Krittish Volunteers

The Krittish Volunteers are a specialized, all-voluntary outfit organized within the Union province of Krittain. They are formally trained as Union Marines, undergoing the same rigorous regimen those soldiers endure. Different from their Marine brethren, though, they are deployed in a manner similar to privateers, brigands, or mercenaries, but are not regarded as such.

The Volunteers find their origins in Krittain's own convict-&-refugee nature, with King Liam the First eradicating a substantial portion of pirate and raider bands that had plagued the region for quite some time. Understanding the outlaw nature of his kingdom, Liam presented a choice to the imprisoned &mdash; volunteer for service to his crown or languish and rot in the dismal Krittish prisons. Those that volunteered were "re-educated" and teamed into crews to ply the routes and regions around Krittain not for piracy, but to plunder any pirate caches where they could be found. In time, they became the ideal force to counter piracy because they themselves "looked like 'em, spat like 'em, spake like 'em, and t'ought like 'em".

Over the years, the Volunteer ranks and activity level diminished until the advent of the Imperial era, wherein it nearly ceased existence. The commonwealth with Caspia, though, twenty years later reinvigorated many Krittish interests and entities. In light of the renewed harassment by several new pirate and raider outfits, many of which were sponsored by the Hutts, the Volunteers were reformed to once again square off against piracy on its own terms.

Volunteers of today are wholly from Krittain, and must produce citizenship for at least two generations. They cannot be Sarian or Yari, as that would indicate affiliation with the Union. They also cannot be Wookiee, Elomin, or Sullustan, as those species tend to bring suspicion of affiliation to the New Republic. The Volunteers want to present as innocuous a front as possible, and therefore favor much more disguiseable heritage in its members. Many Volunteers hold other employment in the Union and are called upon when needed. When deployed, they ebb their way into the Underworld of galactic commerce and are empowered to conduct operations in the interests of the Union as they deem necessary. Whereas the infamous Caspian Rangers are typically employed against government or martial targets, Volunteers are dispatched against commercial or irregular (pirate) incursions.