Paths of Courage

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The man looked out at the calm sea spread before him from the bridge of the freighter as it ploughed through the green waves cleaving them cleanly, occasionally bobbing and rolling gently with each swell that passed under her keel. As it crossed the Tropic of Capricorn in the Indian Ocean, he heard the captain order the transponder, which informed the maritime authorities of the ship’s whereabouts to be turned off, then order a new course that would take the freighter directly south instead of around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope and up into the Atlantic to the Ivory Coast. The new course would now take it directly to an island deep in the southern Indian Ocean. The man stared at the sparkling waters with a mixture of apprehension, excitement and fear at what they were about to accomplish after so many months of planning and preparation.

The Maru Blue, a Libyan-registered freighter, was typical of her type with main superstructure situated well aft. The forward deck was dominated by three large cargo hatches and two V-shaped structures forming masts and boom cranes for lowering cargo into the holds. She had seen better days. The once black hull and white and green superstructure were streaked with brown rust.

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