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 W'Kedh, 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 for simplicity often be referred to as 'of the V'Ket'. Another possibility is that the order, while not as strictly matriarchal as much of ancient Vulcan society and in fact often led by men, has historically counted between 50-65% women among its members, and their offspring was frequently raised within the order. While certainly not all those children would eventually come to enter the order themselves (good examples being the poet Ayhan and the mystic Haadok), it was also not uncommon for a V'Ket to have several ancestors within the order.
By the mid YS 8600eds (the 21st/22nd century Federation Standard) the order had once more declined into twilight, the demand for highly trained bodyguards and fierce warriors having dwindled to near nothing since the Time of Awakening, and even the meditative techniques practiced by the V'Ket considered outdated. With Vulcan's emergence as a power in its own right and seething conflict with Andoria - not to mention a growing concern over Klingon expansionism - the by then increasingly militaristic Vulcan Council voted to call the Superior General (the highest rank of the V'Ket order) to a position on the High Command. While the initial offer was declined, the successor of the aging Superior General eventually negotiated an agreement which established the V'Ket as the planet's elite security force under the High Command, while administration, training and spiritual matters would firmly remain under the order's aegis.
It is likely that this insistence on a measure of autonomy and their unwillingness to morph into a purely military force was what allowed the V'Ket to weather the upheavals of the High Command being returned to its original purpose after 2154. Remaining under the command of the Grand Admiral, the V'Ket returned to their more traditional role of guardians, although adapting it to the spacefaring age in their function of protecting starship crews and in some measure, their home planet.
For the past centuries the V'Ket have been content to play a minor role as the small but well trained and highly efficient force in the background, rendering assistance in crisis situations as needed. Since YS 8972 (mid-24th century Federation Standard) the V'Ket maintain a small unit of emergency first responders in cooperation with T'Shen monastery. The two specially modified Seleya-class starships flying under the sigil of this unit are equipped to handle anything from natural disasters to high risk search and rescue operations and have gained a measure of fame due to their rapid deployment times and efficient track record.
Weapons
The traditional primary weapon of the V'Ket is the Ma'azikh sword, a lightly curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular (rarely a squared) guard, and a long grip to accommodate the two handed fighting style. Today the Ma'azikh is often referred to as a S'Harien style sword, as the design was the one favored by the famous Vulcan swordsmith. In the style of desert travelers, and to allow for other, smaller arms to be carried on one's belt, the sword is carried slung across the back.
The secondary weapon in ancient times were Lek'tana daggers, and many V'ket still train with these deadly close combat arms today. Similar in style to the Ma'azikh, the Lek'tana daggers possess a longer handle in proportion to the blade, and most designs have only a very light curve. Lek'tana are generally carried in pairs.
Since the invention of energy weapons the secondary weapon is usually a sidearm like a small phaser pistol. In 2307 the f'rell-bar permitted the use of customized energy weapons for V'Ket, however most still favor the sturdy Fisahr rev-gotavu (a sleek phaser-type pistol) for its light weight and superior accuracy.
For ceremonial purposes the V'Ket also carry lirpas, one of the oldest known weapons on Vulcan. The extent of use of this staff weapon in the order's history is uncertain, though several illustrations in ancient manuscripts point to it as being part of their standard weaponry at least during some time periods.
Structure
The V'Ket are under command of the f'rel-barr (Grand Admiral) who in turn answers to the Vulcan Planetary Council.
Due to their unique history the ranking system is at best a formality, with individual V'Ket often ceding command to a more experienced member of the unit, or one better qualified for a specific mission. While this approach often baffles and confuses species with more rigid hierarchical military structures, the V'Ket themselves deem it perfectly logical.
The V'Ket also maintain a separate headquarters near Te'Rashar with their own Superior General, who oversees training and internal administrative matters.
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