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((OOC: I had a skill point that needed to be used, and decided to put it into projectile weapons. This topic tells the story of Tobias' learning to use a firearm.))

Aboard the Arquitens-class cruiser Hammerfall


Tobias inspected his handiwork on the sealed chamber he had created. He nodded, took a deep breath, and entered the room. "I can do this," he muttered to himself. After locking the door behind him, he keyed in the required data and ran the programme he had created. The holographic projectors kicked on, and an image of his grandfather, Marcus Nightcloud, appeared in the centre of the room. "Academy lesson Basic Marksmanship Lesson 1, in progress."

Marcus Nightcloud began to speak. "I am here today to run you recruits through the basics of weapon handling, safety, and marksmanship. I will start off by saying the pulling a blaster on someone is something that never should be done lightly. If there are other options available, use them. Lethal force is a LAST resort, not a first one. With that out of the way, let's go over the design of the weapon itself." A diagram of a DL-44 appears on the wall behind Marcus.
"While the actual design will be different for individual weapons, these are the parts that are common to virtually every model currently in use. This is the barrel. It should be obvious that you point that end towards the target." Marcus chuckles, and continues. "This is the scope; you use this to aim. This is the trigger and trigger guard mechanism. This controls the firing of your weapon. This the grip of the weapon, use it to hold it steady. This is the safety; it will prevent your weapon from firing when activated. For your safety and the safety of others, make sure it is on at all times until you are actually going to use your weapon. This switch toggles between the lethal and non-lethal power settings. I will hasten to point out that this option is not available on all firearms. A stun blast will send a short range but high voltage charge that will, upon contact with the target, overload the their nervous system, causing paralysis and, in most humanoid species, render them unconscious for a short time. The Kill power setting fires a highly focused energy blast that causes tissue damage, and may cause death if enough damage is caused to a vital organ. As I have already stated, only use this setting as a last resort. If for no other reason, you cannot gain anything useful from someone that is dead. Any questions?" After a few moments, Marcus continues.

"OK, it is time for the moment most of you have been waiting for; you get to shoot at something." A holographic target appears on the far wall, and the image of Marcus moves to the side of the room. "We'll start off with a static target. Flip the safety off, aim down the sights at the centre of the target, and gently SQUEEZE the trigger...do not jerk on it. You may begin."

Tobias drew his Relby K-23 from its' holster uncertainly, flipped off the safety, and took aim at the target. He drew a deep breath and fired a volley of shots towards the target.

((ooc: Target is challenge level 5))

0 Hit
1 CRITICAL MISS
2 Miss
3 CRITICAL HIT
4 Miss
5 Miss

Tobias pulled the trigger on his weapon, and the first shot hit the outside edge of the target. Feeling slightly more confident, he fired once more. He jumped and swore as the recoil from the weapon caught him unprepared, and the shot nearly hit him in the foot. He struggled to regain his focus, and took aim at the target once more. His shot just missed the target. "Well, THAT was a damn sight better from the cluster FUBAR that almost happened," he muttered to himself. His next shot landed dead centre, and he smiled. "Maybe I can actually do this." His next two shots just missed the target, but were much closer than his previous attempts. "I'm one of the best engineers in the Krath Dynasty and the descendant of a great warrior. I CAN do this." Feeling a bit more confident, he leveled his weapon at the target and fired his next volley of shots.

0 CRITICAL HIT
1 Miss
2 Hit
3 Hit
4 Hit
5 Miss

Tobias' first shot hit the target dead centre once more, and he smiled. His next shot grazed the outside edge of the target. Tobias adjusted his aim a bit, and squeezed off three more shots, which struck near the centre ring. His final shot was off by a few millimetres. He nodded, flipped the safety back on, and put his weapon back into the holster. "That's enough for now," he said to himself, and terminated the programme. As Tobias exited the chamber, he felt no small amount of pride. While he might not be the warrior his grandfather had been, he had taken the first step on the journey.