Target Practice

Posted on Wed Mar 27th, 2024 @ 11:43am by Lieutenant Commander Finnley Keating VII & Commander N'Garzi Zora & Lieutenant Didrea Zade

Mission: Character Development
1682 words - 3.4 OF Standard Post Measure

"Xall!" Ray shouted out to his Marine buddy as they neared the holodeck. "I hope you don't mind, I brought Corporal Letchers here with me. I was giving him a bit of a hard time down in the storage bay and thought I'd invite him along," he smirked. "Figured we could show him some real Marine training."

Xall looked up at the sound of his name, seeing Ray with the newbie in toe. Marines were a unique bunch, they would die for one another without a moment's hesitation but it took time to earn that level of dedication. He, more than most, took longer to warm to strangers, regardless of their credentials, so he eyed Letchers suspiciously. "Okay," he said simply. His eyes eventually stopped boring into Letchers' skull and settled on the object in Ray's hand. "Oh no," he groaned.

"What do you mean 'oh no'?" Ray made a dramatic impersonation of Xall. "You said target practice. What good is target practice without incentive?" He held up the bottle of very real bourbon with a toothy grin.

Matthew looked between the two, a little unsettled by Ray's grin. He knew that being the new kid on the team meant gaining their trust, which was really only something that could be proven in the field. That's what he gathered when he assisted another team, anyways. "How did you get that on board, sir?" Matthews hoped to match Ray's energy with his question. "I thought we were told no alcohol on a Federation ship."

"Newbie, if you don't know how to sneak things onto a starship then maybe you're in the wrong job," Xall said in his gruff voice.

"No alcohol on a Federation ship tends to be more of a...guideline," Ray smirked. "Anyway, let's get this party started shall we?" He motioned towards the holodeck and followed the other two inside. "Computer, initiate program McClellan 23." The room suddenly transformed into half bar and half outdoor firing range with target lined up one hundred yards in the distance.

Xall made his way over to the firing range and studied the wall of weapons. As per usual, phasers and disruptors from every major known power were celebrated on the wall. From their previous sessions, Xall knew that Ray liked to mix things up, sometimes using something new and experimental, other times using an archaic relic like the 22nd-century-style phaser pistol. He knew during the mission, they would be using the Mark IV phaser rifles and most people would want to practise with them before they left the ship. But Ray wasn't like most people. "What's the game?"

Matthew had seen some of these weapons during his training, but others were unfamiliar to him, thanks to some combination of a lack of history knowledge and a lack of experience. He had followed Xall to the display and was recalling what he knew about the familiar ones. Alcohol and weapons weren't generally a good mix, but he decided to keep his mouth shut about it this time, lest he get kicked out of training with experienced marines.

"The game is simple," Ray picked up one of the phaser rifles from the wall. "Hit the target," he loosely aimed and somehow hit the within the targeted circle before looking back up at his fellow marines. "If you miss, you take a drink and each time you successfully hit the target, it gets harder." As if on que, Ray's Target transformed into a moving drone. "Questions?"

Xall pulled one of the rifles from the wall and turned it around in his hands. He hated simulated weapons, they were almost perfect but the weight and balance were never quite right and it always took him a few rounds to adjust. He flipped open the targeting screen and held the rifle to his eye. He didn't need it for this exercise but habits were habits. "Sounds good to me," he agreed gruffly as he shoved the rifle, a little harder than intended, into the newbie's chest. "Don't embarrass yourself," was all he said as he pulled another one from the wall for himself.

Matthew took a small step back to keep his balance from the force of the weapon being pushed into his chest. "I'll do my best, sir," he answered quietly. He got used to the feel and weight of the rifle before stepping closer to Ray to test the rifle's aim. Spotting the target through the scope, he followed it for a moment before shooting, hitting the target. "Right. So depending on how you want the night to end, either miss the target or don't."

