South Seas

Ana felt the feeling of defeat when she found that she could not turn the wheel. It seemed to be locked in place. Either that or the wheel was broken. Despite using a broom handle as leverage, it still did not budge. Through the broken glass of the wheelhouse, she saw Tawarin's mountain loom larger and larger. The shudder of the entire ship was getting stronger.

There was only one thing left for her to do. Well two things actually. The first was easy enough to accomplish. Ana moved towards the stern out to an open area where a few bales were secured with netting. She tied some rope around her and clung on in hopes that the netting would prevent her from flying off. The bales of coconut hemp would be soft enough to act as a cushion. The second thing that she did was to pray and kiss her pretty ass goodbye as she closed her eyes, clenched her teeth and braced herself for the impact.

BOOM!

The force of impact broke the ropes holding her and bales together. She involuntarily somersaulted forward and lading on top of the bales, as the bales were thrown forward. On the short mast of the stern prevented them both from flying off out into the sea and rocks. There was a short silence and then an explosion that came from the engine room as the diesel finally gave way.

But it did not ignite the fuel, which Ana was forever thankful for. The thick oily black smoke coming from down below could be seen for miles. Marcelo clenched and unclenched his fists as he saw his fortune go up in smoke. He saw the figure on the deck flying and then getting up. The long brown hair was unmistakeable even from that distance. Even the engine at full throttle, it was only a matter of time before the yacht caught up with the trawler. He knew that he had to finish the job. The insurance money would tie him over until he can get something in the works again. He was sure that the Triads were an understanding lot. They would not hold him responsible for the loss of the heroin.

Ana saw the white yacht heading towards her. She looked around for a weapon, anything to keep Marcelo from collecting on the insurance policy. She found nothing useable until her eyes rested on the .50 calibre. She told herself what the hell, and went ahead to grip the .50 cal until Marcelo got closer. She even pulled the bolt handle to cock it, just like she saw in all those Lee Marvin movies.

Marcelo saw her at the gun. He laughed out loud at her stupidity and futility. He knew that she would not be able to get a shot off even if she knew how to. This was getting too easy for him. He cocked the .45 in his hand and readied himself. He would have to be careful getting too close. The rocks looked dangerous but in his maddened state, he was taking more chances than he would usually take.

Brap! Brap! Brap!...

In Marcelo's defence, he did see the smoke and flash coming from the .50 cal. But then the wooden and metal shrapnel flying all over his face would have clouded his vision. He temporarily lost control of the wheel, and by the time he got back up, he found that he was heading out back to sea. The faint sounds and splashes told all he needed to know. She was getting better by the minute. All he head to do was stay out of range until she runs out of ammunition.

Then she stopped. Either she finally ran out of ammunition or she had the brains to stop and let him come back in range. Marcelo took the pair of binoculars and trained it towards her the wrecked trawler. Through the half broken binoculars, he could see that she had rested her head on the smoking gun. Spent like the cartridges on the deck. There was still smoke billowing out from the aft section. But no fires, which meant that it was still safe if he wanted to transfer some of the heroin back on board his yacht. Ana would prove to be no problem for him to eliminate, whether emotionally or physically.

He saw her lift her head slightly with a smile on her face. Although she could not see, Marcelo had the same smirk on his face. It would be a sweet victory after all. Although he assumed that Ramiro was dead, it would not be a chore to find and select another partner. Then he saw her pointing at him and her smile turned into a big toothy grin. Well if she wanted to die smiling, who was he to argue?

SPLASH!!

The spout of water rose majestically up the air in front of his yacht, bloating out the sun from Marcelo's eyes. There was a rainbow when it became clear again. But only for a moment, when another spout rose, this time closer than the precious one. Marcelo turned in anger and saw that soon-to-be victory had turned into flight for survival.

The sun shone against the grey hull metal of the Coastal ship. In front, a seventy millimetre Naval gun was calculating and firing automatically. The specially designed keel sliced through the water like paper. Ana wanted to wave but she did not have enough energy. All she could do was grin as the fluttering flag of the Royal Malaysian Navy came into view. It was only a small patrol boat, built for shallow waters, but it was the sight that she thought would never see. The cavalry had finally arrived.

