High Guard

The High Guard is a military organization that features in Andromeda.

History
The origin of the High Guard was traced to the original Vedran Empire which was formed after the species developed Slipstream technology. Upon the formation of the Empire, the commanding general of the Vedrans military declared his female mate Yoweri I Empress. The group of retainers that served her formed the core nucleus of what would become the military arm of the Empire and became known as the High Guard in 0 CY (Coronation Year). A High Guard vessel later crashed on the Kalderans homeworld in 859 CY who reverse engineered slipstream technology from it and formed the Kalderan Alliance in 870 CY to combat the encroachment of the Vedran Empire. They were successful in pushing the empire out from the Lesser Magellanic Cloud over the next decade but ultimately lost the war in 895 CY when the High Guard successfully conquered as well as occupied the Kalderan homeworld of Kalderash after which the Kalderan Alliance was disbanded. In 4150 CY, overexpansion and declining enlistment led to the High Guard opening its ranks to non-Vedrans for the first time. However, the Perseid Insurrection in 4205 CY shook the Vedran Empire which was brutally put down but saw a number of High Guard vessels mutiny against the Vedran Empire. Afterwards, the Vedran Empire was dissolved and the Systems Commonwealth took its place with the High Guard becoming its military arm. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)

When the Magog began invading the Known Worlds, Argosy Intelligence dispatched the Andromeda Ascendant under the command of Captain Perim to find the source of the Magog invasion by following the trail of a slip scout. Under classified orders, the Glorious Heritage class cruiser arrived in the galaxy M86 in the Virgo Galactic Cluster where they encountered the Magog Worldship. There, the ship was attacked by Magog Swarm Ships and boarded as well as killed the crew but not before the Andromeda Ascendant could escape into slipstream. Thirteen months later after being lost, the Andromeda Ascendant was recovered by a Than-Thre-Kull freighter and all records of the mission were classified for security reasons by Argosy Intelligence who sealed the information of the mission from the vessels AI. (Episode: The Widening Gyre) At some point, Admiral Munroe was assigned four battle groups by the Vedrans on an apparent suicide attack against the Pyrians which cost him his life but ultimately allowed the Commonwealth to win the war against their foe. (Episode: The Fair Unknown) At the height of the Commonwealth, it was known that there was a particular concern over the dictatorship government on the planet Mobius that was led by Chancellor Ferrin. His actions led to the High Guard to consider an extradition mission to forcibly remove him for trial at Tarn-Vedra. At least a dozen such missions were conducted using the local architect, Venetri, as a guide but these failed. This led to Admiral Constanza Q. Stark dispatching Captain Dylan Hunt on a covert ops mission alongside Nietzschean Gaheris Rhade to the planet in order to remove Ferrin from power. (Episode: Forced Perspective) Before the Fall, Argosy was developing a number of new design changes for their vessels. (Episode: Pitiless as the Sun)

In CY 9784, the coalition fo Nietzscheans enacted their plans of toppling the Commonwealth and substituting it with their own empire which led to a sneak attack being made against their High Guard. This led to both High Guard and Home Guard facilities on over 500 worlds being attacked simultaneously and brought about the destruction of nearly half the Argosy fleet whilst it was at homeport. Among the casualties was the Vedran Empress, Sucharitkil XII who was assassinated when her royal barge was destroyed by a Nietzschean strike force whilst Earth itself was bombared frmo orbit though an attempt at seizing San-Ska-Re was repulsed by Than Home Gurd units but led to heavy casualties on both sides. (Website: All-Systems University Timeline) During the Nietzschean Uprising, the High Guard fought and were ultimately defeated by their foes despite possessing a fleet ten times of their foe as well as hundred times as many men. However, it was attributed to the fact that the High Guard had not fought a real war in over a thousand years as well as the large fleet that the Nietzscheans assembled combined with the element of surprise being the key to bringing about their destruction. (Episode: Under the Night) Since that time, the war was going badly for the High Guard with the Pax Magellanic being dispatched to the Herodotus system in order to retrieve a detachment of lancers led by General Sky Falls at Thunder who were pinned down by Nietzschean ground forces. (Episode: The Mathematics of Tears)

