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PERSONNEL SUMMARY...Imperial Royal Guards/all...

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This most elite order of the Emperor's bodyguards is selected from the main body of the crimson-robed Royal Guard. They are stationed in small groups throughout the Empire as watchmen over all the palaces and monasteries that Palpatine haunts, as well as guarding the Emperor.

No other group of soldiers in the entire galaxy, Empire or Republic, is as highly trained or motivated. They have an awesome responsibility. With Palpatine's knowledge of the Force, and with the importance of his projects at the Clone Vats on Byss, these armored figures have the most important duty in the entire New Order. Each of them is clothed in lightwieght, yet elaborate ceremonial armor, and armed with unique and exotic weapons. They are experts at armed and unarmed combat.

One reason the Emperor created the Sovereign Protectors was because he thought it unwise to limit the aspirations of his followers. By setting nearly unattainable goals and watching his men struggle to achieve them, he can keep them under better control. By creating higher and higher circles of elite status, it motivates them all to push themselves constantly.

Just as the the Royal Guard are the finest of the Imperial stormtroopers, so the Protectors are the highest order yet. Palpatine may create still more elevated ranks in the future, but for now, the Protectors are the summit.

The training and testing procedure that each Protector undergoes is elaborate and time consuming; it may take years to qualify, and the waiting list is enormous. Part of the selection process is based on traditional combat fitness, including tests of stamina, strength, dexterity and the ability to endure pain. Other tests include mental acuity, reaction time, loyalty and intelligence. Once they have shown exemplary achievement in all these matters, the most crucial step is begun. Unlike all the other soldiers at the Emperor's command, the Sovereign Protectors are taught in the ways of the Dark Side.

Tutored in the Force by the Senior Dark Side Adepts in the Emperor's service, they are taught only elementary skills, so they must always be subservient. And subservient they are - so utterly unswerving in their loyalty that it is said that they can't even perceive any thing which might corrupt them from their service; others say they would kill themselves in an instant if ordered to by their Master. Whether true or not, that unthinking loyalty will be most useful to them later because those who distinguish themselves here are sometimes selected to become Dark Jedi themselves.

The Imperial Royal Guard is a special detachment of hand-picked Imperial stormtroopers who serve as the Emperor's personal guards. Each of these soldiers is specially scrutinized to fit select size, strength, intelligence and loyalty requirements, and equipment and training is lavished upon them.

No firm figures are available on the exact number of Royal Guards serving the Emperor, but speculation ranges from fewer than 50 to the tens of thousands. Whatever the case, the Royal Guard has become a formidable military sub-unit which is directly under the control of the Emperor.

The entire Royal Guard is never sent on combat missions. A few small elements of the guard are sent into combat on a rotating basis to keep them in fighting trim. On such missions, guard members usually dispense with their ceremonial uniform and don the armor worn by other stormtroopers in the operation. In such instances, the guard members are always part of the same unit. They are never dispersed among the ordinary Army units.

Rumors abound about this fierce fighting force. The legend is that no Royal Guard member has yet been killed in combat. Stories tell of their invincible fighting prowess - always in the service of the Emperor.

Royal guards wear garb consisting of flowing red robes, red battle armor, and red helmets. Although ceremonial, the red armor does not hamper guardsmen in regards to movement or fighting. This armor is derived from a pair of similar designs, the uniforms of the Death Watch of the Mandalore system and the Sun Guards of the Thyrsus system. That the armor resembles those of units with such ferocious reputations is no accident, and the red glint of the Imperial Royal Guard inspires fear in the hardest of men.