Cretia awoke to the gentle hum of temple morning activity. Jedi younglings were chatting outside and as she opened her windows to let the stale air dissipate into the courtyard, the serenity and peacefulness of her surroundings made her smile. Today would be a good day, the Force swirled with contentment and energy, and Cretia pulled on her boots, determined that the events of the previous evening, with the long sorrowful tales of Obi-Wan's previous three years, were not going to stop a glorious day.

She had overheard a memorable name in the hangar bay when she had arrived yesterday, and if memory served her correctly, this person was nothing but good news for everyone. Cretia took the lift down to the hangars and walked purposefully over to the brightly lit offices that controlled all flights, ships and droids assigned to the Jedi and their travels.

Captain Sardana was at her desk, flicking through the datapads of the day, ready to assign the various crafts to the relevant missions and flight sequences when she looked up and saw Cretia.

"Oh, no way!" Captain Sardana beamed, standing up and reaching over the desk to grasp Cretia's arm. "I'd ask what you're even doing here, but that would sound ridiculous... So I'm going to say it anyway, what are you doing here!?"

Cretia smiled back and pulled Captain Sardana into an awkward, over the counter hug. "I heard you were appointed captain of the fleet while I was away and thought I'd come and extend my overdue, but just as happy congratulations!"

Captain Luella Sardana had joined the younglings at the temple alongside Obi-Wan and Cretia, but was never chosen for an apprenticeship with a Jedi Master. She had joined the pilots corps, trafficking Jedi across the galaxy and and had soon impressed her superiors with her eye for detail and consistency in her work. Fleet captains worked at the temple hangars organising the transports of the day, and ensured that everything ticked over smoothly for the overall Fleet Commander (which had always been a Jedi Master, who took honorific responsibility for this area) and reported to the Council.

"You need to tell me all about you, I bet you have the most amazing stories!" Cretia gushed, "You already know I've been stuck on a backwater planet for three years, you probably even organised my transport home."

"I did." Captain Sardana nodded, putting her datapads on the desk of another member of the fleet department, "I can give you an hour now, or you can take a gamble and wait until the forthcoming chaos of the day is over, which will be way later, morning are always blissfully quiet so you got to catch me while you can!"

"Now is good." Cretia linked arms with Captain Sardana, as they walked towards the main temple halls "Room of a thousand fountains?"

"Absolutely. I never get to go there enough. I feel a little... undeserving?" Captain Sardana admitted shyly. "Only a half Jedi, you know."

"Half-Jedi?!" Cretia laughed "Most ridiculous thing you have ever said. Come on, I don't want to waste your precious hour."

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood by the entrance to one of the teaching halls. He always found a reason to drop by some of Anakin's training classes. He remembered his own training classes and the warm comfort of feeling his master's presence nearby. It had always strengthened his resolve, focused his mind to whatever guidance and learning had been imparted that day. Obi-Wan tried his best to follow the example set by his own master. Patience, the comfort of presence and supervision from afar, and the knowledge that whatever the situation, something could be learned from it.

Anakin didn't quite see it that way, as his class ended and he stomped out of the hallway to where Obi-Wan was leaning against a pillar, supposedly unseen. "You're checking up on me again?" He challenged.

Obi-Wan was taken aback, he hadn't expected the question and had been lost in memories of his own training days. It was wrong to indulge in nostalgia, but difficult to push such thoughts away, watching his own padawan take lessons he had taken himself not so long ago. "I wasn't checking up on you, Anakin, I promise you that, I was just passing by..."

"I felt you there, for at least the last hour, that wasn't just passing by, you were watching me."

"Padawan," Obi-Wan sighed, he would never have stood up and questioned his master like this. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, I just wanted to see how you were getting along, and forgive me, but if a master cannot wallow in a little nostalgia for his own training days now and then..."

Anakin rolled his eyes, "you make it sound like you're as old as Master Yoda. Don't you have better things to do?"

Obi-Wan held his padawan's shoulders gently "Better things than 'checking up' on the most talented padawan in the room? Better things than being the proudest master? Not a chance."

He felt Anakin's anger at being watched dissolve with his words. The boy was still adapting to his new life, that was clear, and sometimes it felt so delicate, navigating the relationship between them.

Anakin pulled away and looked up at his master "I need to get to Master Nu and history of the force class. See you at home later?"

Obi-Wan nodded, astonished that for the first time in three years, Anakin had referred to their small, cramped living quarters in the temple as home. He watched Anakin walk briskly down the hallway, catching up with others from his class. They had been assigned a mission to oversee a transition in government in one of the core system planets in the next few days and he ought to be catching up on the details sent to him on his datapad. He folded his arms into the sleeves of his robe and turned to walk back to his quarters.

As he passed through the room of a thousand fountains, he saw a familiar brunette head sitting on one of the fountain walls, close to another, clothed in the steel grey robed uniform of the pilot corps.

