Turian Hierarchy

The turian government is a hierarchical meritocracy. While it has great potential for misuse, this is tempered by the civic duty and personal responsibility turians learn in childhood.

Although they lack the brutality of the krogan, the skill of the asari, and the virtuosity of humans, the turian military has formidable discipline. Turians tend not to withdraw from active service, and consider retirement shameful. As such, Officers and NCOs are 'lifers', with years of field experience. Enlisted personnel are thoroughly trained and stay calm under fire. Turian units don't break. Even if their entire line collapses, they fall back in order, setting ambushes as they go. A popular saying holds: 'You will only see a turian's back once he's dead.'

Hierarchy
The hierarchy of the Turian Hierarchy Navy is relatively easy to understand, and is as follows:


 * Officers

High Admiral - Authorised to command dreadnoughts and lead task forces {C}Admiral - Authorized to command dreadnoughts {C}Senior Ship Master - Authorized to command a dreadnought in special cases, though most command Heavy Cruisers {C}Ship Master - Most commonly in command of either a heavy or light cruiser. {C}Lieutenant Commander
 * Master Admiral: Only two; one to oversee the assault fleets and the other to oversee the defence fleets/ Authorised to command dreadnoughts and lead task forces.


 * Lieutenant


 * Junior Lieutenant


 * Enlisted Senior Serviceman


 * Serviceman


 * Junior Serviceman

Fleets
Commanding Officer: - Classified - Area of Operational: Palaven Resources: High Commanding Officer: - Classified - Area of Operational: Outer Colonies Resources: Moderate Commanding Officer: - Classified - Area of Operational: Inner Colonies Resources: Low Commanding Officer: - Classified - Area of Operational: Inner Colonies Resources: Low Commanding Officer: - Classified - Area of Operational: Hierarchy space (pirate threats) Resources: Low Commanding Officer: - Classified - Area of Operational: Citadel space Resources: Moderate Commanding Officer: - Classified - Area of Operational: None (rapid response) Resources: High Commanding Officer: - Classified - Area of Operational: Citadel space Resources: Moderate  Ships of the Fleet 
 * First Defence Fleet
 * Second Defence Fleet
 * Third Defence Fleet
 * Fourth Defence Fleet
 * Fifth Assault Fleet
 * Sixth Assault Fleet
 * Seventh Assault Fleet - “Frontier Fleet”
 * Eighth Assault Fleet

Note: Procurement indicates how highly the Hierarchy places these on a construction basis; a ship with high procurement is produced very regularly, whilst low procurement means rare production

Dreadnoughts - Procurement: Moderate Cruisers: - Procurement: High Frigates: - Procurement: Moderate Naming Conventions {C}Dreadnoughts – Important Historical Figures Cruisers – Major cities Frigates – None
 * Exactor-class
 * Victorious-class
 * Korvatos-class
 * Epyrus-class

The Army
Unlike the asari, humans, and salarians, the turians maintain a large standing army to deal with any threats whether they are internal or external. Trained extensively, every turian serves fifteen years of service, mainly in the military, between the ages of fifteen and thirty. The soldiers in the Turian Army are known for being formidable in their assaults and solid in their defenses; after all, the saying is that you'll “only see a turian's back when he's dead”.

The hierarchy of the Turian Army is as follows;
 * Master General
 * General
 * High Commander
 * Commander
 * Major
 * Sergeant
 * Corporal
 * Initiate

Cabals
Cabals are small units comprised of specially trained turians with biotic abilities. They are the special forces operatives of the Hierarchy, serving as special strike teams entirely separate from the main army. They receive their orders directly from the Master General, and the only ranks within Cabals are Senior Cabalite and Cabalite.

Research and Development Department
Considered part of the military because their work revolves almost entirely around producing new weapons, armour and so forth or pushing forward the current technology. They rely heavily on the salarians for technology trades.

Department of History and Archives
Comprised of historians, or archivists as some call themselves, they are responsible for documenting every single thing that occurs within a legion. New recruits, deaths, battles, victories, losses; everything is written down.

