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.

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"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.)

"I know."

Another smoky laugh.

"How are you, in that little cockpit?"

"Doin' alright."

Now where did she go...

"There are more comfortable places I'd rather be but I'm flying and I think you and I both agree,"

A pause.

"The hell are you?"

She cruises up, a little, and fires at him.

"Under you?" She suggests, all bright-eyed innocence.

His sensors scream at him as she does.

3-1.

Han? Laughs.

"What do I get when I win again?" Esfir asks, falling away again.

"I don't think we got that far,"

Right, right, right, flip.

"But what do you want?"

A beat.

"If you win."

You.

oh.

fuck.

"I'll have to think on that."

"No rush."

They're going to be at this awhile.

"Well, at the current rate of my killing you..."

"Alright, so think faster then."

Han attempts to sneak around and come up underneath her like she did to him.

"I'm easy to please."

She accelerates, up at an angle.

"How about you."

"Definitely another kiss."

Or two.

closer closer closer