Earthly Host Navy

Emblem of the Earthly Host Navy

## Characteristics

### Motto

"From above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony."

### Founded

F.E. 15 (as the Earthly Host Autonomous Aerospace Fleet)

### Service Branches

Fleet Command, Cyberspace Command, Cosmic Artillery, Cosmonaval Infantry, Cosmonaval Aviation

## Expenditures

### Budget

60% of Earthly Host total budget

The **Earthly Host Navy (VKF)** (Stanislavan: *Voyennyy Kosmicheskeyye Flot CIZV*, lit. 'Military Cosmotime Fleet of the CIZV'; Oratio Ecclesiastica: *Classis Militaris Cosmotima CIZV*) is the cosmotime fleet and the cosmonaval warfare uniform service branch of the Earthly Host, the primary combined arms force of the Chelovayyan Empire. Commonly referred to as the **Ark Fleet** and also by its service branch predecessor's name **Aerospace Attack Forces**, it is directly responsible for the Earthly Host's fleets of military, unarmed & armed spaceships and spacecraft. The Earthly Host Navy is crucial to the Chelovayyan Empire's power projection and cosmotime defence across the stars.

Following the Ark Restructuring Plan of Alexis Harding S.M., the 7th Supreme-Commander of the Earthly Host, the Ark Fleet retains primary responsibility over Cosmic Cyberspace, Cosmic Artillery, Cosmonaval Infantry, and Cosmonaval Aviation. The restructuring plan also established five Imperial Naval Districts, known as Svarog-I, Jarilo-II, Khors-III, Mokosh-IV, and Radegast-V, all of which remain in-use today, alongside the later-created districts of Kupalo-VI, Lada-VII, and Marzanna-VIII.

## Organisation

### Naval Structure

The Earthly Host Navy (VKF) is organized into eight Imperial Naval Districts, each of which has its own Fleet Command. The Imperial Naval Districts also coincide with the Imperial Army Districts, which are collectively referred to as the Imperial Military Districts-Joint Operational Strategic Commands (IVO-OOSK). These Fleet Commands are composed of several smaller fleets which have operational command over individual regions and sectors within the district.

The Earthly Host Navy's administrative center is located on Planet Zemelia, Solaris System. Meanwhile, the Earthly Host Navy's Fleet Command Headquarters are located within the Imperial Naval Districts themselves. The following are the astrographical locations of the eight current Fleet Command Headquarters:

* **IVO-OOSK Svarog-I** - Granitsye, Solaris System
* **IVO-OOSK Jarilo-II** - Dom Keplera, Kepler-22 System
* **IVO-OOSK Khors-III** - Turmansk, Nix Magna System
* **IVO-OOSK Mokosh-IV** - Nova Anchorage, Alakshak System
* **IVO-OOSK Radegast-V** - Dom Aquila, Aquila System
* **IVO-OOSK Kupalo-VI** - Atarashī Chikyū, 55 Taiyoukei
* **IVO-OOSK Lada-VII** - Lituche, Inti System
* **IVO-OOSK Marzanna-VIII** - Yùshān, Queen Mother System

### Naval Hierarchy

See also: *Earthly Host Naval Ranks*

The Earthly Host Navy is currently headed by one of the Kheruvic-Admiral of the Earthly Host Navy, who is subordinated to the Supreme-Commander of the Earthly Host as part of the Kheruvic Assembly. He oversees the administration of the Earthly Host Navy from Zemelia, and provides reports to the Supreme-Commander and the Kheruvic Assembly for the conducting of joint military operations. The remaining Kheruvic-Admirals are responsible for the command of one of the eight Imperial Naval Districts.

Below the Kheruvic-Admirals are the Ofanic-Admirals, whom oversee sector-wide naval operations. They are often the highest-ranking officer found directly commanding within a sector engaged in conflict or battle. Below him are the sector-wide naval commanders, known as the Kyriotetic-Admirals, Dynamic-Admirals, and Exusiac-Admirals. Their commands encompass the sub-sector, the star system, and the planetary levels respectively.

Under them are the arbitrarily ranked Arkhaic-Admirals, Arkhangel-Admirals, and the Angel-Admirals, each of whom command naval divisions, squadrons, flotillas, battle groups, and taskforces depending on the situation. They operate on the planetary levels and below respectively.

