The Cuban Connection

It’s hard to believe that almost a year has gone by since we’d recovered Captain Kidd’s pirate treasure. We had to battle modern day Caribbean pirates for the right to own it. But Seal Team Six wasn’t about to lose the battle. One of our friends had been tortured and killed by the pirates and that had just plain pissed me off. I don’t take losing one of my own lightly. Just ask any of our team members and they will tell you how true that is.

Anyway, we’d recovered over 400 million dollars in gold and jewels while ridding the islands of a band of pirates that had held Jamaica in a death grip of fear for nearly forty years.

Because of our operation we had decided to form a private company that could handle ticklish situations that couldn’t be handled through normal channels. We took the name of the Sea Demons because that’s what the pirate leader had called me just before I’d crushed his windpipe with my size 13 foot ending his life of crime. (If you’d like to get the full history of that adventure it can be found in the book Dead Men’s Isle.)

Anyway like I said it’s been nearly a year since all of that had taken place and we’ve been busy setting up operations. Danny Mazuzu had donated Dead Men’s Isle to the cause. It’s a four hundred acre isle eight miles north of Montego Bay. We charged our team members ten million dollars each to buy into the company. They could afford it after they got their share of the treasure.

My Seal Team consists of myself, Lieutenant Rick Chambers, team leader. Senior Chief, Jake Morrison, who is my second in command. Steve Jones, we call him Doc, he’s our team medic. Patch is a Chiricahua Apache, the best man I’ve ever seen with a knife and the team tracker. Scott and Dave Lofton are brothers and our team snipers. They can hit a flea’s ass at 1000 yards with their big 50 caliber sniper rifles. Brian Jennings is our computer guru. Gary Brady, we just call him Brady. He’s our pilot and can fly anything with wings or a rotor. He’s also the team clown, there has to be one in every group and we have Brady. Sam Brody is our gunsmith and machinist. Rounding out my Seal Team is Bill Wagner; he’s our radioman and communications expert. Many an enemy has dismissed Bill for his size and paid for it with their lives.

We started with ten Navy Seals and added the three who we’d come here to help. The group is rounded out by my brother Chris Chambers who had been an investment banker on the 28th floor of the North Tower when the Twin Towers were hit. Danny Mazuzu who was my brother’s partner in a charter boat fishing business and Karen Jacobs who was Danny’s grandfather’s nurse during the last year of his life.

The reason we are able to do this operation instead of still serving in the Navy is we were court-martialed for attacking a Mosque. We’d taken fire from it and three of my team members were killed by the blast and several of us were wounded. I’d ordered an air attack and we’d cleaned out that hell hole. Our government being what it is tried to appease the Iraqis by giving us a court martial and then disbanding us. It was bullshit pure and simple. We were added to the long list of scapegoats, a fine military tradition. If it sounds like I’m bitter I was, until our last mission exonerated us. Our President had to finally come forward and replace our general discharges with honorable ones. We’d saved his ass big time in the operation I just got done telling you about.

Anyway I’ll be running the field operations while my brother Chris takes care of all the administrative and financial stuff that goes along with it. Danny is now the captain of the Sea Eagle and Karen is half of our medical staff. The others form the team just like they did while they were Navy Seals.

All ten of my Seal Team members have gone thru the world’s most rigorous and grueling training and have seen a lot of combat in the Middle East, and more recently in Jamaica. We’ve also served in the jungles of South America tracking down cartels and have helped the DEA in trying to stop drugs from entering south Florida.

The pirates have donated a few things to our operation too. We took their ship from them. It’s a 160 foot yacht called the Sea Eagle. We also took ownership of their Bell Ranger helicopter. They didn’t seem to need it anymore since we didn’t leave any of them alive, plain and simple.

For years they’d terrorized the islands at will. There was no one to stop them but that had all changed when Gene Barclay, Danny’s first mate was tortured and killed by the modern day pirates. They found out what happens when they mess with people who aren’t helpless or afraid.

