Space Patrol

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Space Patrol
Patrol shield.png
NicknamesConvention Security
Con Bouncers
Off-Green Lanterns
Home Base3990 Heimdal
Political InfluenceMajor (inter-factional law enforcement agency)
Alliesn/a
StereotypeHard-nosed Space Cops.
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The Space Patrol is Fenspace's multifactional law-enforcement agency, tasked with catching criminals that cross faction lines (or do not belong to any faction) as well as ensuring that all factions maintain the Articles of Convention. A common nickname for the Patrol is Convention Security or Con Bouncers.

History

It started with a back-room discussion in a bar.

The people having the discussion included three of Fenspace's most important unaffiliated Fen: Malaclypse Fnord, Katz Schrödinger, and Noah Scott. Mal's chief engineer Kali was also in attendance. Kali and Katz were there to talk about the progress of Operation Great Justice; Noah had other ideas, and had convinced Mal to let him present his proposal ahead of time.

Once the OGJ discussion was completed, Noah proposed forming a police force to handle the everyday, run-of-the-mill criminal activities; this would let OGJ's heavy hitters go after the major Boskonians of the day. This was greeted with enthusiasm by the heavy hitters in attendance, who were tired of mopping up everyday, run-of-the-mill criminal activities. The only matter of contention was the proposed group's name, but it didn't take very long for the four people in attendance to agree on "Space Patrol".

Then came the Interdimensional Incursion Incident. During the fallout from that event, Noah leveraged public opinion to his own advantage, hiring Oliver Towne to chair the Nikaido Foundation. Towne's first order was to set up the Patrol.

Towne staffed the Patrol with as many professionals as he could find. He supplemented this skeleton organization with whichever battle-blooded amateurs he could find, as long as they were very good at the job.

Facilities

The White Tower started out as the asteroid rendezvous point for forces participating in a major anti-Boskone operation. At that point it was just a transponder beacon attached to asteroid 3990 Heimdal. After the anti-Boskone operation, the Patrol found itself in need of an operating base with room, and the Tower's location made it useful.

The Patrol Academy is located in the White Tower.

As of the end of the Boskone War, the Patrol only had five minimal "point of presence" offices, at Crystal Tokyo, Port Luna, Helium, Hogsmeade, and Serenity Valley. However, expansion of the Patrol's facilities was rapid beginning in 2014 - resources that had been going to the war effort were available for peacetime uses, and the Patrol was quick to take advantage of the opportunity. They doubled their presence on the first of May, 2014, opening offices in Coruscant, Starbase 2, Novyi Petrovichi, Greenwood, and Stellvia on the same day (the Stellvian office being a complete, if small, police station), then expanded at a slower pace throughout the remainder of the decade until the Patrol had station houses scattered throughout Fenspace and faction liaison offices in all major Fen settlements.

Despite this network of offices throughout the Solar System and beyond, all major operations are still based out of the White Tower.

Organization

Section leaders get code names to protect their identities, in sections where it makes the job easier.

Things the Patrol Doesn't Do
The patrol is a civilian police force. There are some jobs that the police traditionally does not do, and those traditions have carried over into Fenspace.

Military policing is handled by Great Justice.

The judiciary is handled by the Erisians.

Disaster relief, aside from maintaining order, is what the Blue Blazers do best.

Incarceration and other punishment is a complex matter. Due to the nature of major crimes, nearly all those convicted have committed crimes both in Fenspace and in the 'Danelaw. Once the Fen have meted out their punishment (usually complete stripping of assets to pay reparations), the criminal is extradited to Earth for the 'Dane authorities to do their thing. For those rare times where the criminal hasn't upset the 'Danes, community service to the terraforming groups isn't enough, and the death penalty is either too extreme or not practiced by the affected Faction, there's Azkaban Prison, somewhere in the Kuiper Belt.

Section 1: Administration

The necessary-but-often-despised paper-pushers.

Section 1a: Office of the Commissioner

The smallest group in the Space Patrol, but in some ways the most important, this is where the orders and policies come from. The office is located in a secure facility under the White Tower.

Section 1b: Inter-Force Liaison

These people deal with inter-jurisdictional matters. They work with the ICPO, the CIA, the RCMP, Great Justice's MPs, the Sammies, Starfleet Security, the Ministry of Magical Law Enforcement, the AMP, and other such groups.

Inter-Force has more Blue Blazers per capita than any other group in the Patrol.

Section 1c: Logistics

These are the people who make sure each station and office have what they need to do the job. Logistics is also responsible for supplying the White Tower and the Academy.

Section 1d: Training

This group runs the Academy, and also ensures current officers' skills don't become rusty.

Section 2: Uniformed Units

Somebody has to direct traffic around the White Tower, the ISS, and other busy non-factional locations... Section 2 is the uniformed police, who handle all the jobs that uniformed police in "free" societies usually handle.

Section 3: Major Crimes Unit

These people are the patrol's detectives, assigned to the "glamorous" cases. Murder, grand theft, abduction; if it's high-profile, Section 3 investigates it.

Section 4: Organized Crime Unit

The anti-Boskone unit, OCU is lead by an agent code-named "Kinnison". Section 4's operational details are classified.

Section 5: Hate Crimes Unit

These people aren't just the anti-Turnerite squad. "Hate crimes" cuts both ways - Fen who libel 'Danes are as much Section 5's problem as 'Danes who libel Fen are, although they spend most of their time investigating Fen who libel other factions.

The HCU is a separate Section because they're important to the smooth running of Fenspace. If they do their work properly, they can shut down an interfactional feud before it becomes a shooting match - nobody wants another Tomed Incident, and Section 5 makes sure that nobody gets one.

