Pre-Genesis

[Turbo Chalgar]

One month later the memories of her first dogfight were nothing but a red painted sabre under the canopy of her Nyx. It was Saturday there were no patrols this weekend so she was just chilling out with the rest of the off-duty pilots in the "party room" - small confined space between their bunks on the Carrier Demeter CV21 possessing a distinctive bitter smell with questionable origins just as the brown sludge leaking from one of the pipes running overhead. Everyone was gathered around a small table playing poker and telling bad jokes. Victoria was sitting opposite of the squadron's CAG Capt.Johnson.

"What's up Lord? Scared of loosing your creds?"

Victoria was once again awaken from her dream-world and looked at her cards...Four of a kind...

"I'm in...all in"

The rest of the pilots sensing it's getting to much for them passed, Johnson smiled a bit then started teasing her

"How long till you run out of creds and we see you without your clothes, Cardamine?"

"You'd have to buy me a drink first...Tassle"

Victoria knew all too well that Johnson hated that callsign... He made a grimace and coldly said.

"Ok let's see what you have there"

"Four of a kind"

As he showed his card he had nothing but a single pair. Victoria collected her winning with a smile not unlike that of a freelancer who just scored his first million, as the rest of the pilots here cheering around the table. Johnson wasn't too happy about

"Let's raise the stakes a bit shall we Lord?"

"Sure, Tassle whatever you say"

Victoria just continued teasing him on and on as if she was intentionally winding a spring that will brake and hit her in the face.

"If you win this one you can have the whole week free of flights, if I win however you will spend that week cleaning the toilets...barehanded"

"You're on"

After getting their cards each of them begun scheming how to outsmart the opponent until Johnson broke the silence

"What sort of callsign is Cardamine anyway?"

Of course he knew after all he was her instructor in the military academy, but he also knew that this is about the only place in which he can attack her

"What sort of callsign is Tassle?"

"You know uninteresting one unlike yours...Ohh I remember now, you had an inborn dependency right got clean and it kinda stuck right...How did you get that inborn dependency"

"Are you going to play or are we going to talk the ligaments out of each other?"

"Sure sure, I was just wondering...perhaps your mother did some sniffers in her time eh"

As Johnson and the other pilots begun to laugh the world lost colour to Victoria she was seeing in tunnel vision with nothing but the disgusting laughing face at the other end. Time slowed down and she was suddenly in "Who wants to be Millionaire!" Sitting right in front of the host. The dim lighting and suspenseful music were indicators that she was playing for a lot of creds. The question was waiting




                                  What do you in this situation Cardamine?

[color=#FFFFFF][color=#FF9900]A- Ignore him

B-Make a crappy joke about his mother as well

C- Get up and leave embarrassed

D- Flip the table and smash his face

[font=Palatino Linotype]"I will use a lifeline! My Gun!"

"Well your gun eliminated A and C!"

"It's D I'm sure of it final answer!"

"Wrooooong Victoria Lord...Wrong"

TOTAL PRIZE MONEY
             [color=#FF6600]0cr




[color=#FFCCCC]The whole situation was just a large scale replica of the poker game they were playing, all the right question and all the wrong answers. She had lost her own game even though Johnson will be the one to get it. Victoria kicked the table which turned to the left knocking down the two guys sitting in there, then jumped on Johnson like a shark feeling blood in the water...or rather a suicidal jumping of the DSE building on Manhattan. She landed on top of him showering his face with punches, then finally drawing her "lifeline" and aiming it in his face whilst screaming in a manner that will put a drill instructor to shame

"Don't you ever EVER say that again!"

Johnson didn't waste too much time throwing a punch in her face as well giving her a bloody nose. The other pilots then pulled Victoria off him, and despite her attempts to free herself they had her restrained pretty well.

"That just frakkin' did it for you Lord! You are arrested for insubordination threatening a superior officer and unprovoked usage of firearms! You won't be getting out any time soon, and as long as I am on this ship you will never get within 20 meters of a fighter!" Take her to the brig!"

Victoria finally managed to free herself and wiped the blood off her face...

"I know where the frakkin' brig is..."