"Not to be a nitpicker sir, but how will we do some of these physical workouts in the confines of this ship? Won't we end up disrupting operations?"
Captain Dawson directed his gaze back over to the larger trainee "oh I wouldn't dare let you ruin my ship's daily operations for the sake of physical training. That is what technology and specialized staff are for, and our company just so happens to have both on board."
Captain Dawson made a gesture to the briefing room door where a tall, lean woman entered the room wearing a lab uniform with a neat and proper look about her. The look she gave off to the trainees was a clinical one as if she observed them all through a microscope lens. She had fading blonde hair contrasted with sharp green eyes. She carried herself with an air of maturity and confidence that seemed borne from experience.
"This is our most senior Doctor on board, Doctor Felicia Simmons Is our local expert in eugenics, health science, nutrition on top of a full medical training doctrine. She will oversee your physical training and conduct physical testing to get a baseline of your health and fitness ability."
She started to examine each trainee without introducing herself and moved down the line noting different things in a datapad. After seemingly finding whatever she was looking for she notated a few things and pointed to the man captain Dawson referred to as Trainee Borridin.
"I will take him in first, are we going through THE program?" with a nod from Dawson, Simmons looked at the trainees and giggled "ooh the experiments will be fun!"
Borridin preened initially at getting selected first before hearing her second statement and adopted a guarded look.
"Experiments? We didn't sign up to be lab rats!"
Doctor Simmons "oh hush, getting all skittish before you even hear about the benefits!" She proceeded to prod Borridin out of the room. "I will be back for the rest in a few hours captain!"
Captain Dawson waved off the doctor before turning back to face the rest of the now ashen-faced trainees. "Now that is underway we will start the rest of you with the training courses revolving around weapon maintenance, battle tactics both on land and space combat, and a primer in the ship systems and security protocols you would be expected to follow on any vessel."
He stepped aside to reveal three Virtual reality headsets linked to the shipboard computer. "You will be utilizing this equipment to rapidly get you up to pace with the onboard AI monitoring your progress."
Dawson ended the briefing projections and began to leave the room. "You will each be swapping out training and time with the good doctor for today. I expect results trainees!"
Everyone Saluted the Captain before moving to the VR equipment. Theo looked at the other two and started speaking after Dawson left the room.
"What do you think the doc meant about this project. I thought this was a normal recruitment?"
"Beats me, I didn't even know how normal recruitment worked before this in the first place"
The woman said nothing as she approached her training gear and enabled the system to start her training. Azamir and Theo both shrugged and did the same. As he stood next to the helmet He looked over the several meter long cables linking it to the roof of the room and presumably to the ships onboard AI computer. It looked well maintained with signs of intermittent use. He picked up the helmet and slid it over his head before initializing the system.
[Training tech detected: linking system to overlay... Completed]
The initialization screen fizzled out for a second before reappearing as normal. Azamir looked surprised as he didn't expect the system to be able to connect to the technology! He wondered how it would work!
{Welcome to the MRB training course for equipment certification, please choose a weapon to begin}
A simulated shooting range loaded in with a hologram image depicting a drill instructor standing at attention next to an armory of different weapons and equipment. Bald and nondescript, he looked like someone took a stock image of a soldier and brought him to life.
"Welcome to the range, I see your new to this program as it's your first time signing in. Have you shot a gun before?"
Azamir nodded, his father had shown him around a few firearms and taught basic gun safety. However, he was limited to handguns and compact laser rifles for civilians.
"I do, but It would be best to hit the basics so I get a better understanding of these weapons."
The instructor nodded in approval "Nothing wrong with going over fundamentals, grab that sidearm, and let's approach the range before loading the weapon."
The instructor quickly approached the firing lane next to the one that Azamir was in so they both had a lane to shoot in. The barrier was made transparent so he could see it demonstrate the proper technique. He was taught the proper way to hold a ballistic and laser handgun, how to load, and treat the weapon with respect just like his father stressed. The digital instructor nodded as he listened and performed the same techniques he was just taught.
"Good, lets put a few rounds downrange at 15-20 meters."
BANG BANG BANG...
Azamir grimaced as the shots he fired were less accurate than he had hoped he would be, the training simulation accurately reflected his real-life results of handling a weapon so he wanted to perform well. He fired a few more shots before stepping back and ejecting the magazine.
He thought to himself and realized the gun was pulling to the left every time he fired. But he didn't know why it was doing that as he was in the stance he was just shown. He voiced this concern to the instructor and it had him resume a firing stance with no ammo before telling him to relax.
"Your shots are pulling to the left huh? I would check your grip on the gun, your 2nd joint of each finger should be going down the middle of the inner grip when you hold the weapon. Too far in and it will pull the gun slightly inwards with every trigger pull. Try resetting it like this."
Intrigued by this information. He adapted his grip and loaded the weapon for more test rounds. Almost immediately his shots were grouped tighter and more accurate than his previous attempts.
[System Skill acquired: Handgun marksmanship]
Azamir blinked, he just gained a new skill! He immediately noticed his body adopting the stance with greater familiarity and his next few shots was even more accurate than before!
The instructor took note of this and had him move on to rifles next. Again the same drill was followed and he was shown the best way to handle a rifle and aim down the sights for greater accuracy.
The system pinged him yet again for a new skill in rifle marksmanship as well!
"good shooting there recruit! we will make a marksman of you yet! It's good to see you adhere to the safety rules as well. These tools can be very deadly in the right hands and as long as you treat them with the respect they demand you will find yourself on the right end of your own weapon every time. Far too many people treat them as toys and end up with terrible injuries to themselves as a result. Now, with that said let's move onto the fun stuff."
He stepped back as the armory expanded into heavy weapons and explosives but the piece de resistance was center stage as what looked to be a souped-up combat exoskeleton rose out of the center of the platform. The instructor went over the various weapons, tools, and explosives at the companies disposal and gave him basic instructions on how to handle each with an in-person demonstration of their destructive power. Then it finally addressed the elephant in the room on center stage when Azamir demonstrated passing knowledge on the other equipment.
"Welcome to the deliverer, newest developed hardware for the up and coming mercenary. These combat exosuits will be the mainstay of every squad and heavily adapted to suit the skillset of the squad member. They allow the user to operate in any hostile environment, including space EVA operations. Be it a walking fortress or agile skirmishers, these exosuits can be readily used to tackle any mission a freelancer could aspire to. Be warned, this technology and its functions are considered classified and are not to be discussed with anyone unless given permission."
Azamir's eyes sparkled as he poured over the projected schematics of the deliverer exosuit. The system also Analyzed the suit on his prompting. Saving the full details, possible weapon fittings, and even highlighted open slots that seemed available to tamper with.
Before he could reach out, the projection was cut off and the suit disappeared. A projection of Dawson appeared with a sly smile "Now you saw the carrot we are dangling before you, perform well in your training and we will give you access to learn this emerging piece of technology before anyone else is able to access it. Giving you an effective step up above the other trainees in your cohort at the MRB."
Snapping back to attention at the sight of the captain, Azamir saluted and replied "Sir! I appreciate the opportunity!"
Dawson waved him off "That's enough of the proper ceremony trainee, reserve it for formal gatherings and mission briefs. Now I seem to remember you having classes in tactics? It's your time to show us what you managed to retain in your courses. Lets test your academies curriculum shall we?"