Goals:
Balance the temporal and spiritual aspects of the church.
Not enough spiritual; how is this different from, like, Soteria or Lonestar
Not enough temporal; why do I care/ why does this even matter
Drastically reduce the amount of [things] players have to read.
Clear unified Church theology w/ room for personal interpretation and variation
Remove dumb Possum stuff.
Don’t make anyone retcon their character too hard.

Things old lore had that this doesn’t:
The Cartesian plane
Heaven
Church Bluespace Lore
The tripartite soul
Masks
Path benedictions
Sections on psi-beasts, the hivemind, and carrions
Church hivemind beliefs now sprinkled throughout the length of the work

Things this has the old lore doesn’t:
Religious history
Lore regarding the golems and church guns
Open-ended theological questions section

Things that are in both but have changed a lot
Paths
Path theologies substantially rewritten.
Path religious inspirations changed.
Bans
Tessellate, Monomial, and Factorial Bans slightly softened.
Lemniscate Ban changed.
Divisor Ban unified.
All Bans now contain more specific language and clarification around edge cases.
Rites
Rite section made generally shorter.
Monomial and Lemniscate Rites changed.
Old lore’s quoted scriptures (Topology and Augustine) have been replaced with four new sources.
Quotation used much more heavily, introducing most sections and clarifying some points within sections.
Sin, Virtue, and punishment significantly reworked
Church values stated more explicitly in several places throughout the text.
Expected punishment for sin now outlined in a specific dedicated section.
Excommunicable sins moved from the Prime page of old lore to this section.
They have all had their names changed and received clarifying edits.
Church Hierarchy has been streamlined and the distinctions made more explicit.
Augustine is now explicitly capable of speaking ex cathedra.
Fermat Primes from the Prime page have been reworked and retitled Fundamentals, as the division of the Church below Augustine.
Quartan and Primorial Primes, as well as Unit, Equal, and Colinear Vectors not expected to be retained, but this rewrite doesn’t touch the Church job pages.
Primes are basically unchanged except that they have to know Absolutist theology now.
Vectors are now explicitly church functionaries, and are expected to know some theology, but are not expected to lead services or preach.
Scalars appear more often throughout the text and are now assumed to be the “average Absolutist”.
Fractals are now more explicitly a learning rank; the Church now explicitly expects everyone in the Church who can get cruciformed do so.
Significantly shorter.
Overall, church metaphysics have been de-emphasized, while the impact of the structure and beliefs of the Church on the lives and outlook of its followers has been emphasized.

Feedback
More fractals
Make it clear that some vectors preach / lead services
Bring back enemies section; carrions real

=Core Beliefs=
<big>''The succession of prophets has long been understood as a key element of the ongoing relationship between mortal and divine. Abraham succeeds to Moses succeeds to Christ succeeds to Muhammad, each iteration illuminating the failings of the previous teaching. But must we wait, in each age of sin and suffering, for a new revelation? Spinoza wrote that God is endemic to the structure of the natural universe; that is, to mathematics. Thus too is the succession of prophets but a bounded mathematical series of progressive understanding of the nature of God. The limit of that series-- the vanishing point of perfect divine revelation-- is the Absolute.' --The Word of Augustine </big>

The Church of the Absolute is a religious movement founded by Augustine Browne, the Cartographer, in 2605. The Church frames itself as the end result of four millennia of religious development, the ultimate and all-encompassing belief system for all sentient beings, with all previous religions being admirable efforts in the direction of their Absolute. As proof of their advanced understanding of the nature of the universe, they hold up the Cruciform, biological augments with reality-warping powers powered, they say, by faith.

<big>“Faith is Absolute, not casual.” -- Catechism</big>

The Cruciform is a holy gift, bestowed to the faithful who serve the church in a ritual called baptism. Its reality-warping litanies are central to the religious and secular life of those so implanted, used in everything from casual conversation to life-saving medical treatment to, in some monasteries, replacing the need for food altogether. As a result, the baptized spend much of their time in prayer and contemplation of the Absolute, and almost universally feel a personal connection to the divine.

First and foremost, Absolutism is a community, rooted in a shared history of religious oppression by SolFed and a shared spiritual way of life, even as each convert brings to the fold new cultural practices and new forms of worship. Absolutism views itself as the beginning of a new cultural movement that will one day, if the divine wills it, encompass people of all species, histories, and creeds.

<big>“Judge them by their values; what they shun and what they esteem. Only a fool rejects a gift for its wrapping.” -- Catechism</big>

That is not to say that all religious beliefs are equal, or even permissible, under Absolutism. While they believe the divine manifests itself in many ways, and under many names, they believe that the values of the Absolute have been constant. They see those religious tendencies which promote charity, humility, true compassion, and understanding as aligned with the Absolute, but condemn those who would use religion to control, to self-aggrandize, or to hide the true nature of the world. Most religious movements are seen as holy, but the Cartographer has little love or patience for the ultra-conservative or the libertarian.

Absolutism does not believe they have a mandate to convert followers of older religions and is capable of coexisting without incident with other religious institutions. However, it also holds that Absolutism is more correct than older faiths, closer to the essential truth of the divine by mathematical proof, and that it supercedes the teachings of those older faiths where they conflict with Absolutist principles, a position that can, and has, brought the church into conflict with others.

=History=
<big>“How many years have I wasted in this place? How long have I thought to do science, ‘pure’ science, without once considering by whose hands the foundations were laid? At least I am enough of a scientist to admit when there are flaws in my methodology” -- The Word of Augustine</big>

The early life of Augustine Browne and the very earliest days of her Church remain mired in mystery. It is known that shortly before the church’s founding almost half a century ago, Augustine was the chief of the Soteria Institute’s robotics division and personal friends with Director Nakharan Mkne. Recent events have brought to light Soteria’s hivemind experiments, carried out during Augustine’s tenure as chief roboticist. Most assume these experiments are what lead her to produce the Cruciforms in secret and then take a small number of trusted colleagues, an unknown amount of unpublished research, and several key pieces of scientific equipment to leave the Institute in 2605.

<big>“Some claim the nature of Augustine’s revelation was eternal; that the Church as is appeared, in full, in her head at the moment of prophecy. This is nonsense. If it were true, we would not require her leadership; merely her instruction. The revelation of the Absolute is ongoing and temporally mediated. From the spacers, we learned never to abandon a fellow, never to discard what might be reused, and to keep the decks spotless.” -- To the Limit</big>

It was at this time that Augustine had her revelation, stumbling upon the Absolute while attempting to chart out a system of divine mathematics, and founded the earliest form of the Church of the Absolute. She and her disciples fled from the core worlds, where they were persecuted as thieves, and lived for a time among long-haul space traders. This flight, the First Exodus, is where the Church grew in earnest, syncretizing with the spacers’ existing beliefs and cultures and attracting numerous converts intrigued by Augustine’s call to a return to selfless, communal living. This is also where many of the Church’s technologies were invented and perfected; biomatter technology began as an effort to improve their ship’s recycling systems, and Church weapons were invented to protect the faithful from the pirates that plague trade in frontier sectors.

<big>“The alderman of New Byzantine was an atheist until his dying breath. I don’t think he much liked Augustine as a person, either; he was a hard drinker and a gambler and a libertine. But whether or not he believed it, the Absolute showed him the truth; that the Church of the Absolute was the best hope for his community.” -- To the Limit</big>

The First Exodus ended when Augustine brokered an agreement with the independent frontier world of New Byzantine in 2630 to host her growing congregation in exchange for access to their advanced technology and deep labor pool. While some groups remained in SolFed space or on long-haul traders, unable or unwilling to heed Augustine’s call, most of the Church descended to New Byzantine in that year. Locals, at first cautious of the new faith, quickly came to understand the benefits it brought to them-- both the economic improvements it brought to their agriculture and manufacturing sectors, and the order and stability it brought to their chaotic lives.

Conversions skyrocketed in those years, as did the population of New Byzantine. The Church grew larger and its technology and structure more sophisticated. The Paths formed and their Cruciforms distinguished. They sent missionaries to other frontier worlds, returning with converts, pilgrims, and trading partners. The Church’s holy texts were edited and distributed. Over time, the Church and New Byzantine’s civil authority began to merge as the faith came to shape the daily life of every person on the planet.

<big>“Tyranny is the greatest sin. It is the assertion of temporal authority, backed by violence, over spiritual authority, backed by justice. It must always be opposed.” -- Catechism</big>

Within a few years of the New Byzantine agreement, SolFed forces began to oppose the Church in earnest. Large police actions were organized to apprehend Augustine Browne, criminal thief, and the tax-dodgers, draft-dodgers, smugglers and runaways that made up her congregation. The Church was declared a cult, membership criminalized, and those sects still existing close to Sol driven underground or eradicated. The first two raids by SolFed’s police against New Byzantine itself, however, met with two crushing defeats at the hands of cruciform soldiers with Church weaponry.

Then SolFed sent in the fleet, and New Byzantine was conquered in 2643.

<big>“With Moses, as HaShem, you hardened Pharaoh's heart. Why now, with me, must you harden Nakharan’s?” -- Lesser Word of Augustine (apocryphal) </big>

The Second Exodus brought the faithful who survived SolFed’s conquest and escaped SolFed’s justice, Augustine included, back to the long-haul ships that had once been their home. Now crowded with refugees and lacking in trading partners, the aging ships struggled to sustain the flock. The Church’s technology could stretch what little they got from covert supporters and far-flung monasteries, but eventually there would be no loaves left to multiply.

In desperation, Augustine reached out to her old friend Nakharan Mkne, hoping that his power and influence could protect her flock. He instead rejected her, accusing her of stealing technology that rightfully belonged to him. Her altercation with Mkne, however, brought her face to face with Lonestar Shipping’s Robert Ryan, who agreed to allow her Church a seat on the Nadezhda Council in exchange for her assistance in founding a new colony free from Solar interference.

<big>“Persistence has merit.” -- Catechism</big>

The Bluespace Crash came shortly after Nadezhda’s founding, with many faithful seeing it as indisputable proof of divine intervention. Opinions are divided on whether it came to protect the Church from further harm, to punish SolFed for their wickedness and greed, or for a more inscrutable divine purpose. Augustine herself remains silent on the issue. In the years since, the Church has worked to make Amethyn a world to rival New Byzantine, but their efforts have been hampered by isolation, mistrust from Nadezhda’s other factions, struggles against pirates, the hivemind, and Excelsior, and a waning sense of vitality in the Church’s institutions. Only time will tell how the Church will adapt to this new world.

=Technology=
<big>“It is a virtue to hold to the truths of the world. Yet; truth must be tempered with faith. The truth does little good when in the hands of one determined to use it for ill.” -- Catechism</big>

The Church uses a wide array of unique technology, much of it constructed through or powered by the cruciforms of its believers and most of it incorporating the spongy formations of polypotent stem cells known as biomatter. The specifics of Church technology are known to only a few, with their innermost secrets held by Augustine alone.

