Training Day (Ask)

[Sterling Malory Archer]

The imperial academy. How long had it been since Orran had been there last? He had been away on missions more often than not lately... This was the first real recovery time he had been given in months. As he passed The newer recruits, the trooper offered them nods or, in the event of an officer or instructor, salutes. Even though his rank was, technically, still recruit... He was a member of the Five oh First... And dang it if that didnt make him feel a bit cocky. Orann checked in to his usual equipment locker and grabbed his training blaster, along with the belt he kept his training detonators on. All of it? For the sims.

Ah, the sims... One of several rooms like it in the Academy, designed for simulated combat in all manner of environments. The most basic of which was just a large, arena like area for team matches. The Sims were equipped with training droids, programmed in different tactics and with difficulty settings the instructor could ramp up to any level he pleased. In short... It was a crucible. A testing system to weed out which recruits wouldnt make it in live fire exercises. Luckily, Orann didnt have to worry about that. After all... He had seen combat. He had been on missions and had actual live blaster fire sent his way. That didnt mean he thought he was immune to all that ilk. It just meant that he wasnt concerned with droids using stunbolt blasters.

The trooper entered one of the sims, the general sim room, and closed the door behind him. His bucket went on and he tied it into the stun blaster, checking the rest of his gear. Calling over his coms to the room's operator, Orann couldnt hide his smirk. "Run Urban Combat model Alpha. Medium. Just to get me warmed up. And leave the room open, just in case anyone decides they want to drop in to help." As far as he knew, his partner was in the mess... So it probably wouldnt be the big guy. But who knew. Maybe someone would want in.

As the lights dropped, the floor rearranged itself. Large tiled moving up to form barriers. Simulated cover and walls. Then came the droids... Announced by a hail of bright stun bolts striking the wall just above his head. Orann ducked behind the nearest barrier and released the safety on his weapon, giving a contented sigh. This was where he belonged... Using his skills.

"Alright... Show me what you got."

 

[Demonturky]

Travar Myndavv

The Imperial Academy. Travar's old home. For several years he had walked the halls of this great establishment. It felt just like yesterday that his friends from the mess hall would kick over his bucket as he cleaned the floor with his toothbrush. If not for their own amusement, then probably for that of Travar's commanding officer that had assigned the chore as punishment. What was it for again? Speaking without permission? Not following orders in a training exercise? Didn't matter. Those days were long behind him. Forgotten with each heavy step that he took.

For Travar had finally been accepted into the five-oh-first. The Empire's finest. And not half an hour ago he had finally received his own set of Ivories. The signature Legionnaire armor that every Storm Trooper wore as they fought for the Empire. As bright and glimmering as he had ever imagined. His acceptance hadn't felt real until he felt the weight of the armor. His old classmates may as well share in his glory as he marched through the halls with all of the pride of a puppy fetching a ball. And naturally, the helmet was tucked away under the pit of his arm.

A training blaster locked into place on his back and a row of training detonators on his belt, his destination was none other than the simulation rooms. Maybe if he was lucky there would be a few rookies running amok that he could boast his new title over. Show off the gear. What every good Trooper should do.

And it was with a sense of giddy wonder that he came across the entrance to a simulation room. It was already active with someone inside, but that didn't phase him. The flashing green light on the control panel meant that at any moment he could rush on in and show some cadets who was in charge. "Trooper four-nine-four-nine entering live combat simulation." Pressing away at several buttons on the panel to signal his grand entrance to whoever may be inside.

He stared into the helmet gripped in between his hands. Taking in one final breath before taking the plunge, and slipping the gear over his head. The first of many times.

"I'm coming in." The HUD coming to life in front of his very eyes. Framing the door as it slid open with the sound of blaster fire within.

And with the training blaster drawn, he ran inside.

