Veronica Fallisci Fighter Pilot

As a daughter of a noble house born without Sorte, Veronica's options were limited, but times had changed since the days of old. When one of her brothers introduced her to the motorbike, she knew she had to find more ways of going fast. There are still certain careers that are considered unfitting for a noble woman, even one without Sorte, but a career in the air force was not one of them. Her family made the appropriate threats and deals to secure a commission and Veronica soon found herself training as a fighter pilot.

Veronica has flown several missions, and some very secret black operations as well. Vodacce is renowned for secret military operations that are plausibly deniable. But it was these missions that led Veronica to two very important things. The first is Alan Wendel, a handsome Eisen soldier. He was part of a few of the darker missions she was involved with, and the two of them got on very well. In fact she and Alan have had an occasional relationship of convenience, spending time together any time that they met up. But fate hasn't allowed them any time to create anything lasting.

The second thing Vernica was led to is Sophia's Daughters. They have done much for the cause of Women over this centaury, but there is more work to do. Now they work mainly to defend the barrier and the Sidhe. They always had a need for talented women, and Veronica fitted the template. With everyone used to you flying on secret missions, few noticed you doing one or two more for the daughters. The politics of Vodacce still mean no one can trace whom she was taking a jet out to fly for!

Veronica's Introduction to the Adventure

Recently you met up with Alan while on holiday. He asked you to join him in a mission he is involved with. You agreed, but for more than just your friendship. The daughters told you to be available to help, as the mission is actually being organised by the Kreuzritter. The daughters still remain outside the knights, but do their best to assist. It appears the barrier is falling and the knights are more open to unofficial help, because the situation is becoming desperate. This mission Alan is on needs your help, and someone to watch for the daughters.

So you finds yourself sitting in the cafe with Alan and the women Francesca that brought him in. They say that another is being sent by the Sidhe, one of their own blood, and that it is up to you to see he comes with you all.

Twenty Questions with Veronica Fallisci

1 - What country are you from?
Vodacce in general, but most contact with my homeland has mostly been limited to Medico Island where I was born and grew up and Numa (where the military academy is and where she reports to after missions)

2 - How would you describe yourself?
I’m sort of average looking, not a babe not a dog. I’m a gamine, a scruff, a tomboy - I don’t really do the glamour thing but I’m in good shape as I’m active kind of girl and I’m naturally slim anyway. I don’t have the massive tits and arse which some guys go for but this doesn’t bother that much as I’m happy as I am and not short of attention when I want it. Guys don’t take very pretty girls that seriously I suppose they are too busy working out how to get them into bed to listen to what they are saying. I tend to dress a bit like one of the guys – I like my short hair, my leather, my shirts and my big boots. Frocks don’t cut it in a cockpit and if my hair was long I’d only have to tie it back which just isn’t worth it when it takes about 3 million years to dry anyway.

3 - Do you have any reoccurring mannerisms?
I tend to ruffle my hair as a fidget when I’m bored and I’m a bit of a nail biter.

4 - What’s your main motivation?
The bottom line is help the world through the daughters and then to help the family. If I’m honest then I’ll also admit to being motivated by adventure and wanting to being the best damn pilot in Théah.

5 - What are your greatest strength and weaknesses?
My Strengths - I’m a good fighter and a good pilot. I’m brave and loyal to what I believe in. Weaknesses – I’m not very good at the subtle stuff. Scarovese would probably have considered me a write-off and the playing of the Great Game for team Fallisci tends to be left to Vito who is much better at that sort of thing. Mostly I’m glad to be very un-Vodacce in this regard but I wish I had better people reading and manipulation skills for the sake of the daughters.

6 - What are you most and least favourite things?
The faves - well it ain’t whiskers on kittens, in a word jets – the faster the better, nothing beats the feeling if zooming through the sky – not even sex, make all the jokes you want about throbbing sticks guys I think I have a slight taste for danger and living on the edge. Least favourite –hmm, I’ve had a charmed life in managing to avoid the boredom and restriction I hate. I’m not great at having to be a diplomat and sometimes you do have to take orders from the clueless or in Francesca’s case those who think you are clueless but such is life. I’m not a faddy eater or someone who has to their living conditions just so but I do love the family wine and usually travel with a couple of bottles of Fallisci very old reserve, just in case I feel like treating myself (and on rare occasions others).

7 - What’s your psychology?
I think what’s kind of covered before. I’m a bit of adrenaline junkie and have to guard against being reckless but I think the army and the daughters are good teachers in that respect. I’m quite a positive person which I’m proud of but am aware of the need to be cautious and not take a complacent view that things will work out and that you just hare in there and hope for the best.

