RR: Ranged Weaponry #1

 Episode Name:  RR: Ranged Weaponry #1

   Written By:  Avery, Green, Foster

         Cast:  Adama, Avery, Crayn, Feiss, Foster, Goodwin, Green, Krylow, Lopez, Matheson, Nabrun, Phipps, 
                Shamash and Takamura.

  Produced By:  Starfleet

  Directed By:  Adama

     Aired On:  Fri Sep 02 01:56:49 2005

     Stardate:  55233.3

Time: Thu Sep 01 20:54:07 2005

Stardate: 55232.8

Green shakes her head. "I tend to think of archery as an outdoors activity, and most engineers I've met are not the outdoorsy type."

Goodwin steps into holodeck 2 from the Dream Factory.

Lopez steps into holodeck 2 from the Dream Factory.

Crayn steps into holodeck 2 from the Dream Factory.

Avery smiles at Green. "Ah, but I grew up on a farm, so I spent a good deal of time outdoors."

Phipps steps into holodeck 2 from the Dream Factory.

Krylow steps into holodeck 2 from the Dream Factory.

Crayn makes his way in, a bit more quiet and foreboding then he usually is.

Feiss steps into holodeck 2 from the Dream Factory.

Foster stands and instructs the computer to remove the table and chairs that he had created for this brief pre-lecture meeting, leaving the holodeck in its natural state. "We have about five minutes before we start, so if there's any last-minute stuff you want to take care of or arrange before we start, feel free." This, apparently, to the two ladies 'running the show'. He turns as the doors open, admit people, and close, and smiles. "Welcome, everyone."

"Which tells me I shouldn't assume," Tay comments, and glances toward the doors.

"Oh, Mister Foster. How's it going?" Goodwin looks over the holodeck nodding to himself at the crowd that begins to gather in the room. "Not too bad on the crowd, really."

Lopez presents herself for the lecture just in time to see the furniture go bye-bye. She steps out to the side and rolls her head round slowly, working out a kink.

Avery nods, and opens the large black case she had brought. From it she brings out the riser, limbs and other bits and pieces that make up her bow, which she assembles. A simple command to the computer runs the subprogram that brings a quiver of arrows and a bowstand into being.

"Not too badly, sir," Foster says. "This isn't bad. But then, I don't expect it would be. Not with OERs coming up in the near future."

"Ah, I don't have to do them again until April," he says, pleased. "And only probably Tier I's, too." Goodwin takes some solace in that perhaps, as the other file in.

Feiss enters the cube the way some people enter pools: Toe first. She nods to the general population of the holodeck and promptly finds a spot somewhere.

Krylow makes his way quietly into the holodeck, glancing around briefly before heading towards Lopez. "Good evening, Ana," he greets he draws close.

Green settles back against the nearest wall, content to watch for the moment with arms folded across her chest.

Crayn finds a wall as well, taking in the scene before even thinking about how to participate.

"Evening, Lieutenant," answers Lopez slowly to the engineer, with a brief smile. She holds her arms in close. "Forgot my PADD."

Phipps enters quietly, with a quick stride, taking up a position up against the wall - not too distant from Crayn. The crowd in general receives a nod, but he remains silent otherwise. There's a thoughtful little crease in his forehead.

. o O Phipps thinks, "Good. No carpets."

Krylow chuckles slightly, and passes his PADD over to Lopez. "I'm not one for notes myself, so feel free to abuse my poor PADD." As he speaks he turns from her to glance around the room and look over those gathered.

Lopez nods, and takes the device with softly expressed vebral gratitude.

Avery double checks her bow, and then glances towards Foster as she waits.

. o O Green thinks, "Oooh, I get to embarrass Alek! In a good way. Neat."

Matheson steps into holodeck 2 from the Dream Factory.

Foster grins, "I'm not even sure when I'm next supposed to take mine. My last scores may have thrown it off." Finally, though, he steps off to one side and clears his throat. "Thanks for coming, everyone. This is an introductory course on ranged weaponry, ranging - no pun intended - from competition archery to energy weapons. Our instructors for this class are Lieutenant Junior Grade Alena Avery, Assistant Chief of Engineering, and Lieutenant Junior Grade Taylor Green, Security Duty Officer. I will be floating around play... er, I mean, helping out where I can." He grins playfully. "And, with that, I will turn the floor over to you, Lieutenants." He nods to Avery and Green.

Green flicks a 'go-ahead' gesture in Avery's direction, though she continues to watch the assembled.

Avery grins at Green with a mouthed 'thanks alot'. She then turns her attention to the gathered crowd. "Archery is the oldest Earth version of ranged weapons. Some of the oldest known to have come from 3500 B.C. Needless to say, technology has changed since then, but the basic idea behind the bow has changed little. The spring tension in the limbs transfers the energy to the arrow. Originally made from wood, and sometimes horn, they are now made from alloys for the riser and laminates for the limbs."

Matheson steps into the holodeck, sliding off his lab coat as he does and tossing it off to the side. He folds his hands behind his back as he finds a place at the back of the crowd to listen to the presentation.

. o O Green thinks, "I suppose this is a bad time to mention that slings and spear throwers were around long before bows."

Green lifts an eyebrow slightly at Avery's speech, though she continues to watch in neutral-faced silence.

Crayn stands up, paying attention.

Goodwin tilts his head politely to the side, taking this all in.

. o O Lopez thinks, "And now we don't have to shoot at anything we plan on eating. But with the way things go with the technology 'round these parts... can't hurt."

Lopez holds the loaner PADD at her side, standing up a bit on the balls of her feet to get a look at the visual aid, during the description of its component materials.

