The Final Cruise

The cruise ship, the Swedish Star Line’s Venus, sat in the sun, docked in Cyprus in the beautiful Mediterranean, waiting for the full complement of guests and crew to board and settle in for the next two weeks of comfort and enjoyment. Already on board was a full contingent of senior staff, many of whom had worked their way up from cabin boys and housekeepers to now directing the cruise. Forward thinking room stewards, cooks, newly-graduated engineers and service personnel were hoping to follow in their footsteps, and do the same.
On the dock, waiting to board, were honeymooners, senior citizens on the trip of a lifetime, parents looking for some relaxation before getting back to the grind of raising those kids, and maybe even some malcontents with less than pleasure on their minds.
In distant lands, politicians striving to cement their dominance of their countries were looking for a new opportunity to gain more control. Terrorist groups in the Middle East were looking for the next available target to disrupt the majors powers who were using the desert lands to do battle with each other. Major arms suppliers around globe were happily raking in wartime profits from all the mayhem.
Can all of these stories be connected? When terrorists get involved, the hopes and dreams are destroyed for those directly affected, but also for those that think they are distant observers. One can safely say that no one thought that this is The Final Cruise.