Cretia felt Obi-Wan's approaching presence and her conversation with Captain Sardana paused as she turned to him, gesturing him to come over. "Good morning, Kenobi." Cretia stood up, "this is Luella, captain of the.."

"Captain of the fleet," Obi-Wan finished her sentence, "mistress of the most uncomfortable star ships and overseer of all that is shiny and metallic. I am aware. Also general know it all of best meditation techniques for class 2 younglings and master of the I-didn't-do-it innocence and light facial expression."

"I'm honoured you remember such skill and poise from so many years ago." Captain Sardana pulled a haughty face "and in my remit of overseer of all that is shiny and metallic, you will undoubtedly excuse me when I choose the most decrepit and uncomfortable transport for you this coming week as you journey to Ulabos."

Obi-Wan bowed his head "I defer to your greater judgement in such matters of galactic transportation. And if you will both excuse me, there is a datapad of information regarding this most illustrious trip that I really ought to have read by now."

Cretia followed Obi-Wan as he took his leave, "wait, Obi-Wan!"

Obi-Wan slowed and turned to face her. "I never had the chance to thank you for last night."

"No. You don't have to. It's been a long time since I had been in a position to talk to you, and it was a great relief to do so. I should be thanking you, if anything, for listening to my pathetic tales of woe and solitude." Obi-Wan smiled, "And I don't mean to distract you from your friend."

"She was your friend too once." "Yes. I suppose she was." Obi-Wan settled his gaze upon Captain Sardana, who was balancing a pebble above one of the fountain jets using the Force. "But we barely run into each other anymore. She has another life now. As do I."

Cretia poked him in the shoulder "there's something you're not telling me. I am determined to wriggle it out of you."

Obi-Wan chuckled, "there's nothing you need to know, I promise you. Will you be in the canteen later? You can quiz me then if you like, there's nothing to quiz me on, so you can do your worst."

Cretia laughed at him. "You may depend on that, I always get to the bottom of your stories eventually." She watched him walk away and turned back to her friend. "He's always so elusive, I really missed out on the years of news, huh?"

Captain Sardana gave a wry smile, "No news is bad news, then? Listen, I should be getting back. It's not fair to leave all the mini-me bods in charge, there's a big delegation coming in later that will require security escorts and all sorts of trouble. Drop by again when you're free?"

"Absolutely."

Captain Sardana settled back into her office, and pulled up the information for the forthcoming delegation arrival onto her screen. Security issues always riddled the larger ships with VIP personnel. She much preferred the smaller craft that were more easily disguised and had fewer places to stow illicit equipment. Transporting Jedi was easy, they never grumbled about what transport they we assigned, galactic busybodies and high ranking officials were another kettle of fish. The bigger the ship, the more important the person. Apparently.

"Captain"

Captain Sardana looked up. Obi-Wan Kenobi was standing in the doorway, looking more than a little bashful. "I owe you an apology."

"You do." Captain Sardana agreed. "But I didn't expect one, so let us brush such a matter under the carpet."

Obi-Wan frowned "You're not angry?" Captain Sardana laughed a little, covering her mouth with her hand, "What is it you live by? There is no anger, there is peace. Or perhaps, just that there is complete exhaustion. Being angry with you is exhausting, was exhausting. I have nothing left to give except my sincere thanks for a recommendation for this post, which I assume was down to you."

"Your fine skills alone, I guarantee."

"I don't believe you. The timings were too coincidental." Captain Sardana stood and moved to close the door behind Obi-Wan. "Listen, I know that you only came here because Cretia came back and you know as well as I do that she is eager for your news and you haven't been entirely forthcoming with all your news. I'm not in a position to tell anyone a word, I don't want to risk my position here, as I have told you in the past. I don't want anyone to walk away disappointed."

Obi-Wan took her hand from its place holding the door closed. "The last thing you could ever be is a catalyst for disappointment." He ran his thumb over her knuckles "and I am sorry we haven't spoken for a long time, but I thought you made it quite clear..."

"No attachment, no passion, live according to the path you have chosen." Captain Sardana snatched her hand back and punched the door code into the wall unit, letting it slide open, making Obi-Wan take a step back. "And I have reconciled myself to that. But you need to stop Cretia from digging all of this up. What will the Council think? And Anakin? You know he still comes here on almost a daily basis to fool around with droid parts and help the mechanics, don't you."

"What can it harm Cretia to know?"

Captain Sardana shook her head and allowed herself to look at Obi-Wan's face, already tired from the challenges of a difficult padawan, battles not yet fought and of a painful past. "I wish you knew her as well as I did. Moonlit conversations on the roof of the senators' living quarters?"

"She was always a good friend, a confidante."

"So you say." Cretia brushed past him and went to talk to a group of mechanics. This conversation was over, swept under the carpet as it had been for the past year.