Impulse of the Moment

Setting: Coruscant, 4 years after LOTF

Summary: Ben Skywalker has faced several battles in his life. But on this day, he faces his greatest challenge: a date with a beautiful girl.

Part I: The Preparation

"Where is my other shirt?" Ben Skywalker yelled the question from his bedroom. The haste in his voice was quite evident.

In answer to his question, his cousin, Jaina, replied with a question of the same validity. "Did you mean this black one here?"

Ben had burst into the living room of his obscure yet quaint flat while carrying no less than four shirts that were still resting on their respective hangers. He was presently dressed only in dark slacks and a white undershirt. The embarrassment between he and his cousin was nonexistant. Because of a tragedy they had both encountered four years before, their pain was forged into a close relationship. Ben bellowed a sigh of disgust. "Every item of clothing I possess is black. I seriously doubt how my father can manage with such a limited amount of color to his apparel."

"Part of his nature, I suppose. Here then, are some of those not black?"

"Yes, of course. But what does one think of when one wears this?" He held up one of the outfits up to his neckline.

Jaina answered, almost snickering, "Bounty hunter?"

"Naturally. And this?" He switched to another shirt.

Jaina hesitated before she said with more humor, "CORSEC Security Officer."

"Exactly my point. I own nothing of a festive nature."

"Oh, come now. What of that creme-colored shirt?"

"It is missing a button."

"That is hardly a dilemma. Go ahead and put it on...that's it...now, put this black one over it. See, the missing button is obscured by the darker shirt. Then you pull the lighter shirt's collar out like so...and now you are presentable."

"I suppose you wish me say all I needed was a woman's touch."

"My dear cousin, I've been trying to tell you that for years."

"Well, for all of your prodding, I may have found the one."

"We shall see." She looked at him up and down. "My, you have the look of a gentleman."

"I, dear cousin, am no gentleman."

"Oh? Then what are you?"

"At this moment, I am a bundle of nerves dressed up to look like a man."

"That is preposterous. Why should you be nervous on an occasion such as this? Surely, you have endured many battles and, hence, you were not nervous then."

"Ah, but the difference, cousin Jaina, is that my battle tonight will consist of the wit and wooing of the female gender. I know not of any man who hath survived such a battle unscathed."

"Especially when the female is the daughter of their enemy."

Ben frowned and his voice lowered. "Now, Jaina, we have discussed this. Ambri was simply a byproduct of Lumiya's lack of funds. Lumiya pleaded with me to give the message to her daughter. As I have stated to you, I had never experienced Shira Brie with as much emotion as when she spoke about her lost daughter."

"So, you have no qualms about courting a woman who possesses the same genes as the fiend who played a hand in your mother's murder?"

Ben spoke sharply. "That is enough! There will be no more talk of my mother, may she rest in peace. Furthermore, we are finished speaking about anything involving the connection between Lumiya and Ambri. Apart from the fact that she is Ambri's mother, there is no connection. In point of fact, Ambri knew not of her true parentage until I gave her that information over a month past to this day."

"Yet, that does not exclude the fact that Ambri possesses the same traits as her mother."

"Perhaps she does. Yet, she had not been given the same set of choices as her mother either. My father also had the same traits as his father, Darth Vader. The differences in each case were their choices, wouldn't you say?"

Jaina looked down at the floor and lowered her own voice in apparent defeat. "Yes, I see your point. I just don't see how you can be so interested in this girl with so little time you have spent with her."

Ben gave a moments pause before replying, "I cannot say, save for the fact that I have not been able to eject her from my mind ever since I had first laid eyes upon her."

"Are you certain she shares the same desires for you?"

"I am. She has had a youthful fancy for myself for many of her years before we met."

"And that is cause enough for you to extend your courtship into something more of a serious nature?" Jaina couldn't help smiling.

Ben smiled back wryly. "It is for me, cousin. Pray tell, I should not wait the equal time it took for you and Jagged Fel to extend your courtship into marriage. I may need purpose for a cane by that time."

Jaina sighed humorously. "I will allow that one, cousin. I am not one to criticize anyone with affections for another and not act upon them immediately. Was it not my mother who expressed to me that Ambri is your elder?"

"She is ten and nine years of age, a mere year ahead of my own."

"I cannot quite imagine that you are courting an older woman. What festivities do you have planned for the evening?"

Ben went back into his room to put the final touches on his appearance and he yelled his response. "She has already been transported from Borelais to here on Coruscant. I made arrangements to book her a suite at The Diplomat. I am to meet her there and we are to dine at Indigo Tower."

"The Diplomat and Indigo Tower. Very elegant, indeed. Indigo Tower has a wide variety of cuisine's to choose. I see you left all the choices up to yourself. Transportation, lodging, and dining. I daresay that exemplifies your initiative. A woman acknowledges that in a man."

Ben finally appeared again while still straightening his collar and sleeves. "I shall hope so. I still feel more nervous than I ever have been. What does one do on an outing such as this with a lady? What do we talk about?"

Jaina took a gander at Ben's classical appearance. She reached to place a kiss on her cousin's forehead. "You will do well if you simply be yourself. If she cannot find that attractive, then what is her worth?"

Ben replied as if in a dream state, "Everything."