Lt Commander Samantha Palmer AChief Tactical Officer / 2XO USS Chimera NCC 96899-A = Living Dream Hotel Every couple of minutes a peal of heartfelt laughter escaped Samantha’s lips as she walked along the corridor of the hotel. People must have thought she was half-mad, but she couldn’t help herself. After running into Andy at the casino, they had finally managed to resolve the misunderstanding that had occurred at the Christmas party; and what a silly misunderstanding it had been. So silly, in fact, that she couldn’t stop laughing about it. Afterwards, they’d spent some time at the Dabo wheel, and Samantha decided once and for all that gambling wasn’t for her. At least Andy had managed to make some profit, but she had lost all her chips. A Ferengi playing at the Dabo wheel had looked at her as if she were mentally retarded and she consoled herself with the fact that she was playing with the hotel’s credits and not her own. She had just rounded a corner when she almost collided with Bubg Ny coming from the opposite direction. “Commander Palmer! I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you,” he apologised profusely. “God, you scared me!” she gasped, a hand clasped over her beating heart. Taking a breath she looked down at him. “Are you all right?” “Yes, yes, I’m fine,” he said, seeming suddenly irritated at something. Then his face relaxed and he smiled up at her. “I trust you enjoyed your time at the casino? Would you like to have lunch now?” Strange, Samantha thought to herself, as she was just planning on going to a restaurant. She wondered if Bubg Ny wasn’t perhaps a telepath, but surely he would have mentioned it. “Yes, I was actually just on my way to find a restaurant.” “Oh, I have the perfect one for you!” he cried, hardly able to contain his great excitement. “Please follow me.” He was off in a flash and Samantha hurried along behind him, surprised that his short little legs could walk that fast. She followed him down a long corridor with tall mirrors that led to two large wooden double doors. He pushed the large doors aside, revealing a large, high-domed circular room with tables and seats spread along the walls. In the centre of the room was a large tree that grew out of the ground, extending high up into the dome. Its branches disappeared into the dome, from which soft light like starshine bathed the room. Small bell shaped flowers were hidden between the leaves and gave off an intoxicating aroma. Samantha thought it smelled not unlike the perfume she was wearing. “This is wonderful!” she breathed, turning around to admire the room. A handful of people were scattered throughout the room, all of them seeming very much caught up in their own conversations. The rustling of leaves drew her attention and she glanced back at the tree. It seemed to be shuddering and then grew still. She watched as sparkling silver dust fell from the flowers and spread about the room. Taking a deep breath, Samantha felt as if all her cares were being melted away. No doubt the pollen contained some sort of opiate. Perhaps it was even illegal in the Federation, but she didn’t care to ask. Bubg Ny smiled mysteriously at her and bowed out of the room, closing the door behind him. “Can it be… ? No, I think I’m mistaken… but, no wait! Could it be the esteemed Dr Palmer? My eyes must be deceiving me!” Samantha turned in the direction of the familiar voice to see a petite woman with light red hear walking towards her. A gasp escaped Samantha and she rushed forward to pull the woman into a warm embrace. “Sam, darling!” They pulled back and held hands and Samantha looked at her best friend from the Academy days. “Linéa! What are you doing here?” Samantha exclaimed, so surprised that she didn’t know what else to say. “You saw the Nova ship outside? I was recently promoted to XO,” the vivacious woman said. “Can you believe, me an XO? I tried to contact you about it, but you SSF types are always off on some secret mission somewhere.” “Congratulations,” Samantha smiled giving Linéa another hug, then leading them to cushioned seats by a table. “How long have you been here?” “Oh, I don’t know,” she replied, waving her hand. “One tends to lose track of time in this place. It’s wonderful here, don’t you think? So much do to, so much to experience. And the rooms are just to die for! How they managed it I’ll never know.” “I know… it’s just wonderful,” Samantha agreed. “You know, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other I just don’t where to begin.” “Oh definitely,” Linéa nodded. “I have a suggestion… let’s order something to eat, because I’m famished. I’m sure that will spark up a conversation and lead us in a direction.” Grinning, Samantha waved her hand at one of the waiters, who hurried over to them. They placed their order and then continued to talk about the past and all the good times that they shared. = -- ___________________________________________________ Play 100s of games for FREE! http://games.mail.com/