Glossary
CCS — Confederacy of Cooperative Systems. The main rival of the CSTO, a capitalist-industrialist conglomerate. Confederated systems include New Britannia, Australia, Caledonia, New Canada, Free Latin America, New India, Haiti-Nouveau, Greater Slavic Commonwealth.
CMC — Confederate Marine Corps.
CNF — Confederate Naval Forces.
CSMF — Central Socialist Military Forces. Branches are Army (CSMF-A), Navy (CSMF-N) and Marines (CSMF-M)
CSTO — Central Socialist Treaty Organisation. The main rival and largest neighbour of the CCS, a network of socialist states competing against CCS for territory. Signatory systems include Ireland, Ispania, Finland, United East Africa, The Levant.
USNA — United Systems of New America. Enters coalition with CSTO.
Confederate Military Uniforms
Confederate Marine Corps
[Author’s Note: “The following plates are from a US Marine Corps publication, designed as a visual supplement to the uniform regulations at the time. Confederate Marine uniforms are heavily based on these plates, with a few exceptions that are mentioned within the story itself. Outlines and simple descriptions of the uniforms can be found here, and the original plates are available in .pdf format at this page of the USMC website.”]
Marine uniforms (L-R): Camouflage Utility uniform, Blue Dress “A” uniform, Service Dress uniform (field-grade officer), Evening Dress “B” uniform (general-grade officer)
Enlisted Blue Dress uniforms (L-R): “B”, “B”, “A”, “D”, “C”
Enlisted Service (shore duty) Uniforms (L-R): “C”, Service “B” with pullover, “B”, “A”, “B”. (Note: Garrison caps and standard Brown peaked cap are interchangeable. Qualified personnel may wear unit-specific headgear such as berets.)
[Author’s Note: “When I first imagined the CMC recruits’ awful beige uniforms, I was thinking something along the lines of the Israeli national service uniforms.” cont. below]
[cont’d. “Israeli photographer Rachel Papo returned 15 years after her own mandatory national service and took photographs of some of the girls at several bases, using film as a medium to explore the way these girls are molded into women, whether they like it or not. Two of my favourite photographs from her set are shown below. I include them here because to me they capture the spirit and character of Veraa Kul’hura after the initial rigour of Recruit School; not only the weariness, but the grim professionalism.”]
Socialist Military Uniforms
Central Socialist Military Forces
[Author’s Note: “At the risk of walking into a giant cliché, I imagine CSMF uniforms to be a lot like current Russian military uniforms: austere, earthy colours with plenty of red and gold trimmings. They project an aura of stern disapproval the moment one walks into the room; an effect the Socialist leadership loves to inflict on the peasants.”]
Life on the Fringes 