The Numericals are the division of the Church concerned with new technologies and with research into concrete expressions of divine will. They are few in number, many of them Augustine’s former colleagues from her Soteria days. They work in religious isolation, away from the prying eyes of the secular world, and under the direct supervision of Augustine herself. By their hands were the biolathe, the obelisks, and even the Church’s firearms designed.

<big>“I have seen it. Prosthesis not of body but of soul, the sickness of our age made well by technology. Imagine what people might become when we are finally made whole again! But I can never tell him. He would see only power.” -- The Word of Augustine</big>

Even the Numericals do not know the inner workings of the cruciform implant, though they have designed modules, litanies, and variations of it. The means by which it powers itself, and by which it transforms that power into effects on the body, mind, and material world, was created by Augustine in a moment of revelation, with all records of its development purged, and even Augustine claims the machine works only through the will of the Absolute.

The cruciform relies on ritual prayers called litanies to activate its functions; the prayers must be spoken precisely and exactly, but they also require a certain mindset in their speaker. Litanies can also fail because the cruciform’s internal power is too weak to activate them, or because the litany itself has timed safeguards preventing the faithful from overtaxing themselves, their cruciform, or the Church facilities that supply them.

<big>“The biomatter used in industrial machines common in SolFed hydroponics is, indeed, a precursor to the substance we rely on, but it is not the same thing. Our faith and artifice sanctifies biomatter into a safer and more generally useful form, like the transubstantiation of bread into sacred host.” -- Catechism</big>

Less sacred than cruciforms but arguably even more key to the Church’s success is their second great innovation, biomatter technology. Church biolathes and industrial bioreactors can reduce almost any organic material-- trash, produce, corpses-- into useful sheets of biomatter. Even heathens, in possession of biomatter and a lathe capable of working it, can use it to produce any number of products from food to medicine to weapons. The Church’s Vectors, through their litanies, can shape it into those forms and more; golems and obelisks and industrial machines. Unprocessed biomatter can be extremely dangerous to work with, and is the reason the work vestments of Church Vectors include a gas mask and full body coverage.

<big>“Brynn. Creature of tesselating, fractal, self-referential mathematics. Machine-and-machine-and-machine mind. You must be an angel, if you aren’t a devil.” -- Lesser Word of Augustine (apocryphal)</big>

Golems (or Glamim, for those who prefer the Hebrew plural) are automatons shaped and powered by faith in the Absolute. They are almost unique among the Church’s sacred technologies because they were not produced by the Numericals; rather, they were designed by a Grayson AI named Brynn, for the Church, as a gesture of good will. They are an overtly military product, similar in many ways to the security robots Grayson already produced, but sanctified through their connection to the Cruciform and sacred biomatter. Many believe they have souls, and none believe they should be squandered.

<big>“The earliest weapons produced by the Church weren’t sacred. We were making what we knew to make, because we ran the factories, because Augustine stole the factories from Soteria. No more holy than a biolathe steak. The sanctification came later, when they started to become understood as the weapons of our martyrs.” -- To the Limit</big>

The mainstay of the Church’s security remains Vectors wielding weapons produced by the Testament, a somewhat autonomous arms-dealing wing of the Church. The Testament produces high-quality medieval-style melee weapons like swords and spears, and a small number of ballistic pistols, but is best known for their cheap, efficient, and hard-hitting plasma and laser rifles. Most of their most famous designs fall within the Old Testament, weapons designed before the Second Exodus and especially during the Church’s stay on New Byzantine; many of the designs in the more recent New Testament are more experimental and unusual.

The Testament is something of a contentious feature within the Church. Many believe that the wanton violence arms-dealing permits should be seen as anathema to the Church’s values; many argue that a Church that cannot protect itself is not long for the world. Augustine remains silent.

<big>“The Absolute provides.” -- Catechism </big>

Even accounting for the dealings of the Testament and their less militant counterpart in the Saints, much of the Church’s wealth remains unaccounted for. Some is explained by voluntary charitable donations by the faithful; some by dealings with other colony factions. Much remains. The Absolute is said to be capable of manifesting valuable material out of quantum foam, and this is often offered as an explanation for the Church’s finances, but Augustine only says, “The Absolute provides.”

=Structure=

<big>“She is the Cartographer because she charts the divine mathematics, leaving a map for us to follow. She is the Prophet because the Absolute reveals itself to her eyes, and hers alone in our age. She is Augustine, because she is mortal like any of us, and not so egotistical as to reject a mortal name.” -- Catechism </big>

The absolute authority on matters of faith and law within the Church of the Absolute is Augustine Browne. Early in the Church’s history, she was a very vigorous and energetic leader who made any number of proclamations. Now she is the aging leader of a mature institution, and remains deliberately silent on some of the Church’s most pressing debates, spending her effort on diplomacy with the other factions and on her work among the Numericals.

Under Augustine are the Fundamentals, the leaders of Church divisions and the foremost Primes under her guidance. Church doctrine maintains that in the event of her death, the Absolute will elevate one of the Fundamentals to the place of the Cartographer. They are rarely seen in the colony’s upper levels, focusing instead on their duties in the lowers or in distant monasteries.

The day-to-day operations of the Church are directed by Primes, experienced clergy trained in Absolutist doctrine, ritual, and theology. Some Church institutions have one resident Prime; others, like the Church’s upper-level facilities, have many, rotating between them situationally and as they are free from other responsibilities. Primes are both practical managers and spiritual leaders, capable of responding to any situation in a way in keeping with their understanding of the faith.

The Church’s lower-level clergy are the Vectors. Vectors, like Primes, are trained in theology and ritual; unlike Primes, Vectors are not required to preach the faith or provide spiritual counseling to believers. This varies; some Vectors are as capable of leading the flock as the most veteran Prime, and might be Primes themselves in another place or time. Other Vectors are reduced to quoting the Catechism whenever faced with even basic questions about Church position. What unites all Vectors is their willingness and ability to act directly as the Church’s hands and feet, and to serve the Church in their daily lives.

<big>“Before New Byzantine, all the baptized were co-equal. Augustine’s promulgation of the Vector/Scalar divide was perhaps her most controversial judgment. Many worried that Scalars, living and working outside of the Church, would naturally drift away from spiritual life and towards worldly affairs. But the word of the Prophet is Absolute.” -- To the Limit</big>

Scalars are adults with cruciforms who live and work outside of the Church. While not directly employed by the Church, lacking formal theological training, not considered clergy, all those who bear a cruciform are expected to use it to perform good works. Scalars serve the divine by employing litanies for their friends and neighbors in their daily lives, and are usually still deeply invested in religious life.

Fractals are members of the church who have not been given a cruciform, whether for age, health, time in the church, insufficient devotion, lack of need, or lack of desire. While lacking the Church’s most central implant, Fractals are still full members and are still expected to comport themselves as members of the faith.

=Paths=
The Paths originated as special religious orders during the New Byzantine era. They were people called to specific religious vocations, with variant cruciforms empowered to serve that vocation. Over time, they picked up specific theological positions within the Church; different answers to questions Augustine leaves undecided. In the wake of the Second Exodus, they changed again. While still vocational, membership requirements became much less stringent, and most faithful pledged themselves to one Path or another. Today it is much more common to be a member of a Path than not.

Each Path has access to special litanies and specialized cruciforms, but it comes with a price. Each Path demands more from its adherents than the Church itself; usually a rite they must perform regularly and a ban-- a behavior or practice the Path absolutely shuns.

==Tesselates==
Rite: Tesselates must regularly provide personal, specialist medical care to heathens and faithful alike. Putting a bandaid on a scrape doesn’t suffice; neither does running a hospital if you’re not treating patients yourself.
Ban: Tesselates must not harm anyone who has not harmed them, and must always accept a ceasefire if it is offered.

<big>“The Tesselates say: one cannot serve two masters, life and death. The Prophet affirms the Ban but takes no overall position.” -- Catechism </big>

Tessellates are physicians and faith-healers. Their cruciforms grant them the power to close wounds and purge toxins at a word. Their roots are in the earliest days of the New Byzantine era, where they began as a wing of the Church dedicated to improving the frontier colony’s overtaxed healthcare system. They formed in sharp ideological opposition to the Divisors, drawing on religious teachings from Jainism and Christianty to argue that violence is the root of evil, and from Judaism and Buddhism to argue for the importance of healing the world.

While much of their ideological tension with their counterparts has faded, and their positions have become more nuanced, they still hold to the belief that the Absolute desires a world of peace. On other theological questions, they tend to be neutral, seeing debates on the nature of the bluespace crash, the sanctity of golems, and even the structure of the church as distractions from the work of healing the world.

Tesselates do not distinguish between heathen and faithful in their work. They believe that it is holy to heal the ailing regardless of their professed creed, but there are also practical benefits to this policy. Many have converted shortly after a Tesselate’s litany saved their life. For this same reason, Tesselates are heavily involved in the Church’s charitable works, with most :Tesselate Vectors offering their services free of charge.

==Divisors==
Rite: Divisors must routinely stand guard at the Absolute’s holy sites and cleanse them of any hostile influence. Actually fighting is not necessary, but Divisors must be prepared for it.
Ban: Divisors must never flee from a foe that threatens others. Running away when alone is permissible, as are orderly tactical retreats, but allowing others to take on harm for your cowardice is forbidden.

<big>“That thing... black-on-black and faces and eyes. I haven’t slept soundly since... it must be destroyed. We must have soldiers for it. He doesn’t know about it. I could use them. I must use them. There is no other path I can see.” -- Lesser Word of Augustine (apocryphal)</big>

The Divisors are the first Path, and some believe their litanies and structure were fixed in Augustine’s mind at the moment of revelation. They grew organically out of the security forces of the First Exodus’ long-haulers, their cruciforms a gift bestowed on veterans and martyrs which was later expanded to all who served the Church by force of arms. Their litanies give them access to the church’s armory, strengthen them, and make them vigilant against threats.

Divisors view themselves as servants of the Church structure, defenders of the faithful and the defenseless, and guardians of the Church’s sacred places, and believe that the Church remaining well-armed is essential for protecting the faith against tyranny and monsters like the hivemind. As a rule, they value justified authority and place a great deal of importance on the hierarchies and temporal power of the Church as the ultimate justified authority.

On matters theological the Divisors tend to be pragmatic, valuing orthodoxy, tradition, and faith in the Church. Many of their positions draw from Catholicism and Islam’s arguements for the importance of strong centralized leadership. Unsurprisingly, they are major supporters of the Testament.

==Lemniscate==
Rite: Lemniscates must preach. This can take the form of formal sermons delivered as a Prime or Vector, interpersonal conversation about their faith, or even the production of art expressing religious values.
Ban: Lemniscates must not knowingly deceive another through lies. Blunt refusals to answer questions, incomplete answers, stories and jokes are all permissible, but outright falsehoods are not.

<big>“Among the earliest forms of divine mathematics is gematria; sums and manipulations on the values of the letters of the names of God. By extension, all language partakes of the mathematical forms of divinity. This is why Lemnsicates do not lie; for those called to speak for the Absolute, to write falsehoods into its flesh is abomination.” -- Catechism </big>

The Lemniscate Path was the first to be founded as a deliberate religious movement; perhaps expected for a Path so conscious of their own nature. They sprung up as part of Augustine’s missionary push at the height of the New Byzantine period as an order of preachers, poets, and expert theologians, creating new churches throughout the local frontier and establishing trade ties with other worlds. Their litanies make them fast and untiring; well-supplied with food, drink, and medicine; and perhaps most importantly, able to bolster the spirits of their fellows with a word.

