Fiction:People's Liberation Army

The People's Liberation Army, or PLA for short, is the military wing of the United Free People's Coalition, consisting of land, naval, and air forces under the command of its founder Gustavus Ikeben. It was created in the weeks succeeding the massive slave revolt that freed many colonies under the rule of the Drakodominatus Tyranny, and had for mission to aid in the reconstruction and defense of these newly independent states.

Founding
The first incarnation of the PLA came in the form of armed foraging parties sent into the wilderness to gather food for the newly freed people of Quaran. Gustavus Ikeben, the self-appointed leader of the Quaranians, hoped that if they learned how to fend for themselves in the wild, then he might have an easier time picking and training soldiers later on. Then, Ikeben was secretly approached by operatives from the Draconid Imperium who showed him a method by which he could repurpose the Tyranny's infrastructure to clothe, feed, and arm his people. Freed from the constant need to find food, Ikeben was able to put his people back to work in the factories making weapons, starships, and uniforms. In quick succession, he created the Liberation Marine Corps (LMC), the Liberation Air Force (LAF), and the People's Liberation Navy (PLN), and went about training them for their respective jobs. It was a massive undertaking that took months, but by the time the first starship was completed, he was able to crew it with competent personel.

PLA Ground Forces
The Liberation Marines Corps (LMC) makes up the bulk of the PLA's ground forces. Rigorously trained to fight in a variety of environments, these skilled soldiers are to be stationed aboard the PLN's starships and serve as easily deployable multipurpose infantry. They are divided into companies of fifty to a hundred men, under the command of a company commander. Each company is assigned to a starship, where the Company Commander reports directly to the commanding officer.

PLA Air Forces
The Liberation Air Force (LAF) tasks itself with the manning and command of starfighters and bombers stationed aboard the PLN's starships. The LAF makes use of two aircraft, the Falcon starfighters and Wellner line of support craft, both of which are designs bought from the Draconid Imperium. The Falcon is a sleek, maneuverable starfighter equipped with two turbolazer cannons on each side of hull, and two sockets under its wings to hold a variety of missiles. The Wellner is a handy craft that can serve a variety of purposes, including the shuttling of troops or equipment, long range recon, and bomber support.

PLA Navy
The People's Liberation Navy is the formal name of the Coalition's Navy. It comprises the Coalition's starships and the crews who man them. Each starship bears the designation PLA before their given name, and is typically commanded by a captain.

Militia
To keep the peace and to ensure security, each system in the Coalition is responsible for the raising and maintenance of an armed militia composed of a given number of ground and air troops depending on the planet's population. These are typically civilians looking to escape being drafted into the PLA, as serving in the militia is considered military service.

Conscription
In its early days, service within the PLA was entirely voluntary. When Ikeben's industry got off the ground, however, there began to be a shortage of servicemen in relation to the amount of ships requiring a crew. A draft was instituted, where all healthy individuals between a certain age (depending on the species) had to register with their local government. Those who were drafted at random underwent military training separate from volunteers (considered career soldiers), and had to serve for five years without prospect for promotion unless they chose to enlist as career soldiers.