Reserves
Comprised of thirty five percent of the entire turian populace, the reserves are those turians who have chosen either to lead a life outside of the military or are on some form of leave, such as retirement. They can be recalled and deployed at any time by the will of the Chief Primarch.

Prison Guard Division: Some turians chose to guard the Hierarchy's prisoners, and thus join the Prison Guard Division. They are responsible, in rotations, for protecting the interests of the Hierarchy on their various prison colonies or ships.

Geography
Hierarchy-controlled space is extensive, covering at the very least some twenty colonies spanning dozens of systems. Of all Council races, many consider that Hierarchy space is perhaps the most secure; this could be, however, merely hopeful wishes due to the militaristic nature of the turians. Some of the most well known and important colonies in Hierarchy space include;
 * Palaven [Homeworld]
 * Baetika
 * Bostra
 * Carthaan
 * Chatti
 * Edessan
 * Epyrus
 * Galatana
 * Gothis
 * Invictus
 * Macedyn
 * Magna
 * Nimines
 * Parthia
 * Quadim
 * Rocam
 * Syglar
 * Taetrus
 * Thracia
 * Tridend

Turian Spirit Priests
Unlike Catholicism, turian priests do not provide absolution, nor promise salvation. Their primary function consists of acting as the guiding light to their own people, and to those who otherwise seek direction. At any given time, a priest is expected to abandon personal agendas to provide aid, advice, or guidance to those who desire it.

Only they are authorized to preform ancient rituals and ceremonies in the name of the Spirits, from burial to matrimonial events. Priest training takes place in the Temple of central Palaven. It is small in size, but is well kept up and looked after by the Hierarchy, more for tradition than religion.

The requirements for becoming a Spirit Priest are incredibly strict. As such, only a few individuals succeed. The turian wishing to become a priest must meet the following conditions:
 * Has served the minimum required military service time (with no service time violations on record)
 * Has a clean criminal history
 * Must be at least 40 years of age
 * Has to be outstandingly physically fit (comparable to those in the Special Forces units)
 * Has to be emotionally and psychologically stable (those with histories of mental instabilities will not be accepted)
 * Has to have a clean bill of health (and be free of any substance addiction including alcohol; injuries sustained from old battles will be medically assessed.)

Upon meeting the said conditions, the individual must agree to give up literally all of their property to the Hierarchy Temple as a proof of dedication. Ties with family, mates and friends do not need to be severed, but contact is severely limited. Once this has been done a symbolic surrendering of identity & military rank is preformed. The said turian will only maintain his or her first name and upon introduction will announce themselves as "Priest Valen". The records of the individual will still exist within in the system, but will be sealed and classified.

Initiation begins with removing any tattoos and markings from facial and body plates. These are replaced by ancient symbols that will be carved into the carapace: the entire face (from chin to fringe) both shoulders, arms, and chest. The process is incredibly agonizing and a test in itself. Priest training takes exactly five years. During this time, initiates learn all the necessary prayers, how to preform ceremonies and rituals, special meditation techniques and exclusive combat preparation. Biotics will have to remain in training for an extra year.

A turian priest is not allowed to "own" anything that has not been supplied to them by the Temple. They may resupply at various embassies, and in the rare case that this is not possible, they are free to use whatever they may get their talons on. A full fledged priest will always be carrying the same equipment: Priests, unlike spectres, are not above or below the law, yet have the right to carry weapons on religious grounds even when this would normally be either restricted or looked down upon. Due to their powerful combat abilities each one has been fitted with a tracking device and their actions as well as movements while not limited, are closely monitored. On the whole, they are able to freely move about the Galaxy, their traveling costs financed entirely by the Hierarchy. On occasion they may be called into Service to encourage and guide soldiers, and they may participate in the battle if they so choose to, but this is not required.
 * Gray blue fitted armored robes
 * Three ceremonial knives
 * Grenades
 * Medigel
 * Priest exclusive Armax Spirit Speaker

Even non-religious turians have great respect for their dedication and their will to fully help others. They are not allowed to initiate in arguments concerning Faith's of other species and are asked to remain respectful of other races at all times. It is preferable for them to solve a questionable situation with words instead of guns, but killing an enemy in order to protect others has unfortunately turned out to be necessary on more than one occasion.

