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Early on in the reign of the Imperial Combine it became clear that the organisations responsible for keeping the citizens and territories of the empire safe were not quite capable of fulfilling all the required tasks.

Over time, the old Emperor's Guard evolved into what is now known as the Shard Programme: elite individuals, chosen personally by the sovereign from amongst the many candidates, now undertake dangerous, covert missions at the behest of the Throne.

Overview

As a direct agent of the sovereign, a Shard is afforded unparalleled latitude throughout the many worlds. Shards are outside the rigid chain of command in each of the Empire's military forces, and are therefore able to direct resources as they see fit under Her authority. This sometimes causes conflict with the plans of commanding officers, but protocols are in place to avoid disaster or even mere resentment from resulting. More often than not, however, Shards are able to overcome such conflict through personality, and do not resort to protocol. Shards usually receive orders from the Empress via the Chamberlain.
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The Shards are few in number and rarely — if ever — work together, as one is generally sufficient to the objectives which the Empress assigns them. When assigned to a mission a Shard will almost always work with a counterpart and a pilot. The pilot is essentially a time-saver and a backup, whereas the counterpart is more essential in many different ways. This is not to devalue the role of the pilot, but to emphasise the importance of the Shard-counterpart relationship and the trust that it requires.

Shards will undertake a variety of mission types; sometimes they are military in nature, sometimes intelligence-based, and on rare occasions they may even involve assassination. The one factor which Shard deployments always have in common is that the Empress considers the mission to be absolutely critical.

Roles

Shards

A Shard is an elite, trusted operative, selected personally by the reigning Emperor or Empress.

Sitting outside the hierarchies of the military arms of the Empire, and answerable only to the sovereign, a Shard has extraordinary latitude to match the extraordinary demands placed on them.

Shards typically conduct espionage, assassinations, close security, and all manner of other special assignments.

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Counterparts

Counterparts are soldiers, sometimes drawn from the CAGA ranks after a period of auxiliary training. Very often they will have entered the Imperial War College with the express intention of graduating to the more specialised Counterpart Academy.

The role of a counterpart is to act as a bodyguard and enforcer for the Shard to whom they are assigned. They also carry out some administrative tasks, and manage the executive pilot.

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Executive Pilots

A Shard's executive pilot is a flight officer who has been emancipated from the command chain of the Imperial Navy.

Although it might seem like a cushy number, the role of the executive pilot is a grave one. The pilot has personal responsibility for ensuring that the Shard they are assigned to travels safely between different locations, and can de-orbit to a planet's surface in one piece.

Education & Probation

Like virtually all military students, Shards begin their secondary education at the Imperial War College at about the age of fifteen Solar years. At this stage there are few exceptions granted, and Shard candidates are subjected to all the same standard CAGA training modules as any other student, as well as the mandatory input on basic naval operating procedures. On graduation, however, Shard candidates are secreted away to the secretive Shard Academy.

The Shard Academy is a covert installation where candidates will be isolated for two to three Solars while they complete intensive training and conditioning programmes. The exact nature of these programmes is classified, as is the location of Aebi Ruul, the rogue planetoid where the Academy is situated.

Shard candidates may spend up to eight months of their academic time on learning placements with other organisations, such as CAGA, or serving on a starship. Exceptional candidates may be given leave to spend a further four months on placement, provided they are capable of completing their training in just two out of three academic Solars.

There is no separate probationary period for Shards — they will either succeed, or die. Once their training is complete, assuming they are successful, it is entirely at the discretion of the Empress whether or not they will be given a position at that time.

Also See:

• Imperial Navy
• CAGA
• Eyes and Ears
• The Shard Programme
• ​Imperial Facilities