A few hours later. I think I'm getting the hang of this already. The ship moves where I want it to move, and I can comfortably tell how fast it'll fly. After the first couple attempts where the gunship jerked around or stuttered, the rest of the time became smooth as butter. It was like doing a flight simulator, except this wasn't a simulation. We were far away from the ongoing traffic to where they were oblivious that this gunship existed.
[Engine's stable and you're comfortably holding your altitude. Thruster output is also at ideal levels. Nothing much to recalibrate at the moment. Very good, Samus. Keep this up, and we might be able to merge into ongoing traffic before the day is over.] Adam said, complementing my piloting.
"I'm thinking the same. While I'm focused on where the gunship goes, you can divert more attention to keep the cloaking engaged. We are in Separatist space too, so I want those shields active. Think you can do that, Adam?", I asked, unsure.
[Understood. Just in case, if you do accidentally bump into another ship, I'll maximize the thruster and keep the hyperspace drive on standby so you can make a quick jump to escape.] Adam answered.
"We'll proceed with that then."
With that said, my hands continued moving around the controls in front of me. No longer was there any hesitation. It was fluid and precise, acting as if I had long since done this before. Having the original Samus's memories of flying this gunship did play a big role as to why I adapted toward this so quickly. Otherwise, I'd likely have spent time and time again receiving flight lessons like how a normal military officer would do back in my previous life. I jumped through several hoops so I didn't have to experience that. It was less dramatic than what Cassian displayed when he stole that tie fighter. Since we were in outer space with nothing around us, nothing got destroyed in the process, haha!
Everything, including my senses and memory, had felt sharper since I became Samus. I was very much tuned in to how this gunship operated. I had a feeling it'd result this way, and Adam acknowledged my hastened improvement.
[Are you ready for your second run, Samus?] Adam asked me, which ended my thoughts on my present progression.
"Let's hear it.", I responded with curiosity. We're not going to immediately go down into the traffic lanes, are we?
In response, I saw Adam display the map of Planet Lantillies above me once again. He navigated toward a particular area on the left side of the map, away from the planet itself. I saw many little dots on the map, signifying that it was a structure of some sort. He zoomed in on it, and to my surprise, I saw a bunch of hollowed rocks flying around in random directions, staying within the planet's orbit.
[Not too far away is an asteroid field that will fly past the planet. No one is in danger of being hit by these asteroids, but this will make for good practice. Seeing as you're comfortable now, I will instruct you to make your way through it to the other side, then back toward where you currently are. If you let even a single asteroid hit you, I will release the cloaking. If that happens, consider this a failed mission. Do I make myself clear, lady?] Adam asked me.
"Loud and clear."
[Good. And I'm not asking to throw your life away, Samus. Navigating through asteroids comes with its own risks. They can be quite unpredictable. I will create an optimal path for you, you just need to stay on its course.]
"Challenge accepted~", I said, half-teasingly. But I knew Adam was serious. I didn't see him crack any jokes. I knew he had my best interests at heart, so I complied with this new lesson. Flying through an asteroid field, eh?
This isn't unheard of. Especially in the Clone Wars. You'd often see Anakin take the most "unpredictable" or "unstable" route to reach the destination as quickly as they can. They tread far more dangerous structures than a simple asteroid field, such as crossing through entire nebulas. You actually get to see this when Anakin's Shadow Squadron attempts to reach the besieged medical base during the Malevolence arc. That's the part that I'll be missing out on, but that's my choice. Master Plo sent the invitation to me to fly alongside him as escort to the Shadow Squadron, but I turned him down. I've different priorities to settle. Just bad timing is all.
There's a much, much larger battle I'm rather interested in participating in, whether it be for enemies or allies. The Liberation of Ryloth. That's a full-on planetary siege, and I know they'll be hiring a bunch of extra hands. I have much more in my arsenal that Adam hasn't unlocked yet to do some massive damage against larger armies and such, including sneaking behind enemy lines with Morph Ball. So much to try out still. And until then, I need all the practice I can get my hands on, and my new life squared away. There should still be some time for that, so it should be able to give me some time to hunt some bastards first.
As I thought of what was to come, I saw Adam do his magic on the control panel in front of me. He zoomed out, showing the entirety of the asteroid field, and shifted away from Planet Lantillies. It was completely focused on the asteroid field several clicks away.
[Analyzing current orbital structure...] Adam murmured. It didn't take for a solid white line to appear on the map before me. It didn't stretch across in one direction. No, it was quite the opposite. I could see the line zig-zag across the many asteroids scattered on the map. It didn't do an entire circle, but the path was quite jumbled. [Analysis complete. A path has been forged for you to take, Samus. Please proceed with caution. Do not underestimate asteroid fields. Complete this, and we'll be able to focus on more advanced maneuvers afterward.]
"More advanced maneuvers. I like the sound of that. Does that include doing barrel rolls?", I asked. A glint of light streaked across my eyes.
I mean if you were given a spaceship that is yours to command, and it's a compact one like Samus's gunship, who wouldn't want to attempt a barrel roll? You have to do it at least once!
[If that is what you desire.] Adam simply said, acting as if he dodged the question.
"Oh come on now, Adam. Don't be like that. I know we aren't exactly in a prime location to do it, but given the chance arises, I wouldn't mind doing such a thing.", I replied, sighing.
[Just focus on what's in front of you for the time being, Samus. I will await your results. I will not assist you, just like before.] Adam said, before cutting his feed off from the control panel. Seeing his face disappear, my visor glowed green for a moment, and my eyes shifted. I soon saw the asteroids in front of me. Some faster than others, making the flight unpredictable.
"Time for the second round. Slow and steady wins the race, as one would say. Doing this should help me devise countermeasures if I find individuals out there who are stronger than me. I'm not saying it's likely to happen, but it isn't impossible either. The galaxy is a wide place after all.", I said to myself, giving me a little pep boost.
I kept my hands steady, and dove right into what laid in front of me. Neither fast or slow. My gunship drifted, and merged together with the flying asteroid field. It took some time, but I was able to match the speed of the asteroids, and not a single one managed to hit my gunship. I flew through it. I didn't get impatient either. I stuck to the course Adam left out for me, and shifted my eyes between the map, and what was in front of me. If I saw the dot on the map veer off ever so slightly, I would move accordingly, and bring the gunship back on its course. I didn't know how much time passed during this, but I safely exited the other side. It didn't end there either, Adam instructed me to go back into it and make my way back toward Planet Lantillies. And that is exactly what I did.
Not a single scratch!
I saw Adam's holo-face reappear once again as I made the gunship stationary inside outer space.
[That was well done, Samus. You might need to consider these maneuvers if you need to outrun something, or someone. We don't know what's out there, so it is best to be prepared.] Adam said to me, congratulating me.
"I'm of the same opinion.", I replied.
[As you should. It should be time to merge into ongoing traffic. Follow my lead, and we'll be on the other side before you know it.] Adam continued.
"Got it."
And just like that, with Adam's help, we dove right into one of the traffic lanes that was passing through Planet Lantillies. It didn't take long before it was our turn!