Alliance Intelligence Service

The **Alliance Intelligence Service**, or **AIS**, is the chief intelligence and espionage organization of the Systems Alliance. Often considered the “small fry” of the galactic intelligence community, the men and women of the AIS specialize in counterinsurgency, espionage, and intelligence analysis, working to detect and respond to threats to the Alliance both within and without.

## History

Founded shortly after the Systems Alliance Charter was signed in 2148, the Alliance Intelligence Service was grounded in centuries of espionage committed between individual nations. Formed jointly by Maya Sankar, the director of the CIA of the United North American States and Alexsandr Senaviev, director of the Russian SVR, the service operated under the assumption that when first contact with an alien species was made, covert espionage would become more important than ever before. That belief was proven correct when, eight years later, the First Contact War broke out, and humanity was rapidly thrust into the galactic stage.

Very quickly, the men and women of the AIS discovered their dual role in the unexplored frontier for humanity. Military espionage would be necessary in order to reach parity with the other Citadel species, but intelligence gathering would also be paramount in establishing diplomatic relations with alien species far removed from human culture, as well as countering the numerous criminal organizations humanity now had contact with. In the early 2160s through 2170s, the service was primarily tasked with securing Systems Alliance expansion within the Skyllian Verge, in particular, working to curb the activities of the rival Batarian Hegemony. Networks of spy satellites were scattered throughout the Verge, analyzing drive signatures, intercepting unencrypted transmissions, and keeping a watchful eye on the fringes of human civilization. On the ground, AIS teams infiltrated breakaway independent colonies and covertly supported rebel groups resisting the Hegemony. This included the presence of several AIS teams on Anhur during the Rebellions - though the Systems Alliance continued to officially maintain their neutrality in the two-year conflict. Later operations in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s included daring infiltrations of the batarian colony of Camala and other fringe colonies, and undertook numerous operations to stifle resistance groups on Alliance colonies and combat the influence of various crime syndicates within human-controlled space.

The AIS could never hope to compete against the premier espionage powerhouse in the galaxy, the STG, nor could it compete with the military effectiveness of Palaven’s own special forces, but through unconventional methods and what one might argue to be weaponized chaos, the service was successful in infiltrating and eliminating growing terrorist cells and criminal syndicates on Olor, Earth, and Cyrene. Into the 2180s, the AIS has continued to operate “under the radar,” gathering intelligence on the enemies (and allies) of humanity, and covertly fighting threats in Systems Alliance space, and beyond.

## Organizational Structure

Rank structure mirrors that of the greater Systems Alliance military, however, the fleet admiral leading the organization is formally referred to as “director.” Additionally, a parallel rank structure exists for civilian members of the AIS. All members of the service have a commissioned rank or a simulated rank equivalent to a commissioned pay grade. Additionally, the AIS extensively utilizes private military contractors for some of its work, and will also “borrow” Alliance Special Forces personnel whenever needed. The Director and Deputy Director are generally political appointments and due to their positions and do not inherit a simulated military rank.

### Civilian Ranking Structure

* Director
* Deputy Director
* Chief Operating Officer - (*simulated Fleet Admiral*)
* Deputy Operating Officer - (*simulated Admiral*)
* Directorate Chief - (*simulated Admiral*)
* Division Head - (*simulated Rear Admiral*)
* Station Chief - (*simulated Captain*)
* Senior Case Officer - (*simulated Commander*)
* Case Officer - (*simulated Lieutenant Commander*)
* Senior Operations Officer - (*Simulated Staff Lieutenant*)
* Operations Officer - (*simulated 1st Lieutenant*)
* Junior Operations Officer - (*simulated 2nd Lieutenant*)

There are four directorates within the AIS, excluding the Executive Office. The Directorate of Intelligence handles information analysis and policymaking, working closely with the diplomatic service within the Systems Alliance. The Directorate of Operations, informally called the Clandestine Service, handles intelligence collection in a broad scope, and is infamous for its Special Activities Division, which is responsible for covert field operations. The Directorate of Science and Technology manages AIS spy satellites and other intelligence gathering technologies as they are developed, and the Directorate of Support handles human resources, Security (including Internal Affairs), and information technology.