SoP: Command

Standard Operating Procedures
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SoP: Command

Command Staff

The Command Staff of an installation is defined by the Facility Director / Captain and the five permanent heads of staff.

Senior department staff, as well as department leads like the Warden, Quartermaster, and Pathfinder, should still take the time to parse this document due to the adjacency to their roles.

Lastly, Internal Affairs Agents and Blueshields should read this, as well as relevant areas of Installation Directives as necessary, especially the Chain of Command.

Duties & Expectations

An installation’s command staff is tasked with the responsibility of coordinating onboard crew during a given assignment, shift, or deployment.

As some of the highest authorities onboard, the crew will look towards you for guidance and direction for training, during daily activities, and most importantly, in times of crisis.

With great power comes great responsibility. A well functional, experienced Command staff is crucial for efficient and safe operations. A Head of Staff must be trusted by the crew - morale and cohesion often is one of the determining factors of how effectively a crew operates.

All candidates for Command, as well as Internal Affairs, are expected to agree to the following:

• Know your department. As high management, you are not expected to be able to perform any one specific task, but you are expected to understand the general functions and responsibilities of the positions under you.
• Know Installation Directives. Unlike regular employees, you should also have a workable understanding of Alerts & Emergency Protocols, the Chain of Command, Command Protocol (you are here!), and General Policies, in addition to your department’s protocols.
  • Internal Affairs may operate with only knowledge of these four. It is understandably difficult to keep up with the vast variety of departmental protocols, and as such, you are not expected to memorize it down to the letter. It is highly recommended to keep a copy of this handbook on you for referencing when there is a suspected breach of regulations, or directives.
• Remain impartial. Do not allow nepotism to take hold. Command staff is under strict obligation to treat everyone fairly, no matter their personal feelings on any one person.
  • Nanotrasen opts to keep crews together to maximize morale and cohesion, but this understandably creates an environment that is a breeding ground for cliques. You, above all others, are expected to maintain professionalism while on duty.
• Be reasonable. Your authority is not infinite; Security is authorized to take action if you are found to be abusing your power, and those deemed a tyrant often receive a swift, permanent demotion from Central Command.
  • Morale is important. A member of your staff that wants to work for you will do far more than a member who resents you.
• Lead by example. While you are not expected to do everything yourself, ignoring menial tasks entirely signals you as a lazy leader - good command staff knows how much to do, and how much not to do.

Senior Departmental Staff

Senior departmental staff are not heads of staff, but may have additional and/or fallback authority within their own departments.

As a head of staff, you are expected to delegate certain duties of overwatch to them as necessary - remember, you are here to direct, not directly micromanage your staff.

• Warden: Overwatch of the brig, and handler of the installation’s armory.
• Quartermaster: Handles most supply and logistics issues, overwatches salvage operations.
• Pathfinder: Head of the primary / on-call away team. Expected to maintain readiness and preparations, as well as lead expeditions.
• Head Nurse: Ensures safety and efficiency in day to day operations of the Medical Bay.
• Senior Researcher: Assists in project / experiment setup.
• Senior Engineer: Ensures safety and efficiency in day to day operations of Engineering.

Dress Code & Preparation

The Command staff are expected to stay prepared for all situations requiring their attention within their department, as well as those pertaining to their status as a member of Command.

As such, there is some level of preparation, as well as decorum, recommended for Heads of Staff. They are as follows:

• Command staff must have their headsets on, with the common, command, and their departmental channels on at all times. No exceptions.
• Command staff must be identifiable at all times, other than in extenuating circumstances. This means having your ID on you or otherwise being identifiable as who you are.
• Command staff should optimally dress in their department’s colors. This aids visibility and identification, especially during emergencies.
• Command staff should carry what is needed to perform the basic duties of their department.
  • While you often have underlings to do the busywork, a Chief Medical Officer being caught out without an analyzer, or a Chief Engineer being caught out without tools, as some examples, would be an embarrassment.
• Command staff are expected to act according to their rank and role. While this is not a quantifiable expectation, acting professional goes a long way in setting an example for other crew.
• Obviously, none of the above applies while you are not actively on-duty as Command. The frontier is a harsh place, and while we expect you to act accordingly while acting as an authority, you are afforded the exact same privileges as everyone else.

