Tau Ceti Armed Forces

The insignia of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces.

Created following the myriad of problems experienced during the annexation of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone and the growing tensions across the Orion Spur, the Tau Ceti Armed Forces aims to ensure the protection of the sovereignty of the Republic of Biesel and to ensure that its light of liberty keeps shining. The Tau Ceti Armed Forces is built of four divisional service branches which consist of the Tau Ceti Minutemen, Republican Fleets, Foreign Legion and lastly the Auxiliary Corporate Forces. The Minutemen and Fleet are full-time professional organizations, whereas the Legion utilizes a part-time volunteer program. The President of the Republic of Biesel is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and forms military policy with several of the departments comprising the greater Biesellite government.

Rooted within the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, which now exists as a divisional branch, the Tau Ceti Armed Forces additionally has a reserve force which stands as a method of ensuring that in need of additional manpower, they’re available to ensure the light of liberty that Biesel refers to remains shining. However, individuals can only be moved to reservists after completing at least four years of active service, or two years for the Foreign Legion. Those within pre-existing reserves of the Foreign Legion have already been moved over to the Tau Ceti Armed Forces’ reserve. Those within the reserve are provided with a moderate stipend but are only eligible if their income doesn’t exceed a certain threshold.

Those that have completed active service within the Tau Ceti Armed Forces can apply to have their student debt covered by the Tau Ceti Corporate Scholarship funded by the constituent megacorporations of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate – which has become a popular method among the youth of Biesel to ensure an education, where they might not have been able to afford it prior to enlisting. Though believed to have gotten better since the creation of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, there is still a notable bias to non-humans, with a majority of them being deployed to the dangerous regions where injuries and casualties are more likely to occur, but there is yet to see whether this will hamper non-humans from ascending the ranks.

Contents

Ranks

Ranks in ascending order, beginning with Recruit Legionnaire and ending with General, or Admiral if one is within the Republican Fleets. In order to attain your commission, an enlisted person is required to purchase a certificate of commission or have it sponsored by the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. Upon purchasing the certificate of commission (a rather expensive undertaking) an enlisted person must still undergo training in order to be promoted to a commissioned officer.

Enlisted

• Recruit Legionnaire (RLgn)
• Legionnaire (Lgn)
• Senior Legionnaire (SLgn)
• Prefect (Pfct)
• Senior Prefect (SPfct)

Commissioned

• Aspirant (Asp)
• Decurion (Dcn)
• Centurion (Cnt)
• Captain (Cpt)
• Major (Mjr)
• Lieutenant-Colonel (LtCol)
• Colonel (Col)
• General (Gen) / Admiral (Adm)

Branches

Tau Ceti Minutemen

Most similar to the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion prior to the implementation of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, the Tau Ceti Minutemen– or sometimes merely the Minutemen – now seeks to replace and complete the objectives of the defunct armed forces it replaced. It is the most well-funded service branch and is fully equipped to deal with the threats posed to the Republic of Biesel. The Minutemen are expecting to see themselves act as a secondary policing force within the Corporate Reconstruction Zone; managing riots, hunting insurgents and ensuring compliance with the laws of the Republic. Due to its similarity to the now defunct Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, the new service branch has found itself poaching many of the former’s effective volunteers, offering better pay than that of the incorporated service branch – generating animosity between those that elected to pursue the opportunity, and those that remain behind in the Foreign Legion.

Operational Unit Structure

The operational unit structure of the Tau Ceti Minutemen plays a crucial role in ensuring the hierarchy of orders issued either during times of peace, or conflict. Beginning with Field Army, it descends to Corps, Division, Legion, Cohort, Century, Maniple, Troop, Section and lastly Team. Though most see themselves following a naming structure that relies on numbers, Division and Legion have a different approach: the former relies on landmarks, and the latter on notable figures within the greater Orion Spur – such as the Greatkrag Artillery Division or the Roosevelt Medical Legion. The Minutemen are composed of three Field Armies, each with three Corps, followed by six Divisions within a Corps, and fifteen Legions within a Division. Legions can be comprised of any amount of Cohorts, Centuries, Maniples, Troops and Sections.

Special Forces

The Bloody Century

Either famous or infamous depending on one’s news sources, the Bloody Century was for a time, the most talked about unit of the newly formed Tau Ceti Armed Forces. An overstrength century, it is composed exclusively of Unathi and Tajara veterans of the wars of Moghes, Adhomai, and Gakal’zaal, and is considered the most experienced and effective line unit of the Minutemen.

