Flight training for Jedi's. [Republic/ Jedi]

[Silara Varis]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Location: Kuat Airbase Alpha

Silara walked across the tarmac of the flight-line running a hand across the front of her interceptor. she hadn't yet a single battle to her name under the Republic Navy, but she had plenty of personal dogfighting experience from her time spent as freelancer.

This proved useful to her as she was just starting out and eager to prove herself. But today was not about the combat or the glory. Today she had to hold her animal ferocity back and focus on a different task.

A Jedi Knight had contacted with request to learn some flying, which was fine by her. Garrison life was starting to wear on her nerves and it was making her cabin sick.

She looked around glancing at the chronometer on her wrist , waiting for Corvus to arrive. She wasn't entirely sure if she'd bring her students to the party so she had extra training birds waiting.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus felt uneasy landing on Kuat. It wasn’t the planet as such. But she was a Corellian. OK, she wasn’t the greatest pilot in the galaxy – but she was still a Corellian. And the Protector Class Corvette came from a Rendili shipyard – on Corellia.

The Kuat Drive Yards were a direct competitor to her home world, and it wasn’t until now she realised how much pride she had in her planet.

And a comment from a Galactic Republic Navy Officer that she was a ‘disgrace to her planet’ for not wanting to sign up for Wraith Squadron hadn’t hurt at the time – but had slowly eaten away at her over time. Now she was a Knight and able to travel around without being accompanied, she’d taken to flying a lot more as a result. And her merely adequate flying skills had been exposed as a result.

So here she was, feeling a bit of a traitor, ready to receive some training from one of the Republic’s newest and best pilots.

She walked out onto the tarmac and followed her instincts to the woman who was clearly caressing a ship. Some pilots looked androgynous in flight-suits. This was definitely a woman.

Smiling, Corvus approached the woman, and then bowed formally. ”Jedi Knight Corvus Raaf – a pleasure to meet you.”

[member="Silara Varis"]

 

[Silara Varis]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Silara turned to face Corvus and smiled.

"Pleasures all mine master Jedi. Will you be bringing students?"

This was something Silara had to know as they needed to figure out how many simulators they were going to run today. She wanted to get the Jedi in the chute immediately and start cranking through. There it was her impatience. Battle savagery was pushing her mentality and she paused reigning it in.

"Well anyhow come with me, I'll take you through the Narrus simulator first. I can't have anyone crashing these ships or dinging them up, crew chief will get in my behind. After a successful run I'll throw you in the cockpit and ride co-pilot and get you some time on the live fire range!"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

"No students this time - but perhaps in the future they may be requesting your assistance. I suspect I'm not the only Jedi coming along though. Half already think they're ace pilots and the other half want to be one. If there's any room left out of 100%, I just want to be better. A lot better. I can fly from A to B but fly and fight? No way - and as for evasive manoeuvres? Nah!"

"Lead on - I'm not offended by having to work a simulator first. If I were you, I'd do the same."

Corvus smiled broadly and wondered if the live fire range was as dangerous as it sounded.

[member="Silara Varis"]

 

[Silara Varis]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

They arrived at the simulator. A giant machine that had ladder up into a cockpit. It was complete with Gravity generators and the whole thing was giant screen on the inside making it look daunting but under Silara skilled hand it was too easy.

She clambered up the steps and grabbed the rails, swinging herself into the back seat and motioning for Corvus to take the front.

"Quick tutorial, yoke right here up and down goes up and down. Left and right goes left and right. Trigger on the front is your laser cannons, thumb switch and button on the back is your missiles. That blue knob switches missile types if there more than one."

Silare pointed to several more instruments.

"That theres your altimeter, how high above the ground. Heres your engine start, engine safety switch and red lever is the throttle. After burners are the pedals on the floor, left pedal right pedal, both give increased thrust for short distance or a quick turn."

Silara slammed the switch for the cokpit dome and it slid shut. The entire screen lit up and they had a scenario laid out.

"Ok start her up, safety's first, check fuel, and reactor readout. Then throttle then up on the yoke."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus followed Silara to the simulator. As a Corellian girl, growing up in and around Coronet City, she’d seen them before – but her training had always been hands on. However she’d never been asked to shoot anything before!

Sitting with the experienced pilot behind her, you would think Corvus was a rookie. She seemed and was nervous. So she closed her eyes and meditated. She connected to the Force and relaxed. Opening one eye, she said, ”Don’t worry – I’ll pilot it myself. Just getting into the groove so to speak.”

The basic controls were second nature to Corvus and she was aware of the buttons but had never used them.

”Trigger, laser cannons. Thumb switch and button, missiles. Blue knob, missile types. Check.” Truth be known she’d ignore the blue one for the time being.

The remainder of the controls were familiar although the after burners again weren’t something she’d ever needed to use and therefore weren’t second nature to implement.

Once more Corvus allowed the Force to flow through her. If nothing else it calmed her but she knew it wasn’t something that was there to help out with flight sims.

”Start up, check. Safeties, check. Fuel, check. Reactor readout, check.”

And with that Corvus took off. Not the fastest or most elaborate take-off in history but it was safe and steady – and so far no casualties.

[member="Silara Varis"]

 

[Silara Varis]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

Silara smiled as she reached altitude safely. The jedi wasn't as bad as she thought, she'd seen first year rookies at the academy crash this thing before it even got off the ground. Which reminded her.