 

[Sterling Malory Archer]

Orann managed to pull his head back behind the barrier just in time to see a squad of three droids rounding the corner. The trooper dropped into a crouch and sent three well placed blaster bolts center of mass, deactivating the training droids to drop in little metal heaps on the ground. The Trooper swore softly as he noticed that someone had entered his com channel... Which mean that he was going to have a new partner for his little excercise. Well... He had left the sim room open for a reason... It was time to practice working with people he had never had to work with before. Orann activated his com one handed and called out his callsign as he popped around the corner to take potshots at the droids nearest the door.

"IR-Six Two Four Zero. Six Two for short. And you have about three seconds before these droids hit your position, freshie."

As if to punctuate his point, a group of four Training droids came around the corner of the nearest barrier to the door, lifting blasters and taking pot shots at the newcomer. The door, naturally, sealed shut behind him to keep the blaster fire from spilling out into the hall. Of course, Orann very nearly paid for his concern with a Stun bolt to the helmet as two more droids vaulted the barrier to his right and began firing wildly. Ahh... Just like mess time in the academy...

Orann danced around his barrier and pulled a detonator from his belt, thumbing the activation and rolling it back into the incoming droids. He was rewarded with a loud popping sound as the detonator sent the electrical signal to lock down the droids servos, giving him time to come back around the barrier and drop the droids. Assuming the new guy handled the others, that would be it for wave one. With wave two to start soon after.

"How good is your Close Quarters Combat?"

 

[Demonturky]

Travar could not believe his luck. Here he was thinking that he could enter a room, stunt on a few cadets, grab a final bite of nutrient paste, call it a night, and then ship out the very next day to wherever he was sent off to. But now, he would get to show what he was capable of to an actual Storm Trooper!

"Watch and find out." He spoke with confidence as the four droids came into sight around the barrier. His training blaster already raised and aimed at the nearest one. A simple press of the trigger and three bolts of light shot out of the barrel and into the chest of the training droid. Except for the third shot. That seemed to fall astray and jump up into the shoulder of the robot.

No matter, it was still downed, and only the three others were there to contend with.

Walking forward with the confidence of a god, IR-4949 shot several more bursts and downed two of the remaining droids. Their blaster fire and close proximity narrowly missing him and his brand new armor. Yet with each burst, his accuracy seemed to decay. The E19 training replica was an unwieldy gun in the hands of the best soldiers. It was always one that had given him a great deal of trouble at the shooting range, yet seemed to be the special forces weapon of choice. Now that he was the special forces, it would only make sense that he use their gun.

This meant that his ego had gotten in the way of results. The fourth burst only glancing the target with one of the blaster bolts and allowing the training droid to send off a stunning shot straight into the side of Travar's abdomen. Muscles locking up in pain and an audible gasp rang out over his comms. "Gah! Dammit." It was a lucky turn of fate that his blaster shot had offset the droid, the shot could have been much worse if it wasn't disrupted like that. And it also gave the soldier the perfect counter attack.

Charging forward through the sting of the shot, Travar brought his shoulder down and tackled straight into the droid. A hail of stun blasts coming from the robot's blaster as it fell to the ground.

And without skipping a beat, he brought the barrel of his gun down onto the droid and sent two bursts straight into its chest.

 

[Sterling Malory Archer]

Orann barely had time to worry about the gasping coming over the comms. Obviously his new teammate had gotten clipped by a shot. He knew from experience how much that hurt. Even so... It was nothing compared to actually getting shot. THAT was a lot less fun. Well, he was about to pay for his distraction in a very unfun way, a stun bolt tearing past his left leg and skimming the joint at the back of his knee. The pain was just like he remembered it. Sharp, lingering. Leaving the muscles there twitching. But he wasnt some fresh recruit anymore... So rather than panic, he compartmentalized the pain and shifted his weight to his good leg. Ducking behind a nearby barrier as a half dozen fresh droids bolted in. Two of which wielded training Vibroblades.

Unlike the other trooper, Orann didnt gasp at the pain. He simply grunted a little and growled out a response. "Stay with me Freshie. Six incoming. Two blades, four blasters. I read four heading your way. One Blade in them. Ill handle these two... Just hang on."

