Imperial Auditor (Barrayar)
That of Imperial Auditor is a position in the Emperor's staff and in the government of Barrayar, earned via appointment by the Emperor. The Emperor of Barrayar sends Imperial Auditors his personal representatives in order to envisage and ensure the execution of his orders and decrees. These representatives act with the Emperor's own powers and are placed outside normal administrative procedure.
An Imperial Auditor formally speaks with the Emperor's Voice. Voice is the legal concept of proxy which bestows the hierarchical authority of one person upon another of otherwise lesser rank. There exist eight permanent Auditors and the Ninth Temporary Auditor, often drawn from people with relevant military or diplomatic background. Imperial Auditors hold their appointments until death, retirement, impeachment, or until the Emperor rescinds the appointment. Usually, they serve for life. Imperial Auditors are among the central figures in the "Emperor's own government", i.e. that set of bodies and functions which, while not depending on Ministers or on the Council of Ministers, are de facto heavily involved into the government of the Empire, just as women in general in the Barrayaran political system, or both Crown and Imperial Princes. Auditors are traditionally retired admirals, senior civilian officials or ambassadors, although there is no strict rule prohibiting or impeding the Emperor to appoint civilians, or even women (although so far only one woman was appointed Imperial Auditor after the end of Time of Isolation).
The impeachment of an Imperial Auditor requires a three quarters majority vote of the Ministers and the Counts in full joint session assembled.
Origins and duties
During the Time of Isolation, Imperial Auditors were originally the Emperor's financial auditors: They made sure that the Counts were correctly paying the Emperor his taxes. Because they spoke with the Emperor's Voice, they exercised Emperor's right to command: therefore they soon became feared. It was said that bandits would ride point for an Auditor and make sure that no one disturbed him on his way.
On modern-day Barrayar, Imperial Auditors serve more as special investigators (on a wide array of matters, including financial ones), although they still retain their powers and authorities, and often they use them, and are usually sent to try to solve problems that have escaped conventional problem solving strategies. In some of their duties, they are analogous to special prosecutors, in others to the chairmen of special commissions, and in some to conventional financial auditors, but with far more legal clout.
Powers
As the most direct hand of the Emperor, and in their capacities of Emperor's Voice, the authority of the Imperial Auditors technically supersedes all others, including, in theory, a government minister or a senior admiral. Thus, Imperial Auditors have access to a limitless variety of Imperial resources that allow them to act in full strength. Despite this comprehensive legal authority, Imperial Auditors seeking the assistance of the Imperial (Public) Service act with discretion towards such senior Emperor's servants.
Military hierarchy
By definition, the Imperial Military is under the overall command of the reigning Emperor or Regent as Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Consequently, in his capacity as the Emperor's Voice, any Imperial Auditor can command military forces as he sees fit. Only the Emperor (or Regent) and other Auditors as a group could override him.
Ninth Auditor
The position of Ninth Imperial Auditor is always left open, to be filled by appointment as needed. If a situation that requires a specialized knowledge outside of a usual Auditor's skill set is needed, an appropriate expert will be found, and given the leeway to investigate as needed. There are some limits to a Ninth Auditor's powers, as he cannot order executions and any arrests he makes must be related to the case and should likely have enough evidence to present to a prosecutor.
Imperial Auditors Support Office
Imperial Auditors have full powers to requisition any public or private resource for the fullfilment of their duties. However, in order to not hinder Imperium's efficiency, they must relinquish any resource requisitioned once the need finishes. In order to cope with the need of dedicated staff, over the last decades, the Imperial Auditors have created a standing office in order to be supported in their missions; at first it was an informal organization privately funded by the Emperor and by the Auditors themselves, but in 2969 it was established as a public body financed directly by the Imperial Court. While it was conceived as a mere grouping of administrative and technical skills (such as bodyguards, valets, secretaries, general assistants and other trade specializations), from the very beginning of its life it became a body capable to being firstly delegated and then capable of autonomous auditing and inspection activity, although still in a preliminary way.
Nowadays, the Imperial Auditors Support Office (I.A.S.O.) is a body within the Imperial Court, financed by the Emperor, and works as a bureau tasked with preliminary investigations and activity; it also carry out some minor operations, although its personnel enjoy only a small fraction of powers and immunities of the Imperial Auditors. The Office is divided into three Sections (Transportation and Logistics; Personnel and Security; Investigations and Assistance) and its personnel organized into five ranks and some positions: Watchman, Commissary, Secretary Assistant Assessor, Assessor. Section Heads are drawn from Assessors, but they are not formally part of the IASO. It is not uncommon that a senior official of the I.A.S.O. is appointed as Ninth Auditor or even as permanent Auditor.
