“Be quiet.”
The commander’s cheek rested against the stock.
Her breathing returned to its four-count rhythm.
Four in.
Four held.
Four out.
Four held.
Ellis watched the distant target through the scope.
Heat shimmer distorted the air between them and the steel-backed paper.
The crosswind pushed dust in thin sheets across the range.
“Send when ready,” he said.
The first shot cracked.
A fraction of a second later, Ellis saw the strike.
“Impact.”
The commander worked the rifle without lifting her cheek.
Second shot.
“Impact.”
Third.
“Impact.”
The young lieutenant who had wagered ten dollars stared at the target monitor inside the range booth.
The electronic system plotted each strike as it registered.
The points were nearly touching.
The fourth shot landed slightly left of center.
The fifth cut into the same tight cluster.
Ellis remained behind the spotting scope for another second.
“Group complete,” he said.
“Four-point-two centimeters.”
One of the instructors near Lane 4 quietly exhaled.
At eight hundred meters, in shifting heat and an unstable crosswind, the group was not merely a pass.
It was the sort of result people argued about until the target was brought close enough to remove doubt.
The commander placed the rifle on safe and lifted her head.
Kane stepped forward before Ellis could speak again.
“Impressive shooting.”
His tone had changed completely.
The teasing warmth was gone.
In its place was the polished voice of a senior officer addressing someone who might later be quoted.
“I regret the misunderstanding,” he continued.
“Your appearance and lack of insignia created some confusion.”
The commander sat back on one heel.
“My appearance did not create the confusion.”
The words were quiet.
Kane’s face hardened.
“Commander, I am attempting to extend professional courtesy.”
“No, sir.
You are attempting to redefine what happened before the witnesses remember it accurately.”
Several enlisted personnel looked away.
Not because they disagreed, but because the sentence was so exact that watching Kane receive it felt almost private.
Brooks stepped forward.
“With respect, Commander, you could have identified yourself.”
She turned her gray-green eyes toward him.
“You were told not to touch the rifle.”
Brooks’s jaw tightened.
“I was trying to verify it was safe.”
“Were you?”
“Yes.”
She looked at Ellis.
