Imperial Navy
Structure
Assets
Imperial Fleet
The Imperial Fleet is the largest naval power in the galaxy, fielding thousands of warships of numerous Classifications. Broken up into various different fleets across the galaxy, the Imperial Navy is split between the Fleet Corps, and Naval Defense Fleets. At nearly five hundred vessels each a Imperial Fleet Corps is the undisputed power in the galaxy, and with seven patrolling the Sectors the Assault Command fields roughly 2400 vessels, and with thousands more tasked in the Imperial Defense Fleets the navy has considerable resources at its disposal yet is still stretched to capacity.History
Rise to Prominence
After the Fourth World War the UEA sought to give the people common purpose to hold the newly unified Earth together. Looking to the stars the leadership of the UEA recognized that widespread colonization of the Solar System would give the people the purpose they needed. Understanding the need for a strong infrastructure in space, the Administration greatly expanded the Navy creating the Naval Office of Colonial Expansion. With nearly a blank check the Office of Colonial Expansion quickly gained power expanding the navy and pushing technology forward. The people of Earth took to this new manifest destiny with vigor, rebuilding from the devastation of war with new purpose. Although initially limited by technology the Navy rapidly grew in size; both in hardware and man power as the first colony ships were built.
As the first colonies were settled across the solar system it quickly became apparent that there would need to be a solid infrastructure to support the growing populations and industries. Again looking to the OCE the Navy founded the Naval Logistical Core, which worked to secure shipping lanes, and maintain regular transport to and from the new colonies. As the colonies grew, and space travel became increasingly commercialized it became clear that simple logistical support was no longer enough. Enforcement, and protection became ever more demanded leading to the creation of the first space born warships. These early ships, and the doctrine they would create would shape the evolution of the Navy to come.
As the only major force operating off world, the Navy and Marines became increasingly in demand, leading to cut backs in the Army and Airforce of the UEA. As personnel transitioned from the other branches into the Marines, and Navy it became clear the old command structure would no longer be adequate. This inadequacy in command structure led to the reorganization of the military, under the Navy. Now recognized as the Imperial Navy, it would oversee all other branches of the Military, while the Army and Airforce were reorganized into the Imperial Legion.
Early Conflicts
The first engagements fought by the Navy were small skirmishes between single vessels, with the few patrol Corvettes, and Frigates of the Imperial Navy spread thin against pirate raids on shipping across the solar system. Although never fully curtailed piracy was driven away from the main shipping lanes as the Navy expanded and built more large frigates. Now relegated to harder to patrol regions, like the Jovian moons, and the asteroid belt the need for a strong naval presence was made clear. Ship designs continued to grow as the size of vessels pirates, and mercenaries could get a hold of increased.
The only real challenge to Imperial Shipping in those years came with the organization of a system spanning smuggling ring turned cartel....
Second Age of Expansion
With the invention of Faster than Light Travel, the OCE saw an unprecedented opportunity and helped push Humanity again to new lengths. With these longer voyages the size of vessel required for colonization was dramatically increased leading to an overhaul of the Navy yet again. Now with proper fleets with diverse compositions, the Navy was untested for a considerable time. Unable to keep up with the ever expanding size of the Empire piracy saw it's golden age during the Second Wave Colonization. Isolated worlds, and valuable shipments constantly flowing back and forth made tempting targets. With this new threat and these increased risks Naval High Command (now the highest military power) split their fleets into the structure that is still maintained. A small number of ships would be tasked to each planet as Defense Fleet. Primarily frigates and corvettes, able to quickly patrol, and respond to issues within a system. While the bulk of the fleets were reorganized into the first Fleet Corps. These Fleet Corps serving as reactionary fleets to deal with any larger threats without pulling from other worlds, allowed the smaller number of ships to operate with greater coverage.
Austerous
Early into the colonization of the 6th Sector a cartel trafficking all manner of contraband started rising to prominence. Led by a strong and charismatic exile originally from the 3rd Sector, these weapons smugglers, drug runners, and pirates grew bold with early successes in the new frontier. Expanding rapidly, and with over confidence in the limited resources of the the frontier, they directly challenged the local fleets. The Admirals recognizing the need for more resources called for heavy Imperial support. The First Fleet Corps was called in to reenforce the local fleets. Tracking the Cartel back to a cratered barren world on the edges of the Sector, the First Fleet Corps closed in. Drawn into planetary rings of the gas giant Auserous, the mobility and scanners of the First were limited.
Having under estimated the size and power of the "Austerous Cartel" the Fleet Corps was drawn into a large scale battle with all manner of retrofit craft. Fighters, freighters, decommissioned warships, and refit colony vessels rallied to face the Imperial Fleet. A large scale battle broke out, leading to the destruction of several dozen Imperial warships and the loss of thousands of crew. It was in the battle that a young Rear Admiral that rallied the fleet. The Admiral turned his task group into a shield for the bulk of the fleet, securing and covering the Destroyers and Dreadnoughts from the incoming strike crafts. With the cover of Shepard's task group, the rest of the fleet rallied and with their heavy weapons the covered fleet tore apart the thin spread pirate fleet.
Naval High Command saw this phyrric victory for what it was, a failure. A failure in leadership, failure in fleet composition, and intel gathering. To manage these failures large scale reforms were put in place, the Navy Commisioned two new class of vessel, the Valkyrie Class Flagship, and the Pheonix Class Capital Ship. These two new vessels were to designed to be the heaviest vessels in the galaxy capable of taking on entire fleets on their own. The second reform was the expansion of the Imperial Special Intelligence branch, and overhauling the commandos for this kind of intel gathering. From here the Navy cut back many of the old Admirals, and overhauled their officer training program to prevent this over confidence in future conflict.
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