The Zero Gravity Relaxation Center & Massage Parlor
Apr 1, 2014 17:35:36 GMT -8
Starfleet Command likes this
Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2014 17:35:36 GMT -8
Getting his vessel checked into the station had taken far longer than he would have liked, given that SGE was still recovering from the solar flares. Then there was the idiot quartermaster who insisted upon having detailed specifications of his vessel due to the “aftermarket” modifications he had made. Fortunately, he had something whipped up for just these sorts of occasions, that covered the general gist of his vessel’s capabilities, without giving up any of the less-than-regulation additions.
As he’d walked about the station, getting a feel for things, he shuddered to himself a bit. It wasn’t that the station was cold… but that it was partially controlled by Starfleet. He could only hope that Tazer had matters under control as much as he’d implied in his messages. Though he was more than capable of making anything negative they came across disappear, it was a waste of his considerable genius, which could have been spent doing something that would make him money.
He’d immediately searched for a good place to relax and destress after his frustrating afternoon, and his attention was piqued by someplace that advertised itself as a “zero gravity relaxation center and massage parlor.” As he walked into the entryway, a force field shimmered slightly, and he found himself suddenly a good bit lighter.
“Good afternoon, sir,” one of the employees said. She was an Etimonian female with green and pink streaked hair. Sterling looked her over quickly, making observations based on what he saw. She was clearly a masseuse, that was evident from the sheen of oil on her fingers. Judging by what he knew of Etimonians, she was probably in her early twenties, due to the bracelet on her wrist, though her facial features looked closer to 16-17. I need to find some way to see auras the way they do, he thought absently, as his eyes drifted downward. She was wearing plus booties, and his head cocked to the side as he wondered what their purpose was.
Realizing he’d not yet spoken, he caught himself, and brought his gaze back up to her eyes. “Good afternoon,” he said, finishing with a weighted pause that suggested he was waiting for her to give her name,
She seemed a bit confused by his initial hesitation, but smiled politely. A fake smile, he noted, one that didn’t go all the way up to her violet eyes. “I’m Lahna,” she said, “and you are?”
“Bishop. Sterling Bishop,” he said. He didn’t extend a hand for a shake because she was an Etimonian, and her hands were greasy. Still, his fingers flexed at his side as he fought back the impulse.
“What can I do for you today, Mr. Bishop?” Her eyes stayed on his face. She wasn’t very observant. Probably not very intelligent either. Perhaps socially or emotionally intelligent, but not the sort of intelligence that mattered. Not that he’d expected better from a girl who looked at her future, thought “What am I going to do with my life?” and decided on “masseuse.”
Fortunately there were service positions for people who were too stupid to master more intellectual pursuits. “I’ve had a stressful morning. I need to relax,” Sterling said. As he’d already come to conclusions about the Etimonian woman, his eyes began to take in their surroundings. He was in a vestibule, and a pale blue curtain separated this area from the remainder of the facility on three sides. He frowned a bit at the curtain. He didn’t like things that he couldn’t see behind. And there was already a forcefield up, it could quickly be toggled to not allow humanoid penetration. This is not a very relaxing place.
“We do all sorts of massages, from targeting specific body parts to full body. As you’ve likely noticed already, the whole facility is zero gravity…”
“But you have some sort of device on your belt that allows you to walk normally,” he commented. The soles of her booties were slightly dirty.
She was taken aback. “Y..yes, otherwise we couldn’t give a very good massage.”
“Fair,” he admitted.
“Why don’t you get changed into a robe, and decide what sort of massage you want?” she said, pulling aside the curtain on one side to reveal a changing room.
“Of course,” Sterling said. He quickly changed out of his normal clothes (changing in zero gravity was surprisingly easier than in normal gravity) into a dark blue silk robe. The color was flattering on him. He admired his reflection in the mirror for a moment before exiting to the vestibule.
“Full body. I’m very tense. I keep tension in my shoulders,” he said.
Lahna nodded, “I can definitely take care of that for you. Let me take you back into the other room, and I’ll get you settled on a bed.”
Sterling gestured with one arm that she should lead the way. He didn’t want to be tailed into a room he didn’t know the exact proportions or defensibility of. Lahna hesitated before pulling the curtain aside. “This is a big disorientating at first,” she said, then opened the curtain.
Sterling’s brain told him the room was sideways. And he advised his unconscious that “sideways” was rather subjective, particularly given that they were on a space station. Realistically they could be upside down all the time. I wonder how all races we’ve encountered decided which way to orient their spacecraft, he thought, as his brain adjusted enough to make sense of the room.
What he believed to be the floor was actually a wall, as best as he could tell, and a wall that was actually a giant aquarium. The booties suddenly made sense, “Ah, so the fish don’t have to deal with constant tapping all day long,” he said to himself.
“Huh?” Lahna asked.
Sterling shook his head, “Nothing.”
Hovering over the aquarium floor/wall were zero gravity sleds. They were plushly padded, and probably quite comfortable from what Sterling guessed. At one end there was a hole, presumably so the person getting the massage could look at the fish. Clever, he thought to himself.
“Pick a bed and get comfortable, I’ll go get my supplies.”
Sterling picked a bed towards the middle so he could hear the conversations of the greatest number of people in the room, and laid down. He noted that zero gravity was a bit of a misnomer; there was just enough gravity in the room that he stayed on the bed without effort. Still it allowed him to relax more, and he made an appreciative sound.
