The Mystic Casino, Keruush

It was one of the casinos busiest nights, beings from all over the galaxy gambling away their savings, some winners and others losers. Bar waitress Julia Plat worked overtime, dodging hands, rushing from tavolo to table, order after order. And even with all these many people crowding in every part of the massive casino, she could see him. She stopped at the refilling station and pushed her brown hair away from her sweaty face.
“Busy night.” She remarked to her fellow waitress Jaci as they waited for the tender to refill their glasses, “see him?” she indicated behind her to one of the gambling tables, this one a form of an old earth game called poker. Several people sat there, among them a human man in his 50s. He looked older, wearier and sad. Jaci nodded.
“That’s Mr. Brusher,” she said, “he came this morning in the Mother. Seems to have gotten sadder, poor guy.” At the table, the dealer dealt another round. All went well for the man to Brusher’s left, his wails of “I won!” heard across the busy casino. But for Brusher, no luck.
“Rather sad really,” Julia detto as she waited for the tender to finish her last glass, “To see them waste their money like that.”
“You mustn’t say such things,” Jaci warned, “at least not here. What if she hears you?”
“She’s never around, te know that. Anyway, who can hear a thing in this place?”
“Still, te should be careful. te know what happened to poor Bree.” Julia shrugged and saying goodbye to her friend, started to make her rounds around the casino. On a strange impulse, she stopped successivo to the poker tavolo and listened.
“Sorry Mr,” the dealer detto in a not really sorry tone, “No più tonight.”
“But I have a feeling!” Brusher pleaded, “One più please!” The dealer just shook his head.
“Sorry, house rules.” Brusher sighed and walked dejectedly away. He stopped at one of the bars and sat down. Julia wandered over and stopped successivo to him.
“Hey,” she detto cheerfully, “Can I get te something?”
“A life.” He detto not looking up, “My wife and kids back, my job,” he looked up then, with eyes that had shed many tears, but looked like they could cry no more, “everything.” Julia just smiled.
“Um, I can get te a drink?” Brusher just shook his head and looked back down. Julia felt pity for him but a call from a nearby tavolo for a drink reminded her that she could do nothing for him. She walked away, leaving Brusher to his misery. Several minuti later, Julia returned to the refilling station with her empty glasses. Handing them to the tender, she looked over the casino, watching the winners and losers come and go.
“Wow, busy in here.” She turned around to see security officer O’Ryan standing successivo to her, looking over at the busy casino.
“Oh, hi Steve.” she detto nervously twitching with her hair. At 6 foot 2, Steve O’Ryan was everyone’s favourite, especially the woman. He had black hair and mysterious dark brown eyes. But I’m just invisible. She thought sadly to herself. He smiled at her and took a drink from the tender.
“Got to be the busiest yet huh?” he asked as he drank.
“Pretty much,” Julia said, silently willing herself to stop shaking, “the Mother came in from Cee 4 this morning. Lots of tourists apparently.” Steve nodded and finishing his drink, he placed it back on the bench. As he did, his radio buzzed. Security team Alpha segnala to HoloDome 1 a female computer voice said. Steve sighed.
“Here we go again,” he said, “more teenagers. See te later Julie.” He smiled at Julia and walked over to the turbolift. Julie, he called me Julie! Julia shrugged. She didn’t have a chance anyway. After picking up her glasses, she started to make her rounds when Mr. Brusher caught her eye. Leaning against a wall, he looked even più depressed and this time drunk. A beautiful woman in a red dress stood in front of him talking in a low soothing voice. Julia couldn’t hear it all but she did here some words, “The best game ever Kale. I promise.” She’s at it again. Julia thought with bitterness. Why can’t she leave them alone? Just then, the woman led Brusher toward a turbolift and the two disappeared. Floor zero. The lift meter read. Julia shook her head and prepared herself for the shake. Suddenly the whole building shook, a small groan, a scream and then... laughter. None of the people looked up. None of them even cared. They went about their business, winning, losing and ignoring. And the woman went about hers.


