Lux had seen pictures of General Skywalker before. The same amount of General Kenobi. And even more of them together.
But due to the fact that he had never met a Jedi before he met Ahsoka, they were different from what he had imagined.
For one, they did not look like men who would lead the clones who had killed his father. Skywalker's face was brazenly hard, handsome, slightly childish for the pure fact that he had an impish twinkle in his eyes. He was overly tall and muscles bulged even under his cloak. It was obvious he was a very strong man. He was almost like Ahsoka had described.
Kenobi, too, was like she had mentioned. He was smaller than Skywalker, though no less muscled. Under his beard, Lux was sure he was just as handsome as the other. His face was hard, like Anakin's, yet calmer.
His eyes were without a doubt sorrowful, yet unwavering with determination and overwhelming intelligence. It was obvious he was the brains of the team.
Lux had to stop himself from glancing up, because their stares scared him. And he had thought Ahsoka had fierce eyes.
The clone was speaking, saying something about the droids. Lux watched the Jedi behind him, their hands folded behind their backs peaceably. Lux saw the shine of lightsabers. Ahsoka's face, also, was unreadable.
The last time he had seen her, they had been friends, but now he did not see a friend. But a warrior. A capable Jedi and a woman who had seen war. He did not know what to say about that. Finally, Captain Rex was done speaking.
They all filed out of the room, ready to go. "Lux," Ahsoka said cordially. All traces of humanity were gone from her eyes. He nodded to her. Anakin walked up behind her, his dark blue eyes studying Lux intently.
Under his gaze, Lux suddenly wanted to turn into air. Obi-wan joined them, and Lux, instead of being air, wanted to be dirt. They could not glare at dirt, could they?
"Lux, I want you to meet my master, Anakin Skywalker," she gave him a significant look. "And his former master, Obi-wan Kenobi," She introduced. "So," Anakin said; his deep voice suspicious.
"This is the Separatist boy you met when Padme convinced you to illegally smuggle her behind enemy lines?" he demanded. Ahsoka smiled sheepishly. Lux blinked, she had what? Well, he should have guessed Ahsoka had not come to see him and his mother with permission.
"Yep," Ahsoka did not seem concerned. Anakin sighed, exasperated. "What in the blazes are you doing here?" Obi-wan asked curiously. His eyes were kinder than Anakin's. Lux shrugged, unable to speak. They were scaring him.
Ahsoka noticed his discomfort. She grinned. "You guys are scaring him with your death glares," she told them. Both men looked stricken. "What death glares?" they demanded in unison. Had Lux no seen two men before him, he would have assumed they were one voice.
"The death glares you give everyone new that you meet. This is why I can never take you anywhere," she said, as if they were a major problem in her life with their stares. Lux felt a smile pull at the corners of his lips.
"They are not death glares. You want a death glare, you oughta see how I look at Dooku," Anakin retorted. Lux was surprised he was engaging this conversation with Ahsoka. He had imagined it would be below the great Anakin Skywalker to banter with his apprentice.
It seemed to be below Obi-wan, he continued to study Lux was curious eyes. "We all look at Dooku that way, master. It's customary. Master Kenobi, if you're done studying his heart rate and breathing scale, you can say hi now," she told the elder Jedi.
Respect for ones elders apparently was not on her list. Obi-wan did not seem to mind. Suddenly, a smile took over his face, and the hardened lines of weariness vanished and turned into mischievous fondness. Lux preferred that face.
"Well said, padawan. You have to forgive us Lux," he glanced at Anakin, who had cocked his head with crossed arms. "In this war, we have reason to suspect everyone of being a traitor," he apologized with a wave of his hand.
"And what was figuring out my breathing rate going to do about it?" Did he just say that? He could not believe he had found the audacity to say that. Even Ahsoka looked surprised.
Anakin, though, laughed and clapped Obi-wan on the back. "He has you there, Obi-wan. And technically he wasn't trying to test your breathing scale, Lux, but trying to figure out how he can use your existence to irritate me," he explained. The smile on his face made him all the more handsome. His eyes sparked with childish delight at a good joke.
"I could do that, Anakin," Ahsoka pointed out. Lux felt himself start to relax. He had imagined serious faced, unyielding Jedi who did not like him.
