SoP: Chain of Command

Summary

NEX/NSX class installations are staffed with a myriad of departments to maximize adaptivity to various situations.

The Chain of Command refers to the rules and guidelines pertaining to jurisdiction and authority aboard an installation. While most situations may be resolved with light mediation and common sense, there often comes a time when a clear line of authority must be established, especially during times of decisive action.

This segment of Installation Directives contains exact instructions for determining the web of authority governing multi-department installations.

Abridged: As most employees have little need to familiarize themselves with the fine print, an abridged version of the below is as follows.

Central Command: The designated command, or relay post for the installation carries authority above all employees aboard. Communication with such is often done via faxes, or in emergencies, subspace relays.
- Central Command Officers have operational authority while aboard.
- Central Command Visitors do not, and must return to the command post, or be granted authority by secure communications to have overrule authority over installation command.
- Emergency Repsonders sent from Central Command do not have overrule authority over the rest of the hierarchy unless otherwise specified, but also do not answer to the chain of command.
The Facility Director: The Facility Director carries the final say in most usual circumstances.
The Acting Director: In times of emergency, the acting director carries authority above other heads of staff.
The relevant Head of Staff of your department: Your department’s head has authority unless overruled by 1, 2, or 3.
- The Head of Personnel is in command of departments that lack a Head of Staff.
Department Leads:
- The Quartermaster is the department lead of Supply.
- The Pathfinder is the department lead of Exploration, if exploration is a standard department of the installation. Otherwise, they have full authority over their designated area and shuttle.
- Senior Roles within a department should be regarded, but do not have binding authority unless someone with binding authority grants authority to the senior role in question.

Special Cases:

The Pathfinder has full operational authority over their designated ship. The only roles that may overrule a Pathfinder in this regard are Central Comamnd or the (Acting) Facility Director.
The Research Director may not demote the pathfinder while an away mission is in progress, but may order an away mission to return at first opportunity during an emergency.
Visitors and Diplomats: Sanctioned visitors and/or diplomats are not bound by command authority, other than in these cases:
- They are being detained for a violent crime. Security Procedures detail when this is allowed.
- A head of staff may expel them from their department or restrict access to their department. Departmental staff may do the same, if a head of staff does not exist and they are not overruled.
- The Facility Director, or, if missing, Command as a whole have authority on whether or not such visitors are allowed to board / stay.

Heads of Staff, Internal Affairs Agents, and Command Secretaries should still parse the entire document, especially in regards to their own department. There are often exceptions to the above.

Command

The Command ‘department’ is made out of the Facility Director and the five heads of staff of the installation’s departments.

Facility Director

The Facility Director is the director of the installation. They may overrule most orders, as long as such rulings are legal.

They outrank everyone else aboard, except for Central Command Officers.

The Facility Director may overrule any department head.
The Facility Director, as stated in Security Protocol, is the only one who may issue hard rulings contradictory to Corporate Regulations. This is not a power without limitation - See: Command Protocol, Chief Medical Officer, Head of Security
The Facility Director is expected to oversee, and direct. The individual Heads of Staff see to their respective departments. It is not the FD/Captain’s job to micromanage.
- Remember: The Department Heads often know far more about a department than yourself.
As the highest rank permanently staffed aboard, you have great power, and great responsibility. You are expected to be able to defend your actions if your directives come under challenge.
You are the only one able to unilaterally remove a head of staff from their position, in certain circumstances. Abuse of this will result in your own removal.
- Such a reason must be related to installation security, or the outright refusal of valid, sound, and legal orders. Suspicions of a lack of performance, or refusing to follow unsound orders (e.g. “Kill all the slimes, we aren’t doing xenobiology today. I will not say why.”) is not a reason.
- For demotions rooted in other reasonings, a faxed authorization from Central Command is necessary.
- You may still directly take over a given departmental operation without demoting a head of staff, with valid reasoning.
- Security is not to enforce demotions if the above conditions are not met.
You are the only one allowed to unilaterally promote someone to a head of staff to fill a missing position.
- An arriving Head of Staff has priority over the fill.
- Such fills must be denoted as “Acting” infront of their title.

Head of Personnel

The Head of Personnel is the head of human resources, and the director of supply, logistics, and civillian staff. While not the ‘second in command’ of the command staff, they often assist in direction and delegation, should a head of staff be missing for a department.

