TCCOM:TIE Corps Pilot Manual

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TIE Corps Pilot Manual

Introduction

Welcome, pilot. Whether you are a trainee or a seasoned veteran, you’ll find everything that you need to know about the TIE Corps in this manual. Designed by pilots, for pilots, it is supposed to be the primary source of information for any TIE Corps member.

I hope that all of you will find this manual a useful source of information while also keeping in mind the only constant in life is change. Future decisions made by the Command Staff might lead to this document becoming outdated. When in doubt, communicate with the officers you report to via the chain of command.

New members, please note that you are required to be acquainted with this document and the supplementary documents referred to within it in order to be accepted in the fleet as an active member. If you have any questions, reach out to your immediate superior.

The most important thing to emphasize here is that the Emperor’s Hammer TIE Corps is a Star Wars gaming club. As such, one of its greatest aspects is the potential to meet and interact with fellow pilots who share a common interest while having fun with our favorite games.

The Command Staff and I wish you all a fun time with us here in the TIE Corps.

Regards,

High Admiral Plif, TIE Corps Commander

Chain of Command

The TIE Corps is a military dictatorship and, as such, it possesses a chain of command – a line of authority and responsibility along which orders are passed. A Flight Member is under a Flight Leader's authority, a Flight Leader is under a Squadron Commander's authority, and so on. It is also worth noting that a higher position's orders always override ones from a lower position – for example, a Commodore’s orders would supersede those of a Squadron Commander.

An overview of the chain of command in the TIE Corps:

Note that Fleet Commander is not a TIE Corps position. The Fleet Commander sits at the top of the Emperor’s Hammer Command Staff of which the TIE Corps is considered a Group.

Ideally, questions should be resolved at the lowest level possible. As a FM, ask your FL or CMDR first. If they don’t have the answer, they’ll refer the question to their superior and so on up the chain until an answer is given or a decision is reached by the TCCOM.

Structure

The smallest unit in the TIE Corps is a flight, which consists of up to four pilots: a Flight Leader and up to three Flight Members. It is the smallest unit usually sent into battle, however it is not considered independent. Each flight has its own nickname and motto and all of its members are assigned the same type of starfighters.

A group of three flights makes a squadron. The leader of Flight I is in command of the squadron and is called the Squadron Commander. A squadron may consist of up to twelve pilots and is the smallest unit considered independent.

A grouping of two to six squadrons is called a wing and is led by a Wing Commander. Currently, the Wing Commander positions are occupied exclusively by non-player characters, but they could be staffed by live members again should the need arise.

A wing is usually stationed aboard an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer of the Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet. Each ISDII in the fleet is the flagship of a battlegroup of numerous support ships. Each battlegroup is commanded by a Commodore who holds a flag rank.

Leading the TIE Corps is the TIE Corps Command Staff (TCCS), a group of three admirals that are in direct command of the entire TIE Corps. The TCCS consists of the TIE Corps Commander, the Strategic Operations Officer, and the Combat Operations Officer. The TIE Corps Commander is the highest authority in the entire TIE Corps and may be overruled only by the Executive Officer or Fleet Commander of the Emperor's Hammer.

The TCCS plus the Commodores may be referred to as the TIE Corps Admiralty Board (TCAB) as a group of all of the admirals in the Corps.

The entire Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet is under the authority of the Emperor's Hammer Command Staff, a group of admirals that are in direct control of various aspects of the entire organization. They are led by the Fleet Commander and their second-in-command, the Executive Officer.

For more information on the Command Staff positions, please consult the Emperor's Hammer Training Manual.

Positions

This section describes the various positions available in the TIE Corps.

Line Positions

Trainee (TRN)

Position Description: Aspiring pilots who join the TIE Corps are initially given the rank of Cadet and the position of Trainee upon arrival on the Super Star Destroyer Avenger until they complete their training, during which they will learn the basic knowledge and skills necessary for service in the TIE Corps. Trainees are included in the roster count but cannot be awarded medals or promotions until they complete their training and are assigned to a squadron. Upon completing their training, a Trainee is promoted to Sub-Lieutenant and assigned to a squadron in a Flight Member position.

Rank: Cadet

Duties: Completing training

Contact Requirements: Low. At least once per month contact via email the TIE Corps Commander. However, they are encouraged to complete their training requirements as soon as possible so that they may be assigned to an active squadron.

