The Astronomical Unit

While visiting a lady's room on the starboard side of the promenade, Samus changed into her evening dress. The dark blue sleeveless satin dress covered one shoulder and extended to just below the knee. It showed a modest amount of cleavage and was peppered with tiny crystal sequins giving it a pale blue sparkle. She always felt a little awkward dressing up since she was pretty inexperienced at dating. But a woman has needs so she bore a smile attempting to express confidence and made her way to the casino.

Taking a turbolift to deck 6, The Astronomical Unit was easy to find. The casino and hotel occupied more than half the deck. The large bright LED sign bearing the name of the establishment was also a big clue. Stepping inside, Samus was almost overwhelmed by how crowded it was. Almost two thirds of the room was filled with slot machines, at least half of them in use. To one side a kitchen and diner was visible. On the opposite side, Samus spied the cashier kiosks. A set of stairs in the center led to the card tables.

Samus glanced back and forth between the stairs and the cashier area. Before deciding how much money to bring, she needed to decide on the game to play. Money was no object but this was a matter of tactics.

She wasn't very good at Blackjack. Blowing a lot of money there might make her seem foolish and/or needy which would surely attract the wrong kinds of men. She could do well at Poker, so long as she didn't do too well as to scare off or anger potential boytoys.

Samus thought it over carefully as she made her way to a cashier terminal.