The Golden Guard of California

The Golden Guard of the Revolution is the police force of the Condor Flag Party, distinct from the national military, with its own ranking system and insignia. It is roughly 25% of the size of the army, and is distributed across the state. In addition to law enforcement, the Guard runs the ICR’s penal system, patrols internal (metropolitan) borders, provides security for inmate firefighting teams, and provide emergency medical services (via the Rabbit corps). The Commissioner of the Guard, the Guards' highest-ranking officer, sits on the Party's Leadership Committee.
The life of a Guard is lavish by Californian standards. Guard commissions are generous and come with the guarantee of an excellent riparian rank, including comparatively luxurious rations and housing. Many Guards also accept bribes, extort targets marked for execution, or cajole friends and fellow Party rank-and-file into offering up other under-the-table perks. Guards are popularly portrayed as pure, brave romantic heroes, front line soldiers in the war against counterrevolutionary terrorists and American infiltrators – and as such, get their pick of sexual partners, though few of them marry. They are all but immune from retaliation by Party officials, barring major mishaps or political scandals.
But for all the glitz and glamour, it is a dangerous and difficult job. Hundreds of Guards are killed in the line of duty each year, usually by smugglers or those in their employ. They are effectively always on duty; desertion is a severe criminal offense, and officers serve for life. Guards must stay with their assigned partner at all times, and may not deviate at will from their assigned task. They go where they are told to go, live where they are assigned to live, and eat and sleep when they have permission to do so. They devote their lives to protecting the Party and its ideals, and are prepared to die for it at a moment's notice.

Structure

Corps

The Guard delegates its myriad responsibilities to several branches, called corps. Each corps draws recruits from its own specialized academy. A soldier can apply for their preferred academy upon satisfactory completion of their year of service, provided they do not have a criminal record and/or a bad class background. There is a hierarchy internal to each corps, though equivalent ranks of different corps are paid equally. (See sidebar.)
Ranks in descending order are as follows:

1. Commissioner¹
2. Deputy Commissioner²
3. Division Commander³
4. Colonel
5. Major
6. Captain
7. Lieutenant
8. Sergeant
9. Officer
10. Cadet (training)

¹ Only one Guard of any corps may hold this rank. Must be nominated by a Division Commander and approved by a majority of Division Commanders.
² Usually two or three Guards hold this rank. Must be nominated by the Commissioner and be approved by a majority of Division Commanders.
³ As the name implies, only one Guard per division holds this rank. They are the highest-ranking member of their division, with administrative authority over all Guards working in that division, regardless of corps.
The most prominent Guard corps include (heraldic animal in parentheses):

Motor corps (Jaguar/Ocelotl)

Provide security for party higher-ups, chase down and eliminate fugitives and smugglers, find and destroy contraband. The Jaguars, named for the pelt-wearing Aztec warriors of old and the conspicuous snarl of their motorcycles, are Guard’s most infamous subdivision. They are fearsome assassins, capable of mowing down dozens of soft targets at a time. But acting as a two-man team or four- or six-man squad, they can take down even large or well-armored vehicles at speeds in excess of 80mph. As part of their training, they must memorize the layout of California highways, and are renowned for their sense of direction.

Air corps (Hummingbird/Huitzitzili)

surveillance and long-distance support via helicopter. Most Hummingbirds train as either pilots, technicians or snipers.

Political corps (Puma/Miztli)

The elite of the elite. Highly educated and well-paid. Report directly to the Deputy Commissioner and are not tied to a division. Responsible for ensuring ideological conformity in the military and conducting civilian outreach programs. Act as liaisons between different corps and between the Guard, the party and the national military. Responsible for punishing wayward Guard units. Their approach usually heralds the arrival of high Party officials.

Transit corps (Alligator/Cipactli)

Patrol subways, waterways (ferries, etc.) and train systems, especially those that cross internal borders. One of the most numerous corps, they deal most directly with bike couriers.

Ranger corps (Deer/Mazatll)

Patrol parks and other remote natural areas. Often paired with penal officer.

