Chapter 43: Florrum

Quinlan Vos was halfway to Mandalore when the Jedi Council contacted him in a panic and diverted him to the nearby Sertar sector, a fact that he was none too pleased by. He had been eager to see the woman that had captured Kenobi's heart as a Jedi, and somehow still managed to hold it as a Sith, but the Council was intent on spoiling all his fun. Forever. He sighed heavily as he dropped the small ship out of hyperspace, punched in new coordinates into the navicomputor, and made the jump to another hyperlane. Next to him, little Ahsoka was nearly bouncing out of her seat in her unconstrained excitement.

"Don't get too excited there, Padawan," the Kiffar drawled, leaning back in his seat and unceremoniously throwing his feet up on to the ship's controls, ignoring the panels as they began to flash with lights that had not been on before. It couldn't have been that important, and he was certain that if there was a problem, the ship would correct it.

"Do you think it's true?!" she said, nearly shouting, and her Master winced, rubbing at his ear.

"This ship is small enough as it is, you don't need to yell. I can hear you, you're right there."

The Togruta smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Master."

"What?"

"Sorry, Master!" she shouted again, grinning when the Kiffar winced, and then smiled brightly.

"No, it isn't true. There's nothing in the Sertar sector but the Florrum system, and there's nothing on Florrum but pirates. And the pirate that rules there..." he groaned, pinching the gold band tattoo on his face, "is Hondo Ohnaka."

"Bad news?"

"Irritating news," Vos sighed, looking at his student. "This is the sort of thing he'd pull just to get us to go out there so he could rope us into something else completely."

"So, he hasn't captured Dooku?" Ahsoka asked, her face falling when the Master shook his head. "Ah, I wanted to be the one to bring the Count back to Coruscant!"

"You may still, since he's finally gotten off his palatial ass and taken to the war. I don't even know why the Council is bothering to send us, there's no way a pirate could capture a Sith Lord when the Jedi haven't managed it."

"...but if it is true..."

"Then you, my dear Padawan, are going back to Coruscant for reenforcements."

Ahsoka groaned her displeasure. "Master, you are always sending me away from the action!"

"Hey, the Council said we're just supposed to check and see if it's true!"

"Since when have you ever listened to the Council! And you're on it now! You can do basically whatever you want!"

"Oh, if only that were true," Vos bemoaned, yawning as the ship came out of hyperspace, the planet materializing before the ship as the stars cam back into view. "The only thing that's changed since I've been put on the Council is now I have to attend meetings." He scowled. "I hate meetings."

Ahsoka turned to him and grinned deviously. "Why don't we sneak on to Master Qui-Gon's ship? They're always running around the galaxy and defeating Separatists! Everyone's always talking about them!"

"Yeah, maybe we will," Vos drawled, bringing the ship own to the rocky, sandy terrain of Florrum on the hills above the compound he knew to be the headquarters of Ohnaka's pirate gang. He'd never had personal dealings with the Weequay, but it was difficult to be in his line of work without hearing about the legendary con artist Hondo, a man that always seemed to get what he wanted. Quinlan scoffed at the thought. It almost made the pirate out to be in the same caliber as the Negotiator. Leaving the engine running, Quinlan rose from his seat and handed his lightsaber to the Padawan.

"I really think you should keep this," Ahsoka said grimly, holding it out to her Master, but Vos closed her fingers around the hilt.

"They said no weapons. They'd just take it from me anyway, and then I'd never get it back. I've already lost it once."

"It just feels like a trap."

"Yes, but what good is a trap if you know you're walking into it?"

She crossed her arms. "I'd say it takes a really, really big idiot to willingly walk into a trap."

"Yes, but only if they don't have a plan," he purred, winking at her.

"Oh really," Ahsoka drawled, deadpan. "What's your plan. Master?"

"I'll let you know when I think of it." He pointed at the comlink on his wrist. "Take the ship into orbit and keep an eye on the channel. I'll contact you if I need help."

"I should really go with you, Master."

"Then who's going to watch for Separatists!" Quinlan laid a large hand on the Togruta's thin shoulder. "There's no way that Hondo didn't contact the Confederacy as well. I need to know when they show up." Ahsoka sighed, nodding at the Kiffar, and with a quick grin and a wink in her direction, Quinlan left the small ship, leaping off the landing ramp and beginning his trek over the hills to the pirate's compound.

