The STAR Society

For those with sufficient means, inter-system travel is generally a pleasant experience, but for those without accounts brimming with credits, it is uncomfortable at best, unpredictable and unreliable usually, and, at times, downright dangerous. The STAR Society's purpose is to provide what assistance it can to those whose travel experiences have been - to understate it - less than satisfying.

STAR - its name was originally a partial acronym for Stranded Traveler and Refugee Aid Society - provides limited assistance to those who find themselves in difficult circumstances without the wherewithal to extricate themselves. It is not a "general aid" provider; it focuses on those whose circumstances stem from having no ability to get from one system to another for any of a number of reasons. The STAR Society is not affiliated with any polity; it is the charitable arm of the Travelers' Benefit Club, an organization that provides discount services for members on inter-system travel, hotel, restaurant, and attraction bookings. Club members pay an upfront fee to join; annual membership dues are also assessed. The STAR Society has branches throughout all three of the Human Polities of the Perseus Arm and the unclaimed space between them. In its 327 standard year history, this has included relocation assistance for people permanently displaced by disasters or conflicts. Today, this generally means people of limited means who have found themselves stranded in mid journey.

STAR's "Clientele"

There are many who lack the credits to book reliable, comfortable passage on the liners that travel the space lanes. For these, crude berths - or even the dreaded cryogenic "low berths" - offered by freighter captains with a bit of spare room on a cargo run is the only option. If such a passage involves more than a single jump, it is not unheard of for captains to decide mid-journey to change destinations or even simply eject passengers to make room for unplanned, but more lucrative, cargo. Others, away from home for whatever reason, may have fallen victim to a crime of some sort, robbing them of the credits they need to secure passage home.

Services Provided

STAR's assistance to stranded travelers focuses on getting them back onto the journey they were undertaking. This begins with finding berthing on some outgoing ship that will at least get them closer to, if not all the way to, their desired destination. Relationships with reliable freighter captains and even some independent passenger line captains make this possible. If necessary, the Society also provides basic shelter and meals for a limited time while such transportation is being arranged.

The Society does not hand out credits to the stranded; accommodation arrangements involve either Society-owned facilities or arrangements with low-end (but reputable) hostel facilities. Furthermore, there are limitations on how frequently any individual can make use of STAR services for this purpose: after receiving "transport completion" assistance from the Society, an individual cannot again request this assistance for a full standard year.

Refugee situations are quite rare and require the Society to recognized and "declare" disaster or hazard conditions on a world in order to active them. Once activated, the Society tries to focus its resources - calling on affiliated ship captains and any other goodwilled volunteers to offer assistance. Recipients of disaster assistance are gotten out of danger as quickly as possible and accommodations are provided for up to six months while long-term relocation options are explored. Aid received during a declared disaster does not trigger the one-year blackout for future requests.

Funding

The STAR Society does not charge its clients for any services provided. Their funding comes from three main sources: government subsidies, private donations, and their affiliation with the Travelers' Benefit Club. In the case of the latter, a portion of the TBC's membership fees is transferred to STAR's accounts each year.