I'm a bit behind schedule; it was not my intention to make you wait two weeks for another update. I had an important test to put behind me, though, and then had some trouble writing this chapter. I hope it meets expectations, it's another building chapter, and brings up another little mystery. As always, I'd like to thank those who left reviews on the last chapter: MoAngel, ObiBettina7, Star Wars for Life, JediAngel001, starwarsforever, Gwenneth, Padme1958, XxRandom NemesisxX, JediKnight13, anakinpadmekenobi and JediHsoj. I don't think I need to repeat this again, but your verbal support means alot to me. Thankyou!

Chapter 13 - The Prisoner

While the Jedi and the men assigned to them chose to catch at least a little sleep before taking up the search for their missing comrade again at first light, the men under the fanatical Shen-Grel continued their hunt throughout the night. Fortunately for the object of their search, it was a futile effort. To say Shen-Grel was not pleased would have been an understatement; finding the Heir had become his obsession, and he relentlessly demanded success from the exhausted hunters. Fearing retribution, none of his men dared to voice objection.

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There was also little time to rest for the two physicians who labored to save the life of Antigalia's royal heir. Obi-Wan had fractured his skull, a fragment of which had imbedded itself into his brain, the resulting laceration had, of course bled, causing the brain itself to swell; turning their attention to the greater threat posed by this head injury, Ali-She yielded to the expertise Ar-Taei, whose specialties included the treatment of such injuries. Laser scalpel in hand, and with Ali-She assisting, Ar-Taei worked carefully to remove the offending fragment, stem the bleeding and repair what she could of the damage the fragment had caused. Confident of success, Ar-Taei and Ali-She shifted to tending the internal injuries Ali-She had been unable to detect earlier - a bruised lung, ruptured spleen and lacerated kidney – and rechecked the knife slash. Three hours after they had begun, they were finally able to put their instruments aside and Ar-Taie gestured for the two technicians, who had been patiently waiting for them to finish, to move their patient from the table where his diagnosis and treatment had taken place, to a more comfortable bed to recover.

"Well, that was a good job done." Ar-Taei stated as she washed her hands in the nearby basin.

"A job I could not have done without you, Taei." Ali-She replied, joining her.

Ar-Taei only smiled while she dried her hands with a clean towel and then changed the subject, "I should make my rounds and then get some rest before my day begins again." She said, "I trust you intend to remain with him until it is safe take him back to the base?"

"Yes, I dare not leave him; Li-Na will have my head!" Ali-She answered, with small laugh, "I should contact her now before she decides it has been too long and demands Tera-Khai bring her back here."

"And she would do it too." Ar-Taei concurred, "Contact her now, by all means."

Li-Na was visibly relieved to hear the good news the two physicians relayed to her; reluctantly agreeing not to return to the medical center for the few hours Obi-Wan would remain there only when Ali-She assured her that he would stay with the Heir until he was strong enough to move. For security reasons, they all agreed he would remain in the same room where he had first been taken, on the chance he might be seen. They had no way of knowing it was already too late, and that the medical center would become the battleground where opposing factions would clash over the man whose life they had worked so diligently to save.

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It had begun innocently enough. A medical aide thought she may have seen Li-Na; a suspicion confirmed when she had then caught sight of the aged resistance leader as she was leaving with a companion and in the company of one of the center's technician. A technician who happened to be one of her close friends. Curious, the aide had waited for the technician to return and then questioned him about seeing Li-Na. The technician had initially, and repeatedly, denied Li-Na's appearance. But the aide was persistent; and finally the technician relented, admitting the aide had been correct. When the aide pressed for the reason for Li-Na's visit, the technician told her a blatant lie, but one that the aide accepted without further questions. Li-Na, he said, had come for a medical consultation; for what condition, the technician could not say. The aide had gone away satisfied, the technician had returned to assist his superior, and when the aide whispered to another friend that Li-Na had visited the medical center, neither of them contemplated the consequences that would result from the inadvertent sighting of the legendary head of Tai-Me's opposition. Because that friend told her friend, who told his friend, and it was inevitable that the knowledge would eventually be heard by ears that would interpret the reason for Li-Na's visit quite differently.

