Гельгамешский Колониальный Флот
The Orbital Navy of the Independent Colonial Confederation of Gilgamesh and Sestris – or the GCN to its friends, and the ICCGN to its foes – is the ICCG’s unified military arm. It holds direct power over many aspects of the Confederation’s state machinery that might be divested to civilian authorities in another governmental body.
The Colonial Guard, responsible for system-level security and anti-piracy across Confederation space, is easily its most visible component and is encountered in one way or another by the state’s citizens nearly every day. Others include the sleek and deadly Flotillas of the ICCG's Founder systems, Gilgamesh and Sestris, and the newly-created Pioneering Corps, a political competitor to the SCG’s own revival of the Terran Commonwealth’s Expeditionary Corps.
The Navy uses the Officers (OF) and Ratings (OR), One to Nine format for grade equivalence. Its titles are pulled from a hodgepodge of several old-Earth origins, initially adopted whimsically during the Founders' break with Sol and only truly formalized during the early stages of the Confederation’s expansion. Common translations are provided, but the correct address is by the real title.
Officers (OF)
Officers in the Navy go through a very different process from their enlisted counterparts, and are recruited from volunteer applicants. Officer positions in the Navy require a candidate to possess a university degree at the bachelor's level.
| Grade | Insignia | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| OF-1 |  |
Michman (Midshipman) |
| OF-2 |  |
Sous-Leytenant (Junior Lieutenant) |
| OF-3 |  |
Leytenant (Lieutenant) |
| OF-4 |  |
Sub-Komandor |
| OF-5 |  |
Komandor (Commander) |
| OF-6 |  |
Kapitan |
| OF-7 |  |
Starszy Kapitan (Senior Captain) |
| OF-8 |  |
Vice-Admiral |
| OF-9 |  |
Admiral |
| OF-9 |  |
Marshal of the Confederation Navy |
Other Ranks (OR)
The ranks, or ‘ratings’ as they are commonly called, is by and large staffed with young adults completing their mandatory public service. Those ratings who choose to remain within the Confederation Navy are further trained for more specialized roles, and with it higher
| Grade | Insignia | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| OR-1 |  |
Eleve Sailor (Student Sailor) |
| OR-3 |  |
Sailor |
| OR-4 |  |
Bosman |
| OR-5 |  |
Starszy Bosman (Senior Boatman) |
| OR-6 |  |
Sierzant (Sergeant) |
| OR-7 |  |
Starshyna (First Sergeant) |
| OR-8 |  |
Adjutant |
| OR-9 |  |
Major |
| OR-9 |  |
Major of the Confederation Navy |
The Navy’s chiefs are the Board of the Admiralty, who are politically appointed (or simply re-confirmed) from its Admiralty at large by the current administration of the Confederation. The first member of the Board acts as its chairperson and public speaker – the Marshal of the Confederation Navy. A Vice-Admiral is politically appointed and elevated to Admiral to fill the role. The officers who hold the post often retire into civil politics after service, and most administrations retain former Marshals as advisors.
The Navy has three standard titles for its major components: Flotillas and Corps’ managed by Commandants, and Offices managed by Directors. Naval assets are organized into Squadrons and Task Groups.
Squadrons are administrative groups of same-class ships, handled together for training and upkeep. There are headquarter bodies associated with these activities, but squadrons are not fielded together and exist primarily on paper.
Task Groups are the Navy’s central organizational unit and consist of a measured selection of vessels to carry out a given role or goal. Many Task Groups are short-lived and menial, but some have existed for almost as long as the Confederation, with names and internal traditions.
The Gilgamesh Self-Defense Flotilla
The GSDF, or First Flotilla, is descended from the system fleet of the original Amaranth colony and the core of its naval power.
Even diminished in the aftermath of the Gaia Conflict, the First Flotilla is larger and more dangerous than its diminutive name might imply. Its starships and assets are kept modern through rapid upgrade cycles, consuming a significant portion of the overall budget of the Navy. It is largely staffed by career military personnel from the Founder states and remains one of the most dangerous and prestigious forces in Human space.
The Officer In Charge is the second member of the Board and holds the post of Commandant of the First Flotilla. To fill the role, the incumbent is retained, or a Vice-Admiral is appointed from Terran origins and elevated to Admiral.
The First Flotilla’s most notable long-term Task Group is Task Group 1, the Gilgamesh Orbital Guard, permanently tasked with the policing and defense of Gilgamesh. It is commanded in rotations by upwardly-mobile Starszy Kapitans and is considered a prestigious posting.
Other long-term Task Groups operated by First Flotilla include System and Anchor picket forces for every location that requires one besides Bratis, to which Second Flotilla contributes.
The Sestris Self-Defense Flotilla
The SSDF, or Second Flotilla, is part reserve force and part science playground. While the Second Flotilla operates Task Group 2, the Sestris Orbital Guard, and Task Group 3, the Bratis Anchor Picket, most of the command comprises retired First Flotilla vessels and captured assets from the Confederation’s annexations held in mothball orbits. These supply the needs of the Colonial Guard and occasionally act as range targets or test-bed skeletons for the Office of Defense Research. They also are the source of vessels and support for both the Pioneering corps and Ordinance corps.
The Officer In Charge is the third member of the Board and holds the post of Commandant of the Second Flotilla. To fill the role, the incumbent is retained, or a Vice-Admiral is appointed from Sestrian origins and elevated to Admiral.
The Pioneering Corps
The Pioneering Corps is subordinate to the Second Flotilla.
Established during the sedentary years of the Gaia Conflict, and initially envisioned as holding responsibility for orbital boarding and other infantry combat duties, the plan was quickly scrapped following the Conflict, with all direct combat duties held within the Surface Warfare Corps.
