Target Practice

Posted on 18 Oct 2016 @ 2:59pm by Commodore Harvey Geisler & Commander Terry Walsh & Commander Jayla Kij & Lieutenant Jonathan Kilmartin & Lieutenant Commander Camila Di Pasquale & Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler & Lieutenant Elizabeth Marion & Lieutenant JG Felix Langston & Lieutenant JG Catherine Cooper

8,964 words; about a 45 minute read

Mission: Click Three Times
Location: Holodeck 1
Timeline: MD 9 || 0900 hours

With their arrival at Razmena approaching within the next thirty-six hours, the crew of the Black Hawk had little time to be idle. Especially when it came to the Away Team. A team had been selected for the runabout, and Commander Walsh had selected two pilots to come along as escorts. Regardless of what role everyone was going to play, Captain Geisler had ordered the pilots and the entire away team to Holodeck 1 for a briefing and some unconventional target practice.

Having preset the door sensors before hand to only allow inside those on the Away Mission, Harvey arrived at the Holodeck, triggering the door sensors to let him in. No program was yet running, but already he could tell security had been present for a while, preparing for the briefing. "Status report?" he asked Lieutenant Corwin while they waited for everyone else to show up.

Joey stood inside the holodeck with four other Security officers. She had a feeling the Captain would be the first to show up for this training session, and soon others would be following. This situation, though a controlled environment, still had the potential to be extremely dangerous considering the use of live firearms were going to be used. On the floor next to her were many cases of various shapes, sizes and colors, but they were all equipped with modern locks and scanners required to open them.

The Lieutenant turned her attention to the Captain when he spoke to her. "Everything is ready to go, Captain. Safety equipment has been provided for all individuals that will be present. The weapons we'll be using today, and on the mission, some are from my personal collection. One of them Lieutenant Di Pasquale has requested you use," she said as she moved over to the cases to begin unlocking them. Inside each one, tucked away in their own little padded nooks were firearms ranging from single shot to fully automatic, and there were many. Two of the cases, she didn't bother to open right away. There was time for that.

Harvey gave a single grunt as he looked at the various cases. Lieutenant Di Pasquale had told him plenty of weapons had been confiscated, and this only showed to prove that. "Good," he replied to Lieutenant Corwin. "Maybe we should consider using a couple of these as bartering tools."

Corwin glanced toward the Captain, resisting the urge to look at him as if he sprouted a second head from his shoulder. While not all of the weapons displayed in the cases came from her personal stash, a great deal of them did. "Which ones are you considering using? Mine, or the ones that have been confiscated?" she found herself asking. If it meant getting their people back, she'd part with just about any of her own.

Harvey blinked, looking at the various cases. "Yours?" he asked, a bit curious. "How many of these are yours?" There was a second thought, wondering both why so many weapons had been confiscated and why she was able to get by with such a collection herself.

"A few," she replied. "We could use some of these as a means to get what we want, though."

Lieutenant Elizabeth Marion stepped into the holodeck a few moments later, her uniform blackened at odd intervals as a result of what was most likely another harrowing day of patching up the ship, and her shift had only just started. She glanced around at the faces of the other men and women whom also wore her departmental colors and figured they were all from the Security department as she didn't recognize a single one. The only person she did recognize was the Captain, who had been the one to call her away from the charred remains of one of many plasma relays that had been ruptured.

"I apologize for my appearance but blast residue doesn't seem to listen when you ask it not to get all over you," Liz said with a grin as she made her way over to the cluster of people in the holodeck.

"It generally doesn't," Harvey confirmed to the new arrival, having seen his fair share of exploding bulkheads. "No apology necessary. This is going to be far from a conventional gathering anyway."

"That makes me feel a bit better," Marion smiled as she folded her arms across her midsection and waited for proceedings.

Lieutenant Di Pasquale entered the holodeck in uniform with a PADD in her hand that she was manipulating as she walked and finally put it to her side as she took in the others present. "Captain, Lieutenants," she nodded to each of them as she looked at the various sized cases that were stacked up and in various states of being opened.

Ensign Shep Hollingsworth gave a nod as he waited beside of Chief Warrant Gutierrez and both of them were standing off to the side and waiting for the training exercise to begin. To be told they would be using projectile weapons was a novelty for them, but they were looking forward to learning them and seeing how effective they were versus using a phaser.

Petty Officer First Class Allen Miller stood near Hollingsworth with his hands clasped behind his back. He was already made aware of what was going to be taking place, and now he waited for the others to enter so that they could begin. The fact they were using non-Federation weapons meant they were going into a pretty dangerous situation, but given the last few days the crew had encountered, this was likely to be a cakewalk.

Ensign Sarah Thatcher stood quietly off to the side in the same uniform as everyone else, though she felt odd without her field laptop strapped to her body but there hadn't been time to grab it nor ask permission for it before she'd gotten a call to rush down here. Her blond hair was tied as her eyes roved curiously and attentively around her. Her hands were also behind her back as she stood in an 'at ease' position.

