Alamein Intelligence Service

The Alamein Intelligence Service (AIS) is one of the oldest and most respected intelligence agencies in Europe. Founded in the late 18th century as a purely military service - providing data on enemy troop movements and such - it evolved with the changing times to cover political, social, and other areas of foriegn nations. AIS is a blanket name for all the internal divisions - these divisions (known or rumoured) are below.

Adjustments

Adjustments is the most elite branch of the AIS. It consists of agents who receive their orders directly and in person from High Command. No record of their orders are kept, and no mission files exist within the network for these agents.

Whenever High Command feels a critical situation has slipped from the control of the AIS, and that the situation is beyond the normal capabilities of the bureaus but not yet completely hopeless, Adjustments is called in to restore order. High Command briefs the adjustment agent or team on the problem and what resources are available to solve it. Adjustments then solves the problem. The 'Fallen Angel' commando unit is rumoured to be a joint unit of Adjustments and the Army's special forces.

Internal Organization Bureau

Called "IntOrg" by those within AIS, this bureau's mandate is to protect the AIS' security from outside threats and those which might be generated from within. As IntOrg must deal with the rest of the AIS, its agents have cultivated a highly civil manner and a strong sense of political etiquette, and then combined those with complete ruthlessness when the stakes are high and the threat is real.

Internal Security Branch

Internal Security Branch (IntSec) is responsible for the physical security of the personnel, material, and facilities of the AIS. Originally considered a branch for the unambitious (especially by members of IntCon), IntSec has upgraded its personnel and procedures in response to bolder attacks by forces of fascism. Their abilities have improved faster than their image; there is still a huge body of IntSec jokes making the rounds of the bureaus and branches.

IntSec officers are the only AIS personnel to obviously carry weapons while within intelligence facilities. They have a great many plainclothes agents who will operate outside the facilities, trying to spot and stop potential trouble before it is realized.

Internal Counter-Intelligence Bureau

Internal Counterintelligence Branch (IntCon) looks for enemy agents or spy rings which may have been implanted in the AIS by enemies of Alamein. They have an extraordinary freedom to access any data they may consider useful, in many cases obtaining the information more readily than would any other AIS member. IntCon deals with all levels of the AIS, but recently they have begun to devote a greater proportion of their resources to personnel at the bureau level of the AIS.

IntCon almost resembles the AIS in miniature, with its own sections for Analysis, Operations, and Intelligence. The boundaries between these sections often blur, and IntOrg is renowned for its loose structure and the informal environment in which its agents work. Information inside IntOrg is heavily secured against access by parties outside IntOrg, but there is literally in information security from other members of IntOrg. This openness is how IntOrg monitors itself -- every decision, action, or piece of data generated by a member of IntOrg is available to any other member of IntOrg who chooses to examine it. This lack of secrecy, and often privacy, makes it almost impossible for an enemy spy to operate within IntCon.

Analysis Bureau

This bureau handles gargantuan amounts of data from tens of millions of sources. In addition to looking for enemy activity, it looks for patterns or trends in social data which might be useful to the agents over in Intelligence. Analysis also handles, examines and copies useful technologies, even developing a few of their own. See below for sub-divisions of the Analysis Bureau.

Media:

Media branch pores over newspapers, books, television, radio, the internet, every form of media in Europe, 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 the Alamein CompLink, give at least a cursory examination of all media in Europe simultaneously. While they regularly concentrate on a significantly smaller portion of the Europe, they do cast their net wide often enough to make a professional judgment whether or not a new media source should be monitored on a more regular basis.

Signal:

Signal has a saying: “Media examines every media message in the world. 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, scan rates on documents and frames on videos to see if any information is being squeezed into the space between what anyone would ordinarily sense. Signal examines line noise to see if it might contain a pattern rather than random error. Broadcasts 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 people who would 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.

Cryptoanalysis:

When Media or Signal finds evidence of coded communication, they give it to the 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 other branches. This is as intended.

