Sweet like Candy

Posted on 22 Sep 2024 @ 5:43pm by 2nd Lieutenant Cassandra Mathews & Master Sergeant Candice Laramie & Lieutenant JG Thex sh'Zoarhi

4,184 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: General Sim Postings
Location: Various
Timeline: Following training time

ON:


A gift was left in Thex's work locker. A non descript box just big enough to hold a garment folded neatly. Upon opening it was found a box that held a black jumpsuit with a removable red badge on the right shoulder, A black sleek fully enclosed helmet was also present it was obvious upon inspection it was designed to hide the face and disguise the wearers voice it had been modified to accommodate her antenna. A pair of high grade sporty leather boots, climbing gloves, and a utility belt also in black we're found with in. They were sized to fit. A Padd was present as well asking for a finger print and then a retail scan before revealing it's content.

Greetings player,

Current games on play-

Single - none

Team- Red- 3 games in play -
1 days, 3hours,42 minutes remaining

Hide and seek - Red leading

BINGO- Purple leading

Tag - Red leading

Click on game tokens for instructions on play or rules.

Next Running Man - holodeck 4 -0330 check in. -Green Hosting-

Thex had a slight grin on her face as she pressed the game tokens as she took a seat. May as well know all the rules.


Hide and seek (out game version)- based on the old Terrain game for children. Players from other teams 'hide' while the designated 'IT' team searches for them.

Duration -5 days with one 'free safe day.'

Each team will be 'it' for a duration of 24 hours.

They must seek out and mark the players of the other teams. This is accomplished by the use of observation tactics. Mannerisms and speech patterns observed by those they have interacted with in prior games.

(Note) Some players will be given special scanners that detect the special ink used to mark players for TAG- it is permitted for use in Hide and Seek as well.

When a suspected player is 'found' the person who is 'it' will signal to the games keeper via Padd, or channel 224 over the CardLink to mark said player discreetly. (You can gain individual points if you can acquire the marked player's number or color.)

If the 'it' player marks someone not in the RMG they will receive a *demerit to be issued upon the next scheduled game and will be 'out' and no longer allowed to participate in Hide and Seek or aid their team in this game.

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BINGO (out game Version)- based on the Terrain child's game.

Duration: 7 days -

The main objective is to fill the bingo card before the other teams do. Be the first to get a Bingo.

B-red
I-blue
N-green
G-yellow
O- purple

Players from each team will be given a random number. As well as a team based playing card.

Every 6th hour a new number combination will be selected from each color at random to complete a task.

Players selected will receive instructions on where to go to complete said tasks.

If said task is completed, the person with the fastest time wins the stamp of the numbers of the colors of the other four teams for their teams card.

-Each team will have 1 black Jack.-

When this player wins a task they can select any number from any of the colors upon winning including their own teams.

Along with the numbers of their competitors they beat the task.

The team that fills their card and collects a ‘bingo’ will win immunity or a free pass from one task in the main games or can trade the win to dispose of any demerits against the team.

----

Tag (out game version)- duration 7 days

Based on the Terrain child's game.

Objective: To not get 'tagged' by the other teams players.

Each team will have one designated person randomly selected by the gamekeeper to be 'IT' for their team.

Players who are "IT" - are given a special scanner. They can use this scanner to identify players who are in play by detecting the special ink compound on each player's wrist. **This does not reveal color or player number. Only that they are a participant of the RMG.

'IT' players are independent from their own teams while in play and can tag them to gain individual points.

'IT' players can steal the points of other ‘It’ players when they identify each other by "Tagging" them and making it to the "safety Zone" before the other player tags them back.

Safe zones are selected by random upon a tagging event.

'IT'players tagged out will be retired from play and replaced by another player that hasn't yet been tagged from their color team.

If no members of said team are untagged, said team has lost the game and will receive a demerit upon the next scheduled games.


STANDING RULES OF PLAY.

No violence or unsanctioned fighting:

Tasks that will require combat will be held in a controlled environment. They will be structured for safety purposes.

RMG: forbids any and all unnecessary violence and will report said violence to proper authorities.

This includes threats of violence.


Sexual Misconduct:

RMG, will NEVER hold or design any task that requires any type of sexual activity. If a player is assigned a task that they feel violated this promise. They can report it to the Game keeper for review and removal.

Anyone trying to use RMG to press a sexual motive will be reported to the proper authorities.

Sexual misconduct:

Unwanted intimate touching

Unwanted comments of a sexual nature.

Suggestive gestures

No designing of games that put players in what is felt to be sexualy suggestive or compromised positions.

RMG will NEVER sanction any game that forces a player to touch another in any sexual or suggestive way.

