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 Space 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 Space 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 Space Law.

Head of Personnel

1. The Head of Personnel must inform the relevant Head of Staff when giving a crewmember a job in their department.
2. The Head of Personnel may not grant themself all access.
3. The Head of Personnel may not grant anyone all access unless there is an extreme emergency.
4. The Head of Personnel 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 Head of Personnel can transfer crewmembers to other departments in compliance with Guideline 1.
5. The Head of Personnel may not fire or demote any crewmember without authorization from the relevant Head of Staff, unless they have violated Space Law or Department Standard Operating Procedure.
6. The Head of Personnel is free to utilize paperwork at their discretion. However, during emergencies, expediency should take precedence over bureaucracy.
7. The Head of Personnel must report to their desk when a crewmember requests it.
8. The Head of Personnel is in charge of Supply, however, it is recommended to let the Quartermaster handle things.
9. The Head of Personnel is bound to the same Guidelines regarding ordering crates as the Quartermaster and Cargo Technicians.
10. The Head of Personnel is not permitted to perform Security duty.
11. The Head of Personnel is permitted to carry any nonlethal weaponry, plus an energy gun, for self defense only.
12. The Head of Personnel must follow the same Head of Staff promotion/demotion Guidelines as the Captain.
13. The Head of Personnel 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.

Command Staff

1. Command Staff are defined as any department head.
2. Command Staff should do their best to provide order and organization in their departments.
3. Command Staff should serve as the link between a department's staff and another department.
4. Command Staff are permitted to carry small, concealable, nonlethal items to use in their own personal defense.
5. Command Staff retain the authority to demote or promote, or add or remove access from individuals that are under their command.
6. Command Staff are encouraged to request the assistance of Security when purging undesirables from their departments.
7. Command Staff may be held accountable for their actions by both Space Law and their department's Standard Operating Procedures.