Running Silent

Posted on Thu Apr 2nd, 2026 @ 1:39am by Civilian Seth Cade & Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Collins
Edited on on Tue Jun 30th, 2026 @ 2:17pm

1,327 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Old Guard
Location: Earth
Timeline: Mid January 2009

The sun dipped toward the stormy horizon, casting a stark orange‑red glow across the clouded sky. The Halifax‑class frigate HMCS Esquimalt glided through the stormy waters of the northern Pacific. Sea spray pelted her salt‑encrusted hull as she crashed through the whitecaps. Rain sprayed throughout the waters.

On the bow, one man stood against the wind, checking his watch. His hand gripped the railing, the cold metal numbing his fingers. He studied the tactical black‑gray timepiece, its blue bezel framing the sapphire crystal.

20:00 - First Watch

He tapped the crystal three times, watching the second hand sweep forward as rain pelted onto his waterproof timepiece. The bow dipped, crashing against the waves as he immediately grabbed the railing for balance, to avoid slipping off. From across the bow, an officer shouted, "Lieutenant Cade!"

Seth turned, shouting across the din of the thunder crack overhead, "What?"

The midshipman replied, "The CO wants you below decks.

Seth nodded, walking across the deck towards the stairwell as the junior officer returned inside the bridge. Approaching the door into the stairwell, he opened it and accessed the stairs. The storm noises ceased as the door shut with a hiss, preventing any water from entering. Pushing himself against the narrow wall to avoid falling to gravity as the Esquimalt dipped again, he finished running down the steps and entered another adjacent corridor. Opening the bulkhead door, he closed it behind him with another air locked hiss. Rushing past several officers that stepped aside, Seth nodded, acknowledging them.

Reaching the commanding officer's office, he knocked before opening the door. The nameplate on the door read, 'CMDR D. Collins. He replied, "You called for me, sir?"

Collins stood, waving him in, "Ah yes. Lets walk for a bit."

Seth nodded, pausing for a few moments to notice several things open on his desk including the opened folder titled Classified Ops.

X-306: Pegasus Galaxy Class. Operations brief

Scattered among his desk were the usual papers and a navigational compass acting as a paper weight. Seth stood to attention, folding his arms behind his back as his commanding officer stood, closing the classified folder. Keying in his lock, he opened the watertight locker and placed the folder inside before closing it. Adjusting his uniform, he walked around his desk and replied, "With me, XO."

Seth nodded, turning sideways to follow him out of the office. With the door shut tight and locked, they walked along the narrow corridor. The commander spoke, "Update?"

Keeping up the pace with his CO despite the rocking motion of the frigate against the moving ocean, Seth replied, "Lieutenant Silas took over the bridge. He reports silent running green. Tactical readouts are consistent. The black target continues to be unaware of our presence due to the storm. All active stations are on standby."

Ducking under the bulkhead, Collins nodded as they turned the corner. He stopped, turning and placing his hand on his side before whispering, "It's important to maintain silence, Cade. This mission is critical. It's your first time at command. I wouldn't choose you for this if I didn't trust you."

Seth nodded, "Understood, Commander."

Collins nodded, turning to open the watertight bulkhead door. It hissed open quietly as they descended further down into the ship. The air smelled stale, saltier as they passed the crew mess towards the living quarters. As they neared the command quarters, Collins turned to him, "Check on engineering. Chief Kyle should be checking on the clogged vents from the engines. It's acting up."

Stopping before the CO's living quarters, Seth replied, "Yes, sir. Something about a buildup of brine and barnacles?"

Opening the door, the commander replied with an unreadable expression, "Just get it done. Remember. Don't break silence. No matter the circumstance. Mission critical."

Seth nodded, "I'll handle it." He turned, checking his watch. The alarm vibrated on his wrist as he tapped on it, pressing the side button. Walking towards engineering, he headed towards the aft of the ship as several officers pushed past him as he grabbed the bulkhead and ducked under it. Being six feet tall, the navy lieutenant found himself ducking most of the bulkheads to avoid collusion. Scanning engineering, he found an NCO near one of the open vents. He spoke, "Chief Kyle?"

Kyle turned, straightening himself slightly, "Sr!" He had a slight European drawl.

Seth approached the station, placing his hand on the cool pipe and spoke, "CO sent me."

He shrugged, wiping the grease off on his dirty coveralls, "I dunno what you want me to say, sir. I clean, they clog again. Storm's kicking debris into every intake."

Seth crossed his arms, his tone sharpening, "No excuses, chief. We've been on this mission for about a week. The CO wants the vents clean to encourage flow of the engine. Running silent means all stations nominal. Quiet. A clogged engine makes noise."

Kyle shrug, speaking with a soft European drawl, "Understood. I've been sending my boys to maintain cleanliness and Ive had some in medical with heat rash and scraped hands. We're working as fast as we can. If he wants it spotless, he's welcome to see the state of these vents himself. I dunno how long we can stand this, sir."

"Get it done, chief" He added as the comm activated near him, Bridge to Engineering, Lieutenant Silas calling for Chief Kyle.

Seth grabbed the radio, "XO, speaking. Status?"

The Officer of the Deck's voice came through clear, Sir! I was just calling for you. You are needed on the bridge. The target changed direction.

"Copy. On my way, Lieutenant." He slammed the phone back onto the hook and headed out.

Behind him, the chief added, "Watch for that puddle near the entrance sir."

Distracted, Seth turned and nodded while walking towards the exit. Hitting the bulkhead of the doorway, he silently cursed, ducking under and exiting engineering. The chief muttered, shaking his head and putting his gloved hands in the vents again.


Bridge

On the top deck of the Esquimalt, Lieutenant Silas stood overseeing the action with his hands folded behind his back. Darkness surrounded the ship, save for a few emergency lights blinking and small signal beepings. The ship rocked gently as the storm eased for the moment. The quiet chatter filtered throughout the bridge as several officers monitored their station. The conn officer kept her hand on the helm, making small adjustments to fight the pull of each wave. The ship lurched as Silas grabbed the counter for balance. Behind him, the door hissed as Seth entered.

"XO on deck!" Silas called.

Seth waved him down, checked his watch again and, walked towards him. "At ease, Lieutenant. Report?" He quietly spoke, checking the small compass on his multi-functional watch.

Silas nodded, "Yes sir. Our target altered direction and is headed deeper into the ocean towards the islands. They show no signs of slowing down."

"They headed further north?" Seth looked up, folding his arms behind him.

"Slightly to the east, sir, but yes," the Chief of Deck replied. Seth nodded, walking towards the monitoring station,"With me, lieutenant."

As they approached the comm station, Seth placed his hand against the bulkhead and listened closely to the crackling radio as the communications officer pressed his hand over his headphones, brows furrowing. Noticing the two men behind him, he straightened slightly.

"I'm getting something from NORAD, sir."

The bridge quieted by degrees. Even the storm outside held its breath. Seth leaned in. "Put it on speaker."

The comm officer flicked a switch. A burst of static filled the bridge, followed by a strained voice cutting through the interference:

"...NORAD tracking update. Multiple unidentified objects entering the atmosphere. Trajectory: Pacific sector. Velocity: extreme. Impact probability...high."

A few officers exchanged uneasy glances. Silas swallowed hard.

Seth's jaw tightened, "Lieutenant. Monitoring station. Now."


TBC

 

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