Administrator Universe AU - Glossary

Administrator AU

Administrator AU - Glossary

Following is Breakdown by the Author of items and things related to AU which requires explanation in it's own article.

Places

Mandaoaaru Key Station

Mandaoaaru Key is a collection of hollowed out asteroids, salvaged dropships, repurposed satellites, and deliberate, intentional construction done in null gee in mid-system belt of the Mandaoaaru system. With a population estimated at just under 500,000 permanent residents, "The Key" is possibly the second largest city in the system. It is the second largest city. The largest being the capital of Queensland City on the Dutchman Escarpment on Mandaoaaru planetary proper. The "Permanent" population of The Key aren't the maximum population-the transient population using "The key" is estimated to be roughly an order of magnitude greater, thanks to the ready access to various Greenhouse hydroponic projects run throughout the system, and rich mineral sources of remarkable purity in the in-system belts. Mandaoaaru Key physically resembles kinetic sculpture made of random junk, connected together with a webwork of pipes, girders, trestles, cables, and manic willpower, with a number of spinning structures set at odd angles and positions throughout, all connected to a long docking line to a series of vacuum gantries for ship docking and repair.

Quarantine Zone

This was the established area space in Lyran Alliance / Lyran Commonwealth in 3067. They consisted of 13 worlds which were effected by the Plague. The Kowloon Coast Guard was tasked to keep and maintain the "line" keeping people in and out of the zone. Eventually, the plague as survivors would become resistant to what was once called the "Arluna Flu". Extensive screening was required for anyone traveling in and out of the Zone . The zone would be dismantled by 3140s. The Death Toll, August/September 3067 (by world)
Arluna : 1.75 Billion
Kowloon : 29.1 Million
Australia : 234 Million
Inarcs : Death Toll: 985 Million
Miquelon : Death Toll: 27.8 Million
Anembo : Death Toll: 18 Million
Melissia : Death Toll - 1.5 Billion
Jerangle : Death Toll - 3 Million
Jessenice - Death Toll: 12 Million
Kwangchowwang : Death Toll - 77 Million
Hood IV : Death Toll - 2 Million
Winter : 135 Million; 77% of planetary population were dead
Guataveta : Death Toll - 65 thousand
Coventry : Death Toll - 10 thousand
Brooloo: Death Toll - 256 thousand
Recife : Death Toll - 24 thousand
Tangua : Death Toll - 19 thousand
Timehri : Death Toll - 40 thousand

Setting-specific Slang

"Sirrah/Mum"

This is a shift that began in the late 3060s and proliferated as the Coast Guard absorbed English-speaking Lyrans in the Quarantine zone to fill continuously draining rosters and staff ships they were rolling out of the Boojum yard faster than they could recruit Kowloonese natives. In use and common practice, "Sirrah" is an honorific used in the same manner as "Sir" when referring to a senior officer who presents as male, while "Mum" is used with those presenting as Female in a Command position, in both cases this practice only exists within an immediate chain of command, such as a Platoon, Ship, or Patrol. The Use of "Sir" or "Ma'am" is still applied to Civilians, Senior Military officers of Flag Rank or those officers not in an enlisted or junior officer's immediate chain of command.

• For example, a Coastie Marine addressing their Shipboard Division officer or immediate commander will use 'Sirrah' or "Mum", but when addressing an LCAF Colonel or LCN Admiral, will use "Sir" or "Ma'am". Likewise for addressing civilians of any social class, or even nationality.

• (Ex: "Excuse me, sir, but you can't sleep on that ventilation grate, would you like me to help you to a comfortable holding cell?" or "Excuse me, Ma'am, but your competitor down the street only charges five kroner for that act of carnality, and I do not wish to overpay.", or "Your Pardon, sir, but I believe your mother provided a fine oral service to the members of another platoon, last night, for a nickel." or, "Yes, sir, you can find the docking bay you are looking for by following the bright orange line painted on that bulkhead. Have a pleasant day.")

Organizations

Kowloon Coast Guard & Associated Guard Units

The Kowloon Coast Guard is the primary paramilitary police force which origins were found during the Star League Era as pirates fighting the Rim Worlds Republic. Over time the originally as pirates, they became the formal defense force, using ancient Type 51 Gunboats which were salvaged as basis for combat jumpships. A primitive type Jumpship with very limited range, but able enough to ambush enemy vessels use it weapons to get upper hand before they were utterly destroyed.

The Kowloon Coast Guard would be used over the centuries to safe guard Kowloon and the worlds near it. By the 31st Century a plague that threaten all human space broke out on the world of Arlune. To prevent the spread by the survivors, the a Quarantine zone would be established consisting of 13 worlds effected by the virus in House Steiner space. Eventually, other worlds within the zone would gain their own Coast Guards trained and supplied by the Kowloon Coast Guard. These Coast Guards would follow Kowloon's example and enforce the Quarantine by turning around ships jumping in and manage persons within from getting out.

