Corporate Peace-Keeping Certificate

Corporate Peace-Keeping Certificates, also known as CPKC, and Bounty Hunter's License, are certificates issued by Galactic Solutions Incorporated's Office of Criminal Investigations. These certificates are given to those who intend to pursue bounties and bring them to justice. It is known as the bounty hunter's "license to operate".

The certificate proved the holder was entitled to hunt bounties and receive full payment upon completion. It required a one-time 1,000 credit fee, payable to any government licensing bureau. Anyone who delivered a bounty without this permit was only eligible for half the listed reward. Restrictions are placed upon new applicants to a region of space they apply in. They can pay an additional fee of 500 credits per region to be able to legally pursue bounties in other areas of space. Hunters who have received ratings of B or better are given unrestricted access to other sectors of space.

The CPKC outlined what was required of the bounty hunters in their pursuit and capture of their quarry. There were several notable rules:


 * First, unless the bounty was posted as "Dead or Alive", it was to be captured alive.


 * Second, the quarry must be given the chance to surrender. However, "flight, refusal to comply with the directives of a registered hunter, prior activities indicating a predisposition to resistance to capture, resistance, or assault" is considered refusal to surrender.
 * Third, injury, incapacitation or death of the quarry may only occur if the quarry has refused to surrender peacefully, however, the same exceptions that apply to the second rule also apply to this one.
 * Fourth, only a reasonable amount of force is to be used.
 * Fifth, the holder of the CPKC must promise not to accept any "illegal" bounties.