The HoP cannot overrule other department heads.
The HoP is not automatically the acting Director, unlike on some other stations. See: Actiong Director, Succession.
The HoP is the department head of Cargo, and the Civillian ‘department’. Your relationship to the Quartermaster is analogous to the Head of Security’s to their Warden.
- Avoid micromanaging if you can help it. The Quartermaster has likely worked more logistics than you, and is primarily under you due to logistics being important for the crew’s function.
The HoP is in charge of departments without a head.
- Much like the FD, and with Cargo, do not micromanage; The department staff probably know how to work their department more than you.
You are the person responsible for resolving interpersonal disputes, while IAA are mostly for official complaints. You are often considered the ‘head’ of Internal Affairs, even if you have no authority over IAA.
You are responsible for managing the station’s primary budget.
You are responsible for role changes and access management.
- Department heads may assign access to their departments themselves.
- You may not assign access to a department if a head of staff vetoes, outside of an emergency. The only exception are areas like Maintenance, which, while technically in the ‘Engineering’ category, is logically not owned by the Engineering department.
While heads of staff may demote their staff, you, and the Facility Director, are the only ones able to entirely dismiss staff.
- A head of staff must consent to dismissal of their staff. The Facility Director is not subject to this restriction.

Research Director

The Research Director is the leader of the installation’s Science Division.

The Research Director is the only head of staff without hard authority over general station affairs.
- The Research Division is not vital to installation survival, as opposed to the installation’s mission.
- With this in mind, your position is one with little obligation towards any one specific crew-member, yet much duty towards the installation as a whole.
The Research Director’s core mandates are as follows:
- Oversee and direct the operations of the Research Division, as specified in your department’s Directives.
- Ensure the safety of operations in the Research Divisions. Experiments often go wrong, and your performance as a Director is rated both for efficiency, as well as for safety.
- Assist the installation in the completion of its directives, as specified in your department’s Directives.
The Research Director is responsible for coordinating away missions along with the Pathfinder, as well as any expeditions made ad-hoc by trained personnel.
The Research Director is responsible for developing countermeasures to the myriad of threats the ship / facility may face in its operation, as per the Science Division’s operational Directives.
The Research Director does not possess overruling authority over any other department head in this regard. They are expected to work cooperatively.
The Research Director does possess overruling authority to shut down unauthorized experiments involving anomalous or experimental technology, if it is a threat to the crew.
- e.g. someone showing off an artifact with unknown emissions may be ordered to turn it into Research for containment. Similarly, the RD may step in if Medical decides to construct a genetics lab without authorization.

Chief Medical Officer

The Chief Medical Officer heads the Medbay, and has jurisdiction over all health matters, whether physical or psychological.

The Chief Medical Officer’s core duties are to maintain the crew’s health. This is further outlined in Medical Directives.
Psychological wellness/fitness of duty for command is outlined in Command Directives.
The Chief Medical Officer has the final say over medical matters, like quarantine. Other heads of staff may not impede such, outside of an emergency.
- The Research Director holds authority over repairs and maintenance of synthetics, including synthetic crew. The Medical Bay is suited for biological lifeforms only.
- The Research Director shares joint authority with the CMO for questions of mental wellness regarding synthetic units. Stationbounds, however, are to be handled within the Research Division whenever possible.
The Chief Medical Officer may exercise quarantine authority over arriving shuttles, visitors, and in extreme cases, crew, if xenobiological contamination is suspected.
The Chief Medical Officer has the authority to demand medical oversight or even halting of operations for experiments and departmental operations, if a severe threat to crew health is suspected.
- e.g. Engineering / Research is soaking hallways in radiation, as an extreme case.

Chief Engineer

The Chief Engineer is the head of the Engineering department. Their primary responsibility is to keep the installation functional, and fit for crew operations from an architectural standpoint.

The Chief Engineer has final say over non-departmental renovations. They may halt projects if a renovation is believed to be overly disruptive or dangerous.
- The CE should only exercise this right to enforce matters of safety or security.
- The CE may halt departmental renovations if it poses a risk to installation operations. Example: Research shooting a particle accelerator towards the interior of the station, or trying to siphon air lines without approval.
The Chief Engineer has final say over Engineering operations. On naval installations, they should work with the bridge staff to optimize operational capacity.
The Chief Engineer is also in charge of handling major problems with shuttlecraft. While pilots usually have the right of way, the CE may ground vessels if there is a threat to operator, or passenger safety.
The Chief Engineer is responsible for safeguarding and operating ship machinery and equipment on naval vessels.
The Chief Engineer make enact lockdowns on unsafe areas during emergencies.

Head of Security

The Head of Security is in charge of the Internal Security Department. As the Head of Security, you have the greatest hard authority of any head of staff, yet you also have the greatest restrictions, and responsibilities.