The soldiers in the High Guard managed to fight valiantly against their Nietzschean foe. High Guard Station Acheron which was a planetary missile battery emplacement on the planet Acheron which was one such battlefield. The Nietzschean Alliance was known to had made a push for the planet and lost 50 ships along with 3 mobile infantry divisions in the process but managed to capture Acheron and its High Guard Station which later fell into the hands of the Drago-Kazov Pride and was located on a primary travel route. (Episode: Una Salas Victus) Following the Battle of Hephaistos, the High Guard was known to had been slowly losing the war. In the final stages of the Nietzschean Tactical Offensive; Admiral Constanza Q. Stark managed to assemble a hundred ships by the Witchhead Nebula with the intention of assaulting the enemy homeworld of Fountainhead. However, the broken remnants of this fleet commanded by Captain Teddy Roosevelt on the flagship Termopoli were ambushed by a fleet of 500 Nietzschean ships. Despite being outnumbered, the High Guard forces fought bravely in the Battle of Witcchhead and despite being destroyed - they managed to cripple their Nietzschean foes to the point that the conflict became known as an unmitigaed disaster as the Nietzscheans turned against one another leading to the collapse of their alliance. (Episode: Angel Dark, Demon Bright)

In the post-Fall of the Commonwealth period, it was known that there were only a few High Guard vessels that survived. The Nightsider businessman known as Gerentex possessed a list of such vessels with the intention of looting them of their valuable technology. Salvaging of such ships became an obsession for him with one of his first attempts being made against the Andromeda Ascendant. There were at least five other possibilities before he settled on the Andromeda Ascendant though there were known to be at least another five hundred such leads. (Episode: The Mathematics of Tears) The remains of one such vessel were later taken over by the mobster Gunyan who turned the ship into his own private prison. (Episode: The Leper's Kiss) Another vessel to survive into the Long Night following the death of its crew was the Siege Perilous class warship known as the Balance of Judgement. After the death of his crew, he became fixated on its mission of waging war; first against pirates, poachers, strip miners before aligning itself with the Restorians. (Episode: Star Crossed) Certain worlds retained memory of Argosy Fleet Operations such as the planet Inarus. (Episode: Pitiless as the Sun)

As part of his attempts at restoring the Commonwealth, Dylan Hunt was responsible for the establishment of a new military academy on the planet Mobius with the intention of training soldiers, engineers and pilots for the new High Guard. (Episode: Lava and Rockets) Afterwards, Captain Hunt learnt that during the Fall, at least fifty High Guard vessels were captured by the Nietzscheans who imprisoned them within a camp in a star system code named Tartarus. More recent intelligence even indicated that the Drago-Kazov Pride had developed an AI Eraser capable of deleting the AI's of those vessels and thus rushed to the system. Hunt's goal consisted of two objectives; remove the ships from being used by the Drago-Kazov and to get their aid to help a restored High Guard as their complement consisted of enough ships to make two battlegroups. (Episode: The Knight, Death, and the Devil) By this point, High Guard headquarters was stationed on the planet Mobius and in CY 10089, they were contacted by Dylan Hunt to dispatch a fleet to Samsarra in order to protect it from a Pyrian incursion. (Episode: Point of the Spear)

Organization
Due to its role as the military wing of the Systems Commonwealth, the High Guard was charged with both the defense and exploration of the entirety of the Local Galactic Group. This meant that it had to cover a region of trillions of cubic light years in size and thus was divided into 10 area fleets. Each of these were charged with local forward presence responsibilities in various galactic entities which comprised the Local Group. (Website: All Systems University High Guard Fleet Organization) The High guard was divided into a number of different sub-branches that fit special roles within the military. Amongst their number included the Argosy Special Operations Service whose The unit motto of Argosy Special Operations Service was Una Salas Victus which translated to mean "The one hope of the doomed is not to hope for safety." Another branch was the Argosy Corps of Engineers that was responsible for the construction of weapon emplacements and kept detail plans of their layouts. (Episode: Una Salus Victus) Argosy Special Forces were a black ops unit within the High Guard who were well known for their skilled tactics. (Episode: Be All My Sin's Remembered) The Chief of Argosy Operations was in charge of deployment strategies for the High Guard. (Episode: The Fair Unknown) One of the sayings of the post-Fall High Guard was "we are a force of merit". (Episode: The All-Risk Point)

