The trap of the Spider - part 1

The trip was quiet . So quiet it made my skin crawl.The one thing I cannot lie about though is that without Belda around I didn't have to be as careful as I usually am.Like for one example,

After I had gotten a shower instead of a robe I just pulled a towel around me and headed over to my room to find a fresh set of clothes.

It's the little things you miss whenever you take on a padawan, really.
I
t was later that afternoon whenever we had finally figured out where we were headed.. Sort of.

We had tracked Jenna Zan Arbor to the Chromell sector. One of the last knights who had been killed had put a tracker on her ship.We finally got to planet side, using the tracking remote to locate Zan Arbor's ship. We found it hovering near the Galatic Palace in Theed. It was empty but after some questioning of the guards we found out there was a new labratory being built out on the Sea of Veruna.

A huge station, that if it were to be equipped with weapons it could destroy a whole planet.

Godfrey and I flew the ship out there, landing in an open docking bay.I was scared as soon as we touched down.I stayed close behind Godfrey as we made our way through the station. I reached out in the force and found Cin.

He was in the lab deep in the station.But he was weak, very weak.. I listened close.. He was trying to tell me something but I couldn't ascertain what it was he was so weakened by the tourture Zan Arbor put him under.


We came to a fork in the hallway. He took the left and I took the right. There was a contingent of guards at the end of the tunnel. I reached out with the force and used a sleep sugestion to knock them all out. I didn't want to draw attention to us unless absouletly nesscary.

Stepping over the guards I rejoined Godfrey and we came to a steel ball which only had one door. I placed my hand on the doorframe. I could feel it. Cin was behind that door, and he was near death.


I turned to Godfrey" We're at the right place but the only way in is through a programmed keypad. A, we know we're not on it and by the time we reprogram it, we'll be found out. what do you suggest?"

Godfrey studied the door carefully" Well we have a choice or two. First we can try to rip the ball apart with the force or B.. I could try and melt the door down. It would take me a minute but there would be no identifying marks , unlike what a lightsaber would make."


I stood back" Melt the damn door down. Cin saved me when I needed him. I'm not going to let him die now"


He nodded and a moment later a fireball appeared in his hands and with a wave or two and a flick of the wrist he had a direct firestream pushing against the door. The metal glowed red and the door began to melt from the top downward. I jumped backwards away from the door as the hot metal began to melt my boot tops. Finally the metal was melted away and I ran inside , Godfrey on my heels.

Cin's limp head looked up at me. He was pale as a sheet. "R-run.. it's a trap.. "

I turned but we were too late, another door slammed into place.

"Well.. well.. the final piece of the puzzle arrives. So glad you could join me Phobia.."

A redheaded woman walked out of the shadows.

" Zan Arbor.. I can't say it's a pleasure because it most certainly isn't"

She cackled" Well you might disagree whenever you hear of my plan.. You see.. I needed you for one specific purpose.. This"

A table lurched to a vertical position. no.. no... it couldn't be.. We had been playing into her hands all along god forgive me... How could I have been so very blind?

There stood, or more like lay a corpse, yet to be animated.. an excact replica.. and it was no necromancer's toy.

Jenna Zan arbor meant to give Catia a new body.

Using me as bait.

TBC
Pho