Security Action Plan - Part 5
Posted on 29 Jan 2023 @ 8:27pm by Chief Deputy Marshal: Ridge Steiner - FMS & Commander Calliope Zahn
Mission:
M3 - Into the Deep
Location: USS Pathfinder - Science lab
Timeline: MD08 2130hrs
2655 words - 5.3 OF Standard Post Measure
Steiner stepped off the turbo lift, checked directions and strolled down the corridor looking for Science & Engineering Lab Two, when Quinn had informed him the prototype rail-gun would be available for a first look over.
He was not in the best of moods, he was feeling a little out of the loop. After the discovery of the corpse on the alien station they had returned to the ship, which had then promptly high tailed it off to hide in a nearby nebular, due to the arrival of an unknown craft. Later the Captain and Executive Officer had gone over to their back-up ship, the Theseus for a meeting with the Captain. On their return the Pathfinder had got underway.
His security and tactical subordinates had informed him what they had learned from their Bridge positions, the incoming craft which triggered the alter had in fact been some kind of communications buoy and as a result of the message it had contained the Pathfinder was now heading to a planet supposedly in thrall to the Pyrryx.
His annoyance came because none of the command staff had actually informed him what was going on, what little he did know was because the department people he was nominally in charge of, had come and told him.
As an investigator he was used to working on limited information and using his skills to discover more detail. It was just unexpected to be apparently side-lined by the senior command. He had some passing concerns that it was because he was a civilian on a Starfleet vessel. The Captain had made him Chief of Security but did DeHavilland and Zahn not actually trust him?
In his own agency he’d have been knocking on doors, asking questions and demanding answers. He was well aware that one did not do that of Starfleet Starship Captains, not unless he wanted to experience some time on the wrong side of the Brig.
Steiner hoped it was an oversight and that at some point he would be informed what was going on, and perhaps more to the point, what they expected of him. He would bide his time for now and then if nothing changed, seek out Zahn, she had seemed approachable enough, and ask her.
He found the right doorway, stopped, took a deep breath and let his concerns go. If Quin was on the same form as before, the man would be irritating enough without Steiner going in wound-up already.
He focused on What’s Important Now… The rail-gun!
If they were to have any chance of defending against a Pyrryx boarding action, then the Bodkin projectile was going to play a major part.
He fixed a smile to his face and stepped in through the door. Entering he found the Research Engineer, along with a colleague, leaning over a lab table, on which lay a what he presumed to be the prototype weapon.
It was colored similar to Starfleet phaser rifles, gunmetal gray, black and silver. It was similar to the holo-version they had been practicing with, but not the same. It was quite bulky, a round body, about eight inches in diameter, perhaps two feet long. At one end was a stubby barrel, maybe eighteen inches long, the tip of a bodkin projected out of it. On top of the barrel was some form of front sight.
The other end of the round main body was fitted with what looked like a standard Phaser rifle stock, although the butt-pad was wider and thicker. Underneath the cylinder, at the rear was a pistol grip and trigger, in the middle what looked like two magazines stuck out, but, as he got closer, he realized they were battery packs. Forward on the cylinder were two fore grips, one a folding vertical grip, the other one was U-shaped. A heavy duty tactical three-point sling was attached to the cylinder and buttstock.
Laying on the table next to it was a tubular quiver containing three more bodkins. Quinn and his colleague had the weapon hooked up to a tricorder and were peering at the screen when Steiner joined them.
“Well, that looks impressive for a prototype,” he offered.
Lance's expression seemed neutral. "I did make a few improvements on the proposed spec. This is slightly higher capacity, and the reload generates with a multi circuit feed allowing for 24 percent faster power restoration between recharges." He tapped along the length of the capacitors where the circuit routing was housed.
Steiner nodded. "Improvements always welcome."
Lance continued, drily . "There is a recoil diffusion sufficient for a person of some heft to remain standing while firing at under 50 percent charge." He considered Stiener momentarily before concluding, "Your mass is likely sufficient. At higher charges, the diffusion will require a tripod."
