Hizik & Hunt

Posted on Fri 6th Jan, 2017 @ 3:14pm by Commander Zachary Hunt & Lieutenant Elas Hizik

1,646 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Murder on the Silent Night Express
Location: Deck 1553: Tivoli Gardens Casino Resort/Lower Lounge

Hunt had decided to explore more of Tivoli Gardens, it was one of those things he had been told about before he came aboard Vanguard. They weren't wrong about how amazing it looked. On this particular deck - 1553, there was gardens all around, not a river on this deck, but a waterfall dropping from the deck above to the deck below. It was nice and refreshing, just what Hunt needed. He continued to walk around the gardens, peacefully, taking all the sites in. He wondered how long it must have taken to get the gardens looking this good. He shuddered to think. He soon came to a Casino Resort half hidden away by all the gardens. It looked posh from the outside, the outer front rising all the way up with mirrored windows rising all the way up with a red outline for where the door was. 'Time spare? Sure let's give it a whirl' Hunt thought.

He was about to walk in when he noticed a familiar face standing outside looking at the Casino as well, "Hizik!" Hunt shouted, walking over. "How are you? What brings you to Tivoli Gardens?"

Elas enjoyed the serenity and peacefulness within the vast vegetation of the Gardens where he had spent the first, admittedly rather solitary, month aboard the Vanguard. Since coming back from the Warspite, he had been even more reserved, seeing Lieutenant Anthony's death didn't help. He glanced across at Hunt - to match his ambitions he would have to get acquainted with the rest of the crew sooner or later, he forced the cookie cutter smile that was a giveaway of a Starfleet graduate. "Hi Hunt. I am well thank you and yourself? I find the gardens a serene place to be, it allows me to delve into my thoughts. This casino is beautiful, but I'm unsure on whether to go in. What about yourself, Sir?"

"No need for the formalities Hizik for this hour! The Gardens are possibly even nicer after so much stress on board this base and the last mission we've had. Have you been to a Casino before?"

"Once Sir, it didn't go very though and I've been hesitant to go again," Hizik replied.

"Formalities... Casinos are places to draw you in and help you lose your money, I wouldn't recommend it! Have you tried any of the food places? I would quite like to try The Lower Lounge. I tried Orchids & Jazz and it was fantastic, definitely would recommend. Tell you what, instead of casino, how about a trip to The Lower Lounge?" Hunt asked.

"Now that sounds like a plan!" Elas replied as they headed towards the Gardens exit. "It's rather funny, as CIO I could tell you the number of planets in this system and their names, but I must confess to have never visited this Lower Lounge? What is it like?"

"Well, I've never actually been there myself yet. I hear good things though."

Hunt & Hizik continued to walk and talk through Tivoli Gardens, before ending up at The Lower Lounge after a short turbolift jaunt. The pub was tucked away on Deck 686 at the bottom of the Promenade.

Once the two stepped inside, they would see the place seems much less formal than its name would convey. The design could be called modern and minimalist. It was fairly dark, with bright neon accent lighting causing the walls to glow.

As usual, music was playing. It had a beat that bumped and some sort of flute playing at a fast rate. A haunting female voice sang sultry notes to the tune.

It took a few seconds, but soon, a leggy Orion woman dressed in a brown and yellow dress showed up at the table where the two had been waiting. Her eyes lit up when she saw the newcomers. As a former Starfleet officer, she could recognize rank easily. She didn't know the station's chain of command, but seeing the red on his uniform meant he was of some importance. Maybe he was even a visiting starship captain.

"Gentlemen! Welcome to the Lower Lounge. Right this way. I've got a special table for you VIPs."

Hunt nodded his head to acknowledge what she had said. Tassaa also noticed the second man was with the Intel department. She would love to have a contact with either of their connections. The group made their way through the medium sized pub, up a small staircase to a section of round tables with curved booth style backing. A group of Ferengi sat speaking their native language at the adjacent table. They were caught up in something, probably business.

Two tables back, an Andorian and a Trill shared a drink with two straws. The lovers stared in each other's eyes.