Marcelo struggled to turn his ship around. He knew that the only chance for him now would be that this ship would be alone. And it would be more interested in the wrecked trawler than him. But then, overhead he could see a shape looming larger. A helicopter was joining the chase. The small WASP helicopter would not have the range to follow, so he put on as much power as her could. The powerful Caterpillar engine roared to life.

Marcelo made a quick glance back and saw that the helicopter had stopped chasing and was just hovering. His luck was holding after all. And all he did afterwards was laugh at his good fortune.

******

Flap... Flap... Flap...

The ceiling fan making the soft sound as it whirled slowly. Jac had been lying on his bed looking up following the slow revolution of the fan blades since there was nothing else to see. His shoulder still hurts but it was healing. It had been two months after that muck up at Tawarin. He was still taking painkillers, although at a much reduced dosage.

He closed his eyes, thinking that would help him lock out the pain in his heart. He had failed her. The woman that he loved. In the dark lonely nights under the mosquito nets, he had come to the conclusion that he really loved her, instead of just lust. The sex had been great; there had been no doubts about that. But it was more than that. There was an emptiness that he had never felt before. At first he thought that it was the painkillers, but later he realised that it was love.

He had replayed many times in head on how he could have done just a little bit more. Just that little extra step that was needed, the one that he gave up on taking. Each time he ended up crying, something that he had not done since his mother died. And each time afterwards, her special smile came to the fore mocking his impotency in helping her.

"I'm sorry..." He said in the silence of his heart, even though he felt that his words were empty, as it could not bring back the dead.

"I'm sorry my love..."

"I love you too,Janggut." A new voice broke through his reverie.

Jac quickly wipe away his tears and stared dumbfounded at Mumaz who had just entered the room. He did not realise that he had spoken aloud. His dropped jaw at the sight spoke louder than words.

"Surprised to see me? Well you should be. Hahaha!"

"What?... How?... What the fuck..."

"Ah now,Janggut, or should I say, Jacob Calhoun. I'm not here to kill you. On the contrary, I've a dilemma which I hope that you can solve for me."

Jac stared at him in silence. There was no way that he would ever again help a murderer. In fact, the appearance of Mumaz strengthened his resolve for revenge. It would be a pleasure to peel his skin off inch by inch. It would sound like music to hear him scream for mercy. Jac felt his pulse quicken at those dark thoughts. Then he was brought short. How on earth did Mumaz know his name, and only then, Jac realised with utter confusion and terror, that Mumaz had spoken to him in perfect English, although slightly accented.

"Don't look at me like that,Janggut. Perhaps your friend who is waiting outside can convince you to hold your bloodlust. Hassan..." Mumaz shouted that name.

"Janggut..."

"Hassan..."

There were a few moments when tears flowed freely. Jac was told that the village had suffered as well. It seemed that a lot of houses were set on fire with his highly volatile Toddy. It was good enough for the drug smugglers to make those villagers homeless and ever more afraid. Fear was a more powerful tool of used effectively.

"I thought you were..."

"Dead? No. No. No. That was Hassan."

"But you're Hassan. Oh wait... You mean Hassan Amin, not Hassan Badawi?"

Hassan nodded.

"Damn. What an end for busybody. He was always telling on us. But how did he know where I was? I certainly didn't tell him, and I believe you didn't either."

"I'm not sure. He might have overhead us talking. You know him, always snooping around. We won't know now for sure. We can speculate about that on rainy days,Janggut. But first hear Mumaz out."

Jac turned to Mumaz, who had a big smile on his face, with out-of-place white teeth shining through. "Do you mind starting from the beginning? And how can I help you with this dilemma of yours?"

Mumaz grabbed a chair and made himself comfortable. "Where to start Mr. Calhoun..."

"Please call me Jac or Jacob. Calhoun sounds so old, and I'd thought I'd forgotten that name."

"Okay, Jac it is then. I'm Mumaz, and you can call me Assistant Superintendent Mum or Assistant Superintendent Mumaz, Special Branch, Royal Malaysian Police. Secret Societies, not Narcotics."

Jac whistled low and long, and shook his head in disbelieve. Then he turned to Hassan and asked, "And you, my friend? Inspector Hassan I suppose?"

