Loralynn Kennakris 2: The Morning Which Breaks (58 page)

A slang term for most anything that does something, be it a device or software.

A temporary promotion; sometimes casually called a
battlefield promotion
. Generally speaking, brevet ranks may be given by any senior officer to a subordinate, though there are limits on the number of steps and the highest rank that can be conferred, which differ between militaries.

In the
CEF
, for example, brevet promotion cannot be more than two steps above the
substantive rank
(and rarely that), or higher that two steps below the officer conferring the rank, (So a Navy captain can promote as high as lt. commander.)
Flag rank
and general officer rank are never brevetted. (A
brigadier
may be appointed as a
billet
, but never as a brevet, in the case it is a substantive rank.)

Brevet ranks are given for any number of reasons beyond necessity in combat. A billet may require a certain rank and a brevet promotion may be given allow a more junior officer to hold it. A brevet promotion may be given for conspicuous gallantry or other superb conduct, in the hopes it will be confirmed and made permanent. Brevet promotions are sometimes even made for diplomatic purposes, to make an officer more acceptable to a class-conscious society.

A large tactical military formation, commanded by a
brigadier
. In most ground forces, it is composed of four to six
battalions
, with supporting elements. Three or more ground-forces brigades constitute a
division
.

Some militaries, such as the ground forces of the
New UK
and the
Hesperia
, whose military structure is based on
regiments
, do not consider a brigade to be a permanent formation. They use the term when
battalions
of different
regiments
are
brigaded
together for some reason. The combined unit is then commanded by a
brigadier
, which is a
billet
, not a
substantive rank
.

Another exception is the
CEF Marine Corps
, which is also based on regiments, made up of two or three battalions. However, a single-battalion regiment, of which several exist in the CEF Marines, is called a brigade.

Note
: The
101st Marine Special Operations Brigade
is one example of a single-battalion regiment. This unit is also exceptional in that its
CO
is not a brigadier but, by tradition, a lieutenant general.

The lowest general officer rank, just above colonel, having the same seniority as a
commodore
in the navy, and in command of a
brigade
.

Like commodores, a brigadier is considered a
billet
in some militaries, not a
substantive rank
. The
CEF
Marine Corps
does consider brigadier to be a substantive rank, and it is never referred to as brigadier
general
, although this is common in other militaries.

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The
League
designation for a common high-efficiency military-grade explosive, very stable until primed. Available in several variants for different applications: munitions, demolition, mines, etc. Used by all militaries with slightly different formulations and names (e.g.
Halith
name: K-pex;
Bannerman
name: K-phor).

Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance. The totality of information functions and methods used to support effective employment of forces in warfare.

Considered the largest enterprise in which no government is a shareholder. The company is unusual among its peers in that it is not a conglomerate. The enterprise is dedicated entirely to
terraforming
and settlement.
Jackson Holder
is the
CEO
. His family founded the company and retains an 11% stake in it, which Holder personally controls. (Compare the
Huron Family
.)

Codenames assigned to each letter of the alphabet, as used in unit call-signs. Its origin is in the ancient
radio alphabet
(sometimes
phonetic alphabet
), which was developed to aid voice communications over an unclear channel, and also because certain letter names, such as
B
and
P
, are difficult to distinguish. Different organizations have used different versions of this alphabet since the early days of wireless communications, based on such factors as interoperability with various regional dialects. The current alphabet is use by the
League
is:
Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Gamma, Hammer, Indigo, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Ocean, Paris, Cue-ball (Q), Roger, Sierra, Tango, Uncle, Victor, Whisky, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu
.

The other call-sign alphabets in use are similar.

A base club for the lower enlisted ranks. Officers set foot in the canteen only in the line of duty. The rules for
NCOs
vary by service. In some militaries, the canteens are separated to give
rates and specialists
their own.

Canteen is also a general term for a facility serving snacks and drinks to all personnel, especially on major installations where there are a large number of civilians as well as military personnel.

Combat Area Patrol. The defensive deployment of fighters to cover an area, fleet element, or installation.

The misappropriation of naval stores. A favorite pastime of
bosuns
,
pursers
, and
NCO mess stewards
, or anyone else whose job it is to handle stores.

A
CEF Navy
staff
billet
. The Captain of the Fleet acts as chief of staff to a fleet commander, managing the admiral’s staff, as well as overseeing most of the administrative work. In this sense, the Captain of the Fleet is somewhat analogous to the
exec
of a CEF warship. A good relationship between the fleet commander and the Captain of the Fleet is vital for its smooth functioning.

Covert Action Team. A
League
military
special-operations unit
. Formed from
CEF marines
, although
Navy
or
SRF
officers sometimes lead them. All CAT members hold at least the rank of
PFC
.

Operationally, a CAT is a
section
-sized unit. Administratively, it is a
platoon
-sized unit, as each CAT contains three sections, one of which is either deployed or ready for deployment, while the other two form a ‘bench’ that are undergoing additional training or acting in support of the deployed unit.

CATs do operate under the
fireteam concept
, but are more flexible in this regard than other Marine units. CATs are extremely tight-knit, often serving together for years, and form teams fluidly to meet most any circumstances.

This stability explains a peculiarity of CATs: the tendency of the members to refuse promotion. One highly decorated member of CAT 5,
Corporal Vasquez
has been termed the ‘permanent corporal’ as she has held that rank for almost the entirety of her long career, despite many opportunities and numerous ‘battlefield’ promotions.

Due to the wide variety of missions CATs undertake there is no ‘standard’ organization. However, some generalities can be described.

