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| | The moment you join Bravo Fleet, you have a Primary Character. This character is the [[Starfleet]] officer assigned to one of the [[Fourth Fleet]]’s [[Task Forces]] as an up-and-coming leader and future starship commander. They are your member dossier’s In-Character (IC) representation as an officer of the Fourth Fleet. Out-of-Character (OOC), they’re the face of your member dossier, the name attached to the starship you’ll get when you make Lieutenant Commander. The ‘avatar’ as you engage with Fleet activities, progress through the ranks, and win awards. Their adventures can happen in fiction or in competitions or even just in your head, but if they’re on the dossier, they’re real to Bravo Fleet. |
| {{unapproved}}{{Organisation
| | [[File:Dossier1.jpg|thumb|356x356px|Your Primary Character is the In-Character face of your Bravo Fleet dossier]] |
| |name= Starfleet Auxiliary
| | While you will create them as part of the joining process, we anticipate their development to be an ongoing project. It's okay to start with little more than an idea, or even just a name, and figure out where you're going as you learn more about the fleet and what you enjoy. You can also change your Primary Character. In no way are you committed to your first idea. It's okay for the Primary Character to change and grow as your participation in the fleet does, and as you rise through the ranks. |
| |image=
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| [[File:StarfleetAuxiliary.png|none]] | |
| |founded= 2161
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| |affiliation= *United Federation of Planets
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| *Starfleet
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| |headquarters= Tellar Prime
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| |primary mission= Logistical Support
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| |location=
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| |leadership= Admiral Lashnov Zagh (Tellarite Male)
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| |flagship= | |
| |motto= | |
| |status= Active | |
| }}'''Starfleet Auxiliary''' is a component of Starfleet that operates passenger liners, tankers, freighters, transports, and some research vessels in support of the starships and capital starships in mainline Starfleet service, equivalent to a Merchant Marine. The personnel in this service are subject to Starfleet's regulations (including the Prime Directive) but have more limited training and significantly different career paths than their counterparts in the main fleet.
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| == History ==
| | We encourage that you make your Primary Character distinct and separate from any character you’ll use if you join a Game. Even if you don’t participate in fiction writing, the idea is that you as a member represent an important, command-level officer (and, eventually, their starship) within the Fleet, not merely a crewmember. Your Primary Character is that officer. |
| When Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets were founded in 2161, a subordinate service to handle logistical support for Starfleet's exploratory, defensive, diplomatic, and humanitarian mandate was envisioned. While each of the founding members had their own merchant marine services, the Starfleet Auxiliary was created to create a common set of regulations and training standards, and a unified dispatching system to turn these disparate systems into a working whole, just as the early Starfleet needed to combine aspects of the founders' scientific and defensive arms.
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| With ships from the Human, Vulcan, Andorian, and Tellarite merchant fleets to start with, and ships from less powerful worlds joining as negotiations continued, Starfleet Auxiliary's growth was rapid in the first few decades of its existence as starbases and interstellar shipping lanes were developed. The Federation Council decided to base the Starfleet Auxiliary on Tellar Prime rather than on Earth, because of the Tellarites' great experience in mining, construction, and other logistics projects. Even in the 2390s, the upper echelons of the organization continue to be dominated by Tellarites in the same way that Starfleet is by Humans.
| | === Creation and Development === |
| | While you create a character upon joining, they don't need to be the finished article. As mentioned, it's fine to start out with a name and short paragraph. You might have a strong concept for a well-established figure in Starfleet, and want to get down hundreds of words in character background. That's fine. You might want to figure things out as you go along and start with a loose framework you can fill out later, or a character who is, as you are OOC, at the start of their journey. |
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| By the 2230s, there were several hundred purpose-built ships in the auxiliary, including passenger ships, tankers, and freighters. By the 2260s, the fleet included surveyors following up on non-biological and non-cultural surveys (generally looking for minerals and other resources) and hospital ships as well. As time went on, the Starfleet Auxiliary has entered a steady pattern of assimilating retired Starfleet vessels into its inventory, as well as operating ships purpose-built for civilian and auxiliary service. In the mid-24th century, there were just as many ''Oberth'' and ''Miranda''-class ships in auxiliary service as in main line service, the older units of this class living on in less rigorous duties.
