Star Trek: Starbase 777 - carnival-games

A fairly large area was staged with a host of carnival games. Horseshoes, whack-a-vole, that one where you throw rings onto bottle spouts but it's rigged so you mostly can't win, balloon darts, and any others anyone could possibly think of... you've played it or heard of it, it's there! If you win the games, you get silly prizes like plushies based on how well you did (and from the Narrator to you, dear reader, in this channel? It is your decision how well your characters do at whatever games you choose)!

Stepping up to the games was none other than Rai the bread! He was joined by Kali-fal at his feet, the little epohh was happy to be there. Rai was dressed in some denim overalls with a long sleeve black t-shirt and some brown boots. He was still very tall and large. He kept wanting to dye his hair but alas his hair was still brown. He'd need to call Allan or Tiravurik about helping him colour his hair again.

2

The short woman practically skipped as she eagerly walked into the event grounds. “Come on, Tarsek! You’re getting behind!” She called back at the man following her, before looking around at all the attractions not sure of what she should try first. It all seemed so fun!

He was behind, but no so much. Garcia might have been walking fast, but Tarsek had the advantage of significantly longer legs and wider steps. He took the sign of all the stalls and possibilities. At least he knew Garcia would definitely enjoy every single one, she was always down for any festival or party. As for him, he had been attracted by the “harvest” part of the Harvest Festival. How different would it be from the harvests back at his home? Very, apparently, and so interesting to observe. He stopped next to her as she seemed to indecisively regard the event.

Sterling, having caught wind of the harvest festival occurring his first day on the station, was meandering through the area, taking a look and who and what was around to see. Most were faces he did not recognize, but some officers stood out from the crew manifests. He spotted the XO of the station, one of the first and most notable, in his opinion, of what he had read of the crew list. “Commander.” *He nodded towards the two, “And Lieutenant Commander.”

Too distracted with her own thoughts, she only realized the approach when Sterling had already addressed them both. “Oh! Heya!” She smiled seeing the android. “That’s us, I guess.”

Tarsek had noticed Sterling far sooner, noticing the Starfleet emblem on his plating and immediately offering a ta’al. “Live long and prosper. It seems you already know us, officer…?”

“I am referred to as Lieutenant Sterling.” He nodded, artificial eyelids curving in what looked like a smile, “I have gone over the staff manifests. It is a pleasure to meet the two of you.”

”I see. I assume you to have been posted on 777 recently, lieutenant.” Why else would someone look at the complete manifests if not to get to know their new crew?

Rai saw the other people in the carinval games area and debated talking to them, but he was a very shy loaf of bread. He looked back at the games section and slowly shuffled towards the ring toss.

“You may call me Garcia! We are not on duty now.” She told Sterling with a smile before her eyes widened looking at something right behind him and she let out an exclamation. “Tarsek they have darts!! Sorry gentleman, if you’ll excuse me, I’m due to practicing my aim!” And then off the woman went. (edited)

“I am a recent posting, yes.” He dipped his head in conformation, “I have heard many good things about the station. I hope for them to be proven true.” He watched the Lieutenant Commander leave, before turning his full attention back to Tarsek.

”Then I bid you a satisfactory posting period.” Starbase 777 welcomed new officers into its ranks everyday, some stayed longer, some had shorter services. Only time would tell with the lieutenant. As Garcia suddenly left, he found himself alone with Sterling and bound to their interaction by social norms as leaving after her when the lieutenant still addressed him would be considered rude. Noticing the other seemed to regard him, he decided to find Garcia later and offer his focus to the android. “Is there a specific reason for you to have initiated conversation, lieutenant?” His tone was even and the question was genuine, even if very direct.

He tilted his head, eyes re-focusing as he processed the XO’s words. “I have much curiosity about the purpose of the celebration, but I was also pleased to see a face I recognized.” He explained, his generated voice maintaining an upbeat tone, “If you wish to follow your companion, there is no harm nor any foul, but I did have an intention of introducing myself to as many crew members as I can.”

”Garcia sometimes can lack in politeness when ruled by emotions of excitement, she means no disrespect. I ask you to not take it personally.” Tarsek would give her a friendly warning once meeting her again. “She will not mind my absence, we may continue talking.” He saw benefit in talking to any member of his crew, no matter rank or length of posting. It was only proper he knew the people he was in charge of.

“Understood. I am not always sure of intentions, but she seems to not mean any harm, I will take your word for it.” He folded his arm behind his back, “I find myself grateful to be able to meet you in an informal setting. A large portion of the stories I have heard involved the missions you and, by extension, the crew have been on.”

Tarsek raised a brow. “Stories… you have heard of the events from sources besides official reports then. May I ask what you have been told?” Considering everything that had happened in the last months, it might be beneficial to know what the public opinion was on the events and, by extension, the officers involved.

“I’ve been recently informed of the last two instances of imminent danger, with the Borg, and the Tal Shiar threat. I was told you maintained a steady presence and you held your own.” He said, as if knowing this was the most normal thing in the galaxy, and not slightly creepy for anyone except an android, “It makes you quite admirable.”

