He was about to board the helicopter when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw the familiar face of his son, smiling innocently. He felt a pang of guilt as he ignored the call and put the phone back in his pocket. He had promised to call him every day, but he had been too busy with his work as a security contractor for Empire Navigation. He told himself he would call him later, when he reached the St Nikolas, the oil tanker he was assigned to protect.
He climbed into the helicopter and put on his headset. He nodded to the pilot and the other three men who were part of his team. They were all former soldiers who had joined the private security industry after leaving the military. They had been hired by Empire Navigation to provide armed escort for their vessels in the Persian Gulf, where tensions were high between Iran and the US.
The helicopter took off and flew over the azure waters of the Gulf. He looked out the window and saw the St Nikolas in the distance, a massive ship carrying 145,000 tonnes of crude oil. It was a Greek-owned vessel, but it had been seized by the US last year under its previous name, the Suez Rajan, as part of sanctions enforcement against Iran. The US had accused the ship of covertly selling and transporting oil on behalf of Iran, and had confiscated the ship and its cargo. The company that chartered the ship, Suez Rajan Limited, had pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate sanctions, and had agreed to pay a hefty fine and cooperate with the US authorities.
The US had then sold the ship and its oil to Empire Navigation, a Greek company that had no ties to Iran. Empire Navigation had renamed the ship the St Nikolas, and had hired security contractors to protect it from any possible threats. The ship had left the Iraqi port of Basra a few days ago, and was on its way to Turkey, its intended destination.
He checked his watch and saw that it was 03:30 GMT. He wondered what time it was in Japan, where his son and his wife lived. He had met his wife last year, when he was on a vacation in Tokyo. She was a Japanese woman who had divorced her first husband, a violent and abusive man. She had a two-year-old son from her previous marriage, who had become his son by adoption. He had fallen in love with her and her son, and had married her soon after. He had moved to Japan with them, and had tried to settle down as a family man. But he had missed his old life, the thrill of danger and adventure. He had accepted the offer from Empire Navigation, and had left his wife and son behind. He had told them he would be back soon, but he knew he was lying. He was looking for a way out of his marriage, a way to start over again. He was looking for a third wife.
He shook his head and tried to focus on his job. He saw the St Nikolas getting closer, and prepared to land on the deck. He hoped it would be a routine mission, without any complications. He hoped he would be able to call his son later, and tell him he loved him. He hoped he would be able to find some peace in his life.
But his hopes were shattered when he saw a group of armed men wearing masks boarding the ship from a speedboat. He heard the pilot shouting over the radio that they had been ambushed by Iranian forces. He saw the masked men firing at the crew and the security guards on the ship. He saw the ship changing course and heading towards an Iranian port. He realized he was in the middle of a nightmare.
He grabbed his rifle and opened fire at the attackers. He felt a bullet hit his shoulder and another one graze his leg. He felt blood dripping from his wounds. He felt pain and fear. He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He knew it was his son calling him. He knew he would never answer. He knew he would never see him again. He knew he had made a terrible mistake. He knew it was too late to change anything.
He knew it was the end.
This story is fiction
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