***Emergency Emergency***

[FrostTransport]

Frost laughed "Two? Dounds like a tough one. The hard drive on your liberator took a pulse round, it's fried. I'm going to need information. Ship types, tags, names if you can remember."

---

[NebulaCloud]

Her forehead creased as she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "The whole thing? Not even a backup survived?" she asked. "Tell 'em to check the pod again, there's gotta be at least one or two guncam shots that survived."

Frost kept his inquisitive, emotionless glare on her, though, and she snorted slightly as she thumbed the side of her nose with her unbroken thumb. "Civvy chatter was ramblin' on about someone pirating the trade lanes off the New York jumpgate in Colorado, so I radioed it in and went to check it out," she told him. "Nobody was too forthcoming with backup, though, so I just went on. Figured they'd be gone by the time I sat around waiting on someone to finish their damn donut. I get there and interrupt a shakedown; some bastardo has the trade lane shut down and he's got a civilian freighter train stopped at gunpoint. Seriously, I didn't see a single cannon on this thing that wasn't pointed at his mark.

"I sent the train on its way and fined the gunboat. Oh yeah," she continued, "that's what it was. Gunship, one of those special-made armed-and-flying computer banks custom built for those Hacker goons. He gave me some pendejadas about doin' nothin' wrong and how he was just asking for donations or charity or some crap like that. I think his ID tag was 'Mr.Dodger' or some stupid thing."

"Next thing I know, he's got a buddy flying in from behind me in a gunship I ain't never seen before, weird markings on it too. I think that one's tag was 'Yelken' or something. Threats are exchanged, they refuse to pay the fine, and then 'boom,'" she popped off, suddenly slapping the bedrail with a reverberating clang. "Both ships are unloading their asses on me, and I'm dodging shots like it's hailing. Guess you know the rest," she added, pointing with her chin down at her battered body.

[t0l]

Tal quietly sips his coffee, nodding as Carina tells more of her story. "Why didn't you just leave after the train took off," objected Tal, "It's suicide trying to fine a gunboat by yourself."

---

[NebulaCloud]

Carina's gaze flitted over to where Tal was standing as she sized him up indifferently with her eyes. Feeling slighted by his unsolicited (but wholly sound, whether she wanted to admit it or not) advice, she did her best to mask her defensive indignation by arching a scornful eyebrow at him.

"I guess 'cause I didn't leave my balls in my other purse, joto," she shot back coolly, then glanced down at his empty hand. "I see you forgot yours."

[t0l]

Tal frowns slightly, with his facial expression certainly showing his discontent with Carina's bold statement.

"Yet you still haven't told me," he remarked,"Why did you try to fine a gunboat by yourself? I'm sure it's common sense that you shouldn't even attempt to approach a gunboat in a Liberator without help, but after this incident I'm not surprised that you did it anyways."

---

[NebulaCloud]

She pursed her lips tightly at her fellow recruit's retort. She didn't like his snarky tone, and she was certainly frustrated that he was standing too far away for her to be able to punch or kick to adjust his attitude. But whether it was his place to reprimand her or not, he was right and she knew it. She'd bitten off more than she could chew, and she was lucky she'd lived to learn from it. She certainly wasn't about to admit it, though.

Just as quickly she rolled her eyes and snorted derisively. "Whatever," she shot back, waving him off with a flick of her good wrist. "They just got a lucky shot in, and they didn't finish the job 'cause I'm still breathing. I get so much as a whiff of them again, I'll smoke 'em."

[t0l]

"Well then," said Tal, "I must be going. Have fun with Officer Frost over here while I'm gone."

---

[NebulaCloud]

She huffed, starting to fold her arms on reflex, but the sharp twinge of pain that shot up her broken arm made her cringe and immediately think better of it. Any high she had felt from her near-death experience was now thoroughly snuffed out by Tal's bluntly pointing out her rash blunder. Her headstrong zeal had nearly cost her her life, and she hated that he had pointed it out.

Looking back at Frost, she took a deep breath and forced herself to cool her head. "Look," she told him in a quieter tone. "I was just tryin' to do my job. I want to be a good cop."

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