The Century rose to prominence on Mictlan, where rumors about their efficacy and ruthlessness spread. After footage displaying the unit’s atrocities leaked and spread all over the Extranet, Mictlani civilians and insurgents alike began to fear the scarlet red hand used as the century’s icon. Several calls to dismantle the unit have been made in the halls of Tau Ceti’s parliament, but the Minutemen have rejected every one. It carved a swathe of destruction through Samaritan occupied territories as a raiding party, and was the first unit on the beachhead during the failed Operation Jakali. Since the conclusion of the Peacekeeper Mandate on Mictlan, the Bloody Century has been set upon Western CRZ, occupying a string of smaller colonies where, should the ongoing ceasefire break down, they will be able to take the fight directly to Solarian insurgents.

Zo’ra’s Chosen

A century of Vaurca warriors, Zo’ra’s Chosen are an example of the fighting prowess of the Zo’ra hive. They are a mobile infantry century, relying on gunships, transport shuttles, and fast maneuver warfare to destroy their enemies. An experimental concept for the TCFL and TCAF, mobile infantry centuries were introduced as an attempt to develop counter insurgency units for fighting on Mictlan. Vaurca specifically were chosen to pioneer these centuries, due to their hivenet allowing near instantaneous communication, allowing for unprecedented levels of coordination. Since their introduction, Zo’ra’s Chosen have quietly won battle after battle, using their high level of information sharing and coordination to consistently outmaneuver their opponents. However, unlike other units, their style of fast maneuver warfare can only be practiced under certain battlefield conditions, such as the lack of enemy anti-air and consistent resupply.

The Redsnouts

Sought out for their strength and resilience, it was inevitable that the Redsnouts be formed. Owing to their origins within the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, and the creation of a Breacher-esque suit during the height of the Peacekeeper Mandate, the Tau Ceti Armored Unathi Infantry Century has become renowned for their shock tactics across the battlefield, capable of withstanding significant incoming damage. Those within the Century can easily be identified through their snouts, painted in crimson-red in near-ritualistic fashion once they find themselves integrated within the ranks of the Redsnouts.

It borrows many principles from the Breacher-wearing Unathi Soldiers of the Hegemony, with the Redsnouts wearing heavy hardsuit-like armour of Tau Ceti innovation to act as infantry-sized tanks across conflict zones, and despite being capable of shrugging off large amounts of punishment, the lesser-quality hardsuit doesn't generally sustain itself as long compared to its Hegemonic counterpart, where efficient and quick usage is generally the only way to ensure the fullest potential can be reached. Additionally, they are cumbersome and slow, thanks to the heavy weaponry to complement the Redsnout-Suit. The majority of those selected for the Redsnouts are Unathi Legionnaires that have proven to be "unwavering" in the face of overwhelming firepower, where they proved their ability to fight and remain calm on the battlefield.

The Redsnouts have earned themselves an infamous reputation across Mictlan, where during the quelling of the planet's more insurgent regions during the Peacekeeper Mandate, with ruthlessness becoming the centre of criticism across the planet. With claims and rumours of significant destruction in the wake of their marches, with which the Redsnouts blame insurgents for spreading, the Century maintains that it is necessary to undermine enemy fortifications to ensure a "level" playing field. There even exist rumours that the crimson-red colours across the snouts of the Century aren't merely just paint, but the blood of their victims.

Tau Ceti Intervention Command

Tau Ceti Intervention Command (‘TCIC’) is a Skrell-dominated special operations unit within the Tau Ceti Armed Forces. Informally known as "Frogmen", TCIC is responsible for counterterrorism and reconnaissance operations, with the responsibilities divided into two century-level groups that operate independently of one another. Each century is named after a stellar body within Tau Ceti, while each descending group is given a letter designation. Intervention Command always has two centuries active at all times, but has several reserve centuries that can be mobilised when required.

Intervention Command has its roots in Skrell units that served in the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, renowned for their ability to perform rapid strikes on enemy positions and scout terrain that would normally be considered inhospitable for regular troops. The Minutemen capitalised on the experiences of these Skrell to equip a light yet effective force, unencumbered by hostile climates and with a natural affinity for strategic planning.

