Page 54 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Soul

"I can figure it out." Negal took aim and squeezed off a few rounds. A line of cans jumped off the railing, spinning into the air before splashing into the ocean. "Not bad for a beginner." Negal turned to Max with a smug grin on his face.

Aru stepped up next, took aim, and fired. The crack of the rifle was sharp, but he only hit one can. "Seems I'm a bit rusty." Aru shrugged.

The guy had always been a lousy shot, and there was no excuse for it, given that he was a god.

Dagor suspected that the reason for Aru's lack of aptitude with firearms was that he abhorred killing. It was odd since all troopers went through psychological screening, and those who were not suitable for combat were given administrative assignments. There might be something to Negal's suspicion that Aru had been given the leadership post for reasons that hadn't been disclosed to the two of them. Nepotism couldn't explain it, though, because an indefinite station on Earth was more of a punishment than a reward.

"Your turn, Dagor." Max motioned for him to take position.

He shouldered the rifle, feeling the familiar adrenaline rush of competition, took aim, and fired in quick succession.

Three cans clattered against the railing and tumbled overboard.

"Not bad." Max clapped him on the back. "You three seem to know your way around a rifle. Put new cans up, step back twenty feet to the line over there, and fire again. It's not as easy from forty feet away. Just try not to hit the railing. Kian will have our heads if we damage the ship. He'll tell us to fix it and repaint it."

"Don't worry." Negal took several empty cans from the cardboard box next to the railing and arranged them in a neat line. "I won't hit the railing or shoot into the water. Every bullet will hit the target." He cast Dagor a sidelong glance. "Two shots each; most cans wins."

"You're on."

"What about me?" Aru asked.

"Sorry, dude." Negal shook his head with a mock sad expression on his face. "You're not in the same league as Dagor and me. You need many more hours of practice."

"That's why we are here," Aru murmured under his breath.

"Fine," Negal relented. "If you want to be the designated loser in each round, be my guest. But remember what Max said about the railing."

As Dagor and Negal took turns again, Negal managed to hit the two cans with his two shots, which earned him approving nods from the Guardians.

Aru took aim but only managed to hit one. Thankfully, the other shot he fired landed in the water without damaging the railing. "Well, one is better than none."

Dagor felt the thrill of the competition, but the truth was that this wasn't a challenge for either him or Negal. He lined up his shot, exhaled slowly, and squeezed the trigger.

The first can flew off the railing.

He quickly realigned and fired again. The second can followed the first.

"Poor Aru." Negal shook his head. "Are you up for another challenge?"

"Bring it on."

"This is not a competition," Max grumbled. "This is practice. Aru, you need to keep firing from forty feet until you hit two in a row. Negal and Dagor, move back to the fifty-foot mark."

The practice continued with the Guardians offering tips and sharing laughs about this and that, and Dagor felt like he had been transported back to the training camp. He enjoyed the sense of camaraderie and the lightheartedness, but in the back of his mind he acknowledged that the reason for this target practice was anything but joyous.

The reason was the aftermath of a terrible tragedy, of a monstrous act against defenseless innocents. He didn't enjoy killing, but if he got a chance to kill those responsible for it, he would relish it.

As Dagor reloaded his rifle, ready for another round, Max called a halt to the practice.

"I have an announcement." His voice boomed to get everyone's attention. "There’s been a change of plans. We're not going to Acapulco this evening. Kalugal received a call. The Doomers are holding Luis and his family hostage and demanding we return the women we rescued in exchange for their lives. The team in the war room is working on developing a strategy, but the gist of it is that we're going to stop at a different location along the coast, use a lifeboat to get to shore, and drive from there to the meeting point, which is where the bodies of the thugs were buried. Turner is organizing vehicles for us."

Dagor felt a knot of tension form in his stomach. He liked Luis, and he feared for his life and that of his family. Those people were beyond ruthless.

"When are we getting there, and what are we going to do about it?"

"I don't have the details yet," Max said. "Kalugal used compulsion to ensure the safety of Luis and his family until we get there. We don't know whether they’ve found out that we have a ship and that the women are on board, but in case they did, we don't want to bring the ship back and make it a target. We hope to surprise them and use compulsion to overpower them. I assume that Yamanu will shroud our team so the Doomers' human cohorts won't be able to see us. I don't expect it to be too difficult of a mission."

Dagor hoped Max was right.