Introduction

In every major Galactic power there exists an Intelligence Section for the watch for internal problems as well as the investigation of external threats. Though frowned upon by the Rebels as a tool of tyrannical oppression, the New Republic itself employs its own NRI for both overt and covert operations. This course will give you a history of the Intelligence Bureau under Palpatine and in the immediate years following his death.

The Origins of Imperial Intelligence

The Imperial Intelligence Bureau in its earliest form was in existence long before Palpatine became Chancellor. It was originally named the Senate Bureau of Intelligence and was, as the name suggests, answerable to the Senate - specifically the Senate Intelligence Oversight Committee. The Loyalist Committee expanded their powers during the separatist uprising and Chancellor Palpatine again expanded them during the Clone Wars, as a result of growing sedition and corruption within the Republic, Chancellor Palpatine appointed a new commander for the Bureau. His name was Armand Isard. He was a ruthless and driven man who, along with his daughter Ysanne, reformed the Bureau into the form it existed in for many years.

Reformation

Shortly before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, as a reaction to increased Separatist activity, Isard was given permission by Palpatine's Loyalist Committee to make sweeping reforms of the Intelligence Bureau. His first act was to form a crisis branch. This branch had historically been a group created solely in times of emergency and it was the first time in 60 years that such a group had been created. Isard handpicked its members and they began with the removal of 32 remote intelligence agents from mid-rim worlds, an area that Isard said was rife with corruption. Isard was quite willing to destroy the current administration in order to remove the corruption and it was resolve like this that caused various agitators within the Senate to question whether this move was merely an extension of Palpatine's control.

Armand Isard was to survive an attempt upon his life by four Rodians who fired upon him as he was passing Monument Square. Isard avoided the primary fire and was able to reply with his own weapon killing two Rodians and wounding another. The two surviving would-be assassins escaped, but the remaining ones were identified as being linked with the Separatists. This attempt led to the Senate passing Directive 0982 giving the Bureau sweeping investigative powers at the expense of civil liberties. Also created to assist the Bureau were the Clone Intelligence Units, units of clones that specialised in investigating the actions of the Separatists. It was one of these units that discovered the location of General Grievous on Utapau.

Empire

Along with the Senate Bureau of Intelligence there were three other groups responsible for security within the Republic. These were the Republican Security Organization, the Interstellar Consortium on Technology and the Special Acquisitions Branch of the Library of the Republic. Towards the end of the Republic, representatives from all four factions met to discuss the current political situation. It was decided between them, though no doubt encouraged by Isard, that there were too many corrupt worlds within the Republic to be able to elect a strong government. They then gave all their support to the New Order of Palpatine. The four groups were unofficially merged and a new group, the Ubiqtorate were created to coordinate intelligence in the last days if the Republic and the new Empire. After the Empire was proclaimed the Ubiqtorate were given the official seal of approval by the new Emperor. All memory of the four separate factions was forgotten and Imperial Intelligence was born.

While in theory the Ubiqtorate operates as a group, in practice they were run as a dictatorship by the Supreme Director of Imperial Intelligence. The first Director was Armand Isard. Members of the Ubiqtorate are supposed to be anonymous and are never in contact with basic field agents. Any communication from them that does reach the rank and file of Intelligence will come only from the Ubiqtorate not from any individual member. As time went on however the increased power of the Supreme Director meant that they became almost a separate identity, a big personality in the Empire. This was especially true of Isard who was well known from his the Republican days.

COMPNOR

The speed and efficiency with which the Intelligence divisions organised themselves into a new group worried many of the Emperor's advisors. Through Crueya Vandron they created the Commission for the Preservation of the New Order (COMPNOR) and the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). While COMPNOR considered itself a rival to the Ubiqtorate the Intelligence leadership believed COMPNOR to be a waste of resources. They often presented evidence to the Emperor and various Moffs that COMPNOR caused more insurrection than it prevented. This information was ignored however and the Intelligence Bureau has almost taken it as part as part of its mandate to clean up after COMPNOR.

COMPNOR traces its origins back to the Republic's COMPOR (Commission for the Protection of the Republic). COMPNOR's remit covered not only security - it had bothy intelligence and military branches - but also research and arts. They also included the Sub-Adult Group, a society for enthusiastic youths who fervently believed in the New Order.

The Imperial Security Bureau

The section of COMPNOR that most rivalled Imperial Intelligence was the Imperial Security Bureau. As well as being another security group they also kept an eye on morale and loyalty amongst the Imperial Military, under their remit as part of COMPNOR. They acted more as a police force than Imperial Intelligence, as they had a much more public presence. The identities of many agents were well known.

In addition to the public face they also had many secret agents who were posted on various ships and units in the military. They were to keep an eye out for any signs of insurrection, particularly amongst the commanders, and to perform an execution should rebellious intentions be acted upon. They also had the duty of destroying any historical documents relating to the Jedi Order. It was the ISB that destroyed the collection of Jedi antiquities on Obroa-skai.

Branches of the ISB included the Commission of Operations, Surveillance, Internal Affairs, Interrogation, Re-Education and Enforcement. Many influential members were killed when the Death Star was destroyed above Yavin.

Internal Rivalry

When he heard of the theft of the original Death Star plans Armand Isard sent his daughter Ysanne, a promising intelligence agent herself, to the planet of Darkknell to retrieve them. Ever ruthless and paranoid it emerged that Armand had sent his daughter in the hope that she would be killed, as he saw her as a rival to his power. She survived, but was also unable to recover the plans. Realising the real agenda behind the mission Ysanne resolved to be revenged on her father and in her anger implicated him in the original theft, as well in the bombing of the Treitamma Political Center. Palpatine wasted no time in having Armand executed. It has been said that it was Ysanne herself that pulled the trigger.

A New Start and A Premature End

With Armand gone the Emperor made Ysanne herself the new Director of Imperial Intelligence. She suggested to Palpatine an installation that would act as both a prison and brainwashing facility. The Emperor approved of the idea and gifted her with a Super Star Destroyer, which she named the Lusankya. This she buried deep within Coruscant to act as her own private prison. There she attempted to brainwash captured rebels for use as sleeper agents. She remained in the post until after the Battle of Endor and following the Emperor's death she maintained order on Coruscant. She turned many Imperial dignitaries against the Emperor's successor Sate Pestage and she was responsible for his eventual capture by the Republic. Next the Ruling Circle of Imperial Officials came to power, however it was not long before Ysanne had them removed as well and she herself took command of the Empire. There were many rival warlords, but as the one with control of Coruscant she was the most powerful. Yet soon Coruscant was lost to the Republic and it was only a matter of time before the Republic cornered her. She was killed and with her died what remained of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau.

The Emperor's Hammer

The idea of using intelligence and investigation to pre-empt and react to internal and external threats did not die with Ysanne. The Emperor's Hammer Intelligence Division maintains much of the structure of Imperial Intelligence. The Ubiqtorate and the various Bureaus mirror their predecessors, proving that the ideals which prompted Palpatine and Armand Isard to form the original Bureau survive today through them.