ITBC: In-Territory Border Control

"Ensuring control of the borders within the Peacekeeper Territories is vital for several reasons. First, it allows us to protect all citizens who travel with us. Second, it prevents the transportation of illegal or prohibited items between planets. Third, and most importantly, it provides us with an opportunity to keep detailed records of the movements and migrations of peoples and goods across the Territories."

— Extract from Organisation Culture and the Importance of Lasting Bonds
by Peacekeeper M'Plisk

Background

Since the birth of the Peacekeeper Alliance, travel between planets and star systems has been of great interest to its members. Some travel to learn about other cultures, some travel for business or other official purposes, while many choose to travel to planets, like Tribor, to escape for a vacation from their normal lives.
In order to maintain the safety of their citizens, the Alliance has created a set of systems and rules which include checkpoints at various stops throughout any given route.

Planning A Journey

A person travelling off planet must have a User ID, something which anyone born on any planet within the Peacekeeper Territories is issued. If they have not travelled before they must have a Permitpoint, which costs them to set up and lasts 10 years, recording every checkpoint they pass in that time. They then use their User ID and information from their Permitpoint to apply for permission from The Alliance for their travel. This application comes with an application processing fee.

Costs

• Permitpoint
• Application Processing Fee
• Travel License
• Inter-Planetary Travel License
• Inter-System Travel License
• Visa Application
• Visa

If their application is approved, they will then be offered the opportunity to purchase the relevant Travel Licenses. For those travelling beyond the star system in which they live this includes both an inter-planetary and an inter-system travel license. However, those staying in the same star system need only purchase a inter-planetary travel license. Once purchased, these licenses are added to their Permitpoint.
Finally, they must apply for and purchase a visa for the planet they intend to visit. This visa application also comes with a fee and must be approved by someone within the Command for that particular planet.

It should be noted that anyone planning on visiting more than one planet must apply for a separate visa for each planet and also enough travel licenses to cover travel between these planets. This list of costs also does not include the price of the ticket onboard whichever aircraft it takes to get them to the spaceship they will travel on to reach their destination, nor does it include the price of the ticket for the spaceship.
For this reason, there are a couple of travel companies within the Alliance which offer "all-inclusive" deals in which they include the cost of the additional visas and travel licenses in the final figure. They also facilitate the application process in so far as they are able to for an additional cost.

Purpose

The aim of the In-Territory Border Control (ITBC) is, ostensibly, to monitor and control the movement of people and materials across the Peacekeeper Territories. At each checkpoint, it provides the people in charge to capture information about the person or material which is crossing it, capture anyone who is crossing the border illegally or without accurate documentation and confiscate any illicit or unsafe materials. It has also been noted that the use of checkpoints has been an extremely successful way of catching and detaining dissidents and potential dissidents.

Organisations

Multiple organisations are involved in the management of ITBC (not to be confused with OTBC which covers travel beyond the borders of the Peacekeeper Territories and is an entirely different system). These organisations work together to ensure that information is shared quickly and accurately between them, as well as helping people safely travel between planets. For example, if a person was to travel from P'Ache Major in P'Ache Star System to Victor in The Victalis System they would touch the following organisations:

Organisation	Department	Responsibilities
Peacekeeper Command	Command Logistics	Permitpoint application processing Permitpoint issuing Travel License application initial processing Inter-System Travel License application final approval
Peacekeeper Efficiency	Analysis	Permitpoint tracking Travel License tracking and analysis Visa tracking and analysis Checkpoint notifications
P'Ache Command	Home Office	Travel License processing
P'Ache Major Command	Home Office	Travel License approval
Victalis Command	Foreign Office	Visa application processing
Victor Command	Foreign Office	Visa approval
Peacekeeper Integrity	Order	At Checkpoint: Permitpoint checking Travel license checking Visa checking

Interplanetary Travel Checkpoints

When travelling between different planets, inspections occur at the following checkpoints:

On Planet

When leaving a planet, a person enters an airport in order to board the aircraft to take them to the spaceship which will carry them between worlds. Inside these airports, there is a space which is considered legally "off-world". Once someone has passed through the necessary checks, they are officially "off-world" even if they are still waiting for their aircraft to shuttle them into space. Those arriving on the planet are placed in the same area until they can be processed and allowed "on-planet".