Any and all players are given the option to opt out of any game that requires physical contact at no penalty to them or their team.

In such an event that an entire team opts out they will be given a secondary task to complete.

If more than one team opts out a new game will be selected and voted on by the entire community.

We strongly encourage the reporting of players who do not follow the rules.

SAFETY-

Our goal is to design and run a safe environment for players to compete and play. Anything brought into the games that will endanger others is strictly forbidden.


CHEATING-

Each new game will be sent to each participating player by the games keeper only. By various methods.

Those caught trying to fool players into unsanctioned tasks will be eliminated permanently from all running man games in the future.

If assigned a task the player assigned must be the one to fulfill said task or opt out.

Upon opting out a new player is then randomly selected to take their place by the GameKeeper.

Tasks are not given by other players. Except in a **recruiting event.

(Only designated team leaders can recruit for their team. Never can a recruiter OPENLY recruit for Running man. All players must ask to be opted in. They will then be presented promptly by the GameKeeper and provided a current team kit.

Game rules for each game will be made clear by the start of each game by the GameKeeper. Anyone with questions about rules to games can contact the Gamekeeper via their Padd with contact code 224.

Game Rules and instructions are always in flux depending on the games in play.

Never be afraid to ask for more clarification. We encourage communication. We thank you for your cooperation and participation.

Welcome to the RMG family.

Upon opening the rules section a Plastic card with a chip on it slid from the device. It was plain white with lovely script with the letters RMG on one side. Contact card on the back.

Thex blue eyes scanned the document making sure she read all of the rules. The jarheads sure did like their rules, but it was all for the best. Ticking off all the boxes she flicked one of her blue figures down to the accept button.

As soon as she hit the button a second card fell out. It had a button on it that simply read. "Point to tag."

A yellow button flashed to the top of the screen as instructions read. Dress down for main event 1d 41h 53m and the seconds rolled down. The yellow button was labeled "sight to sight transport red 12. Press at 0332 Friday for lobby access.

Enjoy the games.

A smile spread over the andorians face as she pocketed the card and padd. The rest of the gear she had beamed to her own quarters. This was going to be fun.


There was a soft knock on the bulkhead behind the blue woman. "Ma'am, I hate to disturb you." Came a shy soft voice. "The bio pacs in juncture A-103 thru D-72 are showing signs of feed back degration. I was going to change them out however the system says I need a senior officer to sign off on it because they have already been changed in the last week. I was just wondering if maybe we should check the filters for any contamination while changing them out this time. They didn't get scrubbed last change out so that could be contributing to the pacs wearing out so quickly." Candy shifted nervously, this was her first time having to interact with this particular shift manager whom by extension was the deputy chief engineering officer and a fleeter.

" Sure just let me get my tool kit and we can get it seen to." Thex replied giving her a sly smile before she slipped into her officer returning with her tool kit and bag over one shoulder.

Candice had indeed waited. Still unsure if the readings she'd had could be correct. She followed Thex down the corridor, her own kit in hand to the troublesome section in question. Still she could feel the soft vibration from the tracker in her pocket again signaling that there was a player nearby. Maybe it was malfunctioning? Or maybe she was being followed? So she kept glancing around ever so often. Then she asked Thex, "is there anyone else assigned to this section?"

" No." Thex said slowing her pace. Her antenna started twitching slightly. Someone else was around. " Think someone else is here?"

"Yeah, but where?" Candice looked around openly now reaching in her pocket she fished out the device with it's purple stripe and clicked the tracker off a moment to reset it. Then back on it began to vibrate again almost instantly. "Is there a crawl space or something nearby?" The girl asked shoving the device back in her pocket after wrapping a little black rag around it.

Thex said nothing quietly pointing upwards and to the side. There was a Jefferies tube above and below them.

They didn't hear anything, nor did anyone else seem to be around. After a moment Candy shrugged. "Ghosts I guess." She smiled at the DCEO apologetically. "I'm still getting use to the Themistocles. I am used to being stationed on bases and colony's this is my first time being assigned to a ship. Are they usually this spooky?" She asked again peering back over her shoulder.

" Try working on an Excelsior class." Thex replied with a grin on her blue face. " The ghosts have their own ghosts. I forget who said it but are actions echo in the walls of the ship. Long after we're gone it remembers us."

It sounded spooky. Candy felt a shiver go up her spine. Thankfully they reached their destination. Focusing on the work helped her to ignore the Tag stick in her pocket going crazy. She'd contact the GameKeeper as soon as her shift ended about the malfunction. It had to be a malfunction. She'd worked near Thex before and recently and it had not gone off then. So either they were indeed being followed or it had to be a malfunction. Right? She put it from her mind. Work first.