Flight Member (FM)

Position Description: Flight Member is the most common role in the TIE Corps. Flight Members participate in competitions, post on message boards, talk with fellow members, play custom missions and multiplayer matches, and undertake other activities. In addition, Flight Members are encouraged to interact with their immediate superiors (Flight Leaders and/or Squadron Commanders) in regards to any questions or suggestions they may have.

Rank: Sub-Lieutenant on appointment, may be promoted up to Major

Duties: Being active, participating in TIE Corps activities

Contact Requirements: Low. At least once per month contact via email or other form of communication with immediate superior.

Flight Leader (FL)

Position Description: The Flight Leader serves as a team leader for the three Flight Members within the flight to which they're assigned.

Rank: Lieutenant on appointment, may be promoted up to Colonel

Duties: A Flight Leader should lead by example and be active

Contact Requirements: Low to moderate. A Flight Leader should stay in contact with their Squadron Commander and their flight. Response time should not exceed 72 hours.

Squadron Executive Officer (SQXO)

Position Description: The SQXO serves as the designated second-in-command of a squadron and performs any additional duties assigned by the CMDR.

Rank: No new rank upon appointment, may be promoted in line with primary position

Duties: Each CMDR may choose which duties, if any, to assign to their unit’s SQXO. Examples are listed below.

• Serving as the Acting CMDR while the CMDR is on leave
• Submitting squadron reports (preferably only occasionally)
• Contacting other FLs and FMs
• Running competitions
• Tracking squadron citation progress

Contact Requirements: Generally low, but might be needed more often depending on assigned duties

Squadron Commander (CMDR)

Position Description: A key position in the TIE Corps, the CMDR manages the day-to-day operations of the squadron. Because nearly all the members of the TIE Corps are assigned to a squadron, the CMDRs are critical to maintaining the line of communication across the chain of command.

Rank: Commander on appointment, may be promoted up to General.

Duties:

• Keeping in contact with the FLs and FMs under their command and answering any questions that arise
• Informing the squadron of news and important events
• Writing squadron reports
• Submitting Monthly Squadron Evaluations (MSE), which includes making medal and rank promotion recommendations
• Creating competitions for the squadron
• Being familiar with primary reference materials (TIE Corps Pilot Manual, Emperor's Hammer Training Manual, etc.)

Contact Requirements: Moderate. Answering emails, writing reports, and writing evaluations will take most of the CMDR’s time. A CMDR is also expected to maintain regular contact with their squadron and Commodore via email. Response time should not exceed 2 days.

Wing Commander (WC)

Position Description: The Wing Commander is in charge of two to six squadrons, which compose a wing. These positions are currently not filled by live officers and are instead held by NPCs with the duties of the WCs performed by the Commodores.

Rank: Major on appointment, may be promoted up to General

Duties:

• Overseeing daily operations of the wing
• Writing wing reports
• Reviewing monthly evaluations submitted by the CMDRs
• Staying in contact with the pilots in their wing, particularly the CMDRs
• Appointing CMDRs (usually with approval from the Commodore)
• Creating competitions for the wing
• Informing the wing of news and important events
• Being very familiar with primary reference materials (TIE Corps Pilot Manual, Emperor's Hammer Training Manual, etc.)

Contact Requirements: Moderate to high. The WC must keep in contact with the CMDRs in their wing and make sure the squadrons are active. In addition, the email load of a WC is rather heavy, with response times expected to be 24-48 hours.

Flag Positions

Commodore (COM)

Position Description: Commodores each command a battlegroup (BG) of ships and one wing of active duty squadrons. With the flagship of the battlegroup being the home of the active duty squadrons, COMs are often referred to as being the commander of that ship. They direct their flagship’s operations, both day-to-day and in battle. With the WC positions currently not staffed, COMs fulfill the duties that a WC would normally perform.

Rank: Commodores must hold the rank of Rear Admiral or higher and may be promoted up to Admiral

Duties:

• Overseeing daily operations of the ship
• Reviewing monthly evaluations submitted by the WCs and CMDRs
• Writing ship reports
• Staying in contact with the pilots assigned to their ship, particularly the WC and the CMDRs
• Creating competitions for the ship
• Informing the ship of news and important events
• Being completely familiar with primary reference materials (TIE Corps Pilot Manual, Emperor's Hammer Training Manual, etc.)

Contact Requirements: Heavy. The Commodore is expected to attend official meetings, communicate on Discord, etc. as often as possible. Response time should not exceed 24 hours.

