"Tales from the Concertverse" (BattleTech AU - Assorted Fluff and Short Stories and Tidbits)

[Steve]

So back in January I was in a story-telling mood in Discord, and in a private message chat with a friend who'd participated in the GSRPG that gave rise to the Concertverse AU I've been bugging you lot with, I related an incident I'd previously touched in brief when doing the histories of the Royal Federation's Royal BattleMech Regiments.

But I had fun with it, instead of just copy-pasting I expounded upon it in a more... documentary style, may I even dare say in wording and phrasing I could imagine a certain BattleTech commentator with a whiskey-loving voice using if he were narrating this story (though I do not claim to be successful in emulating in his style, I add). And so I figure I'll just share it with everyone since I spent all that time writing all 2,000+ words and then editing and cleaning it up, and in the process, this thread can be a place for me to post other little vignettes I've written or will write but which wouldn't fit into fiction or other fluff materials I'm doing. Like that small entry on the 3030s-era Arcadian state's policies towards propane and natural gas regulation I did on a dare back in the game, to much amusement and enjoyment of my fellow players.

Anyway, first things first, a tale of Humanity at its worse and how the cycle of violence continues rolling on. I give you the story of the Massacres of Whittington and Thorin, and how the Arcadian Twelfth Royal BattleMech Regiment came by their nickname: The Vengeful.

 

[Steve]

The Vengeful​

In the year 3057, Whittington was a quiet world of the Royal Donegal March, several jumps behind the lines of the Terran War. It had gone untouched through the earlier years of the war. It seemed the perfect place to set up ammunition production, and to protect that factory, the Armed Forces of the Royal Federation chose to muster and organize the Twelfth Royal BattleMech Regiment and brigade. The unit trained and prepared for the day it would go to the front, returning to their housing every day to the families they loved. The war was still over a hundred light years away.

Then came the day that the Terran Nineteenth Armored Cavalry arrived.

Under the command of General Thomas Furlough, the Nineteenth was on a mission to end Whittington's contribution to the war, but they had not just come to level the factory complex. No. General Furlough boasted of his ancestry, of his bloodline to the great Terran patriot and hero Amos Furlough, and he was here on a mission to save the Terran people from the barbarian scourge at the gates. With Director-General Kerensky's Reprisal Doctrine orders in hand, he would bring war to those who defied the vision of the unified, Terran-ruled Humanity.

The Twelfth Royal were a new unit with some veterans in the ranks and knew what to do. When the Nineteenth hit the ground they were ready and the battle was joined. But the Nineteenth were built for this sort of fighting, and even as the Twelfth Royal held in one sector, lances of swift light 'Mechs were already on their flanks, past their rear, and hitting targets. The Twelfth's rear guard held the factory despite the costs, fulfilling their duty. But they were locked into combat and could not stop what was to come.

Individual lances, or just dual teams of 'Mechs, broke off from the main battle zones and entered the nearby cities and towns. They had their own mission, and they accomplishing it, leaving burning ruins and broken remains behind. Any dwelling that might conceivably house workers supporting the armaments factory was destroyed with ruthless efficiency, occupied or unoccupied. Another force of Terran 'Mechs and armored infantry overwhelmed the perimeter guards of the Twelfth's own base, leveled their facilities, and marched into their housing. The civilian dependents of the Twelfth Royal and its support formations were helpless as the Terrans turned their weapons upon their homes. Even those who had successfully escaped to the safety bunkers were not spared as the Terran battle armor burned through the hatches and hunted them down, room by room, leaving a trail of burned, machine-gunned, and lasered bodies in their wake. When the Nineteenth finally withdrew every family of the Twelfth Royal, from those of the lowest infantry private to Brigadier Robert Macklin, had been annihilated, with only a handful of survivors who fled long enough and far enough to escape the massacre.

Once the deed was done, the Nineteenth pulled back, abandoning their strike on the intact factory. They escaped on their DropShips with some few losses, leaving tens of thousands of dead civilians in the rubble they left behind. As they burned for their JumpShips the enraged Twelfth Royal's aerospace group flung themselves into sortie after sortie to stop the escape, but the Nineteenth's defenses proved too strong. The handful of survivors landed to face the comrades, the dead families, they had failed.

