Author's Note: This was written for the "First Impressions- CrackPairings!" collaboration between LadyZelthePen, Amaryllis Complex and myself. The idea was to write characters who've never met before or who've never 'been on screen' together before and showcase their impressions of one another. This one has a kiss but it's not the typical kiss. I've never really written Lux, or Shaak Ti, much before now, especially from his POV, so bear with me :)

Visions

A trip to Kamino as a part of the 'tour' arranged by the Senate for the newest Senators to join, or re-join, the Republic was not the welcome Onderonian Senator Lux Bonteri expected.

The shuttle dropping the dignitaries down to the planet was constantly buffeted with strong winds, catching the shuttle hard only once and forcing the clone pilot at the helm to compensate. It was enough to drop his stomach to his boots as he grasped his restraints with a white knuckled grip.

No one spoke as the shuttle came in for a landing, the sound of the repulsors reverberating through the ship followed by the sensation of being forced down in his seat and then the slight jarring of landing. The whine of the engines died as they were dialed back and placed on standby, and Lux was out of his seat he moment the restrains loosened.

"Should you not wait for the pilot to-"

"Welcome to Kamino, Senators."

Lux shot the long faced, dark red skinned alien who'd been speaking a look and arched an eyebrow. "You were saying?"

The creature shook its head and Lux turned around, striding towards the ramp that would take them out, eagerness eating away at him. There was supposed to be Jedi here to greet them and he was secretly hoping that Ahsoka Tano would be one of them. He'd not spoken with her since Onderon had joined the Republic and he was eager to renew the relationship.

Reaching the ramp, he waited impatiently as the ramp lowered, casting a disdainful look back at his fellow Senators to realize they were only now climbing out of their seats. A comment about 'impetuous youth' reached him and his expression darkened. Turning his back on them, he strode forward as the hiss of the hydraulics sounded, down and out of the shuttle.

"Senator Bonteri, welcome to Kamino."

Lux stopped short, that calm, melodious voice at odds with the woman before him.

Long, arching montrals curved above her head, her lekku nearly to her waist, the sienna colored skin that of the young woman who'd been much on his mind of late, though the facial markings were different. Robes swathed her, from neck to ankle, but even at rest, she exuded a restrained kind of power that warned the casual onlooker not to underestimate her.

It was her serene expression, however, that brought his gaze back to hers, capturing his, and a thought rose unbidden in his mind. So that's what Ahsoka will look like one day. This then, was the infamous General Shaak Ti, the Jedi in charge of the Clone's training.

Remembering his manners, he offered her a bow and a charming smile before striding forward to meet her, hearing the other Senators behind him still fumbling around inside the ship. Stopping before her, h offered his hand, which she took without a moment's hesitation. Using the courtly manners bred into him, he lifted it to his lips and brushed a soft kiss against the backs of her fingers.

They were cool, like Ahsoka's, beneath his mouth, and she tasted… clean; with a hint of exotic spice. "It is my honor, Master Jedi, to meet one such as you."

Her smile never shifted, but Lux caught an amused gleam within the depths of her eyes as he lifted his head; a gleam that was quickly masked as she slowly pulled her hand away. Intrigued, he stepped back, wondering if she'd sensed that he was honored to meet another Togrutan female more than he was a Jedi. The other introductions passed in a blur as the rest of his group finally made it off the shuttle and Lux considered the Jedi's reaction.

Ahsoka would have called him on it. Was this then what awaited her? This restrained and tempered vision of Togruta loveliness, nothing but a shadow of her old exuberance and life? Or was the Master Jedi simply more experienced at knowing when and where such behavior was permissible? Likely; just looking at her, Lux suspected she was at least double Ahsoka's age; a mature version of what she was and a glimmer of what she would someday be.

The initial tour passed quickly, with a round through the sterile halls to showcase the cloning and training facilities, thousands upon thousands of Clones currently engaged in their daily routines. As impressive as it was, Lux found he was more drawn to their guide than their surroundings. While the other Senators spoke amongst themselves about the sights before them, Lux watched Shaak Ti.

He watched as she seemed to float across the floor, her feet hidden beneath her robes and giving her an almost ethereal look. It was a stark contrast to Ahsoka's more jarring steps, purposeful and hard, as she headed for her next objective. Where Ahsoka always looked like she knew where she was going and had some place to be, Shaak Ti projected the illusion of serenity.