Feiss stares at Avery while she speaks, not turning her head, not looking thoughtful, and generally not moving. She may as well be at attention, though she does appear to be listening.

Phipps watches and listens silently, standing straight, vivid blue eyes quietly attentive.

Foster nods agreeably at Avery's introduction, and flashes her a smile. Standing towards the back, he even gives a 'thumbs up' to encourage her.

Nabrun steps into holodeck 2 from the Dream Factory.

Nabrun slips in, attempting to be as quiet as possible, head down.

Krylow remains beside Lopez, dividing his attention between the instructor and the class.

Shamash steps into holodeck 2 from the Dream Factory.

Avery says, "Now, whereas you all know phasers and other energy weapons have settings, bows are set up within a much smaller limit. Their power is spoken about in terms of draw weight, the force that is needed to draw the string back to the anchor point. With my bow, I can shoot from any close distance, to as much as 90 meters."

Foster nods, "Works for me." He flashes a smile of greeting to the new arrivals.

Matheson watches with interest, listening to the presentation. He folds his hands again behind his back, rocking back on his heels.

Green's fingers twitch. She glances briefly toward Nabrun, then back to the demonstration.

. o O Matheson thinks, "90 metres... I don't know if I could hit something with a phaser from that far..."

Avery continues, "And the limbs of the bow are what determines the draw weight of the bow." She picks up her bow off the stand. "There are many types of bows, but they fall into three basic categories; longbow, recurve and compound. Mine is a recurve bow." She gestures to the top limb and how it curves back on itself. "The reason for the name is fairly obvious."

. o O Green thinks, "You'd think years of simulated primitive living crammed into a few hours would've taught me how to use those things."

Shamash slips in quietly, nodding to Foster together with a small smile in return. He tries to make out the one or other face in the crowd to give a wave here and there as well, notably among them being being Lopez and Green. for Avery is currently busy.

Crayn doesn't take notes. He just watches, listening. He also watches everyone else as they pay attention.

Feiss's pupils swerve, moving from Avery, to the bow, and back again in a single smooth motion.

Phipps is relatively statuesque, blinking a bit slower than 'normal'. His hands are held loosely, relaxed but clasped, behind his back. He doesn't appear to have a PADD.

Nabrun finds herself a position and settles in to watch Avery's demonstration with only brief smiles of greeting for those she knows.

Goodwin furrows up his brow. "So would I want a high draw weight, or a low one, or something in between, or doesn't it matter?" He seems interested, but confused. "Or is it not a matter of 'higher-better'?"

Avery turns her attention to Goodwin. "It depends on what you want to do, and your own abilities. For target archery, my bow is more than sufficient, but it wouldn't have the power to kill. If I tried to shoot a recurve bow with a higher draw weight, I would most likely injure myself, because I don't have the strength for it. I could, however, shoot a compound bow that would be powerful enough to kill."

Lopez pays close enough attention that she spares only slight nods for the new entrants, otherwise seeming grim in her focus.

Green tilts her head, intrigued as she continues to listen.

Foster lifts his hand in the back, for a moment, before staring at it and then lowering it. He speaks up instead. "I've heard the word 'composite' sometimes attached to bows. What's the difference between a longbow and a composite longbow? Or is composite the same thing as compound?"

Shamash crosses his arms before his chest, listening into the discussion, trying to understand the proceedings.

Avery gives Foster a curious look. "Well, I've heard the term composite used for the manufacture of the limbs, but that's about it." She then clarifies her answer to Goodwin somewhat, "The reason I could use a compound bow with a higher draw weight, is because they use cams on the top and bottom, and those cams allow for a 'let off' of the weight. As much as 70 at times, so you would hold the fraction of the full draw weight of the bow."

Foster nods thoughtfully, biting gently at his lower lip.

Phipps tilts his head slightly, hesitating a fraction of a moment second asking, "I'm curious. What sort of bow would be appropriate for killing Jem'Hadar?" What a pleasant little question.

. o O Phipps thinks, "Might be valuable to know. People expect those in the Armoury to know such things, no doubt."

Matheson crosses his arms in front of him now, as he turns his head to watch those asking the various questions, nodding along once, then looking to the instructor for the answers.

Avery arches a brow at Phipps. "Assuming one would kill a Jem'Hadar...I'd say a compound or a crossbow. Forgot the latter when I was listing the types of bow."

Green glances down over her folded arms toward the floor. Very interesting floor, yep.

Feiss takes her PADD into her hand, switches it on, and glances at it for a few seconds. She squints at the display, shakes her head, and turns it back off.

Lopez ventures, "How do you keep from hitting yourself on the inside of your arm-- string moving that fast has to have some raw bruising power."

. o O Green pushes away yet another guilt twinge.

Shamash looks over to Green and notes her posture. Yes, very interesting Greeny.

Phipps shrugs slightly, in a 'you never know' fashion, adding a quick nod of acknowledgement. Back to silent (interested) observation for him.

Avery grins at Lopez. "Good question. I was going to go over that when I go over the form for shooting, but to answer it now..you roll your elbow out of the way. Also, arm guards are nice to have." She lifts the bow in her left hand, out to the side of her body, then rotates her elbow back, away from the string. "Like that. That also lines up the bones from your hand, through your arm and shoulders."

. o O Phipps thinks, "Hmmm. Wasn't an obscene hand gesture born of archery? Something to do with archery."

Lopez digests, that, and asks further, "So good form also helps you stabilize your arm, as well as prevents potential self-injury?"