HoloDome 1

“Welcome to ‘HoloDome 1’. What is your pleasure?” The female voice of Keruush’s main computer asked the Doctor as he stood outside one of its main HoloDome’s, a place where the massive computer could recreate any place real o of imagination.
“Well, how about the pyramids of Raska 9? Or- no wait! The Crystal Springs of Janell! Now there was a beauty! The springs were nice too-“
“Please specify.”
“Well, aren’t we a drag! Ok, Polly, I’ve always wanted to visit Pluto. Such a fun planet! And so cute-“
“Please specify.”
“I just did!” The Doctor yelled at the computer consol. Out of the corner of his eye he watched the security cam blink away at him. Behind him a group of Roksillian tourists muttered in their native tongue, looking about them in a worried fashion.
“Ok,” he detto withdrawing his sonic cacciavite and waving it around, “How about this then?” The Roksillians shrieked and withdrew into their shells, only the head of a curious teenager sticking slightly out the top.
“No weapons aloud.” The computer shrilled.
“What, this?” The doctor asked, pointing the cacciavite at the main consol. “This is a cacciavite not a weapon.”
“Security team Alpha, segnala to HoloDome 1!” The computer called.
“Though I suppose a little ‘ol knocking on the head with this would surely hurt. Trust me,” the Doctor laughed, “I- don’t know. Oh hang on that’s not right is it? Don’t know? Oh what a dilemma. I could try it to find out. But, oh! I don’t want to do that do I? o do I? o not-“
“Sir?” The Doctor spun around. A group of security guards had gathered behind him led da a young human male.
“Ah security!” The Doctor said. He rushed over and stood da the lead officer. “Ok officer! Arrest Polly!” He detto pointing at the consol.
“Sir?” The officer asked.
“Arrest her.” The doctor repeated. “You know, slap her in irons! carrello her off to the- oh! I see!” He said, “No arms! Oh well that could be an issue. I suppose-“
“Sir?”
“No well that’s just not helpful,” The Doctor paused, squinting at the humans name badge, “O’Ryan. What kind of a name is that? Sounds like something from a horror story!”
“Sir?”
“Oh, Scottish! I knew a Scotsman once. Well several. Well a Scotswoman really-“
“Sir?”
“Scotswoman? Is there such a thing as a Scotswoman?”
‘”Sir!?” The officer yelled. “Will te please shut up!?”
“A Scotty Scotsman.” The Doctor whispered to another officer.
“Now sir,” O’Ryan said. “What’s the problem here?”
“None.
“None?”
“Not very bright is he?”
“That’s it!” O’Ryan said. He withdrew a pair of handcuffs from his waistband and slapped them around the doctor’s wrist.
“Oh that’s it!” The Doctor yelled as the team lead him away. “Take me to your leader!”
“Are te crazy sir?”
“Crazy? Yes crazy! Mad! A mad man with a box that’s me! The crazy Doctor!” O’Ryan shook his head and pushed the Doctor into the turbolift.
“I’ll take him from here.” He said.
“But sir,” a young humanoid woman said, “That’s not procedure-“
“I know procedures, Menick! Just do it.”
“Yes sir.” Menick nodded and backed away. The doors slid shut.
“Security rooms.” O’Ryan detto as soon as the doors shut entirely. “Now Doctor, what’s this all about?”
“How should I know? Care to do undo these?” The Doctor wiggled his hands in front of him. O’Ryan sighed and undid the cuffs.
“Better, now what’s this all about?” He asked
“I just asked te that.”
“Me too.
“I asked first.”
“Hmm,” the Doctor detto smiling, “Good point. What’s your name?”
“Steve.”
“Well Steve. Oh, but that’s not really Scottish is it? How disappointing. I expected Neil o heaven forbid Hamish!”
“You really are mad aren’t you?” Steve asked. The Doctor just smiled.