Candy opened the case she'd brought containing the required biofilters and packs. She gave a set over to Thex and took a set for herself. "Divide and conquer." She said with her sweet smile. "Gets the job done twice as fast."

Thex was about to reply before she raised her hand. Her antennae were going crazy. Something was here with them. Reaching into her tool kit she closed her eyes letting her antennae do the work for her. As she could almost feel the vibration she drew the marker can and threw it straight at the source of the vibration.

The source being a marine wearing a suit of the marine camouflage suit which now thanks to the pink streak running down it was clearly visible. The camo crackling as it the suit began working trying to remove the paint.

Candy let out a little squeak, "Carson you creep! I'm working! What the heck man?"

The figure seemed to reach out it had something in it's hand and a soft chirp came from Candy's pocket. "Tag." It said,. One could hear the soft chuckle in his tone as her turned and sprinted off.

Candy stood there looking incredulous. "What a jerk. Oh well." She reached on her pocket and clicked the device off. She was working and would have to track the bastard down later. She'd challenge the tag and would move to resolve it through a mini game. He was dumb as a rock, maybe a quiz or something? No need to dwell on it now.

She looked at Thex apologetically, "sorry about that some of us are trying to ease the tension of the coming mission by playing a game or two. It's harmless fun really. I won't let it interfere with my work. I'm sorry about, that." She nodded in the direction Carson had dissapeared down. "Some of us are a little more competitive than others."

" Don't mention it. It's nothing compared to what i had to deal with growing up." Thex responded as she continued her work. Seeing the look of confusion on her companion's face she explained. " I grew up in an andorian doom day cult. Some days they'd make the kids fight over who got extra food. Things would get very competitive."

"Sounds pretty awful. Actually." Candice stated also getting back to work. "It explains why you are here though. I mean Starfleet only takes the best. And Somers only takes the best of the best. And your an officer on top of that."

"Believe me it was. One day I just started running and didn't look back. " Thex responded. " Pass me the wrench."

Candice passed her the wrench as requested. So many questions ran through her mind but she was smart enough to not be insensitive enough to ask any of them. They had after all just sorta met and it was probably a very tender subject even if Thex had brought it up first. "Most competition I ever had to deal with is my older brother. That was merely in academics. Our daddy was a stickler on grades. He had a tendency to punish whoever was not doing the best. Teddy had it worst though outta us. Daddy had alot of high expectations for him." Candice helped slide the new filter out of the protective sleeve and prepped it for installation as she spoke. "The twins though they got it easy. Momma babies them still to this day. Where Teddy and I would be out cleaning gutters, or digging drip lines in the garden they'd be clinging to momma's skirt eating sweets and stuff. I was so glad when I got my acceptance letter to Starfleet. My brother well, he ummm, he ran away. Joined up with a Ferinigi trading ship last I heard. He bounces around alot doing all sorts of weird jobs people will pay him for."

" I hope your brother doing well. Haven't seen any of my brothers and sisters since i ran from the compound. I hope they manged to get their heads screwed on straight and make a run for it." Thex said letting out a slight sigh as she carried on her work. " Andorian politics....... " she began before stoping.

Candys face softened, "Well I mean, perhaps there is a way to look them up maybe? If they did escape that is." She suggested. Though she was pretty sure that unless they had joined Starfleet like Thex they'd be gone with the wind so to speak. Still it was the only idea she could consider at the moment. She'd never been in Thex's situation an it was hard to fathom not being able to find the people she cared about. Having them so out of reach. Like Scroungers cat, both alive and dead in ones mind. "Are Andorian politics very complex?" She asked seeing an opening to ask questions.

The blue girl let out a sigh still doing her work. " I've tried. No word of any of them showing up any database and it's not like the cult has puts out news. As for my people's politics, they are extremely complicated. The biggest issue being the collapsing population levels and how to deal with it within the federation laws. It's why the government gives such freedom to such religious groups given there having the most kids." she explained.

"Oh..." Candice had to bite her tongue to keep from asking about that. Perhaps it was something she could look up later in her own time. Was the Andorian population really dropping so substantially? It made her think of those old reports from middle school. About ancient Earth history around the 2024's era a peninsula called Korea, er South Korea had suffered something similar. Their situation was due to economics of the time. People just simply didn't want children that they couldn't afford or something. There was of course far more to it than that. Candy couldn't help but wonder just what was causing the tradgedy for the Andorian population. A virus maybe? Evolutionary fluke? Finally she couldn't help herself, so she asked. "What happened to cause the population situation?"