Finally, below the Navy's Host Officers who symbolize the Captaincies of the Host of the Lord, are the individual ship Captains, other Senior Officers, Junior Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), and Enlisted Ranks. They are the ones who actually conduct naval operations on a tactical level.

### Naval Personnel

See also: *Mestnichestvo*

The Earthly Host Navy requires captains and skilled crews historically known as the Druzhina, whom are divided into two classes. The senior noble members, known as the Boyars, and the junior noble members, known as the Scions. Formerly swearing allegiance to at least one of the Princes of Stanislava, the Druzhina now swear sole allegiance to the Archregent of Chelovayya. Following the establishment of the Earthly Host during the First Epoch, the Druzhina Department was the primary source of navigators, pilots, engineers, and skilled crew members, due to their estate land being that of former Soviet Air Bases. Members of the Boyar families were often chosen as the captains of the vessels of the Aerospace Attack Forces. Erstwhile, the Scions were chosen as the crews that would accompany the Boyars on-board the space vessels. The Druzhina were promised ownership of lands on other planets following the end of their service. The Druzhina Department was abolished during the Ark Restructuring Plan, due to dislike over choosing growingly-complacent nobility over more qualified potential crews and captains. Despite this, the titles of "Boyars", "Scions", and "Druzhina" remained in common lingua to refer to anyone holding their traditional cosmonaval positions.

As of the Third Epoch, descendants of the Druzhina, especially the Boyars, began equipping themselves with specialized void-augmentations, gifting them with several advantages in the navigation of both the Naterium and the Preternaterium. For unclear reasons, the Boyars in the Third Epoch noticeably lived longer lifespans than the average Chelovayyans, living for five-hundred years on average, making them ideal candidates for exceptionally long careers in the Earthly Host Navy. As such, descendants of the Boyars noticeably dominate the demographics of captains of the Earthly Host Navy.

The Earthly Host Navy also require armed infantry historically known as the Streltsy. The Streltsy were the social stratum of levy riflemen who served the Princes of Stanislava during the Age of Anathema, but later swore allegiance to the Archregent of Chelovayya. On F.E. 15, the Streltsy Department was created by Prince Mikhail Godunov, the 1st Chancellor of Stanislava. The Streltsy Department was established for the sole purpose of recruiting streltsy for the formation of space infantry regiments. The Streltsy Department was abolished following the Ark Restructuring Plan, but the official name for cosmonaval infantry remains "streltsy".

As of the Third Epoch, the Streltsy refer to units of armed soldiers who maintain order and security within the ships. They are expected to board enemy vessels, and are often assigned outside of ships to protect Earthly Host Navy bases and facilities. They also often guard and escort navy officers, including the aforementioned Druzhina. Although the Streltsy in its traditional form has ceased to exist, there remains a tendency for descendants of family members who served as riflemen for the Earthly Host Navy to prefer this line of military service.

## Ships

See also: *Ships of the Earthly Host Navy*

### Space Control Ship

The space control ship (SCS) is a large, mobile, FTL-capable forward operating base which contain cosmodromes, hospitals, engineering workshops, training facilities, and logistical facilities. SCSs are simultaneously capable of taking command and control (C2) roles, and docking combat ships for rearm/refuel/repair/resupply (R4), excluding battleships. SCSs are capable of defending themselves with missiles, electronic warfare systems, and its own docked warships. The space control ship (SCS) is the embodiment of command, control, communications, computers, cyber-defense, combat systems, collaboration (C7), and intelligence, surveillance, target acquiring, reconnaissance (ISTAR), otherwise known as the C7ISTAR model.

The SCS is deployed as the centerpiece of a group of warships, forming a space control group (SCG). The traditional SCG model is composed of 1 SCS, 2 Kira-equipped battleships, 5 Kira-equipped cruisers and destroyers, 8 guardships, and 4 cross-sectional attack vessels. In addition, the SCS is capable of carrying 100-200 lancers, and a variety of destroyers, guardships and other warships. The SCG is also accompanied by various auxiliary ships such as replenishment ships, intercessors, and underway maintenance docks (UMD).

The SCS is either referred to as a "Spacon" or as a "Carrier", though the latter is often misleading. SCS-classes are traditionally named after royalty, saints, and swordbearers, most notable example of which is the Imperatritsa Ekaterina-class. In recent times, some SCSs have been named after "metaphysical concepts" that pertain to the "spirit" of the Chelovayyans, such as the recently constructed Concarnatio-class.