Repairing Damages | Poe Dameron

Simulations

"I really don't think this is necessary Poe"

The engines roar as they always did, much more familiar and much more calming to Sola than they ever had been in the past with how often and how closely she had grown to used to interacting with them. It was strange to think that in the past the sound had made her nervous and panicked, caused her to cover her ears or retreat to somewhere more quiet to collect herself.

But now?

Now they were a comfort to the young pilot in training, now every time she got to switch on the thrusters and start up the ship the rumbling echos in the cockpit were a comfort. A reassurance that what she was doing was correct, and that she was in fact, flying a Starfighter.

Even if it was an A-Wing today, due to Poe not wanting her to handle a more complex X-Wing all by herself just yet, the sense of pride she'd held ever since she'd began flying on her own had been building with every lesson no matter how short it turned out being.

The Commander was a busy man after all, she couldn't blame him for his busy schedule and ever thinning presence on base. Even now as he sat flying in his X-Wing alongside her in the sky after only just having found his feet back on Ajan Kloss land, he had insisted on the lesson as soon as he'd found her working on a new droid tracking device Leia had tasked her with engineering.

"You're the one who wanted to learn to fly" His carefree hum replied back to her over the com system broadcasting into the earpiece of her flight helmet only made her roll her eyes and turn her gaze from her cockpit over to his across the small distance between their Starfighters so that he might catch the doubtful look.

"Yes, but not in favour of your health" Sola shot back with slight irritation, Poe looked tired, he needed rest and yet here we was having practically shoved her into the A-Wing and demanded to see her progress in handling the craft without him there to guide her hands in person.

"I told you I'm peachy, just keep your eye on your altitude the trees are looking a bit close for comfort" And by that he meant her comfort and not his, of course. Poe could probably skim the treetops with his eyes shut and feel as at ease as he did when he was in the middle of deep space.

Letting out a sigh in defeat, Sola relented for now and turned her eyes back to the front of her to raise the nose of her ship up an inch and further into the morning sky.

"You ready for a flight simulation?"

Force, she did hate those with a passion.

They'd done three thus far, two had been simple manoeuvring scenarios to test how she handled A-Wing controls, the third however had been one where a large astroid field had been introduced and in her panic Sola had barely gotten past three large locks before she had crashed and abruptly ended the lesson thereafter to catch her breath.

"I-I guess" Uncertainty tweaked at her voice, readjusting her grip on the ships controls before taking a deep inhale of air into her lungs she was sure she would need for this exercise.

"Hey, don't worry. They're just simulations, I'll be right here the whole time to watch"

As comforting as those words were to hear, the unnerving fear of disappointing him didn't cease however, and Sola had to force a smile into her lips before replying with bated breath.

"I know...they still make me feel uneasy though" She confessed lowly "I feel like I should be able to handle them by now, it's been months, you said you passed them all within-"

"It's perfectly normal to feel nervous Sola" He cut her off with upmost sincerity before letting out a small chuckle "Besides, you aren't me. It's not fair to compare your progress to the best pilot in the galaxy".