I May Be Old...

a/n: My first DC entry. I was hoping it would turn out better, but my schutta of a muse ran off at the last moment. >.> Enjoy, in any case.

Canderous Ordo sat at the bar, already on his second glass of the imported Telosian Ale. The barman looked very pleased, obviously expecting a large sum of money to come that evening. It was almost empty, save for an already-drunk couple and two groups of hungry teenagers. The day had been stormy, and no one seemed to feel the need to leave their homes. The large man who had once been a Mandalorian was waiting for Revan to finish her business with the Republic Embassy here on Manaan. He was bored, and the ship had gotten too small between all the cat-Jedi, annoying teenagers, animal hair, and that Republican pilot, Onasi.

'So, what's your name?' the bartender asked, interrupting his thoughts of nothing.

'None of your business,' Canderous snarled.

'Oh, not friendly? Alright, another Ale, then?'

Canderous grunted approval of the man's perception, and saw a figure come in from the storm and walk towards him. It was Jolee, the old guy they'd picked up on Kashyyyk. He had gone with Revan earlier to help her with negotiations to get them onto the sea floor of Manaan, where they suspected that the Star Map, or whatever it was, would be. Jolee sat beside him.

'I'll have whatever this young man is having,' he said, taking off his wet cloak and putting it on the seat beside him.

'Young man?' Canderous snorted, 'Look, I'm a good fighter, but that doesn't mean I'm young.'

'Yeah? At least you aren't my age. Old bones aren't built for this.'

'True. Where's Revan?'

'Back at the ship. Poor girl really racked her brain to pull through with this negotiation. She may not be all that bright, but since what happened on Malak's ship...' He trailed off, both knowing what Malak had revealed to her. It annoyed her and disturbed her to no end, that much was obvious. To top it off, Onasi, scum that he was, wasn't cooperating with her all that much. 'Well, we finally reached some terms with the Embassy. They'll let us go down tomorrow.'

Canderous gave a snort into his drink. The barkeep noticed that the man could hold his drink down. The Telosian Ale wasn't acting up as it would with a scrawny teenager or a farmer. The old man seemed to only be staring into the drink after the first sip, as if it held the answers to the galaxy. Finally, he lifted it up and downed it in one gulp. He wiped his mouth, and sighed. Canderous nodded his approval. Jolee looked up at the surprised barman.

'When I was in young, I could get down two of those full bottles in less than two minutes, and still bite back a headache until the next morning. Of course, now I could very easily have you cleaning the rest of the night...' he trailed off, staring back at the empty glass.

'Old man,' Canderous said at length. 'Why were you on Kashyyyk for so long? Sure, the Wookiees are honorable warriors and everything, but who'd wanna hang around a bunch of fur-balls for so long?'

'Some men like their privacy,' he answered shortly. Obviously, he didn't want to talk about it. 'How about you? Why were you working with Davik?'

Canderous eyed him suspiciously. He'd only spoken to Revan about that, and she didn't seem like the type to tell someone. Then he remembered, rather belatedly, that Czerka was very much like the Exchange, and had links with them. Chances were, when Czerka took over Kashyyyk, he had heard about Davik's bodyguard and henchman. Especially since Calo Nord hated him so much but didn't lay a finger on him.

'Davik kept my privacy private,' he said, waving a hand at the bartender, refusing more Ale. He was beginning to feel a bit slow.

'I see. How about a sandwich?' Jolee suggested.

'I'm no herbivore, just so you know,' Canderous said.

'Well, how about a Sith Sandwich, then?' Canderous looked at Jolee. The man's face was straight, and he almost got the impression that he was serious. Almost. 'Alright, fine. No Sith Sandwiches, but they are tasty, just so you know. I know just what to get you.' He waved the bartender over. 'A Gizka-steak Sandwich, add extra onions. And I'll just get a medium-rare Cannok Legs' meat. I better not find any bones in my sandwich.'

