"I swear the soldier's oath, and vow to uphold it even unto my death:
To cast aside my fear and never hesitate in battle.
To never give up and never run away, no matter the situation.
To value the lives of my comrades above my own.
To fight for those unable to fight, and to protect those unable to protect themselves."
~The Soldier's Oath

The Communications Officer is the core of any squad. Without them, the squad is lost; the CommOff, as they are known for short, co-ordinates the squad and guides them, allowing them to act as a unified whole. They have the best technology at their disposal; cameras and locators in each soldier's headpiece allow the CommOff to see and hear exactly what each soldier sees and combine them into a single view, sensors built into the medical systems in each soldier's armor let them keep track of the health of their units, and they can easily issue orders to each soldier individually while still guiding them as a whole. A squad lives or dies by the mental fortitude of its Comms Officer - a weak squad with superior tactics can easily survive against a force that might decimate a stronger but reckless squad.

If the Comms Officer is ever lost, the squad will immediately fall into complete chaos and disarray without anyone to guide them, so it is imperative that they remember to protect themselves as much as they protect their soldiers. Their unique position gives them authority to issue orders even to those above their rank, and this system works well only with small squads, so the Malgraan military is largely built out of large collections of small, tightly-knit squads.

For it is not just on the battlefield that the Comms Officer must manage the squad. During off-duty hours, they must get to know their soldiers as people, and come to value them above and beyond their capabilities with weapons. They can form, and encourage the formation of, friendships and relationships. Doing so builds trust and helps the squad fight even better - and makes injuries and deaths all the more painful. But that pain is its own incentive to make every effort, and spare nothing, in order to ensure the safety of those the CommOff is charged with ordering - and protecting.

Together, they fight. Together, they live.

And together, they will ensure that nobody dies.

Full Name: (REDACTED)
Joins As: Comms Officer, Level 1 / Junior Lieutenant
Homeworld: (REDACTED)
Age: (REDACTED)
Likes: (REDACTED)
Dislikes: (REDACTED)
Dream: (REDACTED)

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The Comms Officer is the player character - hence the specific pose (facing away from the viewer) and generic appearance. It's essentially akin to the Tactician from Awakening, except that I thought of it first (or at least before I heard about it in FE:A). However, the CO has a purely supportive role - they can fight, but aren't very good at it, and usually only appear on the map so that the player can speak as them.

It's a huge break from most tabletop games, but then again, so is the whole of SI. Most player characters are at the front and center of combat, saving the day first-hand. But the Comms Officer can easily get through the campaign without firing a single shot; their strength is not their own, but it is instead the combined strength of their soldiers, for them to use as they see fit.

Victory or defeat lies in their hands. Whether all of their units survive the battle, are carried off in stretchers, or end up in an early grave, is dictated by their actions.

It's a heavy burden, and only the best-trained strategic minds are up to the task.

Are you?

Race and character design belongs to me.
Art by  not-fun. Original here: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/14004129/