| | It's okay to leave gaps. It's even okay to go back and change things later. |
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| The logistical complexity of operating hundreds of starbases and thousands of lesser stations and starships necessitated similar growth in the Starfleet Auxiliary, and by the 2390s ships belonging to the auxiliary can be found in all corners of the Federation.
| | === Using Your Primary Character === |
| ==Organization== | | IC, your primary character is a command-level officer in the Fourth Fleet. But that doesn't mean you have to be a creative writer to make this so. That doesn't mean you have to churn out hundreds of words of fiction to portray their adventures or experiences. The character is no less real, no less a part of the Fourth Fleet, if your engagement in Bravo Fleet takes other forms. |
| Somewhat ironically, the Commander, Starfleet Auxiliary is not actually a member of the Starfleet Auxiliary, but is a commissioned Starfleet officer reporting to the Chief of Starfleet Operations and holding the rank of admiral. Indeed, there are no members of the Starfleet Auxiliary with ranks higher than captain; officers wishing to advance beyond this stage must go through additional training such as Command School and then be commissioned in Starfleet, instead.
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| Each type of vessel has its own commander under this level. For example, the Commander, Starfleet Transports and the Commander, Starfleet Surveyors are each Rear or Vice Admirals overseeing all of the vessels of those two designations. These type commanders assign vessels either to specific sectors, where they fall under the jurisdiction of that sector's commander, or to various Starfleet offices and bureaus, where they fall under the jurisdiction of that office's director.
| | Perhaps you're a gamer, or perhaps you only want to do RPGs or competitions. These are all valid forms of participation in Bravo Fleet. This makes your Primary Character an avatar for your achievements, a dossier on which you can hang your earned bragging rights through awards, ribbons, or even your Avatar Command. Many Fleet activities come in different forms with different faces - your Star Trek Online character, your role-playing characters - and if that's all you do, your Primary Character is still a unifying, IC face for your dossier. Even if they're just a picture, a name, and a character description. |
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| For example, a ''Sydney''-class passenger liner might be assigned to regular service between Starbase 4 and a smaller station in the same sector, thus falling under the jurisdiction of Starbase 4's commanding officer, the flag officer in command of Sector 4. As another example, an ''Aerie''-class surveyor might be specially equipped to transport mineralogical samples, and so would be assigned to the Bureau of Minerology under Starfleet Science, and would be under the jurisdiction of the Director of the Bureau of Minerology.
| | === Rank, History, and the Primary Character === |
| | When you join, you’re a Cadet. Soon enough, you’re an Ensign. Within a few weeks of activity, you’ll be a Lieutenant Commander. How does that affect your Primary Character? |
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| The effect of this allows the Starfleet Auxiliary to operate without a parallel chain of command to Starfleet itself.
| | In short: be flexible. We don’t encourage you to 100% cleave your OOC rank progression to your character’s IC career advancement. It would strain credulity, to say the least, for a Cadet to become a Lieutenant Commander within a few weeks - and then a couple of years later be an Admiral. So, how do you reconcile this? |
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| == Personnel ==
| | It’s worth bearing in mind that you won’t spend very long at the junior officer ranks. If you’re an active member who wants to start writing immediately, you’ll probably be an Ensign or even a Lieutenant Junior Grade by the time you’ve finished working out any significant details of your Primary Character! And from there it’s just a few more weeks to Lieutenant Commander, the first significant stretch of time at one rank. Bear this in mind when considering your choices. |
| [[File:Charliexhd008.jpg|alt=Two members of the Starfleet Auxiliary in the 2260s, wearing the distinctive Spacecraft Duty Insignia and an older uniform than their Starfleet counterparts of that time period.|thumb|Two members of the Starfleet Auxiliary in the 2260s, wearing the distinctive Spacecraft Duty Insignia and an older uniform than their Starfleet counterparts of that time period.]]One of the original branches of Starfleet, the Starfleet Auxiliary has been in operation since the founding of the Federation in 2161. The personnel in this branch are highly trained in starship navigation and operations, engineering, and/or other related duties, but don't have the exploratory and tactical training that is given to members of Starfleet itself. These personnel are commissioned through a number of different means, including several academies, training centers, and direct commissioning programs that take into account life experience and aptitude tests. | | [[File:Captainschair1.jpg|thumb|389x389px|Primary characters represent the command officers of Starfleet's Fourth Fleet]] |
