Sytol and the war of unification. Part Three: The Rapid Offensive Force.

The ROF is a Divisional sized outfit, an experienced mercenary force with good knowledge of counter insurgency work and a good battle rating in the War Band Stock Market. The ROF use Battle Groups comprised of Tactical Combat Teams as the basis of a flexible infantry force with organic armoured support. Well trained and equipped, ROF members are volunteers - joining hoping to make some serious cash. 

The core element of ROF outfits is the TCT - the tactical combat team - comprising a small head quarters unit and three fire teams of 8 to 10 soldiers. The fire team are armed with assault rifles, a SAW gunner and usually a missile armed trooper with a team leader and a second in command so that the unit can operate in two teams of 5 (at full strength which is not often). Each fire team has it’s own armoured transport, with the TCT HQ operating out of a mobile command vehicle. The final element of the TCT is the fire support team and reconnaissance team. Three such TCT normally form a battle group under a BG HQ and additional support units such as armour, artillery, air support and the like. Several battle groups as necessary form a combat command and the combat command is the main fighting force that a client will hire for large scale fighting. 

Mission bonuses are shared amongst the teams who undertake a mission, with fully 12% of the contract price going toward this pot. Any additional bonus payments made by the contractor attracted by achievement of specific tasks within a mission (such as the capture of a leader as well as the taking of a geographic location or the destruction of the opposing force) goes straight to the teams involved in the operation. 

Each member of the mission is assessed post completion via the coms links in helmet and armour to ensure they played their part in the campaign. Those deemed to have not participated fully risk losing part of their share or in extreme cases - all of it. The KIA’s have good insurance paid out by the ROF to next of kin or in many cases, to friends or even units within the ROF. A volunteer signs for twelve years. This system of reward creates and encourages success, without the need to create suicidal heroes. Casualties are unavoidable, inevitable and accepted, but are seen in the same light as loss of equipment - expensive and wasteful of profit. The ROF Command is efficient and effective, and the whole war band encourages a sense of esprit more commonly seen in elite regular army forces. There is pride in serving with the ROF. 

Having accepted the contract, ROF intel had little hard data on which to build a tactical plan of action for the upcoming police action. Information on the inward looking Claive was hard to come by, save for a few theological studies some decades before. Because of a tight time frame there was little opportunity to do extensive research and reconnaissance. But then, that is the norm for the ROF, well used to the client mentality of INIDY (I need it done yesterday). Even so, in the days leading up to the first of it’s units crossing the border between Arden and the valley, the ROF intel assessment teams were able to add considerably to the body of work so far compiled on the Claive.