He climbed to the top of one hill, looking down on the compound, and Quinlan dropped to the ground, belly pressed against the sandy stone, and slowly inched his way to gaze down the ravine between the hill he was on and another. Down below, hidden from the view of the pirate compound, was a sleek black and red ship, and in the sand beside it sat a dark figure, his robes whipping in the wind as it blew through the ravine. He couldn't see him clearly, but Quinlan could sense him. Obi-Wan. He reached to tap the comlink on his wrist to inform Ahsoka, but stopped, hand frozen in the air over the device. With a deep breath, Quinlan Vos stood and worked his way down the hill towards the Sith Lord.

He slowed his steps, quieting his presence in the Force as he crept closer to Kenobi, the Sith's legs crossed, his eyes closed, his presence in the Force...turbulent. That was different from before. Now, he could sense him, feel him, reach out and touch the anger and confusion that coursed through his former friend. Ahsoka had been right. His friend was...conflicted. Alone. Sympathy coursed through him, a deep understanding of exactly what his friend had been through, and he stepped closer, stopping when he felt the Sith tense, his defenses raising suddenly, and his presence disappearing into the swells of the Force.

"Not another step closer, Jedi," Kenobi whispered, his voice tense and strained, his eyes closed, and Quinlan respectfully stood still. Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan rose, his golden eyes opening and observing the Jedi cautiously, and then he smiled. "I'm glad it was you they sent, Quinlan Vos."

"This your trap, Obi-Wan?" the Kiffar asked. "Did you trick a bunch of pirates into contacting the Republic just so we could meet on a remote, desert planet?" He smirked. "You could have done better than Florrum, I hear Spira's beautiful. Perfect for a romantic getaway."

Kenobi smiled softly, and Quinlan felt the defenses around the Sith slowly relax, and in the Sith, he found...relief. "I heard it's a tourist trap. Over four thousand hotels on a single planet is a bit excessive, and...well, there aren't many pirates running around in the Core."

Vos shrugged. "I don't mind the crowds."

"I do. In any case, this isn't my trap. I suspect I'm here for the same reason you are."

"Dooku?" The Sith nodded, and Quinlan groaned. "I suppose that confirms things for me. If you're here, Dooku must be as well."

"Yes," Kenobi whispered, closing his eyes and drawing deep of the Force. "I feel him here. Can't you?" Quinlan shook his head, and the Sith Lord smiled. "You Jedi never have been able to sense the Dark Side. Why should you now?"

"I can sense it in you." As soon as he said it, the Sith's defenses rose, stronger than before, but the anger raging around his friend was still visible as a rippling disturbance in the Force. Something had changed in his friend since Christophsis. Something within him was stronger, darker, and the Kiffar watched closely as the Sith Lord seemed to struggle with control. This was good. Or very, very bad. He stepped closer to Kenobi. Quinlan Vos wasn't afraid of the Dark Side. "You alright?"

For a moment, those yellow eyes narrowed in rage, a deep growl in his throat, but Kenobi quickly relaxed, bit his lip and looked away. "...I need help."

Quinlan didn't think twice before he asked, "What can I do?"

Golden eyes regarded the Kiffar with suspicion, caution, than interest, and Vos could feel the Sith Lord reaching out with the Dark Side to touch his mind, sense his intentions, and he found himself allowing it. Kenobi nodded as he sat again, legs crossed before him, and Quinlan dropped to the ground to sit across from him. "May I explain the trouble?"

"I wouldn't have offered help if I weren't willing to give it."

"The Dark Side," he began, carefully measuring his words, "has me in its grasp."

Quinlan scoffed. "Uh, yeah, that's what being Sith is."

"No, it isn't. Sith is being in control of the Dark Side, but I've...lost control. Not completely, but I've recently become more powerful, and I've been drawing more of the Dark Side within me."

"Can you turn away?"

Kenobi smiled. "That's not going to happen, Quinlan. You'd understand if you knew what I've been through to get here."

"I do understand," the Kiffar whispered, groaning softly when he felt the Sith's presence grasp at his mental shielding. "Qui-Gon gave me your lightsaber, I...saw everything. All that had happened, all you endured, everything that led you to this." He took the Sith's hand in his own, determination on his face when he felt Kenobi's walls slip further. "I understand. I have my own troubles with the Jedi, you know that."

