Imperial Security Bureau
Selection process
Imperial Security Bureau officers undergo a rigorous selection process in order to be placed as an ISB Officer. Candidates are watched from their entrance into the Imperial Academy until a year after graduation, if the candidate is considered to be worthy, they are entered into the Imperial Security Bureau Academy, currently located on Eriadu.
ISB Officers are trained for an additional 18 months, following this 18 month training period they are assigned permanently to one of the respective branches. While the majority of ISB officers are appointed for their loyalty and dedicated to the Emperor and the Empire, it goes without saying that there are political appointments to the ISB. The Emperor and the Select Committee can issue decrees which forgo the standard process of candidacy and appoint whomever they desire to be to the ISB. ISB officers who are appointed rather than selected are often known as "Zeyd Shirts".
Ranks and positions
The Imperial Security Bureau is largely a law enforcement and domestic intelligence agency. ISB Agents, or Officers as they are sometimes called, are not always military members. Most members of the Imperial Security Bureau are not involved in the Imperial military. Those ISB Officers who are assigned to positions in the military, have military experience, join COMPNOR and the ISB while in the military keep their rank, others are awarded the rank of Lieutenant in the Imperial Army and Lieutenant (Junior) in the Imperial Navy.
ISB Officers and Agents assigned to oversee operations within a sector or a number of sectors were entitled as "Supervisor" and were responsible for supervising intelligence operations and assets within their given area of space. They were considered to be the top ISB officer within their assigned area of space.
ISB officers assigned to oversee planetary garrisons, forces, formations, etc. are awarded the title of "Inspector-General" and are considered to be the ranking ISB officer in charge in a specific planet, sector, formation, etc. ISB Officers sometimes use positional titles such as "Interrogator", "Investigator", etc depending on assignment.
Rank structure
- Director of the Imperial Security Bureau
- Deputy Director(s) of the Imperial Security Bureau
- Chief(s) of Staff to Director and Deputy Director(s)
- Special Counsel to the Director or Special Counsel to the Deputy Director(s)
- Associate Deputy Director(s)
- Assistant Director(s)
- Deputy Assistant Director(s)
- Special Agent-in-Charge
- Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge
- Supervisory Special Agent
- Senior Special Agent
- Special Agent
Organization and structure
The Director of the Imperial Security Bureau is the appointed head of the Imperial Security Bureau; while technically underneath the branch of COMPNOR, the Emperor directly appoints the Director of the Imperial Security Bureau and closely monitors the ISB. The ISB Director is a feared political and military authority within the Empire, the ISB Director is often a close confidant of the Emperor and has unparalleled power similar to the rest of the Imperial Security Bureau when it comes to protecting the Empire.
The Director of the ISB is assisted by four Deputy Directors, the primary Deputy Director of the Imperial Security Bureau, one leading the Commission of Operations which oversees all operations of the ISB and acts as the second-in-command of the ISB, a Deputy Director who holds the title of "Chief of the Imperial Security Bureau" who is the administrative head of the ISB and finally a Deputy Director entitled as the "Central Commander of the Imperial Security Bureau" which handles all military-related operations of the Imperial Security Bureau.
Structure
- ISB High Command - Director of the Imperial Security Bureau
- Deputy Director of the Imperial Security Bureau
- Commission of Operations - Commissioner of Operations of the Imperial Security Bureau (Deputy Director)
- Central Office - Chief of the Imperial Security Bureau (Deputy Director)
- Central Command - Central Commander of the Imperial Security Bureau (Deputy Director)
Surveillance
Surveillance was the largest branch of the ISB, with nearly 35 percent of all personnel in the Bureau. The quality of agents in Surveillance, however, was not always great. A good portion of Surveillance agents were candidates straight from the Sub-Adult Group, but these were poorly trained, albeit eager and promising. The rest were made up of properly trained CompForce Observers, agents from Progress's Sector Monitor, Improvement's Sector Development, and local contacts aiming to subvert other local powers.
Surveillance was tasked with uncovering beings or activities helpful to the Rebel Alliance or that may obstruct the Empire's plans. Many of the Surveillance's targets were later turned over to Investigations for more thorough action. Surveillance was also responsible for instilling fear of the Empire into its citizens so that they would think twice before assisting the Rebellion.
Investigations
Investigations was the skillfully superior branch of the Imperial Security Bureau when compared to Surveillance. Many Department of Modification agents and proven agents from Surveillance made up Investigations. Agents of Investigations were always in direct communication with the Imperial military, allowing them to call on a massive amount of firepower and resources should the situation require it, so they could take down Rebel threats with considerably faster response time and effectiveness.
Agents assigned to Investigations often were commissioned within the Imperial Military, either the Imperial Army or Imperial Navy. ISB Investigations members were assigned positional titles such as Chief Investigator, Deputy Chief Investigator, Assistant Chief Investigator, Supervising Investigator, Senior Investigator, Investigator. Investigations provided Loyalty Officer's aboard Imperial Navy ships; thus allowing the ISB to continually monitor the Imperial Military.
Internal Affairs
The Internal Affairs branch was the group responsible for watching COMPNOR, Imperial Personnel, and the citizens of the Empire, another example of multiple layers of control and authority overlapping one another in the Galactic Empire. Science, Commerce and Justice groups within the Coalition for Progress, and the Enforcements branch of the ISB, were all key targets of Internal Affairs.
It is unknown whether or not the Internal Affairs division had the authority to monitor the Select Committee, though it is known that they did not consider the Select Committee to be above suspicion.
Due to COMPNOR's ambiguity in regards to rules and procedures for policing its own members, Internal Affairs was able to take advantage of the situation to expand their power. Affairs agents were isolated from the rest of COMPNOR and had thus developed their own jargon and their own interpretation of the New Order.
Interrogation
If a subject caught by Investigations was suspected of still hiding the information the ISB wanted to know, the subject was shipped off to the Interrogation branch. The information they uncovered was sent to Investigations. The subject, however, disappeared, and no one outside Interrogation was really willing to find out just what happened to them.
The Interrogation branch utilized positional titles such as Chief Interrogator, Deputy Chief Interrogator, Assistant Chief Interrogator, Supervising Interrogator, Senior Interrogator and Interrogator.
Re-Education
When a member of COMPNOR was convicted of a crime by Internal Affairs, the subject was transferred to Re-Education. The subject was usually always returned to COMPNOR, although in a position of lower importance. It was reported that these individuals acted strangely when returned, their conversation disjointed, and their emotions out of phase with the situation. They were called "Graduated of Re-Education" or "Re-education" officially, but amongst other members of COMPNOR, it was said they were "Re-brained".
Enforcement
The Enforcement branch provided specialized muscle for the ISB. They occasionally operated for Internal Affairs, but most often they were working for Investigations. Enforcement was the only division within all of COMPNOR that hired beings who were not members of COMPNOR, which earned the suspicion of the Internal Affairs division, who were worried the use of unindoctrinated personnel was too risky.
Nevertheless, Enforcement was thus able to increase the amount of available talent, and perform operations the Select Committee would rather not be performed by COMPNOR members. In addition, Enforcement did its best to protect its operatives from unwarranted interferences from the Internal Affairs division, though a permanent tension existed between the two groups that no one could avoid.
- Field Operations Office (Non-ISB personnel)
- Special Operations Office (ISB Infiltrators)
- ISB Stormtrooper Detachment
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