8 - What’s your greatest fear?
That’s easy – Imprisonment – the idea of losing freedom, being stopped from achieving your purposes, boredom and being at the mercy of someone else’s will. I think as well everyone fears torture. I don’t fear old age but I do fear being so ill or crippled that you are unable to do anything with your life. I’m thinking about having one of those living will thingys so that doesn’t happen to me.

9 - What’s your highest ambition and greatest love?
Highest ambition - to restore the barrier holes, free all the Strega and make the family absolute rulers of Vodacce (chuckle). Seriously to fight and win the good fight for as long as I can and know that I left the world a better place than I found it. I don’t really mind that much if I get the glory as the adventure and the satisfaction is its own reward. You have to fight for something so it may as well be what is right. If I could live forever what would I do? – Fly jets is the answer that springs immediately to mind but to do that I would need eternal youth, so I’d settle for telling stories of my adventures to future bambinos (my own possibly or those of my brothers?). I might help smuggle any victimised Strega out of Vodacce just to keep my hand in the good fight and to live on the edge slightly.

10 - What’s your opinion of your country?
Hmm, I think I’m a more patriotic Fallisci than a patriotic Vodacce and that it is normal here to value your prince above your country. I’m not blind to the fact as a nation we can be greedy, ruthless and unprincipled and we are too dependent on the nebulous business of stocks and shares. I’m very proud of our family and our princes who combine kindness with their cunning but even they have the traditional weaknesses towards being sexist pigs on occasion especially towards the fate witches, who are still treated like tools rather than people. Sigh, I like going home but I don’t feel like a Vodacce, if I’m honest. I am a citizen of Théah first and then a Fallisci.

11 - Do you have prejudices?
Not really, I’m too well travelled and informed. Syrneth hatred is not prejudice it is an understanding of evil and fighting against it.

12 - Where do you loyalties lie?
First – to the daughters, the barrier and Théah. Secondly – to the family. Third – to myself and anyone who proves to be a friend, people like Alan for example. Actually second and third probably overlap in terms of important but the first is always first.

13 - Are you in love, married or betrothed?
Ha, the inevitable sex life question. (Laugh) I’m not in love. I am very fond of Alan and if something developed there I wouldn’t say no but it never seems to quite come together there never seems to be the right time or place. (Shrug) I’m not massively stressed about being single and not adverse or immune from male attention.

14 - What about your family like?
I think once they discovered I couldn’t see a strand if my life depended on it I was pretty much left to muck around with the boys as I saw fit. My little sis Becky (who did have the “gift”) was kind of separated off from me. I don’t think they wanted her to be “distracted” by me. I even got my own room which I thought was great at the time. I feel guilty that I didn’t notice what they were doing and was too busy romping with Vito and Ben and Ben’s bike, which I got into deep shit by “borrowing” and running into a Medico canal when I was 14, my driving was always shit. I hope that she’s happy and feel a sense of loss I never got the chance to really know her, I might get the daughters to keep an eye on her. Lea was so much older there was never much chance of that either but I don’t feel bad about that as Marco’s not someone I know much about either for the same reasons of too big an age difference. Marco was just the guy who tried to boss me, Ben and Vito around until he left for university. I didn’t like Marco who always seemed like a big bully but it was probably just he was the eldest bloke and felt he was in charge.

15 - How would you parents describe you?
My relationship with papa has been interesting; obviously he wasn’t too happy with me after the bike incident and I got some gip over not having amazing results at school. I remember when I was 18 (Andy would it be 16 or 18) and we had the “talk” about my future his first words were “what in Théah are we going to do with you?” When I graduated and it was becoming obvious I was going to be successful, he started being proud of me and treating me like a grown-up. I borrow wine bottles with his permission. He has told me that he felt I was either going to be a raving success or a total disaster and that he asked my mother to watch the strands for me. I don’t really know what my mother thinks. I wouldn’t like to have a long chat and find out if she is happy for me or if she envies my freedom but I think Papa tries to keep me anyway from her.

16 - Are you a gentleman/woman?

17 - How religious are you?
Not very. I believe in Theus as the daughters do but it doesn’t rule my life. You see so much hypocrisy within Vodacce which supposedly so piously Vaccine it tends to put you off religion.

18 - Are you a member of a guild, gentleman’s club or secret society?

19 - What do you think of Sorcery?
Not sure really. I know it can be useful tool but it has done a lot of damage to the barrier (although my understanding is that that is mainly caused by Porte) and you can’t get anyway from where some of it at least comes from. I can’t really revile all sorcerers when I’m the only female member of my family who isn’t a fate witch. It also causes so much trouble to the women who have Sorte. Those who are given the “gift/curse” do not acquire it through choice and should be able to use it sparingly for the good fight.

20 - What advice would you give Veronica?
Be careful, don’t lose your head and watch that your loyalty to your family doesn’t interfere with your ability to fight the “good fight”. Remember the Fallisci are Vodacce and have their own goals which may not be ones which will benefit Théah or the barrier.