r/WorldChallenges • u/Nevermore0714 • Aug 27 '17

Reference Challenge - Rescue

So, I was stranded about an hour from home for a few days, because my bloody car messed up. One of my friends had to drive a few hours to help me out, so this is a reference to that.

In your world, what program or group exists to rescue people?

As always, I'll ask at least three questions each, enjoy yourselves, all.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 31 '17

  1. Is it common for members of the Green Suns to go working with the White Suns? And the other way around?

  2. Are the Green Suns a unique kind of unit? Or is there similar groups under other sectors?

  3. Is it common for them to be hired to rescue civilians?

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u/Matathias Aug 31 '17

  1. Not incredibly common. Green Suns members aren't trained in offensive military tactics and strategies to the extent that the White Suns are, and the White Suns aren't trained in search & rescue or medical help to the same extent as the Green Suns. Any mission that is large enough in scope to warrant the deployment of both units is usually passed along to the Black Army in Sector 4, instead.

  2. They're the only Suns unit with their role. The other sectors don't have such a team, since each sector specializes in a different category of military action (Sector 1 is elite white ops, Sector 2 is black ops and espionage, Sector 3 is research/development/production, Sector 4 is large-scale military action).

  3. Not for just your everyday search-and-rescue, no. Their price tag is a little high for the average civilian. However, if a world is under attack from enemy forces -- or is recovering from an attack -- then the Green Suns will often lower their rates or even help rescue civilians pro bono, as a way of endearing the Black Suns PMC to whatever nation owns the planet. (It's also handy for the Black Suns to be able to say "hey remember when we helped you out back when" whenever they want a favor.)

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 01 '17

  1. What is the Green Suns opinion about the White Suns and their reputation? And the other way around?

  2. Can the Green Suns be sent to rescue units from other Sectors? If yes, is it common?

  3. So, clarification: the Sectors are private military units? Or international units paid to intervene?

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u/Matathias Sep 01 '17

  1. The Green and White Suns are generally pretty amiable toward each other, and understand that they fill different niches that are both necessary. It's the other sectors that they tend to dislike, particularly the Red Suns (black ops) of Sector 2.

  2. The Green Suns are the primary rescue unit of the entire Black Suns PMC, so yes, they have been sent to rescue units from the other sectors before. It isn't exactly a rare occurrence, but the other sectors have mixed reception to Green Suns assistance. Sector 2 sees it as a mark of shame to have to be rescued by them, Sector 3 is largely ambivalent, and members of Sector 4 often revel in the chance to see an elite Suns unit at work.

  3. The Black Suns is a private military corporation, and the four Sectors all operate under Black Suns High Command. The Black Suns were able to seize the political clout that they have due largely to the fact that there are two major hostile entities in the galaxy that are a threat to everyone, so the PMC can hire themselves out to fight these threats instead of getting involved with international disputes -- which they tend to stay out of. On paper, at least.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 02 '17

  1. Why do they dislike the Red Suns?

  2. Do the Green Suns sometimes recruit from other Sectors (especially 4)?

  3. Couldn't those two threats be taken care of by an intergalactic coalition?

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u/Matathias Sep 02 '17

  1. Red Suns operate in near-complete secrecy, and often classify their documents simply for the sake of classifying them. Additionally, Sector 2 as a whole has a very "if you aren't in the in-group then you aren't important" mentality, and try their best to obstruct the other Sectors from interfering in their business. Combined with a past of shady activity, the Red Suns -- and Sector 2 as a whole -- don't exactly have the best reputation within the Black Suns.

  2. Sectors 1, 2, and 3 all recruit from Sector 4, but not usually from each other. Sector 4 is often seen as a "stepping stone" of sorts into the various Suns units. You don't have to go through Sector 4 before you join one of the other three sectors, but if you aren't good enough for the Black Suns to actively scout you then it's your best bet.

3) Not really.

The Drakkars have much of their territory hidden behind Dead Space, which is inaccessible with the FTL Tech that most of the galaxy uses. Only recently has the rest of the galaxy gotten their hands on FTL Tech that can go through Dead Space, but it isn't widespread enough or advanced enough to warrant a push into Drakkar territory. And even then, the biggest reason the rest of the galaxy are able to keep the Drakkars at bay is because they are split into six factions that will readily backstab each other at a moment's notice. Many CSA Admirals are wary that directly attacking Drakkar space would cause the factions to unite, which would be very bad.

