Deep

Chapter 74 Guns, guns, guns.

Ten minutes later, I was in the training range, and it was busy.

Do spec marines ever sleep?

First Lt Arain trotted up and saluted.

'I know the drill, Mr Arain, just lead the way. Double time.' 

'Yes, sir.' 

He grinned, gave me a curt nod, did an about turn, and we jogged back the way he came. Soon I trailed. This is embarrassing and I refuse to go down like this. I sped up and barely kept pace.

I followed him to the test range, where the Major and several other marines were busy. They did not notice us until we were on top of them. The first lieutenant barely broke a sweat while I gasped for air.

Marines... wheeze. Have to... wheeze. Be machines... wheeze.

The Major noticed us first.

'Captain?'

He observed the sweat on my face, and I was... mildly out of breath. He frowned and glanced at the first lieutenant, who shrank in response.

'I know, Major, I'm a mess, but a man has got to get his exercise in and Mr Arain kindly obliged.' The group, including the Major, laughed at my horrid joke. 

I took a significant period to catch my breath, and the marines, being polite, did not laugh. I needed to up my game, because this display is pathetic.

'Well, Major, I'm here, let's get started.' 

'Understood. The Gunnery Sergeant will do the explanations.' 

'Okay. Shoot.'

Gunnery Sergeant Seong-Gi straightened her uniform and approached a table with weapons on display. 'After the last err... demonstration, we decided we needed an alternative weapon that didn't require power as a backup.' She took a weapon off the table. 

Its design resembled a twentieth century weapon made by the renowned weapons smiths Heckler and Koch. They still exist and supply weapons to both military and civilian markets. 

'Hmm, you based it on the G-eleven, didn't you?' She looked surprised that I knew what it was.

'Yes, sir. You know your weapons.' 

I gave her a broad grin. 'Just a little, Sergeant. Any particular reason you guys went with this design?'

'When created, the G-eleven and its ammunition were so revolutionary that Germany's NATO allies refused to...' She explained the gun's history and the geopolitics behind its failure as a weapons platform.