"Oh yeah the pedals are real finicky so go easy, I wouldn't rest your feet on them until your prepared to use them."

A series of canyons apeared on either side of them, long and winding.

"First test, navigate through the canyon to the other side. Keep your eyes open might be a surprise or two."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Silara’s words brought her back to earth with a bump – but fortunately not literally. She’d forgotten this wasn’t just a flight sim but a combat sim.

Corvus focused on the canyons. Her initial instinct was to slow down – but in a combat situation that was probably the worst thing to do. So she decided to keep her pace up. If anything it was her Teräs Käsi training that helped out as she was able to react to the changing landscape – with its narrow twists and turns with reasonable comfort.

Of course that was when the ‘ship’ was buffeted by what felt like a sentry cannons. The ‘shields’ absorbed the initial hits but flashing lights on the display suggested the sim had decided those shields wouldn’t hold another direct hit.

Corvus felt the natural thing to do was to speed up and fly more erratically – the latter being harder than it sounded as the natural tendency was to fly as straight as possible.

Seeing more cannons ahead, Corvus fumbled for the button, or was it the trigger? She pressed both and was so successful in obliterating both cannons and canyon that the resulting debris caused a virtual sandstorm. In real life she could possibly have used the Force to navigate but here? She flew straight into the side of the ravine.

”Game over,” said Corvus as the screen re-set itself. It was one thing to fly like a tourist, quite another to pilot in a military setting.

[member="Silara Varis"]

 

[Silara Varis]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Ha ha not too bad. You cant seize up like that when shit hits the fan. You gotta keep completely calm and asses the situation. Mistake number two, know your craft. Your craft is your life. It is an extension of your body, every little bump and jostle should tell you exactly what’s going, akin to a jedi's saber if I am correct."

She hit the reset button and they appeared back before the canyon.

"Last thing, situational awareness, use the peripheral vision as much as the frontal zone. Don't get tunnel vision, lose track of the big picture, you die. Again lets roll!"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus had some pre-warning of what was to come, but then that didn’t automatically make it easier. But she took the few seconds before the cannon to reflect. Turrets? In a canyon? Laser cannons! Less damage to the walls means less debris to fly through.

Once more the pace meant that the first hit caught her by surprise but now she was in better shape. She reacted immediately to the first jolt and manoeuvred in such a way that subsequent shots missed. Her shields were in much better shape than last time.

And then she saw the turrets ahead. Gently squeezing the trigger, she took a few more shots than she would have liked but she not only knocked them out – but she’d shown enough awareness of the canyon ahead to be able to navigate through the debris.

”I know, I know – don’t get cocky kid!” But Corvus was pleased she was making progress.

[member="Silara Varis"]

 

[Silara Varis]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Spot on! Cocky is essential to my style so your good there. We're going to work more on your piloting now. Two enemy fighters on your six, lose them both and get behind them. Use your afterburners if you have too!"

She was getting good. Especially with the force to aid her, Corvus was turning out to be much more skilled than Silara could have imagined.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus was pleased they were working on one aspect at a time. She knew that eventually she'd have to put it all together but for now she could focus on one element at a time.

The moment Silara gave the instruction, Corvus' brain kicked in. She initially put the afterburners on and saw, as expected the ships behind followed suit. She eased off slightly, allowing them to close - all the while she weaved and bobbed to deny them a clean shot. Then, as she sensed they'd closed enough that she'd present a relatively easy target, she cut her speed drastically. The two ships behind shot past her and she immediately kicked in her afterburners again to give chase. Now she was on their six and her finger was paused over the missile button.

[member="Silara Varis"]

 

[Silara Varis]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

She was getting good. Corvus had picked up the controls and was now rolling heavy on the fighters tails. She watched as the jedi went a little hesitant on the missile button. The computer was beeping and showing a blinking icon.

"Looks like you got a lock, shoot!"

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus reflected on her recent time on Corellia. She was no killing machine but not to take a life was – in so many ways – the same outcome. She weighed up the pros and cons in a microsecond.

One push of the button and a missile was sent on it’s way straight up the tailpipe of the bird on the right, whilst Corvus dabbed the yoke to reposition her ship and used the trigger to take out the other with her laser.

Simulation or not, Corvus received no pleasure from the result. It was necessary but not to be revelled in. Jedi were permitted to kill to complete their mission but this act was not encouraged, as ending life strengthened the dark side, even though if it saved others' lives — then the light side was equally strengthened. A Jedi who did not care about his victims was on the path to the dark side.

”What’s next?” Corvus voice wasn’t sombre necessarily but her tone was certainly not jubilant.

[member="Silara Varis"]

 

[Silara Varis]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Booya smoked 'em!"

Silara could certainly hear the tone of the jedi's voice. She was not too happy about having to engage in combat but it was a necessary evil. Silara got a savage pleasure out watching enemy fighters crash and burn, but then again she was not as affected by the force as these people.

She hit another switch and the simulator shut down.

"Hop out, we're going to the live fire range."

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus took a deep breath. It was one thing to fly into a virtual wall but the real thing? She calmed herself with the thought that she'd only killed them once and she had learned a lesson. Plus the Force would be able to guide her out on the real range.

As she unstrapped from the pilot's seat, she smiled at Silara. "OK - just point me in the right direction."

As they walked from the simulator, Corvus asked, "So how long have you been flying and where were you before the Republic. No, not an interview, just curious is all."

[member="Silara Varis"]