JP Yogan Yalu & Aine Sherlock — You don’t know what you’re missing, Part 1
jkpbem
(( Holodeck 1, Deck 6, USS Excalibur-A ))
Yalu: For some reason I thought it would be heavier.
Yogan walked down the corridor, passing a standard type-2 phaser back and forth between his hands as he neared the holodeck. He was excited, but also nervous and slightly guilty about his excitement. Was it really appropriate for him to be looking forward to this upcoming exercise? Sure, he was a Starfleet officer, and Starfleet officers needed to be prepared for a range of situations, but he was also a physician, and a physician shouldn’t be excited about phaser training. Right?
The philosophical considerations notwithstanding, he was looking forward to learning some valuable skills from Resolution’s security officer, Aine Sherlock. Having observed her on the bridge and on away missions–in particular their recent visit to the 23rd century Klingon ship qorDu–Yogan held Sherlock in high esteem for her ingenuity, strategic prowess, and dedication to duty.
As the holodeck doors slid open, Yogan saw that Sherlock was waiting for him. He also noticed the array of weapons on display, which made the type-2 phaser in his hands seem pretty tame by comparison.
Yalu: ::nods:: Lieutenant. ::holds up his phaser:: I’m guessing I won’t need this.
Sherlock: ::giving a grin and a shake of the head:: That’s a little small for what I have planned for you.
Yogan looked at the row of weapons, most of which were completely unfamiliar to him. They were all of similar composition and aesthetic, the uniform gunmetal grey and balanced geometry a signature of standard Federation weapons design. Yogan’s eyes returned to Aine.
Yalu: ::smirks:: Does the house care to make a recommendation?
Aine walked up to the rack of rifles, hands clasped behind her back. She quickly turned and began what one could almost describe as a sales pitch.
Sherlock: Here before you is a selection of Star Fleets current rifles. Some you may be familiar with, some are rarer and only issued to specialist teams. Everything from the Type 3 variants all the way up to Type 28 and 33’s. I recommend the Type 3B for today.
Yogan was gobsmacked. There were 33 different types of phaser? He set his type-2 down on the edge of the rack and picked up the 3B rifle. He briefly held it right-handed—Yogan was right-handed before becoming Joined—but it felt strange to him, like it was perpetually off-balance. A quirk of Joining was that his dominant hand changed, and it had taken Yogan some time to adjust to suddenly becoming left-handed. Switching hands, he held the rifle a bit awkwardly at first, but the weapon’s ergonomic design made it easy to adjust.
After selecting his weapon, Aine made sure the tall Trill was familiar with it. From the records, it’d been some time since Yogan had undergone weapons training. Not so uncommon for non-Security officers. She knew that many would prefer not to use them ever, but was happy to see that at least wanted to be up to date.
Sherlock: Just some quick familiarization. The Type 3B phaser rifle has three fire settings. Single fire, which is one burst of energy. Sustained, which is a constant beam more like the Type 2 handheld. And Burst fire. Burst fire can be set to discharge from two to twenty-five bursts of phaser energy. It also has a standard holographic targeting device.
Yogan closed one eye and looked through the scope with the other. He was expecting something out of an old Earth novel, a magnifier and simple crosshairs to assist in aiming. The targeting device was significantly better equipped, and showed a range of options for the most effective use of the weapon. With his thumb, he scrolled through the fire settings.
Yalu: More options than I would have thought. I’m sure there’s a time and a place for everything, but which is the best for… ::beat, grins:: this is weird to say… everyday use?
Sherlock: I prefer to use Single fire. It allows for control of where your shots go and less chance of civilian or collateral damage. It also allows you to focus on keeping those shots where they need to go. Good to go?
Yogan thought briefly about the small, pocket-sized type-1 phaser Aine had given him before they transported over to the Klingon bird of prey. He ended up not using it, and he wondered whether the Klingons even knew that he was armed. He imagined that the field trip might have had a different outcome if he’d beamed over with this rifle in hand.
Yalu: I think so.
Sherlock: Good. I have a series of training simulations I’ve programmed. It consists of 20 levels. Today we’re going to do Level 6. It’s…
Yalu: Level six?! I only just picked this thing up a minute ago.
Sherlock: Level’s 1 through 5 are for hand phasers. 6 through 10, rifles. 11 through 20 are team scenarios.
Yogan let himself relax a bit, comfortable in the knowledge that he was starting at the introductory level for the weapon he was holding. This exercise made him think briefly about the Nascaik child, Foss, who demonstrated an almost genetic predisposition toward success in old Earth video games. He wondered where the little guy was now.
Yalu: Understood. ::beat, gripping the weapon:: I’m a little nervous.
TBC
Lieutenant Yogan Yalu
Helm Officer
USS Resolution NCC-78145
Justin
D238804DS0
and
Lieutenant Junior Grade Aine Sherlock
Security Officer
USS Resolution
R239712AS0