Interplanetary Naval Musical Office

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Interplanetary Naval Musical Office
Founded: October 1st, 2097
Faction: United Nations Sol Defense Corps
Branch: Sol Defense Corps Navy
Leader: CDRE Sayuri van Winden
Type: SDCN Auxiliary Office
Specialization: Military band management
Headquarters: SDCSS Artemis, Selene, Luna
Active personnel: 3,404

The Interplanetary Naval Musical Office, or INMO, is a (relatively) small division of the United Nations Sol Defense Corps Navy responsible for the oversight/assignment of its ensembles and military bands, and serves as the official musical organization of the SDCN (the SDCMC possesses a similar organization in the Marine Corps Ensembles Office). It is one of 8 extant Auxiliary Offices (distinct from SDCN auxiliary divisions, such as the NDG) given responsibility over smaller parts of the SDCN’s administrative and non combat duties, and its commanding officer, CDRE Sayuri van Winden, is subordinate to the office of the VCMF/Vice Commander of the Fleet (currently ADM Randa Matamali).

The title “Interplanetary Naval Musical Office” refers only to the legal entity which extends control over the Sol Defense Corps Navy’s 84 distinct musical ensembles, which are informally collectively referred to as the SDCN Band. The Office itself was created in 2097 to coordinate and streamline the activities of these ensembles after a series of high-profile diplomatic gaffes in the 2090s that served to damage the SDCN’s standing amongst its sponsoring nations on Earth, especially relevant to SDCN high command due to the upcoming 2094 Sol Defense Corps Budgetary Review. Since then, the INMO has served to function in a ceremonial role for the SDC and UN and as field bands for the personnel of the Navy (and its Final Frontier Project colonies), with the Odysseus Fleet-assigned chamber orchestra “August Winds” having set the distance record for an ensemble performance, playing aboard the LCR-70 Eunomia, on a multiple-year survey expedition from Kepler-22b/Ballad, 660 lightyears from Sol.

The 84 ensembles that fall under the responsibility of the Office vary wildly in size, genre, public prestige and origin. Small field bands with musicians/singers drawn from every inhabited rock in Sol roam Poseidon’s oft-alone patrol ships, while the elite Nairobi Naval Orchestra is practically attached at the hip to the roamings of the current Secretary-General, drumming up political support for the SDC both at home and on Earth’s far-flung daughters; many employed under the INMO end up travelling hundreds of millions of kilometers with microphones and instruments in tow, though cross-country tours on Earth are still a semi-frequent sight.. While performers on assignment are technically still subordinate to the INMO, in practice little objection is given by the Office when commanding officers take a more direct role in ordering them around, especially in conflict, when many of the INMO’s performers can instead take the form of assistant crewmembers, light infantry or administrative support. All personnel employed by the INMO’s ensembles are enlisted or commissioned, and the Office itself only employs civilians in bureaucratic roles.

While the INMO and its subordinate bands are officially under the control of the VCMF, the organization has established healthy working relationships with other military and civilian groups, notably, SDC Ambassadorial, a higher-level division of the SDC, which often uses INMO bands for ceremonial diplomatic functions, lacking its own ensembles and finding it more cost-effective to simply exchange favors with the Office. In addition, UN Ambassadorial and the United Nations itself often attaches INMO bands to its diplomatic and political ventures, often judging them more prestigious than those of the more local Peacekeeper Corps. This historical competition has bred a small but noticeable interservice rivalry between the INMO, Marine Corps Ensembles Office, the three Peacekeeper Corps service bands and even the military bands of Earthbound nationstates, with a slow course of one-upmanship making every grand performance grander.

This page was contributed by user HikariGlace.