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Colonial Fleet

the Confederacy's naval arm

The Colonial Fleet was the naval branch of the Terran Confederacy's armed forces, older than the Confederacy itself. It provided air and orbital support from its Tarsonis platforms until the fall of the Confederacy folded its remnants into the Dominion Armada.

By Joe Garratt

The Colonial Fleet was a branch of the Terran Confederacy's armed forces. Over two centuries old by the Great War, it was older than the Confederacy itself. Its members maintained a long rivalry with the Confederate Marine Corps, and fights between sailors and marines were not unheard of, though members of the corps could transfer into the fleet through training courses offered at various academies.

Service and structure#

The Colonial Fleet provided air support in terrestrial operations, and air bases were maintained on worlds such as Tarsonis, where three orbital platforms served as the fleet's primary base and staging area. Joining required an exam and a physical, the latter considered easy to pass, and its members wore space-black uniforms. The fleet's rivalry with the Confederate Marine Corps ran deep enough that brawls between the two were common, though the path between them was open to those willing to retrain.

The fall of the Confederacy#

Elements of the fleet were present in the Sara system when the protoss Koprulu Expeditionary Force arrived. A single battlecruiser, the Norad II under Colonel Edmund Duke, launched a counterattack against the protoss fleet at Mar Sara, but the protoss withdrew without giving battle. The fleet evacuated Confederate forces from Mar Sara as the zerg overran the planet, making no major effort to evacuate civilians or to prevent the protoss from purifying the surface. The fleet and the Confederate Army were then dispatched in strength to Antiga Prime, where the Sons of Korhal had subverted the colony and the defection of Alpha Squadron compounded the crisis. After six months of fighting, the rebels broke the Confederate blockade by luring the zerg to the world with psi-emitters, and the protoss arrived in pursuit and purified the planet.

The Sons of Korhal assault on Tarsonis was spearheaded by a strike on one of the fleet's orbital staging platforms, and the arrival of the zerg overwhelmed the Confederate forces. As the situation deteriorated, fleet units began deserting or defecting to the rebels, and the end saw them joining the general terran retreat, some picking up stragglers regardless of political affiliation. After the fall of the Confederacy, the fleet's remnants were absorbed into the new Dominion Armada. Among its known members were Captain Bolshev of the CSF Ragnorak, Captain Elias Tudbury of the Merrimack, and the medic Petty Officer Lisa Cassidy.

Frequently asked questions

What was the Colonial Fleet?
The Colonial Fleet was the naval branch of the Terran Confederacy's armed forces. It provided air support for terrestrial operations and was over two centuries old by the time of the Great War, making it older than the Confederacy itself.
Where was the Colonial Fleet based?
The fleet maintained air bases on worlds such as Tarsonis, where three orbital platforms served as its primary base and staging area.
Why did the Colonial Fleet and the Confederate Marine Corps not get along?
The two branches held a long rivalry that ran deep enough that brawls between sailors and marines were common. Members of the corps could still transfer into the fleet through training courses offered at various academies.
What happened to the Colonial Fleet during the fall of the Confederacy?
As the Sons of Korhal and the zerg broke the Confederacy at Tarsonis, fleet units began deserting or defecting to the rebels, and some joined the general terran retreat while picking up stragglers regardless of political affiliation. After the Confederacy fell, the fleet's remnants were absorbed into the new Dominion Armada.
What did the Colonial Fleet do at Mar Sara?
The fleet evacuated Confederate forces from Mar Sara as the zerg overran the planet, making no major effort to evacuate civilians or to prevent the protoss from purifying the surface. The battlecruiser Norad II, under Colonel Edmund Duke, launched a counterattack against the protoss fleet there, but the protoss withdrew without giving battle.

Gallery

Colonial Fleet — image 2

Images via StarCraft Wiki

Sources

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