Avery lowers the bow. "Shooting a bow in theory is very simple. Getting accurate at any distance takes practice. First, whether you draw with your right or your left hand depends on your dominant eye, as that is what will be closest to the arrow, and the sight." She nods to Lopez. "Exactly so."

Matheson's lips move silently, "Dominant eye?" He closes first one eye, then the other, then repeats, tilting his head slightly as he continues to listen.

Foster asks, "How do you tell which is your dominant eye?"

. o O Lopez thinks, "I imagine the one you trust to do the sighting..."

Avery sets the bow back on its stand. "Its simple enough to do." She crosses her fingers over each other, together and flat, and then the thumbs, to create a window between the index finger and thumbs. "You hold your hands out at arms length, and with both eyes open, focus on some point. Then draw your hands back to within 4 inches of your face, keeping the point in view. Close one eye, and then the other. Whichever eye can still see the point is your dominant eye."

And being the curious person she is...the Betazoid copies Avery's movements. Barana puts her hands out and starts doing the winking thing.

Avery drops her hands. "There are 9 basic steps to shooting, though many of them are done one smoothly after the other, as such not to seem a separate step. 1) stance, 2) nock an arrow, 3) set your hands, 4) pre-draw, 5) draw, 6) anchor..though this is a misnomer which I will explain in a moment, 7) aim, 8) release, 9) follow through."

. o O Green thinks, "Think I'll figure that out for myself later, though I'm sure I wouldn't look as silly as I'd feel doing it right now."

Foster, unsurprisingly, does exactly that. He raises an eyebrow. "I'm right-handed, but left-eyed, it seems. Is that usually what happens? That the eye on the opposite side of your handedness is the dominant eye?"

Green lifts an eyebrow. "Pre-draw?"

Avery nods. "You raise the bow arm to the target, keeping your shoulder down, rotate your elbow under, while keeping tension on the string, though not quite yet drawing it fully."

Well, talk about group pressure. Shamash falls in with Foster and Nabrun, even if he needs to repeat the process more than once and still does not look convinced if he got it right.

Feiss continues to simply stand and watch, utterly unmoved.

Avery says, "Now, its called an 'anchor', but in a recurve you never really stop. You just move very slowly, keeping that tension on the string, until you release. And as such, your hand will end up somewhere back against your head, depending on where your anchor point is."

Matheson watches as the instruction moves faster now, and falls behind a bit, first finding his dominant eye with the arms-out method, then trying to follow along as Avery demonstrates the steps. If this were a real bow, he'd probably have shot someone by now.

"I have to admit that I'm having a little difficulty imagining this," Foster says. "I've never used a bow before. The extent of my projectile weaponry experience is in using submachine guns." Well, you know, he IS the Rapid Response Officer.

Green's gaze flickers to Foster, a bit of amusement in her eyes, then back to Avery.

Avery grins. "Then how about I show you how its done?" She picks up the holographic quiver and arrows and slings it around her waist, then gets a fingertab from her case to protect her fingers. She instructs the computer to give her a target an easy 20 meters in the opposite direction of the class. Picking up her bow and adjust its sight she notes, "You stand with your bow shoulder facing the target." She squares up just so, "Feet shoulder width apart." She takes an arrow from the quiver and nocks it on the string. "That was step 2. Step 3...set" She sets her bow hand in the grip, and her draw hand on the string, two fingers below the arrow, one above. "4, pre draw." She lifts the bow to face the target with some tension on the string, her draw arm up as well and her shoulders straight. "5, draw" She draws back so the ledge part of her fingertab is under her chin and the string is pressing down across the center of her nose and touching her chin. At this point she says nothing, but aims, and releases smoothly, the arrow hitting with a satisfying 'thunk' into the target. Only when it hits does she lower the bow and her draw arm. "And that's all there is to it."

Shamash's mouth twitches in well apprechiated humor at Avery's last words. Otherwise he took note of the movement, comparing them to the mental image he has there from one or the other holo novel

Nabrun watches, a touch wide-eyed now, and studies everything about Avery's movements before nodding.

Green watches in silence, her eyes following the arrow until it strikes the target. "Well, that and plenty of practice." Green humor. Just what everybody needs.

Foster mms, "So the pre-draw is just lifting the bow and arrow to the position where you can sight along the arrow to aim?"

Shamash edges closer to Green, telling her Shamash whispers to Green, "And some do have practice in using old fashioned tommy guns." He does not mind either Green-humor or Avery-humor. its refreshing.

Avery rests the lower limb of her bow on the toe of her boot as she faces the class, grinning at Green. "Well yes, and that. That is pretty much the basics. The details you learn more as you do it." She glances to Foster. "Not exactly. You don't really fully aim at that point, its sort of a check point. Is your stance good, are your shoulders down, are your hands positioned correctly."

Lopez makes a few notes to herself on the process, but otherwise seems to go cross-eyed for a moment. Not at the instructor. Not AT anyone, per say. "Lot of room for error," she quietly agrees.

Crayn stands there quietly, taking it all in.

Avery chuckles softly at Lopez' comment. "Very much so. Now, if you shoot a compound, some of the error can be removed by the increased speed of that type of bow, and using a release instead of your fingers. If I wanted a weapon for my enemies...that's what I would choose. However, there is more of a challenge to shoot a recurve well."

Green's eyebrows shoot up. After a second, she realized, "Oh. You mean for /shooting/ enemies. Gotcha." She glances toward Shamash, nods with a grunt.

Foster asks, "What about a crossbow? The pictures I've seen of those make them look like a combination of a small bow and a gun. Does that make them easier to shoot... or harder?"

