NOTE: with the loss of 3 days that we had due to the failed upgrade, we have lost a thread about the IISS role in the Third Imperium. As i found it interesting, I'll give here the answer I was preparing for it:
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Well, I see here two questions (based on the references the OP gives us).
About the first question, I just think (a metagame answer, I know) that the fact is the CharGen tables were done before the Imperium (and so the IISS as part of it) was described, and were assumed to engage in dangerous missions not reflected on IISS description.
About the second question, this is how I see them in my adaptation of the OTU (so consider it as IMTU, though I guess compatible with OTU):
Once the Third Imperium reached their intended size (so, the one prior to Solomani War) it felt no more need to explore beyond its borders, as most of it was already settled and maps were easy to obtain, This left the IISS closing obsolescence, and forced it to look for new roles or disappear outright. In this look for new roles, they ended up becoming a kind of jack of all trades and master of none agency, auxiliary of most Imperial agencies, but independent from them all and responding only to the Emperor himself, and in some cases even coordinating them.
Their main roles became defined in four Imperial Mandates:
The first two ones are quite straightforward, though I should also explicit that the Grand Survey branch is the responsible to keep actualized the Imperial Census, an important but often skipped mission when they are told about.
On the foreign intelligence part, the Scouts mostly devote themselves to open intelligence (obtaining maps, assigning UWPs, etc). On the contact (diplomatic) mission, they use to assume missions of showing the flag and similar actions where the In cannot do them for political reasons (e.g. the mission of the Vermillion Stance as described in Incident II on the game AHL). Of course, this is always in coordination with the Imperial Diplomatic Corps. Also in this role (and as part of the Second Mandate) they keep the communications with the Imperial Embassies outside Imperial Space.
Their true main role, though, is in the loosely defined Fourth Mandate. This has come to include many and very varied missions:
Health:
I’ve never read about an Imperial Health Ministry. So I assume there is none (the health needs are quite varied along the Imperium), leaving mostly to local authorities. Nonetheless, some coordination is needed, and the IISS, due to their knowledge about planetary hazards (including illnesses) and xenology, has assumed this role. In this sense, they keep a large registry of known and newly appearing diseases, and help to develop cures when possible (akin of CDC). In this sense they have the power to establish quarantines if needed.
They also become a kind of emergency response service, having emergency supplies in most their bases and way stations (quite numerous along the Imperium) ready to respond on any such situations, and use to be the first ones to respond.
Another service they offer in this sense (and one less told about, though by no means secret) is to keep sperm banks and to help in fostering children from other worlds to infertile couples. This is mostly done from HiPop planets to LowPop ones, and has the double goal to help those couples and to increase the gene pool, and so avoiding endogamy, of those LowPop planets without involving large migrations that could affect their cultures.
Internal Intelligence and Security:
This includes mostly cooperation with Imperial (and lesser) Navies and MoJ, and goes from locating pirate bases to help the MoJ agents to move around, as well as providing them cultural hints on the planets they have to act. They also have quick response teams able o handle small pirate threats.
Also as being in this field is seen the registry and certificate of ships, transponders and licenses for starships and their crews. This is done in coordination with the Ministry of Trade and the various SPAs across the Imperium. The IISS is the responsible for those registries above Starport/system level and for license certificates for key ship positions, as ship’s pilots or navigators. See that this also allows the Communications office to know which ships are armed and well reputed to assign the mail contracts…
Finally in this section is the (comparatively) very small but prestigious Scout Service Imperial Protection Detail (told about in TD issue #9).
Key in this intelligence (as well as in external one, as described in mandate 3) and security role are the Detached Duty Scout ships, as all of them have recorders for their sensors. Anything seen as too anomalous is automatically unloaded in the first IISS base or way station the ship arrives, while the full records are unloaded each time the yearly maintenance is done in such a base. Those records are analyzed in search of any anomaly (e.g. two different ships detecting the same transponder in different places, etc.), so becoming the eyes and ears of the IISS (and hence the Emperor) across the Imperium and beyond.
Development and conservation:
The IISS also collaborates with the various agencies in developing new colonies and expanding existing ones. This goes from surveys to environmental control or control of technologies available (including interdicting some worlds to allow local cultures to develop) or to train would be colonists for alien (for them) environs.
This also includes the various reserve worlds or places where they keep examples of various planets’ flora and fauna.
An example of those facilities and missions can be seen in the description of Glisten Institute of Planetological Studies (GLIPS), specified as depending on the IISS, found in TD issue #15, page28.
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Well, I see here two questions (based on the references the OP gives us).
- Why the scouts have so high survival roll, once their usual missions are seen?
