[center][h2][u]Basic Instruction[/u][/h2][/center]

As the door to the third floor training room slid open, Lance wondered not for the first time if this all wasn't some dark yet humorous mistake. Before this posting he'd never been in charge of others, not really anyway. Oh he'd held a commanding officer's rank back on Mars but it was more of the 'Thank you for infiltrating that ring of smugglers and pirates' rank than the 'We trust you to be in charge of other people' rank. Sure, the job was hands on but that was just about its only saving grace. He'd have died at a desk job as sure as one of the older Martians gone Out-of-Dome. 

As for what he was supposed to be doing here today well...it was true that he was, just factually and without bragging, perhaps one of the best hand-to-hand combatants of his generation on Mars. But he'd been so busy over the past month or so preparing for his position as patrol captain that he'd doubtlessly let his own training slip, lost his edge, 'gone dusted' the saying might've gone on Mars. How was he supposed to-

No, now wasn't the time for inner self-diatribes. Lance forced himself to look up and around, really see the training facilities and the people gathered and waiting for him. Agent Asara was there of course and he'd already met with her, prepped her for how today was going to go. She seemed competent and reliable both of which were invaluable traits to him at the moment. It was the rest of them he was going to have to worry about, all of them selected for excellence in various ways, but none of them prepared for the true significance of the job before them now-

-including Lance himself. Still, that all changed today. He had prepared for this, first thinking of how his mother might have done things in his place then discounting that as not organic enough to himself. No, for Lance it would have to begin from one of the things he understood best: Martial arts. He waited until Asara brought the still-practicing agents first to a halt and then to attention before scanning over each of the assembled faces, committing them to memory, suppressing his combat analysis and beginning his piece.

"I'm Patrol Captain Lance Lawrence and as of today, I'll be taking over your training here from Chief TreVayne. The first change made will be to expand your martial arts and hand-to-hand combat training. The reason for this is simple. Your training so far has been based mainly in Krav Maga and Krav Maga began as an art for soldiers, it's rooted in the idea of ensuring your own survival and destroying your enemies. [b]We are not soldiers![/b] We are Ark Security Agents and our primary responsibility is to safeguard every last life on this ship. In the days to come we may deal with criminals, spies, saboteurs and dissidents but every one of those lost instead of successfully rehabilitated strikes a blow against the future of the human race. 

I'm retaining Krav Maga as part of the curriculum because there will be times we'll be required to fight to survive and to kill. When those times come you may be grateful for its efficiency and its pragmatism. But make no mistake, when we are forced to kill our fellow human beings in this new age it will be because all other options have already failed! So with that in mind, I'll begin by teaching you a wider variety of ways to subdue opponents with minimal force and damage. Who wants to be first?"

After that Lance ran them through some basic techniques and drills for the foundations of their new style, mainly to teach the principles behind good locks, throws and general standing grappling. When he'd run through it patiently enough at least once with each person and had them each have a go against a holographic opponent he lined them up in front of him in the simulation space and stood at-rest with Agent Asara by his side.

"Final exercise for today and it's a really simple one. I want all of you to attack me. All at once. Pretend I'm a saboteur who's been tampering with the ship's systems in order to hold everyone hostage to fulfill my demands or something."

A small mountain in human form spoke up: Bauer, his mind told him.

"But Sir, isn't this situation more than a little uneven for you? What are we supposed to learn from it?"

Lance gave the big man a grin. "Well, it's true that I'm your instructor but don't worry. I'm sure after about the tenth or so person piles on I'll start having some trouble. Now come on! Or did they send me a bunch of-"

To their credit he didn't get to finish the sentence before his new students charged. He also didn't make any movements or attempt to evade them, the same grin still on his face as he spoke up. "Noah, cut it!"

He kept the same 'I knew something you didn't know' look on his face as he activated the magnetic lock on his boots with a press of his toes along with Agent Asara and then watched the other agents drift up and past him mostly helplessly. "Oops, it seems that before this, I was able to damage artificial gravity for this section of the ship. Any one of you care to stop me?" Lance took careful note of those who were able to at least shift around their centers before he gave the signal to re-engage gravity. He also took careful note of those who landed better than the others before continuing.

"The lesson you were all supposed to learn Agent Bauer, was two-fold. First, even if you think you have every advantage our enemies will often use trickery or do the unexpected or both so it is our job to be both adaptable and prepared for any situation. Second, the importance of learning how to fight in a zero gravity environment. It's an entirely different style of combat from anything you'll find on a gravity-bound world and you'll need to develop a different kind of awareness to match it, but some of you already look to have the knack for it. Now, while you're picking yourselves up off the floor you'll be glad to know that my personally led training session is over for now. If you have any questions on technique or anything we went over, direct them to Agent Asara. As usual, she'll be Agent-in-Charge when my personal business or duties as a Patrol Captain take me elsewhere. Otherwise, dismissed!"

Lance turned and strode briskly up and to the elevator, not pausing until its' doors closed behind him to sink down onto the floor for a minute burned out, but with a grin on his face. If his timing had been just a little bit off, he would've been buried under what was roughly a spine-shattering amount of people and made a damn fool of himself. He had no idea what kind of impression he'd left on the other Agents either. But as these things went, his performance today might have made his mother...well not proud, but he was almost sure she'd say it was adequate.