Obi-Wan nodded. "I feel the Dark Side in you, Quin. Do the Masters not?"

"They've never been able to feel it, have they?"

"No, they haven't." The Sith Lord took a deep breath, feeling the Force, the powerful bond between him and the Jedi before him that seemed strengthened, despite their time apart, despite existing on opposing sides. He could feel the Jedi's consciousness slowly enter his own, and he allowed it, the Jedi's resolve strengthening his own and centering himself in the Force, the Dark Side within him hissing and thrashing and Obi-Wan slowly tamed it and brought it to heel. By the time he opened his eyes, Obi-Wan could feel the Dark Side, wild and feral and surrounding him, like he was submerged in the waters of the Force. But where before it ruled him, overtook him as if it were nothing, now, he was in control again, a Sith Lord once again. His emotions were in turmoil, yes, and it was difficult to distinguish where his own will ended and the will of the Dark Side began but for the moment, he had focus and clarity. The rest, he would sort through with his Master.

When he opened his eyes, Kenobi was met with the mischievous smirk of Quinlan. "Is this what you've been doing here? Meditating?" Kenobi nodded. "How very Jedi of you."

"The Jedi have their uses," was the soft purr, a sly smirk crossing the Sith's face. "Our philosophies on control, at least, are similar. And I wasn't just meditating. I was considering leaving Dooku here."

Quinlan almost choked. "You would leave him? Why?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "It would be very funny." Quinlan snorted, and the Sith Lord grinned, pointing to the Kiffar's empty belt. "No lightsaber?"

"They requested we come without weapons."

"And you listened?" Obi-Wan asked, rolling his eyes. "Quin, they are pirates. You really expect them to follow the rules?"

"Uh, Jedi," he drawled, pointing to himself, but the Sith just laughed.

"Since when have you ever followed the rules, hmm? You drink to excess, you gamble, I've seen you take girls against walls in alleyways!" Kenobi grinned, his yellow eyes glowing with delight. "And look at you now. Giving aid to a Lord of the Sith."

Quinlan shrugged. "You're my friend, Obi. Even if you're an idiot." The Kiffar's face suddenly grew serious, his eyes distant, and he drew closer to the Sith, his voice a low whisper. "And...I understand. I've...felt the call of the Dark Side as of late. My Master...Tholme is dead, and I-" Vos froze when he felt Obi-Wan's presence in his mind, his Force presence warm and comforting and deep with understanding, despite it being of the Dark Side. It was passionate, angry, emotional, and Quinlan could feel his own ire rising, sharing in the charged bond between them.

He couldn't do this with the Jedi. He could grieve, yes, but his rage at his death, the lust for revenge, his anger at the Jedi for failing to save the elderly Master...these things could never be expressed. They had to be put away, released to the Force, his deep emotions ultimately meaning nothing, and Quinlan couldn't cope with that. He felt deeply, expressed it freely, and with Obi-Wan, he'd never had to conceal himself. It was dangerous, yes, but Vos had always lived dangerously. That was part of the fun.

"I understand," was all the Sith Lord said.

"I know you do. Better than most." The Kiffar grinned slyly. "We always did work so well together..."

The Sith scoffed, his golden eyes lighting up with laughter. "I'd expect no less from you, my dear lover."

"Mm, you better stop talking like that to me, or you're going to have more pressing concerns than Dooku..."

"Thank the Force for that, this mission is only good for a laugh anyway." Kenobi shrugged. "We are, of course, in opposition on this matter, and without a lightsaber, I fear you may be at a disadvantage."

"Well, I have you, dearest, so I do have a lightsaber." Kenobi's eyebrow arched as Quinlan drew closer to him, the Kiffar's mouth spread in a sly grin. "So, what's the plan, oh mighty Lord of the Sith?"

"...well, I was just going to go in and kill them all." The Kiffar frowned, and Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest. "But I reconsidered just before you arrived. The thought wasn't my own, and the Dark Side doesn't manipulate me."

"Oh, thank the Force for that!" Quinlan drawled sarcastically. "I thought I'd have to deal with someone that was completely out of control. You know, the sort that would just up and murder four Jedi."

