Admiral Brosoth reacted, wrapping his children in his arms and pushing them to the side of the elevator.
He spared a glance for the Commander, who was staring at them.
The Admiral watched, waiting for a hailstorm of bullets to rip the Commander apart.
When that didn't happen, he slowly backed away from the wall, releasing his children and turning to glare at Commander Venata.
"Commander, I expect an appropriate explanation."
The Commander continued to stare before a huge grin broke out across his face.
"Apologies, Admiral Brosoth. I thought my meaning in the elevator was clear."
He gestured into the room, or rather, the hangar, which had appeared.
"This is where my security team sleeps, trains, and operates out of."
The Commander confidently stepped out of the elevator, stopping a few meters away, waiting.
Now sure that they weren't about to get sprayed down by a storm of bullets, the family stepped out after the Commander, although the Admiral was still a bit upset.
"Commander, you could have warned us that we would be arriving to gunfire. Your explanation in the elevator was not adequate to prepare for that."
The Commander nodded solemnly, clearly accepting Brosoth's verbal lashing.
"I apologize again, Admiral. I was unaware my security team would be using the range at the time. Do not worry, I will punish those responsible."
Brosoth, hearing the sincerity, waved his hand.
"That won't be necessary, Commander. Just as long as you make sure that no more surprises await us during this tour."
Commander Venata nodded again.
Then, his customary grin returned, and he gestured to the giant Assault Shuttle Brosoth had somehow missed while he was berating the Commander.
"This is the Security Team's Shuttle. They can use it for a secure transport for important guests, cargo, or as a way to take the team to their target."
The Admiral was caught off guard by the last phrase.
"What do you mean, Target?"
"Ah, well, the Venator, as capable as she is, can't enter the planetary atmosphere. The gases would foul the Sauveterre Engine, and repairs would be very expensive. So, when hunting a bounty who is on the ground, I send my team."
The Admiral didn't think he could take more blows to his common sense. It was commonly accepted that a bounty hunter either hunted land bounties or space bounties, and one was far more profitable than the other. While hunting ground targets was relatively safer, it was not as rewarding as taking a starship commanded by your bounty target. Selling that ship and its cargo would net you a profit much larger than any bonus for capturing a ground target alive.
However, Commander Venata wasn't raised in the same galaxy as the Admiral, since he insisted on turning accepted practice on its head.
The Commander was now walking toward the gunfire that was still echoing around the hangar.
The party walked around the Assault Shuttle, resisting the urge to touch it, and followed the Commander down the corridor.
After a few seconds of walking, the sound of gunfire progressively getting louder, they exited the corridor into a junction of sorts.
There were three doors. The one straight ahead said Armory, the one to the left said Tactical Scenario Room and the one on the right with all the gunfire was labeled Range.
The Commander stepped swiftly toward the right door, which slid open to reveal a line of men and women holding various weapon systems.
Behind him, the giant Andrew stood to attention.
"Commander on Deck!"
Instantly, everyone present stepped to a perfect Military Salute, although Brosoth didn't recognize the stance.
He looked a question at the Commander, who was standing with his hands behind his back.
"At ease. Marines, please continue your qualification tests. Sergeants, front and center!"
Most of the "Marines" stepped back into their respective firing lanes, aiming with their odd weapons. Four people stepped away from the group and made their way to stand in front of the Commander, standing at parade rest.
The Admiral was impressed with their discipline, but he was unsure of how he felt about the Commander calling his "Security Team" Marines.
He took a moment of silence to observe the men and women who were standing in front of them. He was momentarily surprised that the gunfire was muted, but he was distracted when the Commander spoke again.
"Sgt. Burr, report on your squad."
The Admiral was getting tired of meeting Giants. He'd noticed that every person in the room aside from the Admiral's family was over 2 meters tall, dwarfing him. Now that he thought of it, the Commander was also equally tall, and he'd just seemed short next to Andrew.
The addressed Sergeant spoke after looking a questioning glance at the Commander, flicking his eyes in the direction of the Admiral.
The Commander nodded.
"Sir, they are still getting used to their new environment, but all of their skills are transferring flawlessly. My Corporals are reporting strong numbers in all required fields."
The Commander nodded again before turning to the next person in line, a woman with tanned skin and dark hair who looked like she could bench the giant standing next to her.
"Sgt. Gutierrez?"
"Sir, my people are performing equally well. We've trained with the equipment before, so it was only a matter of honing our muscle memory."
The Commander repeated his nod, turning to the next person, another woman, although this one had red hair and pale skin that was peppered with freckles.
"Sgt. Rotterdam?"
"Sir, my engineers are all equally prepared for the next challenge. This new equipment you've provided is amazing."
She was smiling, obviously enjoying the idea of whatever equipment she was referring to.
Commander Venata smiled slightly.
"I'm glad you've been able to transition so seamlessly."
He nodded, before turning to the final person, an olive-skinned man with green eyes.
"Sgt. Marcus?"
"Sir, I concur with Sgt. Rotterdam, the equipment you've given us is very impressive. My people are taking to it like a fish in water."
The Commander smiled, before turning and gesturing to the Admiral.
"Sgt. Ryan Burr, Sgt. Maya Gutierrez, Sgt. Emily Rotterdam, Sgt. John Marcus, this is Admiral Brosoth, Sector Commander of the 8th Sector. And these are his children, Dylan and Velmeria."
The four soldiers nodded to the family, who were all forced to crane their necks to meet their eyes. The Admiral nodded to each in turn, and the two siblings nodded sheepishly, obviously entranced by the soldiers.
The Commander let the moment hang in the air, before turning back to the Sgt.'s.
"Could you call one of your Privates over here, I'd like to present the Admiral with our weapon systems."
The biggest Sergeant, Sgt. Burr, nodded.
But, instead of shouting for a name, he seemed to go still, before the Admiral noticed a young man step back from his firing lane and stride over to the group. He was holding a peculiar weapon in his hands, and the Admiral had thought that it was a bit too big for him.
The man stopped, faced the Commander, and saluted.
"Pvt. Ajax Sommers, Sir!"
The Commander nodded, holding out his hands, and the private handed the weapon over, stepped back, saluted, then after another nod from the Commander, stood over to a weapon rack on the wall and selected a matching specimen.
The Commander turned back toward the Admiral, holding the weapon by the barrel and stock.
It looked quite odd, at least to the Admiral's sensibilities. It was covered in digital patterns, grey and black scattered across the frame. The barrel was encased in a plastic cage, and the firing mechanism was placed just behind the magazine. On top were holographic sights, and at the back was a simple stock that could extend.
The Admiral looked a question at the Commander, who turned and looked at Sgt. Burr. The Sergeant nodded, took the weapon, then looked at the Admiral.
"Sir, this is an M312A34 assault rifle. It is chambered in 6.8 caliber rounds, which can be modified with any bullet type. As you can see, the barrel is short, making it optimal for engagements in hallways or other tight spaces."
The Sergeant gestured to the last two Sergeants.
"The weapon is primarily used for the support teams, namely Sgt. Rotterdam's Engineers and Sgt. Marcus's Navigators."
The Sergeant then demonstrated the correct firing position, body parallel with the weapon, stock firmly set into the shoulder, eyes set behind the sights, one hand on the grip and the other on the barrel.
The Commander nodded, before looking at the Admiral, obviously waiting for a question.