Inside lay the update he awaited: the recruits of Unit 141 had been inducted and assigned to their quarters.
Seal of the Unit 141
Classification: TOP SECRET – To be read by His Royal Highness only
Date: February 1784
Author: Captain Jean Savonnière, Commanding Officer of the Special Instruction Program
1. Purpose of the Report
Detailed account of the current progress in the training of recruits assigned to Unit 141, an experimental corps of special forces placed under the direct patronage of His highness.
2. Origins and RecruitmentCurrent Strength: 200 confirmed recruits, 76 under evaluation.
Provenance:
70 former soldiers demobilized after the American war.
143 orphans taken in from the countryside of Champagne and Burgundy, selected for stamina.
63 smugglers and seamen discreetly recruited in the ports of Nantes and Rochefort.
Method: cover identities established under false merchant contracts; no official document links these men to the Crown.
Jean murmured in commentary: "Their administrative erasure was their first uniform."
3. Instruction ProgramA. Discipline & EnduranceDaily regimen of 6 hours: forced marches, night climbs, river crossings.
Rations deliberately reduced to build endurance against hunger.
Obedience trials: carrying out blindfolded orders, sometimes contradictory, to test loyalty.
B. Weapons MasteryModel 1777 musket: perfecting rapid reload (goal: 4 shots in one minute).
Short sabre and bayonet: melee drills in small-unit formations.
Crossbows and bows retained for missions requiring absolute silence.
C. Special TechniquesCamouflage: mud, soot, black cloths.
Cipher basics: simple substitution ciphers taught through religious psalms.
Infiltration: practicing disguises as monks, peddlers, stable boys.
D. Field MedicineTwo veterans teaching recruits to stitch wounds, bleed, and prepare emergency poultices.
Use of imported powders (quinine, small doses of opium).
Louis-Joseph frowned at this section: in his old life he remembered how crude such knowledge was, and how much more could be done with chemistry and modern medicine. For now, he would bide his time.
4. Evaluation of RecruitsSuperior level (44 men): fit for clandestine missions, high cohesion.
Intermediate level (60 men): competent, but still marked by civilian indiscipline.
Critical level (13 men): unstable, especially among smugglers – recommendation: selection or elimination.
Jean clarified softly: "Elimination does not always mean death. Sometimes, men were dismissed carrying secrets that chained them to silence for life."
5. Incidents and ObservationsDesertion: 1 recruit disappeared, probable flight to Holland. Risk of exposure minimal, but monitoring recommended.
Injuries: 6 fractures, 2 cases of frostbite. No fatalities.
Behavior: tendency to form clans by origin (soldiers vs orphans vs sailors). Cohesion work ongoing.
6. Conclusion & Projections
Unit 141 progresses beyond initial expectations. The first detachments could be operational by September 1785 for reconnaissance and sabotage missions.
However:
Discipline must be further enforced.
Strength remains too low for open action.
Recommendation: broaden recruitment through royal orphanages and dissolved battalions.
Signed:
Captain Jean Savonnière
[Black wax seal –skull in the center of a carolingian cross]
Jean lifted his eyes from the parchment, his tone weighty as he explained to the young Dauphin:
"This report, Monseigneur, is more than a simple account. It is the birth of a phantom army. A blade invisible, forged in the shadows, meant to strike where ordinary regiments could never reach."
Louis-Joseph's eyes scanned the words, the child's body belying the practiced efficiency of his reading. He dipped his quill and scribbled instructions in the margin: Continue. Increase duration of immersion. Rotate squads nightly.
He looked up. "Jean, some of thel must also learn English. Perfectly. I want no trace of accent."
The captain blinked. "English, Monseigneur? That will be… unusual."
"Unusual is what will make them superior," the boy said flatly. "Begin at once. Full immersion. Consider this the launch of Operation Nid de Coucou ( Cuckoo's nest)."
The code name slipped easily from his lips. It was his design: the cuckoo laying its egg in another's nest, replacing and surpassing. A fitting metaphor for what he intended—not only for the guards, but for France itself.
Jean bowed again, concealing the flicker of awe in his eyes. He had long ago ceased to question the strange precocity of the Dauphin, accepting instead that genius sometimes wore unexpected masks.
When he left, Louis-Joseph remained alone, the candlelight flickering upon his young face. Outside, the court still dreamed of his childish games with cousins. None guessed that behind those same small hands lay the architect of futures, weaving alliances with blocks and commands alike.
The day had begun with ceremony softened for children, and it had ended with orders that could shape armies. To Marie-Antoinette, it was a tender success: her son bonding with his cousins, showing kindness beyond his years. To Artois, it was an omen: a Dauphin who would not be swayed easily. To Louis-Joseph, it was the laying of two foundations—one of family affection, the other of hidden steel.
The fire in his room sank to embers. He closed the report, extinguished the candle, and slipped into bed. Yet even as sleep crept upon him, his mind ticked on, planning, always planning.
For the world saw only a boy. But he knew better. He was building castles indeed—castles not of wood, but of destiny.