The Guard would undertake similar missions as wet navy Coast Guards acting as the police and rescue. They are also required to respond in times of national crisis. The Guards also have a Marine Corp, which are used to boarding parties.

Coast Guard Fleet Structure & Organization

Coast Guard - Fleet Organization

1 Patrol = 4 cutters and one support ship / support tender 4 Squadron = 4 cutters 4 Squadrons = 1 Division.

During the Jihad, the Kowloon Coast Guard (CGKS) had only a single division of ships, plus one squadron, and two squadrons left in the Q-zone to fight for the allies.

In the Administrator / 3142 - Duchess Sharon Ngo's Coast Guard aid in 3142 brought a full Coast Guard division out. A total of 64 cutters and a "Destroyer", plus their support ships. This was effectively referred to as a light fleet.

Assignments of officers ranks per size of formation & vessel.

Cutters are commanded by Lt. Commanders (O-4) or Lt. Promotables (O3P) Patrols are commanded by Commanders (O-5) Squadrons get Captains (O-6) Divisions get Commodores (O-6P)

Standard forms of address:

The officer in charge of a ship (even a Cutter) is addressed as "Captain", "Sir", or "ma'am".  Informally it's "Sirrah" or "Mum" or "Skipper". Patrol bosses/commanders are addressed by rank, or as "Sir" or "Ma'am" Squadron leaders are  "Boss", "Sir", "Ma'am"  and so on.

The correct usage is to address Lt. Commanders as "Commander" unless there's an actual reason to make the verbal distinction, or if they happen to be the OIC of the ship you're on, in which case it's 'Captain' or 'Skipper'.

It should be noted that during the Jihad, Kowloon had ONE cutter division, but they have been constructing the these tiny warships continuously since the 3060s.  By the 3140s they had MANY divisions.

It should also be noted that Superior offices could replace so many officers in the LCN directly with competent subordinates who know how to fight as a fleet, operate as a fleet and sustain operations as a fleet.  The Coast Guard mentality is that you can't do that when your whole 'fleet' consists of a bunch of dropships and three capital vessels in poor repair crewed by political appointees and incompetents.

Coast Guard Markings on Ships

All ships are painted haze-gray. 

Kowloon Coast Guard - Orca Rampant

Kowloon Coast Guard, there'd be a roundel on the bow low and aft high of a Killer Whale rampant, while for LCN regulars, it would be the Lyran Fist. The Roundel markings should be roughly the same size.  Registry or hull numbers would be placed opposite (dorsal/ventral).

Coast Guard hull numbers would be Division/Squadron/Patrol/hull

LCN numbers would be Fleet/Squadron/Hull sequence.

LCN naming conventions are all over the place, ranging from people to places to things.

Coast Guard names their cutters after "Persons of historical significance to Kowloon"-the only major requirement being said persons have to be dead first.

Cadet Training Overview for the Kowloon Coast Guard as of 3151

"A Cutter begins with a fairly primitive jump core capable of limited interstellar mobility, typically in the modern world, a base 15 light year range, though modern controller design allows the integration of an LF battery to reach a double-jump range of 30 Light years. These ships tend to fall into the mass range of some pocket warship designs, but without the need for a separate jumpship.

Typically, Cutters lack drop-collars and have limited bay spaces. The primary purpose of these vessels began as in-system deep patrol and enforcement vessels servicing Belter communities in roles varying from search and rescue, disaster response, and antipiracy patrol. The most iconic being the Kowloonese Sampan series cutters, which saw a massive increase in numbers due to the stresses and strains of the Arluna Outbreak and the need to patrol quarantined space using indigenous forces to prevent the spread of the virus by either refugee flight, or pirates accidentally coming into contact with the virus and spreading it.

During the Jihad, Cutters from the Kowloon Coast Guard were pressed into service as Warship numbers among LCAF and allied navies plunged. Despite the short range of their jump capability and relative light armament, Cutter units had certain advantages, including a remarkably small jump signature, easy maintenance, and low observability despite powerful maneuver drives coupled with an effective capital armament.