Active Centuries

• Field Manoeuvre Group "Gibson": Responsible for the unit's more conventional military operations, tasked with conducting reconnaissance, raiding, and insertion and extraction operations, typically while attached to a conventional combat group. TCIC's Field Manoeuvre Groups avoid direct conflict where possible, preferring quick engagements at long range rather than prolonged firefights.

• Intervention Group "Valkyrie": Conducts counterterrorism operations throughout Republic space. Intervention Groups work closely with law enforcement within Tau Ceti and the Corporate Reconstruction Zone to combat terrorist and insurgent organisations and also play a role in training local law enforcement and military organisations in anti-terrorism and counter-insurgency tactics. Intervention Group "Valkyrie" is currently focusing its efforts on Mictlan - despite the dwindling presence of the Samaritans.

Tau Ceti Powered Support Detachment

The Tau Ceti Powered Support Detachment is a Vaurcaesian special operations unit specializing in providing heavy fire and sabotage on the battlefield while maintaining more flexibility and mobility than a traditional mechanized unit through the extensive use of small, highly augmented, and equipped groups. It is composed of and supplied almost entirely by the Vaurcae of the Court of Queens, primarily the Zo’ra Hive and falls under the command of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces. The Powered Support Detachment, abbreviated as "PSD" among soldiers of the Armed Forces, consists normally of two roughly century-sized detachments each named after famous cities and locations from Vaurca history and mythology, though the nature of the species means they can be rapidly shifted between the two or split into several smaller teams depending on equipment availability, cost and need. Vaurca who are moved from the PSD to another deployment by the Queens typically have their augments removed and replaced with ones more appropriate to the job.

Active Centuries

Mobile Salvo Team "Xtykt'lotec"

Mobile Salvo Team "Xtykt'lotec" is by far the most prominent of the two currently active centuries and is considered the primary unit of the Powered Support Detachment. It is most well known for its unique formation, referred to as the "Kayak Maneuver" after the theater during the Great Hive War in which it was first deployed at scale. A single Mobile Salvo Team team following the Kayak Maneuver typically consists of five Warrior Vaurca, one of whom is heavily gene-edited to increase size, muscle density, and dull pain receptors. This Warrior is then equipped with a Zo'rane designed hardsuit referred to as a "Yer'kay," which loosely translates to "Bastion," and used to fulfill a role not unlike that of a specialist weapons team. While these Bastion hardsuits are equipped with triple-layer plasteel, a variety of Zo'rane medical injectors, and a suite of enhanced targeting systems, the most notable feature is the presence of a shoulder-mounted heavy-weapons hardpoint. It is capable of changing depending on the situation, even rapidly in the field provided a reasonably competent engineer is present and fits a variety of specially designed apparatus such as heavy-cannons and a subsequent laser variation, a mortar, an anti-vehicle round not unlike the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate designed PEAC, and a minigun, the Bastion allows a great deal of in-deployment adaptability. Whilst many of the configurations require the user remain stationary to deploy the hardpoint mounted weapon, magclaws digging into the ground below and helping stabilize the operator and internal exosuit for the recoil, the minigun permits limited movement allowing a team to lay down cover, although admittedly at a near snail's pace. These Bastion suits are the centerpoint of a Mobile Salvo Team, with three of the remaining Warriors in the squad serving as augmented infantry, equipped to draw fire, provide cover for the deployed Bastion operator, or secure a path ahead when performing a rapid re-location whereas the final Warrior is trained to instead take the job of a combat engineer tasked with performing emergency repairs, reloading ammunition stocks when depleted, or if needed, carrying and swapping out the heavy weapon.

Light Disruption Division "Kis'lokt"

Despite having more warriors, the Division is the less well-known century of the Powered Support Detachment, frequently being overshadowed by the flashier Bastions of the Mobile Salvo Team, who clearly stand out, and though employing different tactics, they still adhere to the same general doctrine of mobility and augmentation. Whereas the Mobile Salvo Team focuses on mobile fire support, the warriors of the Light Disruption Division instead prioritize heavy augmentation geared towards supporting urban close-quarters warfare and clearing enemy emplacements. The Warriors work in small teams of four or five, many of which may be deployed together towards a single goal, and use the Vaurca's innate communication abilities to coordinate joint maneuvers at a terrifying pace, breaching and clearing a building or structure, covering one another going room to room and signaling the location of enemies all without uttering a single word. Additional heavy support or distraction, if required, is provided by a Mobile Salvo Team or another TCAF unit. They are highly augmented and gene-modified, although with what varies heavily depending on cost and need, ranging from symbiotic organs that can filter poisons and clot bleeding to augmented drug glands, stronger mandibles, faster neurotransmitters, electric graspers, circadian clocks that reduce the need for sleep, hardened carapaces, and anything in between. The firearms they use are frequently the TCAF standard for close combat, but they can be outfitted differently depending on the situation and integrated weaponry isn't unheard of.

