Infinity Patrol

The Infinity Patrol is the “opera-
tions” branch of Infinity. In theory, it is
a private security force operating
under a U.N. mandate – much like the
various contractors (some armed) that
the United Nations has hired in the
past to clean up after wars. In prac-
tice, the Patrol is a supranational
paramilitary agency under Infinity’s
control.
The
Patrol’s
jurisdiction
on
Homeline is strictly limited to protect-
ing Infinity premises – although they
have close liaisons with both national
police agencies and Interpol. Beyond
Homeline, only its reach limits its
influence, but it has limited powers on
worlds that have large national pres-
ences. The Patrol is spread very thinly
among the many timelines it polices.
The Patrol is a large organization,
with 10,000 field agents and 50,000
other employees. It is multinational in
character. The paramilitary “I-Cops”
primarily recruit former police and
military
personnel,
while
the
Penetration Service attracts adventur-
ers and scientists of all sorts (geolo-
gists, anthropologists, biologists, etc.).
The one constant is that everyone
must pass rigorous psychological and
loyalty examinations intended to weed
out fanatic nationalists, criminals,
radicals, and anyone else likely to
betray the organization. Most of the
time, this works – although some
Patrol members undoubtedly have
divided loyalties or hidden agendas.
A Patrol field agent might be an
explorer, investigator, or soldier, but
regardless of his job, he serves in one
of the Patrol’s two main branches:
Intervention Service:
Popularly
known as the “I-Cops,” Intervention is
the security and espionage arm of the
Patrol. Its primary responsibilities are
enforcing Infinity regulations and
countering Centrum penetrations.
Intervention is organized into 10 divi-
sions, including Justice, Security,
Internal
Affairs,
and
Special
Operations.
Penetration Service: The “Time
Scouts” are responsible for surveying
and opening new timelines. They also
handle search-and-rescue operations
for lost conveyors. One of their least-
known but most dangerous jobs is
crosstime
intelligence
gathering.
Penetration’s eight divisions include
Contact, Echo Surveillance, Intelli-
gence, and Search and Rescue.