Privateer League

The Privateer League is not a formal entity, but a group of professionals involved in the bounty hunting trade. These men and women adhere to a strict code of formalized service as set forth by the contracts they undertake for governments and police groups. There is no formal agency to connect these individual hunters, the "organization" as such is one of affiliation through contract.

Foundations

The concept of Privateer bounty hunters emerged hundreds of years ago in light of illegal acts on bounty hunter's resulting in numerous collateral casualties and untold amounts in damages. Early hunters who transgressed greatly were and are today pursued as pirates, murderers, and vandals based upon their transgressions.

Today, the need for the hunters services still exist, as they act as an extension of law enforcement's arm and skirt numerous issues of sovereignty and protocol. However, Astrum alongside other prominent governments have crafted a contracting system to stave off future problems with excessive force by building ethical standards into the new bounties.

Note

Not all bounties are written under the Privateer League charters.

Contracts

Bounties are written by a major government or Astrum police force. Individuals and corporations have been known to issue similar bounties, however such calls are often highly suspect if they call for the "Dead or Alive" status of the bounty. More often than not such contracts are listed on a black market under dubious names. A healthy market for bounties exists outside the Privateer offerings.

Letters of Marque

Letters of Marque are formal warrants given to bounty hunters to verify their status as chartered privateers. These digital warrants act as a contract, binding only in that the accepting parties are bound by the underlying code of conduct, not to fulfill the duties given. (This being that multiple parties are often given the same contract.)

Inherent in these contracts is an ethical clause that holds privateers responsible for utilizing only necessary force and to practice careful moderation in their responsibilities to society. This same clause sets out for damage payable by privateers in the event they breach a portion of the ethical code. (For this reason professional liability insurance is often a must for the moral amongst bounty hunters.)

A privateer will void their letter of marque if caught engaging in illicit activities that would otherwise constitute any offense against Astrum's legal code.

Note

Privateers are not the only bounty hunters by any means. However the legal structure of the privateer model allows those who choose the path to have more security in their actions over non-chartered bounty hunters. Marques provide a level of confidence for legitimate hunters, reassuring them against fear of reprisal for actions beyond their control.