Finger on the Pulse

Posted on Sun Mar 26th, 2023 @ 11:04pm by Lieutenant Sabine St. James & Captain Etan Kaz

Mission: 02-The Line Widens
Location: Firing Range
Timeline: Following Crossing the Line

Etan couldn't remember the last time he had been on a firing range. It was certainly before he landed on K-17. Which meant he was long overdue and definitely out of practice. With the business with the Tzenkethi behind them for the moment it seemed as good a time as any to brush up.

The facilities on the station were not state of the art by any stretch, but they would work for the purpose of training.

The Trill man showed up in trackpants decorated with the Starfleet Academy crest, and a unit t-shirt from his time on the Fredricton that had FRED emblazoned on the chest.

The long firing range stretched out ahead of him as the door hissed close behind him.

Sabine was in her standard uniform, though sloppy and far from parade or Enterprise perfect. She held two grey cases, one in each hand that she hefted onto a crate that was now a bench.

"Your name isn't Fred." Sabine commented as she looked at Etan. It was matter of fact, in her usual manner of just latching onto some random observation in complete defiance of everything else, including social norms.

“From my time on the Fredricton.” Etan said with a smile. “What are we working with today?” He asked indicating the cases with a nod.

"We finally have modern phasers that don't require percussive maintenance." Sabine said and opened the crates to reveal one with new Type 2 pistols and one with new Type 3 rifles.

"Courtesy of the Hornet. There are times I would like to be back on a modern posting but reality sets in that I'm just as likely to get a posting to the Enterprise. And I don't really want it as badly anymore." Sabine said.

"And there's a certain charm that I feel I can't get away from here. Nor can I put my finger on explaining." Sabine added.

"There is a charm here." Etan felt pride for a moment. In fact the moments of feeling proud of his post and his crew had been increasing in frequency lately. "I am hoping with the construction teams coming in we can collaborate on a way preserve some of the charming bits."

"Oh. Yes, the aesthetic I suppose is. But more the...I guess the things not being quantified." Sabine replied, "Either way. I have to admit I'm unsure as to how things will unfold going forward. The Tzenkethi were a serious threat to the Federation up until the Dominion War. I feel like this is going to be a lot like Deep Space Nine on the Cardassian border..."

Thoughts of the Dominion War, and the Cardassian Occupation filled Etan's mind."Let's hope it's not quite like that." He said, shaking himself back to reality. "Were gonna keep our finger on the pulse here, though having Korzenten and the others on Earth gives a leg up should anything change here."

"The risk is there either way, Captain." Sabine replied and hefted one of the Type 2 pistols, "The newer models are a bit bulky but more natural to aim and fire. You can also remove it from the frame to make it a Type 1. A lot of the aesthetic of these came from the phasers of Kirk's era, interestingly."

"History has a way of resurfacing, Captain. The Tzenkethi seem to be living in the past, though I find it...perplexing. One does not make progress by facing backwards." Sabine said.

"Exactly right." Etan said, lifting a Type 2. "Shall we?"