Anakin blinked and stared into the dark hood. "Say, do I know you?"

"We may have met at some point. Call me Sid." The hooded man took a glass from Pete and drank. "Smooth."

"I gotta admire any human that can stomach one of Yoda's poisons. The shandy alone is enough to put me away. Anakin Skywalker." Anakin held out a hand.

Sid eyed it for a second and then shook. "I do enjoy a challenge." Sid took a sip of his drink. "Anakin Skywalker. I insist on paying for your drinks, Jedi Skywalker, it's the least I can do."

"Thanks!" Anakin loved drinking free. "Just call me Anakin, Sid. I come here to forget about all that Jedi stuff."

"As you wish." Sid took a drink and put his elbows on the bar. "I imagine that the title of 'The Hero With No Fear' is a tough one to live up to."

"It's just stupid. No fear? Come on! I really hate reporters." Anakin took a sip and munched some bar-nuts, shaking his head. "They're always prying, always trying to write something about me. Like I need the separatists trying to single me out more."

Sid turned sideways to face him, leaning on the bar, drink in hand. "It is fortunate then that none were present to hear your fascinating comments on your unborn son. Did you really say that his midi-chlorian count was forty thousand? That should indeed inspire fear."

Anakin narrowed his eyes. "I wasn't intending to make that information public."

A low chuckle emerged from the hood. "Then you should have more care for who may be lurking about the dark corners of the world. Fear not, young Sith, I shan't breathe a word."

Anakin stared. "Sorry, Sid, but I'm a Jedi. Got the regulation blue light saber and everything."

Sid snorted. "Please, Anakin, you are merely employed as a Jedi. Philosophically, you have nothing in common with them."

Anakin took a drink. "I'll admit, I have my differences with the order, but they're kind of minor. Well, maybe not so minor. I mean, I did get married and all. Yeah, so I completely disagree with the whole attachment thing. And the Jedi code is just demented- 'there is no death, there is the Force.' What does that even mean? It sounds real profound, but chop a guy's melon off and guess what? Hello! Dead guy rotting there. I don't see any Force poodoo involved." Anakin shook his head. "Crap, I need another drink." He poured the last of the pitcher into the glass.

Sid chuckled and drained his glass. "I have always thought that every line of the Jedi code contained a lie. "There is no emotion, there is peace.' I beg to differ. Every time a light saber is ignited in earnest there is plenty of emotion. 'There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.' Well, quite, unless of course you don't actually know the relevant facts or possess any knowledge. The Force rarely bestirs itself to remedy one's deficiency. "

Anakin laughed. "Yeah, and the next one, There is no passion, there is serenity. Well, Sid, let me tell you, when me and Padme get to rocking, there's passion to spare, so that one is out too. And the whole death thing is just moronic. What the order needs is a whole new code. And maybe some kind of wizard Jedi fight song! Just imagine a whole big synchronized battle, with every Jedi singing and killing the bad guys at the exact same time! It'd be kriffin' glorious!"

"Quite." Behind his cowl, Sid rolled his eyes. Musical battles. There was such a thing as wild excess, even in sithly darkness. "Barman, another, and set my young friend up too."

"Right away, sir." Pete, deciding that the hood was right about Anakin, sat fresh drinks on the coasters in front of them and collected the empties.

"Perhaps a different code would be more to your taste." Sid took a drink, noting the slight lemony flavor, then recited;

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

Through passion, I gain strength.

Through strength, I gain power.

Through power, I gain victory.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

The Force shall free me."

Anakin blinked. "You know, Sid, that one does seem to make more actual sense. In the real world, I mean. I never had a lot of peace and I get less and less every day."

Pete washed and started polishing the glasses. "Free you from what?"

"What do you mean?" Anakin was feeling a little plowed, not really up to fine logic.

"I mean, yeah, it all tracks perfectly right up until the last line. Then it talks about freedom. What does victory actually free you from?"

Anakin thought about it. He'd won countless fights, but all they had ever really got him was into countless more fights. "I don't even know what victory actually means. I guess the last fight I won paid off my bar tab, so it kind of freed me from debt. For about a week."

"A debt free week is nothing to sneer at in times like these." Pete frowned. "Anakin, you told me about the time you won the Boonta Eve Classic back on that dirtball you came from. That's a victory in anyone's book, so what'd it get you?"

Anakin frowned. "Well, I guess that it freed me from working for Wattoo, but then it lost me my mother and got me fifteen years of working for Obi 'snores like a bantha and smells worse' Kenobi. Ultimately, I guess it got me a wife who really IS a queen and at least one kid that's gonna be able to force-spank me by the age of two. So victory really IS just a treadmill of futility."

"I completely disagree." Sid drained his drink and made a 'round us up' gesture with his empty toward Pete. "A count of forty thousand midi-chlorians? Do not deceive yourself, Anakin, your son could do it from where he is right now."

"Don't remind me." Anakin drank deep. "So basically, slogans are all so much poodoo and freedom is pretty much an illusion."

"So there's your answer." Pete sat down two more drinks. "Bust out of one set of chains and you're instantly caught by the next."

"But a good booze up lets you slip out of them for a while." Anakin toasted Pete. "To the precious miracle of alcohol and the illusion of freedom."

Sid, slumped in depression, lifted his glass. "I shall certainly drink to that"

Yoda struggled up and raised his glass. "To booze!" He took a gulp and immediately sprayed it back out. "Not mine is this drink!"

The door to the bar slammed open and an imposing figure, heavily armed and battle armored strode in, helmet swiveling to identify the patrons. Ominously, it halted on the Jedi.

Anakin, Sid and Pete all turned to watch the stranger approach.

"Taken was my drink!" Yoda, ignoring the suddenly tense atmosphere of the bar, poked Pete's leg with his stick. "Recompense I demand!"

"Anakin Skywalker." The armored being was not asking, simply stating the name with some satisfaction.

"What? You aren't a droid, are you?" Anakin couldn't help but wonder if his work had followed him home.

"Padme says its time to come home." A blue stun blast hit Anakin right between the eyes, causing him to fall convulsing to the floor.

The blaster rose to cover Sid and Pete. "Am I going to have to stun anyone else?"

"He heh. Whipped!" came from behind the bar.

Pete put his hands on the bar. "I never interfere in the disputes of a married couple."

Sid just raised his glass. "Not my business."

"Wise." The blaster was clipped back into its holster and the armored figure effortlessly hoisted Anakin onto its shoulder.

Sid drained his drink and spoke. "Say, aren't you Jango Fett, the bounty hunter?"

Settling Anakin's unconscious bulk, Fett paused, surprised that anyone knew him. He rarely operated in the Core. "I am."

"So what kind of bounty did she put on him?" Pete was interested.

"A large one. It's easy money." With that, Jango turned on his heel and hauled his bounty away to place it firmly into the loving arms of its wife. He did not envy the Jedi's fate, as a stun blast, a hangover and a screeching harridan did not mix well.

"Well shit," said Pete, pouring himself a drink.

"Poor fool." Sid threw a high denomination note onto the bar and left.