Big Iron

Posted on Sat Jul 17th, 2021 @ 4:44am by Commander William Gerhard & Lieutenant Avira zh'Kenarh M.D.

Mission: Mission 4 - Eden
Location: Deck F - Main Armory
Timeline: MD 160 - 17:15 hrs
1919 words - 3.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Avira's head had been a whirlwind and she wanted to avoid another incident where Chief Karalo was likely to walk in. With a distinct lack of people in need of life-saving surgery she only knew one way to get rid of that feeling, focus her mind, and centre herself. She had grabbed her plasma rifle and made her way over to the armoury, not really considering the fact that she had never really cleared her personal weapon with the Chief Armoury Officer on board, figuring that they wouldn't mind if it was used to save their lives. It had been true during the Vrav attacks, but she didn't really consider if it would hold up during times of peace. She stepped through the armoury doors with a confident stride and started to set up for a stint in the shooting range.

William had been in the Armory checking the targeting sensors on the torpedo launchers. The Armory team had been through with keeping the sensors calibrated, but since the recent shakeup in command he wanted to be sure his department had not slacked off on their routine duties. He heard someone enter the armory and he glanced over his shoulder to see who it was. He was surprised to see the ship's doctor with an Andorian plasma rifle making her way to the shooting range.

William set his PADD down and looked over at Avira with a raised eyebrow as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Dr., I didn't realize Starfleet's new scalpels were so large and needed to be sighted in."

Looking down at the plasma rifle in her hand Avira took a beat to catch on he was joking, "Oh yeah, unwieldy. Really precise though. Need anything cut off?" She hoped it was clear enough that she too was joking, "still have this from my time in the Guard. Technically I guess I still am in the Guard." She bit her lower lip, knowing that their commissions meant next to nothing in their current situation, "figured I'd keep my skills up to date." She pointed at the small weapon's range at the back of the armory.

William nodded and smiled slightly. "That's not a bad idea considering," he said as he turned and picked up his PADD. He motioned for Avira to follow him, "I take it my predecessor approved for you to have that aboard ship?" He then opened the hatch for the shooting range and stepped aside for Avira to enter before him. The shooting range was isolated from the rest of the Armory to ensure no errant shots hit any of the torpedoes stowed around the compartment.

The antennae on Avira's head twitched a bit as she contemplated lying about this, "I actually never considered that, in the imperial guard everyone is expected to carry their own weapon," just a tiny white lie. She knew humans weren't too fond of the fact that the Andorians only shot with lethal intent, "what do I do to get it approved?"

"Nothing too strenuous. Just register it with the Chief Armory officer, indicate where and how you secure it and perform a functional test of the weapon," he replied. He made his way over to the wall and began inputting the appropriate commands to set up the range. William had served with Andorians before, and he was aware they liked to keep their personal weapons with them. "Interesting, Starfleet Security feels that keeping personal weapons secured and allowing only security officers quick access helps prevent instances of negligent usage and provides a tacit reminder of whose in command. Centuries ago on Earth, seafaring naval officers were the only crewmembers issued with pistols. The crew were only issued weapons in battle, prevented any potential mutinies."

William then motioned with one hand towards the firing line, "I took the liberty of setting the required program. If you don't mind running through it I can log your score and then let you target shoot in peace."

Avira her antennae stood up. it was clear she was eager to get started at this, "I won't be leading any mutinies any time soon, Lieutenant." She gave a bit of a smile at the suggestion that it might be a possibility in the distant future. She stepped up to the firing line and aimed down the range. It had been a while since she had to do official marksmanship testing. Still, she had a steady hand and a good understanding of her weapon. She ran the gauntlet of static and then moving targets until the claxon sounded, indicating the shooting exercise's end.

William watched Avira and was impressed with her skills. When the course was finished he pulled his PADD out of his pocket and recorded her score. "Impressive, you very nearly beat the ship's record with that run through," he said. He placed his PADD back in his pocket and folded his arms in front of his chest, "And I hope you wouldn't be leading any mutinies anytime soon. It would be a shame if we had to lose the second-best marksman aboard ship." As he said this, he arched one of his eyebrows up and made sure his tone was light.