”It is what was expected of me, both as an experienced officer and then as a commander.” What would always be expected, that he held himself together and others as well. In both cases, he did what he could with the resources available. If the results were satisfactory… that was another discussion.

“Either way, my impression of you is exemplary, although everything I have heard is somewhat secondhand.” He nodded, “I look forward to serving under your command.”

”This feedback is appreciated, lieutenant. I look forward to your future ones, based on firsthand experience.” If there is one thing he learned from his former captain and commander, is that you should always hear what those lower in the chain of command had to say. “Will this be your first posting on a starbase?” (edited)

“It is. I have experience on ships, but a starbase is a new environment for me.” He confirmed, “Are there many differences?”

”Many.” Tarsek answered. “You will be no longer journeying, but static in one sector of the quadrant instead. The crew is significantly bigger and the influx of information and orders is more dynamic.” He described, remembering of how he himself had had to adapt to those changes not so long ago. “And, of course, there are the civilians. Both those who reside aboard and those who are just passing by. Something we do not see on starships. The biggest difference, in my opinion.”

Sterling clasped his hands together with a nod. “I understand. May I ask— are there many others like myself? Non-biological beings?”

”Indeed. You would find it impressive how this starbase seems to attract artificial lifeforms.” He informed. “I believe there to be seven in service aside from you.”

If he had eyebrows, they would have been high up on his shiny forehead. “Impressive, indeed!” He replied, “If it is not too personal, have you found many people who you find like-minded?”

He raised a brow. “I would ask you to clarify that question, if possible.”

“Apologies.” He said, “Have you made friends here?”

He thought about the question. “I have friends aboard the starbase. And some others that might become friends with enough time.” Truth is, a few months were not enough for him to make many friendships. It was just not in his nature to do so.

“That is wonderful to hear. It is quite good to have an environment where friendly relations are encouraged.” He told Tarsek, “I am quite glad the ban on synthetics has not created lasting prejudices here, either.”

”That kind of prejudice would be highly illogical and a violation of Starfleet Code of Conduct.” Tarsek affirmed. “If there happens to be an instance of a fellow officer or civilian engaging in such behavior, you are to report it immediately.”

“That is good to know. Thank you, Commander.” Sterling nodded towards the Vulcan, taking a step back with a smile-like squint to his eyes, “I will allow you to enjoy the rest of the festival. Thank you for this conversation.”

”The pleasure was mine, lieutenant. I bit you good festivities.” The Vulcan then, not seeing his friend anymore, decided to explore by himself.

Silver had been at work before this, and having heard about this little harvest festival, they’d decided to come and check it out. They wore blue denim overalls, a pair of brown cowboy boots, a cowboy hat in the same color- both of which had some turquoise accents and tassels- and a yellow long-sleeved shirt with the collar and a couple buttons undone underneath the overalls. All in all, they looked very cute, and they were simply observing everyone else as they played games, deciding which ones looked interesting to play.

Rai was stepping up to the ring toss, a little nervous. "I would like to try."

Sterling stood there, with eyes scanning the perimeter, the function only semi-disrupted by the knit hat he’d opted to wear, out of festivity. Spying the overall-clad ensign, he tilted his head slightly, taking a step closer.

Silver tilted her head the exact same way, not knowing what else to do. She smiled, closing the gap so she could properly say hello without having to shout. Of course, Sterling was a fellow android, but it was a toss-up as to whether or now Sterling could recognize Silver as one, given she did in fact have skin- her eyes were the only thing suggesting she wasn’t human. “Hello! I like your hat!” She said, chipper as always.

His eyelids clicked as they raised in a faux-smile, nodding in gratitude. “Thank you. It was made for me by a loved one. Your outfit is very well-coordinated, if I may say so.”

She did a little spin, but the outfit wasn’t very interesting from the back, so there wasn’t much to see. She smiled, coming back to face him. Silver tended to be a bit.. different, with other androids, communication was a bit more efficient, so she tended to lose some human characteristics since she didn’t have to keep them going. “I like this little festival so far, do you? I want to win one of these prizes!” She said, turning to watch as someone (Rai) attempted the ring toss, silently cheering him on as she’d seen people lose that one before.

“I am enjoying the sights. There are many things to see.” He said, before introducing himself, “I am called Sterling. May I ask your designation?”

“Yes, there’s lots of things! I like seeing all the new people and all the things they’ve put up. You are new too, right? I haven’t seen you before.” She smiled, still her incredibly happy self. That was unshakable, not even 25 years in ice had stripped that from her. “I am SILV3-R, or Silver! We’re both silver themed!”

“We are indeed both silver-themed, although my designation was created to be an acronym.” He said, with a hint of artificially generated but equally genuine glee. “I am most certainly new. I was transferred here off of the USS Cromwell days ago.”

