Dominion Royal Guard

The Royal Guard, also known as the Elite Guard and the Imperial Guard, were an elite unit within the Terran Dominion and, before it, the Sons of Korhal. They were drawn from Arcturus Mengsk's most loyal followers and stationed on Korhal, where they were entrusted with the security of and the patrolling of the grounds of Korhal Palace, though they were sometimes dispatched on away missions. The guardsmen were noted by Nova Terra to be very good at their work, and they served as the personal guard of the Mengsk emperors from the founding of the Dominion through the wars that followed.

Origins in the Sons of Korhal#

The Royal Guard began as the most loyal followers of Arcturus Mengsk within the Sons of Korhal, the rebel movement that warred against the Terran Confederacy. The guard fought alongside Mengsk during Mengsk's Uprising, and at the fall of Tarsonis they attempted to prevent the escape of Raynor's Raiders from the doomed planet. When Mengsk crowned himself and raised the Terran Dominion from the wreckage of the Confederacy, the guard made the transition with him, becoming the personal guard of the new emperor. They were known by several names over the years, being called the Elite Guard and the Imperial Guard as well as the Royal Guard.

Service through the Brood War and after#

As the emperor's personal guard, the Royal Guard continued to fight during the Brood War, seeing action on Braxis and on Korhal itself against the invasion of the United Earth Directorate. They remained the watch over Korhal Palace, entrusted with its security and the patrol of its grounds, but were also sent abroad on missions when the emperor required them. In 2503 the guard was struck during the spectre assault on Korhal Palace. All members of the guard close to Mengsk were killed in the attack, though the spectres were ultimately repelled by Nova Terra, whose own assessment of the guardsmen was that they were very good at their job.

The Second Great War and the fall of Arcturus#

During the Second Great War, strike teams of the Royal Guard were deployed around the sector through the second half of the conflict. When the zerg came to Korhal, the guard tried to repel the initial waves but could not prevent the swarm from securing a foothold on the world. As the zerg pressed into the city, the Royal Guard took command of the final defence around Korhal Palace, yet for all their elite skill they failed to defend their emperor, and Arcturus Mengsk fell.

Guarding the new emperor#

The guard passed into the service of the new emperor, Valerian Mengsk. Two Royal Guard marines stood watch over Valerian during the Defenders of Man Insurgency as he made his speech on Vardona exposing the Defenders of Man. The episode also revealed division within the unit, for several members of the Royal Guard had themselves defected to the Defenders of Man and stood with the insurgent loyalists in their final stand at the Cerros Shipyards.