fandomhigh | Leadership/Outdoorsmanship, Gun Range, Thursday Morning

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leadership and outdoorsmanship

Leadership/Outdoorsmanship, Gun Range, Thursday Morning

Honor was already at the gun range when the students began filing in. Her principal guardsman, Andrew LaFollet, was two lanes down. Clad in protective eyewear, he stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, firing a flechette gun. For the moment, he seemed oblivious to the incoming rush of teenagers. Honor herself turned, removing her glasses and placing them next to the .45 caliber weapon on the counter.

"Good morning, everyone," she said with a slight smile. "Please make sure to sign in and then make your way over here."

She stood before several racks which had been set up, on which various firearms rested. Those familiar with firearms might have recognized the various .22 caliber pistols and rifles, flechette guns, as well as heavier weaponry, such as an MP5SD5, a P90, or an M16. Earplugs and eyewear were also available.

"Today, we're going to discuss firearms and firearm safety. For some of you, this is old hat; for others, this is new material. Given the serious nature of the weapons we'll be working with today, however, I expect full attention to detail." She leveled her gaze, making eye contact with each student. "Failure to do so will get you ejected from this session."

Satisfied that she had made her point, she launched into a lecture on gun safety rules. She then proceeded to take the time to demonstrate how each of the weapons operated; Andrew offered the demonstration on the operation of the flechette guns.

"You will get the opportunity to try each of the weapons. Please be aware of your environment, and your classmates. If you have any questions, please ask. Today, there is no such thing as a dumb question." She smirked. "Well, at least about the weaponry."

Honor then settled back and allowed the students to choose their weapons. She and Andrew kept a close eye on them, while making themselves available to answer questions as the students spent the allotted time practicing.

[OOC: ~~OCD threads coming -- please wait for them.~~ OCD threads up! Also, a zero tolerance rule is in effect: Have fun, but anyone horsing around will get kicked out of the workshop today, and might be assigned detention, depending on severity. If you *want* to get in trouble, drop me a line, and we'll take care of it. =) ]

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Peter was definitely glad Dean had shown him a bit about shooting before or he'd have been even more lost. As it was, he was still very tentative handling them.

A glance over in Peter's direction told Anders that the other boy was probably about as uneasy as he was.

"These things make you as nervous as they make me?" he asked at a suitable pause.

Peter shot a glance back at Anders and nodded. "Definitely. I was fine with the little handguns, but the bigger guns? Just make me worry they're going to explode."

"All of them worry me," said Anders, prodding at the butt of his pistol with one fingertip. "This was never something I expected to have to handle, ever. But then I guess that's why we're in this class, huh?"

"That's what I keep telling myself," Peter said. "I expected to fight in the War when I was in Britain, but since it's been only swords and arrows. Bit of a different situation."

"You're one up on me there, at least. The only fighting I've ever planned to do was over possession of the ball, you know?" Anders shook his head. "Doesn't mean I ever want to have to shoot someone, but you never know, so why not be prepared?"

"I suppose I am at that," Peter agreed. "Do you not have a military at home? Or just not something you ever thought about given Pyramid?" He thought for a second. "I can't argue with being prepared. Better to be nervous around these weapons then in a more perilous situation."

"Oh, yeah, the Colonial Fleet is pretty big back home," Anders assured him. "It's sort of . . . just there, really, so not really something I thought about doing. Things have been pretty quiet for years since the Cylon War ended, so what was the point?"

He hesitated. "Cally was thinking about joining up, though, to pay for college."

The concept of joining a military to pay for college instead of fighting for one's country was so utterly foreign to Peter that he focused directly on that. "How does that work?" He tried to explain himself. "Mostly I know of people fighting as a career - or to defend the country when it's under attack. But to get money?"

"It's part of how they keep recruitment up in peacetime, I think," Anders explained. "You serve your term and in exchange they help you pay for school once you get your discharge. I'm not completely sure how the whole thing works, but a lot of people do that back home."

LaFollet had spotted Peter and Anders, noting their uneasiness with the weapons. He leant over and mentioned it to Honor, who then made her way over. She smiled. "How are you two doing?"

"Fine, thank you, ma'am," Peter replied, making a small bow. "We're just unfamiliar with this type of weapon, I think."

Honor nodded to Peter. "What you have there, Mister Pevensie, is a small caliber pistol. It won't kick as much, and is actually a good choice for a beginner. I take it you have shot a pistol before?"

"Just a few times," Peter replied. "Dean taught me three weeks ago. It was a .45 caliber, I believe."

"Then this will be easier." As she did for Anders, she showed Peter the proper grip, adding that he should be watchful of where he points the muzzle. She then stood by for a few more moments to see if he needed any assistance.

Peter nodded at her instruction, not mentioning that he'd listened to the safety lecture earlier and so was aware of that. He lifted the pistol carefully and fired three shots at the target, using the proper form. Two of them even hit the target.

Honor used her cybernetic eye to zoom in on the target. "Not bad, Mister Pevensie. Though if you're still uncomfortable, you're welcome to unload the weapon and take a seat."

"No, ma'am," Peter replied. "I'd like to keep practicing if you don't mind. I'd prefer to become comfortable with the weapons."

Re: Discussion

harringtongreen.livejournal.com - 2006-06-29 18:05 (UTC) - Expand

"Just a little nervous, that's all," Anders replied with a slight frown. "There's a huge difference between seeing these things in the movies and actually handling them. Never thought about that until I picked up the gun, but it's . . . a lot more real now. You can kill someone with one of these, and that kind of scares me."

"The idea here is to learn a comfort level." Honor picked up one of the .22 pistols and demonstrated a two-hand grip. "You want to respect them, and what they can do, but you don't want to be afraid of them." She loaded the chamber and fired off two rounds, the muzzle pointed toward the target. "It's the fear that will get you hurt."

Anders nodded, though he couldn't help flinching a little at the first shot. "It's not the gun that scares me," he said after a moment's consideration. "Just what I might have to do with one someday."

He took a deep breath and nodded at her. "I'll deal with that when . . . if . . . it ever comes up, though. I can learn to do this, I swear."

Honor nodded. "Take it as slowly as you need, Mister Anders; worry about the future when it gets here." She gave a slight smile. "And if you're still uncomfortable, you're welcome to unload and take a seat."

It was a tempting proposition, but Anders shook his head. "Not so uncomfortable I can't get over it," he said, and picked up the pistol. "Like Peter said, better to be prepared, right?"

"Boy Scout motto... even in my day." Honor smiled and clapped him on the shoulder gently. "Let me know if you need any help."

Anders returned the smile, more relaxed now. "I will. Thanks."

Turning his attention back to the gun, he took a few minutes to just get used to the feel of it in his hands. Flashes of the dreams came back to him, but he fought off the urge to unload the .22 and sit down.

"Right," he muttered, "here goes."

He double-checked to make sure all his safety gear was in place, then took aim and fired the first round, which to his surprise -- and pleasure -- struck only inches from the bullseye. By the time he'd emptied the chamber he actually had a genuine smile on his face. "I think I can actually do this."

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