Noir Fan Fiction ❯ Titanic: An Assignment to Remember ❯ Cherbourg, France ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Titanic: An Assignment to Remember

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: I do not own nor was I in any way involved with the creation of Noir. If I were you wouldn't be READING this.

***********

"When anyone asks how I can best describe my 40 years at sea I merely say uneventful. I never saw a wreck and have never been wrecked, nor have I ever been in any predicament that threatened to end in a disaster of some sort. You see, I am not very good material for a story."

Captain E.J. Smith, 1907

Chapter 1

As far back as anyone can recall, there has always been a port at Cherbourg, France. Times had changed far to quickly for a place like Cherbourg to keep up. The world had progressed in leaps and bounds since the days of Napoleon. It was a new world with new ideas, new technologies, and bigger and better things. It was this lack of preparedness that left Titanic at anchor in the harbor on the evening of April 10th, 1912. Cherbourg lacked piers long enough to dock her.
To the untrained eye it appeared as though a small island had suddenly sprung out of the water. Perhaps to others it looked like a giant birthday cake with two large candles standing tall on both ends. Those on land who knew better recognized this intruder as the shape of a ship. A ship so monstrous and unthinkable that it towered over the buildings and dwarfed the very mountains by the water.
The tiny tender Nomadic moved out towards the anchored leviathan slowly, as if the tiny vessel were overwhelmed by a sense of trepidation about a ship this big. The Nomadic was carrying a particularly wealthy crowd with her to the massive liner. Among them were Colonel John Jacob Astor and his new wife Madeline and Mrs. J.J. Brown who was returning from a tour of Europe.
Two young women on board that night made it a point to stay out of the glow the deck lights cast about. They seemed to be total opposites by not only their behavior but also their appearance. One was a tall, rather attractive women with long blonde hair and striking blue eyes. She was dressed rather well in traveling clothing that reflected the style of the time. She was very outgoing; immeasurably comfortable in the world she would be spending the next week in.
Her companion was a much shorter, perhaps teenage girl. She was very clearly Asian, and this fact drew no shortage of amazed onlookers, people who had no doubt never seen one of her nationality before in their lives, especially traveling first class. However, she didn't seem to notice or care about the attention she attracted. She was incredibly quiet, perhaps even antisocial to a degree. It seemed that the only person she cared associate herself with was her companion.
The taller of the two was currently reading a letter, which she had plucked from her purse using her gloved hand. Her sharp blue eyes looked over every word, every sentence, allowing the reality of what she was about to attempt sink in. She had never attempted anything like this before, no question about that.

Noir,
Your reputation precedes you. I cannot tell you how difficult it has been to find the means to contact you. I have never had a need for the services of one such as you, however that has changed quite recently. In May of this year the German owned Hamburg American Line will be launching the first in a series of super liners whose design I have overseen. I wish to bring about a return to the glory days of the German ocean liners such as the Kaiser Wilhelm der Gross, which won Germany great respect when she was the fastest ship on the Atlantic.
Domination of the Atlantic passenger trade is of the utmost importance to myself as well as my country. However that dominance has been threatened in recent years, not only by the British owned Cunard Line with their Lusitania and Mauritania, but also more prominently by the American owned White Star Line. The "Olympic-Class" liners that they have constructed, I will admit, are currently the largest and most luxurious ships afloat. They have planned to build three. The first, called the Olympic, has sailed for over a year. The second, a ship called Titanic, will be going on her maiden voyage in April of this year.
I currently know that the first of my three ships, the Imperator, will be the largest ship afloat. She will surpass Olympic and Titanic in every possible way. But I am still concerned. White Star has yet to complete the third liner, to be called the Gigantic. And who knows what they will come up with after that monster is launched. I wish to cripple the construction of these new ships; I wish to ensure that Germany remains a force to be reckoned with in the Atlantic passenger trade.
Enclosed in this envelope is one first class ticket for Titanic's maiden voyage, currently scheduled for April 10, 1912. The job I am offering will require you to silence three of your fellow passengers. J.P. Morgan, owner of the White Star Line, J. Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star Line, and Thomas Andrews, the ships designer. I'll allow you to dispatch them in any manner you see fit.

So, as the French say
Bon voyage!!

Signed,

Albert Ballin

Upon finishing the latest of many readings of the letter from her current client she returned it to its envelope, and finally to its home in her purse. She would have been happier if Ballin had included two tickets, but she hadn't minded purchasing an additional one for her partner. After all, the maiden voyage of a new liner could easily prove to be a memorable experience.
At this point the Nomadic was slowly moving to a stop next to the mammoth ship. Those on board who cared to look towards the windows on the port side of the tender were greeted by a great wall of black painted steel dotted here and there by rivets and portholes. The first class entrance on D-deck was opened, the gangway was dropped, and the procession of the rich and famous began.
The two who had distanced themselves from the crowd up to this point began to move, taking their luggage with them and forgoing the need to a steward to assist them. And now Mireille Bouquet and her partner Kirika Yuumuru, known professionally as the great assassin Noir, crossed the gangplank and boarded the Royal Mail Steamer Titanic.