скачать книгу бесплатно
“As for the ship, it lacks cruising and top speed. If I’m not mistaken,” Pablo said looking at his brother, “the BAM have a top speed of twenty to twenty-two knots. That may not be enough to chase one of those mother ships or to reach the site of the incident on time. In addition, you have a ship capable of operating helicopters, but no helicopter. I’m no expert, but flight operations on ships are not as simple as they seem,” he said looking at his brother again, who had no choice but to agree with him. “And it’s clear that the helicopter is key.”
Reyes was already impressed that someone with no specific experience knew so much and had such a clear grasp on the matter.
The youngest of the three continued, “Speaking of the helicopter, a pilot trained to land on ships is not easy to find. As for the boat, there is a lot of equipment and devices that you’re not going to need and that take up space you could make better use of. If I’m not mistaken,” he continued turning to look at his brother, “BAM have a three inch cannon mounted on them and I cannot imagine a situation where you might need that in Somalia. I would trade it for something with smaller caliber but more accuracy. I’m also thinking about the electronic warfare equipment or some redundant equipment that the Navy carries that is not entirely necessary. And finally, what the Navy calls boarding team, that is, the team that’s responsible for boarding, searching and possibly seizing other ships. That’s probably the most important part, since they would be the ones carrying most of the offensive responsibility in the operation, the spearheads if you will. They will be handling ninety percent of non-deterrent operations. You will need people with specific training and someone very good with plenty of cold blood to lead them. I would also try to get one or two sharpshooters to place on the upper decks of the ship.
“Amazing! You seem to be quite a specialist on the subject,” was all Reyes managed to stammer, overwhelmed as he was.
“My father and my brothers only talk about work. And I can’t deny that I like it. Besides, I subscribe to several naval magazines and I don’t know if my brother told you I almost joined the Navy as well.
Reyes quickly regained his professional demeanor.
“I understand you’re out of work and, as you know, I don’t have a crew. I would like you to be the first member and my right hand man during the preparation period. I cannot promise you command, but I can promise you will at least be one of its officers.”
Pablo was caught off guard. With all the talk, he had forgotten that his brother had hinted that Reyes might have a job for him. And he certainly had not thought about going away from home for an indefinite time, at least not just then.
“I need to think about it,” he said.
“Of course,” Reyes replied, not suspecting Pablo’s reply in the least.
But Nacho was somewhat surprised and he watched his little brother wondering.
Reyes had allowed himself to get carried away by a hunch. But now, thinking calmly, the young sailor had proven to know even more than some professionals in addition to having an analytical mind. Besides, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Maybe he would never get another chance like this one.
“One last question,” Pablo said. “What’s its name?”
Reyes smiled. He had no idea what was it about the Marzаn brothers that made them so likable.
“I was hoping you could help me christen it.”
This time it was Pablo’s turn to smile.
“If we end up working together, I think I have the perfect name.”
#
A few days later, Nacho and Javi went out into the garden of Javi’s house bringing drinks and appetizers. Just beyond the table, his back to the door leading to the house, Pablo was on the phone. Judging by his gestures and tone of his voice, he was arguing with someone.
“Do whatever the hell you want!” raged the youngest of the brothers to the device before hanging up.
Turning around and seeing Nacho and Javi, his face quickly went from anger to embarrassment, and then an attempt at innocent neutrality. But his brothers knew him from birth.
“Who were you talking to?” Javi asked, in a tone of naive ignorance.
“A girl,” Pablo replied, without looking at his brothers.
Javi and Nacho looked at each other and smiled. The baby of the family had always been very leery of relationships. He had only introduced one of his girlfriends to the family, but everyone knew that there had been several more.
“Well,” Javi said, partly to avoid an awkward silence and partly because he was dying of curiosity. “What are you going to do with the job they offered you?”
“Accept it,” Pablo said matter-of-factly.
His brothers smiled.
“When were you going to tell us?”
I just decided two seconds ago, thought Pablo.
Chapter Three
“Mohammed!”
The man being called quickly went to his boss’ office. There was no mistaking the deep roar he had in his voice. It always seemed on the verge of breaking, but he always finished his sentences.
