Free Planets Alliance Star Fleet

The Free Planets Alliance Star Fleet is the primary military organization of the Free Planets Alliance within the fictional Legend of the Galactic Heroes universe. It is the main defensive and offensive arm of the Free Planets Alliance government, and at its peak had several hundred thousand ships of various types under its command. In keeping with the democratic traditions of the Alliance, the Star Fleet itself is under the command of the civilian government. The fleet is also partitioned into different branches, including the Fighter Corps. and a large contingent of ground forces.

History
Early History
The Free Planets Alliance Star Fleet was created by the fledgling Free Planets Alliance shortly after its creation to defend itself against the Galactic Empire the colonists knew would eventually return. Not much is known about its early history, but it had grown powerful enough to repulse the first Imperial attack on the Alliance when it was finally rediscovered by the Empire. Since that time, it has been engaged in a large-scale war with the Galactic Empire, recently losing the upper hand when the Empire constructed its Iserlohn Fortress within the Iserlohn Corridor, blocking the passage to Alliance access. All attempts by the Star Fleet to capture or destroy the fortress were repulsed, often with high casualties.

Season 1

At the start of Season 1, in Space Year 796/Imperial Year 487, the Alliance Star Fleet is at its apex, despite its losses to the Galactic Empire during its attempts to capture Iserlohn Fortress. Three of its fleets (the 2nd, 4th, and 6th) with a combined total of nearly 40,000 ships have succeeded in cornering an Imperial fleet of 20,000 ships under the command of Imperial High Admiral Reinhard von Musel within the Astate System of the Iserlohn Corridor. Unfortunately, poor judgment on the part of the Alliance commanders results in the loss of two fleets and 1.5 million personnel before Commodore Yang Wen-li forces a draw.

The remainder of the forces from the Astate Encounter are consolidated into a new fleet, along with new recruits fresh from training. This new fleet, numbered as the 13th Fleet, is assigned to Rear Admiral Yang Wen-li and is tasked with capturing Iserlohn Fortress, which it does without a single allied casualty. With the path to the Empire now open, the civilian government decides to invade the Empire despite objections from the military leadership. A massive force of over 100,000 ships and 30 million men is assembled, including 8 full fleets under the overall command of Admiral Lazzll Lobos. The invasion fleet advances deep into Imperial territory with no resistance, but eventually strains its supply lines, which the Imperial navy takes advantage of to cut off and destroy the invasion force. The attack results in the loss of 20 million soldiers and the destruction of at least six of the eight invading fleets. After the reorganization of the remaining forces, the Free Planets Alliance Star Fleet has only three fleets left, the 1st and 11th Fleets stationed at Heinessen, and the 13th Fleet stationed at Iserlohn Fortress.

In the period following the failed invasion, a group of high-ranking military officers stage a coup d'état and take control of the government with the goal of continuing the war against the Galactic Empire once it appears that the civilian government is willing to sue for peace. Admiral Yang Wen-li refuses to join them, and launches with the 13th Fleet to restore the civilian government. In response, the National Salvation Military Council dispatched the 11th Fleet under the command of Admiral Luglanju to intercept the 13th Fleet, but the plan backfired when Yang was able to ambush and destroy the 11th Fleet in the Doria Starzone. With this battle, the strength of the already weakened Free Planets Alliance Star Fleet was reduced to only two full fleets and a number of police squadrons.

Organization
The Star Fleet is headquartered at the Strategical Operations Ceneter on the Alliance capital of Heinessen, just outside the capital city of Heinessenpolis. It's highest ranking officer is the Headquarters Chief of Staff and its second-in-command is the Space Fleet Commander. It is represented in the government by the National Defense Secretary, which is a High Council-level position. It is normally divided into several fleets, each of which is a fully independent fighting unit possessing all assets necessary to carry out a range of operations from planetary invasions to traditional space battles.

