Vanessa Vanessa was a character in the novel " Hotel Royale " , portrayed as a down - on - her - luck casino gambler who had hooked up with another gambler named . Biography . A 20th century Human woman in the book by Todd Matthews , Vanessa was an attractive blonde , a married woman who had an inheritance . At the casino , she had taken up with Texas , who was conspiring with her to murder her husband while squandering her money . He tended to push her into unwise gambling situations , fostering her dependence on his advice , and eventually causing her to rely on his monetary winnings as well . A physical representation of Vanessa , along with the setting and other characters of the novel , was created by an unknown alien presence for a Human astronaut named Colonel Stephen Richey on Theta VIII in 2044 when his ship , the " Charybdis " , crashed there . The Theta VIII alien interpreted the character described in the book and replicated her in a black evening dress . An away team from the Federation starship entered the hotel in 2365 and found the situations from the novel still being re - enacted in the building . When Data approached the blackjack table , Texas included him in their repartee . Vanessa intently followed Data ' s simplified description of the game , and whistled in amazement at the android ' s dexterous card shuffling . While Texas advised Vanessa to take another card , she lost with that deal , with Texas able to reach blackjack . However , Data was also able to achieve blackjack with a play of statistics , despite Texas advising against his taking additional cards . Vanessa again followed closely to Data ' s simplistic explanation of the logic of taking another card and nodded in agreement . After an investigation of the Royale surroundings that included the discovery of Richey ' s corpse , Data returned to the casino ' s blackjack table where Texas had been watching his chips . As he approached , Vanessa was expressing worry about her monetary situation , examining her purse despite Texas ' advice that it was bad luck to count chips at a table . While Data queried Texas about the reason for the anomalous hotel , Vanessa took another card and lost , expressing that she was " losing her shirt " . Data seemed surprised by the slang comment , visually noting that her somewhat revealing clothing had not included a shirt . Texas took this opportunity to point out to Data that he was there to make sure that Vanessa turned her luck around , while attempting a somewhat flirtatious embrace . Oblivious , Vanessa asked Texas and Data about her next hand . While Texas advised her to take another card , Data pointed out that the odds favored standing pat . She took Texas ' advice and lost , exclaiming her total above 21 was " too many " as she realized she was out of money . Texas again attempted to embrace her again , this time to her notice , assuring her that he would take care of her . Data awkwardly observed the interaction . As the storyline continued to play out around the away team , with Mickey D murdering the bellhop , Vanessa and Texas moved on to the craps table . The away team returned to the casino to observe Vanessa rolling a two , or " snake eyes " , which Data noted was not desirable . At this point , Texas and Vanessa were both losing , with Vanessa expressing concern that she might not even be able to afford lodgings . Texas again assured her that he would take care of her , following with another bout of intimate contact , which surprised the vulnerable Vanessa , this time observed by both Data and Worf . As Data explained the rules of craps to William Riker , he noted that the random fortune involved was why they called it " gambling " , Vanessa was again visibly impressed with Data ' s summation of the situation . With another bad dice roll from Data , Vanessa commented to Texas " so much for your new turkey , " a reference to Texas ' desire to have himself and Vanessa benefit from following his plays . After Data corrected the dice weights for fair rolling , the away team began their planned winning streak to secure their escape from the casino . With Texas ' plan to follow on to the winning gamblers working , Vanessa complimented his brilliance . Riker , playing the role of the investor from the novel , gifted Vanessa and others with complimentary chips to celebrate their victories . After Riker ' s gift , Texas declined to stay included in the bets . When the away team broke the bank , Vanessa and the others happily congratulated them as they departed . ( )