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I, as a citizen of the Greater Terran Union, joining the ranks of its armed forces, do
solemnly affirm that I will serve my country faithfully and conscientiously, and to my
best ability, seek to pursue its edification and advantage, to be obedient to the law and
execute the orders of the National Council and the orders of the officers appointed over
me, to stand firm in guarding the rights and equality of the Terran citizen, and to defend
the honor and dignity of the Terran nation.
The Oath of Enlistment has been spoken in French, Mandarin, Bengali and a thousand other
languages for the Greater Terran Union recognizes none above any other.
It has been sworn on the pages of the Bible, Quran, every holy book or none at all, for
the Greater Terran Union affirms no faith or creed.
No single culture binds the Terran state, no single species sustains the Terran name.
It is a military tradition that unites the nation, one born centuries ago when all mankind
was threatened with extinction.
The names of fleets and armies that fought back the Tyrum have been enshrined in the
nation’s memory, and as the Greater Terran Union spread across the galaxy, joined by
countless others.
It is rare to find a citizen who can not recite the achievements of the 2nd Armoured, the
RGR, The Mighty Second, or the Tamanskaya Division.
Yet even among the greatest military units of the Union there is one that stands above
all others, the most decorated battlegroup in human history; VVS-989, famously known
as Ryan’s Raiders.
It is with some level of irony then that VVS-989 was never intended to be a notable or even
permanent fixture within Fleet Command.
Its establishment occurred without ceremony, an ad-hoc collection of warships rerouted
from deployments in the numbered Expeditionary Battlegroups or the Terran Home Fleet.
The flotilla was assigned to Fort Verdun, a station on the increasingly tense border
with the Algan Republic.
The leading power within the alien federation known as the Compact, the Algan Republic had
repeatedly attempted to seize Fort Verdun during previous conflicts and 989 was intended
to supplement its defenses.
The flotilla was formed around the Passchendaele, one of the last Monte Cassino Class Destroyers
still in service, and supported by a half dozen slightly more modern corvettes.
Vastly understrength even by the standards of the time, the formation was deemed incapable
of sustained offensive action and relegated to garrison duty and inter-system anti-piracy
patrols.
In 2314, following the declaration of what would become known as the Second Terran-Compact
War however, 989 had gained recognition within Fleet Command after the appointment of Commodore
Jim Ryan as its Commanding Officer.
A soft spoken man whose affability and calm was often mistaken for timidity, Ryan’s
ingenious use of 989’s limited forces during training exercises had brought to his command
an immense amount of confidence.
After successfully “destroying” Fort Verdun during a simulated attack within Exercise:
Tycho Nimbus, a feat considered impossible, 989 was granted an unprecedented degree of
initiative and freedom of execution at the operational and tactical level.
Within the first year of the Second Terran-Compact War, 989 had earned an almost legendary status
amongst the fleet for its series of lightning raids across the Algan border.
Acting almost completely unsupported, this small understrength flotilla had managed to
harass Algan convoys and infrastructure across multiple star systems.
Repeatedly testing the limits and original intent of his orders, Commodore Ryan struck
deep across the Algan Border, engaging every target of opportunity while slipping away
before any enemy counter-attack could be mustered.
On three separate occasions the Algan Republic announced the flotilla had been destroyed,
and the Passchendaele in particular became known in Terran propaganda as the Headless
Horseman.
On August 9th, 2316, for the first time within the Terran military, VVS-989 was officially
assigned the nickname used by it’s sailors; Ryan’s Raiders.
Following the end of the war, each ship within the 989 was awarded the Distinguished Unit
Citation by the National Council, the Passchendaele presented 9 Campaign Stars and Jim Ryan himself
earned the distinction; Hero of the Greater Terran Union.
In a post-war analysis of the flotilla’s actions, it was concluded that the 989s raids
into the Algan Republic had forced the Compact to withdraw substantial forces away from the
main theater of operations.
Faulty intelligence by the Algan Republic on the Raider’s size and capabilities in
particular, compelled the Algan military into ordering an inefficient disposition of their
forces and poor decision-making due to fear of an attack on their homeworld itself.
The release of the novel “Raiding Party: The Untold Story of VVS-989” in 2347 and
its adaptation into the award winning film “Hellfire Across the Heavens” three years
later, kept the flotilla in the public consciousness.
As part of a larger rearmament effort in 2378, Fleet Command announced that Ryan’s Raiders
would be reinforced to match the size and capabilities of the Numbered Expeditionary
Fleets.
This announcement coincided with a special re-release of “Hellfire Across the Heavens”
and a recruitment effort centered around screenings of the film.
No longer able to participate in the types of operations for which it had become famous,
the far larger and better equipped VVS-989 of the early 25th century nevertheless cemented
its reputation as Fleet Command’s most capable naval force.
During the numerous wars against the Compact and Vol Hive, Ryan’s Raiders served with
distinction, but it was it’s deployment against the Tyrum that earned the Battlefleet
it’s greatest achievement.
In 2448, when the Sword of Terra unleashed its destructive power on the homeworld of
the Tyrum race, it was VVS-989 that had escorted it there undetected.
The images of its warships, silhouetted by the burning husk of a broken world were seen
broadcast across the galaxy, one of the most enduring portrayals of Terran power.
Ryan’s Raiders participated in every major conflict over the next two centuries.
It was among the fleets assembled for the Battle of Last Light, and nearly destroyed
to a ship during Operation SUNDIAL.
They were the first to engage the interdimensional invaders, and the last to unleash their weapons
against the portal from which these “unbidden” arrived.
Today VVS-989 is based on the ringworld Al-Waha.
Its primary mission is that of conflict deterrence, utilizing the gateway network to conduct prompt
and sustained interstellar operations in the event of war.
With the entire galaxy united under the Greater Terran Union however and no major conflicts
in the last 75 years, the battlegroup’s only significant deployments have been as
part of goodwill tours or training exercises.
While individual ships or smaller task forces might be deployed independently from the fleet
for anti-piracy duties, the battlegroup as a whole has not unleashed its weapons in anger
for the longest period in its service history.
A common joke heard aboard its warships is that the entire force is to be sent to the
Sirius System, to be anchored alongside the ancient Passchendaele as museum ships, relics
of a time when the Union’s survival had to be earned through blood.
Whatever it’s fate, the veterans of Ryan’s Raiders can be found in every tier of Terran
citizenship and every era of Terran history.
The fleet emblem of VVS-989 is displayed with honor in the homes of Terran politicians,
celebrities, athletes, and those of countless Terran citizens.
Most importantly however, it can be found on the gravestones of cemeteries across a
thousand Terran worlds.
Unbeknownst to all but the highest tiers of citizenship, the first trials have exceeded
expectations and the first campaigns are already being drafted.
Targets are being identified and objectives are being pronounced.
Soon the order will be given and the first banners of the Greater Terran Union to be
raised in another galaxy will be carried aboard the warships of VVS-989; Ryan’s Raiders.
A citizen of the Greater Terran Union has a solemn duty to the human race to improve
their skills for the benefit of the nation.
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Citizens will also receive an additional 5 minutes in their daily hot water allowance,
and one notice of exemption for their next period of civil service.
These latter incentives only apply to citizens of the Greater Terran Union living within
the Solar, Thermopylae, Aurora, Sakarya, Horizon, and Outer Rim Commissariats and may be rescinded
in the event of a national emergency.