The Twelfth Royal had survived. They'd done their duty and saved the factory. But for the men and women of that new unit the victory tasted like ash. Their slaughtered families left them hollow. No victory in the war, no final triumph, could be complete, and every soul in the brigade felt that realization as they buried their families in ceremony after ceremony. Nobody would have blamed them if they had walked away, if they'd given up, but they didn't. They were still sworn soldiers of the Royal Federation, they still had their oaths, their duty, and to a man the Twelfth Royal swore to fight on.

You see, Furlough and his soldiers had made a terrible mistake. The Nineteenth Armored Cavalry had wounded the Twelfth deeply. They had taken the sweetness of their enemies' lives and destroyed it. They had robbed the men and women of the Twelfth Royal of the happiness that would come with final victory. But they had left the Twelfth Royal alive.

Two years passed. As regiment after regiment was worn down in the brutal slog the Terrans made of every one of their worlds, the need for frontline forces grew. Terra was looming ever so closer and the might of the Lyran Alliance was already landing upon New Earth. The Twelfth Royal were called to the front and the forces of OpForce Thunderhead, a contingent of Royal Federation, Principate, and Ghastillian troops ordered to seize the Terran world of Thorin. The campaign for Thorin would not just claim the planet but keep its defenders from reinforcing the TUDF's New Earth positions. The Twelfth Royal would have the fight of its life.

The Terrans fought hard, as they had on every Union world, and the 12th Royal was in the thick of the fighting for the approaches to Ecol City. Marching along the banks of the Gauley River, they made contact with a Terran force bearing down upon the flanks of the nearby Hyde Lancers. They rushed in to aid their comrades and found themselves facing off against the BattleMechs and vehicles of the Terran Nineteenth Armored Cavalry. Fate, or God, or just random chance had delivered their tormentors into their gunsights.

The Nineteenth wheeled about to avoid being flanked and the battle was joined. They were battle-hardened veterans and regained their poise quickly. Seeing the strength of the attacking force they fell back to regroup. Yet the 12th Royal pursued heedless of the danger, so the Nineteenth Armored Cavalry fell back once more, and the Twelfth Royal pursued again. The Terrans' reserves caught the Twelfth Royal on their flank and yet they just kept coming. No matter how well the Terrans' shots landed, no matter how many 'Mechs and tanks and infantry of the Twelfth Royal died, the Federation troops fought like maddened bastards, driven on by the memories of their slaughtered families, each soul ready to die so long as a Terran of the Nineteenth died with them. From sheer bloody tenacity the Twelfth Royal overwhelmed the flanking attack despite the losses. Wherever the Terrans fell, a Twelfth Royal 'Mech waited to end the life of whichever Terran MechWarrior or tank crewman remained. From above VTOLs and aerospace fighters screamed in, delivering attack runs that savagely punished the Nineteenth Armored Cavalry wherever they tried to hold, all while being shot from the sky by anti-air fire. Finally the Nineteenth Cavalry gave it all up and went into all-out retreat, seeking refuge with friendly units near Ecol City. But it was too late. As they tried to flee past the banks of Lake Gauley they ran into the Twelfth Royal's supporting cavalry regiment. The Nineteenth Armored Cavalry had been outflanked and there was nowhere to run.

Furlough rallied his units into a river gulley feeding into the lake and took stock of the situation. With their air support swept away, they had no means of escape. Their damaged machines would never make it through the lake. All that remained was a final last stand or a surrender. And here, Furlough, the man who had happily proclaimed his descent from Amos Furlough, who had insisted he would fight to the last to save his people... he chose to live. The Nineteenth would surrender after all. As the Twelfth rallied at the edge of the gulley for their final push, Furlough marched his damaged Atlas II forward and lifted a white flag with his 'Mech's remaining arm. He broadcast his surrender on an open channel to the Twelfth Royal and all their comrades.

