Didi shot Qui-Gon a warning look that she did not catch.

"Just a friendly visit," Qui-Gon answered. "You're right, Astri. It's been too long since I visited your father."

"Have you seen the improvements?" Astri asked. "I painted everything myself. It was hard to persuade my father to spruce up the place."

"I don't want to scare the regular customers away," Didi said.

"If only we could," Astri groaned.

"I don't know what was wrong with my cooking," Didi went on. "Nobody ever complained."

"Sure," Astri said cheerfully. "They were too busy being sick. Meanwhile, I've decided we must spend money on new napkins, and cloths for the tables —"

"Who needs a cloth? It just gets dirty!"

Astri turned to Qui-Gon and spread her hands. "Do you see my problem? I want to make the place better, and all he does is complain. He welcomes back the dregs of the galaxy. He promised to give up buying and selling information, but he can't resist feeding them. How can I attract a better class of customer when the place is full of gangsters?"

"Everyone likes to eat with gangsters," Didi observed. "It adds spice to the food."

"I'll add the spice, thank you very much," Astri said crisply. "I've landed a big client, Father. This could be our big break. There's a medical conference coming to the Senate, and scientists are arriving from all over the galaxy. Guess who booked the cafй for a small dinner?"

"The Chancellor?" Didi guessed.

"Not yet," Astri said with a grin. "Jenna Zan Arbor!"

Obi-Wan had heard of Jenna Zan Arbor. Years ago, as a young scientist, she had achieved fame by inventing a vaccine for a world threatened by a deadly space virus. She focused her attention on helping planets with low levels of technology. Her last project was to triple the food supply on the famine-stricken planet of Melasaton.