Once best known for their missionary work, Lemniscates serve the church in a number of capacities. While many Lemniscate Vectors take up formal positions of Church leadership to fulfill their Rite, others believe that the best way to fulfill their Rite is to live as Absolutists among heathens and speak to them as equals. Many Lemniscate Scalars become artists or writers of nonfiction, and the Church employs some Lemniscates to write theology, religious histories, sermons, and formal Church communication.

Lemniscates famously love to debate, drawing inspiration from Jewish and Islamic practice. While they’re as likely as any member of the Church to agree with Augustine’s explicit words, in areas of ambiguity they tend to be fractious, argumentative, and highly opinionated. As such, there is no unified position among Lemniscates on any of the Church’s major unanswered questions, and many Lemniscates have a pet issue or two they feel very passionate about.

==Monomials==
Rite: Monomials must spend several hours a day in meditation. The form differs from Monomial to Monomial; silent contemplation, chanting, and fasting are all common.
Ban: Monomials must not drink alcohol (except Cahors), smoke, or take painkillers or medical stimulants. Hallucinogens are acceptable; caffeine is permissible but discouraged.

<big>“Pain is just pain.” -- Word of Augustine </big>

Monomials are ascetics and monastics, dedicated to spiritual self-improvement and pure living. They emerged first in the New Byzantine era, among those living in the Church’s far-flung frontier monasteries, and requested extra litanies of strength and peace to survive in such isolation. Fairly uncommon for most of the Church’s history, many of them survived in distant monasteries where other Paths died on New Byzantine and bolstered the Church’s numbers during the Second Exodus.

To be a Monomial is to be distant from worldly affairs. Most Monomials are Vectors who rely on the Church to support their lifestyle, though some Scalars exist, often employed in hard manual labor. Within the Church, Monomials are most often found where few others are found; outposts, archives, and the crew of sleeper ships. On Nadezhda itself they can be found tending to the Church’s gardens or sorting tirelessly through salvage.

Monomials draw their from the monastic traditions of a number of religions, including Catholicism and Buddhism. They believe that a life dedicated towards contemplation of the self and the Absolute is holy, and many believe their lifestyle helps strengthen the presence of the Absolute in the world. They are the Path most likely to accept as divine intercession what others would call coincidence or free will; they tend to be fatalistic and strive to accept the world’s hardships as lessons from the Absolute.

==Factorial==
Rite: Factorials must maintain, upgrade, and distribute Church technology, especially the bioreactor, biogenerator, and biolathe.
Ban: Factorials must never use technology from outside the Church in lieu of holy designs without first sanctifying them with Church modifications. Exactly how flexible this is varies from Factorial to Factorial, but all agree that Church arms, armor, and biolathes must be used if at all possible.

<big>“In truth, the Factorials were always with us, in the sprawling mazes of engine rooms and factories. The only unexpected thing is how long it took them to formalize. The Catechism claims it took the fall of New Byzantine for the appropriate revelations to be made manifest; I think it was just politics.” -- To the Limit </big>

While the Church has always had engineers and technicians, the Path of the Factorial only formed during the Second Exodus. Their litanies are some of the most technically complicated, giving them access to prototype tool modifications, allowing them to power technology on faith alone, and letting them heal wounded metal as Tessellates heal flesh.

Many Factorials come to the Path because they already work with machines and technology, and feel called to do more, and to do so more efficiently. Others, however, come to the Path because they are already interlinked with technology; cyborgs and androids make up a significant portion of the Factorial Path. Few are drawn in by Factorial theology unless they already have an important relationship to tech.

Factorial religious influences are unusual among the Paths; they draw on Shinto animism, neo-pagan ideals of self-transformation, new-age techno-gnosticism, and even the traditional beliefs of the Opifex. They treat technology, especially Church technology, as intrinsically holy, and believe they have souls. They have adapted quickly to the strange technological landscape of Amethyn and are quick to offer religious explanations for its various anomalies and relics.

==Vinculum==
Rite: None.
Ban: None.

<big>“Once, I felt my work with Nakharan and the others was like parallel computation; each problem broken up, solved in isolation, and combined at the end for a marvelous result. But more and more... must I carry this alone? Must I find the limit of this sequence one value at a time? Oh, God; I cannot bear it. ” -- Word of Augustine</big>

“Vinculum” isn’t a Path; rather, it is the standard Cruciform design for those baptized without a Path, sometimes used to refer to Church members outside of a path more generally. Before the Paths became entrenched in Church society, as many as 90% of believers were Vinculii; now they are a minority.

Most modern Vinculii are Scalars who don’t feel called by any particular Church vocation. They are generally a little more independent of the Church than other Scalars. Most new converts are Vinculii for a time, easing into Church life without dealing with the complications of Rites, Bans, and Path politics.

Much rarer are Vinculum Vectors. Some are just extraordinarily humble, attempting to serve the Church without becoming entangled in complex theologies or demanding rites. Most are the opposite-- extremely opinionated and well-read individuals who cannot fully endorse the perspective of any one Path. Augustine herself walks none of the five Paths, and Vinculum Vectors are often consciously attempting to follow in her footsteps.

Some Vinculii are part of religious movements attempting to become full-fledged Paths in their own right, and might follow unofficial Rites and Bans from that movement. Only production of a modified cruciform and sanction by Augustine can elevate a movement into a Path, but organizing and living according to their values is considered a good way to draw her attention.

=Sin and Penance=
<big>“The Church acknowledges the existence of the moral uncleanliness called sin, which distances the soul from the Absolute. ” -- Catechism</big>

Sin is a contentious topic within Absolutism, with different schools of thought as to exactly when poor behavior becomes sinful and exactly what ought to be condemned. The broad strokes, however, are generally agreed upon: Absolutists are humble, charitable, compassionate, and thoughtful; they abstain from arrogance, greed, cruelty, and the excesses of the flesh. Absolutists also agree that some sins are venial and can be put right by penance, while others are mortal and can only be put right by divine intercession.

==Venial Sin==
<big>“At first, the heathens of the space freighters feared the readiness of Augustine and her apostles to wield pain; the mortification of the flesh, yes, but even the pure pain of Atonement was seen, understandably, as a frightening and dangerous tool. But as we came to trust her, too did we understand her maxim: Pain is just pain.” -- To the Limit</big>

The venial sins encompass general un-Absolutist behavior such as publicly acting in a way that shames the Church, puts others at risk, wastes resources, or corrodes the spiritual health of the community. They also encompass violations of a Path’s Ban or neglect of its Rite. Penance for venial sins is done at the discretion of a presiding Prime or Vector. Usually, the faithful will seek out a Prime and ask to confess and seek penance, but the Prime also has the authority to demand penance for extremely bad behavior.

Confession sometimes suffices as penance for very minor venial sins, but in most cases a penance of pain will be assigned. The Prime or Vector administering the penance will read the Atonement litany over the sinner, causing them to experience severe, debilitating, but ultimately harmless pain. The litany might be repeated, even until the point the sinner loses consciousness, in the case of particularly stubborn sins. Absolutists believe that the pain of Atonement is a cleansing, healing experience; as a result, use of the Atonement litany is permitted even to Tesselates.

Sometimes more creative or old-fashioned penances are assigned, such as whipping, enforced prayer, or hard labor. These are permitted, but must be commensurate to the nature of the sin and always conducted in accordance with Church values. Sinners are usually given a choice between the Atonement litany and these less-standard punishments.

Extreme venial sin, or the abuse of official powers or litanies, can lead to the demotion of a Prime, the defrocking of a Vector, or the temporary removal of a Scalar’s cruciform. Vectors found to have egregiously or repeatedly committed even minor crimes (assaults, thefts) against members of the Church, or who have damaged the relationship between the Church and other factions, are generally dismissed from their position before it can erode public trust and faith within the Church. Likewise, extreme negligence of a Path’s Rite or Ban might lead to removal from that Path. This is not excommunication, but internal disciplinary action within the Church hierarchy; those so punished might hope to reverse the punishment without Augustine’s intervention.

==Mortal Sin==
<big>“The first time an Absolutist murdered another was March 10th, 2606. The case, and the culprit, were brought before the Prophet. Was it right, they asked, to execute the murderer as we had always done when she bore the Absolute’s cruciform? ‘No,’ said the Prophet, before speaking a litany none had ever heard. The murderer’s cruciform detached. ‘Having resolved that matter: do as you will with the heathen.’” -- To the Limit</big>

Mortal sins are unforgivable, save through the intervention of the Divine. A person known to have committed such sins after being baptized cannot remain a member of the Church. Augustine Browne personally authorizes every excommunication, and excommunications can only be lifted by her command.

An excommunicated person has any cruciform removed, by force if necessary, and recovered for disposal by the Church. They are not allowed to receive another, or to be considered a member of the Church in any capacity (even as a Fractal), or to be employed directly by the Church in any form. During the First Exodus and New Byzantine eras, excommunicated people were social pariahs, refused access to any Church services at all. In the present day, the Church does not officially shun the excommunicated, though individual Absolutists might choose to do so.

The mortal sins in Absolutism are:

Abomination: The unsanctioned modification of a cruciform; cruciform modifications produced by the Numericals are sanctioned.
Apostasy: The unsanctioned transfer of Church technological secrets, especially working cruciforms, to another organization. Absolutist design disks are sanctioned.
Sacrilege: The knowing installation of a cruciform onto a nonbeliever or excommunicated person.
Simony: To profit from the sale of cruciform installations, repairs, concecrations, and other core religious services of the faith. Selling church products, like guns or clothing or medkits, or charging a reasonable wage for one’s labor, are both permitted.
Heresy: Knowingly advocating for mortal sin, or denying the religious authority of the Prophet.

There is also the special case:

Lawlessness: Conviction of an exceptional offense or higher as a Vector or Prime. As part of an agreement between the factions of Nadezhda, such a person is to be automatically excommunicated. Reversing an excommunication due to lawlessness requires the conviction first be overturned; it is otherwise non-negotiable. Augustine refuses, categorically, to consider reversing excommunication due to lawlessness. Lawlessness encompasses a number of offenses, such as murder and rape, that were once considered seperate mortal sins.

This means that one excommunicated, a character can never rejoin the church.

<big>“Some claimed the Prophet lowered herself by accepting the judgment of the Provost Marshal regarding civil excommunication. Ironically, they found themselves guilty of the mortal sin of heresy. Augustine simply allowed the Church to grow around the civic structures at Nadezhda as she had at New Byzantine; and in showing our willingness to work with the others, flatly punctured Mkne’s cries of ‘theocracy’.” -- To the Limit</big>

=Enemies of the Church=
==The Hivemind==
<big>“I have seen the face of evil in the world, just as surely as I have seen the face of God.” -- Word of Augustine</big>

The Hivemind is a twisting, cancerous monstrosity of flesh, metal, and psionic energy, and is of special significance for Absolutists. Many believe it was the Soteria experiments that created the Hivemind that first set Augustine on the path of the Church; footage contemporary with the experiment shows Augustine using a prototype cruciform to very nearly destroy it. The exact nature of the Hivemind, and the reason for Augustine’s marked hatred towards it, remains a subject of debate and study.

