S.F. m.c.

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BRIEF HISTORY OF THE STARFLEET MARINE CORP

The United Federation of Planets has always relied on it's Starfleet to provide military defense in times of trouble, whether it be defending the Neutral Zone against threat incursions, preventing hostile takeover by an alien force, or leading negotiations during civil wars between Federation members. Early in Starfleet's history, however, the Federation realized that a starship could sometimes be too much. Granted, the power to devastate a planetary surface without even setting foot on it was a strong deterrent, but it was not at all suited to subtler methods of preventing hostility or subduing terrorists. Searching through Earth's history, the Council came upon reference to the United States' Marine Corps, and its later incarnation, the United Nations Peace Force. These Marines were always deployed with Naval vessels, allowing them to arrive quickly on the scene of trouble. They were organized into small groups, which made up a larger team -- allowing deployment of only as many Marines as needed for the situation. The Council thought this group of highly trained men and women would be the perfect complement to the Starfleet's peace efforts, and commissioned the Starfleet Marine Corps.

The mission of the Corps is to follow Starfleet and Federation directives, acting to preserve the peace and uphold Federation law. Whether the job calls for putting down violent insurrection, eliminating interstellar terrorists, or simply providing a temporary peacekeeping force for a government in need, the Starfleet Marines are up to the job!

The key to the Marines' success is their flexibility. A story is told of a planetary governor who frantically contacted Starfleet HQ with an urgent request for assistance: His capital city was filled with rioters, and his peacekeepers were incapable of dealing with violence of such magnitude. The nearest starship, a Knox class frigate, was dispatched, and the Captain ordered an appropriate Marine force beamed down to assist. He knew the ship's armaments would be useless as countless of innocents were in the riot zone. Ship's security was not suited, either, being trained more in "peacekeeping" techniques than in methods needed on the streets that had become a battleground.

Shortly after the Marine force arrived on the planet, the governor hailed the ship. "You're crazy!" he shouted. "You've sent down only one Marine ?"

"But, sir," the Captain replied, "you said there was only one riot."

-- from the Starfleet Marine Manual.