Lt Commander Samantha Palmer CONN Officer USS Chimera NCC 96899-A = Samantha’s Quarters Samantha soon discovered that the costume she had chosen to wear to the Christmas party was not the easiest to assemble. But it was too late to turn back now and start over, so she continued adding the final touches. The most difficult part of the costume had been by far her hair. Looking at the chronometer on her bathroom wall, she realised she had been working on her hair only for almost forty minutes. Sighing, she picked up another delicate glittering string of tiny beads and added to her hair. The dress she wore was tightly fitting and cascaded down in silvery peals from her waist, the shimmering material reflecting light from the ceiling. Her hair was done up in curls with the silver beads complementing her dress; icicle-shaped earrings completed the effect. Admiring the effect in the mirror, Samantha wondered for a second whether it was not a trifle over-done, then left the thought aside. She had spent too much time and effort replicating and assembling the parts. Grabbing the handbag that matched with her dress, Samantha set off towards the mess hall. = Mess Hall “To the General!” Samantha joined in, raising her glass as Guzman proposed his toast to the Chimera’s former Captain. She remembered meeting him for the first time in a bar on Bragg, not knowing who he was at the time. The party had been very enjoyable and Samantha had mingled with the rest of crew. She didn’t feel overdressed at all as a Snow Queen. There was a large snowman, a couple dressed as a contemporary version of Mr & Mrs Clause, an Eskimo, an elf and several other Christmas and winter-themed creatures. As usual with costume parties, it was difficult to know who was who; people were more careful about gossiping as a result, although Samantha heard her name mentioned once or twice in a less-than-flattering context. After the toast, Guzman continued with promotions. Samantha stood with the rest of the crew and congratulated those who had received promotions and awards for their hard work during the mission. A waiter passed and she took a glass of sparkling champagne as the party resumed after the promotions. There were gasps of pleasant surprise when holographic snowflakes began to drift down from the ceiling, fading halfway in midair. The rest of the evening had passed by pleasantly. Samantha spent some time talking to Lieutenant Versey, seeing him sitting in a corner by the Christmas tree. After a few glasses of champagne, she watched as people handed out presents. What happened afterwards was a mystery to her, because while the Mr & Mrs Clause couple were handing out presents to each other, they noticed Samantha dozing peacefully in the large chair. = -- ___________________________________________________ Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/