Bureau of Operations/Legends

The Bureau of Operations was one of many bureaus within Imperial Intelligence, and, along with the rest of the organization, survived the fragmentation of the Galactic Empire largely intact. It was the only bureau in the Imperial Intelligence to be called the "Bureau". The Bureau handled the covert operations which were beyond the scope or required greater resources than those of the average system cell. The Bureau would send in a team of specialists to a sector, in effect creating an at-large system cell, or they could send a few agents to augment an already existing system cell for a single mission.

Divisions
The Bureau was broken up into six distinct divisions:

Surveillance
Surevillance kept watch on serious threats to the Empire. Sorting through information and unerringly selecting suspects currently involved in anti-Imperial activity, Surveillance did its job with surprising and deadly efficiency, despite their small size. At the peak of the New Order, Surveillance had less than one agent for every seventy so dedicated in COMPNOR's Imperial Security Bureau. Despite the huge difference in numbers between the two organizations, Surveillance was more successful than ISB in its operations, a point Surveillance took much pride in.

Surveillance agents were well trained in a broad variety of skills, including combat skills, as they were expected to handle situations by themselves in the field. Surveillance agents were thoroughly briefed on everything which is known about a suspect, and were expected to make arrests, or to neutralize the suspect if an arrest appeared untenable. Usually, more than one agent was selected for an important case, and Surveillance actively solicited the help of available system cells.

Infiltration
Before an agent was accepted into Infiltration proper, they were reassigned to Intelligence, where they would assist agents within the sector branches, and then later assigned to Sedition. The agents would undergo intense training and exposed to mnemiotic drugs to enhance their learning. Those who survived with their minds intact acquired a great deal of knowledge, and were then allowed into Infiltration. They would be tested to see which mission profile suited them best: a double agent, mole, or a "polwcoz".

Double agents took part in enemy actions against the Empire. Their job was to give Imperial Intelligence information to allow the Empire to deal greater damage to the Rebellion than the double agent's operations would do to the Empire.

A mole was inserted behind enemy lines, to transfer important intelligence about enemy activities when the opportunities arose.

A polwcoz was an agent who would be used once, at a critical moment when his use would be devastating to the enemy. The fate of the polwcoz agent after this critical moment is unknown.

Renik
Renik was the counterintelligence branch of the Bureau. Renik specialized in identifying and dismantling enemy intelligence operations. If a particular operation was considered to be potentially useful to the Empire, Renik would hand over all information on the enemy intelligence operation to the Infiltration branch, who would then take it from Renik and deal with it accordingly. However, if an operation was considered insignificant or too dangerous, Renik would destroy it. Saber Enterprises was a front for most of the division's counter-espionage operations.

Diplomatic Services (DiploServ)
The Diplomatic Services, or DiploServ, branch of the Bureau amounted for a sizable portion of the personnel for trade and diplomatic missions found in the Empire. They also accounted for the political experts advising the Imperial planetary governors and Moffs.

DiploServ personnel were well trained and expected to perform only their overt duties. Others were more clandestine agents, sent on specific anti-Rebellion missions or to establish and organize system cells within their mission area.

Destabilization (Destab)
Destabilization, or Destab, was known as "the quiet branch." No one knew much about Destab's operations or personnel. They were, however, known for committing full-fledged atrocities rather than legitimate intelligence operations. Officially, Destab specialized in "taking the fabric which holds a people, society or government together and unraveling it." Agents from other branches suggested Destab's methods closely resembled "shredding." They instilled pure terror into a population, and destroyed any semblance of social order.

Known operatives include Secesh Trant and General Sendo.

Assassination
Assassination was embraced by other agents, long considered a legitimate means of removal of key members of the opposition. Assassination's agents were trained to take every advantage, to use every trick and matter of subterfuge possible. Assassination was careful to select targets which mission success was probable. Their success ratio was much higher than the theoretical one.

Appearances

 * Shadows of the Empire novel