Elite Federation
The Elite Federation is a semi-autonomous organisation that records and collates the space combat records of pilots from many agencies across the galaxy. It was this organisation that created the concept of the Elite Rating, or (as it was originally known) the Space Combat Rating.
Formation
The Elite Federation was originally created as a small subsidiary of GalCop known as the Space Combat Records Bureau. Their mandate was to record and report on the space combats that could be recorded by satellite and remote observation drones throughout the expanding GalCop space. In this way, it was theorised, GalCop staff could get statistics on the actions of pilots and their effectiveness at combat. It also provided a way to monitor the illegal activities of pilots and thus aid the Law Enforcement division in their pursuit of pirates and the like.
In a relatively short time, the mandate of the SCRB expanded to provide a measurable rating on a pilot's record to indicate their abilities. This was originally christened the Space Combat Rating, and assinged a measurable rating to each pilot depending on the number of kills obtained. This would all be kept in a record along with the nature of each kill. This also aids the legal departments with determining legal rating.
Expansion
The concept was a huge success. The adoption of the Combat Rating proved very popular with the elitist pilot fraternity, and this was aided no end by the moniker given to the highest ranking: Elite. Everyone aspired to be an Elite pilot, even though the SCRB frequently increased the amount of kills required to get to each rating. It became little more than a game for the most able pilots but was a more serious challenge for those who had to earn their ratings through adversity.
The concept became so widespread that the SCRB eventually applied for independence from GalCop, and was granted this with some conditions (chief being the continued availability of their information for GalCop records). With this new independence, the SCRB renamed themselves to the Elite Federation, a lofty title that was sure to pull in those who were fascinated with joining an alliance of pilots under a common frame of reference. The Combat Rating became unofficially known as the Elite Rating, a term that became so popular that today even official documentation from several agencies uses the term in place of Combat Rating.
The Elite Federation Today
In the current scheme of things, the EF is a completely independent operation, and although close ties exist between that organisation and GalCop, there are several similar relationships with other agencies, including GalCop's close neighbour the Achenar Empire. There are agencies from all 8 galaxies that enjoy liaison with the Elite Federation and who benefit from their extensive records system. It is theorised that no other agency has such a detailed record of pilots and their actions.
The Elite status has achieved such widespread recognition as a badge of excellence that they have taken that concept to its literal conclusion. The EF issues a customised badge to each and every Elite combateer on its record books. The badge can be customised according to a particular member agency's specification or it can be commissioned specifically by the combateer. In some cases, as with GalCop, a combateer can specify additional criteria for their badge as long as the badge still meets the specification of the agency in question. In order to meet those demands, the Elite Federation has a vast array of specialist facilities and agencies at their beck and call, including specialist recordkeeping facilities and research and development laboratories.
