"Aye Sir Steer 120 Port 30 Revouloutions 880" Nav said "Steering 120 Port 30 Revoloutions 880" ET replied typing in the appointed coordinates.
"Nav how long till we get there?" Mike asked "full speed we will be there by 0120 hours Sir" Nav replied marking a course on her map. As Navigator she was the one to steer the ship in the right direction, dodging reefs you name it thats what she was Nikki Caetano the Navigtor of HMAS Hammersley.
"X Pipe Boarding stations" Mike said looking over at his blonde headed companion Kate McGregor the Executive Officer onboard the ship. Mike and Kate had a past together, they had an affair when she was a student and he was her Teacher. She was doing a course at ADFA Australian Defence Force Academy, the only thing was if anybody found out their careers were as good as over. It was against the rules they had broken the non-fraternization rule, a rule were Sailors were not allowed to date other Sailors on the same ship and deffinately not teachers and students. "Aye Sir" Kate replied "Hands to Boarding stations, Hands to Boarding stations, Hands to Boarding station" she announced through the PA.
They arrived on Paradise Island to find no refugees and their campsite completely trashed. "Ma'am" 2Dads the Junior Electronic Technicion said "I'm getting a bad feeling about this"
"So am I" Kate replied "Ah- Ma'am your going to want to see this" Buffer the ships Bosun said going slightly pale. Kate took long strides to where Buffer stood, their layed 8 bodies all with four gun shot wounds one in the forehead, one in the chest and one in each shoulder.
"Oh God is that the sign of the cross?" Kate asked "Yes Ma'am" Buffer replied looking away from the dead bodies.
"Thats sick" Bomber the chef and second medic said walking over to where Buffer and Kate stood with the bodies of the eight refugees.
"Right we need to get back to the ship to get fully equipped for a thura search for whoever may have done this"
"Aye Ma'am" the crew all chorused
They were heading back to the RHIB's when gunshots sounded and two men fell, not a sound was heard from these men once the gunshots had been fired. Rushing over to the two fallen sailors Swain and Bomber checked for their pulses and found none, it appeared Petty Officer Josh 'ET' Holiday and Leading Seaman Billy 'Spider'
Webb were dead. Kate let out a sob her bestriends Fiance was dead her friends, her family the only family she ever had, now they were dead. How was she possibly going to tell Nav her Fiance was dead. Bomber was holding the lifeless form of Spider her boyfriend, they had kept their relationship a secret because of the Navy regulations, she cried her heart out her boyfriend was dead along with his best mate one of her closest friends.
"Papa 82 this is X-Ray 82" Kate said through her radio "X- Ray 82 this is Papa 82 go ahead X" Mike radioed back "Sir we came under fire, 2 crew members now deceased" Mike sighed he had just heard he had just lost two crew members, two of his family he hadn't even been told who had died yet but he already felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest "Who is it X?" Mike finally asked "Spider and ET" Kate sobbed "NO-" Nav cried at hearing ET's name, ET her Fiance "why, why him?" Nav sobbed as Mike rushed to catch her as she lost her balance and fell backwards, the shock was all too much for her.
"Nikki I'm sorry I'm so sorry" Mike sobbed pulling Nav back up to her feet.
The RHIB's arrived back at the ship and the crew moved off to gear up to go backl to shore. Nav and Mike stood by the RHIB crane and watche don as the lifeless forms of Spider and ET were lifted up onto Deck. Nav ran up and cried into the chest of ET. "Nav they have to take him down to Austeree" Mike said walking up to where Nikki layed with ET. "Why, why him?" Nikki asked in between sobs "I don't know Nav, I don't know" Just as Mike said that Kate appeared in a full Kevlar vest with extra plates holding a Kevlar vest and 9mm pistol which she handed to Mike. "we need you in the boarding party" she said "right" he replied "Charge taken Nav down to her cabin" Andy 'Charge' Thorpe walked over and lead Nikki 'Nav' Caetano down to her cabin.
"are you okay?" Mike asked Kate with a hint of sorrow in his voice "No not really" she replied "but I will be when we catch these guys"
"then what are we waiting for?"
They had just arrived on shore Paradise Islan when Kate prepared the search party teams "okay Swain and 2Dads team Charlie, Bomber and Buffer team Echo and Sir your with me team X-Ray. Charlie take the east, Echo West and X-Ray will take the south remember these guys are armed and dangerous so Firearms at the ready and stay alert" and with that the teams parted their ways."
