Aquarian Elite Guard
Elite Guard
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The Elite Guard (Draconic: cohortes eligere) was an elite unit of the Republican Aquarian army whose members served as personal bodyguards and intelligence for state officials. Its members were advanced super-soldiers with superhuman strength, speed, and agility. Much stronger than the Legionnaires and the Vulpes, Aquaria deploys the Elite Guard for special missions that require the greatest use of strength.

They were founded by Rufus Candidus Junius II after his expedition to Aventus.

The Elite Guard are the only military unit permanently stationed within Sophosium. They shared similar insignia on their shields and breastplate. The most recognizable Elite symbol is the Wolf.

Physical characteristics


All Elite Guardsmen have blood red eyes. This is due to the drinking of the Blood of the Ark.

Organization


The Elite Prefect was the commanding officer. He, in turn, was under the direct command of the Aquarian Consulship.

Elite guardsmen are divided in three classes: Prima, Secunda, and Tertia. Prima Elite deploy for the most important (and usually most dangerous) missions, while Secunda, and Tertia mostly assist the Legions or the Prima Elite, or are in charge of less important missions. New units are recruited as Tertia and the best are promoted to Secunda, and only distinguished Secunda Elite reach Prima.

Initially formed with 500 men.

In order not to alienate the population of Sophosium, while conserving Republican civilian traditions, the Elite Guard did not wear their armor while in the heart of the city. Instead they often wore a formal toga, trimmed with colors to distinguish their rank. This distinguished them from civilians but remained in a respectable attire.


1st Class SOLDIERs are given special privileges, such as the use of personal items, clothing, and equipment, as well as the right to deny orders assuming any responsibilities from their decisions. According to the Crisis Core Complete Guide[1] SOLDIERs in and of themselves are Shinra industrial secrets, and to prevent information from leaking outside company walls, it is difficult for SOLDIER members to retire, and even if they are allowed to quit Shinra, the company will monitor their subsequent actions. Even if people believe they have evaded surveillance, Shinra will follow them for the remainder of their lives, and, in a worst case scenario, the company will have them killed.

Children around the planet dream of joining SOLDIER and becoming 1st Class like the hero Sephiroth. To further boost the organization's popularity, and for use as a propaganda tool, Shinra has created fan clubs for many of the 1st Class SOLDIERs.

SOLDIER operatives are easily recognizable by the "glow" their eyes take after being enhanced by mako. According to President Shinra in the Final Fantasy VII Remake, the mako infusion progress SOLDIER candidates undergo greatly reduces their lifespan due to accelerating cellular degradation.[2]

1st Class privileges informally include the use of personal equipment, the use of rationed supplies outside of missions, and the right to veto orders. 1st Class SOLDIER members also have the option to fuse materia to obtain more powerful magic and abilities.

Regardless of rank, due to their treatment, genetic reinforcement, and Mako infusion, all SOLDIERs can use gathered external mako that accumulates in their bodies, which is shown in Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- to be a catalyst for Materia Fusion and used for unleashing Limit Breaks. This power is measured in a statistic called SOLDIER Points.

Approximately 30 years before the beginning of Final Fantasy VII, the Jenova Project was initiated to produce a human-Cetra hybrid using the cells from Jenova (mistaken to be a Cetra) and Mako Energy from the planet. The result was Sephiroth, who, although not having the powers of a Cetra as originally intended, was a child with exceptional abilities. Shinra recognized his potential and a method was planned to mass produce more fighters of his type.

Using similar processes, Shinra exposed promising warriors to raw mako giving their eyes the unique "glow." Although eclipsed by Sephiroth, the new warriors, called SOLDIER, gained powers surpassing those of a normal combatant. They were sent on the more dangerous or important missions, had access to more equipment and information, and were higher ranked than other members of the army and would be used to great effectiveness during the Wutai War.

Although the Final Fantasy VII Ultimania Omega posits that Sephiroth was "the first to be a SOLDIER"[3], the timeline suggests various elements of SOLDIER were already in place before his birth, such as Deepground that originally existed as a medical facility for SOLDIER, and the same Ultimania Omega that labeled Sephiroth as the "first to be SOLDIER" also mentions Shinra having deployed SOLDIER before the Jenova Project (whose members were showered in mako to strengthen them). Other official material, such as Final Fantasy 20th Anniversary Ultimania File 2: Scenario, posits that SOLDIER was introduced in the Wutai War.[3] Whatever the case, Sephiroth could still be taken to be the first "Jenova-enhanced" SOLDIER.

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