Loralynn Kennakris 2: The Morning Which Breaks

by Owen R. O'Neill

  SOLCOM is the CEF command that covers the Sol Local Group.

  SOLCOM:

  Sol Local Group Command, which covers all the League planets within the Sol Local Group. SOLCOM Headquarters is at Rigel Kent.

  Somewhat confusingly, the CEF command that covers the Sol system itself is COM-SOLSYS and is nominally under SOLCOM. Because one commander in chief cannot serve under another, the CO of Sol System Command is not CinC-SOLSYS but COMSOLFLT, while the commander of the Sol Local Group is the expected CinC-SOLCOM. No other sector has another major command “nested” in it in this way, so this convention is unique to Sol.

  This situation has historical roots. When the STO was first formed, it set up a fleet to patrol and police the outermost regions of the solar system, and to be a vehicle for the common defense. This fleet was known the Sol Combined Fleet, and it was under the Supreme Allied Command (SAC, sometimes mistaken for Sol Allied Command.).

  When the STO expanded to become an interstellar treaty organization, a new fleet was established, initially composed of units seconded from the STO world’s home fleets. Sol Combined Fleet was retained by Sol itself, and renamed Sol Fleet. SAC was renamed Sol System Command (COM-SOLSYS).

  The new fleet was named STO Allied Fleet (SAF) under Joint Forces Command (JFC). Partly as a political maneuver, the senior naval officer (a full admiral) from each of the member worlds was assigned a Dreadnought squadron (DREDRON). These units were then to combine to form the core of the SAF, under the name Joint Command Strike Force (JCSF. Readers may be forgiven for getting lost in the STO’s alphabet soup.). The JCSF was used as the precedent for created the CEF Strike Forces. Over time, it became popular to call the SAF the Grand Fleet, although this name was not officially adopted under the STO.

  On the League’s formation, the SAF and Sol Fleet became issues, because the neither the governments of the Pleiades or the Meridies had bothered to form a combined fleet. This created an imbalance because the worlds of the STO now controlled the SAF (Grand Fleet) and Sol Fleet, along with the home fleets of Terra, the Belt, Phaedra, and Antigua. (Mars had never had a fleet, the Venus fleet had been absorbed into Sol Fleet, and New California allowed its fleet to atrophy when it joined the STO.) This made the STO block roughly as powerful as the Pleiades and the Meridies combined.

  The Meridies lobbied to have the SAF placed under the CEF and assigned to Regulus, as the CEF fleet linked to SOLCOM, the CEF command that replaced JFC. Terra and the Belt resisted, due to concerns about the Meridies’ expansionist policies in general, and Eltanin in particular. (See Linked Command System for an explanation of how these policies acted to dilute any concentration of power.)

  However, as Sol came to increasingly dominate the League, the existence of these two fleets loomed larger, but they could not be readily accommodated in the Linked Command System, and the prohibition against CEF fleets being in Homeworld systems while under arms meant they could not be assigned to SOLCOM or COM-SOLSYS itself.

  Sol (primarily the Belt and Terra) had always been less concerned about CEF units being stationed within its borders (understandably, given the size their home fleets). The compromise reached was that the laws on where CEF units could be stationed would be relaxed, and Sol would give up control of the SAF. Thus, the SAF, officially renamed the Grand Fleet, was merged with SOLCOM.

  To comply with the amended law, Grand Fleet task groups are sent on rotation to the other fleets to serve as replacement forces, and given duties in uninhabited systems about the League’s periphery. This has resulted in a number of nicknames, such as the Wandering Fleet, and the Albatrosses (because they are always hanging about somebody’s neck), and the observation that Sol now had one home fleet, and one homeless fleet.

  Later COM-SOLSYS was merged into SOLCOM, being reduced in force and moved to Rigel Kent to comply with the law. This is the genesis of the unique CEF command structure associated with Sol and the Sol Local Group.