Leaving

Required documentation

Permitpoint
Inter-Planetary Travel License
Aircraft Ticket

Checking for

Identity
Permission to Fly
Date of Travel
Direction of Travel
Planned Flight

Additional Checks

Baggage
Personal Items
Health
Physical Fitness
Living Items
Metal objects
Liquids
Gases

Responsible

Peacekeeper Integrity - Order - Planet-side

Arriving

Required documentation

Permitpoint
Visa

Checking for

Identity
Permission to be on planet
Date of Arrival
Planned Departure (if any)

Additional Checks

Baggage
Personal Items
Health
Physical Fitness
Living Items
Metal objects
Liquids
Gases

Responsible

Peacekeeper Integrity - Order - Planet-side

On Aircraft

Once the aircraft has landed, either on the planet to allow travel to the spacecraft, or on the spacecraft to allow travel to the planet, a series of checks are carried out before each person is allowed to board or disembark. They try to keep these checks fairly straightforward, relying on the members of Peacekeeper Integrity to do the majority of the heavy lifting.
It should be noted that journeys on the aircraft are rarely more than a couple of hours and never more than 5 hours, meaning that people have assigned seats or locations where they remain until the aircraft lands.

Boarding

Required documentation

Permitpoint
Aircraft Ticket

Checking for

Identity
Flight Details
Date of Travel
Direction of Travel

Additional Checks

Baggage
Personal Items

Responsible

Aircraft staff

Disembarking

Required documentation

Permitpoint

Checking for

Identity
Planned onward journey

Additional Checks

Baggage
Personal Items

Responsible

Aircraft staff

On Spacecraft

Boarding the spacecraft isn't quite the right terminology, as the aircraft lands inside the spacecraft, but there is a separation between the docking bay where the aircraft lands and the rest of the spacecraft. This is where passengers are held and where checks take place before they are allowed to enter the rest of the spacecraft and be considered a passenger.

Boarding

Required documentation

Permitpoint
Travel License
Spacecraft Ticket

Checking for

Identity
Travel License
Flight Details
Date of Travel
Direction of Travel

Additional Checks

Baggage
Personal Items
Living Items
Metal objects
Liquids
Gases

Responsible

Spacecraft staff

Disembarking

Required documentation

Permitpoint

Checking for

Identity
Planned onward journey

Additional Checks

Baggage
Personal Items

Responsible

Spacecraft staff

Once onboard the spacecraft passengers may be assigned a cabin or a bunk or similar, as the journeys may last anywhere from a handful of days to over a month. They are allowed to travel more freely around the spacecraft, with some restrictions and there are usually several communal areas. For this reason checks on the spacecraft are also carried out during the flight, both scheduled and at random.

Orbit

Before a spacecraft may enter or leave orbit, it must submit to checks by members of the Off-Planet Inspectors working for the Order department of Peacekeeper Integrity. These checks are done both remotely with a scan of the ship to ensure it is everything they say they are, and a cabin check carried out in person of each person on the spacecraft.

Leaving

Required documentation

Permitpoint
Inter-Planetary Travel License

Checking for

Identity
Permission to travel
Date of Travel
Direction of Travel
Planned Journey

Additional Checks

Baggage
Personal Items
Living Items
Metal objects
Liquids
Gases

Responsible

Peacekeeper Integrity - Order - Off-Planet

Entering

Required documentation

Permipoint
Inter-Planetary Travel License
Visa (if not the home planet)

Checking for

Identity
Permission to travel
Permission to land on planet
Date of Travel
Direction of Travel
Planned Journey

Additional Checks

Baggage
Personal Items
Health
Physical Fitness
Living Items
Metal objects
Liquids
Gases

Responsible

Peacekeeper Integrity - Order - Off-Planet

System

As with leaving the orbit, leaving the system requires checks both of the spacecraft as a whole and an in-person cabin inspection for each person onboard. In addition, they often insist that several members of the Off-Planet Inspectors working for the Order department of Peacekeeper Integrity accompany the spacecraft between systems so that random checks may be carried out throughout the journey.

Leaving

Required documentation

Permitpoint
Inter-System Travel License

Checking for

Identity
Permission to travel
Date of Travel
Direction of Travel
Planned Journey

Additional Checks

Baggage
Personal Items
Health
Physical Fitness
Living Items
Metal objects
Liquids
Gases

Responsible

Peacekeeper Integrity - Order - System Security

Entering

Required documentation

Permitpoint
Inter-System Travel License
Visa (if not home system)

Checking for

Identity
Permission to travel
Permission to enter star system
Date of Travel
Direction of Travel
Planned Journey

Additional Checks

Baggage
Personal Items
Health
Physical Fitness
Living Items
Metal objects
Liquids
Gases

Responsible

Peacekeeper Integrity - Order - System Security

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Related Articles

Organisations	Peacekeeper Alliance, Peacekeeper Command, Aspiration Command, P'Ache Command, Primary Territories Command, Victalis Command, Peacekeeper Integrity
Locations	Peacekeeper Territories, P'Ache Star System, Primary Territories Command, The Aspiration System, The Victalis System

Type

Process

Organisation

Peacekeeper Integrity

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