CATs most often consist of 12 members, exclusive of commissioned officers. All CATs have a leader (Cat Leader), who is a Sergeant Major or a Color Sergeant, and team second (Cat Second) who serves as second in command for the CAT, and is often a Master Sergeant or Staff Sergeant, these being equivalent technical ranks to Color Sergeant and Gunnery Sergeant. The reason for this is that the CAT Second traditionally acts as the
EW
, sensors, and comms expert for the CAT, and thus usually comes from the tech side.

Next, a CAT will always have a shuttle pilot/engineer and a shuttle co-pilot/ gunner who mans the shuttle’s weapons and operates its sensors and EW suite. The shuttle pilot is often a
WO
, sometimes a Master Sergeant, but does not deploy in the field with the team and does not take precedence over the CAT Leader. The shuttle co-pilot/gunner is usually a Staff Sergeant (rarely a Master Sergeant).

The other 8 members of the CAT are most often organized into 2 fireteams, designated
Charlie
and
Alpha
. Fireteam
Alpha
is the
action
team, which carries out the objective, while Fireteam
Charlie
is the
cover
team that provides Fireteam
Alpha
with the support necessary to achieve the objective.

While ranks are not as significant in CATs as in the CEF as a whole (experience and reputation count most in CATs), Fireteam
Charlie
will usually be led by a sergeant, likely a Gunnery Sergeant. He or she will be seconded by a
Gunner
, typically a corporal or lance corporal, who is armed with a
SAW
. The third member is most often the team
Designated Sniper
(DS), who may be a PFC, lance corporal or corporal (sergeants are rare but not unheard of). The final member is a
Sniper/Scout
, who assists either the DS or the Gunner, according to circumstances. (Most often he or she will assist the DS while the Cat Leader works with the Gunner.) One team member will also be qualified as a medic.

The Fireteam
Alpha
will be configured according to the objective. How senior the Fireteam
Alpha
leader is cannot be generalized. This is because the Cat Leader may accompany Fireteam
Alpha
much of the time, allowing the Fireteam
Alpha
leader to be relatively more junior, so as to get vital experience under the Cat Leader’s tutelage. Further, the specific expertise required by the mission does not necessarily reside in the most senior members. Thus, a more junior member may be appointed Fireteam
Alpha
leader, while more senior members act in supporting roles, bringing their experience to bear on other aspects of the mission.

Therefore, roles within the Fireteam
Alpha
, including leadership roles, are assigned based on skill set and experience more than rank and seniority. The tight-knit nature of the CAT allows for this with a minimum of friction.

A few of the missions undertaken CATs are extraction (cooperative and uncooperative targets or
packages
), tech exploit (including data retrieval or insertion), ‘active’ measures (i.e. sabotage and related activities), and covert reconnaissance.

These might involve forming extraction teams (expert in close-quarters combat and subdual/pacification techniques), demolition teams, tech teams, sniper teams and scout teams, and involve personnel qualified as medics and small-craft pilots. (In general, a CAT will have at least one member who is a qualified small-craft pilot who deploys with the team. This is in addition to the shuttle pilot/engineer and co-pilot/gunner, who remain with their shuttle at all times.)

In addition to the 12 enlisted members, a CAT will generally be accompanied by two commissioned officers, only one to which—the Ops Planner, who is typically a fairly junior marine officer—is officially assigned to the CAT for an extended period (usually not in excess of a year). The
OTC
, who is not officially part of the CAT, will be a more senior officer and might be from any of the service branches, although a Marine captain or major would be most common. Lieutenant colonels have been known to lead CATs on rare occasions. A senior lieutenant or lieutenant commander from the Navy or the SRF is not unheard of.

As a rule, these officers deploy with the CAT, but not with Fireteam
Alpha
. They remain with Fireteam
Charlie
and oversee the operation, while assisting the CAT Second.

The requirement for the OTC is that they have a successful history working with CATs (often as a former ops planner) and they have particular experience and/or expertise relating to the mission. There is a small cadre of very experienced officers who are frequently assigned to be OTCs, and form a sort of unofficial “CAT Club.”

Unlike most Marine units, CATs rarely vary their armament based on the mission. The basic weapon used by all CATs is the
MI-6 assault rifle
, a heavier and more capable version of the standard Marine assault rifle. CATs also carry their own personal weapons, with which they are given fairly wide latitude.

Also, while most Marine sections employ two SAWs or a SAW and another support weapon (such as an anti-armor weapon or light
chain gun
), CATs generally have a single SAW in the unit. This is because CATs are employed in missions where maximizing enemy casualties is not a priority.

On the other hand, CATs employ highly sophisticated sensors,
dragonflies
and
EW
equipment, and the latest light combat armor and active camouflage gear.

Colonial Expeditionary Forces. The military arm of the
Nereidian League
, administratively under the
Naval Secretariat
. The name is a holdover from the era when the League was a mercantile consortium and for political reasons, it was decided to form a navy that employed only colonials below the rank of vice admiral to keep any one
Homeworld
from becoming a hegemon by dominating the Service. Vice Admirals and above were originally assigned by a quota system and regularly rotated according to a strict protocol. This practice was abandoned, along with many others, due to leadership failures during the run-up to
LH-1
, and in the initial phases of that conflict.

The CEF is currently organized into three branches plus support organizations. The three branches are the
Navy
, the
Marines
, and the
SRF
. SRF wings are independent units to be deployed on carriers or for planetary defense, and are adapted for either role. The three branches are nominally co-equal, as a result of legislation passed as part of larger program of reform prior to LH-1, but the fact that the CEF is under the
Secretary of the Navy
clearly shows the origins of the CEF as a naval force. The prejudice that the Marines and the SRF remain supporting actors is still widespread within parts of the Navy, particularly among
New Meridian
officers.