That's annoying. I've been trying to post this chap since Wednesday, but it seems ff.n is having some issues. I hope this works now!

Well, I said I would get you another chap soon, so here it is. However, I must warn you that this fic has not been coming as smoothly as I like and we've already caught up to what I have completed. I have a rough of the next chap and some idea of the following. I'm seeking some help to get me through this fic, hopefully it will re-energize this muse and chapters will continue to come as frequently. But constant encouragement does help. ;) Anyway, here you go!!

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Consciousness slowly worked its way through the youth, and he winced at the pounding of his head. Cautiously, he raised a hand to his brow, and rubbed in a feeble attempt to ease the constant drumming. He felt awful as he rolled over onto his stomach. Drawing his legs up under him and steadying himself with his free hand, Obi-Wan worked to sit up.

Waves of nausea rolled over him and he almost crashed back down to the ground. Fighting the sensation he concentrated on leaning backward onto his haunches. His fingers still messaged his temples, surprised that his head was not three times the normal size, like it felt. Lightheaded, Obi-Wan tried to collect his thoughts.

I can still move. That didn't seem right to him, he expected the opposite. Carefully, he opened his eyes. He was disappointed to find pitch darkness. Suddenly, he felt extremely claustrophobic and tried to tramp down the panic that swelled within him. Calm down, you cannot even tell how big your prison is. It could be a large room, for all you know. Another wave of queasiness rammed in to him and he doubled over gagging. His stomach tightened and twisted reflexively.

When it passed, Obi-Wan decided it best that he lie back down. Vaguely, he tried to stretch out with his senses to get his bearings. That's when he realized one of the reasons he felt so disconnected and displaced, he could not touch the Force. Dread coursed through him a second time as he wondered if it was only a temporary problem or a permanent one. Another crashing wave sent him into a half-coughing half-gagging fit. He curled into a fetal position waiting for the debilitating swell to abate.

Obi-Wan pulled his robe tighter around himself to fend off the cresting tide of squeamishness that washed over him. Lost, alone and confused, he searched for an explanation to his predicament. Where's Sevan? Why am I not a statue in his showcase? Is this some sort of preparation? But his questions remained unanswered for what seemed like hours.

Without warning, a brilliant white light powered on and poured over the slight figure huddled on the ground. The intense beam did little to help his still throbbing head. A soft moan escaped him in protest to the bombardment. Peering out through squinted eyes, Obi-Wan hoped that he would finally get a look at his surroundings, but it was not to be. Even with the powerful ray, he could not see beyond the boundaries of the circle it cast about him. Somehow it made the blackness around him seem that much deeper and condemning.

At last, Sevan's booming voice echoed in the darkness encasing Obi-Wan. "Good morning, young Kenobi." The Padawan made no response, bringing up an arm to protect his aching head. "I hope you are feeling well?" There was a hint of mockery in the man's tone that irked the Apprentice.

"So making your subjects ill is permissible before condemning them to a living death?" Accused the destined.

A soft laugh answered his remark. "No, unfortunately that is a side effect of the inhibitor I gave you?"

Emboldened, Obi-Wan tried to coerce the man into revealing more information, "Gave me?"

"Yes, in your tea." Sevan seemed pleased with his little deception. "Although it needs to be combined with another toxin in order to activate."

"The gas." Obi-Wan uttered knowingly.

"Correct, young Jedi." Now Obi-Wan was completely baffled, because he could not mistake the praise in the man's voice. "This will be a most gratifying procedure."

Not in the mood to continue these verbal games, Obi-Wan cut to the chase, "What is it you want from me Sevan? Why am I not already part of your menagerie?"

"Good boy. I have been anticipating this for a long time. I offer you a proposal, Obi-Wan. I will give you 36 hours to solve my labyrinth. Mind you it will not be easy and there are many traps and false pathways to deal with. But if you manage to do this, I will set you free. In addition, I will not pursue your Master either. However, if you fail to accomplish this within the time given, you not only convict yourself to my display, but I will then draw your Master here so that he may join you. Either way, you must complete the labyrinth. I will not come and get you, and if you cannot complete it, you will be left wandering it until you die from exhaustion and starvation. For your sake, I hope you succeed."

Obi-Wan pondered over the reasoning behind such an agendum. Why put him through this maze when he could have simply thrown him into the menagerie? He was already vulnerable to the man when he was unconscious, when the answer finally came to him. Aloud he voiced his realization, "You're testing me. Determining my value."

"Very astute, Obi-Wan. Like any legitimate collector, one must validate the worth and authenticity of the items they are procuring. I am no different. The only difference is that I cannot simply take you to an appraiser and say, how much for this Jedi, now can I? So I had to devise another way of determining your stature."

Obi-Wan moaned as another wave of nausea crashed into him. He stubbornly refused to succumb to the illness. Swallowing hard, he continued, "Do you think you could trap Master Qui-Gon the same way?"

"No, I have a different test for him. But do not worry about that at the moment. He will not be here for another day or so."

Fending off the last bit of dizziness, he declared in as loud and confident a voice as he could, "It will not be so easy for you to capture my Master. He is a great Jedi Knight." His voice echoed around the room, giving Obi-Wan a sense of size for the first time since he awoke.

"So I continually hear. But he will be no different than any of the others. We all have a weakness, it's a matter of finding it and exploiting it. Isn't that right Obi-Wan?" The way his name was spoken implied more than an address. The Padawan quickly read between the lines and picked up the implication.

