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LORE BUILDER: TWELVE: SQUADRONS & ECCENTRICS. Spectrum Dispatch - Comm-Link
Hello and welcome back to another installment of LORE BUILDER, where you, the community, can help mold Star Citizen’s universe. As always, here is a link to the first issue. Please read up on the caveats and background material to bring you up to speed on what’s been established.
We’ve got a lot to go over this week, so let’s jump right in:
SQUADRON NUMBERING
First, let’s go over some of the notes from last week’s post.
Ranks for the CO of Smaller Capital Ships
There were a lot of questions regarding the notion that Commanders and Lieutenant Commanders would be in charge of smaller capital ships, instead of Captains. 
Buttface addressed this concern with a good explanation and Dzur weighed in as well:
The idea here is you don’t want to wait until someone is a Captain (rank) to find out if he or she has the ability and gumption to be “the man”, even if the command is quite small. Thus, officers who display a promising early career are offered command early, both to get the best people into the jobs, but also as an opportunity to succeed or fail on the small scale (crew of 25) before doing so when it could affect the lives of 5000 crewmen on a carrier. Other officers who break out as leaders later in their career can still be eligible for command at the Commander rank.
Logistics
Quintero and Infidel both brought up excellent points about the inclusion of Logistics and where they fit in this hierarchy. I liked Infidel’s placement as a separate branch that reports to the Grand Admiral. Combining suggestions from Quintero, Infidel and Dzur, it could include such specialties as:
- Logistics/Transport
- Salvage
- Exploration
- Research/Development
- Personnel & Records
- Intelligence
Perhaps the divisions that require ships (Transport/Supply, Salvage, Exploration) could belong to Special Services Fleet.
Abbreviations
There were a few points under this topic:
- Several of you pointed out that Carrier Air Wing would be a misnomer in space. I liked Azrael’s suggestion of changing it to Carrier Wing (CW).
- CBC as an abbreviation for Battlecruiser: Will change it to BC.
- VB was indeed a typo for Intercept Bombers. On further discussion, Dzur suggested a clarification that ‘intercept’ be used when the target of that vessel is another ship as well as the following amended system: intercept fighter – IF intercept bomber – IB strategic bomber – SB early warning – EW search and rescue – SAR or SR patrol/reconnaissance – PR
SQUADRONS AND FLIGHTS
Last week, we looked at the organization of ships and fighters on a larger scale, particularly the (newly minted) Carrier Wings. Now we’ll take a look at the organization and naming system for the fighters on a Squadron/Flight/Individual level.
As we established two posts ago, Squadrons are numbered in the order in which they were founded and consist of up to four flights. Typically, each of these flights have six ships, but this number can fluctuate based on availability/need.
The name of the Flight would be the callsign of the ranking officer in charge of the mission. On a normal day, it’s the same as the Flight Commander, but if the Squadron’s XO is given command of the mission, the callsign will be designated under the XO’s callsign. Same if the Carrier Wing Commander assumed command of a mission. The rest of the flight would then be assigned numbers (i.e., Paladin 2, Paladin 3, etc.).
As always, feel free to discuss in the comments below whether the changes work or don’t. Next week, we will present a finalized synopsis of the squadron numbering system. If it’s looking good (or close to it), we will submit it for internal review.
On to the other topic from last week:
CELEBRITIES
There were some great ideas in here covering a whole gamut of media and disciplines. These will become very helpful if we need to quickly populate some articles or billboards with stars.
Here are a couple great examples:
from AC
Lionel — Old unkempt man at Stanton who reputably got gassed in an industrial accident and went spacey. These days found pushing a grav trolley around spaceports muttering to himself as he collects things that are shiny or worth drinking. A few coins and Lionel might give you some good intel, as people often think a crazy man doesn’t listen or remember. Then again you might get crazy or hazy thoughts for your money.
from 999demons
Wajida Azizi might have the most popular travel show on the Spectrum. She’s a woman in her early thirties with a positive attitude that just won’t break. From a classic beachside holiday, to exotic sightseeing, to the downright adventurous, she covers it all. She has caused some problems for herself however, as her background as an investigative journalist sometimes drives her to tread dangerous ground, rubbing the local populace and politicians the wrong way. She has also come in conflict with some Xi’An due to her straightforward nature, making her come across as culturally insensitive.
from Bacchus
Barsegh Nguyen (Art Critic) Young and brash, Mr. Nguyen once said “In every one of us, there is this tiny, little critic waiting to lash out, but only a few of us are great at it.” Being that he stands at only 5’4”, he is more right than he realizes. Barsegh is very much like a boxer in that once he has you on the ropes he won’t stop punching — but unlike a prize fighter, Barsegh hits below the belt.
Barsegh is known for some very harsh comments in what he calls his crusade against “public indecency,” but the one he is most remembered for is the “… brown stains on utility paper …” remark for which he received a black eye. You’d think he’d have toned it down after that, but he knows the payoff is in being accepted into the circles of the elite, and without his sass, wit and dry humor, he’s as worthless to celebrities as the art he mocks. He knows his shelf-life could be short so he has no qualms with making a splash. “It’s not as easy to make it into the tabloids as you think,” he once stated.
That will do it for this week. If you just arrived and have some ideas for possible celebrities in the SC universe (current and past), please write up a one-paragraph description below.
Until next time …