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“All right, in that case, give me twenty-four hours to think about it and I’ll call you at this number.”
“Perfect. Talk to you tomorrow then.”
“So long.”
Chapter Four
Three days later, Pablo, Grease, and Gabi Huesca sat at a table presided by Jaime Reyes. They had set up their headquarters in offices provided by the shipbuilders inside Navantia itself.
Reyes had wanted to get everyone together in order to clear up doubts and decide what the next steps would be, as well as to meet the new additions to the team.
Grease had already spent a couple of days with the engineers trying to find a viable solution for increasing the speed of the ship to what they wanted. Gabi had just joined them the day before from Madrid and was the newest addition to the team.
Pablo had only seen him in person twice before and he remembered him somewhat differently. Maybe it was the uniform that made him look taller and wider, something chinos and a shirt can’t do. The thin, sharp face was the same, although with dark circles under his brown eyes and with less hair and grayer.
“Well gentlemen,” Reyes began, “I propose that each one of you updates the rest of us on any new items you may have.”
After a series of nods around the table he continued, “For my part, I’ve had success finding the doctor and the accountant. Both are relatively young and with some knowledge of the sea, and both are motivated. I don’t think I need to say much more since we’ll be meeting them both in a few days. As far as a helicopter and a pilot, I’m at a loss. However, I’ve been tracking down someone who I think will be perfect to head our boarding team. On the other hand, I’ve heard from Switzerland that the legal issues in Somalia are practically closed. And the sales contract with Navantia is signed and authorized by the Spanish government. That’s it on my end. Pablo, what do you have?”
Pablo sat up and replied, “My two great achievements are present and will speak for themselves. All I need now is a navigation officer, perhaps someone else to keep watch on the bridge. Otherwise, I think it’s time to start worrying about assembling the rest of the crew, especially now that we have our future heads of departments.”
Reyes nodded.
“Mr. Johnson?”
“It seems the engineers have a pretty good idea for granting our request.” Grease said. “All that’s left to do is see if it’s feasible. When I have more information I will let you know. As for sailors for the engines, I can get a few. There are two kids in my workshop that could help with propulsion and electricity. Both have Navy experience.”
“Excellent. Mr. Huesca?” Reyes addressed Gabi.
“I’m still catching up,” he said. “For now my only contribution is what I told Pablo when he explained the project to me. We need to be clear on what we’re going to do in the event that we capture pirates both on board and in the process of bringing them to justice. In the Castilla, we had a problem over this issue.”
“Good point,” Reyes said writing in his notepad. “I’m leaving matters having to do with the ship to you guys. As for the legal aspect, I will consult with Mr. Egger.”
Pablo and Gabi both gave a nod of acknowledgment.
“Good. I’m glad everything’s coming along,” Reyes continued. “Now the idea is to clarify as soon as possible the issue of the engines,” he said looking at Grease. “And to continue putting the crew together,” this time looking at Pablo and Gabi. “For my part, I will continue working on getting a helicopter and pilots and keep pressuring Navantia to get the boat ready as soon as possible.”
“At this point, I think it’s necessary to let you know that Pablo will be the commanding officer,” Reyes said without preamble.
His listeners were taken off guard and didn’t know quite how to react.
“Maybe it’s a premature decision,” Reyes said unruffled. “But I think it’s necessary to establish leadership from the beginning. And my use of the military term is not accidental. Given the characteristics of our company, I think we should consider our captain a commanding officer. Pablo is undoubtedly the most knowledgeable of the project right now and although he is the youngest one here, he has demonstrated with his planning skills that he is the right man for the job. Gabi,” he said, looking at him, “following the recommendations Pablo has given me, you will be the executive officer and operations officer.
Gabi nodded and turned to Pablo. Then he got up, stood at attention and said, "Aye aye, sir,“ as he held out his hand.
From that moment, Pablo knew he had the best executive officer he could ever want and that the little competition for being head of project, if there ever was any, was long forgotten. Gabi had been put under his command and, like any good seaman, he had respect for hierarchy in his blood.