The fish in the aquarium were from various different planets; Sterling recognized fish from Earth, Vulcan, and Etimon, among others he could not identify. He added Ichthyology to his mental list of topics to study as he waited for Lahna’s return. There were people on either side of him, and he sighed as he realized it was hard to judge people without being able to see them or their clothes. He would definitely alert the management to this inconvenience.
Tag: Any
As he’d walked about the station, getting a feel for things, he shuddered to himself a bit. It wasn’t that the station was cold… but that it was partially controlled by Starfleet. He could only hope that Tazer had matters under control as much as he’d implied in his messages. Though he was more than capable of making anything negative they came across disappear, it was a waste of his considerable genius, which could have been spent doing something that would make him money.
He’d immediately searched for a good place to relax and destress after his frustrating afternoon, and his attention was piqued by someplace that advertised itself as a “zero gravity relaxation center and massage parlor.” As he walked into the entryway, a force field shimmered slightly, and he found himself suddenly a good bit lighter.
“Good afternoon, sir,” one of the employees said. She was an Etimonian female with green and pink streaked hair. Sterling looked her over quickly, making observations based on what he saw. She was clearly a masseuse, that was evident from the sheen of oil on her fingers. Judging by what he knew of Etimonians, she was probably in her early twenties, due to the bracelet on her wrist, though her facial features looked closer to 16-17. I need to find some way to see auras the way they do, he thought absently, as his eyes drifted downward. She was wearing plus booties, and his head cocked to the side as he wondered what their purpose was.
Realizing he’d not yet spoken, he caught himself, and brought his gaze back up to her eyes. “Good afternoon,” he said, finishing with a weighted pause that suggested he was waiting for her to give her name,
She seemed a bit confused by his initial hesitation, but smiled politely. A fake smile, he noted, one that didn’t go all the way up to her violet eyes. “I’m Lahna,” she said, “and you are?”
“Bishop. Sterling Bishop,” he said. He didn’t extend a hand for a shake because she was an Etimonian, and her hands were greasy. Still, his fingers flexed at his side as he fought back the impulse.
“What can I do for you today, Mr. Bishop?” Her eyes stayed on his face. She wasn’t very observant. Probably not very intelligent either. Perhaps socially or emotionally intelligent, but not the sort of intelligence that mattered. Not that he’d expected better from a girl who looked at her future, thought “What am I going to do with my life?” and decided on “masseuse.”
Fortunately there were service positions for people who were too stupid to master more intellectual pursuits. “I’ve had a stressful morning. I need to relax,” Sterling said. As he’d already come to conclusions about the Etimonian woman, his eyes began to take in their surroundings. He was in a vestibule, and a pale blue curtain separated this area from the remainder of the facility on three sides. He frowned a bit at the curtain. He didn’t like things that he couldn’t see behind. And there was already a forcefield up, it could quickly be toggled to not allow humanoid penetration. This is not a very relaxing place.
“We do all sorts of massages, from targeting specific body parts to full body. As you’ve likely noticed already, the whole facility is zero gravity…”
“But you have some sort of device on your belt that allows you to walk normally,” he commented. The soles of her booties were slightly dirty.
She was taken aback. “Y..yes, otherwise we couldn’t give a very good massage.”
“Fair,” he admitted.
“Why don’t you get changed into a robe, and decide what sort of massage you want?” she said, pulling aside the curtain on one side to reveal a changing room.
“Of course,” Sterling said. He quickly changed out of his normal clothes (changing in zero gravity was surprisingly easier than in normal gravity) into a dark blue silk robe. The color was flattering on him. He admired his reflection in the mirror for a moment before exiting to the vestibule.
“Full body. I’m very tense. I keep tension in my shoulders,” he said.
Lahna nodded, “I can definitely take care of that for you. Let me take you back into the other room, and I’ll get you settled on a bed.”
Sterling gestured with one arm that she should lead the way. He didn’t want to be tailed into a room he didn’t know the exact proportions or defensibility of. Lahna hesitated before pulling the curtain aside. “This is a big disorientating at first,” she said, then opened the curtain.
Sterling’s brain told him the room was sideways. And he advised his unconscious that “sideways” was rather subjective, particularly given that they were on a space station. Realistically they could be upside down all the time. I wonder how all races we’ve encountered decided which way to orient their spacecraft, he thought, as his brain adjusted enough to make sense of the room.
What he believed to be the floor was actually a wall, as best as he could tell, and a wall that was actually a giant aquarium. The booties suddenly made sense, “Ah, so the fish don’t have to deal with constant tapping all day long,” he said to himself.
“Huh?” Lahna asked.
Sterling shook his head, “Nothing.”
Hovering over the aquarium floor/wall were zero gravity sleds. They were plushly padded, and probably quite comfortable from what Sterling guessed. At one end there was a hole, presumably so the person getting the massage could look at the fish. Clever, he thought to himself.
“Pick a bed and get comfortable, I’ll go get my supplies.”
Sterling picked a bed towards the middle so he could hear the conversations of the greatest number of people in the room, and laid down. He noted that zero gravity was a bit of a misnomer; there was just enough gravity in the room that he stayed on the bed without effort. Still it allowed him to relax more, and he made an appreciative sound.
The fish in the aquarium were from various different planets; Sterling recognized fish from Earth, Vulcan, and Etimon, among others he could not identify. He added Ichthyology to his mental list of topics to study as he waited for Lahna’s return. There were people on either side of him, and he sighed as he realized it was hard to judge people without being able to see them or their clothes. He would definitely alert the management to this inconvenience.
Tag: Any