Avery mms, "I've never shot a crossbow. They have alot of power, and being smaller and easier to handle they certainly have their advantages. But I'm not sure how they do at any range."

Green comments, "In history, longbow archers seem to do better than foes with crossbows. Longbows are quickly reloadable; crossbows aren't. It makes a difference."

"Okay," Foster says. "Maybe we should get some practice in, and then we'll go on to the energy weapon part of the lecture? Or would you like to do a lecture part first, then we'll split up into whichever sections interest people the most?" He looks at Avery and Green questioningly.

Avery glances to Green as she sets her bow on its stand, leaving it up to her.

Green glances toward her chrono. "The latter sounds good."

Matheson nods, "I'd prefer to get the lecture over first, as well." A pause from the doctor, who then somewhat hastily adds, "Not that we aren't very interested in what you both have to say." A sheepish grin.

Foster nods, "Sounds good to me."

Avery moves out of the way with a rattle of arrows from the quiver still at her hip.

Green pushes off of her chosen wall. "Alright. Computer, run file Green-R1, part one. Load." The cubic nature of the holodeck melts away, leaving the group on a dusty, windy plain of hills and shrubbery. About six hundred meters off sits a low squat building, and a table appears near Tay with an assortment of weapons. A tumbleweed rolls beneath it and continues on its own tumbly business.

Nabrun looks off into the distance, then to the tumbleweed before looking back to Tay, curious.

Feiss takes a step back and flattens her hands against an invisible table, peering around at her new surroundings. Surprised? A bit. She folds her arms over her chest and turns to Green.

Shamash chuckles at seeing the tumbleweed detail to Greens program.

Foster moves out of the back section of the wall and around towards the weapon table. He clucks under his breath, but looks a bit indecisive for some reason.

. o O Foster thinks, "Now, which weapon to play with today, hm?"

Green picks up a familiar weapon in each hand- a Type I phaser in her left, Type II in her right. "We're all familiar with these, and I'm not really going to get into them very much. They're not at all what I'd consider ranged weapons- the beam scatters too fast- but as this is a Rapid Response-sponsored class, I will note this: Type I. Lousy range, as mentioned, but it makes a nice surprise if your captors don't do very thorough body searches. Slip it into a boot, and you're all set. And of course, it has rather limited settings." She drops that one, tosses the Type II lightly in her palm. "Better range, but still pretty useless outside of a hundred meters or so, despite higher power settings. But, this is the weapon most folks are most familiar and comfortable with, so that's a plus in its factor." That one, too, is set aside, and then she lovingly reaches for the Type III phaser rifle.

. o O Green thinks, "Come to mama."

Nabrun watches Tay, a smile flickering around her lips, though she's trying to remain professional.

. o O Lopez thinks, "Just a girl and her high-powered energy rifle."

"Initiate part two, computer." Lieutenant Green turns to face the building, watching it as she speaks. Beside her, facing the group, a black 'screen' appears to hover mid-air. "How many of you, aside from Lieutenants Foster and Krylow, have shot a Type III phaser rifle?"

Nabrun raises a hand. "Does "badly" count?" she asks.

. o O Green bubbles with laughter.

Matheson most assuredly does not raise his hand in answer to that question, medical officers only rarely carrying a phaser of any kind at all. He glances at Nabrun with a sly smile.

Avery raises hers as well, "At that practice drill we recently had."

Goodwin looks left and right to see who has, though Josh, himself, does not raise his hand.

Lopez pointedly does not raise her hand.

Foster just gives Green a *look* at that last part. It's half-smirk, half-knowing grin. "See, knew you'd enjoy teaching this." He too goes towards the phaser rifles, then slows to a stop. "Aw, Tay. Lady after my own heart." He *doesn't* pick up the phaser rifle. Instead, he picks up another rifle. This one has a long stock, two descending grips (one fore, one rear), and what looks like a solid metal perpendicular to the rest of the rifle. "Thompson Submachine Gun - short-barrel model. 1923 version, unless I miss my guess." And he doesn't.

Krylow continues to stand and listen quietly. He doesn't his hand to the question. Which isn't all that surprising given he was named by Tay.

Green's lips twitch slightly. "Badly counts, yeah. And so does that," she nods at Avery, then glances around. "Right. The nice thing about the rifle is you actually get some range, about 150 meters-" She looks over her shoulder toward Foster, bemused. Now out of her sight, a stealthy green-skinned figure creeps out from behind a tree perhaps a hundred yards away, closing slowly in on the group. "The rifle- this one, that is- also comes with a handy dandy computerized sight. Computer, part three." The screen beside her flashes into life, showing a great brown mass. The image shifts whenever she moves the rifle in her hands.

Matheson comments blithely, "Now that, I suspect, would kill Jem'hadar." He rubs his chin as he waits to see what the instructors will do with the thing.

Nabrun quirks a brow and looks back and forth for a moment, between Tay, the rifle, adn the figure in the distance.

Shamash's mouth twitches muttering half under his breath "I've handled a type three, though i woud like to forget the circumstances"

Takamura steps into holodeck 2 from the Dream Factory.

Crayn smirks as he hears Shamash. "Type III's are..." he thinks, not knowing how to properly finish that sentance in mixed company.

Goodwin watches the lecturer continue with the demonstration, a small smile over his lips as he considers the reaction to the Type III rifle.

