Участник:NewOriginalSchwann/Sandbox: различия между версиями

Материал из FIJTeam Project Wiki
Перейти к навигации Перейти к поиску
>NewOriginalSchwann
(Here we go again.)
>NewOriginalSchwann
Нет описания правки
Строка 1: Строка 1:
{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
{{toc_right}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:Sol Navy.png|thumb|alt=Flag of the Navy of the Sol Alliance.|The ensign of the Solarian Navy, once flown from Earth to the Solarian Frontier.]]
Even after the Solarian Collapse of late 2462 the Solarian Armed Forces (SAF) remain the single largest organized human fighting force in the Orion Spur, though some argue a fully-mobilized Coalition of Colonies would have more troops. The SAF dates to the founding of the Alliance and is divided into three distinct branches: the Solarian Army, the Solarian Navy, and the Solarian Marine Corps. Aside from these three branches the SAF can also call upon System Defense Forces (SDFs), the local militaries of many Solarian member states, in times of emergency. Despite its size the SAF has been hampered by a lack of cooperation between the Navy and Army, and an ineffective amount of civilian control over some aspects of the SAF has long been of concern to the Alliance.


= Cloning =
But despite these concerns the SAF still occupies an important place in Solarian society and in the Alliance’s government, though the Navy is considerably more influential than the Army. Recent developments have made a dent in this Navy dominance but it remains to be seen if, or when, the political environment will change — or if it will change for the better.
Created initially in 1344 CE by the [[Skrell]], it was an incredibly rare and expensive procedure that only revolved around embryonic reproductive cloning. It was almost three centuries later, in 1639 that the Skrell unlocked the ability to begin growing organs, as well as limbs, for those that managed to fall into the “Primary” category of the [[Skrell Culture| Skrellian Social Credit System]]. It became a popular trend among the highest of the Primaries to grow organs and limbs ahead of actually requiring them.  


The [[Skrell Synthetic Age| Era of Synthetic Oppression]] reigned over by Glorsh-Omega brought with it significant advances into the field of cloning, mostly confined to the archologies across Aliose. Glorsh-Omega had managed to propel the field of cloning and genetics exceptionally during their reign, managing to unlock the secret that prevented the flash growth of organs and limbs. Upon contact with humanity in 2332, [[Skrell]] began sharing their research in the field of cloning with [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] — specifically its subsidiary, Yomi Genetics Innovation and Research.
==History==


Continued efforts from both races eventually yielded more efficient processes, making cloning organs and limbs easier than before, as well as cutting unnecessary costs that pushed for [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] to franchise on the new lucrative market developing as a result of the cooperation. Today, while other megacorporations have invested in the field, [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] continues to dominate the cloning market. Most if not all cloning operations are performed on corporate assets with branches of its subsidiary - Yomi Genetics. [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] has also managed to advertise the “revival” of the dead through embryonic cloning, where a biological copy of an individual can exist. However, it follows the lifespan of their respective species beginning at infancy.  
<center><i>“The Solarian military is dedicated to [[Mars#The Violet Dawn Explosion|destroying]] [[Xanu Prime|whatever]] it [[Human Wildlands|touches]], and will not hesitate to destroy [[Gadpathur|you]] if you show them weakness. Show them no mercy, for they showed your [[Gadpathur#The War|ancestors]] none!”</i> - Excerpt from a [[Gadpathur|Gadpathurian]] anti-Solarian booklet intended to be distributed to children age 8-10.</center>


== Operations ==
The Solarian Armed Forces have a history which stretches back to 17 July 2143, shortly after the founding of the Solarian Alliance. Its origin was not a happy one. While it took almost a decade to agree to the terms of the Alliance and most parties, Switzerland excepted, on Earth agreed to join it by 2140, the idea of surrendering military autonomy to a supranational government was a point of concern for many members of the newly-formed Alliance. In particular the two superpowers of Earth, the USA and USSR, were extremely hesitant to surrender their spacebound military capabilities to the Alliance. Further compounding issues, both argued that they deserved to be the location of the Alliance’s military command structure.
=== Limb and Organ Cloning ===
The ability of humanity to “clone” limbs and organs dates back to the mid-21st century and originates at roughly the same time as [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]], which would go on to be the main provider of cloned limbs and organs. These early techniques were slow and could be prohibitively expensive, depending on the organ. Limb cloning only became common in the early 23rd century with the advent of new techniques developed by Jeonshi Biotech Incorporated but— due to its cost— initially existed as an alternative for prosthetics only available to the very wealthy. This changed following first contact with the [[Skrell]] in 2332 due to [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]]'s willingness to cooperate with the more advanced species.


Cooperation between [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] and [[Skrell]] helped lower costs and enhance the effectiveness of existing limb and organ cloning techniques. While genetic material from the recipient is still required to clone an organ or limb, modern techniques first developed in this era have made it much more affordable and practical for an average human resident of the Orion Spur - however, in still considerably more expensive than their mechanical counterparts. Despite these improvements and advances, limb and organ cloning remains mostly limited to more developed systems such as Sol, New Ankara, Biesel, and Xanu Prime with few cloning facilities existing outside of these areas. With the most remote facilities existing in the Al-Maqdisi System due to its heavy Zeng-Hu presence.
It took three grueling years of back-and-forth negotiations between the Alliance and its members to resolve the issue of the SAF. Ultimately a compromise was reached regarding the Alliance’s military command which settled the pressing issue of who would host the admiralty, and thus be able to influence, what was now known as the Solarian Navy. The compromise placed the admiralty on a place where no Earth nation could, in theory, influence it: Harmony City, Luna. While the US and USSR were not happy, they were both content to accept it. While they weren’t able to control it, their rivals weren’t either. The position of the admiralty on Luna and the relative independence offered to it due to this would, in the decades and centuries to come, have had dire consequences.


=== Embryo Cloning ===
In the century between the Alliance’s formation and the Interstellar War the SAF experienced an interservice rivalry between the Solarian Army and Solarian Navy which, while never turning to violence, defined much of the SAF’s trajectory before 2275. The Navy claimed it was of more importance due to securing Sol’s interstellar lanes of commerce and policing piracy, while the Army claimed it was of more importance due to protecting the colonies themselves and ensuring the Alliance was internally stable. The Army-Navy conflict prior to the Interstellar War has been viewed by some Solarian scholars as a microcosm of the future civil war: the Navy tended to be dominated by Inner Ring citizens, particularly those from Luna, and the Army tended to draw its personnel locally, leading to a large proportion from the Outer Ring and further afield colonies.  
While much of [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]]'s research focuses upon the cloning of limbs and organs, the prospect of cloning an entire human being has long fascinated the keiretsu. Although Jeonshi Biotech focused primarily on the more conventional form of cloning, Yomi Genetics I&R, already well-known for being on the bleeding edge of genetic research, opted to pursue a different field: that of embryonic cloning. Long a staple of the [[Nralakk Federation]] due to long-standing fertility issues, Yomi Genetics researchers were able to create the first practical method for human embryonic cloning in the early 2410s. Prohibitively expensive and only common in the richest of humanity's systems— particularly Sol— Yomi Genetics' techniques allow those parents that can afford it to make a child that has been genetically altered to be a cut above their peers. Despite many human rights groups decrying this as simply a modern form of eugenics, its popularity has not slowed among the rich of [[Sol]], and Yomi Genetics has quickly become one of the keiretsu's wealthiest members as a result.


Regardless of its immense profits, the corporation has not opted to pursue flash cloning of humans, citing “moral and ethical concerns" alongside the immense investment required to make such a thing practical and the lack of a viable market for adult clones. In spite of this, there have been extranet rumours for decades that the keiretsu uses cloned soldiers as its heavy-duty biohazard response teams. These are, however, simply rumours, and the keiretsu has long denied them as “baseless conspiracies,” with no foundation in reality.
This conflict, and the broader schism in the Alliance, would be brought to its bloody conclusion in 2275 with the start of the Interstellar War, the SAF’s largest and most costly conflict even two centuries later. It would tip the Army-Navy struggle decisively in the Navy’s favor as many Army units, recruited locally and unpaid for months due to the ongoing financial crisis, defected to the Coalition while few Navy units did the same, and those that did were often swept under the rug or otherwise disowned. While the Navy, and loyal units of the Army, fought fiercely — and in some cases, such as Gadpathur, committed horrific crimes in the name of Solarian unity — they were unable to defeat the Coalition due to its dogged defensive fighting and a peace treaty, the Treaty of Xansan, was ultimately signed in Geneva in 2287, bringing over a decade of warfare to a close and permanently shattering Solarian hegemony over humanity.


=== Geneboosting ===
To the Navy, which believed it could have won the Interstellar War, the Treaty of Xansan was seen as a betrayal of the venerable Navy by spineless politicians — a slap to the collective faces of Navy officers who had put their lives on the line defending the Alliance by cowardly politicians obsessed with their careers who had never spent a day in uniform. It incensed them, and they began to plot against it in secret. Decisive action was needed to ensure Sol remained intact, and who better to take it than the Navy, its most venerable institution?
While the vast majority of the Orion Spur relies on genetic manipulation and cloning techniques developed by [[Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals]] and their [[Skrell|Skrellian]] business partners, there is one notable exception: the [[Empire of Dominia]] and it's “geneboosting” techniques. The exact details of these techniques are a closely-guarded secret of the [[Empire of Dominia]] and [[Empire_of_Dominia_Great_Houses| House Volvalaad]], which is responsible for much of geneboosting's development and research. There have been no confirmed leaks of the Empire's geneboosting techniques, despite rumored attempts by [[Zavodskoi Interstellar]] to purchase information on them, and this secrecy has kept geneboosting firmly within the Empire's borders. On-and-off talks between Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals and the Empire regarding the sale of Dominian techniques to the keiretsu have not yet produced results.


The history and origins of geneboosting are more well-known: the modern technique dates back to genetic manipulation of crops and fauna brought by [[Empire_of_Dominia#Initial_Colonization| Moroz's original settlers]], and this foundation was used by [[Empire_of_Dominia_Great_Houses| House Volvalaad]] to create modern geneboosting of humans. It is known to be prohibitively expensive and only limited to Imperial Primaries. The effects lead to enhanced attributes and appearances: those geneboosted are stronger, faster, more able, and much longer-lived than their non-geneboosted counterparts. Geneboosted playable species tend to be a foot or so taller than average (upwards of seven to seven and a half feet for humans) and find it very easy to maintain peak fitness. A geneboosted person is obvious at a glance, and geneboosted humans are often held as paragons of Imperial society. Geneboosting carried out after birth, known as gene therapy, is very rare and generally dangerous in addition to also being prohibitively expensive.
While it ultimately failed in its goal of revoking the Treaty of Xansan the Revolt of the Officers on 18 May 2289 forever ensured the Navy would have a voice in politics. The coup attempt’s goals were simple: overthrow the civilian government and declare the Treaty of Xansan null and void, then resume the Interstellar War and fight until the Alliance’s hegemony was once again established. It began to fall apart almost immediately due to one factor the Navy officer in charge of it, Admiral Terrence Hopper, had not accounted for: that the Army guard stationed at the Alliance’s then-capital in New York City did not go along with their conspiracy, and that an active gunfight began outside the capitol building between Army guards and Navy marines. Ultimately the Army, with support from local member state forces and ordinary civilians, repulsed the attack and the coup was seemingly aborted. But it was not as simple as it seemed as the admiralty, in the days after the coup, cut a backroom deal with the civilian government: the Revolt of the Officers would be swept under the metaphorical rug by being blamed on radical elements and the Navy would be given a political voice. In exchange the Navy would continue to protect the Alliance from interstellar threats. Hopper himself, the Butcher of Gadpathur, would avoid justice once again and remain active in politics until his death on Luna in the 24th century, and ultimately shaped Solarian fascist thought up until the present day.


== Dangers ==
Effectively, the Navy had used its position to extort the government. Emboldened by this, and how close they had come to controlling the government through violence, the Navy became more and more influential as the decades continued on. It also became more corrupt and less efficient as political connections became more important than ability and Caesarism infected its ranks. Ultimately the decision to place it on Luna, where it could not be controlled by a power on Earth, had made the Navy accountable primarily to itself rather than the civilian government based upon Earth and, post-2300, Unity Station. Its pet project, the Solarian Marine Corps, was hardly any better. For many Solarians the Navy has failed them time and time again as an institution, and nowhere is this more clear than in the Solarian Collapse of 2462. Rather than protecting the Alliance many Navy forces, more loyal to their Admirals than their nation, defected and have rampaged across the Middle and Outer Rings.
Some believe that the “revival” of an individual can occur through embryonic cloning, however, that could not be further from the truth. While they are a biological copy of a deceased individual, memories and personality will not carry over. Despite embryonic cloning of a deceased individual being cheaper than creating “designer children”, the process is still considered rather expensive, even for the wealthy.


While most of the kinks have been worked out with limb and organ cloning, there are complications. Delayed onset muscle degeneration, or DOMD for short, is a painful process where a limb can begin to necrose and can happen even years after being cloned. It is generally regarded as being rare, and impossible to detect until it is too late. The only treatment is amputation. Despite the genetic material of a recipient being used, there have been cases of acute cellular rejection with cloned organs. While dangerous if untreated, most of the time the problematic organ is removed and simply replaced with a different clone - a straightforward procedure that comes with little risk.
The Army, meanwhile, did have civilian authorities to answer to due to being headquartered on Earth. Post-Interstellar War the Army was placed through multiple reforms which transformed it from a sluggish, inefficient institution which lost much of its strength to defections into a force capable of defending the Alliance’s planets and government from all enemies — whether they be foreign or domestic. Where the Navy failed the Army has succeeded, particularly upon Mars where it — in mere weeks — brought the red planet back into nominal Solarian control.
</div></div>


= Automobiles =
As the Alliance bleeds following the Collapse its military is, in many sectors, in desperate need of reforms.While the Navy, under the direction of a now-dominant reformist school of thought, has begun the slow and often-painful process of reforming itself, only time will tell if the SAF shall weather the storm. But most know that to restore some of the territories lost in the humiliation of 2462, some reforms must be undertaken, lest the SAF simply collapse under the weight of its own faults.
Ever since the introduction of the first car, Humanity has always striven to traverse the ground with ever more speed, safety and efficiency. Although spacecraft have and are being considered the primary focus for interstellar and interplanetary and even intercontinental travel, the 25th century bears witness to the bustling car industry. From Mendell City to the empty plains of Vysoka, the endless variety of cars, bikes and other vehicles can only be described as dazzling, with countless more designs, innovations and prototypes being constantly developed.


The beating heart of the galaxy's automotive industry lies undoubtedly in the core worlds of the Solarian Alliance, the place the oldest and most prestigious brands call home. Imported Solarian vehicles of all calibres can be found in virtually every system and world; an authentic (and operational) car from a solarian marque is held in very high regard and as a token of class on a far away Coalition planet. An upcoming Bieselite industry consists mainly of Solarian factories and infrastructure being rapidly taken over and merged by Nanotrasen post-independence, while burgeoning Elyran marques increase their influence and status by the year.
==Non-Humans in the Solarian Armed Forces==


== Engines ==
<center><i>“As far as I’m concerned? The Ban didn’t go far enough! We should carpet bomb their whole [censored] [[Adhomai|planet]], really give them a [censored] taste of what they did to us [https://forums.aurorastation.org/topic/2816-sol-alliance-news-network/?do=findComment&comment=141866| here]! Send the Navy in and have them clean it up! Get those [censored] [[Unathi|lizards]] too!”</i> — Anonymous [[New Hai Phong|New Hai Phonger]] speaking to the Solarian Alliance News Network in the aftermath of bombings carried out by the [[Tajaran Emigration#Tajara Revolutionary Army|Tajara Revolutionary Army]]. Unaired due to foul language.</center>
*'''Petroleum''' - Once the main means of powering engines, fuel oil has by now fallen into disuse. With rapidly dwindling supplies on Earth, early attempts were made to develop and accommodate for alternative, cheaper and more plentiful fuel options, leading to the wide use of electric cars, followed by the hydrogen engine. Nowadays, only a handful of designs run on diesel, almost always in technologically backwards and distant worlds.


*'''Electricity''' - The wide availability of battery-electric cars to the greater human population came in the mid-2000s, virtually and fully replacing the diesel engine by the early 2100s. Cheaper and friendlier to the environment, their use was mandated as part of the Alliance's efforts to avert the upcoming climate catastrophe on Earth. Since then, electric vehicles have received the full attention of designers and engineers, catapulting their performance stats into a new age of faster and safer commotion. The field is still being explored, with miniaturised tesla reactors posing serious promise for self-charging functions.
No branch of the Solarian Armed Forces aside from rare System Defense Forces has, at any time, recruited an alien species into its ranks. The reasons for this are rooted in both simple practicality and the entrenched xenophobia common in much of the Solarian Alliance, which contributes to a belief that aliens are simply not to be trusted. Practically speaking the three SAF branches are massive organizations which would only marginally benefit from alien recruits and would have to incur an expensive cost as different species demand wildly different equipment, such as fitted voidsuits and armor, and different accommodations.


*'''Hydrogen''' - Once considered a lost cause, hydrogen combustion engines have by now come a long way into being accepted as a viable vehicle powering method. A relatively recent breakthrough pioneered by Einstein Engines in partnership with Langenfeld Motors has seen the development of an internal combustion engine, able to accommodate a daring new 1:100 phoron-hydrogen mix. This new "Super Hydrogen" fuel brand, authorised for use after exhaustive testing to guarantee safety and acceptable emissions, proved more powerful than anything before, allowing the vehicle to reach velocities previously unthought-of for commercial, land-based locomotion. That said, the tremendously high price, engine wear and recent phoron scarcity have confined the use of this technology to a select few.
On the less practical side the Solarian culture of alien distrust has been applied to each species and also argued. To the typical SAF official even the most trustworthy alien is less reliable than the worst human recruit . The SAF is not, and will never be, a force for alien tolerance in the Alliance. From an outright less xenophobic perspective, the Solarian Armed Forces' traditions place a great deal of ideological and cultural importance on the idea of the military as the protector of Solarian humanity. To allow aliens into its ranks has long been considered a betrayal of that ideal, and that compromising this deeply-held tenet would be an unacceptable transgression against the Alliance itself, its human citizens, and the fundamental values of the Alliance's military.


*'''Others''' - The vastness of the Orion Spur provides for vast possibilities, individuals from all over the cosmos coming up with new innovations on how to power their automobiles. Biofuels, natural gas, steam, local minerals and many more options exist that can and have at some point been used, often to an explosive and sometimes disastrous conclusion. While the mainstream industry continues to explore new avenues, it is very rare that any such engines achieve any important consumer following.
[[Sol Alliance#IPC in the Sol Alliance Military|Positronics]], on the contrary, are highly valued in the SAF. Having had a long history of using [[San Colette#Drone Warfare|drones]], the adoption of positronic intelligence was viewed as the next step in a long line of military robotics. For the longest time, however, IPC and other synthetics have been relegated to support and logistics roles due to mistrust and concerns over their ability to survive in combat scenarios. The collapse has led the SAF to begin looking at IPC in order to fill the gap in its manpower, with the Navy in particular eagerly adopting them in combat roles, placing the machines as both gunners and pilots, and employing traditional shipborne AI to assist and in some cases replace crewmembers. Although assuring the public that combat IPC are a temporary measure given the crisis, some observers note that funding towards further research of combat AI has increased since their adoption.


