chaypeta ([info]chaypeta) wrote,
@ 2008-08-09 13:20:00
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Current mood: contemplative
Current music:Silverchair
Entry tags:comic, military, science fiction, spaceforce, terinu, vulpine

Vulpine Warship Crew
I've broken through the block that was preventing me from writing the terinu novelette I started last year.  This story has evolved into more of a testing ground for setting up the main comics future direction.  Still, it's a good experience to write and maybe I'll make it public when the spoilerage level reduces.

One thing it has made me focus on is the military ranking system for the Vulpine Space Navy.  I need to expand on building the structure of the Vulpine armed forces as well as the humans (and clarify the Creo and Galen ones as well).  So here we go.   I know nothing of real life military structure beyond what a commissioned and non comissioned officer is.  So please feel free to pick this to death if you you see any glaring faults.

Note this is only loosely based on existing ranking systems... heavily tweaked in the lower ranks as the vulpine forces are all combined into a single space navy entity.  (They have a civilian police force to deal with planet side matters.)

VULPINE SPACE NAVAL RANKS

 

Officers

Admiral of the fleet

Admiral

Commodore

Captain

Lt. Commander    :First mate

Lieutenant            :Navigator, Chief Medical Officer, Spiritual Guide, Purser (supplies),  Communications, Platoon Officer, Flight Officer.


Sub Lieutenant

Officer Cadet        Junior trainee

 

Non Commissioned Officers/ Spacemen

Warrant officer     Chief Engineer, Master Gunner, Chief Instructor, Platoon Sergeant

Petty Officer

Leading Hand, Corporal (when commanding a unit of a platoon.)

Spaceman             May be assigned to any duties on board the ship.

Patrolman            Assigned to the platoons.

Cadet                    Junior trainee’s for both Spacemen and Patrolmen.


Notes:

1. Admiral of the Fleet is a title I'm thinking of having as only an honarary title given by the Vulpine council only in times of war.

2. All recruits are referred to as cadets. Commissioned cadets are known as Officer cadets.  (Did not want to use the term 'private' although I considered 'spaceman' instead of 'seaman' for non com.  I've decided to leave 'spaceman' as a slang term for any low ranking crew member on board a ship.)

3. Patrolman is a cadet assigned to a platoon.  Although all cadets go through basic training and learn ship skills some elect to specialise in direct combat/ recon and other duties performed by platoons.

4. All crew members in the Wing Organisation are commisioned officers.

5. Commissioned officers are made up primarily of vulpine nobles though a growing number of ordinary citizens are entering this level of rank, though not without some resistance from the old school mob.

 

PLATOON ORGANISATION

 

Platoon Commander (Commissioned Officer: Lieutenant.)

Platoon Sergeant (Non-commissioned officer: Warrant Officer.)

Corporal

Spacemen

 

Each platoon is divided up into three units of eight spacemen each commanded by a Corporal, one of whom is the Senior Corporal.  The platoon is commanded by a Platoon Sergeant who is answerable to the Platoon Commander.

 

There are two platoons on board the Navaho.

 

WING ORGANISATION

 

Flight Officer

Wing Commander

Squadron Leader

Pilot

 

All personnel attached to the Wing organisation are officer.

Each wing is commanded by a Wing Commander and is divided into three squadrons of four fighters commanded by a Squadron leader. Wing commanders are answerable to the Flight officer.

 

There are two Wings on board the Navaho.


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[info]jeriendhal
2008-08-09 08:46 am UTC (link)
Disambiguation: I assume "Platoon" refers to the Navaho's marine/infantry unit?

In a real world navy, the titles of Captain and 1st Officer aren't automatically tied to the officer's rank. A Lieutenat can be addressed as "Captain", if he's the commanding officer of the ship, as is often the case for smaller vessels. * That shouldn't be a problem with a ship as big the Navaho though. **

"Spaceman" might be a specific title granted to cadets who complete a series of tests, to basically prove they can be left unsupervised and not accidentally kill themselves. Might also consider "Spacehand" as a more gender neutral term.

Other than that it all looks sensible.

* And if an officer with the rank> of Captain comes aboard for any reason, sometimes they get a courtesy promotion to Commodore for the duration of their visit, to avoid confusion with the vessel's commander.

** I'm also mildly amused that a Vulpine vessel is named after a tribe of native americans, but I'm sure they can appreciate anyone who fought an armed resistance to another power trying to erase the former's culture.

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Rank
(Anonymous)
2008-09-09 05:52 pm UTC (link)
What you have works. However, I think "Crewman" sounds better than "Spaceman".

Hans_Niemand

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