"Nope. Just Hassan of the localRukun Tetangga, Arang Branch." Hassan's grin was infectious, and Jac returned it with a grin and wink.Rukun Tetangga was the local name for "Neighbourhood Watch."

"Hahaha! Hassan here is just an upstanding citizen Jac. Which brings me to my dilemma. The RMP doesn't know whether to hand you over to Interpol or give you a medal. This drug haul went down in history as the biggest that we have ever had. So, what should I do with you, Jac?"

"Ermm... You can forget that you've ever saw me and keep that medal for yourself?" Jac smiled the most treacle-laden smile he could muster. By the brief blanch on Mumaz's face, it did not work.

"Hahaha! That's what I thought you'd say, Jac. I didn't get a medal either, but I got new crowns for the teeth I lost on the trawler. Hassan here convinced me to let you go. I'm inclined to do so, on one condition."

"Name your price?"

"Get out Arang. I say this not as an insult or command. You seem to bring trouble to the islands, and trouble is not what we need. Besides, the government is building a police post on Arang, and a dock for a RMN coastal ship. Soon, it would be overrun with police, something that I believe that you're not comfortable with. So what say you, Jac?"

"I'm gone. Whoosh... Disappeared like a ghost... ASP Mumaz, I just want to add that I really like Arang, but you're right. Soon it wouldn't be as much fun anymore. I hate to leave, especially withMakcik's cooking and baked fish, but I will give you my word."

Mumaz just smiled and nodded.

"By the way, how did you first got involve and how did I get here?"

"Oh, no one told you?"

Jac shook his head. The nurse and the doctor did not know a single thing, and Jac gave up after asking a few times.

"Well, Interpol is quite thorough if nothing else. I must say that your file makes excellent reading. You've had an exciting career. We have always known about the Triads, which is why I'm in Special Branch. We have been trying to infiltrate and gather information. Mostly about the guns trafficking. It concerns national security and public safety. It was just pure luck that I managed to hook on to Ramiro. We assumed that he was smuggling guns."

"Was he? I could have sworn that all I saw were guns, and more guns."

"Yes, he was. It was a small operation, at first anyway. Small arms for pirates and all that. Nothing really to shout about. I mean he was not dealing with automatic weapons or missiles. We're worried about the increase in pirate activities. Ship owners are crying out for blood about the money they lost to pirates. Piracy is really big business here, as you well know."

Jac nodded. The length of coastline that the government had to protect was staggering. There were a lot of small coves and lots more islands from which to operate from. A pirate's dream.

"To cut a rather long story short, I went along with Ramiro, thinking that he had a huge deal in the works for a shipment of weapons. I was still sure that what it was, until I saw the neat packages of heroin. Anyway, while on Arang looking for Hassan, I tried to make a regular report to Barandung. When I couldn't get the chance, I quickly got back on the trawler. When I did, they had already strung up Hassan Amin. I was too late, but I did managed to suggest that Ramiro who was the ringleader, to spare the European woman's life, at least until my reinforcement arrives. It was only later that I managed to use the radio to put an end to this. Smuggling is one thing, but the murder is entirely different. I was nearly caught but Ramiro thought I was asking for the weather report. When we got to Tawarin, I tried to delay a bit."

"A great delay... You tried to kill me. Those shots were awfully close..."

"Ah, Jac. But I didn't hit you. I want you to know now that I was the State champion in the pistol category. I would have hit you if I wanted to. Besides, I didn't know at that time that we're on the same side."

"State Champion, huh?"

"Got the trophies at home to prove it. Anyway, I figured the woman was safer on board. That way I can keep an eye on her. That's one feisty lady. She tried to escape. I got knocked out when the trawler went out of control, and my reinforcement arrived just in time. There was only one available ship so they couldn't chase the yacht while trying to help the trawler. There was the airborne help in the form of a RMN Wasp. They were torn between chasing the yacht or save your white arse, which they spotted from the air. You should be glad that they made the right decision. They flew you to Barandung. And the yacht got away. We alerted Interpol and every port authority that we could. With a net like that, it would be impossible for him to escape."

"What... What about the woman?"

"Hahaha! I wondered how long you're going to take to ask that question. Why don't you ask her yourself? Come along Hassan. We can talk some more later Jac..."

