Elysian Military

The Elysian Military has four major divisions:

• the Earthian Protectorate Corps (EPC)
• the Land and Air Force (LAF)
• Weapons and Technology (WET)
• the Reconnaissance & Sabotage Order (RSO).

Most of the military, with the exception of RSO, wears black tunics and armor with a maroon kilt. Men must keep their faces shaved–including mustaches–and their hair cut short. Women must keep their hair braided tightly against their heads.

Earthian Protectorate Corps (EPC) :
By Elysian Law, all cherubians must serve at least two hundred seventy-five years guarding humans on Earth (unless they are disabled, in which case they will be transferred to WET, or if they show such amazing talent that Elysia calls them back and assigns them to LAF or RSO). After serving their required time, cherubians can either become civilians or stay in the military. Over 99% of the women become civilians, as do about 66% of the men. Those who elect to stay in the military have three options:

• They can stay in EPC, where they will provide military, medical, and information support to the guards.
• They can go into LAF or WET.
• If, and only if, they’re lucky they can try out for RSO.

Weapons & Technology (WET) :
The Weapons and Technology division, the only division that never sees battle, is the least respected. Two types of soldiers work in WET. The first lack the physical skill to fight, usually because of a deformity or an injury. The second are handpicked during training—usually because they show seemingly incredible intelligence—and assigned to such departments as Weapons Development, Mapping, or (even worse) Strategic Statistical Studies. Members of LAF and RSO hold the former in respect, but they have no liking for those whom they call the military “intelligentsia.”

Land and Air Force (LAF):
LAF makes up the bulk of the Elysian military that fights in Elysia. (Guards outnumber them on Earth) They are Elysia’s orthodox fighting force. Many of them love LAF–especially the power hungry as it is easier to become an officer through LAF than RSO. Quite a few of them, however, secretly wish they were part of RSO. Usually, when these soldiers aren’t picked for the elite division, they turn bitter and become its biggest haters. Because of this, the rivalry between the two divisions often turns nasty.

Reconnaissance & Sabotage Order (RSO):
RSO’s are the Elysia’s unorthodox fighting machine, similar to our own Special Operations. RSO’s are the silent waves of dread that crash against (and usually behind) enemy lines, gathering information and clearing the way for LAF to secure a victory. They are the first in and the last out. They wear bronze and brown instead of black and maroon, and they often refer to themselves and their uniforms as “the bronze.” They let their hair and beards grow while on a mission, which can last for months, and getting an RSO to cut his hair after a mission usually takes a half-hearted threat or two from his superior officer, who himself refuses to shave. When they finally succumb to shaving, they leave at least a quarter-inch of beard–sometimes more–and they’ll cut their hair just a bit so it doesn’t touch their collars. The only times an RSO will allow himself to be caught clean-shaven are: 1) when he is receiving an award or a promotion and 2) when he is trying to impress a lady. The Elysian military higher-ups have unofficially given up trying to enforce their hair rules on the division.