So we have 130 million dollars to play with to build and outfit our new operation. It sounds like a lot of money but we have a lot of places to spend it. We had to run power to our island from Montego Bay. Do you know how much a cable that size costs per foot? We needed to run eight miles of it to reach our island. That’s over 42,000 feet of cable.

We had a small lagoon dug on the leeward side of the island to provide a sheltered anchorage for our smaller cabin cruisers and the float plane we had to buy after the last operation. The owners were unhappy with the bullet holes that were in it.

We had a pier built to tie the Sea Eagle up to. You have to realize the Sea Eagle is 160 feet long. A dock like you’d have at your summer cabin just wouldn’t do. It had to be big, made out of pilings and concrete.

We are building our homes on the leeward side of the island also. Behind the two hills that cover the center of the island. The operations center is a two story concrete affair located on the western end of the island. It houses our offices, conference rooms, sickbay, and communications center.

The western most of the two hills holds our satellite dishes and antenna array. Underneath the hill lays the cavern where we’d recovered Captain Kidd’s treasure. It’s going to be made into a storage area for arms and ordinance. We’ll need to seal the opening that goes out to the ocean for two reasons, to provide security and to seal out the dampness of the water.

A large machine shop is being built between the two hills. It will also be the way into the cavern once everything is completed.

The Sea Eagle is also going thru a refit. We need to build crew quarters instead of staterooms. We also have to give her some teeth. It needs armament to defend itself from attack.

Best part of this whole damn operation is that it’s in the sunny, warm Caribbean Sea. I love the smell of the salty air and warmth of the tropical sun. My gimpy leg feels almost normal in the warm sun. My wounds are becoming a distant memory now. Almost three years have passed since I got them.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Chapter Two

I shielded my eyes so I could see the float plane coming in for a landing. Karen, Patch is back with the kids, I announced. Patch is our second seaplane pilot and is now working with Brady to learn how to fly the helicopter.

The mothers mentioned to me that they are thinking about home schooling their kids instead of going back and forth to Montego Bay, Karen informed me.

Karen and I are engaged to be married. An exact date hasn’t been set yet because of all of the activity going on trying to get our operation going.

We watched as the six kids came running up from the lagoon. Their only thought was to get their swim suits on and go for a swim. Bart, my eleven year old black lab had a burst of puppy power and went trotting off after them.

The kids belonged to our two engine room mechanics. We’d inherited them with the Sea Eagle. They had been taken captive six months before we liberated the ship from the pirates. The pirates gave them a choice, take care of their engine room or die. They took the engine room. I couldn’t blame them for that. After the pirates didn’t need the ship any more I offered them good paying jobs running the engine room for us. The job came with nice homes to raise their families in.

We heard footsteps behind us and turned to see the chief heading our way. LT, I just got off the phone with my friend Chief York and he’s going to fly out to talk to us about our proposition, the chief informed me.

When is he going to arrive?

He’s going to get here tonight on a flight out of Miami. I talked to Brady already about taking the helicopter over to pick him up.

Okay good, we can have him grab our mail while he’s at it. It’s been a couple of days since we’ve picked it up. That’s the bad thing about living on an island as remote as ours, no mail delivery. Still it’s a small price to pay for paradise and privacy.

Like I was explaining earlier, one of the things we were doing was arming the Sea Eagle. Chief York is a retired Fire Control Technician and trusted friend of Chief Morrison. I plan on having surface to surface, surface to air missiles on board the Sea Eagle.

When are the Marines landing LT?

Not until next week chief. I had a couple of old buddies coming in for a talk. I needed security here on the island and also on the Sea Eagle. In our line of work you make enemies. We need a security force to watch our backs. When the Sea Eagle is on a mission it’s likely my team will be ashore doing the mission leaving the Sea Eagle undermanned to defend herself. I don’t leave holes in our defenses. It’s a stupid way of getting someone killed.

It’ll be a few weeks yet before we’re completely operational so that shouldn’t be a problem, the chief reasoned, pointing at the activity around us.

