Sol Central Government Fleet
The Sol Central Government Fleet is the Sol Central Government's primary component of the Defence Forces. It consists of a huge assortment of vessels of varying sizes broken up into a number of smaller "Fleets", each with their own areas of responsibility. The Fleet is the oldest component of the DF and has long been the backbone of the SCG. The Fleet, being the large, sprawling organisation it is, is made up of thousands and thousands of men and women (and more recently, a number of Sol IPC's) spread across a variety of duties, tasks, and postings.
The oldest component of the Defence Forces, the Fleet considers itself the pinnacle of human military accomplishment. It is well funded, but seen as complacent and bloated. Until recently, the Fleet have not had a serious enemy to deal with, but is generally respected by the populace due to their work keeping away pirates, putting down insurrections, destroying smugglers, and taking potshots at the occasional Vox. Major overhauls are currently ongoing to improve efficiency and capabilities, ostensibly to counter encroachment by the Gilgamesh Colonial Confederation.
Recruitment
Being a large organisation with military objectives, and the need to support and man thousands of vessels and installations, the Fleet spends vast amounts of money and resources on recruitment and long term retention of its skilled personnel. Fleet enlistment periods are for a minimum of five years, with an option of renewal at the end. Service in the Fleet is restricted to humans and IPC's from within SCG space, and is barred to those who have served in a foreign military service (notably blocking most adult former ICCG citizens, for whom military conscription was mandatory), or members of the Positronic Union.
As a uniformed service, the Fleet has two routes of entry: Enlisted and Officer.
Enlisted
Enlisted persons have minimal skill requirements, being able to join with only the minimum of secondary education, with no degree or advanced learning requirements. Many Enlisted are straight out of education, wide eyed and eager to learn a valuable set of skills, with most joining at eighteen or nineteen years of age.
Fleet basic training, known colloquially as "boot camp" is ten weeks long, during which recruits are taught the fundamentals of life in the Fleet, ceremony, drill and all the basic requirements for service. This is concluded with basic EVA training, weapons handling, and how to conduct themselves during an emergency.
Following the conclusion of this training, all Crewmen Recruits are promoted to Crewman Apprentice and go onto advanced schools related to their job specific training and qualification, where they are trained to "earn their rate," referring to an Enlisted Person's Rating, that being their job specialisation E.G. Damage Control Technician, Engineer, Corpsman or Master at Arms.
The length of time in advanced training varies from Rating to Rating, but is generally at least fourteen weeks in length for various "average" occupations such as maintenance, sanitation, and damage control and upward of fifty two weeks for advanced occupations, such as Corpsman.
Outside of advanced professions and qualifications, most training is done "on the job" for lower ranking ratings, with experience being gained on assignment with tutoring by more experienced ratings.
A key difference to other branches: only Petty Officers Third Class and above are considered to have "earned their rating." Crewmen and below are learners, getting field experience or new to their job speciality and are not yet fully qualified for the rating they strive to achieve. This importance on rating means that the Fleet has far higher numbers of NCO's compared to the Army or Expeditionary Corps, though less importance is placed on leadership at the E-4 PO3 level, it instead being a sign of baseline competency and experience. That being said, they are still responsible for the training and education of new Crewmen.
