Imperial Navy Core Course Notes {INCE}

Welcome cadet to the Imperial Navy. Below is the information that will help you begin your long career in the Directorate. This course will teach you the basics of what is expected of you.

• What is the Navy?
• Positions and Chain of Command
• Activities
• Protocol
• What is expected of you?

**NOTE: It is advised that you have some passing familiarity with the Imperial Navy Fleet Manual before taking this exam. While we strive to provide as much useful information in the course notes, some additional information may be required that can be found in this manual.


What is the Navy?

The Directorate Navy is all the officers and personnel that make up the crews of our defense fleet. More specifically they are the individual crewmembers of each ship in the fleet. Realistically the Fleet is the fictional side of the Navy. While multi-player gaming is allowed the Fleet mainly focuses on fiction, run-ons and role-playing. Upon passing the Directorate Core exam you were placed in an important position aboard one of our ships. This is the role you will act out and learn about.


Positions and Chain-of-Command

NAVAL CORPS:
--- Fleet Officer
--- Battlegroup Commander
--- Ship Captain
--- Executive Officer
--- Tactical Officer
--- Flight Officer
--- Communications Officer
--- Navigations Officer
--- Engineering Officer
--- Weapons Officer

Fleet Commander (FC): The Fleet Officer oversees all the Battlegroups and Task Forces under his command, issuing deployment orders and other relevant information to the Battlegroup and Task Force commanders. Through the Fleet Officer, the Imperial Navy Fleet Commander is kept up to date on all supply, repair and additional armament requests that may be submitted from lower down the Chain-of-Command. Typically the Fleet Officer can be found at the Tian orbital naval shipyards, where the Imperial Navy's primary headquarters, training and ship repair and resupply facilities are located. However during periods of open war he may be assigned to the primary Combat Operations center at Gondor Base to assist the Fleet Commander with combat operations and deployments of the fleet. Only in the rarest of circumstances is the Fleet Officer ever found on any ship but the SSD Executor-II where he would serve as the Executor's personal liaison between the Military Council and the Imperial Navy Fleet.

Battlegroup Commander (BG): The Battlegroup Commander oversees a group of Ship Captains and coordinates with the Fleet Officer to assign missions and protective duties to Ship Captains under his command. The Battlegroup Commander is responsible for recommending medals and promotions for his Ship Captains. The Battlegroup Commander is expected to run competitions and Run-on activities in between campaigns.

Ship Captain (SCPT):

[In Character] - The Ship Captain is the commanding officer of a vessel. They have total command of their ship. They represent the pinnacle of the Imperial Directorate Fleet, commanding crews and other naval servicemen on the front lines. As the most senior officer of the ship the Ship Captain has a wide amount of knowledge and experience in all aspects of ship operations. They are the first in the naval Chain-of-Command, and are generally capable of handling virtually any issue that arises.

[Out of Character] - The Ship Captain is the leader of a ship. It’s their duty to release competitions, compile a weekly report to send to the Fleet Officer and Fleet Commander, keep communication open between crew members, and work well with people. The Ship Captain oversees the training of all crewmembers, and ensures that all issues on the ship are handled, unless otherwise requiring the higher authority of the Fleet Officer. The Ship Captain oversees the creation of various competitions, activities and communication to ensure that members are active and involved within the club. The Ship Captain is responsible for ensuring that all new crewmembers get settled into their new assignments, provides their initial briefings and training. Lastly, the Ship Captain is required to follow up with each member to see to their status of activity, and to ensure that they are in line for their next eventual award or promotion.

Executive Officer (XO):

[In Character] - An Executive Officer is the second in command of a ship. When a Ship Captain isn’t on duty or is incapacitated for any reason, it is the Executive Officer’s duty to command the starship for the duration of the Captain’s absence. During normal operations the XO assists the Ship Captain with overseeing the crew, and in some instances assists each crewmember with duties or tasks to ensure the proper operation of the ship.

[Out of Character] - The Executive Officer is the second in command of the ship. It’s their duty to assist the Ship Captain in the running of the ship, consult with the Ship Captain on competition ideas, and help them write the weekly report.

Tactical Officer (TAC):

[In Character] - A Tactical Officer is in charge of strategy and military tactics onboard a ship. It is their job to assist the Ship Captain and Executive Officer in planning attacks or defensive strategy. The Tactical Officer coordinates with the other department heads to ensure that all orders and tactics are carried out during combat operations. While the Ship Captain is the senior commander of the ships, during combat operations the Tactical Officer is usually who orders relay through in order to ensure a central figure is tracking and coordinating all aspects. This position can be trying to the most experienced and dedicated officers, or the death of a career for those unable to cope with the stress and anxiety of life in combat.

[Out of Character] - The Tactical Officer is the ship’s own Director of Intelligence, so to speak. They will assist the Ship Captain and Executive Officer in the fictional direction of a ship, archiving run-ons and fictions, and helping the command staff come up with ideas for fictions or run-ons.

Flight Officer (FO):

[In Character] - The Flight Officer oversees the flight operations of all the ships onboard fighters during patrols and combat operations. The Flight Officer also ensures that all maintenance and upgrades are performed on schedule for the ships first line of defense. Through the Tactical Officer and Communications Officer, the Flight Officer coordinates all operations for the ships squadrons and other assorted space-bound craft.

[Out of Character] - The Flight Officer is the gaming expert of a ship. He must own at least one of the Navy’s supported game platforms, and be able to help orient others to the game(s) that he owns. He will assist the Ship Captain and Executive Officer in running multi-player game competitions and training crew members in the ways of multi-player gaming.