TIE Corps Command Staff

Combat Operations Officer (COO/TC-3)

Position Description: The Combat Operations Officer oversees all multiplayer activities in the TIE Corps. The Combat Operations Officer's primary duties are coordination of multiplayer pilots, expanding multiplayer activities, and approving multiplayer-oriented awards.

Rank: Rear Admiral upon appointment, may be promoted up to Fleet Admiral

Duties:

• Writing weekly reports
• Reviewing and approving multiplayer matches for all platforms
• Creating and coordinating multiplayer competitions and events
• Reviewing and approving competitions

Contact Requirements: Moderate to high. The COO will constantly receive message from pilots with match results for their events and other multiplayer-related inquiries.

Strategic Operations Officer (SOO/TC-2)

Position Description: The Strategic Operations Officer is primarily responsible for awarding medals and reviewing evaluations. The Strategic Operations Officer is also considered the second-in-command of the TIE Corps.

Rank: Rear Admiral upon appointment, may be promoted up to Fleet Admiral

Duties:

• Writing reports
• Reviewing the evaluations submitted by the CMDRs, WCs, and COMs
• Reviewing and approving medal recommendations
• Staying in contact with the pilots in the TIE Corps, particularly the COMs

Contact Requirements: High. The Strategic Operations Officer needs to maintain contact with the COMs and be ready to answer any question regarding the TIE Corps asked by members.

TIE Corps Commander (TCCOM/TC-1)

Position Description: The TIE Corps Commander is in overall command of the TIE Corps and reports directly to the Fleet Commander of the Emperor's Hammer Strike Fleet. He bears the ultimate responsibility for the TIE Corps. Aside from keeping a close eye on the general state of the TIE Corps, the TIE Corps Commander is responsible for roster updates and promotion requests. The TIE Corps Commander is also considered part of the Emperor's Hammer Command Staff as a Group Commanding Officer.

Rank: Admiral upon appointment, may be promoted up to High Admiral

Duties:

• Writing weekly reports
• Overseeing the general state of TIE Corps
• Maintaining the online roster
• Maintaining the TIE Corps Pilot Manual
• Reviewing and approving promotion requests
• Reviewing and approving uniform submissions
• Coordinating and managing the SOO and COO

Contact Requirements: High. The TIE Corps Commander must be always aware about the state of the TIE Corps and be ready to support the SOO and COO when needed.

Assistants and Other Secondary Positions

Because the positions of the TIE Corps Command Staff and Emperor's Hammer Command Staff involve highly sensitive and extensive duties, each member of the TCCS and EHCS may appoint Assistants. An Assistant shall remain in their previous position on the roster and perform their usual role, however he will be expected to support the TCCS member in fulfilling some of their duties. Although this shall require more effort from the Assistant than if he would be a typical member, Assistants have more activity to note in evaluations and often receive additional or higher merit medals than they would have received otherwise.

The position of Assistant is signified by an appropriate addition in the ID line, in the position's section. The addition takes the form of 'XXA', where XX is the abbreviation for the officer you are assisting. For example a Squadron Commander who is also a COO Assistant would start their ID line with 'CMDR-COOA', where COOA indicates the Assistant position.

There are also several other secondary positions like the Tactician (TCT) and Tactical Surveyors (TCS). The only difference that separates those positions from that of the Assistant is that their duties are more specific than those of the Assistant.

Warden of the Imperial Archives (WARD)

Position Description: The Warden is responsible for championing fiction, writing and related non-flight activity within the TC Rank: No new rank upon appointment, may be promoted in line with primary position.

Duties:

• Supports and encourages fiction and related non-flight activity with the creation of competitions and other activities
• Maintains a historic background for TC competitions, establishing a narrative and continuing to develop it as the TC progresses
• Utilizes all available TC media to promote fiction and communication, such as TC message boards and mailing lists
• Uploads submitted fiction and graphics to their creator's profile
• Other duties assigned by the TCCS as needed

Contact Requirements: Moderate to High. A Warden will be expected to lead by example and provide a useful source of guidance or information to any pilot.

Editor of the TC Newsletter (EDR)

Position Description: The Editor of the TC Newsletter compiles submissions and publishes the TIE Corps newsletter, currently called The Commodore

Rank: No new rank upon appointment, may be promoted in line with primary position

Duties:

• Accepts submissions for the newsletter
• Actively looks for works that have been created but not specifically submitted for the newsletter, communicates with those creators about their works as needed
• Uploads any needed materials to tc.emperorshammer.org/commodore/
• Creates the newsletter through HTML coding, word processing, etc.
• Sets a schedule for the publication of newsletters
• Submits a list of needed Letter of Achievement awards to the TCCS after the publication of a newsletter

Contact Requirements: Low, mostly coordinating submissions for the newsletter.

