Mission of Mercy (poetlore and dunruffle)

Clara rushed off to get Ray's books and nearly ran into Erik as he walked in. "Im sorry! Excuse me!" Clara rushed out leaving Erik confused and bewildered. Shrugging, he walked in and found Cassandra. "Hey Doc, doctor pearson said he invited you out to the firing range for the rest of his plasma gun. You busy?"
 
Cassandra grinned at Clara rushing off to get what Ray needed, and then heard voices. She excused herself from Ray and went toward the door. She smiled at Erik, "Oh goodness, I totally forgot!" she admitted, "Things are under control here I think.."

Point and Harrison both waved her out the door, but Harrison piped up, "Get your ass some practice while you're there too" he said and went back to work.

Cassandra blinked and then shrugged, "Looks like I'm free." she said and took off her white jacket and hung it up. "Ok...lead the way..." she said though she had the partial map of the place in her stored information, the test, shooting range wasn't on it.
 
After a short tram ride they arrived in front of a big blast door. Scanning their ID cards, the door opened to reveal a long and wide cavern tunnel. The floor, walls, and ceiling were covered with scorch marks, bullet holes, and explosion craters. The sound of gunfire echoed from deeper inside as they made their way to the armory. Inside, almost every concievable weapon was on display and ready for testing. There were tables full of pistols, racks lined with rifles, and several cases of heavy weaponry ranging from missile launchers to flamethrowers. There were several guards standing around the edges of the room and many security devices were scattered across the room as well. Inside a blast proof room, a gunnery sergeant sat filling out paperwork that was scattered all over his desk.

Walking over to a wall, Erik retrieved two pairs of gloves and gave one to cassandra. "Every gun in here is equipped with a security lock, you need these gloves to be able to fire them. Prevents any thefts and such. Feel free to grab whatever you want. You can also go up to the gunney sergeant and make a list of weapons you want to try and they will be delivered to your firing station."
 
Cassandra and Erik engaged in idle small talk during the tram ride, and as usual she was very comfortable with him. They hadn't own one another long, but he felt like am old friend. She followed him to the huge door and swiped her badge. once inside she lifted a brow at the marks on the hallway walls. Why would there be marks out here?" she wondered but did not ask.

Inside the armory though, her eyes were wide as she scanned all the weapons there for practice purposes. She accepted the gloves and nodded moving the gunnery sergeant and filling in a list of things she wasn't going to carry herself. She picked up a sleek pistol and smiled, "I'll carry this one," she said with a grin, "I'll let them bring the heavy ones." She waited to see what he was going to use. "Do you practice a lot?' she asked.
 
Erik shrugged as he picked a rifle off a rack and put a large caliber revolver in his hip holster. "I dunno, I guess the same as any trooper on base. It's not just practice, its also fun too. Sometimes there are impromptu shooting matches, then there are those who see who can get the best score in the killhouse." Walking through another blast door, they walked out into the firing range. There were at least twenty shooting booths lined from one side of the tunnel to the other. There were also a few large platforms raised above the booths that could fit large weapon emplacements or even a tank. Off to the side, Pearson and a few assistants were tinkering with a large device. Looking up, Pearson saw Cassandra and waved excitedly. "Great you came! Just in time too, we are about to test it!" He waved over a guard who was wearing a bulky suit protective armor with a large helmet that had a blast visor over the front. Pearson patted the guard as he hefted up the cylindrical device and walked to the firing line. "We take great pride in protecting our testers. It's not like we just send them out with an experimental weapon and hope for the best. This suit is the MK.V hazard model. These suits were originally made for the settlers who colonized this planet so they could work outside. The suit has been modified over time which has led to this current model. It not only protects the wearer, but it has an internal monitoring system so we can monitor the wearersl's vitals. So far these suits have been sent to Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) units, police bomb squads, and companies specializing in hazardous jobs."

