Overview of Guardian Rank & Procedure

[Joe Manning 0]

The Guardians maintain a rigid chain of command in order to ensure that the guild operates smoothly as membership swells. The ranks a Guardian may hold are displayed here in order of decreasing seniority. The Guardians place prime importance on this chain of command; regions of jurisdiction never supersede rank in matters of seniority.

 

 

Grand Marshall -- Very few Guardians hold the guild's highest rank (so it is believed) at any given time. The number of Grand Marshalls ranges from three to twelve depending on who you ask; the truth is most likely that the number is in constant flux as Grand Marshalls retire and Marshalls prove eligible for promotion. Eligibility can variously be determined based on service time, acts of distinguished service, or generally superior qualifications.

 

The Grand Marshalls maintain a veil of secrecy, likely for their own protection. They generally do not perform active work for the guild, only acting as supervisors and organizers, and they usually conduct all their business through lower-ranking intermediaries.

 

The chief responsibility of the Grand Marshalls is overseeing the most sensitive and lucrative contracts. When someone with great amounts of cash approaches the guild to perform a delicate or demanding task, the request is relayed to the Grand Marshalls, who set a fee and select the Guardians who will oversee the contract. The more dangerous the work, the higher the fee and the more capable and numerous the Guardians selected. If the contract is significant enough, the intermediaries may be bypassed; it is believed that Grand Marshalls directly negotiated the ongoing contracts with the Taurus Brothers and the Gular Consortium.

 

The Grand Marshalls also oversee the general administration of the guild -- the supervision and protection of the guild treasury, the construction of new stations and ships, the training of select Guardians, the funding of recruitment drives when numbers begin to thin, and the appointment of specialized branches of the guild. They are also believed to act as the guild's chief arbiters, resolving disputes between or grievances against high-ranking Guardians. In a time of crisis, they would no doubt apply direct authority over the activities of the entire guild.

 

It is not known if there is a rank which supercedes Grand Marshall, if one Grand Marshall has been appointed supreme commander, or if the authority of each Grand Marshall is equal. The details of decision-making between the Grand Marshalls is likewise unknown. It can only be speculated what it would mean for the Guardians and for Bull's Head if two or more Grand Marshalls found themselves at cross purposes (memories of the Federation Civil War still haunt many of Bull's Head's citizens).

 

 

Marshall -- At least one Guardian Marshall can be found in just about any major settlement in Bull's Head, overseeing that settlement's central Guardian precinct as well as the Sheriffs appointed to smaller nearby settlements and the local fleets (within several star systems depending on the Marshall's prominence). Marshall is roughly the equivalent of a Starfleet Admiral.

 

Descriptions of the Marshalls range from 'true leaders of the Guardians' to 'administrative faces of the Guardians.' Unlike the Grand Marshalls, you can actually locate a Marshall; they are out in the open, their existence and identities not guild secrets. Thus, the most wealthy clients will usually seek out a Marshall to contract the guild, and the Marshalls are often acting as the Grand Marshalls' intermediaries. It has been noted that the rank of Marshall is not an enviable one -- they have neither the overriding authority of the Grand Marshalls nor the protective secrecy. If a dangerous individual has a bone to pick with Guardian command, they will likely seek out a Marshall to 'air the grievance.'

 

Contracts not significant enough for the Grand Marshalls are negotiated by the Marshalls. They usually have a fair number of Guardian ships and personnel under their direct authority. Each specialized branch of the Guardians (variously including intelligence, defense, exploration, etc) is administered by a single Marshall. Beyond this, Marshalls see to the day-to-day operations of the ships and patrolmen under their authority.

 

Marshalls may be selected from either Constables or Sheriffs of loyal and distinguished service.

 

 

Constable -- The rough equivalent of Starfleet's Commodores, the Constables act as the commanders of the Guardians' capital ships (of which there are only three or four) and stations. The Constables are also fleet commanders -- every capital ship and station has a small to moderate fleet of Guardian ships attached to it, and a Constable is usually called upon to command any assemblage of ships appointed to a mission (the fleet's most distinguished Sheriff may be promoted for this purpose).

 

Some, but not all, Constables answer directly to a Marshall. It is most common for Marshalls overseeing specialized branches to have at least one Constable administering a fleet under their authority. A Constable may also be posted under the Marshall of a large colony, like Tranquility or Aldebaran, acting much like the Marshall's Deputy and aiding in the administration of the colony. In isolated areas of Bull's Head space where a single starbase is the guild's only presence, the local Constable acts in all manners as the region's Marshall, though a Marshall's authority can still override the Constable's at any time (rank superceding jurisdiction at all times).

 

The Constables are often viewed as virtually identical to the Marshalls; that the Marshalls officially have seniority is a sore spot for many Constables, particularly those in outlying areas who have had a Marshall come in and pull rank at some point in the past.

 

 

Sheriff -- The glowing aspiration of most Guardian Lawmen, the Sheriffs lay claim to the most prized real-estate in the guild -- the Captain's chair. As the commanders of the guild's starship crews, the Sheriffs are trusted to make vital decisions in tenuous situations far out in the field, free by necessity from the authority of the Marshalls. Only when a Sheriff's vessel is assigned to an outpost or to a fleet lead by a Constable is this coveted sense of independence stripped away.