High Guard personnel were required to be disciplined and follow the chain of command with any unauthorized departures leading to the individual being detained for two weeks in the brig as a result. Every entity from organic being to artificial intelligence often swore oaths of loyalty to the Commonwealth in order to uphold its ideals and even sacrifice themselves if necessary. Furthermore, their vessels artificial intelligences possessed numerous classified documents on the High Guard including tactical procedure plans which made them a danger if the ship was ever deemed vulnerable and was why the intelligence was erased if it could not be recovered. Even commanding officers in the High Guard were privy to such important information such as sector troop positions, fleet movements and orders of battle which meant that they often preferred death over capture. Courses taught to military personnel were conducted at sites such as the Guards Advanced Studies Institute at Patterson's World. (Episode: The Mathematics of Tears) It was known that when High Guard officers went missing in enemy territory, search and rescue operations were often conducted to find them. (Episode: Music of a Distant Drum) Members of the High Guard often pledged to hold the line against the night. (Episode: It Makes a Lovely Light)

In the High Guard, it was deemed that knowledge was not a luxury but in fact a necessity which they referred to as D Minus Zero that was a reference to the first day of hostilities which indicated the first priority in a battle engagement was intelligence gathering. (Episode: D Minus Zero) During the time of the Commonwealth, Captains of the High Guard were often assigned four year tours of duty. Their final act when this service was over was to inspect the ship and hand it over to their executive first officer. (Episode: Fear and Loathing in the Milky Way) One of the highest states of emergency on a High Guard vessel was known to be a Code Black. (Episode: The Honey Offering) A Code Red was issued when the command staff of a vessel were incapacitated or killed. (Episode: Its Hour Come Round at Last) Code Blue was a general alert for the commanding officer to report to the bridge following an encounter. (Episode: And Your Heart Will Fly Away) Argosy Code 145 also known as an AC 145 was a condition given which stated that a High Guard officer had been taken hostage in a warzone and warned others to fire on their position whilst they approached with caution. (Episode: Be All My Sins Remembered) Classified memory files in an AI were often encrypted under an Argosy Level 7 Encryption. (Episode: Its Hour Comes Round at Last) Ship deployments included the use of an Argosy Fleet Formation which allowed ships to be slaved to the navigation system of the primary vessel. (Episode: Bunker Hill)

Before the Fall, the High Guard consisted of over 360,000 vessels with nearly 150,000 being dedicated combat/exploration platforms with remaining 210,000 serving as long range logistical support and operations. Amongst the various fleets, the High Guard was sub-divided into two units namely:
 * Heavy Cruiser Battle Groups (HCBGs) : standard deployments included a single Heavy Cruiser, four Deep Standoff Attack ships, sixteen Group Defense Frigates, nine Long-Range Suveillance ships and four Supply and Maintenance ships. These served as the primary forward presence units of the High Guard with their size and multi-mission capability making them the primarily deployed groups for the Commonwealth. Their adaptive nature meant they could serve as diplomatic service, first contact missions, intergalactic exploration or even sanction enforcement. Their distribution was typically approximately 3-4 light seconds with XMCs and SAMs being the core that were surrounded by other vessels. During combat oeprations, the XMC served as general command and control platforms though latency issues allowed them to rely on individual asset commanders to act independently. HCBG combat doctrine tended to be rigid but held respect to the rules of engagement and general maneuver.
 * Planetfall Readiness Groups (PRGs): standard deploeyments included a single Atmospheric Attack Craft Carrier with nine Drop Ship Carriers, four GDFs, three LRS and two SAMs. PRGs served as the spearhead in planetary combat operations though were rarely used by the Commonwealth with them being seen in planetary relief missions or planetary exploration. Standard distribution of fleet assets consisted of the AAC and DSC in high orbit which was determined by circumstances whilst inner patrols of GDFs being approximately 2 light seconds from the core whilst outer LRS patrols being 5 light seconds distant SAMs stayed within several thousandths of a GDFs escort or were operational core depending on the threat environment. Under combat operations, an AAC served as the Group Operational Commander. (Website: All Systems University High Guard Fleet Organization)