== Locomotion ==
==The Solarian Navy==
*'''Wheels''' - Most cars and motorbikes in human space still utilise wheels. Embedded firmly into everyday life since ancient times, the wheel still remains one of the greatest inventions, serving billions of people every given hour. While there have been multiple innovations and attempts at change, the four and two-wheel standard for cars and bikes respectively, remains the primary and most used setup. New technologies in elastics have resulted in significant breakthroughs in tyre manufacturing, offering consumers a more secure and efficient experience than ever before.


*'''Hoverthrusters''' - The concept of “flying cars” has been fantasised and ingrained in the minds of the public for centuries as the staple mark of a technologically advanced future. It was not until the early 2200s that such an invention would be properly applied to the first prototype, essentially creating the first hovercar, utilising gravity generation technology. Owing to the general instability and turmoil of the time, however, no attempts at an actual commercial release were undertaken, the invention was largely forgotten until as far as the 2400s. While nowhere near the idea of airborne personal vehicles hover thrusters are now rapidly being added to both cars and motorcycles, replacing some or all wheels. They have proven highly moddable, the latest and most expensive thruster models able to project holographic images, lights and particles of all sorts while stationary or on the road.
<center><i>“Before the Interstellar War, the Solarian navy was the largest and most perfect fighting force in the galaxy. That is, on the surface level. The admiralty of those years made the greatest mistake of pursuing strength in infinite numbers – a decision that would culminate in the Solarian Civil War.”</i> – Excerpt from Lucien Courtois’ graduation thesis, <i>How David Defeated Goliath: The First Interstellar War</i>.</center>
 
The largest single branch of the SAF is the Solarian Navy. With millions of uniformed personnel scattered across dozens — if not hundreds — of planets, garrisons, starbases, fleets, and other facilities it may very well be the largest organized fighting force in the galaxy, and has the influence to match. The Navy has long held significant sway over Solarian politics due to both its size and its vital role in securing safe interstellar commerce and travel in the Alliance. This sway has long ensured the Navy is well-funded, perhaps overfunded, and viewed positively by most citizens of the Alliance with some notable exceptions such as Callisto, which has long been at odds with the Navy over the policing of trade and commerce flowing in through the moon’s spaceports.
 
But despite this approval not all was well in the Navy prior to the Solarian Collapse in 2462. The broad powers granted to the Navy to ensure the vast Alliance remained safe and secure combined with limited oversight of the Navy allowed for a culture of graft, corruption, and rampant Caesarism to take hold in its ranks. These problems only worsened as one traveled further and further from the Inner Ring as more reliable officers were inevitably kept in the more strategically important (and influential) Inner Ring while less reliable officers, and underperforming ones, were sent to the Outer Ring to keep them out of public view. These admirals were given similarly poor troops and nearly no oversight from the admiralty, which effectively allowed them to become their own masters — and to shape their assigned fleet into a force loyal to them first and the Alliance second.
 
Recent events have shaken much of the Navy’s historical public approval. Defections and attrition associated with the Collapse have taken the Navy from 200 fleets to 100 and, multiple years later, it still finds itself ruling over the Alliance as an increasingly-unpopular junta. Beyond the Inner Ring and what remains of the Middle Ring the Navy, in the eyes of most Solarians, has done little to retake what the Alliance has lost. Recent scandals, such as a discovery many officers were funneling supplies to radical warlords, have further impacted the Navy’s reputation in the eyes of the public. Recent reforms by Navy command, particularly under recently-appointed Minister of Defense Lucien Courtois, have done much to solve the Navy’s ongoing issues. But concerns regarding the “Wildlands,” still remain, and only time will tell if Courtois’ reforms have turned the Navy into a force able to take back what has been lost.
 
===Solarian Navy Structure===
 
The Solarian admiralty has long devoted a significant amount of its time to the logistics and operation of the increasingly-massive Navy, which peaked at 200 fleets — each, in theory, consisting of 100 ships — shortly before the Solarian Collapse of 2462. These fleets were, prior to the Collapse and Courtois’ reforms which followed it, organized into battlegroups of five fleets for greater cohesion in the event of war, with each fleet led by an Admiral and each battlegroup led by a Fleet Admiral. However, many “battlegroups” in the Outer and Middle Rings were spread across vast distances or contained disloyal elements which prevented them from functioning properly, with only a few — such as the [[Human Wildlands#The Southern Solarian Military District|Visegrad-based 1st Middle Ring Battlegroup]] (1MRB, sometimes referred to as a “Battlefleet” locally) — able to maintain both cohesion and loyalty as the Alliance spiraled towards the Collapse. Reforms by Courtois have reduced the total number of battlegroups by increasing the number of fleets per formation to ten, which has greatly assisted in command due to reducing the number of often-bickering Fleet Admirals by half.
 
Navy fleets themselves are divided into three categories by the admiralty to represent their readiness in the event of an interstellar conflict. These categories are combat battlegroups, patrol battlegroups, and garrison battlegroups. Combat battlegroups are, as the name implies, fully-equipped and ready for combat at a moment’s notice. This classification generally only applied to Inner Ring battlegroups in the months before the Collapse. Standing slightly below combat battlegroups are patrol battlegroups: understrength, but otherwise combat-capable, formations fit for patrol duties but not for engaging full enemy formations. Below this swells the garrison battlegroup: an understrength formation so named as it is only trusted to hold a position and is not expected to perform complicated maneuvers. A fourth, though officially unrecognized, formation is the “ersatz” battlegroup. These formations are improvised and consist of whatever units were available at the time for the area’s Fleet Admiral. Last seen in the Interstellar War, ersatz battlegroups have returned in the Wildlands.
[[File:Navy graduation.png|A Lunarian officer of the Solarian Navy at her graduation ceremony.|thumb]]
Unlike the Army the personnel of the Navy are heavily divided by class and background thanks to the Luna-centric nature of its admiralty and officer class, and are even further divided based upon the Ring they are located in — an ironic echo of the Interstellar War. High-ranking officers are almost always Lunan by birth, and graduation photos from the Solarian Naval Academy are dominated by the tall, thin, and pale appearances of Lunans who have grown up in the moon’s characteristically lower gravity. These Lunan officers generally settle into command roles in the Inner, and sometimes Middle, Rings due to their perceived loyalty and familial connections — some families on [[Luna]] have served the Navy since its conception and hold significant influence over it. Officers of “lesser” importance, such as those in the Middle and Outer Rings, such as Fleet Admiral Klaudia Szalai, are often recruited and educated locally, and can be of wildly varying quality and loyalty.
[[File:Navy loading.png|350px|A Solarian Navy petty officer loading a Zavodskoi-produced "Longbow" naval gun. A common sight on smaller vessels which cannot easily fit larger coilguns.|thumb]]
Much of the Navy’s enlisted personnel is recruited locally out of convenience and its enlisted ranks are overwhelmingly dominated by those of poorer economic backgrounds, particularly when compared to its Lunan officers, such as Martians, Jintarians, and residents of the Outer and Middle Rings. The men and women which make up the vast majority of the Navy’s fighting force are, like their officers, often of debatable quality due to corruption, graft, and the megalomaniac tendencies of many officers. Prior to the Collapse most of the best enlisted— regardless of their origins — were eventually transferred out of the Outer and Middle Rings and into the Inner Rings due to the Admiralty placing a greater emphasis upon the Inner Ring.
 
Fleet formation was, prior to the Collapse, marred by similar issues. Some fleets were recruited using the “Alliance-wide,” model where ships and personnel were recruited from across the Alliance and trained in the Sol System and its surroundings in order to ensure the best performance. These fleets were then deployed to strategic areas (generally in the Inner or Middle Rings) and placed under the command of a Solarian Naval Academy graduate to ensure the greatest possible quality. While expensive and often taking an extended period to train, these Alliance-wide fleets proved their mettle during the Collapse: no systems garrisoned by them were lost and none defected.
 
But most Solarian fleets were not recruited using this method and were instead mobilized through the “system-wide,” method wherein a fleet’s personnel and officers were recruited and trained in the same system, and generally stationed nearby this system. In theory this was not a horrible idea: logically, military forces would fight harder for their homes than for another system. However, it did not result in the expected outcome: system-wide fleets were often shuffled from system to system and their shared origin made them more loyal to their admirals than the broader Alliance. Though many stayed loyal to the Alliance, and some managed fighting retreats to the Inner Ring, all defected — or otherwise lost — fleets during the Collapse were of the system-wide recruitment model.
 
===Notable Facilities===
 
Located on [[Luna]] in Harmony City, the '''Solarian Admiralty''' serves as high command for the entire Solarian Navy. While it started its existence as a small building mostly responsible for managing armed platforms tasked with destroying asteroids and other potentially harmful celestial objects, the Admiralty has grown over the intervening decades into a massive complex which is a city District unto itself. Solarian Naval Central Command (SNCC) looks over the district at nearly a hundred stories tall and stands as one of, if not the, most important buildings in the modern Alliance. The Admiralty is rumored to have dozens, if not hundreds, of underground facilities scattered across the Admiralty containing everything from mundane paperwork to intelligence on the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate to blacksites for especially infamous prisoners. Though its reputation has been tarnished by the Collapse, the Admiralty remains an unshakable feature of Luna.
 
Located on [[Luna]] in Hangzhou, the '''Solarian Navy Academy''' is the premier — and to Lunarians, the only — institute of naval military education in the Alliance. Established in 2115 continuously functional ever since this point the Academy, as it is often simply known, has long had a reputation of producing only the finest naval officers in the Alliance. But this reputation for excellence has made the Academy an extremely difficult institution to gain entry into — particularly if one is not from the Inner Ring. Certain Lunarian families, such as the ancient Varnhagen und Langenburg family, have long held sway over the Academy’s curriculum and membership in such a family — either by blood or covenant — is a near-certain way to gain access to its halls. Academy officers, in addition to their renowned quality, are generally more loyal to the Alliance than their non-Academy counterparts. Few Academy graduates defected during the Collapse and those that have, such as the Solarian Restoration Front’s Florentina von Keyserling, have been stricken from its graduation rolls.
 
In the orbit of Uranus lies the mundanely-named '''Solarian Naval Maintenance, Regeneration, and Repair Facility''' which is, thanks to its awful abbreviation of “'''SNMRRF'''” (occasionally phoneticized as “'''Smurf'''”), commonly referred to as “the Boneyard.” The Boneyard is a massive facility filled with outdated and mothballed hulls ranging in size from fighter aircraft to battleships which remain on the official Navy registry but are, in reality, either too outdated or too damaged to effectively operate alongside their counterparts. Boneyard vessels are, particularly since the Collapse, often cannibalized for parts or — in rare cases — “refloated” and pressed back into service. The pirate raid which brought Frost into power as Prime Minister targeted the Boneyard and stole multiple warships the former Admiral later returned with, eventually catapulting himself into popularity. Many have long theorized this “raid” and Frost’s success after was an inside job planned by Navy officers to place one of their own in power and have pointed to a multitude of “coincidences” as evidence. The fact that the raiders were never caught but were “engaged and destroyed,the sensors monitoring Boneyard and its defenses being off at the same time, the raiders only hitting the Boneyard rather than any civilian targets or the nearby Navy sensor stations, the fact that the raiders were able to spoof a brand-new Solarian Navy ID code, and the fact that the leaker — a reformer — was one of the only deaths in the raid.
 
===Notable Navy Forces===
 
'''1st Battlegroup, “The First”'''
 
The most venerable and oldest of the Alliance’s battlegroups, the First has fought in every major interstellar conflict the Alliance has officially participated in. It is responsible for decisively destroying the Coalition’s naval forces in the Battle of Xanu and has long preserved the Xanusii naval battle standard captured during the battle in the Admiralty. The first five fleets of the First are overwhelmingly Lunan. The next five, which were integrated into it following Courtois’ reforms, are five of the highest-quality Alliance-wide fleets in the Alliance. Officers of the First can easily be identified by their distinctive oak leaves, which are typically placed in the side of their caps. The First is currently commanded by Fleet Admiral Ingrid von Varnhagen und Langenburg, a Lunan graduate of the Solarian Naval Academy firmly in Courtois’ reformist faction. The Fleet Admiral of the First is issued a saber as their badge of office and is expected to wear it at all times while commanding, regardless of practicality. The sword itself, while unnamed, is a priceless heirloom which has been passed down from Fleet Admiral to Fleet Admiral since the founding of the First, and to lose it is simply inconceivable.
 
'''[[Human Wildlands#The Southern Solarian Military District|1st Middle Ring Battlegroup]]'''
 
Regarded as one of the highest-quality battlegroups prior to the Collapse, the 1MRB under Fleet Admiral Klaudia Szalai has, despite never formally defecting from the Alliance, spent much of the past two years since the Collapse cut off from the broader Alliance and struggling against difficult odds. The five fleets of the 1MRB were understrength prior to the Collapse and have been worn down by fighting against pirates, traitorous Solarian Navy personnel, and — at times — the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, which it has engaged during cross-border raids by the 1MRB and border disputes with the CRZ. The 1MRB has never been defeated upon the field of battle and remains steadfast in its loyalty to Sol, though many of its personnel — almost all of which hail from Visegrad or its surrounding systems — are increasingly concerned at the Navy’s seeming lack of interest with the Wildlands.
 
'''[[Human Wildlands#The Solarian Restoration Front|35th Fleet]]'''
 
One of the most infamous Solarian fleets in the Navy’s history, the 35th was formed after the Interstellar War and stationed near Tau Ceti in order to keep the strategic system safe. Tau Ceti’s defection — which many 35th officers hailed from — was viewed by the Fleet as a betrayal, and its rapid embrace of aliens after the defection was viewed as a further compromise of Solarian values. This hatred has, over the years between Tau Ceti’s defection and the Collapse, twisted the 35th into what it was prior to its invasion of Tau Ceti: one of the most xenophobic, fanatical, and nationalistic Solarian fleets. The losses it suffered during the invasion and its seeming betrayal by the broader Alliance further radicalized the 35th, which returned to its berth in Lycoris and declared the Solarian Restoration Front in 2462, and rapidly set about purging aliens — who they blamed for the Collapse — from the area they controlled. Though the Navy has officially disavowed the 35th and declared its officers traitors to the Alliance many, particularly those formerly loyal to Frost, have flocked to its banner. The 35th and its Front are a significant concern for the Solarian Navy, and for those Solarians caught in the Northern Wildlands under threat by it.
 
'''25th Fleet'''
 
When the 25th, primarily consisting of Silversunners, was ordered into Biesel to stop rogue Admiral Michael Frost it could have never anticipated the consequences its orders would have for the Spur. Despite the apprehension its officers and enlisted felt when they were ordered into what was, at least officially, a rebellious Solarian system ruled by an illegitimate government, the 25th followed its orders. The 25th was badly mauled by the 33rd in one of the first engagements between Solarian Navy vessels since the Interstellar War, but it pushed the 33rd out of the system and returned Biesel to a modicum of normality. The population of Biesel was understandably cold towards them, but the Admiralty promised rewards for the deed. But no rewards appeared as, nearly as soon as he had been imprisoned, Frost was swept back into power and became Prime Minister. The new PM punished the 25th severely, and sent them to an ignominious duty: to serve as an auxiliary for one of the worst battlegroups in the Navy, the 10th Middle Ring Battlegroup. But the 25th was not broken by this and, thanks to its superior equipment and training, they fought their way back to their original berth of Silversun, arriving battered and bruised — yet unbowed — in summer 2463 to a hero’s welcome. Now the 25th has a new home: the prestigious 1st Battlegroup.


== Brands ==
=== Sol Alliance ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
==== Langenfeld Motors ====
 
===Solarian Ship Classes===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
[[file:langfield.png|thumb|right|360px]]


An EU-directed amalgamation of the various major European automobile marques following the collapse of the economy during the second depression of 2260, Langenfeld has since solidified its position as a world-class producer and supplier of high-quality cars and bikes all over human and known space. A staple in the Solarian vehicle industry, the brand's focus on electric engines has kept them in the lead in their research and design, enabling them to branch out into the more general field of consumer appliances.
'''Carrier'''
 
The carrier occupies a critical role in Solarian operational doctrine along with the battleships it supports. Carriers are often the largest and most important ships in a Solarian fleet and typically serve as flagships. The largest of this class are hundreds of meters long and are often regarded as floating cities due to the size of their crews. Carrier classes are generally named after geographic features.
 
'''Supercarrier'''
 
With only a few ever built the supercarriers of the Solarian Navy are very rarely seen outside of the Jewel Worlds. These gargantuan vessels are nearly a kilometer long and stand as some of the largest vessels ever constructed in the Orion Spur. A supercarrier is always the flagship of its fleet and none have ever been lost in combat. Supercarriers have a near-mythical reputation in the Alliance due to their rarity and Navy-funded media, which often promotes them as the peak of Solarian military might. Some in the Navy grumble at this deification, instead viewing the tried-and-true dreadnoughts as the peak of the Navy. Ships of the only active supercarrier class used by the Navy, the Thule-class, derive their names from mythological geographical features.


===== Notable Releases =====
'''Dreadnought'''
*'''Langenfeld EVO''' - Langenfeld's Electric Vehicle, nicknamed and marketed as EVO in a play on the word “evolution”, is the most widely sold city car series in Alliance space. Running on a standard electric engine, the EVO has dominated the market as a cheap, effective car for use in urban day to day environments. Famed for its relatively small size, its design accommodates busy 25th-century traffic in both planetary cities and Unity Station. Complaints of a cramped interior and reduced luggage capacity have led to the EVO-Compact, sacrificing the two passenger seats for a more comfortable and spacy experience while also cutting down on the size. While both the EVO and the EVO-Compact have been praised for the conveniences they offer in parking and manoeuvring inside tight spaces, it is a clear urban design, unable to match more powerful vehicles on the open road. Nevertheless, the by now decade-old design remains hugely popular in both Sol and Tau Ceti space.


*'''Langenfeld Surveyor''' - A popular SUV, the Surveyor is widely appreciated for its endurance and powerful electric engine. Predominantly found in more rural locations, its robust four-wheel-drive system renders it ideal for family vacations, trips and long-range daily commuting. A comfortable and safe interior, combined with advanced suspension systems, has gained its reputation for being one of the smoothest cars in Sol. The Surveyor has also been selected for experimentation on self-charging engine batteries, Langenfeld's R&D division managing to release a stable model, modifying the engine to great extents. While it is available to the general public, its price and availability place this iteration of the SUV out of reach for all but a select few.
The most well-armed and heavily-armored of the Solarian Navy’s battleship classes are designated as dreadnoughts by the Admiralty. To many the dreadnoughts are the unbeatable pride of the Navy which helped it win victory after victory in the Interstellar War before cowardly politicians snatched it from them. To others they are a reminder of how backwards-facing the Navy can be at times, and how obsessed many of its officers have become with its former glories. Recently reformers have chipped away at much of the dreadnought’s mythical image, and the classification may very well be on its last legs due to recent naval reforms. Fitting their near-mythic reputation, ships of these classes are generally named after mythological figures.


