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