The United Planetary Federation(also, the United Frontier or the United Planets) is an alliance of the Frontier Worlds, held together by the Frontier Security Council, the Frontier Courts, the Medical Service Organization and, perhaps most importantly, Star Law.

The governing document of the UPF is the Frontier Security Agreement, containing a series of laws governing the Frontier as a whole. The Agreement is a delicate balance between planetary sovreignty, individual civil rights and liberties,and the safety and security of all the Frontier's citizens. Like Star Law, the Agreement predates the official formation of the United Frontier by two decades, and, for the Federation's entire seventy-five year history, it has worked.

The Frontier Security Council

Orginially formed as an oversight body for Star Law, the Frontier Security Council is the final executive and legislative authority in the Frontier, consisting of one repesenative from each of the Frontier's worlds, one represenative from each of the Frontier's interstellar megacorps, the Star Law Admiral and the MSO Surgeon General.

The Council convenes year-round in Port Loren, on Gran Quivera. In times of peace, the Presidency of the Council rotates between the member worlds and corporations on a two-year basis, the President speaking for the Council in all Frontier-wide matters.

In times of war or other Frontier-wide emergency, the Star Law Admiral assumes the Presidency for the duration of the emergency.

The Frontier Courts

The Frontier Courts adjudicate all Frontier-wide civil and criminal disputes. Meeting in Valentina, on Clarion, the Courts are divided into two branches:

The Frontier Criminal Court: The Frontier Criminal Court deliberates on all criminal matters concerning violations of the Frontier Security Agreement. Their decisions are appealable to the Frontier Security Council.

The Frontier Court of Arbitration: The Frontier Court of Arbitration decides on civil matters between UPF members and acts as a final court of appeal for all other civil matters.

Each of the two courts has one judge from each member world and an ombudsman from each of the member corporations.

The Medical Service Organization

The MSO resulted from the Frontier worlds and corporations pooling their medical resources during the Blue Plague, the MSO evolving from that ad hoc effort, becoming the last word for Frontier medicine.

Utilizing Star Law ranks, the MSO provides medics and medships to that organization during wartime, and the MSO's hospitals can be found on nearly every outpost of civilization in the Frontier.

The MSO is headed by a Surgeon-General.

Star Law

The organization which has been the glue holding Frontier society together, Star Law evolved from the Interstellar Law Enforcement Organization formed by the Frontier worlds and corporations in the aftermath of Hazick Naar's piracies and the Second Common Muster.

Star Law is the Frontier's military and law-enforcement organization, charged with defending the Frontier from all threats foreign and domestic and with the enforcement of the Frontier Security Agreement. It is divided into two main divisions:

The Rangers

The Rangers are Star Law's active division, consisting of the personnel actually enforcing Frontier law and defending the Frontier's citizens.

The Rangers are organized into four branches:

Spacefleet: Star Law’s most visible branch, Spacefleet—more commonly known as the Knight Hawks, in honor of the Triad system’s ancient defenders—patrols the spacelanes, acting as the first line of defense against invaders and pirates, while serving as Star Law's first response to criminal activity on a planetary scale(in conjunction with the Special Branch, below).

Spacefleet's arsenal of warships range from Boomerang fighters to the ponderous Morgaine-class battleships.

The Marines: The Star Law Marines are Star Law's ground forces, consisting mainly of powered-armored infantry troops, with a small number of artillery and cavalry assets.

Stationed mostly aboard the Spacefleet's starships, the Marines are also called out for riots and other domestic disturbances which threaten the security of the Frontier as a whole.

The Exploration Service: The Star Law Exploration Service is charged with exploring all worlds beyond the Frontier.

Special Branch: Special Branch handles all criminal investigations and intelligence gathering within the Frontier.

Support

The Support Division supports Star Law's day-to-day operations. It is divided into four branches:

Administration:The Admin branch handles all of Star Law's payroll, paperwork, personnel and other administrative matters.

Logistics: The Logistics branch handles all of Star Law's supply needs.

Technical Services: The Technical Services Branch handles all of Star Law's engineering and maintainence needs.

Reserach and Development: Star Law R&D handles all of Star Law's research, from coordinating with the MSO on vaccine research to developing and testing new starships for the Spacefleet.

Star Law Rank Structure

All of Star Law's divisions and branches use the following rank system:

Gollwin Academy

Most Star Law personnel, upon enlistement and the completion of a background check and a battery of physical, intellectual and psychological tests, start at the rank of Midshipman 2d Class and begin training at Gollwin Academy, on Morgaine's World.

The Academy is a two-year course of study, the first year being an intensive array of classroom training in both general subjects and the midshipmen's respective chosen branches of service. At the end of the first year, a second set of physical, mental and psychological testing determines which of the second-class midshipmen are promoted to Midshipman 1st Class and assigned to field training.

Field training takes up the whole of the second year, with the second-year midshipmen assigned to active Star Law units in their chosen branch of service.
At the end of the second year, a final set of testing, along with evaluations from the field are factored into the decision on whether or not to graduate individual midshipmen.

Final rank upon graduation is determined by class rank, with the top 1% being commissioned Lieutenants, the top 5% being comissioned Ensigns, the top 10% being commissioned Master Petty Officers, the top 20% being Chief Petty Officers and the remaining graduates being comissioned Petty Officers, as shown by the table below:

Star Law characters, regardless of what rank they are commissioned at, must pay the full XP cost to be promoted to the next higher rank.

Deputization

In times of war or other emergency, the Star Law Admiral and the Frontier Security Council are authorized to deputize planetary militias, corporate security forces and privateers, bringing them into the regular Star Law command structure.

While deputized, militia personnel have Star Law ranks equivalent to their militia ranks and are paid accordingly. Those militia personnel who perform exceptionally well are given permanent commissions in Star Law.