"At the higher settings, it most certainly will," Tay responds to Matheson. "I've got it on heavy stun at the moment though." She turns back toward the building, and looks rather unsurprised at the creeping Orion figure. "Rifle's easier to shoot than a phaser pistol. It's mostly a matter of setting it against your shoulder and holding your breath as you pull the trigger." The setting is done now, and the screen zeroes in on the sneaker even as her aim does, with a red target interposed on the Orion's chest. "Fairly stationary target, easy shot. Now here's where it gets complicated..." The Orion starts to run, and the muzzle of the weapon follows, so the screen remains steadily centered on him. Directly on him. "Ensign Crayn, if I pull the trigger right now, I will miss. /Why/?"

. o O Lopez thinks, "She's aiming at where he was. She has to shoot at where he will be to hit him. Anticipate the target."

Crayn looks over.. "Because of the range. If you pull off the shot now, by the time it hits that spot, the target will have moved. You need to figure in trajectory." He clears his throat, hoping to have not made a fool of himself.

Nabrun settles in to watch, curious as she works things out in her head.

"Precisely. It takes time for the beam to get from your weapon to the target at these distances." Tay moves the weapon a little further on, to a spot a few yards in front of the running Orion, then she pulls the trigger. Down goes one tumbling Orion, skidding a bit from his velocity.

Shamash apparently enjoys what he sees, smile moving back onto his face. and no, its not seeing Orions - at least not male ones - being shot, must be something else.

As Green drops the Orion target, Takamura walks over to the group. For the time being, he remains quiet, trying to blend into the back of the group. Anyone who notices him, however, earns themself a friendly smile and nod.

Avery spies the late arrival and offers him a smile, before returning her attention Green and her lecture.

Feiss clears her throat, "If travel-time to the target is a factor, then does the shot have a ballistic trajectory, or is it straight line?"

"Jem'Hadar aren't the most dangerous enemies that we've fought before," Foster says. "But they're in the top ten, easily." He lifts a hand in greeting to the new entry, the other arm holding a Model 1923 Thompson submachine gun in the 'at rest' position.

Green lowers her weapon, and turns to set it on the table again. "Straight line, Ensign. And the nice thing about phasers is you don't have to worry about wind. That /is/ a problem with our next weapon." Which she picks up. It's sleek, a dull matte black, and turns to face them. "This is a TR-116 chemical projectile weapon. These do NOT have a stun setting. They're mechanical, and they break down a lot easier than our phaser weapons. They're heavy, messy, and unless they're painted pink, they're ugly. They do, however, have an effective range of a thousand meters, and they don't violate the PD on worlds where phasers are not allowed. However, this and the phasers both have one big disadvantage in Rapid Response situations. They light up the night like a bloody beacon and give away your position. Computer, next." She exchanges the 116 for a similar weapon as the lights fade to near total darkness.

. o O Lopez thinks, "Pink?"

. o O Nabrun thinks, "PINKY!"

. o O Nabrun is utterly delighted.

. o O Crayn thinks, "green actually likes the color pink? Who'da thunk it?"

Takamura watches the demonstration and meanders closer to Avery. Out of respect for Green, he keeps quiet so he doesn't disturb her lecture.

Lopez watches ahead with a growing case of fidgets. The PADD is turned off, and carefully, quietly insinuated back toward Krylow's knuckles. Not a word.

Avery glances up at Takamura as he nears, offers a second smile, then once more returns her attention to Green and her weapons. Giving the chemical one a curious glance. "Chemical projectile?"

Krylow takes the PADD back, glancing to Lopez for a quiet moment to watch her and her fidgetting.

"Explosive combustion by sudden endothermic reaction in a confined space after triggering", Shamash mutters to Avery in matter of explanation. "I can send you the specs.."

. o O Matheson thinks, "In other words... bullets."

Avery glances aside at Shamash and smiles with a soft, "Thanks."

. o O Lopez thinks, "Lights.... c'mon. Lights would be good."

"Solid metal jacket bullet, propelled by chemical reacion." Tay lets eyes adjust to the dimness, then she looks around soberly. "This is the TR-116b. Effective range, around 750 meters. Instead of chemical propulsion, it shoots a bullet using magnetic technology. Which makes it what we call a Gauss weapon." She turns as, at the entrance of the building, a spotlight (and the screen) centers on a lone guard, and lifts to sight. A half-breath held later, the trigger is gently squeezed. The weapon gives a tiny *ssst* sound, with no muzzle flash, and a half second later, the guard's chest implodes. He drops like a stone. "Lights." Tay turns slowly as she lowers the rifle. "Welcome to the dirty side of Rapid Response."

Matheson listens intently to this portion of the lecture as well. "There is no device to reduce the... what is it called... muzzle flash of this sort of weapon? It seems like this situation must come up rather frequently, since we're talking about weapons that have existed in one form or another for a thousand years?"

Crayn shakes his head. "It's magnetic, not combustion-propelled. There is no flash."

Shamash continues to watch Green with crossed arms, taking almost as much note of how she moves as to what she does. he keeps his silence though...

Takamura smiles warmly back at Avery, his lips forming a grin at her question and Shamash's explanation. When Tay fires the Gauss rifle, he nods his head looking quite impressed with the weapon.

. o O Lopez is moderately relieved.

Foster has gotten his PADD out and is using it with his opposite hand. Something small appears on the table with the rest of the weapons, and Foster grabs it. "Glad you asked, Lieutenant. I'm not certain about the 116, but earlier versions of these weapons, such as the one I'm holding, did have extraneous devices that could be attached to the barrel to suppress the muzzle flash." He holds up the tiny cylinder. "Unsurprisingly, they're called 'flash suppressors'. Of course, then there's the other problem, but that's not as hard to deal with, because it's more vague."

