A moment later Chairman Port appeared in the doorway. Had he not seen the chairman's image in the Temple archives, Qui-Gon would not have been able to guess that this man was a planetary leader. He wore the same pale jumpsuit as the rest of the planet's inhabitants, and his manner was no more self-assured. Though his expression did not change, his antennae twitched when he spoke.

"We are glad you have come," he said. He crossed the room quickly and sat down at one of the benches surrounding the large table. "All known Vorzydiaks from Vorzyd 5 have been cast off our planet. Still there are attacks. They want to lower our productivity. The attacks must stop."

Qui-Gon drew a deep breath. "I understand that so far no one has been hurt in the attacks."

"That is true." Port's antennae twitched faster.

"The saboteurs have concentrated on things that slow productivity?"

Obi-Wan prompted, hoping the chairman would fill in the details.

"Yes. Productivity is hurt. We are unable to work." Chairman Port's head bobbed up and down in a nod.

"Why do you suspect Vorzyd 5?" Qui-Gon asked. "Have they taken credit for any of the attacks? Have they outlined terms or made any demands?"

Qui-Gon understood that after having been at the mercy of Vorzyd 4 for some time, Vorzyd 5 might harbor resentment. But taking action against a neighboring planet seemed rash, especially if Vorzyd 5 was prospering in its own right.

"We must stop Vorzyd 5," Chairman Port said, not acknowledging Qui- Gon's inquiries. "You will contact them?"

Qui-Gon was about to reply when the chairman stood. He was obviously anxious for the meeting to be over. "To work then?" he said.

Qui-Gon remained seated. He had many more questions and a strong feeling that all was not as it seemed. "Before we contact Vorzyd 5, I would like to inspect the sabotage sites. One should never be hasty in making accusations."

Chairman Port seemed to hover over Qui-Gon, but he didn't say anything.

Qui-Gon continued. "I would also like to spend at least one night here on Vorzyd 4, to get an idea of how you live… when you're not working."

Chairman Port's antennae moved so furiously they looked as if they would tie themselves in knots. "Not working?" he asked, puzzled. "We eat.

We sleep. Nothing more."

The chairman was clearly frustrated with the Jedi's thought process.

He wanted immediate action. "I will take you to the homespace when the workday is — "

Chairman Port was cut off when a laborer rushed into the room.

"Vorzyd 5!" she said. "Another attack!" Her high-pitched voice revealed her distress. "Productivity status monitors are registering erroneous data."

Port rushed from the room and glanced at the nearest datascreen. "Six days behind schedule on hard goods distribution," he mumbled. "It cannot be."

Everywhere laborers stood up from their stations and looked around, bewildered. Qui-Gon noticed that when their eyes rested on the Jedi in their flowing brown robes, their already vibrating antennae would wave even more wildly. In this environment even the subdued Jedi dress made them stick out like pulsating beacons.

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan followed Chairman Port to the turbolift. As they made their way through the maze, Qui-Gon noted a few of the laborers rocking back and forth. Others appeared to be physically ill, grasping their stomachs and leaning on their desks.

As the turbolift doors closed, Qui-Gon heaved a deep sigh. Obviously the Vorzyd 4's were un? able to handle anything outside of their normal work routine. Only the chairman seemed to maintain relative calm, though he didn't look particularly well, either.

This was going to be a very interesting mission.

Obi-Wan sat in front of the mainframe computer. He had been there for almost an hour. The Vorzydiak technician assigned to the station paced behind him, stopping regularly to peer over Obi-Wan's shoulder.

Occasionally the tech's antennae grazed the back of Obi-Wan's head and neck and he could be heard mumbling something about Vorzyd 5.

Obi-Wan's Master had gone with Chairman Port to try to calm the laborers. The threat to the Vorzydiaks' physical and mental health was equal to their technical difficulties. If the chairman could not get the laborers to calm down, he would have a health crisis on his hands. Judging from the stress level Obi-Wan still felt in the building, he did not think Qui-Gon was having much luck.

Obi-Wan wasn't having much luck, either. The problem with the computer system was not a simple one. Obi-Wan knew he couldn't clear it up quickly, but was hoping to learn something about who had started it while he tried.

Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the anomaly was gone. All of the computers in the building were back on-line, running as if the bug had never been there. And there was no trace of what had happened on any of the machines.

Obi-Wan motioned to the nervous tech, who nodded and spoke into a comlink on the wall. "Back on-line. Laborers to resume work immediately."

A few of the techs nearby looked at Obi-Wan gratefully as they settled back into their workstations. They thought he had fixed the problem.

The rest of the Vorzydiaks busied themselves, relieved to have things functioning normally once more. Even the very sick Vorzydiaks struggled to their data stations.

Obi-Wan stayed where he was. He wanted to continue to search the systems, to see if he could determine what had caused the mysterious problem and maybe come to understand the Vorzydiaks. But the tech standing beside him clearly wanted Obi-Wan to move out of his spot.

"To work, then?" the tech asked, agitated.

Obi-Wan stood with a sigh. His curiosity was not reason enough to cause the Vorzydiak discomfort.

On his way back to the twenty-fourth floor, Obi-Wan considered what he knew. Unfortunately, it wasn't much. The saboteur had been someone who knew the computer system as well as or better than the techs who ran it.

But there was definitely no evidence that the Vorzyd 5's had planted the bug. Obi-Wan suspected that the culprit was an insider — or at least a spy.

Before Obi-Wan could share his suspicions with Qui-Gon and the chairman, a long, dull tone sounded in the building. The Vorzydiak laborers groaned in unison, echoing the tone. It was a strange, disappointed sound that penetrated Obi-Wan's skin. Obi-Wan wasn't sure if the laborers were frustrated that their workday had been cut short due to the interruption, or if the sad sound was one they made every day when it was time to leave.