[Jedi Apprentice] - 18(2)

The small planet was best known for its amazing production and sale of goods. Alone, Vorzyd 4 produced almost all of the food and hard goods used by the five planets in its system.

“All of the inhabitants of Vorzyd 4 work,” Jocasta explained. “Children begin working at the age of ten, when their school cycle wanes. Instead of attending school seven days they attend six and work one. Each year thereafter they gain another day of work until the age of seventeen, when they begin to work full-time. From then they work seven days a week.” Jocasta narrowed her eyes. Obi-Wan thought he sensed disapproval. Even Jedi rested sometimes.

“At age seventy, laborers are required to retire,” Jocasta continued. “Vorzydiaks fear that the elderly will not be able to keep up with the work pace. Sadly, most of the retirees die within a few weeks of being forced out of their jobs. The cause of these deaths is unknown. Most retirees are in good health until they are forced to stop working.”

Obi-Wan glanced at his Master to see what he thought of this practice. Qui-Gon was in his fifties, and Obi-Wan could not imagine that anyone would think of him as anything other than productive. And Master Yoda was over eight hundred years old. It was unthinkable that he be asked to retire. His wisdom was one of the Council’s most valuable assets.

The thought of someone asking these Jedi to step down made Obi-Wan smile, but Qui-Gon shot him a stern look and he quickly checked himself.

Of course, Vorzydiaks on Vorzyd 4 were unique beings with unique life cycles and cultural practices. Although they looked mostly human - their bodies were humanoid but they had a pair of long antennae and slightly larger eyes - Obi-Wan knew better than to judge them by any other beings’ standards.

“What of Vorzyd 5?” Qui-Gon asked. “And the tensions between the two planets?”

“Vorzyd 5 produces less than half of its planetary needs and depends largely on trade with Vorzyd 4 for its subsistence. In the past they struggled and were often in debt to Vorzyd 4, though relations between the two have remained peaceful and friendly. Debt did not matter to the 4’s because they had a constant surplus. Neither were the 5’s troubled that they owed so many credits to their neighbor. But now things have changed.”

“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.





CHAPTER 2


Qui-Gon started down the shuttle ramp before it touched the floor of the hangar on Vorzyd 4. He had spent the entire journey reviewing information about the planets and their history, and was anxious to move around and get some fresh air. All of the disks held data about the planets’ corporate history, and while Vorzyd 4’s success as a peaceful corporation was admirable, it had been dry research. Qui-Gon had been totally unable to get any sense of what Vorzydiaks were like as individuals.

The hangar they’d landed in was uncluttered. Aside from the workers loading cargo on what appeared to be export ships, there were not many beings about.

“Are we being met?” Obi-Wan asked. He stifled a yawn as he joined Qui-Gon outside the shuttle. Qui-Gon guessed his Padawan’s research had not been any more entertaining than his own.