Armaments

In addition to their normal equipment, heads of staff are often equipped with some manner of self defense, in case of the worst.

• All Command staff are provided a flash. It is highly recommended to carry it at all times.
  • Standard usage is a single flash to disorient the attacker, and then evading the attacker.
  • In case of emergencies, a flash may be enough to knock someone prone from imbalance. This may open them up to application of cablecuffs, if there are nearby personnel to assist in detainment.
  • If you are provided with standard flash-resistant sunglasses, donning them before usage is advisable in case your weapon is disarmed.
• The Head of Personnel and Facility Director are provided with an energy sidearm, equipped with both stun and lethal settings. The Head of Security is provided additionally with their own provided sidearm.
  • Opt to use a flash where possible, especially in public. Gunfire may panic surrounding crew, and missing a shot is especially damaging in a crowd.
  • The lethal setting on your gun is for absolute emergencies. You are only permitted to apply lethal force in circumstances where your, or someone else’s life is at risk.
• In some locations, the Command bunker is equipped with sidearms.
  • This is not to be used, other than in emergencies. Heads of Staff are not immune from weapons regulations, and you will be charged if you choose to take them outside of an emergency.

Heads of Staff should only use these tools in self defense, other than in the case of the Head of Security / Facility Director / Blueshield as stated in Security Protocols.

Other Heads of Staff do not automatically have powers of detainment. Attempts to do so anyways outside of an emergency (or a lack of available Security personnel) will potentially net you a charge of Illegal Detainment/Imprisonment and/or Exceeding Official Powers.

The Blueshield, being assigned to protect Command staff, must abide by the majority of the rules listed above. However, they are expected to report to Command in most cases and not Security at all.

Operations

Heads of Staff exist to provide oversight over the installation, and to direct their departments.

• You are the point of contact between your department and the rest of the ship / station. Route requests as needed.
• Keep an eye on the bigger picture. Do not allow tunnel vision to set in. Even an urgent task needing completion should not cause you to ignore what is happening around you.
• Pay attention to the status of the crew, as well as the whole of the installation. Stepping in to ascertain status if a head of staff is missing or unable to perform their duties is sometimes needed, even if it is not your department.

On Naval Installations

See Expeditionary Protocols for more information on piloting the ship and naval procedures.

Naval installations refer to deployments on a mobile platform, usually a ship.

• Authority on navigation is in this order: Captain –> Acting Captain (during an emergency) –> Heads of Staff –> Bridge Officers / Command Secretaries –> Pathfinder
• Piloting precedence goes in the same order. The person in charge of navigation may appoint a pilot they trust if they are not capable of piloting themselves.
  • While it may be tempting to always place a head of staff on pilot duties, it is often a good idea to make sure the head of staff does not have more important things to be doing when there are bridge officers and pilots available.
• Ship movements must be communicated. Negligence can easily result in crew stranding, or casualties. See Expeditionary Protocols for details.
  • Ensure everyone is secured and on-board before moving the ship.

Changes of Rank

Changes of rank, including promotions, demotions, dismissals, and access changes, are handled below.

• Promotions grant a crewmember a superior rank to their previous one and often confer increased intradepartmental seniority and privileges. A promotion to any non-command rank within a department can be freely carried out by that department's head of staff for any valid reason. The department's head must consent to the promotion for it to be valid. If there is no head for a given department, the Head of Personnel has the final say. The Director / Acting Director may overrule this requirement or the promotion entirely.
  • Especially for promotions from trainee ranks, a head of staff may permanently promote a member of their department. As overseeing crew training and development is part of a head of staff's responsibilities, it is not necessary to seek Central Command approval beforehand.
• Demotions grant a crewmember an inferior rank to their previous one and are often used as a punishment for unacceptable behavior. A demotion to any departmental rank within a department can be freely carried out by that department's head of staff for any valid reason. The department's head must consent to the demotion for it to be valid. If there is no head for a given department, the Head of Personnel has the final say. The Director / Acting Director may overrule this requirement or the demotion entirely.
  • If the demoted crewmember is already at the lowest rank within the department, they may be removed from the department entirely by demoting them to the rank of Assistant.
• Dismissals are the most severe punishment regarding a change of rank. Whereas a demotion to Assistant allows the crewmember to still perform work onboard the facility, a dismissal bars them from performing any work, and the crewmember effectively becomes a Visitor for the remainder of the shift. Dismissal should be carried out by the Head of Personnel or the Director / Acting Director directly in order to correctly set the shown rank on the crewmember's ID.
• Access changes are temporary modifications to a crewmember's access to a department. A department's head may freely grant or remove access to their department by non-departmental personnel using their own ID modification console at will. The Director / Acting Director may overrule this.
  • This protocol is not in effect for "general" areas of the station, such as maintenance areas. These areas are flagged as parts of a department for ease of that department's head being able to change access using their consoles.