| | You could keep your character’s background fluid, treating it as a work in progress that changes as you reach new OOC ranks. You could adjust their age and history as they rise through the ranks. Or if you’re eager to write your Primary Character while you’re a junior officer, maybe consider writing stories set in their past when they would have held that rank. This can give you a few weeks OOC to flesh out the character’s past. |
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| === Onboard Departments ===
| | One option is to disregard OOC rank in your writing. You can create your character as a Commander or a Captain from the beginning, commanding the small [[Raven Class]] you can request once you're an Ensign, on a temporary mission until you become eligible for a proper starship at Lieutenant Commander. They might be fulfilling a special operation for the Task Force, be on a command training mission, or anything of that kind. Despite this, the Lore Office expects you to not write your Primary Character at a rank higher than Captain until or unless you have OOC achieved that rank. A Captain is a high enough rank for any kind of story or any kind of character with any level of experience. |
| Compared to a Starfleet vessel, a vessel in the Starfleet Auxiliary has a much simpler command structure and a smaller number of departments, given that their crews are generally also significantly smaller. The smallest ships generally only have a deck department and engineering department, while passenger ships will also have a steward's department and surveyors will have a surveyor's department. A member's department here is tied more closely to their career path with fewer opportunities to move laterally because of the amount of on-the-job training involved.
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| ==== Deck Department ====
| | My preferred option is a blend of the two. Start writing, or envision your character, at the rank of Lieutenant Commander - or maybe Commander, depending on their age and experience. Write towards that point while you’re a junior officer, developing their history or perhaps their missions on their little ''Raven''-class. And once you reach Lieutenant Commander OOC, you can easily wed IC and OOC ranks together, adjusting their history if necessary. This gives some of the fun of sharing the major OOC milestone of reaching Captain with your character if you so wish. |
| Combining the duties of command, flight control, and operations aboard a Starfleet vessel, the deck department is responsible for navigation, safety, cargo management, and other things related to getting the vessel where it needs to be and making sure its contents (passengers or cargo) arrive safely.
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| ==== Engineering Department ====
| | A more dramatic choice is to change your Primary Character as you go up the ranks. Maybe you write a young Cadet when you’re at that rank, perhaps sticking with them as you reach Ensign. You can then write a new Primary Character when you become a lieutenant, and again when you make Lieutenant Commander, or maybe again when you make Commander or even Captain. These characters don’t need to go to ‘waste’ - your starship will need a crew someday, and this way you have a handful of characters with stories you’ve already crafted, ready to go! |
| As on any other starship, the engineering department is responsible for the safe operation and maintenance of the ship's engines and structural systems. Having smaller crews means having fewer specialists, especially at senior levels, so over time members of this department learn to operate, maintain, and monitor every system on their ship.
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| ==== Steward's Department ====
| | Despite all of this, the main rule is: don’t sweat it. While we want ranks to be an entertaining progression, and it can be fun to share those milestones, we don’t ask you to unduly contort your storytelling around them. Respect that OOC ranks are rewards for members’ hard work and commitment to the group, and tell the story you want to tell, and you’ll do fine. |
| Found on ships carrying passengers, the steward's department is responsible for the safety and comfort of passengers, with duties ranging from assigning cabins and arranging meals, to passenger recreation on larger liners.
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| ==== Surveyor's Department ====
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| Found only on surveyors, this department is related to the science department found on a Starfleet ship, but much more specialized to handle sample collection and basic mineralogical analysis tasks to identify resource rich planetary bodies to meet Starfleet's need for dilithium, duranium, magnesite, and other minerals necessary for the construction of starships but which either can't be replicated or can't be replicated efficiently.
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| ==== Other Personnel ====
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| * The smallest ships do not have an onboard physician, but rely instead on an EMH for any necessary treatment while they are between ports of call.
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| * On ships with 30 or more crewmembers who will be between ports for 30 or more days, a medical team detached from Starfleet will be assigned to the ship; the Auxiliary does not have physicians of its own.
