Department Standard Operating Procedure: Command

Foreword

These are in-character guidelines of things you should not do, or you may be fired/demoted. Department SOPs are not server rules. They are also not meant to be followed to the letter, because circumstances and context may permit you to break SOP. However, the fact that SOP is malleable is not an excuse to ignore it entirely. Disputes involving SOP should be handled entirely in-character, and should not require admin intervention unless server rules have also been broken. Department Standard Operating Procedures are in addition to normal Standard Operating Procedure.

Captain

1. The Captain may not change the alert level to circumvent any laws or Department Standard Operating Procedure Guidelines. The alert level must always be set to the appropriate level.
2. The Captain is still subject to Ship Law.
3. The Captain is not permitted to perform regular Security duty. However, they may still assist Security if they see a crime being committed.
4. The Captain may not take Armory equipment outside of Code Blue or General Quarters, and the Captain must return it once the alert level is lowered.
5. If a department lacks a Head of Staff, the Captain should make reasonable efforts to appoint an Acting Head of Staff, if there are available personnel to fill the position.
6. The Captain is to ensure that Ship Law is being correctly applied. This should be done in cooperation with the Head of Security.
7. The Captain may only promote personnel to an Acting Head of Staff position if there is no assigned Head of Staff associated with the department. Said Acting Head of Staff must be a member of the department they are to lead.
8. The Captain may not fire or demote any Head of Staff without reasonable justification (ie: incompetency, criminal activity, repeatedly breaking Department Standard Operating Procedure, or otherwise any action that endangers/compromises the ship and/or crew).
9. The Captain must have the approval of at least two Heads of Staff to modify the AI’s lawset. The Captain must order the AI to state their new laws immediately after uploading them. This Guideline is null if the ship lacks two Heads of Staff.
10. The Captain may only order the execution of a crewmember in compliance with Ship Law.

Executive Officer

1. The Executive Officer must inform the relevant Head of Staff when giving a crewmember a job in their department.
2. The Executive Officer may not grant themself all access.
3. The Executive Officer may not grant anyone all access unless there is an extreme emergency.
4. The Executive Officer may not grant someone access to an additional department if said department is staffed (e.g. don’t give Shaft Miners access to Science while Scientists are already doing research). However, the Executive Officer can transfer crewmembers to other departments in compliance with Guideline 1.
5. The Executive Officer may not fire or demote any crewmember without authorization from the relevant Head of Staff, unless they have violated Ship Law or Department Standard Operating Procedure.
6. The Executive Officer is free to utilize paperwork at their discretion. However, during emergencies, expediency should take precedence over bureaucracy.
7. The Executive Officer must report to their desk when a crewmember requests it.
8. The Executive Officer is in charge of Supply, however, it is recommended to let the Quartermaster handle things.
9. The Executive Officer is bound to the same Guidelines regarding ordering crates as the Quartermaster and Cargo Technicians.
10. The Executive Officer is not permitted to perform Security duty.
11. The Executive Officer is permitted to carry any nonlethal weaponry, plus an energy gun, for self defense only.
12. The Executive Officer must follow the same Head of Staff promotion/demotion Guidelines as the Captain.
13. The Executive Officer is not permitted to open extra job slots for civilian slots unless the original crewmember of this job is dead or missing; entering cryosleep does not count.

Bridge Staff

1. Bridge Staff may not fire on friendly or neutral ships.
2. Bridge Staff may not fly into the Syndicate capital without specific orders to do so.
3. Bridge Staff may only use their designated console unless the other Bridge Officer is not in the bridge.
4. Bridge Staff may not waste ammunition. Only fire it while targeting hostile ships that are in range.
5. Bridge Staff may not move the ship if doing so will leave behind crewmembers.
6. Bridge Staff must announce that they are moving the ship and give ample time for crewmembers to get on board.
7. Bridge Staff are permitted to FTL jump during combat if they believe the ship will not survive. This Guideline supersedes any orders given by the Captain or Executive Officer.
8. Bridge Staff are permitted to detain unauthorized crewmembers on the bridge, however, Security must be notified immediately and the prisoner must be turned over to them.