The tapcaf on Ord Mantell was crowded. Enough to make Ben Skywalker finger his hidden lightsaber and frown. Lando Calrissian, however, seemed casually unconcerned as the two shoved their way through the less than respectable or entirely hygienic throng of beings.

"Do tell me again why you needed me with you on this trip, Uncle Lando?" Ben grumbled.

Lando waved to attract the bartender's attention as he pounced on a just-vacated bar stool.
"Not just you. I need those Force-senses of yours. I might just be in a wee bit of danger tonight and I'm getting a little too old to be able to dive out of range of a blaster bolt quite the way I used to."

Ben had to stifle a snort.
"Sure. I believe you," he said in a voice that wasn't even trying to be sincere.
"You need a bodyguard, Uncle Lando. Those come for hire, you know."

"Not the Jedi ones."

"Yeah," Ben muttered under his breath, "We come for free."

Lando must have heard because a small smirk appeared on his lips. He scanned the densely packed crowd intently.
"Oh I'll be owing you one for this. And a favour from Lando Calrissian is one you can take to the bank!"

Ben gave a small shrug.
"But you do know I'm not the only Jedi out there."

"I needed one I could trust."

"You also know I'm not the only Jedi out there you trust."

Lando looked at him this time.
"But you're the only one who's young enough to still be doing this sort of thing."

Ben's eyebrows shot up and he gave a soft whistle.
"Wow! You have no idea what Jaina might do to you if she knew you said that, do you?"

"Jaina wouldn't approve of what we're doing tonight. She's becoming as stiff as her parents as the days go by."

Ben turned around to the bar, trying to hide his amused expression from Lando.
"She really ticked you off for this, huh?"

Lando didn't bother replying, slapping him on the arm instead.
"Pay attention to the crowd! We might have been followed."

Ben lazily turned around, slouching against the bar counter and sipping on his whisky. He was practically unrecognizable, dressed in an ordinary shirt, trousers and jacket, as opposed to Jedi robes or even his preferred black tunic, his hair dyed a deep, ugly brown. A blaster butt poked out conspicuously from his waistband, serving as an early warning to anyone who wanted to test him. He blended right in with the majority of the cantina's clientele. Lando, on the other hand, looked just like the wealthy businessman he was, and made no attempt to hide the fact, much to his "bodyguard's" chagrin.

A mixed group of Twi'lek and human females were dancing provocatively on the dimly lighted stage at the far end of the tapcaf. Lando noticed Ben's gaze drawn more than a little appreciatively towards them. He cleared his throat discreetly to get his attention and then commented dryly.
"We're here on business tonight. Not to get you into one of your hook-ups."

Ben's eyes widened innocently.
"Sure we are. Provided your business shows up. Until then, you can't blame a guy for checking out the... attractions."

Lando shook his head disdainfully, fully aware of Ben smirking behind him into his drink.

Trouble was, the kid was right. They were past the time Lando's contact, a renegade Mandalorian with some lucrative offers for black-market MandalMotors and Verpine starship technology, had been scheduled to show up. With every passing minute, Lando became ever more wary. Was he being set up? He didn't trust the Mandos, which was why he had decided to be prudent and bring his own protection.
Ben on the other hand had struck up a roguish conversation with one of the bar's human waitresses. Lando sighed. Take the boy out of his Jedi costume, and he could revert to the spitting image of his uncle at his age. He smiled a little wistfully, remembering a time when he himself had been as young, handsome and charming. And just as unscrupulous. When he hadn't had the management of a profitable company and the cares of a young family on his shoulders. Just for a moment, Lando Calrissian found himself envying Ben Skywalker and the attractiveness of youth.

He was roused from his reverie by a swift tap on his shoulder. Ben was looking around shiftily, while speaking to him in hushed tones.
"Ummm...Uncle Lando? I think it's pretty safe to assume by now that your contact has either stood you up, or is dead. Either way, I think it's time we made our way out. I don't think the atmosphere is going to improve the longer we stay."

