Agency 404 - Information

[Agency 404]

Agency 404 – Background

The creation of a new intelligence Agency was approved in a 7-6 vote by the Liberty Government in April 4th, 16 A.S., following a top secret report submitted by Alliance Navy Officers Daniel McNeil, Atticus Rockford, Mark Moreno and Jack Tanner, with civilian Government officials Han Lesnick, Cecil Samuelsson, Leon Skyfield, and Charles Roberts. These eight individuals were almost immediately recruited by the Government through the Agency and, along with their closest family members, worked tirelessly towards securing the future of what would become the Republic of Liberty. Funds were provided from the technological and commercial investment budget assigned to Interspace Commerce (IC) in order to protect the existence of Agency 404 from potential threats, but after the end of the Rheinland-Kusari embargo in 521 A.S., IC was unable to continue funding the Agency.

The Liberty Government was forced to make a choice between the Order, a larger pseudo-naval organization to which it still retained nominal control over, and Agency 404, a standalone government creation with no other ties and less operational transparency. It chose to retain its stake in The Order, which had proved a more easily controlled and reliable resource at the time, and proceeded to restructure the Agency by integrating it into the Liberty Security Force as an autonomous but vastly smaller, and therefore cheaper organization. Agency 404 was temporarily shut down by the Government on March 3th, 800 A.S., during the events of the First Nomad Incursion. It was hoped that this would not be necessary due to the demonstration by The Order of its continuing loyalty to humanity stemming from its initially treasonous strike on the RNC Donau, but their continuing lack of cooperation after the events of the Incursion forced the Liberty Government to take measures aimed at recovering control of its extra-national affairs. The primary reason behind the 800 A.S. shut-down of the Agency was that 91 of its 100 operatives were accused of sedition. The remaining 9 operatives had disappeared without a trace, as did many other people from all over the Alliance Colonies in Sirius. With only its name remaining, the Agency was mothballed until further notice.

Sometime in 819 A.S., a small fleet of Order ships was captured by a routine patrol led by the then-Commodore Christina Robinson of the Liberty Navy. The whereabouts of these ships and pilots are also unknown, although it is public knowledge that these captured vessels were not a part of The Order's primary institution. Government meetings were held for several months afterwards. The contents of these meetings have not been recorded, but it is known that they involved important political and military executives from the First Incursion period, as well as three other individuals herein considered anonymous, but they resulted in the reinstating of Agency 404 in September of that year. Early in 823 A.S., the existence of Agency 404 was revealed to the majority of the Liberty Government by the introduction of the Mandatory Intelligence Bill into the Senate. Needless to say, the existence of such an ancient and autonomous entity caused an uproar across the Government. Fortunately, media coverage of this particular incident was suppressed. Consequently, the Bill was passed into law by executive order. This essentially codified into law the reactivation of a previous legal bill known as the Government Act 404 dated 16 A.S., itself an act introduced in secrecy at the time. Minor changes to the Agency's modus operandi were implemented, and it was formalized as Agency 404, after the numeral of the legal act responsible for its origin.

Agency 404 – Definition

Agency 404 is a newly-revealed secret service entity serving the Republic of Liberty. It currently exists as a component of the Liberty Security Force, and consists of individuals that are hand-picked for various reasons such as their character, past connections, diplomatic skill and capability for discretion. It is the responsibility of Agency 404 to preempt and respond to various tactical, strategic and diplomatic developments concerning the Republic of Liberty.

Agency 404 – Operations

Due to sizable government expenditure on the main components of the Forces of Liberty, Agency 404 takes advantage of resources belonging to the larger Liberty Security Force, the Liberty Navy, the Liberty Police, as well as to several civilian and corporate entities wherever possible. This includes production facilities, training facilities, research and development facilities and recreational facilities. These are made available to agents for both on and off-duty purposes. Although Agency 404 personnel are issued with the standard equipment for any enforcement duties, they are uniquely trained to exploit the Sirius economy, and thus expected to purchase any desired customization, modifications and replacements from their personal assets.

Agency 404 also operates a limited and mixed fleet of gunboats, transports, cruisers and battlecruisers to provide a mobile, flexible and powerful reserve force when the need arises. As a result of her mandate, Agency 404 vessels of all sizes can be found operating throughout Sirius. Not all of the Agency’s operations may require secrecy, therefore the presence of an agent outside of Liberty may even be announced to local enforcement elements to avoid diplomatic incident.

Agency 404 – Standing

As a Libertonian entity tasked with maintaining the Republic of Liberty's status as the central power of Sirius and with minimal oversight as to how this takes place, Agency 404 is generally willing to cultivate relations with organizations whenever and wherever it is deemed beneficial. This can include factions with no direct connection to the Republic as well as typically hostile entities or individuals, under certain circumstances. These relationships are always created with the Republic of Liberty as the intended beneficiary in the short, medium or long term. There have always been many internal and external threats to Liberty, but Agency 404 is also responsible for the avoidance of future problems. Consequently, the diplomatic standing of Agency 404 tends to differ based upon expediency, rather than any precedents set by the other Liberty Government entities.

Agency 404 – Personnel

Agency 404 staffs itself with people from all walks of life. Thriving within the Liberty Security Force, most of the administrative staff are Libertonian. However, active agents are more cosmopolitan, with the only real requirement being loyalty to the Republic of Liberty. In exchange, agents are granted full immunity from prosecution for previous actions against the Republic of Liberty, with the possibility of other perks such as plentiful expenses-paid business trips to all corners of Sirius, a generous defined benefit pension, life insurance, health insurance and the ability to resettle direct family within the borders of the Republic. Agency 404 prides itself in negotiating employment contracts with its field agents on an individual basis and in full confidence.

Although none of the training exercises for Agency 404 personnel present any real danger to their safety, almost all of these are considered difficult to improbable. Some operatives may not have advanced combat training and may never need it, but are encouraged to request it if they feel it is required. Agency 404 operatives may be found in all corners of Sirius, tasked with negotiations, reconnaissance and occasionally, combat. It is not a requirement for Agency 404 personnel to be of Libertonian descent. Due to the relatively recent reconstruction efforts surrounding the Agency, a small cadre of core operatives are currently being assembled. Once this core is established, active recruitment will follow. The organizational structure of Agency 404 is subject to change due to the expected expansion of the active agent base once operations commence in earnest, but the intention is to retain a flat organizational structure with as few vertical rank divisions as possible.