The warrior was on the edge, about to give up. Obi-Wan had seen this before. It was not fear, as most beings knew it, because for most, fear was a matter of personal loss: loss of self-image, loss of health, loss of life. But even without being able to directly interpret the pheromones now flooding the air, he knew that these were not the source of Jesson’s anguish. The X’Ting warrior loved the hive, and was now terribly afraid of letting it down. He had been well chosen. He would be more than happy to die in the accomplishment of this task, die anonymously and in great pain if need be, if the hive could only survive and thrive, and be raised up to its rightful glory.

Jesson was locked almost in paralysis, his hands hovering over the controls. Every muscle in his body seemed to be stiffened in unyielding contraction, all of the cockiness drained from him by the reality of the tests he had already failed. "How? " he said. "How could it be? What answers were they looking for? "

"We can’t know, " Obi-Wan said, and laid a hand on the X’Ting’s shoulder. "All we can do, all we canever do, is the best we can. The rest is controlled by the Force. "

"The Force! " Jesson spat. "I’ve heard so much about you precious Jedi and your Force. "

"It is notour Force, " Obi-Wan said, trying to comfort him. "It owns us. And you. It creates all of us, but is also created by us. "

"Riddles! " Jesson screamed. "Nothing but riddles. I’ve had enough! "

He leapt up from the seat and ran across the room, hammering at the door, screaming, "Let me out! Let meout ! "

"Return to the seat, or the session will be terminated, "the machine said calmly.

Obi-Wan gazed at Jesson and then made a snap decision. He went to sit in the chair.

"You are not the original participant, "the machine said in its androgynous, synthesized voice. "It is necessary that the original participant finish the process. "

Obi-Wan looked back over his shoulder at the wounded, broken X’Ting warrior. How proud and confident he had seemed only an hour before! How obvious now that all of that pride had been a thin shield against the fear of failing his people, a support against the terrible weight of that responsibility.

"He is unable to continue, " Obi-Wan said.

"In one hundred seconds this test is terminated, "the voice said. "Ninety-nine, ninety-eight . . . "

"Askme the questions! " Desperation crept into Obi-Wan’s voice. "Please. Ask me the-"

"Ninety-three, ninety-two . . . "

Obi-Wan jumped out of the chair and went to Jesson, still huddled on the floor, primary and secondary arms wrapped around his knees.

"Jesson, " he said in his calmest voice. "You must try again. "

"I can’t. "

"You must. There is no one else. "

The X’Ting sank his head against his knees and shivered.