centerChapter 5: Distractions, Premonitions and Suicidal Tendencies/center


"Khariya where are you taking me?" Anakin asked as they went through the older walls of the castle.

"When I was a kid, I decided to walk every hall in this palace," she grinned, realizing he had not left her hand though he was now walking beside her. "Of course I'm still trying to do that, considering the size of this place, but I fell into this one hall. Every room was a holodeck. Knowing our technology I thought it was just some crappy holograph that has the most limited archive but it's something completely more. You just have to see it for yourself." They stopped at one door that looked so old that he thought even C3PO could have broken it. "Looks can be deceiving," smirked Hhariya. They went in and they found themselves in a bare metal room. "Hello Holo!" Khariya yelled.

"Hello, Khariya," a female voice answered. A snake camera popped out of the wall and floated in front of them. "It has been a long time. "And who is this? No wait!" The camera seemed like a head of a person, floating backward as if surprised then returning forward as if regaining composure. "Is this the ever popular…"

"Holo please refrain from any references to the holograph request history archive?" Khariya said smiling secretively. Anakin didn't need the Force to figure that one out. It seemed that he was the most requested holograph.

"How'd they get my holograph?" Anakin asked confused.

"That's exactly my point. Any thing you want to have it will have to make a holograph of. Past, present AND future. And everything in here seems so real. Let me show you." She turned to the camera. "Holo?"

"Yes, Khariya?"

"Holograph setting: Pine forest clearing next to lake. Weather: Rainstorm. Activate all senses and deactivate default Extra life form settings. Actually while you're at it, erase ALL default life form settings. Let it only be activated manually," she ordered.

The camera disappeared and the female voice echoed through the walls. "Holograph starting in 3, 2." Khariya gripped his hand and smiled assuring. "1" Anakin felt something rush through him and a wave of new feeling came to him. He felt a raindrop. Then another and another... Suddenly it was a storm. He looked around and saw that they were in forest clearing. The pine smell reached his nose and he sighed in relief. There was cold air around him. On one side was a lake, shining under the full moon, crashing with the wind. He could feel himself soaked.

"Khariya!" he called.

"Right here!" she answered. She was at the shore of the lake laughing and dancing in the rain. "Isn't this just awesome?" She ran up to him and held both his hands in hers.

"Khariya, I'm going to kill you," he joked. "I'm soaking wet…" He was enjoying himself in the rain.

"No you're not…" She grinned. "Holo, pause hologram." Suddenly everything was gone. Anakin looked around bewildered. His clothes were completely dry along with Khariya's own silks. There were no puddles… No traces of the pine trees or the lakes that he was sure were there a moment ago.

"What in Sithspit?" Anakin exclaimed. "That has to be he most advanced holograph in all of the galaxy! Why haven't you told anyone about this?"

"Because no one can catch up to this technology. If they were to dismantle it they would get nothing from it. It evolves Anakin. So no matter how much closer we get to the technology that it is now… It'll still be ahead because it evolved like a life form itself," she explained. "I looked through its history data. It was placed here by an alien race long gone. It's mine… ours now."

"And you told no one else about this place but me?" Anakin asked completely flattered. Khariya shrugged.
"Not even Padmè knows?" She shook her head. "How come you told me?" Khariya looked away trying to figure out a way to tell him that she had no reason to live anymore with him gone so she wanted someone to take care of Holo when she died. Anakin caught a drift of her thoughts saying she was leaving forever. "You're not going anywhere are you?" Anakin asked suspiciously.

"Of course not," she lied. "I… I just thought you were special enough to me to share this with. Padmè has enough secrets being the Galactic Senator and all. I wanted to know something SHE didn't know anything about. Okay… It's simple enough. I'll just leave you here and let you do your thing. I'll be in the next holodeck Kay?" She stepped out of the door adjoining to the next door.

The moment she was out of his sight she turned on her favorite holodeck for what she thought to be her last time. The holograph was a picnic by the waterfalls… wine… blanket… sun and breeze and… Anakin.


Anakin stood there for a second thinking about what he had in his hands. He could see anything at anytime at anyplace. It was truly amazing. "Any time frame huh?" He thought for a second. "Padmè Naberrie in one week." A hologram of Padmè appeared before him and her appearance surprised Anakin. She was wearing black but it wasn't one of her beautiful, intricately designed ones. It was plain… almost sad. And she was… crying?
"Someone dies a week from now," he realized. His thoughts became crazy. "Who dies?" He searched his thoughts. "Anakin Skywalker. Same timeframe." Now he saw himself seated alone on Khariya's balcony. He was in black and his face was tear-stained. "Someone close to both me AND Padmè. Otherwise both of us wouldn't be crying. But the only other person I know that we'd be both mourning for is… "Khariya," he thought fearfully. "Khariya Naberrie. Same timeframe." Then the words that cut through his heart came.