From the ranks of the Twelfth's lines, a single battle-scarred 'Mech stepped forward. It was an equal to Furlough's Atlas, a Gae Bolg Assault BattleMech marked in the Twelfth's colors. Inside the cockpit sat Brigadier Robert Macklin, the man who had lost everything but his command on that horrible day on Whittington. Now he stood facing the bloody bastards who had killed his wife and children, who had killed so many families of the men and women he led, and with the fields behind them still littered with the corpses of his comrades. And they wanted to surrender. To live. They wanted mercy from Robert Macklin and his grieving soldiers, mercy that they had denied to the Twelfth Royal's families and all the civilians they had fought to protect. And to that plea, he responded with just one gesture. He had prepared for just such an occasion, and so he flipped a single switch. A flag unfurled above the head of his 'Mech; a flag of blood red with no markings. Every soldier knew what it meant.

No quarter.

Macklin's fingers squeezed triggers and a pair of Gauss-fired slugs cored Furlough's Atlas II, smashing through the engine. Furlough almost passed out from the feedback as his 'Mech fell over. From every edge of the gulley the Twelfth Royal marched in, firing into the mass of the Nineteenth without mercy, without pause, every shot aiming for head modules on 'Mechs. Whatever hope the 19th might have had to sell their lives dearly ended as artillery and aircraft rained explosive death on them. Many of the Nineteenth died in their machines. Some didn't. Some, like Furlough, survived to flee their broken 'Mechs. They crawled out of the hatches and into the waiting arms of the Twelfth Royal's armored infantry. The recordings from the armor cams told the story. Furlough himself screamed that he was a surrendering soldier and he invoked the Ares Convention, the same laws of war he'd happily thrown aside on Whittington. But that was all he managed before the Arcadian soldier blew his Goddamn head off with a magshot rifle.

By this time the rest of OpForce Thunderhead knew something was wrong. They'd been too pressed to interfere in the battle, but now a combat command of the Hyde Lancers was rushing to the scene. They'd initially come to fight beside their comrades, but as the screams and pleas for mercy filled the open airwaves, now they were racing to stop the slaughter. But the Twelfth Royal would not be denied, and they did not waste time. By the time Major Gunther Borden and his MechWarriors arrived, it was over. Every soldier of the Nineteenth Armored Cavalry, every last one, was dead. On that day, the Twelfth Royal BattleMech Regiment earned the name it has worn in every battle and war since: The Vengeful.

It's easy to say it was just vengeance. But even if so, sometimes vengeance is justice. The Nineteenth Armored Cavalry, and most of their sister regiments, were the embodiment of everything that had gone wrong with the Terran Union. They earned their reputation in the blood and broken souls of their victims. They deserved their fates, whether it was from a war crimes tribunal or because their victims took matters into their own hands. Maybe the world should be better, but often, it isn't, so you take justice where you get it.

If you're wondering, the AFRF wasn't too happy with Brigadier Macklin and his soldiers. Organized militaries tend to prefer their soldiers follow the laws of war, well, unless you're a Capellan or a Kuritan, anyway. Macklin was ready to face them all. He turned himself in right away with his whole command staff. The remaining survivors of the Twelfth Royal were marched into their DropShips and held until the mess could be sorted out. They'd done their part to win the victory, now it remained to be seen what should be done with them for their own vengeful war crime.

In the end, most of the surviving soldiers were just assigned to new units, and many would leave the AFRF, either by retiring or, well, feet-first, if you get my drift. Macklin and his officers were court-martialed for killing surrendering prisoners. They plead no contest. The evidence was, after all, inescapable. Their lawyers pleaded the circumstances but the gravity of their crime, of the execution of surrendering soldiers, was simply too great. The military court dishonorably discharged them and, in light of the circumstances and their service, gave them suspended sentences on the grounds they keep their noses clean and did nothing to tarnish the honor of the service.

That was no problem for Brigadier Macklin. With his final duty satisfied, he had nothing left. He went back to his quarters, took his sidearm and a picture of his slain wife and children, and put a bullet through his temple. But he did gain some immortality from the incident. It's why, they say, nobody touches civilian targets when the Twelfth Royal's on the field with you. Nobody wants to be the next dumb war crime-committing bastard to face "Macklin's Mercy."

 

[Steve]

Written with the support of the creator of the Communal League when we did the game that led to the Concertverse material and fics.

Communal League Armed Forces — A Profile

​

The Communal League Armed Forces are one of the most unique military services in the history of either Inner Sphere. As different from the regular House forces as the Clans of the Transglass, yet nothing like the Clans' toumans, the CLAF is its own entity, requiring extensive study to understand its function and operation within the wider society that birthed it and the ideological dimension that permeates every aspect of the CLAF.