The Spare ID / ID Console Access

As of right now, installations lack the equipment necessary to perform remote reset of access tokens encoded into ID cards mid shift.

This means that it is absolutely crucial to protect sources of “ID Modification” access.

As such, the installation is provided with one Spare ID card, for when there is no Head of Personnel, or Captain.

• Do not hand out ID modification access unless designating someone a stand-in Head of Personnel, or during an emergency where the Director / HoP / Acting Director are unable to cope with the demands of ID modification.
• The Spare ID should be carried by the Acting Director at all times, if one exists.
• The Spare ID should be secured in the Director’s Office while not being used, if one does not exist.
  • If theft is attempted or there is an immediate risk of such, it may be relocated to somewhere secure like the armory, or held by a member of Command, even without Acting Director being assigned. Command must agree on who is to carry the ID.
• Do not assign yourself all access if you are holding the Spare ID, even as the Acting Director. You may assign yourself accesses if it is necessary to do your job / handle an emergency.
  • Consent from the relevant Head of Staff must be acquired if they exist.
  • This applies only to assigning your own ID the access in question, not entering areas with the spare ID. The latter is always allowable if you are the Acting Director.
• The Spare ID may be temporarily acquired for an access change, equipment unlock, or similar. Make sure to return it after.
  • Ensure it is safe to do so. You should not be ever heading off-station or to a suspicious, unsecured area with the Spare ID. Losing it will cripple the installation.

On Leaving the Station

Command staff should avoid leaving the station if at all possible, following the following guidelines:

• The Spare ID must always stay on the station. This means the Acting Director / Acting Captain should not ever leave the station without assigning someone to serve in their place.
• The Director / Captain should only leave the station in an emergency, or if permission from Central Command is obtained.
  • Ensure the Spare ID stays with the station, and that there is a member of Command available to take the mantle of Acting Director if there is an emergency.
• Other Heads of Staff should stay with the station unless there is an important task that they must direct, related to their department.
  • Ensure someone experienced is holding down the department during your leave.
• The Research Director may additionally leave the station at will if there is an away mission of scientific importance that they need to accompany.
  • Give ample notice to the other members of Command.
• Additionally, on naval / ship deployments, heads of staff may visit a location the ship is either docked, or in orbit of.
  • Ensure someone trustworthy is holding down the Bridge. You do not want to have the ship stolen from you.
• The Blueshield must never leave the ship/station, unless they accompany another head of staff.
• None of the above applies if you are the only member of Command. Command Secretaries do not count. The installation must always have a member of Command available.

Emergencies

There are often emergencies which may necessitate a Head of Staff going beyond their responsibilities and authority, especially if the relevant departments are without a Head of Staff, or if there is a severe shortage of manpower.