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The rift with Anakin bothered Zak; he certainly did not want to be at odds with a member of the Jedi Council, and wanted even less for that Master to be his master's best friend. The situation was difficult enough with Obi-Wan injured and missing, but far from being the support Zak had hoped for, the news of what Obi-Wan had been contemplating had made Anakin hostile and distant. And now he had put Ferri in the middle of this mess, not wanting to displease he own master on one hand, and not wanting to alienate his friend on the other. And so it was with a rather heavy heart that Zak returned to his own suite, doubtful that he would manage any sleep, but not knowing what else to do.

He triggered the door to find Pi-Tong waiting for him. The old man bowed, "I must speak with you, young Jedi." He whispered.

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When Pi-Tong made the choice to reveal his affiliation with Li-Na's resistance to Po-Ku, he never imagined where it would lead. After listening to the old servant, Po-Ku and his wife whispered quietly to each other before finally vowing to keep Pi-Tong's secret. Deciding to join the Resistance themselves took longer, although it appeared Po-Ku's mate was more willing to make that leap, and that her decision was more than likely based on what Tai-Me had done to her only son. Once they finally chose to ally themselves with those opposing the Prince Regent, however, Pi-Tong had a secret of his own to reveal.

Leaving the senior aide's apartments, Tai-Me's most trusted assistant led the old servant down a back stairway; when they reached the bottom, Po-Ku instructed him to wait while he went on ahead. Alone, Pi-Tong wondered nervously if confiding in Po-Ku had not been a fatal mistake; he could, after all, be sharing that secret with Tai-Me himself. But when Po-Ku returned, he was alone, "Come with me." He had said, gesturing with a wave of hand.

Though wary of betrayal, Pi-Tong followed the Royal aide anyway along a narrow corridor to another stairway, this one even narrower and darker. "There is usually a sentry here; I have sent him elsewhere." Po-Ku said as he powered up a torch and headed down, but when he stepped off the last stair and turned, Pi-Tong was looking down at him from the top of the stairs.

"Where are you leading me, My Lord?" Pi-Tong questioned.

"I have not broken my vow, Pi-Tong; this is not a trap, you have my solemn word on it." Po-Ku assured him, "Please, come now; our time is limited."

With great trepidation, Pi-Tong obeyed, and when he had joined Po-Ku, the aide led him on into a damp, dark corridor. They walked on for several minutes before Po-Ku stopped before a padlocked door, handed the torch to Pi-Tong, and pulled out a ring of keys, "I know you suspect I am leading you into a trap, and I cannot fault you for this. However, I assure you, it is not my intention to betray you." Po-Ku said as he chose one of the keys and slipped into the lock and turned it.

Pi-Tong took a step back, unable to shake the feeling of betrayal. Po-Ku seemed not notice, however, as he removed the lock and pushed the door open, "I am not asking you to go in; I understand your mistrust." He said, "All you need do is step into the doorway; there is someone here you must meet."

Hesitantly, the servant moved slowly toward the door through which Po-Ku had already gone. If this was a trap, there would have been little chance for him to escape anyway. Yet despite his worst fears, there were no armed guards waiting to seize him. The torchlight revealed only a small room furnished with a small table and chair, another smaller table and a narrow cot where Po-Ku was seated, "What is this, My Lord?" Pi-Tong asked.

"This is my secret, Pi-Tong." Po-Ku answered, shifting slightly as the blanket covering the cot moved.

The movement caught Pi-Tong's eye, and he found himself stepping further into the cell as the blanket rose up, "Who is here?" A raspy voice called out weakly.

"No one you need fear, My Lord." Po-Ku replied, patting the blanket lightly, "A friend, in fact."

"Friend? I have no more friends." The voice under the blanket said with agitation, "Why does Tai-Me not leave me alone."

"It is not Tai-Me, My Lord." Po-Ku corrected, "It is a friend, I assure you; a very old friend."

"An old friend?" The voice repeated.

"Yes. Would you not like to see him again?" Po-Ku asked, "I am sure he will want to see you once again."

"My Lord, it is cruel to taunt this poor old man with such a lie." Pi-Tong interjected.

