PAWS is taking a while. So I'm writing some shorties while the writers block works its self out. Just bare with me.

X X X X

The Apache's Knife

Word of wisdom: they said the gun always beat the knife in a gun fight. Under normal circumstances, yeah, sure it would, no doubt. To a marine? A marine is not a normal circumstance.

—Skye G. Heffron, June 10, 2015

Skye hated being on a ship but she couldn't complain. She could be in a dusty desert with her brothers and sisters going on patrols right now. Then again, she was a helo pilot so she didn't have a place as infantry. She probably didn't want to go on patrols anyway. The LHD ship was steady but that didn't stop the crew from getting sea sick. Sea sickness was rare but hard to fight. Chow was hard to grab too. Half the ship was basically the line. So maybe a dusty desert wasn't so bad.

"Choices choices," she sighed to herself. She was tired of making them. She had never been so tired of making choices herself until she was voluntold to ride the Kearsarge. The wasp-class ship had never been her choice of duty station... well transport, however the USMC never cared, or very rarely cared, about what you wanted. Wish lists were just comforting tree killers. They only make them so you think they aren't wasting paper. "Stupid needs of the corps. If I ever become Sergeant Major, I swear, some changes will be made in this place."

"Hey, Heffron!" Skye turned around and smiled, "Morning, doc, what's the rush?"

Doc Stephen chuckled and said, "Your dental record. You have a cavity on your right second molar. We have to take care of it soon. I just noticed you when I was on my way for chow."

Skye internally screamed. She was not ready to deal with a dentist. She hated dentist. Above them on the list was Al-Qaeda then ISIS. Well terrorists in general. Didn't matter what kind. "O-oh. Uh. Thanks...doc."

"Heffron, I'm serious, get to dentil and get that cavity screwed out or it'll screw you out of the Corps faster than you can say class three emergency."

"How can a cavity be an emergency?" Skye yelled as he started down the p-way.

"Wait and see. You'll feel it...trust me." Stephen climbed down a ladder-well and disappeared.

Skye growled and sighed. She walked herself to her living quarters and into the head. she looked herself in the mirror and opened her mouth. As she tried to find the lousy cavity in her mouth she was surprised by a consecutive persistent sound of gongs sound overhead as well as a voice on the 1-MC overhead say, "This is the TSA! Vampire inbound! Port side! Vampire inbound! Port side! All hand, brace for shock!"

She could hear it through the halls, hear through the living space, Thad dreadful call she thought she would never hear. "BRACE FOR SHOCK!"

She raced to the nearest bulkhead she could find in the head, leaned forward against it feet apart and parallel. Her hands were outstretched and she opened her mouth wide. Her eyes clenched down resister the urge to bite down hard. Finally she felt it. The impact of a torpedo. It was far worse then she imagined. The sound of it was so loud, the rumble was so intense. She compared it to the feeling of an unstable roller coaster or an earthquake and still couldn't find it justice to explain the terrible feeling.

"Relax brace! All hands set ship to circle X-Ray and Circle Yoke. Tend to general quarters. I say again..." the 1-MC cut off and a new one took its place. "Vampire inbound Vampire inbound! Aft side! All hands, brace for shock! Brace for shock!"

"Fuck!" She braced again this time the lights went out. "Sarge we need to muster! Everyone is going to general quarters!"

"All hands, be advised! We have lost our Port side engine! Say again we have lost our port side engine! Set ship and battle dress! Go to general quarters! Maintain watertight integrity!"

"You heard him marines! We need to help out the Sailors keep this girl afloat! We are under attack as we speak and general quarters has been set..." a phone in the space rang. He answered it quickly. "Room two tac two three two tac one tac el. Yes...but we havent't mustered yet! I don't know if I...got I understand. Urah. Alright listen up! The gunners mates responsible for the topside are trapped or hit. Our job is to take that deck back. Infantry has been spotted boarding the ship. We're going to show them this ain't a fucking battleship. This ship has marines on it! Rah!?"

"Rah kill rah!"

Sit had been too long since Skye shot a gun. She didn't know if she was up for a counter offensive. But she still sounded off.

"Let's go! Anyone who is not here is being instructed to help wit the breach. Let's fucking go! Ge tot the armory!"