This summarized profile is quite broad and not at all approaching an in-depth examination of this organization, but rather can act as a primer for further study in the specifics.

Factions and Elections

Perhaps the single-most important detail to remember about the CLAF is that it does not field an officer corps like other states' militaries. More to the point, its command and control structure is immersed in the ideological anarcho-syndicalism that is the root of the entire League. The only higher education for CLAF officers comes to those in flag rank who, by necessity of their responsibilities, require specialized training and education. This was an early concession by the League to the necessities of an organized military force, one that was not uncontroversial in its day.

All other positions are determined by unit elections, at all levels. A regular soldier of the CLAF will vote for their platoon commander, their company commander, all the way up to their regimental commander. They accept that these elected officers will then issue them commands that they must obey to maintain discipline. As CLAF is fundamentally a volunteer force (citizenship service requirements can be met by non-CLAF organizations), this is more effective than seen when conscripted forces in revolutionary societies historically shifted to elections, though it is by no means free of difficulties and complications.

Perhaps the most important of these complications is that the CLAF is a reflection of League politics as a whole. Officers are elected for political reasons as much as capability to command, reflecting the political biases and convictions of their troops. These tendencies are reinforced by certain institutional norms that will be discussed later in this document. Units can thus be considered to be aligned with one of the three big tent political factions of the Communal League, which in turn can influence their unit's votes on strategy, operational plans, and has even seen units act without immediate government sanction (most notoriously in the Autonomous Brigades).

Material on the League's political factions and their ideological views, subfaction divisions, and philosophies would be a large work in of itself. For the purposes of this summary, each will be simplified in accordance to how they operate within the CLAF.

Vanguardists

The Vanguardists are the most assertive and aggressive of the factions. They fervently believe the League must always be fomenting revolution on its frontiers, grinding away at the capitalists and monarchists world by world until their systems collapse and their worlds are swept into a revolutionary state. Forces with Vanguardist officers are thus more likely to pursue independent operations in support of revolutionary insurgencies or the wider revolutionary missions. They agitate for the rest of the League to back their operations and have varying degrees of frustration or outright loathing for those who are not pushing for the revolution to expand, with the pejorative title "Stopper" thrown at those they consider to be actively opposing revolutionary activity.

Unionist

Sometimes (and erroneously) billed as the "moderate" League faction, the Unionists are arguably the widest tent in the entire League. They favor a more cautious approach to spreading the social revolution, "revolutionary prudence" as they call it, which can be summed up as picking their fights carefully and making sure to maintain the unity of the League as a necessary prerequisite to spreading revolution. A Unionist formation prefers to have the groundwork for battle set well beforehand to ensure a complete and lasting victory. Unionist units in the CLAF are predominant among the technical support service formations and focus on maintaining discipline and the coherence of the CLAF. They are less likely to act on initiative without approval from their higher ups or the War Committee. They broadly share the Vanguardists' commitment to spreading the revolution but not their all-consuming devotion to the duty. A good comparison would be to say while a Vanguardist will rely on the ends (decisive battle) to create their means (revolutionary advancement), the Unionist relies on their means (formentimg revolutionary conditions) to create their ends (a lopsided battle in their favor to secure final victory)

Communalist

The Communalists are the least aggressive faction. They favor spreading revolution but not at the cost of the League's governing principles. If the choice is granting greater central authority to the CLAF or League government or holding back on expansion of the revolution, the Communalists will typically pick the latter. The needs of local communes and communities are paramount; reducing their power to promote a stronger state for warring with their neighbors is not even seen as a necessary evil but as an absolute evil that must be resisted. Units with Communalist officers are thus the least likely to engage in unauthorized operations outside League borders. They are also likely to vote against adventurism and to resent being used for such means. Invaders beware, however, as the Communalists can be brutally ferocious in defending their homes. Even the Vanguardist will grudgingly admit that nothing matches the sheer ferocity of a Communalist guarding their kith and home. Their methods are much more focused on hearts and minds and the long view, being content to slowly win over a people over a decade if need be and demonstrating the superiority of their cause with the carrot more than the stick.