Pearson motioned for Cassandra to follow him to the viewing platform, giving her a pair of safety goggles. "Also we dont give the job of testers to just any guard. Usually they are guards who are either too old to have some sort of disability. They also get a significant pay raise along with full medical and death insurance. The director made sure to get the locals full citizenship status, unlike some companies that force indentured servants to use dangerous weapons." The guard looked back to Pearson and gave him a thumbs up, Pearson returned the signal and motioned for his assistants to begin the recording and monitoring equipment. A large panel of titanium with several layers had been placed about 15 feet out from firing line. The guard flicked a few switches and the device powered up with a low hum. Shifting his stance to aim the weapon at the target, the guard thumbed the activator switch. The device began to emit a high pitched whine when suddenly a blinding beam of green energy shot out from the front. The beam hit the target and at first it did not seem to have any effect. But slowly and surely, the metal began to melt and in under a minute the beam had melted through all four layers. The guard pressed another button and the weapon powered down, cutting off the beam, leaving only a plume of smoke wafting out from the front.

Pearson was ecstatic and pumped his fist in the air. "Yes! It worked!" He shook the hands and patted the backs of his assistants as the guard plopped the beam weapon onto a cart. He took off the helmet and revealed a scarred face missing an eye but also a wide smile. He walked over and bowed to Pearson. "Many thanks Doc-tor, much fun, very powerful." Pearson smiled and bowed back, "thank you very much for your help today. I will make sure you get a little extra pay since I know how dangerous this was." The guard smiled widely and bowed again before waddling off to the armory.
 
Cassandra smiled at Erik, "Be back in a minute or so," she said and moved over to the group with Doctor Pearson. She saw the guard with his thick suit and felt a bit of apprehension, but was glad she was there in case something went horribly wrong. She listened and was glad to hear that this operation wasn't as shady as maybe she had feared. Maybe the director actually had a heart, and a conscience after all.

She smiled and accepted the safety glasses and then watched the metal be cut with the laser. It was a workable size it seemed and since only one man was carrying it, it must be of a practical weight as well. "that is very impressive," she said," and then lifted a brow, "Does it work under water?" she asked curiously, "My brother used to work on a drilling rig, and they had to do a lot of under water operations on the rig itself. That would be very useful I'd think in that capacity.
 
Pearson shook his head, "not yet anyways. It's already tempermental as it is. If the temperature ia too high or low it often malfunctions. But at least we know it works so now we can focus on tuning it." Erik walked up and nodded to Pearson. "That was pretty cool Pearson. Looks pretty handy, anyways doc you ready?" He led Cassandra off the platform and down to two firing booths next to each other. Each one was equipped with a terminal that controlled the targets and weapon statistics. It also had a metal rack that rose up from the floor with any selected guns. "Alright doc here we are. I suggest you start off with the basics, you know staggered ranged targets and such. Dont be afraid to switch out to a different pistol. Lotsa of people think that popular guns work for everybody. But they are only popular because they work well for most people. That pistol you have is a Gimoire 7, its often used by small game hunters and settlers. It doesnt pack that much of a punch but if you have a steady hand it is one of the most accurate out there. Perfect for picking off those small tasty animals or vermin in your crops."
 
Cassandra nodded, "Well maybe someday," she said and then turned to smile at Erik when he appeared. "Yes I am," She said and waved to Doctor Pearson and his team and followed Erik. She listened and nodded, "I asked for several things, a few rifles and a few other hand guns, so I can see what feels natural. it's been a while, thankfully the gun you gave me had a good hand feel, and I was able to sue it when I needed to." She could still see that shot in her mind, but looking at him she knew it was worth the few bad dreams she'd had as a result. She also knew she'd take the shot again to save him and Kirst.

She listened as Erik explained the controls and the target and then loaded the Gimoire 7 that she's initially carried to the range. She was more familiar with guns than most doctors, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which being raised on a farm in a heavy wolf activity area. "How did you know I used to pick off critters thieving in the garden?" she asked grinning at him. "Do this keep track of your hit and miss ratio?' she asked.
 
Erik nodded as he loaded his rifle, "yup, you can even load a holo display of the bullet trajectories and such." Suddenly Dante's booming voice emanates from behind them. "Yo doc! Getting some range time? Mind if we join you?" Dante, Xanders, Turk, and Kirst walked up all armed with a variety of weapons. Dante had a large grenade launcher, Kirst had a robust looking rifle, Xanders had a large and bulky shotgun, while Turk had a long and sleek looking sniper rifle. They all took up booths on either side and began loading up the targets and prepping their weapons. Kirst looked over and inspected Cassandra's gun. "Grimoire huh? It's ok I guess, more of a self defense pistol at best. If you are in a combat zone you want something with more stopping power." He selected a pistol from the console and handed it to her after it popped up in the rack next to him. "My personal favorite is the Colt M2911. This model has been around ever since the early days of earth. World War two if you can believe it. Its basically the great grandfather of pistols. It has a little bit of kick to it but if you hit someone with it they are definitely going down."
 