“Mine is also an acronym! Officially, I am Simulated Intelligent Lifeform Version 3- Repair, though that is a lot to say, so it was shortened to SILV3-R, and later to Silver.” And with that, finally, someone on 777 actually knew what the acronym stood for. “Oh, lovely! I have been here since June, it is quite nice here, you’ll like it.”

1

“Quite the name! And fitting, too.” He replied, “Mine is short for Scientific Toolset and Engineering Resource Library with Independent Network Guards. I have been told it is a mouthful.” “I am so glad to hear that. The station is visually beautiful, and plentiful in people. Have you made many friends, here, Silver?”

“It might be long, but it stores useful information about you so I think it’s good. I can see why the organic people think it’s a lot to say though.” Acronym names were long because they held information, after all, not like organic names that seemed to hold no extra info at all. Although.. sometimes, she did see someone with a job that matched their last name, which she always found interesting, like a baker with the last name Baker. “I have made many! I have met many of my fellow engineers, as well as some of the senior staff. I have also met some of my fellow androids here- there are a lot of here considering our rarity!”

“I have heard that as well.” He replied, “It is quite the pleasant surprise to be somewhere with so many like us. We all differ in so many ways, and yet we can find community among ourselves.”

“We also have a resident roboticist here- he is also an android! He says he likes to think the station is magnetic considering how many of us come here!” She laughed, before turning away to look at all the games. “We should play one of these games, I think. I think I could win the one with the darts.”

“I do not believe I’ve met the roboticist yet.” He noted, “I will do so.” He straightened at the mention of a game, and nodded. “We should. I am more than glad to participate in darts with you.”

“Then let’s go!” She smiled, also straightening up and making her way over to the stall with the dart game. The attendant at the stall explained the rules- you got three darts, if you popped a balloon, you got a prize. The set of balloons at the front got you a small prize, the ones in the middle got you a medium size prize, and the ones at the way back got you a big one- one of the huge stuffed pigs, cows, or sheep hanging up for display. Silver desperately wanted a sheep, and so she was going for the balloons in the way back. She aimed.. and.. the dart glanced off the balloon. “Okay.. a little more strength!” Nope! It still glanced off. She frowned, but tried again. And.. missed. Well, better luck next time! She got out of the way so Sterling could try. “Your turn!” She said to him.

He picked up his three, analyzing the distance. Despite everything, he was still an algorithm, and a decent one at that. He aimed, sending one dart at a time and missing. After the second loss, he re-examined the space, before sending the third at its intended target, by just an inch. The balloon let out a loud pop as it burst, and he nodded, as if it had said something he agreed with.

She smiled, clapping as Sterling finally managed to win. She didn’t mind at all that he’d won and not her, there was no line and so she could always try again. She loved seeing other people succeed, maybe even more than she loved her own successes. She was about the least selfish person in the universe without being downright self-hating. No, she simply had so much love in her that she could love others more than herself while still treating herself very well. “Yes! What animal are you going to pick?” She gestured to the big prizes hung up- hoping he wouldn’t go for the sheep, there was only one left and she was eyeing it.

“I… am not quite sure. There is a small plush toy in the likeness of a bird that I believe a loved one would enjoy.” He replied, “I will choose that one.” He stepped back after receiving the toy parrot, looking to Silver. “Would you like to attempt the game again?”

She noted the toy parrot, it was indeed very cute- a good choice. Though, she thought all animals were cute, so it wasn’t surprising that she’d think a parrot was cute. Sure, she did not often think about birds, but she still liked them, doves especially. “Yes, I’m going to attempt it again. I want that sheep.” She said, stepping up to the stall and receiving her three darts. She threw the first too gently, the second was similar. Obviously, more force was needed. But this was an android you were talking about, and despite how incredibly gentle Silver was, she was still very much capable of feats of strength. So, the final dart was thrown, loudly popping the balloon on impact, and lodging itself firmly into the wooden backing behind the balloons. It took a fair bit of pulling for the attendant to get the dart out- but thankfully, nothing besides the balloon was damaged. “Sorry!” She called, but the attendant waved her off. Silver gestured to the sheep, which was taken off the thing it was hanging from and handed to her. She walked away, happy with her acquisition, which was about two feet long and very fluffy. It would fit perfectly on her bed. “Success!”

“Congratulations. That was admirable.” He stated with a bit of a joyous cadence to his voice, “I applaud your skills. And your victory, along with the ovine companion you have acquired.” He gestured towards the stuffed sheep, tucking his newly found parrot to his side. “Is there another game you would like to try?”

She looked around- but there were a lot of long lines forming. She thought about her room, and realized there would actually not be any more room for more prizes on her bed. A pity. She could do with a few more if only her bed was bigger. Though, she realized that a huge bed was useless to her, considering she did not use it for anything besides charging, which she was always out like a light for. She didn’t need the bed space. “I think that if I win any more plushes, I will have no room for them. So I think I can’t play any more. If you want to though, we can play more.”

“There is a game containing rings, and the act of throwing them.” He looked a few stalls over, at the ring toss, where players were tasked with landing the plastic circles on empty bottles. “I am going to attempt it. Will you join me?”