Tal Shi'ar

The Tal Shi'ar is the intelligence gathering branch of the Empire. This group is known throughout the galaxy for their cunning and skill in intelligence gathering. They have agents in every known agency, including the Klingon Empire and Starfleet, not to mention the Cardassian Empire and the Ferengi Alliance. Their skill is likened unto the Cardassian Obsidian Order, though that group lacks the finesse of the Tal Shi'ar.

While the fvillhaih on ch'Rihan claims to be in control of the Tal Shi'ar, the organization is truly ruled only by itself. An unusual blend of politics and family ties, coupled with military contacts and personal vendettas. This alliance of controlling factors is one of the reasons for the extreme mystery surrounding this group, as no one is truly sure of who reports to whom. This hodgepodge of factors also insures that the reports given to the public are considered truth, as there is no good way to deny them.

For a house to have one of its members join the Tal Shi'ar is seen as a double-edged sword, both as something to be enjoyed as well as feared. The new agent is under orders to report anything unusual or anti-governmental. Anything said in a moment of anger could be used to cause dishonor to fall upon the house. To have a family member in the group encourages the family to be careful with their dealings and actions, particularly when in the presence of the agent. The Rihannsu are a very private people, and do not enjoy being spied upon, even for the good of the government.

The Tal Shi'ar uses the same ranking names as the military, and is also a lifelong office. Once recruited, an agent never leaves the agency alive, there are no retirees from this line of work, only honorable or dishonorable deaths. Every thing stated as truth by a member of this agency is taken as literal truth, for to do otherwise would be death. Most of the reports made, however, contain at least a ninety percent accuracy rating, and a fine amount of detail, up to and including the serial numbers on the toys purchased for the children by the unknowing victim. The Tal Shi'ar holds its own private court before allowing the fvillhaih their time on the deihu floor. So great is the power of this subversive agency that the government relies upon the whims of the Tal Shi'ar for the larger projects and ideas, in the interest of Imperial security.