Jayla dashed through the doors, afraid she was late. "Sorry!" she gasped, trying to catch her breath. "An ensign got himself injured repairing something or other and there was- well! I had to get a new uniform." She leaned over, hands on knees for a moment and took a couple of deep breaths. "Anyway, am I late?" she asked, straightening.

"No, you're not late, Commander. We're waiting on a few others to arrive," Lieutenant Corwin said when Jayla made her entrance. "Though... I suggest a bit more cardio training, and don't let your guard down. Had you actually been late, and we were working with live ammo, you could have gotten yourself killed. Perhaps a less dramatic entrance might be warranted in the future."

Jayla grinned sheepishly. "Right, I'll keep that in mind, sorry," she said, breathing already back in control. "Cardio's not the problem. I sprinted from Sick Bay to my quarters and then from my quarters to here. I don't normally sprint that much. Run, sure. Sprint, not if I can avoid it." Contrary to popular belief, sprinting wasn't healthy; it put too much strain on the heart and joints.

A crewman came in with a clothing rack filled with nine garment bags and looked around. "Where do you want this?" he asked.

Warrant Officer Tanika entered right behind the crewman. In all her years of service, she hadn't seen anyone push a garment rack down a corridor, and she was equally surprised to see that they were going to the same place. She nodded to the Captain and the other officers in the room. Janell had heard the scuttlebutt about what happened to the Black Hawk, and she was actually grateful to have something to do besides sit on her rump and wait until they got her back to Starbase Unity and then Commodore O'Connell's office. Hopefully, she wouldn't be replaced by then.

Lt. Felix Langston hurried into the room behind the warrant officer and the crewman. He took a look around the room and nodded at all the other officers inside. He sighed out heavily. "Morning everybody," he said, eyes moving toward the weapons on the table. He made a low whistle. "That's some serious firepower," he said, "are we gonna get docked any points if we've never used these weapons before?"

Sunbeam entered the holodeck, complete with flight suit. He nodded to everyone and took a stand to the left of the room.

Harvey cleared his throat and approached the assembled team. This meeting would be highly unconventional for many reasons, and among them would be the fact that they'd be standing, not sitting around a table. Harvey rarely sat at meetings, so at least he felt right at home.

"As you all have heard," Harvey began, "we're not in Kansas anymore. The exact details are still catchy, but I can tell you that we are no longer in our universe. It looks a lot like ours, sounds a lot like ours, but it most certainly isn't ours. The differences are already apparent. We're still in the Gamma Quadrant, but no one has seen or heard of the Federation before, much less its member races.

"The USS Cochrane was captured immediately when we were confronted. We ourselves are temporarily on the run and en route to a space station called Razmena. We'll board it and seek information relating to the current state of the quadrant. Hopefully, we'll glean enough to rescue our comrades and go home. Because this is an alternate universe, our priority is to minimize our footprint. The details of which, I'll be turning over to Lieutenant Corwin." Harvey looked over to the Acting Chief and nodded before stepping aside.

"So, we're gonna be ghosts on this op?" Felix asked.

Harvey shook his head as he continued to step aside. "No, Lieutenant. We're going to have to trade for what we want, but in case any of us are caught or killed, we won't be carrying any technology that could contaminate this universe."

"There isn't much I can say that the Captain already hasn't," Lieutenant Corwin stated, clasping her hands behind her back. "We're going into what can be a potentially hostile situation, and it's because of that that you're all here. We're going to be training with weapons that each of you may, or may not, have seen before. No, you won't be docked any points. Our entire purpose is to learn the right way to use them. We will be using live ammunition during this exercise, so I better not see anyone goofing off. The safety of everyone present is a major concern, so I can assure you all that anyone caught being careless will find themselves in trouble. Any questions so far?"

Sunbeam shook his head.

Jayla also shook her head. As long as this wouldn't count for a re-evaluation, she was fine. She always had to practice for those. Her scores in marksmanship had been abysmal in the academy and only with a lot of practice had she squeaked by with the lowest possible passing grade. And now, whenever her yearly re-evaluation came along, she had to practice for a couple of weeks to make sure she could still pass. Now, hand her a dart or a knife and she could hit any target you gave her.

Camila watched the silent members who had been selected to go on the away team and shook her head before she went over to an oak case that was big enough for a large firearm. She entered her authorization code in the modern lock that was on it and drew out a very large hand gun with a pearl handle and a rose engraved the length of the barrel. She pulled out a belt out of the case next that had six small grenades on it and a speed loader that had six very large caliber bullets.

Once she had it loaded with the bullets and one of the grenades, she went over to stand beside Joey once more while holding the monstrous gun. "For those of you who haven't said anything, now is the time to ask questions because there won't be time later. Shyness will get you dead. Information will save your lives."

Ensign Thatcher had been watching quietly, waiting to see if any questions she might want answered would be addressed before she spoke. "Pardon me Ma'am, how much time will we have to gain familiarity with the weapons? Will there be multiple training sessions?" She asked politely, quietly reviewing mentally what she knew of the weapons she could see.

