Sir Frederick Learns His Value

The official base of the Second Sea Lord was a ship, but of course he had a office in the city. Fredrick did not realize it, but as he stepped into the naval offices building he was already beginning to feel as though he were on a ship again. The endless blue, the narrow stairs and railings, and the high veined windows all gave him the sense that he was in fact at sea.
Frederick entered the Second Sea Lord's office just as apprehensively as he had entered the converted fisherman's shed the first time he was recruited. Then he'd been assigned an ordinary rank, a ship, and been asked for an address in case they ever had to write home. Things were different now, and yet they felt eerily the same. Vice-Admiral Sir Horace Hennet was simply a small, balding man with an outdated mustache and thinning auburn hair. He was giving Frederick a studied look, but he seemed satisfied."Good Morning, Sir Frederick." "Good Morning, Sir."
Sir Horace sat and so Frederick did so as well."Your ship is the HMS Ino. A good small ship."
"I'm glad," said Fredrick, rather puzzled. The navy would never claim to sail a bad ship, and...
"How small?"
"A schooner. Tiny, really. Six guns. 28 men."
"But what do you expect me to do with that? I--" Surely they hadn't dragged him all the way from Cennanceaster and his wife to command a little messenger ship. Such ships hardly needed captains anyway! "What did Lord Harbries tell you about your position? I was under the impression you understood what you were going to be doing."
"I--what? I was simply told I was needed. That was all I needed to hear."
"Ah. Let me begin again. Your assignment is not an ordinary one. Tea?" "No, thank you."
"Well, I don't mind if I have some myself. Let's see...I don't remember whose idea it was, but I believe it was Sir Peter's. I can't be certain..." "What was his idea?" said Fredrick, unusually impatient.
"Well you see, we needed a very specific person for the role. Clever, calm, has the men fierce like bulls and yet docile like lambs to his commands..." "Please, sir," said Frederick. "What is my position?"
"Oh! I haven't even said! Oh dear! You are to command a spy ship."
Frederick had never even heard of such a thing, and when he was recovered enough to say so, he did. It took two of Sir Horace's sips of tea. "Well, of course you must have realized we've always had such things." said Sir Horace.
In fact Sir Frederick had not. To him war had been an open plane, upon which one fought fairly and deftly and honorably and occasionally grimly, but calculated espionage was not part of it. Or at least that was what he had believed. But now that he thought about it, he realized that as a soldier he had been given a lot of "information" which must have come from somewhere. He had received it unquestioning, as though it were directly from some Divine Being, but Frederick had lost enough companions to suspect that the Divine Being mainly kept to himself in such affairs, and so indeed such ships and other means of "information" must have existed all along.
"How do I do that?" he said at last. "I--have no experience..." "It's fairly simple," said Sir Horace. "You take the ship just to the edge of where it will not be seen. Then you send men in a smaller ship to search the coastline. I'm afraid we only found one that speaks french, but anyhow if you take nets and civilian clothes you shall pass off as fishermen. Not that you will be seen, most likely. And when you have discovered a place or activity of interest--we are looking for supply ships, ports, even the smallest inlet that harbors a ship or two--you will return and let a scout ship know. There are three others of your kind, one further North and one near Spain. And with some luck you will help us discover where Napoleon is hiding all those damn ships."
Frederick could not think of anything further to say. The idea of attempting to pass as French fishermen was hilarious, the concept of needing to not quite so. One did not tell the Second Sea Lord that he was mad, nor that the Lord High Admiral must be. At last he said, "Why did Lord Harbreis recommend me? To Sir Parker, I mean." "Well he heard about you past actions, of course. Quite commendable."
"Yes, but there are many men who you could have said the same of." "Are there? But anyhow, there is another advantage. We are not the only nation to employ subterfuge. The less well known you are the less likely anyone will wonder whether we have employed you in such measures. And as far as Lord Harbreis could tell, you spent most of your time at home with a reclusive and gloomy Earl of a small town. What could be more ideal?"
Frederick could think of several more ideal situations that the one he was currently in, but he was too dazed and too determined to say anything else.
"Good day, Sir Horace. Thank you for the briefing and the appointment. I shall report this Monday as we previously communicated." "Good day, Sir Frederick," said Sir Horace and he lazily lit his pipe.