The Kingdom of Great Britain
The English Channel, just off St-MaloCaptain Jacob R. Riley, commander of the Royal Navy frigate HMS
Canterbury, squinted through his field glasses at the Brittan town of St-Malo. It was a picturesque little place, nestled into the low-lying coast like an estuary of buildings. A castle, bearing the banner of Brittany, stood stolidly to the east of the coastal settlement. It seemed to glower at the small British fleet as it lay at anchor off the coast.
A flicker of coloured movement to the right caught the Captain's eye. He swivelled his gaze, a small smile flickering on his face as he saw what was happening.
"Lieutenant Commander, look over there." said Riley, pointing.
To the west and slightly in front, the small island of Cezembre sat low in the sea. From the frigate's position, it seemed a fortress, an island of sheer, jagged rocks. But unseen from the north, facing towards the town, was a long, sandy beach, to which the agents of the Crown had first come to the island in the dead of night.
"Captain, the flags are changing. The mission has been successful."
The flicker of colour Riley had seen was the Union Flag, ascending a tall, slim flagpole, just barely visible to the naked eye. The Captain could see the black-and-white Brittan banner sliding down as it was replaced. A fitting symbol, he thought, of the impending destruction of the Brittan state. Perhaps the people of St-Malo would see it as an omen of their own impending fall.
"Excellent, Leiutenant Commander. We will wait for high tide. Then the depth of the water will be sufficient to bring the transport vessel, HMS
Endurance, into position for deployment of our landing craft. Remember, we must repeat this at Ile Agot and Ile des Hebihens, so maximum speed is necessary to beat the tides. The landing craft must be retrieved swiftly and brought back to the
Endurance within a quarter of an hour, otherwise, we will have to wait for the next high tide."
"Very well sir." The Lieutenant Commander gave a salute and departed, ready to transfer the orders to the crew.
This was the British aid to the Normans at sea, capturing the major strategic islands for the Crown. Help on land would come later, if necessary. But that was no affair of the Captain's.