Felix swallowed hard, hoping against hope that he wouldn't have to use one on the operation. I'm just a pilot, he thought, I've got no use for those big honkin' guns. But if we have to use them, we have to use them. He finally raised his hand to speak. "I too want to second the Ensign's question. I imagine these don't handle anything like a phaser."

"Less than thirty hours," Harvey replied, his eyes looking at the gun that Camila suggested he take with him. The design made it seem a bit out of character for him, so he'd have to come up with some sort of story of why he'd be carrying that. "We'll be at Razmena tomorrow, and our away mission will launch as soon as we have clearance to dock. I do expect everyone to get some sleep between now and then too."

"Thirty hours!" exclaimed Jayla, sounding panicked. "I don't even know what I'm looking at and you want me to learn to shoot it in 30 hours? I'm not getting any sleep tonight," she added miserably.

"A hundred and fifty lives depend on us right now," Harvey reminded her. Assuming they're still alive. "Whatever hell we're in, I'm certain that it's nothing compared to what they're experiencing right now."

Jayla looked physically ill at that. If they were depending on her, they were toast. Not only that, but the crew of the Black Hawk was toast, too, as was the entire universe- all of them, alternate or not. But, Kij was there, assuring her that they could do it together. She would learn these new weapons and be just as good as anyone else. And though she didn't believe it, Kij's confidence bolstered her and she fixed her face into an expression of steely resolution. She would do it. She would! She nodded once to indicate her understanding, but she still wanted to vomit.

Joey looked over the faces present, unable to keep a frown from forming on her lips. "You are all about to use weapons you've likely never seen before, and not a single one of you has any questions?" she asked, casting a glance toward the Captain briefly, then turned her attention toward the group again. Perhaps. arming everyone wasn't such a good idea. "This is last call. If anyone has any questions, now's the time to ask them."

"Perhaps they're just waiting to see what they'll be working with," Harvey said, subtlety gesturing to the weapons on the table. Most of them were sidearms, save for a few that resembled rifles. The station would likely not permit them to carry rifles, but the sidearms should be acceptable. At least, that's what he had assumed.

Harvey approached Lieutenant Di Pasquale who was carrying the firearm she'd brought for him. "I assume this is Bertha?"

"That is correct, Captain," Camila said as she handed the big gun to him. "She's a .454 magnum with a thirty millimeter grenade launcher under the barrel. She's never been modified for a lower blowback and she she makes a lot of noise. She can also punch through nearly anything coming your way and leaves a much large exit wound than she does an entrance wound." She pointed out the safety on it, how to reload it and where the latch for the thirty millimeter grenade launcher was and how to load it. "When you push that and see the red, she's ready to shoot."

The moment Harvey was handed the weapon, he immediately checked to make sure it was safe, keeping it pointed away from anyone he could accidentally shoot. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt anyone in an accident. "Personally," he said with a nod, "I hope I don't have to use it." He studied the pistol closely, testing his hand on the grip and feeling its weight.

Pointing the weapon downward and away, he turned back to Lieutenant Corwin. "Lieutenant, let's go ahead and get the team acquainted with these. I can continue the briefing after that."

Joey moved over to the last unopened case and unlocked it, producing two Desert Eagle handguns. She wasn't worried about shooting anyone since both weapons had their safety on. "These are Mark XIX Desert Eagle .50's. These are both semi-automatic weapons. They have a gas-operated, rotating bolt with a 470 meter per second muzzle velocity with a maximum firing range of 200 meters. The detachable stick magazine holds seven rounds of .50 caliber Action Express rounds," she said. "The advantage of the gas operation is that it allows the use of far more powerful cartridges than traditional semi-automatic pistol designs. Thus, it allows the Desert Eagle to compete in an area that had previously been dominated by magnum revolvers. It has a proprietary muzzle brake for the .50 AE versions to help reduce recoil."

She tucked both guns into the waistband of her slacks at the small of her back, then made her way over to the crate to begin removing weapons from inside. Just before laying them out, she named off the caliber and maker, number of rounds, recoil and attributes. Once she was done, she looked toward those present. "Since most of you are beginners, I'd suggest the .38. They've been modified for low blowback. Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge," the Lieutenant said, pausing to let that sink in before she continued on. If any of you aren't comfortable using these, you don't have to," she said. "That's what Security is there for. However, it's important that you stick around to acquaint yourself with what you'll see or hear."

Ensign Thatcher moved near Jayla, who looked a little lost, she wanted to say something reassuring but was unwilling to interrupt her superior while speaking and so settled on a small smile aimed at jayla but kept the focus of her attention on the briefing. She took such things as the briefing very seriously, these little details could save their lives and she was taking careful mental notes.

Meanwhile, the crewman who had brought the garment rack in began to unzip them and removed the clothing, all of which was in a variety of sizes and dark colors. He ordered the computer to create holographic targets while referencing a PADD and began to dress them in the clothing he took from each garment bag. Soon there was a dressed, faceless target for each person present and with a nod to Lieutenant Corwin, he hung the empty bags back up on the rack and moved for the exit.