| Grade | Insignia | Rank | Role | Usual Age | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1 |  |
Crewman Recruit | Fresh Recruit. | 18 | As a Crewman Recruit you've been sent to one of many enlisted training facilities where you're being run through the Fleet's own boot camp. You're being taught the basics and prepared for tougher things to come. You don't know a lot yet, but you're learning. |
| E2 |  |
Crewman Apprentice | Basic Crewman. | 18-19 | As a Crewman Apprentice, you know the basics and you may be being sent out for practical experience in a proper environment; you've yet to earn your rating but you're working hard. You know the basics of your specialisation as well as the Fleet in general, but you're green as grass. |
| E3 |  |
Crewman | Unrated learner. | 19-20 | As a Crewman you've passed a couple of exams related to your chosen specialisation and gotten some experience in. You're almost there — you can see that all important Petty Officer shoulder board — but you have some additional learning, training, and experience to get before you're finally considered a fully fledged rating. |
| E4 |  |
Petty Officer Third Class | Standard rating. Junior NCO. | 20-23 | As a Petty Officer Third Class, you've finally earned your rating and are fully qualified, competent, and skilled in the job specialisation you originally chose; it's taken you a long time to get here but here you are. You're finally expected to be able to act independently and teach junior crewmen. |
| E5 |  |
Petty Officer Second Class | Skilled rating. Junior NCO. | 23-26 | As a Petty Officer Second Class, you've gotten a couple more years experience under your belt and you've been sent off for additional training, both in leadership and your area of expertise. You may find you're in more advanced positions within your area of work and are expected to handle a variety of tasks that you were not before, but you welcome the challenge! |
| E6 |  |
Petty Officer First Class | Experienced rating. Junior NCO. | 26-30 | As a Petty Officer First Class, you are the pinnacle of JNCO's. You are experienced, skilled, independent, a leader, and someone who is highly qualified in their area of work. You may be responsible for a small team or assigned to highly skilled posting that require an experienced enlisted person. You are a professional soldier at this point, heavily invested in time and learning. |
| E7 |  |
Chief Petty Officer | Senior NCO, leader and educator. | 30-36 | As a Chief Petty Officer, you've successfully gone before a board of Master Chiefs and sat a number of competitive examinations and training courses in order to be rated as a "Chief." This is the first, baseline Senior Non-Commissioned Officer and you are highly experienced at this point, with a minimum of a decade of long service to the Fleet. You are an expert in your area and are responsible for the oversight, education, and discipline of a large team, or are assigned to a high risk/high skill posting. Chief Petty Officers are the backbone of the Fleet and are widely respected for their experience, dedication, and skill. On small stations and vessels, you may be the Senior Enlisted Advisor. |
| E8 |  |
Senior Chief Petty Officer | Senior NCO, leader, advisor, trainer. | 35-40 | As a Senior Chief Petty Officer you are one of the most senior NCO's the Fleet has, responsible for all the duties of a Chief Petty Officer as well as the education, instruction, and training of junior officers. A force to be reckoned with, you are a master of your job specialisation and may be involved in the coordination of multiple teams or the advisement of Senior Officers on vessel matters and enlisted concerns. On mid-sized vessels and stations, you may be the Senior Enlisted Advisor. |
| E9 |  |
Master Chief Petty Officer | Senior NCO, advisor and leader. | 38-50 | As a Master Chief Petty Officer (Or one of various equivalent rank titles) you are the pinnacle of Enlisted personnel. You may be responsible for assisting a Flag Officer, functioning as a Senior Enlisted Advisor, teaching at the Fleet's Officer Academy, or performing a myriad of high-level tasks and duties for senior officers. You are a long term member of the Fleet with a wealth of experience, expertise and knowledge which you regularly impart to both your senior officers, the junior officers you are meant to train, and the Chief Petty Officers you advise. |
Officer
Officers of the Fleet go through a very different process to their enlisted counterparts. Officer positions in the Fleet require a candidate to possess a university degree at the bachelor level. Most Officer candidates sign up for a period of seven years service with the Fleet, with options to renew afterwards.
Prospective Officers, upon passing an interview and entry examinations, are sent to the Sol Fleet Base (SFB) Walter Raleigh (located in Alberta, Canada) for a thirty-week Officer Candidate School. Here they undergo training in leadership, drill, Fleet and naval history, life on a vessel, weapons training, navigation, and basic vessel handling. They are further schooled in Fleet leadership in space, naval tactics and strategy. After this, they spend the final three weeks on board a proper Fleet vessel putting their skills to use and demonstrating their knowledge in a live environment. At the end of this, successful candidates pass out of OCS and go onto advanced, specialised training which can last anywhere from fourteen to thirty weeks.