"I assure you, it is not a lie. You and he have met." Po-Ku insisted and then addressed the blanketed figure again, "This is no trick, My Lord. It is Pi-Tong standing before you."

"Pi-Tong? Pi-Tong? No, you lie; how could Pi-Tong be here?" The blanket protested.

"That is a story which I am sure he will share with you." Po-Ku persisted, "But first you must reveal yourself to him."

For a moment, the blanket remained in place, and then a thin hand slipped from underneath and pulled it away to reveal an emaciated old man with thinning shoulder-length hair, white as snow, and a long white beard to match. He stared out toward Pi-Tong, but it was clear his rheumy eyes saw nothing. There was something familiar about this old man that Pi-Tong could not, at first, grasp; and then a thin arm came up to run a hand through his sparse hair before stroking his beard, causing Pi-Tong to fall on his knees before the skeleton-like figure.

As hesitant as Pi-Tong had been to follow Po-Ku into that cell, he was even more reluctant to leave the old man in it. It was only the knowledge that, hopefully, soon, this hidden prisoner would be freed that allowed him to follow Po-Ku back above ground. For Pi-Tong's part, he had sworn not to speak of the old man's existence to anyone; nor could he dare risk visiting him again. Aside from Po-Ku and his wife (who had always seen to the old man's needs), only Tai-Me knew about the prisoner below; not even the sentries assigned to the lower stairway knew what they were guarding. It was not inconceivable, in his present state of increasing mental instability, for Tai-Me to order the secret prisoner's death, and probably Po-Ko and his wife's as well in order to keep the secret. But knowing the identity of the prisoner, Pi-Tong had made a private decision to share this secret with the Jedi, Zak. He had come to know the Heir's mind fairly well, he thought, and the boy seemed to be of the same mind. He knew very little of the other two Jedi except that they had been strongly opposed to the execution of Xi-Lo; it was clear they were not pleased with Tai-Me. But Pi-Tong would leave the decision whether or not to share this information with them to boy; only he would no if they could be trusted or not. Whether the boy, Zak, would agree to help was unknown; however, the old servant knew even if he chose not to, he would never go to the Prince Regent with the knowledge Pi-Tong was about to trust him with.

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Obi-Wan did not know how long he had been struggling against the suffocating darkness before it finally began to lighten to a murky gray. Gradually, even the gray lightened and he thought he could even distinguish sounds, something he had not heard in the black vacuum of total oblivion. He struggled toward the sounds, and found himself in world of blinding light, deafening sound and terrible pain; and he wanted nothing more than to crawl back into the painless dark void he had struggled so hard to escape from. He opened his mouth and screamed in agony.

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The sky was lightening the pre-dawn darkness when Ali-She noticed the first signs of returning consciousness in his patient. First a slight twitch of a finger, the movement of a foot beneath the blanket covering him, the turning of his head on the pillow, finally his eyes opening and clamping shut again with a grimace of pain as his splinted right arm moved to cover his face, and then the moan; a weak, drawn out moan, "Easy, my Lord." He said quietly, laying a hand on Obi-Wan's forehead as he turned to the technician who had remained with him, "Dim the lights."

With a nod, the technician complied, and quickly the bright lighting was dimmed considerably. Ali-She lifted the protective arm carefully and moved it back to Obi-Wan's chest, "Is that better, Lord Kenobi?" He asked.

"Zak?" Obi-Wan gasped, turning his face toward the voice above him.

"No, my name is Ali-She; I'm a physician." Ali-She answered, "You were badly injured; do you remember?"

The injured Jedi cautiously opened his eyes again, "I...." He started, frowning, "..no. Where...am I?"

Ali-She smiled, "In a medical center on Antigalia." He replied.

Obi-Wan squinted up at the physician, blinked several times and then brought his hand up to his face again, "Is the light still too bright for you?" Ali-She solicited

"No....I...I...can't seem...to focus." Obi-Wan admitted.

"Ah; well, you've had a bad fall, and suffered a rather severe head injury." Ali-She told him, "It is not surprising that your vision is affected."

"Permanently?"

