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[stellacordis]

                                              the true soldier fights                               not because he hates what is in front of him                                  but because he loves what is behind him

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Keith doesn’t like to use the cryopods to heal his injuries post-battle, and you’ll have to fight him tooth and nail to get him into one. In his mind, there’s no reason to waste time and resources on him when there’s so much more to be done and others to take care of. What’s broken will eventually heal, a hard lesson he learned during his time living in the desert with limited medical supplies on hand.

The only way he could be convinced to use a cryopod is when he has broken bones that would otherwise take too long to heal or if he finds himself suffering from life-threatening injuries. Everything else he just takes care of on his own or just lets it heal naturally. Because of this, he has more scars than any of the other paladins with the obvious exception of Shiro.

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Keith had taken the opportunity to slink away from the others the moment they’d gotten distracted with introductions between the Alteans and the Blades. Now in the privacy of his cabin, he brings shaky fingers to undo the clasps on his paladin armor. Piece by piece, he removes it and tosses it aside until he’s left in his black bodysuit, a dark stain slowly spreading over his right shoulder. 

Great... 

Gritting his teeth (and with no small amount of effort), he reaches back with his left hand and unzips the bodysuit as best he can. Eventually, he manages to peel the sticky fabric down his body until it’s pooled at his waist. At the sight of the wicked wound crossing his shoulder, he leans closer to a mirror to get a better look. It’s not a clean cut by any means, the edges torn and stretched from the over-exertion he’d been put through after the unidentified Blade had sliced him up on the very first round of his trials.

The trials...

That had been a royal mess. Prior to his time in space, he would have never, in his wildest dreams, considered that he could be part alien, let alone Galra. And yet, all the puzzle pieces had finally fallen in place, starting and ending with his mom’s old knife. Now, what will the others think of him? It’s bad enough Allura seems to hate him just because of this. But would Shiro...?

His brows knit and he grimaces. Shiro had suffered so much at the hands of the Galra as well. Will he even be able to look at Keith the same way again? / @stellafuga​

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VLD S2 EP8, a summary:

Antok: let me see what you have

Keith: A KNIFE!!!

Kolivan: NO!

Shiro, in the back: oh my god why does he have a kni—

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Keith in the Trials of Marmora

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voltron: legendary defender // S2E8: the blade of marmora —“it doesn’t matter where I come from. I know who I am.”

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We’re paladins of Voltron. We can’t leave people to die even if they’re Galra.

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James’s favorite color is orange. The other MFE pilots joke around that he just likes it because it’s the color of their uniforms, and also one that is very prominent in Galaxy Garrison paraphernalia… and there might be some truth to that.  

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James calls Nadia ‘Wasabi’ and Nadia calls him ‘JamJam’ right back and if that ain’t #friendshipgoals, idk what is.

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While he and Lance roomed together at the Garrison, Hunk picked up the habit of throwing common ( and sometimes random ) Spanish words and phrases into his speech, just because he’s so used to hearing them from Lance. His vocabulary is limited and his pronunciation sucks, but that doesn’t put a damper on his efforts. More often than not, he’ll walk up to Lance and be like, “Hey Lance, what’s the Spanish word for ( object )?” just so he can throw it out in conversation later.

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Garlic is so iconic

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ㅡ s a m e   e n e r g y

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Years back, after I first wrote my post explaining military structure at the Garrison, I received a lovely ask requesting if I could elaborate on how military personnel advance through the ranks so I threw this post together to help explain it. As a reminder, the military structure I use for the Garrison is loosely inspired on that of the Navy based on the ranks we see in canon. I hope it’s helpful!

Advancement depends on several factors, to include the total time of military service, the amount of time serving in the current rank, the level of responsibility in any current and past assignments, high performance in the individual’s area of specialization, and physical fitness. Enlisted members must also take advancement exams and attend indoctrination classes and seminars. It’s worth noting that, even if an individual meets all of the requirements for promotion, they still need to be recommended by their commanding officer in order to actually achieve it.

OFFICER ADVANCEMENT REQUIREMENTS.

O-1: Ensign ( ENS ) – graduation from a military officer program in the Galaxy Alliance

O-2: Lieutenant Junior Grade ( LTJG ) – a total of 18 months of military service

O-3: Lieutenant ( LT ) – at least 2 years as O-2 and a total of 4 years of military service

Examples: Shiro at the time he was assigned to the Kerberos mission, James Griffin and Nadia Rizavi, the paladins upon their return to Earth

O-4: Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) – at least 3 years as O-3, a total between 9 and 11 years of military service

O-5: Commander (CDR) – at least 3 years as O-4, a total between 15 and 17 years of military service

Examples: Sam Holt, Mitch Iverson, Keith* (post-Galra war in his Healing Wounds verse)

O-6: Captain (CAPN) – at least 3 years as O-5, a total between 21 and 23 years of military service

Examples: Shiro* (after the Garrison mans the Atlas)

O-7 and above: Rear Admiral and above – O-6 must complete a full-term Joint Duty assignment (an assignment where they collaborate with members of two or more of Terra’s military services)

Examples: Ellen Sanda (Admiral, O-10)

* I put stars next to Shiro’s and Keith’s names because theirs were special promotions called battlefield promotions. Battlefield ( or field ) promotions are based on the extraordinary performance of duties while serving in combat and don’t require the officers to meet the time in service or time in rank requirements outlined above.

