A team or la'rua in the T'au Lexicon, is the smallest standard unit in the T'au Empire's military, the Fire Caste, and is equivalent to an Astra Militarum squad. The most commonly deployed is the Fire Warrior Team, the backbone of most T'au armies and the basic infantry unit. Each team of Fire Warriors consists of between six and twelve soldiers. All members of a team come from the same sept, and most likely have gone through Fire Caste academy together. All teams have a team leader, although they can only earn the higher rank of shas'ui after extensive battlefield experience.
Teams that serve together in the field often bond themselves through rituals, of which the most famous is the Ta'lissera, which roughly translates to a type of communion or binding oath. Those who have sworn such an oath may address each other by their individual names and have vowed to support one another unto death.
It is not uncommon for teams to progress together as well -- veteran Fire Warrior Teams may even earn promotion to shas'ui together. Each might serve for a time as a squad leader for a different Fire Warrior Team before the survivors are reunited as a Crisis Team.
Sources[]
- Codex: Tau Empire (6th Edition), pp. 8-12, 22-24
- Codex: Tau Empire (7th Edition), pp. 15-16