Gina Olson

Gina is brilliant, there's no getting around that one, essential fact. Former Olympian in fencing. Master's in electrical engineering, grandmaster in chess. She has that sort of eclectic legendary resume that one finds in exactly two types of gatherings. Mensa conventions... and Astronaut Candidate training. You swear it feels like people see the resumes and just invite people that it seems will be a hell of a lot of fun to talk to. And Gina's a blast to talk to, wickedly smart, with more stories than you can shake a stick at... even if she maybe overuses the stories from her fencing days... and that time she was a stunt double for a Star Wars series. By the time your class of astronaut candidates was finished with training it seemed like most of you could hold your own in a brawl with a Sith Lord. You can't imagine Gina not making an impression on someone. Even if it isn't always a positive one, because there's just something about her that rubs you the wrong way. Maybe it's the feeling that you'll be competing with her for missions as long as you're in the astronaut program. Maybe it's a certain superficial resemblance to an ex. Or... maybe like Gina claims it's that you know she's better than you and it freaks you out. You don't put much stock in that, you like smart women, always have, and you enjoy being challenged otherwise you wouldn't have joined the astronaut program. However after working with her on a few missions there's absolutely nobody you'd rather have your back in a spaceship than Gina Olson. You just wouldn't be crazy about hanging out with her in your free time. The two of you have been competing amongst a small group of candidates for highly coveted positions on an upcoming Mars mission. And it's really kicked your old rivalry back into gear. While waiting for the mission roster to be announced you found yourself at a Houston bar with a bunch of friends including Gina.