The Imperial Kheshig are the
imperial guard for the
Imperial family of the
Galactic Khanate, reporting directly to the
Khagan. The Kheshig traces its heritage to
Aelred Khan’s original kheshig, but officially dates its constitution to
T.A. 1, Aelred’s ascension to Khagan of
Olon Gol, making it the oldest military unit in continuous operation in the history of the Khanate. Individual members of the Kheshig are known as
baghaturs.
In addition to his own
extended family and clan, the original Imperial Kheshig was drawn largely from the relatives of Aelred’s generals, retainers, and vassals, usually non-heir sons or nephews. Service in the Kheshig was considered a high honor, but especially in its early era under Aelred, was also seen as a mechanism to ensure good behavior from a baghatur’s relatives. Exceptional individuals not related to the higher echelons of Khanate power could be granted membership in the Kheshig due to exceptional service.
Over the centuries as the Khanate expanded, the Kheshig was reorganized, primarily under the reigns of
Khagan Bhadankhar and
Khagan Bayan. Each levied
sector-province was responsible for providing and outfitting one baghatur for the Kheshig, with the ranks filled out by baghaturs recruited in the traditional ways. Over time the individual levies against the sector-provinces were phased out in favor of central funding, but each sector-province was still responsible for nominating a baghatur, or “sponsoring” one from the candidate pool (usually drawn from various special operations forces).
This system endured for the majority of the Khanate’s history, but in T.A. 1218, shortly after the conquest of the
cloners of Kharash,
Khagan Oros phased in the
Imperial Army, an all-clone force directly under the command of the Khagan. To the consternation of some subject khans, nobles, and bureaucrats, Oros dismissed the Kheshig he had inherited from his predecessor, and replaced it with an all-clone Kheshig. Historians attribute multiple factors as being behind this decision, but chief among them was the palace intrigues of various
Khaerboks through history. It was at this point that the number of baghaturs in the Kheshig was fixed at 752. Following the first generation of clone baghaturs, additional baghaturs were drawn from clone special operations forces.
The modern Kheshig is split into three major components, the
Day Guard,
Night Guard, and the
Khorchin. All baghaturs are held to exacting standards of fitness and tactical and weapons proficiency, but the Khorchin is considered “an elite force within an elite force,” a special troop of warriors that functions as the Kheshig's quick-reaction force, responding to threats the Day Guard or Night Guard do not or can not dispatch themselves. The Khorchin is also the Khagan’s special battle guard, although the Kheshig as a whole has accompanied warrior-Khagans into battle throughout its history.
Baghaturs are trained on a wide variety of modern and "ceremonial" weapons, the latter including swords, spears, and the bow, in addition to having its own special martial art,
khanyn’zam. They are also trained on the operation of several crew-served weapons systems, vehicle operation, and in horsemanship. The
Baghatur Powered Armor is the strongest powered armor system in use in the Khanate, superior even to the
Shogun Heavy Combat Armor used by the clone commandos of the
Special Operations Brigade, with many of its particular technical features known only to the scientists, engineers, and technicians sworn into the Kheshig’s support service. It is particularly notable for its helm, forged to look like howling spirits of the wind.
The Kheshig since its inception has functioned as a
Tengriist military order, with many of its rituals, and especially the ceremonies surrounding initiation, kept secret even from the Khagan. What is known is that the baghaturs are devotees to the children of
Tengri and
Umai, the
Void Sisters Anori,
Khoyai, and
Gurah (also called the Void Triplets), with primacy given to Anori, the Sister considered to be closest to Tengri, who holds special governance over the Wolf, Order, and Death. Her companion
Borak-Uj, the wolf-spirit of the wind, is also given devotion. A baghatur’s oath is considered to last until death, but if a baghatur
survives to 60 years of age, they are given a special dispensation from the Khagan to transfer to a
separate ceremonial company (not numbered amongst the active strength of the Kheshig), and can choose from amongst any of the
palaces maintained by the Imperial family to “guard” until they finally “sleep in the Void.” Upon the death or transfer of a baghatur, they are replaced by a candidate from the pool, after a grueling selection process.
The supreme commander of the Kheshig is called the Khaerbok. While baghaturs retain their names upon ascension to the Kheshig, if a baghatur is promoted to overall command, they give up their name (and the service record attached to their name is “closed”) and become known only by their title and the number they are in the sequence of Khaerboks. Under the reign of
Khagan Safia Sarangerel Naranbaatar, especially during her minority, the authority of the Khaerbok was somewhat “usurped” by her Protector, the
Lord Khamgaalak, a former clone commando given special charge of the then-Princess by the dying
Khagan Khutulun.
The bloodiest day in Kheshig history was the
Battle of the Presidio, in which the entire complement of baghaturs that had accompanied Khagan Khutulun, including the entirety of the Khorchin, was slain in combat, primarily by
Ochir Mandas.
The Kheshig is assisted in its security mission by a
Khanate Marine Corps Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Teams (FAST) Regiment on a rotating basis, who provide the stay-behind elements for Imperial residences not currently occupied by the Imperial family, in addition to other duties. At various points in history, Khagans who have converted to the faith of the
Koine Chantry have supplemented (and in some instances,
de facto supplanted) the Kheshig with special guards composed of
Chantry Knights. Membership in the Kheshig was limited to humans only during its period of being drawn from the naturally born, a practice that has continued during the clone era.
Bonuses:
While the Seal of the Imperial Kheshig has remained largely unchanged for most of its history, for a period of roughly two hundred years (T.A. 482 - T.A. 707), the Seal was as below, before Khagan Kadir reverted it to its original design.
(artwork by
@Gryphon )
The Khorchin has its own unique rituals. It has its own unofficial emblem, often tattooed upon the backs of its members. It depicts the humanoid demonic aspect of Borak-Uj and crossed sabers rather than the Wolf aspect and rifles of the Kheshig’s official seal.
(artwork by
@Archangel Michael )