Those officers who go on to command vessels additionally attend Fleet Warfare School, where they are taught vessel command practices, vessel leadership, coordination and are put through their paces to be rigorously qualified for the decision making necessary to run a vessel. Officers who pass warfare school go onto further learn and refine their skills as command crew on other vessels in a non-departmental capacity. Only those graduates of warfare school can hope to attain a position as an executive or commanding officer aboard a vessel.
The process is different for Medical Corps Officers, Chaplains and legal experts who have a separate process, not attending Officer Candidate School. Instead, they are provided with their commission and rank on the merit of their professional skills in medicine, mental health, or religious areas. These officers then attend Officer Introductory School, where they are taught Fleet history, basic command, leadership, minor drill and military etiquette for life in the Fleet. Officer Introductory School lasts approximately twelve weeks, after which they go onto their initial postings, receiving further on the job training and experience. Unlike OCS commissioned officers these are not eligible for warfare school or the command of a vessel, and are instead locked into their relevant professional career path.
| Grade | Insignia | Rank | Role | Usual Age | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| O1 |  |
Ensign | Junior Officer. | 22+ | As an Ensign, you have a degree in any number of fields of study, though it is likely relevant to your area of specialisation. You are freshly out of Officer Candidate School and will generally be at this rank for another year while you learn the ropes of life in the Fleet and your job. |
| O2 |  |
Sub-Lieutenant | Leader of a team on a small vessel or assigned to various duties. Junior Officer. | 23-25 | As a Sub-Lieutenant, you are still a junior officer, but you're now trusted with small independent tasks or duties; you are generally competent enough to handle most things on your own, but you still don't have a lot of experience. |
| O3 |  |
Lieutenant | Leader of a team or responsible for a small shuttle craft. Junior Officer. | 25-30 | As a Lieutenant, you're now trusted to be fully independent. With a few years of experience under your belt and the competency to match, you may be in charge of a section of a vessel, responsible for a number of servicemen and women, and expected to carry out your duties autonomously. You may also be in command of a very small vessel, with a crew no bigger than twenty. |
| O4 |  |
Lieutenant Commander | Responsible for a large team, small vessel or station, or the Executive Officer on a number of vessels. Junior Officer. | 30-36 | As a Lieutenant Commander, you are a senior department officer on a large vessel or the executive officer on a number of slightly smaller vessels. A Lieutenant Commander may serve as the Commanding Officer of a Corvette-size vessel in the Fleet and on larger vessels is usually in charge of a large department, critical station or serves as part of the senior bridge staff in the position of Navigation Officer. An experienced Officer, Lieutenant Commanders are fully capable and are expected to function with a high degree of skill and effectiveness in any position they occupy. |
| O5 |  |
Commander | Executive Officer on numerous vessels, Commanding Officer on mid-size ships or responsible for a space station/gateway outpost. Senior Officer. | 36-44 | As a Commander, you may be responsible for a wide variety of posts, serving as the Commanding Officer of a Frigate or Destroyer, or serving as the Executive Officer to a Captain on a larger vessel, Commanders are highly experienced Fleet officers with years of service to back up their authority. Fleet Commanders are trusted with many postings and are meant to be highly capable. You should possess unparalleled organisational skills and be an expert administrator, if nothing else. |
| O6 |  |