There are two types of field promotions: standard and jump-step. Standard field promotions are from the current rank to the next higher rank, while jump-step promotions are from the current rank to the rank above the next highest. As leaders of Voltron and the IGF Atlas, respectively, Keith and Shiro were promoted from lieutenants to commanders (and Shiro then to Captain) in the heat of battle against the Galra via jump-step promotions.

You can see the shock on Shiro’s face when he’s suddenly promoted to Captain. He’s probably the youngest Captain in Garrison history.

ENLISTED ADVANCEMENT REQUIREMENTS.

E-1: Airman Recruit – graduation from a military enlisted program in the Galaxy Garrison

E-2: Airman Apprentice – 9 months of military service

E-3: Airman – 9 to 10 months as an E-2 and successful completion of an advancement exam

E-4: [Rate]* Third Class – 6 months as E-3, an advancement exam, and an indoctrination course

E-5: [Rate]* Second Class – at least 12 months as E-4, an advancement exam, and a leadership training course

E-6: [Rate]* First Class – at least 3 years as E-5, an advancement exam, and an indoctrination course

E-7 and above: Chief [Rate]* and above – at least 3 years as E-6, an advancement exam, and selection by a Galaxy Alliance-wide board. Subsequent promotions can be accomplished only by Galaxy Alliance-wide promotion selection boards.

* As a reminder, [Rate] depends on the enlisted personnel’s job. For example, an E-4 engineer would be Engineer Third Class, an E-6 electronics technician would be Electronics Technician First Class, and so forth.

For more Garrison worldbuilding, check out my masterpost (coming soon)!

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Military students at the Garrison fall into one of two categories: officer cadets ( referred to as junior officers/JOs ) and enlisted cadets ( referred to simply as cadets ). Upon graduation, JOs move on to become COMMISSIONED OFFICERS, and cadets are officially promoted to ENLISTED personnel.

In the United States, cadets typically refer to students in training to become commissioned military officers. However, the in-canon worldbuilding fails to note ( or realize ) that the military would fail without enlisted personnel, who are the the deck plate workers, with the officers focusing mostly on supervision and leadership. This is why I decided to include them here.

ENLISTED CADETS.

The enlisted cadets are the backbone of the Garrison and the largest group of students. They are the ones who will be trained to become SPECIALISTS in the various supporting fields.

All enlisted cadets receive the same initial training — eight weeks of boot camp the summer before their first semester at the Garrison, followed by three semesters of base classes — before moving on to take the core classes of their assigned specialties ( which will be their assigned rates ).

The most prominent rates are pilot ( sub-divided into fighter, cargo, and commercial classes ), engineer, scientist, medic, infantryman ( ground forces ), electronics technician, analyst, and communications specialist.

All cadets’ specializations are preliminarily assigned to them during their first semester and are based heavily on an initial screening exam, high school records, and boot camp performance. The prospective cadet’s personal preferences are taken into account but don’t weigh as heavily as their records.

In my ACE PILOT verse for Keith, even though he scored very highly on his screening exams and fared well in boot camp, his tarnished ‘problem child’ high school record lost him an initial assignment as a pilot. During his first semester, he was assigned to ground forces instead, which made him absolutely miserable and only fueled his rebellious nature. Later, based on his simulator performance scores and obvious natural talent, he was reassigned to pilot by Commander Iverson.

For PILOT-assigned cadets, their academic performance and sim scores are evaluated at the beginning of their fourth semester in order to sort them into their respective classes. Only cadets with the highest academic performance ( top 5% ) and simulation scores are selected for fighter class.

Upon graduation, enlisted cadets will be officially awarded their rates and will then advance as follows:

E-1: Airman Recruit

E-2: Airman Apprentice

E-3: Airman

E-4: [Rate]* Third Class

E-5: [Rate]* Second Class

E-6: [Rate]* First Class

E-7 and above: Chief [Rate] and above

*[Rate] depends on the enlisted personnel’s specialization. For example, an E-4 engineer would be Engineer Third Class, an E-6 electronics technician would be Electronics Technician First Class, and so forth.

E-7 and above are considered uncommissioned officers and are granted the same treatment as commissioned officers.

OFFICER CADETS.