The golden eyes flashed dangerously as a delighted smile came across the Sith Lord's face, but he quickly bit down on his lip and shook his head, feeling the Dark Side reel within him and fill him with bloodlust. His Master had once told him that the Sith were no longer the butchers of the past, but the architects of the future, a lesson that Sidious had learned from his own Master, Plagueis, and it was something he held close to him. It was one of the reasons he had chosen Dooku, strong of countenance and control, and why he had chosen Kenobi as well. Death was a part of the Dark Side, yes, but Obi-Wan was taught better. He deserved better. He needed his Master still, even if the desire to take the mantle of Lord of the Sith for himself was growing by the day. He still had much to learn before he could rule the galaxy under Sith domination.

"Come now, Quin, I only murdered three of them." The Sith Lord smiled as he felt the Jedi tense, the tanned hands curling into fists at his side, his teeth grinding together, and satisfaction ran through the Sith Lord when he felt the unchecked anger of Quinlan Vos reach for darkness. This was what he wanted. This was what he loved. This was what filled him with satisfaction and pleasure and delight and allowed him to keep the vicious Dark Side in check. "The Master...what was his name, I never got it."

"Daakman Barrek," the Kiffar growled deeply, his hand reaching for his belt, snarling when he felt for his lightsaber to find nothing, and the Sith Lord laughed softly.

"He put up a fight. Truly, I admire his bravery. He died well, that should please you."

"It doesn't!" the Kiffar snarled, and Kenobi reached out and tugged on the Jedi's mind, and Quinlan stumbled, kneeling on the ground and gripping handfuls of sand in clenched fists.

"Careful now, Quin..." Kenobi softly cautioned. "That's the Dark Side in you. You can feel it, I know you can. You walk a dangerous line, my friend, you stand on the precipice of falling..." He drew closer to the kneeling man, the Kiffar's breath ragged and uncontrolled, his eyes wide and wild. "Just a little push, Quinlan, come now...you can feel the power around you, just reach out and take it. Fall with me, Quin..."

Gritting his teeth and shaking under the effort, the Kiffar managed a strained laugh, his dark eyes meeting Sith gold. "We have...so many problems in our relationship..."

"Yes, I suppose we do," Kenobi purred, hooking his thumbs around his belt and watching as the Jedi struggled to control the temptation to grasp at the darkness in his anger. Obi-Wan could see that it wasn't the first time the Jedi Master had struggled like this.

"Things were so much better when we lived together, sweetheart..."

Kenobi smiled. "You were lacking in the bedroom, my sweet. I had to move on."

"Insatiable Sith bastard."

"Aloof Jedi scum."

"Force, you turn me on," Quinlan groaned, rising to his feet on shaking legs and smirking, his emotions once again under control, but Kenobi could feel the soft flow of the Dark Side within his friend. "So, are we at an impasse? The Republic can't get here fast enough to take Dooku into custody, and I doubt there's much I can do to convince you to let me have him."

"That isn't an impasse, Quin, that's the situation one hundred percent in my control. But...I don't know..." he drawled. "I believe I could be convinced." The Sith Lord smirked when he felt that he caught the Kiffar's full attention, even though the Jedi's face showed nothing beyond that passive smile.

"I think," Quinlan drawled, "that we may benefit from working together on this." The Sith Lord laughed at that.

"You, Master Vos? Working together with someone? I know how you prefer to work alone."

"You changed my idea on the matter," he said indifferently. "It's hard to go back to working alone after being so close to you for so long. Even if my other partners have been terrible substitutes for you."

"Can't get enough of the Dark Side, can you?"

"I suppose I can't." The Kiffar took a deep breath, standing closer to the Sith Lord, and Obi-Wan had to look up at his towering height, the Jedi's eyes sympathetic. "I've...missed you, Obi-Wan. Even if you're Sith, I..." He swallowed hard, emotions running through him, and Kenobi had to step back. It was overwhelming, especially out of a Jedi. "I'm just glad you're alive."

"...alright," Kenobi said, folding his hands behind his back. "We'll work together. What did you have in mind? I was just going to force them to hand Dooku over to me, but..."

"But that's sort of bad, isn't it?"

"It would be against your Jedi teachings, yes."

"...but that would make it so much easier, wouldn't it?" Kenobi nodded. "The problem is Hondo," the Jedi drawled, tapping his forehead. "He's highly intelligent, and he's not going to be fooled by Force suggestion."

Kenobi rolled his eyes. "Not by your Force suggestion. I don't give them an option."

"Is that how you get all your women, Obi?"

