The Union's Guarding Eyes
A police division in the Rilanga Union tasked with monitoring its citizens.
Public Agenda
The Kon Umbigreda served to identify treasonous activity among the citizens of the Rilanga Union. Officially, this was done to protect lawful civilians from Ran-E-Zu sympathizers who might infiltrate places of power or organize terrorist attacks.
Assets
Confidential government documents, published after the Final War, revealed that this division controlled every major communication hub within Rilanga territory. They monitored telephone lines, radio transmissions and even had specialists for opening and re-sealing letter envelopes or packages without leaving a trace.
What made the work of the Kon Umbigreda especially insidious was the way they recruited friends and family members of their targets, or outright planted their spies in people's social circles.
History
The Tamak Lul Kon Umbigreda were established in the year 7 NZR, during the time of tension that eventually led to the Final War. The extent to which they spied on the population was only known to a select few government officials. On the surface, they merely responded to lawful citizens reporting their concerns and suspicions.
However, rumors soon came up that their definition of "lawful citizen" was rather flexible, and as the Final War began, more and more stories circulated about how they had their eyes and ears everywhere. People became increasingly worried about voicing non-conformist opinions or acting in ways that might draw the attention of the retvusureda, literally the "watchers of everything".
Disbandment
During the Peace Conference, it was decided to abolish this organization completely, along with its equivalent within the Ran-E-Zu Confederation.
Legacy
When the idea for the Danokon Division took form, the involved parties took great care not to fall back to the shady practices of the Kon Umbigreda. Most importantly, all Rilsu citizens were openly informed which data sources would be monitored by the Danokon system, and its design was shaped by a large number of public votes and overseen by a dedicated global ethics commission. To this day, transparency and accountability play key roles in their work, and a number of different civilian institutions monitor the delicate balance between individual rights and public security. However, these precautions do not stop separatist movements like the Reborn Ran-E-Zu from painting the Danokon Division as the direct successor of the Rilanga Union's instrument of oppression.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
7 NZR - 1 VZR
Type
Government, Law Enforcement
Alternative Names
Tamak Lul Kon Umbigreda
Retvusureda (informal)
Retvusureda (informal)
Parent Organization
Comments
Author's Notes
I had some problems finding an organization that I wanted to write about. I kinda knew it would be some kind of govermental organization, but I had no idea why it "still casts a shadow". I toyed around with some random generators before my mind latched on to two sources of inspiration. One was the "Doctor Who" episode "The Lie of the Land" which I happened to watch two days ago, featuring a police force that arrests people who resist the oppressors' brainwashing. The other was the real-world example of the "Stasi" in Eastern Germany after World War II. From there it was easy to figure out the dark legacy. I had already established the Danokon Division which works hard to be a force of good, so it made perfect sense to draw parallels between both organizations and have the past overshadow the present. So what do you think of the article? Is there any section that needs more details?