Introduction

The Royal Guardsmen are Dark Jedi who are used by the Grand Master for the express purpose of hunting down and exterminating the Jedi Knights. Those chosen to be Guardsmen usually come from the best among the ranks of the Brotherhood. After a period of initiation, the prospective Guardsman is forced to undergo a series of brainwashing rituals. These rituals are intended to instill an answerving devotion to the Empire and to the Dark Side. They are also meant to instill deep hatred towards the Jedi and anything representative of the Light Side in general. As far as can be determined, this form of mind control is completely successful, but rumors have arisen concerning Royal Guardsmen who were not completely brainwashed by the process. These unfortunate souls, as the rumors go, are either killed or driven mad by the conflicting signals in their minds. There is also evidence that points to a great number of the Guardsmen actually being clones, conceived from the DNA of powerful Force users.

The current whereabouts of the Royal Guardsmen are unknown. After the Great Purge, records of the surviving Force users were either destroyed or never existed. According to Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, the Emperor ordered all of his Force-using minions to go into a period of inactivity, silencing their influence on the galaxy until summoned. If this is the case, there is the chance, however unlikely, that many of the original Royal Guardsmen are still alive, waiting for the one word that will bring them crashing down upon the New Republic like a dark wave.

Organization

The Grand Master’s Royal Guard is a very loosely organized group, which is very uncharacteristic of anything constructed by Grand Master Khyron. They follow a simple system based on Force mastery and power. Also uncharacteristic of a Khyron-influenced society, politics are minimal in the Royal Guard, but self-advancement is a driving goal.

The lowest rank a member of the Grand Master’s Royal Guard can hold is that of Initiate. The Initiates are the weakest in Force ability among all the Royal Guard, and are often bonded in service to another Royal Guardsman of higher status. No combat training is given at this stage, and what few Force powers they might have possessed centered on protection and meditation. No Royal Guardsman at this level of power is ever sent to hunt and kill a true Jedi, being sent instead to recruit people who demonstrated high levels of Force sensitivity (and turn them to the Dark Side, to make them servants for the Empire).

The next stage in the advancement of a Royal Guardsman is that of Crusader. Crusaders are given basic combat training with a Force weapon, and are taught to develop more offensive Force powers. Crusaders are considered powerful enough to kill and/or turn Jedi that had not yet become Knights. Sometimes, Initiates are assigned to Crusaders as servants, but Crusaders as a whole aren’t considered powerful enough to deserve the privilege of a servant.

When a Crusader becomes powerful enough to meet requirements for the rank of Gladiator, they are put through "temptation" by the Light Side—a direct mockery of the test all Jedi must face to achieve Knighthood. If the Crusader passes the test, he is awarded the title of Gladiator and is given increasing responsibility and harder assignments. This is where the Gladiator begins to track true Jedi Knights to be turned or killed. It is also at this stage that many Gladiators stop advancing, for the requirement to move beyond Gladiator status is a trial that has cost more than one Guardsman his soul.

The exact details of this trial are unknown, but it is said that a Gladiator wishing to move further has to prove his determination and ability in combat with the Grand Master and/or Commander of the Guard. Other records state that to move beyond a Gladiator, a Royal Guardsman has to seek out and either destroy or turn a Jedi Master. The truth behind the matter will probably never be known. But, as difficult as it may sound, it seems that a few Royal Guardsmen were able to overcome even this barrier and attain the rank of Sovereign Protector. Sovereign Protectors seek out only the most powerful of Jedi quarries, and are supposedly responsible for the destruction of at least twelve known Jedi Masters. At this rank, a Guardsman would be given responsibility over sectors and regions of space, some of those rivaling the territories given to Imperial Moffs and Regional Governors. It is recorded that the Sovereign Protectors answer only to the Grand Master himself. It is rumored that several Dark Lords of the Sith were Sovereign Protectors before reaching Lordship.

The last statement seems unlikely, however, because there is a position higher than even Sovereign Protector. If a Sovereign Protector deems himself worthy, he/she can attempt to attain the title of Gladiator Prime, in addition to his rank of Sovereign Protector. If the Sovereign Protector wishes to attain this title, he must prove himself more powerful than his fellow Sovereign Protectors in deadly combat. The title of Gladiator Prime can only be issued by the Grand Master’s champion, the Commander of the Guard. The Commander of the Guard leads the Royal Guard and is responsible for the testing of those wishing to achieve higher ranks.

Conclusion

In closing, the Royal Guardsmen are a unique group outside the Imperial chain-of-command. The Jedi Knights believe that this frighteningly powerful group of Dark Side users has been erased from the face of the Galaxy forever. But, it is possible that these servants remain… servants of unspeakable evil and power.