Free Commonwealth of Falkirk

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This article, Free Commonwealth of Falkirk, is currently under active construction.

Free Commonwealth of Falkirk
Political Information
Foundingdoc	Articles of Just Secession
Constitution	Constitution of the People of Falkirk
Head of Government	Prime Minister (Peacetime) Protector of Gaelic (Wartime)
Commander	Protector of Gaelic
Societal Information
Legislative	Falkirkian Parliament
Judicial	Court of Judication
Capital	Stirling, Capital Provence, Falkirk
Languages	English (Trade language) Welsh Scottish Gaelic Scots
Currency	UEG Credit (cR)
Historical Information
Era	Insurrection Human-Covenant War

The Free Commonwealth of Falkirk is the name of an Insurrectionist secessionist union which was formed during Insurrection. A merging of the local colonial governments with the ideals of the Falkirian Freedom Front, the government was intended to peacefully manage the Gaelic colonies without heeding to the distant UEG. Due to disagreements with the former country, for much of its early history the Free Commonwealth had been embroiled a series of UNSC invasions which would later be known as the Falkirian War for Independence. With their experienced armies and well-developed fortifications, the Free Commonwealth would fend-off the UNSC for the better part of a decade, continuing to inspire other freedom groups across human space. When they discovered that a alien hegemony has declared a war of extinction against humanity, the union peacefully submitted back into the UEG as a protectorate.

Military

Unlike most rebel groups, the military of the Free Commonwealth is well-organised, trained and equipped. Each cell is organised very closely, following the same system of ranks, rules and level of training. Depending on the time period and location, a cell could be lead either by a high-ranking enlisted official, or a commissioned officer, with both being subserviant to a council which dictates all aspects of the Falkirian Insurrection. These "cell commanders" could never ignore direct orders given by the council, nor could they break any internal regulations, yet still had a respectable level of freedom in their operations. To prevent any overly-militaristic soldiers from staging a coup, a small corruption commission is formed with the power to punish or exile them. This restricted terror attacks only to the numerous confirmed UNSC and UEG military sites, and while it hindered their efforts at undermining the UEG's authority, it would win them the hearts and minds of the Gaelic population.

For most of its history, only a handful of facilities available to the Free Commonwealth were fit for training soldiers, advising most cells to send their new recruits into combat as soon as they knew how to fire a weapon. This changed in 2511, the year in which the Colonial Government became receptive towards supporting the rebels. Every recruit received a minimum of six months of training, sometimes more depending on their profession and the individual cell.

Navy

The Gaelic System Defense Navy (GSDN) is the maritime component of the Defense Forces of the Gaelic system and is one of the three branches of the Falkirk Defense Forces. Headquartered in the GSDN Naval Headquarters on Falkirk, the GSDN is responsible for the deployment and allocation of both space- and sea-borne warships. Because of their high requirement on manpower, the GSDN is the largest arm of the Free Commonwealth's military forces, although not to the point where they outnumber both the Air Force and Army together.

In peacetime, its primary roles included border patrol, surveillance, and smuggling prevention. Occasionally the Navy undertakes longer missions in support of other elements of the Defense Forces, Gaelic search-and-rescue, humanitarian missions, and merchant convoy escort. However, in wartime the GSDN expands its roles towards defending engaging fleets of enemy ships and providing transport to the Army and Air Forces. To this end, they utilise a variety of warship classes, including ships of the line such as corvettes, transport vessels such as carriers and logistical-support craft such as ammunition ships. To provide security and protection against borders, both authorized soldiers and Naval crewman are armed with an array of automatic weapons designed for use in their tight corridors.

After the Eridanus Rebellion, they began to step up its anti-insurgency crackdowns and militarization. Protector Campbell developed the Commonwealth’s naval power to counter the UNSC after the establishment of Gaelic independence continued to build up naval capacity afterwards. He ordered that they begin salvaging mothballed hulls from the Falkirian Mothball Yards, refitting them for service and incorporating them into their fleet which saw action during the War of Independence.

By the end of the Insurrection, the GSDF Navy was reduced to a fraction of its former strength and was forced to rely on hit-and-run attacks on the UNSC.

Human-Covenant War

After the signing of the Gaelic Treaty and cessation of hostilities, the GSDF Navy had been almost completely decimated. Out of fifty warships, only five had survived the war; two Hermes-class missile frigates, one Hector-class light destroyer, and one Mako-class light corvette, and the largest of them being the FCNS Gailleann, which had been kept away from the fighting.