  COM-SOLSYS remains anomalous. For many years, it has been the preferred command for Homeworlders to transfer into to get their ‘CEF credentials’ before returning to their home fleet. Thus, COM-SOLSYS has a somewhat undeserved reputation for a being a ‘ticket punching’ command, admired more for the social opportunities afforded by a posting there than for its operational worth.

  SOP:

  Standard Operating Procedure.

  Speaker, the:

  The Speaker of the Grand Senate. The highest executive authority in the League, acting as the chairman the Plenary Council. In the principle, the Speaker is merely ‘first among equals’ on the Council, but in fact wields considerable executive power under a web of laws that have inexorably expanded the Speaker’s role.

  The Speaker is elected from the Grand Senate by the other senators, and is subject to recall and confidence votes. The Speaker must stand for election every five years, but is not subject to a term limit. Compare the Halith Proconsuls.

  SPEC-Ops:

  A generic abbreviation for Special Operations.

  Squad:

  The most basic tactical infantry unit in most militaries, consisting of 8, 10, or 12 soldiers. Called a Section in the CEF Marine Corps and a Maniple in the Halith ground forces. Three to four squads (or sections) form a platoon.

  The organization of a squad varies between services, militaries and missions, but shares some basic characteristics. They are most often led by a sergeant or corporal (rarely, a cornet), who is seconded by a corporal or a senior PFC. In most cases, they deploy from assault shuttles, which usually have a maximum capacity equal to about two squads.

  In addition to the leader and assistant leader, a squad will have at least one gunner armed with a SAW (a PFC), four or more soldiers armed according to the squad’s mission (one of whom is also a medic), a shuttle pilot and a co-pilot/gunner who mans the shuttle’s weapons.

  The CEF Marines organize their sections into fireteams, as do all League militaries and the New UK. Other militaries, including Halith, have not embraced the fireteam concept.

  Squadron:

  This term has multiple meanings. Among fighters, a squadron is a basic tactical unit, usually consisting of 12 to 16 fighters (3 to 4 flights).

  In navies, squadron is an elastic term for a fleet unit. Informally, most any naval unit can be called a squadron. Formally, a squadron is subdivision of a fleet. Different navies handle this in different ways.

  The CEF Navy considers a squadron to be the basic administrative unit, usually 4 to 8 warships of the same type (major and light capital ships respectively), made up of two divisions, the smallest fleet unit in the CEF. It may be employed tactically, although this is usual only when an entire fleet deploys as a unit.

  The CEF Navy also uses squadron to describe a detached force, operating independently. In this case, a squadron is based around a battlecruiser or cruiser, and might be commanded by a commodore, if it is large enough. Such units are assigned a name, but use CRURON or BATCRURON, followed by their fleet’s name and a letter designator (always spelled according to the call-sign alphabet) as their unit identifier. So, a detached cruiser squadron from Fifth Fleet is named Perseus Patrol Force Tango, its identifier would be CRURON FIVE Tango.

  A CEF fleet CO will have a personal command unit based around a battleship squadron (BATRON), followed by the fleet’s name: BATRON SEVEN.

  Dreadnought squadrons are called DREDRONs (no A). In the CEF, they are never numbered, and the only CEF DREDRONs are those in the strike forces.

  In the Halith Navy, squadrons are the basic administrative and tactical unit, 2 or 4 squadrons forming a division.

  The least common use of squadron goes back to the age when cavalry was formed into squadrons as their basic tactical unit. Both the Halith Imperial Ground Forces and the Terran Terrestrial Forces continue to call their mobile armored units armored cavalry, but only Halith uses squadron to refer to their basic tactical unit. Terra uses the term platoon.

  SRF:

  Strike and Reconnaissance
Forces. A branch of the CEF; colloquially known as the Fighters. The basic tactical unit is a flight of four fighters under the command of a lieutenant, called a Flight Lieutenant. The basic organizational unit is a wing, led by a Lt. Commander. The full organizational structure is: Element: 2 fighters; Flight: 4 fighters; Squadron: 12-16 fighters or 3-4 flights; Wing: 2 or 3 squadrons; Group: 2 or more wings.

