Fleet Communication Protocols
Fleet Communication Protocols are the standardized naming and transmission procedures used by the Planetary Union Fleet in The Crypt series. These protocols help ensure clarity and coordination during ship-to-ship, fighter, and boarding operations — particularly in dense battlespaces or missions involving multiple capital vessels, voidcraft, and support teams.
Contents
Voidcraft Communications
Fleet voidcraft such as the GU-44 Ochthera and U-90 Sentinel follow a standardized comms protocol based on class, origin, and mission type.
Individual Operation Naming Convention
Used when voidcraft operate independently from a single capital ship or base.
- Format: <class> + <local number>
- Example: Crawler One (the first Ochthera assigned to the PUV Keeling)
Group Operation Naming Convention
Used when voidcraft operate in task groups or multi-ship operations.
- Format: <mothership/base short code> + <class> + <local number>
- Example: Crawler Kilo-Echo-One
- "Kilo-Echo" is the short code for the PUV Keeling
Mission-Based Suffixes
Suffixes indicate a voidcraft’s specific mission role in complex engagements. These are only used when multiple craft of the same class are operating with differing assignments.
- Example: Sentinel Alpha-Kilo-Three Razor
- Format: <base code> + <class> + <number> + <suffix>
- Example breakdown:
- Sentinel: Class name (U-90 Interceptor)
- Alpha-Kilo: Mothership short code for the PUV Akathaso
- Three: Local assignment number
- Razor: Mission suffix indicating deep penetration
Mission Suffix Key
These suffixes are only used in engagements with high craft volume or mixed-mission sorties.
- Noise — Electronic warfare
- Carton — Troop transport and assault
- Dump — Mine laying
- Needle — Boarding troop insertion
- Blast — Counter-air operations
- Jolly — Search and rescue
- Razor — Deep penetration strike
- Shield — Counter-boarding or defensive intercept
Current Voidcraft Types in Use
- GU-44 APC "Ochthera": Multi-role armored personnel carrier
- Typical callsign: Crawler
- U-90 Interceptor "Sentinel": Interceptor voidcraft
- Typical callsign: Sentinel
Short Code Assignment
Fleet comms assign each ship or base a two-letter short code for quick tactical communication.
- Example: Kilo-Echo = PUV Keeling
- Example: Alpha-Kilo = PUV Akathaso
- These short codes appear in callouts, mission logs, and tactical broadcast ID
Use of Protocols
- All comms — including verbal, broadcast, and text logs — use this format.
- Mission suffixes are only included when tactically necessary (e.g., an active carrier group using multiple voidcraft types with distinct objectives).
- Smaller deployments, like the PUV Keeling with only two voidcraft, often omit suffixes for brevity.
