Rogers had finished the last course of the meal and, after bidding Liquidator Bok a fond farewell, had walked over to the bar and ordered an apéritif wine to help settle the meal, not to mention perhaps his nerves.
Meeting his step-father had been a surprise and very enjoyable. Reminiscing over old times, memories of growing up mainly on a D'Kora class cruiser, and the multitude ports of call in the three quadrants were mostly fond memories. Some were, however, best left in the dim regions of memory where he'd put them long ago.
But Bok had needed to attend a meeting with the liners' owners, so David found himself alone again, sipping a fine Picard vintage and watching the milling crowd as they made their way to the exit and gave their small talk gratitudes to the Captain before they left the hall.
David found his gaze drawn back more than once to the table that had been behind him. The four women and their three escorts were still seated and chatting, some louder than others, but the Vulcan woman in the stunning red gown seemed to be as one out of place in the group.
'No one would have intentionally stayed away from such beauty without a damn good reason,' David thought after noticing again that the empty place setting beside her must signify an absent companion.
Finishing his wine, David turned away from the pompous fools salivating around the Captain and made his way toward, and through, the servants entrance. The corridor passed through adjacent side kitchens, some still odorous of the meals just recently served. Near the end of the hallway was a connecting passage to the crew passages, a maze of halls and lifts designed to service the passengers more effectively and quickly. Taking the right entrance, David walked along the length of the ship, and as this corridor was on the outer shell, the passing windows gave a calming view of the passing stars as the liner cruised along under low warp.
Coming to a corner, the hallway led off into the bowels of the ship, but immediately in front of him was an entrance that said Level Ten Gym. Pasted beside that was a small notice from the ships engineering staff, out of order. As he entered the light came up and he found himself in a spacious gymnasium and sauna complex.Much of the gym equipment was covered in white cloth, probably to keep it shiny clean for reopening, and David passed that by and made his way to the doors at the back of the gym. He pushed one open and peered inside. This was a sauna and pool room, a very large pool, and the sauna rooms surrounding it all seemed to be in working order. His room had a sauna, but this pool looked exciting. He'd loved swimming as a child.
Glancing back the way he'd entered he slowly entered the room and let the windowed door swing shut. 'I'll just do a few laps', he thought mischievously. In half a minute David had stripped and dove into the very warm water, and began a few lazy strokes to work the kinks out of long unused swimming muscles.
