Weekend Write-In Story Collection

Welcome Aboard

In 500 words, imagine what happens when a little too much rides on the outcome of a board game. Written for the Weekend Write-In prompt "Board", 18-20 December 2015.

This is a true story. I was initially punished for it until it was reviewed further up the chain.

Naval Duty

In mid-December 1969, fresh from a three-and-a-half-month deployment in South Pacific, I was drafted from HMCS Qu'Appelle on Canada's west coast to Fleet School in Halifax on the east coast. I drove across again, my sixth time, and after a five-day drive, I paused for Christmas and New Years with my parents in Shediac, three hours short of Halifax.

After the holiday, I completed the drive and settled into wardroom quarters, ready to begin a Naval Operations course. The Duty Roster is part of naval routine, ashore or afloat and the Fleet School students become part of the rotation. A week into the course, my turn came as Officer of the Day.

The main responsibility of the Officer of the Day is to be available for decisions beyond the scope of the Duty Chief and Duty Petty Officer. Effectively, I was responsible for the naval base during its off hours. This entails such things as officiating at the sunset ceremony and colours at 0800 the following morning. Also, I was expected to conduct an emergency response exercise of the Duty Watch with its many Leading, Able and Ordinary Seamen.

With sunset done and the Watch exercised, I went to the Duty Officer's quarters to familiarise myself with the Order Book and see what else was expected of me. As I lay on the bed reading the binder, some red cards fell out. I picked one up:

       You've been compromised.
   Enter this event in the log and
        Report it to your Captain

There was nothing else on the card. I looked at the others and saw the same. Curious, I sat up and leafed through the binder for some explanation. Finally, under Port Security: If time allows, you might consider testing the security of the ships in port. Gain unchallenged access to a ship and present a red Compromised card (in the back pocket) to the ship's Officer of the Day.

I read the Sitrep again and saw there were only four ships in port, which made sense. Mid-January the Fleet heads south to exercise in the warmer waters of the Caribbean. It's not a stupid navy. I phoned the Duty Chief, told him I was heading out on dockyard rounds for an hour, and the Base Operator is redirecting calls to him. He was happy staying in warm quarters.

I went to my wardroom quarters and changed into street clothing, the darkest I could quickly find and packed my climbing day pack with two changes. Down in the Dockyard, I crawled up the bow hawser of the first destroyer and wandered through the ship unchallenged to find the Officer of the Day. Another bow hawser and a stern hawser gave me destroyers two and three. For the fourth ship, I joined a group of tipsy returning revellers up the gangway.

The following day I was in front of the Base Commander. He asked me to explain the complaints about my boarding game. I asked him: And if I were enemy?