ishotfirst | (no subject)

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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.

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And she does, not even thinking about it.

"I will never get used to those," she mutters under her breath.

"It's...I guess it's weird, to think of not having them," he says. "Not having a droid to do the computer work and the calculation. Of course that doesn't change the fact that I would rather work on the girl myself. They just don't do things the way I like them."

Read: Custom and possibly illegal.

"I think sometimes, computers are like that."

Sadly, she misses the subtext.

"Plus the Falcon has an attitude."

His fingertips skim over panels as he inspects the fighter.

"Of course she does. They are beautiful birds."

Han pauses. "You know I've...never actually seen one in person. Just holos."

Esfir also pauses, lifting her head to look at him.

"Truly? I've seen some - mostly, they are on the wing. But, once, I saw one in close. A zoo, which is not the same thing, as they are not free."

A quick smile.

"But, I am biased towards them. Sapsan, our word for the peregrine falcon - the fastest one - was my callsign."

"We don't have them, we have...well we've got birds like them, but not quite."

Han leans lightly against the craft and nods.

"Sapsan," he tests the word, and smiles a little.

"We were all birds, except for Yuri Alexeyevich. He was a tree. But the rest of us..."

Esfir grins.

"Falcon."

"Sapsan. Falcon."

A pause.

"What sort of tree?"

"Kedr - cedar. You have those trees?"

"Cedar. They've got a strong smell to them, don't they?"

Han picks up his helmet and flips it over, checking the interior and fiddling with one of the straps.

"I think we have those."

"It was to hide what we were doing, if anyone was listening," she explains, sliding her own helmet on before climbing into her craft.

"Makes sense."

Han tugs the helmet on and then does the same, it's been awhile since he's been in an A-Wing for more than a few quick test runs, but with the comm linked up they can talk as he hits switches to bring the fighter online.

"They've been programmed to not fire lethal force, training protocols," he says. "But check the setting anyway."

He doubts she wants to actually blast him to bits.

"Mine is fine. After you?"

"Willing to give me that much of a head start? You might regret that," he quips, before he powers up and then hovers his way out of the hangar.

"I don't trust you at my back," she says, drily, following him out smoothly.

"I wouldn't vape you in the back."

Beat.

"You'd kick my ass later for it."

"You bet I would. So. We fly out a bit, and then gloves off?"

"Yeah, should get away from the rest of the fleet a little bit."

Not that they would care. He let them know what was going on.

Han throttles up and idly weaves a little bit, getting a feel for things again.

"Would be a shame to crash before I got anywhere."

Not to mention she isn't sure what would happen to her body.

Soul.

Whatever she actually is.

And because she's in space, and she can, she turns her craft 'down', and just flies vertically away from the fleet.

There is no ground to hit here. No up, no down, no sideways, just...space.

"Well,"

Han keeps pace with her as they move away.

"What is that they say about finishing before you get to the good part?"

She might be able to hear that smirk in his voice.

"Ooh, so you're better than flying, are you?"

"Depends on the situation."

Honestly.

Han flies a loop around her.

"Men. Keep saying that."

He loops around her horizontally - she throws her controls forward into a loop around him next time he comes around.

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