Transformation Troops

A formerly secret division of the Special Forces, this is a part of Licentia's armed forces made up entirely of female or non-binary Mercers and Trifected. The existence of the Rapid Response division was declassified in 2020.

Composition

Manpower

It is estimated that a total of 8500 people make up the Transformation Troops, including those involved in logistics and supply, but exact numbers are known only to those high in command.

Equipment

All soldiers are equipped with several doses of non-opoid T-Helper, a compass, field dressings, a water bottle, a red-lens flashlight, two smoke grenades, Rotgas, a poncho (to be worn like a cape), and meat-based rations. Special Forces generally carry less rations and water than soldiers in the Soil division, especially the Rapid Response division.
Medics (and subsergeants, if a medic is not with them) carry opoid T-Helper and give them to, or use them upon, other soldiers at their discretion. Farriers may transport opoid T-Helper but are forbidden from administering it on other people or making a recommendation in favor of their use.

Weaponry

All deployed personnel are issued a Beretta M9, some of which are refurbished, others came from a contract Licentia had with Beretta, eager to find another customer as the US military phases out the M9. They are also equipped with an NR-40. Covert Ops are also issued a Glock 26 which they use as a concealed-carry weapon during some of the more undercover-oriented missions.
Unlike other members of Licentia's armed force, which tend to use older Kalashnikov-style weapons or AR-15s as their assault rifles and RPK-74s as SAWs, Transformation Troops use HK416 SAWs and AK-12s as their assault rifles. Subsergeants have grenade launchers on their rifles.

Vehicles

With the exception of the Rapid Response and Covert Ops divisions, the transformation troops do not maintain their own vehicles and instead use those belonging to others.
In particular, Rapid Response has helicopters at their disposal, which are flown by specialized soldiers who have completed additional training in the Sky division of AthPro or, occasionally, by members of the Sky division should the deployment be expected to be tricky in some way or another (extreme weather conditions, under enemy fire, etc). Every blaze (see below) must contain at least a half dozen certified helicopter pilots.
Rapid Response farriers nevertheless work closely with their counterparts in the Soil, Sea, and Sky divisions as redundantly having every possible vehicle needed for a rapid response would be costly. For this reason, Soil, Sea, and Sky all have their own specialists that are on call should Special Forces require transport, although these specialists train with their respective AthPro division, not the Special Forces. This redundancy of having both Rapid Response specialists trained as pilots and Sea/Soil/Sky specialists prepared to join Rapid Response for a deployment is intentional.

Structure

As with all branches of Licentia's military, while there is a command structure, in practice things are a lot more fluid. Part of this fluidity is due to the fact on-the-ground decisions are mostly made by NCOs, and part of this is just a side effect of how the virus affects decision making as a group.
The Transformation Troops is itself roughly equivalent to a corps in the US army, but what happens beyond that depend on the division.

Rapid Response

Squad: Kine
Recruit: Foals
Graduated recruits: Yearlings
Experienced soldiers: Mares
Equipment/Logistics: Farrier

In the Rapid Response division, the smallest unit is called a kine. A kine is roughly equivalent to the US Army's squad and consists of between five and eight soldiers, who are lead by a subsergeant. A subsergeant is essentially an NCO and often, but not always, were trained alongside their kinemates. In any case, a subsergeant is expected to know every member of their kine well and is responsible for their wellbeing. They are also responsible for helping train foals.
Three kines make up a herd (15-24 yearlings/mares), lead by a sublieutenant, often called a Jenny. A herd also includes a medic and a farrier for a total of 18 to 27 people. A herd usually works day-to-day with each other, although in Dibana sleeping quarters are instead split by kine. A sublieutenant is enlisted, but undergoes additional training beyond that of a subsergeant. Most rapid response actions are performed on the level of a herd, but occasionally a herd will split into its three kines during investigative work. When this occurs, the medic, farrier, and sublieutenant each go to a different kine. There is a reversal of command of sorts for the kine that gets the sublieutenant, as they are now under the responsibility of that kine's subsergeant. During this time a subsergeant has the final say over a sublieutenant except for actions involving regrouping the kines back into a herd or communicating with higher commands.
Five herds make up a blaze (75-120 yearlings/mares), lead by a subcaptain. A brigade is made up of four blazes (300-480 yearlings/mares), lead by a subcolonel. Unlike the US Army, there is no limit on the number of brigades in a division, nor is there a battalion. Brigades are named after different patterns of horses. The Skewbald Brigade in particular, consisting of 426 yearlings, lives on-site in Dibana full-time.
As a yearling and mare are roughly equivalent to the US army private second class and private first class respectively, they are occasionally referred to as such.

Covert Ops

Squad: Clowder
Recruit: Kit
Graduated recruits: Ailouros
Experienced soldiers: Nekomata

Most information about the covert ops remains classified, but it is known that they had a role in freeing incarcerated infected from a camp in Turkey in 2018. Their equivalent of a sublieutenant is called a Grimalkin.

Tactics

The transformation troops use their ability to xenoexpress to great effect, granting themselves superhuman abilities and versatility.

Logistics

Recruitment

Due to the secretive nature of this division, almost nobody joining Licentia's armed forces has any intention of joining this division. Instead, members are selected among female/NB recruits (both drafted and volunteer) who are Trifected or Mercers and show an extraordinary capacity for using their viruses to supplement their abilities. Candidates are given a special additional screening test without being told the purpose of it, and those that pass are transferred to this unit if they agree to be part of "an experimental Special Forces regiment."

Type

Infantry

Founding

2018

Used by

• Licentia

Ranks & Titles

• subsergeant