Athalmar Fleet Command

## The Imperial Navy

Athalmar Navy Insignia, illustrating the Mithran system, as a memory of their first conquered frontier

## Organization

### Organization Type

* Naval Operations
* Naval Logistics
* Naval Academy

### Leader(s)

* Athalor, Malacos Ulveth
* High Marshal Nautarchos Leutherios

### Sub-Unit(s)

* Admiralty
* Exploratory Command
* Military Police
* Naval High Command
* Naval Intelligence
* Naval Judiciary
* Naval Logistics
* Starfighter Corp
* Orbital Command

## Historical Information

### Date Reorganized

2928

*`‘For friends, we are the cool tide. For foes, we are the thundering night.’`*

*`- Admiral Haborus, Commander of the Cunning Omission -`*

## Overview

**Fleet Command**, more commonly known as the **Imperial Navy** or, to foreign power, as the **Athalmar Navy**, is the main interstellar warfare branch of the Empire's Military, alongside its sister branch, the Land Force Command. Much of its military tradition, structure and history could be traced back to the seaborne Imperial Navies, before the age of the Stellar Mantle, later being integrated with the **Maritime Branch** of the **Land Force Command** or displaced between the many limbs of the more regularly exercised Fleet Command. It was **reformed** shortly after the year 3000, due to many **military restructuring** directives being passed within the senate walls as of consequence to contacting other space faring alien life.

The **headquarters** of Fleet Command is located on **Ataros**, where both the most **prestigious academies and extensive shipyards** are located in, providing officers and other personnel for the Athalmar war machine. It is, however, common for the **administration** and **commanding staff** to be **located/delegated** towards other facilities throughout **Imperial stations and sectors**. Generally, only those of the Athalmar species may join this branch of the Military.

**The Imperial Navy** is regarded as the **most prominent section of the Military**, due to its position as the main contingent for upholding Athalmar supremacy. It is yet another showcase of the close links between **military** and **civil** **service** within the Empire, when considering that important political positions within both **parliament** and the **executive council** are often **drawn directly from the Imperial Navy**, due to the necessity of high intellect and intuition needed to perform duties related to upper ranks of space command.

Nevertheless, **Fleet Command** is regarded as the single **largest** and the **most capable interstellar navy** any individual star-nation could wield in the Galaxy.

## Organization

### Permanent Operational Fleets

The **core of the navy** lies on the various components within the operating forces of the Athalmar Empire. Each component is responsible for a **strategic and respective area of operations across Imperial territory**.

However, unlike the more rigid fleet structure and names employed by many galactic naval forces, **the Imperial Navy** is organized under a series of **named military fleets** that contain up to ten battlegroup/task forces. **During peacetime**, each strategic sector is afforded one or more **naval contingents** to be stationed at strategic or major star systems within their area of responsibility. The **quantity** of assigned naval assets could fluctuate according to the military needs during **wartime** or periods of **crisis**.

Other types of permanent fleets that fall under Fleet Command are those responsible for escorting and screening colonial efforts, militarized exploration of unknown space/territories and expeditionary forces sent to foreign sovereignties.

### Naval Hierarchy

**The hierarchy** of the warships formation employed by the Imperial Navy varied in size throughout history, has each contingent constantly expanded as the Athalmar's ability in building and manning warships **increased** over the lengths of galactic history, as well in reflecting the need of protecting a vast swath of of its ever expanding hegemony and sphere of influence.

By the time of the Scourge, the naval hierarchy of Fleet Command is as follows:

### Auxiliary Components and Planetary Establishment

The navy's day-to-day operations are largely supported by an equally large and well organized network of **auxiliary** fleets, orbital/space installations, merchant fleets and planetary infrastructure to support the Imperial naval **contingents** both in **peacetime** and **wartime**. By the militaristic nature of the Athalmar state and its society, it is not surprising that even its auxiliary ships are moderately well-armed and/or armoured to some degree, though may be lacking Athalmar professionalism. Its greatest examples, such as hospital ships, are reputedly capable in sustaining heavy damage from corvette/destroyer packs' raids, as well fighting said vessels defensively.

These auxiliary contingents are some times of designs and structures of allied or subject's fleets/divisions, thus lacking the grandeur of Athalmar command, but still displaying great importance to the empire as a whole. These groups organize supporting flotillas, invasion/garrison fleets and, perhaps most commonly, partial or complete structure of frontline sustaining supply lines. Said auxiliary components are also utilized, during peace time, as escort and patrol forces, exerting an equal level of efficiency as that of Athalmar-led forces, mainly due to the presence of a similar culture/species within the system they are patrolling (this is due to the Athalmar's reputation). In fact, it can be argued that Fleet Command owes much of its success and might due to the fact shipyards and other facilities' round-the-clock maintenance of their auxiliary component;

Among the key components and establishment of the auxiliary forces include:

 Fleet Engineering Division
 Fleet Medical Services
 Fleet Exploratory Divisions
 Fleet Command's Information, Signals and Propaganda Division
 Training and Education Institute
 Military Research and Development Division
 Interstellar Police Military (IPM)