The space of marines made their way to the armory, got a weapon and, axe their way to the deck. Before they opened the door they prepared and checked on each other. There was no armor to protect them. Wrong steps would surely mean death. Skye gulped and looked back at her friend, Abraham. He was her gunner. If they just had a helo this would make things so much easier. There wasn't much space on the flight deck. If something hit them then even her helo was a clipped bird. They had to do something to stop these attacks. They didn't know if another torpedo was going to hit. Once they made it out a firefight already broke out. One marine down already. Skye shot near weapon but only managed to make noise. They took cover behind anything they could and fight back and forth. The enemy took one marine but they didn't expect to loose five of their own.

"Amatures! Can they aim?"

"Don't know but they're outfitted to do the job!"

Skye looked around the deck and tried to find something that could keep this advantage they had. No knowing if there was something that would surprise them. She realized ash she thought it she jinxed it.

Abraham shouted as loud as he could, "Hostiles six o'clock!"

Some of the marines turned around and gunned them down quickly. Skye ran to another ruined vehicle before they could get her. She was able to suppress the fire of some but no kills. I. A way she was happy about it. She didn't like the idea of taking a life. Now it seemed as if they were coming from all sides. "Sarge tell me they're sending more marines!"

"I don't know, keep firing!" He shouted at her.

She didn't like the sound of that. Then she heard someone scream and shout, "I'm hit."

Abraham dragged him close to cover and put pressure on his wound. "He's got a wound on his chest! We need a corpsman!

"We can't help him!" Shouted a marine, "Sarge we've gotta shoot back! There no way to administer aid and there's no corpsman on deck!"

"Leave him corporal! Private can you fight back still?" He handed him back his rifle.

The private took it back tried to breath. "I don't got too long, Sarge." He gasped, "My right side hurts."

"I know, you can fight it. You got this, private come on! Fight back!"

Skye watched as the private got back on the line and shot back. It motivated her and even the whole team to see him fight back regardless of his condition. Still, no more marines were showing. They only packed so much ammo too.

"Sarge! We're getting low! We need help!" Skye shouted.

"You see a cell phone on me! Find a sound-powdered telephone and I will make the call my damn self!"

She didn't know where to look on a flight deck but not all was lost. At the corner of her eyes and the forward port side of the deck she could barely see a lone Apache. Her eyes widened.

"Abraham! The knife's okay! Look!"

He peaked out and his eyes widened. "Rah kill fucking rah. You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"We can run it." She nodded, "getting her fired up will take a few minutes but we can take out that boat that's after us!"

She could barely see the small arms vessel a good distance away. It still had a few boats coming from it. What did they want. That wasn't important. What was was finding a way to get to the knife. The only way she could see way running. "Sarge! I have an idea! Suppressing fire! Abraham! Ready?"

"Always read!"

"Forward!"

"The fuck are you doing Heffron?"

"At a double time!"

"Any fucking time!"

"No don't! Stay here that's an order!"

"March!" She there her ammo and rifle down, Abraham doing the same and running with her at top speed.

"Shit! Covering fire!" She could practically hear the anger in her sergeant's voice. She and Abraham could hear the bullets wiz past and ricochet off the deck. None of them we're hitting. They reached the attacker and boarded quickly. She engaged it and got the blades to turn. The ricochet of the bullets pressured her to work faster. "Come on girl, take off for me. You haven't failed me yet."

Abraham started talking to her too, "Knife we love you please hurry."

The blades were going faster! "Come on old girl." Finally she could feel them lift her helo off the ground. "Hell yeah! Let's tear the up!"

"Guns going hot! Guns guns guns!" The mini gun revved and aimed at the attackers. It makes down the first group then the second. Skye moved with wicked speed. Abraham aimed at everything that he could tell was friendly. He prayed he didn't hit a marine. The help went to the ocean itself.

"Rockets armed, give 'em hell."

"Rocket's...away! I almost feel sorry for the bastards." Abraham shot the twin guns and hit a small boat. He used the mini gun as the rockets were preparing for another engagement and fired the second batch as it had finally armed. This pattern worked for as long as there was a boat on that ocean. The marines were clearing the two on from the flight deck as they demolished the offensive. The ship was next.