When seated, the group could look over the entire bar from their high perch. It was still fairly empty at this time of day, but a few patrons sat at the bar and among the tables.

The Orion handed each officer a drink menu. "So all our drinks are real. Nez and I sailed through high space to acquire this stock. Each drink has a story behind it. A face. We're searching for a cook. But for now, we can replicate snacks if you get hungry."

"I'll check back in a few minutes." She smiled and leaned forward over the table, revealing a view down the top of her dress, showing her fair green skin. "Enjoy yourselves." With a smile, she turned and glanced back before walking off to tend to other customers.

The officers would be exposed to the intoxicating effects of the Orion's pheromones.

Hunt enjoyed the atmosphere in the place, he enjoyed the vibe of Orchids & Jazz slightly more, but still it was up to his standards. The owner would never know he liked somewhere else. Although he has just been served by a pretty Orion lady... maybe he did like it more here instead. He was a bit disappointed they weren't serving any fresh food, but wasn't that hungry to care more than that. He glanced across at Hizik who seemed to be in awe of the environment they were in, "Well? What do you think? Hopefully you'll have a better first trip here then you did for your first trip at the casino eh?

Seeing Tassaa walking back over Elas pulled his tongue back into his mouth and mimed inspecting the menu. As their hostess enquired if they had made their minds up, he glanced down at the menu for the first time and picked the first recognisable picture "large Jestral Tea for me, please", hoping the recognisable taste would ease his anxiety regarding the social environment and the slight malaise he was starting to notice having been in the Orion's company for a few minutes.

The tall, green women smiled faintly. "Our jestral tea was brewed under the pink skies of Darona." That was the 6th planet in the Betazed system, known for its agriculture. "We picked it up from a trader named Tazu. It's becoming a favorite." She leaned forward, dark eyes peering into the intel officer's.

"Are you a Betazoid?" Her voice squeaked. She could tell by his dark eyes, which she continued to stare into.

"Yes" replied Elas glancing away. "Well erm, half" His half human parentage was immediately apparent to fellow Betazoids, to most the slight grey quality in his eyes was indistinguishable.

Her eyes narrowed with excitement and she spoke through a smile, "Oh, that's so interesting. I always wondered what it would be like to be a telepath."

"I have my fathers eyes, but unfortunately not his insight into the minds of others" he lied. Being able to read the thoughts and opinions of those around him had always given him the edge to overcome his shortcomings in social situations, but he relied on others being ignorant to his. Clearly he had underestimated how cultured and well travelled his present company were.

She turned her attention to the other officer. "And what will you have?" A small PADD rested in her long, delicate fingers.

"Surprise me with your most popular drink," Hunt stated, trying to avoid the glance. Hizik seemed to be in a trance towards her, maybe bringing him here wasn't a good idea. Ah well he thought.

"I'll bring that right up for you two." She collected each drink menu and as she did, she leaned forward. Her hand landed on the intel officer's shoulder for about 3 seconds. Then she turned and quickly hurried away towards the bar. If Hizik could read her thoughts, he might sense a playful curiosity about her.

Hunt laughed when she walked away, "You need to calm it down fella. First pretty lady you've spoken to and you're stumbling your way through it! Are you always this bad when it comes down to talking to ladies?"

"My studies were rather intensive, they didn't leave any time for...recreational activities". Elas liked Hunt, his thoughts correlated with the words that came out of his mouth, an attribute that was rather lacking in many top brass he had encountered. "What's the plan for the rest of the night?".

He spied the waitress making her way over with the tea he was relying on slowing his heart rate, he much preferred the hustle and bustle of a busy deck where he could slip into anonymity, somehow the lack of patrons in the place made him more anxious. Even glancing at her thoughts, he couldn't decide if her coquettishness was sincere, due to their rank (he made a mental note to wear less conspicuous clothing on his next visit to the deck), or simply part of the job.

Hunt answered before she came over, "Plan? Who plans these sorts of random things. Drink until we get bored, then move on to the next gig!" Hunt laughed.

 

RSS Feed