Lignyots have gone out of their way to create a bizarre reputation for Crypt. They have sent documents to other branches in simple codes, which mutate into an unflattering message 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 factories entirely, leaving only a puzzling document as to their new location.

The bureaus have complained to the AIS High Command 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. High Command decided that Crypt’s behavior was an opportunity rather than a problem. Whenever a Crypt office does something off-beat, another branch assigned is deal with the problem as if it were an example of enemy-generated activity. The lignyots have calmed down quite a bit since the time one of their branch offices relocated and it was found within eight days.

Technical:

Tech has two jobs – to figure out how an enemy’s hardware works, and to provide the AIS 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. With the hardware in front of them and orders to figure out how it works, Tech scientists can probably do the job better than anyone else in the world. It is when they must set their own goals and criteria for project success that the process goes off kilter.

Interrogation (RUMOUR):

When enemy agents are captured by the AIS, they are usually sent to Interrogation. Interrogation is not as bloodthirsty as its counterparts, and it is slightly less effective in cracking the detainees. Interrogation often has a larger purpose, working on the assumption that the enemy will work as hard as possible to render any divulged information useless. Unless the enemy 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 procedures and psychological analyses, of which there are very few. While expensive, reprogrammed enemy agents have a high reliability as double-agents, and have provided Infiltration with some of their best agents. As the other intelligence services are slowly becoming aware of this tactic, Interrogation has modified its approach to stay one step ahead of the enemy. They now release more enemy agents than they once did, including some fairly valuable to the enemy. They only reprogram a few. As suspicion falls on all of the released prisoners, the enemy 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 at some enemy intelligence services. The second modification is to use image surgery on a reprogrammed agent, have Infiltration brief him, and then have him join the enemy as an unknown recruit. While this method takes considerable time, no agent who has been infiltrated in this way has yet been discovered.

At least, that is the story conspiracy nuts and enemy intelligence services will tell you. Any proof or even evidence that this is true and that this division even exists has yet to be found.

Bureau of Operations

Of all the bureaus in the AIS, this is the one which is called the “Bureau”; no one in the AIS for more than a few days would call it anything else. The Bureau handles the covert operations which are beyond the scope or require greater resources than those of the average intelligence cell. The Bureau may send in a team of specialists to an area, in effect creating an at-large intelligence cell, or they may send a few agents to augment an existing cell for a single mission. Sub-divisions are below.

Surveillance:

A point of pride with Surveillance is their small size, especially in comparison with the huge organizations maintained by other nations. The AIS has less than one agent in Surveillance for every 70 so dedicated in their leading rivals, yet Surveillance successfully keeps watch on more serious threats to the service than their counterparts do.

Intelligence gives Surveillance huge files of material on potential enemies of Alamein; the genius of Surveillance is the ability to sort through the information and unerringly select suspects who are currently involved in anti-Alamein activity.

Surveillance agents are thoroughly briefed on everything which is known about the suspect. Often more than one agent is selected for an important case, and Surveillance actively solicits to help of any available intelligence cells. Surveillance agents are well trained in a broad variety of skills, including combat skills. They are expected to handle situations by themselves in the field – there is not likely to be enough time to call in backups. Surveillance agents are expected to make arrests if the suspects get away with a critical crime, and if arrest looks untenable, stop the suspects in any way the agent can.

Infiltration:

“There are three ways to defeat your enemy. The first, and most obvious, is to better him in a trial offorce. The best way is to have him destroy himself; few enemies are so obliging. The middle way is to destroy your enemy from within. Judicious application of the middle way shall make your blows more effective if you later take the way offorce. From the middle way it is also possible to push your enemy onto the path of self-destruction.”

- Uueg Tching of Kitel Phard,

54th Emperor of Atrisia

When they join Infiltration, every agent is told the legends of Uueg Tching. The ancient emperor’s success against the peoples and nations of the newly-discovered areas in his region was spectacular; of greater interest to Infiltration is the manner in which Uueg Tching managed to subvert no fewer than 30 separate rebellions against his tyrannical rule.

