Jane Sinclair’s Busy Day, Part the First: Proficiencies
Posted on Thu Oct 21st, 2021 @ 2:10am by Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair & Lieutenant Satt
1,291 words; about a 6 minute read
Mission:
Handling the Fallout
Location: Holodeck 1
Timeline: Early Morning
ON:
Lieutenant junior grade Jane Sinclair was getting settled aboard the Myogi. She gotten her quarters. She’d met the Captain and First Officer. She’d met Takumi, her Assistant Department Head. She’d toured the ship and saw the main areas where she would spend most of her time.
She had a list of tasks to complete that day, and the first on the list was to meet the chief of security. Her phaser proficiencies were not up to date, and arrival on a new starship was the ideal time to do her sidearm tests.
Hovering near the door to the holodeck, Satt read a report on his PADD. He'd asked for an assessment of each department's readiness to respond in an emergency. The results of hte most recent drill under his predecessor was impressive to say the least. Miyahara may have thought himself bigger than Starfleet but he knew how to run and motivate a ship.
As he spied the Helm Officer rounding the corner, he hope his own laconic style would keep things up to that standard.
'Lieutenant Sinclair,' he offered a nod of his head as he acknowledged her with a wave of his PADD.
“Good morning, Lieutenant Satt,” Jane replied with a smile and nod. “Nice to finally meet you. I’m ready, sir. I’ve been practising.”
'Have you now?' he asked in his thick, mudgravel voice. Turning to activate the program he motioned for the Lieutenant to step inside the holodeck. 'It's a pleasure to meet someone who takes their phaser certification seriously.' He smiled sourly as he tugged at his collar, chuckled. 'Perhaps I should watch my back with someone so keen.'
“No need, sir,” she said with a grin as she followed him inside. “You’ll be able to trust me to watch it.”
The holodeck had created the testing area, as well as a small armoury of holo-weapons. Jane selected a standard Type-2 phaser, the sort that she would probably be issued on most field missions. She checked the settings, keeping the tip pointed down and away from Satt.
'Alright,' he said. 'You know the drill, Lieutenant. We'll be starting with some static targets for now.' Satt issued a command to the ship's computer and it materialised a series of silhouettes around the deck. He cleared his throat again. 'As usual, you'll score points based on where on the target you hit. The program will tabulate the results, meaning the supervising officer will not be able to interfere. You may proceed when ready.'
Jane held her phaser in the ready position, pointed it carefully to the targets, and began firing.
She was far from a perfect shot, but most of her phaser beings were hitting either the centre body or the periphery of the silhouette.
After a few moments, she stopped, brought her phaser into a safety position, and looked to Satt.
Satt raised his eyebrow, 'not bad, Lieutenant, not bad. I've seen some Security officers do worse.' He pulled on his collar again as the Main Computer materialised a target in their vicinity, the spots where Sinclair's shots had connected flaring a bright red. 'You're best result. You scored a combined total of seventy-five alone here.' He read the PADD then looked at her. 'The program has a few recommendations and scenarios for you to try out in your own time should you wish, but for now we'll proceed to stage two.'
He uttered a command, and the stationary targets melted into the ether, replaced by moving ones. 'Again. The Computer will tabulate the results. Good luck.'
Stage Two was much more difficult. Thankfully, as a pilot, Jane had a very good eye for moving targets. She knew her score would be worse, as she missed her first few shots, but by the end she was hitting the moving targets reliably.
"How did I do, Lieutenant?" she asked.
The Bolian consulted his PADD as the results were tabulated. 'Not as well,' he replied in his gravelly voice, 'your highest score was sixty-seven. Still very respectable, mind.' He looked at her and smiled. 'That concludes the shooting range. Are you ready to proceed to the hostage scenario?'
“Hostage scenario?” Jane asked. “I’ve not done this one before.” But she stood in a ready position. “Go ahead.”
Satt shrugged as the scenario around them changed. 'No, I doubt you have.' He consulted his PADD before carrying on, 'in all honesty, this would be a program I would have my security officers run through, but you've shown enough quality to merit a try at it, at least.' Squinting his eyes, the Bolioan read off his PADD, 'Izar III, 2241, hostage situation, three Starfleet personnel held against their will in a remote farmstead. Result of a mining dispute, I think.'
The holodeck around them changed to a windswept prairie landscape, flat and featureless in all directions save for the ripples of indigenous grass in the wind. A solitary homestead stood in front of them, ringed by local police and what seemed to be Starfleet liaison officers. 'Go ahead,' Satt said simply.
“I…” Jane looked at the scenario before her. “I don’t know what to do.”
Her instinct was to try negotiation. Hell, in real life she would be air support. But this was a phaser test. She fell in with a team of Starfleet and police who prepared for entry into the homestead.
Given that it was her test, the team’s point position was hers. She checked her phaser (set to stun) and figured out where she was supposed to go.
The front and back door were breached simultaneously. She was in quickly, at the same time as a second team entering the back.
Two masked beings with one Starfleet hostage. Jane’s first shot hit a hostage-taker. Her second went wide.
She never made a third, as she was hit in the stomach with an enemy shot. The scenario faded away as she clutched her stinging abdomen. “I never got this training,” she mused as she sat on the holodeck floor. “Sorry, give me a second.”
Extending a hand, the scarred Bolian leaned over at the waist and smiled, 'no. It was probably mean to even ask you to attempt it, but you weren't bad. Probably a notch or two under a Security noncom.'
Jane cocked her head, considering his words. She decided to stay positive and focus on the ‘not bad’.
“Maybe one day you can show me what I’m supposed to do?” she asked. “But until then, is there anything else?”
'Nothing other than to say you've been certified proficient with your phaser and can continue to use one.' The scars that webbed Satt's hand turned white as he pulled the Flight Control Officer to her feet. 'As it stands it would be my pleasure to give you a few run through of the more advanced security modules, you do have a talent for it.'
“Thank you,” Jane replied. “And I may take you up on that.”
She had gone to the holodeck that morning to get her phaser proficiencies recorded. She had done better than previous, demonstrating that she was good to wield a sidearm on an away mission or in a crisis, but that she still had much to learn. And that wasn’t a bad thing. She was eager to learn.
But right now, she was more eager to continue with her busy day.
Posting by (in order of appearance):
Lieutenant Junior Grade Jane Sinclair
Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Myogi (NCC-65918)
Lieutenant Satt
Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Myogi (NCC-65918)
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