"Kate it's not your fault" Mike said out of the blue in the middle of the search for the criminals who murdered two of their crew.
"It is I was their Devisional Officer"
"Kate please don't blame yourself they are obviously trained killers, they murdered 8 innocent refugees" Mike said quite upset that Kate was blaming herself. "yer I couldn't even save them" Kate shot back "Kate please" Mike begged "No Mike I was meant to protect them aswell and I failed their lives were taken because I didn't get to them in time" "Kate you didn't get a chance to save them" Mike said still trying to convice Kate it wasn't her fault.
"Mike they were clearly alive when we arrived on shore you spoke to them for crying out loud, for all we know they could have been under duress. Mike we had orders to rescue them an we failed Mike we failed" she wasn't addressing him as Sir, this was a personal matter. Kate felt responsible, she felt responsible for the death of the 8 refugees and the death of her two crew mates. Just as Kate finished her rambiling there was an explosion. Mike jumpt down and dragged Kate down with him.
Mike layed ontop of Kate craddiling her head. Once the explosion was over with Mike whispered into Kates ear "are you ok?"
"yer I'm good what about you?" she asked "yer I'm good" he replied looking into her beautiful greens eyes that were glassy and slightly red and puffy from all the crying she had been doing. They layed there for a while both content from being back in each others arms before the Radio crackeled to life bringing them both back to reality.
"X-Ray 82 this is Echo 82 do you copy over?"
"Echo 82 this is X-Ray 82 loud and Clear" Mike replied grinning down at Kate whom was doing the same thing right back at him. "was the explosion near you?" Buffer asked "yer it was but we are all good no harm done" Mike replied
"I suppose we better get up" Kate said quietly almost like a whisper from where she layed underneath Mike on the juicy green grass of Paradise Island.
"I suppose so" Mike replied. Mike and Kate got up and started running Pistols raised as they did so, that is when she saw it out of the corner of her eye a man no two men hiding behind a tree. Tapping Mikes shoulder to she pointed towards the tree and he saw the two men Kate had spotted. It all happened so fast the two men jumped up from their position behind the tree both holding a gun "Australian Navy Drop your weapons!" Mike and Kate both yelled at the same time but it was too late the men were already firing.
Mike and Kate both jumped to the side trying to dodge the bullets path but unfortunately for one of them they weren't quick enough.
"Kate your bleeding" Mike said worry evident in his voice "I'm fine the bullet must have just scrapped my arm it's no big deal" Kate said trying to just brush it off "It's a big deal Kate your bleeding we have to get you back to the ship" he replied standing her up and wrapping her good arm around his shoulder for support whilst he radioed thorugh to the other teams.
"X-Ray 82 to all units abort, abort, abort mission head back to the RHIB's this is a job for the feds now" Mike said rather dissapointingly
Mike was really dissapointed they hadn't been able toto catch these killers, but he wouldn't be able to focus knowing his Katie was injured.
"Go to the Wardroom and get Swain to check you out" Mike said to Kate once they arrived back on the ship "I don't really have a choice there do I?" Kate replied "Kate' He said sternly "I don't want to loose you so you have to go to the wardroom and get checked out I need to know properly that you are alright. I can't live with you just telling me you are alright because I know you are to stubborn for your own good" Kate chuckeled at what Mike had just said about her. Slowly she closed the distant gap between them. They were chest to chest, with one hand she reached up and caressed his cheek as he slowly bowed his head to hers breaking the final gap between them as his lips crashed down onto hers. The kiss was a passionate one full of love and emotion.
"come to the wardroom with me" she whispered as they finally broke apart for air "Of course" he replied taking her hand in his and leading the way down to the wardroom.
Kate had been patched up by the ships medic the coxswain Chris Blake and was currently lying on Mikes rack whilst he sat at his desk finishing off some paperwork.
Kate didn't go back to her cabin, Nav was in there probably crying she couldn't face Nikki now she was her bestfriend but she had lost her Fiance under her watch so she decided she would make her presence known in the CO's cabin.
"I told you I was fine" Kate siad.
"It's better to be safe than sorry" Mike replied looking at the heap of paperwork on his desk realising he most likely won't get through it all.
"are you having fun there" she asked "your most welcome to help" he replied. When Mike gained no response he became worried. Jumping out of his seat he ran over to his rack where Kate layed unconciously.
"Kate" he yelled "Kate hunny wake up" he yelled again shacking her. Thats when he saw it there was blood everywhere, she was loosing a heck of alot of blood. Gently but swiftly he lifted her up into his arms carrying her bridal style.