Lando downed the remainder of his drink and sighed.
"I suppose you're right."

He stretched languorously. Ben regarded him archly.
"Uncle Lando? Exactly what do you think you're doing?"

"Well, as you've just pointed out, our business purpose here has obviously failed. So I intend to relax for the rest of the evening and take in the pleasures this fine establishment has to offer."

Ben's expression bordered on the verge of incredulity.

Lando grinned, slapping the young man on the back.
"Relax, Ben! Go on, have yourself a good time!"

Ben's brows drew together in a frown.
"I thought you said this place was so dangerous you needed a Jedi bodyguard," he growled.
"Now you're acting like you own the place!"

"Well, as a matter of fact, I do own the place. Well, not entirely, but the proprietor of this place is an old...associate of mine. And the amount he owes me ought to cover a place of about this size and reputation. And as for the bodyguard bit, I was going to meet with a Mando. I don't like Mandos. Not since one of them bootlegged your uncle's carbonited body from my city, on my watch!"

Ben sat down on one of the bar stools in a huff.
"Would it have killed you to have told me all this a bit earlier?"

"Need to know basis and all that, son. I'm sure you understand."

Ben still speared Lando with a dark look and called for a whisky for himself.

Lando swivelled in his seat, casting his eye over all the attractions. The dancing on the make-shift stage was getting raunchier as the night progressed.

He nudged the younger man, deliberately facing away from him, in the ribs, nodding over to the girls.
"Tell you what, why don't we make things a little interesting? How much are you willing to wager that you can't get the comlink codes of all the girls up there?"

Ben regarded him warily over the rim of his glass.
"I thought we weren't here for one of my average hook-ups."

Lando raised his eyebrows dramatically.
"Average?! Oh my dear boy, I assure you, I know for a fact that each and every one of the girls up there is well above... average!"

Ben's expression was a careful deadpan, but one that a seasoned gambler like Lando instantly recognized as a 'sabacc face', not letting his opponent get a clue as to his chances.
'Han's taught him well', he had to grudgingly admit to himself.

"How much are you willing to lay on the table?"

Lando contemplated.
"100 credits."

"500."

Lando looked surprised.
"So sure are you? Ok, 500."

Ben gave an all too cocky grin as he pushed himself off his seat and adjusted his jacket.
"Make that double or nothing. Watch and learn, Uncle Lando!"

The situation had gotten a little out of control, Lando had to admit. He looked about him in alarm at the crowd of beings now all on their feet, jumping and thumping on the tables, cheering and hooting. Too late, realization was dawning on Lando Calrissian.

'I should never have bet that kid!'

The volume of the music had been raised several notches and was now pounding against his eardrums. And through it all, he could see the female dancers on the stage, all centred round one tall male figure, gyrating in extremely suggestive ways against him, and he didn't seem to mind one bit! Ben Skywalker seemed to be having the time of his life, grooving to the music, women hanging off every spare inch of him. Some of the female customers also appeared to be eyeing him appreciatively! He had to delicately extricate himself from the tangle once the blaring music had finally and mercifully stopped, his path being blocked several times by females of several species, as he made his way over to his companion with a triumphant smirk on his face. Lando was slouched a little lower in his seat, looking uncharacteristically grumpy. He'd forgotten Ben Skywalker could dance like that. Ben plopped into the seat opposite him, flapping his jacket in a gesture of supreme over-confidence. Lando glowered at him.

"That's a sweet grand you owe me now, Uncle Lando," he reminded him, a trifle unnecessarily. It was still rankling the older man.

"You got the codes, huh?"

"Just the codes?! I think I just got invited to an orgy!"

"Looks like you've made this trip worth your while after all," he grumbled.

Ben's smirk this time was positively evil.
"Oh not so fast, old man! Don't forget that favour you said you owed me. Lando Calrissian had better be good...all the way to the bank!"

And with that, he laughed.

THE END.