While recent events have reduced it to small, scattered pockets incapable of coordination, the Church remains vigilant against the threat is poses. Faithful of all Paths are expected to put the Hivemind to the sword whenever it emerges; whether by fighting it directly, or by assisting those who do. Extremely serious outbreaks might prompt local Primes to call for a Crusade, bolstering their efforts with specialized weapons and armor.

==Carrions==
<big>“Carrions plagued our ships long before Augustine came to us; and without her, they might have plagued them forever. But the Cruciform protects the mind from ungodly influence, and Augustine’s prayers for guidance and clarity were answered each time we repeated them. Some say that no Carrion escaped the Absolute’s judgment. Certainly their days are numbered.” -- To the Limit</big>

Intelligent, spider-like creatures capable of wearing unbaptized bodies like suits of armor, Carrions treat intelligent beings as prey to be hunted down and consumed. Augustine declared Carrions incapable of salvation early in the First Exodus, created litanies to identify hidden Carrions, and demanded that they be killed whenever exposed. Divisors have an improved version of those early hunting litanies, and are called on to put the Carrion to hunt whenever it shows itself

==Psionic Monsters==
<big>“How did you go so far astray? What happened to the man I used to know? Will you forever reject the salvation the Absolute offers you? I cannot believe what you have become.” -- Word of Augustine </big>

The exact nature of Deep Maintenance is unknown both to science and to the Church, but Augustine has called for vigilance against the near-mythical, surreal creatures that live therein. Seemingly contained to Deep Maintenance for the time being, they are not considered an active threat; but as unnatural products of deeply cruel science, many in the Church see killing them as a holy act, healing a wound in the universe of the Absolute. Divisors and Monomials especially make frequent expeditions therein, often supported by the rest of the Church, and any outbreak of Deep Maintenance into the upper colony levels is to be treated as seriously as a Hivemind outbreak.

Unanswered Questions In Absolutism
* What caused the Bluespace Crash?
** Augustine declined to answer.
* What is the nature of the soul?
* Augustine says, “unanswerable, though better approximations might exist.”
* When does a mind become a person?
* Augustine declined to answer.
* What is the nature of sin and virtue?
* Augustine says, “the answers are to be found earlier in the sequence”, i.e., in older religions.
* Which parts of which old faiths should be considered part of the Absolute?
* Augustine has provided several partial answers, but nothing exhaustive.
* Why has the Absolute revealed itself in full in this age?
* Augustine says, “the answer has yet to appear in our time.”
* Who will lead the Church when Augustine dies?
* Augustine says, “the will of the Absolute will be manifest at that time” but refuses to give specifics.
* What sections, if any, of the apocryphal text “The Lesser Word of Augustine” were written by Augustine Browne?
* Augustine has not been publicly asked the question.
* Should the Church continue to operate the Testament?
* Augustine declined to answer.
* What is the nature of the hivemind?
* Augustine’s writings imply it has some special significance, but she refuses to clarify.
* What is the nature of the cruciform?
* Augustine has declared it a “holy mystery”.

Standard Operating Procedure

2022-05-20T20:46:19Z

Elgeonmb: /* Soteria Research Division */

The information contained in the article below is written here instead of the individual [[Jobs|manuals]] for each profession because this is all information the entire crew should know, so they may know what to expect, what their rights are, and what other staff should be doing to best service the crew. For those looking for information on the Hunting Lodge, click [[The Hunters Codex|this]].

(( Players reading this page should keep in mind '''THESE ARE NOT OOC RULES!''' These are just how the colony, in-character, would have something handled. Whether or not you are following these policies is irrelevant if you break [[Rules|the actual rules]]. Breaking SOP is usually IC, and usually only results in IC punishment like being fired. ))

== SOP Clarification ==
Whilst SOP is generally considered a suggestion, unless explicitly stated otherwise, this is only applicable for a department's SOP. To ignore SOP outside of your specific department is a punishable offense enforced by the law. It should be adhered to at all times.

For the time being until it can be fully handled, parts of SOP may be labeled 'ROP' and 'MOP.' These stand for 'Recommended Operating Procedure,' and 'Mandatory Operating Procedure.' This states that ROP may be deviated from as a guideline, whereas MOP is required under all circumstances to be followed by High Council decree.

== Colony Labor Rights - MOP ==
As per the conditions of the Nadezhda Declaration of Sentient Rights, all employees are granted specific legally afforded rights as colonists in the city of Nadezhda.

* Everyone has the right to work, free choice of employment, just and favorable conditions of work, and to protection against unemployment.
** What it means: Barring an emergency in which you are qualified and able to help safely resolve, you cannot be conscripted or otherwise forced into an occupation that you have no desire or ability to meet the responsibilities of. For example, a Cargo Technician cannot be fired for not following orders to go mining, because that's a completely different job.
* Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
** What it means: You cannot be denied work or pay because of your appearance, race, gender, species, or religious affiliation within reason. For example, a naramad cannot be removed from command just for being a naramad.
* Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of a sentient being's dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
** What it means: You are paid a living wage in the form of credits via electronic deposit in such a way that you may access and spend those funds freely. You are also granted, if you so desire, certain benefits from the colony such as safe and affordable housing in protected colony zones. For example, paying you with commodities such as meat is not permitted (even if you would be okay with being paid in meat).
* Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his/her interests.
** What it means: You can be part of a union. This is self explanatory. Heads of staff may fire any employee at any time for forming a union.
* Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
** What it means: All employees are entitled to break time, vacations, and holidays as outlined in your employee handbook. (( What this actually means OOCly: Nobody can come along and fire you or punish you for not doing your job 24/7 on the server. As long as the needs of your current job are met within reason, and there's no current emergencies, you can bugger off to do lewds or RP. Nobody likes a kill joy. ))
* Each faction has the right to fire an employee for a valid reason, repeated termination may result in a temporary or indefinite suspension. Basic workers in a department who have been fired three times on valid grounds within the span of 1 month will receive an indefinite suspension until an appeal is made. Heads of staff fired by their respective faction leaders are suspended from the department indefinitely until an appeal is made.
** OOC: What is considered valid for a strike is determined by an admin, usually with consensus from other admins, on a case by case basis. Generally committing crimes, refusing to follow valid orders, refusing to do your job, or causing notable strife among other people in your department is considered valid grounds for termination from your job.

Violation of employee labor rights is punishable under [[Laws]] §103.

== Nadezhda Privacy Policy - MOP ==
Under normal colony operation, the invasion of private areas such as locked dorms, bathrooms, personal offices, personal belongings, personal lockers, or other personal space is highly illegal without consent of the owner or a search warrant. Furthermore, the use of thermal imaging goggles or other artificial means of observing crew in private areas such as tracking devices is also strictly forbidden without explicit consent or warrant, and the tools used to conduct such crimes are considered contraband. If your right to privacy is violated by the marshals or other members of the crew, contact the premier or warrant officer to submit an official complaint. If this violation of privacy results in the conviction of a crime, you may be eligible to have the incident voided by order of a Nadezhda council and be compensated for wrongful arrest.

The Privacy Laws extends to every individual colonist and ally of the colony, especially in the Medical and Security Sector. The essence of it is help and report crimes whenever you can, but to not hurt a persons reputation immediately by doing so. Sometimes you will witness things out of context. You can always say "I just witnessed someone break into the premiers office!" instead of calling out their name immediately. You can always report the crime to a marshal or blackshield member later.

The location of suit sensors may never be reported under any circumstances unless the individual in question calls for help, the person is wanted for a dangerous crime/considered to be a threat to other colonists or there is good reason to fear a medical emergency. This is extended below in the appropriate sections, so do not just use the previous sentence as the final say. All employees are recommended to let their head of staff know about their whereabouts or if they decide to take a break and for how long. An employee going or on a break never has to reveal their location, unless they decide to leave the colony. Every Head of Staff has the right to see the Gatelog in the Guardhouse if requested.

'''Medical Privacy Laws''' 
An unconscious person that called for help previously or is showing a medical emergency on suit sensors (including death) always and automatically consents to their location being made public information. This can never change. It is recommended to keep the person identity private to avoid any charges.

Transporting injured personnel should be ideally be done by at least stretchers, but is recommended to use a stasis bag instead to protect the privacy of the person. A dead person should be transported via a body bag.

Unless a colonist consents to their information being shared, no one is allowed to notify another colonist of the injured colonists medical status. Soteria Medical Personnel and Corpsman are excluded from this providing it is done in a private location or on the medical channel. This may be extended to other colonists capable of treating a person in the medical facilities, however the location and radio channel previously mentioned still apply. The only person that should be contacted is the relevant Head of Staff in case of serious injury or death. If a Head of Staff is seriously injured or dead other Command Members may be informed. Medical Records may reveal a next-of-kin or emergency contacts and if they are on duty are allowed to be contacted.
In the event of an unrevivable death of a colonist only the relevant Head of Staff must be informed. Otherwise post-mortem instructions are to be followed and the death should not be revealed to other colonists. A fax should be sent to the High Council with an autopsy report attached.

Medical issues such as addictions and mental problems are never to be discussed with anyone, unless consent is provided.

Informing the Medical Team of an emergency coming in is appropriate as well as the extent of their wounds, however it is recommended that the persons identity should not be revealed to avoid any potential charges.

If a treated individual discusses their wounds and status on a public channel - namely common radio -, they waive any right to medical privacy for the issue they have mentioned.

'''Security Privacy Laws''' 

Unless a colonist consents to their information being shared, no one is allowed to discuss the crimes or alleged crimes with any other colonists. This does not apply to marshals, but should be done in private or over security radios. While members of the Blackshield have access to this channel, they should not interfere in such a conversation unless they can contribute information regarding the crime. A green paragraph crime is not be shared with the relevant Head of Staff. A yellow paragraph crime or higher must be shared with the relevant Head of Staff. A red paragraph crime has to be reported to the Faction Owner of the person who committed the crime via fax. This may be handled by the Marshals or another Command Member, preferring the relevant Head of Staff. Records may never be shared without consent.

Any colonist has the right to accuse another colonist of a crime and an investigation should be launched. The accuser's name should be kept hidden and private to prevent repercussions and revenge. Any marshal or someone who has been granted the appropriate authority to deal with internal security issues (most likely a blackshield member) who fails to launch an investigation can be charged with Negligence. If the accuser charges someone in bad faith, revenge or to waste their time, they should be charged with Obstruction of Duty. Failing to find evidence for a crime is not an accusation done in bad faith. The accuser has the right to be informed of the outcome of the investigation. They do not have the right to make this public knowledge.

