There were traces of sand on the metal floor of the corridor, fine, white and glittering. This part of Coruscant had been desert once, Obi-Wan remembered. He knelt to let a little of the sand run through his fingers. It was the first time he had touched the bare earth of the world he lived on in any form.

'Padawan,' Qui-Gon called to him, and he stood obediently and followed his Master. The featureless passage was lengthy, but other than the sand it seemed well maintained. Utility lights activated smoothly ahead of them, and turned themselves off a minute or so after they passed leaving the corridor behind in darkness. There was a sound in the air, on the edge of hearing, a low-pitched, hypnotic buzz.

They had walked for about ten minutes when Qui-Gon's communicator sounded a council frequency. They halted as he took it from his belt and thumbed the send button. 'Qui-Gon Jinn.'

Yoda's voice was instantly recognisable. 'Qui-Gon? Yoda this is.'

'What is it, my Master?' Qui-Gon asked. His voice echoed strangely in the close metal passageway.

'Another transmission we have received from Jalie Corada. Leaving the Horsch system for Dabar she is this evening.' His voice grew grave. 'Intercept her ship the Jedi will, when hyperspace it leaves. Ordered it, I have.' His voice sank to almost a whisper. 'But wrong, this feels.'

'Master, if we leave Coruscant today...,' Qui-Gon began.

'Your responsibility this is not, Qui-Gon,' Yoda admonished sharply. 'Turned down this mission you have. A courtesy only, this call is. If need you I do, then contact you again I shall.'

'Then thank you for informing me, Master,' Qui-Gon said respectfully.

'Hmph. Speak to you soon, I will.' The call was cut off.

'This worries me,' Qui-Gon mused, more to himself than Obi-Wan. 'My Master's instincts are good in these situations. We may have been wrong to turn down this mission.'

'Master Yoda was right, Master - this is no longer our problem,' Obi-Wan said, folding his arms into his sleeves. 'You cannot accept responsibility for all those who contact you seeking help. Jalie Corada will receive all the assistance the Order can give her, and more quickly than if we had travelled to meet her.' Again the slight sense of wrongness nagged at him, but he ignored it. 'There is nothing more we can do.'

Qui-Gon nodded reluctantly. 'You're right, I suppose, Padawan.' They continued along the corridor, walking in silence, side by side.

The passageway ended a little further ahead, at a heavy blast door that would have seemed more at home on a battle cruiser. They stopped before it, and Qui-Gon addressed the blank metal expanse.

'I am Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. This is my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi. We have come to visit Mog Martagne.'

There was a moment's silence before a disembodied voice echoed out of the air. 'Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi are recognised. Go through. Go no closer to Mog Martagne than two metres unless you are invited to do so.'

A second later the blast door slid almost silently open. The room they entered was circular, filled with low, round tables cluttered with gems of all descriptions. The walls were almost entirely hidden by many-layered hangings of what seemed to be rough white silk. The hangings swayed and shifted as they entered, and it seemed that sewn into them somewhere were tiny bells whose tone was so high that they rang on the edge of hearing. There were no seats, only piles of white cushions on the floor. It was very cold.

A slender, white-robed girl sat in the centre, cross-legged among the cushions. Every inch of her skin was covered, her legs by dainty white boots and leggings beneath her robe, her hands by white gloves. Her hair was covered by a hood. Her face was pale, and it took Obi-Wan a moment to realised that it was a carefully crafted mask. Two small, white servitor droids hovered silently in the air behind her. He had no doubt that they were armed.

Qui-Gon bowed low as he repeated their names, and Obi-Wan followed suit.

'We remember you, Qui-Gon Jinn,' the masked girl said. Her voice was musical but emotionless. 'Be seated and welcome. We have been expecting you both.'

The blast doors slid closed silently behind them as Qui-Gon bowed again. He took his seat cross-legged on the cushions facing her and Obi-Wan sank down beside him. One of the low tables separated them from the gem trader. Clustered on it were what appeared to be a dozen or so slender glass vases, each with a crystal suspended at its heart.

Mog Martagne turned to address Obi-Wan. Her movements were studied and precise. 'Yoda tells us that he has sent you to buy a lightsabre crystal from us,' she observed in a cold, clear voice.

'That is correct, Madame Martagne,' Obi-Wan said respectfully. His breath clouded in the icy air.

'We are collectors of crystals and stones,' Mog Martagne stated. 'We value all stones. The knowledge of the feel of stone is something that you share with every ancestor you have ever had, and with countless other creatures on countless other worlds. Your Master understands this.'