This factional divide is mitigated somewhat by a sorting tendency: as political alignments of units are well known and the servicemember a great deal of discretion in where they serve, members naturally congregate in units matching their own views. The tendency of units to be predominately one faction or another has various culture effects within the CLAF, seen in everything from unit histories to the usual military humor taking on a particular CLAF character.

For example, one common Vanguardist joke:
"How many Unionists does it take to assault a trench?"
"I dunno, ask me in two weeks when they finish their trench assault committee meeting."

The equivalent Unionist joke would be something like:

"How does a Vanguardist clear a minefield?"
"Send enough of them and they'll eventually clear a pathway for one of them"

Branches

The CLAF has six distinct branches — arguably seven — that cover specific duties related to the defense of the League and it's mission of socio-economic revolution. These branches are governed by high-ranking flag officers under the direction of the War Committee.

Army

The CLAF's Army is the main frontline fighting force and striking arm of the League. When conducting offensive military operations on planets and moons it is Army formations that typically lead the way or at least provide the heavy firepower to support the operation. The Army's command system is decentralized and distributed among both the border and march commanders and the commanders of the various corps. Four types of brigades are employed in the Army. Jaeger brigades are skirmishers, raiders, and flankers; Shock brigades are offensive line formations meant to be the "tip of the spear" in wider battles and operations; Assault brigades are meant for dealing with fortified enemy positions; Guards brigades are line formations meant to complement the activities of the other unit types.

The Army is fairly evenly-keeled faction wise, though the Communalists are by far a minority. As of 3142 polling data the division stands at:

Vanguardists: 44%
Unionists: 37%
Communalists: 17%

Navy

The service responsible for the bulk of the League's fleet of JumpShips and DropShips as well as all the active WarShips. The Navy operates frontier squadrons on the Periphery to protect League colonies as well as border patrol squadrons and fleet squadrons for major combat operations.

The factional divide in the Navy is fairly balanced. The demands of space operations leads to a certain dampening of ideological fervor amongst spacers, and the kinds of factional heat and infighting found in other services is not as common (though not impossible). Crews need to be able to get along and while the Navy will transfer ideologues to matching crews when necessary, the need to keep all ships crewed means there's a greater stigma to being so disruptive to crew cohesion that you need such a transfer.

Data in 3142 indicates the following division of factions among the Navy:

Vanguardists: 33%
Unionists: 40%
Communalists: 27%

The Unionists are particularly well represented in the WarShip fleet, the Vanguardists in the aerospace elements, and the Communalists in the support and transport DropShips and JumpShips.

Communal Militia

The Communal Militia is a mixed ground and aerospace force devoted to planetary defense. Because of the particular makeup of the CLAF it tends to employ heavier units than planetary militias in other states, including BattleMech formations, such that it may serve to effectively double the number of BattleMechs fielded by the CLAF as a whole. Communal MIlitias are by number of members the largest branch of the CLAF and the most likely choice for those choosing CLAF service for their civil service requirement. They are tasked with maintaining defensive installations and fortifications protecting cities and major defensive points in the League, but unlike the Army their regular duties also extend to civil support functions like search and rescue operations, disaster relief, and supporting civil defense. The Communal Militia includes an internal navy, the Maritime Militia, who crew seagoing and riverine craft for planetary defense and civil support.

The Militia is by far the bailiwick of the Communalist political faction, as its defensive orientation and focus most closely suits that faction's viewpoints and those of other factional views are more likely to pick other branches for their CLAF service. The 3142 data reflects this tendency staying strong:

Vanguardist: 10%
Unionist: 20%
Communalist: 70%

Engineering Corps

The Engineering Corps are a specialist formation with the dual duty of supporting civil infrastructure projects in the League and providing combat engineer formations for the CLAF. Because of their role the Engineering Corps are the only branch that has extensive educational requirements for consideration. While they accept volunteers from those fulfilling civil service requirements, the requirements for education and mathematical acumen are demanding enough that many such applicants fail their initial evaluation and are directed to other branches, with further attempts allowed at yearly intervals. While regular rated soldiers do not need higher qualifications, elected officers must by necessity be educated in engineering. Those who do not already possess engineering degrees are sent to one of the Corps' affiliated engineering colleges to attain the necessary education in order to take their positions.