Among the military units within the High Guard included:
 * Argosy Squadron Alpha : an elite fighter squadron that served as an honor guard for the Tarazed forces. (Episode: Home Fires)
 * Triumvir Honor Guard : an honor guard detachment of ships and personnel such as Lancers who served to protect a Triumvir and ensure their safety. (Episode: Home Fires)
 * Argosy Special Operations Service Division 5 : a unit within the Argosy branch that were able to unlock classified files. (Episode: Its Hour Come Round at Last)

Awards given to officers that performed exemplary duty included the Order of the Vedran Empress. (Episode: All Too Human) Members of the High Guard felt a great sense of duty towards the Vedrans and felt in awe of them with complete trust in their orders; even if it meant death. (Episode: The Fair Unknown) Soldiers of this military organization were known to possess their own battle hyms which they sometimes sang in bars during recreational hours. (Episode: The Leper's Kiss) It was known that the joining of an AI to a starship was considered one of the High Guards most sacred occasions with it being equated to a birthday, graduation and marriage being merged together into one event. (Episode: Day of Judgement, Day of Wrath)

Under the Hobie River protocol specifically in article seven seven, no soldier could be forced to follow an order that was illegal. (Episode: Soon The Nearing Vortex)

Equipment
Members of this military institution wore uniforms that identified them as officers of the Systems Commonwealth who were typically assigned communication implants. (Episode: Its Hour Come Around at Last) Immune system nanobots were sometimes employed and if built up with concentration allowed a vessels AI to track such individuals. (Episode: The Widening Gyre) Much of their procedures and blueprints were stored of flexis that were touch sensitive plastic sheets which served as datapads. (Episode: To Loose the Fateful Lightning)

In terms of ground combat, one of the favourite weapons used by the High Guard was the Force Lance that was a smart gun. When retracted, they could be used as a light source or a scanner as well as a number of other functions and when deployed it could effectively be used as a quarterstaff in melee combat. In either configuration, it was able to fire tiny attack drones known as effectors which were actually smart bullets allowing them to travel in different trajectories in order to strike their target. (Episode: All Great Neptune's Ocean) As such, all that was required was for its wielder to point and fire whereupon the computer targeting system handled the rest. (Episode: Bunker Hill) In addition, these effectors were able to knock out enemy bullets even at close range thus making them effective interceptors of enemy weapon fire. (Episode: The Honey Offering) One of the modes on an force lancer was to place them in artillery intercept mode allowing them to home in on enemy mortar fire. (Episode: Last Call at the Broken Hammer) Force lancers were keyed to their owners DNA and if an unauthorized person picked up the weapon, they received an electric shock due to the capacitors beinf discharged that led to the wielder being rendered unconscious. Despite this security arrangement, it was possible to remotely control a Force Lancer either by voice command, pulse laser or microwave transmission so long as they individual possessed the right access codes. Through such a process, it was possible to remotely remove access to a Force Lance. (Episode: All Great Neptune's Ocean) Alternatively, a level 8 discharge setting on a Force Lance was capable of firing an electric discharge close to 10,000 volts though this left only enough power for three shots. (Episode: Dance of the Mayflies) If set to overload, a Force Lance was capable of exploding and serving as a form of plasma grenade. (Episode: All Too Human)

Another piece of equipment used by personnel were arm bands that contained ECM generators that disrupted the fire of smart bullets and prevented them from getting a lock on the wielder. (Episode: Fear and Loathing in the Milky Way) When facing the prospects of ground combat, members of the High Guard wore a black forming fitting body armor which included a Mark V and Mark VI version. (Episode: The Devil Take the Hindmost) Other forms of equipment included Mark V ECM Units were were capable of being requisitioned by Argosy Special Operations. (Episode: Una Salus Victus) In terms of ground forces, the High Guard was often supplemented by mechanical units such as Planetary Warfare Bots that were controlled by a vessels AI. (Episode: The Widening Gyre)