An Imperial Auditor has full autonomy in handpicking each of his or her assistants, both inside and outside of the I.A.S.O. and often at least the personal secretary is chosen outside the office; however, usually a I.A.S.O. support team consists of a pair of bodyguards, an ITC expert, a data analyst, a medic, and an investigation/auditing expert. In some cases, when the Imperial Auditor is tasked with dangerous and possibly lethal missions, additional resources may be added and even specialist killers may be assigned to his/her retinue.
Bodyguards and combat specialits
Imperial Auditors are often assigned tasks bordering subversion, rebellion or at least their potential existence. It is not uncommon for an Imperial Auditor being involved in uncovering plots threatening the Empire and his own life. Although it is not always the case, an Imperial Auditor is often protected at least by a pair of expert bodyguards. In case of Auditors who are High Vor (Counts or their Heirs), often Armsmen, who are for the most part highly decorated former Imperial servicemen, fill the role. In other cases, a police service may provide a VIP escort team, under the auspices of the Imperial Auditors Support Office.
In some cases, "ordinary" bodyguards are not available or cannot be trusted. In these cases, Imperial Service Squads consisting of hardened veterans are often assigned to Imperial Auditors, should the need arise. They are given greater freedom of operation than other small units and have access to a wider array of equipment as well. Compared to normal infantry squads, they tend to carry a greater number of squad support weapons. Sometimes their renown earns them the honour to be recruited under an Imperial Auditor's security staff, under the auspices of the Imperial Auditors Support Office. These soldiers use their expertise to combat a wide range of threats and to protect the Imperial Auditors.
Aside of Imperial Service veterans and active soldiers, as well as fighters of other Imperial organizations, the Imperial Court maintains a cadre of warriors, fighters and soldiers utterly dedicated to the Emperor and to His Imperial Auditors. These dedicated combatants are all Vors and are known as Paladins. Each Paladin comes from a warrior society dubbed as Palatine House. Palatine Houses are immediate vassals of the Emperor in his capacity Count Vorbarra, although in pre-unification times some independent Counts were liegelords of their own Palatine Houses. This is the only exception to the Vorloupolous Law. Each of Palatine Houses is a closed and secretive community with as few as a dozen or as many as several hundred members, although the most common case is the former. Paladins always close at hand to accompany Imperial Auditors wherever their duties may take them. The duty of a Paladin is to protect a specific Imperial Auditor, to whom he is bonded by a solemn oath. However, they are more than mere bodyguards. A Paladin is often the Auditor’s right hand which delivers the death sentences, should the Auditor issue such a punishment. Thus they are often trusted companions of an Imperial Auditor.
To have been inducted into a Palatine House, the warrior must have been judged nigh-incorruptible, at least in so far as any person can be judged so. Induction into a Palatine House occurs only at the invitation of one of its senior members, and only after the subject has been scrutinized from a distance, sometimes for years. Therefore to become a Paladin, one must prove themselves pure and noble in the meritocratic sense. Having joined the cloistered ranks of the Paladins, the inductee puts aside all thoughts of personal ambition and dedicates himself to the House and the greater cause of the Imperium. From that moment on, the Paladin casts off wealth and all possessions beside his weapons, armour, and the articles of his oath. He takes residence within the Palatine House. Paladins study every aspect of the arts of close combat, excelling in the use of melee weapons. Palatine Houses teach many and varied martial techniques, many houses favouring a specific, signature weapon by which its members are known.
Imperial Auditor's Collar
An Imperial Auditors' Collar is a symbolic icon of the Imperial Auditors, but also much more. Upon their ascension to their rank, every Imperial Auditor is presented with an Imperial Auditor's Collar. This is a golden collar chain with the Imperial symbol at its centre. This symbol is recognised throughout the Empire of Barrayar, for those who bear it wield Emperor's own authority, and they do so in the name of the Emperor himself. Auditors' symbols are inscribed with verification technology and coded encryption in order to override any public or private authority verification and to communicate the bearer's authority to any computer, confirming the bearer's clearance as well as preventing forgeries.
Auditors' symbols are used according to their electronic nature very sparingly, as in most cases the Imperial Auditor does not need to enforce his will throught direct enforcement. Nonetheless, they are closely guarded and used every time the need should arise. The Imperial Auditor's symbol is most commonly used when an Auditor wishes to strike fear and awe.