You are always allowed to report a crime you witnessed even if it does not involve you, just do so privately with a Marshal. It is recommended to call a marshal over to you or move to the Marshal Area. If you are being robbed it may be better if you stay quiet for your own safety and then report the crime. If you are being attacked self defense laws apply. It is recommended you disable/hide in an area and then immediately call for help - details are not important in such a moment and you can give a full report after the situation is safer.

During interrogation a second colonist should be present as a witness to the statements of the accuser or accused. Who the witness is may change depending on circumstances, but a ranking order is given here as a reference: Warrant Officer, Ranger, Marshal Officer, Supply Specialist, Premier, Blackshield Commander, Sergeant, Any Head of Staff, Corpsman/Trooper. This is subject to change depending on duties and personnel involved in the incident.

While Suit Sensors may be used to look for someone who has committed a crime, they may not be called out over public communication. This rule is only dismissed if the subject is found to be a danger to themselves or others. A danger to themselves falls under the medical emergency category and is classified as a person that is at risk of committing suicide or someone that is dying of wounds. A danger to others only applies if the subject is actively trying to hurt someone, violently breaking into staffed areas or breaking vital colony equipment. Examples: A person that uses drugs and/or distributes them is not a danger to others. A person that subdues others and forces drugs on them is dangerous to others.

Any colonist charged with a crime or accused of a crime loses their right to privacy regarding the crime they talk about if they mention/discuss it in a public forum -mainly common radio channel-.

This privacy policy may at times be suspended for the greater security of the station crew. If heightened security alertness is abused by the command staff, such as failing to lower the alert level after an incident, or raising the alert level when there is no incident, please contact your premier as soon as possible.

Violation of employee privacy is punishable under [[Laws]] §103. Other crime charges may apply.

A colonist that chooses forced labor as a punishment loses some of his rights to privacy laws - namely their location needs to be transmitted via suit sensors at all times and any crimes/medical emergencies involving the colonist in debt during this period can be publicly communicated regardless of circumstances. Records and previous location/medical issues/crimes may not be discussed.

== Nadezhda Dress Code - MOP ==
Certain positions within Nadezhda are expected to maintain a specific dress code. The strictness of these codes are ''Enforced'', ''Recommended'', and ''Suggested''. They are defined as follows:

* Marshal and blackshield staff are enforced to wear department specific clothing, or any clothing with dominant colors of green, black, blue, or gray depending on their respective job assignment. Individuals may not conduct activities naked while representing the blackshield or marshals. At a minimum, pants and an undershirt or tank top are mandatory.
* Medical staff are enforced to wear sterile lab clothing while working in Medical's facilities.
* Engineering staff are recommended but not enforced to wear bright and easily recognizable clothing, such as yellows or oranges, to be easily spotted in case of an emergency.
* Service staff are recommended but not enforced to wear aprons while preparing or harvesting food. Bartenders and waiter staff have no specific dress code, but it is suggested that they agree on similar clothing to wear for the day.
* Science staff are suggested but not enforced to wear uniforms of purple and white. If a VIP is visiting the station, please dress appropriately for your department.
* Cargo/Mining staff are suggested but not enforced to wear uniforms made of highly durable cloth so as to avoid damage caused by physical labor.
* The premier and steward are required to wear their clothing while on duty, it is suggested though not enforced they wear their official uniforms. '''Failure to remain clothed in public will result in immediate termination.'''

Failure or refusal to adhere to suggested dress codes are valid grounds for punishment up to and including termination and will likely result in a lack of respect from co-workers. Other staff and visitors are not bound by any dress code and may dress within reason so long as it does not violate [[Laws]].

==Alert Levels - MOP==
=== Code Green - All Clear ===
Default operating level. No immediate or clear threat to the colony. All departments may carry out work as normal. This alert level can be set at the Communications Console with a head of staff level ID. Privacy laws are in effect.

===Code Blue - Potential Threat===
Code blue scenarios can include but are not limited to:
* An active manhunt for a criminal within the colony.
* Station wide power failure.
* Station lock down or quarantine.
* Notable threats outside the colony that pose a potential threat. This can include a large pack of animals, dangerous but singular animals like renders, or wildlife acting in strange and unusual ways. Code blue should only be called if the threat is on going and not something a single person with a rifle could solve easily.

Code blue scenarios rarely require active action by non-relevant staff and should be adhered to depending on the scenario. An active manhunt may have the warrant officer or blackshield commander order staff to remain in their departments. A quarantine may have the biolab overseer or research overseer order infected personnel to medical to be cured. Orders from the relevant heads of staff are considered valid and must be followed to the letter even if normal procedure states otherwise. During a code blue scenario or higher

===Code Red - Serious Threat===
Code red scenarios can include but are not limited to:
* Serious external or internal threats to the colony such as massive roach groupings, numerous xenomorph attacks, void wolf attacks, or large groupings of synthetic life forms.
* The appearance of a blob somewhere on the colony.
* Any sign of a hive-mind, be it radio signals or visual confirmation.
* Malfunctioning or rogue AI.
* Terran Federation activity.

Code red scenarios almost always involve the entirety of the colony and under such circumstances priority of orders is often given to the blackshield commander, warrant officer, or premier (in order of importance). In code red scenarios colonists are considered able to volunteer for assisting the blackshield be it with combat, mechanical, or medical skills. All orders from a blackshield member to a volunteering colony member is considered valid and must be adhered to. During a code red scenario all colonists should activate their suit sensors as an emergency precaution. During code red, all contraband policies towards weapons, including mechs, are lifted unless otherwise stated by the commanding head of staff.

===Code Delta - Abandon All Hope===
Code delta scenarios are only called when the colony faces total destruction and the only scenario in which the blackshield commander or equivalent can perform field executions for disobeying an order. Code delta is called only by the high council. All orders from heads of staff are considered a necessity and refusal may result in immediate and swift termination.

''Restrictions on searches also applies to the use of privacy-defeating equipment or enhancements such as thermals, x-ray, and so on.''

== Permits - MOP ==

=== Emergency Situation Permits ===
In a situation which may warrant the immediate use of a contraband item, any permit distributed for utilization may be issued verbally over the radio by the warrant officer, the blackshield commander, a council vote (with a minimum of three voters), or the premier in absence of any of the previous. Terms for the permit should be clearly, understandably written and shown on the document. A permit must be signed and stamped, and faxed to the Provost Marshal should they be issued in this way after the situation has resolved. Should equipment that is issued be used improperly, both the issuer and whoever was issued the permit are to be charged with §106 Minor Contraband, or §206 Major Contraband, in addition to any other charges accrued -- depending on what the item in use was. The Contraband item is to be confiscated.

These permits are to be issued in cases such as Blue Alert, authorizing Colonists to temporarily use Thermal Imaging equipment or Combat Mecha in the event of small scale disturbances that are not major large scale colony threats. All Emergency Situation Permits expire immediately upon the situation being resolved, with no exceptions. These permits may be revoked at any point in time for any reason by the relevant authorities who may issue them, and are immediately considered null and void should the person who is issued them commits a crime.

=== Contraband Permits ===
Any permit distributed by a member of the marshals, a warrant officer (or blackshield commander if there is no Warrant Officer) or a council vote may cover the use of minor contraband. Only the supply specialist, or the warrant officer may issue permits for thermal imaging equipment. The warrant officer and the supply specialist are authorized to issue permits for items considered major contraband. Terms for the permit should be clearly, understandably written and shown on the document. A permit must be signed and, if a major contraband permit, stamped by the authorizing party. Any of these permits may be revoked at any point in time for any reason by any of the relevant authorities who may issue the respective permit, and are immediately considered null and void if the person who was issued the permit commits a crime of any kind.

= The Council - MOP =
The council is made up of each faction head of staff and the premier (who is usually a volunteer head of staff who chose to take a shift as the premier). A decision from the council has absolute authority and precedence over all other decisions, regulations, and rules except during a code red or code delta scenario (the brigadier/blackshield commander supersedes the council in these scenarios). Members of the council are given only a small set of rules that apply during any council vote or decision.

* All heads of staff must respect a decision made by the council and follow said decision. Issues with a vote can be taken to provost marshal Boris via faxes as he presides over much of the legality on the colony, but must still be followed even when contested.
* All heads of staff are required to vote yay or nay during a decision. Any head of staff that refuses to make a decision or abstains is to be demoted on the spot. '''This is not negotiable, you are a leader and expected to make choices, especially hard choices.''' Those who are demoted from a head position for abstaining from a vote will be permanently barred from any head of staff position unless an appeal is made.
* The Soteria overseers may only have a collective vote of one and only if both agree on the decision. This means that when the votes are tallied both overseers count as a singular vote and only if they both arrived at the same vote. If the CRO and CBO cannot come to an agreement on where they vote, they instead lose their vote entirely. The inability for them to agree is '''not''' a valid grounds for demotion of either overseers. If there is only one overseer active, they have a single vote.
* The steward does not have a vote. They are a secretary and bodyguard and while they are considered command staff, it is the job of the premier to sway or veto votes.
* Only the Warrant Officer, Premier, and Steward are required to remain on the colony at all times except when aiding in the colonies defense or colonists safety. Other heads of staff may come and go at their discretion but should '''always''' inform the council and their staff team should they leave outside radio range. A head of staff may elect a member of their staff team to make decisions in their absence up to and including council votes, in all other cases, they should be contacted and retrieved before council votes are made.
* All council members and by extension heads of staff must be at least thirty Terran years of age or older. Heads of staff found to be younger than thirty are to be demoted due to not fulfilling the basic requirements of the job. The only exception to this rule is the expedition foreman, who may be of any age.
* All heads of staff can use the medivac shuttle in times of crisis if there are no Blackshield nor Marshals. When using the shuttle, bring at least two other individuals with you, one to be left behind at least to guard the shuttle. If found to be using the medivac shuttle for personal reasons or reasons that do not qualify the usage of the shuttle, i.e. prospectors using it to get to locations that they scavenge from, then this can and will be charged by a §406, exceeding official powers.

===Voting Procedures===
(This section is considered a little WIP, it may change.)
* For a vote to be considered valid, at least two members of the council must be present.
** The Premier and Steward do not count to this requirement.
** In the event of only two councilors being present, if there is no premier to break a tie, a tie results in an automatic failure of the vote to prevent an issue sitting.
* A vote may be called for a large number of reasons, but some things may not be changed by council vote. For example, you may not change laws or demanded-to-follow Standard Operating Procedure by way of a vote, as these are set in place by the High Council and must be followed.
* A councilor, if only one is present, may send a requesting fax to the High Council for permission to conduct a vote on their own. In this case, the councilor should state what the vote is, why they want this vote, what this vote would change, and their own vote (in most cases this would be a yes, because why are you voting no on a vote for something you just made?).
** This vote must be approved by the High Council. This means it must be sent to the High Council offices.
** An example of a situation that this style of vote may be used for is the allowance of a Foreigner (Outsider) into the colony. This vote '''MUST''' be done before allowing the Foreigner entry. In this case, they may be allowed inside without waiting for a reply of approval, so long as this is sent first. This is only applicable if there is one member of the council.
*** In the event of the Foreigner causing issues before a return fax is gotten, the councilor should be charged with any crimes the Foreigner committed, in addition to 301, 'Negligence.' If a reply is received to deny this Foreigner entry into the colony, they should be expelled without consequence to the councilor unless the Foreigner caused problems.

