It's A Gun Show

Posted on Tue Jan 11th, 2022 @ 6:43pm by Captain Elijah Michaels & 1st Lieutenant Dahlia Acker

1,297 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Out of Time
Location: Armoury
Timeline: Backpost

1st Lieutenant Dahlia Acker had to admit she had a thing for weapons. It wasn't to the level where she would sleep with a rifle, or give it a name like 'Susanne' or 'Maria'. No, she just appreciate good technology. Being a Marine gave her a sense that it was a tool. A useful tool. And like most Marines she found her way to the Armoury as soon as she could for a look. In uniform, her hair tied back into a ponytail, it hadn't been any issue with her clearance to gain access. And once inside? Well, she moved her hand lightly over the offerings, her hand resting finally on a Compression phaser rifle. Old but good, they were easy to use...she understood why it had become standard in the 2370s on starships. It was accurate and a wide beam set to stun? Instant crowd control if you liked your crowds unconscious before you.

Elijah was the CO of the Ontario, the buck stopped with him. But he had been a Security Officer from the start of his career He knew the ins and outs of a variety of energy weapons. He kept his skills sharp on the range every so often.

Dahlia looked up, her hand moving from the weapon as she noticed someone else there. A quick look at the man and she straightened into attention. She had not met the CO of the ship since coming onboard. For a moment she wondered about sneaking out, rather than make it awkward. In the end she decided she was a grown woman and she was not going to take the easy option. "Sir," she said, acknowledging him but also announcing that he wasn't alone. Weapons and surprises was an explosive combination.

"Lieutenant." Elijah responded with a nod as he approached one of the weapons lockers. Inputting his access code he then examined his options, the updated 2390 rifle seemed his best option. Though the new phaser pistol seemed just as good.

She nodded and pulled back a little, to give him better access. Her eyes though went to what he had opened, seeing the options as well. She studied the phaser pistol but frowned slightly. She had tried it on her last posting and hadn't been impressed. It was just a little bit too touch sensitive for a combat situation in her eyes. The rifle though...that was a piece of beautiful engineering. She didn't speak, more because this was the Captain and she knew better than to open her mouth unless invited by superior officers.

Elijah took the Rifle from the rack and headed over to the table. He checked the settings and power cells and then he adjusted the built in sights. Focusing on the updated HUD and x5 zoom options. Then he returned to the locker, going for the pistol as well. But his attention then turned to the Officer. "Compression Rifle eh Lieutenant?"

She blinked and looked at him, then over at the weapon in question. "Yes Sir. Old reliable," she said with a weak smile. "I do quite like the 2390 rifle though, it's really steady. But I think the Compression Rifle has the advantage of being older. All the kinks have been ironed out. But it depends on what you plan on hunting, Sir."

He nodded. "Absolutely it served well in the Dominion War and should be respected as a weapon." Elijah said as he picked up the new weapon he selected. "But the customizability of this gem is worth it all." He took the rifle and aimed down range.

She kept her distance, watching him and then the target. "Yes Sir. Customization means that you can make it specific to you. Not great if you are picking it off a downed Marine though," she said softly, so not to distract him.

"Ah yes well luckily there is this." He said as his thumb went over the grip of the weapon. With a small flick of his digit the rifle hummed and all the modifications then went into their standard factory settings.

A small smile quirked the corner of her lips. "Yes Sir," she said, lightly. She didn't mentioned scenarios where the time that took could mean you were dead, or missed your shot. It was an impressive weapon. "Maybe I am a bit nostalgic on one of the weapons I trained on, Sir," she conceded.

"Of course." He said as he looked over at the Compression Rifle. "I remember myself the daunting way of the rifle."

She nodded, her eyes taking in his face while he looked at the rifle. He was a few years older than her. Most likely served in the war. Her eyes went over his body, taking in his stance. "Want some company shooting, Sir?" she suddenly asked. She had been busy and...well. It would be nice to hit some targets.

“Rack them up El-Tee.” He said as he prepared his weapon. The Captain was preparing himself.

She nodded, moving to take the rifle. She moved to stand a few feet away from him, on his left, checking her rifle before looking at the targets. She then lifted the rifle, getting it in a comfortable position before she took her first shot.

Elijah popped off his shots down range, hitting the targets with ease. It was nice to see that the Captain had not lost a step since his Security days.

She finished as well, taking a breath as she secured her weapon. She looked over at results and smiled. "Good shooting, Sir," she said before she looked at the options they had. Maybe moving targets. Now she wished they had holodeck time.

"Thank you Lieutenant." He responded as he laid down his rifle and switched to the updated pistol model. Resetting the targets he fired and each one successively.

She watched him, studying his stance and finding no fault with it. Not that she would have corrected it anyway. She nodded and stepped back, taking in the targets. "Mind if I try that pistol, Sir? It's not something I'd find in my usual gear."

He switched on the safety and nodded. "Watch out for the recoil, she packs quite a bit of kick."

She nodded in acknowledgement, taking the pistol and checking it. She faced the target, using a two handed grip and switched the safety off. He was right, there was a recoil, but she was prepared as she hit the target. She switched the safety on again and checked the pistol again before offering it back. "It's good to know it is firing. I find recoils a bit of a comfort at times."

"Yeah the designers came up with the idea of recoil to help offset the power distribution." Elijah responded to her comment.

"Not bad for designers," she said lightly before she raised an eyebrow, watching him for a long moment. "So you came up from a Security background, Sir?"

"I did." He nodded. "Majority of my Career in fact." He said as he headed over to the rack to put his weapons back and look over what else was in the locker.

"It shows, Sir," she said lightly before she walked to put her weapon away. It seemed only polite. "Good stance, clear shots." It was a compliment. Security was a department she could respect. Sure, some Marines did call them knock-off police, but she saw them more as the branch that had to not only shoot but also use diplomacy to diffuse situations. Something Marines were not as talented at.

"Thank you Lieutenant." He responded with a nod. "Nice to know that Chair hasn't loosened my skills."

The Captain gave one last nod to the Marine before exiting the room. Leaving the Officer to her training and practise.

 

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