Hello, back again with a new chapter; but, you'll have to wait for the next chapter to see how this all plays out...at least THIS part of the story. Thank you all again for reading!

Chapter 4 A 'Normal' Life

"Wrong I was, to send Zak to such a place. Sorry I am that this happened." Yoda told Anakin when the younger master contacted him upon arrival at the base.

"I'm going to find them, Master Yoda." Anakin said with determination.

"I know this. But careful, Anakin; hide your power from them you must." Yoda replied.

"Why?" Anakin asked.

"I suspect that behind this the Belaridians are." Yoda answered.

"But why, Master?" Anakin asked.

"Superstitious they are, Anakin; the mysteries of the Force they do not understand. Fear they do anyone who appears different in this way." Yoda told him.

"What did they do? I can't even feel Obi-Wan at all. Is he dead, are they both dead?" Anakin asked.

"No, feel their passing I did not; did you?" Yoda answered.

"No, but then what's happened?" Anakin asked.

"Know that I do not; severed somehow, were the ties they had with the Force. That is why care you must take or severed your tie will be as well." Yoda replied.

"I will, Master." Anakin assured him.

"May the Force be with you, Anakin." Yoda said.

"Thank you, Master Yoda; I will contact you as soon as I have any news." Anakin promised.

Yoda's image faded and Anakin turned to Padme who had been in contact with Bail Organa.

"I heard most of that. What are you going to do, Annie?" Padme asked.

"What Master Yoda told me to do; be careful." Anakin answered nonchalantly. "What did the Chancellor have to say?"

"That he's sending a squad of clone troopers right away. The trouble is that Coruscant is so far away, that it could take a while for them to get there." Padme informed him.

"Yes, I expected as much; it's up to me to do this then." Anakin said.

"It's up to us." Padme corrected.

"No, now that I have a suspicion of what's going on, I don't want you or the children anywhere near Belarid." Anakin argued.

"We're going, Anakin." Padme declared; and Anakin knew he had no choice but to let them all come with him.

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Obi-Wan's only thought now was to get his apprentice away from these people. He lunged forward, but was tackled from behind by the attendant. Obi-Wan shoved Bellak away and made another attempt to reach Zak.

"Durm! We need you." The doctor called out.

The door flew open and the Abyssin rushed in, wrapping his arms around Obi-Wan and throwing him to the ground. Still, Obi-Wan struggled and managed to free himself from the guard. The doctor went to the door and called for additional security. Even without the ability to use the Force, the Jedi Master was able to resist the efforts of both the attendant, Bellak and the security guard, Durm; he reached Zak and started to remove the devices hooked up to him. His effort was thwarted, though, when two additional guards appeared in the doorway. It took these two extra guards, Durm and Bellak to finally bring Obi-Wan down; even then, he continued to fight them until the doctor injected a paralyzing drug rendering him completely helpless. They started to drag him out of the room.

"No, let him stay; just make sure he can't try something like that again." The doctor said.

"Why don't you just let us go?" Obi-Wan pleaded.

"I told you I would help this boy; and that's what I'm trying to do." The doctor replied.

"You've already taken away what little chance he has by cutting him off from the Force. He'll die unless I can get him to a proper medical center." Obi-Wan explained as Durm handcuffed his arms behind his back.

"Then that is as it should be; he has lived longer than any abomination has a right to." The doctor answered.

"Right? What gives you the right to decide who should live or die?" Obi-Wan asked. "Zak is not an abomination, he is gifted with the ability to sense the Force; he has done only good with that ability. You should be helping me get the treatment he needs to save his life."

"I'm trying to save his life." The doctor insisted.

"With this crude equipment? You don't even have the proper surgical instruments; you said yourself that you may have to remove his kidney. If he were in an up-to-date facility, that would not be necessary." Obi-Wan argued.

"You will be silent now; or I will take measures to see that you do." The doctor stated.

Durm hauled him into a sitting position and Obi-Wan hung his head in sorrow. His only hope now was that Zak would be strong enough to endure what this doctor intended to do to him and that Anakin would arrive soon. He felt an unfamiliar surge of anger then; at Master Yoda and the Council for insisting that he bring Zak here, at Anakin for amending the Code and, most of all, at himself for not questioning the Council's decision in the first place.