As the Head of Security, you do not automatically outrank other heads of staff, or in most cases, even departmental staff. Security Protocols dictate when you, or other members of Security, may overrule other authorities, including with the use of force.
You are one of the sole authorities able to unilaterally authorize contraband and weapon permits for other crewmembers.
You are in charge of the installation’s defense. This will sometimes put you at odds with the other heads of staff.
You possess overruling authority, except for against the Facility Director, in terms of barring visitors / shuttles from the installation. You must have valid reasoning to do so.
You may enact lockdowns for security reasons, as well as bar crewmembers from visiting certain locations. The latter may only be done in circumstances where said locations are a direct, immediate threat.
- e.g. Barring pilots from visiting a known pirate base
You are expected to mediate, or, in the worst case, be the one to make the call to arrest another memeber of Command if it is deemed too unsafe to tolerate their actions.
- This includes the Facility Director. More information are in Security Protocols.

Acting Director / Acting Captain

The Acting Director / Captain is a position filled when the Facility Director / Captain is unavailable, incapacitated, or unfit for their position during an emergency.

There is not always an Acting Director. The lack of a Director does not mandate the assignment of an Acting Director.
The Acting Director possesses the same authority as the Facility Director, except in the following cases:
- The AD may not demote heads of staff without another majority vote in Command.
- The AD does not have certain powers given to the FD. Each department’s directives page outlines this in greater detail.
- The AD may not promote anyone to a head of staff position without a majority vote amongst command members. Anyone promoted is considered ‘temporary’ and may be demoted at any time by the real FD or the AD.
An Acting Director may only be assigned in times of crisis, or need. This is usually, but not always denoted by a need to switch to a higher alert level than Green.
- The usual need other than 'crisis' for AD assignment is a sensitive operation, that while not a threat to the installation, should be deliberately coordinated by the command staff.
- The Acting Director must step down after the emergency is resolved.

Spare ID

The Spare ID does not necessarily require AD assignment for usage. See Command Protocol for protocol.

Succession - Choosing an Acting Director

The Head of Personnel is first in line for Acting Director. Given they do not lead a department with a potentially-critical mission, they are the best choice as to not distract the departmental leads while they handle the emergency.
- This is considered part of the HoP's core responsibilities, but they may yield as per the above if it is necessary.
The heads of staff should take the initiative on elevating an Acting Director barring that.
- Acting Directors may be vetoed by a majority command vote - this includes the Head of Personnel's default prioritization.
- Acting Directors are a coordination role above technical role. A head of staff whom is not busy with the crisis at hand should take it if needed - not necessarily the head with the most expertise with the crisis.
- If no one volunteers, immediately page the relevant head of staff on if they are able to assume AD as per below prioritization, and then move onto the mandatory ordering if they also unwanting to do so.
The recommended priority for picking an Acting Captain based on technical expertise is as following:
- Head of Security - Boarding, hostile forces, intruders, manhunts
- Chief Engineer - Breaches, failure of life support, emergency maneuvers
- Chief Medical Officer - Viral outbreaks, mass casualty
- Research Director - Situations pertaining to a subdivision of science, or when the agreed-upon response to be primarily performed by the Research Division
Remember: The AD is here to work with the Command staff, not against them. If you do not have the technical background for a crisis, have those whom do advise you you relevant matters.
- This especially applies if you are not the head of staff with the pertinent technical expertise. You are promoted to free up that head of staff to perform their duties, not to fight them on command matters.
Someone who does not want AD cannot have it forced upon them except in the following situation:
- If no one wishes to be AD, and someone needs to handle affairs with the spare ID and coordination, the following order is mandatory, as part of the responsibilities of being command staff: HoP –> RD –> CMO –> CE –> HoS
- This order is only if no one wants the ID. This is just the order of who must handle access and minor AD affairs if no one is willing to take the mantle.
- Heads of staff may relinquish AD at will, and are recommended to do so if they are being overwhelmed with directly overseeing the handling of a crisis.

Succession - No Heads of Staff are available

The following roles are considered for Acting Captaincy in the event that no members of Command are available:

Bridge Officers
Pathfinder
Quartermaster
Senior Engineer
Senior Researcher
Warden
Head Nurse

These are in no particular order - except for Bridge Officers, assuming they are ready to assume the mantle. Pick someone with the most general knowledge of the situation, as well as coordination ability under pressure.

Internal Affairs

Internal Affairs Agents handle compliance cases and complaints. They do not have hard authority over anyone except for specific exceptions.