Simulations Officer (SIMS)

Position Description: The Simulations Officer runs Imperial Storm events and performs related duties

Rank: No new rank upon appointment, may be promoted in line with primary position

Duties:

• Maintains and publishes the rules for Imperial Storm
• Works with the TCCS on scheduling Imperial Storm events
• Acts as the primary contact for inquiries related to Imperial Storm
• Provides the coordination needed to run an Imperial Storm event
• Creates and maintains the Imperial Storm website (currently

imperialstorm.emperorshammer.org)

Contact Requirements: Low most of the time, High when actively running an Imperial Storm event.

Captain of the M/FRG Phoenix (CAPT)

Position Description: The CAPT reaches out to the members of the Reserves regularly and coordinates with the TCCOM concerning assignments

Rank: No new rank upon appointment, may be promoted in line with primary position

Duties:

• Emails the Reserves on a regular basis, normally quarterly
• Handles any questions from the Reservists about the Corps’ current operations
• Refers Reservists to the TCCOM if they’d like to return to active duty
• Relays any bouncing email addresses to the TCCOM, not having a valid email address on file would lead to an AWOL declaration

Contact Requirements: Low, mostly confined to an active round of emailing the Reservists

Tour of Duty

A Tour of Duty is currently defined as four months of continuous, active service. When needed, a Tour of Duty will be reviewed and considered completed if an officer fulfilled their duties during that time frame. A Tour of Duty will be considered incomplete if an officer was absent for some of that time or did not fulfill the duties of their position.

Reserves

The TIE Corps Reserves, based on the Modified Frigate Phoenix, is where retired officers are assigned. Reserve officers have no duties besides maintaining an active email address for future contact.

A Reservist will hold the last rank they have had before transferring and all of their data will remain stored in the TIE Corps database. Former admirals that retire in a line position may reclaim their flag rank as long as they completed a full Tour of Duty as an admiral.

Trainees may not join the Reserves. A pilot must have completed their training first and hold the rank of at least Sub-Lieutenant to be eligible for transfer to the Reserves.

Ranks

Although a member’s overall status within the Fleet will be entirely determined by their position, the military ranks presented below further stratify the TIE Corps and give something for members to strive for. The position of a member will always take precedence over conflicting ranks (e.g., a Flight Leader who is a Lieutenant Colonel does not outrank a Squadron Commander who is a Captain). A member may retain a rank achieved in a previous assignment to a higher command position even if their current position does not warrant a promotion to that rank.

Flag ranks may not be held in line positions (i.e., FM, FL, SQXO, CMDR, and WC). Former admirals that are assigned to line positions will be granted the rank of Colonel regardless of their line rank before assignment to an admiral position as long as they completed a full Tour of Duty in their admiralty role. The exception for this rule is applied to members that achieved the rank of General before the admiralty appointment, in which case they will be returned to the rank of General.

Line Ranks

Cadet (CT)
Rank assigned to the Trainees assigned to the Imperial Weapons and Tactics School (IWATS) aboard the Super Star Destroyer Avenger

Sub-Lieutenant (SL)
Cadets that complete their training and are assigned as Flight Members are promoted to Sub-Lieutenant

Lieutenant (LT)
SLs that complete one of the requirements listed in Promotion to LT are promoted to LT

Lieutenant Commander (LCM)
Active LTs that have completed the TIE Corps Core course (TCCORE) from the Imperial University (IU) may be promoted to LCM

Commander (CM)
Active LCMs may be promoted to CM. SLs, LTs, and LCMs that are promoted to CMDR roles are also promoted to CM and will retain that rank as long as they complete at least one Tour of Duty as a CMDR.

Captain (CPT)
Active CMs may be promoted to CPT

Major (MAJ)
Active CPTs are promoted to MAJ. MAJ is the highest rank that a FM may be promoted to.

Lieutenant Colonel (LC)
Active MAJs in a FL role or higher may be promoted to LC

Colonel (COL)
Active LCs in a SQXO or FL role or higher may be promoted to COL. As noted above, admirals that have completed a Tour of Duty in their admiralty role will receive the rank of COL when transferred to an FM, FL, CMDR, or WC assignment. COL is the highest rank that a SQXO or FL may be promoted to.

