Old Man of the Mountain: Cruisin'.
Jun. 8th, 2009 03:42 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsIn Which Farouk Foresees Dancing in His Future.
"Now look, you bandit, I'm looking to book passage, not buy the entire damn boat!" Christian Kane said in a mixture of Thai, Malay and English, punctuating his words with curses in all three languages. The little man in front of him looked somewhat unimpressed by the performance, but it might have had something to do with the fact that he was the only one in the conversation not standing knee-deep in water on a rapidly sinking ship. The crew of the hydrofoil had already agreed to a fairly punishing temporary billot on the ship in return for their safety, leaving Farouk and Kane to negotiate with the first officer of the Thun Kramom Ying Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi.
The expansive white yacht was just a step below being a cruise ship, and already they'd noted several expensively dressed Asian men peer at their sinking ship from the sides. "What happened to the 10th, 11th, and 12th Articles on the Convention on the High Seas, hmm? That any ship is mandated to rend aid to-"
"Captain, allow me to forestall your rant. This is a private charter of a highly discrete nature. It represents consideration risk to my command, and to the comfort of my passengers to bring you on board. If you are not willing to compensate us directly in relation to those concerns, I will be happy to report we were able to save the crew of this ship, and saw no other passengers." He motioned for one of the seamen to start the launch motor. "Do we have an understanding?"
Kane grumbled as he handed over the money. "I've bought heads of state for less money." He said, before stepping from the sinking deck to the small boat.
"Yes, well, when you receive them in duffel bags, a certain discount applies."
"It was a bloody beer cooler!"
Amahl snorted, "Well, the bloody part is certainly fresh in my memory."
Christian demonstratively turned his back on him and fixed the closest member of their 'rescuers' with a Sphinxian stare.
Farouk shrugged and began hunting for a relatively dry place to sit down. Intimidation couldn't hurt, given the somewhat loose ethical guidelines and the narrow profit margins prevalent in the region. Personally, however, he suspected that the story of their departure from Singapore would be quickly shared between the two crews and should disabuse the more ambitious of the group from slitting their throats or selling them to the first available buyer.
He couldn't help casting one last wistful glanced, following the downward progress of the sinking ferry.
"Good job on getting us sunk, by the way. Good Christ, man! Where did you learn to sail? The Titanic school of Navigation?" Amahl finally averted his eyes from the dying ship and resolutely set out in search of shelter.
"If you hadn't dumped your entire mug of coffee into our GPS, we wouldn't have been shoal bait." Kane shot back. Both men glared at each other for a moment, and then stopped. "I believe we're making a scene, and here, it might be the perfect cover." Christian said finally, as they finally looked around the boat. The passengers were mostly Asian of one stripe or another, and there were two distinct groups; older, prosperous looking men, sunburnt and fatly squeezed into swimming trunks and summer suits, and the other group was dominated by young men, all with sculpted muscles and clothes designed to show off as much as possible.
"Cruise of a discrete nature?" Said Farouk.
"That's what he said." Replied Kane.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but did we just come on board as a couple for a Thai gay sex junket for aging business men and politicians."
"It would appear that way." Kane said, and momentarily brightened. "Can't ask for a better cover than that coming into Madripoor. And, fortunately, it looks like the bar is indeed open on this ship."
Farouk stared at him for a long, pregnant moment, before turning to stare at the curious onlookers. Evaluating the situation, Amahl closed his eyes briefly. Then he shrugged and wagged his finger into Kane's face, his voice climbing."Oh, no! No bar for you, mister. You know how you get, dear!"
"Remember, I am still willing to shoot you." Kane said softly, before extending the crook of his arm for Farouk to take. "And how nice for you. Your first service for the Queen."
"Now look, you bandit, I'm looking to book passage, not buy the entire damn boat!" Christian Kane said in a mixture of Thai, Malay and English, punctuating his words with curses in all three languages. The little man in front of him looked somewhat unimpressed by the performance, but it might have had something to do with the fact that he was the only one in the conversation not standing knee-deep in water on a rapidly sinking ship. The crew of the hydrofoil had already agreed to a fairly punishing temporary billot on the ship in return for their safety, leaving Farouk and Kane to negotiate with the first officer of the Thun Kramom Ying Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi.
The expansive white yacht was just a step below being a cruise ship, and already they'd noted several expensively dressed Asian men peer at their sinking ship from the sides. "What happened to the 10th, 11th, and 12th Articles on the Convention on the High Seas, hmm? That any ship is mandated to rend aid to-"
"Captain, allow me to forestall your rant. This is a private charter of a highly discrete nature. It represents consideration risk to my command, and to the comfort of my passengers to bring you on board. If you are not willing to compensate us directly in relation to those concerns, I will be happy to report we were able to save the crew of this ship, and saw no other passengers." He motioned for one of the seamen to start the launch motor. "Do we have an understanding?"
Kane grumbled as he handed over the money. "I've bought heads of state for less money." He said, before stepping from the sinking deck to the small boat.
"Yes, well, when you receive them in duffel bags, a certain discount applies."
"It was a bloody beer cooler!"
Amahl snorted, "Well, the bloody part is certainly fresh in my memory."
Christian demonstratively turned his back on him and fixed the closest member of their 'rescuers' with a Sphinxian stare.
Farouk shrugged and began hunting for a relatively dry place to sit down. Intimidation couldn't hurt, given the somewhat loose ethical guidelines and the narrow profit margins prevalent in the region. Personally, however, he suspected that the story of their departure from Singapore would be quickly shared between the two crews and should disabuse the more ambitious of the group from slitting their throats or selling them to the first available buyer.
He couldn't help casting one last wistful glanced, following the downward progress of the sinking ferry.
"Good job on getting us sunk, by the way. Good Christ, man! Where did you learn to sail? The Titanic school of Navigation?" Amahl finally averted his eyes from the dying ship and resolutely set out in search of shelter.
"If you hadn't dumped your entire mug of coffee into our GPS, we wouldn't have been shoal bait." Kane shot back. Both men glared at each other for a moment, and then stopped. "I believe we're making a scene, and here, it might be the perfect cover." Christian said finally, as they finally looked around the boat. The passengers were mostly Asian of one stripe or another, and there were two distinct groups; older, prosperous looking men, sunburnt and fatly squeezed into swimming trunks and summer suits, and the other group was dominated by young men, all with sculpted muscles and clothes designed to show off as much as possible.
"Cruise of a discrete nature?" Said Farouk.
"That's what he said." Replied Kane.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but did we just come on board as a couple for a Thai gay sex junket for aging business men and politicians."
"It would appear that way." Kane said, and momentarily brightened. "Can't ask for a better cover than that coming into Madripoor. And, fortunately, it looks like the bar is indeed open on this ship."
Farouk stared at him for a long, pregnant moment, before turning to stare at the curious onlookers. Evaluating the situation, Amahl closed his eyes briefly. Then he shrugged and wagged his finger into Kane's face, his voice climbing."Oh, no! No bar for you, mister. You know how you get, dear!"
"Remember, I am still willing to shoot you." Kane said softly, before extending the crook of his arm for Farouk to take. "And how nice for you. Your first service for the Queen."
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