Chapter 50: Chapter 49: Rifle Training

One of the very few things Alex was able to do on his own without any interference from Belladonna was ensure the VDF was properly trained on their main combat weapon—the Tigwalt4 Pulse Rifle.

A marvel of modern engineering, the Tigwalt4 rifle fired a concentrated beam of energy at its opponents without the need for traditional ammunition. That beam was generated by a power source attached to the rifle, and the biggest thing to remember when it came to maintenance was making sure the rifle was being “charged” when not in use. They fired inaccurate and nonlethal rounds when poorly-charged but otherwise, it was an incredibly useful and deadly rifle when properly cared for.

Most of the VDF had extensive experience with the rifle due to the frequency of bear attacks but since no one had managed to bring one down for quite some time, Alex wanted them trained for accuracy to better help them in the future.

The most promising thing he was able to set up was rifle training for non-VDF members, a way of training a “national guard” type force that could serve as a reserve, or for anyone interested in eventually joining the ranks of the VDF. It was this group that he was meeting with this morning. Many of them were the newer colonists from the Racine, and quite a few became interested in proper training once they figured out how big of a threat the bears actually were.

It also was a way around the women in the VDF problem. Several of the new sign-ups were women, including one that was very close to Alex.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked Jenna as they walked along with Rick to the training grounds on the other side of the river. “Don’t get me wrong—you were great covering my ass outside of Vesta but I view this course as a warm-up session for joining the VDF. And you know I can’t promise you’ll get in right now with the current environment.”

Jenna shook her head. “I don’t care what Belladonna thinks about women in the VDF. That’s where I want to be. After all, Carla made it work, right?”

“Carla is about the only one to make it work,” said Alex before lowering his voice. “And only because she’s a little . . . unfeminine.”

Jenna started to laugh. “I think the term you’re looking for is butch. Listen, I want to know how to operate a rifle. Vesta is in trouble and I want to be able to do my part. Is there anything wrong with that?”

“She has a great point, Alex,” added Rick.

There was nothing wrong with that in Alex’s book and he felt pride in Jenna’s outlook. If only it hadn’t been marred with the guilt from two nights ago, when Ellie had given him head. He hadn’t discussed that with Jenna, and for the time being, he didn’t plan to. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her, especially when their relationship had made so much progress.

Most of the class was already on the training grounds by the time Alex and Jenna arrived. A good portion of their faces were familiar to him already but they included a few native Vestans as well. One friendly face was that of Sam Reeves, the man who had his companion, Adela, taken from him by Serrano back on the ship. He seemed proud to be there, although it was obvious he had no military experience by the way he held his rifle.

“Good to see you, Sam,” said Alex, smacking the man’s back.

“I figured it was about time I learned how to use one of these,” said Sam proudly. “When I heard you were putting this together, I wanted to be one of the first to sign up!”

Most of the others were in a similar boat but one face stuck out immediately as a potential problem.

“Alex,” Jenna hissed. “That man right there is Owen Drevan. He’s one of Serrano’s men!”

“I see him,” growled Alex as he marched over to Owen. He remembered his face well from the small battle that took place outside the ship’s engine room. As Alex marched over to him, he saw Owen actually look nervous.

“What are you doing here?” asked Alex, using his size to get in Owen’s face. “I know who you are. Are you spying for Serrano today?”

Owen’s eyes flickered up to meet Alex’s briefly. “No, I’m not a spy. I’m not here for Serrano.”

“Bullshit,” barked Alex. “You fought us right outside the engine room. You helped take over the ship for him. You can’t tell me you’re not one of his men.”

“I was,” admitted Owen quietly.

“What the hell do you mean you were?”

“I mean I’m not anymore,” said Owen, meeting his stare. “I’m not one of them.”

“Why? Tell me what happened.”

Owen swallowed. “I fell in with Serrano because he was persuasive. I saw the idea of going to Dangallu as a better alternative. Once he took over the ship though, I felt terrible about what we did. What I helped him do. I might be a criminal but I still have a conscience. Once we got to Vesta, I started to distance myself from them. I don’t want any part of Serrano’s gang anymore.”

“How do you expect me to believe you?” asked Alex. “How do I know you didn’t concoct that story with Serrano before you got here just so you could put a shot in my back the second I turn around?”

Owen shook his head. “It’s not like that. I’ll prove it to you. Listen, I’m putting my life on the line even being here, all right? If Serrano or one of his other men see me here, they could kill me. Why do you think I want to be here to learn how to protect myself?”

“It’s still awfully convenient for you,” argued Alex. “I’m of half a mind to have a gun trained on you the entire time just in case.”

“That’s fine,” said Owen quickly. “Put a gun on me and tell them to shoot if I don’t follow your instructions to the letter. I’ll prove to you that I’m here on my own accord. If there’s a choice to be made between you and Serrano, then I can assure you I’m not going to pick Serrano.”

