Bodyguard
HIRING & COMMANDING
Diplomats can hire bodyguards. They cost 100 credits per diplomat level (e.g. a level 21 diplomat pays 2,100 credits to hire her bodyguard), and they can be hired in the Diplomat Building on Coruscant.
Diplomats can give the bodyguards various directions using the <bgc> command, including summoning the bodyguard remotely. See <panic bgc> for more details.
GUILDS & LEVELS
At level 20, the player can hire a mercenary bodyguard. At level 30, the player can choose to hire an assassin bodyguard, and they also get more control over the details of the bodyguard, including race and appearance. A level 50 diplomat can hire a Jedi bodyguard.
Which ever bodyguard the player chooses, their level in their primary guild will be the same as the player's diplomat level, and they will have 13 levels of scientist so they can perform some surgeries and repair weapons and armor.
DRAWBACKS
Unfortunately, having a bodyguard on standby makes players less attentive and thus less able to learn from their experiences - while a Diplomat has a bodyguard on retainer (regardless of whether it was involved in a fight), the diplomat will only receive 75% of their usual experience.
Further, certain ancient and inviolable treaties prevent bodyguards from being used in combat with other players.
However, monsters killed by the bodyguard will still count toward the player's total unique kill count.