"I'm sorry, Zak." He murmured.

From his place on the floor, Obi-Wan could not see what the doctor was doing, he could only listen to the instructions the doctor was giving to Bellak.

"Clamp that off." The doctor said. "Yes, that's it. Now, let's see…yes, that did it."

He turned around and looked down at Obi-Wan.

"I have salvaged his kidney; now I'll see what I can do about the spleen." The doctor said before turning back to his work.

"Alright, move that a little…yes, I can see it now. Not as bad as I suspected; let me see what I can do here." He continued. "Hmm…yes, that will work...but what's this?"

He turned again.

"I did not have to take his spleen either; however, there is some damage to his liver. I'll see what I can do." The doctor informed him.

"Hmm….I think if I cut out that part…yes, it's just a small area…clamp that off, Bellak…that will do…let me see it now…yes, that's it then…I don't see anything else…" The doctor said and then turned one last time. "I've done what I can; we'll just have to wait and see."

Then he turned back again, "Shall we close him up now?" He said to Bellak.

A few minutes later, the doctor moved away and Obi-Wan could see the incision line, sewn shut, on Zak's right side.

"Bring the Jedi a chair; he should be allowed to stay here." The doctor ordered Bellak.

"Yes, Doctor." Bellak answered obediently and left the room.

"I'm sorry about all this, Jedi; if you had just been more cooperative, it would not have been necessary to subdue you." The doctor said as he observed Zak's vital signs on the monitor.

"If you had not cut him off from the Force, none of this would have been necessary." Obi-Wan replied.

"Hmm…it looks as if the boy is not going to be able to breathe on his own; I'll just have to leave this in." The doctor said as if he had not heard Obi-Wan's last statement.

"That's because he can't draw from the Force and I can't either. If only you had not done this to both of us, I would be able to help him." Obi-Wan told him.

"I did what was necessary; what was required. If the boy lives, then he was meant to live; and if he dies…well, it would be fitting if you consider what he is." The doctor replied.

Obi-Wan shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry for you." He said.

"Be sorry for yourself, Jedi; I have given you a chance at a normal life and you refuse to accept it. Instead you wish to remain an abomination and, worse, you have doomed the boy to this too." The doctor replied.

Obi-Wan said nothing.

Bellak returned, followed by Durm carrying a chair.

"Ah, good; just put it down there, next to the bed…yes, that will do." The doctor instructed.

Durm pulled Obi-Wan up, but his legs buckled so Durm dragged him to the chair and dropped him into it.

"I think you can uncuff him, and then just cuff one hand to the arm of the chair." The doctor told him. "We don't want him going anywhere just yet."

Durm did as the doctor instructed and Obi-Wan's arms fell limply to his side. Durm attached one end of the handcuff to Obi-Wan's wrist and the other he fastened to the arm of the chair.

"The drug should be wearing off soon. I have other patients to attend to, I will be back to check on the boy in a little while." The doctor said. "Durm will be right outside this door, so I would think twice about trying anything."

He turned to leave, giving one last instruction to Bellak, "Elevate the boy's leg." He said and then was gone.

Bellak attached a metal post to the end of the bed; at the top of the post was a hook with a sling dangling from it. He adjusted the height of the sling and then placed Zak's casted leg into it.

"If you need anything, Jedi, Durm is right outside; you can tell him." Bellak said before leaving Obi-Wan alone with his Padawan.

"Just hold on a little longer, my apprentice; I know Master Anakin is on his way." Obi-Wan told the unconscious boy lying next to him.

When he could move again, Obi-Wan put his hand to Zak's cheek and stroked it gently, "I'm sorry, Zak; just hold on, just hold on a little longer." He encouraged.

He moved his hand down to Zak's arm and sighed wearily; all that had taken place since early morning had left him exhausted. Unable to draw strength from the Force to stay awake, he felt himself drifting off to sleep. Knowing that he could not fight it, he laid his head on the side of the bed and closed his eyes. Is this what it was like to be normal, he thought; then he dreamed….