"They've got anti air!" Abraham said recognizing the guns on the deck.

"So do I but it dosn't always work does it?" She smirked. She saw a missile go up. Just what she needed. "Prepare for a run."

"Arming."

She headed towards the missile and turned as it arched forward to her and rotate as if just missed her. It circled around only to run into the ships starboard side. She took this time to tell Abraham to shoot the guns. He aimed for anything explosive and already got the deck in chaos.

"Okay. That should give us time to launch an offensive. Gun for any bodies!"

"Gotcha! These guys don't even look like any country I've seen. Do you recognize them?"

"They look...American." Skye said as she maneuvered and got sight of the ants on deck. "Rocket's primed."

"Firing!" He waited for her to angle just right and fired the rockets into the bridge. "Rah kill kill! That's gonna hurt!"

"Apache pilot, this is Captain Gorman, identify yourself.

"Lance corporals Heffron and Abraham, what can we do for your sir?"

"You are the only offensive we have right now, keep at the ship until back up comes. We have a destroyer on its way."

"How long have we got? I think this ship has a friend nearby."

"It does. Look to your left eight o'clock." Skye adjusted her sights and found the ship he mentioned.

"Sir, they look American. Didn't we identify them?"

"We can't identify the ships. We have no record of them being any hostile force know to us. The ship models themselves are new."

"I knew I didn't recognize these models." Skye said to herself.

"I do," Abraham spoke up, "Sir, these are historical models. They've been modeled after the German ship Bismarck with a twist. There are no signs of these guys being Nazi Germany though."

"You are sure corporal?"

"Positive, sir. Heffron, we gotta gun them down. They may look like the Bismarck but they sure ain't as tough."

"I thought the Bismarck was impenetrable!" Skye shouted.

"It was. But it going to be just like the Royal Air Force. Heffron, we are destroying these fuckers with a lucky shot."

"Make those shots count, we don't have a lot of ammo left," Skye warmed.

"That's What makes them so lucky," Grinned Abraham.

Skye thrusted forward and the help raced to the offensive. Most her supplies were used on the first ship. They needed to make this one count. They started by circaling around and taking out infantry as fat as possible the. Running off as an a gun locked and shot a round she dangerously flew passed Kearsarge's brigade and spire then dangerously barrel rolled over the first opponent ship. The locked missile ran straight into the ship and the next one following did the same. There wears another on its way for sure. She rushed the maneuver to give Abraham time to shoot. He got the shot just in time to take out the guns and return to the mini. They circled around the deck of the ship taking out any hostile force and escaping to the other side or other ship as the ship had found some way to fight back. Soon the rockets were dry and they only thing they had was a few shots of the mini. Fuel had started to become an issue as well.

"Heffron they got a lock on us." Abraham said as the alarm was again sounding off that something had locked onto them.

"I hear it," she growled. She maneuvered away hoping she could try another stunt but this was probably going to be the last one. They hand fumes only and her stunts took a but of fuel. "You've only got one shot at this so be good about it. I see something that looks like a supply tank on the top there. See it?"

"Another addition to their wannabe Bismarck." Abraham said as Skye began her maneuver.

"Shoot it and the missile will join its friends." She raced away and around the Kearsarge to disengage the missile lock and then sped forward turning sharply as if it were a u-turn the mini gun revel then shot at the can. "Perfect shot!"

"Yeah! Just like the Bismarck! She's going down!"

"We're low on fuel, we'd better land." She sighed in relief. It was short lived as they spotted another one on its way. "Oh god,"

Before she had to cry and think about a noble action she saw an explosion hit the ship. Their destroyer friend had made it, relief took her once more. Within the day, they recovered from the attack. No ships in sight, dead were remembered and she was recognized for her heroic deeds. Still she had so many questions. Who were they? What did they want? What did they me benefit from attacking them? Were they really a foreign enemy that had gained sea power? Why the Bismarck? But most importantly to her. How did they manage to use torpedos? Well, actually, the question was more of a fascination to her. The real question was if they planned on making this routine. After three months it didn't matter to her. She no longer was a marine, due to the decision of no longer enlisting. She was tired by that time. She had lost her gunner, Abraham...and her helo in one final effort to save a bunch of men. Men the American government seemed to have abandoned. Thus were rescued thanks to her but thanks to them, she was going home as a hero.