*'''Langenfeld Vulcan''' - The hybrid Vulcan coupé is by all accounts, the spearhead of Langenfeld's entry into hydrogen fuel, combining both the certainty of their electric motors with the innovative design of a hydrogen combustion engine. An all in all good quality automobile, the Langenfeld Vulcan is suited for high speeds and is commonly found on the highways across Sol and Tau Ceti space.
'''Battleship'''


</div></div>
Solarian battleships are heavily-armed and heavily-armored testaments to the unchallenged naval supremacy of the Alliance. Battleships were commonly seen in all three Rings of the Alliance prior to the Collapse and now often serve as flagships of defected or rogue fleets. These ships-of-the-line are often in disrepair due to having been run ragged by their warlord masters and are, generally speaking, outdated compared to contemporary examples still loyal to the Alliance. Both battleships and fast battleships are typically named after cities.


<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
'''Fast Battleship'''
==== Shibata Sport ====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
[[file:shibata.png|thumb|right|360px]]
A newly established branch of the Shibata shipping conglomerate, the Solarian company has dynamically established itself in the world of motorsports, especially motorcycles. While initially created as a bid for the shipping tycoon's participation in the prestigious Harmony City Grand Prix, it soon developed into a fully-fledged company aimed primarily at commercial sports vehicles. Renowned for its high speeds, sleek designs, but mostly its impressive hoverthruster technology, Shibata Sport is a brand found throughout Sol, Tau Ceti and Elyran space, being a top choice amongst motorcyclists and enthusiasts.


===== Notable Releases =====
A post-Interstellar War innovation, the fast battleship classes of the Solarian Navy are intended to fill gaps in patrol fleets where a full battleship is unnecessary but a cruiser is insufficient. Fast battleships trade armor and firepower for speed and operational range, making them ideal for patrols in the former Alliance Neutral Zone. Following the Collapse many ships of this class ended up in the hands of warlords due to the class primarily serving in the Middle and Outer Rings. Here they have excelled at a role they were never meant for: raiding and terrorizing the civilian populations they were built to protect.
*'''Shibata X-406''' - The widely known X-406 (or simply 406) electric sports motorcycle offered Shibata the key to the market, becoming their first large commercial success. Found mainly across Sol and Tau Ceti, the 406 is the brand's flagship product, achieving high speeds with great cost-efficiency. Supporting a driver and a passenger, the sporty design and flexible support for hover thrusters in place of the posterior wheel has made it popular with the younger clientele, spawning an enormous variation in paint jobs, attachments, lights and system modifications. This association with youth and experimentation has also resulted in unwanted notoriety, the motorbike regularly also finding itself in the hands of more fringe groups such as bikers and gang members across many worlds.


*'''Shibata Jie''' - The  Shibata Jie, was the early venture into the luxury sports car market, featuring one of the first hydrogen-powered, over thruster propulsion systems on a commercial car and a driver assistance computer to help control it. Hugely promising, its early release would nonetheless go on to be regarded as a product with mixed results. Initially designed as a four-doored wheeled coupe for VIP passengers, the decision was made to convert it to a hovercar in order to beat competitors. While the car was lauded for its slender look and comfortable ride, the early and experimental propulsion system proved to be prone to overheating, leaving the car stuck, or in some cases, dangerously volatile in a crash. Changes were promptly applied however, new thrusters and more refined electronics having greatly reduced the risks of malfunction or jamming, pushing the Shibata Jie into the forefront as the fastest commercially available vehicle in Sol and Biesel.
'''Cruiser'''
</div></div>


=== Republic of Biesel ===
Cruisers have long served as the backbone of the Solarian Navy. These vessels are typically divided into two classes: light and heavy. Like their larger counterparts, both categories of destroyers are generally named after cities with light cruisers favoring the cities of the Middle and Outer Rings. Many heavy cruisers are instead named after prominent Solarian figures, perhaps due to their captains wishing to imitate the larger and grander battleships of the Navy.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
==== Poplar Auto Group ====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
[[file:poplar.png|thumb|right|360px]]
As Biesel gained independence, the nationalisation of Solarian automotive factories on the planet became inevitable after Langenfeld Tau Ceti surrendered its facilities in a large buyout. The result, a new brand managed by NanoTrasen, brought Tau Ceti into the world market as an independent designer and producer. Though shrouded by controversies and budget deficits, Poplar remains a large supplier of cars and motorcycles on the planet, backed by the Conglomerate's much needed monetary investment as more and more shares end up in their hands each year.


===== Notable Releases =====
'''Heavy Cruiser'''
*'''Poplar Excursion''' - With a price tag that is relatively affordable, the Excursion has become a common sight within the Republic of Biesel. It was originally designed as a four-door hatchback, and it has made rapid strides in its target market - going even further to encourage sales partly through a unique amortization program that previously benefited NanoTrasen and now extends to other organizations within the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. Despite its compact size, it comes with a unique engine design that pushes additional firepower through the buildup of kinetic energy from its wheels.


*'''Poplar Inferno''' - One of the most expensive locally assembled motorcycles on the market, the Poplar Inferno has become somewhat popular in certain groups across the Orion Spur. Advertised as a sleek sports cruiser, it finds the majority of its brawn originating within its hydrogen-based engine that powers its hover thrusters, said to be the first of its kind. NanoTrasen is largely accredited as being the innovator of such a design, with Nathan Trasen as the face of the chopper. It comes in only one colour; maroon red.  
Heavy cruisers such as the Taipei-class represent the peak of Solarian cruiser design. These heavily-armed and heavily-armored vessels closely resemble the battleships they escort but are significantly less expensive due to their smaller size. Many prospective future admirals seek to command a heavy cruiser for both this reason and for the prestige commanding one brings.


*'''Poplar Classic''' - Inspired by an era long past, the Poplar Classic aims to commit some necromancy by bringing back an automobile model that has long since gone extinct. Despite its petroleum-based design similar to those of 20th-century designs, the two-door sports coupé houses a miniaturized tesla reactor. It is categorized as being a mix of both Adhomian and Biesellite innovations. A great deal of the interior instrumentation is made of wood.
'''Light Cruiser'''
</div></div>


<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
While less prestigious than their heavier counterparts, light cruisers fill a valuable niche in the Solarian Navy. Light cruisers are fast vessels which can operate for long distances without resupplying, which easily allows them to serve as the lead vessels of patrols when fast battleships are not available. However, most officers who one day aspire to command a fleet avoid light cruisers for this very reason: while it may mean command of a squadron, it is a command which affords very little prestige and is often assigned to those who lack the money or connections to play the Navy’s influence game. With most commanded by officers of debatable ability or loyalty (and at times a lack of both) it should come as no great surprise that this ship class often forms the backbone of warlord fleets in the Wildlands.
==== Tarrar Automotive ====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Started as a minor subsidiary venture by Hephaestus Industries in 2442, Tarrar Automotive Limited (Abbreviated as TAL) is a company that initially handled maintenance or repair of Tajara designed vehicles for the immigrant community of Tau Ceti. By 2450, it grew to also provide importation services, customization, or retrofitting for any and all automobiles from Adhomai. Buyers can purchase any vehicle from its catalogue as long as they can foot the heavy price or pay for its mechanics to modify their prized possessions in whatever way they see fit. Thanks to TAL, Tajara in [[Little Adhomai]] are able to gain and drive the same luxury vehicles or workhorse trucks that they had access to back home. Monowheels and motorbikes have become popular purchases thanks to the growth of the Greaser subculture. TAL has also found a niche in providing its products and services to exotic car collectors from around the spur. Rich buyers on planets such as Luna or Moroz sometimes see the sleek TAL-Volgydoh or antique Pryzark-19 as an excellent showpiece. Contrary to a popular extranet rumour, TAL does not produce technicals.


===== Notable Releases =====
'''Destroyer'''
*'''Nav'twir M-59''' - Based on the Adhomian version, the Nav'twir M-59 is Tarrar Automotive's most successful monowheel model. Known for its reliability and cheap price, the vehicle was widely adopted by the Greaser population in D6. However, Adhomai-made monowheels remain as a symbol of status in Little Adhomai.
</div></div>
=== Empire of Dominia ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
==== Jinxiang Automotive Conglomerate ====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Dominia's largest automotive company by a significant margin, JAC was established in 2189 in the city that bears its name, making it one of the oldest non-Solarian automotive manufacturers in the Orion Spur. The Conglomerate is primarily controlled by House Zhao, as it has been for most of its history, though independent investors hold a minority stake. The JAC produces a wide range of vehicles both for commercial purposes and use by the Dominian government, and its products, while somewhat uncommon outside of the Empire, is said to follow Dominians wherever they go.


===== Notable Releases =====
Destroyers are well-armed but small vessels designed to assist the Alliance’s battlegroups and to protect the ships that truly matter: cruisers, battleships, and carriers. Prior to the Collapse destroyers were a common sight in the Middle and Outer Ring’s anti-piracy patrols, where they often commanded groups of smaller vessels. Now they are commonly seen in the fleets of warlords, where they serve much the same purpose. Destroyer and destroyer escort class ships derive their names from stellar objects, though exceptions exist due to the sheer number of destroyers in the Solarian Navy.
*'''JAC Sunburst''' - A hybrid four-by-four, the Sunburst is a near-ubiquitous sight on the worlds of the Empire. Capable of handling both the built-up roads of Moroz just as well as the backwaters of Sun Reach, the Sunburst has gained a reputation for reliability and can run in nearly any condition it is likely to find itself in.


*'''JAC Hansom''' - Equipped with an electric engine, the Hansom is noted for its luxury, with each vehicle being a bespoke construction built to the specification of its frequently noble clientele. Although marketed in a sleek black colour, it is not uncommon to see Hansoms painted in the colour of the noble houses, often as a way to show support.
'''Escort Destroyer'''


</div></div>
Only barely larger than a frigate, escort destroyers are intended to provide a modicum of protection to civilian and military convoys across the Alliance. Faster and fitted with better warp drives than many larger ships, a surprising amount of escort destroyers stationed in the Middle and Outer Ring opted to evacuate to the Inner Ring rather than remaining to assist warlords. Some naval scholars believe this is due to most destroyer escort captains and crews having been local recruits in their systems, and there are many stories from shortly after the Collapse of ships of this class limping into systems such as Sol filled with terrified refugees and exhausted sailors.
=== Serene Republic of Elyra ===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
==== New Suez Auto Group ====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
[[File:NewSuezAutoGroup.png.png|200px|thumb]]
The Serene Republic of Elyra's primary producer of automobiles, the New Suez Auto Group found itself established on the “Persepolian Sapphire” shortly after the officiation of the New Suez Protocol and the creation of the New Suez Free Trade Zone. Considered a subsidiary of Elco, a state-owned enterprise responsible for the extraction and refinement of phoron, much of its success comes from its parent company's investments in phoronic technology. The New Suez Auto Group dominiates the automobile market, and while there does exist competitors, it is by far considered a staple of Elyran life - with most having purchased a car from the company.  


===== Notable Releases =====
'''Frigate'''
*'''Sahab Brezza''' - Driven mostly by the most wealthy of Elyrans, the sports-model Sahab Brezza utilizes advanced technology such as the MagPulse Hovertech present within the Republic, as well as hydrogen engines with tweaked schematics to allow enhanced conservation of its primary fuel source - a combination of phoron and hydrogen. It found itself a popular topic of conversation following the Prime Minister having been photographed in an obviously newly-purchased Sahab Brezza attending state business.


*'''Harab''' - Economic by design, the Harab is a four-door coupe that has become a common-sight across the civilized planets of the Serene Republic. Similarly to that of the Sahab Brezza, the Harab utilizes MagPulse Hovertech to sour through the skies, however, a noticeable difference is its engine and the Sahab Brezza; it has an electric engine. With charging booths usually integrated in most buildings, the Harab has certainly had a significant impact on the development of the infrastructure within Elyra.
Smaller than both destroyer classes and yet larger than a corvette, Solarian Navy frigates were a common sight in all three Rings prior to the Collapse. Though originally intended to serve exclusively as escort vessels for larger ships, frigates have, particularly in recent years, been pressed into a variety of roles they were never meant for such as pirate-hunting operations. Up-gunned variations of common frigate designs were often the best ships available in the Outer Ring for anti-piracy patrols and system defense. These ships have proven ill-equipped to fight off the forces of defected warlord fleets, and most have been destroyed or themselves defected. A sad fate for the ships of a class of little importance to the Lunan-dominated Admiralty. Due to their sheer number, frigates follow no clear naming scheme.
</div></div>


===Nralakk Federation===
'''Corvette'''
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
====Qerr'Zolvq Motors====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Qerr'Zolvq Motors (QZM), a branch of [[Nralakk_Federation#State-Owned_Enterprises|Qerr'Zolvq Industries]], is solely responsible for the production, sale, and maintenance of private vehicles within the Nralakk Federation. QZM is known within the Federation to provide reliable vehicles, but since it's the sole manufacturer within the Federation, they are not known for much else; most of their popular makes do not come with amenities outside of what is considered necessary, and the manufacturer is not known for its aesthetic outside of its catalogue of vehicles intended for Primary Numericals.


=====Notable Releases=====
The smallest rated combat vessels in the Solarian Navy, corvettes are often commanded by new officers or officers deemed failures by their superiors. Few officers wish to command a corvette for long, rightfully viewing them as career-killers in a Navy obsessed with larger ship classes. The Wildlands is covered in wrecks of this ship class as a result of constant squabbles between petty warlords over territory. With much of the support structure these warlord fleets rely on gone, corvettes are often the first vessels scrapped for spare parts — and some desperate scavengers plunder these plundered wrecks, hoping to find even tiny scraps of useful materials. Like frigates, corvettes follow no consistent naming scheme.
*'''Xarnaq''' - A Submersible Utility Vehicle (SUV) combining road-going passenger cars with the ability to submerge underwater. The Xarnaq uses a dual electric engine system, with one engine enabling land travel and the other allowing both above and underwater travel. The Xarnaq is popular amongst all Skrell on planets such as [[Qerrbalak]] and [[Aweiji]] since many population centres are located underwater. A variant known as the QZ-X was released in collaboration with Qel'Zvol Hospitality to provide Primary Numericals with a more aesthetic personal vehicle, which comes with a dual hydrogen engine system instead of the regular Xarnaq's electric engines. Both variants can seat between 5 and 8 passengers.


*'''Sqraanda''' - The Sqraanda is a wheeled automobile with a closed trunk separate from the part in which the driver and passengers sit, and is designed solely for above-water driving. The Sqraanda is considered a worker's vehicle because of its spacious trunk and ability to drive off-road. Its characteristics have also made it a common sight on planets such as [[Aliose]] where the terrain is rough, as well as on less-developed planets within the [[Notable_Skrell_Systems_and_Locations#The_Tetramerous_Systems:_The_Traverse|Traverse]]. Because of the association of the Sqraanda with the Traverse, it is mostly driven by Secondary or Tertiary Numericals as a personal vehicle, with Primaries mostly avoiding the vehicle unless their job requires it. To ensure reliability even on newly-founded colonies, the Sqraanda has many models that have different engines depending on what would be readily available. Petroleum or biofuel engines are a common sight within the Traverse, while the core systems utilise electric-fuel hybrid systems that can be manually switched to if more or less power is needed. All variants of the Sqraanda can only seat 2 passengers.
'''Support Craft'''


*'''Qruupq''' - A submersible-only vehicle, the Qruupq has a streamlined hull intended for constant submerged use. It is considered the sister vehicle of the Xarnaq, being a common sight in regions that are almost entirely covered by ocean. Similarly to the Xarnaq, the Qruupq can seat 5 to 8 passengers and has a variant also designed in conjunction with Qel'Zvol Hospitality called the QZ-Qru, intended for Primary Numericals only. The Qruupq comes with a single electric engine, and just like the QZ-X, the QZ-Qru utilises a hydrogen engine.
The unsung and unappreciated wheels which ensure the Solarian Navy continues to turn, support craft and their crews are typically looked down upon by “real” warships and their crews. The classes found under this category are stunningly diverse and include everything from massive Hephaestus-produced fuel tankers to small courier vessels designed to carry the small-scale cargo required to keep a fleet fed and happy. Many smaller warlords have very limited access to these support vessels, which has made them a target of raids and assaults as the struggle to fuel defected ships continues.


*'''Traqq''' - Designed to be used mainly by the military and Nralakk Logistics, the Traqq is a large, heavy motor vehicle used for bulk transport of goods, materials, and troops. Both the military and the civilian variant use a heavy-duty electric engine, but the military variant also has a backup biofuel engine for long-distance travel where recharging poses a logistical issue.
'''Carrier-Launched Aircraft'''


Covering everything from multi-crew bombers to unmanned drones, carrier-based vessels are a cornerstone of the Navy which has long fought battleships for influence. Most of the time battleships have won this battle of influence, but some believe — particularly with recent reforms — that carriers and their craft will have their day in the limelight soon enough.
</div></div>
</div></div>


= Prosthetics, Augments, and Implants =
==The Solarian Marine Corps==
From military-exclusive combat enhancements to crude limb replacement, the field of prosthesis and implants is as wide and varied as the cultures and species who utilize them. There are various ways to acquire, utilize, and perform these mechanical replacements and upgrades, yet they are not without their drawbacks.
 
== Cost and Accessibility ==
From the depths of the Eridanian underworld to the peak of Lunarian high society, prostheses are found in virtually every echelon of occupied space. There are many ways the average person could acquire their prosthesis, from corporate insurance plans, state-subsidized healthcare, purchasing them from a retailer, or under-the-table methods out of the national eye. A limb or organ replacement roughly equivalent to its organic counterpart is reasonably affordable for the average person: anything costing more than this often involves rent-to-own payment plans. Prosthetic limbs and organs are a common item on corporate insurance plans, but the quality of the prosthetic varies greatly from plan to plan. An expensive premium plan may entitle the worker to a top-of-the-line new Hephaestus model while cheaper plans could see someone forced to use long out of date prosthetics. Some corporations offer exciting sign-on bonuses or rewards for good performance in the form of high-grade modifications that are otherwise unobtainable by legal means. These offers, while seemingly benevolent, hide inherent risk that leads many to refuse them altogether. This form of contract is especially popular in the Eridani Corporate Federation and with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals where poor job performance could mean forcible reclamation of one's augments.