We’d hired every contractor and builder in the area. Our island has been a sea of activity for months. We had a lot of buildings going up. Like I’d said earlier we had 130 million dollars to work with and a lot of places to spend it.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Chapter Three

Y’all want to come along to pick-up Chief York from the airport Patch? Brady asked with his best West Texas drawl.

That depends, are you going to let me fly the helicopter Brady? Patch asked.

I’ll tell you what, you can fly us over there and I’ll fly us back. It wouldn’t do to give our guest a heart attack before LT has a chance to give him his sales pitch, Brady kidded.

That’s a good idea Brady. I better fly us over there. I don’t think you have the energy to pilot the trip both ways. You’re looking kind of old and feeble, Patch shot back.

So I’m getting old and feeble am I? Well just last week LT told us we should be swimming a lap around the island to keep in shape, Brady started to explain.

Yeah I know so? That’s good conditioning training for Navy Seals, Patch interrupted.

LT didn’t bother telling me what island we were supposed to swim around. I naturally thought he meant Jamaica. I was halfway to Kingston before the chief tracked me down and straightened me out. Lord almighty I done swum 130 miles when he found me, Brady finished with his West Texas drawl and trademark grin.

I can understand where a dumb old sky jockey like you would make a stupid mistake like that Brady. Hell, without a radio and a GPS I’m surprised you weren’t lost out to sea!

I knew enough to keep the island off my left shoulder. As long as I kept it in sight I knew that I was safe, Brady laughed.

I’m damn glad you did. You’d probably give some innocent shark indigestion if he were to bite into your old leathery hide. Besides that I don’t want to break in a new flight instructor. It took me long enough to break you in, Patch said with a grin.

On behalf of me and the shark Patch, I thank you for your concern. We’d better get in the air or Chief York will be wondering where the hell we are, Brady said slapping his friend on the shoulder.

The two climbed into the Bell Ranger helicopter, Patch took the right hand seat. Helicopters are the opposite of airplanes. In an airplane the pilot sits in the left hand seat and in a helicopter the pilot sits in the right hand seat. Reaching above him Patch started flipping toggle switches and the rotor blades started to slowly spin, picking up speed.

You know what to do Patch, Brady said into his microphone. Pull back on the cyclic and get us airborne, Brady said, the kidding was behind them now.

Patch nodded his head and lifted off, rotating the joy stick and pointing the bird towards Montego Bay. Soon Patch had the helicopter at 1000 feet and a speed of 125 knots.

You’re looking good Patch. You’re picking-up flying the helicopter as fast as you did the float plane, Brady complimented.

Thanks buddy, I have a good teacher, Patch said, returning the compliment.

Patch you better contact Montego Bay International and get landing instructions, Brady advised.

I was just about to do that Brady. Montego Bay International this is the Sea Hawk, over.

Sea Hawk, this is Montego Bay, over.

Montego Bay, we need landing instructions to your heliport. We are bearing 010, distance five miles, over.

Roger that Sea Hawk you are cleared to land. Proceed to the heliport, over.

Roger Montego Bay, thank you, over and out, Patch said into his headset.

Good job Patch now set us down nice and gentle, Brady instructed him.

Patch eased the helicopter down onto the tarmac and threw the switches, shutting down the engine.

The two got out of the helicopter to meet the man they’d come to pick-up. Chief York? Brady asked the man walking towards them.

That’s me, Chief York replied holding out his hand. Chief York appeared to be in his mid forties around six foot and 200 pounds.

Brady shook his hand. I’m Brady and this is Patch, we’re here to give you a ride out to our isle, hop in.

After storing the chief’s bag the two climbed into the helicopter for the ride back to Dead Men’s Isle. Brady was at the controls now. You could feel a subtle difference between the two pilots. Brady’s movements were much more fluid from thousands of hours of experience.

There’s our isle dead ahead chief, Patch said into his microphone.

I see you have a lot of building going on. The chief noticed looking down at the darkening island.

