TEXT:  
   
   
  The Tal Diann is the Romulan Star Command’s internal affairs division, and as such, fills a multi-function role in the 
  Romulan Star Navy.  
  Many years ago, when the Tal Shiar began to assume a role of major importance in Romulan society and politics, the 
  Romulan navy realized that trusting to the intelligence service’s good graces might prove unwise. Since the Tal Shiar 
  seemed intent on subjecting the military to the same stringent scrutiny as the rest of the populace, and began exercising 
  its sweeping powers of conscription more and more frequently, the military created its own intelligence service, not to 
  gather information on the Empire’s enemies, but to keep tabs on the Tal Shiar. The Tal Diann polices its own, and 
  operates counter-intelligence operations against the Tal Shiar.  
  In Romulan society, individual Senators can amass a great deal of power. Many rise through the military ranks, and 
  command fleets of their own, which presents certain logistical problems. Aristocratic families placed their sons and 
  daughters in the military, giving them de facto control of certain fleets, which eventually became hereditary 
  prerogatives. Praetors could not necessarily count on the loyalty of these Senatorial Fleets, who sometimes paid more 
  homage to their individual Senator, rather than the Empire as a whole. In an effort to ensure the Empire’s control, in 
  2268 Praetor Kanetar conferred more political duties upon the Tal Diann, as a fail-safe to the Tal Shiar. Today, the Tal 
  Diann maintains and monitors relations between the Star Command and the various fleets, as well as between fleets 
  themselves.  
  Lastly, in addition to policing the military, the Tal Diann operates as the military intelligence branch of the Romulan 
  military. Because of the secretive, some might privately say conspiratorial, nature of the Tal Shiar, it might choose to 
  distribute (or not distribute) information to the navy based on what was best for the Tal Shiar, not what was best for the 
  navy. To ensure it received all the intelligence it needed to do its job properly and keep its ships and crews safe, the Tal 
  Diann executes espionage activities against the Empire’s enemies.  
  The navy recruits Tal Diann agents from among soldiers undergoing basic training. It removes from regular military 
  training those individuals who show promise on certain aptitude tests and send them to an espionage training camp on 
  the world Coravus Prime. They spend approximately one year there studying the ships and military technology of the 
  Star Empire’s enemies, perfecting basic espionage techniques, and receiving political indoctrination. At the end of this 
  year, the navy posts each new agent to the Tal Diann cell where it feels that agent’s talents can best serve it. For 
  example, an agent with a talent for traffic analysis might receive an assignment to a Tal Diann listening post on the edge 
  of the Federation Neutral Zone, while a particularly clever agent from Pallor—home to Senator Kassus—might end up 
  on one of Kassus’ ships, as a junior officer.  
  The navy designates the head of the Tal Diann as "Chief of Military Intelligence," or CMI. The CMI holds the ranks of 
  
  admiral in the Romulan navy, and thus stands on equal footing with the other Star Command leaders. The CMI holds a 
  seat on the High Tribunal, much to the consternation of the Tal Shiar. Like so much of Romulan society, with its 
  Byzantine network of connections, the CMI also reports directly to the Praetor.  
  Several junior officials, each holding the rank of centurion, serve underneath the CMI. These include the Chief of 
  Planetary Forces Intelligence, Chief of Stellar Forces Intelligence, and Chief of Operations. The latter holds the 
  responsibility for planning and executing those operations against the Empire’s enemies it dares not trust to the Tal 
  Shiar. Meanwhile, the agents under the Chief of Planetary Forces Intelligence and Chief of Stellar Forces Intelligence 
  work to ensure the loyalty of soldiers within their respective commands, ferret out traitorous soldiers before the Tal 
  Shiar can, and execute counter-intelligence missions against the Tal Shiar.  
   
  The most visible members of the Tal Diann are the legates. Every ship in the fleet is assigned a legate, who serves as the 
  Star Command’s eyes and ears. Legates typically rank commander or higher, and while aboard ship they serve 
  independently of the centurion. Although these "political officers" do not have the authority to seize command of a 
  starship (like the Tal Shiar), as a limit to their powers, they have broad powers when it comes to policing the military.  
  Legates monitor communications, have access to personal logs, and keep track of operations aboard ship. Disloyal 
  soldiers can expect to be ferreted out, before the Tal Shiar finds them, thus keeping political ammunition out of their 
  hands. Legates typically receive copies of a centurion’s orders, as well as secondary protocols about which the centurion 
  knows nothing. Thus, the legate can remind a centurion of his duty, should he conveniently "forget," and has a back-up 
  plan in case the centurion fails. Legates also send frequent reports back to Romulus, through fractal-encrypted 
  transmission. Survival-minded centurions always keep this in mind, to ensure glowing reports arrive at Star Command.  
  Yet this system is not perfect. Occasionally, charismatic senators, admirals, or centurions subvert agents of the Tal 
  Diann. Legates often find themselves far from Romulus, and must depend on the good graces of their assigned 
  Centurion. More than one legate has met with an "accident" during a mission. Through threats and bribery, some Tal 
  Diann agents have been "persuaded" to use their far-reaching powers to provide information on rival ships or fleets, thus 
  aiding the very people they’re supposed to watch.  
  The Tal Diann is more than the highly visible legates, however. Several junior Tal Diann agents are assigned to each 
  ship, and form the base of the legate’s espionage cell. In addition, recruiting quislings from among a warbird’s rank and 
  file is not difficult—loyal soldiers can always be persuaded to serve the Empire’s goals. These operatives report on 
  activities throughout the ship, and as such, represent a "fifth column" operation on board every ship.  
   
  Administration (Romulan Military) 1 (2) 
  Espionage (choose two Specializations) 2 (3) and (3) 
  Planetary Tactics (Romulan; choose one other threat species) 2 (3) and (3) 
  OR 
  Starship Tactics (Romulan; choose one other threat species) 2 (3) and (3) 
  Surveillance (choose Specialization) 1 (2) 
  Intimidation (choose Specialization) 1 (2) 
  
  Shipboard Systems (choose Specialization) 1 (2) 
  Athletics (choose Specialization) 1 (2) 
  Computer (choose Specialization) 1 (2)  
  Dodge 1  
  Energy Weapon (Disruptor) 2 (3)  
  Personal Equipment (choose Specialization) 1 (2)  
  Unarmed Combat (Romulan Navy Martial Arts) 1 (2)  
  Advantage  
  Security Clearance +3  
   
   
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