Kenobi smiled. "Only the ones that say no." For a moment, Quinlan looked like he would agree with the idea, the temptation of seeing Dooku in Republic custody driving the Kiffar to consider things he previously wouldn't have. But the Jedi shook his head, laughing nervously as he did so.

"No, we can't do that. We'll just have to do things my way."

"Let me guess..." Kenobi drawled, arms crossed in front of him and a bored expression on his handsome face. "You're going to talk to the pirates."

"I can be very convincing."

"Really. They don't call you the Negotiator."

"They don't call me Sith Lord either."

Obi-Wan sighed, a pained expression on his face, but his golden eyes were amused. "Fine, Quinlan. We'll do things your way."

"Since it's my plan," the Jedi drawled, leaning in toward the Sith, "I get to keep the Count."

Kenobi's nose wrinkled. "Didn't know you were in to older men, Vos."

The Kiffar shrugged. "Tastes change. Yours certainly have."

"Not so much as you may think. I've always craved power." Kenobi shrugged. "But, if you somehow manage to get Dooku off this planet with your plan, than I'll step out of your way. A Lord of the Sith deserves to be captured if he can't get away under those conditions."

Grinning, Quinlan backed away from the Sith Lord and activated his comlink. When he heard the device pick up, he quickly commanded, "Ahsoka, I have reason to believe that Dooku is here. Return to Coruscant and alert the Council that we are in need of assistance. We're going to pay the pirate's ransom and get out of here." The Kiffar grinned when the delight dropped off the Sith Lord's face, sighing and rolling his eyes when the Padawan on the com cheered loudly.

"Can't I just send a message?"

"I wouldn't, the message won't get through. Go get them personally, tell them I have Kenobi here."

This time, the Padawan could be heard coughing loudly. "He's there?!" she shouted in disbelief. "How do you know?!"

"I'm with him. Say hello, Obi-Wan." Vos held out his wrist to the frustrated Sith Lord, his face displeased, and he leaned over the com.

"Hello, Padawan Tano," Kenobi drawled, his clipped accent lazy and affected with a tone that conveyed infinite boredom and great suffering.

"...Master, are you making bad friends again? We've talked about this."

"Yeah, well, this is an old friend, so it doesn't count. Though, by the end of the day, I'll be very surprised if I haven't found myself falling in with the pirates here. You better hurry." With a groan from the Padawan, the com cut, leaving Quinlan to look at a very inconvenienced Sith Lord.

"This really does complicate things," Kenobi drawled. "Do you really think the Jedi have the ability to send you the backup you need in time?"

"They absolutely won't," the Kiffar sighed. "Just knowing you're involved will have them talking in circles again, they'll be at it for hours."

"Quinlan Vos, it almost seems like you've done this on purpose," the Sith said, smirking when he saw mischief and cunning in those brown eyes.

"It's been a while since we've been on a mission together," he said, walking beside Obi-Wan as he slowly made his way up the hill toward the pirate's complex, pulling his black hood over his head to shield himself from the blazing sun. Even in the light shadows, Quinlan could see those gold eyes glow.

"It could very well be the first time a Jedi and a Sith have ever done anything together," Kenobi said softly, a faint smile on his lips. "But...you're not really a Jedi, are you?"

"Of course I am."

"You don't follow the Code, you stand in the shadows of the Force rather than the light. I feel the Dark Side within you, Quinlan. It's alive, and it's growing. It doesn't rule you, but that's a good thing. Mastery of the Dark Side is the first step to using its power to its full potential."

"And you have mastered it?" the Kiffar scoffed, the Sith slowly shaking his head and falling silent. They reached the top of the hill and looked down at the pirate's compound, and with a heavy sigh, Kenobi began the long trek down. Vos didn't move. "Why did you kill those Jedi?"

The Sith Lord stopped, and without turning around, he said, "I wanted to. I needed to. The Dark Side demanded it of me."

"Was it worth it?" he growled. "Was it worth murdering those Jedi for the power you gained from it? That power left you out of control, it took a Jedi to help you!"

Kenobi was quiet for a moment before he turned around and took a deep breath, looking up at the bright sun for a moment before he caught the furious gaze of the Jedi. "I have learned something valuable about myself and the Dark Side, so yes, it was worth it."

"You were never a murderer before, Obi-Wan, look what the Dark Side has done to you!"