Green answers Matheson with a gesture toward the first TR-116. "That has muzzle flash. That's why the 116b was invented. With phasers, of course, it's a moot point." She nods in Foster's direction. "What Lieutenant Foster is holding is, yes, what used to be called a tommy gun. I brought it for him to play with." Her lips twitch wryly, then she looks around. "Any other questions?"

Avery shifts slightly to a more comfortable position, with an accompanying light rattle of arrows. "Other problem?"

Krylow turns back to the lecture, smiling slightly as he spots the current rifle of interest. Still he remains silent.

Foster grins at Avery, and then looks over at Green. "Would you give me a target, please?" He begins to move away from the rest of the group, instructing the computer to darken the part of the deck around him.

Green nods. "Computer, reset this part." Wow, the guard's alive and well again, and probably trying to figure out how to get out of guard duty. She turns to watch.

Goodwin steps out of the holodeck.

Goodwin has left.

Lopez park=It kindof hurts.

Foster waits for several long seconds, until people won't be sure when something's going to happen.

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!

Like before, a huge hole appears in the guard's chest, the man actually jerking several times in place before he falls to the ground. There is no muzzle flash, but the sound is loud. "See what I mean?" comes Foster's voice out of the darkness.

Lopez visibly flinches.

Avery jumps slightly at the loud sound, and blinks at the mess that was made of the target. "That's....messy....as well as loud" Is she turning green?

Matheson covers his ears at the echoing sound of the Tommy Gun, turning away from it, "Yeesh..." he says, blinking a few times.

Feiss hops backwards with widened eyes. It's like a flinch taken way way too far, "Holy..." Her back thumps against a hard surface, bringing an unscheduled end to her unscheduled jump.

Green watches neutrally, neither surprised nor startled. Glancing toward Avery, she comments, "That weapon will leave nothing left of a head. And I do mean nothing." She looks around toward the others.

Crayn smiles and nods.. "When do you get your fedora, Lt. Ness?" He jokes towards Foster's direction.

. o O Lopez thinks, "And who likes leftovers anyway. Eckk."

Takamura doesn't seem affected the same way as the others. Perhaps all his time in the infantry has numbed him to the effects of the weapon. He just stands there with his hands behind his back.

It must be green, because it seems Avery turns even more of that shade at mention of head removals. "Seems..rather barbaric."

Nabrun pales just a bit and simply nods.

At the more recent actions and weapons and demonstration Krylow's small smile turn into a then, but decided, frown as he watches. Hands which were at his sides moves behind his back.

"It's back in my quarters, actually," Foster says, as he steps out of the darkened area. "When I was learning to use this weapon, I dressed the part. Didn't feel right not to." The gun is at the 'at rest' position again. "Scary to think they had these things 450 years ago, eh? In any case, the key problem with this weapon is the sound. It's a little vaguer, but the source can be tracked that way also."

Matheson turns back, a finger in his ear trying to get the ringing out, before he comes back to a more normal stance, one hand behind his back, the other hanging at his side. He nods as they discuss the weapon's effectiveness.

Green watches folks' reactions, and nods approvingly. "Any more questions before we break into practice?"

Avery shakes her head slightly, apparently with no more questions of her own. But she doesn't look back to the poor target Foster minced.

Matheson checks his chronometer, then shakes his head, "Oh, dear..." he says, to himself, then turns. Picking up his labcoat by the door, he walks out quickly.

Matheson steps out of the holodeck.

Lopez moves aside to accomodate Matheson's outward passage, and studies the shape of the weapons that Green has demonstrated.

Feiss pauses, "Hrm..." She turns, "Excuse me, sirs. I need to take this." and promptly heads out.

Feiss steps out of the holodeck.

Takamura shakes his head at the instructors. "No questions here. I'm ready to lay down a little fire."

Crayn smirks and nods in agreement with Takamura.

Green nods, stepping back from the table. "Pick a weapon, any weapon." She does, though, send a longing look toward Avery's bow case before looking back at the lecturees.

Foster nods, "I'm good-to-go as well." He replaces the Tommy gun back on the table with the rest of the weapons, then pauses, looking up at Green. He moves over towards her to say something.

Avery catches the look and smiles. "Later, Lieutenant Green?" She then asks, "Does anyone want to try their hand at a bow?"

Nabrun hangs back and simply studies the weapons from afar.

Foster whispers to Green, "If you want to take a few shots with the bow first, I'll help out others with the energy weapons and projectile weapons. I may not be as good as you, but it'll give you a chance to play too."

Lopez moves toward Avery, and says gamely, "I'll wait my turn for a crack at it."

Krylow nods to Lopez as she moves off, and turns his gaze back to the group at large. He remains where he, the thin frown still in place, as he watches the others.

Takamura looks over to Avery. "You know I'm always interested in loosing some arrows."

Avery grins up at Takamura. "Well, you already know what to do, so get yourself outfitted." She calls up some non-living targets suitable for the budding archers, and has them set at distance of 10 meters from a firing line. She asks of Lopez, "Did you want to try a recurve, or a compound bow?"

Green nods toward Avery. "I was hoping you'd say that, Lieutenant." She pauses, tilting her head to listen to Foster. "Sweet of you, Caleb, but duty does come first. Go ahead, have some fun."

Crayn steps out of the holodeck.

"I could turn that comment right back on you, Tay," Foster says. "I set up this little shindig, after all." His face doesn't show whether he has a preference. Darn that resistance training of his. "Besides, I'd love to see how you do with it." So I don't make a complete fool out of myself, he doesn't say.

Lopez considers, and answers, "The recurve, you said, was more challenging? I think that one."