While the Corps are responsible for designing and building the fortified compounds and installations used for planetary defense, by far the greater volume of the Corps' work is in civil engineering projects. From carving canals, roads, and tunnels for new colonial settlements to helping to rebuild damaged infrastructure on long-settled worlds, the CLEC is frequently involved in at least advisory capacity.

Polling in 3142 indicated the following factional balance:

Vanguardist: 25%
Unionist: 40%
Communalist: 35%

Unconventional Operations Group

The UOG is seen by many as a military intelligence and special forces command developed as an independent branch. Its remit is to defend and expand the revolution in spheres outside of regular conflict, particularly espionage, sabotage, and insurgency. UOG units have rigorous physical and mental requirements due to the duties that field personnel may be called upon to perform, and specialties ranging from explosives-handling to cybersecurity are in demand. If there is a syndicalist or socialist insurgency active in the Inner Sphere there are good odds a UOG liaison is advising and arming them, assuming the insurgency is not just a UOG operation in of itself.

As one would expect, the UOG is heavily Vanguardist in number, as its entire role fits the Vanguardist ideas of pushing revolution from system to system by either influence or direct action. This has not gone unnoticed and the UOG is often given even greater scrutiny by the War Committee than the other branches just to ensure it is not operating wildly out of step with the civilian government of the League. The occasional scandal has been known to happen over UOG operations, most notably the daring 3107 attack on Coventry's House Bradford that saw the violent deaths of most of that noble family, but the UOG has avoided going "rogue" as many Communalists have sometimes charged it would inevitably do.

While the UOG is more secretive about its ranks than the other branches, it still allowed for a direct poll of its membership:

Vanguardist: 60%
Unionist: 20%
Communalist: 20%

It has been observed in some reports that the factions tend to favor specific duties within the UOG, with Communalists often being in the lead at organizing local radicals into homegrown revolutions, the Unionists organizing espionage networks, and the Vanguardists being keen for active operations like sabotage and assassination. Note that this does seems more preference than absolute, though data is not firm in either way.

Carabineers

The Carabineers are a dedicated internal security branch of the CLAF. Trained in both police and military operational tactics and roles, the Carabineers are responsible for securing the League's worlds from insurgencies, revolts, and terrorism. Their primary purpose is "the security of the communes" by law. Part of their job is winning hearts and minds in local populations, drawing support and volunteers from the many communities of the League. Their military side is thus rarely the public face of the organization in the League itself, typically only seen when fighting major insurgency or, in extreme defensive situations, supporting the Communal Militia and Army in defense of CLAF worlds.

It is the Carabineers' role in the securing of newly-captured worlds that sees their military side come to the forefront. Designated units called upon by the branch's command staff are typically dispatched on such offensive operations, in which they will follow behind the main forces to provide additional security for supplies and, should the target fall, begin implementing the communalization of the planet's economy and society. The method is typically drawn from the factional lean of the unit in question. A Vanguardist Carabineer force will be more interested in the suppression, if not liquidation, of pre-existing centers of political power like nobles or landowners; a Unionist unit will focus on organizational reform and dismantling the local state while trying to win hearts and minds in the regular populace; Communalists will typically encourage domestic radicals to take control and throw cultural and community events to win acceptance of the League's anarcho-syndicalism. One wit famously summed this up as "The Vanguardists will convert with bullets, the Unionists with committees, and the Communalists with picnics."

The Carabineers' unique mission and role explains much of why they may be the most balanced factionally of all the CLAF branches. The 3142 poll results are as follows:

Vanguardist: 32%
Unionist: 34%
Communalist: 32%

Autonomous Brigades

The unofficial seventh branch of the CLAF, the Autonomous Brigades are self-governing independent units not beholden to any of the other branches. They follow their own individual chains of command and maintain their own support units and logistics networks, answering only to the War Committee. Some liken their relationship to the CLAF and the League as a whole to the Draconis Combine's Order of the Black Dragon (or the Transglass Combine's Order of the Five Pillars), others see them more akin to the special status of the Lexington Combat Group in the Kilbourne Suns' Concord, or the Star Dragons and other former pirate groups that remain loyal to House Silver-Davion in the Cisglass Federated Suns.

