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Bounty Hunting in Fenspace - Dartz - 04-20-2011
In part because I was looking for some reason Jet and Ford would be working together on troubleshooting missions.... without making Ford a troubleshooter herself, and partly because it fits with Ford's Gunsmith Cats inspiration, I've been thinking about Bounty Hunting in Fenspace.
There's bound to be Cowboy Bebop fen up there too,
The reason is simple enough. The Space Patrol aren't that big an organisation, compared to the size and complexity of Fenspace, and weren't generally able to pursue fleeing felons as thoroughly as they'd like. At the 2014 Convention, [[Some Fen] proposed that the Convention legalise and regulate Bounty Hunting as a solution, inspired by Cowboy Bebop. It was a controversial suggestion, with some vehement arguments against from some Fen who felt that it would be intruding on Patrol territory, that it opened the gates to vigilante justice.... and any number of valid and reasoned arguments I can't quite think of
The motion passed by a fair margin, though some stations and settlement have opted to ban bounty hunters within their own jurisdiction.
The system established was somewhat inspired by the source, but is much more heavily regulated. Bounty Hunters must apply for a license from a local Space Patrol officer, demonstrating that they are 'of good character' and have had no prior run-ins with the law in Fenspace. In general, they would also be called for an interview, be required to demonstrate some competency beyond the ability to fill in a form, and not be of obviously impaired judgement. Bounty Hunter licenses are issued for a year(365*24hours) and must be renewed at the end of each year. Renewal can be refused 'for good reason'. A license can also be revoked for misconduct or criminal acts. It can be somewhat arbitrary, and depends on how friendly the local Patrol are to the prospective hunter.
(Basically, like getting a Firearms certificate in the UK or Ireland. )
Bounty hunters are required to bring their bounty in alive and in a condition fit for justice to get paid.... though are authorised to use lethal force for defence. In general, any bounty hunter shooting a bounty is going to be required to give a very good reason in front of the local patrol. Bounty Hunters are also held responsible for any collateral damage they cause in the course of capturing the bounty.... so in practice have to be far more careful about using force than popular fiction depicts. Active members of the Space Patrol and Operation Great Justice are prohibited from registering as bounty hunters.
Bounties are posted through the Space Patrol, and the patrol maintains a list of bounties on the interwave, kept publicly accessible. Bounties are set according to the crimes committed by the subject, and often include rewards posted by victims along with the patrol bounty. Bounties are paid on presentation of the fugitive in a condition fit to face justice to a space patrol officer, along with a valid bounty-hunting license.
The highest bounty yet posted is that posted on the head of Asmodeus Grey, who is specifically wanted alive. It's boosted further by reward money offered by a number of different individuals and Fen corporations, to the point where it's more than enough to buy your own L5 Station and be set for life, but as of October 2014, nobody has yet claimed it.
Bounty Hunters are occasionally known as Cowboys, Jubals or Blade Runners, depending on the Fen. Some are former cops, or demobbed OGJ. Most have acquired a small network of reliable contacts who can feed them leads on fugitives, in exchange for a cut of the bounty or a flat fee. Most bounty hunters are pragmatic individuals, who might well overlook a small fry if they're able to provide good information on a bigger fish with a bigger reward. Bounty Hunters rely on their reputations far more than a cop, both with the Space Patrol, and among their sources... and often walk a precarious balance keeping both sides happy. Bounty Hunting is most common in the frontier parts of Mars and Serenity Valley, but Hunters can be found all over Fenspace.
There are a few career Bounty Hunters going after the big rewards, but the vast majority see it as something of a side-dish, to add a little variety to their lives. Most only chase up prospective bounties within their local settlement. Ford Sierra is one such Bounty Hunter, maintaining her mechanic's shop as her main source of income, and Bounty Hunting on her spare time, or if a particularly nice fish just landed at Marsbase Sara.
A few Bounty Hunters will work alongside a troubleshooter. The troubleshooter gets access to the bounty hunters contacts, while the bounty hunter gets access to the troubleshooter's target... sometimes they can have big bounties on them.
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Thoughts? Flames?.... And I can't remember the name of that show on Cowboy Bebop.
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- robkelk - 04-21-2011
Dartz Wrote:The reason is simple enough. The Space Patrol aren't that big an organisation, compared to the size and complexity of Fenspace, and weren't generally able to pursue fleeing felons as thoroughly as they'd like. At the 2014 Convention, [[Some Fen] proposed that the Convention legalise and regulate Bounty Hunting as a solution, inspired by Cowboy Bebop.Commissioner Russel is not stupid - he'd likely propose this himself.
(Since the Space Patrol is the group proposing the setup, the Space Patrol gets some say over how it works. )
Dartz Wrote:The system established was somewhat inspired by the source, but is much more heavily regulated. Bounty Hunters must apply for a license from a local Space Patrol officer, demonstrating that they are 'of good character' and have had no prior run-ins with the law in Fenspace. In general, they would also be called for an interview, be required to demonstrate some competency beyond the ability to fill in a form, and not be of obviously impaired judgement.I'd recommend adding "no criminal record" to the list of prerequisites. (And, in-universe, so would Noah.) The last thing anybody wants is a "hired muscle" criminal with a valid reason to go armed...
Dartz Wrote:A few Bounty Hunters will work alongside a troubleshooter. The troubleshooter gets access to the bounty hunters contacts, while the bounty hunter gets access to the troubleshooter's target... sometimes they can have big bounties on them.Some elements of the Space Patrol frown on this, but that's more because of the strained relationship between the Patrol and Troubleshooters than anything inherently wrong with the arrangement.
Bounty Hunters must also register with local law enforcement where such exists. This cuts down on the number of times the locals have to respond to "there's a man/woman/'droid/thing with a gun!" calls.
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Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
- Dartz - 04-21-2011
Makes sense.... though for certain values/times of 'criminal record'.
I'm also sure there're a fair few who forget to register on arrival. It's a bit of a gamble on their part.... The local patrol may be less inclined to help someone who's caused them unnecessary trouble, while at the same time, if you're tracing a suspect from station to station, depending on local regs the time spent registering with local law might be too much.
I'd imagine Jet and Ford are one such pairing...despite the two effectively living together. There're things Jet just can't do, which Ford can. Like getting inside a Zwilnik waystation posing as a thionite dealer, and being believed. Jet would call it fair, since otherwise Ford would be doing horribly dangerous work for free.... (She's too prone to dizziness to join OGJ as a troubleshooter)... and Ford's active enough herself around Marsbase Sara anyway.
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--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
- Norgarth - 04-26-2011
There's no doubt more than a few Warsies willing to play Bounty Hunter (several in Waved Mandalorian Armor)
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