"Lieutenant Marion, would you like to explain what was in the garment bags before I demonstrate?" Joey asked. "Then, we'll get started on the hands on training."

"To put it in the simplest of terms, it's a kind of body armor. It's been constructed using some untested material principles that... we're hoping... will protect the wearer from blunt impacts from projectiles and the odd energy blast. It's not going to make anyone invincible, so don't think you can just stand there and take hits all day long. It's more of a stop gap method of keeping you alive if you get hit so you can get to cover. I wouldn't take more than three or four hits with it, I can't really see it lasting beyond that. But it's better than the alternative of being dead after the first round hits you," Lt. Marion explained.

Allen watched and listened to the entire exchange. Body armor would be great going into an unknown situation. He approached the table with the weapon cases opened and looked at them. "Pardon the interruption, Lieutenant. But are we to choose a weapon or will they be issued?"

Jayla found herself blinking repeatedly in confusion. She had no idea what anyone was talking about and decided to just wait until someone told her what to do. She caught Thatcher's smile and returned it with a weak one of her own. She was becoming more nervous by the minute; she knew she would never remember even a quarter of what was being said.

Joey looked toward Allen when he spoke. "Everyone's going to start off with the .38 for now. Those who feel comfortable enough to use something larger afterward will get the chance to," she said, looking toward Jayla. "Doctor... would you prefer to stand back and observe? I assure you you will be well protected while we're on Razmena."

"I think that might be best for now," said Jayla, feeling relieved. She didn't want to hurt anyone, after all.

Allen nodded, "Thank you, Ma'am." He walked up and picked one from the table, getting the feel of it. He had seen the Captain handle one of the weapons and followed his example. The firearm was heavier than a phaser, but still lighter than what he anticipated based on it's appearance. He had also watched the Lieutenant handle her two before stowing them. One thing he noticed them all doing was that they kept their fingers out of the curvature with the small trigger apparatus. Following suit, he laid his finger along the side of the weapon.

Hollingsworth and Gutierrez went over to the table where the weapons were laid out after having listened to what their new boss had to say about them and then each chose a .38 and examined them. After a few minutes, they stepped back with their chosen weapons with the guns at their sides and waited for further orders.

Felix did the same, taking careful note to deliberately pick up the firearm and keep his finger away from the trigger mechanism. He had remembered learning about small arms in his history classes in grade school, but never got to hold something like one of the many weapons on the table up close before. He was in awe of the weapon and made sure that he would respect it. He placed it by his side and returned to his spot in the lineup.

Camila listened to what Lieutenant Marion had to say, but felt the need to add to it to give the crew more assurance. "The clothing is layered with graphene, which after three centuries of testing has proven to be a very durable material which exceeds early forms of armor at a ratio of two to one and ten times as strong as steel and capable of absorbing several energy impacts. With a ceramic backing to prevent webbing, it's capable of protecting the wearer far more than ordinary armor or clothing."

She looked over at the dressed targets and then moved over to where the Captain was with Bertha, then looked at Joey. "Shall we begin the exercise once everyone gets a feel for their weapon of choice, Lieutenant?" She didn't like that the Chief Medical Officer had opted out and felt the urge to insist that the Trill carry one, but she wasn't in charge of the mission.

Ensign Thatcher was impressed with the possibly of some armor but agreed that it would be a good idea to avoid relying on it too much, to be fair she'd not yet even seen it in action. "Should be interesting" She thought and went to the table to carefully picked up a .38, her Grandfathers Rules echoing in her mind, "Never aim at what you don't want to shoot, ALWAYS figure your weapon is loaded, and for the love of Pete remember the frackin' safety...". It was heavier than she expected and she was very careful not to aim it at anyone or touch the trigger as she'd seen from others. She looked for the button to make sure the safety was on, and the other button that she vaguely remembered had to be there, finding it she pushed it and the clip came loose she checked it. It was full and she put it back in. "Ma'am..." She asked Lt. Corwin, "My Grandfather would tell stories of people who 'kept a bullet in the barrel', is that an accepted practice?", still carefully and safely holding the weapon, trying to get used to the weight.

"While keeping a round chambered offers an extra shot and faster shooting, it also poses for a more dangerous situation. I would advise against it unless you're trained well enough to deal with something like that," Joey said. She removed her weapons from the waistband of her uniform slacks without taking the safety off of either of them. She was going to eventually, but it wasn't the time just yet.

"First, I'm going to show you all what to expect as far as what we'll be wearing goes. From there, we'll be going into the actual training exercise. Once I activate the program, you'll notice two types of targets... blue and red. Blue are good. Don't hit them. If you do, an alarm will sound. Red are bad. Those are the ones you're going to be taking aim at." the Lieutenant explained. "Everyone stay behind him, and keep in mind, it's going to get loud. Computer, activate training program." And while the scene changed, the dummies wearing the armored garments remained where they were.