"Are you sure?" Avira looked over at him, arching her neck to try and get a peek at his PADD, "it felt a bit rusty." She knew that it was a good run but second-best on the ship was a bit awkward for a doctor on a ship with MACO and Security personnel running around. She smirked a bit at the implication that her mutiny would be unsuccessful due to intervention from the best marksman, the implication being that it was him that held that particular distinction, "well, perhaps a non-violent mutiny then."

William noticed her trying to get a look at his PADD. Normally he was a bit more stand off-ish, but he always relaxed on the firing range. He could tell that Avira knew how to handle her weapon, and that earned his respect. "Ahh, I never knew Andorians also utilized civil disobedience as a tactic," he said light-heartedly. He made his way over to the weapons locker on the wall and input his security code. He withdrew his plasma rifle, checked the charge, and made sure it was on safe before making his way back over to the firing line. "Perhaps an opponent would help shake loose that rust," he asked.

"I didn't know Humans partook in shooting competitions," Avira remarked, the species had quickly garnered a reputation as diplomats. Mending fences between species that had been at each other's throats for decades. The Andorians and Vulcans being the prime benefactors of that particular set of skills, "are you sure you don't want to get the best marksman out here to give me a bit of a challenge" she verbally jousted with him, knowing full well he was probably on top of that list.

William input the commands for to restart the program for two shooters. "The sport has fallen out of favor with some, but I found early on in my career that time on the range was a good stress reliever," he responded. He then shouldered his rifle and stepped up to the firing line. "and don't worry, the best marksman is already here," he responded with a slight grin as the program started.

Avira aimed for the first target popping up only to see it get taken away by William hitting it in the bull's eye. She felt her muscles tense and her adrenalin starting to course through her body. The next one was easily dispatched by her before the Chief Armory could snatch it away. She wondered how the scoring would be done on this trial, because her shot was clearly a bit more off centre than his, none of which would really matter if she didn't hit the thing in the first place.

William kept his breathing slow and focused on each target. Avira was a challenging opponent and it was a close competition. The program not only measured how many targets you hit, but also the accuracy of each shot. Avira was a worthy opponent, and she kept William on his toes. When the program was complete, he placed his rifle on safe and removed the charge pack. "Well, It's been awhile since someone made me nervous on the range," he said as he placed his rifle back in the weapons locker and secured it. He then pulled his PADD out of his pocket and brought up the scoring, "Care to see the results?"

"Well of course, what would be the point otherwise?" Avira leaned in, trying to catch a glance at the scoreline. She knew that they had been pretty close in the number of targets brought down, that would be a very slim margin, so it would come down to how accurate either of them had been. The competition had forced Avi to take some shots she would've normally taken a tick longer to line up.

William stepped slightly to the side to allow Avira to see the readout. The results showed that William had brought down one less target than Avira, but his accuracy rating was slightly higher than hers. William himself was pleased with the results, and he wasn't ashamed that he didn't take down more targets. Avira was a very competent shooter. "I'd say that's close enough to be considered a draw," he said.

Avira knew that adding the points together it would mean that he won, but she wasn't too big to admit to herself that she didn't want to be beaten, "Don't tell anyone, people might not be happy to hear their doctor shoots plasma guns for R&R." She made sure that she safely switched off her rifle and put it around her shoulder.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," he said with a slight grin as he placed his PADD in his pocket. He went over to the panel and powered down the range, then opened the exit hatch and stepped aside to allow her through first. "Feel free to use the range anytime, just make sure you have a good seal on the hatch, " he said as he exited after her.

"Will do, wouldn't want people to walk in on me halfway through a round and mess up my averages," Avira wasn't really competitive, at least she hadn't been since after she returned to civilian life after her first tour with the Imperial Guard. This was reminiscent of it though, brought back some memories, both good and bad.

William nodded and glanced up at the chronometer on the bulkhead. "Looks like i have my bridge watch in a few hours. I was going to swing by the mess hall and grab a cup of coffee if you'd care to join me," he asked. He then paused and looked over at her with a slight smile, "And if you ever want a rematch just let me know."

"Never really had a taste for coffee," Avira realised that the invite wasn't really contingent on her drinking coffee and it was more a general invite to share a social drink with her, "so if you'll allow me to drink tea instead I'll accompany you in the mess, I'll have to drop this off first though," she motioned at the weapon slung around her shoulder, "as for a rematch, you better be ready, don't want another one of these draws."

 

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