Target Practice

Posted on Tue Dec 6th, 2011 @ 2:12pm by Provisional Lieutenant Commander Narayn Ballard & Ensign Lhamepha Kitonuh [Byrne] & Lieutenant Kalin Jerome & Lieutenant JG Michael Watters & Lieutenant JG Caitlin MacKenna & Lieutenant JG Ethan Kessel

Mission: Old Relics
Location: Firing Range [Training] - USS Endeavour

[ON]

The phaser range of the USS Endeavour was a sight to behold. Originally designed by the SFMC for implementation on military-specific starships, they were quickly rolled out across the board and the Sovereign class' was the finest of the lot. Design-wise, it shared a lot of the same well-rounded design features as the rest of the ship. It was, for all intents and purposes, like a rifle range in a five star hotel.

The First Officer ran his finger along the lozenge-shaped insignia on his collar, a nervous habit he had picked up over the last couple of weeks. His eye fell on the collection of junior and senior officers before him and eventually settled on one Lieutenant (JG) Michael Watters who stood before him. He would doubtless be irritated by this imposition. After all, having to assess the weapon-readiness of officers not usually endowed with particle weapons was the bane of a security officer's life, especially when they were brand new to the ship. Still, it would help him settle in.

When the Endeavour's Executive Officer had approached Mike about holding assessments of the ship's personnel, he hadn't felt as if there would have been any other choice but to agree. His first meeting with Captain Byrne felt like it had gotten him off on the wrong foot and, while it had only been less than forty-eight hours since Mike had first arrived aboard the Endeavour, this was not a trend he wished to continue amongst other members of the ship's senior staff. It was for that reason he now found himself standing a short distance away from Lieutenant Commander Ballard as the first wave of personnel continued to assemble before him. He resisted the urge to adjust his uniform jacket and instead glanced over in the direction of Petty Officer Kessler (NPC), whom he had invited to assist in supervising the assessment.

Provisional Lieutenant Commander Ballard lifted a phaser from the desk and walked forward to the teak barrier. "Okay, everyone. Lieutenant Watters is going to be assessing your phaser-readiness and will assign you your GX-Two-Forty Certificate upon successful completion of this phaser range. Your targets will be randomly generated and holographic and will jump in difficulty based on your previous certification. If you fail to complete the course, you will have to retake it at a later date. I'm quite sure that the Lieutenant has no interest in you doing that so make sure you pay attention and follow their lead."

Lhamepha always hated it when it came round to the time to recertify on the phaser range. It wasn't that she was particularly bad at firing a phaser - competent, at the very least. But she just hated being made to stand on the range and have someone watching and assessing her... moreso than she'd even hated the old exams at the Academy. She would much rather be able to get on and do something rather than having someone make her stand there and prove to them that she can do it, and they assess how well she can do it. She readjusted her grip on the phaser, noting that if she were human her palms would probably be sweaty about now, as she waited to be given the instruction to step forward and begin.

"I think Commander Ballard pretty much summed it up," Mike said as he addressed the assembled personnel, "The ability to use standard issue phasers is required of all personnel serving aboard any Starfleet vessel and, while it is something we hope a majority of us will never have to use, it is something we all need to be familiar with. Today's assessment is not designed to be overly tricky or difficult...we're just trying to see where you are at this particular moment in time. That's why we call it an assessment. Petty Officer Kessler (NPC) will be assisting me in observing your performance. Between the two of us, I don't think we should have any difficulty getting through this group in a reasonable amount of time. So...who's first?"

"I'll give it a go..." said Ensign Kessel, speaking for the first time. The young man stepped up and took the offered phaser in his hand, adjusting his grip, to get to terms with the unfamiliar weapon. The only time he had even fired one was during one drunken escapade at the academy, when the Engineers had got together with some of the training security officers, and after several rounds of booze, had hijacked a case of standard phasers. The Phasers could not have been set to kill, even if they wanted them to be, being specially modified for the occasion. Three hours later, they had sneaked them onto the grounds for a test drive. He had one hell of a headache the next morning, but whether or not that was a Hangover or some side effect of the stun, was unclear. Still, always eager for a challenge, he took the weapon, and stood expectantly in front of the Security Officer.

"What now...Sir?" He added.

Mike smiled. "Now...you take aim," he replied as the first target shimmered into view, "and fire."

Kessel grinned as the Target shimmered into view, and, pausing only to adjust his grip, fired the Phaser at the target. The first time round, he did not hit the Centre of the target, but skimmed it at about halfway. The second time, he hit the Red band that surrounded the centre. Finally he adjusted his aim, and struck the Centre of the Target, causing the Hologram to evaporate.

"Thank you, Mister Kessel," Mike said with a nod in the ensign's direction, "You may step back to the safety line." He held out his hand and waited for the younger man to turn over the phaser. It had been a rather impressive performance for someone who likely did not train everyday with members of the security department. Clearly the engineer either had some sort of natural talent or simply took a vested interest in his own performance. Either way, it was definitely a positive sign.

"Here you go sir." Said Ethan, handing back he phaser, but not before switching the safety back on, for the next person. He handed back the weapon, and retook his position.

Ballard noted the score which came into his PADD. He allowed a small smile before looking up to see who was next.

As he sat down, Lieutenant Kalin Jerome stood up. "Can I have a go sir?" Determined to best his friend, Kalin knew exactly what to do.

Mike briefly surveyed the young man who had stepped forward before turning the phaser around and presenting the grip to him. "The range is yours, lieutenant," he quipped, taking a step back, "You may fire when ready."

Grateful, Kalin took the phaser, removed the safety and aimed at the targets. He fired three times, in what looked like random locations. "As you can see, were this target a human, the phaser would have sliced into different nerve points that, even if the weapon was set to stun, it would insure a [i]very[/i] slow recovery. Possibly even years if set to maximum stun assuming the blasts don't kill him. If you noticed, the last one. The shot would have pierced a primary artery if it was human. If that were a bullet or bladed weapon, he would have bled to death in seconds. I'll let you work out just how deadly a shot like that can be. If we were in the labs I could show the different poisons I could have used that would react with the heat of the phaser but well....

"So what do you think gentlemen?" He said putting back the phaser.

Ethan shook his head. Trust a Doctor to know exactly how to kill a a person. Medial knowledge and Anatomy clearly had some military advantages he had not conceived...

"I thought a doctor was supposed to heal, not maim, Sir," Lhamepha commented with a small smile, as she stepped up to take her turn at the range. Whilst none of her shots hit dead centre, all of them managed to hit the target, and all but one within the prescribed zones enough not to be counted as a glancing shot. As her phaser ratings had always been; it was enough to pass basic on. Returning the weapon to the chief of security, she stepped away again, freeing the range up for another.

Ballard allowed himself a chuckle as he took further notes on his PADD. "Some of the most dangerous killers I've ever come across have been doctors, Ensign. Dark horses, that lot."

So far, Ethan had been been impressed with his fellow officers skills. Everyone of them so far had at least some proficiency with a phaser. He wondered if they would let him have a go with one of the more powerful phaser rifles... No. Stick to the stuff you no about Ethan. You have plenty of opportunities to wipe out the crew with your position as energy/matter expert. Let's not throw a rifle into equation as well. That would be... bad. He glanced up as he realized that someone else was about to pick up the phaser for their turn.

[OFF]