  A fleet carrier typically embarks three wings: a strike wing, a recon wing, and an interceptor wing (assigned to CAP duties), forming one group. Light carriers embark a mix of squadrons based on the assigned mission, usually about the size of a single wing. Escort carriers, used primarily for convoy work, only embark two squadrons, if that.

  The SRF maintains a close relationship with the Navy, and SFR officers continue to exchange into Navy billets, often staff positions or as TAOs. (See also starlings.)

  Note: When the CEF was first formed, it employed WO flight officers, but as the Service grew and more Homeworlders joined, the practice was gradually abandoned. The SRF resumed using WOs as flight officers during LH-1, but again discontinued these billets the after the war.

  SSO:

  Special Services Office. A secret League unit tasked with extreme-risk and deep-cover operations, including kidnapping and assassination. Its existence has never been acknowledged and rumor holds it was disbanded after the first Halith-League war.

  Staff, (military):

  In the military, staff are officers, commissioned or NCOs, who advise and assist a superior officer. Line officers above the rank of commander in the navy, and major in the ground forces and marines, typically have a staff. A commander who is captain of a warship will also have a staff.

  Whether a staff officer can assume command and how they are viewed differs among militaries. For example, in the CEF, staff officers are eligible to assume command, if they are the senior officer available and have served as a line officer. This is supported by the CEF policy of rotating officers between line and staff positions to broaden their professional experience.

  Halith, in contrast, does not allow staff officers to assume command. Their staff officers are usually specialists with little command experience. Further, the Halith military considers staff officers below the rank of captain or colonel subordinate to line officers, even those of inferior rank. (Halith captains and colonels are subordinate only officers of the same rank or higher.)

  The staff structure varies in different militaries, although the same basic support functions are included: administration, intelligence, operations, logistics, legal and medical. Depending on the unit level, there may be additional staff functions, or some may be eliminated. Compare CEF General Staff, the Halith Supreme Staff, and the General Staff of the New UK’s Royal Navy.

  Star Civilization:

  A major interstellar society or polity that shares a common culture (or cultural heritage) and operates under some form of cooperation, in which the individual societies often have their own governments. It may be defined by treaty or be a loose voluntary federation, or may have a more powerful central government.

  For example, the League began as a treaty organization. It is a star civilization by virtue of the shared heritage of its members and their long association even though the individual cultures of its Homeworlds are often quite different. Halith, in contrast, has always had a strong and authoritarian central government.

  Star Nation:

  A star-faring society (that is, capable of interstellar travel) ruled by a single government. Usually, but not always, a single system or single planet. Compare Star Civilization.

  Starclipper:

  The fastest starships ever built. Very expensive and employed by companies (and occasionally governments) as couriers, or purchased by the hyper-rich as racing yachts.

  The fastest starclippers are twin-keel starclippers. Fewer than 1000 were built, and less than half of those are thought to be in current operation.

  Starling:

  In the CEF, a flight-rated naval officer. A holdover from when the SRF was part of the Navy. SRF officers still often exchange into the Navy on a temporary basis.

  Starship:

  Any vessel that is hypercapable. The characteristic keel that contains the grav-plant is the infallible sign of a starship.

  STO:

  Sol Treaty Organization, the direct forerunner to the Nereidian League. Originally established between the governments of Earth, Venus, Mars, and the Belt to govern the solar system. It later expand to include the worlds of the Sol Local Group.

  Strange matter:

  A form of quark matter consisting of a ‘liquid’ of up, down, and strange quarks. Strange matter occurs in the core of some neutron stars and can be created in gravitic ovens. It has a density of 8×1017 kg/m3 or ~1 kg per cubic micron.

