The Neimoidian Gunnery Battalion, also known as the Royal Guard, was a Separatist military unit created by the Separatist Council of the Confederacy of Independent Systems to provide important officials with sentient guards when it was too risky to use droids that were vulnerable to centralized deactivation.
A Neimoidian sniper
The battalion comprised Neimoidian warriors who wore distinctive bronze armor that mimicked an ancient beetle-knight design of the Neimoidian Royal Guard from a pre-industrial era and carried blaster rifles or battle staffs mass-produced for use during the Clone Wars. These guns loosely resembled the shape of older powder-based weapons. They were also known to wield Weequay blaster pistols on board Trade Federation vessels. The snipers wore the same armor as that of the warriors, but the uniform was a bottle-green. Commanders' armor and battle staves were silver, and bore the symbol of the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS) after its formation.
Some members of the battalion were recruited from the lower levels of Neimoidian society, and criminals and mercenaries alike were promised pardons for their crimes and riches beyond imagining in return for their service. Others were raised from childhood to be above bribery, making them strangely noble and selfless for Neimoidians. Certain troops were given their own offices on board CIS battleships.
A Neimoidian brute
Others were taken a step further, as seen in the warrior brutes. Chosen from the most cruel and violent members of the guards, these hulking giants were genetically modified against their will to create the brutes' brutal mindset and hulking figure. They were so dangerous to both enemy and ally that they were only activated in extreme situations. Armed with a heavy vibro mace, the brutes were a slow yet intimidating tank against most enemies.
Originally stationed on Neimoidia and the Neimoidian purse worlds, the Gunnery Battalion was dispatched to protect the agricultural facilities on the planet Moorja during the war, as the world's frequent ion storms rendered droid armies unusable.
Several members of the Gunnery Battalion were stationed on board the Trade Federation's command ship during the blockade of Pantora. As captain Sib Canay was pinned at the wall by Ahsoka Tano's lightsaber, the guards stormed in the detention block followed by the Federation's envoy.
The Neimoidian bodyguards of the Separatist Council were also part of the Neimoidian Gunnery Battalion, being selected from seasoned officers such as captain Gap Nox and lieutenant Fame Drimal. This unit accompanied the Separatist leadership to Mustafar and were slaughtered by Darth Sidious's newly appointed apprentice, Darth Vader, upon his arrival.
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