Science corps (Rabbit/Tochtli)

Consists of medical, psyops and research subdivisions, medical being the largest by far. Non-combatant but highly educated in the area of their specialty, the majority of Rabbits function as paramedics with ideological training. Often paired with penal officer, ostensibly to protect Rabbits from being robbed of drugs, equipment or emergency water supplies.

Penal corps (Hound/Itzcuintli)

guard prisoner teams at work sites and occasionally assist in their duties. They have no academy; most are retirees, hand-selected conscripts, or members of other corps who chronically misbehave. Stereotyped as stupid brutes.

Special corps (Owl/Tecolotl)

Undercover plainclothes work, especially surveillance. It is believed they are the most numerous subdivision, but they virtually never appear in uniform. Several mysterious deaths have been popularly (though unofficially) attributed to Owls.

Divisions

Jurisdiction is further broken down by geographic areas called divisions. Each division is managed by its own assistant commissioner, who in turn reports to the head or deputy commissioner (located in the city in parentheses).

• Northland (Redding)
• Valley (Sacramento)
• Bay (San Francisco)
• Midland (Fresno)
• Southland (Los Angeles)
• Border (San Diego)
• Coastal (San Luis Obispo)
• Inland (San Bernardino)

Uniforms

Guard uniforms are somewhat specialized to the duties of each particular officer, but all are black with golden-tinted bronze accents. They bear the officer's surname, the Guard heraldry (a patch on the right arm, bearing the visage of the Aztec god Tlaloc) and the Party heraldry (a patch on the left). In addition to the golden brass shoulder bars and diamond-shaped studs signifying their rank, Guards wear golden Neo-Aztec-stylized collar pins shaped like their corps’ heraldic animal. This allows for easy cross-cultural communication of their duties and rank.
Jaguars are often seen in black leather gear, and have distinctive gold-bronze hot shoes on the soles of their riding boots. They wear 3/4 helmets when riding. Guard dress uniforms are black or grey, depending on rank, and include traditional Stetson-style hats.

Public Agenda

On the surface, where the Army concerns itself with threats external to the nation, the Guard is tasked with maintaining internal security. They are to do this in the context of an ongoing (cold) war against the US, and are therefore authorized to act with as much force as the state deems necessary.
In reality, the Guard's prerogative is ensuring the Party (and its leader, personally) retains its grip on power – including protecting the state's monopoly on food and water. Hence, the Guard's primary duty is the capture and destruction of contraband, and maintenance of the black market more generally. They are also responsible for policing more overtly counterrevolutionary activity, and may spend much of their time tracking down and arresting (those they are told are) subversives and fugitives.

Assets

The Guards account for a large portion of the ICR's massive military spending. They wear fine uniforms, carry higher-quality weapons and (in the case of Jaguars) ride custom-built motorcycles, and are encouraged to spare no expense in the course of their work.

Armament

Golden Guards carry a variant of Marakov pistol with an attachable suppressor and unique cosmetic detailing (redwood paneling on stock). They also carry ornamented combat knives.
Jaguars also make use of a specialized semi-automatic weapon mounted to the chassis of their motorcycles (most adapted from Vietnam-era M1’s). These guns are slaved to the bikes, and are usually deployed via a ‘heel-turn’ powerslide maneuver against moving targets. When the bike is stationary, they can also be manually unhinged from their supports and rotated 90 degrees, allowing for turret-like use.
Alligators prefer heavier arms like shotguns and rifles. Hounds exclusively carry rifles. Rabbits are sometimes unarmed, especially when around other Guards.

History

The Guard grew out of the state police agency (CHP), as the Party began openly soliciting disillusioned or disgruntled military and police officers during its initial ascendancy. Many of its most senior officers have pre-secession police experience (most former US army personnel opted to join the state army instead of the Guard).

Type

Government, Law Enforcement

Alternative Names

Guards, or their heraldic animals ("Jaguars", etc.)

Parent Organization

The Condor Flag Party

Notable Members

• Cole Rodriguez