• Obtain the spare Director / Captain’s headset, if it is necessary, to monitor all comms.
  • If it is not, and you need to coordinate a department, take one of the spare radios from the department and transfer the key into your own headset.
• Firstly, promote crew from within a department to serve as its Acting Head, if possible. The only exception should be if a Head of Staff is onboard but off-duty, or if no members of the department are capable of handling such a position.
• Secondly, assign crew to temporary deputies / assistants of a department, if possible.
  • The people assigned should know what they are doing. As an example, there is a security threat, do not assign anyone volatile or unable to safely handle weapons.
• Thirdly, promote crew to fill a department, if it is understaffed and a semi-permanent staffing is needed.
  • This is not as preferable as temporarily assigning crew to assist, due to the overhead inherent to a change of rank.
  • If there is a temporary issue, like a hostile migration of fauna, you should not offer full-shift reassignments to a department as opposed to temporarily deputizing when Security is understaffed. This is just an example.
• Lastly, if there is still a problem that you need to, and are qualified to personally handle, you may assist the department in question.
  • Avoid charging into dangerous situations. If it is dire enough that you need to step in yourself, it would do no good to anyone for you to be incapacitated.

Emergency Meetings / Tribunals

In cases of a situation too nuanced, sensitive, or volatile to discuss over the Command Radio, the Heads of Staff should form a meeting to hold an official vote of what to do with an issue.

This is most relevant in: - Charging someone with Treason or another high-severity infraction likely to result in Holding until Transfer and possible termination. - Charging someone with a breach of Admiralty Law. - Deciding on how to proceed with highly dangerous situations, especially in cases where there is no decision that is decidedly beneficial to the installation. - During contact protocols with unaligned / unknown factions and/or lifeforms.

While the Captain / Facility Director (or an Acting) does have overruling authority in these cases, it is heavily recommended to consider the majority vote.

Fitness for Duty

Heads of Staff, including the Captain / Director, must be both physically and mentally fit for both departmental duties as well as Command responsibilities.

• Physiological Fitness: Heads of Staff must meet minimal requirements outlined in ‘Crew Restrictions’ in both Command Protocol (this page) as well as their department’s protocols.
• Psychological Fitness: Heads of Staff must be mentally sane, free from coercion, and able to control their body’s faculties.

If a Head of Staff fails either of these criteria, they are to be suspended from duty immediately, especially in the latter case.

• The Chief Medical Officer is primarily the one responsible for evaluating the physical and mental fitness of a Head of Staff.
• The Chief Medical Officer may demand an evaluation if sufficient justification exists.
  • An evaluation does not need to happen in medbay - simply ascertaining if there is a compromised state on the spot is acceptable.
  • An evaluation does not need to be official. The Chief Medical Officer may declare someone unfit for duty if they observe clear-cut symptoms pointing to a compromised state.
• Trained doctors / psychologists may fill in for the lack of a Chief Medical Officer if requested to by another Head of Staff, or if the Chief Medical Officer is the one under investigation.
  • This is to prevent the incapacitation of the Chief Medical Officer from crippling reactive correction in cases of emergencies.
• The Chief Medical Officer / doctor(s) in question do not possess the sole authority of deciding whether to suspend a member of command from duty.
  • The decision must be reached by a majority of Command. The Director / Acting / Captain may not overrule this.
  • If there is only two heads of staff, judgement is left to Security.
• If there is no other Head of Staff, the proceedings may be initiated by a senior member of Security.

A fax to Central Command must be sent if a Head of Staff is forcefully removed this way.

Internal Affairs

Most Nanotrasen installations are equipped with a staffing of Internal Affairs Agents. Their role is to resolve disputes and complaints, as well as evaluate the crew for compliance to installation / vessel directives.

• Extenuating circumstances may necessitate the temporary non-adherence of Installation Directives and/or Corporate Regulations. Be sure to take the situation into context when conducting yourself.
• Regardless, violations of such should be noted in the shift’s record. Much like with Security Protocol, no one may ‘pardon’ a breach of procedure, only suspend addressing it for the sake of the installation’s mission and integrity.
• Reasonable attempts should still be made to follow protocol during an emergency. Neither Command, nor anyone else, are excused to completely ignore Installation Directives at the drop of a hat. Most breaches should still undergo the proper channels of escalation.

Impartiality

As an Internal Affairs Agent, you serve the interests of no one. You do not serve the Heads of Staff, you serve the Company.

• Your only job is to ensure rules are being enforced, complaints are being addressed, and the station is running smoothly within bounds of Installation Directives.
• Regarding Security: You are not a lawyer, you serve as regulatory oversight. See: Prisoner Comments & Concerns.
• You are held to an even higher standard of impartiality than the Command staff at large. Do not favor any one group or individual for any reason whatsoever in your investigations.

