A Commander with 4 Cutters? I'd think she'd more likely be a Commodore with a flotilla like that in that time and place...
In a regular navy, probably, or at very least she'd be a Captain (as in "O" rank, not role.)
however, one of the limits I put on the Ngoverse; Kowloon's units tend to be rank-deflated. for Ground forces this meant that there were whole Companies commanded by Leutnants, for the Coast Guard, there's exactly ONE "Admiral" rank personnel, cutters are commanded by Lieutenants, Patrols by Commanders, and Squadrons by Captains.
A "Patrol" is four cutters.
remember your manpower levels are very low-these are below the 100k tonnage, 'primitive jump' ships (Ignore the LF battery doubling the actual effective range here), with crew sizes in the at-or-below 50 range for the
Sampan class. Effectively they've got more in common with a swift boat squadron or PBR unit. The larger vessels like Zerstoren get helmed by actual
Captains (O-6), but only because of the size of the manpower complement and the corresponding higher priority in the Reserve system-those mostly went straight to SLN/AFFC-N when the Archon grabbed the Service.
The Kowloonese 'cutter' system is derived more from dropship duty, with an accompanying level of rank, and it ends up working out as being like WW2 era submarine service in actual function. Four cutters plus one support vessel or 'tender' (Usually Merchant or Tramp class) is One Patrol. Four Patrols makes one Squadron.
for example, the 14th BW (Black Water-comes from space duty):
Patrol A:
Cutter 1
Cutter 2
Cutter 3
Cutter 4
Support Vessel 5
Hull markings are Squadron/Patrol/Cutter as follows:
14/A/01. 14 being the Squadron, A being Patrol, the final digit being the hull number itself.
a note about Coast Guard Jurisdictions:
Within the Lyran state they ran pretty loose with the term, but since being regularized AND assigned to support Star League 'stability operations' (a means really to keep Liz from restarting the war with the Clans on the Jade Falcon front or doing something else unspeakable), firm limits on Coast Guard Jurisdictions have been implemented, particularly in the space around recognized or member states. Traditionally, the Kowloon Coast Guard's jurisdiction was "Within 150 Kilometers of any navigable medium similar to water or sea". thus, "Black Water". in practice this let the Coast Guard effectively claim operational jurisdiction on Kowloon itself (the surface is within 100 Kilometers of orbit), however the roles were used to more efficiently approach this.
Coast Guard's main branches:
Brown Water: this was, prior to the last decade in THIS verse, the largest portion of the service, conducting riverine patrol, law enforcement, firefighting and search-and-rescue as well as acting as a cross-jurisdiction police agency on Kowloon itself. (also at times delivering the mail, providing emergency transportation/medical services and other grab-bag applications.) In peacetime the Brownwater squadrons act a bit like 'state police' agencies mixed with a bit of civil service and rural fire department.
Blue Water: Oceanic operations, including Polar and submarine. Blue Water is treated at a step to Black-water assigments for Enlisted personnel, blue water also conducts survey and some basic ecological monitoring, but is best known to AFFC for operating combat submarines, aircraft carriers, and surface support combatants. The Blue Water squadrons handle most of the island chains in the Eastern and Western oceans, as well as maintaining the Air Bases on the south polar continent and providing personnel and maintenance for many of the telescope and radiotelescope systems left over from the Rim Worlds occupation.
Marine: effectively Naval Infantry, the Marine component is spread out, acting in a variety of roles, Coast Guard Marines recieve training in relevant disciplines depending on assignment, but are at base, riflemen and commando operations specialists first. during Peacetime, Marines are the smallest component of the Coast Guard, during wartime, they become the largest. 5% of Marine Candidates die in training on average before getting the coveted title of "Marine" with the attendant white cap and cutlass.
OCB: Organized Crime Bureau. This sub-branch was first formulated during Allesandro Steiner's reign in the late 3rd Succession War, and represents Kowloon's answer to the need for an intelligence agency focused on counter-piracy operations. OCB focuses primarily on what are 'low priority' issues for Loki or Lohengrin, such as identifying Black Marketeers who deal in slaves, contraband, or fencing stolen technologies taken by pirates. The OCB has a 'special crimes unit' focused on identification and elimination of Serial killers who cross into or out of Kowloonese territory. Most of what OCB does, is done with a surprising
lack of violence. OCB's actual manpower and budget were 'black' on the Kowloon ledgers prior to nationalization, and post-nationalization, it remains a single-line-item with some oversight by Lohengrin and MIIO.