He had never imagined Jedi as real men. Even Ahsoka seemed surreal. As if she were not an actual living creature, but rather an unexplainable entity who did all the regular things of living creatures.
"Obi-wan need's to get creative with it. Don't you, master?" Anakin asked. Lux saw a sparkle of affection in his eyes as he turned to Obi-wan. "Creativity is a virtue," Obi-wan told him wisely.
Anakin rolled his eyes. "Yah, yah, whatever. Anyway, you might as well get used to the death glares Lux; Rex has a worse one. And the second you don't get something right, you'll fall out of favor with Ahsoka," he nudged her playfully. "I think I already did when I nearly got her executed by the Death Watch," Lux pointed out.
Ahsoka grunted. "Oh please, do you know how often these two nearly get me executed a day? I swear; walking around with them is like walking around with two bombs on my head. I wish all you rebels luck," she sighed. "We aren't that bad," Anakin defended. "We make life interesting," Obi-wan agreed.
"Oh, and the 'small situation' we had with the bomb a few weeks ago?" Ahsoka demanded. "A minor detail," Anakin and Obi-wan replied in unison with a wave of the exact same hand. They reminded Lux of two brothers. Twin brothers who argued a lot.
"A minor detail? You blew up half the planet!" Ahsoka argued. "How is that our faults? You didn't set the bomb right!" Anakin pointed out. "You got me captured!" Ahsoka threw up her hands. "We got you out," Obi-wan pointed out to her.
"After the planet blew up!" Obi-wan merely smiled. "Well, it was uninhabited," he finished. "Yah, that was the only good news about it," Anakin mumbled. "What were you doing on an uninhabited planet?" Lux asked. "Do not ask," the three Jedi shuddered.
Lux laughed. "I think this'll be fun," he suggested crossing his arms. "Probably for you. This doesn't become fun until we look back at it," Anakin yawned, not sounding worried.
"Half the time you get us into the situation, Anakin," Obi-wan reminded him. Anakin grinned and pretended to study his nails. "I know. Aren't I great?" he declaimed self-importantly.
"From a very deranged point of view," Obi-wan sighed. "Shut up, Obi-wan. You fail to see greatness when it hits you in the face. If I didn't know how hard you'd hit me back, I might think about attempting it," Anakin said haughtily. "You'd raise a hand and feel guilty about it before you ever finished the strike," Obi-wan laughed, unconcerned.
"You would," Ahsoka agreed. Anakin nodded. "Yah," he agreed without somberness. Lux decided he liked these men. No wonder he got on so well with Ahsoka. Anakin and Obi-wan were awesome.
"Sirs!" Rex called. In a flash of speed, all playfulness evaporated. The friends he had seen a second ago flashed away back into generals. "We're ready to go!" he called. "Very well, Rex," Obi-wan replied formally. He snapped his shoulders back into authority. Anakin's eyes hardened over like ice on a pond.
Ahsoka's muscles bulged and her young face was muttered over a time span of a second. The Jedi he had been joking around with before were gone.
Now they were not human. Not here to help, but to finish their mission and move on to the next warfront. Now he saw the Jedi he had expected to see when Ahsoka had arrived on his home planet all that time ago. The warriors of the Clone War.
With one last sad smile at Lux, Obi-wan turned. "Come, both of you," he commanded. Anakin flashed Lux one last glance before following close behind. Ahsoka did not look back, but brushed his arm as they went past. Lux watched them go with awe, sadness and admiration.
He saw under those leader-like masks they put on for the watching galaxy. He saw past the warriors of the Clone Wars.
He saw past the things that called themselves Jedi but knew that they were merely soldiers for a corrupt cause.
He saw into the secret skin of The Hero With No fear, The Negotiator and their famous, shared apprentice. And what he saw was not what he had once seen.
Now, he saw the very light and hope for the galaxy hiding at bay to bring back the peace he had once been a part of tearing apart. He and his mother had torn the Jedi from their true selves.
He thought maybe he would have a chance to give it back. Eventually.
Something I thought up after I watched the first episode of the season. If you liked this one (which I can't really see why you would, this isn't one of my best) then check out my newest series, Jedi legends: The Dawn Of Conclusion! (Its much better)