Following this separation of duties and a return to peacetime operations, the Pioneering Corps was revamped. Quickly filled with veterans of the conflict wishing to remove themselves from civilized space for some time, the Pioneering Corps is now responsible for a hodgepodge of duties on the Confederation’s frontier. Most commonly seen charting systems to expand the Confederation’s star maps, they are often deviated to investigate distress signals or deal with small pirate operations.
The Officer In Charge holds the post of Commandant of the Pioneering Corps and the rank of Starszy Kapitan.
The Office of Defense Research
The Office of Defense Research is subordinate to Second Flotilla, and is a highly decentralized component consisting of an assortment of state and military scientists and engineers working on projects of all kinds, from new starship drive technologies to experimental service person selection and grouping strategies.
The Officer In Charge holds the post of Director of Defense Research and the grade of Vice-Admiral. Their role is broadly one of administration downward, presentation upward, and the handling of funds, but the position necessitates a strong core understanding of the sciences simply for informed decision-making.
Initially focused on Military projects, they have since branched out, and today are quite egalitarian in their funding towards military and civilian projects.
The Ordnance Corps
The Ordnance Corps is the Navy’s universal sourcing, supply, and repair arm, responsible for meeting the day-to-day needs in food, fuel, fresh paint, and transport of all other components of the Navy. While the Ordnance Corps fields almost nothing in the way of gun power, it is very much the rock on which the houses of the Guard and Flotillas are built. It manages vast budgets, operating the supply dumps, shipyards, and freight and personnel transports that allow the entire Navy to keep on keeping on.
The Officer In Charge is the fourth member of the Board and holds the post of Commandant of the Ordnance Corps. To fill the role, the incumbent is retained or a Vice-Admiral is appointed from those available and elevated to Admiral.
The Medical Corps
The Medical Corps is subordinate to the Ordnance Corps.
Initially established as a department within the Ordnance Corps, growth and standardization brought the need for a more independent branch whose sole duties rested on keeping people healthy.
The Medical Corps quickly distinguished itself through the fires of the Gaia Conflict to become a critical part of the navy, second only to the Ordnance corps. This has established the Medical Corps as a quasi-independent entity, with the Commandant of the Ordnance Corps only denying requests from his Medical Corps counterpart on a handful of occasions.
A unique feature of the Medical Corps is that its officers' corps encompasses every licensed doctor within the Confederation Navy.
The Officer In Charge holds the post of Commandant of the Medical Corps and the rank of Starszy Kapitan.
The Office of Chandlery
The Office of Chandlery is subordinate to the Ordnance Corps and responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the Navy, staffed with a mix of engineering staff and quartermasters
The Officer In Charge holds the post of Director of Chandlery and rank of Vice-Admiral.
The Office of Materiel
The Office of Materiel is subordinate to the Ordnance Corps and responsible for the acquiring and distribution of material. A largely administrative body, the Materiel Office leaves the duties of physically moving the material to the Office of Logistics
The Officer In Charge holds the post of Director of Materiel and the rank of Vice-Admiral.
The Office of Logistics
The Office of Logistics is subordinate to the Ordnance Corps and is responsible for getting whatever is needed from point A to point B at any time, for any reason. As such, the Office of Logistics sees the second most attention within the Ordnance Corps, closely following the Medical Corps
The Officer In Charge holds the post of Director of Logistics and the rank of Vice-Admiral.
The Colonial Guard
The Colonial Guard, or simply ‘The Guard’, is a diverse organization staffed by every member of the Confederation, and is subordinate to the Marshal of the Confederation Navy. The Guard maintains and operates the armed starships, orbital stations, and ground facilities necessary to deter attack from foreign powers and provide the Confederation’s citizens with security against piracy and crime across borders.
Citizens in mandatory state service make up most of the Guard, and its personnel never serve in their system of origin, promoting cultural interchange and migration. The Guard is commanded at the system level by a Vice-Admiral or Starszy Kapitan with considerable autonomy and supported by the Ordnance Corps for out-system transport of personnel and assets.
The Officer In Charge holds the post of Commandant of the Colonial Guard. To fill the role, the incumbent is retained or a Vice-Admiral is appointed from among the Guard’s system commanders, necessitating their replacement and travel to Gilgamesh.
The Surface Warfare Corps
The Surface Warfare Corps is subordinate to the Marshal of the Confederation Navy.
Established shortly before the Gaia Conflict and solidified shortly after, the ground forces of the Confederation are responsible for being the boots on the ground where the Confederation needs them, and where the Guard can’t be sent.
Today, the Surface Warefare Corps is also responsible for vessel-to-vessel boarding actions where available. The Corps finds large numbers of recruits from the less space-inclined within the GCN.
The Officer In Charge holds the post of General of the Surface Warfare Corps and the rank of Vice-Admiral.
The Office of Internal Security
The Office of Internal Security is nominally subordinate to the Marshal of the Confederation Navy. It is a secretive component dedicated to maintaining good order in the Confederation, both in military and civil contexts.
The Officer In Charge holds the post of Director of Internal Security and grade of Starszy Kapitan. The office selects its own candidates for the role, requiring confirmation from the Board and typically from within its own ranks. Candidates are generally Kapitans, and are elevated as required.
The Office for the Security of Northern Gaia
The Office for the Security of Northern Gaia is subordinate to the Marshal of the Confederation Navy. Responsible for the administration of the Confederation side of the Galilei DMZ, as well as diplomatic relations with both the Gaian Administrative Area and the International City of New Venice.
The Officer in charge holds the post of Governor General of the Protectorate of Gaia. To fill the role, the incumbent is retained, or the directory appoints a Vice-Admiral on the advice of the Board of Admiralty.
Chain of Command
