Shore Leave in Crystal City (Part III)

[rosetto 0]

Everyone went back to their rooms to change into their evening attire. They would not have much time for primping. Sal entered his room and found his suitcase, opened it and quickly hung the items that needed to be hung. He then selected the jet black suit with a brightly colored tunic. He got dressed and pulled a comb through his hair, did the usual masculine primping which wasn’t much and dashed out of his room. He tapped his lapel and nothing happened. His personal communicator was lying on the nightstand. Frustrated with himself, Sal returned to his room and grabbed it and tapped again,

 

 

“Tony? You guys about ready?”

 

“Just about Sal. We’ll meet you downstairs.”

 

Sal tapped it again,

 

“Celia?”

 

“Yes, Sal. I’m on my way.” There was an attitude attached to her voice but Sal knew her well enough as she knew him. She would probably beat him to the lift but would be there when he arrived. And she was.

 

Dressed in a tightly fitted shimmering blue frock, Celia smiled as Sal approached. She looked like a million credits and Sal could hardly imagine how she was able to pull that off in 30 minutes. Celia took note that Sal’s mouth was on the floor and allowed him a moment’s opportunity to pick it up before they entered the lift.

 

“Nice jacket”, she commented, actually meaning it as she sized up her escort for the evening.

 

“Thanks. That dress is something else too.” Sal replied with a smile, “Wow.”

 

 

As expected, Frank was at the lobby bar and saw them exit the lift. He was wearing a green pin-striped suit with a subdued tunic and tie. Celia grabbed his arm and they trotted off to the shuttle stand at the far end of the lobby area. There were several cabs available and so they stood away from the crowd and waited for Kris and Tony to arrive.

 

Kris was in a long black formal pantsuit and heels. She had put her blonde hair up in a swirl, letting one strand fall freely across the side of her face. Tony was in white and they approached from the left in a near panicked state. The women instantly started chatting while Tony located an appropriate cab.

 

Happersville was about 5 kilometers outside of the city complex. Aldebaran had disappeared over the horizon and so everyone’s sense of direction had been slightly skewed. Sal knew from the map he had reviewed that their destination was west of the city and that Crystal Bay lied just to the north. The buildings were sparse outside the complex but they still hugged the edges of the street. The few that were set back were most likely residences or facilities that depended little on the commerce of tourism.

 

Celia and Kris were sitting next to each other in the back with Tony. Celia was pointing at this and that but there wasn’t very many street lights outside the complex and things were hard to see. Sal, who was sitting next to Frank in front looked ahead at a soft glow and then nodded back to Tony,

 

“Happersville?”

 

“Looks like it. The Trapezium will be set back from the other buildings.” Tony looked at the brochure in his hand which had a rough map of Happersville on its back page. There were just a few side streets off the main highway that criss-crossed in a twisted grid pattern. All of them were on the north side of the highway filling the space between the road and the waterfront.

 

The shuttle was an autocab. There was no driver, perse’. They operated similar to the turbolift system onboard a starfleet vessel. Tony had fed in the destination coordinates when they had entered the cab and after everyone was seated, he set them in motion by the simple “engage” command directed to the programming panel. These cabs operated throughout the city complex but also recognized a limited number of destinations outside the complex as well. The brochure had indicated that the Trapezium was included in these destinations.

 

The cab turned off the main highway and headed down a long drive that was lined with lights. There were personal conveyances parked on either side of the drive and people walking up the sidewalk that lead to the club. The cab pulled up to the main entrance and the door slid open. Kris was the first to get out, quickly followed by Tony and then Frank. Sal waited until Celia was through before he exited. The cab door closed and the cab zipped away into the darkness.

 

The fanfare was definitely different from life on the El Paso. There were people in every direction wearing a variety of different styles. Most were formal and the group had consciously released a simultaneous sigh of relief. Being underdressed was sometimes fun, especially if it was the intent of the evening. On the flip side, being overdressed usually meant for a cold and uncomfortable time. Celia grabbed Sal’s arm which was not out of the ordinary but pleasantly received by him. He wasn’t going to push it, but he thought that perhaps there was something more to this relationship than he had realized.

 

They found an open table near the wall and a server quickly took their drink orders. Everyone was drinking this time and Celia had made a comment, “oh just one or two to take the edge off.” The conversation was gay and light-hearted and there was an excitement in the air as the crowd slowly quieted and the main lighting of the room was dimmed. A voice came over the PA system,

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, Platinum Junction”

 

There was a brief applause and a steady murmur that continued as a spotlight fixed on a lone guitarist to the left of center-stage. The acoustics of the room had captured the melody and it floated like a gentle breeze. Sal leaned back in his seat and Celia, still on his arm, snuggled closer as they listened to the soft picking echoing through the room. A saxophone soon joined the melody which was followed by a piped instrument called a sentic. It was from the planet Valakis and added a unique stir to the mood of the music. Celia’s eyes were closed but Sal scanned the room in an attempt to share the experience with others in the crowd. Frank was a bit edgy but Kris was in Tony’s arms at the front of the table facing away from Sal. They were obviously enjoying the tapestry being painted.

 

As Sal scanned he noted an open bar with a variety of patrons in a number of different groupings. Most were duets or trios but there were a couple of people who sat alone. He continued to slowly pan his eyes across the room not fixing them on anyone in particular. Then they stopped abruptly. It was enough for Celia to take notice and she whispered to him,

 

“What is it?”

 

“The Vulcan.”

 

“The wh—“, she looked quickly in the direction he was looking and continued to whisper, “Oh my god, you’re right. It is him.” Celia paused for a moment and then nudged Sal, “He’s probably here to enjoy the concert as well. Come on. We’re here to relax, okay?”

 

“Vulcans don’t---“

 

“Shhh”

 

She scolded him with a smile and squeezed tighter to his arm. Sal lamented and waited patiently for the song to conclude. Celia noted that he had continued to look quickly over at the Vulcan in attempts to catch the Vulcan doing the same but kept it to her self. She tried to enjoy the music and sipped her tequila. Sal was back to drinking ale and he’d finished his as the song ended and the crowd began to applaud. Sal rose,

 

“I’ll be right back. Nature.”

 

Celia knew that ‘Nature’ was not calling him but also knew that he wouldn’t relax until he found out who the Vulcan was and what he was doing there. Sal excused himself from the table and looked around for the restroom sign. Not finding it he headed toward the bar. The band started their next number which was very light and fun. The crowd had started clapping and everyone was smiling and laughing. Even the bartender was clapping as Sal approached her. It was noisy and so Sal tried to visually communicate with her. She eventually got his meaning and pointed off to the right with a smile. As Sal walked away he saw out of the corner of his eye that the Vulcan was watching him. He glanced down at something in his hand and then stood and walked toward the exit. They met in the hall.

 

 

“Who are you and what do you want?” Sal spoke curtly. “You are watching us and frankly, scaring the women.”

 

The Vulcan looked cautiously at Sal but did not pause before he replied, “I am Stubin. You are not mistaken. I have been observing you and your party since your arrival on Tartessos. I had to be certain before I approached you. You are Salvatore Rosetto, of the El Paso, correct?”