[All the passengers get a slickly made itinerary delivered to them via express delivery, which includes all the requisite tickets, the schedule, and this introduction…]

WELCOME ABOARD THE SEVEN SISTERS!

MORE THAN A CRUISE, AN EXPERIENCE!

The Seven Sisters is a hand-built, two masted gaff-rigged schooner, based off the legendary Baltimore Clippers of the 19th century.? These sturdy vessels were known for their speed and safety, proven time and again by rounding Cape Horn as they took adventurous souls to the West Coast for the California Gold Rush.? Belying her traditional lines are a state-of-the art galley, modern accommodations for up to 24 passengers, and a luxurious grand salon that includes satellite internet access.? Our fine vessel boasts the best in old world sailing and modern day amenities.

Most modern cruise lines isolate their passengers from the sea, whereas we offer the experience of the sea as it once was.? During our cruise you will have the opportunity to learn the ropes of manning this fine vessel.? During our various stops, we also offer lessons in dinghy sailing, snorkeling, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding.? Daily meals are prepared by our award winning chef using local ingredients, and the Grand Salon is open for simple leisure until 21:00 hours.

Your journey begins at Nassau, where the captain will welcome you aboard as you stow your luggage in your assigned cabin, and get briefed on all necessary safety procedure.? Your first dinner aboard will be served shortly afterward, and we will set sail that night or early Monday morning, as the tide lets out.

Your experience will include four stops at four of the rarer jewels of the Out Islands, which will include experiencing the local culture, tours and nature hikes, and enjoying some of the most beautiful vistas the Out Islands have to offer.? Our final stop will be the return to Nassau, seven days later.? At the end, you will have a week’s worth of experiences unlike anything modern life normally offers, made new friends among some of your fellow passengers, and have a story to tell others for the rest of your life..

Thank you for honoring us with your presence.? We look forward to setting sail with you.

(Catherine)
Cat squealed with excitement as she finished reading the invite.? She looked at her close friends, one of them was going with her and she couldn't be more ready.? "This is going to be great, Cece.? A seven day voyage for my 21st birthday!!!? This is going to be awesome."? Cece took the invite and read it over as well.? "Hang on a moment," she pulled out her cell and first Googled schooners, then Googled Baltimore clippers, "hm, interesting schooners and clippers are two different kinds of ships."

Cat took the invite back, "who cares, we are going to be on a ship for my 21st birthday!" she exclaimed and all of the girls squealed with her.? She couldn't wait for Sunday to get here and they all started helping her and Cece pack.

Marco Lastra?

Marco exited the Sandals Royal Bahamian and stepped into a waiting taxi. He tossed the small backpack into the seat next to him. His entire needs for a short voyage at sea amounted to very little.?

His short stay at the Sandals had been a welcome break from his business activities in the US. His last adventure in the Alps seemed a distant memory. He looked forward to diving in the Azure waters of the Carribean.?

He’d learned to Scuba dive in Portofino many years ago and had revisited the area several times over the years. Now he avoided Italy and decided to give the Carribean a shot.?

A colleague had mentioned a cruise that ventured to remote isles and celebrated one of the best undersea experiences.?

His week in Nassau had been uneventful. He’d spent two days scuba diving off the Schoolhouse Reef. The thrilling dives had left him energized and looking forward to more fun.?

The intimate confines of the Seven Sisters almost put him off but a reference to the human condition would not hurt him. He could behave himself for an extended time if the need was worth the adventure.

He had not had to worry about the paparazzi. His whereabouts had gone undetected so far and that made the trip that much more enjoyable.?

The taxi dropped him off at a large marina. It didn’t take binoculars to pick out the Seven Sisters. It loomed large at the extended pier.?

A steward greeted him at the gangway. Marco presented his passport and the golden embossed ticket.?

“Welcome aboard the Seven Sisters Mr. Lastra.? We do hope you enjoy the cruise.”

“We shall soon find out,” Marco replied. He looked down at the water that glistened below the gangway. It was clear and he could see some movement as multiple fish darted in and out of the shadows. The sun beat down on his sunbrown skin but a fresh breeze off the ocean kept him cool.

He climbed aboard the small craft and wondered again what he had been thinking. The vessel was tiny compared to the vast girth of modern cruise ships. The schooner was glorious in person and he spent a few moments just absorbing all the detail of rigging and polished wood surfaces.?

“This way to your cabin then you may be free to walk about the boat.”

Marco nodded irritably. “Okay, lead the way.” He ducked his head at the passageway entrance and smiled grimly, he’d have to watch his head on this rig.

The cabin was cramped, just what he’d been expecting. A bed, a small desk with a small chair and that was it. He did manage to have a small portal to view the sea.?

