On March 3, 1969, the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to ensure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world.

They succeeded.

Today, the Navy calls it:

Fighter Weapons School

The flyers call it:

TOP GUN

Skylar Maddox stares out the window of the military transport, her gaze fixed on the ocean below as the plane slices through the sky. The faint thrum of the engines is drowned out by the pounding of her pulse in her ears. This is it, Skylar thinks. Top Gun.

Skylar has worked her entire life for this moment. Every long hour in the cockpit, every early morning spent studying air combat tactics, every grueling training exercise, all of it has led to this. The prestigious Navy school, the proving ground for the world's best fighter pilots. Skylar is there, and she has earned it.

But still, doubt lingers in the pit of Skylar's stomach. Not because she does not belong, she is Ace for a reason. But because Skylar knows that here, at Top Gun, the stakes are higher. There is no room for error, no room for weakness. And Skylar is not just competing against the best of the best, she is competing against a culture that has been built on tradition and dominated by men.

It has not been easy getting there, and it will not be easy staying.

Skylar's RIO, Dylan "Spades" Coleman, sits across from her, the corner of her mouth quirking up in the small smile that has become her trademark. Spades is the only one who knows exactly how much Skylar has sacrificed to make it this far. Dylan is the only one who has been there from the beginning, who has watched Skylar push herself past the limits, who understands the weight of every challenge because she is also a woman in a man's world. And Dylan is the one person who can calm the storm of self-doubt threatening to take root in Skylar's mind.

"You alright?" Dylan asks, her voice low and steady, breaking Skylar's focus from the window.

Skylar nods, not trusting herself to speak. There is still too many nerves, too many questions swirling in Skylar's head. Skylar has never been one to second-guess herself, but Top Gun has a way of making even the most confident pilot feel small. But then, that was the point, wasn't it? To take the best and break them down, to build them up into something sharper, something better. Something lethal.

Skylar adjusts the strap of her flight suit, the thick material suddenly feeling tighter as the plane begins its descent toward Naval Air Station Miramar. The base that houses Top Gun. The hallow ground where fighter pilots are made or broken.

Spades leans in, her voice quieter this time as she says, "You've got this, Ace. Don't let anyone or anything make you question it. You're ready."

Skylar turn. her head, meeting Dylan's eyes. She is not just her RIO, Dylan is her best friend, her ally, her rock. Dylan believes in Skylar when no one else does. And with Dylan by her side, Skylar knows she can face anything that comes their way.

But, as the plane touches down with a jolt, a new wave of nerves hit Skylar. The door to the transport opens, and the heat of the California sun blasts into the cabin. The smell of saltwater and jet fuel mix in the air, and Skylar's heart rate picks up. Skylar is not just stepping onto any base now. She is stepping into the heart of Fightertown USA.

This is her shot. No turning back now.

As the group of pilots begin to gather and make their way to the briefing room, Skylar pushes everything aside. The tension. The distractions. It is all about proving she belongs. Skylar had spent her entire career fighting to be taken seriously, to be seen as more than just a woman in a man's world. And here, in the skies over Miramar, she will prove it once and for all.

But she does not expect for two men to gain her attention.

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. Even from a distance, Skylar could see the recklessness in his posture, the way he held himself as if the rules do not apply to him. Maverick's good looks were not what drew in Skylar's attention. It is the mystery of the man himself, an enigma wrapped in a swaggering bravado that could both awe and infuriate. Maverick is everything Skylar had been trained to resist, and yet, something about him pulled her in.

The other man, Niall Shelton, Top Gun's gruff, no nonsense instructor. There is no charm, no easy smiles with Shelton. Just an unwavering commitment to making sure only the very best made it through Top Gun.

Skylar "Ace" Maddox, is ready for whatever comes next. And nothing, not even Maverick's daring charm or Shelton's cold discipline, will stop her from soaring higher than anyone thought possible.

The game is on.