That said, Orann leapt over the barrier that seperated him from his opponents. Two training droids... One with a practice blade, the other with a rifle. As he landed, the Trooper locked his rifle to his back and drew his blaster in one hand, his vibroknife in the other. Time to play. The Rifle droid opened fire on him almost as soon as he hit the ground, causing the man to dart forwards and fire three well placed rounds center of mass. Dropping that droid. That said... Mister Blade took the opportunity to bring his blade down at an angle. Threatening to strike the trooper across the back.

6240 torqued his body to one side and parried with his knife, the impact jarring his shoulder a little. Luckily he was trained for this, now facing off with the bladebot. "Might take longer than I thought. Remember, these rifles walk. Especially the old ones. Aim at the abdomen, theyll walk on home."

Across the Simulation room, the four droids closed in quickly. Bladebot rushing the other trooper with the other three offering covering fire. It wasnt as concentrated as before. More just to suppress the large trooper.

 

[Demonturky]

The wreckage of the deactivated droid was left alone as Travar dove behind the cover the barricade provided. Three continuously firing droids were more than he would want to contend with while trading shots. The slowly encroaching blade-droid an unwelcome alarm. One that he couldn't just slam his hand down on and get five more minutes.

Oh no wait. He totally had something perfect for that. Right on his belt.

Travar's grin was hidden beneath his helmet, yet the glee was nearly contagious. These sort of droids did their best to simulate actual combat, something he hadn't seen much of outside of the holograms shown during combat training. But one flaw that he had seen in their programming from prior sessions was that whenever they had a target pinned down, they were rooted in place. Why give up a perfect position if there was no reason for them to move?

The training detonator that he lobbed over the barrier would give them that spark of motivation. Arching beautifully through the air and bouncing off the top of their own protective barricade where it would explode right beside the head of the center droid. The ion blast reaching out far enough to snag up the other two droids and shut down their servos. "Nighty night." Breaking through his end of the comms.

Now Travar could freely contend with a melee opponent with a short amount of distance between them, as well as a barricade for him to maneuver around. Vibroknives weren't something he commonly strapped to his belt for combat. He figured that they were better used for opening up a box, or eating. Why use something like that when he had a blaster in his hands?

A squeeze of the trigger and the trio of shots would race out to the droid. A vibroblade was nothing to contend with that sort of firepower. Amazingly enough, all three of the shots had lined up from the lower body of the droid to end straight over where a human's heart would be. It seemed that he had taken the advice of the veteran. But clearly, he was just a natural anyway. And he had to show that to Six-Two. "Hostiles down."

 

[Sterling Malory Archer]

Well, this was going to be fun. Orann shifted his grip on his blade and stepped forwards to engage the droid. As the blade came down again, the trooper deflected it to one side using the flat of the Vibroknife's blade. However, he didnt stop the movement there. Instead he let the momentum carry him beyond the reach of the droid. As he straightened out, Orann lifted his blaster pistol and fired two shots. One center of mass, the next into the thing's dome. Dropping it like a ton of bricks. The man didnt take time to gloat or really appreciate his victory, instead vaulting over the barriers between him and Travar. Coming to a stop in his clean but, ultimately, worn and used armor.

Hey, he HAD just returned from combat. And it took time to get fresh armor.

"I read. Solid work. But keep in mind, theres one last wave. Check power packs and detonators... This is the big one."

Even as the man spoke, the wall at the far end of the Sim room slid open. The sound of clanking boots filling the room. Well... This was going to be a thing. "Hope you're ready for the fun part..." The Training droids were larger than their easier counterparts, armored and programmed to take multiple hits and keep on trucking. Which meant that Orann and his new teammate? They were gonna have to get really creative. 6240 popped his head over the barrier to take a look at just how many were coming to meet them. "I count six. Three pairs... One left, one right. One middle. Nothing but the best for the best..." This sentiment was followed by a soft swearing as Orann began to formulate counter strategy after counter strategy. Finally he settled on something.

With a smirk hidden by his helmet, the trooper pulled his second detonator from his belt and tossed it to Travar. To add to whatever he had. He then went to work tweaking the sights of his rifle. Firing the odd shot at a nearby barrier to get it calibrated. "You Line 'em up... Ill knock em down."

