Entente Volunteer Corps

*"The Entente, our new home. The corps, our new family"*

-motto of the Volunteer Corps-

Based in the Galactic Entente and made out of soldiers from beyond the nation's borders, the **Entente Volunteer Corps** under the authority of the Entente Interstellar Defense Force, is one of the newest military forces to be found in the army of the Entente. Made of humans, Kithri, Karthemas  and other species from beyond the alliance's borders, the volunteer corps is famous for accepting foreign soldiers of nearly every planet and corner of the galaxy. While armed and led in the standard of all other forces in the army of the Galactic Entente, the volunteer corps is known for keeping the traditions and ways of combat of nearly all of its members, making their infantry formations some of the most versatile in the galaxy.

Commanded by Entente officers (Mostly Alir  or Shalani ), the volunteer corps is open to all foreigners wishing to become full citizens of the Entente through the way of arms, instead of the traditional procedures. Members of the corps do not only go through weapons and physical training, but also build a strong "espirit de corps", turning the whole organization into almost a family for those soldiers in it.

The Volunteer Corps mostly keep guard on frontier worlds and are known for being far more aggressive than other regiments in the Entente's army. Made of a mixture of light vehicles, transports and regiments of infantry, the Volunteer Corps are often the spearhead of any Entente attack or counter-attack.

## Recruitment and laws

To become a member of the volunteer corps, a new recruit must first be examined by a tribunal of officers. This group will search in the recruit's past for any wrong doings and crimes, big and minor, before reaching a verdict. Should the recruit be deemed worthy, he or she will join the ranks. If, however, the recruit's past is dark, the tribunal will proceed to question the new arrival to see if the soldier willing to join them is a changed man. Be it that way, this new recruit will be told to do like all others and swear an oath of fealty, first to the Galactic Entente and then to the corps. These second recruits are known as "second chancers", soldiers allowed to take part in battle but only under close vigilance from a veteran Entente officer.

Few recruits dare to break the oath of fealty. To do so is to betray not only the trust of the Entente, but also of every single member of the corps itself. A soldier who dares to do this is kicked out of the Corps in disgrace and never allowed to return. Second chancers on the other hand are not only kicked out, but also punished by other members of their platoon. While details of this procedure are not known outside the ranks of the corps, all those who survive it are scarred for life and carry the wounds of their banishment for the rest of their lives.

### The Commonwealth and the Corps

Most members of the Volunteer Corps were originally members of the Commonwealth (nearly 80%). This number increased dramatically during the last decades of the 23rd century, with the creation of the new Commonwealth army. As the ranks of the land army were populated by more and more battledroids and the requirements to join the infantry companies grew more and more difficult to meet, those citizens who wanted to join the army (be it by choice, tradition or necessity) were forced to search elsewhere.

Known within the ranks of the corp's as the "desperate many", these volunteers currently make nearly 20% of the legion's forces, with 9% being humans, 5% being Kithri and 6% Karthemas. While not reaching the quality demanded by the Commonwealth army, these new recruits are often well motivated and ready to perform whatever duty is needed of them.

## Combat role

   The volunteer corps is, before anything else, an infantry force focused on bringing the battle to the enemy. Mixing human riflemen, Kithri heavy weapons and assault squads of blade-wielding Karthemas, wielding a company of the corps is a difficult task for any officer. Still, when commanded by the right general, there are few forces who can match them in battle.

A regiment from the Volunteer Corps very rarely fights on its own though. Lacking heavy weaponry or the numbers of other forces of the Galactic Entente, the Volunteer Corps often work as a reserve force to be unleashed when there is a breach to be exploited or filled. Trained to keep going and take as much territory as possible without giving their foe any time to rest, the Volunteer Corps has many times found itself surrounded after a particularly-bold (or foolish) offensive, yet they tend to hold the foe back for long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

## Retirement

Similar to the procedure of human, ancient Roman legions, those members of the corps who manage to survive 25 years in the force are given some territory in one of the Entente's frontier worlds. Following the tradition of the Alir, land is seen as a proof of citizenship and it is very rare for a veteran to sell it after he or she retires.

Tying retired veterans to land serves not only the purpose or making their citizenship official, but also maintain a force of potential, veteran militia on the frontier worlds, to fend of any attacks by corsairs or invading forces. Some veteran units are known to retire together on the same planet and will fight together again with tooth and nail if any invader dares to set foot on their new home.