'Old man?' Canderous said.

'Yeah?'

''Gizka-steak Sandwich'?'

'What? It's nutritious, and it's for crazy carnivores like you!'

'You calling me crazy, you insane old man?' Canderous roared, attracting the attention of the couple nearby.

'Sit down. Food's coming.'

Canderous settled back, laughing. 'You've got guts. People usually run and cry for mommy when I yell.'

'Let me tell you, boy, you haven't seen running until you see little kids when a large ship comes in on a small planet. When I stepped out of that ship, strapping young man that I was at the time, lightsabre hanging from my belt, they went off, screaming 'Mommy! Sith! Sith are invading the planet!'' He stood up, waving his arms around to emphasize his point. 'We were kind of surprised when we saw some of the militia for the planet come and search the ship. 'Course they couldn't hold a gun straight because they were so scared, but, they gave a good effort.' The bartender dropped steaming plates in front of them.

Canderous sniggered, lifting the hot sandwich from the plate and biting into it. Still chewing, he began sharing his own story. 'A few years ago, before I landed on Taris, me and my crew went to Corellia. Now, the smugglers there are good, but they're cowardly. I was pretty bold, and I needed supplies. We didn't have money, so I found a relatively new smuggler who had some cargo, pretended to want to make a deal with him, and the idiot met me in his hangar. I held up my gun, and he practically loaded his cargo on my ship for me! My blaster wasn't even charged! I don't think he noticed. Just goes to show you how stupid people can be when they see a weapon. If someone like you went up to him and held an un-charged blaster, he'd laugh and tell you to get some muscle, an anti-wrinkle cream, and try again twenty years later, in the next lifetime.'

Jolee looked at him, frowning. 'I'd like to think I'm a bit imposing,' he sniffed, 'With all that wisdom stuff you young people thing of.'

Canderous snorted. 'The kids these days, they don't even take me seriously, and I've still got muscle. No respect. None.'

Jolee nodded his agreement, and they continued swapping stories all throughout their meal and disapproving of 'youngsters these days'. A while after they were finished, some movement by the doorway, the people obviously trying to be subtle and secretive, attracted their attention. The bartender tensed, and slid slowly behind the counter. He could smell the fight coming. The cloaked persons sat in seats, conversing quietly, attempting to look normal. Instead, they stuck out like a red lightsabre in a sea of blue and green. Canderous and Jolee exchanged sad glances.

'It seems that not even the Sith have enough respect for us. Let's at least wait for them to finish trying to think,' Jolee said, turning back to the bar. Canderous nodded.

A few moments later, the Sith threw off their cloaks and ignited their lightsabres. 'Jedi!' they hissed, stepping forward, 'We shall destroy you!'

Jolee sighed and stood up slowly. Canderous followed and grabbed the slugthrower he had brought with him. 'Hey, old man,' he tossed him one of his regular hand-blasters. 'Can you use these, or are you too old to remember?'

'Look here, sonny, I may have been born before these things were invented, but that doesn't mean I can't donate some chaos with one!'

In a lower tone, Canderous said, 'They want to prove that there are Jedi here, with Revan. Don't let them report anything. At all.'

The firefight began, and most people hid beneath their tables. The two Sith went down in mere moments, obviously not past the level a Sith Master's Apprentices. 'It's a shame, too,' Jolee said, handing the blaster back to Canderous, 'if they'd lived long enough, I'd have said 'Ooo!'' Canderous gave him a questioning look. 'There was some swirling Force, there. Gets us old Jedi excited like that,' he explained. Canderous nodded.

'Safe, people. And, if the Selkath begin asking questions,' the Mandalorian paused to shoot out one of the dim lamps to accentuate his point, 'you passed out from drinking so much.'

Jolee picked up his cloak, dropped money on the counter, and exited. Canderous followed, his blaster out, looking like a frighteningly large bodyguard to an old, snooty aristocrat.