External modifications are rarely a clean affair, and a prosthetic will require constant upkeep and maintenance. Some prosthetic owners seek to avoid costly technician visits by learning how to perform their own maintenance and repairs within reason, much to the frustration of their corporate producers. It is common practice that corporations will employ methods of restricting the ease of repair through avenues such as DRM-locked proprietary software, specialized tools, and electronic access codes. The market for second-hand prostheses is profitable with many people opting to pick older model prosthetics without advanced anti-repair measures for the sake of easy maintenance.  
<center><i>“Look like you know the joke right like you have to know it come ooooon. The whole joke of like ‘you don’t have to worry about asking if somebody’s a marine since they’ll tell you!‘”</i> - Unknown Callistean bartender speaking to an Sol Alliance News Network reporter regarding the Navy’s presence on [[Callisto]] (2458).</center>
[[File:Marines training.png|250px|thumb|In order to become a full marine, a Corps recruit must first pass one of the most rigorous EVA training programs in the Spur. Many do not.]]
Though technically an independent branch of the SAF the Solarian Marine Corps (SMC) is regarded by most as simply an extension of the Navy. They travel in Navy ships, fight the Navy’s battles alongside it, and generally do whatever they are told to do by the Navy. Marines rarely do any operations without the assistance of the Navy and rarely set foot on planets, instead reserving such duties for the underfunded Solarian Army. The SMC’s  unofficial status as a vassal state of the Navy has brought boons to it such as funding, prestige, and eager recruits thanks to multiple lucrative deals with [[Venus|Cytherean]] media moguls. Many Solarian children and teenagers see marines as heroes who are capable of doing anything they are asked to do as long as it benefits the Alliance.


The market for augmentation is a wide one, and nearly every prominent megacorporation deals in them in one way or another. A major player in the industry is Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, who are responsible for the majority of medical-grade prosthetics through themselves and their subsidiaries. Zeng-Hu prosthetics are popular among medical workers for their stability and precision. Hephaestus Industries is responsible for most industrial prosthetics, and many blue-collar workers swear by the prosthetics' strength and durability. Zavodskoi Interstellar, along with Zeng-Hu subsidiary Jeonshi Biotech, accounts for a majority of combat or otherwise military-affiliated augments. However, corporation-produced prosthetics can be more expensive than others and are often loaded down with prohibitively-restrictive software.
But the reality is often different from the glitzy, Cytherean image projected by popular culture. Marines are often recruited from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and are looked down upon by many Navy officers for this reason, and Marine officers are expected to defer to the judgement of their Naval counterparts even if they are of the same rank. The Army looks down upon Marines for a different reason: it views them a “toy army” subordinate to the Navy due to marines rarely seeing extended periods of ground combat like the Army has. The Army’s bitterness has been further compounded by the Marines consistently receiving more funding, and thus better equipment, due to Navy influence.


Augments come in many varied shapes, sizes, and installations; from nearly transparent eye lenses from the Eridani Corporate Federation, to robotic exodigits that are worn like a glove by some surgeons, to cyberweave that changes color and length and cyberink that are permanently fluctuating tattoos, there are augments for every person in mind. They can typically be split up into three distinct categories, despite their range of differences. The first one is internal, sometimes called installed augments. These are ones that must be permanently affixed to the body until a similar procedure removes them. Removal is not guaranteed and is often much more costly, so it can be considered to be a big decision by anyone that isn't a high-ranking corporate shill. These can be eye lenses that are installed over the pupil and iris to create displays and holo-info, such as ads, analysis, and other useful tools, to mere joint replacements. The second category is known as external or worn augments. These are ones that can be slipped in and out of, either with the ease of putting on a glove or the difficulty of slipping into a tight jumpsuit. They are not permanent, but typically much more expensive as a result. They might be items that can be worn to increase hand-eye coordination, glasses or contacts that eliminate color blindness and other seeing impairments or an exoskeleton that increases speed and stamina. Finally, last but not least, there are decorative augments. These augments are rarely expensive, commercialized for the average worker to buy into, and remain a fun alternative to traditional tattoos, hair dye, and other things. They are similarly installed like internal augments, but their key difference is that they can become inert or inactive and cause no inconvenience if so. Their installations are often more painful than their traditional counterparts, but otherwise provide a level of glam and style that can be swapped with the seasons, ensuring you never regret spending your money on Idris ElectrInk™ products.
But despite this the morale of the Marines remains high. Most wholeheartedly view themselves as elite infantry of the SAF which do what others will not, and view the Army as an organization of complainers and losers who simply lack the gung-ho attitude needed to fight a modern spacefaring conflict. Their extensive funding has ensured most negative press, such as the amount of marines currently fighting for various warlords and the Army’s opinion of them, has remained out of the public view. Connections, and greased palms, in the Cytherean entertainment industry have served to make the reality of the situation something only the dedicated are aware of.


Many poorer citizens opt to produce their own haphazard prosthetics, and there are plenty of underground workshops that manufacture their own work to select from. Often called augmenters or ‘augurs,' these shops typically shy clear of legal routes in order to avoid the monopolies megacorporations have on these markets. People purchasing from these stores avoid legal ramifications due to the sheer variety of augments and prosthetics available on the market— this does not even include all the decalization, decoration, and modifications that people do to their own prosthetics to make them their own. As a result, unless someone is caught in the act of getting these illegal installations or is otherwise ratted out by someone else and reported, these crimes are considered about as harmless as jaywalking.
===Notable Marine Formations===
[[File:Marines SRF.png|300px|thumb|Assembled marines of the 15th Marine Regiment, now serving as part of the Solarian Restoration Front.]]
'''1st Marine Division'''


Military augments and prosthetics that enhance combat ability are closely guarded by their respective corporations or governments and are almost always out of reach for the average worker. There are often civilian models of these augments produced, and corporate security may receive augments like heads-up displays or threat analyzers.
The 1st has, for countless years, been the Marine division assigned to guard the ships of the elite 1st Battlegroup of the Solarian Navy. Well-trained and well-equipped, the 1st served with distinction during the Interstellar War but has not fought in a major conflict since. Its marines are primarily recruited from the Lunan working class and are generally looked down upon by the upper and middle class Lunans which serve as the 1st Battlegroup’s officers. However, as most enlisted sailors come from similar working-class Lunan backgrounds, there is a great amount of camaraderie between marines and enlisted Navy personnel. The Army often holds the 1st Division as an example of how the Marines receive immense funding but do nothing at all as the Division was stationed near Mars but not a single member participated in the Mars Campaign.


Mechanized implants, as a whole, provide a unique way to treat or assuage challenges that come with illness, disease, and disability. If someone is born with a joint in their leg that does not bend correctly and causes pain, an augment or mechanical implant can be installed to ensure the limb is working as intended. Similarly, with the studies conducted on the human brain, sometimes personality AI chips are added that can help someone overcome the challenges of certain mental illnesses. These types of minor augments and prostheses are very common, and as a result, replacing minor body parts like fingers and repairing specific portions of the body is hardly an expensive endeavour.
'''[[Human Wildlands#The Solarian Restoration Front|15th Marine Regiment]]'''


== Vat-Grown Prostheses and Organs ==
This marine regiment, which has since defected to the Solarian Restoration Front, served as the Marine detachment for the 35th Fleet of the Solarian Navy. Even before their defection the 15th was plagued by rumors of corruption and Caesarism in addition to a documented history of abuse towards non-humans. The 35th Fleet spent a great amount on ensuring these rumors were quashed while it was still loyal to Sol. However during the 35th’s incursion into Tau Ceti the 15th’s behavior became so open it could no longer be hidden, and flickery videos of its marines executing Legionnaires became a common sight on the Biesel extranet during and immediately following the incursion. Now, fully defected from Sol and fully dedicated to the SRF, one can only speculate as to what actions they have committed.
Something of an oddity in the realm of prosthetics, vat-grown organs have captivated scientists for decades. These prosthetics are entirely identical to regular cellular limbs and organs, and indistinguishable except for a faint scarred seam around external prosthetics where the limb was attached. In a feat of simultaneous discovery, two groups are known for their production of vat-grown organs. House Volvalaad of the Empire of Dominia, and Zeng-Hu subsidiary Yomi Genetics in association with Nralakk Federation scientists. However, these prostheses are prohibitively expensive for the normal person due to the skill needed to attach one, and the lab work required to grow a limb that is compatible and with the same skin tone as its recipient. Of the former, only the wealthy nobility can access these prosthetics, along with very favoured secondaries. The Nralakk Federation often subsidizes vat-grown prosthetics for their citizens of primary and upper secondary numerical social credit score.


Vat-grown prostheses can be found elsewhere in human space, but they are often at a high cost. Only people that climb the corporate ladder of various megacorporations can afford them due to the costs associated with making and attaching them.
'''33rd Marine Regiment'''


== Effects on Health ==
Prior to his ascension as Prime Minister the 33rd served under the command of then-Admiral Michael Frost. They participated in his invasion of [[Biesel]] and, despite an internal inquiry by the Solarian Armed Forces, escaped all charges levied against them. The 33rd’s loyalty to Frost intrinsically tied their fate to his, even after his imprisonment, and saw their trustworthiness decline in the eyes of the broader SAF. Even Frost’s ascension to power, which saw him restore his loyal regiment to power and use them — at the protest of the Army — as personal guards, only served to temporarily stop the regiment’s fall from grace. After Frost’s death the regiment was pounced upon by reformist actors in the Navy and promptly disbanded, with many of its former officers shipped off to undisclosed prisons for poorly-defined crimes. Even before Frost’s body was cold the 33rd was formally struck from the Corps’ register, and will likely never return to it again.
When it comes to mental health, the power of mental implants is almost entirely unmatched. While they remain unable to cure any mental illness, especially common ones like anxiety and depression, they are often an empowering tool for those that receive them in overcoming them. Personality AIs provide someone to talk to, often able to keep someone grounded in reality amidst flashbacks, delusions, and hallucinations. They do this by giving direct thoughts to someone's head, sounding as if the person could hear this AI talking aloud. With somewhat pricier models hooked up to augmented eyes, a person can even see these AIs manifest nearby in the real world. These implants are typically found in those suffering from PTSD and schizophrenia but are not unheard of outside of that. Implants such as these typically are affected in the same way as the host is, resulting in temporary impairment in the face of drugs, trauma, and other situations. They have roughly the same electrical signals as the human brain does in order to interface with them properly, and as a result, they do not malfunction when under the effects of an EMP. While they remain commonplace, a diagnosis and “prescription” of one from a doctor is almost always required before someone can receive one.


For nearly as long as prostheses have been around, sentient-kind has been attempting to press the boundaries of technological and ethical safety. There is a physical and mental limit to which an individual can be safely augmented, which varies from person to person. ‘Augmentation Dysfunction Syndrome', or simply ‘augment sickness,' refers to the wide variety of illnesses and conditions that can arise from excessive modification. ADS is not a violent illness, and not everyone with augments grows ill with it. Symptoms can include sensory issues and phantom limb pain in milder cases, with particularly severe examples including psychotic and dissociative disorders that require regular visits with a mental health expert. The rate of psychological illness of augmented individuals is often higher than their mundane counterparts, and those who can afford it often receive therapy for a short time when acquiring a new augment to ensure a healthy transition. It is encouraged by mental health professionals for patients with more than a few augments to visit a doctor every so often for a mental health check-up, but many people live happy and normal lives without this.
==The Solarian Army==


A more severe and rare form of augmenting sickness in recent years has been identified with some care. With the full name being ‘Malignant Mechanized Paralysis Disorder,' it is shortened to ‘pulsing out' due to the movements and behaviour of prostheses to behave abnormally. MMPD is defined as the characteristic of temporarily losing the functionality of mechanical limbs, augments, brain implants, and similar body modifications. after a majority of a person's body has been replaced by these parts. Due to chemical imbalances in the brain, theorized as originating from the heavy altercations to the nervous system, some typical late-stage symptoms include physical and mental fatigue, extreme apathy, narcolepsy, narcissism, shifts in personality, and other traits. One thing is for certain, and that pulsing out is a broad shift in behaviour. It is paired with symptoms that can vary extremely between those afflicted, such as migraines and shortness of breath, so it can often be difficult to identify at earlier stages (outside of the occasional discriminatory guess from an attending doctor). The main symptom that outs this disorder among others is the trait where all of the prostheses begin behaving irrationally, sporadically, and stop obeying the patient's commands via the nervous system. While this can be relatively harmless for many, the flailing limbs of someone pulsing out can cause injury to bystanders or the wearer. Some episodes of pulsing out may also interrupt critical functions in a workplace, like affixing down plating, operating machinery, and so forth. Although it is much more common during waking hours, there is still a slight chance of this occurring while asleep. More disturbingly yet is the fact that these appendages may act of their own accord for a few minutes— this has not been verified by Zeng-Hu or any other accredited medical science source outside of rumors and news bites. It is not a simple transition like flicking a switch, thankfully; getting to a point of fully pulsing out is as slow as the transition to becoming mechanized is.
<center><i>“I don’t give a rat’s ass what your Admiral says marine! Unless you can get the PM down here and order me to stand aside, I’m not gonna be letting you into the building! You’re gonna stand down, now! I said now goddammit!”</i> - 1st Lieutenant Anthony “Andy” Bonaccio moments before the Revolt of the Officers devolved into a gunfight. Bonaccio would later go on to become the Alliance’s Secretary of the Army.</center>
[[File:Army embassy.png|400px|thumb|Solarian Army soldiers stationed as guards outside of a Solarian government building.]]
The second-largest SAF branch is the often-neglected Solarian Army. Chronically underfunded, the Army has existed in the shadow of the Navy since the Interstellar War and must often make do with hand-me-down equipment passed over or otherwise discarded by the Marines. A culture of bitterness towards the Navy and the Marines, which the Army views as a subordinate branch of the Navy, has engendered a desire in the Army to do better than the Navy despite the challenges. As an institution it is significantly less corrupt and prone to Caesarism than the Navy is and, thanks to reforms undertaken after the Interstellar War, has long been viewed by the civilian government as an ally instead of an enemy. Army troops have long been used as guards by Solarian government institutions aside from Navy facilities, which utilize Marine guards, due to their loyalty to the government.


Pulsing out is treatable with regular therapy and sometimes even with uninstalling augments or replacing prosthetics with vat-grown alternatives. One clinical trial in particular, done through the work of Zeng-Hu, is testing out personality AI implants in the brain to combat the symptoms of this affliction. Not everyone who has a majority of their body comes under the effect of pulsing out; however, for some unlucky few, they are permanently condemned when they collected these mechanical upgrades or were unlucky enough to receive from a tragic accident.
Unlike the Navy the Solarian Army generally recruits entire divisions from individual planets and trains them in local facilities. These units typically serve as the local garrison of a Solarian member state until they are needed elsewhere, at which point they are mobilized and shipped — much to the ire of Army command — by the Navy to wherever they are needed. Army Central Command itself has long been headquartered on Unity Station and is located within walking distance of the Prime Minister’s office. Interestingly, Central Command has no fixed unit to guard it: instead, in order to avoid favoritism, the division tasked with protecting it is rotated on a two-year basis. At the time of the Collapse the chosen unit was the 37th Martian Mechanized Division, more popularly known as the “Red Devils.” Due to the mysterious nature of Prime Minister Frost’s death and his seeming lack of care for Mars, rumors that the 37th killed him have swirled since before his body was cold. The 37th has since rotated back to Mars, where it served with distinction during the reunification campaign. While currently a volunteer-only force the Solarian Army is, in theory, able to petition the government to institute a draft in times of emergency. This draft has not been used since the Interstellar War, and few imagine it would ever pass unless a second were to begin.


Regardless of one's ability to adapt to augmentation or the presence of a robust health network, the absolute limit of augmentation work seems to have been found with ‘Full Body Prosthetics', or FBPs. FBPs were once a project of Zeng-Hu that attempted to convert a human into a fully synthetic individual. A ridiculous sum had been invested into the project, only for each test subject to wind up in a catatonic state that they would never recover from. Yet, Zeng-Hu's resolve was unbroken, and they publicly vowed their intent on successfully creating the impossible. This effort culminated in the very early 2400s with Sven Karlsson. Karlsson, a wildly-famous trillionaire from Earth, publicly announced his intent to partner with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals. His goal? Unprecedented scientific advancement. He vowed to become Zeng-Hu's next subject, and that by partnering their collective intelligence and resources, he would be the first successful FBP in an act of peerless technological superiority. Human society as a whole waited with bated breath to see the fate of Sven Karlsson, the man who could usher in an era of scientific greatness. Unfortunately, this was not to be. Despite the incredible amount of resources spent upon the project and the presence of some of Earth's greatest minds, Karlsson sadly died in the attempt. The public relations disaster that followed ensured that no corporation would ever dare to attempt to create an FBP again, and the practice is near-universally regarded as both ethically and scientifically ridiculous, even by the standards of megacorporations.
While Army equipment and training, unlike their SDF counterparts, is standardized across the board certain member states have gained a reputation of supplying the Army with higher-quality units than others. Despite its poor reputation with many figures in the broader Alliance the Army generally views [[Mars]] as providing the best units due to many seeing it as one of their only ways to get off-world. [[Silversun]], with the [[Silversun#The Originals|Originals]] forming a similar group, is similarly prized as are units recruited from [[Venus#Jintarian Culture|Venusian Jintarians]]. On the contrary Luna is viewed by most as providing some of the poorest-quality troops for the Army. Many have speculated as to why this is, and some Army officials have gone as far to accuse the Navy of deliberately sabotaging Army recruitment efforts on the moon. Pluto provides similarly poor-quality troops as its ruling government zealously guards its best troops for its internal security forces and only provides the Army with wash-outs and other poor troops. Very few [[Pluto|Plutonian]] or [[Luna|Lunarian]] units are trusted with anything other than garrison duty.


== Prosthetics Outside Human Space ==
Recently the Army-Navy struggle seems to be shifting towards a more even playing field due to Army successes and Navy failures. During a period where the Navy was at its lowest before recent reforms the Army proved itself effective in a decisive campaign where it [[Mars#The Solarian Army’s Reunification Campaign|regained control over much of Mars]]. Army Central Command has viewed this as a massive victory and it has secured a great amount of positive press for the long-beleaguered and underfunded Army. Whether or not this wave of success will continue with the Navy’s recent reforms, and a promise of return to civilian government, remains to be seen.
An innovation by the [[People's Republic of Adhomai]]'s [[Tajaran_Educational_Institutions#Hadii_Institute_of_Orbital_Research|Hadii Institute]] has created a new kind of prosthesis specifically suited to Tajaran anatomy. These prostheses use proprietary tesla technology in the form of a [[People's_Republic_of_Adhomai#Medical|Tesla Spine]] grafted to the back of the wearer to power the wearer's prosthetics. While previously only for the military, these prosthetics were soon distributed to all of the PRA's in-need citizens at no cost, and are popular among People's Republic veterans. Only Tajara from the People's Republic of Adhomai may use this kind of prosthetic.


