USS Gorkon Rangers
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Starfleet Rangers are an elite group of Starfleet personnel considered a special forces unit within the United Federation of Planets. A relatively recent innovation in Starfleet, their training places an emphasis on survival skills, as well as the ability to work solo for extended periods of time.
The USS Gorkon hosts a single platoon of Rangers - the 451st - seconded from the Rangers 3rd Division.
Duties
When not involved in training exercises or specific Ranger assignments, the Ranger contingent function as a regular part of the Gorkon's crew, serving in appropriate departments and on away teams.
Organisation
The platoon leader is a senior officer in charge of overseeing all rangers on board the USS Gorkon, and reports to the First Officer in the same fashion as other department chiefs. The platoon consists of approximately 20 officers and enlisted personnel, and can be divided into individual squads of 4-10 depending on the requirements of a mission. Each squad is usually capable of functioning as a self-contained unit when deployed in the field. As such, a large number are cross-trained in two (or more) specialities, and most positions have a back-up within the platoon. This redundancy of skills allows the unit to complete a mission, even if members are injured or killed in action.
Equipment
Unless deployed on a Ranger-specific mission, members of the 451st wear their regular departmental uniform. During most Ranger operations, they will wear standardised BDUs with a tactical armoured vest. However, when the squad is going to be inserting into what is considered an environment hostile to life, they will wear a set of vacuum rated, radiation insulated armour that can withstand five minutes of hard vacuum without an external air supply.
The following equipment is standard for all missions:
- Earpiece and throat mic, connected to a communicator, typically running in open channel mode (allowing the Rangers to speak to one another with a button press - without having to interact directly with the communicator)
- Tricorder, programmed with additional strategic and tactical information and countermeasures; directly links with the Rangers’ armor helmet for combat operations
- PADD
- Type III phaser rifle
- Type II personal phaser
- Optionally, a Type I "Holdout" phaser
- Combat Knife
Roster
Prior to assignment to the USS Gorkon, the majority of the 451st were killed in action on Leutra IV on stardate 239406.10. After overall command of the platoon was transferred to Fleet Captain Quinn Reynolds, the unit was reformed and assigned to the USS Gorkon.