I’m Ugo Santee, Captain of The Arroyo. I've done many bad things in my life, before the Navy in the Navy and after the Navy. My soul survived more or less intact but my lower legs did not. I had developed what I called the murder switch a long, long time ago. Simply put, I learned how to kill without regret, judgment or a second thought of any kind. This had served me well living in a place called the Neo-Confederacy, a quasi state run by a bunch of white supremacist types. A few well targeted gruesome murders by yours truly had bought me a number of years there. I used their own fears and ignorance against them. Their seething hatred of my skin color was starting to outweigh their fears. I was running out of time. While doing a little fishing I sensed two people and a dog coming up behind me. What I did not feel was the usual hostility. Still, I was skeptical. What did they want with me, I asked. Their claim of an old relative sending them to me sounded crazy as hell but my old writing notebook from my teen years proved their claim. I took a closer look at them. Two scraggly kids and a dog had washed down the river. The red-haired cat did not talk too much. He let his woman, who wore a blue Mohawk, do most of the talking. They needed a boat to South America, she said. Having worn out my welcome, I was at least open to hearing more. We hung out for a little while and it turned out I could sleep with them around.
I didn't have a few months to get them ready and The Arroyo seaworthy again. She had been in dry dock for years. I would have to train these two at sea while shaking down the boat. Pick and Raven were quick learners and hard workers. I had to learn I was no longer in the Navy and neither were they. We had a few adventures on the way to South America but nothing bad happened. It turned out South America wanted nothing to do with three former Americans. It was time to get back into the shipping business! We advertised around a little and this Muslim dude, Abdul along with his two kids, Yalda and Nasif, were looking for a ride to Dubai. Having fought all over the Middle East for more than 20 years, I wasn't too wild about the idea. On the other hand, Blue Raven and Pick were into it and Abdul had plenty of precious metals to pay for the trip. I decided to set my old bullshit aside and take them home. I was in for one more huge surprise!
My long lost daughter, Akimi, showed up at Abdul's place while we were negotiating the voyage. I thought I was seeing a ghost at first! I guess she did too. She had another voyage in mind. Akimi wanted to find her mom and my former wife who had left for Lisbon years back to help fight one of the pandemics. She was a doctor after all. Abdul, to his credit, agreed to the detour. Akimi had also studied a lot of medicine and already knew how to sail.
The oceans we had to cross were much different now that the world had ended. No more satellite navigation, much less traffic and no rescue were just a few of the challenges we would face. Want to see what's out there now? Come along with us. Our story is below.
The Arroyo Book
The Arroyo e-book
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