Qui-Gon nodded as she gestured again. With a soft hiss coloured shafts of light rose from the receptacles on the flat table between them. 'These are the most suitable crystals we have for your purpose. Each is held in a field that shows the properties of the blade it will generate. You may touch them without risk. Please. Proceed.'

Of the dozen or so blades about half seemed even at the first glance to be imperfectly focused or shaped. As Obi-Wan moved their containers out of the way to the side of the table, the bright blades of light deactivated.

The first crystal of any interest gave rise to an almost white blade with the barest tinge of blue. 'Can you tell me about this stone, Madame Martagne?' he asked.

'Yes. It is a blue-white kethryn, a perfect stone, completely flawless in all respects,' Mog Martagne stated. 'Is that what you seek, Padawan?'

Obi-Wan did not answer straight away. Instead he took up the glass container and studied the pale blue gem within, wondering if his choice could really be so simple. The stone seemed perfect, but he could barely feel its shape in the Force. 'I hope the Force will direct me in my choice, Madame Martagne,' he said at last.

The hangings shifted, and the noise of the bells swelled softly. Mog Martagne tilted her head towards them for a few seconds before continuing. 'An acceptable answer, Padawan. For a lightsaber this stone will certainly be adequate, but it has no character. A crystal may grow stronger or weaker as it is used. Each stone is sensitive to the Force and to the Force user that wields it. Sometimes stone and user will be in resonance and sometimes they will be in conflict. If the greatest Jedi Master fought with the most perfect crystal, and they were in conflict, it would be better for him to have fought with no sabre at all.'

'That is a purist's view, Madame Martagne,' Qui-Gon remarked. 'I can recall many occasions when I would have happily wielded any lightsaber at all, conflicted crystal or not.'

Mog Martagne inclined her perfect, expressionless face towards him. 'That is because we are purists, Qui-Gon Jinn. We concede that in the field conditions are not always ideal.'

Obi-Wan had been studying the other crystals on the table as they spoke. There was a second white blade, but it felt indefinably wrong. 'What is this one?' he asked.

'That stone is pure carbon,' Mog Martagne said, turning her attention back to him. 'It is almost worthless. It would last only a few seconds in a fully powered lightsaber. We let our apprentices cut them to practice. It is only here to display the interference pattern created by this cut.'

She watched disinterestedly as he scanned the other crystals, deactivating each as he rejected it. Soon only four stones other than the first perfect blade remained lit, one a dark blue-green, two red and the last gold-pink.

He looked up at her enquiringly. 'I'd like to know more about these stones, Madame Martagne.'

She nodded and indicated the blue-green blade with a delicate gesture. 'This is a gammerine, mined in inter-system space. It is unusually large and heavy for your purpose. At its optimal focus it will be a long, wide blade, too large for a human to wield comfortably. A Wookiee could bear it, or a Scaran.'

'Remember that this blade is not necessarily for your use, Padawan,' Qui-Gon reminded him. 'Don't let your personal requirements affect your judgement.'

Mog Martagne continued as if he had not spoken. 'The two red crystals are a fine twinned pair, but red is not a colour prized by the Jedi and their focus is shorter than is usually acceptable. There is little demand for these stones, although their clarity is very high and either would produce a powerful blade. No doubt we will sell them for optical purposes, or for jewellery.'

The blade produced by the last crystal was at least a hand shorter than the other blades. 'This is a rose-gold harinn. The blade will be small and light, but there will be precision and power in it. It will be a weapon more suited to skill than strength. This colour is caused by aluminium impurities, and is particularly rare.'

Obi-Wan looked at the blades before him, reaching out to the Force for guidance. None was forthcoming, other than a slight nudge that none of them was what he sought. 'Do you have any other stones, Madame Martagne?' he asked at last.

'These are the only cut stones we have for this purpose,' she told him.

'Sometimes the lesson is that nothing is suitable,' Qui-Gon said. 'You do not have to choose a stone today.'

'To choose nothing is an acceptable choice,' Mog Martagne agreed. 'But if you are uncertain then the first stone we showed you would be more than adequate for any lightsaber.'

Obi-Wan looked around. The sense grew stronger, that there was something here he was missing. 'What about the other tables?'

Mog Martagne was silent for a moment, as if considering her next words. 'We are collectors, but all of the crystals and artifacts in this room are for sale. You may examine any that you wish, but to save your time we will tell you that none of the cut stones are suitable for your purposes. Examine the uncut stones only. These will produce stones of the size you seek.'

