by A. E. Radley
As guests in the country, it was sometimes up to the able command team to step aside and allow the locals to steer the ship safely into position.
However, Caroline always felt as if she was teaching a toddler to drive a car, watching the dribbling youngster not know what they were doing and almost driving them into a tree.
Fortuna’s systems were very different to other ships. Technological advancements in steering and fuel consumption had made the ship almost indecipherable to the average harbour pilot.
She, and four members of her crew, stood by and watched the pilot try his best. They were all ready to jump in and avert disaster if needed.
After a lot of back and forth, the ship was almost in position. It was mere centimetres from being in place, but it looked like the pilot was about to push the incorrect button. Caroline couldn’t stand the dithering any longer. She stepped forward and pressed a couple of buttons and took control of the stick to gradually press the stern of the ship where it needed to be for the mooring ropes to be attached.
“Thank you for your assistance,” she said to the pilot. “I believe Lucia has your paperwork.”
She gestured for Lucia to take the pilot into the SCC so the rest of the crew could get on with the job of securing the ship, preparing paperwork, clearing customs and security, securing the gangplank, and advising the passengers that they were able to depart the ship.
The moment he was out of the way, everyone sprang into action. Caroline stayed back, overseeing and observing as her team did their jobs. Now and then she stepped forward and offered advice, but for the most part she allowed Thomas to take the lead on things.
The bridge was full of activity for the next twenty minutes, and soon enough they received word from the port that they had completed all the necessary procedures. Passengers could go ashore to the Spanish island of Mallorca.
“I’ll go to my office and make the announcement,” Caroline told Thomas.
“Great, I’ll catch you later on for the meeting with Dom.”
She swiped her card and left the bridge. She walked down the narrow corridors in the forward crew-only section of deck fourteen towards her own rooms.
A few seconds later she entered her office. Her window had the perfect view of the Mallorca port, and she sat in her high-backed, upholstered leather chair. She shook the mouse to wake up her computer; her inbox was already out of control, but that was something she’d deal with later.
She picked up her telephone handset and called the telecoms room.
“Good morning, Captain West,” the operator answered quickly.
“Good morning, can you patch me through for an all-rooms announcement?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. The countdown will begin… now.”
Little beeps sounded through the earpiece, and she counted them down knowing that when they stopped, she would be broadcasting to every part of the ship, every public area, and every stateroom.
“Good morning, good morning, good morning,” she greeted.
She’d said the same thing every morning since she started doing such announcements. She knew some people would be in bed, some people would be eating, some would be in the shower. The repetition was a polite and friendly way of postponing the content of her announcement, allow people to stop what they were doing if they wished to listen to her.
“This is Captain West, and it’s my pleasure to welcome you to the beautiful island of Mallorca. It is eight-fifteen, and the gangway is now open on deck three for you to disembark and enjoy all the sights, sounds, and of course foods of Palma.”
She swivelled in her seat to look at one of the many screens embedded into the wall behind her desk. It displayed everything from weather reports, to operational systems, to the ship-wide CCTV system.
“The weather today will be a comfortable twenty-four degrees, so don’t forget the sun lotion. Remember, if you are going ashore today to take your pass card and a form of photo identification with you. If you have any questions about any of our excursions, you’ll find many knowledgeable and friendly members of our shore excursions team around the ship this morning. Make sure you are back aboard by three-thirty. That’s three-thirty for all aboard. Thank you and enjoy Mallorca.”
She ended the call and picked up a remote control and started to scroll through some of the camera views on the CCTV screens. Guests were already waiting by the gangway, even though they had docked fifteen minutes earlier than stated in the itinerary. Some people were eager to get off the ship and spend as much time as possible in the destinations.
She scanned through a few decks, checking that everything was in order. Having access to every single public area of the ship was a fantastic feature of the newer cruise liners. In the past, she’d had to go to the security office. Now she could pinpoint any area, or just browse to check everything was in order at any time.
Her thumb hovered over the button she’d been clicking.
Serena Rubio was already on the sun deck, taking advantage of the early Mediterranean sun. Caroline swallowed hard. She really was an extremely attractive woman. The swimsuit she wore highlighted what the dress from the night before had only hinted at. Long, toned legs, a flat stomach, and ample breasts.
She quickly changed the camera and looked away from the screen entirely.
She shook her head, furious at herself for even looking. In all her time as captain she had never, ever used the CCTV system for anything other than security purposes. She’d immediately fire anyone who gawked at a passenger in the way she just had.
“What is it about her?” she wondered to herself.
She turned back to her desk and opened up a browser window. She typed Serena’s name into the search bar. Perhaps finding out more about the woman would satisfy her curiosity, and she would be released from whatever pull Serena unknowingly had on her.
The first thing that came up was a Wikipedia page. Caroline clicked the link and started to hungrily read all the information it provided, which admittedly wasn’t much. She stared at the pictures on the profile, turning her head to the side as she looked even closer.
“Has she had work done?” she mused.
