Obi Wan's POV

He looked around the space in front of them horrified. In front of them were Zentrati ship. Several of which had friends of his on them. To think someone would do something so horrible to them. Sure the human race had gone to war with them on at least three occasions. Still the two races had banded together when the invids attacked.

It was thanks to both sets of technology and experimetations that the Shadow beasts were created. Only a select few pilots in the galaxy could hold them. There were more jedi children than potential pilots.

His inner beast howled at the sight of the fallen. So many of their comrades gone in the blink of an eye. He could feel the shock radiating off the Jedi behind him. Likely the first time he had seen such destruction.

Night said over the comms," No sign of life, commander. Your orders?"

He said looking around," Do a sweep to be sure. I don't want to leave anyone behind if there are survivors."

It was left unsaid that there weren't going to be any. They all knew the price they paid at being shadow pilots. They would never live normal lives. The strains of war would never leave them.

One pilot from F-3 squadron asked," How could this happen, sir? Don't they have the same technology as us?"

Obi Wan said with a sigh," You must be new. It's not about technology. Well not exactly. Each ship in both squadrons are equipped with what is called a shadow drive. This is what allows us to summon out beasts out from our bodies and into space. None of the Zentrati have that technology because none of them have a beast inside them."

He could feel Xanatos stiffen in shock behind him. It was the sad truth. Without the Shadow Beast Drive their allies and friends didn't stand a chance.

After a few moments one of the pilots said," There's nothing here, commander. Just the fallen."

Obi Wan said his shoulders slumping," Give the retreat signal. Meet back at the STFW."

A resounding," Yes, Commander," was his answer.

The signal resounded through his ship. One by one his men left heading to their command. Once the last of his men was gone he took one last look around. Sadness filled him. So many lives lost. So many that could have been saved if he had been there.

A gentle hand touched his shoulder causing him to start. Looking behind him he saw Xanatos. The dark blue eyes met his lighter blue. It was thanks to those kind blue eyes he remembered where he was.

With a nod he had his ship enter hyperspace. Leaning back against the seat he closed his eyes. Seeing the destroyed ships would no doubt cause him to have many restless nights. Memories of the war.

It felt like he had just closed his eyes when they jolted out of hyperspace. Instinct had him checking the panels and instruments before he was fully aware. To his relief he had only slept through the jump. There was no issues and they had not been pulled from hyperspace.

After giving the order to begin landing procedures he watched as they got to work. No doubt most of the STFW crew was awaiting their return. No crew member pilot or otherwise slept well knowing a squad was out. Out of their ability to aid. That is what bothered them the most when the whole group split. If one group got into trouble the others couldn't provide aid.

He was the last to land his veritech. Xanatos stiffly left the copilots seat after him. Around him other pilots were exiting their own ships. Dead eyes looked around. They were just like him. Haunted by the loss of their friends. Veterans of the war.

Fox was already out of the STFW his hopeful gaze landed on Obi Wan. When it did all he could do was shake his head. The universal sign of no survivors. The hopeful look in turn died.

Finally the older teen said with a sigh," Get some rest. What's done is done. There is nothing we can do about the dead. Only plan to save the living."

Nods came from all around. They were used to this. That didn't make it any easier though.

"How long until repairs are finished' Fox?" He asked making his way over.

The older boy ran his finger through his hair as he replied," Two weeks minimum. We also need some new maitence crew, and pilots. Anyone in the temple have potential?"

Shaking his head he replied," Those that do are too young. Or they have potential to be padawans."

Fox frowned but accepted it. They both knew that he wouldn't recruit out of the proper age group. That was too young for doing what had to be done. Too many lost their childhoods to war because of the decisions made by those meant to protect them. He would not make the same mistake.

Xanatos said calmly," Maybe the council would allow some of our mechanics to look at it. I'm sure you could use all the help you can get."

Obi Wan's first instinct was to refuse the knight. Things were never as simple as one made it out to be. If he asked the council for a favor. They would demand something in return. As he was now he had nothing left to give.

As if reading his thoughts the knight said," Not everything given comes at a price. I'll ask them for you."

Obi Wan wasn't convinced. Everything came with a price. That was the way things were. A lesson he learned long ago. Still he allowed the man clap him on the shoulder. With that he was gone.

