The Czardaian military
The Czardaian armed forces, although largely inactive during most of the 20th century, are well known for their fierceness and cunning in military strategy. They frequently survive battles even when greatly outnumbered by enemy forces. Although due to the small size of Czardas the military has never been very large, it has nevertheless won a number of campaigns, some involving as few as six soldiers (see below).
Contents
The Army
- Commander: General Henrik A. Ogden
- Manpower: Approx. 2,700,000
- Combatant manpower: Approx. 1,800,000
- Total allocation from military budget: 30%
The Czardaian army, under the command of well-respected General Ogden, is the largest branch by far of the military, both in terms of numbers and equipment. Several military bases around the country supply the soldiers, most notably Lac-Montagne in the northeast and Saurolias in the southwest. In times of war it may swell to nearly 3 million combatants.
- Commander: Admiral Louis Bendragon
- Manpower: Approx. 1,000,000
- Combatant manpower: Approx. 560,000
- Number of ships: 104
- Number of submarines: 24
- Total allocation from military budget: 25%
The navy is perhaps Czardas’s weakest branch. Despite a good amount of funding, it contains very few ships in comparison with some of the other navies of the region. Its primary purpose is to guard the harbors and escort ships to and from Czardas; however, it has been destroyed several times by invading forces, most notably in 1933. After the last war much of the navy was never rebuilt. Nonetheless, the few warships and submarines that remain to guard Czardas’s shores are renowned for being hard fighters, only beatable by the strongest of navies.
The Air Force
- Commander: Air Force Commander J. F. Karlsen
- Manpower: Approx. 700,000
- Combatant manpower: Approx. 320,000
- Number of aircraft: ~750
- Total allocation from military budget: 25%
The Air Force is Czardas’s strongest branch. Even as early as 1933, it was infamous among the international community for its lighting-quick strikes and disappearances into the clouds. Czardas’s specialty is the FC-159 or dagger plane, a tiny blue-armed plane that can fly at heights approaching 100,000 feet and is nearly undetectable on radar. Each plane carries two missiles, usually CX-31. Along with these are larger bombers and fighters. Although the Air Force is considerably smaller than the other branches of the military, it is by far the most powerful. The planes in the Czardaian air force include:
- FC-159 "Dagger" Small Strike Fighter (480x)
- FC-160 SM "Dagger" Small Strike/Stealth Hybrid Fighter (40x)
- Skyblade-6 "Striker" Close Range/Attack Hybrid Bomber (60x)
- Skyblade-9 "Peregrine" Distant Range Fighter (60x)
- R-75 "Kestrel" Close Range Hybrid Fighter (50x)
- Skyblade-11 "Falcon" Attack Helicopters (60x)
The Special Operatives
- Commander: They only accept orders from The Czar.
- Manpower: 2,184
- Combatant manpower: 2,184
- Number of divisions: 42
- Total allocation from military budget: 20%
The fanatics. The daredevils. The die-hards. Where Czardas’s air force is notorious, its Special Operatives are legendary. Czardas is ridiculed for low quality security at home, but its Special Operative Divisions are perhaps the most feared army divisions anywhere. Each branch has 14 divisions under its command. They are selected only for the most daring of missions, especially involving infiltrations. Only the best of the best are selected for the Special Operatives. Each division tends to act independently of the others, sometimes even independently of its commanders. Some say that Czardas doesn’t really control them all. But when a difficult mission needs to be undertaken – in wartime or in peace – the Special Operatives are there, always ready to risk their lives in near-impossible missions.
The 14th Special Operative Division
Special note must be made of this particular division, commanded by Captain Alma Finlay. Technically under command of the Army, its 52 operatives make a sort of special army of their own, taking orders from none but their Captain. Among the 14th’s exploits include: conquering a country with only six fighters; attempting an assassination in a high-security compound with three; blowing up seven military bases using fourteen planes; and seizing 40 enemy aircraft which they used to cause havoc among the enemy. Some of the 14th’s most famous members include:
- Finlay herself, who has served for seven years in the 14th;
- Lieutenant Miroslav Dorakov, a notorious sharpshooter and well-known fighter, killed on a mission in Imperial Galactica;
- Captain Peter Irian, Finlay’s precursor, who was shot down on an Air Force mission;
- His son Thomas Irian, a Lieutenant adept at spying and trickery;
- Captain Dustin Georgiy, precursor to Irian, who led the 1976 mission that seized 40 enemy aircraft; he was killed on a later, similar mission;
- Sergeant Red Wolf, a mysterious fighter from Southeastern Czardas, who frequently went on missions completely alone and invariably returned successful.
