Gunfire: The Principles

Apart from Ryle, the other thing that the captain (and, of course, he would not be the first to do so) would ask about was the shooting. And, since there was nothing but my own supposition, I was more than happy to tell him about marksmanship.

There are those who believe in the arcane talent of long-ranged combat. They speak of the edge, of the state of the mind, of zen and other such meditative states. Superstition, mostly, that I did not deal with. But that is not to say they are entirely wrong.

There are those who describe the mathematics of ballistics. They run fingers down carefully printed tables, pacing out windage and yardage. They do not consider shooting real, moving, targets in their ranges. But that is not to say they are entirely wrong.

The truth lies somewhere in between. There is no magic, but it is far from pure mathematics. It is a skill, born of practice, to watch for a pattern of movement. To gauge the distance and the time of flight.

To reach out and take a life.