"So basically, somebody can hold it if they are my size and fire it, at around half power, but otherwise we've got to mount it on a tripod, ok... We can work around that"
"Arms manufacture was not an area I ever envisioned applying myself to." Lance leaned back on his heels and crossed his arms. "However, the problem is essentially a manner of propulsion concerning the projectile to be delivered, so it is a rather rudimentary concept encompassed by my primary field of interest in starship propulsion, which, as it so happens, at root also involves payloads and energetic momentum. Some societies have even used magnetic rail propulsion as a means of breaking planetary gravity and first exploring the stars, after all. In the earliest stages of—"
"Right, " Steiner briefly wondered if he was going to get a lecture on magnetic propulsion systems "Well it looks like you've certainly applied yourself Commander. Is the weapon at a stage where it is able to be tested?"
"All the components are complete and have passed diagnostic examination." Lance shut down the tricorder and motioned for Steiner to go ahead and do as he would with the rifle. "So, yes, testing would be the next sensible phase of development."
The Technician with Quinn handed Steiner a set of safety goggles, then lifted the weapon from the table and handed it to Steiner. He put the goggles on and took it, slipping the tactical sling over his head and settling it on his left shoulder. His right hand slid around the pistol grip, index finger forward, alongside the trigger guard; his left hand went forward, opting for the U-shaped grip which he personally preferred over the vertical types. He took the weight, around sixteen pounds, maybe a little more, with the bodkin loaded. It was heavy for a rifle, but not excessive. He shrugged the butt up into his right shoulder, got it in the right place and pulled it in tight. Raising the barrel up with his left hand, he leaned into the weapon and lowered his eye to the rear-sight.
The wide tube of the main body made it bulky and he had to adjust the buttstock position a little on his shoulder, but he could get the rear and fore-sights lined up without too much difficulty. He was careful to point the weapon in a safe direction and slowly moved it left and right, up and down. It was indeed, heavy, bulky and not as maneuverable as a standard phaser rifle or carbine, but it was manageable.
The Technician reached up and showed him the power-on button, just forward of the trigger assembly, on the right side, where he could reach it with his right index finger. The safety was on the left side and easily flipped on and off with his right thumb. The percentage of charge applied to the magnets was set by means of a recessed slide control on the left side, near the two battery wells. He found he could slide his left hand back off the foregrip and adjust the slider without too much difficulty. A row of diodes near the rear sight showed the level set. Another set, graduating from red through orange to green indicated when the weapon was recharging and when it was ready to fire.
There was one final control button, this was under the barrel at the front of the main cylindrical body. The Technician informed him this was for bodkin retention. When activated, a small magnetic charge would hold a loaded bodkin in the barrel, so it did not drop out, if the weapon was pointed downwards. A second press would turn off the charge and the bodkin could be safely removed.
Steiner lowered the weapon from his shoulder, it hung comfortably from the sling across his chest, again bulky and heavy but not unduly so. He nodded. "So far so good, where can we fire it?"
"Right over here sir" The Technician drew a PaDD from his labcoat pocket and tapped in some commands. On the far side of the lab an orange forcefield shimmered into being. It was like a long narrow U-shaped tunnel, open at one end, like a batting cage, about eight meters long. A dark silhouette of a life-sized Pyrryx warrior appeared at the far end.
Steiner walked over to the open end, the Technician followed and leaned into him. "We can set the weapon on to a test or practice mode" The man flipped open a small panel on the right side of the weapon and flipped a switch. "The weapon will react as though it has a full charge, at whatever level is set, but the final set of magnets will actually decelerate the projectile down to a safe speed, so that we do not risk a hull breach.
The forcefield has been set to capture and hold the projectile in the place and attitude that it impacts the end of the tunnel. That way the shooter can work on aiming and targeting skills, with the experience of realistic firing recoil, while staying within safety parameters"
Steiner listened and gave Quinn a nod, quietly impressed. "Looks like you've got most things covered, let's give it a shot"
He took a bladed shooting-stance, hauled the weapon back into his shoulder, hunched down over it and flipped the power switch on with his finger tip. There was a barely audible electronic hum almost like a powerful base speaker and he felt a sort of statically tingle where he was in contact with the weapon. He slid the charge level to twenty-percent. The charging diodes glowed, changing from red through to green in about seven seconds. He moved his index finger to the trigger, taking up the tension, he aligned the sights and moved the weapon onto the target silhouette at the far end of the forcefield tunnel. Satisfied with his aim, he exhaled slowly and squeezed the trigger.
