Authors Notes: This story was written for the 2011 Tracy Island Writers Forum's Fic Swap Challenge. My request was 'A luxury cruise turns out to be the boat ride from hell.'
This story has been set in the Thunderbirds Continuous Timeline. In between the stories Operation Earthquake and Allis Mr. Hackenbacker
1 'Birthday Honours' – Thunderbirds Redan Magazine #8
2 'Atlantic Inferno' – Thunderbirds episode 27
3 'Pleasure Cruise' – Thunderbirds Redan Magazine #38
4 'Terror Of New York City' – Thunderbirds episode #13
5 'Cry Wolf' – Thunderbirds episode 21
6 'Operation Earthquake' – TVC21 118-124
7 'Strip One' – TVC21A 1966
8 'The Trapped Spy' – TVC21 110-117
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The Luxus Disaster
Chapter 1
The sun gazed down heavily on the island of Cyprus, beaming its intensity of heat across the land. It's heat wave, constant in these parts of the Nicosia District, where you had to be used to the heat if you were to stay here. Thanks to the Tracy family living on a glamorous island in the Pacific Ocean, they were able to cope with the thirty degrees heat that the village of Pachyammos was facing.
They were dinning at a small restaurant called Μπλε Vinni (Blue Vinni) outside in the sun, but shaded by the canopy above them. Around the table, Jeff, Scott and Gordon were celebrating with Grandma, their glasses raised high in the air. Grandma had a small glass of sherry, Scott and Jeff had a pint of beer each and Gordon had a white wine.
"To Grandma," spouted Jeff, "and a very happy birthday." They all clinked glasses before taking a sip.
"This is just lovely." Grandma was pleased with how the day had gone. "It's so nice that you did all this for my birthday. I just wished the others were here to experience it!"
"Well some one has to stay home to be in charge of the rescue mission, if a call comes in whilst were away." Jeff had begun tucking into his medium rare steak. The temperature might have been boiling out side, but he still felt like a hot meal.
His sons on the other hand, had decided to go for a salad. Gordon poured a dressing onto his. Gordon wasn't keen on salads; normally at home if he wanted a hot meal he would go inside where it was cool. However the inside of the restaurant, was worse than sitting outside in the sun.
Scott on the other hand was happy with his, and wasn't as fussy as Gordon, but had the same opinion that it was far too hot to have anything cooked, and asked for the dressing after Gordon was done with it. Surprisingly, Grandma as well had chosen salad, but hadn't wanted dressing to go with it.
The day went on, and soon the sun had moved slightly, putting Grandma in the sunlight, with the rest of the boys still in the shade.
"Grandma, do you want to change places? You look uncomfortable in the sun" Scott had noticed this for a while and felt compelled to make sure that she felt happy on her birthday.
"Yes please Scott." She stood up and began moving to Scott's seat.
"Father, Grandma," started Gordon, "do you mind if I go for a quick walk? Soon after finishing his meal.
"Of course Gordon."
Scott liked the idea of going for a quick stroll around the village, getting some fresh air. "If you don't mind Gordon, I think I'll join you."
"Sure Scott, the more the merrier." Gordon rose from his seat, whilst Scott waited. Once Gordon was standing the two brothers set off down the street where its miss-mashed stone street felt uneasy on the brother's sandals. Both had put their sunglasses back on and finally Gordon broke the silence, "It was a swell idea of dad, taking Grandma on this one week cruise for her birthday."
