Because of all that Pablo had made the decision to become a merchant marine. He had done his research and had learned that there was more to it than just taking ocean liners across the seas. It would allow him to keep in contact with the sea, which fascinated him so much, and would open the doors to adventures he only dreamed of having.
Even after all these years, he often relived in his mind the day he decided to join the Merchant Navy and not the Navy. And yet, there were days when he wondered if he had made the right choice.
Like all careers, his also had its ups and downs. He had done it all. Fishing and transport, sailing and motor, routine routes like the Ceuta Ferry, which he had become bored with, and amazing navigation such as the one around Cape Horn on a 130 foot double mast sailing yacht.
Had it been worth it? Maybe he’d never know. Did the incomparable experience of going around Cape Horn on a sailing yacht make up for all the time he had been unemployed, or had a horrible job? Fortunately, with time and experience he had carved himself a small niche in the world and it wasn’t hard for him to find work.
He knew what his parents would have preferred. He also knew that no one in his family would be proud of him if they knew some of the things he had to do. There were times he had been well aware of the illegality of actions that he had deemed necessary to take in order to fulfill some contracts. Of course, he himself cringed when he recalled the trucks going off into the darkness. Truckloads of packages labeled “FRAGILE” that had been unloaded on the beach just a few minutes before from the ship under his command. Furniture? Jewelry? Exotic animals? He was sure they weren’t drugs, but that didn’t ease the shame of the memory. Coldly considering it, the adventure of approaching a beach at night, everything turned off, was unique. But it wasn’t exactly one of the qualifications that were required from an officer or captain.
Sometimes he couldn’t help thinking he'd imagined a life as a sailor too fantastic and impossible to fulfill. A life based on books with storylines from the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. Pablo smiled to himself. Javi had also been the one who had introduced him to the books he loved.
While he got lost in his memories, his brother seemed to have been thinking about Nacho’s call, and just limited himself to point out that he had nothing to lose.
Pablo knew that his older brother, as always, was right. After thanking him for the invitation to dinner - it was funny how their frequency increased when he was out of work - he left with the very faint hope that the stranger who Nacho wanted to introduce him to had something interesting to offer. Although he may have quit some jobs out of sheer boredom, he couldn’t stand being out of work.
#
“Reyes, this is my brother Pablo. Pablo, this is Jaime Reyes Luzón.”
Nacho had chosen the bar Terraza with its tables right in the Cadiz Plaza de la Catedral. The three sat down and each ordered a beer.
Nacho, having arranged the meeting, began the conversation.
“Reyes has an interesting project that he was telling me about on the train. I gave him my opinion, but when he learned I had a brother in the Merchant Navy he wanted to meet you to find out where we differ.”
Reyes needed no further introduction and explained his plan in detail to the young seaman. He intentionally left out the part about the crew. Pablo just nodded and asked a couple of specific questions. When Reyes finished his story, Pablo fell into a long silence. Then he broke it to say, “I think it’s a great idea, but it has a couple of weak points. First, the crew; for what you are proposing you will need professionals and those can only be found in the Navy,” he said nodding to Nacho.
“Second, the legal aspect; you have not yet said anything about how you intend to obtain permits to operate in Somali waters.”
Reyes nodded in agreement.
“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 Marzán 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