Command may not demote Internal Affairs without a tangible and valid reason. Involuntary demotions of Internal Affairs must be faxed to Central Command.
Department Heads do not have to allow IAA entry to their departments for audits. They are, however, heavily encouraged to.
Areas IAA have access to by default may not be barred from them, except in extenuating circumstances.
- Something being unpleasant is not an extenuating circumstance. Discussing a secret plan to evade boarders and maintaining operational security is.
Command is nonetheless encouraged to cooperate with Internal Affairs. Not doing so often causes more problems for you than it avoids down the line.

Command Secretaries / Bridge Officers

Command secretaries (and Bridge Officers on a naval installation) are junior staff tasked with assisting with Command operations. By default, they do not have Command authority over anyone.

They answer only to the Heads of Staff, and no one else. Senior departmental staff, as well as IAA, have no sway over their operations.
They are authorized to pilot the ship, unless otherwise specified.
- If a head of staff exists, they must inquire with command before moving the ship.
- See: Exploration / Pilot Protocols.

Blueshields

Blueshields are assigned bodyguards to the Heads of Staff, typically recruited from senior Security members. By default, they do not have Command authority over anyone.

Blueshields answer only to the Command personnel, and no one else. A Director's orders are above all else, though blueshields may forego these orders in times of crisis when acting in good faith (regardless of outcome). For example, crossing a hallway to save another head of staff while not immediately endangering the Director who ordered them to stay.
Blueshields are not authorized to leave the ship, unless accompanying a Head of Staff.
- If a Head of Staff exists, they must inquire with the Director, HOS, or HOP before leaving the ship. If none are present, they must request permission from central command.
Blueshields are to abide by security level weapon restrictions; being in breach of this will result in the Blueshield being punished more severely than normal.
In the absence of Command staff, their job is to protect key command departments, mainly the bridge, vault, and AI chamber. Green alert allows for free movement around the station while performing these duties.
Blueshields do not have the legal authority to assign prison sentences; in the event that they restrain someone in the way of their duties, they are to be recovered by Security and processed as normal. Blueshields are under ```no ```obligation to watch restrained individuals until security arrives, and should ```never``` keep command figures (and by extent themselves) near proven threats if it can be helped, even those that are subdued.

Senior Department Staff

Senior department staff are veterans of their department, and are there to assist in directing and leading operations.

Senior department staff do not have direct, binding authority over their department’s staff unless assigned such authority by someone within the official chain of command.
Senior department staff may overrule other department staff when fallback consent or authority from a department head is required.
- e.g. the Senior Researcher may deny Engineering from modifying a departmental function, even if a lower scientist requests to it and agrees.

Security

Security does not have authority over other departments, except to perform their duties as follows:

Security may demand entry if there is a fugitive within a department.
Security may execute involuntary searches of people or departments if allowed to by Security Protocol.
Security may intervene if something is a tangible breach of Corporate Regulations, even if it is within a department.

Exploration

The Exploration Department exists on some, but not all NS-X/NE-X installations.

Pathfinder - Ship / Away Missions

Regardless of if the Exploration Department exists as a sanctioned, permanent sub-department, the Pathfinder has exclusive authority over their ship, and is effectively a Head of Staff in that regards.

While out on an expedition on the Pathfinder’s ship, the Pathfinder is the final authority outside of the Facility Director and may make any legal judgement call they feel is necessary. This is to ensure safety and integrity for the away team, as the Pathfinder’s main role is to lead a successful mission, and in certain cases, ensure casualties are minimal.

Pathfinder - The Research Director

The Pathfinder answers directly to the Research Director, with these caveats.

The Research Director may not demote and reassign the Pathfinder’s position while there is an active away mission.
The Research Director is expected to act as management, not ‘second in command’ or ‘boss’s boss’ for the expedition, even if they are accompanying a trip.
The Research Director has the authority to demand a position on a trip if they have a need for it. After the ship departs, they answer to the Pathfinder as does everyone else.
The Research Director may demand an away mission to return at first opportunity in cases of emergency.
The Research Director may demand an avenue of action conducive to the installation’s missions, if deemed safe to do so.
- e.g. Leaving an artifact behind vs taking it - in the latter case, the Pathfinder may refuse if it will unnecessarily put their team in danger.
- e.g. First contact protocols.
Only the FD may overrule the Pathfinder in this regard.

Exploration - Department

Pilots: See ‘Pilots’ section. Pilots answer directly to the Pathfinder if piloting any ship inside the Pathfinder’s domain. Pilots are not part of the Exploration department.
Search and Rescue / Field Medics: SaR/FM’s answer directly to the Chief Medical Officer, unless they are on an away mission.
- The CMO may not demand SaR/FM’s remain behind. Only the FD can.
- The RD does not have authority over what medical staff do in terms of medical decisions.
Explorers answer directly to the PF and RD, as per the above.