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Cassandra smiled and nodded, "That's really helpful actually." Then she heard Dante and peeked around her booth and waved, "Well....I am about to," she said and then look at Kirst and lifted a brow, "A Colt?' she said looking at it with a soft smile, "My grandfather had one of these." She couldn't believe one was here. "Do you mind if I use it?" she asked. Her grandfather had never let anyone touch his, just look at it, so she was really curious.

She got a nod from Kirst and then returned to her booth and pushed the button that would give her random bull's eye targets at various distances. She was working on aim not perceptiveness. Once she had this back, she would do the random targets, where you ahve to choose who to shoot at and who not to shoot at. She had to believe they had a simulation area as well, but she'd ask Erik later.

She started with the Grimoire, because she knew the kick and weight of it. She was able to hit all the targets with that weapon with relative ease, even the one furthest away. So she reset the targets again and reached for the colt. It was heavier and had a definite feel of power somehow. She pressed the button to start the targets and was surprised at how much kick that handgun did actually have. She hit the target but not anywhere near the bulls' eye. She held it a bit more firmly for the second target and by the fourth she had a good handle on it and was able to hit very close to the bull's eyes or an actual bull's eye for the remained of the targets. She was pleased with that, so she reached for the weapons she'd requested. The rifle first. This one was more like something Turk would carry. She lifted the rifle to her shoulder and adjusted the sight and then adjusted how she would stand to balance herself and then hit the button again. This was another weapon she was very comfortable with from all her time on the farm shooting at critters...big and small. She'd also enjoyed hunting with her father on the wooded area of their land. Venison was one of her favorite things, and one thing that really made her homesick.

She went through a few rounds of targets with the rifle and then tried a few more challenging weapons,and realized that she'd not be very accurate with a bigger rifle like Dante might choose or even Xanders. It was fun to try though.

She'd used all her weapons and moved back to watch the guys. Dante and his big toys chuckled her a bit.
 
Erik had set up a variety of moving targets and was shooting short bursts of his assault rifle. Every time a target was hit it would dissappear only to pop up in a new place. Kirst had set up human shaped targets that popped up one at a time but only stayed up for a few seconds. He took single accurate shots and most of the shots connected except for a few misses. Xanders was fiddling with his shotgun and after a few adjustments he pressed a button on the console. A thin sheet metal wall appeared with a moving target behind it. Xanders looked through a scope and after a few moments began firing. Each shot blasted a hole in the metal and every one hit the target. "Hell yeah! This sonar scope is awesome!" Suddenly there was a muffled explosion and a group of targets were incinerated by one of Dante's launched grenades. "WOO! Hell yeah baby!" Dante fired off a few more grenades whooping excitedly as they detonated. Meanwhile Turk had set up a bipod and was adjusting the sight on his long rifle. A wall of titanium layered with bricks and concrete was put into place and a human torso with a head made of gel was propped up behind a glass ballistic shield. Turk took aim and a low hum began to emanate from the rifle, the sensation of static elecricity filled the air and Turk pulled the trigger. The rifle boomed like thunder and instantly the head of the target was vaporized. A clean hole had been made in every single layer of shielding as Turk made a few notes and stood up.
 
Cassandra watched them all with a mixture of awe and amusement.

They were all very accurate, which was not at all surprising, since they were an active duty patrol squad. Still just because you were put in dangerous situations did not mean you were necessarily a good shot. Automatic weapons took away the need for accuracy, but they obviously wanted to be proficient and competent. Xanders was whooping and rightly so, and she was smiling at his antics. Kirst and Erik were more subdued, which wasn't at all surprising as well.

It was hard to ignore Dante's exuberance. "Trying to blow up the whole range, Dante?' she shouted over at him.

Turk's weapon, though, was quite remarkable. She tipped her head, "What is that?' she asked as she moved closer. "I've never seen anything like that."
 