Section 6: Fen Extra-vehicular Special Weapons and Tactics Unit

Currently lead by Andy Cramer, code-named "Nanoha"[1], FESWAT handles the really difficult jobs. Section 6 is proud of being the group that gets the dirty end of the stick - they're tough enough, and good enough, and stubborn enough to get in there and get the job done. Bulletproof biomods and androids who join the Patrol often get assigned to FESWAT.

Section 6's biggest job during the Boskone War was their participation in the cleaning-out of the Hell-Hole in Space.

The Organization of Section 6 is based on practices and experiences of decades of actual operations, with Chief Cramer being a former Navy SEAL and at least two former SWAT members in the upper command of Section 6.

Section 6 is organized in three Subsections.

Section 6a: Logistics and Reconnaissance

Utilizing means of human and signal intelligence, this subsection is the backbone of the entire Section, gathering intelligence about a target and planning an operation.

Section 6b: Operations

Based around smaller units of four people, Operations is responsible for dealing with the 'everyday' needs of Space Patrol, normally supporting local law enforcement units on larger settlements throughout Fenspace. Most Operative Teams have a fixed base of operation in local Space Patrol offices, while others are mobile.

All mobile Operative Teams are based in the White Tower when not on active duty.

Section 6c: Special Operations

Based around four Operational Units, FESWAT Unit 1 through 4, with two teams of four operators and two sniper teams of sniper and spotter, they have access to one of the four Star Clippers of Section 6.

Each FESWAT Unit is based in the White Tower and are directed to any larger operation needing heavy support, or smaller operations with greater operational secrecy.

Section 7: Support Units

The folks who aren't police or paper-pushers, but are still needed by a modern police force.

Section 7a: Forensics Unit

This is where one can find the Patrol's "lab techs". They've been nicknamed "CSI:Fenspace" by more than a few entertainment writers.

Section 7b: Technical Unit

These folks are responsible for maintaining the Patrol's physical assets. Scottish accents (real or affected) are optional, but widespread among Section 7b's Trekkies.

This is also the home of the Patrol's computer specialists, including the codemakers and codebreakers. For some reason that nobody talks about, the codebreaker group is called "SETEC Astronomy" even in official documents. They get along well with the Hacker Underspace, but do their best to not involve that group in official investigations.

Section 8: Internal Affairs

"Who watches the watchers? We do."

IA is authorized and required to investigate all reports of wrongdoing in Sections 1-7. (Section 3 investigates reports of wrongdoing within Section 8.)

Section 9: Deniable Operations Unit

Section 9
It's unusual but not unknown for a police force to have a "secret agent" section - real-world examples are rumored to include the RCMP-SS, the CIA, and (historically) the Kempei Tai. Section 9 is Fenspace's equivalent to these organizations.

The Section was originally, and officially still is, a MARS squad working for the VVS. Okkane-chan (not a cyborg, despite the name) and her squadmates handle deep-cover operations for the Patrol... and for its ultimate major backers: Stellvia Corporation, the Soviet Air Force, and Operation Great Justice. This can cause problems when Stellvia and OGJ each want Section 9 to spy on the other at the same time, although the previously-close ties between the VVS and StellviaCorp tended to resolve those problems in a consistent manner. With relations between those two groups breaking down, Section 9 is building a new cover identity, establishing a new funding source, and getting their orgchart updated so that they report only to the Commissioner.

By necessity, Section 9 lives by the concept of "compartmentalization of information." Okkane-chan is the only member of the section whose name or appearance is known to the Foundation, and every member of the Section uses false-appearance software when working by telepresence. Okkane-chan uses Vulpine Fury's award-winning Motoko Kusanagi "bunraku" telepresence mask when she needs to be known as the head of Section 9; other masks that the Section uses are unknown.

Section 9 does not exist. It is not lead by someone code-named "Kusanagi". You should ignore any rumors you may have heard to the contrary. You should also ignore the Tachikoma removing the drive unit from your ship, because the Tachikoma doesn't exist either. (And those half-dozen Tachikomas that don't exist weren't built in the same limited-order AI production run that Noah Scott didn't convince A.C. Peters to fill for the Patrol, because that production run also doesn't exist.) Move along, nothing to see here.

Section 9 definitely does not appear in the Space Patrol table of operations or budget in any form. (A line for "miscellaneous expenses" appears in the MARS section of the VVS budget, but the VVS is not the Patrol.)

Some Important Patrol Members

  • The Commissioner of the Space Patrol is in charge of all day-to-day operations of the Patrol. He answers to the Nikaido Foundation and the Factions, and is usually just called "the Commissioner". (The Patrol's first Commissioner, a battle-weary but still capable Trekkie named Kirk Russell, discouraged "Commissioner Gordon" jokes - he wasn't a Batman fan - and the attitude has stuck.)
  • The Chief Officer of the Space Patrol is in charge of Section 2. Usually just called "Chief," the Chief Officer answers to, and advises, the Commissioner.
  • The Chief Detective of the Space Patrol is in charge of Section 3. The Chief Detective answers to, and advises, the Commissioner.
  • "Kinnison" is the code-name of the person in charge of Section 4. "Kinnison" answers to the Chief Detective.
  • "Nanoha" is the code-name of the person in charge of Section 6. "Nanoha" answers to the Chief Officer, and must be sufficiently skilled and fit to take part in FESWAT operations.
  • The Chief Internal Investigator is in charge of Section 8. The Chief Internal Investigator answers to, and advises, the Commissioner.
  • "Kusanagi" is the code-name of the person in charge of Section 9. "Kusanagi" answers to and advises the Commissioner, and advises the Nikaido Foundation directly.

Notes

  1. The codename stays with the position, not the person; have pity on any males who get the job.