Yeah, we’ve been at it nearly a year now. It’s starting to shape up pretty good, Brady said.

There was nothing on the island before you started building? asked the chief.

Just those two hills and a few palm trees chief, Brady acknowledged.

You must have put some heavy duty generators on the island. You have a lot of lights going, the chief commented.

No generator, just an extension cord from Montego Bay to here, Patch said.

That’s one hell of an extension cord guys, it must be six or seven miles from here to Montego Bay!

No it’s all of eight miles, maybe a little bit more than that even, Patch said.

Brady landed the helicopter and shut it down. Welcome to Dead Men’s Isle chief.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Chapter Four

The chief and I saw the blinking light of the helicopter coming across the water towards us and went to meet it. We turned away from the helicopter when it started to kick up debris as it got closer to the ground. I watched as our guest got out of the aircraft and made his way towards us.

The chief walked over and gave his old friend a handshake and a bear hug. It’s good to see you Bob, Chief Morrison said with a wide grin.

Damn, you’re looking good Jake! The tropics agree with you. You’re as brown as a berry!

I’d like you to meet our commander Bob, this is Rick Chambers, but we just call him LT.

LT, it’s good to meet you, Jake has told me a lot about you.

I eyed our chief with a half grin on my face. The rumors are all wrong! I didn’t do it!

Chief Morrison laughed, Yeah you did but the statute of limitations has run out!

In that case maybe I did do it, I said laughing.

So tell me about your operation and why I’m here, Chief York said, ending the small talk.

I hope you can wait until morning to find out Bob. Working hours are over and it’s time to relax and have a couple of beers.

I like your island better and better all the time. Lead the way Jake.

The three of us walked to the west end of the island, right where our zodiac boat had landed during the operation to find the treasure. A bon fire was going and the team members were all gathered around sitting on logs and folding bag chairs enjoying their Red Stripe Jamaican beer.

I hope you like fresh sea food Bob. That’s what’s on the menu for tonight, I supplied.

What Navy man doesn’t like sea food, the chief grinned. That would be like a baseball fan not liking hot dogs.

Here see how you like Jamaican beer, Danny said handing over an open bottle.

Chief York took a long pull on his bottle of beer. It’s got an interesting after taste, I like it.

It’s the number one Caribbean beer. I once read a description of our beer. They said the taste was slightly skunky and you could taste dreadlocks in every swallow, Danny supplied.

Chief, why don’t you make the introductions? I offered.

Sure LT, Bob let me introduce you to our team, The Sea Demons. Most of the team is made up of recycled Seals. The two that brought you out to the isle are Brady, team comic and pilot and Patch pilot in training, and the best damn man with a knife that I’ve ever met, he’s also our best tracker. This here is Doc, he’s our medic. Next to him is Brian our computer guy. He can play a computer key board the way Billy Joel plays a piano, there is none better. Those two guys over there are brothers, Scott and Dave Lofton, our snipers. They can scratch a flea’s ass from 1500 yards. Sam can fix or build anything. He’s our resident gun smith. Bill is our radioman. Don’t let his size fool you. More than one enemy has and died because of it. That guy standing by LT is his brother Chris. He was on the 28th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center when the planes hit. He takes care of the administration side of our operation. Danny Mazuzu owns this island and was the owner of the treasure map that brought us all here. He’s now the captain of the Sea Eagle. Karen Jacobs is an RN and the second half of our medical team; she’s also engaged to marry Rick. That’s the whole crew Bob.

Team, this is Chief Bob York, an old friend of mine from my Navy years. We served together on the U.S.S. Enterprise back in the eighties. He’s here to talk to us about missile defense systems.

It’s good to meet you. I’m intrigued about the stories that I’ve read about your adventure recovering the gold. It was an amazing story.

We haven’t sealed off the tunnel yet. If you want we can go diving tomorrow and I’ll give you a tour of the cavern, the chief offered.

That would be great! I’d love to see it. Man oh man, do you know how many people read the tale of your treasure hunt and were envious of your adventure?