Alex glared at the man for moments, trying to look for any hints of dishonesty. He found none in Owen’s body language but that didn’t mean he was going to trust him just yet.

“Fine, you get one shot to do this right,” said Alex as he gestured to Rick. “But Rick is going to stand right behind you the entire time. One wrong move, and he’s going to pulverize your ass.”

“I understand,” said Owen, nodding as Rick took position. “I’ll show you I’m here for the right reasons.”

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Even though he didn’t like the situation, Alex moved onto the actual training portion next.

“Thank you all for coming,” he said to the group of twelve volunteers. “Now who here has ever handled a Tigwalt4 rifle in the past? Has anyone fired the rifle before?”

None of the hands went up in the air. Most of the group looked at each other, seemingly relieved that they were in good company.

“All right then,” replied Alex. “We’ll start with the basics. Let me teach you about all the rifle parts.”

Alex spent the first forty-five minutes going over every part of the rifle from the stock all the way to the barrel. He showed them how it could be disassembled and then reassembled. He showed them how the power generator worked to form the beams of energy as well as how to use the sights properly. After that, he had all of them work on disassembling their own rifle before putting it back together.

Almost all of them caught on quickly. True to his promise, Owen seemed to be the one taking it most seriously, finishing most tasks first. Sam struggled a little but seemed to pick up on it with proper guidance. Jenna did wonderful, further amplifying her reputation as a quick learner. Finally, it was time for them to take practice shots.

The training grounds were equipped with a range and practice targets, and Alex had them all try out various distances to get a feel for the rifle. Some of them, like Sam, only barely hit the nearest target, which was just fine for the first day. Jenna hit the first two without any problem but her furthest target was a little off. Alex still beamed with pride at seeing what she could do.

The real marksman of the day was Owen. At the furthest distance, he drilled the bulls-eye of the target like he’d been doing it his entire life.

“You sure you’ve never shot a rifle before?” asked Alex with some apprehension after the shot. “I don’t know many people who could hit that one on their first try.”

“Never fired a pulse rifle before but I did grow up on a farm back on Earth,” admitted Owen. “I’ve shot a rifle with traditional bullets—it was all my family could afford.”

“Interesting,” replied Alex. “Anyway, good shooting. Let’s give someone else a turn.”

They continued to practice for most of the morning. At one point, Alex noticed that Annette had come out to see their progress, standing just outside Biosphere Nine where she could watch. She waved at him once she caught his eye, giving him a subtle nod of approval in the process.

By the end of the session, Alex felt great about their progress. Just about everyone showed promising signs of improvement, and most became more confident as the morning wore on.

For nearly the first time since coming to Vesta, Alex felt hope that the future might not be so bleak.

*****

Unfortunately, Alex’s good luck on the training grounds didn’t extend to the mining biosphere. He worked a twenty-four hour shift that started that afternoon before doing it again a day later. At first, Alex tried to get the patrols to range outside the punch bowl to the foothills, and he even secured Rick’s help in getting the other VDF members in his squad to go along with it. The patrols for the rest of that day took place on the rocky rim above the biosphere, giving them additional eyes and making Alex hopeful that the situation here could change too.

It wasn’t meant to be. By the time Alex came in for his next shift, Rooney called him into his office first thing.

“What’s this I hear about the men going on patrols outside the biosphere plain?” asked Rooney, getting straight to the point. “You know that’s not allowed so why did it happen?”

“Because it needs to happen,” argued Alex. “It keeps all of our men a little safer. Now if only I could support those patrols with new watchtowers along the rim, we’d be in business.”

Rooney stood up and put his fists on his desk. “We’ve been through this already, Captain. You might think that you’re doing this on the sly, but word has already leaked out and reached my desk. What are you going to do if it reaches Belladonna? The only thing she needs to do is say the word and you’re out of the VDF. Why are you risking your job with this?”

“Because those men risk their lives for us everyday,” countered Alex. “The least we could do is extend them the same courtesy.”

“You just don’t get it, Alex,” replied Rooney, shaking his head. “Remember your place here. And I don’t ever want to get word that you’re disobeying protocols ever again. Dismissed.”

As expected, that put Alex in a foul mood, one that lasted the rest of the shift until he came back home to Jenna the following afternoon.

It was made even worse when two new members of the VDF, new arrivals who traveled on the Racine, were killed by bears in the punch bowl an hour after Alex left.

“Their deaths could have been prevented!” raged Alex. “What they are doing is so stupid that they are putting all of us at risk! I can’t protect these people if they won’t let me make changes.”

Jenna tried her best to console him. “Maybe once elections are over, we will have the numbers to change things. We just need to wait a little longer still.”

“And if we don’t win?” asked Alex. “What do we do if we have to live with a Belladonna majority on the Council for the foreseeable future? I can’t command in this environment if I can’t execute anything I want to do.”

“We just need to hope that the future will be better,” said Jenna.

Alex grumbled under his breath. “I hate leaving my fate to hope.”

But what else could he do?

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