The sound of a large boat approaching came through the stout timbers of the Seven Sisters. The steward spread his feet wide as the schooner listed one way then the other at the big cruiser’s wake. Marco had just enough sense to grab a post before being tossed about his own cabin.

The steward nodded his approval with a small smile. “These rookie pilots don’t follow the speed requirements.”

He pointed towards the stern.?

“A community shower is down the hall sir you can’t miss it. Dinner at six. We will set sail as soon as all the passengers are aboard. A short introduction by the Captain will commence just prior to our departure.”

“Thanks,” Marco growled. He handed the steward a fifty. “See you on deck shortly.”

“YES SIR,” said the steward with a renewed bounce in his step.

Valentina Mendoza

US Army Field Base - Somewhere in Iraq?

Afternoon

It was supposed to be a random Op, nothing out of the ordinary. The recon team would have been gone for just a couple of days. Valentina enjoyed moments like that. Less people in the camp, more time to focus on the maintenance issues that needed to be addressed. There was still a sense of routine and camaraderie off course, but less of the pressure, less of the noise and the macho bravado.?

She wasn’t quite sure what happened to fuck that all up. There had been no telltale signs, no nothing. One minute she was working on the engine of a truck and the next, there was nothing but chaos, fire and hell. Everywhere around her there was ash and smoke. People were screaming but she couldn’t hear them, couldn’t hear anything but that insistent ringing in her ears.?

It was strange, the things you tended to focus on in moments like that. There were a lot of casualties, without a doubt. So much death and destruction. The kind that should have paralyzed her but instead she tried to move, mind jumping into focus, training kicking in. She tried to get up, tried to move but then realized she couldn’t. It didn’t make sense at first. Not understanding why something that seemed so simple before couldn’t be done now. She just couldn’t do it and that was frustrating. Running on nothing but sheer adrenaline.?

It wasn’t until the second explosion went on that everything went dark again.?

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It had all gone to ratshit so damn fast.

Coming in, the scene below them had been utter devastation, there was now a crater where tents used to be, he could see clear and overt areas of fire damage and mass destruction. As he would find out later, all caused by explosives inventively hidden and successfully deployed before anyone had time to discover them.?

Clearly people were still alive down there, they could be seen fire-fighting and hauling ass down below as the two HH-60M Medevac Blackhawks flew in to the rescue. Jack watched the soldiers move as the helos landed and he tried to assess the situation as best he could until given permission to put boots on the ground.

There was still fighting going on, the enemy insurgents having taken advantage of the initial chaos, but the core centre of the small base of operations (what was left of it) was protected now. They had a safe place to land, and a team already assessing casualties on the ground. They were ready, and the worst of the wounded were waiting.

---

Six casualties fitted into the Blackhawk, only two of those inbound were still conscious, and one of those was howling like a wolf. Jack settled him down first, checked his wounds were all patched and set him a morphine drip. When he was quiet, only then did he move over to his other waking patient.

Fuck. He knew this one. Hadn’t seen her for a good while, but he remembered her well enough. Valentina Grace Mendoza. Daughter of the renowned Captain Elias Mendoza, though that wasn’t why Jack knew her. They’d been through Boot together, nearly eight years previous.

“Hey,” he said, gifting a smile to the woman who was strapped securely into a stretcher and totally immobilized. “You’re gonna be okay, Vali. I got ya.”

He rested a calm hand on her forehead lightly, checked all her straps were tight and solid, and ensured she wasn’t moving anywhere when they took off. Then he set up the IV, morphine for the pain and checked her over carefully.

“You’re gonna be okay.” Her leg looked seriously fucked, there was blood soaked into every part of her and her face was charred, but yeah. She’d survived this far. Jack was confident she’d make it home, one way or another, and his voice implied the same.?

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Present Day

This trip had been meant as an escape. A way out. Valentina was used to travelling, she was used to seeing the world, but all of this? It was not her usual way of living. Staring out at the open water the young woman couldn’t help but wonder what the hell she was doing here, right now, in this very moment. Running away from her problems wouldn’t solve. It wouldn’t change how fucked up her body still was, even after all these months.?

She wasn’t the same anymore and would never be the same again so why even bother trying? It wouldn’t amount to anything and would end up making her even more unhappy. Without a purpose, a real goal. Before she had been trying to save her country, before she had made a difference. Going on? holiday it didn’t mean anything. It was random.?

Better make the best of it right? Use this as an opportunity to get her solid ground back again. But that was hard to do and while she was trying as hard as she possibly could, it wouldn’t be easy though.?

It never was

Tag Cat, Marco, anyone