Orbit

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Orbit allows a player to reposition one of their pieces that is outside the Main Play Area in search of a better opportunity to return to the board.

Instead of making a normal move inside the Main Play Area, a player may spend their entire turn moving one outside piece one adjacent outside position along the perimeter of the Main Play Area. During an Orbit, the piece may move one position at a time, either horizontally or vertically around the outside edge, but it may never move diagonally, through, or into the Main Play Area.

The purpose of Orbit is to improve a piece's position, increasing its chances of re-entering the Main Play Area through one of the official return methods:

• Return by Vacancy
• Return by Pattern
• Return by Jump

Rather than remaining fixed in a single outside position, a piece may continue to orbit around the perimeter over multiple turns until a favorable return opportunity becomes available.

After using Orbit, the player must make at least one normal move inside the Main Play Area before moving that same outside piece by Orbit again. This restriction applies only to Orbit movement. If, on a later turn, that outside piece has a legal opportunity to return by Return by Vacancy, Return by Pattern, or Return by Jump, the player may immediately use that return method without first making another normal move inside the Main Play Area.

Orbit does not return a piece to the board. It only changes the piece's position around the perimeter. A piece may re-enter the Main Play Area only by using one of the three official return methods listed above.

Example
White chooses to Orbit the outside Triangle from the left side of the board to the top side, moving it one adjacent outside position along the perimeter. White's turn immediately ends.

After Red takes a turn, White must make one normal move inside the Main Play Area before moving that same outside piece by Orbit again. If a legal return opportunity becomes available, however, White may immediately return the piece by Return by Vacancy, Return by Pattern, or Return by Jump on their next turn. Otherwise, after completing at least one normal move inside the Main Play Area, White may choose to Orbit that piece again.