“Yes, Sir?”
“Did you take care of Mukhtar?”
“Yes, Sir. We paid them and I have given him the necessary instructions so that they will be available again in a couple of weeks.”
“Good,” he growled. “He’d better not disappear or try to pull a fast one. Are they being watched?”
Mohammed nodded.
“There are lots of freebooters in Somalia,” continued his boss. “But this kid is special, and after everything we’ve spent training them, I don’t want to lose them and have to start from scratch. Are you sure he doesn’t know who you are?”
“Absolutely, Sir. We’ve never seen each other, and I’ve led him to believe I represent a Western insurance company.”
“Very well, no one can link us to them. No one, do you understand?”
Mohammed nodded fervently.
#
Pablo and Reyes sat in Guerra’s office waiting room. The previous day they had begun working and had been discussing possible modifications to the ship.
They had both decided to propose their requirements to the shipbuilders and let them come up with the solutions. After all, that was their job. Pablo had insisted on speed. BAMs, as the Navy had conceived them, had two great advantages: autonomy and low fuel consumption. With twin screw propellers, one on the port side and one on the starboard side, and a diesel engine for each shaft, they could reach a maximum speed of twenty knots without excessive expense. In addition, each shaft also had an electric motor that got its energy from the power generation system on board (four generator motors), which had very low fuel consumption.
However, Pablo wanted a faster boat, and Reyes didn’t think Gotthelf would mind the extra expense. Neither of them was an expert on the subject, so they wanted to present the problem to the engineers and see what solution they offered. Pablo was hoping just a minor modification would be enough since he knew that a major change to the propulsion plant could delay the delivery date of the ship considerably.
He also knew there was another option. One that was used by the Navy to propel their escort ships: gas turbines. Derived from aircraft engines, turbines provided much more power and were generally more reliable, but their fuel consumption was through the roof. Besides, he had never heard of such a small vessel ever being propelled by turbines because space could be an issue.
The other means of propulsion used by the Navy was nuclear, but that was completely unfeasible. Only the large submarines, cruisers and aircraft carriers of some navies used it.
As far as weapons, they had been discussing the usefulness of a 3-inch gun. Reyes maintained that it was a very important deterrent, but Pablo insisted that they needed a weapons system that would provide them accuracy above everything else. For him, the ability to hit a small and fast target from relatively far away was essential, while firepower was much less important. He was tired of reading about incidents in which the inability to discern whether the shot would hit the outboard motor or the pirate ended up in not being able to open fire.
BAMs were by far the Navy’s ships that were better equipped for this kind of scenario, with two 25 mm machine guns remotely operated from the combat information center (adjacent to the bridge), and controlled by an electro-optical fire control system (basically a camera and a computer for the computations), a laser range finder, and a fire control radar
. In addition, the associated camera could be used for search and track purposes. They also had planned to bring numerous small arms on board. However, Pablo wanted that kind of precision in all his weapons.
In any case, they had decided to voice their concerns to Guerra to find out if he could come up with any solutions, and Reyes had called a friend in the world of naval armament to see if he knew of anything that could help them.
They had also decided to give Guerra a list of the unnecessary equipment and asked him to give them a series of proposals on how to maximize space utilization. In addition to what Pablo had said when they met, they thought they also would not need some of the communications equipment, especially that which was specifically for military use.
Finally, Pablo thought it was necessary to have an extra RHIB just in case. The boat had two, with specific stowage places and lifting cranes to lower them into the water, but in a somewhat long mission if one of them broke down it could leave them high and dry. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to store one in case they needed it. They had also raised the possibility of a faster launching system like the ones the US Coast Guard used. This consisted of a small jetty or beach in the stern of the boat from which to drop the RHIB into the water. The problem was the practicality of the work at this stage.
A few minutes later, Guerra invited them into his modest office. Nothing like Gotthelf’s, Reyes thought. After they shared their concerns, his first reaction was not entirely positive, as this could pose a significant workload. However, he immediately reacted recalling that, after all, they were his clients. Then, Reyes and Pablo could see his face light up as he got to work. It was clear what part of his job he truly enjoyed.