" We don't know exactly how or when it happened but in are recent history we began suffering a chromosomal issue in the zhavey one of are four sexes. It began causing trisomy and hesomy problems in their offspring. The end result is that the andorian race fertility window has dropped from forty years to just five and births from an average of eight to one. Given how spread out among the stars we are now hasn't help either. Before you can even think about forming a quad you have to send your DNA to be run through a database to try and minimise further genetic damage. " Thex explained calmly letting out a sigh as she did so.

Candy listened and nodded. "That sounds pretty complicated." She offered, handing over the bio filter now that it was ready to install. "So you can't just fall in love and be with just anyone you want?"

" Well i can be with anyone i want, but i can't form a quad. " Thex replied noting the odd look on the marine's face. " Given are four sexs andorian don't think of sex with none andorians or a none quad as sex if that makes sense. We call those relationship playmates. "


"Oooh." Candy heard herself say. The wheels in her head churning to digest the new morsels of information. "If, if any of this is too personal I am very sorry. Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me. Especially when it comes to people. My father was fairly controlling of the information we were allowed to assimilate. It wasn't until I joined the academy that I was allowed to interact with people not born and raised on Earth. So if I cross any lines please let me know."

" It's alright." Thex replied with a gaming look on her face. " I'm happy to talk about my people depressing as it can sound."

Candy looked down at her pocket as her device continued to alert to the presence of another player. Was Carson still loitering around? Candy ignored it. She was working. "Surely there is alot of non depressing things to learn about your people." Candice urged.

"There is." Thex said as she kept up her work. " We have a history of exploration, poetry, music and engineering."

Candy smiled as she too continued her part in the work. "There's a question. What inspired you to become an engineer? For me it was a facinaction with fixing things myself. I had to do so much general upkeep at home it was just second nature to keep things in repair to avoid getting into trouble. I got a thrill from the challenge of having to figure out new things quickly ya know before daddy would get home. So it just really came together at the academy. I couldn't see myself doing much of anything else. I spiffed to the Marines when my grades dropped. I was about to get thrown out of starfleet and I couldn't bare the idea of going back home. So I joined the Marines to get an extra year to raise my off world knowledge and get my grades back up. Otherwise I'd be a fleeter like you."

" I always liked tinkering with things at the compound growing up. Finding out how they worked and how to repair them. One of the few thing that made me happy in that place. When I made it to the academy it was a natural choice just upscaling what i was fixing." Thex explained with a grin on her face.

They moved to the last juncture to purge the system of any lingering contamination as the new biofilters clicked into use. "So weird question. Is it possible to change religious sects? I mean on your homeworld if you don't fit in with the sect your raisedvin do they let you change sects? Or do they try and force you into their beliefs?"

" Yes and no. Andor like all federation world has religious freedom,but lets just say not all the religious sects go along with it. The central government has to tolerate it due to them being one of the biggest groups still having kids in a big enough numbers." Thex explained.

It didn't sound all that different from the way humans did things. It definitely wasn't as wide spread as it had been before the great wars all those years ago. Still more recently there were human cults that still had strong held beliefs. Such as her father's strongly held beliefs against aliens and their interbreeding with humans. He and his friends felt that humans would over time get bored out if they didn't put a stop to the intermengaling of species. It broke Candy's heart that he believed such things. Candy herself loved the wide galaxy and all the new and interesting people that inhabitant it. To her it was like finding rare gems. "Well at least there's a system in place.". She smiled sweetly at Thex. "I'm glad you made it here with us. I think we got this finished." She watched as Thex replaced the protective covering.

" I'm glad to be here." Thex replied as she finished closing the protective covering. " There we go. that should do it for a while."

"Thanks for the hand with everything." Candy said motioning as to indicate the area Carson had fled from as well as the bio filters. "I'll go ahead and get everything put away and these biopacks and filters disposed of properly." She offered as she began to gather everything up. "I'm purple team by the way. How about you?"

" Red." Thex replied looking down at her device. " Is that why that's been going off all this time?"

Candy chuckled, "Yeah I think so. That and freakin Carson. Don't worry though he will get his. He's probably the most tagged player on the field. The damn fool. Yellow that's Carson's team beat out Red last week in the king of the hill show down. After winning Carson took off his helmet, football spiked it like a foot ball and did some hip thrusts victory dance at the top of the hill. So everyone knew his face going into this week's games. Was comical to watch but very stupid on his part." Candy explained the they made their way back towards main engineering. "But the card you have will vibrate when other players get close to you. The closer they are the more it vibrates. In a crowded room it is very little help. Still it's something."

" I'll remember that. " Thex added as she collected up her tools. " It's been nice talking with you candy. " She said with a smile as she stood up.

"Same to you. See you Friday if you come to compete." Candy said picking up her own gear she headed off with a little wave.

Thex waved back as she headed back to engineering. She had the repair to report to fill out.

 

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