Recruit - SAF

A Sparnelli citizen becomes a Recruit when they come of age on their sixteenth birthday and are conscripted into the Sparnell Armed Forces. They will remain a recruit for the next two years, until they complete their training at SAF Military Headquarters, at which point they will be promoted to Starman.   Those recruits fortunate enough to catch the eye of an Admiral or Vice Admiral prior to graduation are able to circumvent the wait, as the Claiming Ceremony includes a promotion to a rank of their new admiral's choosing.

Recruits are expected to listen to and learn from their Instructors for the duration of their education. Their Families expect them to also do the best they can to attract the attention of an admiral, as recruits Claimed early in their training are able to begin building their own prestige, and therefore that of their Family, much earlier than those remaining in training at SAF Military Headquarters for the full two years.

After an initial several weeks listening to presentations from higher-prestige Families detailing their roles and contributions to the Sparnell Confederation, recruits are assigned to specialized training classes, dependent upon their magical aptitude tests. These classes focus on a variety of professions in support of the Sparnelli war machine, ranging from biologist to field medic to battle mage, with those focused on combat drawing more opportunities for glory and therefore more interest from recruits hoping to get ahead.

Each citizen's Conscription is their opportunity to get ahead in the Confederation, and therefore considered the beginning of their lifelong careers. For many, this is also their first experience away from the immediate control and influence of their Families, providing a brief moment in time for each recruit to decide for themselves who they wish to become. While many continue to pursue their Family's expectations, some recruits do attempt to forge a different path for themselves, with mixed results.   Recruits are provided housing within the sprawling and high-security SAF Military Headquarters complex, in the form of shared barracks conveniently located near their classes. While typically admirals will choose to collect their Claimed recruits, opting to train them within their fleets, sometimes an admiral will decide to assign their subordinates to additional training with Headquarters first, and so not all students are mere recruits. The more politically astute students will often use this as an opportunity to network with their classmates, particularly those already Claimed, in the hopes of catching an admiral's attention through one of their present subordinates.   As recruits progress in their classes they are reassigned into housing earmarked for their respective specializations until their graduation, at which point those remaining unclaimed are promoted to Starman and assigned positions within the fleet - or in various support positions, for those deemed less promising - by Sparnell Fleet Command.

No one is ever dismissed from their factional duty. If a new conscript is found unfit for duty within the fleet, they are reassigned to one of the many less-prestigious support positions throughout the Confederation, often serving their ten years as a starman alongside civilians.   The Javon Family has been known to accept those unable to find a position elsewhere, drilling their recruits in magic-enhancing exercises to improve their Imperium levels for use as apotheturgic batteries for their Shielding Magic, thereby increasing their available power for planetary defense.