Since then Skye had taken a low paying job of piloting a helicopter for a tourist attraction on Adventure Bay. A couple of months later. A black letter showed up in her mailbox. The stunts she pulled as a thinking marine had impressed someone. Skye Heffron had joined the PAWS on July sixth 2016 and still serves to this day as a standby pilot and operator.

X X X

"And that is how I became an operator," Skye smiled.

Everest stared at her and for a second and clicked her tongue. A shrug followed, "Eh, I guess it's cool. I expected more...romance." Everest leaned back and out her right wrist to her forehead. The motioned evolved I to a writhing stretch. It was late at night and they were drinking.

"Romance? How are you going to get romance from any of that anyway?"

"Well...you told me you rode in a cockpit," Everest grinned.

"Yeah the cockpit of a...you lewd little..." Skye hit her friend on the shoulder and laughed with her.

"Hey, you can get anymore romantic then that right?"

"No that's just straight out pornography. Ugh, puns are the lowest form of comedy for a reason. It's because the punter can't make a joke!"

"Hey, if they think of them and apply them cleverly they have made a joke," Everest smiled.

"No, they mutated one. You know what, I'm done with my beer, I'm outa here. Goodnight, Everest."

"Alright goodnight," Everest smiled.

Skye stopped out of Mr Porter's and sighed. She took in a deep breath of the cool but comfortable Adventure Bay air. Above her she could see the lights of a helicopter race overhead. She grinned and wished the pilot luck with whatever he was doing. In the air, she knew she needed all the luck she could get. Especially back then. She closed her eyes once more and remembered the sounds of the Apache, the sounds of shouting on the coms, her gunner's voice, and the adrenaline. But she remembered most what she saw. Her eyes forced open... "Rah kill rah."

X X X X

Jargon dictionary

head— the restroom/ bathroom on a ship.

Ladder-Well— a stair and ladder hybrid for moving up and down decks.

Deck— floors or levels in a ship. Refers to going down the ship(so the deeper you are to sea the deck increases like 1 2 3.)

flight deck— refuses to level 03. This is like saying the third floor but it refers to going up a level or closer to the sky. Aircraft are held here

space— a room.

vampire— torpedo about to make impact

2-232-2-L— said as two tac two three two tac two tac el. This refuses to a space in the room. So imagine looked at a ship in 3D.

-The first "2" refuses to the deck or floor you ar on.

-The second number "232" refuses to the forward most frame of the space. So looking at a ship in birds eye view with the forward part of the ship to the left. You would count one to say three or five hundred diagonal lines to the right until you reach 232. That tells how forward or backwards you need to go.

-The second "2" is in relation to the center, or midline of the ship. There are about five mid lines per se. take the view of the ship I gave you with the forward to the left. The middle is zero. Go up a few centimeters and count one. Return to zero and go down equaldistant and place two there. These midlines refer to how right or left you have to go in the ship. Even is the left odd is the right.

-the final character "L" refers to what kind of space the room is.

*L is living space.

*A is for storage.

*E of for engineering

*F is for fuel and lube oil storage

*M is for magazine and ammo storage spaces

*Q is for miscellaneous things. It could be a storage one day or a pt room the next.

General quarters- this is battle stations to naval personnel.

tac- word for a hyphen in military terms.

Brace for shock- a position with outstretched arms, legs equaldistant apart, and core leaned forward, head between shoulder. Mouth should be wide open as to reframe from breaking teeth. This is used to absorb the impact of a torpedo or other explosive impacting object against a ship and her crew.

bulkhead- a wall

overhead- a ceiling

1-MC- a system used to speak to the entire ship.

captain- an O-3 to most branches but to navy or coast guard this is an O-6. He may also be referd to as the skipper. However the skipper only needs to be the highest ranking officer on the ship. Not necessarily a captain. Skipper is a term not a title so don't go to a captain and say "good morning skipper!" It's sir or captain.

Bridge- the brain of the ship and the location of the helm(a steering wheel basically).

Questions? Comments? Let me know. By the way, I'm curious: who would you like to hear from next?