Another military essay:
Ssoranthhuul (Ice Warrior) Clan and National Forces
(Note that the Ssoranthhu are not an exact match for the Ice Warrior race in
Doctor Who canon, though they have many strong similarities.)
The armed forces of the various Ice Warrior clans of Mars are somewhat variable, even in name, though the rank structure is at least broadly similar, to avoid creating confusion when two or more clans work together, whether simply allied or as part of the Armed Forces of the Ssoranthhuul Culture. What follows is a typical structure for the largest clans, including the Korsshethh and the Ssrax (though both do modify it somewhat, as noted below).
Ranks
Insignia are generally invisible to human eyes, being part of their armour's
Identify
Friend or
Foe transponders, and marked on helmets and collars as specific glyphs, visible in the near infrared.
The names given are approximate translations from Ssoranthhut.
Ice Lords:
OF-9 Clan Chieftain
OF-8 Senior Subchieftain
OF-7 Junior Subchieftain
OF-6 Legion Officer
OF-5 Regimental Officer
OF-4 Battalion Officer
OF-3 Senior Company Officer
OF-2 Junior Company Officer
OF-1 Platoon Officer
OF(D) Acting Officer
Ice Warriors:
OR-9 Regimental Adjutant
OR-8 Battalion Adjutant
OR-7 Company Adjutant
OR-6 Platoon Adjutant
OR-5 Senior Section Leader
OR-4 Junior Section Leader
OR-3 Volley Leader
OR-2 Experienced Warrior
OR-1 Warrior
A 'Volley' is a unit of 3 to 6 personnel, roughly equivalent to a
fireteam. The word refers to a unit of
slingers or archers in ancient Ssoranthhuul armies, though historical volleys were often closer to a platoon or company in size.
Some clans will grant special ranks to outsiders, even non-Ssoranthhu, who are trusted to lead some or all on their forces in battle. One of the highest such ranks translates as Battle King or Battle Queen, and is approximately equal to the Clan Chieftain (in some cases, arguably superior).
The Korsshethh Muster replace Experienced Warrior with Blooded Warrior, and have three Subchieftain ranks (Greater Subchieftain, Subchieftain, and Lesser Subchieftain), the lowest replacing Legion Officer at OF-6. They split Platoon officer into Senior and Junior ranks, both OF-1.
The War Gathering of the Ssrax (or S'rax, depending on the translator) replace the lowest two enlisted ranks with Rifle and Proven Rifle (or sometimes other names, like Messenger and Proven Messenger for the Ssrax Regiment of Signals), and have only a single Subchieftain rank, moving Legion Officer to OF-7, and adding Brigade Officer at OF-6 (which is to say that they use the word we translate as 'Legion' to refer to a larger formation than most other large clans do, as well as having fewer military subchieftains).
Smaller clans will reduce the number of Officer ranks below Clan Chieftain (and if sufficiently small, remove some of the Adjutant and Section Leader ranks). The smallest clan forces - such as the Grand Army of Clan Nissth (a former Great Power nearing the end of several Martian centuries of decline), or the Vusshh Battle-Flock (a rising former Merchant House known for short-range fightercraft, recently independent from, and still allied with, Clan S'Onathh) - have the Clan Chieftain and Subchieftain (in that context 'Subchieftain' would usually mean 'the heir or his/her most likely regent') as the only true Officer ranks, both being OF-1, due to having only a single platoon or equivalent, and occasionally some form of military vehicle or vehicles (the Vusshh Battle-Flock is mostly pilots and aircrew for a mixed squadron, and would be larger if they used warriors as technical staff, or much smaller if the allowed only officers to be pilots). Any smaller/weaker group would be absorbed into a larger clan, or at best, not be recognized as a full clan, save under especially odd circumstances.
The equivalent of Boy Scouts, Girl Guides/Scouts, JROTC, et cetra often use a version of their clan's force's ranking system (generally dropping NCO ranks above OR-5, and reserving Officer ranks above OF-5 for adult Scout Leaders/Drill Instructors), with a prefix that translates approximately as 'apprentice'. The higher one's rank as a 'Scout/Guide' (enlisted or officer), the greater the chance of joining the clan's force with a rank of OR-2 or OR-3 for Scout Enlisted, or OF-2 for Scout Officers.
The Armed Forces of the Ssoranthhuul Culture use mostly the same enlisted ranks as above, but somewhat different officer ranks, as shown below:
Supreme Lord (Commander-in-Chief, Head of State of the Ssoranthhuul Culture)
OF-11 Lord Grand Marshal
OF-10 Lord Marshal
OF-9 Army Lord
OF-8 Corps Lord
OF-7 Legion Lord
OF-6 Brigade Lord
OF-5 Regiment Lord
OF-4 Battalion Lord
OF-3 Senior Company Lord
OF-2 Junior Company Lord
OF-1 Platoon Lord
OF(D) Cadet Lord
Clan forces are legally forbidden to use Lord (well, the gender-neutral word we translate as 'Lord') for their officers, save when acting as part of the Armed Forces of the Ssoranthhuul Culture. In conversation, 'Lord' is often left off of Lord Marshal and Lord Grand Marshal, most likely because neither rank is used by clan forces.
Significant military titles outside of normal rankings include Commander and Sub-Commander (the CO and XO of a specific installation, large vehicle, task force, et cetra; Sub-Commander may also be applied to an officer on separate station, but still under the command of a Commander) and War Lord (usage varies widely, but is most commonly applied to an enlisted/NCO warrior breveted to an officer rank, or a clan officer breveted to an
important Lord rank and post in the AFotSC).
'Warrior' and 'Experienced Warrior' are often replaced by unit specialties in the AFotSC, such as Highlander/Experienced Highlander, Gunner/Experienced Gunner, and so forth, as in many British Empire/Commonwealth armies on the Earths. 'Volley Leader' and the 'Adjutant' ranks are sometimes replaced, as well.
http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2..._delegates.jpg
Ice Lord (foreground) and Ice Warrior (background). If he were expecting combat, the Ice Lord would be fully armoured, as seen below.
http://images.amcnetworks.com/bbcame...26886766_n.png
Lord Grand Marshal Skaldak, in ground-combat armour, with three-fingered gauntlets, rather than the standard claws. Such equipment generally requires surgery to replace the Ice Warrior's natural manipulators (a pair of wide, flat, opposed digits, resembling claws) with cybernetic and/or bioengineered hands, or implanting a neural interface system, and placing the 'hands' in front of the user's own grippers.
In all cases, the armour can deploy a section to cover the mouth and jaw, fully sealing the armour from most hostile environments.
Thoughts?