Post 24

Posted on Fri Feb 13th, 2015 @ 3:51pm by 1st Lieutenant Dalton Wakefield

Mission: Begin with a Bang
Location: Cargo Bay, Andorian Imperial Guard Vessel Docona, At Warp
Timeline: May 14th, 2155 - 0900 hours

"Stand To! Salamander 1 on the firing line!" Bellowed Staff Sergeant Ragnar, standing facing the imaginary line marked by his position. The emptied cargo bay was now occupied by the MACOs for their training whilst on board. There was no way that Wakefield would let his team get soft on a cruise before their new assignment. Nor would he let himself get soft.

Wakefield stepped up to the line, as with the rest of the first Fireteam, decked out in full gear. Rifle, vest, sidearm, backpack and look of grim determination. He went through checking his equipment was in good condition, rifle was set to a low setting, to not blow a hole in the cargo bay wall.

The area they took up had been gladly cleared out by the Andorians, interested to learn more from their Earth counterparts. Several Andorians filled the gantry above the training area, awaiting a light show. Some had skeptical looks on their faces, thinking they wouldn't learn anything, others leant forward showing their eagerness. Folded arms and twitching antennae, "Tough crowd," Corporal Rachel Tracy commented.

"Detail! The following action will consist of 10 rounds primary weapon, transition to sidearm, 10 rounds, then finishing with 10 rounds primary. 30 rounds to be completed in your own time."

Taking the standing shooting position, raising the rifle to the shoulder, he took up a sight picture. Leaning into the weapon, for stability and habits picked up from firing old projectile weapons. Dalton started his breathing, maintaining a regular and controlled breathing, feeling the adrenaline start to spike.

"Detail, Commence Fire!"

A chime sounded, and the first of the holographic target balls appeared, 5, one for each of the assembled shooters. Rounds rang out as the target balls moved erratically. Dalton marked his hits, 7 of 10, lowering his slung weapon with his secondary hand, he pulled his pistol from its holster in an extremely well-practiced way and continued firing.

Finishing the action, they returned to the at ease position.

"Detail, Unload! Make safe."

Ejecting his power cell and flipping the safety catch, Dalton looked up to hear applause from the gantry, some genuine, some not so. A smile rolled across his lips, and he made a sideways glance to Ragnar, who raised an eyebrow.

"Let's go dark and lose some weight," He said, receiving a nod from his Staff Sergeant.

Ragnar marched to the wall control panel. Pressed a couple of keys, the lights went out in a flicker, and everyone started to experience weightlessness. Ragnar expertly pushed off from the wall and returned to his position.

Calling out the actions once again, Ragnar's voice bellowed in the dark. Dalton flicked on his rifle's light, as did the rest of the Fireteam. The only illumination was the beams of torch light, illuminating spirals of dust floating.

"Detail, in your own time, go on!"

Blue flashes of light lit the bay, and chimes of positive hits resounded. One of the MACOs over corrected their orientation and ended up doing a pirouette in the gravity less environment. A small smile crossed Dalton's lips, as the constant flashing reminded him of a nightclub in London. Completing the detail, the group ceased fire and the gravity and lights returned to normal.

"Report!" Ragnar bellowed.

"9, 9, 8," Dalton reported, being first in line. An above average score, and he nodded in acceptance of the mark.

"10, 10, 10," Cpl Tracy followed, getting a surprised look from Wakefield, and a round of applause from the audience. Well trained Andorian Imperial guard, ice cold in their judgment, to hear such an outburst was a privilege.

The rest of the team rattled of their scores, all up Wakefield was impressed at the team's effectiveness in Zero G. something to work on, but nothing to be scorned or reprimanded over. For a standard range practice it was common to get high scores. On training to complete room clearances or military operations in urban terrain, the scores get lower as the overall adrenaline kicks in. Fire and maneuver a lot of the time caused the best shots to go a little wild.

"Salamander 2 Stand to! Report to the firing line!" Dalton bellowed, his turn to lead the Detail, Ragnar taking his place.

The Discovery assignment gave him some excitement, to give a Starfleet crew the benefit of his training was something he looked forward to, as well as hoping to learn from their way of doing things. He wondered if he would get the chance to fill in as one of their Tactical officers for a bit, be on the bridge and fire the big guns.

He made a mental note to check in with his host Captain, asking on their ETA.

"Detail! The following action will consist of…."