Communications Officer (COM):

[In Character] - The Communications Officer oversees the communications system of the vessel. The Communications Officer oversees all incoming, outgoing and internal communications. The position also requires the constant oversight and maintenance of the ships holonet system, by which all means of top security communications take place with the command ships of the fleets, as well as the naval command headquarters on Tian, or the ID command center on Daltar.

[Out of Character] - The Communications Officer is charged with the task of keeping communication open within a ship. They are to have all of the ships email addresses on record, and maintain the ship’s mailing list (if it has one). If the ship has a chat room or channel, the Communications Officer is (usually) the central moderator, although official command and authority rests of the Ship Captain, and anyone higher in the Chain-of-Command that may visit the channel. The Communications Officer helps to ensure that the Imperial Directorate’s Code of Conduct it adhered to at all times in all communications.

Navigations Officer (NAV):

[In Character] - The Navigations Officer is responsible for ensuring that the proper course and corrections are made to get the vessel where it needs to go. During combat operations the Navigations Officer coordinates with the Tactical Officer and Flight Officer to ensure the ship maintains the proper offensive or defensive posture as required during combat, and that all accompanying escorts or support vessels maintain their positions around the ship. Through coordination with the Weapons Officer, the Navigations Officer can ensure that the ship is out of harms way while its weapons systems engage the enemy to inflict maximum damage.

[Out of Character] - The Navigations Officer has the ability to work well with others and instruct newer members on where to find key areas, including various training resources within the Imperial Directorate and Navy as they arrive from the Imperial University. Through careful coordination with the Ships Captain the Navigations Officer helps to ensure a smooth integration to shipboard life for new members.

Engineering Officer (ENG):

[In Character] - The Engineering Officer oversees the internal systems of a ship, as well as its massive engines, ensuring that each system is working on an optimal level, and repairing any broken or malfunctioning systems. The Engineering Officer works in coordination with the various department heads of the ship to ensure that during combat operations all systems are functioning at peak efficiency, and that in the event of damage to the ship that the most critical defensive and tactical systems powered as long as possible. During refits or repairs at a major shipyard facility the Engineering Officer oversees the operations to ensure that the ship is ready for service on its next mission.

[Out of Character] - The Engineering Officer must be knowledgeable in all things related to the Star Wars universe. They are the pinnacle of knowledge onboard a ship, and are to serve the command staff with Star Wars facts as the need arises for various fiction events and historical purposes.

Weapons Officer (WO):

[In Character] - The Weapons Officer is in charge of the operations and maintenance of all the weapons systems on the ship. During combat operations the Weapons Officer is responsible for relaying all tactical and navigations information to the required fire crews. In addition the Weapons Officer ensures that routine fire drills are run to maintain the ships’ defensive capabilities and readiness.

[Out of Character] - The Weapons Officer is a very creative member of a ship’s staff. It is the Weapons Officer’s duty to assist the Ship Captain and Executive Officer with ideas for competitions and other activities that the ships crew may participate in.

Like all military organizations and civilian corporations, there exists a hierarchy of superiority within the Imperial Navy. The purpose of such a system is to help maintain discipline and order, while also ensuring that those in key positions also understand the nature of their positions, and how it affects those above and below them. During your service in the Imperial Navy there will undoubtedly come a time when you will wish to make a request or complaint, but your not sure how and who you would register such a request or complaint to. In this section you'll quickly learn the basic fundamentals on when and whom you should contact, and when it is ok to do so.

Whether you've served in Imperial Navy for a day, or for a year, at some point you may wonder what steps you can take to inquire about a promotion, award, project or other similar type of matter. In these instances the first person you should contact is your immediate superior, typically the Ship Captain of Flight Leader if you are a member of a Ship or a Squadron. Jumping over the head of your direct superior can often lead to problems, and in some cases even delay a possible resolution to the problem by the superior officer. Therefore, as a rule to live by, always consult with your direct superior first, and if you disagree or are not satisfied with the reply or resolution from your direct superior, then you may contact the next officer in the Chain-of-Command about the matter.

However, if for some reason you do decide to contact someone higher, then you must ensure that you state when and how you initially contacted your direct superior, and whenever possible provide a copy of the exchange or comments for the higher officer to review. In most cases this officer will be the primary one to determine if any action needs to be taken, and what type. The Imperial Navy’s Chain-of-Command is structured so that in many instances a complaint or concern typically will not go any higher than two steps up the command ladder, but there is always the rare instance where the matter may be taken all the way up to the Chancellor, or the Executor if the Chancellor deems it necessary. In those instances you can be certain that direct action will be taken, and that the matter will be expedited and resolved based on current policies and procedures.


Fleet Chain-of-Command Diagram:

Executor
|
Chancellor
|
Imperial Navy Fleet Commander
|
Battlegroup Commander
|
Ship Captain
|
Executive Officer
|
Crew Members


Activities

The fleet pretty much centers itself around three activities; fiction, run ons and online role-playing.

Fiction – Fiction is a major tool to help you develop your character and your role as a fleet officer.

Run-ons - Run-ons help you learn how to interact with your shipmates and other naval personnel as well as giving you a nice way to learn how to do role-playing with other people.

Role-playing – On IRC we do live role-playing sessions. These can either be structured or free form where you just get a scenario from the game master and just act out freeform.

Protocol

Protocol is the order of the day in the Imperial navy. Always address a superior officer either by his rank or as Sir or Maam. This is just a way to learn discipline and reward people for all the hard work they did to achieve their rank and position.

What is expected of you?

Basically what is expected of you is to have fun and do your best to immerse yourself in our universe and club. We expect you to report in once a week to your direct superior and try to compete in at least one competition a month.