She let out a long sigh and closed the window down. She had work to do; she didn’t have time to research one of the passengers, not to mention that it seemed wrong to do so. With another sigh, she turned her attention to her email inbox.
Dinosaur on Board
“Can I get you something from the bar?”
Annie opened her eyes and raised her hand to shield her gaze from the sun. The staff member wore a crisp, white polo-necked T-shirt and dark blue shorts. He spun an empty drinks tray on his finger.
She’d been outside for a couple of hours and had to admit that sitting in the sun was thirsty work.
“Sure, why not. Can I have a piña colada?”
“Absolutely. Can I have your pass card?”
She handed it over, and he glanced at it and smiled. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes, Miss Rubio.”
“Thank you.” Annie lay back down on the sunbed. She let out a moan of pleasure as she enjoyed the hot rays of sun beating down on her.
Around five o’clock that morning, she had come to the conclusion that if she was going to be found out and either arrested by Caroline or killed by Diego, she might as well be well rested.
She was on a luxury cruise ship for the first, and probably last, time in her life, so she might as well enjoy it a little. It could be the last opportunity she had to sunbathe, the last piña colada she’d drink. She might as well enjoy herself while she could. Recent events had proved that she really never knew what tomorrow might bring.
With that stomach-churning realisation, she’d gone to the on-board shop and purchased some swimwear. As with the underwear situation, it felt wrong to wear Serena’s swimwear. Now she was decked out in Dream merchandise and enjoying some quiet rest and relaxation.
The ship seemed to be fairly empty, many people having disembarked to look
at Palma and the rest of the island of Mallorca. The few who did remain were spread out among the restaurants or on the sundeck.
Annie had noticed a couple of people looking in her direction. Paranoia had started to seep in. She didn’t know if they were just looking around, as people tended to do, or if they had heard who she was supposed to be.
She’d already decided to spend the afternoon in the ship’s internet café to conduct some discreet research on Serena. If everyone else was Googling her, she better do so as well.
“Here you are, Miss Rubio, one piña colada.”
She took the drink and her pass card. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome.” He winked and walked away, continuing to spin the empty drinks tray as he did.
He was cute but definitely not Annie’s type.
As if on cue, Caroline West and another officer passed the waiter. They were deep in conversation, but Caroline looked up and their eyes met. Annie saw the hesitation in them and wondered what Caroline would choose to do.
It became quickly clear that the war between Caroline’s desire to escape and her courtesy was won by her sense of duty when she paused at a polite distance from Annie’s lounger.
“Miss Rubio,” Caroline said.
“Captain West,” Annie replied.
“This is my staff captain, Thomas Barridge,” Caroline introduced her conversation partner.
“Two captains?” Annie asked.
“More like about eight,” Thomas replied. “Pleasure to meet you, Miss Rubio. I’ll leave you to it, Captain; I have a meeting in the engine room.”
Caroline looked as if she was going to argue, but Thomas had already continued walking. Caroline turned to look at Annie before averting her eyes and looking behind her, over the railings.
“Did you decide not to sample the delights of Mallorca after all, Miss Rubio?” Caroline enquired, still not looking directly at her.
She’s embarrassed, Annie realised. It was adorable that someone as confident and commanding as Caroline was so clearly afraid of a bit of skin on show. Annie sat up a little and draped a towel over her shoulders, covering herself a little to save Caroline’s blushes.
“No, I thought I’d enjoy the sun in case the weather turns,” Annie replied.
Caroline’s eyes flickered down, meeting Annie’s. Her pupils were dilated, and Annie had to hide her smirk at how she seemed to affect the captain.
“You can tune in to channel 41 for my weather round-up. I’m afraid it’s rather boring for some, pressure systems, wind speeds, that kind of thing, but I do also give some information on temperatures.”
“I know. I’ve been watching,” Annie admitted.
When she’d returned to her room the previous evening, sleep had continued to elude her. In the end, she’d turned on the television and fallen asleep listening to Caroline talk about the fast-moving high pressure in the Balearic Sea.
Then she had woken up a couple of hours later to the announcement that they had arrived in Palma.
Good morning, good morning, good morning, Annie thought, remembering waking up to the rich voice coming through the speaker in the ceiling. Caroline West was fast becoming a fixture of Annie’s day.
“Well, then you’ll know that we have some strong winds expected tonight and that Marseille will be quite windy,” Caroline said.
“So, I heard. Luckily, I intend to stay on the ship at Marseille,” Annie said.
In truth, she intended to stay on the ship as much as possible. It seemed safer, if anything could really be considered safe anymore. Her only concern was that it might appear a little strange if she never ventured off the ship, but she’d deal with that when she got to it. Only yesterday she’d decided to never leave her room. Now she was sunbathing on the top deck.
Impulsive Annie Peck, striking again.
“You toured there, didn’t you?” Caroline asked.
