Okay here's Chapter 7.
Elemarth, Ann Jinn and herc009, thank you so much for reviewing. That was three reviews in less than twelve hours since I posted Chapter 6 and I was on cloud nine when I checked my mail. Thank you!

I'm very sorry to tell you all that this may be the last chapter for this year, (the story's not over yet, no fear!) because my grandma is coming for a visit (she lives overseas in Europe) and so I will have less or no computer time (I'll have to entertain her) and then is Christmas - Hooray!- and then we're going for a holiday and then school starts again(how sad). I'm only allowed to use the computer during weekends when I have school (My parents are cruel people :-P ) so don't expect regular posts. At the least I might be able to update my stories once a month.

So...(sighs) well here's Chapter 7. I hope it's okay.

CHAPTER 7
A Pirate's Life for Me

"Hi Jeran."

Jeran grunted in response. He cast an eye around the common room as he stepped in. a couple of chairs and a settee surrounded a low table on which stood a plate covered with foil, three glasses and a couple of bottles. Arianne was stretched out on the sofa, her head falling back over the armrest.

"Where's Salis?"

"Not here yet." She sat up. "That guy doesn't understand the meaning of punctuality."

The door opened behind Jeran. "Yes I do," insisted the Zabrak who entered. Looking at the chrono at his wrist he said, "It is exactly 20 hours 30 minutes Galactic Standard Time. You, my dear Arianne, are too early. I am right on time." He grinned. "For once."

Salis Noscar walked over to the table and set down the bottles he was carrying. He turned to Jeran and took the unlabeled bottle he was carrying from his hands. 'What's this?" he asked, holding up the half-empty container. "Moonshine," said his friend.

The Zabrak shook his head as he set the bottle down. He turned to his friend. "Jeran," he said and threw his arms around his friend. Jeran returned the embrace, thumping his friend on the back.

"Long time no see," said Salis as he pulled away. "How are you?"

"Fine," replied Jeran as he took a seat. "You?"

Grinning, the Zabrak fell back into a seat. "Never been better. What's this?" he asked lifting the foil cover of Arianne's plate.

"Sandwiches," she answered. She reached over a picked up bottle of drink, turning it over in her hands. "Whyren's Reserve," she read. "Mmmm…"

"I've brought something else. Something better." He reached for a roundish bottle at the centre of the table. "Merenzane Gold," he announced. "Cost me an arm and a leg but I thought it would be nice to have something to celebrate with." He popped the cork and filled the glasses. They each took one and raised it in a toast. "To friendship!"

Jeran took a deep draught, savouring the drink's sweetness and felt the alcohol rise to his head, leaving his mind wonderfully empty of all worries. He watched his two friends banter, feeling at peace with everyone in the galaxy.

"I have chosen a Padawan," Arianne suddenly announced.

Salis sat up straighter and regarded her with mock horror. "What in the galaxy possessed you to do that?"

She glared at him. "Ha, ha, very funny, Sal."

"That Twi'lek girl, right? Sabie…Sabie-something," asked Jeran.

"Yes. How do you know her name? I can't recall telling you."

"Uh, you did," Jeran lied, mentally kicking himself for his slip of the tongue. "Maybe you forgot."

She looked at him suspiciously. To avoid meeting her gaze, he looked out of the window into the Coruscant night. No questions came and he relaxed.

Across from him, Salis was refilling his glass. "You have my deepest sympathies, Arianne."

She sniffed. "I don't need your sympathy, Sal."

"But you don't know what you're getting into. The torture, the pain, the insanity…"

Jeran, who had just downed his drink snorted and choked, spewing Merenzane Gold down himself. As he sputtered with laughter, Salis snatched the bottle of expensive drink with a loud "Oi!" and placed on the floor next to him. "None of that for you anymore. That bottle cost me five hundred credits and if you are going to spit it out again you might as well forget about having another drop of it."

Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Jeran shrugged nonchalantly. "Fine with me." He grabbed a bottle of the Reserve and popped its cork.

Arianne took a sip of her drink and stretched out again on the settee. "Remember that time you took a death stick for a wager, Jeran?"

Jeran grinned ruefully. "How can I forget? My Master gave me such a walloping…and then he dragged me to the healers and gave me detention and grounded me for a month." He took a sip from his glass and shook his head. "Never again. Probably lost a couple of years of my life too. All that for a hundred credits"

"We-ell, at least that taught you not make wagers anymore," said Arianne.

Salis grinned as he lounged in his seat with one leg thrown over the armrest. "He still did. And does."

"As do you," Jeran snapped back. "I seem to recall a certain Zabrak who accepted a dare to toss one of his special slime bombs into the Council chamber while the Council was in session." He laughed. "I still can't believe you actually did it."