 

[Demonturky]

There wasn't any need for Travar to check out how he was doing on ammo. He always managed to keep a careful mental tally of just how many rounds he had spent. Right now he had twenty two shots left in his current gun.

Or... Wait... Was it twenty four? Twenty five? He had been shooting it in bursts after all, so it would have to be something divisible by three.

Oh to hell with it, a quick glance at the ammo indicator showed that it was time for a tactical reload at risk of not being the one to take out a droid. If there were six left, he would get four. The extra detonator he was just given and the power pack he slammed into his carbine would be able to get the job done.

"Copy that. Flushing left on my mark. Don't miss now." His hand gripping the detonator as he put the tip of his helmet over cover to line up a sight with his targets. The two heavily armored droids had taken up residence behind one of the barricades, and were being smart for a pile of parts. They were only risking enough shots to keep the two troopers pinned in place under a hail of stun blasts, with the other two pairs acting in kind.

"Mark!" The familiar beeping of a detonator being activated punctuating his words. In one fluid motion, Trooper 4949 sent the detonator over his barricade and through the room, bouncing and clattering to a halt on the left side of the droids, just behind their own barricade.

Their contribution to the blaster fire came to a stop as they suddenly sprinted out of cover towards the center of the room where another pair of droids were. Their armor may be good, but the detonator was nothing to sit on top of like a hen hatching an egg.

And even then Travar didn't stop to admire his handy work. Determined to get the kills, he would whip his blaster over the top of the pile of cover and begin laying down 'suppressing fire'. It was aimed at the pair on the far right, but more so to actually hit from the sheer number of shots. The majority of his bursts would strike into the barricade or sail off into the room to strike something. Didn't matter what as long as it wasn't him. Yet a few shots would actually make their mark and take out one of the droids. Pure luck had sent a duo of shots to the chest of a droid, knocking it out from cover where he could finish the job before returning to provide covering fire.

 

[Sterling Malory Archer]

On his teammates mark, Orann popped over the barrier like a daisey, rifle at his shoulder and eyes already focused in on their mark. The two droids leaving the range of the grenade and heading out into the open. Half a second later, he released two blaster bolts down range, striking the heavy droid with both of them. Right between the eyes. Smoothely, he transitioned to the second droid. The trooper exhaled slowly and depressed the trigger three times. The first bolt caught the droid in the knee, slowing it down. The next two struck it directly center of mass. Causing it to tilt off balance and plow directly into a barrier with a clatter of metal on metal.

The two middle droids took that time to begin firing in earnest, stun bolts whizzing past both trooper's heads. Something which, to be honest, he wasnt all that happy about. Still, he didnt put his head down all the way. Dropping just enough so that only his eyes were over the barrier. "Suppress 'em."

Without any other commands or advice, the trooper leapt over the barrier and began a mad dash around to the left. Using Barriers and droid bodies as shields on the move. As he passed the bodies of the two droids he had dropped a few moments prior, Orann unloaded the rest of his power pack into them. To make sure they stayed down. Seamlessly, 6240 replaced the pack and cleared his weapon. Assuming His teammate had done what was asked... Orann leapt over the closest barrier between him and the droids, landing in a slide and firing upwards at them. Intending to shred them with the fire and, by effect, end the simulation.

If it DIDNT go to plan? Well... He was going to hurt. A lot.

 

[Asinine Soup]

Va'lus simply grunts, arms crossed as he stands outside the sim room...squinting down into the arena below at his favored partner and what appeared to be a newbie. Preemptively, he decided against demeaning him when he came out of the room for taking a shot, even though he, himself, was guilty of taking a tiny plethora of them.

He was a wall, though, so seldom did it deter him from his objective. Beneath his crew clothing was scar after scar of combat and training mishaps...or perhaps intentional self-punishment. Not masochism, stars, no...just took a lot to bring down a durasteel wall named Va'lus Rodderrick.
"Left flank." her murmurs, focal point on the small mess of advanced droids attempting to ease their way behind the allied suppressing fire and capitalize on a kill or two. Of course...he would be talking to no one other than himself, the big guy hoping by some means that his partner in there wouldn't find himself caught.

