"SIRYESSIR!" Paige snapped to attention as Warren gave her an order. She knew when their "buddy-time" was up. The alcohol in her system was going to make life interesting for the next few hours, but nothing she couldn't handle. "With me, Jordan". She barked. "Pick those up and come". No way was she going to carry his ammo for him.<br/><br/>She led the corporal aft and down, after stopping off to pick up her own weapon. The Kalashnikov had served her well over the years and there was no way she was going to be kept too far from it. Pausing every now and then to salute some Fleet officer or get out of the way of a fleet rating they made their way to the hangar deck, where one of the captured bioships was being dissected. This deck had a long open space and Kerry marched stiffly up to the Fleet Engineer in charge, and requested use of it for a weapon test fire.<br/><br/>The fleet ensign looked her up and down, glanced at the corporal and said, "Sure Sargeant, just keep out of the way."<br/><br/>Paige nodded and saluted the kid, then moved to a free space. She set up a target , against one of the ship's blast-proof bulkheads - that would stop any strays or penetrating rounds. A sheet of polyweb armour, then a sheet of plate steel. On this she drew three concentric rings. She picked up a phone on the wall. "Hangar deck to master-at-arms, Request permission for small-arms discharge, live test firing?"<br/><br/>"Copy hangar deck. Advise when complete, out."<br/><br/>Paige raised her eyebrows. "Okay, seems they aren't too fussed about it." She muttered. Either that or they assumed it was something to do with the bioship.<br/><br/>She unsafed the AK904 and took aim. BLAMBLAMBLAM. Three rounds, right on the button, through the steel and into the polyweb. At this range the rounds had lost sufficient energy penetrating the steel that they only made a significant dent in the polyweb. All three were within a centimetre of each other, and all three rounds were fired within a second.<br/><br/>"Your turn, corporal, let's see what that thing can do!"<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Whether it was the drug in her system, or the fact that this PD was actually being almost human for a moment, or maybe a combination of both, but something made Rosie answer truthfully. "Actually, I disagree." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and from that moment she was committed. "I don't believe it's self-distructive. Fucking stupid, yes, but books like that one? Well, there was this guy in college. I think he's usefully serving the empire in the sulphide mines on Mallachor now...  He was handing these out on campus. Yes I took one, I didn't know what it was and he was just handing them to everyone. I read three pages and I turned it and the bastard in! People like<em>that</em>are a danger to the Empire. Ma'am, if you'd found ten copies of that book, then I'd agree with you. But just one? The guy's an idiot, and badly misguided, but I'd say he needs re-educating, not destroying!"<br/><br/>Rosie smiled hopefully. Every word had been true, every word filled with passion. "Ma'am? Find out where he got the book. That's your priority, isn't it? And space the bastard handing them out!" She flicked the hair back out of her face and lay back again. "And thank you... For the apology. I've never heard a PD apologise before, and I'm sorry I interrupted you." She sighed, and then wriggled uncomfortably. One of the known side-effects of Tetro-Parachloric-Cyclotrin, the drug used to suppress the effects of Combat Shock, was it got you instantly horny. Rosie had so far managed to ignore the surges of desire that hit her after taking the drug, but they were getting stronger.