Posted by Commander Mwezi (Executive Officer) in Side Sim - Holodeck - Target Practice (Tag Shara)

Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Side Sim - Holodeck - Target Practice (Tag Shara)

Posted by Commander Mwezi (Executive Officer) in Side Sim - Holodeck - Target Practice (Tag Shara)
Posted by… suppressed (8) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Mwezi stood in the Holodeck, a veritable arsenal of ranged weapons resting on racks behind him. All of them were artificial, created by the program, but they were coded to behave exactly like their non-holographic counterparts. The Holodeck had a much more complex training simulation than what his old moveable targets were capable of, so he’d adjusted his practice methods to utilize these facilities. Of course, his knowledge and mastery of each and every gun and phaser available to him was not as… necessary for his new position as Executive Officer, but it was still helpful. And it was a form of self-therapy. It was nice to just shoot a bunch of targets and forget about the world and his problems for a while.

In service of that, Mwezi turned around and ran his gaze across the arsenal, eventually picking up a small phaser that had been altered to release small packets of energy instead of a beam. Recreating the phasers he had learned how to shoot with in his original reality, minus the way the old phaser had tended to shoot slightly to the right of what you’d expect it to. This one shot straight.

“Computer, load target practice Mwezi 42… B. Randomize speed and distribution of targets and location of innocents.”

There was a pause for just a moment, then Mwezi perceived himself being ‘transported’ into an old-timey carnival setting, the scene building around him until fully formed. There were no holo-people, but there was an ambient sound of carnival music and people laughing. In front of him was one of those shooting carnival games, circular red and white targets moving on tracks, with some replaced by photos of happy people. It wasn’t a difficult game for him, but he still enjoyed it. It was a nice way to get a feel for a ranged weapon, how it handled moving targets. The sounds of the crowd helped him get into a focused mood, keeping his attention on the targets and not worrying about extraneous sounds. With that thought in mind, Mwezi lifted up the phaser, holding it in his left hand, and began to shoot.

Mwezi, XO

Shara was a level-headed person. Under pressure there was no one else you wanted at your side. But everyone had their limits and clearly Shara had reached hers. Again. This ship was doing her in. If it weren’t for her husband and her daughters, she’d hightail it back to covert ops where she was doing work with people who understood the risks and what the hell they were doing. She felt so adrift and it was even worse now that they had apparently gotten themselves a new vessel. Adaptable she was, but she had to be able to keep up. Her job was to gather and use information to protect her crew, the mission and the Federation. Right now she felt terrible at her job and she couldn’t blame anyone for thinking so too.

The only thing she could do right now was give in to her urge to wreck havoc and or kill something. Safely, of course.

Stepping into the holodeck during the preset training hours, she saw a program going. Curious. Whatever she had expected for a training scenario, this was not it. Her finely honed instincts kicked in and she whispered to the holodeck to create a weapon for her. She used her codes to replicate a covert Type 1 phaser, but hers had some added modifications and a bit more kick. But it had more beam settings in order to give her more options. The tiny thing packed a punch, even if it was holographic.

Listening to the music, the background laughter, her eyes sought whomever was running the program. Moving with silent steps, she kept close to the sides of stalls and ducked into a couple small tent covered stalls. Eventually, she saw the form of Mwezi and smirked. Also not what she had expected. She had no doubt he knew she was here, but she still kept out of sight for the moment.

~Shara Calloway, CIO

Mwezi wasn’t so foolish as to place all his attention on one thing to the detriment of all else. While his eyes and hands were totally focused on the task at hand - shoot the little targets on the shooting range - his nose and ears were tuned to his surroundings, ready to notify him if anything out of the ordinary popped up. It wasn’t even a conscious effort, just a way of effectively and safely splitting his attention that he’d developed over years of battle training and combat experience.

He didn’t hear the Holodeck door opening or the sound of Shara’s phaser being created, but he did smell the distinctive “Human” smell growing as the wind conveniently blew it in his direction. Humans always forgot to account for that. The briefest of pauses in his shooting and a moment of mental effort directed more towards his olfactory and auditory processing further identified the particular human he was dealing with, as well as the faint sound of her footsteps and breathing. He shot the practice targets a time or two further, checked to make sure his phaser was properly set to stun only, then when he was certain of her location, he spun around and shot the phaser at the ground near her foot. “Never wise to sneak up on a Laleri with a gun,” he warned lightheartedly, ignoring his little game now, “er… with a phaser.” This could be interesting.

Mwezi, XO

Shara blinked and looked at her feet. “Sneaking up is relative,” she said as she slipped fully around the corner. “Had I actually wanted to, I would have gone about it differently.” The CIO eyed Mwezi with a slight smirk. “Do you shoot at everything that approaches, or was that just for me?” At least the moment, the conversation distracted her from her rage. Probably for the best.

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“I shot at the ground, not at you,” he replied with a smirk of his own, eyeing her phaser. “Do you create a weapon every time you enter a Holodeck program?” Behind Mwezi, the carnival game finished and displayed a score for a few moments. His ear flicked, showing he was aware of the sounds, but he kept his attention on the Intelligence Chief.

Mwezi, XO

Her smile grew. “This was supposed to be open training time. When I enter an unfamiliar scenario where I don’t know the variables, yes, I prefer to be armed. It’s a habit, but whether it’s a good or bad one just depends.”

She gestured with her chin. ” A fan of carnivals?”

~Shara Calloway, CIO

“Must have missed that memo,” Mwezi said with a slight shrug, letting his phaser-hand drop limp for a moment. He allowed himself to relax around Shara now that there was less of a question as to what she was doing. His ear flicked again at her question and he glanced slightly at the little carnival game. “Ah. In a way? Sometimes I enjoy a little fun with my target practice. Not every Training session needs to simulate full combat, and I discovered this program in the archives. I removed some features (namely the crowd), and added some personalisation to the aiming game. It’s enjoyable. If you want a more intense Training Session, I’m sure we can pull up a more realistic combat situation. It might be good for the two of us to get an idea of how the other fights, seeing as we will be working together for the forseeable future.”

Mwezi, XO

Calloway eyed him. “Well, I came to kick the crap out of something inanimate so that it didn’t get me into trouble. But something holographic will do just as well,” she said with a slight gleam in her eyes. “Pick your poison, Commander.”

~Shara Calloway, CIO

Mwezi considered the challenge. “Computer, load Mwezi’s Armory Program.” There was a familiar visual distortion as the carnival vanished and was replaced by a white room with racks of weapons. “If you’re interested in something a little more adventurous than your Type 1 Phaser, I’ve got a lot of variety in this program.” His ears flicked backwards, paying some attention to her while also stepping along the racks and reaching out to grab a rapier-type sword. He swung it around briefly before returning it to the rack and eyeing up a Bat’leth with curiosity.

“What kind of combat simulation is the real question. Historical re-enactment, blades, phasers? Protect a target, infiltration, all-out war?” He mused aloud. He didn’t actively expect Shara to reply, but if she wanted to weigh in she was free to.

Mwezi, XO

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