#
Forty days later, Pablo was nodding approval from the bridge wing of Albatros. On the bridge, a sailor announced over the PA system that they were docked so the deck personnel could retire from their posts. Pablo exhaled a breath that he seemed to have been holding for hours and finally pulled his hands from his pockets. That was the only way he could keep from touching his earlobe like we always did when he was nervous.
Albatros had just completed its first sea trial successfully. It had been a simple leaving of the port to test the latest modifications. The Portuguese had made several such trials but for Pablo and his newly formed crew, this had been the first time. And the first time is always special.
Pablo kept watching from his spot on the bridge wing (in the BAM the wing is covered, inside the bridge) how the deck personnel cleared up lines and other instruments used for mooring the ship while mentally reviewing the last few days.
The Navantia engineers and Grease had made a superhuman effort and had managed to modify the ship’s engines in record time. Grease had warned him that they probably wouldn’t be able to reach the desired thirty knots, that it would be something more like twenty-four or twenty-five. Pablo knew that the request they had made was quite ambitious and never expected it to be resolved so quickly. In addition, Grease had told him that the improvement implied an increase of fuel consumption close to 200% over twenty-three knots. However, Pablo knew that expense was not an issue. All he had to worry about was making sure they had enough fuel in case they needed to navigate at those speeds. In other words, it was its range that could be affected.
They took advantage of the sea trial to test the new engines and they had responded perfectly. Grease had admitted a few days before that the modifications had gone so well because Navantia had already studied them back in the day and most of the calculations had already been made. All they had to do was implement them.
Since virtually everything else had been tested before and they couldn’t afford the time it would take to repeat the entire battery of tests, they would have to rely on the ones previously made by the Portuguese Navy.
The only other innovation they tried out was the two new RHIBs. Navy BAM have free space on the quarterdeck (back) to carry configurable containers. They can have living quarters, humanitarian aid, and even unmanned vehicles. Since they weren’t planning on bringing any of those things along, they had taken advantage of the extra space to place two other boats which, in addition to the original two, would enable Pablo to take the entire crew in them if he wanted.
There was still some unused space in the quarterdeck that Pablo thought would work for storing an extra fuel tank. That would restore the range lost with the increased speed.
They had also taken some time to get used to the ship, becoming familiar with her seafaring ability, which was impressive, and to train the crew they had managed to gather so far.
As executive officer, Gabi was in charge of distributing the crew, putting together what in the Navy is known as a ship’s watch and station bill, setting the position of each person for every post on the ship.
By now, they had forty of the fifty-five men they wanted, a number similar to the one used by the Navy, leaving room for the boarding team and the helicopter crew with their maintenance people included.
Most of the recruits had previous Navy experience. Some were no longer seamen because of early retirement, others because they had been fired. Pablo had made sure that the reasons for the expulsions had been overcome, like the new boatswain and his former addiction to pot; or they had not been important as in the case of the gunner, whose captain didn’t like him. As a result, he had pushed him to the limit to force him to make a mistake.
The rest of the crew came from the merchant navy and fisheries and formed the core of people for deck, bridge, and engine departments.
Pablo and Gabi had decided to follow a procedure similar to the one Reyes had used with them. First, they had sought people to fill the positions of warrant officers and then had delegated them to find their own people, with supervision, of course. Grease had brought two of his mechanics for engineering. Damage Control
was covered by retired Chief Petty Officer Manuel. That took care of Engines. For the bridge, besides the boatswain Josе, they had signed Alfonso who after fifteen years fishing in Newfoundland had been unemployed.
They had also found a commis chef, who had convinced them that he could be the cook after preparing them a meal; and an unemployed accounting assistant looking for adventure. These two would work under the accountant Reyes had promised them.
Apart from the gunner, also they had an electronics specialist, a radioman, and another former non commissioned officer for the CIC.
These eleven gentlemen had been entrusted with the mission of finding three subordinates each. Within a few weeks, they had a crew of forty men and women, all selected by their superiors and all approved by the commander and executive officer.