"Do you expect me to show remorse, Quin?" Kenobi asked, drawing closer to the Jedi. "Do you expect me to reject the consequences of my actions? I don't regret what I have done, because ultimately, it was the Force that guided my hand on Vassek. I have yet to fully understand what it is the Force needs me to do, why it needed me to do it, but it was a compulsion that wasn't my own."

"You're making excuses!"

"It isn't an excuse. I'm an instrument of the Force, Quinlan. I have no right to deny it anymore than you do."

"You think the Force would aid in murder? The Force wouldn't disturb itself in that manner!"

Kenobi smiled sympathetically at his friend, reaching out to him with his feelings and finding the Kiffar seeped in anger. This wasn't about Vassek. This was about his Master. "Your vision is clouded, my friend," he whispered. "It's hazy and unclear. Where you see disturbance, I see focus. My visions are vivid and frequent. The Force shows me the way on its own accord, and you can have that clarity too. You just need to reach out and take it."

"The Dark Side leaves things unclear," the Jedi insisted, but the Sith Lord merely smiled sadly.

"Once, perhaps. But not anymore. The tides of the Force have changed. You must accept this, or perish. That isn't my will, or the will of my Master, it's the will of the Force. Fighting it is as pointless as fighting the passage of time. In the end, we all must surrender to it." Kenobi unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and held it out to the Kiffar, the Jedi recoiling, feeling the Dark Side surround the weapon. "You want the truth of things, Quinlan? Take it. Use those powers of yours and see what happened to me, and you'll understand. You'll find it clouded, but if you reach to it with the Dark Side, everything will be clear..."

Quinlan stared at the weapon for a long while, the Sith carefully watching the struggle on the Jedi's face as he shifted between desire and conflict and revulsion and uncertainty. The thirst for knowledge was a powerful motivator, and for a moment, it looked as if the Kiffar would reach out and take the weapon. His hand mere inches from the lightsaber, he stopped and withdrew his hand. "N-no, I won't...I can't, I..."

"Don't explain, I understand," Obi-Wan said, concealing his weapon into the fold of his robes. "I was afraid in the beginning too."

"...I know..."

Obi-Wan smiled, taking in a deep breath. "Well! No more business, I think. We have several hours before your Jedi arrive, if they choose to arrive at all. You must feel right at home around all these pirates and outlaws, so, I think we're in for a very fun time."

Quinlan chuckled, his shoulders relaxing when he felt the Sith Lord ease, the serious tone dropped in favor of something much lighter, more playful, so...Obi-Wan. "Yeah, I think this could be the best time I've had since our mission to Dromund Kaas."

Kenobi whistled. "That long? At the time, it was horrifying, but in hindsight..." He grinned. "I remember that mission very fondly."

"Mm, I remember you not remembering a thing!" the Kiffar laughed. "You were so drunk you could barely stand! And the girls!"

"I'm given to understand it was rather hedonistic, yes." Kenobi smiled almost sheepishly, and Quinlan could feel their connection through the Force, still strong, and still very, very much alive. "I only remember because I had a look at the girls' memories, I wouldn't have known otherwise."

"I...suppose that's where you fell," the Kiffar whispered, eyes cast to the sandy stones at his feet. "I saw the memory from the Temples, you...that was the real end of you, wasn't it?"

"It was the first time I actually felt like a Sith, yes. I had to remind myself that I was a Jedi on the way to the second Temple. I wasn't, of course, I fell long before that." Quinlan said nothing. He hardly moved. "Quin. It wasn't your fault."

"It feels like it was."

He shook his head. "You had nothing to do with it. It was my Master, it was the Council, it was...my own ambitions, my own desires...I needed to be stronger, I wanted to be. I chose this." Kenobi smiled when the Jedi looked at him. "This was the will of the Force. I was always meant for darkness."

"Were you."

"I know I was." He punched the Kiffar's arm. "You should be pleased. I did lighten up a bit when I embraced the Dark Side. You were right about release, Quinlan, we all need it."

The Kiffar chuckled at that. "I have always said so, Obi-Wan. Too bad you swore off drinking after that, I feel like we could have a great time with the pirates."

Kenobi flashed him a sinister grin. "I may have changed my opinion on that matter." The Kiffar grinned brightly, that all too familiar mischief in those brown eyes.

"I think I could use a drink."

"Quinlan, my friend, I was just about to suggest the same thing."