On Moghes, the [[Aut'akh]] religious movement has led to the creation of various decentralized communes across the Unathi homeland and abroad. Aut'akh adherents seek self-actualization through ritualistic implementation of various self-produced prosthetics, often made with stolen or repurposed parts from Hephaestus. Aut'akh exist at the fringes of Unathi society and face heavy discrimination from the mainstream populace. Almost to the shock of many outsiders, Aut'akh on occasion revere some episodes of pulsing out, especially when prosthetics seem to act with a mind of their own. Besides this, they universally loathe when prosthetics flail about, citing that demons are inhabiting the host and trying to kill their spirit before it can be liberated. Regardless of their beliefs, pulsing out remains one reason of skepticism against this religion and trans-speciesism as a whole, despite the claim from the communes that pulsing out remains rare among their number.
===Notable Army Divisions===
[[File:Army Mars.png|400px|thumb|Soldiers of the 37th Martian Mechanized Division during the Martian Campaign of 2464.]]
'''1st Earther Infantry Division, “Big Red One”'''


[[Ouerea]] houses one of the biggest underground markets for augurs in the Spur. Largely due to the criminal and off-the-books shops and industries there, it is one of the trending places to collect and receive augmentation, prosthetic installation, and implant implementation. Military-grade equipment, typically ad hoc, expensive, and used to dangerous ends, can be found in the darkest corners of city underbellies. Ostensibly, though, these upgrades will forever bar someone from joining a megacorp for as long as they have them. Various neon art styles are utilized to decorate otherwise lifeless metal parts, giving them a sense of uniqueness and self-expression that remains common to every sentient creature in the galaxy. This form of art is popularized on Ouerea, but different styles and takes on it can be found among the underbellies of the Eridani Corporate Federation, Konyang, and other places abroad.
One of the oldest continuously-serving divisions in the Alliance, the 1st Infantry Division has fought in every major war the SAF has become involved in. In addition to service in the Interstellar War and the recent Mars Campaign the 1st was the Army division which thwarted the Revolt of the Officers and, as a result, has long been one of the first divisions the civilian government pulls guards from. This division is recruited from Earth and primarily draws its recruits from the United States, though it contains Earthers from across the globe in its ranks.


A true oddity among most denizens of the spur, [[Dionae_Forms#Nymph_Limbs|some Unathi and Skrell have been seen using Diona nymphs as replacements for missing limbs]]. Forming a symbiotic relationship by allowing the nymph to attach themselves at the stump of the missing body part, the nymph shifts their biomass to replace the limb while receiving blood, memories, and a host in exchange.
'''2nd Venusian Air Cavalry Division, “Jintaria’s Claws”'''


The Nralakk Federation utilizes [[Nralakk_Federation#Technology|Loyalty Implants]] to ensure someone acts in the best interests of the Federation. The most common form the implant takes is as a ‘tag' that can be seen attached to the end of a Skrell's head-tail, or if worn by a non-Skrell, it can be attached to the earlobe or tail. The use of these loyalty implants on non-Federation citizens has been made illegal by all other nations in the Orion Spur, with many such as the Republic of Biesel going further and denouncing them as unethical. Recently, these implants have been utilized by the Federation's Nlomkala and Qukala, attaching them to Vaurca warriors that have been assigned to the respective organizations.
Formed slightly after the Interstellar War from primarily-Jintarian units recruited on Venus during the Interstellar War, the 2nd Venusian is an elite Army division intended to be deployed from dropships into extremely tough situations. The 2nd is primarily made up of Jintarians, though some Cytherean crashouts are present. Traditionally, Jintarian 2nd Venusian recruits will give themselves a cheek scar to symbolically note their separation from appearance-obsessed Cythereans. The 2nd was not deployed to Mars due to concerns phoron in the air would choke the engines of its dropships and gunships, which has left the elite division bitter and eager for action. The 2nd Venusian is, aside from their scars, well-known for their distinctive “cavalry” hats.


[[Vaurca_Biology#Augments|Vaurca]] prostheses were developed long before their Orion Spur counterparts. Due to their open circulatory system and ergonomic, insect-like design, Vaurcae are more prone to lose limbs, and rudimentary prosthetics were already commonplace since before the Agricultural revolution. The modern prosthesis predates the Era of Augments, with the introduction of the neural socket only revolutionizing their control and link to the rest of their system. While some prostheses exist that include tools and weaponry, most of the common prosthesis are utilitarian and sometimes the very same limb has been used for over centuries, inherited by different generations of Vaurcae. As their other biomechanical augments, prostheses are removed and recycled after death. Although limbs are most common, metal plates and mechanical thoraxes are also a reality, especially within the Bound that remain close to the Hive. The so-called ‘maintenance' Vaurcae undergo in the later stages of their lives refers to the replacement of the flesh with metallic limbs. For a Vaurcae, there is little difference between the two, and many of the Zo'ra Hive had and still have a hard time understanding why IPCs and other human robots are not considered human.
'''37th Martian Mechanized Division, “Red Devils”'''


= Communications =
The oldest continuously-serving Martian division, the “Red Devils” were originally formed from an amalgamation of pro-Sol SDF units during the [[Mars#The Martian World War|Martian World War]]. The 37th served with distinction during the Martian World War and earned its nickname from the large amount of dust its units would kick up on the open plains of Mars. Following the War it was formally integrated into the Solarian Army as a division and has served with distinction since. It was one of the most-engaged divisions during the Mars Campaign of 2464. Few members of the division perished in the Violet Dawn catastrophe thanks to its garrison being located in Kunlun, far in the Martian north. Despite this performance rumors that the 37th assassinated Prime Minister Frost have continued to swirl, and may haunt the division for decades to come. The traditional 37th sleeve patch is a red devil on a blue background, and is intended to show Martian unity with the Alliance.
== Portable Communications Devices ==
Communication devices are prolific in the 25th century, with innumerable types, brands, and models on offer to the average person. Smartphones, PDAs, laptop and desktop computers, and even certain augments are available if you are able to afford them. The most common portable device available is the Personal Digital Assistant, or PDA, an information management device that sees extensive use by megacorporations; they are robust, inexpensive to make, and due to how limited these devices are in terms of applications and connectivity, not considered a major security risk compared to smartphones or laptops. Most people living in [[Tau Ceti]] will at least own a simple PDA for work purposes, provided by their employer as part of their job. Corporate PDAs typically allow for intranet access within assigned corporate facilities, internal messaging services, file transfer systems, and applications designed to assist with the user's role.


== Interstellar Communication ==
'''3rd Callistean Infantry Division, “Commonwealth Marines”'''
The extranet is a galactic collection of satellite relays and server farms that allows users to share information and communicate over long distances. While most planets will have their own intranet, the extranet allows users to access most online services within the Orion Spur. The extranet has evolved into a critical infrastructure of modern society, with almost all online traffic going through it, to the point that the distinction between the intranet and extranet is rarely made. The main distinction between the two is that websites and other online platforms that provide their services Spur-wide are hosted directly on extranet servers, while planetary intranet networks are mostly used for local services such as government or business websites.


There are a variety of factors that impact the speed of interstellar transmissions. Infrastructure plays a significant role with more isolated areas of the Orion Spur able to expect their communications to take significantly longer than if they were in a heavily populated region such as those surrounding [[Sol]] or [[Tau Ceti]]. Distance also impacts the speed of communication, the greater the distance between the sender and receiver results in a delay of several hours or even days.  
Recruited primarily from the [[Callisto#Government|Port Authority of Callisto]], the Commonwealth Marines are the Army’s only unit which specializes into zero-gravity combat in spaceborne objects such as stations, ships, and EVA environments. The Commonwealth Marines and the Solarian Marines have an infamously poor relationship due to the 3rd Callistean’s use of the term Marines in their name, and those of the division are known to get into off-duty brawls with Navy Marines in the Ringpole District. Callistean military police and CMPD officers generally let the Commonwealth Marines, who are quite popular on Callisto, go with barely a slap on the wrist. The division is easily recognized by their black berets with gold-and-red badges — a color choice deliberately designed to resemble the Callistean flag.


Megacorporations are mostly responsible for hosting the satellite relays and server farms that allow for extranet access, except within the [[Empire of Dominia]], [[Nralakk Federation]], and the [[Republic of Elyra|Serene Republic of Elyra]] due to their more autocratic tendencies regarding information oversight and economic management. [[Einstein Engines]] has long dominated the interstellar communications market with their subsidiary Taipei Engineering Industrial and is the sole provider of extranet services within the [[Sol Alliance| Solarian Alliance]]. While the megacorporations that make the [[Stellar Corporate Conglomerate]] don't have as much influence within the sector, they have recently begun undertaking opportunities to expand through working alongside government contractors within both Dominia and Elyra.
'''4th Haiphongese Armored Division, “Habs on Wheels”'''


= Currencies =
Many [[New Hai Phong|Haiphongese]] divisions become hopelessly stuck in the quagmire of corruption which defines so much of life on the planet. Not the 4th, which has proven to be stunningly resistant to corruption since its founding in the mid-2300s. 4th tankers are primarily recruited from the crime-riddled Ton Gwai Pei, which many young Haiphongers are eager to escape. They are then trained in armored drills in the harsh deserts outside the megalopolises of New Hai Phong in the operation of the Army’s standard M35A6 tank modified for the environment of New Hai Phong. Typically of shorter builds to fit comfortably into their modified tanks, their gas masks — which they almost always wear while in their vehicles — are typically customized in the traditional Haiphongese style. Some are intended to call back to the hab the tanker came from, while others use the colors of gangs the tankers were previously affiliated with. The 4th was a major participant in the Mars Campaign, where its harsh-environment training and NHP-adapted tanks proved an unbeatable force on the Martian plains.
== Solarian Standard Credit ==
The Solarian Standard Credit (民/SSC) is essentially the Orion Spur's standard currency due to the prevalence of the [[Sol Alliance|Solarian Alliance]] prior to its collapse in 2462. Outside of the Alliance, use of the SSC is common throughout certain parts of the [[Coalition of Colonies]], the [[Empire of Dominia]], and the [[Corporate Reconstruction Zone]] of the [[Republic of Biesel]]. Within Sol's collapsed warlord states, it has lost much of its value due to the lack of central authority. The SSC is available in electronic, bankcard and traditional notes forms. Responsibility for the currency falls to the Solarian Central Bank, which is located on Unity Station in the Sol System. The Central Bank manages monetary policy and the supply of the Solarian Standard Credit for the Alliance and greater Spur, and this management of supply and interest rates ensures that the Solarian Credit is able to function as a fiat currency. The SSC is worth less than the Biesel Standard Credit.


== Biesel Standard Credit ==
'''12th Silversunner Coastal Infantry Division, “Mistral”'''
Biesel Standard Credit (电/CR) is one of the dominating currencies that exist within the Orion Spur and was created shortly after the [[Republic of Biesel]]'s declaration of independence in 2452. It sees usage outside of the Republic, within the [[Izweski Nation|Izweski Hegemony]], who adopted it as their official currency following the collapse of the Solarian Alliance, and some sections of the [[Coalition of Colonies]] near the shared border, as well as the [[People%27s_Republic_of_Adhomai|People's Republic of Adhomai]]. The BSC is available in electronic, bankcard and traditional notes forms that have the symbol of a lit torch on them. Responsibility for the currency falls to the Central Biesel Banking Authority, which is located in District One of [[Mendell City]], the capital of the Republic of Biesel. It oversees monetary policy and the supply of the Biesel Standard Credit, with assistance from [[Idris Incorporated]]. Similarly to the Solarian Standard Credit, the BSC is able to function as a fiat currency.


== Imperial Pound ==
A relative oddity in the 2400s, the 12th is a unit specialized into waterborne operations due to its origins on [[Silversun]]. In addition to waterborne operations the 12th is trained to fight in harsh environments such as the jungles and rainforests of Silversun, and is often used by the local governor to track down and apprehend criminal elements — such as poachers — who believe the dense undergrowth can hide them from Solarian authorities. This duty has caused them to sometimes be referred to sarcastically as “the Army’s Park Rangers,” by other units, and this is a surefire way to become involved in a brawl if said to most 12th soldiers. Though most commonly known for the green camouflage “Silversunner” boonie caps they often wear on patrol, 12th officers prize their distinctive blue-and-silver kepis they are issued when commissioned, though few wear them in the jungle due to fears of spoiling the cap’s fabric.
The Imperial Pound (Ф) is the standard currency of the [[Empire of Dominia]], and predates the modern Empire by several decades – it was originally the primary currency of the Imperial Alliance, the nations that would go on to found the Empire by force. The Imperial Pound does not see much use outside of the borders of the Empire but is occasionally sought after by collectors due to the intricate design of its coins and bills, which generally depict historical figures such as Emperor Godwin Keeser I or religious symbols such as the Moroz Holy Tribunal's iconography. Like most currencies, in the Spur, the Imperial Pound is available in physical and electronic formats, with electronic currency being more popular in the Imperial Core and physical currency being more popular in the Imperial Frontier. Responsibility for the currency falls to the Imperial Central Bank, which is located in Nova Luxembourg on Moroz. The Imperial Pound is a fiat currency, and control over it via the Imperial Central Bank has long been dominated by House Caladius. The Imperial Pound is worth less than the Biesel Standard Credit.


== Elyran Pound ==
===Notable Army Equipment===
Dating back to the early 2300s, the Elyran Pound (پوند) was created by the [[Republic of Elyra|Serene Republic of Elyra]] as a domestic replacement for the Solarian Standard Credit following the Republic's secession from the Alliance. The Elyran Pound does not see much use outside of the Republic, but is occasionally used in the [[Coalition of Colonies]] due to its value. It is available in both electronic and physical formats, but physical currency has become increasingly rare in Elyra due to the growth of the Republic's economy and the rapid pace of technological progress fueled by its phoron boom. Physical Elyran Pounds are most commonly seen in the hands of Elyran Non-Citizen Persons, which lack access to many of the luxuries and services that their citizen counterparts enjoy. The fiat currency is managed by the [[Elyran_Government_and_Politics|Ministry of Economics, Revenue, and Commerce]], which has worked to ensure that the Elyran Pound is one of the Spur's more valuable currencies and it is worth more than the Biesel Standard Credit.


== Sqiip ==
The '''M-469 assault rifle''' is the standard assault rifle of the Solarian Armed Forces and is used by both the Army and the Marines. The rifle is rare for being designed for the Army first and then adopted by the Marines, who became fond of the design. The M-469 was originally produced by [[Zavodskoi Interstellar]] but, since the founding of the [[Sol Alliance#Economics|Solarian Corporate Authority]], has started to be mostly produced by nationalized Solarian factories. It has a vast number of variants and is used by every Solarian Army and Marine unit, and has found use in many of the Alliance’s better-equipped System Defense Forces. Those SDFs which cannot afford it often make do with local designs or surplus weaponry, which can range from relatively recent to decades old.
Created after the formation of the First [[Nralakk Federation]], the Sqiip (℘) has existed for thousands of years, beginning shortly after the Skrell discovered the ability to traverse the stars. It sees practically zero use outside the [[Nralakk Federation]] besides being paid to those in the '''Work Initiative Programme''' and is available in both electronic and physical formats. Its physical format are minted coins and paper bills, with the minted coins capable of being stacked and locked due to special magnetic properties for easy transportation, while the higher-valued paper bills are printed on different types of water-safe seaweed. Symbols on the physical formats are often aquatic life such as shells, molluscans, Buurgis and Vro'qos. It is managed by the Grand Council, more specifically, the Grand Advisor of Economic Development - currently, [[Notable Skrell|Ormish Jrolk]]. Through careful planning, with further advisement from educated citizens of the Federation, the Grand Advisor of Economic Development is responsible for managing the monetary policy for the Sqiip - and enjoys operation as a fiat currency due to this oversight. Despite its relative isolative nature, The Sqiip is worth significantly more than the Biesel Standard Credit. It is unknown whether the Sqiip will continue to remain the most valuable currency within the Spur.  


== Adhomian Knuckle ==
One of the most powerful tools available in Solarian Army operations is the '''M35A6 main battle tank'''. Though a nearly thirty year old design at this point, the M35A6 has gone through six updates which have kept it on the level of other, competing tanks such as the [[Dominian Imperial Military#Imperial Army|Dominian Imperial Army’s]] JA-57/2 breakthrough tank. It is, however, fairly dated compared to Marine equipment, particularly in its targeting matrix, and consumes a frightening amount of fuel. However, the relatively simple construction of the M35A6 has allowed a multitude of variants to be produced. One of the most notable is the M35A6/NHP (New Hai Phong) used by the 4th Haiphongese Armored Division, a slightly smaller variation of the typical M35A6 which notably features a large atmospherics filtering system on its rear. The M35A6/NHP’s filters, originally designed to survive the environment of New Hai Phong, allowed it to excel on the Martian surface.
The Adhomian Knuckle (თ), also known as the Sharnyr, is the currency used by all Tajaran nations. Prior to first contact, it was a piece of fur framed with precious metals decorated with the coat of arms of whatever kingdom made them. After the First Revolution, the Adhomian Knuckle is only issued in banknote format. Since the Second Revolution, there is a great variety of designs on the notes between the factions. The Knuckle is only accepted in [[Adhomai]], the Tajaran colonies, and [[Little Adhomai]]; traders and smugglers will usually carry a supply of Biesel Standard Credits to deal with non-Tajara customers. All versions of the Adhomian Knuckle are worth significantly less than the Biesel Standard Credit. The PRA version is the most valuable, followed by the NKA one and with the DPRA's being the least valuable.


= Fusion =
Primarily associated with the 2nd Venusian, the '''AH-52 “Tarantula Wasp” multi-role helicopter''' is one of the Solarian Army Air Force’s most beloved designs. First used in 2452, the AH-52 is a relatively modern design and was rapidly produced for the 2nd Venusian to replace its aging helicopter fleet. It is capable of carrying up to a squad of troops and supporting them with a vigorous array of weaponry while easier enduring hits thanks to judicious armor and an on-board shield generator, but has seen little practical use so far due to the environment of Mars — the Army’s most recent major engagement — preventing most airborne operations. This has left the AH-52’s crews eager for action, and wondering when the design will finally have a chance to prove itself in combat.
== Nuclear Fusion Energy ==
Discovered by Skrell in 1561 CE, and humanity in 2027 CE, fusion energy utilizes isotopes of deuterium, helium-3, or tritium to generate nuclear energy via fusion reaction. Safe, fuel-efficient, and nearly emission-free, it is a staple of developed interstellar civilizations across the spur.
Until recent years, however, improvements in fusion energy had plateaued. Research into increasing efficiency, reducing cost, and miniaturization has been slow with little to no major breakthroughs. Fusion reactors require advanced, rare mineral alloy compositions, and many of the parts are so large and difficult to transport that they must be lathed onsite. Fusion reactors become less common the further one moves away from highly developed space, due to the high initial start-up costs and maintenance.  


Ships under a certain tonnage generally have limitations when it comes to the speed or availability of their jump drives and the output of their subsystems, due to them being unable to mount fusion reactors. It is typically impractical to mount ships under a destroyer weight class with a fusion reactor, as the size of it would disproportionately overtake and dwarf the rest of the vessel. [[Nanotrasen Corporation|Nanotransen]], and by association, the [[Stellar Corporate Conglomerate]], has compensated for this through the development of the Tesla and Supermatter engines: these are much more compact than fusion reactors, but they allow smaller vessels and installations to punch far above their weight class in terms of power generation with virtually no fuel cost. Perfect for remote installations or exploratory vessels. The [[SCCV Horizon]] would not be possible without these engines, and the bulk of the energy they generate is used to charge her bluespace drive's capacitors between jumps.
The '''Basilisk Armored Exosuit''' is one of the most common Solarian Army “vehicles” in operation. Though dated in its design, as the Basilisk’s original frame dates to the late 2420s, it is capable of being surprisingly mobile thanks to its four-legged design and can be equipped with a vast array of weaponry and equipment, effectively allowing it to serve in any environment. Basilisks are also used by the Solarian Marine Corps and the Navy, and these variants are almost always more modern designs than their Army equivalents. Thanks to its flexibility and armament the Basilisk is easily capable of handling most ground-based threats short of heavy tanks on the battlefield and readily outclasses the improvised exosuits of the [[Tau Ceti Foreign Legion]], which it demonstrated itself as easily capable of destroying during the 35th Fleet’s incision.