Employee Rights

The Corporate Labor Charter applies to all employed staff, whether on contract or on permanent placement with Nanotrasen. See to it that it is enforced, with violators informed and reported to Central Command. Failures to amend violations must be forwarded, immediately, to the command post.

Complaints

If an employee wishes to raise a concern with Internal Affairs, they must go to an Internal Affairs Office if at all possible, after contacting an IAA in advance.

If an IAA is not available, a report should be faxed to the command post with a description of the complaint, and a request for an IAA.

Harassment

Harassment is defined as discriminatory conduct against one’s appearance, species, or genetics, and / or retaliation for filing a complaint. This is against corporate policy, and must be investigated.

• Petty slights, annoyances, and isolated incidents are not usually actionable outside of severe cases.
• This definition of ‘Harassment’ is intentionally less rigid than the one in Corporate Regulations. They do not refer to the same thing.

Central Command should be notified in cases of clear-cut harassment, especially if it is severe or pervasive enough to create a hostile / abusive environment.

Remember that IAA are not hired to protect the company, even if they directly work for the company. Even high ranking officers are subject to investigation for the long-term health of the company.

Prisoner Comments & Concerns

Prisoner complaints and concerns are to be handled with the same method normally applied, with the exception that the prisoner likely cannot visit the Internal Affairs office.

The IAA is not there to help the prisoner, as opposed to investigate if there is not an abuse of authority, or breach / mis-application of regulations.

The IAA must proceed to the Brig and meet with the prisoner there. Security must allow the Agent privacy if they request it. Most facilities are equipped with visitation rooms that physically separate the visitor and prisoner, without blocking vocal or visual communications.

If privacy cannot be reasonably accomodated, inform the prisoner of such. You must note this down in your report.

If safety cannot be reasonably assured, you may refuse the request to meet. You must note this down in your report.

Violations of Directives

Violations of Installation Directive should be brought to the immediate superior of the offending party, or, lacking that, to the Command staff at large.

The issue should be escalated until addressed in a reasonable manner, up to and including faxing the installation’s command / relay station for assistance.

Violations of Regulations

Violations of Policy/Corporate Regulations should be brought to the attention of the Internal Security Department.

If a member of Security is violating a regulation, such a matter should be brought to the Head of Security.

If the Head of Security is violating a regulation, or refuses to properly address such a violation, the matter should be escalated to the Facility Director / Captain.

If the Facility Director / Captain or the Head of Security refuses to properly address non-negligible offenses, Central Command should be notified via fax.

Alterations to Directives

Alterations to Installation Directives may be proposed to Central Command Officers for review.

It is recommended to work with Internal Affairs when submitting such requests, given the high level of scrutiny such requests are put under.

Crew Restrictions

No command position may be held by the following species / lifeforms:

• Xenochimera: The evolutionary impulses contained by most Chimera-like sapients make them unable to safely hold roles of high stress and responsibility.

Additionally, the position of Facility Director / Head of Security / Blueshield may not be held by any of the following species / lifeforms:

• Adherents: An Adherent is bound to their creator species, and does not meet high-security requirements necessitated by these roles.
• Protean: Proteans are a rare, experimental shell used by compatible synthetic lifeforms. They are not deemed stable enough to hold these two ranks.
• Vox: Vox do not meet security screening requirements necessitated by these roles. Blueshields are exempt from this.

The position of Head of Security / Blueshield are subject to all clauses pertaining to employment in security, including physical ability restrictions.

Furthermore, the following soft-restrictions apply globally to command positions:

• Command staff must be able to verbally communicate to perform their duties.
  • The ability to speak and understand Galactic Common is mandatory. TTS devices are allowed.
• Command staff must have a workable sense of sight.
  • Glasses and other corrective measures are obviously allowed.
  • The ability to constantly perform highly detailed echolocation may, in special cases, substitute a working sense of optical sight. Pulsed echolocation is not acceptable due to its low reactivity.
• Synthetics bound by law or otherwise programmed to serve an external corporation or group may not serve as a head of staff.