Terran Marine

In the world of Starcraft, there is a stretch of space called the Koprulu sector that is known for intense violence. Three sentient species there fight with themselves, each other, or alongside each other in a continual struggle for supremacy. These are the Giant Protoss, the Insectoid Zerg, and the Terrans, or humans.

Humans arrived in this sector, mostly from the Southern United States, and built several colonies that became great powers in the region. And every Terran power, whether imperial, democratic, or pirate, have Marines to back up their authority.

Terran Marines are people who have been trained cognitively for war, and since many if not most are prisoners, they are also often reprogrammed mentally to forgo their former criminal past and take up arms as nobel citizens.

Terran marines dress in Confederate Marine Core Powered Combat Suits/CMC powered Combat suits, mechanized devices that greatly enhance their strength speed and stamina, and are highly armored. The suit allows its users to survive falls fom as high as 20 feet. The CMC 300 is the main model used during the first major Sarcraft games, and provide life support, protection from assault, radiation, bio-hazards and chemicals (however, there are limitations to this protection). The suit has Mufflers which reduce the noise and heat signatures of Marines, shoulder and chest lights, medical narcotics for wounded Marines (In some, not all CMC-300s), an integrated communication system, gravity generators (for outer space missions and missions involving small planets and asteroids where gravity is negligable) and visors that have a HUD (Head's up display), which can generate a map of the local terrain as well as give its wearer infrared vision, targeting systems, life support info, ammo amount info, and data systems. The suit also has a lockdown system that can aid wounded Marines and stops suits from firing if it detects a short circuit. The suit also has devices called Aural Directional enhancers, which allows troops to better ascertain noises around them, as well as those transmitted to them. Stim packs are also built into the suits, and contains a chemical mixture that includes synthetic Adrenaline, which improves the warriors speed and reflexes.

The CMC-300 is not without its shortcomings: The medical narcotics some suits will pump into wounded soldiers can sometimes make them unconscious, the armor can be penetrated by one shot from a Needle gun, the Lockdown ability can stop a Marine from moving and defending his or herself, and, though stim packs can greatly increase a Marine's speed and reflexes, it is toxic and harms humans as well, and can lead to long term damage. The suit requires a lot of power, and will freeze up if its servo-systems are damaged by a severe chest impact. Still, the CMC-300 is a formidable device.

The Main weapon of Terran Marines is the C-14 Impaler Gauss rifle. this weapon can fire 30 spike-like rounds per second in fully auto mode and can have up to 200 rounds per mag. The C-14s fire various bullets, such as Armor piercing, U-238 shells, Hollow point spread, Incendiary, and steel tip rounds. The older design comes with a retractable bayonet and a flame thrower (these are never used in gameplay, but appear in cinematics), while the more compact and streamlined version used later in Starcraft: wings of liberty can fire fragmentation grenades and grapples and even RPGs (the latter only if the right equipment is availaible and connected to the Rifle. In regular circumstaces this is not available). The Rifles use LED tech to let you know how many rounds remain in the gun. Both weapons have considerable range when aimed towards the heavens: flying combat craft such as Wraiths and Scouts have often found themselves being peppered By Gauss rifle bullets during flight.

Terran Marines also have side arm pistols, of which various have been used over the years, such as the Slugthrower (Deflagration Pistol, 14 rounds. Cannot even dent CMC suits, but can stun Hydralisks, keeping them momentarily from attacking), Flak Pistol (replaced the Slugthrower, exploding projectiles), C-7 Stinger Gauss pistol (rounds for this weapon are 8mm armor piercing spikes), and the C-150 Ronin (.50 calibre). The Slugthrower was the principal pistol used by Marines throughout Koprulu Sector in the first Starcaft Game, but the UED used the Ronins. Both Flak and C-7 Stingers are later designs used in the Starcraft: Wings of Liberty" Game.

In Latter years, Terran marines have been equipped at times with the M98 Ballistic Alloy Combat Shield, which greatly increases their chances of survival in combat. These shields can withstand great amounts of damage.