“Well gentlemen,” the engineer said. “I'm glad to see that you have thought about it and that you know exactly what you want. As you know, what’s going to give us the most trouble is the propulsion system. I will raise the issue to that department and see what they tell us. In any case, here in Puerto Real we only work with diesel engines, as for the turbine, which by the way strikes me as very ambitious, we would have to contact our branch in Ferrol. And what’s more, acquiring a turbine is always more complicated than a diesel. Virtually only Rolls Royce and General Electric make turbines for ships.“
“As for the cannon,” continued Guerra, “I can try to get something from the arms companies that we usually deal with but I have no record of anything like what you’re asking for, either in Spain or abroad. Removing some of the equipment and the extra RHIB shouldn’t be a problem.”
Reyes took the floor, “Excellent Mr. Guerra! We’ll let you get back to work. We’ll keep in touch, but if anything comes up please call me with any news. And when you can, please give me an estimate of when the boat will be ready.”
“Will do.”
The two men were heading towards the door when Reyes recalled the other decision they had made.
“Oh, one last thing. We will call it Albatros.”
#
A couple of hours later, Reyes and Pablo addressed the next issue, the crew. Reyes, the methodical man that he was, wanted to organize the work before they began.
“What do we need?” he asked almost rhetorically. “What is of most importance?”
Pablo thought a moment and replied, “Given the direction of the enterprise we’re about to undertake, I think it makes sense to base our crew on a military model. In that case, it’s clear we should begin with the officers. It takes at least three that are trained to keep watch on the bridge and who could also take the lead in the different departments or divisions. We can also adopt these three divisions from the Navy: Deck and Navigation (including communications), Operations (sensors and weapons), and Engineering. We also need someone to take care of procurement and habitability, and a doctor or at least a watchful nurse. Finally, we need one or two helicopter pilots, even though we don’t yet have a chopper, and a leader for our boarding team. I don’t think we’ve left anything out.”
“No, I think you’ve thought of everything,” Reyes smiled, thinking that without Pablo he’d be rather lost. “And how do you suggest we go about finding them?”
“Good question.”
Pablo stopped to think for a moment and just when Reyes feared he would not come up with an answer he said, “I only have experience with seamen, so if you trust me, I’ll take care of the deck officers. You’ll have to handle the rest, though I’ll help you when I can.”
Reyes thought it was a great proposal but he had no idea how he would address his tasks.
“Sounds good. In that case, I’ll go to Madrid to find a pilot, a doctor, an accountant or at least a bookkeeper, and someone skilled in hand to hand combat. Am I forgetting anything?”
“I don’t think so,” Pablo replied.
“As I said, I’ll call you when I have a suitable candidate so you can give me your opinion. I suggest you do the same.”
“Perfect.”
#
A couple of days later, Pablo and Nacho were again at the Terraza, this time accompanied by Javi. Pablo had invited them out for some beers with the excuse of his new job, but his real purpose was to find out what his brothers thought. He valued their opinion both professionally and personally.
Sometimes, his relationship with his brothers surprised him. He didn’t know of anyone who at their age continued being as close with their siblings as they were. They kept in contact as much as they could, which, given their lines of work, was less than what they would have liked. But each one of them knew he could count on the others anytime he needed anything.
Everyone felt at home at the other’s houses, and Pablo’s sisters in law had become his new sisters, while his nephews had become a mix of his own children and much younger siblings.
Every time he thought about it he couldn’t help thinking that Mom and Dad must have done something right.
There were the three, so different and yet so similar. Physically they were alike, tall and strong, swarthy skin and hair, dark eyes, and the three resembled both their mom and dad. Javi was the one who looked most like Mom’s side of the family and was chunkier. Nacho was an almost exact mix of the two, but with Mom’s facial expressions and Pablo looked more like Dad, but he didn’t have his personality. Javi had inherited his mom’s traits. Like her, he was not very organized but quite intuitive and perhaps somewhat smarter than others and as a result of five years of Naval School, he was also responsible, intelligent and practical. Nacho was similar but more serious and less free-spirited. Pablo also had all those traits, but in him, they were spiced by an insatiable hunger for change and adventure. Maybe that's why they were the naval officers but he... well, he still wasn’t quite sure exactly what he was.
