fandomhigh | Flight & Flying [Friday, June 8, 2nd period]

Anakin was leaning against the reconfigured flight simulator when the flight students arrived, absolutely no trace of an smile--or any emotion at all, really--on his face.

"The first battle in my home galaxy in a conflict that eventually became known as the Clone Wars," he said, walking over to the television from his room and pushing a few buttons. A three-dimension projection of a world rotated in front of them, "took place on a world called Naboo." He was very proud of the way his voice didn't shake. "Today we're going to complete an entire military mission. Naboo was being slowly starved to death by a blockade set up by the Trade Federation's control ships and its army of droids." His expression hardened. "Though we didn't know it at the time, the Senator of this planet was using his home as bait to set himself up as Chancellor and gain power over the Republic. We won the battle, but lost the war."

Anakin gestured to the projection. "Working in pairs, your job will be to take off from the planet's surface, fight past the enemy's droid fighters and destroy the control ship." On the projection, the target glowed red. "The only way to destroy the ship is to blow it from the inside--its shields are too powerful for the starfighter's torpedoes to take out from space." He put his hands behind his back and paced. "You're up against a deadline as well. On the surface there's a battle taking place: your people--including the fourteen-year-old queen of the planet--against a droid army that doesn't get tired." He turned away before a profile shot of the leader in question came up on the projector. "Taking out the control ship also powers down those droids. Take too long to blow it up and you won't have a reason to go back to the planet: the enemy will have won through battle what they had been trying to achieve through blockade."

He pointed at the simulator. "You'll be flying the Naboo N-1 Starfighter," he said. "They're a little more sensitive than the F-16 from last week, and more elegant than the X-Wing, but without the engine power. And remember that once you break atmosphere, you won't be fighting gravity any longer so you don't have to yank on the controls quite as hard. The droid starfighters are faster than you are--and there are a lot of them--but they're also fairly stupid. Watch for them and the laser cannons on the control ship--and watch for each other--and you'll do fine.

"This battle was real. This exercise can be accomplished. I will not accept failure from any of you on this." He tossed two deeply silly-looking helmets into the flight simulator. "These helmets are equipped with comm units that will allow you to talk to each other."

He waved them towards the simulator. "Begin."

All That I Am - Rob Thomas

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Inara waited for a partner, not really excited about the impending death part.

"Hey," Anders said, still looking harried from his practice run. "Want to give this a shot? I'm a total rookie though, just so you know."

"I have no idea what I'm doing either," Inara shot a glare in Anakin's direction, her customary calm missing completely, "But I'm ready to try if you are. I'm Inara, by the way."

"Sam Anders," he replied, too shaken to add his usual coda to the introduction. "Sorry about the circumstances, but nice to meet you. Shall we?"

"Sure. Do you want to take the lead?" She asked, climbing into her simulator.

"Why not?" It wasn't like he had anything to show off; neither of them had much experience in this. He put on the silly-looking helmet again and, with a little difficulty, wedged himself into his cockpit. "These things are so not made for someone my size . . ."

Anders buckled his crash webbing and went through the pre-flight prep. "Green across the board and ready to go!"

Inara put the helmet on and immediately had to adjust it from slipping over her eyes, "Not for my size either, unfortunately," she said as she sat forward in her seat to reach the controls. She buckled in and did the same pre-flight prep. "Ready here, as well."

"When we break atmo, which way do you want to go?" asked Anders, activating his repulsorlifts and grimacing; several practice runs in a too-small cockpit had his shoulders cramping up now.

"I suppose that away from the danger isn't an option?" Inara did the same, but slower. Again, an unfamiliarity with flying and the spacecraft in general were causing her problems. "Maybe the right and at a forty-five degree angle?"

"I wish," Anders laughed; their voices sounded a little weird over the comm. "Gonna get yelled at more if we do that. "Sounds good. I'll go up and to the, uh, left? Whatever the term is. Still having trouble remembering to keep an eye out above and below me, so we can help each other out that way."

"Why don't you go up first, and I'll stay slightly behind and keep an eye out for you?" Inara offered.

Flight & Flying [Friday, June 8, 2nd period]

Re: Go on a mission!

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Re: Go on a mission!

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