Praetorian Regiment - Scholae Palatinae

The Praetorian Regiment serve as the Special Operations Force of Clan Scholae Palatinae. While there are Spec-ops legions scattered amongst the other Regiments, the Praetorian Regiment is the only one with a structure entirely devoted to Special Operations, and is always the one called upon in the case of critical missions.

Structure and Organisation

First and foremost, the Praetorian Regiment, occasionally referred to as the CSP Spec-Ops Network, is split into four legions, named the Emperor’s Children, Hands of Palpatine, Blades of the Emperor, and Fearless Ones. Each one of these legions is split into 10 sub-divisions, each division focusing on a different aspect of Spec-Ops work. The divisions range from SO-10 to SO-1, with the lower numbers being the more secretive of the operations. The Regiment is unique in that it does not split down any further than the divisions below, and the legions are rarely called upon as a whole, instead appropriately sized groups of Special Operatives, or even individual operatives, are sent to accomplish the mission at hand. The operatives are highly specialised, and transfer between the divisions is extremely rare due to their level of expertise in their field. However, some operatives will be temporarily assigned to other divisions for certain assignments. For example, a particularly adept SO-9 operative may be called to assist SO-2 if it is clear certain technology is required to ensure mission success.

Leadership and Command Structure

The Praetorian Regiment is primarily led by two people, Special Operations Commander Impetus M’Nar and her deputy, Colonel Soren. Below them, each Legion has a Legion commander, and a division commander is attached to each division per legion. There are no command positions below the division commander. While Impetus is the official Commander of the Regiment, she rarely fights alongside them in times of war, preferring to spend these times with her wife, Eludajae M’Nar. She leaves the Regiment in the capable hands of the master tactician Soren. The deputy Commander has proven himself to be an exceptional strategist, and the success of the Praetorian Regiment is largely down to his perfect tactics. In times of war, Impetus will brief Soren on what she wants the Regiment to do, and it’s up to him to figure out how. Outside of war, Impetus will make use of her position as Commander of the Regiment and invite Special Operatives to assist her in her more difficult missions as a Dark Jedi.

SO-10 - Defence and Guardsmanship

SO-10 are at the bottom of the Spec-Ops chain, and are the closest thing in the Praetorian Regiment to a standard soldier. As such, they are by far the most common operative in the Network. Despite this, an SO-10 operative is generally far better trained and more skilled than an infantry unit in any other Regiment. While originally trained to serve as guards for important people in dangerous places, SO-10 has proven to be more useful in a supporting role for the other divisions. However, their original role has not been completely lost, merely became secondary to a role with greater demand.

SO-9 - Sabotage and Preparation

SO-9 are the technicians of the Spec-Ops network. Particularly explosive experts, SO-9 are the division called upon if an enemy structure needs to be destroyed, being trained in the use of explosive charges and missile launchers. Typically multi-skilled, SO-9 operatives are also adept in useful technology such as deflector shields and deployable weapons. Due to their proficiency with technology they are also often used if a vehicle is necessary. SO-9 operatives are often burrowed from other departments for these purposes. Due to the common need of vehicles, SO-9 are rather numerous in the Network

SO-8 - Aggressive Negotiations

Skilled negotiators, SO-8 are the enforcers of Scholae Palatinae. A typical assignment for them is to convince the target to work in the best interests of the clan. Due to these tasks often being given to the Dark Jedi of the clan, SO-8 usually end up with the less important targets. The three most important skills of an SO-8 operative are ranged combat, as is common to Spec-Ops, hand-to-hand combat, and a skill with words. The Operatives are usually trained to attempt peaceful negotiations first, but not to be afraid to use force to get the point across.

