Star Trek: Outwardly Mobile Episode 54d - Just a Game
by
Jay P Hailey

 

Lu Zhang looked at his partner as the squad car settled to the ground

Scanners pointed out the two battling groups.

MaCready palmed a handful of stun grenades just in case.

Zhang activated his badge "Dispatch, this is car forty-two. We have two groups of D&D players fighting. I see three down with lots of blood. Dispatch back up and ambulance immediately, please."

Dispatch answered briskly "Roger car forty two. they'll be there momentarily."

MaCready and Zhang stepped out of the car.

"Police! Throw down all weapons!"

It was hard to keep all of them in view at once and that made Zhang nervous.

Most of the kids were pale, sweating and wide eyed. Post combat shakes. Zhang first saw this during his brief stint in Starfleet. He kept control of himself. The stupid bastards had done this to themselves.

Something punched Zhang in the gut hard. The impact armor under his uniform bounced the arrow away. Zhang grunted and cursed. The impact was pretty stiff.

MaCready was already in motion ducking behind the car and throwing long lobs over hand.

The bright green flash of the stun grenade going off silenced the archer.

Knowing how it was going to come out. Zhang pulled his phaser, double checked the setting and hosed off the bushes infront of the business office to his left. Sensors showed someone thinking he was stealthy hiding in there.

MaCready lobbed another stun grenade up onto the roof of the building to the right. It was a good throw. They'd have to take the car up to look and see if he'd gotten the other archer.

Bright lights illuminated the scene from above. Almost painfully bright they threw everything into bright relief.

"I SAID DROP ALL WEAPONS!!" Zhang bellowed. For effect he stunned one of big kids with armor and a sword still in his hand.

That was enough, the rest threw down their weapons.

-*-

Lu didn't realize how angry he was until he found himself yelling at the assembled kids. They were all between 15 and 19 years old.

"Stupid fuckers!" he raged "That's one dead, and two nearly crippled for life! How stupid do you have to be!?"

In the Harsh light of reality, whatever moronic thought process that led to the battle evaporated.

MaCready grabbed his shoulder "C'Mon man. It's not worth it."

"Stupid fuckers!" Zhang snarled as he turned away

It was the second D&D related street fight complete with medieval weapons in six months.

All the kids would be held liable and do jail time for the event. Somewhere under the immediate firey anger about one kid dying stupidly and needlessly, There was another batch. Anger about Kids stupidly derailing their lives.

-*-

Lu Zhang returned to his home drenched in sweat and aching in places he didn't even know he had.

He'd run and run and run, trying to let the angry energy out.

His son came out of the house dressed in an old fashioned suit and tie, with dark glasses.

"No." Lu Zhang said. His anger was mostly directed at holodecks and the moronic games played on them right now.

"Dad, I have a game." Ed Zhang said.

"No." Zhang said. "Ed, I just had to scrape nine kids off the ground behind that shit."

Ed looked at his father. "Dad, it's an intelligence test. There are warning signs posted at all holodecks and a warning screen before every session."

"Oh. And we're social Darwinists now?" Lu said a touch more harshly than he meant to.

Ed looked at the ground for a bit.

"Look. Can I get you to humor me today?" Lu said "Let's play some baseball, I'll spring for treats for everyone."

Ed sighed deeply and calculatted his chances of winning the battle. "Sure thing. Let me make some calls." He turned into the house.

Lu followed his son. "Does this game of yours entail weapons?"

Ed carefully slid a slug throwing pistol out of a shoulder holster. "Non-firing replica. The holodeck adds the kick and the sound effects."

Lu shook his head. "I am really beginning to hate those things."

"I am just hating the stupid people who can't tell the difference and make my dad crazy." Ed said.

Lu grinned "Like you need the help."

Laughing they proceeded to arrange a nice, safe baseball game.