Stage 9

I heard Catia speaking softly in my head.. she seemed calm , but my head felt like it was splitting open.. Her anger had dissapated and she was leveled out a bit.. I crouched behind the crate I had fallen in front of and had just managed to dive out of the way as the crate shattered and something hurtled just past my head..

As I took off running/ stumbling for the outside of the building, my heart went into my throat.. Obi Wan was standing there watching it seemed like.. Look I know he is a Jedi master and a council member, but the way Anakin is now, he doesn't know freind from enemy .. trust me I know.. I have been like that on a rare occasion..

Against my better judgement I kept going, I had seen Obi Wan get Adana to safety; she had been through enough, she didn't need to see this.
I found her in the hallway sitting against the wall looking out into the empty air as though she was staring at soemthing intently but there was nothing there.. " Adana?" I asked gently, i could feel the machiene had messed with her head. Catia's anger bgan to simmer on a slow boil.
She jumped and turned to me with a semi suprised stare.. " Oh.. I didn't expect to find you here Phobia.. how did you end up in this?" I shrugged and sat down next to her to catch my breath.. I felt like I had run clear across Tatooine without any rest. " Long story short, Anakin comed me and said they had a lead on Dooku.. I was the one who had orignally found the plans for the machiene.. " I trailed off .. I didn't know what else to say..


All of a sudden her eyes got really big and she seemed to be looking past me .." Phobia who is that behind you? " she asked cautiously.. She seemed afraid , but after what she had been through.. hey I would be too...


I turned around and looked , the hallway was deserted.." There's no one there Adana.. who are you talking about? "

She reached out just past me and I heard a gasp inside my head.. " Phobia.. I .. I think she can see me" Catia stammered, totally thrown for a loop
I turned back to Adana , my heart hammering in my chest" What does the person look like Adana?"


The next few seconds my brain was running like a speeder.. She had described Catia perfectly.. I toook a few shallow breaths and let my head fall to my knees.. I didn't know how to handle this.. No one knew about Catia.. not even Anakin or Obi Wan.. I figured they had their suspicions, but I had never revealed my secret..

"Phobia are you alright?" Adana asked me seeing the panicked look on my face


I blinked and looked back to her.. " I should be asking you that.. there is one thing I need to ask you.. while they had you, did you ever see a tall man with long silver hair and bright green eyes?"

There was silence for a moment, I could tell she was thinking then she spoke" Only briefly, he seemed too unreal to be lifelike. I thought it was just more visions from the machiene.. He was killing people.. killing jedi.. " she shivered and her eyes seemed dull and listless..
I was torn.. I wanted to go back in and help Obi Wan and Anakin with every fiber of my being.. truthfully I wanted to be the one to fight Dooku, not Anakin. Anakin might have been the target of the machiene.. but Dooku had nearly killed me, and though it is unjedilike to say so;I wanted revenge . But then Catia spoke and Adana turned to listen to her as well it seemed like;


" As much as you want to take on Dooku yourself, this is Anakin's fight, not yours. You go back in there now and take his place you will do Anakin more harm than good. Not only that you will humiliate him utterly. That is something he could not stand for. you would make a dangerous enemy. Wait, you will get your chance, I promise you this. But for now we need to focus on bigge and more dangerous adversaries"


"She's right you know" Adana said absently ,watching the shadows flittering on the wall.


I blinked hard to clear my head.. All of this was so new and so fast.. I only hoped it was a temporary effect because of the machiene, that once she got some rest she wouldn't be able to see or hear her anymore..

I sat and mulled over the information I had gathered. It was likely Harusame was waiting for us at the Andromeda moon belt.. If I went, it would be a fight to the finish. I knew this ,it was as simple as the low level katas I had learned as a youngling. in going I knew quite well I probably would die on this mission, but if the force was ready to reclaim me, I would take Harusame with me no matter what.


I knew there would be those upset with me if I went.. Anakin would be one..I could name more but I guess I shouldn't go into that should I? once this mission was over, I would travel to the Andromeda moon belt alone and resolve this once and for all. there was one thing that I needed to do first.. I had to be sure my baby Lisette would be well taken care of .. I couldn't bear the thought of my leaving her and she wasn't cared for..


A tear or two hit my hand and I quickly wiped them away before Adana saw them. It hurt me more than you know to let Anakin fight this battle on his own.. I understood and agreed with Catia's reasoning, but Anakin was the closest thing I had to a brother;as much as I love to torment him. It was all I could do not to jump up and run back in there... but I knew I was needed here.. my heart felt like it was beign ripped in half mentally speaking.. There is always some self doubt you know, it was then it surfaced.I shouldn't be feeling these things.. I shouldn't want revenge.. Was I even cut out to be a jedi?


Catia's vocie, barely a whisper floated through my mind" I don't want to hear that question ever in your head again do you hear me? You are meant to be a jedi.. You follow your head more than you like.. You have a lot to learn but you are a jedi through and through. You want to protect Anakin and Obi Wan.. Jedi protect others, even their own.. Maybe.. Maybe If I had been more like you, things might have been a lot diffrent. Never dobut yourself Phobia, believe me.. even one time.. it will be your downfall."

I felt a warm tightening in my heart.. I don't know what it was, not even to this day;but I felt better, braver, at peace.. I stood and dusted myself off. I helped Adana to her feet. " Do you think you're up to getting outside?"

" O-Obi Wan told me to stay right here.." she said her voice suddenly weak at the exertion of energy..

I heard a rumble from down the hall and then I started walking faster, Adana's arm slung around my shoulder. " Well the rate Anakin is going he is going to rip the place apart and if this hallway collapses we will be stuck.. I do not feel like being a permenent fixture in this force forsaken place" I snickered a tad as we reached the exit at last, the cold air hitting me full blast recharging me . It seemed to help Adana as well, I wasn't all that sure of anything at the moment though honestly . I settled her into my speeder for the moment. My eyes turned back to the warehouse. the whole place was shaking by now.. If this didn't end soon I would go back in to help, and consciquences be damned.

TBC later..
Phobia