It had to be an illusion; Togruta were, by nature he'd heard, anything but serene.

The conclusion of their tour was at a banquet hall where the Senators quickly fell upon the food as if they'd been deprived for weeks instead of a few bare hours. Lux hung back, shaking his head, and spied the Togrutan Jedi Master on the balcony beyond. Sliding through the meal melee, he exited the room and paused on the threshold to the balcony.

"May I join you, Master Jedi?"

She didn't so much as look at him, her hands folded neatly in front of her as she looked into the dark, raining night. "Of course, Senator. What can I do for you?"

Lux glanced behind him and, after a moment, closed the partition between the balcony and the dining room, cutting out most of the sound and leaving the gently lashing of the rain against the tranparisteel. "I've not met many Jedi," deciding to be as honest as he could without implicating Ahsoka, he stepped to the rail to look through the bubble that surrounded it at the storming sky. "And those I have did not have your… calm."

"You have met Master Kenobi, have you not?"

"Briefly, but I'm afraid my interactions with him were limited. While the Jedi did send a trio of their… your order to help us on Onderon, the main part of our training was handled by Captain Rex, Master Skywalker and his Padawan. Master Kenobi spent very little time with us."

"No doubt trying to ensure you were self-sufficient and wouldn't rely on the Jedi," she sounded amused but Lux couldn't tell when he slanted her a look, "I suspect Master Skywalker and his Padawan were far more involved."

"They were."

"It is Master Skywalker's way."

"Forgive me for saying so Master Ti, but he did not have your sense of calm and no Togruta of my acquaintance has, either."

"You have met so very many of us, then?"

His ears reddened. "I had assumed that the one I know was typical of your species."

"Temperance comes with time, young man," she finally turned to look at him, her lips tilted into a funny little half smile, "Experience is a far more effective teacher than simple age. This Togruta you know, Padawan Tano-"

Lux looked away, caught.

"- is atypical of Togruta; just as you are atypical of a human male. To judge a race by the interactions of one individual could be conceived as both insulting and narrow minded. This is something most Senators have learned and you must strive to achieve. You time with the Separatists appears to have lessened your respect for those of us who are not of your species; it is an opinion you will need to shed if you hope to be effective in representing your people."

Her words stung, more so because they were delivered in a kind of matter of fact manner, with such a calm tone of voice that they were simply words without accusation or censure.

"I mean no offense, Master Ti."

"And there is no offense taken, Senator Bonteri; simply a discussion between Senator and Jedi. Your time with Padawan Tano appears to have begun to widen your horizons. To seek me out, alone, without your companions, is mark of trust."

"Or curiosity," he admitted. "You're nothing like her."

"Should I be?" She smiled faintly.

"For all we humans are a diverse species, we share similar traits aside from the physical." He turned, leaning on the balcony rail. "I suppose I was hoping you would share something of those with her."

"Are you disappointed to find we are so very different?"

Considering the question, Lux finally shook his head with a grin. "No. I can't say that I am. Looking at you, I see what she could - but likely won't - someday be. You are the rank she aspires to, the dream she cherishes most; the day she achieves it, though, isn't the day she'll have your calm."

"You may be correct," Shaak Ti conceded with an incline of her head, "but I learned a long time ago to never try and predict a Padawan, especially one influenced by Skywalker. You should return to the meal; you have not yet eaten."

"Neither have you."

"I will eat, in time."

Enjoying her company and suddenly loathe to lose it, Lux offered her his elbow. She wasn't Ahsoka but something even more intriguing; he found himself a little… preoccupied with her. "Join me for dinner, Master Jedi? I would welcome both your company and your council."

She looked at him a moment and then, to his utter shock, stepped towards him and curled one small, strong hand about his elbow. He was surprised to find he had to look down into her eyes; she seemed so much bigger at a distance. "A courtly gesture of courtesy will always be rewarded with the same by those with manners. I accept, Senator."

With a genuine smile, Lux folded his free hand about hers. "Then, m'lady, I will endeavor to be a charming dinner companion."

"I do not believe," she commented with an answering smile as she waved one hand at the door to open it, ending the separation of balcony and dining room, "you will find that a taxing task."

fin