Karvis
The Rebel Alliance => Jedi Training => Topic started by: GM Craig on September 23, 2015, 01:48:04 PM
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Chalana has generally kept both of Niil and Colland on separate schedules. One works in the morning, the other in the afternoon. but this day, he calls you both together in the cargo bay. When you arrive he is, as usual, kneeling in the centre of the circle. As per custom, the two of you kneel before him and wait. He has tended to use his voice for teaching, but speaks directly to your minds for guidance. Since the incident that night, he has greatly reduced the mind-to-mind contact. It's not a major issue, but it is noticeable.
So it with a little surprise then you feel his words appear in each of your minds. [You are not aware that the other is hearing the same words. You each perceive it as a private conversation.]
*You have been eager to learn. It is a hunger in you, and you push yourself. It does you credit, but I grow concerned that you push yourself too far. A Jedi Knight is called to action, it is true. Debating and philosophizing is not the domain of a Jedi Knight. But our call to take action must always be tempered with wisdom - an awareness of the greater impact of our actions. We might see a gang beating someone and intervene, only to learn later than the being in question was a notorious slaver., and the gang escaped slaves. We are called to action, but that must be tempered with patience.*
*As you learn to access the Force and learn your powers, you must be aware that you will cause disturbances in the Force. There are those who are skilled enough that they can sense these disturbances. So in many ways, as you learn you are exposing yourself to danger, and will attract unwelcome attention. There is a technique you may use, however, to mask yourself. You can reduce your presence in the Force, and make it more difficult to find you. We call that power Hibernation Trance.*
*Through this, you can place your body in a state of near-suspended animation, greatly reducing you need for oxygen, food or water. To casual observer, you will appear dead. You can use this trance for healing, or to survive hostile conditions. Demaia used this to survive the prison ship.*
*Use your Control to slow your metabolism, to slow the Force as it moves through you. Your body will lose consciousness, and you will be unaware of the world around you, but you can keep a shard of your spirit in touch with the world to trigger a return to consciousness. Empty your minds and do this now.*
[OOC:
Hibernation Trance
Control Difficulty: Difficult
This power may be kept "up."
Effect: This power allows a Jedi to place herself into a deep trance, remarkably slowing all body functions. The Jedi's heartbeat slows, her breathing drops to barely perceivable levels, and she falls unconscious. A Jedi can heal while in a hibernation trance, but can do nothing else. Anyone who comes across a Jedi in hibernation trance assumes that the Jedi is dead unless she makes a point of testing him. Another Jedi with the sense skill or the life detection power will be able to detect the Force within the hibernating character and realize that she is alive. When a Jedi enters a hibernation trance, the player must declare under what circumstances the character will awaken: after a specific amount of time, or what stimuli need to be present (noise or someone touching them, for example). Another Jedi can use the power place another in hibernation trance to bring the user out of the trance. Hibernation trance serves two purposes. It allows a Jedi to "play dead" and it can be used to survive when food or air supplies are low. A character in hibernation uses only about a tenth as much air as someone who is sleeping ? she can hibernate for a week in a dry climate or for up to a month in a wet climate before dying from lack of water. It is possible to hook the character up to an intravenous water drip to survive indefinitely. A character can hibernate for up to three months before dying of starvation. An intravenous sugar solution can extend that to one year.
Concentration and/or preparation can be used to enter this state.]
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[OOC: Edit in place. Thanks Corey for pointing out my error.]
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Collan closed his eyes. Like all the other times the Dark Side was there, waiting...hoping to gain a foothold on his heart and mind. To corrupt Collan as it was corrupting (or trying to) Ch'lana. It took effort to push its tendrils away and that made it more difficult to focus, but a Jedi is patient. Things that are hard are usually worth it...and mastery of the Good Side of the Force took effort and sweat.
Time passed as Collan let his mind float in place. From his internal perspective, he rooted around how his body felt, the tightness or soreness of muscles worked in a way they weren't used to. The feel of new calluses forming on his hands, an artifact of working with the saber. The way a slight puff of air felt on the hairs of his neck.
Slowly...ever so slowly, Collan let his mind drift over those feelings. He meditated, at first counting the timing of his breathing, in and out...in and out. One. Two. Three. Four. One. Two. Three. Four. Fix. Collan relaxed into the meditation and extended the breathing cycles; the aware part of himself knew he was close to that calm state he'd felt when first concentrating.
During all of this, the Dark Side keep poking at his awareness. It wanted Collan's attention...to be acknowledged and if not used then embraced. Collan spent most of his time relaxing himself against the nudges and prods. Oddly, he had to expend effort to ignore it. He could recall a small mammaloid during his slave years that constantly bugged a frequent quest of the Malkia Syndicate. It nipped and nipped its owner till it got the tidbit or morsel it wanted. That was the Dark Side.
Collan had been far younger and far less used then. And he got a little amusement comparing the Dark Side to such a small and annoying creature. But he knew the Dark Side's power to harm. He'd felt it just a couple nights previous. It wasn't a joke or amusement; it was deadly and serious. Dangerous...far beyond his ability to cope as yet. And if what the Dark Side showed him had any truth, then learning how to slide into a trance would be necessary. Maybe even helpful. If he could hide himself every sleep cycle, that would help prevent his father from finding him too quickly...give him the space to learn...to grow.