Annie wasn’t sure if this was a fact that Graham had mentioned at dinner or if Caroline had been conducting her own research. Panic flashed through her like a cold bolt of lightning. She pulled the towel a little tighter around her and shrugged.
“I don’t recall. My manager books things, and I am so busy… places merge into one,” Annie said.
Caroline looked confused and opened her mouth to say something when a crew member approached her.
“Captain, we have a twenty-sixty on deck two,” he said.
Caroline nodded. “I’ll be there in a moment.”
He saluted her and left.
“What’s a twenty-sixty?” Annie asked.
“A code word to prevent passengers from knowing what is happening,” Caroline explained with a grin.
“I bet I can guess.” Annie sipped at her piña colada.
Caroline chuckled. “You can try, if you like.”
“Man overboard?”
Caroline shook her head. “On deck two? With no windows?”
“Maybe not,” Annie agreed. “Fire?”
“No.”
“Dinosaur,” Annie said confidently, nodding.
Caroline’s smile grew wider. “Dinosaur? Is that what you’re going with?”
“Absolutely, there’s a dinosaur rampaging through deck two. That or a stowaway.”
“More likely that we’d have a dinosaur on board,” Caroline said. “We don’t get stowaways; security is too tight.”
As a child, Annie wouldn’t have been able to resist such temptation. She would have had to announce immediately that she had managed it, done the impossible, broken through the defences, and then be in an enormous amount of trouble.
Adult Annie knew better, but the itch to say something bubbled in her and had to be tampered down.
“So, what would you do if a stowaway did manage to get on board?” she fished.
“I’d put them in the brig and drop them at the next port,” Caroline said in such a casual way that Annie really did believe that it had never happened.
“And a dinosaur?” she asked, her heart pounding.
“Same thing, just a bigger brig.” Caroline grinned.
Annie smiled. “I should let you go and catch that dinosaur then. It was good seeing you again.”
“You, too.” Caroline hesitated a moment. “Don’t forget to top up the sun lotion.” An almost imperceptible wince crossed her face before she turned on her heel and walked away.
Annie picked up her piña colada and took a few gulps. Why did she keep talking to Caroline? It would have been far more sensible to ignore her entirely. Caroline seemed to be a kind person and obviously very dedicated to her job. If she knew who Annie really was, then she would surely lock her up and throw her off the ship at the first opportunity.
If she handed Annie over to any local authority, it wouldn’t be long before Diego would find her. His network had links with the police all over Europe.
It was clearly stupid to keep talking to Caroline West; the risk of discovery and the resulting actions were far too high.
But Annie liked her.
She was capable and kind, funny and a little adorably awkward. There was something comforting about her. While Annie knew that it was foolish to talk to her, she also suspected that she’d continue to do it.
No, she told herself firmly. Try to avoid her. Be polite, but nothing more.
She sipped some more of her cocktail and tried to push aside the image of Caroline West’s endearing flushed cheeks as she attempted to look away from Annie’s swimsuit-clad body.
She is cute, though, she allowed.
Perfectly Well-Jazzed
Caroline stabbed at the keyboard key which refreshed the passenger manifest list. It was five minutes until the gangway was supposed to be closed, but there were still three hundred and seventeen people not accounted for.
It was the same at every single port. There would be some who left it to the very last minute to return to Fortuna. Some who would happily delay the whole ship, without any consideration for others.
Thankfully, the all-aboard time was at least an hour earlier than they technically needed to set sail to allow for this exact situation, but it still irked Caroline that so many people were disorganised and late. It seemed careless at best.
Technically, as master of Fortuna, she could choose to go without them, as long as they weren’t on any of Dream’s managed excursion, but the publicity and corporate backlash would be too extreme to even think about it. She had only ever left passengers behind at ports in matters of extreme emergencies.
In the past, she’d waited nearly three hours for someone when their tour bus had broken down. Another time, she’d sent a member of the crew in a taxi to find a lost couple who had called the ship in a terrified panic.
Every day at sea was a new surprise.
She pressed the button again. More were aboard, but there were still more than she liked unaccounted for considering the time. She turned to look out of her office window; coaches were pulling into the port, hopefully filled with her missing passengers.
There was a knock on the door. She turned back to face her desk. “Come in.”
Dominic walked in, looking as laidback and relaxed as ever. “How are we doing?”
“Just under three hundred unaccounted for,” Caroline said. She gave him a look that told him that she blamed him entirely.
“Hey, it’s not my fault.” He sat in one of the visitor’s chairs.
“Can we make the signage at the port a little bigger?” she asked. “Emphasise the all-aboard times?”
“We could write it in the sky to an orchestral piece, and no one would take any notice,” Dominic told her. “As more people start cruising, they become more casual about the whole thing. A first-time cruiser rarely leaves the port unless they are on a planned excursion. Someone on their tenth cruise will push it to the limit. Not a lot we can do about human nature.”
She stabbed the button again. The number would turn from red to green when the numbers balanced. She didn’t need to read the exact number unaccounted for; it was still red and that was all that mattered.