Turk looked back and turned the weapon so Cassandra could see its profile. "Guass rifle. Experimental. Uses magnetic induction to fire a projectile. Almost three times the speed of a normal bullet." He pressed a button and the side of the reciever opened up with a hiss, revealing a hole for a projectile. Turk reached over to a box and pulled out a large bullet shaped projectile. "It fires a .75 caliber slug made of titanium. Normal bullets would disintigrate after being fired. Each bullet costs about 5,000 credits to make and so far this gun is only one out of three ever made. I have been waiting months to get to try it out." The normally quiet Turk actually sounded excited for once as he patted the rifle. "Its tested range so far is 5 kilometers, but it could be more."
 
Cassandra looked at the rifle closely, "It's good it has a long range," she said as she looked a it, "It's a little noisy for close quarters. But wow...that was impressive." She smiled at him and like seeing that sparkle in his eyes. She had a feeling that he wasn't too often excited about anything. He seemed to her to be a very steady quiet person. So she was glad to ahve witnessed this other side of his personality.

She backed up and let him return to his toy and went back to watching Kirst and Erik and sometimes Dante as well, because when he let out a whoop it was tough not to look. She waited for Kirst to reload and quietly set the colt back on his station, "That is a nice weapon." she said, "took me a few targets to control the kick but it definitely has stopping power. Thanks for letting me shoot with it."
 
Kirst took the pistol and put it back in his hip holster. "Here doc, since you are here we might as well give you some basic firearm training." He typed into the console and soon a rifle popped out of the rack. Taking it, Kirst held it so Cassandra could see. "You seem to be proficient with sidearms, but you should at least familiarize yourself with the standard armed forces rifle. This is the Modular Assault Rifle v.5. Also known as the MARS. This rifle is the mainstay of our armed forces because of its versatility. You can modify this weapon ten ways to sunday with ease. In its standard version it has a 30 round magazine, a standard rifled barrel, and an adjustable stock. It has three fire modes. Single fire, 3 round burst, and fully automatic. Why dont you test it out then we can show you some mods for it." He handed it to her and it was surprisingly light and balanced. Its fresh grey paint gleamed under the lights and the stamp of MAR5 stood out proudly on the side. "Feel free to adjust the stock, this gun is meant to fit all sizes so dont be afraid to mess around with it."
 
Cassandra took the rifle and her brows lifted in surprise at the weight of it. "Nice and light," she said as she looked at it and saw the adjustments for the barrel length and even the grip. She played with it a bit and then lifted it to her shoulder to look down the barrel of it. Nice and straight and she looked at Kirst, "I can see why this is standard issue," she said, "Very light and you weren't kidding when you said it adjusted. So...I've never used a rifle of this kind. do I still hold it shoulder high, or is this a different stance weapon?"

She lifted it as she'd have used her old 22 back home and then looked at him, "Yes?" she asked, "Or no?"
 
Kirst moved behind her and shifted her to stand almost sideways, "keep your feet about shoulder width apart, in line with your body. Your grip is good, only other thing is to gently rest your cheek on the stock." He waited for her to adjust then nodded, "looks good. The almost sideways stance is to reduce your target profile, less area for the enemy to hit. It also allows you to swiftly move from side to side while keeping sighted down the gun. Standard firing mode is the three round burst. Keeps you accurate up to long range and allows you to put a good amount of bullets downrange. Semi-auto is if you are say the designated marksman of the squad. Usually you would also be equipped with a scope and a bipod to help you aim. Last is full-auto. Best used at close to medium range. This is what you use when you need to put the most lead downrange at once. Some prefer full-auto over burst because it gives them more control over how long the burst is. But now for some practice."

He walked over to the console and punched in a few sequences. Human upper body targets popped up at various ranges along with a few behind windows and peeking out from behind walls. "Try out the different firing modes. You get five points for hitting the target's body, ten for a headshot. Also try occasionally moving from side to side when firing to get used to firing on the move."
 
Cassandra turned as he said and then rested her cheek against the muzzle of the gun. She nodded slightly at his reasons for it and then watched as he put up some targets for her to shoot at. She started out with the single shots and went for the targets behind windows and through curtains. She figured those shots she wouldn't ahve been moving. She did four that way with only one actual head shot. She thought she hit the other three though.

