Return Team

You may or may not have heard of a certain team that is 100% expendable, sent in for missions that are allegedly impossible. This is not one of those teams. Difficult missions, sure, some collateral damage, yeah, probably, but expendable... not on your life. Actually, definitely on your life, if the choice comes down to you or one of them.   The Return Team is a subtype of any given formation. It is purpose-built, and the opposite of volatile.   If you insist on sending people and having them come back alive, you send a Return Team (Sometimes called a Homicide Squad or Demo Crew). It's at this point you're asking exactly what that is. Well, it's a team of 3-6 people that behaves more like a family than any sort of actual formation... even if they are in a formation. They will take bullets for each other, they will kill for each other, they will live for each other... but they WILL NOT die for each other. As a matter of fact, they will do literally anything to make sure that nobody on their team has to die for anyone else on their team, everything and everyone else be damned.   If you want the job more-or-less done and insist on everyone returning, with no regard for collateral damage, then sending a Return Team is probably going to be your best bet... assuming, of course, that you will be able to sleep at night sending a small collective of people who will put their personal safety and their mission (in that order) above all else. Dealing with the media fallout is also a thing that most would rather avoid, so this sort of team building is used sparingly.

Composition

Manpower

Anywhere between four and six people. Any more than that and the bonds won't be as strong. Recommended persons include, but are not limited to: Lovers Fraternity/Sorority participants People who have sworn blood pacts Any 'yandere' and their love interest

Equipment

Varies by team and purpose

Structure

Command can be determined by an actual rank, rock/paper/scissors, drawing straws, who owes who money... It depends on the team, but if you have specially trained people being sent on a mission of some sort, it's highly unlikely that it will be an arbitrary command structure. If significant others are involved, then 'arbitrary' command structures are notably more common

Tactics

The name of the game is "everyone comes back home". None of that "sacrifice for the mission" stuff. If they have to level a city and everyone in it to ensure all of them make it back, then that place on the map may as well be redrawn as a crater.   Outside of that, it's whatever plan they deem fit, based on their potentially arbitrary command structure.

Training

Any team putting their members over the mission classifies (and over public safety in general) counts. So you can technically have untrained people with weapons of mass destruction who are capable of leveling a city, but who can't hold a gun, fight their way out of a wet paper bag, or who don't know how to turn on a computer, let alone use one, as members.   Yes, that should be a terrifying thought. Most people seem to think so, except members of said team, of course.

Logistics

Logistical Support

Usually, at least one person on said team can drive. Whether this is 'legal' or 'well' is another matter entirely. Usually, logistics are handled within the group. Things are more convenient if one or more people can fly an aircraft. Hopefully, this condition has been taken care of with the main team formation.

Recruitment

Find the inseparable group of friends. Convince one to join...and watch the rest follow because they either "care about the other person who is guillible" or because they "wanna come along for the adventure". If more people require convincing, you may want to find a different suck... someone more suited for the task at hand.

History

It's a term that came about in the 2040s when online gaming team building took a bit of a turn. In a surprising twist, loyalty to your team surpassed objectives. Notable examples would be completely skipping planned raids due to a sick teammate/friend. Another would be self-destructive, but non-lethal actions to cover an ally. Essentially, people started treating avatars as actual people, saving those they care about at all costs except at the cost of themselves. This happened regardless of whether the medium had a respawn mechanic or not.

Historical loyalties

"My crew above all" is the most succinct way to describe this.
Type
Special Forces
Overall training Level
Professional
Assumed Veterancy
Veteran

Cover image: by KIss

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