=== Phoron Fusion ===
==System Defense Forces==
Phoron fusion serves as a potent alternative to conventional fusion. By substituting phoron for tritium, it generates a fusion reaction that is much more energy-dense and easier to sustain than what's typical for fusion reactors. There are tradeoffs for this, however. Phoron fusion reactors consume fuel at a rate twice as fast as their tritium counterparts. Unlike other fusion reactions, Phoron is much more volatile and harder to stop. As a consequence, containment chambers that run phoron require additional reinforcement to handle the strain of the reaction, and additional fail-safes or subsystems must be built in to prevent meltdowns. The fuel cost and expense of building and maintaining these reactors are immense, it is normally only practical for them to be mounted in important infrastructure projects such as bluespace gates, cities, or naval capital ships.


=== Cold Fusion ===
<center><i>“Nowhere is the state of our armed forces more obvious than in the miserable condition of many local forces. They are, seemingly as a rule, under-equipped, under-funded, and under-motivated. What I would give for every one of them to resemble [[San Colette]]!”</i> - Fleet Admiral Ingrid von Varnhagen und Langenburg, commanding officer of the First Battlegroup, in an interview with the SANN recorded on 16 August 2462. </center>
Unique to the [[Nralakk Federation]], a workable model of cold fusion was discovered. Using a rare species of electrokinetic, bioluminescent plankton, cold fusion reactors are capable of generating power far above what a regular fusion reactor can achieve in a similar size class. Cold fusion reactors using this model, however, are much more volatile. The first and largest of its kind, The Weilshi Cold Fusion Plant, was activated in 1890 CE. More can be read about it [[Skrell Synthetic Age|here]]. Due to its dark past with the Weilshi Sea Crisis, cold fusion in the Federation only sees limited use on small-scale planetary installations.
[[File:Militia Visegrad.png|400px|thumb|Many local military forces, such as those on [[Visegrad]] found themselves sorely tested by the Collapse. Many collapsed, unable to endure the pressure.]]
An institution that predates the Interstellar War, System Defense Forces (SDFs) are intended to serve as local military forces when the Navy is either unavailable or in need of additional forces to support its operations. Many SDFs defected during the Interstellar War, which greatly reduced their prestige in the eyes of the Navy and their importance in the eyes of the admiralty. Loyalist and Coalition SDFs sustained some of the highest rates of losses during the Interstellar War due to their poorer training and equipment, and many on both sides simply dissolved at the war’s end due to these losses.


== Fusion technology across the Spur ==
Modern Solarian SDFs suffer from much of the same problems their Interstellar War counterparts did: due to being funded primarily by the system they are stationed in, many have outdated equipment and poor training which causes a lack of respect from the Navy. While there are some exceptions to this rule, such as the well-funded and, as a result, well-trained and well-equipped [[San Colette#The Civil Guard|Colettish Civil Guard]], most existing SDFs prior to the Collapse were barely able to patrol and secure their immediate surroundings without Navy assistance, let alone fight off serious threats. Compounding these issues is a regulation which impacts all SDF vessels: due to the mass defections of many during the Interstellar War no SDF vessels  are equipped with warp drives capable of warping without a warp gate’s assistance. Though originally intended as a safeguard against further SDF defections, this regulation has greatly limited the capabilities of SDFs, and has rendered them only able to patrol areas with ready access to warp lanes.
Prior to their collapse, and even after, the [[Sol Alliance|Solarian Alliance]] had the most fusion reactors per capita of any interstellar nation. This comes from an original pledge made by the nascent [[Sol Alliance|Solarian Alliance]] in 2128, to make every colony energy independent and "put a reactor in every settlement." As one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever undertaken by humanity, The Alliance had achieved this goal in all of their major systems and 65% throughout the entire alliance by the time of the collapse. Fusion reactors remain the pride of the alliance, often touted as a symbol of its might and universalism. Phoron fusion, however, is a different matter. Between reliance on foreign exports to operate them and the outcome of the Red Dawn, these reactors are shunned by the public for their perceived volatility and are frugally constructed by officials due to their fuel demands.


In the [[Coalition of Colonies]], however, fusion technology and planetary energy dependence are sporadic and variable throughout the nation. All of the major population and economic hubs in the Coalition have regular access to fusion technology, but it grows extremely infrequent the further one travels from these locations. How energy needs are met in the greater coalition are highly variable, from more conventional solar panels and battery reserves to obscure or archaic methods such as fossil fuel burning. Phoron fusion reactors are almost non-existent in the coalition, with two exceptions: thanks to their proximity to [[Tau Ceti]] via jump-gate, [[Konyang]] is beginning to dabble more into this technology, as well as Xanu Prime who has engaged in its very own phoron fusion projects.  
During the Solarian Collapse these faults were laid bare for the entire Spur to see. Most SDFs stood no chance against [[Human Wildlands#The Southern Fleet Administration|emboldened pirates]] or [[Human Wildlands#The Solarian Restoration Front|rogue Navy forces]] as, for many of them, the largest ships they had access to were outdated and often poorly-maintained frigates, one of the smallest classes of combat-capable ships in the Solarian Navy. While some SDFs possessed larger vessels such as cruisers only a handful possessed anything capable of challenging capital ships. Faced with destruction or defection, many SDFs opted to join local warlords or occupying forces, such as Biesel, for protection and, much like their Interstellar War counterparts, steady pay. Some, motivated by patriotism or a desire to ensure the safety of those they protected, fought to the bitter end or managed to retreat to the Inner Ring.


The [[Republic of Elyra]] and [[Republic of Biesel]] are in similar circumstances, having received much of their fusion infrastructure when they were still part of the Solarian Alliance, and continued to expand as they advanced as independent nations. Everything changed with phoron, however. In 2420, Nanotransen scientists in Tau Ceti substituted phoron for tritium in what would become the first Phoron fusion source, triggering an energy technology race between [[Republic of Elyra|Elyra]], [[Republic of Biesel|Biesel]], later on, the [[Stellar Corporate Conglomerate]]. Five years after the creation of this fusion source, Elyra created a functional reactor. Nanotransen produced its first commercially viable phoron fusion reactor designs in 2425, and [[Republic of Elyra|Elyra]] began to create its own infrastructurally viable designs just one year after. Today, the race continues, as these powers surge forwards trying to outdo each other in pushing past the obstacles of fusion technology, alongside the [[Coalition of Colonies]] which has dipped a proverbial toe in the water that is phoron fusion.  
Those SDFs that survived the Collapse relatively intact, such as the Civil Guard and other forces of the Middle Ring Shield Pact or the Visegradi NDF, or successfully retreated to the Inner Ring now stand as some of the most battle-hardened naval forces of the Alliance, and many vessels which retreated to the Inner Ring have been retrofitted and integrated into the Navy itself. But few believe the SDFs which remain will be able to stabilize the [[Human Wildlands|Wildlands]] themselves and many in the Alliance are reconsidering the practicality of SDFs as a whole following their failings during the Collapse. Only time will tell if the beleaguered SDFs will snatch a modicum of redemption for themselves in the months to come or if they will wallow in their situation before withering under the weight of the Alliance’s failings.


{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
{{Navbox Lore}}
[[Category:Military]]

Версия от 06:38, 20 сентября 2023

Быстрая навигация
Основные страницы Стартовое руководство по Лору для новых игроков
Главное Языки · Межзвёздные Путешествия · Хронология · Блюспейс · Карта Галактики · SCCV Горизонт · Глубокий Космос · Гайд по Законам · Образование · Гражданство · Технологии · Терраформирование
Арки 2020 · Арки 2021 · Арки 2022 · Арки 2023 · Арки 2024
Корпорации Idris Incorporated · Einstein Engines · Stellar Corporate Conglomerate · NanoTrasen Corporation · Orion Express
Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals Hephaestus Industries · Zavodskoi Interstellar · Private Military Contracting Group
Основные фракции Соларианский Альянс · Республика Бизель · Доминийская Империя · Коалиция Колоний · Эриданская Федерация · Светлая Республика Элира · Федерация Нралакк
Народная Республика Адомая · Демократическая Народная Республика Адомая · Новое Королевство Адомая · Гегемония Извески · Содружество Иероаэтерия
Важные локации








  • Расы







  • Flag of the Navy of the Sol Alliance.
    The ensign of the Solarian Navy, once flown from Earth to the Solarian Frontier.

    Even after the Solarian Collapse of late 2462 the Solarian Armed Forces (SAF) remain the single largest organized human fighting force in the Orion Spur, though some argue a fully-mobilized Coalition of Colonies would have more troops. The SAF dates to the founding of the Alliance and is divided into three distinct branches: the Solarian Army, the Solarian Navy, and the Solarian Marine Corps. Aside from these three branches the SAF can also call upon System Defense Forces (SDFs), the local militaries of many Solarian member states, in times of emergency. Despite its size the SAF has been hampered by a lack of cooperation between the Navy and Army, and an ineffective amount of civilian control over some aspects of the SAF has long been of concern to the Alliance.

    But despite these concerns the SAF still occupies an important place in Solarian society and in the Alliance’s government, though the Navy is considerably more influential than the Army. Recent developments have made a dent in this Navy dominance but it remains to be seen if, or when, the political environment will change — or if it will change for the better.

    History

    “The Solarian military is dedicated to destroying whatever it touches, and will not hesitate to destroy you if you show them weakness. Show them no mercy, for they showed your ancestors none!” - Excerpt from a Gadpathurian anti-Solarian booklet intended to be distributed to children age 8-10.

    The Solarian Armed Forces have a history which stretches back to 17 July 2143, shortly after the founding of the Solarian Alliance. Its origin was not a happy one. While it took almost a decade to agree to the terms of the Alliance and most parties, Switzerland excepted, on Earth agreed to join it by 2140, the idea of surrendering military autonomy to a supranational government was a point of concern for many members of the newly-formed Alliance. In particular the two superpowers of Earth, the USA and USSR, were extremely hesitant to surrender their spacebound military capabilities to the Alliance. Further compounding issues, both argued that they deserved to be the location of the Alliance’s military command structure.

    It took three grueling years of back-and-forth negotiations between the Alliance and its members to resolve the issue of the SAF. Ultimately a compromise was reached regarding the Alliance’s military command which settled the pressing issue of who would host the admiralty, and thus be able to influence, what was now known as the Solarian Navy. The compromise placed the admiralty on a place where no Earth nation could, in theory, influence it: Harmony City, Luna. While the US and USSR were not happy, they were both content to accept it. While they weren’t able to control it, their rivals weren’t either. The position of the admiralty on Luna and the relative independence offered to it due to this would, in the decades and centuries to come, have had dire consequences.

    In the century between the Alliance’s formation and the Interstellar War the SAF experienced an interservice rivalry between the Solarian Army and Solarian Navy which, while never turning to violence, defined much of the SAF’s trajectory before 2275. The Navy claimed it was of more importance due to securing Sol’s interstellar lanes of commerce and policing piracy, while the Army claimed it was of more importance due to protecting the colonies themselves and ensuring the Alliance was internally stable. The Army-Navy conflict prior to the Interstellar War has been viewed by some Solarian scholars as a microcosm of the future civil war: the Navy tended to be dominated by Inner Ring citizens, particularly those from Luna, and the Army tended to draw its personnel locally, leading to a large proportion from the Outer Ring and further afield colonies.

    This conflict, and the broader schism in the Alliance, would be brought to its bloody conclusion in 2275 with the start of the Interstellar War, the SAF’s largest and most costly conflict even two centuries later. It would tip the Army-Navy struggle decisively in the Navy’s favor as many Army units, recruited locally and unpaid for months due to the ongoing financial crisis, defected to the Coalition while few Navy units did the same, and those that did were often swept under the rug or otherwise disowned. While the Navy, and loyal units of the Army, fought fiercely — and in some cases, such as Gadpathur, committed horrific crimes in the name of Solarian unity — they were unable to defeat the Coalition due to its dogged defensive fighting and a peace treaty, the Treaty of Xansan, was ultimately signed in Geneva in 2287, bringing over a decade of warfare to a close and permanently shattering Solarian hegemony over humanity.

    To the Navy, which believed it could have won the Interstellar War, the Treaty of Xansan was seen as a betrayal of the venerable Navy by spineless politicians — a slap to the collective faces of Navy officers who had put their lives on the line defending the Alliance by cowardly politicians obsessed with their careers who had never spent a day in uniform. It incensed them, and they began to plot against it in secret. Decisive action was needed to ensure Sol remained intact, and who better to take it than the Navy, its most venerable institution?

    While it ultimately failed in its goal of revoking the Treaty of Xansan the Revolt of the Officers on 18 May 2289 forever ensured the Navy would have a voice in politics. The coup attempt’s goals were simple: overthrow the civilian government and declare the Treaty of Xansan null and void, then resume the Interstellar War and fight until the Alliance’s hegemony was once again established. It began to fall apart almost immediately due to one factor the Navy officer in charge of it, Admiral Terrence Hopper, had not accounted for: that the Army guard stationed at the Alliance’s then-capital in New York City did not go along with their conspiracy, and that an active gunfight began outside the capitol building between Army guards and Navy marines. Ultimately the Army, with support from local member state forces and ordinary civilians, repulsed the attack and the coup was seemingly aborted. But it was not as simple as it seemed as the admiralty, in the days after the coup, cut a backroom deal with the civilian government: the Revolt of the Officers would be swept under the metaphorical rug by being blamed on radical elements and the Navy would be given a political voice. In exchange the Navy would continue to protect the Alliance from interstellar threats. Hopper himself, the Butcher of Gadpathur, would avoid justice once again and remain active in politics until his death on Luna in the 24th century, and ultimately shaped Solarian fascist thought up until the present day.

    Effectively, the Navy had used its position to extort the government. Emboldened by this, and how close they had come to controlling the government through violence, the Navy became more and more influential as the decades continued on. It also became more corrupt and less efficient as political connections became more important than ability and Caesarism infected its ranks. Ultimately the decision to place it on Luna, where it could not be controlled by a power on Earth, had made the Navy accountable primarily to itself rather than the civilian government based upon Earth and, post-2300, Unity Station. Its pet project, the Solarian Marine Corps, was hardly any better. For many Solarians the Navy has failed them time and time again as an institution, and nowhere is this more clear than in the Solarian Collapse of 2462. Rather than protecting the Alliance many Navy forces, more loyal to their Admirals than their nation, defected and have rampaged across the Middle and Outer Rings.

    The Army, meanwhile, did have civilian authorities to answer to due to being headquartered on Earth. Post-Interstellar War the Army was placed through multiple reforms which transformed it from a sluggish, inefficient institution which lost much of its strength to defections into a force capable of defending the Alliance’s planets and government from all enemies — whether they be foreign or domestic. Where the Navy failed the Army has succeeded, particularly upon Mars where it — in mere weeks — brought the red planet back into nominal Solarian control.

    As the Alliance bleeds following the Collapse its military is, in many sectors, in desperate need of reforms.While the Navy, under the direction of a now-dominant reformist school of thought, has begun the slow and often-painful process of reforming itself, only time will tell if the SAF shall weather the storm. But most know that to restore some of the territories lost in the humiliation of 2462, some reforms must be undertaken, lest the SAF simply collapse under the weight of its own faults.

    Non-Humans in the Solarian Armed Forces

    “As far as I’m concerned? The Ban didn’t go far enough! We should carpet bomb their whole [censored] planet, really give them a [censored] taste of what they did to us here! Send the Navy in and have them clean it up! Get those [censored] lizards too!” — Anonymous New Hai Phonger speaking to the Solarian Alliance News Network in the aftermath of bombings carried out by the Tajara Revolutionary Army. Unaired due to foul language.

    No branch of the Solarian Armed Forces aside from rare System Defense Forces has, at any time, recruited an alien species into its ranks. The reasons for this are rooted in both simple practicality and the entrenched xenophobia common in much of the Solarian Alliance, which contributes to a belief that aliens are simply not to be trusted. Practically speaking the three SAF branches are massive organizations which would only marginally benefit from alien recruits and would have to incur an expensive cost as different species demand wildly different equipment, such as fitted voidsuits and armor, and different accommodations.

    On the less practical side the Solarian culture of alien distrust has been applied to each species and also argued. To the typical SAF official even the most trustworthy alien is less reliable than the worst human recruit . The SAF is not, and will never be, a force for alien tolerance in the Alliance. From an outright less xenophobic perspective, the Solarian Armed Forces' traditions place a great deal of ideological and cultural importance on the idea of the military as the protector of Solarian humanity. To allow aliens into its ranks has long been considered a betrayal of that ideal, and that compromising this deeply-held tenet would be an unacceptable transgression against the Alliance itself, its human citizens, and the fundamental values of the Alliance's military.

    Positronics, on the contrary, are highly valued in the SAF. Having had a long history of using drones, the adoption of positronic intelligence was viewed as the next step in a long line of military robotics. For the longest time, however, IPC and other synthetics have been relegated to support and logistics roles due to mistrust and concerns over their ability to survive in combat scenarios. The collapse has led the SAF to begin looking at IPC in order to fill the gap in its manpower, with the Navy in particular eagerly adopting them in combat roles, placing the machines as both gunners and pilots, and employing traditional shipborne AI to assist and in some cases replace crewmembers. Although assuring the public that combat IPC are a temporary measure given the crisis, some observers note that funding towards further research of combat AI has increased since their adoption.

    The Solarian Navy

    “Before the Interstellar War, the Solarian navy was the largest and most perfect fighting force in the galaxy. That is, on the surface level. The admiralty of those years made the greatest mistake of pursuing strength in infinite numbers – a decision that would culminate in the Solarian Civil War.” – Excerpt from Lucien Courtois’ graduation thesis, How David Defeated Goliath: The First Interstellar War.

    The largest single branch of the SAF is the Solarian Navy. With millions of uniformed personnel scattered across dozens — if not hundreds — of planets, garrisons, starbases, fleets, and other facilities it may very well be the largest organized fighting force in the galaxy, and has the influence to match. The Navy has long held significant sway over Solarian politics due to both its size and its vital role in securing safe interstellar commerce and travel in the Alliance. This sway has long ensured the Navy is well-funded, perhaps overfunded, and viewed positively by most citizens of the Alliance with some notable exceptions such as Callisto, which has long been at odds with the Navy over the policing of trade and commerce flowing in through the moon’s spaceports.

    But despite this approval not all was well in the Navy prior to the Solarian Collapse in 2462. The broad powers granted to the Navy to ensure the vast Alliance remained safe and secure combined with limited oversight of the Navy allowed for a culture of graft, corruption, and rampant Caesarism to take hold in its ranks. These problems only worsened as one traveled further and further from the Inner Ring as more reliable officers were inevitably kept in the more strategically important (and influential) Inner Ring while less reliable officers, and underperforming ones, were sent to the Outer Ring to keep them out of public view. These admirals were given similarly poor troops and nearly no oversight from the admiralty, which effectively allowed them to become their own masters — and to shape their assigned fleet into a force loyal to them first and the Alliance second.

