fandomhigh | Flight and Flying [Thursday, July 19, 3rd period]

When the students arrived at the flight shed, they'd immediately notice that the sim had been completely reconfigured.

"This is an X-Wing starfighter," Anakin said with a smile. "Today we're going to practice flying in a zero-g environment."

He waved at the door and Artoo rolled into the shed and tweetled politely, then came over to the sim and plugged himself into the droid-shaped hole on the back of the sim. "This is Artoo," Anakin, smiling. "He's your copilot of sorts who can get to mechanical problems while you're flying. For example, fixing shields that have been damaged by laser fire. He'll also scream at you if he thinks you're going too fast."

Anakin had learned to ignore that sound early.

He pointed into the inside of the cockpit. "There are a lot more controls in the X-Wing than the podracer, obviously. Here you need to regulate atmosphere, gauge fuel and weapons' levels, as well as communications, landing gear and assorted other bells and whistles."

He smiled at them. "But don't worry too much--you're not going to be tested on this." He sat in the cockpit and ~~handwavily~~ showed them how to make the ship speed up, slow down, turn and spin. "Obviously, this moves much faster than the podracer," he said, "and the sim has been programmed with the grav you'd have in your cockpit, so if you spin yourself too fast, you will make yourself sick. And then you will be cleaning out the sim."

Anakin clasped his hands together. "Okay. You'll each get a chance to try the sim out to learn how it works. You'll be in a program set way out in space so there's nothing for you to hit if you can't figure out how to steer right away. Once you feel more comfortable, there'll be a choice of two courses to run through--one that's strictly testing you on mobility, the other than also allows you to use the laser cannons."

He gave the class a cocky smile. "Before you came in, I set a new record on the sim for time and accuracy. See if you can come close."

Taking Over Me - Evanescence

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You're flying through the trench run on the Death Star, a course full of sharp turns. There are five laser turrets shooting at you that you must destroy, as well as a thermal exhaust port at the end of the run that needs to be taken out.

Luckily, there are no TIE fighters coming in from behind. Not that Anakin wanted a rematch on this particular scenario.

An average pilot can go through the run in about 12 minutes. Anakin smoked it in 6 minutes flat.

Johnny's good at the flying, but really bad at actually fighting back.

And so while he managed to dodge the first laser turret, he was taken down by a direct hit from the second one.

And he's back to the same panic as he felt on the podracer course, only this time with added lasers! FUN.

He doesn't manage to finish this one at all - gets taken out by the first laser turret, really. Anakin should probably just be glad that Roxas didn't knock a few wings off the X-Wing.

A fight. Good. Anemone had been itching to fight something ever since the helplessness she had felt with the dinosaurs.

She climbed into the seat and closed her eyes. When they opened, something not-quite-Anemone was looking out. "Time to dance, Artoo."

She took out the first turret without blinking. Anemone dodged the second, and the third managed to score the underside of the X-Wing before she destroyed it. It was the fourth that took her out with a direct hit that killed upper left wing. "Artoo? Can you fix that?" At his dismal whistle, she sighed. "Thought not."

It was about then that she crashed into the side of the trench in a spectacular explosion.

River had little experience with armed vessels, but her body quickly learnt the controls, making firing instinctive. Her focus was on hitting the targets rather than speed, and perhaps it was a good thing that this was a Death Star and not an Alliance ship.

The first time Sam tried the course, he died spectacularly on the first turret. So, he tried again, and managed to shoot the first turret before the second one took him out in a fireball of X-Wing. At least he was improving a little?

Relying on the Force to assist him, Qui-Gon got through the first two turrets and turns, but coming up on the third turret, he instinctively tried to dodge the laser fire, got too close to the other side and skidded off it over into the opposite one and ended up dying in a truly spectacular firey cartwheel out of the trench and smack into the third turret tower.

This kind of thing? Would be why Master Dooku hadn't wanted him piloting much.

Anakin winced as he watched Qui-Gon's fake X-Wing hit the turret. "Don't hurt the ships," he said.

"I took out another of the laser turrets at least," Qui-Gon pointed out wryly.

"What's the first rule of Jedi Combat, Padawan?" Anakin scolded, then answered his own question. "Survive."

"It's not like I was trying to get blown up."

"Most people aren't," Anakin snapped back. "Do it again. Keep your senses alert."

"Aside from the syntax, you're sounding just like Master Yoda," Qui-Gon observed.

"Be grateful I don't have a stick to whack you with, then," Anakin said, but he was smiling.

"I think you need to be very short and green for that teaching technique to really work."

"I'm not so sure," Anakin said. "I certainly wouldn't try to stop Master Windu if he felt like bopping someone with a stick."

Qui-Gon's eyebrows shot up. "Master Windu? Mace Windu?"

Anakin gave him a barely perceptible wink. "He was my generation of Padawans' secret fear," he said.

Qui-Gon laughed. "I suppose he does have an excellent glare."

"His lightsaber skills aren't half bad either," Anakin said. "you know, eventually."

And because he'd been dying to know for years, "Does he have the Padawan haircut?"

"Oh yes. And he has to get it trimmed almost constantly because his hair grows so fast."

Anakin burst out laughing. "Oh, I can see the look on his face," he said.

"I'm sure it has something to do with helping him perfect his excellent glare," Qui-Gon said with a sly smile.

Flight and Flying [Thursday, July 19, 3rd period]

Obstacle course #2

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