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| * On research vessels operated by the Starfleet Auxiliary on behalf of a civilian or Starfleet research agency, the research crew reports to whatever agency is organizing the mission. The mission leader can make requests of the captain when it comes to destinations and other operations, but the captain has final say when it comes to the vessel's safety.
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| * Similarly, on medical vessels operated by the Starfleet Auxiliary, the ship's command and engineering crew are part of Starfleet Auxiliary, subordinate to the medical commanding officer, except in matters of the vessel's safety.
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| === Rank Structure and Career Paths ===
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| The rank structure in the Starfleet Auxiliary is simplified from Starfleet itself, based on merchant traditions that informed such services as the Earth Cargo Service, which itself is derived from Merchant Marine Traditions on Earth, combined with structures used by the Imperial Andorian Logistics Corps, the Tellarite Merchant Navy, and the [[ma:Vulcan National Merchant Fleet|Vulcan National Merchant Fleet]]. The line between officers and enlisted is much blurrier in an auxiliary context, and it is possible for someone to work their way up directly from Crewman to Captain over an extended period of time through on-the-job training in a way that's much easier than it would be in Starfleet itself. On the flip-side, the licensing and time in-grade requirements for each level are inflexible.
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| |+Starfleet Auxiliary Rank Structure
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| !Insignia
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| !Deck Department
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| !Engineering Department
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| !Steward's Department
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| !Surveyor's Department
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| !Time in Previous Grade
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| |-
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| |⚫⚫⚫⚫
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| |Captain
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| |N/A
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| |N/A
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| |N/A
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| |10 Years
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| |-
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| |⚫⚫⚫
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| |Master
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| |Chief Engineer
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| |Chief Steward
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| |Chief Surveyor
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| |5 Years
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| |-
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| |⚫⚫
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| |Lieutenant
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| |Lieutenant
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| |Lieutenant
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| |Lieutenant
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| |4 Years
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| |-
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| |⚫
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| |Ensign
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| |Ensign
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| |Ensign
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| |Ensign
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| |1 Year
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| |-
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| |◯◯
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| |Acting Ensign
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| |Acting Ensign
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| |Acting Ensign
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| |Acting Ensign
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| |4 Years
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| |-
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| |◯
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| |Petty Officer
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| |Petty Officer
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| |Petty Officer
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| |Petty Officer
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| |1 Year
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| |-
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| |N/A
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| |Crewman
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| |Crewman
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| |Crewman
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| |Crewman
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| |N/A
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| |}
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| Direct enlistment as a crewman includes six weeks of training, before spending the remainder of the first year learning on the job on a ship, becoming a petty officer upon the satisfactory completion of several training programs at the end of that probationary period. After five total years of enlistment, members can apply to become acting ensigns, taking additional training and apprenticing under more challenging jobs. Alternatively, if an individual goes through a service academy (usually a three-year program), they would start in service as an acting ensign. After one year continuing to learn on the job, the member is then promoted to ensign or discharged.
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| After four years as an ensign, a member is eligible for promotion to lieutenant, which is the requisite rank for most department head roles on smaller ships. After five more years, they are eligible to advance to the senior rank in their particular department, where the titles vary. Finally, members of the deck department who have been masters for at least 10 years are eligible promotion to the rank of Captain, and are therefore eligible to command the largest ships in auxiliary service.
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| === Uniforms ===
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| The duty uniform of the Starfleet Auxiliary is the same as that used aboard Starfleet Vessels, but with an altered combadge (black, in the shape of the Starfleet Auxiliary's logo) and rank insignia (black rather than silver; the insignia of acting ensigns and petty officers is an open black ring). All members of the Starfleet Auxiliary exclusively wear services gold, rather than command red or sciences blue. Dress uniforms follow the same pattern.
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| In actual practice, duty uniforms are only worn in the most formal of regular operations. Especially aboard vessels without passengers, crewmembers tend to wear utility coveralls, and the uniform code is more forgiving for the Auxiliary than it is for the fleet itself.. Aboard transports carrying passengers, members of the steward's department, at the discretion of the captain, have an alternative white uniform that sets them apart from their passengers--many of whom are also Starfleet officers.
