ishotfirst | (no subject)

(no subject)

There's a slight sense of something growing near on the ship once they disembark off the Falcon, into the hangar bay. It hasn't been long at all since she was last here, but the war is getting closer.

Pilots are out running attack runs and mocking up plans for possible confrontations, so everything is a bit busier and there's more people around, but when you're just a pair of pilots, in flight suits, with helmets under your arms and a sense of purpose, nobody really cares where you're going.

Being a general might help with that as well.

Han sets his helmet on one of the A-Wings and then starts the preflight.

"Mech droids scanned them earlier this mornin'," but it doesn't mean he's not going to inspect the craft himself, and he knows she'll do the same with hers.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Fine."

Han throws on the brakes, then the boosters, and the fighter protests this but he doesn't care as he gets pressed back into the seats.

He wants on the offensive.

Well, if he wants to chase her...

He goes up, she dives to the side and down, all at once.

The targeting computer squeals at him and he just pulls back hard, looping around and then spiraling after her, swinging in behind after having to hunt for her a few seconds.

There's no need to talk.

just gotta catch her

She's fast, but so is he; she can't outrun the same machine on speed alone, so she doesn't even try. At least not-

Hm.

A quick nod to herself, even as she banks to the right and holds the spin to cut through the vacuum at another angle. Minimize the target.

"Smart."

That's all the comment she gets as he dives after her, trying to throw himself into a blindspot.

And as he turns and follows, the moment he starts and it's too late to change, her A-wing flips up 'straight' again, even as she applies the bracks.

He has to dive 'down' to avoid slamming into her, and she might catch a swear over the comm.

"Hm. I'll leave another-" she continues the movement to loop around "-second off it next time."

"Ain't gonna get either of us,"

Han turns and aims straight at her.

"Anywhere if we crash."

Which way is she gonna go?

"Sorry!"

(her grin is probably audible)

A big loop, which means they are facing each other kinda-sorta-close enough that if she goes straight for him, it'd probably make him jump.

(he's not quite in range, sadly)

"No apologizin',"

Han laughs.

"Just how have you much have you been practicing?"

He turns tail and makes it easy enough that she should be able to follow (and get him in range) and he's Not Planning Anything At All.

"Every day."

For long hours.

She is a professional, thank you.

And turning tail isn't what she had in mind, but she follows. Keeps her wits about her, but follows.

"The thing about TIE pilots is they aren't afraid of death."

That's all the warning she gets before he pulls up hard and completes a bone-jarring flip, hurtling straight back in her direction, firing as he gets close.

She doesn't even flinch, but just fires back before twisting out of the way.

"Neither am I."

"Good."

A beat.

Then two.
his mind flashes to black

Three. Four.

Another twist and he's there and she fires without even thinking.

"Two to me."

Beat.

"C'mon," she says, voice soft and silky over the comms-link, "C'mon Han, catch me."

Five. Six.

(Something's wrong.)

Seven. Eight.

breathe

It's a hard, forced breath when he does.

And then he finally moves, hands on controls (become her she's a part of you) and he starts to turn, before he loops back and pursues her in earnest.

Edited 2008-09-15 08:13 (UTC)

And she won't ever ask why he paused, and neither does she make it easy. She barrel-rolls, then twists down at ninety-degrees before sliding to the right.

But now he's got a reason to catch her.

(They aren't going to play nice and he'll be dammed if he gets back to the command ship to find that hangar bay down one fighter.)

Han ignores the way his back is already starting to protest the cramped cockpit and just throttles up harder, mind already calculating what her next moves might be.

It's a dance.

(She's good, but so is he.)

She's good, she's one of the best, but he's been fighting for years. Up and down and slide along the diagonal, and there, a sharp turn to the left.

He sees her go before she moves.

The sensors lock on as he fires.

(2-1, still her advantage.)

A flicker of a smile crosses his face.

"Come and get me, sapsan,"

A beat.

"Y'know," he arcs away from her. "I need a callsign too if we're gonna do this more often."

"I think you are falcon, too," she calls out, gliding after him. "Is why we get along. But many names in Russian, for different kinds.

Sredizemnomorsky Sokol," a pause as she watches his flight path, and then swoops in to cut it off, "Derbnik, and Stepnaya Pustelga, and Krechet, and Cheglok-"

Fire.

Miss.

Edited 2008-09-15 10:30 (UTC)

He spirals down (no gravity no horizon but it still makes him a little dizzy) before looping back to chase her again.

"Krechet."

Han tests the word on his tongue. Better than the others.

Efsir laughs at this, spinning herself away from him.

"They are the largest of the family."

"I am tall."

(He's reminded of the fact when his helmet lightly rests against the side of the cockpit shield as he spins after her. He's given up trying to fight the force of the turns.)