Jac immediately stood up, only to confront her flying into his arms. He winched in pain, but soon forgot about as his heart beat furiously in happiness.

"Ó Diabo..."

Jac mashed his lips against hers. It was not gentle, but she returned it with the probing of her tongue. It would not be long before they had to come up for air. There were tears from both sets of eyes. Tears of happiness and thanks that each was still alive.

"How?... How?"

She pursed her lips, and then bade Jac to be comfortable by propping up a pillow and beckoning him to lie down. She got beside him after taking out a small rectangular object from her bag. It was an electronic pocket translator, and Jac could not help himself from laughing. Ana soon joined him.

She typed furiously for a while and showed him the results. The monochrome green screen showed this: [My name is Ana and I am not Hungry]

Jac took the proffered translator and easily typed in his response. The buttons were simple, Eng -- > Portuguese or Portuguese -- > Eng.

[My name is Jac and I am not hungry either]

[I love you Jac]

[I love you too. I thought you were dead]

[So did I]

The kissing restarted and went on for quite some time. There would be a lot of time afterwards to slowly type and get to know what happened. And also for Jac to learn Portuguese and Ana to learn English. For now, the translator fell to the floor as Ana's hand snaked down and underneath Jac's sarong.

She cupped the heavy balls and started stroking his hardness while he kneaded her braless breasts. He could feel the nipples already erect through the thin silk blouse. She fumbled a bit trying to get the knots of the sarong out. But once she managed that, it was easy to get it entirely off Jac.

She broke off the kiss, to travel down his hard body, propping herself on her knees. She swirled her tongue on his nipples, making them as hard as her own. She felt him shudder as she kissed his navel. The light from the opened windows allowed her to see clearly the large purplish mushroom head. A huge drop of precum had already escaped the slit. But she did not let it drop as she quickly engulfed the head. He was harder than she had imagined. She took it in as far as her mouth would allow. Then she dragged her tongue and teeth lightly as she sucked him off. She lingered at the vee shape deliciously feeling every jerk each time she brush it with her tongue.

Jac felt his head clear from the fog of the painkillers only to be replaced with the fog of passion. When she engulfed his manhood, he felt himself in Heaven. But she was scrumptiously prolonging the pleasure, allowing him to calm down before starting back up again. He took this opportunity to get his head between her knees. He smiled when he realised that she had worn a loose dark blue skirt. This enabled him to start kissing up her smooth inner thighs, ending with the red bikini panties. The wetness and musky smell were strong by then. He took this as a sign to push the crotch of the panties aside and dove in with his tongue leading the way.

Ana gave gripped the shaft tightly as she felt his tongue on her clit. Then when he allowed her a breather, she resumed her ministrations. She alternated between licking the entire length and sucking him as far as she could. She could tell that he liked both, especially when her tongue got the sensitive part of the head when during those times he bit on her clitoris. Despite her need for wild abandonment, she was conscious of the fact that if she had an orgasm she was liable to bite down, and her love would probably not like that very much.

Jac was conscious of that fact as well, even though he yearned to bring her to orgasm. He reluctantly stopped to turn her around. She acquiesced and soon their lips melded once more, both relishing their combined tastes. She felt his hard cock throbbing on her clitoris as she sensuously slid up and down his hard body. His hand were busy unbuttoning her blouse to have unlimited access to her breasts and aching nipples.

Ana then grabbed the hard cock and angled it to her opening. With a quick thrust, Jac felt himself in that hot wet and tightness once more. She gave a slight yelp but was soon moaning as she moved with her cunt muscles helping along the way. She propped herself above his shoulders to gain more leverage as her movements increased in speed and intensity.

Jac helped himself on the bouncing breasts, concentrating on biting the nipples. He ignored the pain on his neck as he strained forward for that delectable treat. He even ignored the pain on his injured shoulder as he put his hands on her slim waist to help. He only felt her cervix each time their thrusts coincide. Only when a sharp pain shot through his brain from his healing shoulder, he relented and let fall that hand to circle on her clitoris.

They sought and found each other lips again. The kisses were becoming savage, mirroring the boiling passion about to erupt. Just a few more stroke would bring the end that both sought...