Terminal Lance #437 “Warranted”

There exists in many military myths and legends an animal that is rarely seen by man. Its collar is adorned with a unique crimson shine seen in no other rank structure. They aren’t really officers, but they aren’t enlisted. They exist somewhere in a realm in between those two worlds, mysterious in their nature and powerful in their abilities.

I speak of course of Warrant Officers.

The Warrant Officers of the Marine Corps come and go as they please, often unseen and mostly unheard of. They are said to possess unnatural abilities and are often deterred by sunlight, silver, and bullshit.

It is said that the crimson on their rank represents the dark blood oath that Staff NCO’s have to pact in order to become one. Warrant Officers can be summoned through incantation, though it’s unwise to do so. It usually involves reading various passages of the Rituale Romanum in Latin and making a strong pot of coffee.

You will never see them at formations, the field, humps, offices or retirement ceremonies. No one knows what they actually do, but you can find them in the deepest corners of the Marine Corps. They exist in the darkness, in the shadows, manipulating the strings of their puppets.

They are Warrant Officers.