"Do not fire until you're told to. As a matter of fact, the safety should be on on all of your weapons," Corwin ordered, setting one of her guns on the table. She gripped the single weapon in her hands with the safety on and demonstrated how to hold it properly for those who were going to be carrying them, then followed it up with how to aim. She thumbed the safety off of her own weapon. "Take a deep breath in, and gently squeeze the trigger. Don't yank it back. Brace yourselves." With that, she did as she instructed the others and fired off a live shot at the armored dummy away from any breathing individuals.

Sunbeam had joined the Doctor at the side of the room, opting out of using the weapons also. He had never felt comfortable with less modern weapons and had no interest in using quip net that could blow a sizable hole in someone's back. He wasn't in this to cause pain. He was here to fly and protect people. They had been told it was ok not to use them and so, he wouldn't.

Thatcher had nodded at Lt. Corwin's words, she would not be carrying one in the chamber then, better safe than sorry. had moved to stand with the other security waiting their turn and she wanted to get a better look at Lt. Corwin's stance, how she was holding the weapon, it's kickback, everything. Her eyes took it all in, skimming the Lt. and the targets as she tried to mentally prepare for practice. She found the old style weapons needed in some cases but not as flexible as a phaser which allowed stunning instead of a physical wound. And she was primarily an investigator of crime both digital and otherwise, though she'd had the same training as everyone else it still meant she had willingly taken extra practice sessions to keep on the mark. Of course those had been with phasers. She pushed such thoughts to the side as she observed and tried to plan out her tactics.

Harvey's weapon was loaded, but that didn't stop him from still adjusting his grip on the pistol. While Lieutenant Corwin continued, Harvey raised the pistol, aiming it far away from everyone and checked the sights. This certainly was far different than a phaser. "Should we put on these outfits?" Harvey asked, lowering the pistol and glancing over to the garments. He'd like to find out if by wearing one he would have a different experience with the pistol and walking than he would with the usual Starfleet uniform.

Joey lowered her weapon and put the safety back on before she set it down on the table. "I think that might be a good idea. They're a bit different than what we're all used to wearing, and could hinder the ability of everyone's aim a bit. Practicing in them could be critical," she replied, moving over to the one she'd just shot to inspect it. Thankfully, she'd fired on the one that was customized for her so no one else would be put in danger if it failed with on the space station. The Lieutenant pulled it from the dummy, and while it was going to be a rather snug fit, began to put it on over her uniform.

"Somehow," Harvey said, deciding to be delicate yet professional in the sight of Joey trying to put on the outfit. "I don't think that's the best approach, Lieutenant. Computer, add three changing rooms." Three small stalls materialized beside the mannequins. The Captain quickly found his new clothing and entered one of the stalls. A few moments later, he emerged having donned the red, black and gray outfit. It was a little tight in the armpits, but at least he could move.

Lt. Marion pulled the vest she had fabricated for herself out of the pile and slipped into an empty changing room the Captain had ordered into existence. When she emerged, the woman looked just slightly more puffy, but the vest was perfectly concealed and thankfully because of the manner in which she had been given full control over production, it fit her without pinching or feeling stiff in any place. With the vest in place, Liz approached the table and found herself a firearm, skipping over the smaller caliber weapons and picking up one of only a few .45 caliber weapons and a magazine to go with it. In one fluid motion, Lt. Marion loaded it, racked the slide back to load a round, and slid it into the holster that have been provided with the weapon. The woman adjusted the holster to fit her drawing style and stepped away from the table so that she wouldn't be in the way if someone else needed their sidearm.

Felix stepped out of the changing room with his sidearm in its holster and moving his shoulders in circles to get used to the new clothing. It felt very similar to the weighted vests his coach used to make him use during conditioning, just less bulky. He felt at least somewhat comfortable with the weight of it. He saw Lt. Marion go through the ritual of loading a weapon and quietly marveled about how automatic it was for her. He hoped he could be that comfortable with the process by the end of the training. He took his place in the lineup and waited for further orders.

Jayla shook her head, grinning vaguely. Honestly! It was just changing! Humans were so strange about seeing one another in various states of dress. Trill tended to just change wherever they were and who cares who saw? They also didn't bother with ridiculous swimming costumes that hid exactly nothing. But, when on Qo'nos... She gathered her own outfit and headed towards one of the dressing rooms to change. After all, she did intend to try shooting one of those things at some point. She had to at least try didn't she? Once she'd gotten the clothing situated, she stepped out to let others use the stall.

Joey might have been human, but she didn't have any issues showing skin. Of course, she wasn't nearly as nonchalant about it as others might have been. For the sake of those around her, the Lieutenant carried her armored clothing into one of the stalls to quickly change, then came out to join the others. Things seemed to be a bit snug in the chest, but she could live with that. Everything else fit fairly well, which pleased her greatly. "Once everyone is done getting changed, we'll begin."

Hollingsworth found his clothes and went into a changing stall to put his clothing on and took a moment to check out the material. When he didn't find any noticeable armor, he shrugged and hoped that it lived up to what Lieutenant Di Pasquale claimed while hoping that the station wasn't full of people with energy weapons or liked to shoot people on general principle before asking a question.

