Age of Discovery. The day is March, 9th of 1500.
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS PURELY FICTIONAL.
The Royal Family of Portugal Empire led by King Manuel I has sent a fleet of 13 ships in a mission to expand the kingdom’s plans to return with valuable spices and establish trade relations with India ~who were the big players on those days. Napoleon was rushing all over Europe and the British and the French were already establishing themselves in Newfoundland and The New World. Pedro was the Major Capitain of the whole fleet, and blessed they were from the Church.
It was known from big thinkers of that a New World would be soon to be discovered by men, despite of the Inquisition’s desire to destroy every one of them since the Earth was flat and anyone who would dare to sail away from the promise land would suffer the consequences from God, amen. What happens is that Pedro was a very curious and brave man, so he decided to figure that out for himself ~and the Indian mission was a great alibi for it.
Cabral’s friend Vasco da Gama had discovered a route around Africa’s coast to the Indian land. His reward was the cinnamon and the pepper. It was sort of safe, although it was a really long journey. The man was hungry and he couldn’t wait three months to reach that exquisite land. This is when a wind of change set them out of their route. He probably thought ‘if the Earth is really a globe, we should reach the Indians by crossing the Atlantic’. So he did missed his cartographic calculus and the fleet was heading West instead of South after departing Cape Verde on the 22nd of March, after thirteen days of sailing.
The next day a nau commanded by a friend of his simply disappeared from sight. Maybe it was a great and alarming sign that they were not supposed to be heading that direction. Even overseas, no one can escape from God’s sight. Later on that night, Pedro has had a really hard time thinking and trying to be understood by God about his noble plans.
~ What would you do with all the treasures across the Sea, Pedro?
~ I am honestly just acting out of fear, Almighty.
~ What do you fear the most, my son?
~ The men. Their greed scares me off them, Lord.
~ So you prefer to risk the life I gave you at the Sea than at the land?
~ Yes, Lord.
~ Why then, Pedro?
~ I know exactly what the men are capable of. I just can’t tell the same about the Sea.
~ I like the way you think, boy.
It was half 3 a.m., so Pedro was awakened by a rant of fear from his tripulation. What a thunderstorm.
The first thing that came at his mind before writing all of that down was: “I’ll give you three weeks to think about it.”
… to be continued.
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