The Autonomous Brigades are not a uniform branch by any means, in that each brigade governs itself independent of the others. They recruit on their own, they run their own supply systems and procurement offices, they hire or maintain their own transport fleet. Each has a proud battle history that adds to the allure of the unit. For those in the League burning with revolutionary fervor and the need to devote their whole being to the cause, there is no higher calling than a place in the Autonomous Brigades.

The factional mix of the Autonomous Brigades is heavily weighted towards the Vanguardists. Indeed, many see the Autonomous units as an inherently Vanguardist "branch" in the same way that the Communalists dominate the Communal Militia. The 3142 polls indicate the following mix:

Vanguardists: 65%
Unionists: 30%
Communalists: 5%

Rank and Rating Structure

The Communal League Armed Forces use a unique military rank and rating system based around their socio-economic syndicalist theory. Unlike most services the CLAF makes use of academy-trained officers only for the flag ranks, with units electing the equivalent of field officers to command them and to represent them in the assemblies of their specific units. Assemblies of units vote for whom amongst their ranks attends one of the Flag Command Schools that the CLAF has on major march capitals, the basis for the flag officer corps of the CLAF.

Ratings are combined with ranks, and among regular soldiers are the primary means of address.

The Engineering Corps, Communal Militia, Unconventional Operations Group, and Carabineers all employ similar rank and rating systems to the land and aerospace forces depending upon unit type and role.

Service Ranks

These ranks are universal to the CLAF and denote seniority in service. Higher seniority allows for some limited command authority in small units under the CLAF regulations, but in practice this is used in emergency situations more often than not.

CLAF	SLDF	Historic	English Translation
Soldato-rekruto	Recruit	Recruit	Soldier-Recruit
Soldato	Private	Private	Soldier
Kaporalo	Corporal	Corporal	Corporal
Serĝento	Sergeant	Sergeant	Sergeant
Ĉefa serĝento	Master Sergeant	Master Sergeant	Master Sergeant

Elected Officers

Under CLAF practice, every unit elects one of their number to be their field commander and to represent them in the unit's command assembly. The titles assigned to these elected officers vary by branch.

Land Forces

CLAF	SLDF	Historic	English Translation
Leŭtenanto-delegito	2nd Lieutenant	Lieutenant-Delegate
Delegito	Lieutenant	Lieutenant	Delegate
Kompanio-delegito	Captain	Captain	Company Delegate
Bataliono-delegito	Major	Major	Battalion Delegate
Kolomno-delegito	Lieutenant Colonel	Column Delegate
Regimento-delegito	Colonel	Colonel	Regiment Delegate

Aerospace/Aerial Forces

CLAF	SLDF	Historic	English Translation
Leŭtenanto-delegito	2nd Lieutenant	Lieutenant-Delegate
Flugdelegito	Lieutenant	Flight Lieutenant	Flight Delegate
Eskadrodelegito	Captain	Squadron Leader	Squadron Delegate
Grupodelegito	Major	Wing Commander	Group Delegate
Stormodelegito	Group Captain	Stormo Delegate
Regimento-delegito	Colonel	Group Colonel	Regiment Delegate

Naval Forces

CLAF	SLDF	Historic	English Translation
Leŭtenanto-delegito	Ensign	Lieutenant-Delegate
Delegito	Lieutenant	Lieutenant (j.g.)	Delegate
Deĵodelegito	Captain	Lieutenant	Shift Delegate
Fakodelegito	Major	Lieutenant Commander	Department Delegate
Leŭtenanto-Ŝipodelegito	Commander	Lieutenant-Ship Delegate
Ŝipo-delegito	Commodore	Captain	Ship Delegate

Flag Officers

Land Forces

CLAF	SLDF	Historic	English Translation
Brigadisto	Brigadier General	Brigade Commander
Diviziestro	Lieutenant General	Major General	Division Commander
Korpestro	Lieutenant General	Corps Commander

Aerospace/Aerial Forces

CLAF	SLDF	Historic	English Translation
Flugidisto	Air Commodore	Wing Commander
Diviziestro	Rear Admiral	Air Vice Marshal	Division Commander
Korpestro	Air Marshal	Corps Commander

Naval Forces

CLAF	SLDF	Historic	English Translation
Flugidisto	Commodore	Wing Commander
Eskadrodisto	Rear Admiral	Rear Admiral	Squadron Commander
Flotestro	Vice Admiral	Vice Admiral	Fleet Commander

