This idea came up in a previous thread, so I thought I would share what I had created for my gaming sessions.
The Imperial Bonding Authority (IBA) was created in the early days of the 2nd Imperium to provide an Imperium-wide guarantor for merchants. It allows shippers to know that their cargo will be safe aboard a freighter they have never used, a captain or a company who has no local history. Over time it has added additional coverage, such as guaranteeing contracts and deposits for mercenaries and their employers to ensure that each holds up their end of their contract.
Manned IBA facilities are found throughout the Imperium at Class A starports, with many Class B starports having a local representative present as well. Lightly trafficked Class B and most Class C starports will typically have an unmanned facility. It is uncommon to find a manned facility at a Class C starport. Unmanned automated offices can perform basic functions, such as allowing two or more parties to enter into a bonding agreement or for a party to make a claim against a bond. Establishing a new account or registering with the IBA is possible at an unmanned facility, but all registrations must be reviewed and verified at a manned facility, thus most users find it quicker and easier to travel to a manned facility.
Bonds are used regularly to verify the credibility and trustworthiness of ships and their captains, especially when the ship and its’ crew are relative unknowns in a system or sub-sector. The IBA allows ships and cargos to travel across the width and breadth of the Imperium with at least some confidence that the cargo will arrive safely intact. The IBA acts in concert with regular insurers who typically will insure ships, but not the cargo’s. And most mainline Imperial insurance companies have no desire to take on mercenary companies or planets that choose to employ them, as they tend to be both a flight risk and are typically armed.
While most bonding matters are done electronically, areas and planets on the fringe of travelled space can still engage in using IBA papers. Any facility is capable of creating hard-copy documentation outlining what bonds can be used to cover specified activities and transactions by the bond holder. These documents appear to be paper-based, but are in fact electronic documents. IPA-issued bond paperwork may be issued at any IPA location after the requestor have proven their identity, through a mixture of biometric data and DNA. This information then is entered into an algorithm that creates the bond ID that gets spread throughout the Imperium through the X-boat and other Imperial data transmission methods. Paperwork can be verified by anyone who has purchased an IPA scanner (Cr500). While it is possible to forge the paperwork, the TL15 materials and the security algorithm requires a highly skilled criminal with access to equipment that is difficult to legally come by. Any forging attempts would be considered Formidable actions.
Bonds may be purchased in MCr1 increments for Cr5,000 per increment. A bond is good for three years from the time of issuance. Individuals, organizations or planets with no past history with the bonding authority must pay 2X the normal rate for the first six years, after which it drops to the standard rate. IBA bonds do not cover equipment, ships or personnel losses. They are intended only to cover the completion of the contract.
The Imperial Bonding Authority (IBA) was created in the early days of the 2nd Imperium to provide an Imperium-wide guarantor for merchants. It allows shippers to know that their cargo will be safe aboard a freighter they have never used, a captain or a company who has no local history. Over time it has added additional coverage, such as guaranteeing contracts and deposits for mercenaries and their employers to ensure that each holds up their end of their contract.
Manned IBA facilities are found throughout the Imperium at Class A starports, with many Class B starports having a local representative present as well. Lightly trafficked Class B and most Class C starports will typically have an unmanned facility. It is uncommon to find a manned facility at a Class C starport. Unmanned automated offices can perform basic functions, such as allowing two or more parties to enter into a bonding agreement or for a party to make a claim against a bond. Establishing a new account or registering with the IBA is possible at an unmanned facility, but all registrations must be reviewed and verified at a manned facility, thus most users find it quicker and easier to travel to a manned facility.
Bonds are used regularly to verify the credibility and trustworthiness of ships and their captains, especially when the ship and its’ crew are relative unknowns in a system or sub-sector. The IBA allows ships and cargos to travel across the width and breadth of the Imperium with at least some confidence that the cargo will arrive safely intact. The IBA acts in concert with regular insurers who typically will insure ships, but not the cargo’s. And most mainline Imperial insurance companies have no desire to take on mercenary companies or planets that choose to employ them, as they tend to be both a flight risk and are typically armed.
While most bonding matters are done electronically, areas and planets on the fringe of travelled space can still engage in using IBA papers. Any facility is capable of creating hard-copy documentation outlining what bonds can be used to cover specified activities and transactions by the bond holder. These documents appear to be paper-based, but are in fact electronic documents. IPA-issued bond paperwork may be issued at any IPA location after the requestor have proven their identity, through a mixture of biometric data and DNA. This information then is entered into an algorithm that creates the bond ID that gets spread throughout the Imperium through the X-boat and other Imperial data transmission methods. Paperwork can be verified by anyone who has purchased an IPA scanner (Cr500). While it is possible to forge the paperwork, the TL15 materials and the security algorithm requires a highly skilled criminal with access to equipment that is difficult to legally come by. Any forging attempts would be considered Formidable actions.
Bonds may be purchased in MCr1 increments for Cr5,000 per increment. A bond is good for three years from the time of issuance. Individuals, organizations or planets with no past history with the bonding authority must pay 2X the normal rate for the first six years, after which it drops to the standard rate. IBA bonds do not cover equipment, ships or personnel losses. They are intended only to cover the completion of the contract.