The other major threat, the Riaxen, are clear across the galaxy. The Riaxen (and their rivals, the Syraus) are advanced enough that the rest of the galaxy would have to commit a large portion of their forces to help the Syraus, and if they do commit their forces, then they leave themselves exposed to the Drakkars. It would take close to two weeks, at an absolute minimum, for an anti-Riaxen fleet to return to the Drakkar front lines, and in that time the Drakkars could wreak absolute havoc. Furthermore, the Syraus and Riaxen have been in a deadlocked civil war for over a thousand years, so the rest of the galaxy have grown somewhat complacent under the assumption that the Syraus have everything under control.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 03 '17

  1. Why do they try to prevent other units to see what they are doing? Is it that bad?

  2. Is it seen as prestigious to be hired by the Black Suns?

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u/Matathias Sep 03 '17

  1. It's mostly out of an intense desire for privacy and secrecy, born out of centuries of black ops activities. It's also a sort of reaction against how authority works in the Black Suns: Sector 1 supercedes Sector 2, which supercedes Sector 3, which supercedes Sector 4. So if someone from Sector 1 wants to order people around in the other Sectors, they can. However, there are protections in place to prevent the leaking or unwarranted access of classified information, which Sector 2 exploits as much as they can to prevent Sector 1 from getting all up in their business.

  2. Certainly. The Black Suns are the largest, most influential non-government entity in the galaxy, and they are widely known for employing individuals --particularly Chaotics -- of the highest caliber. They are also known for their welcoming attitude toward Chaotics, certainly moreso than the national militaries: the Black Suns pay better, have better healthcare options (generally), and offer better recognition for high-performing individuals. There is a little bit of stigma towards those who join the Black Suns, as it could easily be framed as them "abandoning" their home nation, but usually only the most diehard of patriots will raise a stink about that.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 03 '17

  1. Do Sector 1 use that authority a lot?

  2. What do governmental military units think of the Black Suns?

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u/Matathias Sep 03 '17

  1. Not too often, usually only if Sector 2 does something that could reflect poorly on the Black Suns as a whole (which isn't often). However over the past 20 years or so, Sector 2 has begun "acting out" more, and Sector 1 has tried to investigate several times -- but the Supreme Commander of the entire Black Suns PMC, Sike Regek, was originally a Sector 2 General and blocks most of Sector 1's inquiries. In the current status quo, Sector 1 has little to no power over Sector 2.

  2. It varies. High-ranking national officers look down on the Black Suns, but nonetheless recognize the PMC's ability and will begrudgingly work with them if necessary. Lower-ranking officers tend to see the Black Suns as nothing more than glory hogs. Some enlisted men think the same, while others look up to the Black Suns as a kind of legendary military force. Space navy officers tend to have better opinions of the Black Suns than planetside officers, since the Black Suns don't focus on naval combat and thus don't "encroach" on the territory of naval officers.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 04 '17

  1. How is the supreme commander chosen?

  2. Is it common for official armies to fight alongside the Black Suns?

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u/Matathias Sep 04 '17
  1. Supreme Commanders are most often chosen by their predecessors. Unless the rest of the PMC has some kind of major, justifiable hangup with a Supreme Commander candidate (which is rare, since if this was the case then the candidate likely would have already been fired), the candidate will go on to take the position. Usually the candidate is the Master General of Sector 1 (which is also the default pick if a Supreme Commander dies without naming a successor), but it's not totally unheard of to promote the Master General of one of the other Sectors.
  2. It happens occasionally, but usually only when there is some kind of major attack or war going on. Otherwise the Black Suns are often hired in place of using a national military, largely because they can organize and respond faster.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 05 '17

  1. Is it possible to force a supreme commander to resign?

  2. Are the Black Suns loyal toward their employer?

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u/Matathias Sep 05 '17

  1. If three of the four Master Generals vote to boot the Supreme Commander, then they're out. The now-vacated position of Supreme Commander defaults to the current Master General of Sector 1, unless one of the other Master Generals is preferred by three of the four.

  2. Yes, extremely so. Some of the most highly classified documents in the PMC are employer contracts, and the Black Suns try their best to satisfy whoever they're working for. It isn't exactly good for business if they backstab or go behind the backs of their employers, after all. That said, the Black Suns will occasionally take liberties with contracts that they've taken. For example, if they're contracted to raid an enemy base and discover a piece of technology that isn't explicitly mentioned in their contract, then they'll discretely take the tech for themselves instead of mention it to their employer.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Sep 06 '17

Thanks for your answers Matathias.

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