Salis laughed too. "Well, you saw the results."

Jeran tossed back the contents of his glass and rubbed a hand over his shaven face. "The entire Council chasing after you covered in green slime, looking like they just came out of the sewers. I nearly cracked a rib trying not to laugh."

Arianne was grinning. "A pity you were too busy running away, Sal. You should have seen Master Windu with slime dripping down his bald head. I don't think he was expecting anything like that during the first week of being a member of the Council."

"I bet he wasn't expecting anything like to ever happen. I thought I was going to faint when Master Yoda cornered me. My heart was beating so fast!"

Jeran refilled his glass and raised it in a toast. "To the good old days and the hope that we might do something like that again." Their glasses clinked and they downed the drink. He looked up from his glass. "Do you still have that slime recipe, Salis?"

His Zabrak friend nodded. "Yep. Wrote it down and hid it in the safest place I could find. Only…I can't remember where I put it…" he mused. "Ah well, I'll find it."

They sat in silence for a moment, reminiscing their days as Padawans and all the good times they had shared. Suddenly Arianne asked, "Why isn't anyone eating the sandwiches I made?"

"I've eaten already," Jeran said.

Salis looked apologetically at her. "I hate to tell you this, Ari but Jeran and I know better than to eat your food."

"So you're saying that my cooking sucks."

"Yes."

She threw a bottle at him. Salis raised a hand, most probably intending to use the Force to catch it and put it down; instead, the bottle rocketed up to the ceiling where it smashed into little pieces.

"The cleaner droids will go defunct tomorrow when they see this mess," Jeran remarked as he held a sleeve over his face to shield himself from falling splinters and whiskey.

"Blame Arianne."

"What, me? You were the one who broke it."

"You threw the bottle at me."

"You criticized my cooking!"

"He was only telling the truth," Jeran told her.

Arianne crossed her arms. "So you think you can cook better than me?" she demanded sulkily.

"Yes," said both males in unison.

Their friend sniffed and sipped her drink with dignified silence.

An hour later, Jeran and Salis were sitting side by side on the settee, arms around each other, singing, while Arianne, who was lying on the floor, lazily conducted them with an empty bottle.

"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me

We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot
Drink up me hearties, yo ho

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me

We extort, we pilfer, we filch and we sack
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Maraud and embezzle and even hijack
Drink up me hearties, yo ho

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"

At the end of each stanza they would bash their bottles together (They had given up on glasses, refilling had been too much of a hassle) before taking a long draught. Arianne had given up conducting; she was curled up on the floor trembling with suppressed laughter.

"Ya know," slurred Jeran after a drink. "No pirate would actually be caught dead singing this song and here we are…" He giggled drunkenly.

Arianne propped herself up on her elbows and said blearily, "I wonder how they might react if they knew that two of their most hated enemies are sitting here dead drunk, singing a ridiculous pirate song…"

Salis grinned sloppily as he lifted the rim of his bottle to his lips. "I bet those in jail might hang themselves. I would if I found out I was stuck there thanks to a bunch of drunken fools."

Jeran laughed and slumped deeper into the settee, leaning his head on his friend's shoulder.

Meanwhile, Salis cobbled together a short nonsense rhyme and was singing it under his breath.

"Eat, drink, get drunk and be merry,
Don't worry be happy, just drink, don't feel sorry…"

Don't feel sorry, my foot, thought Jeran as he staggered down a corridor two hours later. He was really going to be sorry tomorrow… or was that today? Was it already past midnight? His addled mind could barely register the self-addressed questions.

He drew onto the Force to steady himself but even that did not help much as he lurched from one side of the corridor to the other.

He slumped against the wall and looked around blearily. This wasn't the way to his quarters…was it? Who cares? Just go along and see where you end up. There's a turbolift at the end of this corridor. He tottered forward, keeping one hand on the wall to prevent himself from falling.

How much did you actually drink?

I don't know, he answered himself. It could have been a bottle or two…or three…or more…

The next thought was, Ha, ha, I'm actually talking to myself. I must be mental. Voices in my head.

You're drunk, said the second voice in his head.

He could not reply to that statement because at that moment the wall seemed to have vanished from under his hand. He lurched sideways and for a moment he felt like he was flying and then he was falling, falling, falling…

That was Chapter 7. As always, ladies and gentlemen please review. A review(a nice one of course) would make a lovely Cristmas present. If the chapter sucks review and tell me too.(My punishment for be naughty this year.) I don't know how it's like being drunk. I'm underage.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you!
Xrai

P.S Maybe there will be one more chapter after this one. I've still got tomorrow.