## Personnel

### Recruitment and Training

All citizens upon reaching, the age of 28, who wishes to join the Imperial Navy, may take part in the **mandatory national service for 18 years**. They are trained in or off-world to meet the requirements of military service, being assigned to a specific enlisted or officer branch depending on their performance and/or expertise. During this time period, the recruits are exposed with multiple combat environments, services and space tactics as a way to evaluate and assign the trainees in which contingent they excels most. Unlike the Ground Forces however, the average period for the navy's **term of enlistment are about 18 years**, making it so that any crewman must serve 1 term, of twice the normal seize, in the navy to complete their mandatory national service. This is due to the important and permanent role carried out by the Imperial Navy in maintain Athalmar supremacy, safeguard civilian routes and cooperate in civic administration. Those who are deemed ‘unsuited’ for the service, though rare, more often end up transferred to either Air or Land Force Command due to the more pressing need of manpower for both branches.

Like its Land Force and Air counterparts, any participating sailors are permitted to drop out from their service before the end of their mandatory service within any ‘justified cause’ such as injury beyond repair (physically or psychologically), long-term medical leave, or simply deemed unable to continue training any further. Those who find themselves unable to partake within the ranks of the naval military branch can still be trained as a vital, non-combatant personnel for various tasks such as administration, medical, engineering and logistics.

However, this isn’t the only means of enlistment that citizens could apply. Those who are desiring in becoming an officer or those identified with specialized trade, instead may take part in the myriads of specialized academies and/or higher education institutions run by the Training and Education Institue, ranging from officers academy, state-run university or starfighters academy.

### Ranks and Officers

The officers and ratings of the Athalmar Navy are almost exclusively drawn from the Athalmar population, with other species constituents within the Empire relegated to auxiliary fleets and planetary defence flotillas. The non-human soldieries does allow to rise as enlisted and NCOs, although only the remarkable individuals are able to petitioned the Military to grant members of their species full commissions in the Navy as befitted their declared citizenship tiers so far. It is, however, widely accepted that only Athalmar can rise to such high ranks.

#### Enlisted

* Crewman (Second Rate)
* Crewman (First Rate)
* Leading Crewman
* Mariner (Second Rate)
* Mariner (First Rate)
* Chief Complement
* Command Complement
* Master Complement

#### Officers

* Warrant Officers
* Ensign
* Lieutenant
* Senior Lieutenant
* Lieutenant Commander
* Commander
* Captain
* Commodore
* Rear Admiral
* Vice Admiral

#### Commanders

Executive Commanders are Fleet Command officers that either held the executive power within the Executive Council as a Marshal, or those deemed eligible to be granted the rank from lower echelons of the Military, such as the Chief of Staffs, Chief of Headquarters, Chief of Naval Intelligence and others.

* Admiral
* Fleet Admiral
* Marshal of the Fleet Command

## Equipment and Ships

From the early days of the Navy, much of its design philosophy is based on seaborne ships and its relevant equipment are mostly spartan and utilitarian in nature that would devoid anything unnecessary. Unlike the more trade-minded Eldurasi and highly aristocratic Elithians, its warships would be created primarily for fighting, and this mindset is also extended further into its civilian vessels; even its merchant vessels and luxury liners are in some way designed to be armed enough to be able to defend itself. The Athalmar's need for supremacy has indeed made it's way into the very core of society.

During the primordial days of the Stellar Mantle, its first true space warship was designed to be modular and simple based on a long, rectangular and purpose built shape. The modular nature of this starship's design allows each of its sections independence from one another, thus allowing easy maintenance, ability to maintain firepower in case of combat damage as well allowing a highly efficient use of resources during the process of shipbuilding. Its early space propulsion was comprised of a single, powerful engine and lacks anti-gravity units to make efficient space and energy use, at the cost of being unable to achieve atmospheric flight should it accidentally wander too deep into any planet’s gravity force and thus necessitate the use of space shuttles for supply and crew boarding.

But as the century progressed, the technological leap of Athalmar shipbuilding prowess has led to numerous innovations and improvements over starship design, and, in particular, Fleet Command itself. For example, the novel multi-nacelles engine technology -  long thought to be fuel inefficient compared to the single-engine design - become increasingly practical and economically feasible in line with advancing fuel technology, which allows ships to consume lower fuel while allowing longer travel range compared to the previous instalments. This allows starships to descend into planet's gravitational well and perform atmospheric flight with ease, and subsequently eliminates the need for the often time-consuming and increasingly inefficient use of space shuttles for planet-to-ship boarding.

Furthermore, the aforementioned revolutionary engine technology also brings numerous subtle changes over Athalmar design. Atmospheric flight enables the use of anti-gravitic drives for the first time, allowing the instalment of previously luxurious components economically, even for military use. The ships overall look, while still retain its utilitarian, modular and pragmatic design, had moved away from its signature blocky features and become more streamlined to necessitate optimal atmospheric and space travel of the warship. Furthermore, advancement of technology allows the Empire to progressively design larger and more powerful warships.