ISB Identifies Threat to Imperials (ING)

Imperial News Grid - "ISB Identifies Threat to Imperials"

Posted by: Aspharr Montari on Year 16 Day 227

(Coruscant, ING) - All major media outlets were called to the ISB Central Office in Coruscant last week for the Imperial Security Bureau monthly press conference this afternoon. Conjecture and predictions hit the news circuit all morning in an attempt to outline what the press conference would cover. Many were guessing that it would center around the recent personnel changes over the previous month or so.

Instead, the focus was of a different nature. High Colonel Aspharr Montari, Deputy Director of ISB, approached the podium and calmly addressed the press. He did not talk about personnel changes or other administrative aspects of the Bureau, but a potential danger that threatens Imperials every day. Montari emphasized, “This threat is not a new threat, but one to which sentients of the galaxy become more tolerant over time. The Bureau wanted to use the bulk of our time with you today to take the opportunity to remind our citizens of this threat, and that threat is exposure.” Montari went on to describe that a Bureau analyst discovered an alarming increase in the number of high-risk situations that Imperials routinely engaged, and that the risk of being captured, robbed, or killed were a mounting possibility. This resulted in the analyst conducting a full, sanctioned investigation into the unanticipated revelation to determine exact practices, causes, and possible outcomes. Montari explained, "While the investigation is ongoing, we have already confirmed that this discovery sheds light on many missing persons cases that previously went cold. We hope that, while troubling, this new finding will help us bring closure to past cases, and prevent future ones."

Later on in the conference, Montari touched on more results of their investigation, "The true tragedy of this tale is that such situations are entirely avoidable. Predictably, most eventful accidents are the result of Imperials not following procedure, and those are the Imperials to whom I am speaking to today. They are the people that are in danger; in some cases of capture or death. The victims violated almost every single Imperial trade law and guideline designed to prevent them from harm. These statistics are proof that the rules and regulations enforced by the Bureau are designed to protect you. If Imperials follow all of the rules and regulations of the Empire, then they are as safe as they will ever be. These laws and directives are designed to mitigate the possibility of harm. As such, the Bureau will continue to remind all Imperials: do not trade with blacklisted individuals, do not affiliate yourself with enemies of the Empire, and do not board a non-Imperial ship for any reason whatsoever, do not dock GE ships on a non-Imperial entity. If you follow these rules, you will not become a statistic. ISB is actively investigating potential solutions to eliminate these dangerous practices. We hope that you will help us in this mission.” Montari then took a moment to answer some questions.

Of the most interesting questions asked was “What violation of Imperial law puts Imperials at the most risk?” The Deputy Director took a long pause to weigh the question before responding. “I would say that all regulations have their role and their targeted area of prevention,” he said confidently and firmly, “That is why they were created, after all. If I had to chose one though, Imperials should never under any circumstances board any ships, vehicles, stations, or facilities not certified as secure by ISB. The moment that you exit the Empire’s sphere of influence, you surrender all control of the situation to others. Nothing makes an Imperial more vulnerable than being alone and away from support. I do not care if you are visiting a friend or ally, or if you are conducting trading business; it is the largest and most avoidable risk in this galaxy.” Montari ended the conference with a nod of thanks to the press for appearing before he was escorted back into the inner sanctum of the Bureau’s halls.

The Imperial Security Bureau has remained unusually silent in the past year on stressing the importance of trading laws and educating the Empire-at-large on those laws. The discovery of this new statistic will most certainly bring the topic back to the spotlight and towards the top of both the Empire and the Bureau's agenda. Imperials should expect ISB to begin speaking out about this more frequently in the coming months in order to spread awareness and promote safe trading practices.