The physician sighed, "To be truthful, it is too soon to tell. However, the chances of permanent disability are small." He answered, and then smiled again, "Now, I am sure you have many questions, but they are best saved for when you are stronger."

"Is...is Zak here?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I know no one by that name." Ali-She replied as he picked up a syringe and began to pull in a measure of medication.

"But...he...he was with me." Obi-Wan persisted.

Ali-She shook his head and responded cryptically, "Your arrival here was....unusual." And then smiled reassuringly, "When you are more rested, all will be explained. In the meantime, I will order a search for your Zak."

Obi-Wan shifted and tried to sit up, "No, no, no. This will not do, My Lord." Ali-She said, nodding to the technician, "I have promised to search for this Zak. But you are still too weak to join this search."

The technician eased the injured man back down and Ali-She checked the IV line before injecting the contents of his syringe, "This will ease your pain and help you sleep."

"No time..." Obi-Wan murmured, "Trouble...."

"Trouble? Oh, yes, most certainly." Ali-She replied gently, "But you are in no condition to face it just now. You must take time to rest, heal, regain your strength. Rest, Lord Kenobi."

There was no fighting the sedative, and despite his best efforts, Obi-Wan felt his consciousness slip away. The technician looked up at Ali-She, "Will he recover, Ali-She?" He asked.

"I believe so, Chi-Na; I believe so." Ali-She answered with a sigh, as he settled himself back into a chair.

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What little chance Zak may have thought he had for sleep dissipated when the old servant revealed the secret of the prisoner locked below. Without hesitation, the young Jedi agreed to help free the forgotten old man, although how this would be accomplished, he did not know. And he did not have to think twice before deciding to go to Anakin with the information.

"Well, this complicates things." Anakin said when the old servant had repeated his story to him.

He ran a hand through his hair, "But I think our first priority is still to find Obi-Wan." He added after a moment's thought.

"Oh, yes; yes, of course." Pi-Tong concurred, "I believe the Heir will be the key to freeing him."

"But we have to be careful. I think we can all agree that this Prince Regent is becoming more and more unbalanced. The last thing we want is for him to find out we know his secret before we can take that secret away from him." Anakin added, "Are you sure this Po-Ku can be trusted?"

"His son, his only child, was executed on the Prince's orders. He and his wife are devastated. He is angry beyond words. Yes, I believe he can be trusted." Pi-Tong stated.

"Alright. You know him, I'll stand by your judgment." Anakin decided.

"Excuse me for asking, but what does finding Master Kenobi have to do with freeing Tai-Me's prisoner?" Ferri questioned.

"Good question, Ferri." Zak added, crossing his arms as he turned to regard the Jedi Master.

Anakin sighed, "You already know, Zak." He answered.

"So he can claim the throne." Zak deduced, "And now you're going to support that?"

"Things are different now." Anakin replied, "This prisoner has changed the situation."

"But he's still going to claim his title." Zak challenged.

"It's different." Anakin insisted.

"What about the rest of the Council?" Ferri asked.

"It's too risky to contact them with this. It would be too dangerous for Tai-Me's hostage." Anakin said, "We're going to be on our own on this one."

"You are not alone, Master Jedi." Pi-Tong corrected with twinkle in his eye, "The Resistance will stand with you."

"The Resistance, huh." Anakin repeated, "I just hope the Council will understand why we did what we're about to do. The Jedi aren't supposed to lead rebellions."

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Shen-Grel paced the length of the chamber and then turned and retraced his steps. Why, he wondered, had it become so hard to find one man. An injured one, at that. Where was the old woman hiding him? Oh yes, she had him, Shen-Grel was certain of it. Once this business was taken care of, he would deal with her. She had been a thorn in his side for too long. A thorn he was determined to excise and crush beneath his boot. Speaking of boots, he wondered what kind of job that worthless boy had done on his boots. A part of him hoped he would be displeased.....

Well, I think you can guess it won't be too long before the situation comes to a head. Although it's hard for me to predict with certainty, the plan is for the big clash to come in the next chapter. I can't say for certain, of course, because I never know where my characters will lead me...... Thanks for reading and for leaving that oh-so-important review!!