Secret:

During the War against y’Nobe, Mercury concluded that it would be advisable to have a more centralized fighting force if Ebony was to truly master y’Nobe and the surrounding Shadows, as was Ebony’s destiny. In order to assist in making this a reality, Mercury set out to learn as much as possible about the navies of Clans Ross and Fife after the War.

Because Clan Fife had taken the brunt of the damage from the y’Nobe War, Mercury thought it only fair to give Clan Fife some time to rebuild, and thus she first volunteered as a deck hand on a Clan Ross Frigate, named the C.R.S. Constance. Mercury did not notify anyone within Clan Ross of her plans, nor expect, or in fact allow, any favoritism as a result of her Royal Blood.

Mercury worked her way slowly up the enlisted ranks. After fifteen years, she had sufficient money to purchase a commission, which were normally reserved for those sons and daughters of Nobles who could afford to send their offspring off to sea. Over the next ten years, she worked her way up the ranks to Captain and was given command of her own ship. Mercury spent ten years as the Captain of a variety of ships, before once again ascending the ranks through Commodore and eventually Admiral, in which the diminutive woman commanded groups and later fleets of ships. After a total of fifty years with Clan Ross, she retired and then started from the beginning in Clan Fife.

At the conclusion of her time at sea, the young woman presented a report to Titania outlining her recommendations for improving, standardizing, and integrating the two Navies into an effective fighting force. Chief among her recommendations was the establishment of a Naval College. Mercury asked her mother’s permission to work with Clan Cawdor to set up such an institution, pointing out the obvious benefits of getting Clans Fife, Ross, and Cawdor to work together under the watchful eye of the Crown. [If approved, Mercury will spend her next 50-year period learning from Clan Cawdor and setting up the Imperial Naval Academy.]

Public:

Mercury scrubbed the deck of the C.R.S. Constance, with a slow, monotonous motion that mirrored the heaving of the ship over the light swells. The work was not overly strenuous, but forced the young girl into uncomfortable positions and caused even her light weight to bear unpleasant pressure on whatever portion of her body was currently supporting her.

Rather than dwelling on the lack of intellectual stimulation, Titania’s daughter paid attention to what the others on the ship were doing and saying. It helped her to get a better grasp of everyone’s roles and responsibilities, as well as to anticipate her next assignment. And of course, it kept her abreast of the crew’s mode, morale, and readiness.

It had been hard to go from Eldest Daughter of Titania, to common sailor. From having dozens of servants at her beck and call, to jumping when the Boson said “jump” and submitting to the lash when the Boson was displeased, whether it was Mercury’s fault or not.

The petite Princess submitted to the harshness of this new word without comment or complaint. She worked hard, long hours, in miserable conditions, with society’s rejects. However, Mercury soon found herself able to relate to and understand her shipmates, despite the vast chasm that separated the worlds of their birth. She made a point of remembering everyone she ever sailed with, no matter her personal feelings about them. Her willingness to listen to others and her empathic skills made her quite popular with the sailors.

Slowly, but inexorably, Mercury moved up the ranks of the enlisted sailors of Clan Ross. Although she made an effort to live as the other sailors lived, and never gave in to the almost overwhelming desire to take a “royal vacation” and pamper herself, she did a couple of things differently than the other sailors. First, she saved the vast majority of her money, rather than blowing it on sex, drink, and food at every port of call. Second, she bathed rather more frequently than the others. The act of living in cramped, fetid quarters with dozens of unwashed sailors created such a strong desire to be clean, that the Princess took advantage of every opportunity to bathe that presented itself, without actually winnowing away all of her saving in order to do so.

After fifteen years of menial labor, Cymneo’s daughter knew the name and function of every line, sail, and spar on more than a dozen different types of sailing ship. In addition, she knew, and could perform flawlessly, the duties of every crewman. Finally, she had saved enough money to purchase a commission.

Mercury was commissioned as a midshipman on the sloop C.R.S. Dauntless. It was awkward at first being an officer rather than an enlisted man. However, if nothing else, the princess was accustomed to change. She took to heart lessons she had learned as a sailor, things that worked with the crew and things that did not. She tried to act on those lessons when she could, but never in a way that would undermine the authority of the Captain, or be contrary to the Captain’s orders.

The petite young woman learned the importance of rationing grog and keeping the crew busy and in practice. She also began to get a better handle on the importance of the wind and the dangers of a lee shore. And more than anything, she learned the importance of consistency and discipline.

While she was learning new things, Mercury did not forget the old things. She remembered all of the sailors from old crews and called them by name when she saw them and reminisced when it was appropriate. Despite this, she did not show favoritism and was as harsh as she felt was necessary to maintain order and morale on the ship. As the years passed, she progressed up to Mate and eventually Captain. Her first ship, the sloop C.R.S. Endeavor, was a modest ship with a green crew, fresh from the impressing gangs.