When Hollingsworth exited the stall, Gutierrez took his clothing and went in to change. The style was unusual and definitely not Starfleet regulation, but they were in an unknown place and the rules had completely changed. When he finished changing, he left so the next person could change and headed over to the table to look at the other guns.

Thatcher was among the last because she was busy trying to find a set that fit, at 5'2 she was the smallest member of the team so sizing could be difficult. Fortunately someone had thought to replicate for a variety based on the team so she was finally able to find a set, entering the changing room with a silent thank you to the Captain she quickly put on the armored clothing. She was who would definitely prefer to change in private. It seemed slightly heavier than normal but didn't really restrict movement, one simply had to get used to the weight. Thatcher exited the changing room and carefully put the .38 in its holster at her belt, after again checking the safety. Of her Grandfathers Rules that was the biggest one, always check the safety. You never wanted it on when you wanted it off and vice versa. After that she went over to Jayla, "glad you decided to join us, you may not need to need but if you don't best to know how yes?" She said in her British accented English. It was polite but friendly, someone genuinely trying to help.

"Yeah," replied Jayla, putting on a brave face. "I mean, I've gotta try, right? I suppose if all else fails, I can go back to my knives, can't I?" she added, looking hopeful.

"Well I for one would not want to annoy a surgeon armed with a blade..." Thatcher said with a small smile, trying to used to the heavy metal lump on her hip. She found she even had to adjust her stance to offset the extra weight, nothing she couldn't handle. Just odd and she was adjusting. "And we'll go over everything, from what I can tell Lt. Corwin is very thorough. And you'll have all of us..." She didn't say they may get separated, who could say what would happen in a mission, best to just plan as they could. It was impossible to figure out every detail. Then she recalled something, "I do apologize, quite rude of me I am Ensign Sarah Thatcher." She said apologetically, making sure to keep Lt. Corwin in her sights to be ready when everyone else was. "We met briefly when I came on board but I am unsure if you recalled."

"I usually do," said Jayla sheepishly. "But I don't, I'm sorry. I'm getting rather used to people knowing me when I don't know them. It was weird at first, but..." She shrugged. "Anyway. I wish I had a PaDD so I could take notes. And another year to practice."

"Quite all right, it was a quick exam when I came on board, I've been very lucky to not need your services beyond that. Few bumps and bruises easily done by others. And it's not like we've not had alot on our minds. Oh a PADD" She said and pulled a small one from the top of her near uniform pile against the wall, offering it. "You can use this if you like?" Thatcher liked to be prepared, the kind of kid who always had snacks or a writing implement.

Jayla gasped and took the PaDD. "Oh my goodness," she said. "You are my new best friend! Thank you so much!"

Sarah looked a little surprised at the reaction but pleased then looked thoughtful for a moment then said, "If you'd like perhaps we could examine the weapons? Best way to get over their odd natures? " She said kindly, gesturing to the table. Really hoping the doctor wouldn't need to ever use one and besides she really did want to get more familiar herself but the CMO seemed so lost she hated to leave the Doc on her own, the Doc seemed a nice enough person and was generally liked as far as Thatcher could tell.

Jayla nodded nervously. "Yeah, all right," she said, and the two headed over to check out the weapons.

With everyone now properly clothed, Harvey approached Lieutenant Corwin, Bertha safely secured in a holster. "I think we're ready to proceed. How should we do this? One at a time so everyone can hear a particular weapon and see how it handles? Then all at once after that?"

Joey nodded her head. Not everyone knew how to handle the weapons they were going to be using. "I think that would be for the best. Just until everyone gets a feel for their weapon. Afterward, everyone can try it together. We'll start with you, Captain. I believe Lieutenant Di Pasquale wants to show you the proper way to handle Bertha. When you're ready, tell the computer to begin." She turned to the others and made her way toward them.. "Brace yourselves. It's going to get loud."

Camila stepped up beside the Captain. "The first thing you want to do is hold her in a firm two handed grip," she told him as she demonstrated by acting as if she held the gun in her right hand and brought her left hand to the other side of the imaginary gun and put her fingers over the fingers on her right hand and her left thumb locked over her right. "She'll have a recoil and that will pull the barrel up, so keep your wrists and elbows locked, lean into it at the waist a bit but keep your head even. When it recoils, let your upper arms absorb the recoil instead of your torso."

Harvey mirrored Lieutenant Di Pasquale's actions after removing the pistol from the holster. Just as before, he practiced aiming down the sights, keeping the loaded weapon pointed away from everyone and the safety on. "Sounds easy enough," he told her.

"Now take the safety off, aim at your target and take a deep breath," Camila told him. "When you fire, just squeeze the trigger, but don't yank it back when you exhale." She stepped aside and checked his posture, then nodded.

The Captain nodded, lowering the weapon and looking towards the simulation area. "Computer!" he boldly requested, a hint of nervousness in his tone. "Begin simulation."

Instantly, a basic duranium structure materialized before everyone's eyes with several openings for windows and doors. Harvey kept the sidearm lowered until he saw the first red target, an action he performed deliberately in order to get more used to its weight. Now that the first target was in sight, Harvey rose the pistol, took quick yet careful aim, and pulled the trigger.

