Licenses

"The other day I had a Bioroid walk in and ask for a G1! Can you believe that? Huh? Nah, she looked almost human. I thought she was a cyborg at first but then I caught that Bioroid smell. Like... chlorine and lavenders. Blugh."
~Steve Croppenguy, Licensing Bureau Agent.

Social Scores

To qualify for a license, you have to be trusted by the government. Only full citizens of the PSC can apply for a given license, and the more powerful the license desired, the more invasive the investigation to qualify for it. the PSC responds harshly to those with forged licenses for which there is a thriving black market. They respond lethally to those who sell those licenses.
A license attaches to a citizen and follows them through their financial and public life. There's a movement of some substantial Size that wears their LC as a badge of honor at both ends of the spectrum, with criminals prominently wearing 4s or 'nil' on their clothes or bragging about the powers-that-be's total lack of trust in them, and on the other hand extremely well connected and upstanding citizens advertising that they're 'Zeroes.' This is sometimes referenced as the "Nils vs. the Zeroes," with Nil being a slur for the punkish underclass and Zero being a slur for the upper crust, both of which are matters of pride for their respective adeherents.
Licenses must be maintained yearly, though most planets offer to allow them to be purchased in advance by some increment. For instance, Martian LBs cell these licenses as one year, three year, five year, and ten year intervals.

Where

Licenses are bought at a Licensing Bureau, though they can also be requested via government-run Solarnet sites. While random searches are outlawed by the Pan Solar Consortium Charter as a violation of a basic right, requesting a license is considered consent for close examination.

Why

Licenses determine what goods and services that you can buy. It's a measure of control in a society with quadrillions of citizens, but also an attempt to curb the near constant Terrorist and separatist movements that this sort of population can produce. There are measures proposed every few decades to do away wtih the licenses, but these efforts tend to fall flat.

Grade	Description	Cost	License
nil	Criminals who have lost all of their rights. As far as the PSC is concerned, they can't be trusted with a toothpick. This is most often the case for criminals actively evading a sentence rather than those who have served their time.	-	Cannot purchase even basic goods under their own name.
4	This is the license with which all civilians are born. It costs nothing, but it also gives very little. Clones, Bioroids, Uplifts and AI cannot buy better than a G4 without special circumstances.	$0	Can purchase mostly harmless goods and services, and while certain 'precursor' materials are possible, nothing that can be bought poses an immediate threat to society. Travel between planets is restricted, if not outright impossible without a sponsor.
3	This license is considered a basic civic duty. Those with at least a G3 license are called Citizens. Sometimes, this level is offered as a perk by Corporations.	$500	Can vote. Can purchase low-end weapons, mostly harmless goods and services, and can vote. They can travel freely between planets, but they can expect extra scrutiny at security checkpoints.
2	This license is the first real measure of trust. Those with a G2 license are 'Good Citizens.' This level is sometimes offered as a perk by Corporations and freely given to anyone who completes one contract of public service.	$10,000	Can purchase most personal firearms, can purchase most goods and services on offer, and can travel freely between planets without arousing suspicion.
1	Mostly restricted to those in charge of military units, Corporate outfits, and highly trusted individuals.	$50,000	Can purchase military-grade equipment like mechs, machine guns, most weapons, most vehicles, and even capital-grade Starships. Can act as a sponsor.
0	These are the most trusted citizens and Zero is the highest license possible for someone without actively serving the government or public.	$100,000	Aside from outright illegal materials, there is nothing that a Zero cannot purchase or own.
0-M	These are trusted citizens who for whatever reason have special dispensation to work with illegal materials on behalf of the military. Most often this is acquired through working for a military, but some corporations require their trusted agents to have this sort of clearance.	$1,000,000	Even illegal military materials such as nuclear weapons, biological agents, and combat-trained Unshackled AI can be purchased and owned by this citizen.
0-S	These are trusted citizens who for whatever reason have special dispensation to work with illegal materials on behalf of science. Most often given through scientific grants at the edge of space, but some corporations require this sort of clearance to push the boundaries of technology.	$1,000,000	Even illegal research materials such as disease warfare, Redspace portal generators, and psionic research can be purchased, owned, and performed by this citizen.

A Leaky Sieve

Like any law enforcement measure, there are ways to defeat your LC without going through the background check. Officials might be bribed, those with licenses may have no Criminal record because they haven't actually been caught yet and may be running illegal guns, and the Three Suns Paradisio has gotten very good at getting people licenses that they don't deserve with a mere 500% markup.
The PSC looks down on this sort of thing, of course, and will punish violators severely.

Item type

Currency & Deeds