1st July, 1809: Introduction to la Revenant 'The Ghost'

"By all means carry the men on Lieutenant, i will see you shortly"

Aurelien was a bit taken aback when the new captain winked at him. Unsure of what that was all about, he did nothing back but remained standing at attention for a superior officer. He listened to the two officers conversing then when it seemed the conference had ended but before the captain could get too far away, the boy cleared his throat then stepped forward, first giving a proper salute.

"Excus moi, Captain, but the lieutenant stated I should present my papers to you upon your arrival," Aurelien extracted a folded document from his coat pocket and held it out to the man.

All right you men, back to work shouted Jean-Claude. We have a ship to put to rights.

Wulf turned to the sound of a cleared throat, his eybrow raising. Who might this be... Watching a lad of no more than 15 or 16 step forward and salute him, he saluted the lad back. It was one more salute than he had gotten from his 1st lieutenant. He silently applauded the boys courage. Unfortunately boy this is not the time to do it, but your courage impresses me. Waiting for the lad to speak his eyes ran over the rest of the men standing there gauging their reactions to the boys actions.

"Excus moi, Captain, but the lieutenant stated I should present my papers to you upon your arrival," he took a document from his jacket and held it out.

Wulf took the document and opened it. Skimming over its contents he realised that this was the boys way of showing people he wasnt going to be scared on his first ship. That was admirable but it was definitely not the right time to do it. Impress me by what you can do, not by placing yourself above everyone else on the ship to speak to me. lowering the document down he once again looked the boy over. He was looking very nervous and he didnt want to crush his spirit.

"Bring these back to me tomorrow aspirant, we shall discuss your employment in the French Navy then." Handing back the papers he turned toward the stern of the ship. Over his shoulder he said with a smile, "We shall also have a discussion on your knack of timing." Chuckling he started to walk. "After the next watchbell Gentlemen."

I Wondering what else interesting would happen today...

Du Bois was surprised on how young the captain was, but he was old enough himself to know that age did not necisarily say anything about a man's merit. At the other hand...Did this man even shave?

As their was no second lieutenant precently, Du Bois waited his turn to greet the captain, and he looked in awe as the young aspirant cut in line! He pushed back a protest and waiting for the captain to handle that. At least Du Bois himself knew the way of things in the navy.

He waited a few minutes, but before he could reach the captain, the young man said:
"After the next watchbell Gentlemen."

Along with the other officers, he saluted as the captain left the quaterdeck. Well then, That was only a little while. Mon Dieu, there would be a lot to discuss.
Before Du Bois went on to his duties himself, he didn't forget to trow a grinning look to the aspirant. Oh, my lad, you are going to have a great time on this ship. I'll make sure of that.

post moved

The captain returned his salute and took the offered papers, Aurelien stood there while the fellow looked over the document. Handing them back the man then told him to present him these again on the morrow? Aurelien took them with a nod.

"Yessir."

More worrisome though the officer also cryptically said there would be a discussion on timing? Aurelien had no idea what he'd done wrong. The officer's discussion had broke up before he approached and spoke, the lieutenant had been the one to tell him to do this very thing upon the captain's arrival.

At least the commanding officer seemed to chuckle as he moved on. The lieutenant then told Aurelien to take charge of the men working on the rigging.

"Yessir," the aspirant replied with another salute.

He also noticed the strange grin the sailing master had given him, unsure of what brought that on. Well, he had his orders and a job to do so the boy headed toward the first knot of men engaged in rigging the sails. One old tar looked up from his task as if to ask what the aspirant wanted.

"Carry on, you're doing fine," Aurelien declared with hands clasped behind his back.

There were officers seemingly everywhere now, Stéphane Proulx noted. They had come aboard nearly at once. But officers were like that. Always travelling in packs, like hunting animals. He had no love for officers. To be sure, he had no love for the navy either.

The boy-officer, aspirant as he was supposed to be called, was watching Stéphane and his companions while they worked to stop the fresh cordage of the leechlines and buntlines to the heads of the stiff new sails. It was slow, frustrating work. In any other circumstances, Stéphane would not have minded, but he was not here of his own choosing and he resented that fiercely.

Anyway, what did this boy know about anything, that he could judge this work as 'fine'? Despite knowing better, Stéphane glanced sharply up at the youngster, his green eyes narrowing in silent reproach. He was not fool enough to give voice to his feelings, unless of course he was provoked to it.

( Set before the change of watch bell)

As soon as the carry on was piped and the crew dispersed Jean Claude Van Bang picked up his kit bag, satchel and musket and proceeded below decks to the senior sailors quarters to stow his gear.
well well well it's a pleasant surprise to see that De Wolfe had got the capitaine's billet onboard. Although he is young, its not really a shock, having served with him on two occasions before. In both instances De Wolfe showed real mettle and a good level head in tight situations. It would not be a boring posting under the lad Van Bang thought.
He left his stowed kit and started to make his way to the gun deck
hope there is enough time to get a look at the armament before the change'o'watch bell pondered Van Bang

Aurelien was content to let the men work, they certainly seemed to know what they were doing, more than him anyways. He did note one man in particular gave him a stern look, more of a glare but he wasn't quite sure why. It couldn't have been anything he said, Aurelien decided because he'd only given a short compliment. Perhaps the fellow was doing a task he was ill suited for or forced to? No matter, he would not press the issue.

