Lt. JG Natasha Cole - The Corridor Doesn’t Care
Natasha Schell
((Security Training Facilities - Security Center - USS Artemis-A))
Cole: Better to fix the foundations now than discover the cracks when someone’s shooting back.
Tarsan: Was kind of hoping no one would be shooting at me for at least a year or three...
She gave him another second to breathe before nudging the difficulty higher. Confidence built too fast got sloppy. Confidence built right became useful.
Cole: All right. Last phase. This one’s less about accuracy and more about judgment. Anyone can hit a target on a clean range. I want to see what you do when the shot isn’t clean.
Tarsan: Probably miss, Lieutenant. ::taking a deep breath:: Okay, ready.
Cole: Computer, Run Cole Phaser practice 1A.
In a ripple of holodeck light, the sterile target range gave way to a tight alien hallway lined with dark metal bulkheads, recessed doorways, and too many places for someone hostile to hide.
Natasha stepped back half a pace, letting him take in the new environment before she spoke again.
Cole: This time the targets will be firing back. Same rules as before: three solid hits neutralize each target, and there are three of them. But if you get tagged three times, the simulation ends. Cover will work for both you and them.
Her mouth twitched at one corner.
Cole: My professional advice? Don’t get shot.
Tarsan: ::dry:: Thanks, Lieutenant. Not sure that's my speciality, but I'll try!
Cole: Trying’s fine. Thinking’s better. I want you to clear your angles before you trust them.
Natasha watched as Gavrin stepped forward with a wry grin tucking himself against a recess. He had taken a peek from his cover and after another beat moved into the corridor and immediately was tagged by a target he’d missed.
She didn’t flinch at the hit. She would rather Gavrin learn what rushing cost him, under holodeck safeties, than in a real corridor where mistakes would be far less kind. Every instinct in her wanted to step in and clean the corridor for him. She ignored it.
Natasha shifted to the side of the corridor and raised two fingers in Gavrin’s line of sight, a silent reminder of how many hits he had left.
Tarsan: Damnit!
Cole: First lesson: the corridor doesn’t care if you’re ready. Breathe. Then check it again.
She nodded back to Gavrin as he glanced and saw the target. His first shot splashed against the cover, but the two that followed connected. That made her smile, as did the way he hugged the wall before diving, narrowly avoiding being hit a second time.
That was better. Not elegant, not clean, but better and that is what mattered the most. He was starting to adapt instead of just reacting. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Tarsan: Forgot-- holodecks aren't all that padded…
Natasha knelt beside the cover line, one forearm resting lightly on her knee as she angled herself so he could still see the corridor.
Cole: No, they are not. Stay low. ::gesturing towards the cover:: Since you’re already down here, use the cover.
Tarsan: Response
Cole: While you’re tracking your first target, remember this: if one of them is trying to get you to chase them, assume another is waiting for exactly that.
She pointed first toward the target’s last position, then to the opposite recess farther down the corridor.
Tarsan: Response
Cole: ::getting to her feet, letting the silence sit just long enough for the lesson to land:: Again. Slow is smooth, smooth is survival. I care more about you surviving this corridor than looking impressive in it.
Tarsan: Response
Tags/TBC
----- ◌● -----Lt. JG Natasha Cole
Security Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240205NC4