Horrified at just how quickly his grasp on the situation deteriorated, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and curled in on himself. "So I am to be used just as much as being toyed with?" Why had the Force brought him here? He wished he had ignored the invitation altogether, but he hadn't and now he was trapped and his Master soon to follow. Then for a brief moment the nausea and frustration fell away. Gentle whispering filled his ears, but not from a physical voice but one that drifted along the waves of the Force. Please, help us. Set us free. His eyes shot open at the weak desperation trickling into his being and he knew instantly why the Force had brought him here.

Sevan did not answer the Apprentice's question, he was enjoying the prospect of obtaining this remarkable young man. He was already living up to the expectations he had placed. Now he wanted to see if they would be exceeded. "Young Kenobi, time is ticking away," he announced at last.

The moment of clarity disappeared quickly, and he was alone. It seemed that even though he could not touch it himself, the Force was still with him. It was frustrating to deal with but he knew in order to save himself, his Master and those already trapped, he must get through this challenge. Returning from his thoughts, Obi-Wan had heard Sevan but it took another moment for his words to register. "Has my clock already started?"

"The moment you awoke," the Collector stated coolly.

He thought it was unfair to have the meter running, so to speak, when he wasn't aware he had a time limit. Since when was a trial like this fair? He pondered. Instead of dwelling on the integrity of the situation he sought further information, "And how long has it been?"

"You will have just completed the first hour of the test in a few more minutes."

For some minutes there was quiet between them. Obi-Wan tried not to let Sevan's smug voice irk him. It would do him no good to get angry. Anger clouds the mind, his Master always reminded him, and he needed to be clear headed in order to defeat Sevan's Labyrinth. At the thought of his Master, he wondered if Qui-Gon was aware of his disappearance. I cannot let my Master meet the same fate as me. Determination filled every fiber of his being. He knew what he needed to do and prepared his mind and body for the task. A stray thought entered his mind and he was curious about his chances. "Has anyone ever completed your labyrinth before?"

Sevan was not surprised at the question. It was a valid way to gauge whether or not it could be done. He smiled knowingly before responding, "I have only put one other person through the Labyrinth. Let's hope you are not lucky enough to run into him, or rather, what's left of him. He was - a disappointment."

"You're disgusting. You play with peoples' lives as a child would play with a pet or a – a – a bug." The last analogy seeming to fit the predicament perfectly. He had heard of some cultures in which children would be encouraged to find something that they wished to collect. Some would collect certain kinds of pictures or papers. Others might collect leaves or other elements of nature. But he had heard of a few who collected insects. Scouring the environment around them they would seek out the rarer species. Once found, they would watch or play with the creature until satisfied before placing them in a container of cyanide. This would kill the insect and the collector would then place the bug on a board with pins. In some cases pinning wings and extremities stretched out to display their 'beauty.'

The conversation had digressed, and the Collector was tired of the delays. "Enough. You have a task to complete. I suggest you get to it." After a pause, he added sardonically, "Or should I just contact your Master now?"

"No. It's between you and me at the moment. And it will not be necessary since I will be done before your limit." Obi-Wan announced in a tone that belied his true feelings. Sevan's mocking confession did not give him the conviction he was hoping for, but he could not permit the Collector to see his lack of self-assurance. Another wave of queasiness washed over him and he was glad to feel that it was not as strong as the others. Perhaps the effects are beginning to wear off?

"Such confidence. We shall see how well you do young one." And suddenly the room was plunged into darkness once more.

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REWIEW!! REVIEW!!! REVIEW!!!! Did I mention that you should REVIEW? I hope so, because I like them and they can really help motivate me. So if you have the time or a thought that you want to express please do so. It would really make my day!! Thanks for reading!!! :D

Kyia-Kenobi - Thanks. I wanted to do something semi different than the norm. I hope I accomplish it with this fic. ;) I would definitely like to keep the dark undertones. As for the parallels, they were completely UN-intentional, but hey, they work. Right? Thanks again! :D

Snow-Glory - Thanks! I'm glad you do. I've always want to write it, so I'm finally doing it. ;)

Brat64 - Thank you so very much. I really appreciate it! Yes, I wouldn't want anything like that to happen in real life, but the thought still sends chills through me. Honestly, I was never really intending to get so involved with the friendship between Obi and Garen, but then so many people mentioned something about it. I've finally figured out a way to incorporate it, so hopefully you'll see hints here and there. ;)

Ewan's girl - Hmm, I never really thought about that. Perhaps there is more of Anakin in Obi and that is what Obi is trying to prevent in the movies. ;) I think that the first chap was very influenced by what I was reading at the time, right now, I would have done it slightly different, but that's a writer for you. ;) Thanks though. I hope to keep with what I have going already. :D

JoeyStar - LOL, actually, I got most of the concept from various sources and kind of mixed them together. And for every museum there is a curator, and that is what Sevan is. ;) Well, I will try to update soon. Keep your fingers crossed. :p

Krystine - Aww, thank you so much for your patience! :D But never fear, I will never give up on my stories, they may take some time to finish, and I may not like how they turn out exactly, but I will finish them no matter what! (How was that for a run-on! :p ) Thanks again.

Lighted eagle - ROFL You are a nut, but I love it and thank you very much for your loyalty! I'll try and get those chaps for you ASAP. You rock!!!! :D

Jedilittlebee - At this point I think you are a Master of Patience. Good news is that another chap to Forsaken is on the verge. Bad news is I have no idea what's wrong with the site. I'm glad you're enjoying and thank you soooooooooo much for reading and reviewing my other stories. I'm utterly flattered and hope to live up to the standards I have set. ;) Thanks again! :D