Emilio Vega was accepted to Starfleet Academy as a member of the 2352 United
Federation of Planets Marine Corps Cadet Class.  Councilmember John Sikes
personally wrote his letter of reccomendation, and had "high hopes" for
the new cadet.  Councilmember Sikes perhaps began to regret these words
as early as Cadet Vega's arrival at the Academy.  Vega had applied to
the Academy over the objections of his parents, both radical pacifists and
isolationists.  They refused to be convinced of Vega's desire to join
Starfleet, sure that it was merely a form of rebellion.  So sure were they,
in fact, that they staged a protest at Starfleet Academy on the day he entered.
Vega had a stronger will than they had counted on, however, and held to his
decision to become a Starfleet officer, even after recieving word that his
parents had disowned him.  (Author's note : Col. Vega's parents are now dead,
but on the day he recieved his Starfleet Navy Cross, his parents were asked,
by a local news reporter, if they were proud of their son.  They claimed
no knowledge of having a living son.)  
<P>His parents' protest did not sit well with the other Cadets.  It took
him some months (and, reportedly, a number of trips to the Academy Physician)
to gain the respect and friendship of his fellow Marine Cadets.  The Naval
Cadets, however, were not won over as easily.  They ridiuled Cadet Vega
because of the protest, and only became harsher once they determined that
it truly did bother the young Marine.  Vega's new-found friends among the
Marine Cadets sided with him against his tormentors, and the normal
tensions and disputes between Navy and Marine Cadets grew throughout
Cadet Vega's first year.  The administration largely ignored it, assuming
that the summer months would see a lessening in tension.  This did not happen,
and the tension ran high heading into Cadet Vega's second year.
<P>The ringleader of the Navy Cadets was one Vernon Mason.  Not only did
Mason take delight in tormenting Vega early on, but it soon became apparent
that he and Vega would be competing for ranking in their class.  Both
were excellent students, and the competition only added another level
to the problems between Navy and Marines.  During the second year, the 
number of conflicts between Navy and Marine Cadets grew to a record high,
bringing the attention of the Academy Administration to the problem.  The
administration came down hard on the recalcitrant Cadets, and believed they
had solved the problem quickly and with little pain, even thought 2353 is 
still the most violent year in Academy history.  The Cadets had not stopped
their private war, but they had been forced to go underground.