- What’s their current role?
About the first question, I just think (a metagame answer, I know) that the fact is the CharGen tables were done before the Imperium (and so the IISS as part of it) was described, and were assumed to engage in dangerous missions not reflected on IISS description.
About the second question, this is how I see them in my adaptation of the OTU (so consider it as IMTU, though I guess compatible with OTU):
Once the Third Imperium reached their intended size (so, the one prior to Solomani War) it felt no more need to explore beyond its borders, as most of it was already settled and maps were easy to obtain, This left the IISS closing obsolescence, and forced it to look for new roles or disappear outright. In this look for new roles, they ended up becoming a kind of jack of all trades and master of none agency, auxiliary of most Imperial agencies, but independent from them all and responding only to the Emperor himself, and in some cases even coordinating them.
Their main roles became defined in four Imperial Mandates:
- First: Keep updated stellar maps and data (hazards, best routes, etc), mostly assumed by the exploration and Grand Survey branch.
- Second: Keep the communications, mostly kept by the communications branch
- Third: Foreign intelligence and contacts, in coordination with many other agencies.
- Fourth: Help in Imperial development and security. This affects many branches, mostly in coordination with other services too.
The first two ones are quite straightforward, though I should also explicit that the Grand Survey branch is the responsible to keep actualized the Imperial Census, an important but often skipped mission when they are told about.
On the foreign intelligence part, the Scouts mostly devote themselves to open intelligence (obtaining maps, assigning UWPs, etc). On the contact (diplomatic) mission, they use to assume missions of showing the flag and similar actions where the In cannot do them for political reasons (e.g. the mission of the Vermillion Stance as described in Incident II on the game AHL). Of course, this is always in coordination with the Imperial Diplomatic Corps. Also in this role (and as part of the Second Mandate) they keep the communications with the Imperial Embassies outside Imperial Space.
Their true main role, though, is in the loosely defined Fourth Mandate. This has come to include many and very varied missions:
Health:
I’ve never read about an Imperial Health Ministry. So I assume there is none (the health needs are quite varied along the Imperium), leaving mostly to local authorities. Nonetheless, some coordination is needed, and the IISS, due to their knowledge about planetary hazards (including illnesses) and xenology, has assumed this role. In this sense, they keep a large registry of known and newly appearing diseases, and help to develop cures when possible (akin of CDC). In this sense they have the power to establish quarantines if needed.
They also become a kind of emergency response service, having emergency supplies in most their bases and way stations (quite numerous along the Imperium) ready to respond on any such situations, and use to be the first ones to respond.
Another service they offer in this sense (and one less told about, though by no means secret) is to keep sperm banks and to help in fostering children from other worlds to infertile couples. This is mostly done from HiPop planets to LowPop ones, and has the double goal to help those couples and to increase the gene pool, and so avoiding endogamy, of those LowPop planets without involving large migrations that could affect their cultures.
Internal Intelligence and Security:
This includes mostly cooperation with Imperial (and lesser) Navies and MoJ, and goes from locating pirate bases to help the MoJ agents to move around, as well as providing them cultural hints on the planets they have to act. They also have quick response teams able o handle small pirate threats.
Also as being in this field is seen the registry and certificate of ships, transponders and licenses for starships and their crews. This is done in coordination with the Ministry of Trade and the various SPAs across the Imperium. The IISS is the responsible for those registries above Starport/system level and for license certificates for key ship positions, as ship’s pilots or navigators. See that this also allows the Communications office to know which ships are armed and well reputed to assign the mail contracts…
Finally in this section is the (comparatively) very small but prestigious Scout Service Imperial Protection Detail (told about in TD issue #9).
Key in this intelligence (as well as in external one, as described in mandate 3) and security role are the Detached Duty Scout ships, as all of them have recorders for their sensors. Anything seen as too anomalous is automatically unloaded in the first IISS base or way station the ship arrives, while the full records are unloaded each time the yearly maintenance is done in such a base. Those records are analyzed in search of any anomaly (e.g. two different ships detecting the same transponder in different places, etc.), so becoming the eyes and ears of the IISS (and hence the Emperor) across the Imperium and beyond.
Development and conservation:
The IISS also collaborates with the various agencies in developing new colonies and expanding existing ones. This goes from surveys to environmental control or control of technologies available (including interdicting some worlds to allow local cultures to develop) or to train would be colonists for alien (for them) environs.
This also includes the various reserve worlds or places where they keep examples of various planets’ flora and fauna.
An example of those facilities and missions can be seen in the description of Glisten Institute of Planetological Studies (GLIPS), specified as depending on the IISS, found in TD issue #15, page28.
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