After training, Infiltration agents are often reassigned to Intelligence, assigned as assistants to a few branches, and then assigned to another branch permanently. The agents learn vast amounts during this period. Many agents have to be released because of 'burning out'. Those who survive with their minds intact know a great deal.

Once they have finished their stint with Intelligence, agents are then tested to see for what sort of missions they are best suited – double-agents or moles. Double-agents are active operatives, taking part in enemy actions against the world. Their job is to give the AIS good enough information to allow the AIS to do greater damage to the enemy than the double-agent’s operations do to Alamein. A mole is inserted behind the lines, to transfer important intelligence about enemy activities when the opportunities arise.

Renik:

Renik is the branch in charge of counterintelligence, which is the art of identifying and dismantling enemy spy operations. If a particular spy operation is considered potentially useful, Renik hands over all information on the enemy operation to Infiltration, which takes it from there. If the enemy group is considered insignificant or too dangerous to allow continued operations, Renik destroys it. The term Renik is derived from a respected intelligence officer, Director Kiner. Being counterintelligence, the name was reversed.

Diplomatic Services:

Diplomatic Services is the catch-all branch of the Bureau. It provides a sizable portion of the personnel for trade and diplomatic missions found in Alamein outposts, as well as political experts for governments and military leaders. These personnel are well trained and expected to perform only their overt duties, with the exception of reporting their action to the AIS. Others are more clandestine agents, some sent on specific anti-enemy missions, but most sent to establish and organize intelligence cells within their area of influence. It also is the group in charge of diplomatic spying and espionage, including defence of important diplomats when visiting foriegn countries.

Destabilization (RUMOUR):

Referred to as “the quiet branch,” no one hears about Destabilization. Part of the reason is that Destab keeps its operations very quiet. The rest of it is the fact that Destab operations make a large number of AIS agents queasy. Destab have been known more to move from what agents consider legitimate intelligence operations into full-fledged atrocities.

Supposedly, Destabilization is the branch which officially specializes in “taking the fabric which holds people, society or government together and unraveling it.” Agents from other branches suggest Destab’s methods more closely resemble shredding.

At least, that is the story conspiracy nuts and enemy intelligence services will tell you. Any proof or even evidence that this is true and that this division even exists has yet to be found.

Assassination:

Assassination is a branch which is wholeheartedly embraced by the agents of other intelligence agencies; assassination has long been a legitimate means of removal of key members of the opposition for intelligence agencies. Within Alamein and the AIS, it is considered a dirty branch, only to be used in extreme situations. While Assassination is careful to dilute this image, its agents are trained to take every advantage, to use every trick and subterfuge possible; in short, to weight the contest as much in the favor of the assassin as possible. It is a tribute to their highly trained agents that the actual success ration is higher than the theoretical one. This has only served to enhance the mystique of Assassination within the AIS.

World Intelligence

When Analysis finishes sorting, cleaning, decoding, or otherwise manipulating the data sent to them, they pass it on to World Intelligence. World Intelligence has gained experts from all over the world. They have recruited military experts, cultural experts, experts in politics, economics, science and technology, experts in almost every possible field of endeavor, experts from universities, corporations, governments, artistic movements, religious movements, the media, the underworld – they have pulled in experts from nearly every conceivable place or organization, including some turncoats from other intelligence agencies.

External Communications:

ExComm is used for emergency communication with intelligence cells, or for priority communication with the military forces of Alamein. ExComm is used for those rare times when the labyrinthine communication works of the AIS are just not quick enough.

Crisis:

Crisis is not a permanent branch of World Intelligence. It is created as need arises, a Crisis branch for each active hot spot in the world. A Crisis branch is in constant contact with the High Command, and ExComm facilities are at their disposal for direct contacts with the highest levels of military and government, and even the Consul if the situation is dire enough.

Notes

Note: I based this on WEG material. I am making no profit from this. If WEG or their associates wish me to remove this, I shall do so.