    Recent events have shaken much of the Navy’s historical public approval. Defections and attrition associated with the Collapse have taken the Navy from 200 fleets to 100 and, multiple years later, it still finds itself ruling over the Alliance as an increasingly-unpopular junta. Beyond the Inner Ring and what remains of the Middle Ring the Navy, in the eyes of most Solarians, has done little to retake what the Alliance has lost. Recent scandals, such as a discovery many officers were funneling supplies to radical warlords, have further impacted the Navy’s reputation in the eyes of the public. Recent reforms by Navy command, particularly under recently-appointed Minister of Defense Lucien Courtois, have done much to solve the Navy’s ongoing issues. But concerns regarding the “Wildlands,” still remain, and only time will tell if Courtois’ reforms have turned the Navy into a force able to take back what has been lost.

    Solarian Navy Structure

    The Solarian admiralty has long devoted a significant amount of its time to the logistics and operation of the increasingly-massive Navy, which peaked at 200 fleets — each, in theory, consisting of 100 ships — shortly before the Solarian Collapse of 2462. These fleets were, prior to the Collapse and Courtois’ reforms which followed it, organized into battlegroups of five fleets for greater cohesion in the event of war, with each fleet led by an Admiral and each battlegroup led by a Fleet Admiral. However, many “battlegroups” in the Outer and Middle Rings were spread across vast distances or contained disloyal elements which prevented them from functioning properly, with only a few — such as the Visegrad-based 1st Middle Ring Battlegroup (1MRB, sometimes referred to as a “Battlefleet” locally) — able to maintain both cohesion and loyalty as the Alliance spiraled towards the Collapse. Reforms by Courtois have reduced the total number of battlegroups by increasing the number of fleets per formation to ten, which has greatly assisted in command due to reducing the number of often-bickering Fleet Admirals by half.

    Navy fleets themselves are divided into three categories by the admiralty to represent their readiness in the event of an interstellar conflict. These categories are combat battlegroups, patrol battlegroups, and garrison battlegroups. Combat battlegroups are, as the name implies, fully-equipped and ready for combat at a moment’s notice. This classification generally only applied to Inner Ring battlegroups in the months before the Collapse. Standing slightly below combat battlegroups are patrol battlegroups: understrength, but otherwise combat-capable, formations fit for patrol duties but not for engaging full enemy formations. Below this swells the garrison battlegroup: an understrength formation so named as it is only trusted to hold a position and is not expected to perform complicated maneuvers. A fourth, though officially unrecognized, formation is the “ersatz” battlegroup. These formations are improvised and consist of whatever units were available at the time for the area’s Fleet Admiral. Last seen in the Interstellar War, ersatz battlegroups have returned in the Wildlands.

    A Lunarian officer of the Solarian Navy at her graduation ceremony.

    Unlike the Army the personnel of the Navy are heavily divided by class and background thanks to the Luna-centric nature of its admiralty and officer class, and are even further divided based upon the Ring they are located in — an ironic echo of the Interstellar War. High-ranking officers are almost always Lunan by birth, and graduation photos from the Solarian Naval Academy are dominated by the tall, thin, and pale appearances of Lunans who have grown up in the moon’s characteristically lower gravity. These Lunan officers generally settle into command roles in the Inner, and sometimes Middle, Rings due to their perceived loyalty and familial connections — some families on Luna have served the Navy since its conception and hold significant influence over it. Officers of “lesser” importance, such as those in the Middle and Outer Rings, such as Fleet Admiral Klaudia Szalai, are often recruited and educated locally, and can be of wildly varying quality and loyalty.

    A Solarian Navy petty officer loading a Zavodskoi-produced "Longbow" naval gun. A common sight on smaller vessels which cannot easily fit larger coilguns.

    Much of the Navy’s enlisted personnel is recruited locally out of convenience and its enlisted ranks are overwhelmingly dominated by those of poorer economic backgrounds, particularly when compared to its Lunan officers, such as Martians, Jintarians, and residents of the Outer and Middle Rings. The men and women which make up the vast majority of the Navy’s fighting force are, like their officers, often of debatable quality due to corruption, graft, and the megalomaniac tendencies of many officers. Prior to the Collapse most of the best enlisted— regardless of their origins — were eventually transferred out of the Outer and Middle Rings and into the Inner Rings due to the Admiralty placing a greater emphasis upon the Inner Ring.

    Fleet formation was, prior to the Collapse, marred by similar issues. Some fleets were recruited using the “Alliance-wide,” model where ships and personnel were recruited from across the Alliance and trained in the Sol System and its surroundings in order to ensure the best performance. These fleets were then deployed to strategic areas (generally in the Inner or Middle Rings) and placed under the command of a Solarian Naval Academy graduate to ensure the greatest possible quality. While expensive and often taking an extended period to train, these Alliance-wide fleets proved their mettle during the Collapse: no systems garrisoned by them were lost and none defected.

    But most Solarian fleets were not recruited using this method and were instead mobilized through the “system-wide,” method wherein a fleet’s personnel and officers were recruited and trained in the same system, and generally stationed nearby this system. In theory this was not a horrible idea: logically, military forces would fight harder for their homes than for another system. However, it did not result in the expected outcome: system-wide fleets were often shuffled from system to system and their shared origin made them more loyal to their admirals than the broader Alliance. Though many stayed loyal to the Alliance, and some managed fighting retreats to the Inner Ring, all defected — or otherwise lost — fleets during the Collapse were of the system-wide recruitment model.

    Notable Facilities

    Located on Luna in Harmony City, the Solarian Admiralty serves as high command for the entire Solarian Navy. While it started its existence as a small building mostly responsible for managing armed platforms tasked with destroying asteroids and other potentially harmful celestial objects, the Admiralty has grown over the intervening decades into a massive complex which is a city District unto itself. Solarian Naval Central Command (SNCC) looks over the district at nearly a hundred stories tall and stands as one of, if not the, most important buildings in the modern Alliance. The Admiralty is rumored to have dozens, if not hundreds, of underground facilities scattered across the Admiralty containing everything from mundane paperwork to intelligence on the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate to blacksites for especially infamous prisoners. Though its reputation has been tarnished by the Collapse, the Admiralty remains an unshakable feature of Luna.

    Located on Luna in Hangzhou, the Solarian Navy Academy is the premier — and to Lunarians, the only — institute of naval military education in the Alliance. Established in 2115 continuously functional ever since this point the Academy, as it is often simply known, has long had a reputation of producing only the finest naval officers in the Alliance. But this reputation for excellence has made the Academy an extremely difficult institution to gain entry into — particularly if one is not from the Inner Ring. Certain Lunarian families, such as the ancient Varnhagen und Langenburg family, have long held sway over the Academy’s curriculum and membership in such a family — either by blood or covenant — is a near-certain way to gain access to its halls. Academy officers, in addition to their renowned quality, are generally more loyal to the Alliance than their non-Academy counterparts. Few Academy graduates defected during the Collapse and those that have, such as the Solarian Restoration Front’s Florentina von Keyserling, have been stricken from its graduation rolls.

    In the orbit of Uranus lies the mundanely-named Solarian Naval Maintenance, Regeneration, and Repair Facility which is, thanks to its awful abbreviation of “SNMRRF” (occasionally phoneticized as “Smurf”), commonly referred to as “the Boneyard.” The Boneyard is a massive facility filled with outdated and mothballed hulls ranging in size from fighter aircraft to battleships which remain on the official Navy registry but are, in reality, either too outdated or too damaged to effectively operate alongside their counterparts. Boneyard vessels are, particularly since the Collapse, often cannibalized for parts or — in rare cases — “refloated” and pressed back into service. The pirate raid which brought Frost into power as Prime Minister targeted the Boneyard and stole multiple warships the former Admiral later returned with, eventually catapulting himself into popularity. Many have long theorized this “raid” and Frost’s success after was an inside job planned by Navy officers to place one of their own in power and have pointed to a multitude of “coincidences” as evidence. The fact that the raiders were never caught but were “engaged and destroyed,” the sensors monitoring Boneyard and its defenses being off at the same time, the raiders only hitting the Boneyard rather than any civilian targets or the nearby Navy sensor stations, the fact that the raiders were able to spoof a brand-new Solarian Navy ID code, and the fact that the leaker — a reformer — was one of the only deaths in the raid.

    Notable Navy Forces

    1st Battlegroup, “The First”

    The most venerable and oldest of the Alliance’s battlegroups, the First has fought in every major interstellar conflict the Alliance has officially participated in. It is responsible for decisively destroying the Coalition’s naval forces in the Battle of Xanu and has long preserved the Xanusii naval battle standard captured during the battle in the Admiralty. The first five fleets of the First are overwhelmingly Lunan. The next five, which were integrated into it following Courtois’ reforms, are five of the highest-quality Alliance-wide fleets in the Alliance. Officers of the First can easily be identified by their distinctive oak leaves, which are typically placed in the side of their caps. The First is currently commanded by Fleet Admiral Ingrid von Varnhagen und Langenburg, a Lunan graduate of the Solarian Naval Academy firmly in Courtois’ reformist faction. The Fleet Admiral of the First is issued a saber as their badge of office and is expected to wear it at all times while commanding, regardless of practicality. The sword itself, while unnamed, is a priceless heirloom which has been passed down from Fleet Admiral to Fleet Admiral since the founding of the First, and to lose it is simply inconceivable.

    1st Middle Ring Battlegroup

    Regarded as one of the highest-quality battlegroups prior to the Collapse, the 1MRB under Fleet Admiral Klaudia Szalai has, despite never formally defecting from the Alliance, spent much of the past two years since the Collapse cut off from the broader Alliance and struggling against difficult odds. The five fleets of the 1MRB were understrength prior to the Collapse and have been worn down by fighting against pirates, traitorous Solarian Navy personnel, and — at times — the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, which it has engaged during cross-border raids by the 1MRB and border disputes with the CRZ. The 1MRB has never been defeated upon the field of battle and remains steadfast in its loyalty to Sol, though many of its personnel — almost all of which hail from Visegrad or its surrounding systems — are increasingly concerned at the Navy’s seeming lack of interest with the Wildlands.

    35th Fleet

    One of the most infamous Solarian fleets in the Navy’s history, the 35th was formed after the Interstellar War and stationed near Tau Ceti in order to keep the strategic system safe. Tau Ceti’s defection — which many 35th officers hailed from — was viewed by the Fleet as a betrayal, and its rapid embrace of aliens after the defection was viewed as a further compromise of Solarian values. This hatred has, over the years between Tau Ceti’s defection and the Collapse, twisted the 35th into what it was prior to its invasion of Tau Ceti: one of the most xenophobic, fanatical, and nationalistic Solarian fleets. The losses it suffered during the invasion and its seeming betrayal by the broader Alliance further radicalized the 35th, which returned to its berth in Lycoris and declared the Solarian Restoration Front in 2462, and rapidly set about purging aliens — who they blamed for the Collapse — from the area they controlled. Though the Navy has officially disavowed the 35th and declared its officers traitors to the Alliance many, particularly those formerly loyal to Frost, have flocked to its banner. The 35th and its Front are a significant concern for the Solarian Navy, and for those Solarians caught in the Northern Wildlands under threat by it.

    25th Fleet

    When the 25th, primarily consisting of Silversunners, was ordered into Biesel to stop rogue Admiral Michael Frost it could have never anticipated the consequences its orders would have for the Spur. Despite the apprehension its officers and enlisted felt when they were ordered into what was, at least officially, a rebellious Solarian system ruled by an illegitimate government, the 25th followed its orders. The 25th was badly mauled by the 33rd in one of the first engagements between Solarian Navy vessels since the Interstellar War, but it pushed the 33rd out of the system and returned Biesel to a modicum of normality. The population of Biesel was understandably cold towards them, but the Admiralty promised rewards for the deed. But no rewards appeared as, nearly as soon as he had been imprisoned, Frost was swept back into power and became Prime Minister. The new PM punished the 25th severely, and sent them to an ignominious duty: to serve as an auxiliary for one of the worst battlegroups in the Navy, the 10th Middle Ring Battlegroup. But the 25th was not broken by this and, thanks to its superior equipment and training, they fought their way back to their original berth of Silversun, arriving battered and bruised — yet unbowed — in summer 2463 to a hero’s welcome. Now the 25th has a new home: the prestigious 1st Battlegroup.

    Solarian Ship Classes

    Carrier

    The carrier occupies a critical role in Solarian operational doctrine along with the battleships it supports. Carriers are often the largest and most important ships in a Solarian fleet and typically serve as flagships. The largest of this class are hundreds of meters long and are often regarded as floating cities due to the size of their crews. Carrier classes are generally named after geographic features.

    Supercarrier

    With only a few ever built the supercarriers of the Solarian Navy are very rarely seen outside of the Jewel Worlds. These gargantuan vessels are nearly a kilometer long and stand as some of the largest vessels ever constructed in the Orion Spur. A supercarrier is always the flagship of its fleet and none have ever been lost in combat. Supercarriers have a near-mythical reputation in the Alliance due to their rarity and Navy-funded media, which often promotes them as the peak of Solarian military might. Some in the Navy grumble at this deification, instead viewing the tried-and-true dreadnoughts as the peak of the Navy. Ships of the only active supercarrier class used by the Navy, the Thule-class, derive their names from mythological geographical features.

    Dreadnought

    The most well-armed and heavily-armored of the Solarian Navy’s battleship classes are designated as dreadnoughts by the Admiralty. To many the dreadnoughts are the unbeatable pride of the Navy which helped it win victory after victory in the Interstellar War before cowardly politicians snatched it from them. To others they are a reminder of how backwards-facing the Navy can be at times, and how obsessed many of its officers have become with its former glories. Recently reformers have chipped away at much of the dreadnought’s mythical image, and the classification may very well be on its last legs due to recent naval reforms. Fitting their near-mythic reputation, ships of these classes are generally named after mythological figures.

    Battleship

    Solarian battleships are heavily-armed and heavily-armored testaments to the unchallenged naval supremacy of the Alliance. Battleships were commonly seen in all three Rings of the Alliance prior to the Collapse and now often serve as flagships of defected or rogue fleets. These ships-of-the-line are often in disrepair due to having been run ragged by their warlord masters and are, generally speaking, outdated compared to contemporary examples still loyal to the Alliance. Both battleships and fast battleships are typically named after cities.

    Fast Battleship

    A post-Interstellar War innovation, the fast battleship classes of the Solarian Navy are intended to fill gaps in patrol fleets where a full battleship is unnecessary but a cruiser is insufficient. Fast battleships trade armor and firepower for speed and operational range, making them ideal for patrols in the former Alliance Neutral Zone. Following the Collapse many ships of this class ended up in the hands of warlords due to the class primarily serving in the Middle and Outer Rings. Here they have excelled at a role they were never meant for: raiding and terrorizing the civilian populations they were built to protect.

    Cruiser

    Cruisers have long served as the backbone of the Solarian Navy. These vessels are typically divided into two classes: light and heavy. Like their larger counterparts, both categories of destroyers are generally named after cities with light cruisers favoring the cities of the Middle and Outer Rings. Many heavy cruisers are instead named after prominent Solarian figures, perhaps due to their captains wishing to imitate the larger and grander battleships of the Navy.

    Heavy Cruiser

    Heavy cruisers such as the Taipei-class represent the peak of Solarian cruiser design. These heavily-armed and heavily-armored vessels closely resemble the battleships they escort but are significantly less expensive due to their smaller size. Many prospective future admirals seek to command a heavy cruiser for both this reason and for the prestige commanding one brings.

    Light Cruiser

    While less prestigious than their heavier counterparts, light cruisers fill a valuable niche in the Solarian Navy. Light cruisers are fast vessels which can operate for long distances without resupplying, which easily allows them to serve as the lead vessels of patrols when fast battleships are not available. However, most officers who one day aspire to command a fleet avoid light cruisers for this very reason: while it may mean command of a squadron, it is a command which affords very little prestige and is often assigned to those who lack the money or connections to play the Navy’s influence game. With most commanded by officers of debatable ability or loyalty (and at times a lack of both) it should come as no great surprise that this ship class often forms the backbone of warlord fleets in the Wildlands.

    Destroyer

    Destroyers are well-armed but small vessels designed to assist the Alliance’s battlegroups and to protect the ships that truly matter: cruisers, battleships, and carriers. Prior to the Collapse destroyers were a common sight in the Middle and Outer Ring’s anti-piracy patrols, where they often commanded groups of smaller vessels. Now they are commonly seen in the fleets of warlords, where they serve much the same purpose. Destroyer and destroyer escort class ships derive their names from stellar objects, though exceptions exist due to the sheer number of destroyers in the Solarian Navy.

    Escort Destroyer

    Only barely larger than a frigate, escort destroyers are intended to provide a modicum of protection to civilian and military convoys across the Alliance. Faster and fitted with better warp drives than many larger ships, a surprising amount of escort destroyers stationed in the Middle and Outer Ring opted to evacuate to the Inner Ring rather than remaining to assist warlords. Some naval scholars believe this is due to most destroyer escort captains and crews having been local recruits in their systems, and there are many stories from shortly after the Collapse of ships of this class limping into systems such as Sol filled with terrified refugees and exhausted sailors.

    Frigate

    Smaller than both destroyer classes and yet larger than a corvette, Solarian Navy frigates were a common sight in all three Rings prior to the Collapse. Though originally intended to serve exclusively as escort vessels for larger ships, frigates have, particularly in recent years, been pressed into a variety of roles they were never meant for such as pirate-hunting operations. Up-gunned variations of common frigate designs were often the best ships available in the Outer Ring for anti-piracy patrols and system defense. These ships have proven ill-equipped to fight off the forces of defected warlord fleets, and most have been destroyed or themselves defected. A sad fate for the ships of a class of little importance to the Lunan-dominated Admiralty. Due to their sheer number, frigates follow no clear naming scheme.

    Corvette

    The smallest rated combat vessels in the Solarian Navy, corvettes are often commanded by new officers or officers deemed failures by their superiors. Few officers wish to command a corvette for long, rightfully viewing them as career-killers in a Navy obsessed with larger ship classes. The Wildlands is covered in wrecks of this ship class as a result of constant squabbles between petty warlords over territory. With much of the support structure these warlord fleets rely on gone, corvettes are often the first vessels scrapped for spare parts — and some desperate scavengers plunder these plundered wrecks, hoping to find even tiny scraps of useful materials. Like frigates, corvettes follow no consistent naming scheme.

    Support Craft

    The unsung and unappreciated wheels which ensure the Solarian Navy continues to turn, support craft and their crews are typically looked down upon by “real” warships and their crews. The classes found under this category are stunningly diverse and include everything from massive Hephaestus-produced fuel tankers to small courier vessels designed to carry the small-scale cargo required to keep a fleet fed and happy. Many smaller warlords have very limited access to these support vessels, which has made them a target of raids and assaults as the struggle to fuel defected ships continues.

    Carrier-Launched Aircraft

    Covering everything from multi-crew bombers to unmanned drones, carrier-based vessels are a cornerstone of the Navy which has long fought battleships for influence. Most of the time battleships have won this battle of influence, but some believe — particularly with recent reforms — that carriers and their craft will have their day in the limelight soon enough.

