(no subject)

[aimedforthemoon]

Fighter pilots, on the whole, tend to be short. Esfir, at not quite 4'10, is still shorter than most, so when the Bar provided a flight suit for her, the Russian astronaut had beamed in relief.

She'd also, lack of comfort and style non-withstanding (although she rarely pays attention to the latter), felt something like relief just getting into a fight suit again. It's not flying, yet, but it's getting there and-

Well, she's never been one to get carried away by her emotions, but she really can't help that faint smile as she walks into the Millennium Falcon.

Comments

[aimedforthemoon]

Bank right, even out...

"It's odd, without an horizon," she comments thoughtfully. "Or a target."

Hm.

A mental shrug, a slight acceleration, and she sends them into a barrel roll

[rebel-falcon.livejournal.com]

His fingers curl around the fabric a bit more as they launch into it.

She's a natural, even if it's space rather than sky.

"Next time we'll dogfight," he offers.

[aimedforthemoon]

Esfir grins.

"Han, Han, baby, you're too good to me."

[rebel-falcon.livejournal.com]

"Can't let you go out there vapin' Imps without practice," he says.

Because that would be unprofessional!

[aimedforthemoon]

And they are, as the narration has mentioned, a completely professional pair. So, she just laughs, low and somehow wicked, before pulling them up in a vertical spiral.

[rebel-falcon.livejournal.com]

It's interesting the things you notice when you're not actually at the controls.

Like the way the stars blur through the eyeshield and the window of the cockpit as they arc upwards.

Han? Totally laughing too.

[aimedforthemoon]

Spiral evens out, and she break turns to the left before continuing the movement so thet are upside down.

As much as one can be inverted in space, anyway.

[rebel-falcon.livejournal.com]

It only takes Han a split second to reach forward, flip a few switches and then yank hard on the stick in the opposite direction to send them awkwardly into a roll before he releases it.

And waits to see what happens.

[aimedforthemoon]

A-wings are notorious for spinning out of control, but it's only going to do that if they keep rolling. Which...potentially could happen, with the lack of drag or ground to crash into.

But it doesn't.

Without pausing, Esfir reacts - another switch is flipped even as she moves the stick to regain the brief loss of control.

[rebel-falcon.livejournal.com]

"Nicely done," he comments, voice carrying over her shoulder.

"A lot of times what will happen is you'll lose a stabilizer and she'll get hard to control until things come back online," he explains, as he leans on the stick and holds it. Not enough to keep her from moving it, but just enough so she'll have to fight him for it.

[aimedforthemoon]

"Average time?" She asks as if she were in a classroom instead of a fighter.

Not that this means that she isn't fighting him for control, because she is.

[rebel-falcon.livejournal.com]

"Depends on the hit and how much shield you had up. These don't have much to start with, but it's about 30 seconds at the most. Anything more than that you've got bigger problems on your hands."

Han lets go of the yoke and then settles back.

[aimedforthemoon]

Ah-huh, there we go.

"Ah, yes. Shield."

As she makes a swooping spiral down, she makes a note to remember about the shield.

"Oh, Han?"

[rebel-falcon.livejournal.com]

"Yeah?"

He's glancing over the controls he's got, wondering just what to throw at her next.

[aimedforthemoon]

"I...need to do something, and I'd like it if you didn't fuck with the controls for a minute."

[rebel-falcon.livejournal.com]

"Hands are off," he says, before he reaches up and lightly pats her on one shoulder. "Go for it."

[aimedforthemoon]

A couple of switches are flipped and the gearstick is smoothly shoved forward as Esfir accelerates.

A MiG-21PF is capable of going 1,238 km/h - the speed of sound. A RZ-1 A-wing is also capable of going over the speed of sound: 1,300 km/h, in fact.

It's not the speed that's important, exactly.

It's the fact that she's in an aircraft, a fighter, and she's hurtling forwards as fast as it can go and she can feel the vibrations of the engines and there is nothing else in the universe but this.

(damn straight this is better than sex)

And her comment before is the only warning Han gets as she opens her mouth

(she trusts him this much)

and screams for the joy of it.

[rebel-falcon.livejournal.com]

There's something about flight that only a pilot can understand.

Even without gravity to hold you towards the earth, the thrust of the engines pins you back in your seat and makes your heart press against your chest.

(he'd be lying if he said the way she screams doesn't turn him on)



Han doesn't say a word, because he just knows what this means.

[aimedforthemoon]

She has to draw breath eventually, and it all comes out in laughter. Rich, delighted, holding-nothing-back laughter that doesn't miss a beat as the A-wing goes into another long barrel roll which leave them upside-down.

But they are in space.

In space there are stars and planets and galaxies that look no bigger than the tiniest pin-pricks against the vastness and space isn't empty. It's black and deep and filled with things that are impossible to imagine.

And Esfir Shostakovna Yazycova is flying in it once more.



"Oke," she says softly. "You can fuck with controls now."

[rebel-falcon.livejournal.com]

"After that?"

Han laughs a little.

"Sister, I know a good thing when I see it and I know not to stop a good thing in progress."

Which means she's to have as much fun as she wants.

That's an order.

[aimedforthemoon]

"Next time, then."

She stops.

Next time...

Another laugh and she slides them into a loop. If he wants her to have fun, well.

Far be it for her to disobey an order.