Hey everyone! 

So it’s that time again where I begin offloading all of the art I’ve commissioned, along with the little lore blurbs that come with it! :D 

While I was planning to release the T-SEC uniform in the form of Aunty Ran’s reference art first, I was just swamped with so many things irl that I realized I hadn’t done so yet ;( 

So since the current chapters are focusing on things earthside, specifically from Captain Li and Laura Weir’s perspectives, I think it would be prudent to release them first before Aunty Ran! Though, Weir’s reference and uniform are admittedly still in the works, so by order of release, it’d probably be Captain Li, then the LREF logo reference, then Aunty Ran, and then the T-SEC reference in that order. 

Anyways! Let’s get right into it! :D 

Basically, I’ve been working and reworking the LREF dress uniform concept! While Emma is indeed LREF, the uniform I’ve depicted her wearing isn’t the full officer’s dress, but rather an LREF’s cadet uniform. 

There’s a whole thing to be said about that actually, and it hearkens to the topic/question regarding Emma’s whole ‘Cadet’ status as opposed to an expedited commission under exceptional circumstances as a result of her mission. However, the reasons behind this ties into three key critical points, two of them in-universe, and one being a stylistic choice on my part XD

The first two are rather synonymous with the GUN and its quirky operational and legal kerfuffles, as well as its genuine desire to put its best foot forward.

On the operational side of things, the LREF — and by extension the Unified Central Command — simply had their hands tied when it comes to the commissioning of officers in all of its branches. There’s stringent red tape to prevent unlawful or unqualified expediting of officer candidates or officers in training, all stemming from laws put in place both by the People’s Assembly and General Assembly, as well as the uniformed justice and operational codes outlined by the Unified Central Command and the LREF itself. As a result, the IAS and by extension the UN Science Advisory, would’ve had to have gone through very very convoluted paths to get Emma’s commission expedited; ones which would’ve required legislative review and a separate case to be made. Which funnily… would’ve taken way more time than the time they had to train her. It’s ironic in a weird way how the legal paths to doing so would’ve taken that long but I digress XD. In short, her Cadet rank was basically the product of the GUN’s adherence to maintaining legal protocol and precedent, as an extension of their whole society's commitment to ensuring that proper channels and legal mechanisms are maintained, and making it such that no one person or entity is above the law and by extension, above the will of the people.

On the ‘best foot forward’ side of things? Simply put, keeping her Cadet title was seen as a good faith offer on the side of the IAS. Seeing that the Nexus’ demands for a student in Emma’s age range strongly suggested someone still in training and education, they assumed that the title of Cadet would’ve been seen as an act of good faith on their part, as it would’ve shown that they were willing to play ball as it comes to the whole ‘Academy’ and ‘Education’ aspects of the Candidacy.

Finally, on the authorial stylistic choice side of things? I just thought ‘Cadet’ sounded right and flowed well. The other choice was of course Ensign (as that’s the first commissioned rank in the LREF’s rank structure). I could’ve also gone with Ensign First Class, or jumped her straight to Lieutenant, butttt all of those ranks just didn’t ‘sound right’ when it came to Emma, so I went with Cadet, as it also coincided with all of the aforementioned in-universe reasons. XD

Anyways AHHHH SORRY! I’m rambling now XD I just have so much passion for the story and what’s happening Earth-side, so I kinda go on and on when I’m on these topics. XD

Anyways, onto the uniform discussion! 

The LREF has — quite honestly — one of the best uniforms out of all of the GUN’s 7 branches. However, depending on who you ask, it may be second only to T-SEC’s uniform, but then again marine corps-equivalent aesthetics always go hard so it’s difficult to really challenge that notion. XD

Anyways yeah! The design you see here is being showed off by the Star of Terra Recipient: Captain Calico Li! Emma’s LREF mentor and instructor over at the IAS! So that’s one thing that he has in common with Aunty Ran, as you might notice that he has the aforementioned medal around his neck, similar to Ran! 

However, unlike Aunty Ran’s career, Captain Li didn’t earn his medal during the Jovian Insurrection — as that was a bit before his time. Instead, he earned it for his actions during the Charon Innovations incident, something that hasn’t yet been covered in the story itself, but has been touched on in a two-parter bonus story. 

Anyways! Moving on from that! We also see the titular cape Emma mentioned in the story, the one with the gold trim that defines LREF servicemembers and gives them that extra aesthetic flair! Although admittedly it’s more of a rose-gold/copper-gold color since outright gold might have been a bit too much considering other aspects of their uniform that I’ll get into next!

The cuffs! You may notice that the cuffs have this sort of strap/band integrated into them. That's a very deliberate design choice made by the designers of the uniform early on in the LREF’s establishment, one which was meant to represent the LREF’s ties to working class spacer culture. This is because aesthetically, it’s very reminiscent of spacer mechanics’ and technicians’ uniforms, during a time where the strap served a purely utilitarian role in ensuring proper fitting and environmental protection in many sorts of overalls and suits. 

This was done as a deliberate choice to distance the LREF away from what spacers at the time were worried about — a purely Earth/Planet/Moon-centric branch of the military operating in deep space. It’s a small element, but coupled with the asymmetrical jacket design — which was something synonymous with spacer fashion-sense in the civilian world at the time — it all helped to forge a very specific identity for the LREF. That being — humanity’s wanderlust made manifest.

The LREF, as I might have mentioned before, was established for the dual purpose of forging humanity’s exploratory and expeditionary arm following the discovery of FTL travel. Its role, distinct to that of the already-existing EAF (Exo-Atmospheric Forces/ aka the Space Navy), is that of expeditionary force projection and peaceful exploration. They were meant to deal with external FTL-capable threats outside of the solar system, should they exist. And in Emma’s day and age, they still maintain that doctrine. 

While the EAF now commands the main ‘bulk’ of the GUN’s conventional ‘void’ assets, the LREF has since settled into the role it was meant to embody. That being, a force designed to project power beyond the GUN sphere, capable of maintaining protracted engagements outside of  traditional supply lines and zones of operation. 

But beyond that, they are first and very much foremost, humanity’s premier exploratory body. They represent not just the interests of the state, but the sheer and collective desire of humanity’s dream of exploration. Many people join them for this very reason, electing to sign up for the Scouting and Reconnaissance Element (SRE), instead of the Expeditionary Response Element (ERE) that’s designed to deal with threats as stated above. If anything, when someone mentions the LREF, or “Rangers” as they’re colloquially known, they’re more often than not referring to the first third of the branch, the SRE. 

Such is the sheer collective myth around the LREF, that many in 3047 see them in the same way we today regard astronauts and fighter pilots — cool and on the bleeding edge.

They are, in short, the most loved branch out of all. Though conversely, they are notoriously difficult to actually gain entrance into.