Post-Jihad, cutters continued to be produced in the so-called 'Quarantine zone', which, coupled with the necessary manpower to sustain the quarantine, led to a situation where a regional militia formation not officially funded or supported by LCAF became the largest source of jump-naval qualified personnel with skillsets appropriate to operating full-scale Warships in the Lyran Commonwealth. During the period of the Long Peace, Cutter units in the Quarantine filled most of the same roles LCN utilized combination assault dropship and standard core jumpships for. During the dual-clan assaults on Tharkad following the collapse of Operation: Hammerfall and the invasion of Tharkad, Cutters belonging to the Kowloon Coast Guard were critical in routing Jade Falcon and Wolf Naval units from the space over the Lyran Capital, and were critical in providing support to LCAF forces on the ground.

the Usage of Cutters in the LCN can be roughly compared to the usage of Submarine forces on old earth during the pre-spaceflight era, that is, they operate in groups, and are often the first ships to enter a hostile system, preceding the main fleet by as long as three to six weeks, during which time their crews gather intelligence, deploy special forces, and conduct 'pre-assault' preparations in near total radio silence, sending information back using first or second generation 'black box' systems to bypass normal radio interception techniques.

The additional purposes served by the expanding 'cutter force' in the LCN include antipiracy patrol, search and rescue, and customs inspection. In the hierarchy of the reformed Lyran Commonwealth Navy, an officer wishing to command a larger warship must do a tour in "The cutters" as part of a "Cutter Patrol". this has led to a decidedly periphery-background flavor for Warship officers in the LCN, and an institutional dominance of Belter and "Rockjack" personnel among LCN Warship branch commanders, often with the result of Kapitan or higher ranked officers speaking with a Kowloonese, Arlunan, Winterite, or Sol-belt accent, though there are prominent exceptions to this general shift in tone.

Cutter Tactics in battle are 'wolfpack' tactics, with an emphasis on exploiting movement and maneuver options available to small vessels capable of conducting KF jumps in-system, and crews are trained to recover quickly from the aftermath of an in-system jump. This often provides a shock even to prepared groups of opposing pocket-warship and/or enemy fleet vessels, as they are not prepared for an enemy who arrives on a wave of EMP and thermal bloom within close striking range in the middle of a battle, unleashing fire and then, often, vanishing to reappear light-minutes away. this is exacerbated by the free use of thermonuclear anti shipping ordnance in combat against other warships.

Unlike the navies of other States, the LCN after the reforms of 3143 enter battle with all decks depressurized to limit fires and 'secondary shockwave' from hull hits. This practice is standard for Cutter forces since the 3060s. Cutter crews in combat zones may be operating under vacuum pressure for as long as three to six months before rotation to peacetime status. In peacetime, crews are expected to be constantly ready to deal with hull breach and loss of internal pressure, as well as ready to conduct damage control tasks at a moment's notice even while under thrust.

LCN Uniforms were changed under the 3143 reforms to bring the entire Commonwealth Navy to the same basic standard. Officers and personnel are therefore in "Skinsuit" at all times, even while posted to planetary surfaces, and DC (Damage control) and survival harnesses have been integrated into the "Dress over garment" formal dress uniform.

Cutter Captains are required to be certified in the following:

1. Jump Navigation Calculations-including carrying out jump calculations without computer assistance. 2. Nuclear ordnance handling, arm/disarm procedures, and deployment methods. 3. Null-gee manuevering and space-walks. 4. Damage control tasks.

As a result, every ship's captain in the LCN whether commanding a dropship, or a Battleship, assigned to a cutter or a station, is also required to be proficient in these four tasks.

By 3151, a mere eight years after the initial reforms, the LCN's officer corps is 'mostly compliant' to these requirements, with those non-compliant being given the option of either accepting demotion until proficient, or accepting forced retirement as unfit for naval service.

Other notable regulation changes:

Leave policy and leaves of absence- No vessel or station may place more than 3% of their total personnel on leave status at any given time. Officers, senior, and junior enlisted are expected to live aboard ship (if assigned to a vessel) and may receive an allotment of 3 days per fiscal quarter (90 days) of off-post leave. those with families and young children may have 3 days off per month to spend time with their loved ones. (this may be taken per-month, or banked for longer, depending on the needs of the command). Personnel on active duty may not retain or transport more personal goods than will fit in a one meter by half meter by half meter ship's locker, this includes personnel assigned to ground service. Additional items must be shipped home or placed in offsite storage.

During Refits, Crew personnel are assigned to assist Yard personnel on refits, repairs and maintenance of their vessel. Leave policy remains tightly restricted.

Dependents may live on-base for shore duties, and dependents housing for crews at-sea is maintained at the home-port location. Education and basic civil services for Dependents is provided from the Personnel budget. Dependent housing is maintained internally, with that being one common duty for crewmen and officers assigned to station and/or base (Shore) duties. Cubic meters of space for Dependents are assigned based on the rank of the active duty personnel, with an average of 10 cubic meters added over basic housing for each step in rank progression.