"Yeah. It sure makes a change from her last birthday!" Scott recollected on those last words, as he remembered quite memorably what happened on her birthday of 2066. They hadn't planned anything big for her, but had organised a surprise party on the day. Unfortunately, they received a distress call from New York and had to save several trapped people at the top of the Bank of America Office Tower whilst it was on fire. Everyone was saved, but they had missed Grandma's birthday, something that Jeff felt terrible about. It reminded him, how much International Rescue had taken over their lives since they started.1
"It seems funny, dad is here to celebrate Grandma's birthday!" Gordon said, reminding Scott of the previous time his father tried to take a vacation, which was at the start of this year. Staying a Lady Penelope's lodge in Australia, had been the thing Jeff needed, if he hadn't of worried so much. Scott distinctively remembered the rollicking Jeff had given him after they'd put those fires out at the oilrig.2 Then of course the time before that, when he stayed aboard Lady Penelope's FAB 2 last year, but was attacked by the Hood.3 Jeff's time off over the past few years hadn't really worked, and he had certainly come to the conclusion that taking a vacation was a bad idea. "I guess the only thing really keeping dad here, is his guilt about how bad Grandma's previous birthday."
"I guess so." They continued walking together in silence knowing what each other was thinking. Finally Scott broke the silence. "Gordon," he said nervously.
"Yeah."
"Do you feel sick?"
"Yep!" The reason they had been walking was because they both felt slightly bloated, probably because of how fast they had eaten their food. Now they both felt ill, and you could see it in there facial expressions. Their stomachs began to rumble hard, which was accompanied by sharp pains. Their stomachs felt almost ready to throw up the previous food, and the heat did not help. "Maybe we should go back to the ship."
"I'll text dad telling him that." They started walking as fast as they could but couldn't move that fast. Scott slipped his mobile out of his pocket and started sluggishly pressing the buttons.
Jeff's mobile dinged, he reached down and pulled it out of his pocket, before opening the message. DON'T FEEL WELL, HEADING BACK TO THE SHIP WITH GORDON.
"What is it Jeff?" Grandma was curious to know what he was reading.
"I don't know why, but apparently Scott and Gordon don't feel well. They're heading back to the ship."
"Oh dear. I told them you have to be careful what you eat in foreign countries when on holiday." "Looks like it'll be just us two for the rest of day." Jeff had finished his steak and was moving onto the last few side portions of chips that came with it. It was only two o'clock, and they had to be back on the cruise liner by four. Never the less, despite all the fantastic places they had been to, Jeff's mind still wondered off, worrying about International Rescue. He was amazed he had even stayed this long, without heading back. This was a one-week cruise, or as Jeff preferred to think about it, a seven-day cruise. Seven days seemed shorter than a week.
"Oh Jeff stop thinking about International Rescue!" Grandma interrupted his training of thought.
He chuckled to himself briefly, "you can read me like a book, can't you mother?"
"Well I have to," she started, "can't really claim to be your mother without being able to guess what's going on inside your head. Besides, Alan and Virgil are back at the base, not to mention Tin-Tin and Brains who have been out on their fair share of rescues themselves. Not to mention Kyrano, if they all need to leave the base, he can always stay behind. What about the time we left him in charge when we all went to see the Ned Cook Show."4
Jeff knew she was right, at the end of the day they could handle any disaster that occurred. It had almost been six months since they had seen the Hood5, and their last call out was to Moscow about a week ago.6 All he had to do was to relax and enjoy the cruise; after all he was going to be dining with the Captain tonight.
The cruise liner Luxus, the ship they were travelling on, was docked at the Cyprus Pachyammos Port, with passengers boarding and going as they pleased. At the end of the liner, big crates were being shipped onto the hold by forklift trucks, one by one. Captain Bradley Gerard, a tall man in his early fifties with grey hair and beard, along with his first mate Commander Richard Peters, a youngish man in his early thirties with blond hair and roughly the same height as the Captain, watched as the next shipment of food was taken into the hold.
"How many more crates, Peters?" asked Bradley
Richard looked down at his clipboard that he was using to tick off the other supplies that had arrived. "About four more items sir. Then the only thing left is the chef's spice that he specially ordered himself."
"Trust him to order something out of the blue. What's it called?"
"Err…" Peters skimmed the bottom of the page to read the scribbling of the chef's handwriting. Squinting his eyes he struggled to pronounce the word. "Cal…Calamar…Calamarna, Calamarna."