Well, it was an attempt to pull the trigger. It didn't move, no matter how hard he tried. Remembering that the safety was still on, Harvey immediately flicked it with his thumb, took aim at the static target and fired. He wasn't sure what surprised him more, the recoil or the near-deafening sound that reverberated in the holodeck. Without hesitation, Harvey collected himself and fired at new targets as they appeared until he'd emptied the weapon.

Once the deafening noise died down in the enclosed, Camila opened her mouth wide and swallowed a few times, then shook her head. "I forgot how loud she was," she commented once the ringing in her ears had died down. Still swallowing a few times, she summoned the arch and ordered the computer to replicate firing range earplugs that blocked the thunderous noises. Once she had them, she distributed them to everyone.

"Very good, Captain," she said approvingly as she handed him his ear plugs and took out a speed loader from a pouch. "Now flip the release here," she indicated a spot on the handle. "Turn it sideways to get the cylinder out and shake the bullets free. Once you have that done, insert the bullets into the chamber with this." She indicated the loaded speed loader. "Press the button on the top and release. It'll be loaded and you can put the cylinder back in and you're ready to go again." She handed him the speed loader and stepped back again.

Lt. Marion noticed that everyone was watching the reload process that the Captain was going through and decided she would take her turn at the firing line. The targeting program that Capt. Geisler had gone through was simply static dummies, which was fine enough for the people who'd never fired a gun before, but it didn't really feel like practice to her.

"Lt. Di Pasquale, do you have a targeting program that is more... scenario appropriate? Moving targets perhaps?" the Operations officer inquired.

Lieutenant Corwin turned her attention to Elizabeth. She'd chosen a different weapon than everyone else had been assigned, and now she wanted to see what she had to offer. "Computer... provide moving targets... level ten," she ordered, making sure the Captain and Camila were a safe distance away. Not only would there be multiple moving targets firing stinging shots back at her once she was in place, but there would also be 'civilian' targets as well. "You're up."

Liz nodded and moved into place, hunkering up against a wall. When she was comfortable with her stance, the woman ordered the simulation to begin. The targets that appeared took on a much more 'human' form, complete with simulated weapons that began firing at intervals. Marion could hear her heart began to pound as she let the initial rush of the simulation subside. With a deep breath, the young woman pulled her weapon from the holster and let her adopted father's torturous training take over.

Her finger slid up and toggled the safety as she moved out from behind her cover and began firing on her targets. The sharp recoil from the .45 tried its level best to push her weapon off target, but her grip on the weapon and her slight forward lean took the brunt of the recoil and allowed her to stay nearly perfect center mass with each round fired. Her first two red targets shattered like glass dolls, quickly replaced by other red figures using various degrees of cover.

A hail of charged particles rained on the Lieutenant's position, which she had quickly abandoned after her first targets had been destroyed. A small wall that most likely was meant to simulate crates or some other type of cover was her only salvation from the retaliatory fire of the two new practice dummies. Lt. Marion peeked around her cover just long enough to assess where they were, which was answered with more weapon fire. In the gap between volleys, Liz sprang up and unloaded two more rounds, the first striking dead center on her target while the other took a chunk out of the other target's neck.

Liz grumbled at the sloppiness of the second shot but didn't waste motion worrying about it, she was already advancing on the simulated 'shoot house' when five more dummies appeared. The woman barely had enough time to register two of them were marked blue, and thus non-combatant before having to dive behind another piece of wall cover. The ensuing barrage was much more coordinated, leaving a tiny gap between one dummy's reload and the next's volley. The patience her father had drilled into her forced her to wait until she found the pattern, which took longer than she really wanted to take, but once it was noticeable and predictable, Marion reacted to it. The first lull was answered with a glancing shot to one of the target's arm, followed closely by another round just about where a human's heart would be. The second lull came even faster, but the practice dummy had already gotten wise and was using one of the blue dummies as a shield.

Marion grimaced and turned her attention on the other one, who was only just making a move for the other blue dummy. She popped out of her cover just fast enough to land a round square in the middle of its body, which caused it to explode like the rest. The last one presented the largest obstacle, and Liz had to take several long, deep breaths to calm her excited nerves. She could feel the strain on her forearms already as she kept her weapon in the iron firing grip. It took several moments for her to calm down enough to make a rational assessment of her odds. After two full rounds of fire from the dummy, Marion finally popped out and fired three rounds, one that missed the head by about an inch, the second that grazed the top right corner, and the last that struck dead center. When the dummy exploded, Liz fell to one knee and dropped the empty magazine.

"Computer, end simulation," she said, letting out a haggard sigh, "Sucker almost got me that last time..."

After getting comfortable with the reloading process, Harvey had stopped to watch Lieutenant Marion as she took the training moment very seriously. He had no plans to follow in her footsteps, after all, that was why security would be accompanying them. His only goal was to get used to what he was wearing and what he might have to use if the situation called for it.