The calm center moved a little further away as Collan's conscious mind pondered those things. He'd let himself wander about a little too much. Back to breathing and relaxing. Sensations peeled away, even that of the Dark Side, as Collan started to slide his mind and spirit deeper into the meditation. He was taking his time, feeling his way slowly...so slowly, like a feather floating to the ground. He was past the point of exploration where he was used to focusing his mind-the Force streamed around him more than normal.
Yet, Collan did nothing as yet. He just floated in the peaceful place. Distantly, he remembered he was to slow his metabolism and how he interacted with the Force...and separate himself enough to trigger an awakening. He visualized himself waking upon a touch to his body or whatever an hour felt like, separating sensations from feelings...expanding his mind in an odd way, both conscious and unconscious at the same time.
Breath. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Long...slow...ponderous breaths.
Collan released himself deeper into the Force and instead of letting flow freely, he focused on slowing its passage, trapping some within for a time, thick goopy mud rather than water. Letting it mix with his body...dragging it slowly. Slow. Slower. Slowest.
A sensation of drifting. Not alone. Unaware but aware. A timeless place where light, heat, air, food, and water held little meaning. Hungry, emotion, and pain were gone. No color, but not blackness. Darkness without shadow.
Peace.
A rushing feeling. Color and light exploding. Awareness...breathe! Air filled lungs. Collan felt a sharp sudden intake of it. Little aches and pains returned. The irritating presence of the Dark Side. Brightness on the other side of his eyelids. He opened them.
Collan became aware he was laying on his back, arms at his sides. His body felt sluggish like he'd slept longer than he should have. At the same time he was refreshed. Collan almost tried to sit up but thought better of it. He flexed fingers and toes before moving to hands and feet, arms and legs, and finally his back.
Then he sat up and looked around.
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Niil took a few deep breaths prior to entering his meditation. Part of what Ch'lana told him filled him with apprehension. To attempt to slip into a coma-like state - no, deeper than that - while the Dark Side was lurking in the background? It had nearly succeeded in making Niil see things that weren't there, and he'd almost purged the ship's atmosphere as a result.
Niil's heart rate started to quicken, and he could feel the fear starting to squirm through his body. Stop, Niil. That was then, and through the Force you persevered, yes? Remember, the Dark Side can't have you if you don't allow it to. This is another one of its tricks, getting you to balk at doing this. And Ch'lana knows more about what it can do to a person than you or Collan. If he thought that this was too dangerous to do, he'd never allow it. Trust him, trust yourself, and trust the Force. Now banish the fear and doubt. The Force is with you, and you with it.
The mental pep-talk brought his heart rate back to normal and blasted away the negative emotions. The Dark Side was still in the background, but it's effects on him were subsiding with each passing moment that Niil ignored it. Niil's breathing deepened, and slowly the myriad of sounds on the ship faded away. The Dark Side, the Horuz system, the training with Nightshade . . . all of those thoughts were irrelevant now. All that existed at the time was Niil and the Force. Inner peace. Focus on the heartbeat and the breathing at the same time, for both must be coaxed down at the same time. Very slowly, with great patience. His heart rate started to slow, and so, too, his rate of breathing as the demand for oxygen lessened. Niil had no recollection of time or sensation; just the beat of his heart. He was able to let his focus gently slide away from his breathing, since the heart and blood's demand for oxygen regulated his breathing rate.
Forty beats per minute.
Thirty.
Twenty.
Ten.
With great care, Niil brought his heart rate down to a few beats per minute, and patiently waited for it to stabilize. With even greater care so as not to disturb the state he'd brought himself into, he slowly nudged a thought into his mind, a command for his brain to slowly bring his metabolism back to normal after the passage of one hundred and twenty heartbeats. The "message" implanted, Niil gave himself fully to the Force and allowed his consciousness, his awareness, to focus on . . . nothing.
Time passed.
Slowly, nothingness gave way to sensations, to awareness. The sound of blood flowing through his veins, then his heart rate, slowly returning to a normal level. The sound of his breathing was the first external sound he was able to pick up, then the familiar sounds of the ship started to come back into focus. So, too, the malevolent presence of the Dark Side, but Niil had already expected it to be there, and willed himself not to react to it. Then the sensation of the cool mat on the left side of his face and body. Did I keel over? Shielding his eyes with his right hand, he gingerly opened them and winced from the bright light. Blinking a few times to let his vision adjust, he saw the room from a skewed angle, and realized that he'd been right. During the hibernation trance, he must have slumped forward and on to his left side.
Niil took a few moments to assure himself that his heart rate and breathing were back to normal levels, and slowly propped himself back up into a sitting position. Then, curious, he looked over to where Collan and Ch'lana were seated.
OOC: No way in hell I can top Corey's post. ;)
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You both return to your senses at about the same time. When you come to your senses, Ch'lana is nowhere to be seen.