Rainmakers

The Tau Ceti Rainmakers are a special forces unit consisting of Tajara specializing in the operation and usage of artillery and explosive equipment. The Rainmakers have two distinct duties. The usage of explosives on the enemy and the finding and dismantling of explosives, either ones that failed to detonate during a conflict or planted by irregulars in areas the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion are trying to secure and protect. On the battlefield, the Rainmakers utilized designs created by Zavodskoi and Hephaestus for the Foreign Legion. These are typically missile-loaded trucks, rocket and grenade launchers specially made to devastate enemy fortifications and exosuits or hardsuits, or the "Noise-Maker" artillery cannon. Made to be capable of firing a maximum of four shells at once and featuring a large, medium, and small (Roughly the size of a small car) version, these pieces of artillery are the most favoured tool for the offensive operations of the Rainmakers. In space operations, squads of Rainmakers provide support fire and assist in taking out any ship or station sections that can pose a threat to troops. The dismantling of explosives is typically done in heavily armoured Foreign Legion suits marked with a distinctive red. Veterans who arrive at Tau Ceti from Adhomai with explosives experience have wound up in the Rainmakers. More often than not, these are people who baulked at the idea of joining the PMCG's Kazarrhaldiye's Operations Group for several reasons.

The Positronic Century

The Third Recon Century, known internally as "The Positronic Century" is a formation made up almost entirely of IPC personnel. In recognition of Synthetic Liberation Front efforts in rescuing President Dorn during Frost's Incursion, many members of the organisation were offered pardons in exchange for service in the Foreign Legion, their skills in infiltration and combat translating well to military life. Although receiving standard training and capable of functioning as well in intelligence gathering and reconnaissance as any other Tau Cetian formation, the Positronic Century is more frequently employed in monitoring the vast amounts of organic and IPC refugees pouring in from the Sol Alliance, as well as the Corporate Reconstruction Zone and monitoring and combating terrorist organisations. The seeming lack of a unique frontline utility for this unit has led many military observers to suspect that in the event of war, the Positronic Century would be used as a stay-behind unit, not meeting any invaders head-on, but rather laying low and striking at enemy supply lines and sowing confusion among their ranks.

The unit is infamous for its employment of shell frames, often using them as infiltrators to blend in within the Corporate Reconstruction Zone. Although mostly unfounded, rumours and conspiracy theories abound of the Positronic Battalion being used for everything from sabotaging Trinary protests all the way to killing Prime Minister Frost. This is not helped by the unit commanders' policy of refusing to publicly comment on its operations. This overlap of responsibility has led to an inter-service rivalry with the TCIC, not helped by the attitudes between Synthetic and Skrell members of each unit.

Hazardous Environment Gestalt Unit

The Hazardous Environment Gestalt Unit ('HEGU') are an experimental unit, comprised entirely with Dionae. They are trained for urban combat in environmentally compromised conditions, whether through natural disasters, dirty bombs, biological/chemical warfare, and even practice contingencies for anomalous incidents involving bluespace. Due to the nature of their work, they are also trained in disaster containment, counterterrorism, and specialize against unconventional opponents.

Achieving such a broad range of specializations in a single unit requires taking advantage of Dionae’s properties, both their physical resilience and abilities with respect to blood knowledge. Not only are they able to rapidly onboard new training via blood and shared merging, but they are also able to harvest their enemies as they fight, compromising the positions and tactics of their opponents.

There are two divisions within the unit, designed in such a manner as to operate closely. They are known as the Lever and the Fulcrum.

The Lever

The Levers are the primary “infantry” division of the unit. Draped in heavy slabs of modular armour plates, they serve as the working tendrils of the HEGU. Spending most of their operations bathing in UV light, usually they spare subtlety for armour and firepower. Rather than fielding mechs, multiple HEGU units choose instead to merge together into a near-Argus-sized humanoid, shifting armoured plates and weapons into position.

