By the next day, Leah Silverstone had ceased to exist. Gordon Weston had grudgingly helped his captain move her possessions aboard the ship, then promptly gone to sleep. The rest of the crew did not encounter her until the following morning, when Zachary Taylor's latest hangover compelled him to seek out water in the kitchen. He saw Silverstone walking down the hallway in front of him, silently cursed Bob, and went about his morning routine. Rene Levancon was more amused than annoyed, as he and Takeshi had joined the crew while Levancon's sister was living aboard the ship. Sato maintained a passive stance, while Sun Dinghuang had no reason to believe anything out of the ordinary had happened.
At ten A.M., only Bob and Leah were still aboard. The rest of the crew had been sent out to find various supplies. Silverstone explored the boat while its captain attempted to reach his employer. The video feed sprang to life after a few seconds. Birch did not appear quite as tired as usual. "Hey! You're alive at decent hours!" Sadeski had not seen Mark in a good mood in quite some time. "I hear good things from Mr. Kang, Bob."
"You read the news lately, Mark?" Bob flopped into his chair. "The Chinese are killing thousands. That's because of this last job. Their navy is out parading around the sea to the east. Tension's high here. Got a job that doesn't entail sailing that way again?"
Birch laughed. "Tension is good for business! The world sees a potential disaster, I see a potential gold mine. There's a U.S. fleet heading to the Philippines. There's a Russian fleet floating around. Even Japan is on alert. We'll have contracts all over." He turned to the other computer. "First off. An old friend of ours in Sri Lanka has a job for you."
Sadeski visibly perked up. "Rahman?"
"Sure is." Rahman al-Qassad, an Arab spices baron based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, was almost as friendly with the company as Daniel Morchester. His contracts were invariably vague affairs which usually saw the mercenaries perform a great number of jobs and receive a massive paycheck. It would be a long and confusing job, but it would be well worth Sadeski's time. "I'm sure you know the deal by now."
"Of course." Bob was envisioning showing Leah around Colombo.
Birch noticed the mercenary's distant expression. "Is something wrong, Bob?"
"Well, um..." Sadeski knew the only way to keep Birch from intervening regarding Silverstone was to keep him out of the loop. He decided to overwhelm his employer with information and hope he forgot. "Our replacement guy died on Hainan. You don't have to pay him."
"Mr. Kang told me already. That shouldn't be an issue. Something else is up, Bob." He hadn't expected Mark to fall for the first one, in any event.
"Did Mr. Kang tell you that he had a legally dead Chinese pilot stow away aboard our ship? He wants to sell you some information about the Chinese navy and air force." This one would probably work.
Birch took the news in stride. "Good work, Bob. Next time you go to Australia I'll tell you how to get him on a plane. I have a friend in Canberra. Otherwise, you're going to have to bring him yourself."
"Yeah, I was planning on it." Bob decided to gamble with his last piece of information. "Speaking of which, I'm using him as a replacement for Rene."
Mark frowned. "What's wrong with Rene now, Bob? If this is another game..."
"No, no!" So far, so good. Sadeski proceeded to relate the complete story of Rene's hidden love, silently reflecting on the irony of his situation. Luckily, Birch was adequately annoyed to drop the issue. After a few minutes' mindless banter, Gordon returned with a cart of massive water bottles. Bob ended the call and helped Weston bring the bulky plastic containers aboard the ship. When the rest of the crew had arrived and restocking was finished, Bob gathered them in the kitchen and announced their course- first to Ko Pha Ngan to deposit Rene, as the island was a negligible distance off their intended course, and then on to Sri Lanka. Sato and Taylor cheered upon hearing the plan- they were well familiar with Colombo.
The Northern Cross had left Bangkok as quickly as possible. Zach barreled through the southbound shipping lanes, bringing the boat to cruising speed almost before it had left the mouth of the river. Ko Pha Ngan was conveniently located almost due south of Bangkok, making for an easy trip. As the boat left Bangkok, Bob and Leah watched the skyscrapers recede from the deck. A lone crane winged its way above the boats, crossing the river in the only safe way available. Silverstone sighed. "Bob..." She clasped his hand in hers and gazed at him, letting her eyes speak. Her long dress rippled in the disturbed air rushing past the boat.