"Cala what?" Bradley took the board off his Commanders and looked at it. "Calamarna! Never heard of it," he handed the board back to Richard, "as long as he's paying for it."
"Will you be dining tonight sir, with the passengers again?"
"Yes. It's normal to do it at least twice on a voyage."
"Who will be dinning with you?"
"A couple called the Delmonts. A family of three, called the Pinters and another family of four called the Tracys."
"A nice bunch of people?"
"They're generally all good. They're multimillionaires or something. One of the Tracy's was married to Lucile Tracy."
"Not the famous painter?"
"Oh yes."
The last of the forklift trucks reversed out of the cargo bay, Richards looked down at his list. "That's all of them sir."
"Good I'm going to my cabin to get some rest before dining tonight. I'm sure you'll be ok in command tonight, won't you?"
"Absolutely sir."
"And obviously get an early meal in before we leave port."
"Very good sir."
The day went by, Grandma and Jeff continued their day sightseeing the landscape of the village of Pachyammos. They visited many Greek ruins that still had the unique features that the original workers carved into them years ago. Forests that provided wonderful tall trees that shielded them from the sun. Jeff was so surprised at how little he had thought of International Rescue, and how little he had called home to see how everything was going. By now the time was reaching four, and the ship would be setting fail at five. So they started back to the harbour, and it was only then Jeff remembered Scott and Gordon. His mind wandered to whether they were ok or not.
It was now seven, Grandma was dressed up for supper and waiting outside Scott and Gordon's room whilst Jeff was checking on them. Finally he remerged from the suite into the tiny corridor.
"How are they?" enquired Grandma as they started walking.
"Well they're definitely sick. But they'll be ok," replied Jeff.
"What do you think caused it?"
"They think it was the dressing they poured on the salad at the restaurant."
"I had the same salad but not the dressing. So they could be right."
"At least we're on a five star cruise boat. The food should be better here." They finally reached a section left of the corridor, leading to the stairs and elevators. They entered the lift, Jeff pressed the gold coloured circle button for the fifth floor and it began to descend. After a smooth humming, the doors glided open and they stepped out onto the dining area. There were over fifty tables jotted in the massive room, on the lower floor and on the higher levels as well. Passengers were already seated and different waiters easily navigated their way to the kitchen going to fetch the meals that had been ordered.
In the centre of the room, was the largest table, where along with two other families and the Captain Jeff and Grandma would be dining. The Pinters were already there, whom they had met the night before. Once they reached the table, two waiters where already in position to pull the seats back allowing the Tracys to sit down.
"Evening," Jeff said before sitting down. The two Pinters replied back, as Jeff and Grandma were handed the menu for the evening.
"Have you had a nice day?" Ms Pinter questioned.
"Fine thanks." Jeff briefly looking up from the menu to reply.
"Where are your two sons?" Mr Pinter curious their absence.
"Oh, they unfortunately got food poisoning from something they've eaten this afternoon. I doubt they'll be joining us for the rest of the evening."
Soon the Delmonts arrived and the six talked amongst themselves, and drank glasses of wine, before the Captain finally made his appearance. Once their meals arrived, they dined on some of the luxuries that the chef offered them. Oysters, salads, steaks, dishes marinated in white wine. Jeff knew it rivalled the marvellous cooking of Kyrano, but his friend would always be the better cook.
"Captain Gerard," began Mrs Delmont, "what course will we be taking over the next few days?"
"Well," Bradley put his knife and fork down, "we're going to be sailing close to the African coast, near places like Egypt and Libya, as apposed to sailing near countries like Crete and Greece."
"Why's that?" Grandma said whilst pouring a dressing onto her salad.
"The Bereznik government is using an area of water near the coast of Crete to do some naval practice with one of their submarines." Jeff remembered some of the trouble they'd had with the Bereznik government, even right from the start of their operation. 7 "Is it going to be safe travelling?"
"As long a we keep out of their targeting zone and stick near to Egypt and Libya, we'll be fine."