Chapter Three

Ben arrived at the cantina precisely at six, with not a moment to spare. Being barely on time was a habit that his parents had strived to relieve him of. He always found himself rushing to get to his destination, squeaking into the entrance in the nick of time. Both his parents were firm believers in the theory that being somewhere early was being on time.

Obviously, Jastra held the same thoughtsl because when Ben walked into the cantina she was leaning against the bar, tapping her foot and giving him a glare that eerily reminded him of his mother. "You're late," she said. It was more a statement than an accusation.

Ben looked down at his chrono. "I am no such thing," he said with a hint of hurt as he walked towards her.

Jastra continued to stare at him, her expression never changing. "I said local time, not standard," she said with venom that she hadn't used before. "You're an hour late. I hate it when people are late."

Ben stopped before he reached her. His mouth worked soundlessly open and closed as he glanced back and forth from his chrono to Jastra, a confused look upon his face. He could have sworn he set it to local time when he arrived.

At this point the bartender, who was watching the exchange with rapt attention, began to snicker. He tried to turn around to hide his amusement, but Ben caught it none the less. His eyes narrowed at Jastra, who could no longer hide her amusement and began laughing herself.

"I'm sorry..." she had to pause as more laughter consumed her. Ben continued to glare, waiting to see what was so funny. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry; I was just trying to break this calm you always seem to have. You aren't really late," she said, still trying to regain her composure.

He worked his jaw, moving it side to side as if trying to decide whether or not to be mad. Finally, a small smile came to his lips. "I guess I've been had."

Not many people could get one by Ben Skywalker, having the Force and all, but Jastra had managed to completely fool him. She had him utterly convinced that he was late, and this made him happy. Already she managed to lower his defenses; she made him a normal person, not just a Jedi. This was something he could get used to.

"Lets go; I'm hungry," Jastra said. Then with a raised eyebrow she added, "Unless, of course, you are too mad at me?"

Ben pretended to consider the thought for a moment. "No, let's eat."

They walked outside, Ben leading Jastra—that was, until he realized she wasn't following him. He turned around and saw her walking towards a different speeder than the one he came in. "Where are you going?" he asked.

She turned halfway around, now walking sideways, still towards the other speeder. "I'm drivin'," she said with a bright smile. "You're liable to get us killed, not knowing the area and all. Besides, it will be easier for me to pilot than to give you directions for an area you don't know."

Ben couldn't argue with most of her logic; he didn't know his way around very well, and he had no clue where they were going. He figured, he could pilot with out getting them killed; he was a Skywalker, after all, but he wasn't going to say that. "Lead on."

Jastra walked over to an open-top speeder that was parked along the side of the cantina. She started to climb in but stopped on the edge, with one foot in the seat and the other leg dangling on the outside. "Before we go anywhere, I want to know your last name. I'm not in the habit of going places with complete strangers, and I'm not about to start."

Here was the question Ben was dreading the most. He hadn't really decided what he was going to tell her when this question came up. "Dissek," he said without thinking. "Ben Dissek." So much for the truth from a certain point of view he thought to himself.

'Dissek' was the surname of a friend of his, who would never let Ben live down the fact that he used his name in a pinch, should he find out.

"Well, Ben Dissek, I'm Jastra Loneozner. It's nice to meet you." She grinned and slid the rest of the vehicle.

Laughing, Ben did the same.

The ride to the restaurant was relatively uneventful. Ben asked where they were going and Jastra refused to tell him. He inquired about what the place was like; she told him to wait and see. He was trying to come up with something to talk about without having to divulge anything about himself. Essentially, he was delaying the inevitable, but if he had done anything in his probing, he had driven Jastra insane.

After they arrived and had ordered their food, Jastra began the inquisition Ben had been dreading. "So, what kind of business brings you all the way out here?"

"Well, it is kinda like a private security force. We protect people, follow people who are suspected of wrong doing, things of that nature." That was the best way he could think of to describe the Jedi; they sometimes did things like that.

"Where is it located?"

He didn't want to tell her Ossus; too many people knew the Jedi were located there, and she just might make the connection. "Coruscant," he said.

This, in fact, was the truth. The Jedi Temple was there once again, as it had been over a hundred years ago. He was rarely there, staying mainly on Ossus to help teach some of the younger students before he would have an apprentice of his own, but he was there on occasion. Besides, there were so many businesses and people on Coruscant, she wouldn't be able to guess the Jedi over anything else.

"And they sent you to the rim to follow somebody?" she probed.

"I'm not really at liberty to say... sorry." he said with sincerity. "Boy, you sure do ask a lot of questions." He laughed, trying to change the subject from him to her.

She shrugged while a smile played on her lips. "Consider it my personality flaw. I already know yours, it's only fair you know mine."

"And just what would that flaw be?" he quarried

"Hmm... you're cocky, at least on the surface, and you think you have an answer to everything," she replied.

"You ask, I answer. See, we're perfect for each other." He gave her the best impression of a Han Solo grin he could muster. "And that was two, by the way."

Shaking her head with a smile she said, "I rest my case."

tbc...