Games of Chance

Posted on Sat 13th Oct, 2018 @ 9:58am by Lieutenant Commander Andrew Eberstark & Eddie Hunt

1,342 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Oblivion
Location: Casino
Timeline: MD14: 1500 Hours

In the end, Eddie had managed four hours sleep after finishing watching the late night poker tournament. Four hours was enough for him to get up and come straight back to the casino for the next day which included the evening awards ceremony to. Or so he hoped anyhow. He breathed a sigh of relief when he came back and the building was still up right. He had left the casino in the hands of his Deputy Manager that he had appointed - Killian Algrave. He was a straight talking guy and had experience in running a casino back on Earth. Unfortunately, he had dealt with the wrong kind of people and was looking for a job again. Eddie felt kind of sorry for the guy and gave him the second chance.

A couple of hours had passed since he had come back and the casino was still busy. Not as busy as it was last night, but the buzz was still in the air. He had been observing the roulette tables on the second floor for a little bit. It was kind of relaxing, watching the tiny roulette ball spin round and making the clacking sound as it swirled around the numbers. The second floor was a bit louder than the other two floors due to the sounds of the balls hitting each other on the billiards tables, the sound of the roulette tables, the sound of the dice on the craps tables, the slot machines with their 'dinging' sounds and the sound of the balls in the keno machine. It made this floor seem alive with all the noise going on. He swiftly moved across to a craps table that was near the blackjack tables so he could observe both games.

Andrew grinned slightly at the dealer as he was given his second card. An ace of spades. That coupled with his ten hearts resulted in the dealer delivering the short response every player wants to hear, "Blackjack. Winner."

The dealer quickly shuffled the cards away and replaced them with Andrew's winnings as Andrew took another sip from his drink. To his surprise, it lasted shorter than expected and he looked down to find the glass empty. Looking back to the dealer, Andrew shrugged and rose from his seat, "Well I guess now is as good a time as any to take a break."

Taking the rest of his stack, which was surprisingly around the same amount as when he started some time ago, Andrew turned and was about to make his way for a refill when he noticed the man responsible for all the commotion taking in the action around him. Pausing, Andrew walked over. Hunt was alone, observing a craps table at the moment Andrew walked up him as the shooter was getting ready to throw. As the dice bounced off the far wall of the table and came to rest, there was an eruption of cheers around the table.

Both of the men gave a smile at the result and Andrew spoke over the noise, "Have you ever indulged or do you just like observing?"

Eddie glanced at the man who had spoken to him, "I do like indulging here and there, but for tonight, yesterday and most probably tomorrow I'm an observer. The reason being is I own the casino," He smiled. "Eddie Hunt. Nice to meet you." He put his hand out to shake the man's.

Extending the hand in return, Andrew gave a slight nod and smile, "Likewise. Andrew Ebertstark. And oh, yes. I know. Quite the place. Must have taken a lot of effort. If you don't mind my asking, what was the motivation behind it all?"

Eddie recognised the name from his research into the base, he was sure he was a head of department, but couldn't remember which. He would find out when it mattered more. "Of course, I wanted to do something to honour my brother's name - Zachary Hunt."

Andrew nodded in understanding and took a moment to gather himself. Looking at the man, he gave a respectful nod, "I can appreciate and empathize with your need to do that. Commander Hunt was a good man," looking back around at the room, "I'm glad you picked something that seems to make people happy. Definitely a good way to honor him."

"I guess it can make people unhappy as well if they lose, but it's the fun that counts right? And I do have a gambling counselor on board just in case these things get out of hand," Everyone on board seemed to know his Brother, either that or they pretended to.

He shrugged, "I feel like it's the experience. At least it is for me. There's just something satisfying about defying the odds don't you think? And counselors is a good thought. I doubt most casino owners would be as thoughtful."

"True, a lot of people remember their first time in the casino, their first big win and their first big loss. It is a place to create those memories. Well I want to contribute in a positive way to the base and I think I have done that," Eddie smiled.

Impressed with the man's demeanor, Andrew nodded in agreement, "I couldn't agree more. I for one am happy this place popped up here. Now I'll have another place to spend my free time besides my quarters and the gym," pausing he continued, "Is this what you figure you'll time here on the Starbase will be most dedicated to?"

Eddie smiled at Andrew, "I'm glad it's another place for you to go. I don't know. I'm on sabbatical at the moment from Starfleet so maybe if a position comes up on this Starbase I might try and apply for the transfer here. Otherwise I might go back. I don't really know what to do yet if I'm honest. How long have you been on board for?"

Andrew shrugged, "This place is big enough I feel like there is always an opportunity for an open position to pop up. I can't speak for every department but I wouldn't turn down an extra hand if the situation presented itself," pausing to answer the man's question," I've been here for a little over a year if I'm remembering correctly," smiling, "It actually doesn't seem that long when I think about it. Haven't had much time to relax and settle in. Hopefully that'll change soon."

"I heard this base has had loads of ups and downs, mainly downs. I mean losing a Captain, it being run down not so long ago, accidents, murders, the lot. And that's only the bits I read up on before coming here, hopefully it well settle down. What department are you in?"

"Tactical and Strategic Operations," Andrew responded, "So I've been scrambling left and right to try and keep up with all of the above. Nothing would make me happier than a month of peace and quiet. What was your position in Starfleet prior to your sabbatical?"

"Communications! Not quite as involved as you," Eddie let out a small chuckle. "Peace and quiet would be good, but the world we live in doesn't let the quiet things happen too often!"

"Oh, don't sell yourself short. Communications can be very involved," Andrew replied earnestly, "And no argument here, but I can certainly dream can't I?"

Looking around the full room again and seeing everyone seemingly having a good time, he added, "At least we can relax a little bit with some recreation like this right?"

"Well you can. For now, I've got to be the owner. Give it a few days then I can play some," Eddie smiled. "Anyway Andrew, it was nice meeting you, but I guess I should be off. I have an awards ceremony coming up soon. Will I see you there?"

Andrew nodded in reply, "Nice to meet you as well. Congratulations again on the success. And I may make an appearance," giving a wry smile,"Depends how good my luck holds at the tables."

 

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