| abstract | - The chekist are—by decree of the Tzarina—infallible in their interpretation of the law. Whatever they say the law is, is the law, and the penalties they select are always appropriate to the crime in question. They never convict the wrong people, and while they may arrest and torture people who prove to be innocent, that is no fault of the chekist.[1a] The most important qualification for becoming a chekist is absolute loyalty to the Tzarina, which is closely followed by competence. Katarin does not want to institute a reign of terror; she just wants to be able to deal with her enemies quickly and efficiently. Chekist who display excessive cruelty and incompetence are arrested by their superiors and soon become even more closely acquainted with the furnishings of the interrogation rooms. The simply incompetent generally die in the course of their duty, without any assistance from their superiors.[1a] Chekist who are sadistic but competent pose the biggest problem. In most cases, they are rotated around the country, so that no single area suffers too much from their depredations. Often, they are assigned to deal with very dangerous threats because the hierarchy would rather lose a difficult chekist than one who fits in perfectly.[1a] The chekist carry an elaborate, minted medallion identifying their position and show it if required to prove who they are. They wear black when on duty but have no formal uniform beyond that, making it relatively easy to pose as a member of the secret police. The chekist deal with anyone who pretends to be one of them, which is another task frequently assigned to those who are both sadistic and competent.[1a]
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