The Dragon Guard

[Silhouette]

Recent events had proven to Gaunter that security of the nations executives needed to be seriously improved. Over the last six months, Raglan had been training the first group of the Dragon Guard. A group whose sole responsibility was the security of the state. The first group was made up of seven successful candidates out of a pool of 400. The tests and requirements of succeeding were above and beyond anything previously required by the NSW-AF.

First and foremost, each candidate had to be male, and at least six feet tall, simply to be accepted into the programme. The first three weeks comprised of brutal physical training and examinations. By the end of which, each man was capable of lifting deadweights of up to 150 kilograms, breaking in a door, and breaking necks with a well placed blow. Not only that, but the next two weeks of endurance and speed training ensured that they could operate at optimum efficiency for 90 minutes, sprint 100 metres in 12 seconds at a minimum, and a mile in no more than six and a half minutes.

The physical examinations eliminated more than half of the original intake.

The next week involved rigourous psychological strain. How they would react under stress and torture, and, more importantly, their basic state of mind. A further 100 were eliminated due to insufficent psychological mettle.

The next week was spent undertaking mental apptitude examinations. This included tactical decision making, as well as other more standard questions. To pass this stage the applicant had to have an I.Q. of more than 135 averaged over five tests of different formats, and show significant tactical apptitude, as decided by Raglan and a small group of advisors.

This narrowed the group down to 50.

Then followed five weeks of weapons training. This covered every imaginable type of arm, from knives to sniper rifles, clubs to machine guns. Those whom could not consistently hit the x-ring with every weapon by the end of the period were sent packing.

This left 20 for the final three months, all of which was based around scenarios that they could possibly face. These trials took everything that they should have learned, and put it into practice, this is where they seperated the men from the boys.

And so there were seven. Some who would have otherwise succeeded had been dismissed, usually for being found in the possession of drugs, or other banned substances. These men would form the cadre involved in training the Dragon Guard from now on, and would also be the primary team for dealing with public unrest, and threats upon the political leadership of the nation.

They stood in front of Raglan in full battle dress. Black fatigues reinforced with kevlar fibres, a heavy steel and kevlar bulletproof vest, and lighter, more mobile plates of kevlar on their thighs, groin, upper arms, and neck. Each was waiting for the final addition to their uniform, their blood red beret, which would mark them apart from their comrades-in-arms as an elite unit, and thier brevet officers rank. When these were presented, they saluted Raglan as one man, which was returned with great pride by their new OC.