Junior officers are the minority and are trained to be the leaders, problem solvers, and key influencers in the military.

They receive similar training to the cadets except more intensive, competitive, and with a focus on developing their leadership, creativity, and critical thinking skills.

Their rates are instead assigned as SPECIALIZATIONS upon promotion to a commissioned officer. The majority of officers become pilots as they are expected to lead the Garrison fleets.

Upon graduation and commissioning, officers will advance as follows:

O-1: Ensign (ENS)

O-2: Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG)

O-3: Lieutenant (LT)

O-4: Lieutenant Commander (LCDR)

O-5: Commander (CDR)

O-6: Captain (CAPN)

O-7 and above: Rear Admiral and above

I predicted Shiro being an early promoted O-3 in canon when I first came up with this post years ago and having him be an actual Lieutenant when he was assigned to the Kerberos mission was quite the validation! Shiro then goes on to receive field promotions to Commander and, subsequently, Captain of the Atlas in the heat of battle. Following Admiral Sanda’s death, he is the highest-ranking officer in the Garrison fleet, making him the most likely candidate for Admiral promotion.

For an in-depth explanation of advancement requirements, check out the accompanying ADVANCEMENT post (coming soon)!

ENLISTED-TO-OFFICER PROGRAM.

As they near their graduation date, exceptional enlisted cadets can apply to become officers via the Airman-to-Admiral (ATA) program.

Candidates selected for ATA will undergo an intensive two-year program focused on bridging the gap between the enlisted and junior officer curricula.

Upon completion of this program, trainees will be promoted to O-1 and advance through the commissioned officer ranks with slightly higher pay to account for their prior time in the military.

For more Garrison worldbuilding, check out my masterpost (coming soon)!

DISCLAIMER: Due to the nature of the Garrison’s military force, I based my military rankings on those of the NAVY since that was the military structure ( and titles ) observed in canon. While I have taken many creative liberties, I’m intimately familiar with how military ranks and advancement ACTUALLY work so if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

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GALAXY ALLIANCE MISSION STATEMENT.

To be the vanguard of scientific, technological, and aeronautical advances in order to fuel space exploration.

To enhance knowledge, innovation, economic vitality, and stewardship of planet Earth.

To identify and train promising individuals to become the future leaders of the space exploration community.

ABOUT THE GALAXY ALLIANCE.

The Galaxy Alliance (GA) is a dual-purposed, military-supported research and higher education organization with the purpose of fueling technological advancement and training military personnel for space exploration.

GA Headquarters is located in California with its main military training base, the Galaxy Garrison, nestled in the midst of the Sonoran Desert. Other major facilities exist in Northern Arizona, Texas, Maryland, and Florida. Overseas support and training facilities have been established in Antarctica, Italy, Germany, Panama, and Australia.

( For the purpose of my worldbuilding, I will be focusing solely on the Garrison in California. )

GARRISON PROGRAM.

The Garrison couples a premier military training program for hopeful space explorers with a world-class higher education focused on aero/astronautics and their supporting fields. All students enrolled at the Garrison have completed secondary education at traditional schools and have joined the military either as enlisted or officer cadets.

In canon, the Garrison is presented as replacing some part of secondary education with their program seeing as how Keith was seventeen (17) when he was expelled and had obviously already spent a year or two at the Garrison. This worldbuilding ( and my characters ) deviate from canon ; Keith in particular did not enlist until right before he turned eighteen, an allowance that was made for him due to his October birthday.

On average, the program spans four to six years based on the student’s area of specialty and offers military scholarships based on merit and financial need. Students on scholarship are expected to serve either the Garrison armed forces or scientific research units post-graduation for the length of studies paid for by the military.

In addition to military and pilot training, the major educational departments include but are not limited to Engineering and Mechanics, Communications, Intelligence Analysis, Medicine, Economics and Finance, various branches of Physics and Biology, Mathematics, Computer Science and Programming, Chemistry and Materials, and History.

Upon graduation, alumni have several employment options. Most stay with the military and support Garrison operations for several years. Graduates can also work for defense contractors, serve as active-duty military overseas, become full-time Garrison staff ( researchers, instructors, etc. ) or apply to be sent on deep space missions. 

GARRISON INFRASTRUCTURE.

The Garrison is a fortified military base, with a broad campus spanning 5,983 acres within. Major buildings include the administrative offices, a bursar office, a large medical center, satellite communication rooms, various academic and research buildings, technical shops and laboratories, an auditory, and the simulation facilities. Additionally, there are several blocks of barracks and student dormitories, six gymnasiums, four airfields, and various recreation and sports fields.

Above: Overview of the Galaxy Garrison’s main facility in California.

Above: View of the training simulators

For more Garrison worldbuilding, check out my MASTERPOST (Coming soon)!