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Bothan Spy Network

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this elite group of spies and information brokers was of a caliber slightly better than anything the Empire - or even Black Sun, at its height - could match. Originally founded on the planet Bothawui, the Bothan Spynet was created to gather information on the rest of the galaxy, in an effort to further the position and stance of the Bothan people. The exact nature of the creation of the Bothan Spynet has been lost over time - it was even theorized that the founders blackmailed the Bothan government to fund the organization - but it took just a few decades for the network of spies and information brokers to infiltrate a large portion of the galaxy. The basic operating procedure of the Bothan Spynet was to gather information and sell it on the "open market" without acting on it. This gave the network's information a certain objectivity, which in turn enhanced its overall credibility. After the creation of the Galactic Empire and the institution of the New Order, the Bothan Spynet became strongly anti-Imperial. The already secretive nature of the network was deepened, as agents went undercover to infiltrate all aspects of the Empire. This proved to be a boon for the Alliance shortly after the Battle of Hoth, when the Bothans discovered the plans to the second Death Star were being transported on the Suprosa. Information related by Luke Skywalker indicated that Emperor Palpatine was fully aware of the Bothan Spynet, and actually planted the information for them to discover. This in no way harmed the reputation of the spy network, which continued to be active during the early years of the New Republic and invasion of the galaxy by the Yuuzhan Vong. However, the leaders of the spynet found themselves unable to initially gather information on the Yuuzhan Vong, since it was virtually impossible to pose as a Yuuzhan Vong to gather information. The spynet turned instead to the Peace Brigade for information on the activities of the alien invaders.