It is not a restful experience - your body has expended effort to maintain that state, and you feel a little sluggish as your metabolism starts to ramp back up. It takes a few minutes before you can sit up.
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[OO: +1 CP]
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Collan worked semi-dry lips, taking a few moments to wet his tongue and throat. His mouth must have been slightly open.
"That...was different," he finally managed.
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Niil laughed, although it sounded more like a death rattle. Bleah, it feels like I've been gargling with steel filings. Need water. When I can get up.
Rasing his head, he looked at Collan and croaked, "Interesting. Yeah, let's go with that. So . . . race you around the ship?"
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Collan croaked a laugh.
"Slowest wins?"
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Niil's sides heaved from trying to stifle the laughter. "Okay, I'll give you a head start." That set Niil off into a fit of laughter, and it took him considerable effort to bring himself under control. Wiping tears from his eyes, he shook his head. "Oh, damn, I need that. But back to business, I suppose. I wonder where Ch'lana's gone to? Maybe we should page him and let him know we're both up and around? Well, once we're able to get up and move around, that is . . . "
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[OOC: You both recall that Demaia maintained that state for a month.]
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"And it's only been an hour," Collan remarked, "Demaia did that for much longer. Remember how hard it was for her to get around?"
Collan made a move to stand and found himself wobbly, like he'd been bedridden for days.
"You'd think hibernating wouldn't take that much out of you...really," he bent over fingers to toes and rolled his upper body up and raised his arms, stretching for the sky, trying to work life back into his muscles.
"I could use some water...and food. Whose turn is it to cook?"
[ooc: assuming we'd have come to an arrangement on shipboard duties.]
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Niil laid back on the mat and started massaging the life back into his legs. "Yeah, Demaia was in that trance for about a month. Makes this seem like a humbling experience. But I guess it's not really surprising that it knocked the hell out of us; human's aren't a hibernating species, and we've just done this for the first time. And it was only for an hour, too; I guess on a time scale that's not much time to take the body down to near-death and right back up again."
Niil sighed. "And I think it's my turn to try and kill all of you with my cuisine. But I think we should try and contact Ch'lana first - y'know, let him know were okay. Mind you, he probably already knows . . ."
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"Yeah. He was probably monitoring us remotely," Collan acknowledged as he headed over to the ship's com, "I'm debating about asking for his help building a real saber or at least starting it."
Pushing the button, he said into the com, "Ch'lana, we're awake now."
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"I am aware. Spend some time restoring your metabolism. Hybernation can be a difficult experience the first few times. I will join you shortly."
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Niil waited until Collan was done talking with Ch'lana, and nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about the lightsaber. That, or take some extra time and go over one of the training ones and that broken one to see how they tick."
Niil sat up straighter, and closed his eyes. "Give me a few minutes, Collan. Time to get the metabolism running at full power again," he muttered softly.
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A few minutes later, Ch'lana enters the cargo bay. Without a word he moves to the circle and sits down cross-legged. He waits for you to join him.
"Be careful when you awaken. If you move or engage in psychical activity before your metabolism has recovered, you will face muscle cramps and possible injury to oxygen starved tissues. This is a survival technique; use it to play dead, withstand deprivation, or to aid in healing. It renders you helpless while you are in trance, and vulnerable during recovery, so use it only as a last resort."
He pauses. "You have questions."
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Collan considered it for a moment.
"How do we use this to hide ourselves or smooth our impact through the Force? It took a lot of effort out of us just for the hour we hibernated."
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"This is the first step along the road to obscuring yourself entirely. The ability to control your metabolism is the foundation upon which we will build. Once you have mastered this, I will teach you Emptiness, which depends on this ability.
"In hibernation trance you will, to all appearances both physical and in the Force, appear dead. Powerful forces-sensitives may still detect your life, and someone doing a detailed physical examination will find you are alive, but the trance reduces the chance you are discovered. If you face a powerful foe where defeat seems certain, you can enter hibernation trance to appear dead as a last-resort chance of escape. If you are mortally wounded, you might be able enter the trance as a way to buy time for friends or allies to bring you to medical care. As I said, it is a last-resort option, but it may well save your life when there is little or no hope.
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[OOC: You may buy another Pip of Control, and add Hibernation Trance to your character sheets.]
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Niil thought about that for a moment, then asked, "While we're in hibernation, is it possible for us to change the, umm, 'trigger' we've set to bring us out of it? Like changing the trigger from a set amount of time to, say, a ship's alarm instead? Or a code word?"
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He shakes his head. "No, for that would require too much awareness of the world around you, and require a higher metabolism. You are, in effect, removing your spirit from your body, leaving only the most tenuous connection to bring you back. You must leave connections in advance, for once you are free of your body, you only have those connections to bring you back."
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Niil nodded. "So . . . think very carefully about what you want as the trigger before you go into the hibernation trance. Got it."
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"How long can you stay in the trance?"
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"That depends on the environment. Your body will still dehydrate, though medical intervention can take care of that. And it will need food, though again medical intervention can aid there. With the proper support, you could maintain the trance for many months.