Captain | Vessel Commanding Officer, Base Commanding Officer. Senior Officer | 44-60 | As a Captain, you have been given a wide degree of autonomy; you are responsible for either a base or a large vessel — generally a cruiser, battlecruiser, or carrier. You may also serve as the Flag Captain for an Admiral's Flagship. If in control of a base, you are generally responsible for a high-level Fleet project, a large garrison, a training facility, or an engineering facility. |
| O7 |  |
Commodore | Leader of a Fleet Assault, Special or Support Group. | 48+ | As a Commodore, you are in charge of multiple vessels and are responsible for one of the "junior" groups within a Fleet, consisting of either support or aggressive vessels. Commodores are required to have a sound knowledge of both tactics and large battle strategy in order to coordinate some of the more vital or rapid components of any Fleet. |
| O8 |  |
Rear Admiral | Leader of a Carrier Group or Battle group. Flag Officer. | 55+ | As a Rear Admiral, you are responsible for one of the largest, most powerful components of any Fleet — a Battlegroup or a Carrier Group. The amount of force projection a Rear Admiral is capable of bringing to bear is a sight to behold. Rear Admirals are old, experienced and, career Fleet officers who know their business. |
| O9 |  |
Vice Admiral | Leader of a Fleet Flag Group. Flag Officer | 60+ | Vice Admirals are responsible for an entire Fleet, which they command from their personal Flag Group. There are four Vice Admirals in the entire Fleet and they are given great autonomy in the operation, execution, and organisation of the Fleets under their command. They are assisted by a Commodore, who serves as their Flag Captain. |
| O10 |  |
Admiral of the Fleet | Leader of the entire Fleet. Flag Officer. | 65+ | The Admiral of the Fleet (in its entirety) and the Flag Officer of the First Fleet, which they personally command with a Rear Admiral serving as their personal Flag Captain. The Admiral of the Fleet is responsible for setting Fleet and general DF policy, advising the secretary general on matters of defence and war, and the handling and administration of the Fleet at large. |
History
- 2230: The Sol Central Government Fleet is established — along with the rest of the Sol Central Government — from the reorganisation of the Naval forces of the former Terran Commonwealth.
- 2255: The Fleet undergoes a number of widespread overhauls and reorganises into the four Fleet separation common until after the Gaia Campaign.
- 2270: The Fleet replaces a number of its older vessels, including the ill-suited Mako-class Corvettes and Terra-class Supercarriers.
- 2292: The Gaia Conflict begins and the Fleet is called into action for the first time in its history against a major foreign power. The First Fleet is decimated over Gaia in a failed relief effort; the Fourth Fleet is almost completely destroyed in its infamous last stand at the Helios Gateway installation; the Second Fleet spend three long years holding the line.
- 2293: Tales of the SFV Sugihara Chiune, an Orca-class carrier of the Fourth thought to have been destroyed the year before, make their way back to Sol. Rumours of their constant harassment of the Terran supply lines motivate Fleeties everywhere.
- 2294: The border of Sol space defended by the Third Fleet falls into lawlessness as the Third rushes to Gaia; insurrections abound, sparking a sharp decline in Sol authority and general safety along the border.
- 2295: The Third Fleet finally regroups fully in Tau Ceti and prepares for a mass push toward Gaia, the symbolic heart of the conflict and the logistical and strategic staging area of the Terran Navy.
- 2296: The Third take Gaia after a costly and near pyrrhic victory. The entire Fleet, exhausted, slowly begins to spread out and reclaim lost territory from the ICCG Navy.
- 2297: The Gaia Conflict ends in a stalemate with neither side being in a position to continue, following heavy losses. The Fleet, finding itself devastated, worn down, and lacking in a number of areas, withdraws to its normal dispersion before finding itself under rapid modernisation, including the establishment of the Fifth Fleet.
Current Organization
The SCG Fleet consists of a wide variety of ships, from small shuttlecraft to huge battlecruisers. See Vessels of the SCG Fleet for descriptions of ship classes.
