N-X Special Forces Program
From FABT
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Active: |
26 May 2151 CE - present |
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Organization: |
Systems Alliance Marine Forces Special Operations Command (2151 CE - 2191 CE) |
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Affiliation: |
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Type: |
Special operations group |
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Role: |
Special operations |
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Size: |
8,500 (most recent estimate) |
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Part of: |
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Headquarters: |
Armstrong, Luna (2149 CE - 2186 CE) |
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Motto: |
We deadly few. |
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Engagements: |
And numerous other conflicts. |
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Battle honors): |
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Commanders: |
Gen. Mudrik el-Iman |
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Notable: |
Marcus L. Shepard |
- "In paucis mortiferum."
- — N-X program motto.
The N-X Special Forces Program, also known as the N-X Marine Special Warfare Program, is a special operations directive of the Interplanetary Combatives Academy that, in its final and operational phases, also serves additionally as a special operations unit of the Systems Alliance Marine Corps, and after 2191 CE, the Systems Coalition Marine Corps. One of the most elite special forces units in both the Alliance and Coalition, the N-X program was also the first special operations group founded for the Systems Alliance, where it was composed of members from the special operations organizations of Earth's many nations, with additional training to account for the nuances of interplanetary warfare: however, whilst it doubled as a special operations group of its own, the N-X program's primary and most famous purpose was that of the Alliance's main training program for its special forces, with members of the Interplanetary Combatives Academy who wanted to join one of the various special forces groups of the Alliance military needing to pass the N-X program in order to do so. Those who fully passed the program either continued their career as an independent special operator known as an "N7", or were assigned to one of the other special operations groups: this unique training program ensured Alliance special operators were the best of the best, with the program itself putting potential operators through the most physically grueling and mentally challenging training available to the Alliance military, ensuring absolute excellence before these operators were officially deployed. While the N-X program wasn't a prerequisite for those wishing to join other special operations units, such as the Blue Falcons, it did carry a level of prestige that was unparalleled by the standard training offered by entry-level military boot camps, especially when carrying the "N7" designation, which is often seen as meaning "hyper lethal": as such, N7s can either be independent operators, or operate with other special forces groups, although most of the time they choose to operate independently.
As for the program itself, the training is divided into numerous stages, each of which are compartmentalized "modules" and carry their own designations in order for other military elements to differentiate them. Those who pass the initial training stage are designated as "N1", and so on: "N7" is awarded to those who pass all seven stages with flying colors and graduate the program to become full Tier 1 level operators. Each stage gets gradually more difficult as the course goes on, testing their participants and stretching them to their limits. While the lower stages consist of standard special operations training, including combat diving, free-falling, orbital drops, zero-G combat, jetpack flights, close-quarters combat, linguistics, frontline trauma care, etc., the upper stages introduce more unique challenges, with the most famous being the N6 stage, where operators are dropped on a unique planetary body and are left to survive on their own for a week to put all their training to the test: those who survive are granted N7 designation. N-X program training is so rigorous that many are known to die during the training itself, although many measures are taken to reduce the risk of death. Despite this though, those who graduate become some of the best special operators in the galaxy, rightfully feared by their foes due to their immense skill and success rate. Perhaps the most famous N7 to have ever lived and graduated from the program was Commander Marcus L. Shepard, whose reputation and renown rose them to become the most well known special forces operator to have ever served in the Alliance. The first N7 to graduate from the program was Alec J. Ryder, a former member of the UNAS Army Night Stalkers, and was therefore its oldest concurrent member by the time of the First Contact War. The prestige of the N-X program was such that it survived the Alliance's dissolution and transformation into the Systems Coalition, remaining as its oldest surviving special operations group in human history.
The N-X program was the inspiration for the N7 Special Operations Group of the UGC during the Reaper War, a multi-species, multi-national and joint-military organization that accepted high-tier special operators from multiple different species who then performed joint operations together across multiple theaters of the conflict, with the name being adopted firstly out of reverence for the N-X program that other special operator groups respected, and later due to the extremely high risk (nigh suicidal) nature of the N7 SOG's missions and the level of excellence expected from its members, with only the best of the best of each species being accepted into their ranks. The N7 SOG's effectiveness was appreciated beyond the Reaper War, where it survived as a brief cross-species military exchange-and-assistance program to help standardize post-war special operations training and tactics among Council and non-Council nations. N7 SOG would be dissolved in 2200 CE with the establishment of the Galactic Dominion, but its legacy was never forgotten.