High Guard ships of the line contained a full range of combat capabilities which included the use of Nova Bombs. (Episode: An Affirming Flame) Amongst their smallest craft were Type 2 Arc Light Slipfighters. (Episode: To Loose the Fateful Lightning) They also made use of Mercy class Medical Support ships. (Episode: D Minus Zero)

Amongst the technologies used by the High Guard included a Footprint Magnification System (FMS) which projected a larger image ontop of a smaller ship allowing such craft to appear as a ship of the line. The purpose was to distract enemy warships from higher priority targets by forcing them to attack the ship being projected by the FMS. (Episode: D Minus Zero)

Quotes

 * ''Requested: One Mark V ECM Unit, 1000 km of fullerene cable, one low-yield nuclear warhead
 * Purpose: Surprise party for a foreign dignitary''
 * -- Argosy Special Operations requisition form, CY 9512 (Episode: Una Salus Victus)


 * ''If we do not live another day,
 * Say this over our pyre:
 * They died like High Guard Lancers
 * With their faces to the fire.''
 * - Regimental Hymn of the 13th Imperial Lancers, CY 4233 (Episode: The Widening Gyre)


 * ''You can't outrun Death forever,
 * But you can make the bastard work for it.''
 * - Major Korgo Korgar, "Last of the Lancers", AFC 32 (Episode: Lava and Rockets)


 * If hope is the engine of the soul, Then duty is the navigator... And love is the fuel.
 * -- High Guard Supreme Commander, Sani nax Rifati (Episode: The Mathematics of Tears)


 * Here's everything I know about war: somebody wins, somebody loses, and nothing is ever the same again.
 * -- Admiral Constanza Stark (Episode: D Minus Zero)

Personnel

 * Constanza Q. Stark : a female Human Admiral within the High Guard and aunt to Sara Riley, she assigned Dylan Hunt and Gaheris Rhade on a covert ops mission to extract the dictator of the planet Mobius. (Episode: Forced Perspective)
 * Sky Falls at Thunder : a General who led the Lancer forces on Herodotus before being killed in the Nietzschean assault on the planet. (Episode: The Mathematics of Tears) Due to name, its possible this was a Than but this is speculation.
 * Warrick : a Human captain that served on the Pax Magellanic and got involved in a romantic relationship with the vessels female AI. He took his crew to reinforce the High Guard ground forces on Herodotus but when they were overwhelmed, Warrick ordered his ship to self destruct. However, she refused as she felt betrayed and destroyed the planet thus killing Warrick along with the Nietzscheans. (Episode: The Mathematics of Tears)
 * Borotep Yeshgar : a female Inari who served as Captain by the time of the Nietzschean Uprising, she was in command of the Renewed Valor and was a friend of Captain Dylan Hunt. Her vessel was tasked with scouting the Witchhead Nebula where she encountered a time displaced Andromeda Ascendant along with Hunt. Hunt offered to take her into the future which she accepted but before she could join him, her vessel was attacked by the Nietzscheans leading to the Battle of the Witchhead which led to her death. (Episode: Angel Dark, Demon Bright)
 * Dylan Hunt : a male Human officer who formerly served in Argosy Special Operations Divison 5. (Episode: Its Hour Come Round at Last) Was involved in a rescue mission to extract Sara Riley from a science facility where he was aided by Ismael Khalid. (Episode: The Banks of the Lethe) Promoted to Captain of the Andromeda Ascendant after the success of the mission on Mobius where he worked alongside Gaheris Rhade. (Episode: Forced Perspective) Managed to survive the fall of the Commonwealth after being trapped in a black hole. (Episode: Under the Night)
 * Gaheris Rhade : a male Nietzschean officer who was assigned to a mission to extract Mobius's dictator and served with Dylan hunt on the mission after which he was assigned as first officer on the Andromeda Ascendant (Episode: Forced Perspective) Continued to serve as first officer under Captain Dylan Hunt but betrayed him during the Nietzschean Uprising, Gaheris was killed in a firefight on the ships bridge. (Episode: Under the Night)
 * Refractions of Dawn : a Than lieutenant that served as pilot to the Andromeda Ascendant, refused to abandon ship and stayed with Captain Hunt during the Battle of Hephaistos where she was killed in an act of betrayal by first officer Gaheris Rhade. (Episode: Under the Night)
 * Ismael Khalid : a male Nietzschean loyalist, serve with Dylan Hunt to rescue the staff of a science facility raided by Magog where they met Sara Riley. During the Uprising, Ismael remained with the High Guard and believed his species were fools as their highest hopes of survival laid with the Commonwealth. (Episode: The Banks of the Lethe)
 * Perim : a Perseid, formerly a commander before being promoted to captain the Andromeda Ascendant on a classified mission to chart the source of the Magog invasion. (Episode: Its Hour Come Round at Last) He was later killed when the Magog boarded his ship and killed the crew. (Episode: The Widening Gyre)
 * Kylie Vance : female Human holding the rank of Major and in charge of the Lancers onboard the Andromeda Ascendant. (Episode: Ouroboros)
 * Eddie Aldritch : male Human third mechineer who graduated first in his class and held very advanced theories of slipstream travel as well as had exceptional aptitude for rapid navigation along with footprint camouflage. He filed a number of complaints against fellow crew members for harassment and was later to the Andromeda Ascendant. He died in the mech shop when a piece of hull fell on him during the Nietzschean Uprising and his spirit haunted the ship in CY 10089 but saved the vessel from an infestation of metallivore parasites but sacrificed his existence in doing so. (Episode: For Whom the Bell Tolls)
 * Munroe : the first Human Admiral in the High Guard who was given an operation by the Vedrans in a suicidal attack against the Pyrians which cost Munroe along with his fleet their lives but ultimately allowed them to win the war. (Episode: The Fair Unknown)