Pablo knew that his people were all motivated, each one in his own way, and you couldn’t ask for more. Upon joining, the mission of the ship had been made clear to them and also that things would run as they did on military ships. Discipline would be much stricter than what they were used to. Pablo had informed each one about this personally and no one had seemed surprised. Everyone had accepted the non-verbal contract. What no one had expected was that immediately after, they were asked to sign a contract outlining in detail the set of rules on board, from dealings with crew members to the behavior expected of them and including corresponding disciplinary action. In this regard, Pablo and Gabi had opted for financial penalties because that’s where it would hurt people the most. The contract also established the commander as an omnipotent judge.
Pablo sighed. Each time he stopped to think, his mind led him to how lucky he was, rather, they were. And occasionally, he pondered the enormous responsibility that was coming. He had never had so many people under his command, neither such a big ship nor such an important mission.
At such times, Pablo would look at Gabi and could not help wondering if Gabi would have been better than him for the position. During the previous days, Gabi had already demonstrated what a valuable asset he would be, always treating Pablo with the utmost respect and subordination.
And that would always bring Pablo back to thinking about how lucky he was.
He came back from his thoughts remembering a saying he had heard years earlier that said, “luck only accompanies those who do not count on it in their plans.” He went to the center of the bridge and called Gabi over. Together, they crossed the small CIC (just aft of the bridge). They went two decks down and headed aft to stand under the poop deck.
At the same time, Reyes was coming up the gangway accompanied by a small entourage that was inspecting the boat curiously. Reyes had said he was busy and could not go to the trials. What Pablo didn’t know was that Reyes had decided not to go so as not to take away the limelight from Pablo on his first day in front of his new crew.
After shaking Pablo and Gabi’s hands, Reyes introduced his companions to them.
“This is Ana Molinos and Esther Rodriguez; accountant and doctor, respectively.”
The seamen managed to hide their surprise. The two had expected both to be men.
Reyes looked amused.
“Now, for my surprise gift,” he said turning to the rest of his companions. “This gentleman,” pointing to a man in his forties who was over six feet tall, “is Paco D?ez. Paco was a SWAT member in the police but left to start his own training academy for security personnel. After much insistence, I managed to get him to leave his pseudo-retirement and become head of our boarding team. His companions are a couple of former teammates. He has also brought with him outstanding students, former rivals in shooting contests and some former soldiers. Unless you have any problems or suggestions, they will make up the boarding team.”
Dumbfounded, all they could do was nod their heads in awe.
“Did you think you were the only ones working, huh?” Reyes smiled. “And that’s not all. Paco’s Academy gave me an idea, so I decided to take some flying lessons.”
Gabi couldn’t help it, “Flying lessons?”
“Yes. And that’s how I met Joseba Gazta?aga,” Reyes said pointing to the oldest of his companions, a man of about fifty. “But I'm not going to lie to you. I already knew who Joseba was. However, when I learned that after being a Coast Guard pilot and winning several stunt contests he had set up a small company that makes trips between Ceuta and mainland Spain besides recreational flying, I just had to meet him. And incidentally, I suggested he became our pilot. Thank God he said yes. So far everything was going according to my plans, but then he tells me he is bringing a chopper, another pilot, support, and maintenance staff!” exclaimed Reyes as he gestured with his arms to indicate the rest of the people who had come aboard with him.
Reyes waited a few seconds and continued.
“The first one to come out of his state of shock,” he smiled, “may be asking about the chopper. It’s an Agusta Bell 412, marinized of course, and will be here tomorrow morning. Joseba knows the technical data better than I, but I think you will see that it more than meets our needs. What do you think Pablo?”
“Well, Mr. Reyes,” Pablo managed to answer, “perhaps recalling that it was you who gave me this job in the first place, I should have guessed something like this. Today has demonstrated that you are my fairy godmother. And now, if it’s all right with you, we will introduce the new members of the crew,” with that he turned to Gabi. “Everyone to the hangar.”
Gabi nodded and walked away. A few minutes later, Pablo introduced the newcomers to the rest of the crew. When everyone had left, some to settle down and the others to finish up some of their work before leaving, it was only Gabi and Pablo.
Pablo said, “Gabi, would you like to join me for dinner to celebrate today?”