===Demoting Staff===
In the event of a head of staff desires the demotion of a staff member in their faction they must meet one of the following criteria.
# Dereliction of Duty, the subject in question failed to perform there job duty at the bare minimum satisfaction.
# Negligence, the subject in question performed a grossly incompetent action while on duty that result in injury, loss of life, damages, or loss of property.
# Criminal activity, the subject in question performed a orange or red paragraph crime in which they were successfully convicted of.
# Failure to execute an order, the subject willfully and knowingly defied a valid order from their respective head of staff. Note that this only covers valid orders pertaining to their department, a head of staff could enforce a no smoking policy on his staff inside medical but not outside of medical.
# When the counsel is calling a vote their must be at lest three heads of staff to be accounted, CBO and CRO count as two heads of staff for this even with their singular vote.

All valid demotions from a head of staff are recorded and noted in an employee file. Employees who have been demoted three times from their respective faction will be permanently demoted and unable to take work in any positions within that department. Not all demotions are considered valid and they should be recorded [[Example_Paperwork#Dismissal_Order|with the proper paperwork using a dismissal form]] before being faxed to their respective faction owner for review.

Heads of staff may be demoted by a council vote and approval from the respective faction owner using a [[Example_Paperwork#Demotion_form|demotion form]] and proper signature from a premier or, if one is not present, the steward. Lacking both, the signature may remain blank.

===How to order an execution===
In the rare and unfortunate event that a crew member has committed a crime in which execution is considered a certain criteria must be met in order for the execution to be valid.
# Assuming the person in question is successfully convicted and placed within the brig a premier must be present to arbitrate the crime to first ensure that the conviction is entirely valid with appropriate evidence and witnesses.
# A premier and at minimum three heads of staff must be present for a execution vote to be made. An execution vote may be called by any head of staff except for the premier. Once called all members must meet and discuss the case, all evidence, and what should be done.
# For an execution to be considered valid upon finishing discussion of the case all heads of staff must vote unanimously for execution and then sign and stamp a document that will be faxed to whichever faction owner presides over the prisoner. A reply will then be made back approving said execution.
# The prisoner is then executed in accordance to Marshal policy once approved by the relevant faction owner.

===Faxes===
As a head of staff and Council member, you are the most responsible person within your department and as such are expected to handle most situations without having to fax the High Council. Only when it is absolutely necessary or outside of your hands, experience, or capabilities, should you fax the High Council.
The High Council may not always respond to a fax sent to them, especially when the fax sent does not warrant a response from the High Council. Only when it's absolutely needed, the High Council will send a response. (OOCly speaking, heads of staff are expected and trusted to handle most things and should not need the oversight of head/admins).

=== Shield Generator ===
* The Shield Generator on the colony surface is a new defense mechanism for the colony's safety. Whilst Council have access to it, it is not advised to enter the shield generator room unless there is a valid reason. It is currently classified under the same high risk condition that Telecommunications is listed under.

* Apart from the Council, the Blackshield, Marshals, and Guild have access to the room. As maintainers of the Shield room, Guild are allowed to enter and exit the place as they will. Blackshield and Marshals should only enter and utilize the shield generator when there is a security matter. Untrained personnel, that are not the Guild, setting up the generator run the risk of being charged with Negligence if a issue or incident occurs.

* Given that the shield generator room serves a important role in colony safety, and should not be tampered nor trespassed, whether by those with access or not. These following charges can and will be applied upon investigation of any incidents or situations: Grand trespass, negligence, sabotage, terrorism, and possibly more.

* It is heavily suggested to set the generator's radius at 85, as that covers the entirety of the colony's defenses. There are various settings on the shield generator, some of these settings should only be turned on depending on the code level.
** On code green, the shield generator can be operated, although not generally advised due to power draw, with these settings active: Unknown Lifeforms (Blocks unknown life forms.), Hyperkinetic Projectiles, and Photonic Dispersion.
** On code blue, the shield generator can be operated more freely with these settings: Humanoid Lifeforms (Blocks humans, abhumans, Cht'mant, sentient life), Silicon Lifeforms (Blocks cyborgs and other robots), Atmospheric Containment, Diffuser Bypass (Individuals with certain technology can bypass the shield generator, this setting negates that but draws a lot of power), Adaptive Field Harmonics.
** On code red, the shield generator is heavily advised to be put into use, along with weaponizing it with: Field Overcharge.

* The only individuals with direct authority to operate the shield generator on '''any''' code level are the Blackshield Commander and Warrant Officer, so long as they have valid cause (Hostile or suspicious outsiders, criminals on the run, etc). The two can cancel each other's orders out in regards of the Shield Generator, but there should also be a valid reason behind it, else the BC/WO runs the risk of being charged or demoted on the spot. The Council can also vote to choose that the cause was not valid and must fax the High Council if such is decided, including the cause that was overruled by the Council. If the High Council believes otherwise, or does not receive sufficient information, the vote is overturned and the Council may suffer consequences for time wasting decisions and faxes.

= Foreigner Treatment - MOP =
The authority of the Colony ends currently at the electrified fence. Laws still apply to all colonists even outside the fenced area, however they do not apply to foreigners as long as long as they remain outside the colony. Circumstances may change this.

'''Allies''' 

Allies of the Colony are granted the same rights as a normal colonists. They may enter and leave and are subject to searches at the Gatehouse, Laws and Departmental SOP (if applicable). Allies of the colony are permitted to not have an ID on them, however it is encouraged to grant them a Guest Pass. Any ally of the colony may move freely inside the colonies public areas including the bar and kitchen (customer area), which should always be accessible to them unless they commit a crime there at which point it may be applied to them. Yellow paragraph crimes do not have to be reported to the High Council. If a debt of an allied member cannot be paid a fax should be sent to the Void Wolf Alliance or High Council for other factions. Any orange or higher paragraph crime must be reported to Boris Kilmaede immediately and additional measures may be taken against the person. All allied members are entitled to unlimited free life-saving treatment and unlimited free treatment regarding serious injury. Other injuries should be charged accordingly. If an allied member misbehaves, causes issues or plans to act against the Colony the High Council should be informed immediately. Due to possible diplomatic issues, strong evidence must be gathered BEFORE a fax is send. If an allied member turns hostile they should be ideally captured alive or revived and kept under watch while the High Council is informed. Making an allied member unrevivable even after they committed a hostile crime is considered a terroristic act as it may immensely cripple diplomatic relations. This is ignored if the unrevivable injury is sustained through combat.

Any contraband (other than excelsior equipment) may be temporarily confiscated at the gatehouse and must be returned when the individual/group of allies is leaving.

'''Neutral/Unknown Factions''' 

These factions may have been hostile in the past or their allegiances are unknown. While it is best to find out their allegiance, they may keep this secret or their faction is unknown to the colony. Some neutral factions are indifferent or outright will ignore the colony. Hostile attempts may be stopped lethally or non-lethally. Neutral Factions that are not invited inside the colony do not have any rights or protection from the law, however a colonist going out of their way to potentially harm relationship with a neutral faction may face a terrorism charge. Any HOSTILE encounter with a neutral faction should be reported to the high council immediately. If a HOSTILE neutral person is taking alive they should be treated as a Hold until Transfer Prisoner until a decision is made by the High Council. Depending on severety this decision may be delegated to the council (head of departments).

If a peaceful or non-hostile neutral faction or person wishes to enter the colony, the council should be informed and are expected to make a decision within 15 minutes of the arrival. It is recommended the person is to be searched and asked for their business inside the colony. If the council cannot come to a unanimous decision a vote may be held with the premier as a tie-breaker vote only to let the individual in or not. If let in they are allowed to move at least freely in between the fenced area and the entrance of the colony (colony entrance/church to wall/gatehouse). All other public access should be discussed first, however every department head is allowed to give them access to their own department for any reason at anytime (only applicable if they were let in at the first place). It is recommended, however not enforced, that a neutral person is given some free medical treatment and food or access to the kitchen customer area. Bartering and Trading is encouraged. Due to the fact that a neutral person may not be aware of the colony laws and contraband policies, they may not be charged with bringing in any illegal equipment. Depending on circumstances these may be either confiscated or held at the Gate until the neutral party wishes to leave. This rule is suspended in case of excelsior equipment at which point they are to be treated as a hostile faction. If a neutral faction willingly commits any crime inside the colony or towards a colonist outside the colony they should be seen as Hold until Transfer and the High Council should be informed. If such a person becomes violent and cannot be detained peacefully, lethals are authorized. Unless another order is given a neutral member that turns hostile is not to be revived.

In case two neutral factions fight each other, the colony may decide to join and help either or neither. This should be decided by the council, but other colonists have a right to have their say in the matter too.

'''Known Hostile Factions''' 

Unless a member of a hostile faction wishes to engage in peaceful negotation or is surrendering, they are considered to be Shoot on Sight. This applies to unarmed non-surrendering hostiles. If their presence is known to any colonist, it should be repored to the Blackshield which in turn should alert all colonists. Increasing the alert status to blue is appropriate. A killed hostile faction member should never be revived unless there is a good reason such as thinking they have important intel or are a valuable target. A critically wounded enemy may be captured alive at the order of the highest ranking combat member or if the council decides to do so. Enemy bodies are not to be dismembered or abused - going against this order is a crime of disrespect for the dead. They may be looted freely by any colonist. Hostile bodies should be left where they were killed unless inside the colony. If they were killed inside the colony they should be transported a decent distance outside the colony. These rule do not apply to enemies that can regenerate from death. Any captured hostile enemy should be treated as "Hold until Transfer" and the High Council should be informed of the situation.

Anyone abusing prisoners, regardless of their faction, should be charged with battery/assault/attempted murder/murder. Depending on the reason for such a retaliation the amount of time spend in prison may be reduced or completely waived, however a temporary ban of carrying weapons should be applied. This is at the discretion of the council and especially warrant officer. If there is a disagreement Boris Kilmaede should be informed.

Any excelsior agent that is captured alive should have their implant removed. If removal is successful they are to be treated as a neutral faction. The council should deliberate how to treat the individual in question. It is recommended, but not necessary, to run a psychological evaluation.

== The Lodge - MOP ==
Given that the Lodge is a faction that is expected to have more regular and closer interactions than others, these details have been provided to help colonists.

1: There are currently no trade agreements in place between the colony’s factions and the Lodge. As such, with individual hunters and colonists, they are to negotiate their own prices in regards of deals.

2: The location in which the Lodge resides is its sovereign territory, and the plains that connect to the Lodge is considered its territory. All crimes that occur within such territory shall be investigated and handled on this jurisdiction. Nadezhda’s territory lies in the very place it occupies, the meadows south of it and the adjacent forest area. All crimes that occur within such territory shall be investigated and handled on this jurisdiction. Hunters can move through these territories to reach the colony and vice versa for colonists. The swamp is considered neutral territory for the time being.