"Get a room." Rene Levancon strolled past- he had been on the far side of the ship's cabin with a notebook, as had been the case for three days. He rolled his eyes as he passed, a smile playing about his face.
"Can it, or the most convenient location will be the middle of the ocean." Sadeski growled. Nevertheless, once the city had faded into its own haze, they made their way to Sadeski's room.
Zachary Taylor's trip was much the same as every other one- heavy metal, a GPS, and open ocean for hours on end. He guided the ship until well after the sun had set, turning down offers of replacement from Gordon and Takeshi. It was nearly midnight when the Northern Cross finally came to a halt alongside the concrete pier jutting out from Haad Rin beach. Taylor ignored the three Thai girls waiting on the narrow strip of concrete, letting Gordon go out to moor the boat. He kept his headphones on, refusing to leave the controls.
While the majority of Rene Levancon's possessions had been bought with company money and would remain on the ship, to be used by Sun Dinghuang, he had managed to buy enough in the previous few days to weigh him down as he left the ship. He doggedly hauled several canvas bags out of the cabin and onto the deck, eliciting a cry of delight from one of the girls. Levancon lowered the bags to the pier before vaulting over the ship's rail himself and embracing Sumalee with a passion the formerly dour Frenchman had not exhibited in his time as a mercenary. <I've missed you, my love.> The two other girls gave exclamations of joy as Rene brought his lips to Sumalee's. Behind him, the crew filed out of the cabin.
"Isn't this a happy ending." Gordon jumped down and stood watching the young lovers from the other side of the pile of bags. The two girls were awed by him. "Need any help with these, Rene?" He indicated the pile.
"No, we got it." Sumalee released Rene with one arm and dragged a bag closer to her. She turned to the boat and waved. "Thank you for bringing him back to me."
"Don't mention it." Gordon clapped Rene on the back. "Good luck, kid. If you're gonna leave, this is about the best way to do it." He clambered back aboard the ship.
Sun Dinghuang smiled peacefully as he saluted the Frenchman, who returned the gesture. Takeshi stepped forward, trying to hide his limp. "Man, I'm gonna miss you. Don't have too much fun without me."
"Can't promise you that." Sumalee giggled at Rene's reply. Sato grinned and retreated toward the cabin. Leah Silverstone, now changed into pants, jumped down to the pier, followed by Bob. Levancon assumed a more serious expression as his captain approached.
"Well, kid, I guess this is it." Bob had only given passing thought to how he would handle this, despite all the preparations he had made.
"I guess it is." Rene stared back into Bob's eyes, confidence that Bob was not accustomed to seeing radiating from the Frenchman. "Good luck, and get out someday."
Sadeski fumbled with his pocket. "Yeah, someday." He pulled a roll of bills held together with a rubber band from the pocket, and the two girls' eyes grew wide. "One point three million baht. Your back pay after expenses. I figured you'd need this instead of dollars."
Rene accepted the money and transferred it to his own pocket. "Thanks, Bob. I'll tell you how civilian life is once in a while." He grinned at the older man.
"Yeah, yeah, and you can miss us." Bob deftly jumped onto the edge of the ship, then pulled himself over the rail.
Leah began to follow Bob, but stopped just short of the ship's hull, turning to face Rene. "It's just been hello, and now it's goodbye." She took Bob's hand and allowed him to pull her up.
"Goodbye." Levancon's tone was friendly. He raised his eyes to his three old companions and their new acquaintances. "Goodbye, everyone! Thank you all." He began picking up bags, and the Thai girls moved to assist him.
"Goodbye, Rene." Bob stumped back into the ship, and the others followed close behind. Outside, the bags were on their way down the pier to Sumalee's apartment. Rene Levancon's silhouette against the lights of Haad Rin grew smaller as midnight closed his last day as a mercenary and ushered in a new life.
Zach's headphones were lying on a control panel when Bob entered the room. "You're an ass, you know."
Taylor faced Bob with a dour expression. "I'm blunt. I don't like how he left. Among other things. The latest of which is right here." He pulled up an online news article on the laptop.
Bob bent down to read the small text. "Rahman al-Qassad Assassinated- May second. Investigation ongoing. Chinese man suspected." An old military photo of a man clearly recognizable as a young Sun Dinghuang was fixed at the top left. Bob slammed his fist into the table. "Dammit."
ns 15.158.61.8da2