 

In addition to Guardian vessel commanders, some Sheriffs act as supervisors of smaller settlements that are still able to afford a Guardian patrol. This duty is often taken on by volunteers -- older Sheriffs who have decided to retire from the starship life or particularly capable patrolmen who possess admirable leadership qualities but no desire to leave behind the colonial life. It is not unheard of, however, for a starship Sheriff who has gotten into trouble with Guardian command to be reassigned to a settlement as a form of reprimand. Settlements with little or no money to spare for protection often receive these disgruntled overseers.

 

In Tranquility City, each district is overseen by a Sheriff who answers to the Constable who answers to the Marshall. This widely branching chain of command is vital in such a large city, and the Sheriffs are all chosen from among patrolmen with distinguished careers. Still, a position of authority in a large city can prove quite profitable, and the Sheriffs (especially of the more lawless districts) are prone to corruption.

 

The most distinguished Sheriffs are considered for promotion to fleet Constable, starbase Constable, or Marshall depending on their individual desires (and assuming they desire the greater range of responsibilities or the shift from the command chair).

 

 

Deputy -- Deputies act as assistants to Sheriffs, Constables, and Marshalls. On starships, one or more Deputies will oversee small pockets of the crew, much as department heads would on a Starfleet ship. Deputies to Constables and Marshalls often serve more as administrative assistants. If a starship Sheriff is killed or disabled, a Deputy must take command; on ships with more than one Deputy, disputes are quite possible. Such a role may be made permanent (depending on the Deputy's qualifications). A Deputy may also take the place of a Marshall or Constable when needed, but replacements are usually brought in for these jobs eventually.

 

Deputies are selected from among the most capable and loyal Lawmen. Lawmen who desire to be starship commanders must prove capable as leaders of small groups of crew before they can be trusted with the responsibility. Lawmen who aspire to be Marshalls are put in a Deputy position where they may learn administrative duties.

 

Deputies most often oversee the training of Guardians. Command training is usually given on a starship at the Sheriff or Constable's discretion. Marshalls in charge of specialized branches often have one or more experienced Deputies handling training under their direct authority.

 

 

Lawman -- Just about anyone can be a Guardian Lawman. The Lawmen are the rank-and-file of the guild, the greenhorns right out of the recruitment office and the journeymen who want no part of leadership. They make up the crews that operate Guardian starships and starbases and the patrols that keep the peace in Guardian-protected settlements. Even the common laborers of the guild hold the rank of Lawmen, though there is an unwritten agreement that they are subservient to the 'officer grade' Lawmen.

 

Anyone with the desire can visit the local Guardian recruitment office and receive a uniform. The recruit's skills will determine whether an officer or laborer assignment will be given, though laborers may later receive officer training (depending on the availability of a Deputy). Larger settlements actively seek out capable recruits for patrol duty, while anyone with skills that would prove useful aboard a starship is put on standby for a open assignment.

 

A recruitment office will generally be administered by a Lawman or Deputy, with a higher ranking officer determining acceptance. The criteria for acceptance can vary widely. In backwater settlements run by corrupt Sheriffs, anyone with the desire is uniformed; the Lawmen in these cases are often no more than thugs who form a Sheriff's posse that bullies the locals. In settlements where a Constable, a Marshall, or a more scrupulous Sheriff calls the shots, background checks will often be conducted to filter out recruits with criminal records or allegiances. It is not unheard of, however, for Lawmen to be reassigned without any checks into their recruitment methodology (shady backgrounds are, naturally, never mentioned in the profiles); thus, the bad sorts can spread all throughout the region. The Guardians have eschewed forming a central recruitment branch because the logistics involved (especially in distant outposts cut off from the subspace net) would drastically slow the process.

 

New recruits are given a uniform, an ID badge, and a gun if one is required. All guns (any type the Guild can get its hands on is utilized, though recruits usually end up with the cheapest ordinance) have their lethal capabilities neutralized per Federation regulation -- officially, that is. Patrolmen and ship crew may be given additional equipment depending on their duties and its availability, but the cost of any equipment will be drawn from the recruit's wages; recruits are strongly encouraged to supply their own equipment.

 

If a Lawman is skilled and ambitious enough, there is room for advancement (fatalities often necessitate it). Aboard ships, training or simply raw experience can qualify a Lawman for promotion to Deputy; direct promotion to Sheriff would require either mutiny (which may or may not result in the crew's ejection from the guild) or a mass of fatalities (in which case the guild may intervene with outside assignments). Because a settlement usually contains only a single Deputy and administrator, room for Lawman advancement is far more limited. Many settlements thus recognize a Sergeant rank within the Lawman ranks; Sergeant Lawmen are trusted with the responsibility of leading teams of Lawmen, and they often oversee stations in larger settlements. It is not unheard of for a Lawman to jump ranks, even to as high as Marshall; such advancement is either the result of extraordinary skill and/or achievement, nepotism, or the generous funding of guild projects.

[Mitar Precip 0]

A Gold mine of information on the "law" of Qob/Tranquility!

 

Thank you for the time and effort.

 

Mitar Precip.