Black Water: space operations and spaceborne operations. The Blackwater Squadrons have had the longest continuous operational history in the Coast Guard, functioning even when Kowloon itself was under Rim Worlds Occupation and indigenous policing agencies were illegal. this portion of the agency experienced the second-largest expansion of any branch under Elizabeth Ngo's ducal reign, including but not limited to formal shipyards, public recognition, and a manpower expansion not seen since the planet's brief period of post-Rim-worlds independence during the Star League Civil war. (It is truly amazing what you can get away with when Melissa gives you a tax break under emergency conditions!) in the universe of Victoria Ian Steiner-Davion (this version) the Black Water branch has expanded some ten times its last highest point, siring 'sister services' on a number of Lyran worlds. One salutary impact of this, has been a check on piracy along the Lyran periphery, with an attendant reduction in predation. This isn't a coincidence. it's hard to conduct piracy when you can't get or keep ships to transport your merry band of raiding slavers.
Programs on the Lyran Periphery that recieved Victoria's seal of approval include the "Health and Safety" project, which provides for both contraband searches, and 'maintenance chits' redeemable at government yards for small operators who would otherwise have to rely on the Black market to keep their ships flying. this measure alone, instituted shortly after Elizabeth's infamous crucifiction by impalement of 23 members of Hopper Morrison's gang, reduced pirate operations from nearly a daily occurrance along the former Rim Worlds front, to something remarkably rare.
Submitting to a health and Safety inspection gives a temporary amnesty for any possession of stolen property-but not slaves or kidnapped civilians, meaning that smugglers who submit to a tech inspection have little to no reason to run unless they're carrying hostages. This amnesty is good for one incident, after which, if caught again, legal measures will be employed. For slavers, it's a bit different. They get to breath vacuum upon being caught, no exceptions. Stolen property is generally returned to owners if it can be properly routed in those cases, when it can not, it is sold at auction. (Ships confiscated in this manner are either reconditioned and sold, or scrapped, depending on evaluated repair and maintenance cost.) The upshot of this, has been that hauling pirates and slavers has been rendered to the 'unprofitable' side of the risk/reward ledger in zones where the Coast Guard is operating.
Note; for stubborn types who refuse, there are the 14cm lasers and capital missile emplacements on cutters. These are significantly more powerful than most dropship ordnance and the crews are both disciplined, and trained. In addition, a cadre of Marines is often aboard to conduct boarding actions, and they are likewise extensively drilled and trained for boarding actions and seizure. basically, unless you're a ship belonging to a recognized navy? you will be boarded, you will be inspected, stolen property will be confiscated and if you're an indie, you will get a repair chit, some technical aid, and directions (or escort) to the nearest Yard for repairs. Unless you're dealing in unwilling people, in which case you will be spaced and a prize crew will bring your ship to port.
Notable also: ships going "missing" have dropped significantly thanks to the "Health and Safety" program, and many shoestring/borderline operators have been able to squeak back into legitimate freight and hauling business due to this system, preventing many jumpship owner/operators from NEEDING to seek illegal business. The general impact has seen a 75% drop in piracy along the Lyran border, with secondary drops noted along the Free Worlds zones close to the Lyran state, due to the decline in haulers willing to transport Pirates, bandits, and slavers.
Coast Guard Directive 15, Dated 3064/12/22 states that cooperation with local authorities of member states is to be pursued in all cases. criminals and fugitives arrested in the territorial zones of Star League Member states, Provisional Members, or Recognized states, are to be rendered to local authority for prosecution, along with any and all evidence of crimes, Warrants of Arrest, Warrants of Detention, or credible evidence of criminal activity to include Slaving. (this countermands Order 3 and Ducal order 11). In the event such authorities are unavailable, suspects are to be given a shipboard trial under Directives 3 and 11. Disposal of perpetrators convicted will be conducted per Coast Guard Regulation 24, and proceedings are to be documented for review upon making port.
Perpetrators disposed of under Regulation 24 are to be recovered upon confirmation of life sign termination, and stored for medical review if possible. if storage is not possible, see Regulation 24a. Slavers caught ground side on unclaimed or extraterritorial planets (See definition 19, 20, and 22 of the Star League Declaration of 3052) are to be tried fairly, and if found guilty, Elbar protocols are considered appropriate (Provided sufficient wood can be secured for the stakes), recording and retention of both Trial and execution are to be submitted to the nearest local recognized legal authorities. For perpetrators willing to cooperate in a larger or more extensive investigation, see Directive 13, or Coast Guard Regulation 4 (Humane treatment of Prisoners that are cooperative.)
