Imperial Intelligence/Legends

"Imperial Intelligence. Seems it's not the oxymoron we've always thought it was."

- Governor Thorne Kraym

Imperial Intelligence, also known as the Bureau of Imperial Intelligence or the Imperial Intelligence Agency, abbreviated Imperial Intel, was an elite intelligence agency of the Galactic Empire. It was the rival to the larger Imperial Security Bureau.

Galactic Empire
The Old Republic had maintained four different Intelligence networks: the Senate Bureau of Intelligence, Interstellar Consortium on Technology, Republican Security Organization, and Special Acquisitions Branch of the Library of the Republic. Later Imperial accounts speak of the leaders of these networks being bypassed by corrupt members of the Galactic Senate, who were buying information from lower-level operatives in pursuit of their own political agendas, a description which may in fact allude to the activities of Mon Mothma and her political faction at the end of the Clone Wars and the time of the Petition of Two Thousand. It was probably in response to this that, several of the leaders of the Intelligence organizations, including Armand Isard, Director of the Senate Bureau of Intelligence, concluded an informal alliance, motivated by a belief that democratic government had failed the Galaxy, and designed to forge their networks into a single tool in support of Palpatine. After the Declaration of the New Order, the disparate Republic organizations were formally amalgamated into the new Imperial Intelligence, with Isard in charge as Director of Intelligence.

It is not clear what relationship organizations known as Republic Intelligence and Clone Intelligence bore to these four networks, but it can be assumed that these were likewise amalgamated into I.I., perhaps under the umbrella of SBI or the RSO. An Old Republic military counterespionage officer, Admiral Kiner, appears to have played a role in the establishment of what became the Renik division of the Bureau of Operations.

Presumably, the authority of the Senate Intelligence Oversight Committee to interfere in and oversee intelligence affairs was also removed during the reforms, but the speed and efficiency in which the Intelligence community had reorganized itself frightened several of Palpatine's Advisors, including Lord Crueya Vandron, and the COMPOR organization was reorganized as COMPNOR to provide a counterpart under their own control.

Shortly before the Battle of Yavin, Armand Isard was arrested and executed on Palpatine's orders, due to what seems to have been false information that he was aiding the Alliance to Restore the Republic, provided by Isard's own daughter, Ysanne. Palpatine then appointed her to become the new Intelligence director.

New Galactic Empire
By 130 ABY, Grand Moff Nyna Calixte was in charge of Imperial Intelligence in the New Galactic Empire, working in collaboration with Darth Maladi, her counterpart in Sith Intelligence and Assassination in Darth Krayt's New Sith Order. It was through Calixte that Krayt's Sith were able to first approach the Empire.

Organization


Unlike the Imperial Security Bureau, Imperial Intel personnel were not organized according to a military-style system of ranks. Rather, they were assigned on a case-by-case basis. They were formally addressed as "Agent (Name)", in lieu of a rank.

Imperial Intelligence consisted of seven subdivisions:
 * Ubiqtorate
 * Adjustments
 * Internal Organization Bureau
 * Analysis Bureau
 * Bureau of Operations
 * Inquisitorius
 * Intelligence

Destab Branch was another unit of Imperial Intel.

Ysanne Isard's office was located in the Imperial Palace, as was a small prison complex run by Intelligence.

Function
As one might expect, Imperial Intel was responsible for covert operations in the Empire. The agency had a strong reputation: it is said that the ISB never succeeded in intercepting and decoding a single Imperial Intel document. Whereas the ISB investigated morale and coordinated the military with COMPNOR and Emperor Palpatine's objectives, Imperial Intelligence was an older organization, descended from the intelligence-gathering offices of the Galactic Republic, that specialized in external espionage. The powers available to them allowed them to convert freighters into "Intelligence freighters", which were specialized cruisers that were not marked for obvious reasons.

Imperial Intelligence also contributed to Imperial Palace security.

Imperial Intelligence survived the Battle of Endor largely intact, and was a strong aid in helping Isard establish her dominance of the Empire after the Emperor's death. A very large number of missing personnel and resources flowed directly to Warlord Zsinj. This intelligence organization was of much help to Grand Admiral Thrawn during his quest to destroy the New Republic.

Appearances

 * Republic HoloNet News Special Inaugural Edition 16:5:24
 * Droid Trouble
 * Combat Moon
 * Hunting the Hunters
 * Lumiya: Dark Star of the Empire