On Vulcan informally referred to as "The Guardians", the V'Ket are the planet's elite military force reporting directly to the High Command.
Mainly concerned with planetary defense, the V'Ket are also serving as honor guards at major events or certain religious rites. Under command of the f'rell-bar (Grand Admiral) they maintain a small fleet of starships.
History
Founded likely some four to five thousand years before Surak, the warrior-priest order of the W'há Ķed-esh (anc. Infinite Loyalty) first gained renown as exceptional bodyguards. Notoriously disinterested in either wealth or political machinations, their services could only be obtained by direct request; and such requests were granted or denied on a seemingly arbirtary basis.
While at times V'Ket bodyguards were a popular status symbol among Vulcan noble houses, at other times the order almost fell into obscurity. This waxing and waning of awareness among Vulcan's clans and historians has led to some confusion concerning the order's origin, and in fact its very tenets; though the V'Ket's current headquarters in Te'Rashar are said to contain extensive archives.
Most historical sources agree the first W'há Ķed-esh monasteries were likely located in the province of Tat'Sahr, and by roughly YS6300 the order maintained presences in Kir, Shi'Al and Kel. It is around this time that the ancient name W'há Ķed-esh first appears in its shortened form V'Ket, and often referred to by contemporaries as 'warrior-caste'. While certainly not accurate, this term has nonetheless become somewhat of a colloquialism still in use today, and the V'Ket themselves tend to accept it as such.
A possible reason for the misconception of the V'Ket operating as a caste, or clan, is that historically the monasteries adopted and raised orphans regardless of their origins, and children of unknown origin and without clan-names would be refered to as 'of the V'Ket'.
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