Vessels

 * Andromeda Ascendant : Glorious Heritage class vessel, ships AI was female who later received an android avatar known as Rommie. (Episode: To Loose a Fateful Lightning)
 * Renewed Valor : Eternal Vigilance class ship, was destroyed when the Nietzscheans arrived at the Witchhead Nebula. (Episode: Angel Dark, Demon Bright)
 * Pax Magellanic : Glorious Heritage class vessel, ships AI was female who was nicknamed Maggie and was a highly decorated warship which went under the command of Captain Warrick as well as entered into a romantic relationship with him. During the Uprising, he ordered her to self destruct but she refused the order and ejected her slipstream core into the planet Herotodus thus destroying it along with her crew leading to her going insane. (Episode: The Mathematics of Tears)
 * Balance of Judgement : Siege Perillous class warship, ships AI was male and had an android avatar known as Gabriel who survived the Fall despite the loss of his crew whereupon he went insane. This led to him founding the Restorians in an effort to destroy any space going vessel as he believed interstellar travel was a plague on the universe. (Episode: Star-Crossed)
 * Wrath of Achilles a Wrath of Achilles class DX II class warship, commissioned in the final stages of the war with a male AI and was one of the fifty ships trapped in the Tartarus system. (Episode: The Knight, Death, and the Devil)
 * Clarion's Call : a Lancer Corps troop transport, AI was a male known as Ryan who was captured in the Uprising and trapped in Tartarus by the Nietzscheans until he managed to escape but was once again captured as well as turned into a casino ship by Nightsiders. (Episode: The Knight, Death, and the Devil)
 * Million Voices : Glorious Heritage class vessel, possessed a female AI known as Mila and was one of the fifty ships trapped in the Tartarus system. During the Uprising, she was in drydock at San-Ska-Re when a Nietzschean commando squad boarded her though she managed to scale up her AG field which crushed the invaders though she was ultimately captured in the fighting. (Episode: The Knight, Death, and the Devil)
 * Blackwatch: unknown class and one of the fifty ships trapped in the Tartarus system. (Episode: The Knight, Death, and the Devil)

Appearances

 * Andromeda: