That was something to think about at another time. For now, (Y/N) should probably get more training with Nox. After all, to live in the undercity of Coruscant, even temporarily, was a dangerous existence. So, (Y/N) returned to his ship, new lightsaber in hand. The blade may be a darker blue than it was originally, but it was still his.
"Nox?" the boy shouted when he boarded, trying to stir the ancient Sith Lord from whatever sleep he had entered to avoid detection from the Jedi. "I fixed my lightsaber. I think I'm ready for more training."
"I agree," Nox said, appearing behind (Y/N) in the main area of the ship, "but first, I need to teach you something not related to the Force. At least, not in a way that is obvious."
"And what would that be?" the apprentice asked, unsure of what was to come.
"Sabacc," Nox answered. "An easy way to make credits and get information, if you know what you are doing." (Y/N) was unsure what to think. How could learning a game be more efficient than learning further force techniques?
"When combined with certain Force techniques, which we will not be getting to for a while, admittedly, it can practically print you money," Nox said. "Don't tell anyone this, but I once managed to scam Supreme Chancellor Rans out of 20 million credits," he regaled with a cheeky grin.
"Kriff, please, stop doing that," (Y/N) requested, hating that Nox could read his mind so easily.
"Sorry. You were thinking so loudly, I thought you actually asked," Nox grinned.
"I'm guessing the mind reading is the technique you were referring to?" (Y/N) asked. "I can see how it would help in a game."
"Indeed," Nox said. "Sure, you may have -22, but if the other guy has a 22 and you know it, suddenly you're not going to bet more." (Y/N) looked at this Sith Lord with a look of confusion. Clearly, the boy did not know what he was talking about.
"Right, clearly we need to start at the very top," Nox sighed. "So a hand of Sabacc starts with each player being dealt anywhere from three to five cards, depending on the location..."
Some Hours Later
"Those are the main rules of Sabacc," Nox finished. "Our methods can give us many advantages, not just mind reading. For example, shocking the cards with sufficient control can cause them to change their value. Simply shock until they read as you desire. Be careful to not shock them too much, though. Higher-end computers can detect you messing with the cards, at least once you hit a certain number of changes."
"And what's the worst that can happen if I get caught?" (Y/N) asked, wanting to know what to expect.
Nox thought for a moment before replying. "That depends on who owns the place. If it's a legitimate business, you're looking at a ban from the casino. If it's run by any of the gangs, you're looking at either a fight or a finger, possibly an entire hand, lost. If the pot's big enough, possibly even your life, at least if you let them."
"Good to know," (Y/N) muttered, "but I'd still like to learn some more about the powers of the Force."
"I suppose that is something you would want to continue," Nox sighed. "And to send you from this ship without instructing you in this art would be foolhardy at best. I shall teach you the technique I used to put Jedi at ease in my days as Alliance Commander, Force Clouding. It will allow you to hide your presence as a user of the Dark Side from anyone who might be looking for such a signature. The key is ensuring you never drop your concentration on it, at least until you learn to do it subconsciously. You keep this up, and the Jedi will never even know you're here."
(Y/N) contemplated this information for a second. He could see how such a thing would be useful, especially in the long run. So, with renewed interest in what Nox had to say, (Y/N) listened.
"Good. The first thing you will need to do is control your memory. Memory can cause flashes of emotions that will disrupt your concentration. Should such a lapse of concentration occur while in the presence of Jedi, they will detect your allegiance. Such a scenario would only be worse the further into your training you are."
While he understood the need for it, the fact that he still had to suppress anything within him still annoyed (Y/N), a thought he quickly made known. However, Nox quickly explained what exactly he had meant.
"I do not mean that you must have no emotions tied to your memories, the way the Jedi demand," Nox elaborated. "Rather, you need to be able to control what memories your mind can conjure at any given time."
(Y/N) nodded in understanding, having only one other question before the training began. It was one that he thought to be incredibly important, as without an answer, it would be a waste of time for everyone involved.
"How will we know if this is working?" he asked. "We don't exactly have a Jedi on hand who we could ask if they sense me."
"Simple. Once I'm unable to read your emotions for an hour, we'll call it done. Now, here's how to hide your presence from those who would seek you harm."
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And that's the end for this chapter. Sorry it's short for how long I've been out, college has been a thing that exists, and I've been turning more to games than writing to get it out of my head.
But as you all can see, (Y/N)'s learning Force Clouding, the same technique Palpatine used to hide himself. However I promise you, (Y/N) is not going to only be working in the background the way Palps did. Kind of need him to learn this for him to be able to interact with literally any major characters prior to Episode IV.