With the Taurian-Magistracy alliance signed on March 31, 3056, the Magistracy of Canopus and Taurian Concordat could now afford to settle new planets with their combined resources.

          Among the major provisions of the Treaty of Taurus was the Lewis and Clark Project, an arrangement for the joint colonization of new worlds by the Taurian and the Magistracy of Canopus. By pooling their financial and technological resources, the two Periphery states hoped to build thriving colonies on more planets than either realm could accomplish alone.

          A major problem to be solved in the establishment of viable new colonies was maintaining planetary defenses and internal law and order. New colonies often become easy targets for pirates, and the joining of peoples from two different cultures posed potential social problems that the leaders of both Periphery nations were eager to avoid. In order to minimize the potential for friction between Taurian and Canopian colonists, the Magestrix and Protector created a new police force known as the Colonial Marshals.

          Much like the Federal marshals of the Old West on ancient Terra, the Colonial Marshals are the lawmen who help keep a colony together and defend it against external threats. The Marshals are trained in the Magistracy at the newly established Canopian Institute of War and use BattleMechs provided by the Taurian. Both realms provide equal funding to the Marshals and citizens from either state may enlist.

          In existence for barely a year, the Colonial Marshals are already beginning to achieve heroic status among citizens of both states. The men and women of this elite MechWarrior cadre have come to symbolize the spirit of cooperation between the Marshals' parent realms.