SO-7 - Rescue and Liberation

SO-7 are the heroes of the Regiment, and as such receive plenty of media attention. Their main function is to rescue and retrieve captured allies. Due to the mammoth importance of the duties of SO-7, one would expect them to be higher on the chain. However, the order is of levels of security and secrecy, and as soon as someone important goes missing it’s quite obvious SO-7 or a Dark Jedi will be sent to investigate. Since the division are frequently send into enemy territory, the operatives must be in command of a variety of stealth and combat skills. They are trained in melee combat, blaster combat, and how to move around undetected. They will be in either individually, wielding stealth field generators, or in groups, consisting of an SO-9 operative, to simply reclaim the prisoners by force.

SO-6 - Larceny and Appropriation

SO-6 are the division responsible for theft from items in enemy hands. Their function can have many different triggers, from discovering useful objects such as expensive technology, to counter-thievery in the case that anything is stolen from CSP. SO-6 operatives have also been responsible for plagiarism, copying enemy designs and plans before they can implement them. Needless to say, avoiding detection is key in SO-6, and as such all operatives act with the aid of a stealth field generator and a DC-19 silent carbine designed for stealth purposes. Due to the need of escaping undetected, large targets are typically avoided in SO-6 missions.

SO-5 - Espionage and Reconnaissance

SO-5 is one of the more famous Spec-Ops divisions, as it is mostly what people expect of special operations. The goal of SO-5 is not to attack, defend, or to have any direct impact on any aspect of the clan or its enemies. The goal is simply to provide useful information for the other Regiments and Dark Jedi to use. Examples of SO-5 work would be to provide schematics of enemy buildings, observe the troops’ inventory, and stock-check the size of the fleet.SO-5 Operatives are also used in the situation where enemy forces have claimed parts of the Cocytus System. While their goal is to infiltrate, not to fight, SO-5 Operatives are trained in hand to hand combat and the use of firearms, in case things go wrong. Due to the fact that they are exploring unknown territory a lot of the time, this can happen often, and SO-5 is considered the most exciting, yet dangerous division to work in.

SO-4 - Search and Containment

SO-4 specialise in finding targets and taking them in alive for questioning. The targets this division is required to track vary hugely, ranging from influential enemy commanders to particularly elusive criminals too good for the usual police force. The SO-4 Operatives typically specialise in blaster weapons, carrying with them a stun blaster and a normal blaster rifle. Anyone aside from the target is likely a mere obstacle, and lethal force is often the most practical way, but they are required to bring a non-lethal weapon to subdue the target. SO-4 work is usually done with the intention of interrogating the captive afterwards, making killing the target a major offence for an SO-4 operative.

SO-3 - Counter-terrorism

SO-3 are the division devoted to anti-terrorism tactics. Little more is known about SO-3, as by the time one gets down as low as SO-3 security and secrecy is at a near-maximum. What is known is that they are well equipped to deal with all kinds of terrorism, be it mental or physical attacks.

SO-2 - Lethal Ops

While even less is intentionally revealed about SO-2 than SO-3, it attracts more media attention, and information has been leaked to the public. SO-2, simply put, is the Spec-Ops Network’s Assassination team. Their function is to eliminate important hostile targets quickly, permanently, and without trace. Operatives in SO-2 typically all have one thing in common. And that is that they have nothing in common. This is because there is nothing required of an SO-2 Operative, there is no standard uniform, armament or attribute, only that they get the job done. Many of them are successful professional assassins and bounty hunters lured to CSP by lucrative contracts. SO-2 Operatives have been known to specialise in all sorts of rare and exotic weapons, although many of them stick to conventional blades and blasters.

SO-1 - Terrorism

Less is known about SO-1 than any of the other divisions in the Spec-Ops Network. It is common knowledge that Scholae Palatinae do not endorse Terrorism in the conventional sense of mass scale physical attacks, so exactly what SO-1 do is anyone’s guess. Since even the name is a rumour, it is entirely possible that SO-1 perform something totally different. There are rumours that SO-1 is in fact a division that polices the others. Nothing has been revealed by either Spec-Ops Commander Impetus M’Nar or the Clan Summit.