Aberrant: Stargate Universe - Saturday Night [Fin]

[Forge]

Saturday Night

"Ok, someone explain this...We regularly cross the galaxy to do battle with evil shit bent on world domination, best we can think of to spend our Saturday nights, is playing Halo?" Vinny sat on his sofa, sipping his beer; "Fuckin' something wrong with that."

Hadley smiled, suppressing a laugh.

"I think the Lieutenant feels that we should have more interesting hobbies to go with our job." Dana smiled, her eyes never leaving the TV screen, "And he's just upset that Mat beat him at Death Match."

"Fuck, right!" Vin protested, "Frasier know that you've got her X-Box?"

"Who do you think taught me to play?" Dana risked a quick look over her shoulder, grinning from ear to ear, "She said I could borrow it while Cassie and her where on vacay."

"Who said what?" Mat asked, returning from the front door with the freshly delivered pizzas.

Dana moved her attention back on the game, "I'll give you another game after I've completed this level."

"Cool." The scientist nodded, looking at the level of violence on the screen, "What difficulty do you have it on?"

"Legendary." Dana smirked, "I like a challenge."

"Show off." Vin winced, grabbing a slice of pizza; "Fuckin' can't get a hold of it on 'Normal'."

"Aren't your combat skills of any use?" asked Hadley, "Haven't I taught you anything?"

"Sure they are." Mat sat on the floor next to his friend, grabbing the second controller, "He just can't remember that it's a game, not real combat, normal rules don't apply."

"He just wishes he had the same as the Master Chief." Dana laughed, "Although I don't think they'd make it in his size."

"HEY!" Vinny protested, "Will you fuckin' stop saying that I'm putting on weight! Saw Frasier, and she says I'm almost the same damn weight as I was a year ago." He looked at the slice of pizza in his hand and put it down, "That's it Eckhart, it's Death Match time!"

"If you think you're up to it." Dana smiled as she completed a difficult level, "Let's make it interesting."

"What do you have in mind?" Vin asked, looking cautiously at his teammate.

"I win, you report to work Monday dressed as the Master Chief." Dana grinned, "I saw an outfit in a costume shop the other day..."

"Shit, but if I win, you report for work dressed as..." Vinny thrust out his hand, "Deal?"

Sam shook the hand, still grinning.

>8) >8) >8)

"I take it there is a reason you're dressed like that Lieutenant Eckhart?" General Hammond asked after his subordinate was ordered to his office looking like a pink Christmas tree.

"I lost a bet, Sir." Dana did her best to look straight ahead, ignoring the laughter and catcalls that still echoed down the corridor, "With all due respect, Lieutenant Wright is a sneaky bastard."

Hammond asked, equally intrigued and terrified as to what the answer was.

"He drew me into what I felt was a position of strength, and then used superior tactics and above average knowledge of terrain to ambush me, Sir." Dana explained straight-faced, "He displayed no mercy as he executed what I believe was a carefully considered plan that must have taken considerable time and ingenuity to carry out."

Hammond asked, even more confused than before.

"He caught me in a sucker-bet Sir, he deliberately misled me as to his abilities, and then tricked me into accepting a bet I felt he had no chance of winning." Eckhart felt herself start to blush, "I believe the Lieutenant to be a superior tactician, and I walked straight into an ambush."

"Are you going to tell me what really happened, or do I have to call Vinny in?" Hammond gave up side stepping the question.

"Very well, Sir." Dana took a deep breath; "He engaged the services of Cassandra to teach him to play the video game 'Halo' so he could defeat me during a one-on-one session Saturday night, making sure that Mat and Major Hadley were there to witness my defeat, and the bet we had made."

"Walked into it did you?"

"Head-first Sir."

"Is this going to happen again?"

"No Sir, I believe I've learned my lesson."

"Good. Now go get changed, that's an order!"

"Thank you, Sir."