It was just after the Clone Wars; Anakin's trial had already taken place. In fact, he had moved to Naboo to be with Padme and their children. The Council suggested he take on another apprentice and he did not oppose this idea. There were so many younglings eager to become apprenticed to Obi-Wan Kenobi, but one stood out among all the others. He had been watching Zak for quite sometime; meditated long and hard about it and finally decided Zak should become his next Padawan. Young Zak was overjoyed at the prospect and yet humbled by Obi-Wan's decision. Obi-Wan could sense an underlying feeling of unworthiness, and yet, could not pin down its source. Master Yoda informed him of the circumstances surrounding his early childhood, and armed with this knowledge, determined that he would convince Zak of the invalidity of those feelings. The dream progressed to their trip to Naboo, the return of Anakin's terrible nightmares and on to his abduction by Amedda's hired henchmen. He could see the desperate look on Zak's face as he pushed him into the escape pod. "Why," was the last thing he heard before being shot down and taken off the transport. He felt again the pain as Amedda hit him with the force lance and the anguish of knowing that Anakin could be killed trying to free him. Anakin appearing in the doorway of his cell and Zak waiting outside that cell. Recovering on Naboo and back to Coruscant for the trial…

"Jedi, wake up." Bellak said, shaking Obi-Wan out of the dream.

"What do you want now?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I've brought you something to eat; I understand from the boy's father that you haven't had anything since last night." Bellak answered.

"No thank you." Obi-Wan replied.

"Oh, I understand; you think we might have drugged it. Well, don't worry about that; the dose I administered to you will last a long time." Bellak assured him.

"That's very reassuring, but I don't want your food." Obi-Wan told him.

"Well, I'll just leave it here, if it's all the same to you, in case you decide you're hungry." Bellak replied as he set the tray on the floor next to the chair.

"Do what you like; it's not as if I have a choice here, now do I?" Obi-Wan said irritably.

"That's your own fault; isn't it." Bellak replied.

"No, that's yours; all of you." Obi-Wan corrected. "Your superstitions have done this."

"You don't know anything about our beliefs; how dare you judge us." Bellak answered defensively.

"And yet, you have passed judgment on my apprentice, on me and on everyone who possesses the ability we have." Obi-Wan replied.

Bellak left the room without responding. Obi-Wan sighed heavily, how can you alter the idealisms of an entire planet? "Please hurry, my brother." He thought, knowing Anakin could no longer hear him. He put his head down and lapsed into sleep once again….

Yes, the trial, a sham from the very beginning. Grel and Borlac secretly working together; an altered Order 66…the reappearance of Baylor Grant…Zak's kidnapping and ill-treatment…recovering at

"Jedi." The doctor said, shaking him awake.

"Now what?" Obi-Wan asked.

"I just wanted to check on the boy and you're in the way." The doctor answered.

Obi-Wan moved as far as the chair would allow and the doctor checked the incision on Zak's side, lifted his eyelids looked at the monitor and then turned back to Obi-Wan.

"He has stabilized." He said with satisfaction.

"Good, now you can let us go." Obi-Wan replied.

"Not so fast; you will have to answer to the charges brought against you." The doctor informed him.

"What charges?" Obi-Wan demanded to know.

"Assault on my attendant for one, and then there's the matter of the mind trick you used on me, accusing the son of a well known citizen of committing a crime….shall I go on?" The doctor explained.

"Fine; you want to charge me with all those things, go right ahead. But contact the Chancellor's office and have someone come for Zak." Obi-Wan replied.

"Oh no; I'm afraid that will not be possible. You see the boy here is a Belaridian, and subject to Belaridian law. Under that law, he is considered an abomination; if he lives, he will spend the rest of his life in alienation away from normal society." The doctor said.

"That's barbaric." Obi-Wan replied with disgust. "The rest of the Jedi know where we are; and when the Chancellor is informed, you will have to answer to him."

"Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we." The doctor answered. "You'd better eat something, Jedi; it may be a while before you get anything else."