The Fulcrum

The Fulcrum are the support backbone of the unit, as HEGU’s mechanized division. Vehicles are comprised of modular “Contra” IFVs, designed to either haul equipment, move HEGU, and provide supporting fire for troops. Instead of a conventional piloting configuration, the piloting gestalt is usually poured into an opening in the top, and then evenly distributes itself across the custom-milled interior of the vehicle, giving it unparalleled awareness and control. Unlike the Levers, the Fulcrum are sourced exclusively from the jungles of Mictlan, and employ their understanding of biomass to assist primarily in disaster relief.

Equipment and Personnel

Considered the most well-equipped and funded, the Tau Ceti Minutemen have access to high-quality military apparatus and training, provided mostly by the ever-giving megacorporations that dominate the Orion Spur. However, the majority of the articles have their origins in Kumar Arms – a subsidiary of Zavodskoi Interstellar – which has grown considerably within the Republic of Biesel since the collapse of the Solarian Alliance and the diminishment of the market there, funnelling armaments into the Tau Ceti Armed Forces. Kumar Arms was responsible for providing equipment during the days of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion’s campaign on Mictlan, with the majority of the military equipment found usually sporting a Zavodskoi Interstellar logo – which has created some tension with Mictlani and the megacorporation.

Salaries within the Tau Ceti Minutemen are above that of the other services branches within the armed forces, having remained at their Peacekeeper Mandate levels following the “successful” conclusion of the Mictlan campaign. The increased salary margins have shown some success in encouraging enlistment within the Tau Ceti Armed Forces – in particular, those seeking to join the ranks of the Minutemen, even those promoted from within the Foreign Legion desiring a position in the former once they’ve completed their active service requirements.

The Tau Ceti Minutemen have instituted standardised training across those within its structures – despite its recent formation and little experience, the Minutemen have already contracted the Private Military Contracting Group in order to commence training its troops – with each of the associated private military companies within the megacorporation having a unique usage in the training. The end of the Peacekeeper Mandate and the Minutemen’s commitment to Mictlan has only increased the rate of training given to the Minutemen, as veteran combat troops now return home with newly gained experience. It is the hope of the Tau Ceti Minutemen that eventually they will phase out the third-party training, where a sufficient number has been reached where they can rely on themselves to train Recruit Legionnaires, and those seeking to climb the military ranks of the service branch. The branch’s main backbone sees support from veterans of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion that have elected to continue their military career with the Minutemen, the majority of which maintain deployment within the eastern jungles of Mictlan, attempting to bring the planet into unity. However, it is unlikely without additional training and experience that the Minutemen would manage to rival stronger powers.

While touted as a successful campaign publicly, many within the higher echelons of the Minutemen believe the campaign was a failure, the new Armed Forces being unable to wipe out the Samaritans in totality. The reasons for this perceived failure vary, with many blaming politicians, fearful of the civilian unrest within Tau Ceti’s gravity well, being often blamed for the failure and resulting peace deal. The campaign has left deep scars that will persist for years in the foundation of the Minutemen as well, as a year of riot suppression, willful ignorance of atrocities, and poor command cultures in the face of insurgencies have pushed back professionalization of the Minutemen significantly. It is unclear when, or if, they will be able to shake the remnants of the Peacekeeper Mandate off, and become a fully professional force.

Foreign Legion

One of the most recognized symbols of the Republic of Biesel, the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion (TCFL) was the first official attempt at creating a standing army for the Republic’s defence. Today, it operates in much the same way - in exchange for at least two years of service, less fortunate immigrants to the Republic may be granted citizenship and meagre pay so that they can establish new, profitable lives within it. Throughout its short lifetime, the organization has already fought in several key operations for the sake of the Republic – the Second Solarian Invasion of Biesel in 2462, and the notorious Peacekeeper Mandate.

Although overshadowed by the greater organization that came to surround it, the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion remains the root of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, both in terms of reputation and manpower. The Legion is the entry point for many of the citizens who, having shown not only their prowess but also their desire to continue operating in the field, go on to become professional soldiers under the many different divisions of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces. Much of the wider organization is staffed this way. Despite this, the monetary situation of the Foreign Legion has not improved, as funding is increasingly funnelled towards the newer and more prestigious Armed Forces. As a result, Legionary supplies and equipment have yet again become strained, a move many volunteers are increasingly viewing as unapologetic backsliding.