At its height, it possessed thirteen numbered fleets of thirteen thousand ships each. Each fleet was also comprised of an air wing of Spartanian fighters primary designed to harass enemy capital ships and to counter Imperial Valkyrie fighters. Fleets were also provided with a ground force for planetary operations, as Alliance vessels have never shown any planetary landing capability, unlike their Imperial counterparts. The fleet is organized around the commanding officer's flagship, usually a battleship equipped with the necessary communications and control facilities necessary for fleet command. Fleet command is usually given to an officer with the rank of Vice Admiral, but occasional exceptions are made, such as the appointment of Rear Admiral Yang Wen-li to the command of the 13th Fleet due to its smaller-than-average size. Beneath the fleet commander are several squadron commanders as well as an administrative chief and vice chief of staff. Other fleet positions include the commander of the fleet's ground troops and the commander(s) of the fleet's air wing.

Ship Design
Free Planets Alliance Star Fleet vessels have demonstrated themselves to be comparable to Imperial ships on the field of battle, with neither side possessing any noticeable advantage over the other. Star Fleet vessels carry a standard armament of forward-firing neutron cannons to comprise the main armament, and may also carry a supporting battery of missiles and fusion bomb launchers to supplement the main battery. They also carry a secondary battery of side-mounted cannons for close range ship-to-ship or anti-fighter defense.

Alliance starships are visually distinguished by their green color and elongated engine cowlings. Their main battery is usually arranged in the front of the vessel in a large block with a semi-circular face, with the battery divided into smaller groupings. From the main battery the ship usually narrows for the main hull before widening again to accommodate the engine. Unlike Imperial ships, Alliance vessels normally carry only one large engine instead of the multiple smaller ones favored by Imperial ships. Alliance vessels also possess large and elongated engine cowlings to help direct and contain engine thrust. Differing largely from this category are battleships, each of which seems to be unique in some way, and are normally quite different from most Alliance ships-of-the-line. Another difference between Alliance vessels and Imperial starships is the lack of adornment on Alliance ships. While most Imperial warships carry the Imperial seal on their hulls as well as other adornments, Alliance vessels are normally unmarked except for their registry number or fleet number in the case of flagships.

The bridge layout of most Alliance vessels is quite different from their Imperial counterparts as well. The bridge of a battleship usually possesses multiple levels, each with duty stations for the crewmen. The commanding officer sits on the topmost deck and watches over the rest of the bridge and the large viewscreens, which cover most of the forward walls and ceiling. Some vessels also incorporate large support tethers to increase structural integrity, although these tethers can prove hazardous in battle when a vessel is hit. Unlike the generally domed shaped Imperial bridges, Alliance bridges are box shaped and are more utilitarian and sparsely decorated than the elaborately carved and decorated Imperial bridges. They also possess a larger bridge crew than an Imperial vessel. The bridges of cruisers and destroyers are usually only a single level with a slightly raised lower platform for the captain to watch the rest of the bridge crew and issue orders.

Most Alliance vessels are named after deities from Greek or Eastern mythology, or for historical warriors from those periods. Examples include the flagship Hyperion, named for the Titan of Greek myth, the Leonidas and Leonidas II from the king of ancient Sparta, and the Bang-Goo after the Chinese deity Pan Gu. Other names include the names of geological features, such as the battleship named for the river in North America.

Throughout the series, no Alliance vessel has ever been shown landing on a planet's surface. It is generally assumed that Alliance vessels are incapable of landing, and instead use shuttles to ferry personnel back and forth. While Imperial spaceports provide berths for each capital ship in the fleet, Alliance spaceports, such as the main spaceport outside Heinessenpolis, has accommodations for shuttles which ferry the fleet's personnel to the ships waiting in orbit. The ships themselves never actually land, and there are no berths for them in the spaceport indicating that they are not intended to land. When the Imperial fleet arrives at Heinessen, they instead land their ships directly on the surface instead of using shuttles to land their troops.

Famous Vessels
The following is a list of well-known vessels featured within the series:

*Hyperion - battleship; flagship of Admiral Yang Wen-li throughout the series
*Rio Grande - battleship; flagship of Admiral Alexander Bucock throughout the series
*Ulysses - battleship; served throughout the series in Yang Wen-li's fleet, rumored to be quite lucky in battle
*Triglav - battleship; squadron flagship of Commodore Dusty Attenborough throughout the series
*Agarteram - battleship; flagship of Rear Admiral Fisher throughout the series
*Shiva - battleship; heavily armed battleship frequently used as a flagship for various officers including Admiral Merkatz and Rear Admiral Fisher
*Leda II - cruiser; occasional flagship of Yang Wen-li, frequently serves as a courier ship

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See Also

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