Takamura walks over to where the archery equipment is and puts on his safety gear. After strapping a quiver to his waist, he selects a compound bow.

Green's nose wrinkles, but she doesn't resist further. "Need a laugh, do ya, Caleb?" Shaking her head bemusedly, she too moves to gear up, choosing a longbow.

Avery smiles at her, as if pleased by the answer. "When you are choosing your bows, be sure to choose left or right handed depending on your eye dominance."

Avery adds, "All the bows here are fairly light in the draw weight, as I don't want anyone hurting themselves. If it is much too light and easy, let me know. And if its too difficult to draw, let me know that as well. Safety rules are obvious. Keep the bow pointed down range when a arrow is in it. Also don't fire a bow when no arrow is in it, as you'll break the bow. That's called dry firing."

Green looks up curiously from examining her chosen weaponry. "Why would it break the bow?"

Avery says, "Because the force from the limbs is transferred to the arrow. If there is no arrow, the force has nowhere to go but back into the limbs."

Foster whistles innocently, and says, "Who me?" to Green. He then asks, "How long does something like that take to fix? Like say, if you dropped an arrow while trying to fire it?"

Lopez looks over the options presented, and picks up one marked at a lighter draw weight. Lopez is, after all, a cream puff first-timer. Ana hefts it securely in her left hand, and moves up to the line, bringing a single arrow with her in her right fingers, dangling. "So.. what should I shoot at?" she asks Avery.

Avery glances to Foster. "I would suggest not dropping an arrow while trying to fire it. The nock on the arrow snaps onto the string, but if it comes off the rest...let down. Don't fire the bow."

Avery continues. "If you do dry fire a bow and it breaks the limbs... you don't fix them. You get new limbs."

Green grunts acknowledgement of the answer, then moves to the firing line. She peers at the target opposite her. "Rats. Computer, move the fourth target back another ten meters." There. That's better.

Avery moves over to Lopez and points out the targets 10 meters away she had the computer set up. "If you are left eye dominant, you'll draw with your left hand. And as such, need a left handed bow that you'd hold in your right hand." Nice and confusing, eh? "Stand facing me, with your bow shoulder towards the target...." She glances over at Green, arching a brow as the target gets moved further back.

Foster frowns slightly, "Okay, I understand. I was just thinking of this old vid I watched when I looked up archery. Land of the Flings or something like that. It had a Vulcan who was firing off several arrows in rapid succession. Fast. Each of those arrows got snapped in first?"

Avery mms. "It is possible to fire fast, but even so the nock does get snapped in. Its not tight though. If you hang the arrow on the string with the bow pointed down and tap the string, the arrow should come off."

Lopez moves to such a vantage such that she's complying with safety guidelines, and complies with Avery's instructions. She begins following the steps, slowly, one at a time, but pantomimes without pulling the string, at least until the Engineer is clear.

Takamura's selection has a heavier pull to it since he's been doing this a little bit in his spare time. Stepping to the firing line, he nocks an arrow and aims at the target. After a few deep breaths, he lets the arrow fly downrange.

Avery stands back to watch Lopez shoot that first arrow, nodding slightly at the pantomime. "Keep your shoulders down, and go ahead and try it."

Green carefully moves throught the motions earlier demonstrated, and like Lopez, doesn't actually draw the string. Three times, each time a little bit faster, then she nods to herself, and sets up for an actual firing.

GAME: Green contests her Projectile Weapon vs Challenging and Succeeds.

GAME: Lopez contests her Athletics vs Difficult and Marginally Fails.

Krylow waits on Green to finish with her shot before moving over beside her and leaning down slightly to whisper to her. "Good lecture, Tay. You shouldn't drool on the guns when talking though." That said he stands again, giving her a small smile. Turning from her to Avery he inclines his head to the fellow engineer. ''Thank you as well. I'm going to depart.''

Avery glances over slightly as Krylow speaks and smiles. "Welcome, Alek. See you."

GAME: Takamura has the merit of Athletic Ability at 2.

GAME: Takamura contests his Athletics+A vs Moderate and Succeeds.

Green lets loose, maintaining her stance til the arrow is well away. Okay, so she hits the target. On its outer ring. And by the time it gets there, there's so little power to the shot that the projectile sags after it sinks it. Tay considers it for a moment. "Computer, another five meters." She reaches for another arrow, and looks over at Krylow. "But, but, how am I supposed to get them /shiny/ then?"

Takamura's arrow flies true, striking the second ring. Between the heavier pull and the closer range, the arrow buries itself in the target. The massive man draws another arrow and prepares another shot.

Lopez works hard to flatten out her shoulders as she nocks, draws, and fires, string back as demonstrated before. She doesn't looks terribly comfortable with the process. The arrow, fffft'ing away with a hiss lodges on the range in front of the target.

Krylow smiles again to Green and turns for the door without replying.

Avery watches Lopez, and in so doing misses Green's first shot. "Not bad, but you didn't get all the way back to your anchor point. Next time try to pull back fully, and keep it there, don't let it creep forward on you."

Green sends a wave toward Alek, looking like she's rather enjoying herself. Okay, stance... "Nice and easy, Tay," she breathes, then holds her breath.

Krylow steps out of the holodeck.

Lopez nods, and sets the bow back amongst the others. "This is going to take some practice. May try again tomorrow, on a clear head and a full stomach. Thank you... This is really challenging."

GAME: Green contests her Projectile Weapon vs Difficult and Marginally Succeeds.

GAME: Takamura contests his Athletics+A vs Moderate and Succeeds.

Avery nods to Lopez. "Well, I'd be happy to teach you, or any of you, in the future, if you like."