The Executive
The Hierarchy is led, first and foremost, by the Chief Primarch. This individual serves numerous roles; they are the head of state, the head of government, the leading figure within the executive office and also the Hierarchy's commander-in-chief. In essence they are the ultimate authority within the Hierarchy and as such are entrusted with an inordinate amount of power, influence and responsibility. But for the turians there is no issue with this, for to rise to the position of Chief Primarch one must literally be the “best of the best”; only the best can work their way through a meritocracy to the highest position available. There are no term limits for any of the Primarch positions; while a concept unthinkable to humans, turians are taught by their culture to 'know their limits', and the Primarchs are entrusted by their constituents to put the needs of the community ahead of their own.

In order to assist the Chief Primarch in the running of the Hierarchy there exists the Council of Primarchs. As the individual leaders of various turian colonies the Primarchs are greatly respected, holding the twenty fourth tier in the Hierarchy. Once a month each and every Primarch is required to meet, whether in person or holographically (as is preferred, for security reasons) with the Chief Primarch to discuss the state of affairs. Though the Council of Primarchs cannot overrule decisions the Chief Primarch makes, their wisdom and expertise is greatly respected and usually listened to by their leader.

The Legislature
The legislative branch of the Hierarchy is composed of the Council of Lawgivers. Holding the twenty third tier in Hierarchy society, they are venerable individuals greatly respected in their individual communities and on the whole. There is no set number for the Council of Lawgivers; it changes as individuals rise to the twenty fourth tier and current members die or retire; some who reach the twenty fourth tier chose not to even join the council for it is not mandatory. The Council of Lawgivers meets whenever a potential new law is brought forward – this can be done by any lawgiver – and is then discussed and voted on; this discussion generally includes the Chief Primarch and the Council of Primarchs, though they are not allowed to vote on such issues. If the Chief Primarch vehemently disagrees with the decision of the Council of Lawgivers he can veto it, but this happens rarely.

The Judiciary
The Hierarchy's judiciary is split into two court systems; planetary courts and military tribunals. For any crimes that are not related the planetary courts have jurisdiction. These courts are comprised of Justicars, those who have reached the twenty second tier in Hierarchy society. A typical court consists of twelve Justicars who sit three at a time, rotating every three months. Their authority is not to be questioned and they may sentence how they please, although Hierarchy and indeed turian culture tends to lean towards honour and, as such, unfair punishments are rarely meted out. If a crime is committed in Hierarchy space the criminal and the case itself are transferred to the closest planet. If a crime occurs outside of Hierarchy space and the criminal extradited back to the Hierarchy, the case will be heard in the planetary courts on Palaven.

Any case involving members of the military, or military actions, are dealt with by the military tribunals. These consist of five Primarchs, chosen at random, one of whom is appointed Senior Arbitrator for the duration of the case. As with the planetary courts these matters are left totally down to the tribunal, which has on one occasion even heard a case in which the Chief Primarch was the defendant. They can mete out any punishment or sentence they see fit, including demotions to lower tiers, and are capable of having the Chief Primarch removed from their position if necessary.

Economy
The turian economy is vastly larger than that of the Alliance, but cannot match the size and power of that of the asari. For many years, development was hampered by cultural disinterest in economics. When the turians accepted the volus as a client race, business development improved. The military is supported by a well-developed infrastructure. Manufacturers such as Armax Arsenal and the Haliat Armoury produce advanced, reliable equipment.

Diplomacy
To the surprise of many the military-oriented Turian Hierarchy has very few enemies across the galaxy; most of the enemies they obtain are those the Council declares as enemies on the whole. Some groups once declared enemies by the Hierarchy are now allies, or at the very least neutral, and once neutral groups are now considered enemies of the state.

Allies: {C}The Citadel Council: - The Systems Alliance {C}- The Salarian Union {C}- The Asari Republic - The Vol Protectorate

Neutral : The Illuminated Primacy - The Quarian Migrant Fleet - The Krogan Clans - The Geth Collective - The Batarian Hegemony - The Toran Fleet State

Enemies: None