His other two brothers, Pedro and Jorge, were economist and P.E. teacher, respectively. Pedro was the quietest and least active of the five but, as always, he managed to find a job that paid amazingly well and didn’t require much effort on his part. Jorge, who was built like a tank, had always wanted to be a seaman, but after his teenage years, he realized he loved children and teaching. Thus, he had become a terrific P.E. teacher that kids adored, and led a simple life that made him very happy.
Pablo had a very good relationship with Pedro and Jorge, but nothing compared to what he had with his older brothers. He didn’t know what it was. Whether it was the passion for the sea or the desire to serve Spain or a higher purpose, or any of those things that their jobs had in common, but they just got along.
That was why he was now sitting on a terrace with the two men whose opinion he respected the most. He still remembered the best thing about finishing his career and becoming a seaman was the pride he felt being allowed to belong to his brothers’ prestigious club. Sometimes their father presided, but it was usually composed of just the three of them. Dad had to maintain a more impartial relationship with the rest of the family, but the three of them couldn’t help huddling together at every family event.
He couldn’t put it into words but it was a very strong bond based on shared experiences at sea and in the command of men.
Javi left his mug on the table as he savored his drink and said, “Well Pablo, it seems your dreams have finally come true. Thank God, because very few people with such complicated dreams ever see them fulfilled. Man, you're like the Cristiano Ronaldo of the seamen.”
Pablo smiled. He knew his brother was genuinely happy for him and that he may even be a little envious. Javi never regretted having become a Navy officer, but he had always dreamed of the opportunity to do something like this. Someone once said that servicemen are peaceful but not pacifists. As a general rule, they don’t want to start a conflict. They know better than anyone else of their negative consequences but they’re not against the use of force if necessary. He also knew, because of his brothers, the struggle felt by having, on the one hand, the dream of defending your country against the enemy, and on the other the hope that your nation will not go to war.
Nacho probably felt the same way, but he was not as disillusioned as Javi. Besides, he was commanding, the goal and dream of every seaman and therefore, delighted with his work at the moment.
It was ironic. Probably every commander and officer in the Navy dreamed of going to Somalia with the kind of orders that Albatros was going to have.
“Well, there’s still much to be done, and my role in this remains to be seen,” Pablo said, somewhere between cautious and humble.
“How did it go the other day?” Nacho asked.
“Really well,” answered Pablo. “After agreeing on the changes we wanted to make to the boat we went to Navantia and talked to the manager. I don’t know how much that Swiss guy is paying but we were treated like kings. All smooth sailing and to top it off they were all helpful and friendly.”
“I’m still amazed at your luck,” Javi smiled as he took another sip of his beer. “I just hope they treat you better than us. If not, forget about having that boat ready in less than fifteen months.”
Being a seaman and criticizing the shipbuilders went hand in hand like Bonnie and Clyde. Pablo also feared that a delay on the Puerto Real dockyard would end the project before it ever began.
“Now what?” Nacho asked. “Just wait?”
“No,” laughed Pablo. “My new boss has gone to Madrid to find a pilot, a doctor, an accountant, among others. Meanwhile, I have to find three guys able to act as officers on the bridge and, if possible, lead a department like yours: A chief engineer, an operations officer, and a head of the deck and navigation department.”
“Wow!” Javi couldn’t help exclaiming. “I hope there’s a shortage of doctors and pilots in Madrid because otherwise, I don’t see how you’re going to find your three guys before your boss finds his.”
Pablo thought the same but at least this way he had some options. If he had to get all the other officers as well, he would have been completely lost.
“This is better than having to find doctors and pilots,” he said, defending himself.
“You have a point,” Javi said.
In addition, Pablo knew that to find naval officers he could not only rely on his own experience but also on that of his brothers. That was another reason for the meeting.
“If you had told me this years ago,” Javi said, “I would have gone with you in a heartbeat. But now…”
He didn’t need to finish the sentence. Pablo knew what he meant. The idea of adding his brothers to his dream come true had crossed his mind, but he knew that it was impossible. As good Navy officers, they would never leave their jobs
