SWORDS AND SCALPELS

Legion Sketchbook

While Dark Operations is the main branch for Legion special operations, they aren’t the only specialized troops in the force.

Originally stood up to rescue downed pilots during the Savage Wars, the Valkyrie teams have endured the years by adapting their mission within the legion. 

Around the time of the Battle of Kublar, the highly specialized unit came under fire by the House of Reason, citing their use of the term, Valkyrie, was insensitive to those of Nordic descent and considered cultural appropriation by more than a few of the delegates (even though said delegates had nothing to do with Earth or those of Nordic heritage).

Changing the name to Legion Recovery and Rescue, the REC-R (Pronounced wrecker - for Recovery and Rescue) units became the go to legion force for clandestine recovery operations behind enemy lines. 

The unit has three mandates that it fulfills for the legion proper. Task one is that of personnel recovery. Downed pilots, units caught behind an invading force, or any Republic personnel may become the subject of a recovery order. Whereas snatch and grab operations fall under the purview of Dark Operations, rescues belong to the REC-Teams.

The second mandate involves asset denial, most notably, downed star ships with highly sensitive equipment aboard. The REC-Teams enter the area, and through a combination of specialized technology and applied explosives, they savage the sensitive item or vehicle so it’s little more than melted chunks of impervisteel.

The last mandate is sensitive site exploitation. REC-Teams almost always carry out their recovery orders in hostile territory. By raiding the objective area and grabbing everything of interest, they could potentially bring back mountains of intel for legion intelligence to analyze. In rare cases, the REC-Teams abduct enemy personnel on scene to be questioned at various black sites, but such operations are usually turned over to Dark Operations.

To join a REC-Team, a legionnaire must be on active duty and pass the rescue selection course. The course has a sixty percent failure rate among legionnaires, owing to the highly technical nature of the work. Those that pass go onto the qualification course, coming through the other side as fully trained legion rescue technicians.

While the legion aspect is the one most encountered during a recovery operation, each REC-Team runs with an Alpha section, made up of special agents culled from the best the Republic has to offer. From expert slicers to direct action agents, the A-Sec personnel work behind the scenes to keep the REC-Team in the shadows and away from enemy fire.

Find out about the members of REC-Team Pelican in Order of the Centurion: Callsign Valkyrie.