"Well, like I said, it's increases in difficulty the better you do," Ray smirked as the simulation changed. The targets were no longer stationary signs but instead moved from side to side. Trees appeared in various patterns that sometimes blocked the target from view. Though still, the game wasn't entirely difficult so Ray shot off a couple of rounds followed by the others and everyone remained sober for about three more turns.

At this point, the simulation had become challenging enough that true concentration was required. The targets now mimicked humanoid shadows that weaved in and out of the trees all while shouting, mockingly, towards the three marines. "See?" Ray chuckled as one called him a fat lump, to which is response was an accurate aim and a shot so close it would have singed but still missed. "I guess the first drink belongs to me then." He smiled as he took a swig directly from the bottle.

Xall fired his phaser and hit one of the shadows in the leg. By the computer's standards it was a hit, by his standards it was not good enough. A crippling shot in the middle of a combat zone was not good enough to defeat the enemy, he either needed to knock them out completely or kill them. He didn't relish killing anyone, life was sacred to him, but if he had to choose between the enemy and his team there was no choice.

The next level of difficulty engaged as a layer of fog rose from the ground obscuring the view of the shadows even more. Xall instinctively went to activate his night vision headgear, only to be reminded that there was none for this simulation. One of the shadows took advantage of the hesitation and "fired" a round that the computer registered as a blow to his torso. "FESKA!" The Bolian expletive echoed around the room as he reached for the bottle and took a mouthful.

Feeling like he could deliver a joke with these two, Matthew said, "you two don't have to let me win just because I'm still green." Keeping himself moving, he looked for targets, but the fog certainly made it harder. It was a trick on the eyes, seeing the shadows move but not seeing a target. Turning with a shadow, Matthew fired, frowning when the blast hit nothing. "Spoke too soon, I guess," he muttered to himself, taking the bottle from Xall once he was finished.

"Don't get cocky kid!" Xall replied as he relinquished the bottle.

Ray chuckled and aimed. "You just gotta be patient, kid." He quietly tracked a couple of shadows before sniping one off square in the chest. "Now, don't ask me to do that in clear daylight. These old eyes somehow work better when they can see less. Don't ask me to explain it." He smiled and took another swig from the bottle, even though he hadn't missed. "Or maybe it's the alcohol that improves my abilities."

The shot buzzed past Matthew a little closer than he'd prefer, which admittedly made him flinch. He stared at Ray for a moment, watching him drink, before focusing again on the shadows.

The game went on and Xall ended up taking more swigs from the bottle which was almost empty at this point. The targets were getting harder and harder to shoot but the Bolian couldn't tell if that was from the drink or the difficulty of the program. He closed one eye to get better focus and wondered which of the double targets was the real one and which was a drunken haze. "That's not synthehol in there is it?" He asked as he fired and missed.

"You think I would ruin a perfectly good night with synthehol? Shame on you Xall, you know me better than that," Ray let out a hearty laugh before throwing out another shot that wildly missed. With that he gently set the rifle down and grinned. "Though perhaps its time we end the game and just finish this off while seated at the bar." He motioned towards the holodeck generated bar still standing behind them.

"Let the newbie finish the drink," Xall said, grateful that the exercise was over. He never saw the point of these drinking training sessions, it's not like he would drink before a mission, if much at all. The only reason he put up with them was that he knew Ray liked them and as much as the Bolian hated socialising, he owed Ray his life, multiple times over. "I hope you shoot better in the field," he said turning from Matthew's score to the young human.

After a few more missed shots, Matthew was definitely starting to feel it. His head was a little fuzzy, and he was ever so slightly cautious as he approached the bar to avoid running into it. "Seniority takes priority, sir," he responded.

"Did the kid just call me old?" Xall asked Ray, "he did didn't he?" He turned to Matthew, a dark look in his eyes. "People have died for less."

Matthew felt his skin get clammy. "N-no sir! Just pointing out rank."

Ray looked sympathetically towards Matthew before looking back at Xall. "Nope, he definitely called you old."

Xall let out a low, rumbling growl, his eyes narrowing to tiny black slits. "Ray, hand me my phaser." His humourless voice was only betrayed by the slight curl of his lips.