The Ascendant Fleet is one of the two military branches of Clan Plagueis. Comprised of naval and starfighter forces, the Ascendant Fleet is the primary force projection tool of Plagueis.
History
The original Ascendant Fleet served in the Jusadih System from 30 ABY to 36 ABY, conquering the system during the War of Ascension. Together with their Legion, a collection of Throne-loyal soldiers and conscripts, they order in a system that became more and more fragmented, disloyal, and difficult to police with each year. It saw its end at the hands of Archibald Zoraan during the fall of Jusadih, as both the Horizon Plague and Zoraan's forces crushed and destroyed the system and almost all of fleet. Only the original Ascendancy escaped.
Following Jusadih's destruction, the Plagueis found itself stranded, but not without hope - their blind hyperjump away from destruction lead them to a long abandoned station within the Stygian Caldera itself. Several members of Plagueis rendevoused with the Saraask'ar slaving guild, a group that had sold their services to Plagueis before, and the Trandoshans tried to take what was left of Plagueis for themselves. Having taken on more than they bargained for, the Saraask'ar were subjugated by Plagueis when their attack failed. This would be a boon to Plagueis, who used the resources of the Saraask'ar to start repairs on their ships.
With help from Plagueis, and with the hard-won consent of Quaestor Reith, the reptiles of the guild captured the crews of several ships to be slaves while stealing their cargoes to finance plans to rebuild Plagueis. This eventually would lead to a Plagueian assault on several pirate bands and independent systems by which several ships were seized by Plagueis to form the core of a new Ascendant Fleet. These vessels served during the Dark Crusade against the One Sith, and the spoils of war allowed Plagueis to further expand its star navy.
The Ascendant Fleet was virtually destroyed in early 34 ABY in orbit of the Clan’s new capital Aliso. The assault was devastating, timed for when most of the fleet’s crew were planetside assisting in the efforts to establish a Plagueian presence on the planet. The attacking force was numerically superior to the Ascendant Fleet, and the Plagueian ships were quickly overwhelmed and destroyed. Initially it was thought that the attack was initiated by a rival faction of former Imperials, but later evidence surfaced that caused the Plagueian summit to realize that it had been engineered by someone else.
Over the following year, Plagueis set about rebuilding their space force. Using connections to the Corporate Sector, their allies at Hyperdyne, and even by exploiting the galactic chaos following the destruction of Hosnian Prime, Plagueis was able to purchase or secure a number of capital starships to replace what had been lost. Centered around a new Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Ascendancy, the Ascendant Fleet once again became a force to be feared.
Chain of Command
The command structure of the Ascendant Fleet exists as a natural outgrowth of the magocratic nature of the Plagueian feudal system. While vessel or unit command is vested in experienced officers drawn from the ranks of The Willing, overall command always rests in the hands of the Clan's Dark Jedi. The supreme commander of the fleet, like the Ascendant Legion, is the Dread Lord. The Consul, however, often chooses only to directly oversee the most important military operations, with the Dread Lord's Wrath serving in direct command in the latter's capacity of Military Executor. Additionally, the Quaestors command their own assigned fleet assets as Vassals of the Dread Lord. The authority of the Quaestors is still subordinate to that of the Wrath and the Dread Lord, however.
Direct day to day command authority is vested the non-Force using officers that make up much of the Fleet. The most senior officer of the Ascendant Fleet is Admiral Cyvaria Ranin, the ranking survivor of the Fall of Jusadih. Admiral Ranin commands the fleet from the Ascendancy which serves as the fleet flagship. Each independent force attached to the two Houses are commanded by Commodores stationed aboard the twin 'Strike-class cruisers attached to the House forces. All vessels of cruiser classification or better are commanded by an officer holding the rank of captain, with ships of frigate classification or less commanded by officers holding the rank of at least lieutenant commander. Any of these officers is still subordinate to the Dark Jedi of the Clan, but a lower ranked Jedi cannot countermand orders given by their superiors to the officers of the fleet.
Unlike the New Republic, the starfighter forces of Clan Plagueis are not a separate service branch from the Ascendant Fleet. Due to their operational configuration as an almost entirely carrier based organization that is tasked to operate directly with the fleet, their command structure is integrated into that of the fleet itself. The senior starfighter officer aboard a ship that embarks several starfighter squadrons is given the position of Wing Commander and will hold a minimum rank of commander. Individual squadron commanders are at least lieutenants.
Organization
During normal operations the Ascendant Fleet is divided into four task forces, each centered around one a cruiser or Star Destroyer. Command Force Aurek, the main portion of the Ascendant Fleet, is built around the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer Ascendancy, with day-to-day operations overseen directly by fleet commander Cyvaria Ranin. The Ascendancy forms a battle line with the Clan's trio of Nebulon-B frigates. Additionally, DP20 gunships and Braha'tok-class gunships are assigned to the task force to serve as an anti-starfighter screen. Finally, a pair of Carrack-class cruisers use their speed to fill the role of recon/picket vessels.
A pair of identical task forces, Besh and Cresh, serve under the direct authority of the Quaestors of Ajunta Pall and Karness Muur. These task forces are centered around the Dominant and Vigilant respectively. Each of the task forces also are assigned a Quasar Fire-class carrier in addition to a trio of corvettes to serve as an anti-starfighter screen. Finally, Defense Force Dorn is nominally assigned for the defense of the Aliso system and is centered around the heavy cruiser Wrath under the direct authority of the Clan Proconsul. A trio of corvettes are tasked as her anti-starfighter screen, however the CR90 Ambition is normally assigned to independent operations supporting The Circle.
Command Force Aurek
Task Force Besh
Task Force Cresh
Defense Force Dorn
Rank Structure
While the fleet operated by Clan Plagueis is overseen by free officers, the non-commissioned portions of the fleet ranks are entirely made up of slave soldiers. As such, a formalized rank structure does not exist for those below officer rank within the fleet. The officer's rank insignia are worn on each side of the collar.
| Ascendant Fleet Rank Table
|
| Officer Rank
|
| O-8
|
O-7
|
O-6
|
O-5
|
O-4
|
O-3
|
O-2
|
O-1
|
| Admiral
ADM
|
Commodore
COM
|
Captain
CPT
|
Commander
CDR
|
Lt. Commander
LCDR
|
Lieutenant
LT
|
Sublieutenant
SLT
|
Ensign
ENS
|