Other than his calculating eyes finding solace in the combat, he takes another sigh, relaxing...leaning on a wall. His food was still settling. Wouldn't want to catch a cramp tossing around combat droids mid-day.

 

[Demonturky]

In a single sweeping motion, Travar brought the sights of his blaster carbine onto the pair of droids in the center of the room. Stun bolts striking too close for comfort across the barricade he crouched behind. In his eagerness to take out the two center droids, he had forgotten about one on the right that he had been suppressing. A few shots had struck the heavily armored droid, so he was certain it would stay down.

Just like this last pair of droids would stay down! The blaster shots from his gun caused minor damage as they realized it would be better to take cover than contend with his fire. Their attention focusing on staying intact rather than taking out his new teammate.

Though Travar had a brief inkling, a foolish thought at the back of his mind, that 6240 was well above his skill level. The theatric slide took out the remaining two droids among flashes of red vertical blaster fire. That was something impressive to see, and invigorating to watch! "Six-Two!" Definitely calling him that due to their perfectly matched and balanced level of skill, comms sparking to life in his helmet. "That was awesome! You took them b-Gah! Son of a b-!"

It seemed that the droid he was so certain to be downed and out was only downed, not out. Crawling along the ground with the lower body disabled and one blaster still at work, it had sent a shot that went into 4949's shoulder. These stun blasts were always a pain once they sent your muscles into a spasm.

A growl escaped from his helmet as he dropped his carbine on the ground, his good hand grabbing for his final detonator and primed it. A lob later and it had clattered to a stop right in front of the head of the droid. Which then attempted to escape. Using a single arm to slowly turn its body about with the sound of the mechanical servos whirring in the machine. Only a few seconds passed before the explosive overkill deactivated the droid.

 

[Sterling Malory Archer]

Well if that hadnt gone from a lovely bonding experience to hell all in one moment. The trooper lifted his blaster and aimed at the downed droid, but it wasnt getting back up. The lights switched on to full bore and the room's program announced the end of the training session. Orann stalked over towards Travar and pulled his helmet free. Letting dark hair fall around his face, white streak crossing through at an odd angle.

"First rule. Keep count of your targets. And always make sure theyre dead."

He reached out to offer the other trooper a hand then, a fierce grin on his face. It wasnt that often that Orann respected people like this. But then again, it wasnt very often that people actually listened to what he had to say in a combat situation. Which meant that He was either very trusting... Or very new. "Trooper IR-6240. Orann Hill. Five oh First division. And you arent bad... For a freshie."

 

[Demonturky]

Oh man did those stun blasts sting! The Imperial's idea of a non lethal round was one that would make you wish you were dead if you took too many of them. Even rubbing at his shoulder and shaking his arm out didn't ease him from the pain as the veteran trooper marched up to him with his lovely advice.

"Right. Make sure they're dead. Got it." Finally working out the kinks in his shoulder enough to have to stop nursing it. Some willpower coming into play as she didn't want to appear weak in front of a vet. His own helmet would come off once Oran had made his introductions. His short brown hair still within the Imperial Academy's allowed length. Why he didn't even get a buzzcut a week ago.

"Trooper IR-4949. Travar Myndavv. New recruit to the Five oh First. And you're not bad yourself." Saying the first reply that was resembling wit that he could think of. It may have just come off as rude or cocky, or even funny if Oran was in a good mood.

 

[Sterling Malory Archer]

Orann just smirked, reaching out to clap the other trooper on the shoulder. Right where the stung blast had been. Whether this was on purpose or just an oversight was yet to be seen... As it stood? The trooper just smirked at the other guy and held his position. "Travar, eh? Youre a bit smaller than my usual partner. More talkative too. Im sure youll meet Thirty Ninety soon enough. Im willing to bet he's just finished clearing out the mess. As per usual. Big man has a big appetite. New recruit to the Five Oh First, eh?"