The new captain wasted no time in exerting her influence and authority on the ship. The sailors were trained and performed regular exercise and drills until they functioned as a crew should. Punishments were administered and accolades granted in equal measure. Although the Endeavor was sent on several missions, she saw no fighting during Mercury’s captaincy.

On later vessels, the diminutive princess engaged pirates, Y’Nobe raiders, and was dispatched on several occasions as part of larger fleets that fought off in shadow. As a result, she was continually promoted to command larger groups of ships, until, as an admiral, she command an entire fleet, which was instrumental in the conquest of a neighboring shadow that was later to become part of the Silver Rim. [Secret OCC: Mercury will later purchase this shadow.]

After fifty years in the service of Clan Ross, Princess Mercury retired as an admiral and joined the navy of Clan Fife as a seaman on the C.F.S. Storm. Living the life of a seaman again was a trying experience for Titania’s daughter. Although her love for the sea and sailing ships had only grown in the intervening years, it was difficult to start again at the beginning. The ex-Admiral whiled away the days and years contemplating the differences, strengths, and weaknesses of the ships and sailors that made up the two navies.

As before, Mercury listened and watched, this time with a more experienced eye. In those instances when she had some free time, she would write up her findings and where she thought that improvements could be made, where things could be integrated and where things should remain separate. She also jotted down notes on all of the different enlisted, non-commissioned, and commissioned positions, their responsibilities, and the skills and knowledge that the holders of each position should possess.

After forty years in the service of Clan Fife’s navy, Admiral Mercury was placed in charge of a large flotilla of ships, including the landing troops for the invasion and conquest of Londis, a strong naval shadow in reasonable proximity to Ebony. The Londian navy was no match for the full strength of Mercury’s force, however, they did not need to destroy the fleet, but only sufficient transports and troops to allow the Londian army to repel the remaining invaders on land.

In a cunning stroke, Mercury secretly landed the troops on a deserted stretch of coast under cover of night, before proceeding toward the main port city. The following day, while still a couple days away from the port, Mercury allowed her fleet to be drawn away from the transports by a small decoy force of Londian ships. Once out of sight of the transports, the mass of Mercury’s fleet tacked upwind of the transports—which continued downwind, while a small force continued after the decoy fleet and smashed it. The main Londian fleet savaged the transports while the small number of Mercury’s ships left with the transports as decoy guard ships, took off at the sight of the approaching enemy. By the time the Londians figured out that the transports were unmanned and empty, it was too late for them to get away. Approaching as if on winged feet was Mercury’s fleet. The Londians, trapped between overwhelming numbers and a lee shore, surrendered without a fight.

The captured sailors were placed on the surviving transports, while Mercury’s men took control of the Londian ships. The main fleet returned for the army, which was packed onto the decks of the fighting ships. Two days later, the Londian ships, crewed by Mercury’s men and loaded full of marines below deck, entered the harbor of the main port with the Clan Fife navy in hot pursuit. The port defenses allowed the Londian navy past, while the Clan Fife ships heaved to out of range of the defenses. Once on the docks, the Londian ships disgorged their hidden cargo, which quickly overwhelmed the Londian forces manning the defenses. Mercury’s ships then entered the harbor and the Ebon army entered the city unopposed.

The Londian army, which had been positioned south of the city on the heights overlooking the most likely landing beaches, found itself cut off from its supply lines and was forced to surrender rather than attempting to mount an offensive against superior odds in good defensive terrain. With little left of its army or navy, Londia was forced to capitulate and sign treaties favorable to Ebony. [Secret OCC: this will later become part of the Silver Rim. Mercury will later purchase this shadow.]

With a large amount of captured ships and prize money, Admiral Mercury retired from active service in the Clan Fife navy. She spent the remaining ten years of her time with Clan Fife designing and building prototype ships. She drew on her experiences in both navies with an eye toward creating ships that could compete in many technological eras. From sails, to steam, to propeller-driven craft, as well as those using rams, flaming pitch, and cannons. She also authored several books on strategies and tactics in the different technological shadows.

After a century at sea, an older, and perhaps wiser Princess Mercury returned to Ebony Castle. She brought with her a proposal for integrating and standardizing the Clan Fife and Ross navies. Although the two would remain separate entities predominantly composed of sailors and officers from the two clans, signals, ship-types, commands, and tactics would be integrated so that the two navies could coordinate operations when necessary. In addition, Cymneo’s daughter presented Queen Titania with the blueprints, and initial funding, for a new Naval College.