February 1st, 8253

It's quite a relief to walk into the Edwards Small Arms Training Facility. Even if it is a shared facility between the Navy and the Royal Marines, with the Surveyor's Corps being permitted their small corner and time on the schedules, It's also closed to the public. Which has become an increasingly important thing to you. Being hailed as 'the man who discovered the Arlazu Assembled Accord' and chased about by paparazzi was amusing for about a day and has been annoying ever since. Not even the fact that today you will have to re-qualify with both of your issued weapons can dampen you mood.

You check the time, find that you are early, and look for a facility map. The pistol range is buried in the back corner of a sub level. Navigating your way there takes only a few minutes and you find a line stretching around the corner. You shrug, not surprised in the slightest that the range is running behind with so many people coming up for qualification drills. Even if no one messed up hard enough to stop the whole range while the range master sorts the issue out people are people. By three in the afternoon there have been enough people taking that extra half second here and there that the range is a full half hour behind.

You let your mind drift on autopilot and advance with the line. Eventually your turn comes and you obey the range masters instructions to advance to your position, array your equipment, and stand ready. The range masters voice is a bit horse and almost bored, a schoolmaster teaching the same standardized test for the thousandth time.

“You are all here for the Star Empire pistol qualification course. Different branches use different sidearms so now is the time to set your magazines, power packs, and so on accordingly for this drill. You will be required to reload only once during a string of fire and are not permitted to reload during a string of fire otherwise. You will be permitted to reload, clear jams, and repack or recharge magazines between strings of fire as needed. The strings of fire will all be fired from a standing position, from concealment, and two handed except where noted. The ten strings of fire are as follows.

“With the target at a range of two meters: draw and fire three rounds with one hand, transition hands, and fire three more rounds within six seconds.

“With the target at a range of four meters: draw and fire three rounds in three seconds, from the ready fire three rounds in two seconds, and from the ready fire six rounds in four seconds.

“With the target at a range of six meters: draw and fire five rounds in five seconds, with four rounds loaded and the gun at the ready fire four rounds then reload and fire four more rounds within eight seconds, and from the ready fire five rounds in four seconds.

“With the target at a range of thirteen meters: draw and fire three rounds in six seconds, and from the ready fire three rounds in five seconds.

“With the target at a range of twenty two meters: Draw and fire four rounds then drop to a kneeling stance and fire four more rounds within twenty seconds.

“Scoring is as follows. Zero points for any miss and two points for any hit. If you score forty eight points or less you will automatically be signed up for a remedial training course. If you score fifty to seventy eight points inclusive you will be automatically signed up for a refresher training course. Scoring eighty or more points and you pass. Score the full hundred possible points and you pass with distinction.

“Any safety violation will automatically fail you with a score of zero and get you signed up for a mandatory full safety training course before you can begin the remedial training course.

“Questions? No? Good. Set you magazines or power packs accordingly, adjust the concealment outline for your height and dominant hand, and then hit the green button to signal readiness. Once the line is clear and ready we will begin on my call.

You lay your power packs out and start doing mental math. The mixture of odd and even numbers of shots means that you can't set your pistol to two shot burst mode to gain any sort of advantage. Switching back and forth between modes would cost you the time you would otherwise save. With sixteen rounds per power pack you can shoot the first three strings on one power pack, leaving it with only four rounds for later. Your second power pack will carry you though the next two strings with five rounds to spare. Then you will need to switch back to the first pack for the sixth string's 'start with four rounds' requirement and you can finish the string on the second power pack with a single round to spare. From there your third power pack can handle all but the final string, leaving that one for your fourth and final power pack. You arrange you power packs accordingly, prepare yourself, and hit the ready button.

Soon thereafter the range is declared ready and the qualification shoot begins. The time constraint on the opening string is brutal and you rush your shots and your transition form one hand to the other, scoring only four hits. You ace the second and third strings with three hits each before reloading to your second power pack. You score five of six hits on the fourth string and four of five hits on the fifth string.

“Reload so that you only have four rounds loaded!”

The call out from the range master reminds you to switch back to your first power pack and tap the second in readiness to reload. The sixth string of fire begins with three misses before you score a hit and go for the reload. The time limit makes it tight but you manage three more hits on the back half of the string. You reload to your third power pack as the range adjusts for the seventh string and take a deep breath. Doing the mental math you have forty six points with thirty eight more points available. You can afford to miss only two more shots and still pass.

You only make two of the five shots on the seventh string which means your maximum score is eighty. The permitted time is longer for the eighth, ninth, and tenth strings which means you can take a moment to aim. You ace the eight string, take a deep breath and set up for the ninth string. You manage to ace the ninth string, but only just considering your second shot is mere milometers from the edge of the target. You reload to your fourth and final power pack, take a deep calming breath, and turn just your head to be sure that your space is still clear to drop to a kneeling stance. It is and you stand ready. The tenth string is the longest range but you have enough time for deliberate properly aimed fire so you force your self to slow down and take the extra time. You manage to hit all eight shots of the string, though the seventh is another round that winds up on the outer edge of the target. Eighty points, just barely enough to pass. You unload and safe your weapon and await the range master's word that it is safe to proceed.

“Well you are a sorry lot. Navy and Royal Marines both shown up by the Surveyor's Corps. Secure your weapons, magazines, and power packs, police your brass, and collect your paper copies of your results on your way out. Those of you that have additional training will also receive a scheduling slip with a date and time to report in.”