The trooper stepped away then, seeming to size Travar up from a professional standpoint. Getting a read on just how big he was. And on just what his strong suit likely would be. "So. A Heavy, eh? Remind me of my partner in that respect. Im sure we will work together just fine... Youll just have to stick close to us until you learn the ropes. Which isnt to say your work isnt impressive. But..."

Orann glanced from the downed training droids to the other man's shoulder, lifting an eyebrow. "Its far from perfect. Not that mine was any better. I took a hit. And Im not supposed to do that. If Thirty Ninety saw that... He'd have words for me. It was sloppy. And I was showing off. So. Four Nine. What's your first impression of the Five Oh First?"

 

[Demonturky]

A sharp sting rocked through Travar's shoulder as his new teammate heartily slapped away at it. You had to give the recruit some credit however. He didn't even flinch or cry out in pain in the slightest! Just an unhealthy amount of clenching his jaw and the helmet in his hand. Maybe the 501st had fantastic dental care coverage?

"Yeah that's right. I'm the new recruit coming in." Travar responded through gritted teeth, the pain subsiding and his expression growing... Well it wasn't softer, but it was certainly less stern. Like someone had taken their foot out of his ass.

"But don't just chalk me up as the new guy." He continued on in his typical boisterous attitude. "I would have taken that droid out if I didn't cover ya. Means ya would have taken a lot more shots if it wasn't for me." Not allowing his actions to simply be chalked up to inexperience. Why if it was just him in the room, things would have gone absolutely perfectly!

And he would have gotten the majority of the kills and not Six-Two right here. Failing a self imposed challenge left a bitter taste in Travar's mouth.

"And you're pretty alright. I think I'll fit in here just nicely."

 

[Sterling Malory Archer]

The Stormtrooper didnt seem the least bit discouraged by the other man's words or tone. Or really anything. He seemed to be in a fine fettle overall. Although, he most certainly did pick up on the other trooper's mood in regards to his support oriented role int he firefight. Well. It seemed there was ONE thing he could teach the other trooper. Flashing his winning smile, Orann slung his blaster at his side a gave the man another hearty clap on the shoulder.

"Hey. If you hadn't taken them... I would have. And I would never have gotten close enough to take them down. This is a team job. Not a lone wolf show. Even if I tend to pretend it is most of the time. The most important thing... Is the Mission. Making sure it's completed quickly. Efficiently. And with minimal casualties. As it stands? We're both Standing. And that's a win in my book. Now come on, new Squadie. Ive got something to show YOU. Think of it as a... Thank you. For the Help."

Without waiting for a reply, Orann made a beeline for his locker. All but dragging the other trooper along behind him with a big grin on his face. He put away his Stun Blaster and retrieved a large metal box from the locker. The box itself was roughly the length of his arm and textured, yet surprisingly light. Or maybe that was just Orann's excitement to get to bring it out to play. After all... It wasnt every DAY he got the chance. Especially since he had just gotten the dang thing that morning. All custom ordered for him too.

"To the Shooting Range!"

Once again, the trooper dragged his new pal along for the ride. Box in one hand, helmet on, and other hand holding on to the bigger man's forearm with surprising force. When they reached his personal favorite firing range in the Academy Orann checked out the booth, shut the barrier behind them to give them privacy, and cracked open the case. Inside the Case was eggshell black foam packing and... Nestled in that... Was his shiny new Lawbreaker. All Assembled and ready to go, save the powerpack and scope, which he quickly slid into place.

"Well. What do you think. Freshly minted."

 

[Demonturky]

Travar liked control of his arm. It was his. Attached to his body. He didn't think that he would need to put his name on it, or label it, or put down some notice that claimed it as his. So why was Oran dragging him through the facility like a dog on a leash? Heck, just another opportunity to show up the man on a shooting range would be enough for him to go along. If only he was allowed to use thermal detonators on a shooting range.

But that didn't go so well last time. They still didn't find that poor officer's R2 unit...

