Jack of Harts

The Socialist Republic of Juneau never made a profit on their Debt Collector program. Bringing back runners and making them work off their Life Debts never recouped enough resources to justify the costs of capturing them. But it was never truly about money. It was about punishing those who ran. It was about showing the other Life Debtors that those who ran would be tracked down and returned, even if it took years, and then they would be punished. It was about keeping those with Life Debts too scared to run at all. It was a terror campaign, conducted by a Rogue State, and both the Western Alliance and the AI Council officially declared it so in open committee. But they couldn’t actually stop it. Juneau was one of those unique States that declared it wasn’t a member of the Western Alliance, or the United States of America, but was a member of Pacifica. And extremely rich States like Portland and San Francisco blocked all efforts to deal with them. They funded Juneau and their political support in the halls of power kept Juneau alive and well as the years stretched into decades and beyond.

Once the Socialist Republic of Juneau’s Debt Collectors were outlawed in most of the world, they were transformed into more of a secret police or spy agency. Trained to blend into the outside world, they went out to hunt those who had run out on their Life Debt in secret. It was a dangerous job, as most States placed a heavy prison sentence on known Debt Collectors, and the Knights Errant made it one of their primary duties to stop them when discovered. But there was never a shortage of volunteers for the service. The perks were legendary. They could eat at the most expensive restaurants, drive the fanciest cars, and attend the best society events, and all of their expenses were billed to the Life Debt they were assigned to track down. Debt Collectors lived a life even better than most Zero Balancers back home, with even more freedom to do whatever they wanted. The only requirement was that they continue securing Life Debts for Juneau, and in return any questionable activities would be overlooked. It was all done in service to Juneau, after all, and extremism in defense of the State was simple patriotism.