Storm and Fire: Chapter 17 (Halfway Completed)

I'll post the rest today, probably.

Chapter 17
Paul at Yakima

Paul was taken to the Yakima-Wenatchee Air Transport offices. It was commonly known by the acronym YWAT. The offices were not very large, but a reasonable size. Paul was given a form to fill out. It was nothing special, just name, age, ect.
“You know how to read, don’t you?”
“Yes, answered Paul. It was not uncommon for people born after the war to be uneducated, especially if they lived in rural areas. Even some of the people born before the war had forgotten. It was not an unreasonable question to ask.
Paul filled out the form and was handed a badge, a license, and a uniform. They all bore the symbols of Yakima and the YWAT. He was shown to his room by an employee. It was a small room in the basement of the building. Even so, it was comfortable and had running water. Paul was told that he could spend his time there until he was given his first task. He asked what his task would be, curious about the guns on the airship last time.
“Oh, just taking supplies and mail to Wenatchee. Nothing special, no passengers,” the employee told him.
“What are these supplies? Last time I saw that there were guns in the cargo area,” Paul questioned.
“Yes, mainly ammunition and some guns will be taken. Though it tries to hide it, and you even may not have heard, Wenatchee is fighting a war on two fronts, from the south in Ellensburg and across the Columbia River in the east. I hope you don’t have to get involved. It hasn’t become a threat so far, but I’ve heard rumors of these bandits being members of the US Federal Army still following the last orders from the Federal government, given to them twenty-something years ago.”
“The Last Orders? You mean the October Laws?”
“Yeah, those. There are some that still believe the Federal Government will return, and it’s their duty to hold things together and preserve the union until the president comes out of hiding and helps them ‘defeat the Chinese.’ ”
“They still think we’re at war?!” Paul said, confused by that.
“Yeah, even after nearly thirty years, they believe that without a treaty made the war is still going on. They think that the robbing they do is only taxing to support the Federal Army, and that anyone who does not pay their ‘tax’ is a rebel and a traitor. Don’t worry; these are only a few extremists. Most of the army has gotten that the Chinese are in just as bad a condition as we are and there is no Federal government. Don’t let it bother you. The Yakima government is more supportive of this ‘taxing’ than Wenatchee, but it is only a minor issue. You only have to help, not fight,” the employee assured him.
“I see. There’s a friend of mine that’s a guard in Wenatchee…”
“Again, it’s only a minor issue. The bandits are for the most part under control and their numbers are small. It should be no trouble.”
“Good. I had been a bit worried since they said they needed guards close to Wenatchee. That’s comforting.”
“I have to go now. Enjoy your stay,” the employee said getting up and walking down the hall.
The next few days were uneventful. He decided to look around town. The YWAT had given him some Yakima money, copper-looking coins with the word “Yakima” stamped into them and an apple on the back. The apple had been on quite a few of the Wenatchee coins as well. Not all of the coins looked the same, it looked as if they just found whatever metal there was, melted it, and stamped the design into it. Well, at least there was a currency.
Paul decided to go shopping. They had made him leave his clothes in Wenatchee, so he went into town to buy some new clothes. There wasn’t much else he needed: most of what he needed was provided for by the YWAT. He decided to buy lunch in town, though. It wasn’t much, just a steak. He decided to get an apple pie for desert, the town seemed to have a thing for apples, and it was much better. Well, maybe it was best to order what a town was proud of over just any dish.
He did get to meet some of the other pilots. They had plenty of advice for him. According to them, the test was actually pretty hard compared to a normal flight. The pilot intentionally flew poorly and went into the mountains as a test. They assured him this would be much easier. Even so, he was still nervous. This time if something happened there wouldn’t be someone watching him.
Finally the day of his mission came. He dressed in his uniform and put on his badge. He didn’t like the uniform much. It was a white, bleached color. There was a white hat with “Yakima” and “YWAT” written in red letters. It had gold trimming. What was he, and army commander?! Why couldn’t he just wear whatever he wanted! Did he have to look good for the guns or something?! There weren’t even any passengers. Wasn’t a badge enough?
He walked from the offices to the airport. He was quite nervous after last time. Did he really want this job? If he failed, there was no one to help him! He decided that he should go anyway. What better way to get involved in matters than to be the transporter of weapons? He reached the airport and saw the airship waiting for him. It was larger than the last one he piloted, but not by much. He walked into and was going to wait for the signal for takeoff, but a woman was sitting in the chair next to the pilot’s.
“Um, is this not my airship? I thought I was going at this time, and this is the only airship…”
“Of course you’re going. I’m your co-pilot!”