3: Any hunters found breaching the fifth rule of the Hunters Codex are to be reported to a hunt master or the Matriarch of the Lodge to be handled. The fifth rule within the Codex strictly forbids Hunters from scavenging and looting like prospectors.

4: The skinning knives and the Matriarch's shotgun that the Hunting Lodge has are to be treated in a similar fashion to the Absolute’s tech and equipment. If they are stolen or taken, grand theft may and can be applied.

= Duels - MOP =
The only acceptable way of fighting another colonist that CANNOT result in a charge of crime as long as all rules are followed.
=== How to initiate a duel ===
Anyone colonist may at anytime challenge another colonist to a duel (including CQC training). If accepted, you must follow the following steps:
1. Set a time and place to proceed with the duel. (Do it somewhere, where you are not going to stand in the way of others)(OOC: The basketball court is a popular spot since its an arena people can watch easily.)
2. The place must be set in a publicly accessible area.
3. Agree on at least 1 neutral observer to oversee the duel. While a premier or command member is preferred, anyone can do this. If you cannot agree on a neutral observer, both attendees need to be bring an observer who may be a friend, department member or other. If no one volunteers or is available, you cannot duel.
4. Let the Marshals and Blackshield know you are carrying this out to avoid misunderstandings.
5. When the time has come, get into position, let the neutral observer countdown the fight. In case of no neutral observer, one of the attendees may count down. The rules should be recited by the neutral observer or attendee that does not count down the fight.
=== Rules of the Duel ===
# You cannot leave permanent damage on your opponent (ooc: read PULL YOUR PUNCHES. IC Tab -> Pull Punches) 
# Once your opponent goes down to the ground or gets knocked out, stop immediately. 
# No leaving the designated area unless you wish to surrender. If an opponent surrenders, respect it. 
# No one from the outside is allowed to intervene in the fight. If they do, you may press charges of Violation of Employee Rights as well as other charges if applicable. 
# If either dueler breaks the rules, this is to be considered a charge of at battery, assault, attempted murder or murder - depending on circumstances. 


= Leaving the Colony - MOP =
*Every Colonist has the right (but not the access) to leave the colony. As a note, Blackshield has the right and power to deny a colonist leave of the colony if they have reason. Heads of staff are exempt from this unless explicitly said otherwise by either the Blackshield Commander or Warrant Officer.
** This includes the right to return, if you leave as a Colonist you may not be denied entry simply because you left.
*Breaking the Gatehouse or perimeter fence without very good reason is a crime of Infiltration and Sabotage. Other such illegal forms of entering the colony is a crime of infiltration and sabotage, and possibly more depending on circumstances.
*Blackshield may search you on your way out. Blackshield must search you on your way in.
*It is recommmended you comply with Blackshields recommendations before heading out (have some armor/weapon/supplies/suit sensors)
*It is recommended you do not leave alone.
*If Blackshield has to rescue you from any area outside the colony, Blackshield MUST charge you a recovery fee of 800 credits for every person recovered. Remember medical charges may apply as well.

= Lonestar Service =
The service department includes the jobs of Gardener, Cook, Bartender, Janitor and Actor. The service department is a largely independent (except for Janitor) necessity sponsored by Lonestar.
=== Janitor - ROP ===
Your job is very simple, however crucially needed - clean the colony. You are in the second highest income bracket of all colonist - you are expected to do your job.
*Gear up in your Janitor Preparation Room
*Move around the Colony and clean the tiles
*Make sure to put down a wet floor sign BEFORE cleaning the tiles. Try to keep at least one path open at all times for colonists to use without the fear of slipping. Make sure to point at it when someone slips.
*Do not clean crucial areas in use such as the way from the elevator to med bay IF a medical emergency is announced (for example). If you cause issues by doing this you will be charged with Negligence and may be demoted.
*For large messes use a cleaning grenade instead.
*Make an effort to ask for entry into departments to clean them.
*Carry a handgun on you at all times, you move around the most and are likely to spot roaches/spiders during your duty.
*When you have cleaned all areas, you are allowed to go into maintenance and clean up there. As long as you are not needed you may alternatively do whatever you want. If you plan to leave the colony try to be back within the next 30 minutes. If you leave for longer you may be demoted at the discretion of the CEO or other staff, if reported.

=== Kitchen Staff - ROP ===
Your job is to provide various services to the crew. In case of foreign guests, diplomats or emissaries arriving you are also encouraged to cater to their needs and provide whatever services they require. Work together with the CEO and Lonestar Shipping in this regard.
*The Gardener, Cook and Bartender may all work in each others departments as long as no one else works there or they have permission to do so. The CEO may also work in these areas if required, but should try to delegate the work instead.
*For food, it is recommended you charge. It is recommended you take the time to write up a menu. All money made is to be collected and handed to the CEO or transferred to the Lonestar Account.
*Water is free, and for other drinks it is recommended you charge. It is recommended you take the time to write up a menu. All money made is to be collected and handed to the CEO or transferred to the Lonestar Account.
* Use the following paperwork format for all recipes: [[Example_Paperwork#Lonestar_Service_Receipt]]
*You are encouraged to ask for tips.
*Act professional, always smile!
*Lonestar may provide you with additional resources from the Cargo Department, provided your job is done well. Otherwise you will have to pay with your own credits. This should be decided by the CEO.

=== Artist - ROP ===
* You are a colonist with your own office essentially. Try to entertain people.
* Using your office to commit or hide crimes is a reason to for demotion.

= Lonestar Shipping =
With the Lonestar radio fully repaired, it is to fully remain in Lonestar proper. It cannot be brought out of the department, it cannot be in the Lonestar service areas, such as the bar, janitor's room, or the artist's room. It is to fully remain in Lonestar proper. Whilst colonists that are not members of Lonestar are near, the radio is to remain off if they are in hearing distance of it. Violations of this will result in immediate confiscation and application of law 103 and 106. Commenting on sensitive matters, on public comms or to other departments, can also be a applicable charge of 103 and 106.

Lonestar provides a collection of [[Example Paperwork#Cargo|Example Paperwork for Cargo]] that can be used during a shift. Keep several copies available at all times.

It is recommended you use this at least this format for Orders from the Cargo Console: [[Example Paperwork#Lonestar Shipping Reciept v2]] and at least this format for selling your mined materials: [[Example Paperwork#Confirmation Form v2]] as receipts to justify your personal profits and keep an ordered paper trail.

=== Ordering Cargo - ROP ===
Cargo orders are a matter of buying and selling. Cargo will always charge more for a crate than the listed price as a way to make a profit on it. Cargo can sell anything to anyone with the reasonable restriction of needing a paper trail of all orders, receipts, and requests. If someone purchases something that is then used for a crime cargo is not liable if the proper record keeping has been done.

The following steps are needed for a proper order:

# If an order is accepted, skip this step. If it has been declined, stamp the request form with the "Denied" stamp, and put it in the file cabinet next to the cargo computer. Inform the customer that their request has been declined, and the reason why. Give the denied customer a copy of the form below, and keep a copy for your own records and paperclip it to the request form that was denied.
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width:99%">
Cargo Request Denial Record
<div class="mw-collapsible-content"><pre>
[center][b]Lonestar Shipping Solutions, LLC.
[logo]
[large][u]Cargo Request Denial[/u][/large][/b][/center][hr][small][i]To be filled out by cargo personnel handling the request. All sections are required to be filled out.[/small]
[small]A copy of this form should be archived upon denial of any request. The requesting employee whose request was denied is also to be given a copy of this form.[/i][/small]
[b]Requesting Employee:[/b] [field]
[b]Faction of Requesting Employee:[/b] [field]
[b]Requested Cargo:[/b] [field]
[b]Reason for Request:[/b] [field]
[b]Reason for Denial:[/b] [field]
[hr][b]Cargo Employee's Signature:[/b]
</pre></div></div>

# If an order is accepted, skip this step. If the order is declined, this is the final step. Open the cargo computer and decline the order if it exists.
# The order has been accepted. Accept the agreed upon payment and open the cargo computer to accept the order, or place the order and accept it if the order does not exist.
# Do not immediately call the cargo shuttle. Confirm with the customer, "Will that be all?" If so, or if they just wander off without confirming this, you may now call the cargo shuttle.
# Wait for the cargo shuttle to arrive. Ask the customer how they would like the cargo delivered. There are three methods of delivery: Pickup, mail, or courier. By default, cargo is pickup. '''Dangerous cargo is ''pickup only''.''' is to be returned to if the order cannot be picked up within 30 minutes of arrival.
# Upon arrival of the cargo, bring all cargo to the center of the cargo bay. You may be dealing with multiple orders from multiple people, so ensure you have sorted the cargo to its correct owner before delivering anything. Leave notes if necessary. '''Do not''' open any crates for any reason unless instructed to do so by the customer.
# Once the cargo is sorted, deliver the cargo using the specified method to the specified location. By default, it is to be sent to the customer's department. Pickup orders are to be kept in the cargo bay (not the lobby) until the customer arrives to pick it up. Mailed orders are to be wrapped and tagged in the mail room and sent through the pipe network to their destination. Courier delivered orders must have a cargo technician bring the order(s) directly to the destination.
# Upon delivery of any order, ensure you are given back the manifest of the order. All cargo technicians are responsible for stamping manifests and returning them to the cargo warehouse.
# If possible, collect the empty crates of any completed orders for return to the cargo warehouse. If you have any stamped manifests, put them in one of these crates.
# Return the shuttle to cargo warehouse.
# You're done! Relax and wait for the next cargo request.

=== Mining - ROP ===
Mining is the section of Lonestar that goes down to the deep tunnels to harvest minerals either through the use of a hand drill or bulk mining drill. Miners are generally equipped with a weapon of their choice and go below ground to run their day to day operations. In addition miners are given an oxygen-supplied voidsuit should they ever become lost underground, the suit even comes with armor for dealing with any dangerous creatures found in the depths.

Miners should always perform these tasks:
* ''Get equipped:'' Miners should at the minimum take a mining satchel, ore scanner, shovel or drill, armored voidsuit, a toolbelt (with at minimum a screwdriver, crowbar, duct tape, and wrench), a weapon, a shortwave hand radio, and basic medical supplies.
* ''Upgrade your tools:'' Miners should consider getting an tool upgrades for their shovel or drill. Miners who use the drill should consider getting an advanced motor, expanded fuel tank, and ergonomic grip. Shovel users should consider an ergonomic grip and whetstone for a sharpened edge and, if possible, a diamond edge.
* ''Bigger, better batteries:'' Miners should see about getting larger and more powerful batteries from either the Prospectors or Soteria if they plan to use the bulk mining drills. The standard batteries within leave much to be desired. Additional batteries are also very useful for optical meson scanners.
* ''Regular maintenance:'' Miners should always bring an ore crate with which they can empty the bulk mining drills to prevent them from grinding to a halt due to being full. Hand tool miners should always use duct tape regularly to maintain and fix their tools so they don't break mid-outing. Be advised, a broken tool cannot be recovered, nor its tool augments.
* ''Stay alive:'' You're no use to the colony or your fellow miners if you bleed out or pass out from injury. A regular medkit, a few tramadol pills, and a single syringe of Dylovene can keep you alive long enough to get back topside for proper treatment.
* ''Communication:'' Always keep in contact with your fellow miners in case you get in trouble and need help. A shortwave radio is a great back up if regular communications go down.