Green watches her arrow pass through the outer skin of the target and pass beyond. "Hmmm." She looks over at Avery. "What'd you say the max range on a long bow is?"

Avery arches a brow at Green and the distance of the target already. "Depends on the draw weight of that bow. You could try it at 60 meters..if you like."

Lopez withdraws, stepping back to the arch. "I may call on you in the near future to do just that. Thanks again... good lectures." Ana nods to Avery and then to Green, both of whom, apparently, the French could have used at Agincourt. "Evening."

Lopez steps out of the holodeck.

Green's eyes gleam. "You heard her, computer. How you doing over there, Hiroshi?" Another arrow is nocked and drawn as the target moves once more.

An arrow streaks toward Takamura's target and finds a home closer to the center than it's predecessor. nodding once, Hiroshi calls out to the computer. "Increase the range to target by 10 meters." He nods to the departing Lopez before preparing another arrow for firing. "I'm doing pretty well. Though, I have to admit that I've an advantage since Alena has been tutoring me for months."

Green pauses and carefully un-draws to look over at Tak. "Who?" Then she figures it out, and looks over at Avery, surprised.

Avery doesn't really understand the surprised look, and shrugs. "Its nice to have people to shoot with. And he's been teaching me unarmed combat."

Green winces slightly, though she just says, "He's a good teacher." With that, she goes back to shooting.

GAME: Green contests her Projectile Weapon vs Impossible and Fails.

Takamura smilesas he lines up his next shot. After loosing it, he comments, "Thank you. Alena is an excellent sensei as well. I've learned quite a bit from her. Her lessons have broadened my repertoire and helped me understand another aspect of my ancestors."

Nabrun watches for a time, then turns and slips out, smiling.

Avery looks a bit embarrassed at Takamura's praise, but smiles. She glances past them to the quiet Foster. "Didn't you want to try it?"

Nabrun steps out of the holodeck.

Foster asks, "Kyudo, eh?"

GAME: Takamura contests his Athletics+A vs Challenging and Succeeds.

Takamura shakes his head at Foster after his arrow finds a place next to its predecessors. "No, she hasn't taught me kyudo. It's just that I had never studied any sort of archery growing up. But, she's provided me an excellent foundation if I desire to take up that specialty."

Green nods in satisfaction. "That's the one to work on then," she murmurs to herself, and steps back to un-gear. "Interesting. I'm gonna have to work on this more later."

Avery checks the time. "I have an early duty shift, and should get some rest for it. I'll be happy to answer any questions or help anyone later with this if they like."

Foster nods, "Anyone have any questions for Lieutenant Avery or Lieutenant Green?"

Takamura shakes his head in response to Foster's question. "No, Caleb, I think I'm alright."

Green carefully puts the equipment back, then straightens with a yawn. "Did we miss anything you wanted covered, Caleb?"

Foster shakes his head, "Not at all. I think it went pretty well. Thank you, both of you."

Avery smiles as she goes to take apart and pack away her bow. Removing stablizers, side bars, sight and all. "Thanks for inviting me to do this."

Green nods. "Anytime, little brother. Good night, folks." With another nod, she heads out.

Green steps out of the holodeck.

Foster nods, "You're always welcome, especially when you're doing most of the work." He winks.

Takamura waves to the departing Green and begins to put his own gear away. "I'm thinking it would be good for me to retire for the evening as well. "Thanks for teaching."

Foster adds, "Oh, before you go, Tak? You think you might be interested in giving an energy weapon or heavy energy weapon class in the near future?"

Avery laughs softly as she snaps the case closed and picks it up. "Goodnight, Hiro, Lieutenant."

Avery steps out of the holodeck.

Foster nods, "G'night."

Takamura waves to Avery with a pleasant smile. "Good night, Alena." Turning back to Foster, he replies, "Certainly. What would you like me to focus on? I could do phaser rifle training or move up to the mounted phaser."

Foster considers, "Maybe both. Part of the reason I wanted to teach this class is because OERs are coming up, and the BPM is part of everyone's OER. But... we can talk about it later. I don't want to keep you."

Takamura finishes removing his safety gear. "Not a problem. I can do both. Not many people outside of Security learn to use either weapon. But, it never hurts for people to acquaint themselves with either of them."

Foster nods, "You're right there. I think you, Doc, and I might be the only people on the station with specific training in using a Mounted Phaser. And, Ifni forbid that we should ever need to use them, for that matter."

Takamura nods his head slowly. "I certainly hope we don't need to use them. And off hand I'm not even sure if we have any on station. I think having a few others qualified to use it will put less stress on us if and when the time comes to deploy the weapon."

Foster nods, "Indeed. Plus, I'm sure you can come up with suitably impressive targets to show the difference between them. I was a little surprised to see people's reactions to the Tommy gun, though it does make it a bit easier to come up with ideas for who would be a good person to be Rapid Response certified. You, for example. But, like I said, we can talk about it later. I should probably get going as well."

Takamura tilts his head to the side, considering the suggestion. "I'm going to have to think about targets. As for your tommy gun demonstration, a weapon like that doesn't rattle me after all I've been through. But, we can work things out later. Maybe over a meal?"

Foster nods, "Sounds good to me. Sure."

Takamura smiles brightly. "Excellent. I'll be in touch. Good night, Caleb. Give Kait and Anastatsia my regards, please."

Foster nods, "Of course." He takes a look around at the remains of the class, clears his voice, and says, "Computer, end program." As the holodeck returns to its standard grid formation, he adds, "Gotta clean up after myself, after all."