It was a lot of fun. It would have been more fun if there hadn’t been forty or fifty pirates trying to kill us, I said.

That just added to spice to the tale though. It made the adventure greater than it would have been without it. It’s like a cross between two great movies.

I laughed, Which two movies do you think it’s a cross between?"

Pirates of the Caribbean and National Treasure, Chief York answered back without thinking.

We were all laughing at that thought. Do you all want my autograph? Brady asked mischievously.

Come on guys, admit it. Now that it’s all over and done and it’s a little bit back in your past doesn’t the adventure seem greater with age? Doesn’t it seem richer for having the pirates as part of it?

I thought back to the chase to Washington DC when I thought Karen was going to be killed. Maybe most of it Bob, but not the part when I thought I’d lost Karen, I said wrapping my arm around her shoulders and drawing her closer to me.

Not the parts either where I thought my partner was going to be killed, Chris said slapping Danny’s back.

Definitely not the part where my best friend was tortured and murdered, Danny added solemnly.

Chief York nodded his understanding. I see your point; it always looks rosier when you’re on the other side looking in. It definitely was a story for the ages though.

Gene’s death is what brought us all here together. If he hadn’t of been killed we wouldn’t be standing on this isle now. His death is the only thing that happened to us during the hunt that couldn’t be fixed, I explained.

I see what you mean. Both Danny and Karen survived their encounters with the pirates and lived to talk about it.

Right but Gene didn’t, I finished for him.

That reminds me, Danny the team has a surprise for you, I informed him.

What is it Rick? Danny asked.

Karen, would you please do the honors for the team? I asked my future wife, smiling.

Sure Rick, just give me a minute or so to go and get it, Karen said running off towards the operations center.

What is it guys? Danny asked looking around at us.

Be patient Danny it’ll only be a minute or two, Chris said.

Karen ran back carrying what looked like a framed picture that had a sheet wrapped around it.

Danny we know how much losing Gene meant to you and without your loss we wouldn’t be here today. So all of us put into the pot to honor Gene in a way we thought he would have liked. He was all about youth and baseball so we are dedicating the Gene Barclay Youth Center in Kingston in two weeks.

Karen unveiled the framed artist’s conception of the complex. Its beautiful guys, Danny said, his voice quivering.

Karen pointed out the features of the facility. It has two lighted ball diamonds, tennis courts; basketball courts, an indoor youth center with games and a swimming pool. There is also room for expansion later on.

I don’t know what to say, I’m speechless, Danny confessed.

We thought about naming our operations center in his honor but who would see it besides us? Then Patch came up with the idea of a youth center.

Danny looked over at Patch, Thanks a lot Patch, this really means a lot to me.

I thought you’d like it Danny, It’s what I did for the kids on my reservation in Arizona.

It couldn’t have been better Patch, it’s perfect.

Who’s ready for some fresh crab, the food is ready! Sam called out to the group.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Chapter Five

I awoke to the sound of rain spattering on the roof of the barracks we were living in. Our houses weren’t done yet so we had a barracks built first in order to have a place for the entire team to sleep. The Sea Eagle was in the middle of being refitted so it was also out of commission.

I went down to the mess hall looking for a cup of coffee. Even with the rain and the windy conditions it was still in the mid seventies. Not bad for January. We’d already hired a cooking staff and the coffee was hot and ready when I got there.

So far our plans called for all of the team members to have their own homes but not the added staff that we needed to run the operation. We’d be providing group housing for them. Two people assigned to a room with common areas for eating and recreation. Each room would have its own bath that would be shared by its occupants.

Good morning Bob, I see that you’re an early riser, I greeted our guest.

Well good morning LT. The rain woke me up. I love the smell and sound of a rain storm.

Good, so do I. Grab some coffee and we’ll sit out on the covered porch and talk.

I led the way out to the porch and sat in a patio chair looking out over the Caribbean Sea. It doesn’t get any better than this Bob.

Bob sat and took a deep breath of the fresh sea air. When I die I hope this is what heaven will be like, Bob confessed.

