fandomhigh | Flight & Flying [Tuesday, June 16, 4th period]

Anakin was nodding off as he leaned against the door leading into the flight shed.

Not that he would admit that. If asked, he was meditating. While standing up. And kind of snoring.

His eyes cracked open when most of the students arrived. "Today you're going to avoid flying into black holes," he said. "You're going to make the Kessel Run, though if I hear of any of you becoming drug runners--which was what this particular route was used for--you will be very, very sorry."

He flicked his hand towards the wall, where a two dimensional map of the 18-parsec run was illuminated. "The route takes you around The Maw--which is a series of black holes--and leads you through an uninhabitable—but far easier to navigate—area of space called The Pit." He smiled a little at Ben, who he was sure knew this entire area by heart. "The Pit is an asteroid cluster encased in a nebula arm, which makes sensors and pilots go virtually blind. There's a high chance that pilots, weary from the long flight through real space, will crash into an asteroid."

He arched up an eyebrow. "And yes, I know that parsec is a unit of time. If you swing closer to the Maw, you can cut the distance, and thus the time of the flight. But more likely, you'll get sucked into a black hole and be crushed."

Anakin waved his hand, and the map was replaced by a picture of the ship they'd be flying. "This ship and its," he swallowed back an "irritating" "pilot made the run in under 12 parsecs, which I think stands as the fastest time through..." he shot Ben a questioning look.

"Dad and Uncle Han shaved some time off of that a few years later," Ben corrected.

Anakin looked annoyed. He hadn't shaved much off of the original twelve.

"Very well. Climb into the Falcon, try not to hit asteroids, black holes or the ships that are chasing you."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It's not something I'm planning to do again," he assured her. "I'm not exactly dying to get back to the Maw again ~~my mun thinks she's funny~~."

"~~That's because all of a sudden it's freaking hilarious.~~ Not a fun time, huh?" she asked, biting her lip. Now that she thought about it, the few messages she'd gotten from Valin and the others hadn't sounded terribly happy.

"I didn't cry as much as some of the other students," Ben said, "but I didn't want to be there. It felt strange."

"Well, it is kind of creepy," Tahiri remarked. That was an understatement, but she had no idea. "Doesn't surprise me that you didn't," she added, teasing but serious.

"Besides," he said, shifting the tone a little, "I probably would have been astral with a lightsaber at two."

Tahiri grinned. "I bet you would've." Who, her? Unbiased when it came to him? That's crazy talk.

He grinned. "Bet that would've made the Yuuzhan Vong blink."

"They'd have been really interested in you, then." Tahiri's jaw tensed slightly, but she veered away from that subject with more success (she hoped) than she'd had in the sim. "Anyway, you're astral with one now. I'm forever playing catchup."

Not that she minded too much.

"That's because I fight Granddad weekly," Ben demurred. "You'd learn fast that way too."

Tahiri laughed. "I don't know if it'd work as well for me." Which was to say the idea scared her a little.

Ben glanced toward Anakin. "He's a little intimidating, huh?"

"Just a little." Tahiri lowered her voice a bit. "I like your grandfather, but I've watched you two spar before, and you've had more formal training at it than I ever did." Which, yes, was partly her own stubborn fault. She shrugged and, self-consciously, continued, "And you know what happens sometimes, when I get too worked up."

"I'm sure he'd understand," Ben replied, "and if anyone could handle it..."

"Yeah." Tahiri drew a breath and gave him a brief smile. "I talked to someone who might be able to help, maybe."

"Really?" Ben replied, shifting a little closer. "Who?"

"This girl named Karla, who came down to the Gig on Sunday. She kind of noticed right away, about . . ." Tahiri gestured at her scars, still a little unsettled that someone had been able to tell so easily. "She said she could help, so . . ."

"I like Karla," Ben offered cautiously. "When are you going to talk?"

"Yeah, I got the 'oh, so you're Ben's girlfriend' greeting," she teased him, paraphrasing. "I told her I'd come by sometime tomorrow or Thursday."

"Want me to be around after?" he asked.

"Of course I want you around," Tahiri said as if she hadn't given him reason to doubt that of late. "I mean, if you want to be."

"I'm not going to let you do this alone," Ben said, brow furrowing.

Tahiri reached a hand out to him on impulse. "I think we're just going to talk it over for now. I don't know yet how much she can do. But," she added, smiling slightly, "if we can fix this somehow, I'm not doing it without you, get it?"

He took her hand and squeezed her fingers. "You better not."

"I'm getting the hang of this 'us' thing," Tahiri murmured. She was trying, at least.

"Yeah, me too," Ben said, smiling. "At least, I think I am."

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