Then she switched it to the three burst. She aimed at the further away targets then, but the ones that were not hidden. She tried to move and realized he was right about being able to still look down the barrel of the gun. She was shocked she was hitting anything, but she was. Just not as cleanly though she did manage a few good shoots.

Then she switched to full automatic, knowing full well she wasn't going to like it as much, but she did it anyway. She moved as much as she could then spraying the closest targets on all parts of the target. She had a few headshots then but not because of any skill, just because of the sheer amount of ammunition that was being sprayed everywhere.

She lowered the rifle and shook her arm, "fully auto is a bit jarring," she said, "But I can see why the three setting are there. Each has its function, and I really hope I never ahve to use fully auto ever...Just saying." She offered him a grin, "Did i hit anything?" she asked, "I thought I got one head shot with the single shot, when I wasn't moving. ..maybe.."
 
Kirst looked at the score and smiled, "not bad doc, just above average with a few headshots thrown in. Now we can move on to the different mods." He pressed a button and a large case popped out of the rack. Kirst took it and opened it up to reveal the different mods within. "There are over fifty different mods you can use to make the gun to your liking. There are different barrel lengths, muzzles, suppressors, scopes, sights, stocks, grips, magazines, you name it. Here I will show you my preferred setup." He went back over to his booth and returned with a slightly dirtier MARS rifle. "Mine is customized for general purpose uses. Basically an all-arounder. I have a holographic sight for accuracy, muzzle brake to decrease the recoil, a vertical grip on the front for accurracy, and a double magazine for quick reloads. Lets see what the other guy's guns look like. Hey guys! Its show and tell time for the doc. Bring your mars guns for inspection." The men stopped what they were doing and walked over with their rifles in hand. "Riktof, your up first." Erik walked up and presented his rifle. "Not much different from Kirst's. I have a 4x acog scope for higher magnification instead of a holo sight and a combo laser sight/flashlight instead of a front grip. Everything else is the same." Kirst nodded, "Dante your next." Dante came up and showed off his gun, it was considerably more bulky than the others. "Mine is customized for fire support, basically lotsa bullets. I have an 80 round drum magazine loaded with tracers, air cooled barrel to prevent overheating, an ergo grip to tame the recoil, a cushioned stock, and red dot sight." Up next was Xanders, his was much shorter than the others. "Mine is customized for close quarters fighting like clearing out buildings. It has a short stub barrel so its easier to maneuver. Extended 40 round magazine, a suppressor for stealth missions, and an infra red scope to see through walls. But my favorite is the masterkey." He held up the gun so Cassandra could see the large tube attached to the underside of the barrel. "Its basically a shotgun attachment, its called the masterkey because it shoots specialized shells that can break through locks and hinges." Last up was Turk, his was considerably longer than the others. "Made for long range engagements, counter sniping. Starlight 6x night vision scope, bipod for more stability, extended barrel for more range, 20 round magazine made for large caliber bullets, and a marksman's stock." Kirst nodded, "thanks guys. So as you can see doc, this gun is made with customization in mind. Hell they even have heartbeat sensor screens they use during rescue missions to find people. So feel free to find the mods thats work for you. Once you find the right setup, you can save the loadout specs and any armory can have it assembled for you on the spot.
 
Cassandra smiled when he said she had a could of head shots, "The longer I use this, the better i will get. I just have to get used to moving while shooting." she shrugged a bit, "I"m used to hunting from a tree stand, and picking off critters from the porch. Not much need to move."

She looked at Kirst's gun and could see it had been used its fair share of times. It didn't surprise her that his was set up for whatever comes his way, because it seemed he was that kind of guy. As was Ritkof. As the guns appeared and she looked at them she tipped her head and inspected each one. Dante just chuckled her to no end. "Why am I not surprised you ahve the biggest set up?' she asked. It wouldn't ahve occurred to her that she'd said something that might be taken in another way than she meant it, so if anyone did, she would apologize and make a not to be more careful in the future.

She looked over Xanders and Turk's as well and then made a face. "Well..the heartbeat sensor seems a wise choice for the doctor, as does the flashlight." She tipped her head, "I like the idea of being able to see through walls, in case I am looking for casualties....and anything that can help with the recoil would be very welcome." She looked at all the parts and was glad they were labeled. She put the parts she figured she would actually benefit from the most. "Did I put this together right?" she asked handing the rifle to Kirst.
 
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