Those who continue to serve under the aegis of the TCFL are assigned to gruelling tasks far away from the heart of the Republic. Merchant escorts, asteroid infantry and corporate-ground patrolmen, Legionnaires remain the backbone of most operations keeping the Corporate Reconstruction Zone ‘peaceful’. These assignments, previously described as challenging at best, are now considered shameful by a growing number of recruits, and brutal by non-humans, who are often sent out to perform tasks to which they may not be suited. The Foreign Legion’s most recent deployment to pacify CRZ regions such as Mictlan has seen many old and new volunteers traumatized and questioning the reasons for the TCFL’s existence. Some have even been galvanized by the rhetoric of Samaritan forces, spelling an uncertain future for the Republic’s most celebrated and hated heroes.

Mictlan Defense Force

The Mictlan Defense Force in the years following the Solarian Collapse has undergone upheaval after upheaval. It is one of the two planetary defense forces within the Republic of Biesel, technically under the aegis of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, but separate, organized by, and loyal to the Mictlani government. While previously it was under Tau Ceti Foreign Legion control, then Minutemen, the end of the Peacekeeper Mandate for Mictlan has seen the MDF re-emerge as a semi-independent force, much better equipped than in the past and dedicated to the defense of the planet. Despite its semi-independent nature, Biesel Security forces still closely watch the MDF, and ensure its continued loyalty to the Republic.

Republican Fleets

The Republican Fleets are regarded by many as a less prestigious branch of the TCAF, their reputation rooted in the failure of the Foreign Legion’s naval forces to repel the Second Solarian Incursion of 2462 without external assistance from other powers. Badly mauled during the Second Incursion, the remaining naval forces of Tau Ceti have been bolstered by Solarian defectors from the Corporate Reconstruction Zone who are often of debatable loyalty, talent, and skill. The Republican Fleets are mostly equipped with formerly Solarian Navy vessels which fell under the control of Biesel during the Solarian Collapse. While effective patrol craft, many of these vessels are dated and are in the process of being retrofitted after extended periods of sitting mothballed in the Solarian Middle and Outer Ring. Zavodskoi Interstellar is heavily involved in the modernization of many of these vessels and some have been sent as far afield as Zhurong in the Empire of Dominia for work as the Corporate Reconstruction Zone’s largest naval yard, the planet of Hang Tuah’s Rest in the Hinterlands, lies firmly under the control of the anti-Biesel and Solarian Navy-supported Solarian People’s Liberation Fleet. Government funding for the Republican Fleets is limited, with the Tau Ceti Minutemen receiving far more funding and corporate equipment.

A culture of corruption permeates the Republican Fleets due to many of its personnel being former Solarian Navy officers from the more corrupt, and less professional, Middle and Outer Ring sections of the Alliance’s Navy. Bribes to receive ranks are common, and many Republican Fleet officers are willing to look the other way for crimes such as smuggling in exchange for a cut of the profits – or illegal goods such as narcotics. Surplus equipment owned by the Republican Fleets often “goes missing” from storehouses and naval yards, and many of its logistics personnel are suspected of embezzlement or other forms of malfeasance. Though, megacorporations seem to benefit from these “missing” goods – Zavodskoi Interstellar profiteering from lucrative contracts to replace them. Private military vessels and outside observers assigned to the Republican Fleets remark that, while they are effective patrol forces, they are less effective than their regional counterparts. Imperial Fleet liaison officers from the Empire of Dominia, sent in conjunction with Zavodskoi Interstellar to train the Republican Fleet’s officers, have repeatedly expressed frustration at the poor quality of many TCAF naval officers. Most of the Republican Fleet’s strength is concentrated at the Zoleth Line, where the TCAF hopes the presence of heavy static defences will supplement their dated vessels and often poor officers.

Operational Unit Structure

The Republican Fleets operate within Quadrants, designed by the Secretary of Defense Nathan Trasen, to ensure a consistent force is capable of tackling any issues – in conjunction with megacorporate fleets patrolling – that may crop up within these regions. The Republican Fleet is composed differently than the Minutemen, instead, approaching a rather simple scheme: Sub-Quadrant, Fleet Group, Fleet, Ship, Department, Shift, Team.

Fleet Sectors

The Republican Fleet has three sectors they maintain consistent patrol of, in particular built around Tau Ceti, to ensure where necessary a defensive front can be launched.