    The Solarian Marine Corps

    “Look like you know the joke right like you have to know it come ooooon. The whole joke of like ‘you don’t have to worry about asking if somebody’s a marine since they’ll tell you!‘” - Unknown Callistean bartender speaking to an Sol Alliance News Network reporter regarding the Navy’s presence on Callisto (2458).
    In order to become a full marine, a Corps recruit must first pass one of the most rigorous EVA training programs in the Spur. Many do not.

    Though technically an independent branch of the SAF the Solarian Marine Corps (SMC) is regarded by most as simply an extension of the Navy. They travel in Navy ships, fight the Navy’s battles alongside it, and generally do whatever they are told to do by the Navy. Marines rarely do any operations without the assistance of the Navy and rarely set foot on planets, instead reserving such duties for the underfunded Solarian Army. The SMC’s unofficial status as a vassal state of the Navy has brought boons to it such as funding, prestige, and eager recruits thanks to multiple lucrative deals with Cytherean media moguls. Many Solarian children and teenagers see marines as heroes who are capable of doing anything they are asked to do as long as it benefits the Alliance.

    But the reality is often different from the glitzy, Cytherean image projected by popular culture. Marines are often recruited from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and are looked down upon by many Navy officers for this reason, and Marine officers are expected to defer to the judgement of their Naval counterparts even if they are of the same rank. The Army looks down upon Marines for a different reason: it views them a “toy army” subordinate to the Navy due to marines rarely seeing extended periods of ground combat like the Army has. The Army’s bitterness has been further compounded by the Marines consistently receiving more funding, and thus better equipment, due to Navy influence.

    But despite this the morale of the Marines remains high. Most wholeheartedly view themselves as elite infantry of the SAF which do what others will not, and view the Army as an organization of complainers and losers who simply lack the gung-ho attitude needed to fight a modern spacefaring conflict. Their extensive funding has ensured most negative press, such as the amount of marines currently fighting for various warlords and the Army’s opinion of them, has remained out of the public view. Connections, and greased palms, in the Cytherean entertainment industry have served to make the reality of the situation something only the dedicated are aware of.

    Notable Marine Formations

    Assembled marines of the 15th Marine Regiment, now serving as part of the Solarian Restoration Front.

    1st Marine Division

    The 1st has, for countless years, been the Marine division assigned to guard the ships of the elite 1st Battlegroup of the Solarian Navy. Well-trained and well-equipped, the 1st served with distinction during the Interstellar War but has not fought in a major conflict since. Its marines are primarily recruited from the Lunan working class and are generally looked down upon by the upper and middle class Lunans which serve as the 1st Battlegroup’s officers. However, as most enlisted sailors come from similar working-class Lunan backgrounds, there is a great amount of camaraderie between marines and enlisted Navy personnel. The Army often holds the 1st Division as an example of how the Marines receive immense funding but do nothing at all as the Division was stationed near Mars but not a single member participated in the Mars Campaign.

    15th Marine Regiment

    This marine regiment, which has since defected to the Solarian Restoration Front, served as the Marine detachment for the 35th Fleet of the Solarian Navy. Even before their defection the 15th was plagued by rumors of corruption and Caesarism in addition to a documented history of abuse towards non-humans. The 35th Fleet spent a great amount on ensuring these rumors were quashed while it was still loyal to Sol. However during the 35th’s incursion into Tau Ceti the 15th’s behavior became so open it could no longer be hidden, and flickery videos of its marines executing Legionnaires became a common sight on the Biesel extranet during and immediately following the incursion. Now, fully defected from Sol and fully dedicated to the SRF, one can only speculate as to what actions they have committed.

    33rd Marine Regiment

    Prior to his ascension as Prime Minister the 33rd served under the command of then-Admiral Michael Frost. They participated in his invasion of Biesel and, despite an internal inquiry by the Solarian Armed Forces, escaped all charges levied against them. The 33rd’s loyalty to Frost intrinsically tied their fate to his, even after his imprisonment, and saw their trustworthiness decline in the eyes of the broader SAF. Even Frost’s ascension to power, which saw him restore his loyal regiment to power and use them — at the protest of the Army — as personal guards, only served to temporarily stop the regiment’s fall from grace. After Frost’s death the regiment was pounced upon by reformist actors in the Navy and promptly disbanded, with many of its former officers shipped off to undisclosed prisons for poorly-defined crimes. Even before Frost’s body was cold the 33rd was formally struck from the Corps’ register, and will likely never return to it again.

    The Solarian Army

    “I don’t give a rat’s ass what your Admiral says marine! Unless you can get the PM down here and order me to stand aside, I’m not gonna be letting you into the building! You’re gonna stand down, now! I said now goddammit!” - 1st Lieutenant Anthony “Andy” Bonaccio moments before the Revolt of the Officers devolved into a gunfight. Bonaccio would later go on to become the Alliance’s Secretary of the Army.
    Solarian Army soldiers stationed as guards outside of a Solarian government building.

    The second-largest SAF branch is the often-neglected Solarian Army. Chronically underfunded, the Army has existed in the shadow of the Navy since the Interstellar War and must often make do with hand-me-down equipment passed over or otherwise discarded by the Marines. A culture of bitterness towards the Navy and the Marines, which the Army views as a subordinate branch of the Navy, has engendered a desire in the Army to do better than the Navy despite the challenges. As an institution it is significantly less corrupt and prone to Caesarism than the Navy is and, thanks to reforms undertaken after the Interstellar War, has long been viewed by the civilian government as an ally instead of an enemy. Army troops have long been used as guards by Solarian government institutions aside from Navy facilities, which utilize Marine guards, due to their loyalty to the government.

    Unlike the Navy the Solarian Army generally recruits entire divisions from individual planets and trains them in local facilities. These units typically serve as the local garrison of a Solarian member state until they are needed elsewhere, at which point they are mobilized and shipped — much to the ire of Army command — by the Navy to wherever they are needed. Army Central Command itself has long been headquartered on Unity Station and is located within walking distance of the Prime Minister’s office. Interestingly, Central Command has no fixed unit to guard it: instead, in order to avoid favoritism, the division tasked with protecting it is rotated on a two-year basis. At the time of the Collapse the chosen unit was the 37th Martian Mechanized Division, more popularly known as the “Red Devils.” Due to the mysterious nature of Prime Minister Frost’s death and his seeming lack of care for Mars, rumors that the 37th killed him have swirled since before his body was cold. The 37th has since rotated back to Mars, where it served with distinction during the reunification campaign. While currently a volunteer-only force the Solarian Army is, in theory, able to petition the government to institute a draft in times of emergency. This draft has not been used since the Interstellar War, and few imagine it would ever pass unless a second were to begin.

    While Army equipment and training, unlike their SDF counterparts, is standardized across the board certain member states have gained a reputation of supplying the Army with higher-quality units than others. Despite its poor reputation with many figures in the broader Alliance the Army generally views Mars as providing the best units due to many seeing it as one of their only ways to get off-world. Silversun, with the Originals forming a similar group, is similarly prized as are units recruited from Venusian Jintarians. On the contrary Luna is viewed by most as providing some of the poorest-quality troops for the Army. Many have speculated as to why this is, and some Army officials have gone as far to accuse the Navy of deliberately sabotaging Army recruitment efforts on the moon. Pluto provides similarly poor-quality troops as its ruling government zealously guards its best troops for its internal security forces and only provides the Army with wash-outs and other poor troops. Very few Plutonian or Lunarian units are trusted with anything other than garrison duty.

    Recently the Army-Navy struggle seems to be shifting towards a more even playing field due to Army successes and Navy failures. During a period where the Navy was at its lowest before recent reforms the Army proved itself effective in a decisive campaign where it regained control over much of Mars. Army Central Command has viewed this as a massive victory and it has secured a great amount of positive press for the long-beleaguered and underfunded Army. Whether or not this wave of success will continue with the Navy’s recent reforms, and a promise of return to civilian government, remains to be seen.

    Notable Army Divisions

    Soldiers of the 37th Martian Mechanized Division during the Martian Campaign of 2464.

    1st Earther Infantry Division, “Big Red One”

    One of the oldest continuously-serving divisions in the Alliance, the 1st Infantry Division has fought in every major war the SAF has become involved in. In addition to service in the Interstellar War and the recent Mars Campaign the 1st was the Army division which thwarted the Revolt of the Officers and, as a result, has long been one of the first divisions the civilian government pulls guards from. This division is recruited from Earth and primarily draws its recruits from the United States, though it contains Earthers from across the globe in its ranks.

    2nd Venusian Air Cavalry Division, “Jintaria’s Claws”

    Formed slightly after the Interstellar War from primarily-Jintarian units recruited on Venus during the Interstellar War, the 2nd Venusian is an elite Army division intended to be deployed from dropships into extremely tough situations. The 2nd is primarily made up of Jintarians, though some Cytherean crashouts are present. Traditionally, Jintarian 2nd Venusian recruits will give themselves a cheek scar to symbolically note their separation from appearance-obsessed Cythereans. The 2nd was not deployed to Mars due to concerns phoron in the air would choke the engines of its dropships and gunships, which has left the elite division bitter and eager for action. The 2nd Venusian is, aside from their scars, well-known for their distinctive “cavalry” hats.

    37th Martian Mechanized Division, “Red Devils”

    The oldest continuously-serving Martian division, the “Red Devils” were originally formed from an amalgamation of pro-Sol SDF units during the Martian World War. The 37th served with distinction during the Martian World War and earned its nickname from the large amount of dust its units would kick up on the open plains of Mars. Following the War it was formally integrated into the Solarian Army as a division and has served with distinction since. It was one of the most-engaged divisions during the Mars Campaign of 2464. Few members of the division perished in the Violet Dawn catastrophe thanks to its garrison being located in Kunlun, far in the Martian north. Despite this performance rumors that the 37th assassinated Prime Minister Frost have continued to swirl, and may haunt the division for decades to come. The traditional 37th sleeve patch is a red devil on a blue background, and is intended to show Martian unity with the Alliance.

    3rd Callistean Infantry Division, “Commonwealth Marines”

    Recruited primarily from the Port Authority of Callisto, the Commonwealth Marines are the Army’s only unit which specializes into zero-gravity combat in spaceborne objects such as stations, ships, and EVA environments. The Commonwealth Marines and the Solarian Marines have an infamously poor relationship due to the 3rd Callistean’s use of the term Marines in their name, and those of the division are known to get into off-duty brawls with Navy Marines in the Ringpole District. Callistean military police and CMPD officers generally let the Commonwealth Marines, who are quite popular on Callisto, go with barely a slap on the wrist. The division is easily recognized by their black berets with gold-and-red badges — a color choice deliberately designed to resemble the Callistean flag.

    4th Haiphongese Armored Division, “Habs on Wheels”

    Many Haiphongese divisions become hopelessly stuck in the quagmire of corruption which defines so much of life on the planet. Not the 4th, which has proven to be stunningly resistant to corruption since its founding in the mid-2300s. 4th tankers are primarily recruited from the crime-riddled Ton Gwai Pei, which many young Haiphongers are eager to escape. They are then trained in armored drills in the harsh deserts outside the megalopolises of New Hai Phong in the operation of the Army’s standard M35A6 tank modified for the environment of New Hai Phong. Typically of shorter builds to fit comfortably into their modified tanks, their gas masks — which they almost always wear while in their vehicles — are typically customized in the traditional Haiphongese style. Some are intended to call back to the hab the tanker came from, while others use the colors of gangs the tankers were previously affiliated with. The 4th was a major participant in the Mars Campaign, where its harsh-environment training and NHP-adapted tanks proved an unbeatable force on the Martian plains.

    12th Silversunner Coastal Infantry Division, “Mistral”

    A relative oddity in the 2400s, the 12th is a unit specialized into waterborne operations due to its origins on Silversun. In addition to waterborne operations the 12th is trained to fight in harsh environments such as the jungles and rainforests of Silversun, and is often used by the local governor to track down and apprehend criminal elements — such as poachers — who believe the dense undergrowth can hide them from Solarian authorities. This duty has caused them to sometimes be referred to sarcastically as “the Army’s Park Rangers,” by other units, and this is a surefire way to become involved in a brawl if said to most 12th soldiers. Though most commonly known for the green camouflage “Silversunner” boonie caps they often wear on patrol, 12th officers prize their distinctive blue-and-silver kepis they are issued when commissioned, though few wear them in the jungle due to fears of spoiling the cap’s fabric.

    Notable Army Equipment

    The M-469 assault rifle is the standard assault rifle of the Solarian Armed Forces and is used by both the Army and the Marines. The rifle is rare for being designed for the Army first and then adopted by the Marines, who became fond of the design. The M-469 was originally produced by Zavodskoi Interstellar but, since the founding of the Solarian Corporate Authority, has started to be mostly produced by nationalized Solarian factories. It has a vast number of variants and is used by every Solarian Army and Marine unit, and has found use in many of the Alliance’s better-equipped System Defense Forces. Those SDFs which cannot afford it often make do with local designs or surplus weaponry, which can range from relatively recent to decades old.

    One of the most powerful tools available in Solarian Army operations is the M35A6 main battle tank. Though a nearly thirty year old design at this point, the M35A6 has gone through six updates which have kept it on the level of other, competing tanks such as the Dominian Imperial Army’s JA-57/2 breakthrough tank. It is, however, fairly dated compared to Marine equipment, particularly in its targeting matrix, and consumes a frightening amount of fuel. However, the relatively simple construction of the M35A6 has allowed a multitude of variants to be produced. One of the most notable is the M35A6/NHP (New Hai Phong) used by the 4th Haiphongese Armored Division, a slightly smaller variation of the typical M35A6 which notably features a large atmospherics filtering system on its rear. The M35A6/NHP’s filters, originally designed to survive the environment of New Hai Phong, allowed it to excel on the Martian surface.

    Primarily associated with the 2nd Venusian, the AH-52 “Tarantula Wasp” multi-role helicopter is one of the Solarian Army Air Force’s most beloved designs. First used in 2452, the AH-52 is a relatively modern design and was rapidly produced for the 2nd Venusian to replace its aging helicopter fleet. It is capable of carrying up to a squad of troops and supporting them with a vigorous array of weaponry while easier enduring hits thanks to judicious armor and an on-board shield generator, but has seen little practical use so far due to the environment of Mars — the Army’s most recent major engagement — preventing most airborne operations. This has left the AH-52’s crews eager for action, and wondering when the design will finally have a chance to prove itself in combat.

    The Basilisk Armored Exosuit is one of the most common Solarian Army “vehicles” in operation. Though dated in its design, as the Basilisk’s original frame dates to the late 2420s, it is capable of being surprisingly mobile thanks to its four-legged design and can be equipped with a vast array of weaponry and equipment, effectively allowing it to serve in any environment. Basilisks are also used by the Solarian Marine Corps and the Navy, and these variants are almost always more modern designs than their Army equivalents. Thanks to its flexibility and armament the Basilisk is easily capable of handling most ground-based threats short of heavy tanks on the battlefield and readily outclasses the improvised exosuits of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, which it demonstrated itself as easily capable of destroying during the 35th Fleet’s incision.

    System Defense Forces

    “Nowhere is the state of our armed forces more obvious than in the miserable condition of many local forces. They are, seemingly as a rule, under-equipped, under-funded, and under-motivated. What I would give for every one of them to resemble San Colette!” - Fleet Admiral Ingrid von Varnhagen und Langenburg, commanding officer of the First Battlegroup, in an interview with the SANN recorded on 16 August 2462.
    Many local military forces, such as those on Visegrad found themselves sorely tested by the Collapse. Many collapsed, unable to endure the pressure.

    An institution that predates the Interstellar War, System Defense Forces (SDFs) are intended to serve as local military forces when the Navy is either unavailable or in need of additional forces to support its operations. Many SDFs defected during the Interstellar War, which greatly reduced their prestige in the eyes of the Navy and their importance in the eyes of the admiralty. Loyalist and Coalition SDFs sustained some of the highest rates of losses during the Interstellar War due to their poorer training and equipment, and many on both sides simply dissolved at the war’s end due to these losses.

    Modern Solarian SDFs suffer from much of the same problems their Interstellar War counterparts did: due to being funded primarily by the system they are stationed in, many have outdated equipment and poor training which causes a lack of respect from the Navy. While there are some exceptions to this rule, such as the well-funded and, as a result, well-trained and well-equipped Colettish Civil Guard, most existing SDFs prior to the Collapse were barely able to patrol and secure their immediate surroundings without Navy assistance, let alone fight off serious threats. Compounding these issues is a regulation which impacts all SDF vessels: due to the mass defections of many during the Interstellar War no SDF vessels are equipped with warp drives capable of warping without a warp gate’s assistance. Though originally intended as a safeguard against further SDF defections, this regulation has greatly limited the capabilities of SDFs, and has rendered them only able to patrol areas with ready access to warp lanes.

    During the Solarian Collapse these faults were laid bare for the entire Spur to see. Most SDFs stood no chance against emboldened pirates or rogue Navy forces as, for many of them, the largest ships they had access to were outdated and often poorly-maintained frigates, one of the smallest classes of combat-capable ships in the Solarian Navy. While some SDFs possessed larger vessels such as cruisers only a handful possessed anything capable of challenging capital ships. Faced with destruction or defection, many SDFs opted to join local warlords or occupying forces, such as Biesel, for protection and, much like their Interstellar War counterparts, steady pay. Some, motivated by patriotism or a desire to ensure the safety of those they protected, fought to the bitter end or managed to retreat to the Inner Ring.

    Those SDFs that survived the Collapse relatively intact, such as the Civil Guard and other forces of the Middle Ring Shield Pact or the Visegradi NDF, or successfully retreated to the Inner Ring now stand as some of the most battle-hardened naval forces of the Alliance, and many vessels which retreated to the Inner Ring have been retrofitted and integrated into the Navy itself. But few believe the SDFs which remain will be able to stabilize the Wildlands themselves and many in the Alliance are reconsidering the practicality of SDFs as a whole following their failings during the Collapse. Only time will tell if the beleaguered SDFs will snatch a modicum of redemption for themselves in the months to come or if they will wallow in their situation before withering under the weight of the Alliance’s failings.

    Быстрая навигация
    Основные страницы Стартовое руководство по Лору для новых игроков
    Главное Языки · Межзвёздные Путешествия · Хронология · Блюспейс · Карта Галактики · SCCV Горизонт · Глубокий Космос · Гайд по Законам · Образование · Гражданство · Технологии · Терраформирование
    Арки 2020 · Арки 2021 · Арки 2022 · Арки 2023 · Арки 2024
    Корпорации Idris Incorporated · Einstein Engines · Stellar Corporate Conglomerate · NanoTrasen Corporation · Orion Express
    Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals Hephaestus Industries · Zavodskoi Interstellar · Private Military Contracting Group
    Основные фракции Соларианский Альянс · Республика Бизель · Доминийская Империя · Коалиция Колоний · Эриданская Федерация · Светлая Республика Элира · Федерация Нралакк
    Народная Республика Адомая · Демократическая Народная Республика Адомая · Новое Королевство Адомая · Гегемония Извески · Содружество Иероаэтерия
    Важные локации








  • Расы