his head.

"Oww... My head hurts."

[Navaria Tarkin]

She frowned, not predicting Leten's possible side effect. Leaning forward, Navaria placed a hand across the boy's forehead and a warm sensation was felt by Leten. It felt pleasant and the sensation spread across his scalp, leaving a tingling sensation. The pain was gone. "I'm sorry. I didn't think that would happen. On the positive side, it did work. You were able to control the illusion." She grew silent for a moment, "I wonder if the headaches will go away with time..."

[Leten Snat]

Leten smiles as Navaria stops the pain in his head.

"I hope it does go away with time. I'm just guessing that the pain is from splitting my concentration into too many things. I'm not use to having to think of how I move and how a droid would move, and still be aware of whats around me. When I first started using the force to hide I could only do it for a short time, because I got headaches then too. It could be like anyother muscle. The more you use it in ways it's not use to the more it hurts."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"Then there you have it. I am confident that they will disappear since this has happened before." She grew concerned, "I ask only that you do not push yourself too hard. Last thing I want to find out is that you put yourself in the medbay because of this."

[Leten Snat]

Leten nods...

"It's not fun being in the medbay for stuff like this. I was stuck in bed for a week when I first started, because I had to hide for 1 hour as a rather nasty gang was looking for me. I'll do my best to practice this in small doses."

[Navaria Tarkin]

"Thank you and I think it's time you took a break. I was able to alleviate the pain for now, but the headache might come back later. Get some rest, Leten."

[Leten Snat]

"Okay I will... Thank you very much for your help! If there is any way you can think of that I could help you, at anytime like if you lost something and need it found or need a guide through the lower levels, just give me a shout. Okay? So I'll leave you to get back to your meditations. Bye!"

As Leten was talking he was standing up and collecting his backpack and lightsaber. Then he waves to Navaria and walks out of the room heading back to his bedroom so he can get some rest like he was told to do.