Bureau of Analysis

The Bureau of Analysis is divided into several divisions, called branches, which themselves are can be further subdivided based on function and sphere of control.

Media Branch

Media Branch (Media) pores over public scandocs, newsdocs, holos, comlinks, beamcasts, every form of media in the Empire, looking for patterns or hidden meanings which might betray a clue as to an enemy's plans and operations. Media can, with substantial assistance from Sector Plexus and the Imperial CompLink project, give at least a cursory examination of all media in the Empire simultaneously. While they regularly concentrate on a significantly smaller portion of the Empire, they do cast their net wide often enough to make a professional judgment as to whether or not a new media source should be monitored on a more regular basis.

Signal Branch

Signal Branch (Signal) has a saying "Media examines every media message in the galaxy. We handle everything else so they can have the easy stuff." This is probably an exaggeration, but the job done by Signal is indeed enormous. While Media monitors the intended message, Signal examines the channel through which the information was transmitted.

Signal samples and checks carrierwave codes and CompLink protocols, scan rates on scandocs and imagepacks on holos to see if any information is being squeezed into the space between what a citizen would ordinarily sense. Signal examines line noise to see if it might contain a pattern rather than a random error. Broadcasts and beamcasts are examined to see if the backup information sent with the primary information actually matches and, if not, how they differ.

The agents in Media sarcastically refer to Signal as "a group of beings who sort through the garbage in order to discover what a family said to each other at breakfast." Signal does occasionally overreach itself, applying blindingly sophisticated mathematical techniques to squeeze nonexistent meanings from chaotic data. However, their analysis has been critical to uncovering more than one seditious plan or treasonous plot against the Empire.

Cryptanalysis Branch

When Media or Signal finds evidence of coded communication, they give it to the Cryptanalysis Branch (Crypt). Those who work in Cryptanalysis call themselves "lignyots". Why they call themselves lignyots, and if the word has any meaning independent of Cryptanalysis, is not known by anyone in the other branches. This is as intended.

Lignyots have gone out of their way to create a bizarre reputation for Crypt. They have sent scandocs to other branches in simple codes, which mutate into an unflattering holo if not broken quickly enough. They try to break the security of the communications between branches, forging inflammatory messages on a secure channel when they succeed.

They will often move the entrance to their offices or relocate their facilities entirely, leaving only a puzzling scandoc as to their new location. All communication to the Sector Plexus from the new branch office have invariably been relayed through thousands of points before reaching Sector Plexus, making successful tracing almost impossible.

The bureaus have complained to the Ubiqtorate about the unprofessional behavior of Crypt. Lignyots have always defended themselves by saying the relentless, time-critical nature of their responsibilities entitles them to be a bit crazy. The Ubiqtorate decided that Crypt's behavior was an opportunity rather than a problem. Whenever a Crypt office does something off-beat, another branch is assigned to deal with the problem as if it were an enemy generated activity. The lignyots have calmed down quite a bit since the time one of their branch offices relocated, and within eight days Assassination Branch had found and liquidated it.

Technology Branch

Technology Branch (Tech) has two jobs - to figure out how an enemy's hardware works, and to provide Imperial Intelligence with hardware which is superior to that. Tech has a lavish budget and a number of highly skilled personnel whose moments of brilliant inspiration can translate into innovative technology. Unfortunately the administration, chosen from scientists and technologists within the branch, are often lost when having to decide upon the proper priorities for projects which lie outside their area of expertise.

Consequently, Tech does a better job analyzing enemy gear than in producing their own. With the hardware in front of them and orders to figure out how it works, Tech does the job better than anyone else in the galaxy. It is when they must set their own goals and criteria for project success that the process goes off kilter.

Interrogation Branch

When enemy agents are captured by Imperial Intelligence, they are usually sent to Interrogation Branch (Interrogation). Interrogation is not as bloodthirsty as its counterpart in COMPNOR, and it is slightly less effective at cracking devoted agents, perhaps because of it. Interrogation often has a larger purpose, however, working on the assumption that the enemy will work as hard as possible to render any divulged information useless. Unless the agent is believed to hold vital information, interrogation will be light. However, a larger number of psychological probes will be made of the prisoner, and direct neuroprogramming of susceptible prisoners will result. The results of their novel techniques are undetectable by everything but the most advanced medical probes, of which there are very few, and every one of which is under Imperial control. While expensive, reprogrammed agents have a high reliability as double-agents, and have provided Infiltration Branch with some of their best agents.

As other enemy agencies are slowly becoming aware of this tactic, Interrogation has modified its approach to stay one step ahead. They now release more captured agents than they once did, including some fairly valuable targets. They only reprogram a few. As suspicion falls on all the released prisoners, the enemy agency is torn whether or not to accept any, all, or none of the prisoners. The doubt and debate has been enough to significantly lower the morale of many opposing espionage agencies.

The second modification is to use image surgery on a reprogrammed agent, have Infiltration Branch brief him or her, and then them join another agency as an unknown recruit. While this method takes considerable time, no agent who has yet been infiltrated in this way has been discovered.