The Consolidated Fleet (CF or C.F.) is the unified military body of Humanity, encompassing the UN, MCR, OPA, and their respective navies, with leadership jointly shared between each government and organization.
The C.F. formed in the wake of Earth's bombardment by the Free Navy and began acting as the emergency government of non-Free Navy mankind, ruled over by the United Nations SG, Martian Prime Minister, and OPA leader. [2]
After the Free Navy Conflict major components of the Consolidated Fleet was formally absorbed into the newly rebuilt Earth-Mars Coalition Navy.
Background[]
Due to the opening of the network of rings and the availability of over a thousand new systems throughout the Milky Way, the Sol system was set for a mass exodus and subsequent economic crash. While the population decline would benefit the overpopulated Earth, the yet to be terraformed Mars would experience an undermining of its entire economy and possible collapse of its government. More starkly, the comparatively easy to obtain natural resources of habitable worlds meant a death knell for the entire economic existence of the Belt. Because of the physiological effects of development in low-g, Belters would be unable to relocate to the relatively high-g environments of the planets, new or old. Thus, the majority of the Belter population faced an oncoming extinction.
In response to the looming crisis, a splinter faction of the OPA began growing and consolidating power. With the help of factions in the MCRN that recognized the future destabilization of Mars and an opportunity for profiteering, this fledgling splinter cell came into substantial military hardware, forming the Free Navy. This self-proclaimed "Free Navy" then proceeded to attack the three major powers (UN, Mars, and the moderate OPA of Tycho Station), including a devastating asteroid bombardment of Earth with stealth technology stolen from theMCRN Callisto shipyards before its destruction.
With the attempted coup by the faction of the MCRN in league with the Free Navy and with the need for the UN Fleet to safeguard a crippled Earth, the Free Navy took control of the majority of solar system. It then declared itself the legitimate government for the outer planets, took control of Medina Station, and began pirating colony ships headed for the Sol Ring.
Formation[]
- For more information of the conflict amidst which the Consolidated Fleet forms, see Free Navy Conflict.
Following the attacks, the leaders of the MCR, the OPA, and the UN convene on Luna. Respectively, they are Nathan Smith, Fred Johnson, and newly elevated interim Secretary-General Chrisjen Avasarala. Due to the political turmoil on Mars, the Consolidated Fleet's forces were comprised of the UN Navy, Prime Minister Smith's MCRN escort, and Fred Johnson's commissioned escort, the Rocinante. As more bombardments of Earth are attempted by the Free Navy, the majority of ships in the Consolidated Fleet are confined to Earth's orbit. The Rocinante, under command of James Holden and direction of acting mission commander Bobbie Draper, are deployed to intercept and neutralize the Free Navy ship, the Azure Dragon, that is coordinating the bombardment.
With the threat to Earth neutralized, the Consolidated Fleet is free to engage the Free Navy. The fleet's joint leadership elects to retake Ceres Station where the inner circle of the Free Navy has been meeting. Upon detection of Fleet movements, Marco Inaros enacts a scorched-Earth policy, abandoning the station and her people while stripping it of virtually all essential infrastructure. While this stretches the resources of the Consolidated Fleet once they retake the station, it also sows doubt and discontent in the Free Navy's government of the system. Consequently, Michio Pa, captain of the Connaught and commander of the piracy wing of the Free Navy's fleet, proceeds to mutiny against her orders to hide the pirated resources and continues redistributing them to the Belt, including Ceres.
With Pa's mutiny and subsequent Free Navy infighting, Johnson is able to call a meeting of the OPA faction leaders Aimee Ostman, Micah al-Dujaili, Liang Goodfortune, and Carlos Walker. With facilitation of Pa, Holden is subsequently able to convince the remaining OPA to add their ships to the Free Navy Conflict, making them and Pa's fleet tentative allies and members of the Consolidated Fleet. With the political turmoil on Mars resolved with the election of Prime Minister Emily Richards, Mars adds its remaining fleet to the conflict before the close of the war.
Notes and trivia[]
- Please note that the flag is entirely provisional and unofficial, designed solely to help indicate the C.F. in wars, skirmishes, etc.
References
- ↑ The pseudo-nation was largely dissolved by the end of the Free Navy Conflicy and was replaced by the Transport Union. However, during the Laconia-Sol Conflict OPA factions onboard Medina Station would reemerge.
- ↑ The UN and MCR did not cede their independent sovereignty in non-military functions where full governments normally hold authority by the will of the governed. The fleet also didn't have any formal declaration of purpose, authority or constitution. The fleet didn't assume responsibility for any public services or infrastructure.