Author's Notes: Beta'd by Kylie Lee; spoilers for Harbinger
Hoshi walked into the cargo bay being used for target practice, hoping this training session with the MACOs went better than the past two sessions.
The senior staff was still recovering from the bumps and bruises of hand-to-hand combat training with the MACOs a few days ago, which had ended abruptly when Malcolm had taken umbrage at how roughly his fellow officers were being handled. True, it had looked like Travis's MACO opponent had taken advantage of him and had hit him when he was down, but the helmsman himself hadn't taken offense. And Trip sure seemed to be getting along with that MACO, Amanda Cole. Although Cole had soundly tossed Trip several times, Hoshi hadn't missed the little slap to his rump that had had nothing to do with sparring. Hoshi had managed to hold her own and get in some decent throws. She was rather proud of herself, considering it was against people who did that kind of a thing for a living. Then again, she didn't have a black belt for nothing.
But overall, the Starfleet officers had been pretty soundly beaten, just like they had been the first time they'd fired the MACO rifles. Poor Malcolm especially hadn't done well. He was supposed to be the ace shot of the senior staff, what with him being head of security on the ship, but the unfamiliar weapons had stymied him, and he had hit the moving spherical target only a few times. As if that hadn't been bad enough, Major Hayes had immediately demonstrated how well he could shoot.
At least this time Malcolm wasn't going to be the first one up at the firing line. Travis had volunteered. Perhaps because he made no pretense of being an expert marksman, Travis knew that he wasn't going to rack up a high score. He appeared at ease and eager to learn. Hoshi, waiting with the other senior staff at the edge of the firing range, glanced surreptitiously at Malcolm standing to her right, past Trip and T'Pol. She could see a cold glint in Malcolm's eyes.
Really, she didn't understand what the problem was. Even though Hayes had a higher rank than Malcolm, they were in different branches -- one in Starfleet, the other in Military Assault Command Operations. Since this was a Starfleet vessel, Malcolm was in charge of security as a whole, and therefore technically in charge of the MACOs. He could give Hayes orders, but not vice versa. She'd heard the rumors that Malcolm wasn't happy with Hayes, who he thought was trying to take over his job. In Hoshi's opinion, that was ridiculous. For one thing, Hayes didn't have the specific skills needed to run security on a starship
Who would have thought Enterprise's chief of security would be insecure, at least so far as his job was concerned? But then, the major didn't help matters, Hoshi knew. The man was supremely confident in his abilities, which often came off as condescending, and he tended to rub people the wrong way because of it. No wonder he and Malcolm had gotten into a fight the other day. She'd hoped they'd gotten everything straightened out, even if it had taken the captain reading them the riot act after their fight. Seeing Malcolm's clenched jaw, she realized that her hope on that count was in vain. So much for a more relaxed atmosphere for their current training session.
As the first round of shooting started, she craned her neck, trying to hear the instructions Hayes was doling out to Travis. Any tips she might pick up before it was her turn might help. At the very least, she wanted to do well, if only to make Malcolm feel better. He'd been the one to help her learn how to use the phase pistols, after all, and under his tutelage, she had become a fairly proficient shot with that particular weapon. If she did well now, it might offer him some validation.
"Your grip on the rifle isn't stable, Ensign," Hayes told Travis as the target danced erratically in front of him. "And you're holding your breath each time you squeeze the trigger. That's throwing off your natural rhythm."
Travis nodded. That only served to make the gun jerk more, and he missed the target by a wider margin than before.
"Part of your problem, Ensign," Hayes continued in that know-it-all tone, "is that you're taking too long to make the shot. Don't think about what you're going to do; just do it."
Travis took several more shots, each missing, before a buzzer sounded and the target fell to the deck. Travis turned to Hayes. "This is harder than it looks," he said ruefully.
"For someone unfamiliar with these weapons, no doubt it is," Hayes said. "Make some time in your schedule to practice more often."
Uh-oh, Hoshi thought, catching Malcolm rolling his eyes. She knew he wasn't reacting to Hayes's words so much as to the way they'd been said. It was as if Hayes was putting Travis down for having other duties that kept him from doing this training more often. Like piloting the ship wasn't important! They couldn't resolve the Xindi crisis if they couldn't get to where they were going. Everyone knew Travis was the best pilot in Starfleet, second maybe to only Captain Archer himself. Well, everyone knew it but the MACOs, apparently. But Hoshi now understood why Malcolm was still upset with the major. If this was the way Hayes talked to Malcolm every day, making it seem like the Starfleet personnel's contribution to this mission wasn't as important as the MACOs', it was a wonder Malcolm hadn't ripped the man's head off long before their knock-down, drag-out fight the other day.
