"Okay pilots, today is the day when the weaklings are separated from the strong. Ahead are 500 gates, and you have to fly through at least 450 to move on from here. Most of you will fail, but the ones who don't will fly to the North Tip, where you will engage renegades. On the count of three, begin. You must keep your engines completely maxed out the whole time, or you will be disqualified. Part of the challenge will also be avoiding each other." The trainers voice came through Azdara Ace's communicator loud and clear. Azdara Ace tensed up, and started taking deap breaths.
"One, two, THREE!" Azdara pushed the Azdara up to full throttle, and suddenly felt like he was strapped on to a bullet. He saw the first gate coming up, but didn't have time to make it through. He saw the second gate, and this time, he turned a little, but still didn't make it. He didn't have time to think about anything but controlling his Azdara. He suddenly wished that his mind ran 1,000,000 times faster. He missed the first 20 gates, but then he started to get a hang of it. Just like in baseball and so many games that he had played on earth, he had to pay complete attention to one thing. Right now, it was watching the gates. He didn't even have time to glance towards the controls for a milisecond. And suddenly, it was over. He wasn't even sure if he had passed or not he was so focused. The voice of the trainer came over the communicator. "Okay pilots, good job. Slow your ship down to 50% now and head back. Once you land report immediatly to the main assebly room, where you will be informed who passed, and who didn't." The group of Azdaras screamed towards the ground, ready to hear the results.
On the ground, Azdara Ace met up with Rackzra, and they took their seats in the main assebly room. In about thirty minutes, the whole room was filled with nervous Azdgari pilots, all giving nervous toothy grins. The leading trainer got up on the stage, gave a short introductory speech, and then started to read out the results. After 12 minutes of reading, the trainer finally read, "Azdara Ace completed 463 gates, and has graduated." Murmurs went off everywhere around the room. Azdara Ace went red in the face, everyone was looking at him. A few minutes later, Rackzra's results were read off, and he had gotten an incredible 496 gates, the highest anyone had ever gotten. Azdara Ace congratulated him with a big thumbs up and an even bigger smile. What the trainer said next, however, shocked the entire room to disbelief. The trainer had just read that Quazrak, an Azdgari that was always serious and never even grinned, had gotten a perfect score, 500 gates. Azdara Ace looked at Rackzra, and he was just as amazed. It had been an exciting day, and Azdara Ace was now extremely tired. Just before he went to bed, he received a letter from a cleaner. It was addressed to "Lieutenant Azdara Ace." Iside of it was Azdara Ace's total grade, a 96%, and his orders to report to the North Tip within two months. It also said that he needed to go to the hanger tomorrow to get his own Azdara. Azdara Ace went to sleep with thoughts of speeding through the sky, shooting down Vonians...
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You would have to be ignorant, derranged, demented, or dead to turn down the oppurtunity to fly an Azdara.