1st Fleet (Reserve)
A mainly ceremonial force after the creation of the Home Guard and Second Fleet, the First Fleet is permanently garrisoned in Sol and headquartered on Mars, and is where all new Fleet vessels are assigned until they are sent to another unit. The First Fleet occasionally sends individual vessels or groups of vessels for Public Relations missions, ceremonies, or to escort dignitaries between Sol and other systems. The First Fleet has seen little action in the entirety of its lifetime, with the exception of a number of highly publicized diplomatic escort incidents. Its main, notable exception to this was its use as a reserve force to relieve the overwhelmed Fourth Fleet at the beginning of the Gaia Conflict, during which it failed utterly to stabilize the situation and ultimately routed, leaving Gaia in the hands of the Terrans for four long years. The action, known as The Second Fall of Gaia, saw roughly half of the First Fleet, including then-Admiral of the Fleet Thomas Beckham, utterly destroyed in a pincer attack sprung by the Terran Navy while the rest fled for home via Helios and Tau Ceti, leaving the pursuing Terrans to fight it out with the Second and the remnants of the Fourth. The retreat left the reputation of the First tarnished with them gaining the nickname of "The Fleeing First."
| 1st Fleet Composition |
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2nd Fleet
The largest of the SGDF's fleets, and headquartered in Tau Ceti, the Second Fleet is responsible for the direct security of the SCG's interior territories, especially the systems closest to Sol. In order to cover so much space, the Second Fleet includes four carrier strike groups and a large armsman complement. Its duties as the Fleet responsible for the defence and security of the interior territories, mean it is often used in police actions as opposed to purely military ones. Primarily based around planets of import or gateway installations, the Second Fleet generally handles some of the more well equipped pirates, terrorists, smugglers, and hostile criminal elements in the space between planets.
During the Gaia Conflict, the Second Fleet formed the bulwark of Sol, protecting and holding much Sol territory from the advances of the Terran Navy. For three years, the Second Fleet enforced a slow and gradual staggered retreat from the Terran occupied border, ensuring each win by the Terran Navy was costly. This action brought Sol time to rally, reorganize, and ultimately retake Gaia and. The Second Fleet's resilience earned them the reputation as the shield of Sol. Its reputation has become a point of pride and many new recruits hope to live up to the reputation of "The Stony Second."
| 2nd Fleet Composition |
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3rd Fleet
Headquartered in Theia and assigned to border security along with Fourth Fleet, the Third Fleet is considered one of the most experienced Fleets. Its operation on the more loosely controlled, less unified side of Sol space often forces it to deal with a myriad of rebels, pirates, smugglers, and the cleaning up the aftermath of the occasional Vox raid. Battle-hardened, most Third Fleet ships and crews are not without their scars. Long responsible for the vast, underpopulated, and unfriendly parts of the Sol border, the Third Fleet has had little interaction with the of alien races that the Fourth Fleet encounters, instead mainly dealing with the aftermath of Vox scavenger runs and rampant piracy that has become a staple of frontier life on this section of the Sol border. As a consequence of the struggles and destruction that routinely impact smaller colonies, the Third Fleet has a wealth of experience establishing, fortifying, and providing aid to fledgling colonies. Third Fleet hospital ships are well known for their medical experience and a number of ground construction battalions are present with the Third Fleet, focused on the maintenance, construction, and provision of vital ground works needed for these colonies to survive.
During the Gaia Conflict, the Third Fleet, far from the fighting and spread out over a great distance, was in no position to render any immediate aid. Though they reorganised, it would be a full three years before the Third Fleet in all its might was in a position to act as the spear of Sol. When they hit, however, they hit hard, forcing their way through the Terran lines and retaking great swathes of territory, though not without cost; a great many of the Third gave their lives for Sol in the effort to retake Gaia, though their sacrifice was not in vain. Eventually, with the Third Fleet in orbit around Gaia, the planet fell back into Sol control and the war concluded in a stalemate shortly thereafter.