Dependents with jobs off-post are provided with a 'car pass' and all dependents are provided with identification documents citing security clearances. for shore duty and dependent's housing, services are provided, including car service for dependent personnel with off-post or off-site jobs. For station-bound dependent personnel (see: Duran, Boojum, and Tharkad Naval Shipyards and Naval Shipyard Buena Habitat) weekly shuttle service is available. Teen dependents (ages 11-18) may sign up for 'pre service' education including flight school, Aviation and Naval maintenance, and Avionics technician training. vocational education offerings for teens include Machine Shop, basic ship maintenance, and pre-qualifier courses for engineering and medical fields. these are accredited courses in partnership with various unions and guilds throughout the Lyran Commonwealth, and provide pre-credits for entry into LCN and LCAF supported military academies.

Academy Cadets:

Cadets attending LCAF supported academies on a Naval track are fitted the same skinsuit pressure-undergarment used in the Fleet, and Academy uniforms are altered to fit over this suit. Cadets on a Naval track are expected to meet the same standards as other cadets, while also meeting strict standards of conduct and deportment required of LCN under the Reformed Regulation series, to include limitations on personal items and personal time or 'leave time'. (during holiday breaks, LCN cadets are temporarily assigned to the crew of whichever cutter, destroyer, warship, dropship, or station happens to be nearest to their school.) during this time, their official Rank in service while on holiday break is "Midshipman Apprentice".

Service period is 5 years for Enlisted, with a minimum of 5 years post-academy service for Officer candidates.

Funding and Financial

The Kowloon's Coast Guard is funded primarily from the economic activity of one world: Kowloon, with 1.5 billion residents (Planetside) and 500 million or so non-planetary system natives or "Rockjacks" (whom also serve as both primary customers for the Coast Guard's space arm, and as much of the serving technical, command, and leadership staff).  With Nationalization (first in the 3068 through 3082 state of emergency, and then with the declared state of emergency in 3135) a portion of operating and procurement funding was brought in from LCAF and LCN coffers.

Over the time, the Coast Guard's budget pie is sliced with 50% coming from Kowloon, another 15% from worlds in the former Quarantine zone, and the rest from National funding allocated from the LCAF budget.  Supplemental funding efforts are also often conducted, but such fundraising is not treated as a reliable income source for budgeting, and is 'banked' against emergencies.

The sort that require an emergency call up of retired personnel, or the sudden need to procure additional replacement hulls. 

Glossary of Naval Terms

Cutters

These are DropShip-sized (under 100,000 tons) WarShips, which smaller than Corvettes, similar size and some cases armed not unlike Surveillance sized vessels. Kowloon Coast Guard uses these ships as low-key law-enforcement ships in their region space. While armaments vary, typically they will have mix of Capital Grade Missiles, referred to as "Torpedoes" and Capital or Subcapital size lasers, autocannons aboard to fend off enemies. In some cases, these ships are built similarly to Primitive JumpShips, which themselves are similar to WarShips, with internal bays for DropShuttles, with limited Jump range (Under 5 to 15 Light Years.

CGM

This is the abbreviation of the Coast Guard Marines.

"Torpedoes"

Reference to capital grade missile munitions utilized in an anti-shipping role. This comes about due to the sheer number of missile types in use, from shoulder-fired to fighter-scale to subcapital to warship grade. "Torpedoes in the Water" indicates that capital grade missiles have been fired, either by friendly or enemy forces.

"Guns" (capitalized as a proper noun)

A ship's gunnery officer.

"RTO" or "Artoo"

the on-duty Radioman on a Cutter or light Frigate, or the on-duty radioman assigned to a platoon of Marines during boarding actions, surface landings, or garrison patrols.

"Doc"

Common parlance for a ship's senior medical personnel-most of the time, an E-5 or above Corpsman.

"Doctor"

Medical personnel of O-1 or higher, or specialist Warrant officers in a scientific field, requires a PhD.

"Gunny"

Enlisted Marine of E-7, short for "Gunnery Sergeant" (Not to be confused with "Guns")

"Egghead"

Warrant officer subject matter expert (non doctoral degree).

"Pogue" (spelled "POG")

"Person, Other than Grunt"-enlisted or officer rating in a rear-line position.

"Sqdn"

This is the abbreviation for Squadron

"Remf" (spelled REMF)

Rear Echelon Mother ******. Officer ranked personnel with no field experience in a rear-line staff position, typically in the planning or public relations departments, and always applied (out of their hearing) when referencing Personnel Command (PERSCOM).

"chit"

a favor owed, or a favor offered. (From payment chit, the digital form pay is tracked using.)

"Dirtyfeet"

Personnel (not necessarily Guard) born on a planet.