Emperor's Hand

The Emperor's Hand's were Palpatine's special agents throughout the duration of his reign.

Due to the Emperor's apprentice, Darth Vader, being a very public agent of evil some missions that required a stealthier touch were assigned to the elite operatives that answered directly to the Emperor himself.

They were trained in the ways of the dark side and remained a secret institution even from Imperial high command. It is unknown how many of these special agents there were, although the former Emperor's Hand Mara Jade went on to become a hero of the New Republic.