"There are no records of Khariya Naberrie in that timeframe," Holo said. Anakin thought it had to be a mistake. Khariya wasn't in any danger. She wasn't sick. Why would she be dead?

"Last records then. And state description," Anakin ordered.

"Khariya Naberrie. Age: 18 years, 3 months and two days. Timeframe: 3:22 am tomorrow morning," Holo said. A holograph came on. It was Khariya bent over on her bed in the same robe that she had on in that moment. At first it looked like she had just fallen asleep on the side of her bed. Then Anakin looked at her bed closer. Her bed was normally a beige color. Underneath her limp body was…

"Blood, " he said softly. *And to on the floor a thrown was a used and bloody knife. He recognized it as one of the knives that hung outside the halls. Panicked, he barged into the room next door. Anakin caught her lying down on a blanket with a man lying next to her. The tall grass that surrounded them covered their faces. "Khariya?"

"Holo OFF!" she yelled, standing up. She turned around and faced Anakin flushed. "Ani? What are YOU doing here?" Anakin was speechless for a moment. His determination to keep her alive suddenly surged through him when he saw her before him. "Anakin? What's wrong this time?" She stepped up to him and held his hands in hers.

"We have to go…" Anakin finally murmured. He pulled her out the door and Khariya spotted herself in the next room dead the way she had planned to kill herself moments before. Pretending she didn't see it, she turned to Anakin.

"What did you see Ani?" she asked softly seeing the fear in his eyes.

"Is what I see in there real?" Anakin asked almost running through the halls remembering he was also suppose to be watching Padmè as well.

"It depends. Past and Present is set in stone. Future is a little shaky. It's based on the thought patterns that people are having at that moment," Khariya answered. She heard his sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness," he muttered. They had reached his room and Anakin pulled her in there.

"What did you see Anakin?" she asked blocking his way to go anywhere, staring him in the eyes. "Tell me."

"I…" he stuttered. "I saw that you had died in your room tonight. Someone stabbed you." Khariya turned away in shame. He was so worried about her safety that it was beyond flattering. And here she was planning the death he had seen.

"Oh…" She sat on his bed and looked down. Anakin was confused by her reaction but he had to move. For all he knew the killer could already be in the castle. He was too scared for her safety to even think about using the Force to sense any strange or evil presence. He was about to alert the guards to search the grounds but Khariya stopped him. "There's no one here, Anakin."

"I… I saw you die, Khariya." Anakin said. "There has to be someone here out to kill you." Then he saw her tears. He felt her remove her guard on her thoughts and everything came into place. Her memories of going on the holodeck to see his face again… Her feelings when he came back into her life only to love her sister… Her plans to commit suicide when she was sure that she completely pushed him away… She sat silently on the bed thinking about everything because he knew she was reading her thoughts.

"No one's here to kill me Anakin," Khariya clarified. "Now you know…"Anakin tried to touch her tear stained face but she pushed away his hand. "Don't Ani." She stood up and started to walk to her room but Anakin put his arms around her waist and pushed her on the bed.

"You're sleeping here tonight," he ordered. "No questions asked and no protests."

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather be in bed with Padmè?" she asked callously. Anakin looked at her with a pained look on his face.

"That was cold, Khariya…" he said hurt. Khariya looked away.

"Sorry," she muttered taking off her white robe revealing her blue strap silk nightgown. Anakin could tell it was especially made for her because the contrast of the blue gown to her black hair was the exact same contrast that you could see in her eyes. Anakin gulped taking in what he saw. It made him wonder, "Did he fall in love with the right girl?" As he watched her slip into his bed, she said "Coming Anakin?" She was under the covers and turned away from him. "Just take off your damn tunic vest. That thing is stiff and uncomfortable. I'm going to leave to my bedroom otherwise." Anakin nodded failing to remember that she wasn't looking at him. He slipped off his black vest and then realized that his white shirt was soaked with sweat so he slipped that off as well. His mind was clouded with his newfound information and he had forgotten that she was in bed until she surprised him by snuggling against his bare chest.

Anakin guessed that Khariya's mind was already clouded with sleep because she whispered, "You're skin's so soft and warm, Ani." Her hand traced down his chest and pulling him closer to her. Anakin could tell that she had become more relaxed right then than any other time since he'd come back. A sincere smile crossed her face as she dreamt of being in the same position as she was in reality. A question repeated in his mind. Using the last of his strength, he looked at the candles burning. With a twist of his hand, he used the Force to blow them all out. Even before the darkness could reach his face, Anakin was fast asleep.

Read and Review Kay? I'll be happy and I'll write, Then you'll be happy because I updated. All in all the world is good and all you did was review. Thanks lots,

TRicia