As Travis headed back toward his fellow officers, Hoshi was relieved to see that the ensign's trademark good humor hadn't been dampened. He smiled broadly as he handed the rifle off to Trip with a cheery "Good luck!"
The chief engineer used to be of the same easygoing temperament as Travis, but the loss of his sister in the Xindi attack on Earth had hardened him. He didn't grin or banter, like he would have even a few months ago. Instead, he responded to Travis with a muttered, "Thanks." Hoshi could have sworn she saw a glimmer of vicious anticipation on Trip's face as he went to the firing line and brought the rifle up, waiting for the signal to start his round. No doubt he would welcome taking down the target, especially if he was imagining the face of a Xindi reptilian on it.
She suppressed a shudder at the thought. This war had changed all of them, and as far as she was concerned, not for the better. The change in Trip struck her as particularly sad. Once again, she checked Malcolm. She wasn't certain, but she thought she detected a certain sadness in his narrowed, hawklike eyes. He'd probably been thinking the same thing she had about Trip. She knew his friendship with Trip had been severely tested by the change in the engineer.
"I don't expect you to show much expertise with this," Hayes was saying to Trip.
Hoshi bit her lip. She couldn't come to his defense; he could do it himself. But listening to the MACO condescend to all her friends made it hard to stand quietly.
"I'm a quick learner," Trip responded, an edge to his voice as he held the rifle in position. "Let it rip."
Hayes didn't say anything, merely looked at Trip as if to take his measure, then gestured at the MACO at the control panel. The sphere rose from the floor and began its erratic flying routine. Despite what Trip might have wished, he missed the target cleanly every shot he took. Soon he was squeezing the trigger continuously, a barrage of energy pouring from the barrel, as he tried unsuccessfully to score a hit.
The signal rang to end the round. Hoshi saw Trip close his eyes in frustration as the target hit the deck.
"You need to start with the basics," Hayes said to him. "Have you ever fired a weapon before?"
"Of course I have!" Trip said, his accent deepening with his displeasure.
Hayes walked over to stand in Trip's personal space as he lectured the other man. "You're illustrating an important point, Commander. You're letting your feelings get in the way. You have to stay calm and focused."
Hoshi clenched her hands, then forced herself to relax. She wanted to interrupt and tell Hayes that he had no right to talk to Trip that way, given what the man had been through losing his sister. She opened her mouth to say just that, but before the words came out, Malcolm said softly, "Trip."
The warning tone in the tactical officer's voice got through to Trip, whose eyes had narrowed dangerously at the MACO commander. Trip glanced over his shoulder at Malcolm and, reading the warning on the other man's face, exhaled heavily. He thrust the rifle into Hayes's hands and stalked back to the line of officers at the edge of the shooting area.
Hoshi didn't miss the smirk that Hayes directed at Malcolm. She wondered if he was purposely baiting Malcolm, trying to get him to call off this session by belittling his comrades. She could see no reason for it, unless Hayes really did want control of security aboard Enterprise. If Malcolm canceled this session, all Hayes had to do was report to Captain Archer that Malcolm wasn't cooperating. The mood the captain had been in lately just might very well result in Malcolm being relieved of duty, or at the very least, Hayes being given carte blanche as far as senior staff training went.
Or it could be something else entirely, she mused. Malcolm and Hayes were both strong-willed men who didn't like to give in when they thought they were right. She didn't understand why they couldn't just sit down and discuss things reasonably. It reminded her of the days shortly after Enterprise was launched, and Trip and Malcolm were always arguing about something. Perhaps, under other circumstances, the two would have no trouble working together.
T'Pol stepped forward, breaking the tense silence that had followed Trip's departure from the firing line. "If you will permit me, Major," she said, extending her hand.
Hayes wordlessly put the rifle in her hands. As soon as T'Pol set herself, the gun snug in her grasp, Hayes signaled the MACO at the console to begin the round.
