So the record holder was apparently lost in space, perhaps recently judging by the gravity of the expressions around him. He'd have to bear that in mind before being too triumphal should he perform well...although even without seeing the course, first place throughout and ten kills seemed like a tall order. He tried to respect the solemnity of the fact as he suited up and climbed into the cockpit of an A-wing for the first time.<br/><br/>His first impression was that it felt surprisingly familiar. The controls were intuitive, the engines seemed to be in the same sort of position relative to himself and it had the same feather-touch handling as a TIE. The ease with which he could look around in all directions and the general lightness of the chassis made him feel a little exposed at first, which was ironic considering the rebel fighter had its own life support unlike the TIE-ln.<br/><br/>"I appreciate the advice, Lieutenant," Kader replied, enjoying the slight thrill of hyperspace in a fighter which was something he hadn't experienced in a long time. "I'm looking forward to seeing what this little red arrow can do."<br/><br/>He took another moment to familiarise himself one last time with all of the readouts and, most importantly, had his thumbs ready on the triggers. He wasn't going to take any stupid chances with this. As much as he felt a rising excitement at the risk-free exercise, he needed to show the Alliance he wasn't going to be a reliability. At the same time, as the space in the distance changed back to black as they emerged from hyperspace, he pictured in his mind's eye the forests on Onderon, the black among the streets opening to greet him.<br/><br/>This was a whole new wilderness for him...<br/><br/>"Ready on your word..."