Tau Ceti

This sector covers Tau Ceti’s gravity well, out to the Romanavich Cloud. Five fleet groups are assigned to the overall sector and used in both subsectors. It is considered a training ground for the Fleet as new recruits are first assigned here to learn the ropes of their vessels under the watchful eye of paid mercenaries and foreign naval officers. Very little of note for the fleet occurs within Tau Ceti’s gravity well, and the vast majority of operations revolve around stopping smugglers or responding to distress beacons. The ships in the Tau Ceti sector are some of the oldest and least upgraded, with many dating to before Biesel’s independence.

Eastern Corporate Reconstruction Zone

Covering the Corporate Reconstruction Zone to the galactic east of Tau Ceti, the Eastern Sector is further divided up into North Eastern and South Eastern, each having two fleet groups assigned to it. The threat of invasion is negligible, and naval operations in the Eastern CRZ are almost entirely logistical; supporting the Mictlan Defense Force, keeping trade lanes clear of pirates, and protecting corporate assets. Most ships deployed to the Eastern CRZ will perform the same task for months on end, before rotating out to Mictlan for shore leave. Fleet vessels assigned to this area often interact with Coalition and Elyran vessels, and rarely encounter Solarian vessels.

Western Corporate Reconstruction Zone

Boarding the Solarian Alliance, the Western Sector boasts the largest number of Republican Fleet ships of any sector as it contains the Zoleth Line and other defensive installations with the goal of fighting off another invasion. It has no sub-sectors, with each fleet group assigned an area of operations across along the length of the Zoleth Line. The best ships and personnel are sent to the Western CRZ, as in the eyes of the Republic, the Solarian Alliance and its statelets remain the largest threat. Those deployed to the Western CRZ see more action than most other fleets, dealing with everything from refugees, pirates, both unaligned and remnants of the Southern Fleet Administration such as its 23 Tactical Group (commonly known as Beauchamp’s Marauders), the now ceased SSMD raids, as well as protecting Orchid Moon, NanoTrasen’s mining outpost in Valley Hale.

The main duty of the Western CRZ Fleets is to contain and combat the Solarian People’s Liberation Fleet (SPLF), which is based alongside a region of the Western CRZ bordering the Alliance known as the Hinterlands. Home the largest naval yard in the CRZ in the orbit of the panthalassic world of Hang Tuah’s Rest, itself the headquarters of the SPLF, the Hinterlands are a vehemently pro-Sol and anti-Biesel section of the CRZ which has remained out of Biesel’s control since the Collapse due to the intervention of the 15th, 16th, and 17th squadrons of the 35th Fleet under the command of Mictlani Solarian Navy officer Agustín Cabanas. Commander Cabanas, a defector from the Solarian Restoration Front, has rallied an unlikely combination of Solarian Navy vessels, System Defense Forces, and militarized civilian vessels and has consistently outmanoeuvred and defeated his Biesellite counterparts. As the Solarian Civil War draws to a close the TCAF and SPLF are currently in a semi-formal ceasefire negotiated by local Republican Fleet leaders, but most believe it is only a matter of time before combat flares up again.

Equipment and Personnel

Recently formed, the Republican Fleet is just starting the long process of building up their strength, both in terms of personnel and equipment. Unlike the Minutemen or Foreign Legion, there is no readily available surplus of corporate-produced equipment available for the Republican Fleets. Already, both have been contracted to ensure that the Fleets shall be at full operational level, however, it is expected to take at least three years to reach number’s deemed adequate. For now, the Fleet makes use of the absorbed Tau Ceti Foreign Legion ships and vessels acquired during the annexation of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone in 2462. In a perhaps bitter irony, much of the Fleet meant to protect the Republic from the Alliance consists of formerly Solarian vessels – some pulled from mothballed storage and others defected from regional Navy garrisons..

Personnel within the Fleets have lower salaries than their counterparts in the Minutemen – significantly lowering morale, and recruitment – further necessitating the retention of formerly Solarian Navy personnel. The poor salaries of Fleet personnel has contributed to the culture of corruption which now defines much of its ranks, as the personnel who cannot make ends meet with their Fleet salaries often find themselves turning to graft, embezzlement, or smuggling. Promises of pay raises by the TCAF and President Dorn have done little to curb the corruption of the Republican Fleets, and few officers wish to investigate the financial crimes of their subordinates. After all, they are often on the take themselves.

