Assassin
He hides in the shadows, his identity a closely-kept state secret. Those who know he exists find out much too late, and never have time to wonder why.
The Leader keeps in clandestine employ an otherwise marked individual: an exiled warrior. The warrior gains a cloak of protection, and carte blanche to "take care of" anyone who needs it (or doesn't, depending on political tides and the Leader's whims). Although it is generally considered accepted and logical that such a person does exist, no one knows his identity and even fewer want to know. Those who do learn it realize that it is too late for them, but often do not have time to wonder what it is they did to end up in this situation, if they did anything at all.
Depending on leadership, this person's services are not always needed, but among higher ups it is considered more humane and less damaging overall than clan killing.Career
Qualifications
An assassin can only be recruited from individuals who have both served in the military (preferably with a distinguished record), and been exiled for one reason or another. Someone stripped of their citizenship allows the Leader some plausible deniability should any of the kills be discovered.
Other Benefits
One of the crucial but unseen benefits is the cloak of protection granted by the position, by proximity to the Leader. By default they hold a position among The Leader's Favorite People, which itself grants a form of diplomatic immunity within The Nine Systems (but, it should be noted, not abroad).
Perception
History
Although a lot of powerful people have asked others under the table to "hunt" someone, this post was not officially established until after the revolt which took Raida's life in late 2441 and a new leader took charge. It was a political response to the atrocities, one that said, "We will not target innocents, we do not need to." The post has seen varying amounts of work ever since, and has become kind of a whispered-about marker of how well a leader performs (i.e. more killings, lower public approval rating).
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