Disclaimer: Don't own Star Wars, Jedi, etc. No credits (Republic or Imperial) are being made. However, Nerca Beyul and Oliso Dofer are MINE! ©

Rating: PG

Reason: Some violence/suspense

Characters: Nerca Beyul, Oliso Dofer (OCs! Not Mary-Sues, I promise)

Summary: Nerca Beyul's competing in a pilot's competition, and she'll need a manuever that's utterly unique, even if it tests her limits.

Author's Note: This is a Kindred Knights story, and I suggest you read "The Kindred Knights: Book One: the Dark Rivals" first.

Kindred Knights: Short Stories

Oliso and Nerca

Daring Dive

A special buzz of excitement filled the air. People rushed around pushing for better positions. Humans, humanoids and aliens of all sorts gathered, waiting for the event to begin.

Oliso pushed toward the front of the crowd, trying to get a better view of the contestants. The annual Galactic Pilot's Festival had begun three days ago, but the main contests were being held today. Including the freestyle competition. Top pilots from across the galaxy had come to the planet Myyrkoi to compete in the Festival's many events.

Including Nerca.

Things were slow at the Jedi Temple and Nerca tried to come to the Pilot's Festival every year. So she had asked the Jedi Council for permission to be freed from duties for a week so that she might participate in the Festival. After a huge dispute, the Council finally opted to let her go.

Oliso had joined Nerca in the semi-vacation from Jedi duties, eager to see how Nerca flew in competition.

As she finally made her way to the front of the crowd, Oliso caught a glimpse of Nerca standing in the row of at least thirty pilots. She could only see one other human pilot and two other female pilots in the line.

Nerca stood one pilot away from the end of the line, dressed as all of the pilots were, in a black flightsuit and holding a black helmet under her right arm.

As the rules to the competition were read aloud to everyone over a speaker system, the first four pilots turned and jogged to their sleek, black and silver, single-person atmospheric jets. Each of the first four jets' canopies opened and their pilots climbed in.

As the first pilot's name was announced, his engines roared to life and his jet crept off of the landing field.

Each pilot was given twenty standard minutes to complete a series of moves, scoring points with the ten judges. The scores were announced after everyone had gone and of course, the pilot with the highest score won.

Twenty-eight pilots flew and did well in their routines. Each one was flawless.

Nerca's really going to have to work to win this, Oliso thought. Nerca was under strict instructions not to use the Force to aid herself in winning.

"And now everyone," a voice said over the crowd speakers after the twenty-eighth pilot had landed, "pilot number twenty-nine, Jedi Knight Nerca Beyul."

A few cheers unexpectedly went up through the crowd. Oliso had thought she was Nerca's only supporter at this event. Most of the other pilots had more cheers, but some was better than none.

Nerca's engines flared to life and Oliso's Force-sense began tingling. She couldn't pinpoint its source, but when Nerca took off, it intensified.

Nerca! Oliso shouted at her through their mental link.

Don't worry, Oliso, Nerca's voice replied. Everything's under control.

Nerca's jet continued to climb into the bright blue sky, then its climbed slowed and the jet stalled, falling backward and spiraling wildly. At first, it appeared natural and part of the routine, then a voice crackled over the speakers, "Jedi Beyul, what is wrong?"

Static was the voice's only reply.

What in the galaxy are you doing, Nerca? Oliso thought at her, high in the sky.

You'll see.

"Jedi Beyul, what is wrong?" was repeated.

This time there was an answer. "Air Control, I have lost control of both port and starboard stabilizers, most control of the thrusters and most of my steering," Nerca said, her voice echoing through the crowds speakers. "The ship is in a uncontrolled dive."

Gasps came from the crowd.

"Sabotage, perhaps?"

"I don't know," Nerca replied.

"Can you gain control? Is there anyway that you can pull out?"

"Negative. This jet's going down."

People screamed and tried to hurry away from the landing field.

Oliso stood still.

The sight of the people running about below became clearer by the second as she dropped closer and closer to the ground. The force of gravity pushed Nerca hard against the single seat in the jet, keeping her from moving well. All starships came with grav compensators these days that would make it far easier on the pilot and this atmospheric jet was no exception. But Nerca preferred to leave her grav compensators off when she was flying alone. Her internal organs were beginning to hurt from the intensity of the g-forces. Nerca quickly reached up and switched the grav compensators on but set them only at five percent. The pain eased but did not vanish.