Training within the Fleets is poor compared to the other branches, Captains struggle to find downtime to allow their crewmen to engage in simulators, and get accustomed to the routine regarding drills. There is a sharp divide in practical ability between the personnel of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion, those formerly of the Solarian Navy, and new recruits from the Republic and Corporate Reconstruction Zone. Further complicating issues are conflicts in leadership between ex-Solarian Navy and ex-TCFL officers, who often have radically different outlooks on naval strategies. The hiring of foreign officers from the Elyran Navy, Imperial Fleet, and Coalition to train Republican Fleet personnel has brought some success, but a unified command structure remains some time away.

Compounding these issues is a lack of trust between ex-TCFL and ex-Solarian Navy personnel in the Republican Fleets, and species-based tensions between formerly Solarian Navy personnel and the nonhuman members of the Republican Fleets. Many former TCFL personnel view their ex-Navy counterparts with distrust and apprehension, fearing many will defect to the Alliance – or the SPLF – in the event of a serious conflict, and believing many are more loyal to the Credits they earn than the ideals of the Republic. Ex-Navy personnel look down upon their ex-TCFL counterparts, viewing them as jumped-up corporate militias who have never won an engagement without outside assistance. Species-based tensions are common, with vaurca and tajara often banned from serving on ex-Solarian vessels by their captains and ex-Solarian personnel often restricted from Legion vessels.

Auxiliary Corporate Forces

In addition to being a corporate paramilitary organization, the Auxiliary Corporate Forces are a proper branch of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, providing the new Armed Forces with a professional and well-equipped backbone, as they are largely funded by their parent corporations and equipped with top-notch arsenals. In contrast to the Minutemen, Fleets, and Legion, who are still relatively untrained, underequipped, and nascent organizations, the Auxiliary Corporate Forces, with its well-trained mercenaries, can provide the Republic with short-term protection.

It seems wasteful to invest heavily in building a military for an organization focused on making money, and many expected the Auxiliary Corporate Forces to be ill-equipped, corporations reluctant to spend money on combat. The megacorporations, especially NanoTrasen, have now realized, though, that if the new anti-corporate Solarian Alliance ever had another “rogue actor” who decided to invade again and succeeded, the power they enjoy within the Republic of Biesel would be moot. The cost of protecting the Republic's profitable assets until the new armed forces could do that for them was worth the cost, even if their profit margins dwindled slightly.

Members are mainly recruited from Zavodskoi Interstellar or the Private Military Contracting Group, although Hephaestus Industries, and NanoTrasen do also contribute to the ranks. While the Auxiliary Corporate Forces has some larger formations, such as fleets and legion-sized formations, roughly half its personnel are organized into smaller Maniple formations that support bigger Minutemen or Fleet formations. Though publicly the Auxiliary Corporate Forces operate as a branch of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, swearing allegiance to the Republic of Biesel and its government, it is an open-secret their priorities rest in ensuring the protection of megacorporate assets.

Recruitment for the Auxiliary Corporate Forces relies on carefully selected personnel from the constituent megacorporations within the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, where it is unlikely that a standard employee within any particular security detail would be selected, but instead those that draw the eye of those capable of shifting the balances – in particular, those within higher management of the megacorporations.

Operational Unit Structure

The operational structure of the Auxiliary Corporate Forces is essentially non-existent, as units from different corporations use the structure they had prior to the advent of the Auxiliary Corporate Forces. Most squad-sized units follow a slightly more complex version of the structure used by the famed NanoTrasen Emegency Response Teams.

Equipment and Personnel

Designated as an “elite military force” within the Spur, the Auxiliary Corporate Forces are able to supply themselves with advanced technology offered by their parent megacorporations through “donations” and “investments” as outlined by the existing People’s Protection Act signed into force by President Dorn. Simply put rumours across the ranks of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces play into the fact that they could possibly even take on Tupkala from the Nralakk Federation – though there has been little interest in comparing such. The more significant benefactors of the Auxiliary Corporate Forces are Zavodskoi Interstellar with the assistance of its subsidiary Kumar Arms, whilst NanoTrasen provides a steady supply of “leased” ships, with even the NDV Icarus finding itself within the Auxiliary Corporate Forces’ fleets.

Praetorians

The most recent of the branches added to the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, the praetorians are the next evolution of the previous sentinels, and tasked with the protection of government installations, high-ranking members, and similar. It is made up mostly of an amalgamation of previous BSSB agents, and serving members of the Minutemen, equipped with high-end equipment to aid in their defensive mission. Serving in the Praetorians is a life-time career, but is a well-paid one. For this reason, alongside their unique skill set, playing former praetorians as player characters is not allowed. Only Humans and Skrell may join the Praetorians.