Taking Fire

Posted on Thu Dec 1st, 2016 @ 12:29am by Captain Tim Williams
Edited on on Thu Dec 1st, 2016 @ 9:19am

Episode: Out of Sequence
Location: USS Highlander - Holodeck
Timeline: BACKPOST - Before discovery of the DeSalle

Williams and the lawmen circled the main property cautiously, checking the windows as they went. It would be a logical place for the gang to hole up, if they had realised that the law would be on its way. They could fire indiscriminately at the five riders from positions with good cover, and be far more likely to hit them than the law men would be to hit the outlaws.

"Take up position along here," the sheriff ordered, pointing to an array of objects which could act as improvised cover for them to approach the house. They all dismounted, and moved to take up positions behind barrels, carts and bales of hay.

"Wilson! See if you can get close enough to see inside!" the sheriff ordered. One of the deputies began moving forward, keeping low and moving from cover to cover as he approached the house. As he broke from the last bit of cover to move towards the house itself, gunfire erupted from windows on the facing side of the house. A significant number hit Wilson, and as he fell to the ground, more bullets came the way of the rest of the group, hitting the cover even as the remainder of them ducked down to protect themselves.

"Open fire!" the sheriff called. Take them out!"

Tim waited for a pause in the gunfire, when he hoped their attackers would be reloading, and popped his head over his bale of hay, aiming his revolver in the general direction of one of the windows he had seen shots come from earlier. He quickly adjusted his aim as he saw the gang member inside, and fired, taking out his target with three rounds - the first was a miss, the second hit his shoulder, and the third his chest. Tim adjusted his aim to one of the other windows and fired again. His target ducked back behind the wooden wall of the house and Tim's shots either missed or splintered wood, and he ducked back behind his cover again to reload as more bullets hit his hay bale.