fandomhigh | Flight and Flying [Thursday, August 2, 3rd 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.

"In every major event, there's always a beginning," 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. "The first battle in a conflict that eventually tore my galaxy apart took place on a world called Naboo." He glanced over at Qui-Gon ~~assuming he was there~~ and his voice got even harder. The Jedi should've seen this coming, dammit. "Millions of beings put at risk because of politics," he spat. "They were being used as pawns in a larger game we didn't know we were playing for more than a decade. Today we'll complete an entire military mission: the one that saved the planet from death by starvation by a blockade of petty criminals and their droids."

Anakin gestured to the projection. "Working in pairs, you'll 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." His expression turned haunted as a holograph 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 there's no point going back to the planet: the enemy will have won through battle what they'd 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: once you break atmosphere, you won't be fighting gravity any longer so don't yank on the controls. Spinning out and crashing back into the planet is a really stupid way to die. The droid starfighters are faster than you are--and there are a lot of them--but they're als 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 don't accept failure--or excuses--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, ignoring any looks they or the TA might be giving him. "Begin."

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Anakin pointed them out. "And this is comm," he said, jabbing his finger towards it, "fuel, and shielding. If they edge into the red, you're flee-floating ions a moment later. Watch them."

Irulan nodded in understanding, it was so different from the ones back home. She kept a keen eye on the ones he warned her about but this was technology and that meant computers. In between her culturally bred anathema for thinking machines and the class assignment Irulan was a nervous ball of tension.

"You won't do anyone any good that spun up," Anakin said, pressing his lips together. "Nervous pilots make stupid errors."

Irulan let out a breath and forced her hands to relax, this won't do, she was a Bene Gesserit in training. If the Reverend Mother would see her now she would... well, she would say exactly the same thing as Anakin.

She closed her eyes and centered herself, "Fear is the mind killer. I will face my fear and it will pass through me and when it is gone there will be nothing only I will remain."

"What did you say?" Anakin asked, leaning closer.

She was looking calmer and even managed a smile, "It is the Litany Against Fear, it helps us control our fears."

"The Jedi have something similar," Anakin said. "Repeat yours, please?"

"Jedi?" she asked but obliged him, "Fear is the mind killer. I will face my fear and it will pass through me and when it is gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

Anakin nodded. "Is it effective?"

"Yes, but it works because it is a word trigger. We Bene Gesserits have been trained in the way of the Prana-Bindu which is to say, to be in complete control of how our body functions." She looked down, sheepish, "I have yet to perfect it."

"How long have you been practicing?" Anakin asked. "I was an apprentice for more than a decade."

Irulan thought about it, "Since I could walk but I was never really motivated, I only became one because it was what my mother wanted."

"That's no incentive," Anakin commented. "Be who you want to be."

"It's so easy to say but it is hard to buck tradition." She answered quietly.

Flight and Flying [Thursday, August 2, 3rd period]

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