Pablo didn’t know what it was, but he was having trouble enjoying being in charge. Although he had been a captain in the Merchant Navy, he had never had such an important project or one in which so much depended on him. In Albatros most of the defining parts of the project hinged on his decisions. He needed to clear his mind.
#
“Well, Captain, I must say, it’s been a while since I’ve eaten such a good meal.”
“Gabi, I’ve told you already that when we’re not on the ship you can call me Pablo,” he said for the seventeenth time.
“Okay, okay, Pablo, then.”
They had gone to El Faro, a very famous restaurant in Cadiz located right in the La Vi?a neighborhood. It was frequented by high-profile customers such as the members of the National Basketball Team.
They took advantage of this dinner time to get to know each other better since the last few days had not given either one a chance to relax. They didn’t talk about Albatros. They both knew they needed to forget about work for a while.
Still, as sailors and as passionate as they were about their work, most of their conversation had revolved around past experiences at sea. Of course, they had also touched on some personal and family topics, but what really interested one about the other was their seafaring adventures. Pablo listened intently to Gabi’s stories of his missions in the Indian Ocean and Gabi discovered through Pablo a facet of the Merchant Navy he didn’t know.
After three hours and a hearty dinner, the two seamen were as tight as if they’d known each other their whole lives. In the past, Pablo had become that close to some of his subordinates, and that type of familiarity had resulted in some uncomfortable situations in the course of his work. But he knew that Gabi was different. Their dealings with each other when they were in front of the rest of the crew would continue to be professional. But while they were in private this newly acquired comfortableness would allow Gabi to advise Pablo more freely.
That is the ideal situation. A good boss would never want his subordinates to tell him what he wants to hear. A good boss wants people who will advise him in spite of the consequences. It takes someone who sees what the boss cannot. As long as, once the captain makes the final decision the subordinate supports it unconditionally.
After they had finished their desserts, Pablo decided to take advantage of the relaxed setting to ask Gabi a question that he had wanted to know the answer to for a long time.
“Well, what do you think of all this? As a colleague, not as the XO of Albatros.”
Gabi smiled and took a sip of his drink giving himself time to think. When he answered he did so sincerely and carefully evaluating the facts.
He began by saying they were indeed lucky since they had an almost unlimited budget, an ideal ship for the mission, and a boss who seemed to have things clear in mind and be very competent.
Then Pablo asked him to evaluate the crew and Gabi began by proposing a toast to its magnificent commanding officer and executive officer. After the two laughed a bit Gabi became serious again and started talking about the officers.
First, he expressed his gratitude for the relative ease with which they worked and said he would not miss the endless paperwork at the Navy.
“If we worked the same as in the Navy, there’s no way I could be the executive officer and at the same time be the operations officer. But here, I know I won’t be pestered with personnel issues, and since we’re a private enterprise we won’t have to constantly submit reports which, after all, is what the operations officer mainly does.
He congratulated Pablo for his choice of Grease as chief engineer because he had an intuitive understanding of engines and the vast number of auxiliary equipment on a ship. In addition, the people he had brought along also seemed totally competent and Manuel, from Damage Control, had fit in with them perfectly forming the tight engineering department that characterizes good crews.
Gabi pointed out that all his evaluations had been based on his brief but intense dealings with the crew in the previous days and that the voyage to the Indian Ocean would be the ideal time to get to know them better.
After Gabi had finished speaking, Pablo took advantage of what he had said about reaching the Indian Ocean to bring up his idea to develop a plan of intensive training while they headed towards the zone of operations. That was his next priority once the crew was complete and the ship was equipped. Pablo knew that Gabi’s ideas regarding training would be fundamental in bringing the crew up to the level of preparedness they needed.
The executive officer of Albatros couldn’t agree more with his captain and admitted to having already thought about the matter. They needed to train a relatively large group of people to do a very specific job and that some had not done before. And, more importantly, they needed that group of people who, for the most part, didn’t know each other to forge a team. That’s the only way to get a crew to become efficient and turn a ship into a war machine.