Obi Wan made his way into the STFW following familiar path to his old quarters. Surprisingly it was in one of the less damaged parts of the ship. When he opened the door he realized nothing had changed.

His room was grey in color and a few pictures hung off the wall. One had the original K-9 squadron on it. It had been taken right before they deployed. He looked so young and naive. There weren't any bars on his flight jacket so it was before he earned rank.

His heart fluttered at the sight of Jack his wingman. The boy had been two years older than him. Six months into their deployment he had been shot down. He had never really gotten over the loss. He lay on his bunk and closed his eyes. Hoping against hope that he would have a restful moment.

Xanatos' POV

He stood in the council room the masters watching him carefully. He had just finished explaining what was needed. If he could get the requested personnel maybe Obi Wan would trust him a little more.

Master Yoda said," Trust these pilots you do. Trust you padwan you have."

"Yes Master Yoda. I trust Obi Wan but getting him to trust me has proven to be a challenge," he replied.

So far he could only force the boy to accept his presence. He hated doing that but it was the only way so far. Now he was trying to earn his way closer to the boy.

Windu asked," What can you tell us about the status of their ship? Why did two squadrons leave then return?"

Damn nothing got past these masters. He hoped their leaving had gone unnoticed. Oh well.

He said stiffly," The STFW was heavily damaged when it arrived. Many of the crew was badly injured and won't be up for at least a few weeks. The reason why two squads left was that a distress call went out. They were the closest ship to send help. We arrived too late. His allies that sent the distress signal were all killed."

He had to keep his face impassive as he said it. The devastation in his padwan's face still clear in his mind eye. Obi Wan had wanted to arrive in time to save them. No doubt the boy blamed himself.

Yoda said interrupting his thoughts," Worried about your padwan, you are."

Xanatos sighed his shoulders sagging as he replied," I am masters. I am not sure I'm the right person for Obi Wan. He has a lot especially today. I can see it in his eyes."

He went silent unable to voice his fears. It was only the second day and he was beginning to understand the enormous task he had been given. Obi Wan was far from just another padawan learner. The boy was more of a war veteran. The haunted look in his eyes spoke volumes. He also had difficulty accessing the force. It was just one thing after another.

Part of him knew that it would be better for a more experienced master to train him. Xanatos was out of his league with this. Another part of him knew Obi Wan would never give anyone else a chance. He was the boy's last hope at becoming a padwan.

Windu said," Knight Xanatos. That boy chose you. He has gone through Knights and Masters alike. Not one could temper his pain. Not one could even get inside that ship of his. Yet twice he has taken you in it. If you want the council's advice. I would say give it time."

Several of the other council members nodded their assent. That gave him the courage he needed. They were right. Obi Wan for all of his stubbornness allowed him to help. If only a small bit.

Still when he looked out the window and seeing the damaged ship it worried him. That could be Obi Wan in their infirmary. If the boy hadn't returned to the temple. Or he could have been part of the group that had been killed. He didn't understand what the boy meant about the shadow drives. Still he knew whatever it was it saved lives.

One if the masters said calmly," We will supply the extra personnel they need to rebuild their ship. We will not be allowing them to take potential pilots from the temple."

Xanatos nodded his acceptance. This was something they had expected. Part of him had no doubt they would be searching for pilots in the city. It was just how they did things.

Something pressed against his mental shields. It vaguely reminded him of when he was a padawan to Qui Gon. His eyes widened in surprise as he felt it a second time. Gently he pressed back. He could feel confusion and intruige on the other side of the bond. Underneath that was pain and fear.

It took a moment but he recognised the person it was coming from. Obi Wan Kenobi. The boy who he was trying to teach.

His surprise must have shown on his face because Yoda asked," Felt something you did?"

Xanatos said confused," I felt a press on my mental shields. Not once but twice. It reminds me of when I was a padawan."

Windu said sounding somewhat surprised himself," A master-padwan bond."

That wasn't possible. The bond took weeks if not months to form. Still he couldn't argue against the evidence in front of him. So they formed a bond already. That meant he had a bigger chance of the boy accepting him now more than ever.