Lt. JG Natasha Cole - Trust the Solution

[Natasha Schell]

((Security Training Facilities - Security Center - USS Artemis-A))

Watching someone adjust in real time was telling. Instead of peering around the same side again, Gavrin shifted, popped up over the top of his cover, and fired a quick three-shot burst. All three landed. The second hostile flickered out of existence.

That drew a genuine smile from Natasha. Not because the shot was pretty, but because it was smarter than the last one.

Cole: There you go. The corridor rewards problem-solvers, not just good shots.

Tarsan: Okay, one left. But... where?

Natasha’s eyes moved once down the corridor, tracing sightlines, shadowed recesses, and the spaces between cover.

Cole: If you were the last hostile in the area, would you sit still and wait to be shot?

Tarsan: I wouldn't, I'd find somewhere I could get... a good vantage point without being seen myself?

Cole: Good. Then stop looking for where it was, and start thinking about where it wants you to look.

Tarsan: Do I have to learn how to think like it?

Cole: No, but it is useful.

She folded her arms loosely, letting the silence stretch just enough for him to listen to the corridor in front of him and behind him, instead of just stare at it.

Cole: The last target isn’t testing your aim. It’s testing whether impatience can talk you into doing something stupid.

Tarsan: At least being patient is something I'm good at…

Cole: Promising. Just don’t let patience curdle into hesitation. The corridor punishes that. ::quick finger-gun gesture::

This was the part she cared about. Gavrin listened, moved with purpose, and used the environment instead of letting it use him. The piece of scrap metal was a good instinct. Not elegant, but clever. His execution still lagged behind his judgment, though. He had the room. He just hadn’t quite claimed it.

A faint smile touched one corner of her mouth. Not indulgent. Earned.

Tarsan: Damnit! So close...

Cole: You found the solution. You just didn’t trust it fast enough.

Tarsan: Right, doesn't matter how close, I'm still dead, huh?

Cole: In here, close matters. It tells me your instincts are improving. And it means we can fix it without writing to your next of kin.

Tarsan: Response

Cole: You solved the problem before you fired. That’s the hard part. Then you got excited and tried to win faster than your aim could support.

She lifted one hand and marked the sequence in the air with two fingers: move, distract, draw, shoot, then paused on the last beat.

Tarsan: Response

Natasha pushed off the wall and crossed the corridor at an easy pace, one hand settling at her hip as the last remnants of holodeck light faded around them.

Cole: If this were just about hitting targets, I’d be less impressed. What I wanted was judgment. You gave me that. Now we sharpen it.

Tarsan: Response

Tags/TBC

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Lt. JG Natasha Cole
Security Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240205NC4