STARFLEET INTELLIGENCE

The Obsidian Order is the primary intelligence agency of the Cardassian Union. One of the most ruthless and efficient organizations in the quadrant, the Obsidian Order eclipsed even the Romulan Tal'Shiar in intelligence gathering and covert operations. Almost all Cardassians live in fear of the Obsidian Order, whose constant surveillance has led to the sudden eliminations of numerous "traitors". It is said that a Cardassian citizen can't sit down to a meal without each dish being duly noted and recorded by the Order.

The Obsidian Order was formed in the 19th century, under the theoretical authority of the civilian Detapa Council. However, in practice it and the Central Command operated with complete autonomy. The Obsidian Order was responsible for matters of security and espionage, and was therefore forbidden from operating military equipment of any kind. The Obsidian Order and the Central Command frequently came in conflict with each other, particularly since members of the Cardassian military are not immune to Obsidian Order inquiries. The only restriction that the Order has is that it is explicitly forbidden to possess military equipment of any kind.

The organization of the Obsidian Order was into semi-autonomous cells, which are insulated from each other so that the capture of any particular operative has a limited ability to compromise the organization. Certain, if not most agents of the Order are also equipped with cranial implants so that they may better resist torture. They also developed a substance called promazine, which its operatives used in case of capture which kills with seconds and turns the body into dust within the following 16 hours.

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Starfleet Intelligence is a division of the Federation Starfleet, tasked with gathering and analyzing information concerning neighboring powers in the galaxy. The information it receives is then passed on to Starfleet Command or the Federation Council, which acts upon the information and analyses.

During the Dominion War, Starfleet Intelligence was more powerful than ever, and played an important role in gathering information about the Dominion's operations and infrastructure. One of its biggest coups was the location of a Dominion sensor array in early 2374, which the Dominion had been using to observe allied operations across five sectors of space.

Over the years Starfleet Intelligence has spun-off rogue Intel Organizations, each with the self given mandate to protect the Federation from threats. These organizations are Section 31 and NEW ALEXANDRIA, and although the two are similar in many aspects, it is accepted that Section 31 is completely independent while NEW ALEXANDRIA remains linked in many ways to Starfleet Intelligence and Starfleet Command.

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TAL'SHIAR

The elite Romulan intelligence agency, the Tal'Shiar, is a highly respected and feared force in the Romulan Star Empire. Its purpose is guarding the security of the Empire, both from the Romulans' interstellar enemies and from traitors within the Romulan population itself. The covert, often invisible presence of the Tal'Shiar keeps the general populace in a constant state of paranoia, that any signs of dissent or dissatisfaction with the status quo will result in their 'disappearance'.

The Tal'Shiar reports only to the highest levels of the Romulan government, and even so they undertake many missions without the direct knowledge of the Romulan Senate, conducting operations with virtual impunity throughout the Empire. Their authority supercedes that of most Romulan military commanders, resulting in a mutual distrust and hatred between the two organizations. The Tal'Shiar operates their own fleet, often to their own aims.

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V'SHAR

The V'Shar is the Vulcan intelligence and security agency responsible for maintaining internal affairs on Vulcan outside the normal operations of Starfleet Intelligence.

Although operating on its own for the most part, Starfleet Intelligence and tha V'Shar have on more than one occasion shared information and even tackled missions jointly thus increasing their odss of success.

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