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| ==Vessels==
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| Starfleet Auxiliary operates a wide variety of vessels, including classes that are operated by either Starfleet or civilians (or both). This table is not all-inclusive, as there are many one-off designs or converted versions of other types in limited use, but represents a broad overview of the types of vessels in service with this branch. Many designs operate in multiple roles, such as the ''Aerie''.
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| Starfleet Auxiliary Starship Inventory
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| !Type Command
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| !General Duties
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| !Exemplar Classes
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| !Corresponding Starfleet/Federation Office
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| |Starfleet Transports
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| |Movement of passengers and cargo between starbases, space stations, member worlds, and colonies.
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| * ''Sydney''
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| * ''Olympic''
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| * ''Miranda'' refit
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| * ''Constellation''
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| * ''Oberth''
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| * ''Aerie''
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| * Starfleet Transport Command
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| * Federation Department of Colonial Affairs
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| |Starfleet Supply Vessels
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| |Resupply of starships, starbases, space stations, and colonies.
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| * ''Miranda'' refit
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| * ''Constellation''
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| * ''Oberth''
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| * ''Aerie''
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| * ''Merchantman''
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| * ''Antares''
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| * Starfleet Materiel Supply Command
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| * Federation Department of Colonial Affairs
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| |Starfleet Tankers
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| |Transportation of bulk gasses and liquids, including deuterium and anti-deuterium fuels and refueling of starships.
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| * Monarch
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| * Starfleet Transport Command
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| * Starfleet Refueling Command
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| |Starfleet Tugs & Salvage Vessels
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| |Long-range towing of cargo and passenger containers, starships, space stations, and their components, and salvage and recovery operations.
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| * ''Ptolemy'' Refit
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| * ''Wallenberg''
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| * Starfleet Transport Command
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| * Starfleet Corps of Engineers
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| * Federation Department of Colonial Affairs
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| |Starfleet Surveyors
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| |Tertiary non-biological and non-cultural surveys for prospecting and resourcing purposes.
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| * ''Aerie''
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| * ''Oberth''
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| * ''Miranda'' refit
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| * Starfleet Science Bureaus
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| * Federation Civilian Science Agencies
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| |Starfleet Research Vessels
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| |Long-term scientific expeditions within Federation space
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| * ''Olympic''
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| * ''Miranda''
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| * ''Constellation''
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| *''Oberth''
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| *''Aerie''
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| * Starfleet Science Bureaus
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| * Federation Civilian Science Agencies
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| |Starfleet Hospital Ships
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| |Long-term or otherwise non-emergency medical support missions, and pre-positioning of medical assets within Federation space.
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| *''Olympic''
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| *''Constellation''
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| *''Miranda''
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| * Starfleet Medical
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| * Federation Civilian Medical Agencies
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| |}
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The moment you join Bravo Fleet, you have a Primary Character. This character is the Starfleet officer assigned to one of the Fourth Fleet’s Task Forces as an up-and-coming leader and future starship commander. They are your member dossier’s In-Character (IC) representation as an officer of the Fourth Fleet. Out-of-Character (OOC), they’re the face of your member dossier, the name attached to the starship you’ll get when you make Lieutenant Commander. The ‘avatar’ as you engage with Fleet activities, progress through the ranks, and win awards. Their adventures can happen in fiction or in competitions or even just in your head, but if they’re on the dossier, they’re real to Bravo Fleet.
Your Primary Character is the In-Character face of your Bravo Fleet dossier
While you will create them as part of the joining process, we anticipate their development to be an ongoing project. It's okay to start with little more than an idea, or even just a name, and figure out where you're going as you learn more about the fleet and what you enjoy. You can also change your Primary Character. In no way are you committed to your first idea. It's okay for the Primary Character to change and grow as your participation in the fleet does, and as you rise through the ranks.
We encourage that you make your Primary Character distinct and separate from any character you’ll use if you join a Game. Even if you don’t participate in fiction writing, the idea is that you as a member represent an important, command-level officer (and, eventually, their starship) within the Fleet, not merely a crewmember. Your Primary Character is that officer.