Going back to the subject of personnel, they both agreed that their most important shortcoming was the lack of an officer to take charge of the navigation section and that could also stand watch on the bridge. Also, an additional bridge officer would be advisable.
As for Reyes’ recruits, Pablo and Gabi had only shared a few minutes with them, but they all had given them a good impression. Ana, the accountant quickly had asked to be brought up to date on the ship’s situation and aided by Carlos the cook and Agustin the secretary, she seemed to have gotten a handle on things and had even already made a couple of recommendations.
As for Esther, the doctor, the first thing she had done was ask if she would have an assistant. When she found out they hadn’t thought of it, she proposed that one of the new recruits still left to complete the crew would at least have some type of nursing knowledge. This way, even though he would be assigned to work in another department, he could still help when necessary. Gabi’s first reaction, as head of personnel, was to point out the difficulty of finding someone with those characteristics in such a short time, but Esther had offered to find someone herself.
She had also handed Pablo a list of the instruments and medications that she thought would be advisable to carry on board and drafted out several plans of action in case of emergency, from man overboard to possible evacuation. Pablo had looked at Gabi to see if this was a joke, only to find him completely speechless. Once he recovered, he had admitted his ignorance of the subject and the only restriction he had stipulated was that of space. Then, he had asked Esther if she had experience at sea and she had replied that, after she had been recruited, she had contacted several colleagues who had worked in the maritime field and together with their experience and some research on her part she had come up with the plans. She acknowledged she still had to adapt the plans to the ship’s characteristics.
Recalling the meeting, Gabi hesitated whether to reveal the thought that was running around in his head so he just stared at his boss. Pablo was able to read the silence and encouraged him to continue. That was the kind of trust he wanted.
Gabi took a deep breath and blurted out, “Idon’tknowifthefactthatthey’rerelativelyyoungandattractivewillbeaproblem.”
Pablo let out a loud guffaw. After a few seconds, Gabi joined him and when they both had recovered, Pablo explained why he was laughing.
“You’re like my brothers. It’s obvious you’re married with children. You’ve been off the market for too long,” he teased. Those two ooze rejection of any man who approaches them with the most minimal romantic intentions. They might as well have a sign on their foreheads that says NO,” he joked. “Besides, they’re too smart to be duped by someone from the crew. As far as officers, I think I’m the only one that qualifies to try something, based on my age and marital status, but I promise I’ll behave.”
Gabi admitted he was right, but didn’t comment on the last of his arguments.
Pablo agreed that their new employees were attractive, but neither one of them was his type. And the last thing he wanted was a relationship. He had enough. Both were probably somewhat older than him, but they had the bodies of a twenty-something.
Ana was tall and slender, with strong but not aggressive features. Light brown hair to match her eyes, wide but nice hips, and few curves. She seemed to be somewhat arrogant, but nice at the same time.
Esther was quite different, a little shorter and with rounder features, including an ample bosom which had already attracted more than one glance. She had dark hair and eyes and a playful smile.
Even with those features, Pablo was certain that neither one of them would give them any trouble after the talk he had given them when boarding. He had made the situation clear and had also informed them that they would be responsible for the female-specific issues on board and therefore would be his immediate advisors in this regard.
Both had reacted positively and he was happy with the outcome of the meeting because he had put himself a level above the rest of the crew, as his position demanded, even though his age didn’t show it.
Anxious to avoid raunchy subjects, Gabi went on to speak of the two officers left to comment on, Paco and Joseba. They were the ones he had dealt with the least, but both agreed they had made a good impression on them. It was clear that they could not have found someone with such adequate experience and in both cases, they seemed to be people with guts. The best they had going for them both was that they provided virtually all of their own teams and materials. And the fact that their teams were made up of volunteers used to working together not only reduced the work of the seafarers, but also ensured the smooth functioning of their respective groups.
Gabi expressed doubt, though admittedly unfounded, that Joseba might struggle to adjust to the discipline on board. While Pablo hoped Paco could adapt to a perhaps less aggressive type of mission than those to which he was accustomed. Still, both knew they had to consider themselves lucky for having a former SWAT member and pilot.