We have a proposition for you. You don’t have to wait until your dead to enjoy this every morning. You can start enjoying it right now.

Who do I have to kill LT? Bob said with raised eye brows.

We need someone to design and run our fire control system on board the Sea Eagle. We may want to add a system here at our home base either now or later on depending on the cost. We picked you if you want the job.

What are you looking for in way of a system?

I was thinking of two Gatling guns, port and starboard as a missile defense shield and a surface to surface, surface to air missile system.

That’s a nice wish list but where do you go to buy it?

I have contacts. I can get what I want. It just depends on how much I’m willing to spend to get it.

Don’t forget you’ll also need a fire control radar system to make it all work. Without it you won’t have a way to guide the missiles to their targets. Or a way to target incoming missiles with the Gatling guns.

That’s why you’re here. You’re the expert on this Bob.

The Navy just came out with a new class of war ship. The first one was commissioned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

I read about that I think it was the U.S.S. Freedom, I interrupted.

That’s what it was alright. The Navy wants to build 80 of them. They have no screw. Instead they have a jet propulsion drive. Anyway the reason I’m mentioning them is because of the missile defense system on it. It’s what you’re looking for. The missiles have a range of forty miles and travel at nearly Mach three. I don’t know how much one of those systems will cost you, though, or if you can even get one.

We can check and see. Can you think of any other system that we may be able to use?

Well you have the old ASROC system. The Navy has been using it since the sixties. It’s a surface to surface, surface to air system but it’s not nearly as modern as the new system is. It takes up more space and the missiles fly at a much slower speed.

What about man power? How many people do you need to make it all work?

Four men should do it. Here at the isle we shouldn’t need to man it but at sea we’ll need to man it 24/7.

You need the same manpower no matter what system we go with?

We have the same number of hours in a day so yeah, four guys either way you go LT.

Are you interested in taking the job and being in charge of our fire control system Bob?

I’m very interested, what kind of money are we talking about?

The job comes with room and board so there aren’t any living expenses other than clothes. I’ll start you out at $75,000 a year plus free room and board. The four guys you choose to make-up your team I’ll pay $50,000 a year each.

Chief York stood up and held out his hand. I’ll take that deal and gladly LT. When do you want me to start?

If you can send for your stuff instead of having to go back for it I’d like you to start right away. There’s a lot that needs to be done before we’re operational, I explained.

When do you want me to form my team?

Right now, the sooner the better. We have housing ready for them to move into right now.

I can send for my things and stay right here so we can get started, no problem.

I never asked Chief, are you married? Do you need housing for your family?

No, I never had time to think about a wife, I live alone.

Not anymore you don’t chief. You are now the newest member of the Sea Demons, welcome aboard, I said shaking his hand.

Thanks, it’s good to be a part of your team LT, Chief York said giving me a firm hand shake.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Chapter Six

Are you ready for your dive tour of our cavern Bob? Jake asked

Good morning Jake, sure but I didn’t bring any swim trunks with me on this trip. Bob confessed.

No problem, I can borrow you a pair of shorts to wear. I have the diving equipment over where we had the cook out last night. Get changed and I’ll meet you over there when you’re ready.

Soon the two were strapping on their tanks for the shallow dive to the cavern entrance. We’ll be less than twenty feet under water. We’ll come to the cavern entrance and then it’s a hundred feet down the tunnel to the cavern itself. We had to use a shape charge to open up the entrance once we found it. If you look closely when we go in you can tell an explosive was used, Jake explained.

I’ve been looking forward to this dive ever since you told me you’d show me the cavern last night, let’s do it, Bob said enthusiastically.

The two friends waded out into the surf until the water was deep enough to dive under. They cleared their masks and plunged down beneath the waves. Jake led Bob straight to the mouth of the cavern and pointed out where the charge had been set before leading the way into the tunnel. The height and width of the tunnel was roomy enough to make the divers comfortable. Soon they were surfacing in the moon pool. Wading