"How so?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Vorzyd 5 has begun building casinos. The profit they've made has allowed them to pay off many of their interplanetary debts."

"And they are no longer beholden to Vorzyd 4," Qui-Gon said softly.

"Exactly. Vorzyd 4 claims that Vorzyd 5 now wants to be the planet in power. That they are sabotaging Vorzyd 4's production in order to appear stronger to the rest of the system, and the galaxy. Vorzyd 5, of course, claims this is nonsense. And the continued accusations are making them very angry."

Handing Qui-Gon a stack of disks, Jocasta replayed Chairman Port's message. The large man on the screen looked uncomfortable, but his plea was direct.

"I am contacting you to request mediation. We are being attacked.

Vorzyd 5 is to blame. All diplomats and suspected spies have been expelled.

The sabotage continues. Please contact us at once." As he talked, the ends of Chairman Port's antennae moved about like birds looking for a place to land.

"It is unusual that the chairman has contacted us," Jocasta said once the image had disappeared from the screen. "In the past Vorzydiaks have had little contact with the galaxy outside their cluster. They were even reluctant to have representation in the Senate. The fact that they have requested outside help can only mean that they feel their situation is desperate."

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan thanked the archivist and left with stacks of additional information to review on their own. Obi-Wan did not relish the task. This mission, he realized, would not provide the action he craved.

The Vorzyd system sounded dull, and diplomacy was often a long and tedious process. Obi-Wan sighed and inwardly scolded himself. He knew he should be grateful for any mission. At least it was a change.