Strategic Flag Officers

Land/Aerospace Forces

CLAF	SLDF	Historic	English Translation
Limkomandanto	Major General	General	Border Commander
Markomandanto	General	Field Marshal	March Commander
Servokomandanto	Service Commander
Ligokomandanto	Commanding General	Marshal/General of the Armies	League Commander

Naval Forces

CLAF	SLDF	Historic	English Translation
Limkomandanto	Admiral	Admiral	Border Commander
Markomandanto	Fleet Admiral	March Commander
Servokomandanto	Service Commander
Ligokomandanto	Commanding Admiral	League Commander

Political Leadership

The War Committee of the Communal Assembly of the League is the civilian body responsible for oversight of the CLAF. Individual Committee members, chosen from the Assembly's membership, are assigned to direct oversight of one of the six branches, with the Autonomous Brigades choosing an Assemblyperson to sit as their joint representative. From their number, the members appoint the Committee's chair. The Chair of the War Committee is effectively the civilian leader of the CLAF, albeit not to the scope of a Proctor or Davion monarch or even the civilian leaders of republics. By law and custom, the CLAF answers to the entirety of the Assembly; the War Committee is in charge of day-to-day decisions but has no special authority over the armed forces.

Rating Types:

This is an example of CLAF ratings. The actual list is in the dozens, especially among the Communal Navy.

CLAF	English Translation
Marŝpiloto	MechWarrior
Kosmapiloto	DropShip/WarShip Pilot
Aviadilpiloto	Conventional Pilot
Kosmisto	Space Vessel Crew
Fusisto	Infantry
Veturisto	Ground Vehicle Crew
Flegistino	Medical Tech/Nurse

Force Structure

CLAF BattleMech Organization
Element	Component Units	Combat Strength
Element (Lance)	3 BattleMechs	3 BattleMechs
Company	3 Elements	9 BattleMechs
Battalion	3 Companies + Command Element	30 BattleMechs
Column	3 Battalions + Command Company	100 BattleMechs
Regiment	3 Columns + Command Company	310 BattleMechs
CLAF Vehicle Organization
Element	Component Units	Combat Strength
Element	3 vehicles	3 vehicles
Company	3 Elements	9 vehicles
Battalion	3 Companies + Command Element	30 vehicles
Column	3 Battalions + Command Company	100 vehicles
Regiment	2 Columns + Command Company	310 vehicles
Brigade	2-4 Regiments	620 -1240 vehicles
CLAF Artillery Organization
Element	Component Units	Combat Strength
Cannon	1 gun	1 gun
Element	3 Cannons	3 guns
Battery	3 Elements	9 guns
Battalion	3 batteries	27 guns
Regiment	34 battalions	81-98 guns
CLAF Infantry Organization
Element	Component Units	Combat Strength
Fire Team	3 troops	3 troops
Squad	4 fire teams	12 troops
Section	3 squads + Command Element (9)	45 troops
Company	3 Sections + Command Element	144 troops
Battalion	3 Companies + HQ	455 troops
N/A	n/A
Regiment	3 Battalions + HQ	1386 troops
Brigade	2-5 Regiments + HQ	2,784-6,880 troops
Division	2-4 Brigades	5,120-33,280 troops
CLAF Battle Armor Infantry Organization
Element	Component Units	Combat Strength
Squad	3 troops	3troops
Section	6 squads	18 troops
Company	3 Sections + Command Squad	57 troops
Battalion	3 companies + Command Section	189 troops
Regiment	3 columns + Command Company	624 troops
CLAF Aerospace Organization
Element	Component Units	Combat Strength
Flight	4 fighters	4 fighters
Squadron	3 flights	12 fighters
Group	2 squadrons + Command Flight	28 fighters
Stormo	2-4 wings + Command Squadron	68-124 fighters
Regiment	2-3 groups	136-372 fighters
Wing	2-4 regiments + DropShip squadron	284-1,500 craft
CLAF Naval Organization
Element	Component Units	Combat Strength
Flotilla or Wing	2-6 ships	2-6 ships
Squadron	2 flotillas	4-12 ships
Fleet	2+ squadrons	8-48+ ships
Task Force	2+ Fleets	16-96+ ships