You're good, Corrin, but you're no Luke Skywalker.

Corrin horn's cheeks still burned at the memory of Commander Antilles' evaluation of his last simulator exercise.

The line had been a simple comment, not meant to be cruel, nor delivered that way.

But it cut deep into Corin.

I've never tried to suggest I'm that good of a pilot.

He shook his head.

No, he just wanted it to be self-evident

and easily recognized by everyone around you.

Reaching out, he flicked the starter switches for the X-wing simulator's engines.

Green One has four starts and is go.

All around him in the cockpit, various switches, buttons, and monitors flashed to life.

Primary and secondary power is at full.

Oro Quirk, his Ganned Wingman, reported similar startup success in a high-pitched voice.

Green 2 is operational.

Green 3 and 4 checked in. Then the external screens came alive, projecting an empty star field.

Whistler, have you finished the navigation calculations?

The green and white R2 units seated behind Corrin hooted.

Then the nav data spilled out over Corrin's main monitor.

He punched a button, sending the same coordinates out to the other pilots in Greenflight.

Go to light speed and rendezvous on the redemption.

As Corrin engaged the X-Wain's hyperdrive, the stars elongated themselves into white cylinders, then snapped back into pinpoints

and began to revolve slowly, transforming themselves into a tunnel of white light. Corin fought the urge

...