General (GN)
Exceptional CMDR/COLs and CMDR/WCs may be promoted to the rank of GN, the highest line rank and prestigious honor to receive

Flag Ranks

Rear Admiral (RA)
First-time admirals being assigned to a COM, SOO, or COO role will receive the rank of RA and will retain that rank as long as they complete at least one Tour of Duty as an admiral

Vice Admiral (VA)
Active RAs may be promoted to the rank of VA

Admiral (AD)
Active VAs may be promoted to the rank of AD. If someone is promoted to TCCOM that doesn’t already hold this rank or higher, they will be promoted to AD and will retain that rank as long as they complete at least one Tour of Duty as the TCCOM. AD is the highest rank that a COM may be promoted to.

Fleet Admiral (FA)
Active ADs in a SOO, COO, or TCCOM role may be promoted to FA. FA is the highest rank that the SOO and COO may be promoted to.

High Admiral (HA)
This is the highest rank achievable within the TIE Corps. Only a TCCOM holding the rank of FA may be promoted to HA, and this often requires outstanding service in that capacity in order to receive this promotion from the Fleet Commander.

Sector Admiral (SA)
The Executive Officer (XO) of the Emperor’s Hammer is granted this exclusive rank. Former XOs are allowed to retain this rank after leaving the XO position.

Grand Admiral (GA)
The Fleet Commander (FC) of the Emperor’s Hammer is granted this exclusive rank. Former FCs are allowed to retain this rank after leaving the FC position.

Promotions

Although the entire Chain of Command in the TIE Corps is based on positions and not ranks, the possibility of attaining new 'bars' has been a motivation for many generations of TIE Corps pilots to go above and beyond the minimum requirements of a pilot. The following section deals with various issues regarding the promotions – the procedure itself is discussed in section VIII. Procedures.

Promotional Authority

Promotion recommendations usually come from the officer immediately above the recommended member in the Chain of Command. For example, promotion requests for FMs, FLs, and SQXOs will normally be made by their CMDR. All promotion requests must receive the approval of the TCCOM or the SOO. Promotion requests for the TCCOM must be approved by the FC.

Position Requirements

While an officer may be promoted by several ranks in the case of an appointment to a position (for example a Lieutenant getting appointed as a Squadron Commander and thus elevated to the rank of Commander, omitting the rank of Lieutenant Commander), it will not be a permanent promotion until the officer finishes at least one Tour of Duty in their new position or they receive another promotion. If a Tour of Duty is not completed, their rank will revert to the one they held prior to their promotion.

This obviously does not affect officers that did not have to be promoted for the position appointment as well as officers that were promoted during the first four months of their command in a new position.

As previously mentioned, a member may retain a rank achieved in a previous assignment to a higher command position, even if their current position does not warrant a promotion to that rank. For example, if a Wing Commander that has attained the rank of General wishes to retire and instead become a Flight Member in a squadron, he would not be demoted to Major.

All Admirals that are retiring to a line position in the TIE Corps from an admiralty position will be appointed the rank of Colonel, without regard for their ranks before their ascendancy to the admiralty, as long as they have completed a Tour of Duty. The only exception is a situation when an admiralty member held the rank of General before being appointed as an Admiral. In such a case, the member in question would be given back his General rank after retiring from the admiralty position.

Rank Requirements

All promotions will be reviewed on a case-to-case basis. The following presents a listing of the ranks, minimum time served in previous rank and current position (if applicable) and services typically required prior to promotions in the TIE Corps.

Note: Serving the minimum time-in-rank does not automatically entitle a member to a rank promotion.

[table]

Promotion to LT

A Sub-Lieutenant earns their promotion to full Lieutenant by completing any of the following tasks:

• Completing an Emperor’s Hammer battle or free mission for X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X-Wing versus TIE Fighter, or X-Wing Alliance
• Earning an Iron Star, Operational Readiness Award, Legion of Combat, Legion of Skirmish, Medal of Tactics, or Commendation of Service
• Submitting a piece of fiction or a graphic to the Warden of the Imperial Archives (WARD)
• Submitting a complete Imperial Navy Pilot Record (INPR)
• Completing any Imperial University (IU) course

TIE Corps Core

The completion of TIE Corps Core (TCCORE) is required for promotion to LCM. TCCORE introduces pilots to our structure, ranks, positions, and other basic knowledge. Most of that information is also here in the Pilot Manual, but the course features a test that confirms the pilot’s understanding.