Creation and Development
While you create a character upon joining, they don't need to be the finished article. As mentioned, it's fine to start out with a name and short paragraph. You might have a strong concept for a well-established figure in Starfleet, and want to get down hundreds of words in character background. That's fine. You might want to figure things out as you go along and start with a loose framework you can fill out later, or a character who is, as you are OOC, at the start of their journey.
It's okay to leave gaps. It's even okay to go back and change things later.
Using Your Primary Character
IC, your primary character is a command-level officer in the Fourth Fleet. But that doesn't mean you have to be a creative writer to make this so. That doesn't mean you have to churn out hundreds of words of fiction to portray their adventures or experiences. The character is no less real, no less a part of the Fourth Fleet, if your engagement in Bravo Fleet takes other forms.
Perhaps you're a gamer, or perhaps you only want to do RPGs or competitions. These are all valid forms of participation in Bravo Fleet. This makes your Primary Character an avatar for your achievements, a dossier on which you can hang your earned bragging rights through awards, ribbons, or even your Avatar Command. Many Fleet activities come in different forms with different faces - your Star Trek Online character, your role-playing characters - and if that's all you do, your Primary Character is still a unifying, IC face for your dossier. Even if they're just a picture, a name, and a character description.
Rank, History, and the Primary Character
When you join, you’re a Cadet. Soon enough, you’re an Ensign. Within a few weeks of activity, you’ll be a Lieutenant Commander. How does that affect your Primary Character?
In short: be flexible. We don’t encourage you to 100% cleave your OOC rank progression to your character’s IC career advancement. It would strain credulity, to say the least, for a Cadet to become a Lieutenant Commander within a few weeks - and then a couple of years later be an Admiral. So, how do you reconcile this?
It’s worth bearing in mind that you won’t spend very long at the junior officer ranks. If you’re an active member who wants to start writing immediately, you’ll probably be an Ensign or even a Lieutenant Junior Grade by the time you’ve finished working out any significant details of your Primary Character! And from there it’s just a few more weeks to Lieutenant Commander, the first significant stretch of time at one rank. Bear this in mind when considering your choices.
Primary characters represent the command officers of Starfleet's Fourth Fleet
You could keep your character’s background fluid, treating it as a work in progress that changes as you reach new OOC ranks. You could adjust their age and history as they rise through the ranks. Or if you’re eager to write your Primary Character while you’re a junior officer, maybe consider writing stories set in their past when they would have held that rank. This can give you a few weeks OOC to flesh out the character’s past.
One option is to disregard OOC rank in your writing. You can create your character as a Commander or a Captain from the beginning, commanding the small Raven Class you can request once you're an Ensign, on a temporary mission until you become eligible for a proper starship at Lieutenant Commander. They might be fulfilling a special operation for the Task Force, be on a command training mission, or anything of that kind. Despite this, the Lore Office expects you to not write your Primary Character at a rank higher than Captain until or unless you have OOC achieved that rank. A Captain is a high enough rank for any kind of story or any kind of character with any level of experience.
My preferred option is a blend of the two. Start writing, or envision your character, at the rank of Lieutenant Commander - or maybe Commander, depending on their age and experience. Write towards that point while you’re a junior officer, developing their history or perhaps their missions on their little Raven-class. And once you reach Lieutenant Commander OOC, you can easily wed IC and OOC ranks together, adjusting their history if necessary. This gives some of the fun of sharing the major OOC milestone of reaching Captain with your character if you so wish.
A more dramatic choice is to change your Primary Character as you go up the ranks. Maybe you write a young Cadet when you’re at that rank, perhaps sticking with them as you reach Ensign. You can then write a new Primary Character when you become a lieutenant, and again when you make Lieutenant Commander, or maybe again when you make Commander or even Captain. These characters don’t need to go to ‘waste’ - your starship will need a crew someday, and this way you have a handful of characters with stories you’ve already crafted, ready to go!
Despite all of this, the main rule is: don’t sweat it. While we want ranks to be an entertaining progression, and it can be fun to share those milestones, we don’t ask you to unduly contort your storytelling around them. Respect that OOC ranks are rewards for members’ hard work and commitment to the group, and tell the story you want to tell, and you’ll do fine.