"Woah... Is that a...?" Travar began after the big unveiling and being shoved into the nearby shooting stall. Quite the fan of anything to do with latest technology or the best weapons in the Empire, Travar put aside his qualms with the other trooper for now. Simply admiring the shiny new Lawbreaker.

 

[Sterling Malory Archer]

"A shiny new XM2091 'Lawbreaker' Pulse Rifle. Fresh from the production line and custom ordered for me. One of the perks to getting the dirty missions. We do get the best toys to play with once its over."

His voice sounded almost wistful as he turned the weapon on its side for the other trooper, revealing the powerpack's positioning below the rifle's butt. Everything was just so... Shiny. And new.

"Delivered this morning as a reward for a mission my partner and I ran for the sith. Ferrofluid plasma rounds. Semi-auto. Auto. Burst fire... Seven hundred rounds a minute in full auto. Double that in burst... Max range upwards of a half kilometer. The rounds have a slightly smaller muzzle velocity than the high end blasters, but it makes up for it in punch. This baby will cut clean through most targets. Maximum penetration. And my favorite part?"

Orann flipped the weapon over to reveal the pulse cannon on the underside. Smiling coldly.

"Underslung pulse cannon. This thing will shred soft targets and armor alike. Its slow... But its got a solid blast range. I wouldnt want to be on the recieving end of this. She's my baby. Im thinking of calling her... Carol. Here."

The Trooper brought the rifle to port arms before, gently, holding it out for Travar to take. With his elbow, he hit the red button on the wall that sent a target whizzing downrange.

"Feel how smoothe that recoil is."

 

[Demonturky]

It was with a great deal of surprise that Travar took the weapon from Oran. With the way he was gushing over the gun, it was a miracle he would hand it over. Travar had seen parents look at their newborns with less fondness.

"Carol huh? What about Cheryl?" Travar asked as he turned the weapon about in his hands to examine all of the fine details and nuances of the rifle. It really was a spectacular gun, far better than the standard issue blasters that he was accustomed to. But as he lifted the sights up to the visor on his helmet, he noticed a strange lack of a feature. One that was present on nearly every single other standard issue blaster.

"Where's the ammo indicator on this thing? It's missing on my HuD." Well it looks like not all guns were chalked up to their reputation. But maybe what it lacked in flashing lights and gizmos, it could make up in performance.

Steadily, he brought the sights up to the target far down range. Reflecting back on his basic training to keep his accuracy high. Something that he had received a lot of remedial work on in order to stay just above the curve. Inhale deeply, finger on the trigger, exhale smoothly, and press.

The plasma round would fire off with next to no recoil for the trooper. Cleanly punching through the target downrange, just shy of the marker he was aiming for. He had been hoping for a good shot to the center of mass, but it looked like the target would have to do without a shoulder. Looked like he still had some issues with long range targets. "You weren't kidding. This thing works like a dream!"

 

[Sterling Malory Archer]

Orann tapped the top of the rifle with a nod, unable to hide the massive smile on his face. It was like christmas up in here. Or life day.... Thats the one. "Yeah, the targeting systems are going to have to be manually slaved to my armor. That'll take some work... Since I never had any skill for that sort of thing. Although, I DO have my talents. If I may?" The trooper reached out then, attempting to take the rifle back from the other man with a smirk.. Assuming Travar didnt go all Gollum trying to keep his weapon from him, Orann would simply move over to take his place in the middle of the booth and line up the target downrange.

"The trick when hitting a target, especially a stationary target, on mark... Is to draw a breath and hold it just before you fire, then readjust on the exhale. One smoothe motion between shots. Watch."

The trooper took a long inhale then, lining his shot up carefully, before depressing the trigger the moment his breathing stopped and his arm leveled out. He exhaled then, firing a second shot on the downstroke. Then a third on the next inhale. All three struck the center ring of the target downrange. Marksmenship was his forte, after all. And he wasnt liable to miss a stationary target at THESE ranges.

"Hmm. Pulls a half centimeter left. Ill have to adjust the sights when I clean it. What do you think?"