The young aspirant simply nodded acknowledgment to the fellow and left it at that.

Children should not be allowed on working ships, thought Stéphane. What was the use in officers, even ones who barely were out of petticoats, if they could not tell the difference between a man who was honestly working and one who was slacking?

Of course, Stéphane himself would not peach on the idiot who was busily tying and untying the same knot under the pretence of being productive. Correcting the misbehaviour was an officer's job. Or, in a pinch, something for the bosseman to sort out.

What he would do was set down the cordage he had been working with and stretch his arms out to either side, his tarred hands held palm-up. A respite from this work was just the thing, especially since his fingers were beginning to ache. After a moment, he dropped his arms again and leaned backward, propping himself up against the deck on his elbows.

Of course Aurelien missed the one fellow redoing the same small task over and over because that man at least looked busy. But he was not blind and frowned at seeing the one crewman seem to simply decide the task was too much and stop completely. Why what if all the men did the same, nothing would get done?

Aurelien stepped up to the fellow, "Excus moi, but you can rest later when it is appropriate. Right now you have been assigned to this task and I am afraid you really must stick with it. Kindly get back to work then."

"I'm tired," Stéphane said flatly, not budging from where he was lounging. He had no reason to give in to a mere boy who couched a direction to return to work in such politely inoffensive terms. Weak. That's what the aspirant was. Stéphane was nothing if not ready to take advantage of weak officers.

The other men nearby were watching in silent interest, keen to see which way this little confrontation went.

Upon reaching the deck, Jean-Claude takes a look around. Seeing Vachot talking to a loafing sailor we quickly decides that the young Aspirant has failed another test. Raising his voice so it'll carry to all parts of the ship Jean-Claude booms out "O'pont! take that sailors name and get him back to work NOW". Vachot, to me.

Aurelien frowned, "You are tired? Well, I am certain that could be said of others. You can rest...."

Just then the lieutenant's voice boomed and the aspirant glanced that way, his business interrupted. It seemed he would get no time to settle this little affair himself. He cast a quick dirty look at the man but said nothing.

Moving straight away up to the lieutenant, Aurelien went to attention.

"Yessir."

You are up there to make the men work, not chat them up. O'pont will call any rest breaks for all the men, not just one or two.
You must be the officer the men can look up to, not a friendly face they can take advantage of. Give orders, not requests do you understand me?

While advising young Vachot, Jean-Claude notes a group of men marching down the pier led by an Enseigne with Petty Officers keeping the men in line.
Once the group reaches the gang way they halt and the Enseigne comes aboard to report...
Enseigne de vaisseau de deuxième classe Tomas Mendoza with one Aspirant and the new ship's boatswain Maarten Tromp plus a billet of men for the Revenant's crew.
Jean-Claude nods his approval. We have been waiting for you. I am the 1st LT, I will have a man show you below decks and then it's to work as there is much to be done.

O'pont! A man here to show your ship mates where to berth.

Vachot, report to the Captaine a billet of men and officers have arrived to bring us up to our fighting trim.

Aurelien listened to the officer tell him what was expected of him as an officer. He understood the man's point but felt he had not been given more than a few seconds time to get the recalcitrant crewman to come around. If harsh orders were all that were to be expected, he could do that too even if it was against his nature.

"Yessir, I understand," the boy nodded, knowing to voice his thoughts would only get him into worse trouble.

Both of them were then distracted by the arrival of yet more crew, a welcome sight given all the work still needed to be accomplished. The lieutenant then ordered him to report to the captain about these new arrivals.

"Yessir, right away, sir," he saluted and headed down to the captains quarters.

For the moment, it was wiser to concede the point and resume his work. This lieutenant seemed overly given to shouting anyway, which no doubt meant he believed too firmly in his own authority. Grimacing, Stéphane pushed himself forward and reached for his half-finished corner of sail.

"Officers," he muttered under his breath.

Jac was not amused. How dare these annoying twits send insult by not working! They should want to fight the English as soon as possible!Jac looks at the working me for a few seconds, spying one sailor whom is simply tying a knot repeatedly. Jac walks to him, asking his name, then walks over to the sailor who had been lounging, and says,"What is your name sailor?"

"Proulx," said Stéphane in a bored tone. He didn't bother to look up from his work.

'Leave that sail, and get over to raising the yards for the mast-working party. You want to sit on your duff, too bad, we'll have you get musceles in no time," says Jac.

This remark caused Stéphane to look up, an expression of disdain on his face. If he had not felt any doubts before about the general quality of the men in authority aboard, he was now. Certainly they could not recognise a sailor when they saw one.

"I am not a matelot d'eau douce, if that's your meaning," he retorted. "I have been at sea many years." Since he was a boy, in fact, and in a far more useful profession than the Navy could claim to be. Then again, fishermen tended to be better sailors by default.

Having wandered down from the quarterdeck to inspect the work O'pont's party was doing, Jean-Claude heard this last exchange between the sailor and O'pont.

"If your laziness is any example I can see the reason you were so many years at sea".

"Lest you find yourself at the gratings I'd mind that tongue of yours." "O'pont! after his work is finished give him to Boatswain Tromp, maybe scrubbing the deck will let him know his place." "A double watch may just help him understand how things work here."