  Strength deck:

  A deck running the entire length of a ship that resists longitudinal torsion. On a space station, the deck(s) that provide structural stability.

  Strike Force,

  CEF Navy:

  Strike forces are special units within the CEF Navy, under the direct command of CEF sector CinCs.

  When the linked-command system was instituted in the CEF, whereby the three fleets assigned to the colonial sectors were linked to a corresponding Homeworld sector, in which the CinC was based, considerable resistance was met over the fact that the CinC was not assigned any local forces, due to the restriction on having CEF units in the Homeworlds. To make matters worse, fleet COs were administratively under the sector CinC, but operationally under CNO. (This was done to prevent any unwanted concentration of power.)

  This arrangement was proved so unpopular that the Grand Senate, using as a precedent the Joint Command Strike Force of STO’s ‘Grand Fleet’, authorized the creation ‘strike forces’ under the direct control of the CinCs. However, these were largely ceremonial units until the beginning of LH-1, when they were greatly expanded and finally became units worthy of their name.

  Currently, there are four Strike Forces, each named for the dreadnought that serves as the unit’s flagship (by tradition, dreadnought units are never numbered). These are: Agincourt (SOLCOM), Ardennes (the Pleiades), Thermopylae (Cygnus), and Victory (Meridies).

  Each strike force contains two dreadnoughts and is divided into two units, called DREDRONs (dreadnought squadron). The unit containing the flagship is based in the Homeworld sector, while the other is deployed to the colonial sector. The terms used to describe these two DREDRONs vary. The Meridies refers to them as Home and Abroad, the Pleiades uses Forward and Base, SOLCOM calls them Shield and Sword, while Cygnus opts for Anvil and Hammer.

  Due to this lack of standard nomenclature, the CEF generically refers to the flagship force as Tango and the forward-deployed force as X-ray, combined with the strike force name. Thus, CYGCOM’s forward-deployed strike force unit would be DREDRON Thermopylae X-ray, and PLESEC’s flagship unit would be DREDRON Ardennes Tango.

  Strike Rangers,

  CEF Marine Corps:

  The name of the CEF Marine Corps elite 101st Marine Special Operations Brigade, commanded by a Lieutenant General, not a brigadier. The majority of CATs are drawn from this unit.

  Substantive Rank:

  The permanent rank a person in the military holds, and which determines (most concretely) their pay and other benefits. Occasionally a source of confusion, because said person may also hold brevet rank or a billet that gives them additional, but temporary authority, responsibilities and perqs. When such a temporary position or assignment lapses, the person reverts to their substantive rank.

  Substantive ranks can only be conferred by the proper authority, generally someone of flag officer or general officer rank, or a governing body. In the CEF Navy, fleet commanders, sector CinCs and CNO all have the ability to promote up to a certain grade, rear admiral generally being the highest rank that can be so conferred. (Retiring admirals in the CEF are also allowed to make certain promotions among their staffs and followers.)

  In
the CEF Marine Corps a similar system holds, the highest rank the Commandant can confer being brigadier. The highest rank the Marshall of the SRF can promote to is Flight Brigadier (equivalent to a rear admiral or a major general).

  Vice admirals and above in the navy, and lieutenant generals in the marines and ground forces are typically appointed by a governing command authority. In the CEF, candidates for these ranks (including Vice Marshal in the SRF) must be nominated by the Plenary Council and approved by the Grand Senate, except in time of war, when the Speaker has wide latitude to allow the top commanders to promote. Other societies have various traditions that are similar in affect.

  Sultanate, the:

  The Sultanate of Andaman & Nicobar.

  Supreme Staff (Halith):

  The Halith Supreme Staff (under the Ministry Of War) shows a markedly different focus than the CEF (compare CEF General Staff). Further, the Supreme Staff is a combined staff for all the Halith military branches: Navy, Ground Forces, Marines, and Security Forces. (Fighters are not a separate service, but organic to the naval units on which they serve.)