Nerca kept both hands on the jet's steering joystick steadily, eyes locked forward on the landing field below. If this plan of hers worked, she'd be returning to the Jedi Temple with a glimmering gold trophy for winning the freestyle competition.

This maneuver was tricky and risky, but its uniqueness and difficulty made sure that it wouldn't be copied. Her strategy was top-secret and she hadn't even confided it in Oliso. Oliso would have insisted that Nerca couldn't pull it off, not without the Force.

But she would.

Nerca gripped the joystick tighter, waiting for the exact moment . . .

Oliso stood still, eyes locked on Nerca's dropping, musing at how much it looked like a suicide pilot. She knew that Nerca wasn't suicidal.

Crazy, maybe, but not suicidal.

Most of the crowd had scrambled away, trying to get as far away from the spot they supposed would welcome Nerca's jet moments later.

It would only be twenty seconds until the supposed moment of impact.

Nerca, what are you doing? Oliso asked her again.

This time, there was no reply.

Nerca's jet was now centimeters from the ground . . . The remaining spectators scrambled and screamed . . .

And abruptly, the black jet pulled up and streaked skyward once again. It then back-flipped and skimmed the landing field upside down.

Oliso frowned then smiled and shook her head. You are the craziest person in this galaxy, Nerca. You know that?

There was a reply this time. Of course I do.

"It seems my situation," Nerca's voice echoed over the crowd's speakers, "was not that dire."

Moments later, after a difficult and perfectly executed routine, the black jet nestled back into its slot on the landing field, the same as it had been before it took off. Nerca hopped down and slid her helmet off.

Her long, golden hair fell loose and her face was emotionless. She obviously thought it was better to keep from showing everyone how nervous she was on the inside over the acceptance of her masquerade.

Though no one else saw Nerca's nervousness, Oliso felt it easily.

Mechanics rushed to Nerca's jet to check its systems and moments later the head mechanic handed a datapad to the announcer.

The spectators had filtered back and there was quite a bit of whispering about he scare Nerca had given them.

"Jedi Beyul," the head judge said over the speakers. "Nothing was found wrong with your ship. The only out of the ordinary thing was grav compensators' low level. Do you have an explanation?"

For a moment, Oliso thought that Nerca was going to make a joke about the grav compensators, but she didn't.

Nerca stared hard at the man who was standing at the end of the judge's platform. "Of course. I needed a maneuver that no one would think of or execute perfectly. So I faked a death dive."

"That was a very dicey choice, Jedi Beyul," the judge replied. "We will have to check the rules and determine if your move will be accepted."

"Dicey, I know, but unique," Nerca said.

Everyone in the crowd was silent. The thought of a fake death-dive from a galaxy-renowned Jedi was shocking to them.

Then the crowd began clapping and cheering wildly and the fake-out was ignored by them.

The pilot after Nerca opted not to go, know he couldn't top her incredible feat.

So all that was left was for the judges to make their decision. There was a heated discussion going on out of the crowd's earshot at the judge's table. As far as Nerca could tell, they were about evenly split.

She knew what she did wasn't against the rules, she had read the rulebook thoroughly before she left Coruscant.

Oh, come on! she thought impatiently. She looked at the other twenty-eight pilots standing beside her in the row. All of them looked anxious and nervous. Nerca kept her own face cool and she showed no signs of emotion at all. How long could it possibly take you to decide if my move was OK or not?

Patience, Oliso reminded her silently. They are about to finish their debate. They voted.

Nerca glanced at Oliso in the front of the crowd who gestured with her eyes at the judges table. Nerca looked that way as the head judge stood and gathered everyone's attention.

Everything was silent.

"After much deliberation," he said, "we have made our decision. The winner is . . . Nerca Beyul of Coruscant!"

Nerca's face broke out into a huge grin as she stepped forward to take her trophy. There was a mixed reaction over the judge's decision through the other pilots. Some grew angry and others clapped.

But to Nerca, it didn't matter what the other pilots thought or felt. She took the trophy from the judge who was holding it and thrust it into the air over her head.

Congratulations, Nerca, Oliso "said" in her head. You are the best freestyle pilot in the galaxy.

Thanks, Oliso, she thought back. Let's just hope I can come back to prove that next year.

To herself, she thought, it looks like I'll be returning to the Jedi Temple with a trophy after all.

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