The surface of a table to her left silently illuminated itself. Hundreds of stones lay scattered like spilt beads across its surface. Some were roughly polished and glittered dully under the lights, others were little more than pebbles. There were only a few that Obi-Wan could identify even vaguely. But he had faced many harder tests than this. He closed his eyes and passed his hand over the jumbled stones. It was only a moment before he felt the familiar tug, drawing him instantly to a ragged blue-green gem, embedded in a piece of pure white quartz.

He took it, resumed his seat and placed the stone on the table between them. 'This one,' he said, and beside him Qui-Gon leaned forward to examine his find.

'I don't recall ever seeing this type of stone used in a lightsaber before, Padawan,' he remarked.

Mog Martagne nodded. 'It is a curious choice. It is a blue ziade. They have historically been used as lightsaber crystals but not for many centuries now. Their energy resonance means that their quality cannot be accurately scanned before cutting.' She paused. 'Be aware that this is a valuable stone. If we cut it as a lightsaber crystal the Temple must pay for the stone, no matter what its quality.'

Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon, but the Master's face betrayed nothing. 'The decision is yours, my Padawan. Trust your feelings.'

Obi-Wan took a breath. The certainty that this was right sang in the Force. 'I would like you to cut this stone, Madame Martagne.'

'Then your choice is made. We will do so now.'

Qui-Gon smiled then. 'You'll get rid of your perfect stone one day, Madame Martagne.'

'It seems sometimes that the Force wishes us to keep it forever,' Mog Martagne observed. She held out her hand and one of the servitor droids activated and hovered to her side. She directed it to Obi-Wan with another precise gesture.

'Place the stone you have chosen on the serving tray. There will be a wait of a few minutes while the stone is cut.'

Obi-Wan bowed his head in acknowledgement. 'If it's acceptable to you, Master Yoda suggested that you might be able to give us information about the current situation in Selos.'

'We are too generous to Master Yoda. Be sure that he knows it.'

'I am certain that he already does, Madame Martagne,' Qui-Gon said, making a formal little bow of respect.

Mog Martagne inclined her head slightly towards him in response. 'We will give you the information you request. Selos is at the centre of the nodular CPI mining trade in the Hermitage systems.'

She reached into her robe. The white metal sphere she placed on the table
was a little larger than a marble. 'CPI - colloidal platinum iridium - is
an ion energy catalyst. It has the ability generate local fields which turn ion energy into other less dangerous and more easily dissipated forms of energy.'

'You are already aware that Selos is a world plagued by sporadic ion storms
which affect any electronic equipment. Hyperdrives are particularly
vulnerable, since ion storms have been known to cause catastrophic failure,
commonly implosion.'

She gestured for Obi-Wan to pick up the little metal sphere. He did so,
and was surprised at its weight and coldness.

'CPI may be used to shield electronic equipment,' she continued. 'Although
the cost is prohibitive. This sample is large enough to effectively shield
the core systems on a one-man fighter craft. It is worth 50,000 dactaris.
Larger samples are far rarer, and far more expensive,' She paused. 'There
is a great deal of information we can give you, and not all of it will be relevant. Do you wish to know more about CPI economics, or about the world of Selos itself?'

Obi-Wan replaced the CPI nodule carefully and frowned in thought. 'I would like to know about the socio-political situation on Selos, Madame Martagne.'

She inclined her head. 'As you wish. Three socio-political factions co-exist on Selos. All are humanoid. The first are the native Hulf. They are reclusive tribal swamp-dwellers considered to be of little consequence by the other two. These are the Direnni and the Shufu, both descended from the crews of two ships which strayed from accepted flight paths and were stranded on Selos by the storms at least six centuries ago.'

'The Direnni are descended from the passengers and crew of a colony ship which carried political refugees. The Shufu are descended from members of one of the old Correllian trading clans. Both found themselves with few resources and without usable technologies or hope of rescue; they survived by settling the few areas of dry ground on Selos and by hunting indigenous herd animals and scavenging from other shipwrecks.'

'This continued until about two centuries ago when the search for viable CPI mining sites spread into the Hermitage systems. Selos was rediscovered by shielded survey ships and representatives of the Direnni and the Shufu were admitted into the Senate. The Senate requested that Jedi GeoCorps install a storm control satellite system around the inhabited parts of the planet and in a shipping corridor through the system so that technologies could be reintroduced and trade links with Selos established.'

'Their motives were not altruistic,' Qui-Gon added dryly.