Assets

Current

Name	Description
Dheathain-class light frigate	First purchased immediately after the war to build up the depleted Falkirian Navy, the Dheathain-class light frigates are nearly identical to the Quetzalcoatl-class frigate it spawned from. Fast and equipped with energy shielding, they form the muscle of their operations while they begin to rebuild.
Flodden-class carrier frigate	Purchased along with the Quetzalcoatl-class light frigates to rebuild the depleted Falkirian Navy and renamed the Flodden-class, the Floddens form the backbone of the Post-War Falkirian Navy. They are small, fast, equipped with energy shielding, and able to deliver spacefighters into battle. Their small size means they are cheaper to operate and maintain than larger carriers of the past.

Human-Covenant War Era

Name	Description
Blackmouth-class corvette	Continuing to see service in the GSDF Navy after the end of the Gaelic Insurrection, owing to their effectiveness in the hit-and-run tactics that the Falkirian Navy was restricted to in the final years of the war, fifteen secondhand Makos were purchased in order to rapidly replenish the Gaelic Navy and were renamed the Blackmouth, as tensions were still high and the colonists feared a second invasion by the UNSC.
Caladbolg-class frigate	The first truly indigenous warship design produced by the Gaelic colonists at Miach Vacuum Engineering, the Caladbolg represented a great achievement for the Falkirians' defense industry and self-sufficiency. Its design was a step between the firepower of a destroyer and the support capabilities of a frigate, making it a hybrid vessel. They were initially used to finally put an end to the post-war scourge of unemployed privateers and brigand deserters who had plagued the war-ravaged Gaelic system.

Insurrection Era

Name	Description
Mako-class light corvette	The smallest starship that can be outfitted with a slipspace drive, the 150-metre-long Mako is also among the lightest vessels in both the Falkirian and UNSC fleets. Equipped with a measly amount of mass drivers, point-defense guns and missiles, the Mako is better-armed than the more common Sentry it's partnered with yet lacks the durability and reliability to be a serious competitor.
Sentry-class patrol corvette	A small class of patrol corvettes designed to act as a powerful anti-smuggling deterrent and border patrol craft. A Sentry-class vessel is equipped with 40-50cm Titanium-A and armed with eight Archer missiles and one 110mm rotary cannon.
Hermes-class missile frigate	An old class light frigate designed before the inception of the MAC cannon. The Hermes is fast and armed primarily with 50 archer missile pods, clocking in at a length of 435 meters. It is capable of firing a long barrage of archer missiles volleys for a ship of its size and poses a considerable threat to lone, unshielded capital ships.
Hector-class light destroyer	A class of missile destroyers used by both the UNSC and CMA during the Insurrection. The Hector was the workhorse of the UNSC and CMA fleets for more almost fifty years and is staple of contemporary ship designs and naval philosophy. It's armed with seven Ares missiles, six point-defense guns and equipped with 60cm of Titanium-A armor.
Mercury I-class destroyer	Although it was still in use by the CMA all the way up until 2521, the Mercury-I-class destroyer was beginning to show signs of age for decades before, which forced some of these ships to be scrapped and replaced. While longer than the refitted Victoria-class cruisers, the Mercury-I earns its designation through its inferior armour, components and in some cases weapons. However, its high cruising speed and two MACs have cemented these ships into the positions of raiding vessel and long-range artillery, and its external docking systems allows it to double as a makeshift carrier in desperate situations.
Victoria-class armoured cruiser	The first class of cruisers equipped with Titanium-A armor. The Victoria pioneered several technologies that became standard to all UNSC warships before they eventually became obsolete and were mothballed. The Free Commonwealth salvaged three of them from the system's mothball yards and pressed them into service with the Gaelic System Defense Navy. The three cruisers, the Cú Chulainn, Dagda, and Lebor Gabála Érenn formed the core of the secessionist navy.
Iliad-class supercarrier	Considered a military subclass for the more recognisable Phoenix-class colony ship, a true Iliad-class carrier is seen in few numbers in the Navy. Due to their size being seen as a vulnerability by admirals, many Iliads were disarmed and converted into various stations littered across the system. However, at least one has been seen in their original configuration, serving as a mobile base for strikecraft.
Blenheim-class battleship	Considered advanced even by current standards, the single Blenheim-class battleship serves as the crown of the Falkirian fleet. Once armed with a mix of experimental energy, explosive and kinetic weaponry, recent refits have replaced most of its weapons with large amounts of missiles and autocannons. However, the battleship still retained its heavy laser cannon, allowing it to dish out extreme damage at long-range. Fortunately, the battleship was destroyed in combat.