The target began its customary, erratic zigzagging. Hoshi was pleased to see that T'Pol scored a hit at least once every other shot. Her Vulcan reflexes were standing her in good stead. Then, without warning, a second target entered the firing range. T'Pol was momentarily nonplussed, but gamely continued shooting. With her concentration divided between two targets, however, her ratio of hits to shots dropped rapidly.
At the buzzer to signal the end of the round, T'Pol slowly lowered the rifle and cast an inquiring gaze on Hayes. "That was unfair," she said, voicing the exact same thing Hoshi had been thinking.
"There's nothing fair about warfare," Hayes observed. "There will be times when the unexpected occurs. You have to adapt. In this situation, you should shoot at anything that moves."
"I disagree," T'Pol stated in a brittle tone. "An 'additional' target could be a friendly force which has changed position, inadvertently entering my field of fire."
"Unlikely," Hayes contradicted her. "And this is simply target practice. Anything moving in the firing range is fair game."
Hoshi understood Hayes's point, but she didn't care for his cavalier attitude toward T'Pol, not to mention that he was once again adopting that superior attitude that grated on her own nerves. She noticed Malcolm had crossed his arms over his chest and was looking anywhere but at Hayes, a sure sign that he was displeased. She knew exactly how he felt. At that moment, she wanted nothing so much as to wipe that smug look off the major's face.
Without even realizing she was doing it, Hoshi stepped forward. "I'd like to try next."
Hayes gave her an appraising look as he handed over the rifle. "Let's see if you can do better than your peers, Ensign." His tone, however, implied that she wouldn't.
As Hayes turned his back and walked out onto the firing range to retrieve the second target where it had fallen, Hoshi frowned. She didn't need to look at Malcolm to know that last comment had rankled him as well. Hayes really was a pompous, condescending ass, she decided. He was skilled in his field, she had to admit, but condescending toward others who weren't his peers by career choice.
Still, Hoshi was determined to do her best. She mentally reviewed some of the things Hayes had said during this session. Had he been looking at her, he would have seen the smile that slowly transformed her face from apprehensive to impish. His back was toward her as he bent to pick up the target. She quickly raised the rifle and, knowing it was set on a low-level output that wouldn't do any lasting damage but would impart a nasty shock, pulled the trigger. A satisfying "zap" sounded as she hit her intended target – squarely in the posterior.
A surprised grunt came from Hayes as he dropped the target and jerked upright to turn around toward her, his face a study in indignation as one hand rubbed the injured part of his anatomy. "What the hell was that, Ensign!" he all but shouted.
Hoshi was aware of Malcolm taking a step forward, ready to intervene if necessary. But she didn't think she needed any help. She smiled sweetly at Hayes. "Target practice."
"Target practice!" Hayes said incredulously. "You're even worse than the rest of the Starfleet personnel on board."
"I beg to differ," she said, not at all intimidated by his outrage. Words had always been her best weapon, and she was about to throw his own words right back at him. "I'm just doing what you told us to do."
"By no stretch of the imagination could shooting me be called target practice."
Hoshi glanced at the other MACOs, who were either glaring at her or standing stoically expressionless. Behind her, she sensed her friends gathering round her in support in case Hayes tried to retaliate. Since she still held the rifle pointed at him, she doubted that would happen, even if he didn't have much faith in her abilities with it. He'd have to be stupid to make a move against her at this moment.
"It was too target practice," she insisted. "You told Travis, and I quote, 'Don't think about what you're doing; just do it.' So I just did it. Then you told Trip, and again I quote, 'You have to stay calm and focused,' and I was calm and focused." She paused to draw a breath, at which time she heard a couple of chuckles from the Starfleet officers behind her. "And finally, you told T'Pol to 'shoot anything that moves.' You were in the firing range and you were moving, so I shot you."
She slowly lowered the rifle and delivered the coup de grace. "How was I to know that you were a 'friendly force'?"
She and Hayes locked gazes. It took a few moments, but finally she saw his outrage change to something else. Grudging admiration, perhaps, but admiration nonetheless.
"Point taken," he said as he very deliberately moved out of the firing range. He went to stand by the firing control console, the extra target tucked under one arm. He took a deep breath and said, "Any time you're ready, Ensign."
Hoshi looked at Malcolm, who was trying not to grin. She couldn't hide her own grin even if she tried. She brought the rifle up into position, focused on the firing range, and said, "Ready."