'Indeed not,' Mog Martagne agreed. 'Bringing Selos into the Republic meant that CPI mining in the Hermitage systems finally became feasible, since there were no other worlds nearby where food, oxygen and water could be obtained. Selos has supplied the mining companies for more than two hundred years and has profited greatly from this trade, despite the dangers for shipping in the area.'

Obi-Wan frowned. 'Dangers? I don't understand. I thought CPI shielding prevented hyperdrive core failures.'

Mog Martagne shook her head. 'At the heart of a storm, ion levels in excess of five thousand have been recorded. Higher levels are doubtless reached, but they are unrecordable. No shielding can adequately cope with such levels and few organisms will survive. The purpose of CPI shielding is to enable ships to function long enough to outrun or evade storms, rather than to weather them.'

'Twenty to thirty ships are lost in the Hermitage systems every standard year, Padawan,' Qui-Gon explained. 'If a ship without ion shielding is caught in a storm, its only option is to immediately close down all its systems and to hope there will be enough heat and air to last until the storm passes.'

'Often there is not,' Mog Martagne confirmed without emotion. 'Such storms may last for many weeks. Such are conditions within the Selos system. The question now for the Selosians is what will happen when CPI mining in the Hermitage System becomes unprofitable, as it will do within the next twenty years. Some companies have already moved on. At the moment it seems the peoples of Selos are expending their energies on fighting between themselves for the few remaining contracts there are to be had. Most believe that the Republic will reclaim the CPI in the satellite belt and abandon them, and that their only chance remains to make enough money to leave Selos and settle on another world.'

'It sounds like an unstable situation,' Obi-Wan observed.

'Increasingly so,' Mog Martagne agreed. 'Especially since the satellite control belt already appears to be failing. Your GeoCorps colleagues will know more about that than we do. When you return to the Temple you should approach them for more information.'

The servitor droid hovered back into view, and she reached out without looking round to take the newly faceted, glittering crystal from its tray. 'Your lightsaber, Padawan.'

Years of training had made Obi-Wan reluctant to hand his saber over to anyone but another Jedi, but he did so at Qui-Gon's almost imperceptible nod.

'This is well constructed,' Mog Martagne observed, as she opened the casing.

He bowed his head to her. 'Thank you, Madame Martagne.'

He had to admit that for all his misgivings, she handled the lightsaber more than competently. It took only a few seconds for her to install the new crystal and return the weapon to him.

'May I...?'

She nodded. 'It is permitted that you activate your weapon.'

He thumbed the switch. The blade rose evenly, purely blue. There was almost no resistance from the air, almost no smell of ionisation. The blade was perfectly balanced and very nearly perfectly focused. Obi-Wan let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding.

'This is not a Master level stone, but it is close,' Mog Martagne said. 'It is a crystal for a senior knight, but with the potential to become a Master's stone in the right hands. It is well tuned to you. It will serve you well.'

'But the crystal is not for my Padawan's use,' Qui-Gon said, with regret in his voice.

The flawless mask was turned to him. 'This stone was meant for him. It should be his. To find it among so many was no small feat.'

Qui-Gon nodded in acknowledgement. 'I agree. Nevertheless, that will be Master Yoda's decision, not mine. If the Force wills it, so it will be.'

'Then we trust that Master Yoda and the Force will make an appropriate choice,' Mog Martagne observed. 'The payment for this stone will be twenty-five thousand dactaris. We imagine that Yoda has given you the customary money order?'

Obi-Wan nodded. As he reached into his pouch his fingers found Ca'narn's pebble as well as the paper he sought. He filled out and signed the order, then lay the pebble on the table between them.

'Madame Martagne, before we leave, can you tell me anything about this stone?' he asked.

Mog Martagne looked at it and nodded. 'This stone is of a type called kita. If you want a full valuer's report, we must charge you 20 dactari. As a favour to you, we will tell you that you would be wasting your money. Kita is so common as to be worthless. It is a mineral found by the millions of tons in every asteroid field. It is a hazard to navigation because ion storms focus around it.'

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed. 'But this stone is a pebble. It's been eroded by water.'

She nodded. 'Kita is also found on systems which border major asteroid fields. We would guess that this came from a world like Selos.' Her head tilted to one side at his nod. 'We are correct, we see. These pebbles are often sold by miners as a novelty. Are you aware of their properties, Padawan Kenobi?'

'Their properties? I don't understand.'

