The Protectorate was a group of sixteen stormtroopers and bodyguards of Imperial governor Wilek Nereus.
History[]
In addition to his regular complement of stormtroopers, Navy an army troopers, and other subordinates, Governor Nereus arranged for a small contingent of men to receive protection training. Schooled by the Skine Bounty Hunter College, sixteen stormtroopers under Nereus' command became his "elite" guard. No fewer than two of these troops were watching him at all times.
While these stormtroopers' uniforms were identical to standard stormtrooper armor, these soldiers' duties encompassed bodyguard work as well. Nereus granted these troops a minor boost in rank and pay. Nereus named his bodyguard squad the "Protectorate", although they were mockingly referred to as "Targets" in the barracks.
Nereus' Protectorate proved adept at spotting and eliminating threats to the Governor. They received training in observation, marksmanship, and tactics, as well as additional instruction in security protocols. Further courses on how to read body language were also mandated, and even if the effectiveness of this training was hotly debated in many military circles, it was undeniable that Nereus' squad was often capable of detecting an impending attack.
Most of the Protectorate was captured during the Bakura Incident in 4 ABY, although two members of the squad were unaccounted for.[1]