The Kastet Military Caste

The Kastet is the hereditary military caste, of Telvan culture which makes up much of the Telvan Empire's Elite Military forces.

They hold a unique position in Telvan society, being placed somewhere in the middle of the caste hierarchy, with them being high in status and power but weak in choice and autonomy.

They are all considered the property of the emperor, who delegated them to the military for military service or to government bureaus for security, police work, etc. The Emperor and royal family often strictly control the amount of Kastet soldiers that a private organization -like an aristocratic house- can have at one time.

The most elite well-trained soldiers often serve the royal family directly, or make up the most elite forces of the Telvan empire.

Role in Society

The Kastet are a military caste and all of its members are enlisted in the military as career soldiers and military strategists, and they make up the Telvan Empire’s elite standing military. They are trained from childhood and those who do not perform well are placed in cannon fodder positions.

Besides being the elite military forces, the Kastet also make up the ranked officers, mostly for regiments made up of other castes, but occasionally for regiments of Kastet.

How are They Viewed?

The common public, especially those belonging to the untouchable castes who are more likely to have a bad encounter with the military or law enforcement, often view the Kastet as scary, dangerous, and not to be trusted due to their training and loyalty to the empire. 

The upper castes often view the Kastet as simple bodyguards and servants; They are often seen as uneducated and rather brutish as well. This naive view is most likely due to the Kastet being kept segregated from the rest of society unless they are doing their duties as well as the superiority complex encouraged in the upper castes.

The royal family also sees the Kastet with a certain level of suspicion due to their strong military presence. It is due to these suspicions, that the Telvan aristocracy has put so much effort into making the Kastet so loyal and subservient to the empire through rigorous training and breeding programs.

In terms of justification, the Telvan empire holds that the original Kastet members were military enlisters who signed themselves, and their descendants, up for life long military service. There is also justification of them being “made” for the military as well as their food and bed being provided for by the government. The Kastet who rebel against the system are seen as cowardly traitors who are ungrateful for their jobs, food, and beds which the government and the Lanbe rulers provide and are often punished if not executed.

Military Compounds

The Kastet live in designated military housing -located inside cities as neighborhoods or inside building complexes- where they live and work with other members of their caste, segregated from the rest of Telvan society.

Their military housing is more often barracks like with multiple individuals sharing a single room. Officers of higher rank tend to get better, more private housing units. These housing buildings often also have a communal kitchen or cafeteria where they can have food.

The larger compounds and military bases are also home to cafeterias, training schools, and other necessities that they can use for daily life and training of their children.

Breeding Program

The Kastet are also the subject of government-funded breeding programs that encourage or discourage certain traits through eugenics, which are often aimed at creating better, stronger, more loyal, and subservient soldiers.

These breeding programs include the use of egg donors and sperm donors -sometimes both- to encourage certain genetic traits in the Kastet population. Matchmaking and IVF are also used. Alongside this, some members of the Kastet caste are sterilized, often due to having traits or behaviors deemed undesirable by the program overseers, or after they have been deemed finished with the program. 

When participating in these programs the Kastet subjects are put on “off duty” often being moved to a larger more secure military complex to be observed. The Female subjects are of course “off duty” for longer periods than the men.

There is often some element of genetic manipulation and engineering involved in these programs.

Breaking of Family Units & the Use of Squads

The Kastet Family unit is broken down from the offset, with offspring being separated from their parents shortly after birth and being sent to the training schools where they are raised in nurseries until they are old enough to begin their training.

While in the latter stages of their training, the children will be assigned into squads, with whom they eat, sleep, and train, which fosters a sense of loyalty and often creates long-term bonds that function as family units. 

After graduating training these squads are often deployed or assigned to the same assignments together to continue the sense of loyalty. As they continue their careers, the squads are often split up as they are assigned different ranks and assignments, but they still often maintain a sense of sentimentality and family surrounding these squads.

Planet of Origin
Telva
Culture of Origin
Telvan - Ethnicity

Fashion

Kastet clothing is very utilitarian and simple but is made up of durable and heavy-duty material that can hold up to the heavy training and activities of the military. Their clothing also has elements like sleeve stripes that designate branch and rank. Overall, their clothing and fashion are much more militaristic than the rest of Telvan fashion.

Kastet will also have more formal dress uniforms that involve more decorative metals and elements which often designate branch and rank.

The Kastet also have a tradition of facial tattoos that make them easily identifiable as well as make it harder for them to desert or hide.

Short hair is also common and encouraged for the Kastet and in their lines of work.

Childrearing & Education

The Kastet children are often separated from their families at infancy being sent to the training schools where they will learn all the skills and rules that come with being a Kastet, as well as being propagandized to be loyal to the empire over everything else. It is also at these training schools where children -often in their teens- will be sorted into different branches or roles regarding the military or law enforcement often keeping the child's skills, ancestry, and genetic potential in mind.

They may also be trained in engineering, piloting, and navigation however they are not often recognized for these skills, with these more being seen as necessary skills for traveling and working on large military ships.

After being taken to the training schools, familial ties are severed and new bonds are fostered between the assigned squads and their assigned leaders.