Pilots

Pilots are currently listed under the ‘Civillian’ department, as they do not technically belong to any one depratment, as installations tend to have many different shuttles, on top of trained pilots embedded within the departments.

Pilots should opt to assist with shuttle operation. This is considered their duty, and they have priority above department staff when it comes to who gets to fly.
Pilots answer to the department head of who/what they’re flying for. If it’s something like the Civillian Transport, they answer to all heads of staff.
Pilots answer to the Pathfinder and no one else, if flying the Exploration shuttle. See: Exploration - Department
Pilots answer to the Pathfinder while inside Exploration. Your only right is to what’s in your locker - everything else done within Exploration is still under the Pathfinder’s purview.
On NEV/NSV-class installations, pilots do not have default authority to fly the ship unless authorized to by command, including command secretaries.

Civillian

Civillian staff answer to the Head of Personnel primarily, but are expected to respect the wishes of other members of Command.

Civillian staff are lowest on the hierarchy, and have no authority over other employees, except inside their designated establishments (including to eject other employees), e.g. the bartender over the Bar.

Central Command / Emergency Responders

Officers

Central Command Officers have operational authority to overrule any directive while onboard.

Visitors

Central Command Visitors do not have overrule authority, unless given command authority by the designated command installation, or otherwise return to the command post for proper authentication as an officer.

Central Command Visitors are not necessarily off duty Officers.

Emergency Responders

Emergency Responders do not answer to the installation’s command staff, but in turn, do not have overrule authority over installation command unless otherwise denoted.

Installation staff are recommended to not obstruct the duties of response personnel. Response personnel are often authorized to complete their directives - usually the protection of the installation from the active threat - with any means necessary.

Validation

Command is authorized to validate Central Command orders by secure fax when suspecting channel, or personnel compromise by hostile entities.

It is rare, but not unheard of, for even Central Command Officers to be replaced by dopplegangers. Command must make a reasonable, best-faith effort to determine the correct course of action in these situations. Abuse of this clause will not be tolerated.

Visitors

Sanctioned Visitors

Sanctioned visitors are those arriving with regular crew intake channels. They have been pre-authorized by Nanotrasen, and cannot be ejected from the facility. In return, they are agreeing to undergo the full set of restrictions, as well as rights, that a regular employee would have.

Such visitors may not be expelled or barred entry to the installation.
Such visitors may have their items confiscated permanently, and are afforded no such ‘diplomatic immunity’ by Security.
Such visitors must obey all head of staff orders, with the exception of being ordered to do work, as they are not employed, or on duty.
Such visitors may be barred entrance to areas at will.

External Visitors

External visitors refer to visitors arrving on the installation without Nanotrasen’s official sanction (e.g. arriving on the crew transfer shuttle, the public teleporter, other methods of normal crew intake). External visitors are not part of the employed staff.

Visitors are subject to corporate regulations to a limited extent onboard. Please see Security Protocol for the extent of such.
Anything confiscated from visitors must be returned during their egress, unless it is a threat to the installation to do so.
Visitors obviously can not be ordered to do work. Visitors can be ordered to keep out of private areas, as well as certain public areas, within reason and with necessity.
Visitors may leave at any time unless detained for a breach of regulations; please see Security Protocol for when this is valid.
Visitors may be expelled, or barred entry to the installation by the command staff.

Visiting Ships / Foreign Installations

Visiting ships, and any external installations, are sovereign entities, and are afforded the following allowances:

Visiting ships, much like external visitors, may be expelled or barred from entry, for any reason, by command staff.
Visiting ships are sovereign. They, and those onboard, are not subject to corporate regulations, except for the sections detailing Admiralty Law.
Unless ordered to by Central Command, it is not acceptable to forcefully enter external ships except to:
- Extract Nanotrasen crewmembers whom are under duress.
- Enforce Admiralty Law, as detailed in Policy/Corporate Regulations
- Recover company property of high value, e.g. restricted technology, blueprints, or devices.

Outside Regulatory Bodies

Diplomats and administrators may sometimes tour facilities and vessels at random, especially during negotiations.

The crew is expected to treat such official visitors with respect, as to not cause a diplomatic incident or unnecessarily create tension. Remember, your actions reflect on your vessel more than the entirety of Nanotrasen.

Regardless, they do not have the authority of Central Command officials. Any orders they attempt to make are instead to be treated as suggestions.