The trigger pull was even and crisp, as it hit the stop the electronic hum increased rapidly, then died, there was a soft whoshing sound and the buttstock punched him in the shoulder!
At the business end of the weapon, the tungsten tipped rock-spike bodkin surged forward, traveling straight, level and true, almost too fast to be seen until it slammed into middle of the Pyrryx silhouette and hung there, the forcefield hissing and crackling around it.
Steiner removed his finger from the trigger, eased up, relaxing his grip, flipped off the power and let the weapon hang from the sling. The lack of any kind of flash or phaser beam was unusual, besides the hum and the whosh the weapon was almost silent. It did have a kick to it though.
"Smooth, quiet, pretty accurate, I was aiming a little higher, going for center-mass" he commented "But that was good at this distance"
"Yes, well, it's not an energy weapon. At only 20 percent charge, the mass of the projectile acts against your aim within a fairly short distance, reaching the apex of the parabola of flight before the ship's gravity has it's way. At lower charges, you may find it advantageous to aim a little higher." Quinn explained. "Fired at a higher charge, the effect on aim should diminish."
The Technician held the quiver out to him and Steiner withdrew another of the tungsten bodkins. Lifting the barrel up, he aligned the end of the bodkin's shaft and fed it into the barrel, when he felt it stop, he turned the power on and pressed the bodkin-lock button. He gave a quick tug on the shaft, it did not move, the bodkin was held securely in place.
While he was doing so the Technician retrieved the first shot from the forcefield, tapping his PaDD to release the field's hold on the bolt.
Once the man was clear of the tunnel Steiner changed his grip and got the weapon back up into a firing position. He moved the slide up to fifty-percent and it hummed away as the charge built up, the diodes changing to green in about ten seconds.
Back in his shooting position, Steiner braced himself, heels down, bending his knees and moving his weight forward on his feet into the direction for the target. Finger on the trigger, he sighted, aiming a little higher than before, held and released his breath and fired.
This time the barrel jerked and the buttstock up and kicked him in the shoulder, hard! Even braced, with his weight forward, he felt himself forcibly shoved back and had to adjust his back foot to compensate for the heavy recoil to save being pushed off balance. Quinn had been correct; at fifty percent it was up near the limits of what he could handle.
The bodkin flew straight and level, nothing but a blur until it shuddered to a stop in the forcefield, pretty much exactly where he had aimed.
Steiner relaxed, pleased with the shot. He flipped the weapon off, reloaded and went again. He took another two shots at fifty percent, keeping his aim up a little bit the bodkin hitting close to the mark on both shots. But the recoil was brutal, he knew after a couple more his right upper arm would be almost too stiff to use.
He turned it off, lowered the weapon into the sling and blew out air. He shifted his right shoulder around stiffly, there was going to be a bruise there by morning,
"Well, it works, but you were right Commander, at fifty percent this thing bites back!" He acknowledged ruefully to Quinn "After maybe five or six shots we are going to need the change out the shooter, or their arm is going to be incapacitated. We can also look at some body armor options, spread the shock out over more of the upper body, lessen the impact"
"If we don't get penetration of their armor at fifty percent, we will need to use the tripod. Do we have a prototype of that yet?" Steiner asked
Quinn was disinterested in something as prosaic as a tripod design. He appeared dismissive, already collecting his working materials, his mind moving on to other projects. "I do believe the Marine compliment has access to tripods for artillery pieces. There should be something they can recommend replicating."
"Huh " Steiner nodded, it seemed the master engineer had already moved on "Ok, well good suggestion. I'll talk with them"
"Inform the Quartermaster of how many Railguns and Bodkin shots you will require. She can make the necessary arrangements for production. If there's nothing else you require...?"
"I will" Steiner smiled, yep he's done "Well thank you for the quick work on this..." He turned and placed the weapon back down on the bench. "...Hopefully it will work as planned..."
When he turned around Quinn was already heading out the door.
Steiner shook his head and gave the Technician a wink "Geniuses eh?"