"Be glad it's just a simulation," Harvey remarked, placing the safety back on his borrowed pistol and sliding it into the holster. "Anyone else?" he asked the group.

Jayla glanced nervously at the weapons and chewed her lip. "I... I'll give it a go," she said. "I mean, if there's something really simple. And if someone will show me what to do." She scratched her head. Maybe this was a bad idea, but she really should try it. After all, what if she got separated from the group? Was she going to depend on knives when everyone else had some sort of energy or projectile weapon?

"If you start to feel uncertain, no one here is going to criticize you for it," Joey said. "This kind of thing isn't got everyone, and you will have an armed Security officer there to protect you."

"I know," replied Jayla. "But, I should try, right? I mean, I'll think less of me if I don't at least try. So... which one is the easiest to operate?"

Joey moved over to Jayla and nodded her head. "It's worth trying at least once so you can say you did," she said, taking the weapon from Jayla. With the safety on, she demonstrated the proper way to hold the gun, then passed it back to the Doctor. "Keep your wrists and elbows locked. It will help with some of the recoil, though it won't be too bad. Don't jerk back on the trigger, either. You can do this. Computer... begin program... level one." This time, there were no more moving targets. Instead, they were all red, standing still and weren't firing anything. "If at any time, you start to feel uncomfortable, stop the program and step back. Remember your safety is one." With that, she stepped back to be out of the way.

"Okay," said Jayla, steeling herself. She copied Corwin's pose. Elbows and wrists locked. What did that mean exactly? Tight? Straight? She didn't know. She opted for both. Feet planted firmly. She nodded herself. "Okay. Wait... wait, how do I turn to safety off?" she asked, blinking at the weapon.

Joey moved up behind Jayla and guided the doctor's the thumb to turn the safety off. "Your weapon is officially capable of firing live ammunition. Keep your weapon pointed straight ahead so you don't hurt any other person here right now," Corwin instructed, stepping back a few feet in case she was needed. She had to admit this time, she was a bit nervous.

Jayla chewed her lip as she clicked the safety off. She glanced to either side to make sure nobody was anywhere near her, looked down the site like they'd been shown, took a deep breath to steady her nerves and pulled the trigger.

Having stood by while two other people fired the weapons had prepared her for the noise, but the recoil was another matter. She took a step back to steady herself, but recovered quickly. She looked at her intended target, but there was no sign that she had hit it. Frowning, she glanced at the nearby targets and spotted the place where the bullet had hit- the very edge of the target behind the one she'd aimed for. "Well," she said. "At least I hit something. And it wasn't a friend."

Corwin moved next to Jayla to make sure she turned the safety back on. "You did very well for someone who has never fired a weapon like this before. If you never wish to do it again, that's your choice, but you can say you've done it now," she said with a reassuring smile, then looked toward Thatcher. "You're up, Ensign."

"Aye Ma'am" Thatcher replied, she gave jayla a supportive smile as she checked her ear plugs and stood on the firing line. She was going through Lt. Corwin's and Lt. Marion's stances in her mind, how they stood, held the gun. She drew it smoothly, though not a quick draw, and aimed. Only after she had centered on the nearest target did she flip the off safety switch, "Gun Live." She said, then a quick glance to make sure her field of fire was clear and she squeezed the trigger. It was a little jerky and the bullet hit the target in the shoulder. Thatcher's face got even more full of intense concentration as she adjusted her position. Then shifted her aim using the sights and her hand/eye coordination.

Fired once, gun jerked up slightly and she brought it back down to where she wanted it then she fired again, as her Grandfather would say, "Get 'em the backswing". These two closer to center body mass but still further out than she would have liked, on a target a 9 and 10. She shifted to other targets in the two handed stance she'd seen the others use and continued, learning to squeeze trigger gently not yank and to aim quickly. After the first two the groupings got tighter and tighter until she was hitting in the 8 field on a target (around the heart) with fairly decently accuracy in rapid fire mode. Not an expert but she hoped acceptable, she vowed to continue practice as she put the safety back on and double checked it to make sure it was empty then re-holstered her weapon, "Gun Safe." She reported and turned to Lt. Corwin wondering at her response.

Joey watched as everyone went through their training, studying the strengths and weaknesses of each individual. No one really disappointed her, and she was actually proud of everyone who'd attempted the exercise. The majority of them come into training without having any idea what they were getting themselves into, but nearly everyone stepped up. That was something she could be proud of. Once the armor had been tested without incident, she looked over the faces present. "For those of you who are still uncomfortable with your weapons, I'm willing to offer one on one training to each of you to hone your skills a bit more. This isn't mandatory, but encouraged," she said, looking toward Captain Geisler. "I think that just about covers this exercise, Captain. Anyone who wishes to continue training, get with me after you've been dismissed, and we'll work something out. Keep in mind, there isn't a lot of time left."

Jayla nodded. She decided she would be first in line for additional training. She didn't know if she would actually carry a weapon, but she wanted to be able to fire one with confidence if everything went south and she had to pick up a discarded weapon or worse- pick one up from a downed crewmate. She shuddered at the thought. Hopefully none of them would die.

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