However, this action cost the Third dearly; as much of their part of the border was left under-defended and under-patrolled for the duration of the conflict, many border worlds, colonies, and stations fell into rampant piracy and hostile hands, leaving the Third with a long cleanup and peacekeeping mission that persists even to this day. However, Sol remembers the Third as the sword to the Second's shield, and the Third enjoy a great reputation among the wider populace for the sacrifice and bravery of "The Fighting Third."
| 3rd Fleet Composition |
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4th Fleet
Headquartered in Helios and specifically assigned to secure the border of Skrell and Terran space, the Fourth Fleet has historically been considered the place where slackers are sent to languish, as officially they are only protecting the Skrell and Terran border (a location that, prior to the Gaia Conflict, was not expected to be a major source of hostilities). Not anticipating a war between the two powers, the Fourth Fleet was caught unawares and decimated by the superior Terran Navy in the early stages of the war. Having been found wanting and not fit for its duties, the Fourth Fleet has been undergoing rapid modernisation and improvement.
During the Gaia Conflict, the Fourth Fleet took the brunt of the initial fighting following a surprise attack by the Terran Navy. This led to their decimation as they were unprepared to fight a foe with a technologically and numerically superior fleet to their own. Suffering massive losses as they tried to rally in the face of an ongoing invasion, the Fourth lost control of Gaia early on before fighting a brutal, swift, and humiliating retreat to the Helios system where the core of what remained of the Fourth Fleet — lead by Rear Admiral Diwalli — fought a last stand against the Terran Navy before ultimately blowing up the system's Gateway, cutting themselves — and more importantly the Terrans — off from Sol and many other frontier systems. This action is still controversial even today; while it guaranteed the safety of the core systems from immediate Terran aggression, it also doomed much of the Frontier to languish under harsh Terran control for the next four years.
The remainder of the Fourth Fleet, scattered, broken, and mostly without a way home, surrendered, their vessels held in Terran drydocks until the end of the war, when they were returned to Sol as part of the peace treaty. A few vessels did limp back to Sol via Tau Ceti, where they were absorbed into the Second and fewer still — mainly Orca Class vessels — continued to operate behind enemy lines, striking weak points and under-defended areas in the Terran occupation zone. The current Admiral of the Fourth Fleet, Lee Kyung, was one such Orca Captain during the Conflict who gained a reputation for the feats of his wolfpack in crippling raids against the Terran supply lines.
Their conduct in the Gaia campaign has begun reversing their less than stellar reputation. In order to make it ready for the defence of a now more-contested section of space in the wake of the Gaia conflict, many incompetent or ineffective officers have been shown the door, with those that remain being either brand new or exceptionally battle-hardened, having faced the horrors of war head on. The new Fourth Fleet may have to prove its mettle before long.
| 4th Fleet Composition |
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5th Fleet
A recent creation headquartered in Sirius, still being organized and modified, the Fifth Fleet was created in 2297 by the Assemblies in order to act as a Quick Reaction Force. While it is still small, the Fifth Fleet is being staffed with some of the brightest minds of the Defence Forces and equipped with the latest technology. The Fifth Fleet finds itself regularly handling insurrections and incidents past the edge of Sol space when required, though most of the Fleet has seen little action outside of simulations, of which the Fifth Fleet has been trained extensively, using the latest virtual reality technology. As the newest Fleet, they have little going for them — no heritage and little to be proud of — though they enjoy the perks of being issued the latest equipment. They tend to be looked down upon by those in the Second and Third, and even many Fourth Fleet veterans. While the bulk of its junior officers and enlisted are new, the core of this new Fleet was taken from some of the best of the Second and Third, and was developed and built with the lessons and tactics learned by the wolfpack fleets of the Fourth during the Gaia Conflict. It has no clear mission, but it stands ready and firm to respond to any calls to arms that may come.
Recently, the Fifth Fleet has had trouble with radicalism and defection. In 2310, the SFV Nathan Hale of the Fifth Fleet's Special Group Alpha went rogue, firing on the SEV Torch before disappearing along with several other Special Group Alpha vessels. Several months later, these ships reappeared under the banner of the Frontier Alliance. While these defectors made up a tiny portion of the Fifth Fleet overall, the incident has cast suspicion on the Fifth from both other fleets and from Sol at large, much to the chagrin of loyal Fifth Fleet service-people.
| 5th Fleet Composition |
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