Lancer

Across the galaxy, “lancer” has become a catch-all name for exceptionally daring and skilled mech pilots, similar to the flying aces of the past. Not all pilots are lancers – most are just good at what they do – but all lancers are pilots.
Nowhere is “lancer” considered an official rank or classification. Lancers are set apart by ability, talent, training, luck, skill, reputation, or some combination of these qualities; they aren’t qualified as lancers by any medal, certification, or promotion. It’s simply an appellation given to exceptional pilots based on time in the saddle and performance in the field.
The vast majority of lancers have earned the right to bear the name through skill, strength, and experience – no help from Union, no preordination from on high. These people became pilots when they were conscripted; when they enlisted; or when ships came and bombed their homes, and they chose to fight back.

Career

Career Progression

Within Union’s heartland – the Galactic Core – there is one primary route from civilian to mech pilot. Would-be pilots receive training and education in the Union Navy, specialize in a role, travel a little (on their homeworld or through the local system), and are cleared for active duty in their mid-20s at the earliest. The extensive qualifications and training expected make younger pilots a rare thing. Regulars and auxiliaries alike are put through the same naturalization courses, trained by the same instructors, and serve together in integrated units for at least ten years.
The process and standards differ for those with different allegiances. Corpro-states often use implants or prosthetics to increase compatibility between their pilots and their proprietary mechs, while the Aun raise pilots from childhood in sympathetic, almost symbiotic relationships with their NHP co-pilots. The noble scions of Karrakin barons are outfitted with storied frames and trained in rich academies and colleges; meanwhile, the guerrillas, pirates, and desperate individuals these aristocrats fight take whatever they can get. There’s no “correct” way to be a pilot, much less any one way to reach “lancer” status.
Whoever a given pilot works for, training counts for everything. There are exceptions, but a properly trained and outfitted pilot in their own mech will almost always beat a conscript or unskilled pilot in a straight fight, even if outnumbered. Outside of their mechs, too, most pilots are highly trained combatants. They tend to be somewhere between adepts and experts in the fields covered by their training and background.

Other Benefits

Despite some claims to the contrary, pilots aren’t super soldiers – though substantial cybernetic enhancements allow some to operate beyond the bounds of “normal” human ability. The majority of pilots – like most other specialists in 5016u – enjoy some degree of non-invasive biological enhancement, but they still rely on wearable or detachable technologies and comprehensive training to hone their talents and knowledge.
As a general rule, the natural lifespan of a pilot is only marginally longer than that of a Diasporan. The structure of their lives trend closer to those of Cosmopolitans; owing to the nature of the job, pilots get shipped all around their world, system, or the galaxy.

Perception

Purpose

Pilots are valuable hard power resources for their states, corpro-states, and groups — they get shipped all around their home system, home world, or the galaxy as needed for the duration of their deployment.

Alternative Names

Mech pilot

Type

Military