“I have to be. Now what’s this about walls screaming?”
“All I know Doctor, is that te told me to send te a message about the old stories about this place. About her, floor zero, everything.”
“Me? Why would I do that?”
“Have no idea.”
“Hah! Go figure! Neither do I.”
“So what now Doctor?”
“How do I know? You’re the officer.” Just then the turbo doors slid silently open revealing the large open security floor. Filled with glistening white offices, desks and plasma screens, men and woman in stark black and blue security uniforms dashed to and fro, small robot droids following close behind.
“This way, Doctor.” Steve detto as he walked off to the left. After a short walk they reached a small office in a corner, stuffed between a large plasma screen station and a rather messy droid repair chamber. Steve opened the office door and the Doctor went in.
“Well,” the Doctor said, plonking himself down in a blue roller chair in front of Steve’s small desk, “Isn’t this depressing? I expected something, well...bigger.” Steve shut the door and sat down opposite the Doctor, knocking over a stack of papers that were sitting precariously on the edge of his crowded desk.
“It’s not much, I know.” He said, bending down to pick up the fallen paper and knocking his head on the underside of his scrivania, reception on the way up.
“But I’m new here, well in security anyway. te know, older guys, been here longer get bigger offices and us newbie’s the unwanted ones. It’s not bad.”
“If you’re a rat.” The Doctor said. He got up and walked over to the dirty window that overlooked one of the many of Keruush’s spazio ports. “A tiny one. What’s that?” He asked. Steve got up and came over to the window and stood successivo to the doctor, rubbing his head.
“Oh that’s the Mother Ship.”
“The Mother what?”
“You don’t know the Mother Ship?” Steve asked with amazement, “I thought everyone around here would have known about her.”
“I’m not from around here. What is it, a nursery ship? Nasty things them. Never forget Miss Foster.” Steve just laughed.
“What are te on about?”
“Oh nothing! Never mind little old me. da the way, who’s she? Girlfriend?” At Steve’s puzzled expression, the Doctor indicated to behind him where on Steve’s cluttered desk, a portrait of a beautiful woman sat.
“No,” Steve detto sadly, “Mother. Used to be. She died here, 12 years ago. Well in the HoloDome actually. My Dad left us; she went to the HoloDome every day, to the place where they first met and just cried, sat there. Sad really. So I got a job as a cleaner in one of the casinos. Had to pay for her to live. But she died. In the HoloDome. In the arms of that jerk. Well Holo jerk really.”
“Now, now,” the doctor detto turning to Steve, “That’s no way to speak about your father.”
“You didn’t know him, doctor.”
“Where is he now?”
“Don’t know and don’t care.” Steve detto bitterly turning back to his scrivania, reception and sitting down, “You asked to see this.” He typed fast on his compact white keyboard and turned the screen around so the doctor could see what was on the screen. A schematic came up of the Mystic Casino’s main function room, situated on the 10th floor of the building. It was a large room, mostly open with a bacheca made of glass, overlooking Keruush’s Valley of Gem’s adventure park, a range of high and mystic jungle themed mountains. The floor of the room was made of fibrotic flooring, changing between various vibrant colours and patterns at regular intervals.
“Why?” the Doctor asked as he over looked the schematic.
“Why what?”
“Why did I want to see this? And when did I ask you? I only just met you!”
“I don’t know why te asked Doctor, but I received a message on my private HoloTransceiver a week ago. te detto that te wanted to see this schematic and that te would be here after I sent te a message. That was sent to me a week fa too. Already pre-recorded on my computer. Didn’t see it there before that.”
“Well,” the Doctor detto rushing over to the door, “Let’s go!” Steve hurried after the Doctor as he ran out the door and headed to the lift.
“One domanda Doctor,” Steve detto as he and the Doctor waited for the turbolift to arrive, “Why didn’t te just ask for me instead of the big song and dance at the HoloDome?”
“Simple,” The Doctor detto grinning, “Asking isn’t half as much fun!”