'There is a second such stone on the table of uncut gems. Bring it to us. You have found it? Good. Kita is one of the flowing silicates. You are aware that solid silicon glass flows very slowly under certain conditions? In these particular silicates the process is speeded by these metallic inclusions. They are actually tiny particles of CPI which loosen the molecular bonds between clusters of silicate molecules and speeds their flow.'

Looking at the second stone more closely, Obi-Wan could see that it held the same glittering matrix at its heart as the first.

'Take the second pebble. Press it against yours and hold them together for a few moments. Now feel the surface, where the two stones were joined.'

He obeyed her instructions, and frowned. 'Your stone feels slightly roughened. Mine is unchanged.'

He sensed that had he been able to see her face, she would have been smiling. 'Only a Jedi would have been able to feel that. It is the site where the two stones have started to fuse together. If the stones are bound together for many months, one of them will be absorbed completely. The remaining stone will maintain its shape and the structure of its matrix. Only its size will change. The stone that remains is always the one with the most inclusions, in this case the stone you brought with you.'

'I didn't know that. Thank you for the information, Madame Martagne.'

He placed the second pebble back on the table. Mog Martagne gestured gracefully towards it. 'Take it. You may keep it. It came to us in a mixed shipment of stones. There are always some of low value.'

'Thank you, Madame Martagne. I am grateful for your generosity.' He took the pebble and placed it in his belt pouch with the first one. An impulse seized him then, and he drew the flower he had been given from his robe and offered it with a bow. 'All I have to give you in return is this.'

Mog Martagne's blank expression remained unchanged. 'What a charming child you are. We are sure this will be delicious.'

'Well done, my Padawan,' Qui-Gon said, as they made their way back along the tunnel towards the elevator. 'You did not choose safety. You followed your feelings and were rewarded.'

Obi-Wan bowed his head at the rare praise. 'Thank you Master.'

'What is your opinion of Mog Martagne?' Qui-Gon asked then.

Obi-Wan considered his answer carefully. 'She was a 'droid, Master, but she spoke and acted like no other 'droid I've ever encountered.'

Qui-Gon nodded. 'Good. Your perception does you credit, Padawan. The 'droid was an avatar. I don't believe any Jedi has ever met Mog Martagne herself.'

'It's characteristic of insect species that the queen is many times larger than the males that serve her, sometimes so much so that they are incapable of movement,' Obi-Wan suggested.

'An interesting theory,' Qui-Gon allowed, with an approving nod. They continued to retrace their steps along the long sandy corridor.

'Master...,' Obi-Wan began uncertainly.

'What is it, Padawan?'

'It seems that choosing a lightsaber crystal is a very personal thing, Master. I assumed that this one would be for my own use. I'm sorry if that means I chose wrongly.'

Qui-Gon shook his head. 'It was the will of the Force that you chose that crystal. It may well be yours eventually, Padawan, but I'm certain that whatever happens its use will become apparent.'

'It feels... right in my hand, Master.'

'It's one of the finest crystals I've seen in recent years,' Qui-Gon agreed. 'Show me the blade again.'

Obi-Wan had not had time to replace his own crystal back in his lightsaber. He thumbed the activation button and the blade sprang smoothly into being. It made almost no sound as he made an experimental pass.

'The shape seems slightly more tapered than normal. I hadn't noticed it before,' he observed.

'Yes,' Qui-Gon mused absently as he examined the blade between then. 'She's been trying to push that new cut for years. It works well.'

Something caught Obi-Wan's attention and he peered at the blade more closely. 'But the colour seems inconsistent. Does it seem to you that the blade is getting lighter?'

The blade was growing lighter. It grew whiter, brighter... then, to Obi-Wan's chagrin, shorted out with a sullen little crackle. 'It's unstable,' he said, unable to hide his disappointment. 'The feedback balance is wrong. The blade won't sustain.'

Qui-Gon lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 'Then whoever uses this crystal will need to reconfigure their lightsaber's energy supply. You know already that almost nothing worthwhile is easy. Now turn off your saber. We should return to the surface.'

They had almost reached the market levels when Qui-Gon's comlink sounded another familiar tone.

'What is it, Mace?'

'We've had word from the Temple in Dabar, Qui-Gon. Jalie Corada's shuttle has been lost. A Council meeting has been called. You should both be present.'

Qui-Gon glanced at his Padawan with a frown. 'Both of us?'

'It's the presence of Obi-Wan that has been requested, my old friend. You have the right to be present as his Master. You're at the Dark Markets, is that right?' He didn't wait for a reply. 'I'm sending a shuttle over to meet you both. I'll brief you on the Council landing pad in a quarter hour.'