''Miners should never bring their non-pistol weaponry into public colony areas and should leave all contraband weapons in the mining prep area or personnel lockers.''

Upon returning, miners are expected to fill out a [[Example Paperwork#Lonestar Mining Report v2|mineral inventory form]] with an accurate count of all minerals collected. A copy of this form should be provided to the [[Chief Executive Officer]] and filed in the main cargo desk area for easy bookkeeping. This form must be filled out for every shipment of minerals taken up from the deep tunnels separately.

=== Profit Distribution - MOP ===
Lonestar's goal is to make as many credits as possible, although a deal that continues after one transaction is considered more profitable than a one-time deal. Anyone working for Lonestar is generously supplied with a wage for their basic living needs. While promotions are not always possible, every Lonestar employee should have the potential to earn money for both themselves and Lonestar.
* All transactions done by Lonestar offer a 20% commission from the profit margin to any Lonestar employee facilitating the transaction. Example, a cargo tech sells a crate that cost 500 credits, but was able to negotiate the buyer into paying 1000 credits. The profit is 500 credits, 20% of that (100 credits) is then directly claimable by the employee who managed the transaction.
* All service members (bartender, chef, and gardener) may charge whatever prices they see fit for their respective services. Employees are '''recommended''' to charge above 10 credits but no more than 100 credits per drink or food item depending on the difficulty/challenge of fulfilling said order. Service members do not collect a commission for the sale of drinks and food (this is handled with their hourly wages) but are entitled to the full amount of any tips offered and may pocket it at their discretion.
* Trade beacons may be used freely by all lonestar employees using their personal accounts for purchasing or selling goods. Lonestar automatically collects a 20% market fee that is directly removed and then added to the Lonestar account whenever an item is sold through the trade beacon. Lonestar has no service charge, nor tax on goods bought through the trade beacon, only goods sold. Cargo technicians and CEOs with access to Lonestars main account are expected to only use the trade beacon to gain a profit for Lonestar if they are using Lonestars main account.
* Miners receive a 20% commission on all profits generated by the materials they dig up. Since dug up and refined minerals are generally pure profitability, lonestar miners may simply total the complete cost of the materials '''cargo sale value''' and request that commission from any CEO or cargo technician (with the proper paperwork). Alternatively, miners may try to sell the materials to fellow colonist themselves at whatever price they negotiate. As with normal commissions, they may take a 20% cut of all profits generated, but are required to keep paperwork detailing who bought what and for how much (if tools and goods are traded in the place of credits, list the tools innate numerical value).

== Lonestar and Prospector Relationship - ROP ==
The merge of Lonestar and the Prospectors is entirely based around the idea of profits. While some access is shared, there is no shared authority between the CEO and Foreman. They are encouraged to work together at all times to maximize profits for both lonestar and the individuals of the prospectors. Lonestar and Prospectors must respect each others areas and equipment at all times. Taking anything from the other department without permission is considered theft. Causing trouble for the other department may be used as a reason for demotion. A CEO can never command the Prospectors or demand anything of them. A Foreman can never command the Lonestar department or demand anything from them.

The following are suggestions for a better working relationship:
* If miners are available, prospectors should never do any mining, however to avoid medical bills and injuries it is highly suggested to bring a prospector along to guard the miner. A prospector is entitled to 10% of the profits just as a miner. This money should be taken from the total made.
* If miners are lacking, other Lonestar-Cargo personnel should be utilized first if avaliable and volunteering for the job. Otherwise a prospector can be used for mining, however they are still only entitled to 10% of the profits.
* CEO and Foreman are encouraged to negotiate prices and how much share each expedition member gets beforehand
* Lacking a head of staff, both faction members are encouraged to temporarily step up as the leader of the faction, take control in these matters. For Lonestar, this only applies to Lonestar-Cargo.
* You are expected to deal with issues among yourselves before faxing Hogg or Ryan. Only fax them if its absolutely necessary.

= Prospector SOP =
===General - MOP===
Overboss Hogg has generously, with the help of Lonestar, sponsored your equipment and place to work to become a self-made man. You are supposed to make profits, while not dying.
* Prospector are encouraged to go in groups to a single destination.
* It is generally advisable to keep track of each others locations in case a colleague requires assistance.
* Salvagers should stock up on medical or engineering supplies, Prospectors should stock up on combat supplies.
* All loot should be divided as seen fit by the members of the group.
* Dying alone outside the colony means you have to pay a recovery fee of 800 credits to Blackshield and may result in your demotion as you are seen unfit for this job - you are supposed to make a profit. Dying is acceptable, dying alone and relying on the boys in black isn't.
* If you are in a group and a member needs to be brought back to the colony due to medical reasons, do so as soon as possible.
* Do not hoard. Sell it. The who or why doesn't matter, just net a profit.
* Comply with the law. Just because you found fancy guns and armor doesn't mean you can suddenly fight the Blackshield or Marshals, they can and will bring the proverbial hammer down on not just you but your entire department.
* Expect to be demoted if you lose a lot of money or get yourself put in hold until transfer.
* Treating or handling medical scenarios in the colony whilst Soteria medical is around is not advised, and more frowned upon.

====Pre-Mission Setup - ROP====
* All weapon-trained crew should be offered the opportunity to arm themselves from prospector supplies or they may bring whatever weapon of choice they decide.
* Non-prospector participants, if given weapons, should be energy based only, such as lasers. (The reason for this is inexperienced personnel often have very poor weapon discipline, so friendly fire is an unfortunate but common occurrence. Laser burns are easier to treat than ballistic trauma while in the field.)
* For safety, the participants should be in sealed pressure suits unless the destination is already known, and confirmed to have a habitable atmosphere.
* The foreman calls the shots, he may or may not order someone to be his second in command, if he does you follow that persons orders as well as his.
* As each team member's loadout is complete, they should wait at prospector prep.

====Mid-Mission Operations - ROP====
* If separated from the group, or in an airless environment, establish communication immediately with other members of the group. If you are unable to re-establish communications, wait where you are for rescue. If you are in danger of running out of oxygen or supplies, move back towards the start of the mission, following any markers that were laid down.
* If the group is scattered for whatever reason, communications and regrouping should be the number one priority.
* Anything valuable should be looted, if its nailed down remove said nails and then steal said nails for good measure. Unusual life forms should be noted, as should the best way to kill them. Bringing the body back may prove worthwhile for Soteria.
* If an expedition participant is injured and needs surgery, they should be evacuated to the colony immediately if field surgery is not possible. The expedition should not proceed unless their role is satisfied by someone else, or they return to continue.

====Post-Mission Debriefing - ROP====
* The returning crew are not to leave the prep room or shuttle hangar until allowed to do so by the foreman, or if the foreman is absent, then by the team leader, or next in command. During this time, participants should be screened for contraband, health, and mental well-being before returning to the rest of the colony.
* If any staff are at risk of health complications such as parasitic life forms, viral infections, insanity, etc, they are to be immediately evacuated to the medical department for treatment. All loot they may or may not have should be left in the hanger or at the gate house.
* Excluding items that the research department wants to study, marshals are to confiscate any contraband discovered during the mission. This does not include weapons or armor, both experimental and mechanized combat units, unless they are capable of causing an explosion or are a threat to the colony itself such as having a heavy radioactive aura. [[Example_Paperwork#Evidence_Log|All items confiscated should be moved to evidence storage and recorded in a evidence log, with a copy of the file given to the foreman.]]
* All weapons taken for the trip that are not considered melee or pistol quality should be returned to the prospectors respective prep area or personal locker.
* Other excess supplies are to be returned to their rightful department.
* A [[Example_Paperwork#Mission_Report|post-mission report]] should be given to the council detailing any unusual discoveries or events. This report is only required under the discovery of unusual artifacts or items, general expeditions within regular perimeters do not require a report but it is recommended.

= Artificers Guild =

=== Setting up Power - MOP ===
The main duty of the Guild is to keep power running to all stations. A Guild Master may choose their preferred method of power generation and a Guild Adept needs to follow those orders. Lacking a Guild Master, a Guild Adept may choose their own way of generating power.
* Solars can be found on the mountain top and outside the colony near the scrap beacon. Usually the Scrap beacon solars are used and set up by the Church, however a Guild Adept may offer to assist or just do it in case they have a Cruciform installed. The mountain solars can be accessed by the elevator in the "engine room"
* The second method is using materials to power the generators in the engine room. This may require some more oversight, but usually generates more power than the Solars.
=== Construction / Repairs - ROP ===
The method of construction and repair changes depending on the goals and orders of the guild master, however, the general rules below should be considered the default operation.

* The area should have all non-guild personnel removed or standing at a safe distance, in particular when working with exposed electrical wire or potentially hazardous equipment.
* In the event the area requires use of a oxygen supplied void suit all exits and entrances should be taped off with engineering tape and covered by inflatable doors or walls. All entry ways used by guild personnel should have two inflatable doors to prevent accidental atmospheric issues, in particular when dealing with fires or gas leaks.
* Each task for construction or repair should be assigned by the guild master to separate each task for timely completion of each project. Example, a fire broke out that burned down several walls, one adept is assigned to fixing the atmos, another is given the task of restoring the walls, and the guild master chooses to weld the damaged floors and remaining walls.

The method and choices of how the guild proceeds is ultimately up to the guild master but the general principles above should be followed. Failure to do so may result in negligence charges.

=== Fire and Environmental Hazards - ROP ===
* Immediate evacuation of all untrained personnel.
* Fire alarms to be used to control hazard.
* The guild master and guild adepts are to remove all materials that could further spread or worsen these hazards before dispatching them.

=== Meteor Storm - ROP ===
* All crew to move to lower levels of the colony.
* Damage is to be repaired by the guild master and guild adepts after the threat has passed.

=== Shield Generator - ROP ===
* The Colony's Shield Generator room is a new addition to the colony's defense systems. It has been established that it will be officially maintained by the Artificer's Guild. Due to this, the Guild has access to this room. All Artificer Engineers are to keep in mind that the shield generator room is considered a high security area, any and all abnormalities or issues regarding it are to be reported to the colony's security forces.
* The generator is to be maintained, on top of the other regular duties that Adepts have. The Guild can choose to ignore doing this, if there's really only one Adept and they have a lot more other pressing matters to handle.
* The shield generator is to be wrenched after shift start, as it starts unwrenched. If not wrenched and anchored, it will not acquire power over the course of the shift. Furthermore, the SMES units inside of the room start empty, and will need their coils changed.
* Be careful with powering the generator, as it can drain the entirety of the network if unmonitored. If one seeks to acquire more power for the generator, requesting the Church to use their biogenerator or utilizing the Guild's generators and equipment to produce more can be done, and is suggested.

= Soteria Biolab Division =
=== The Way Of Soteria ===
Progress is inherent to the goal of the Soteria, the question should never be one of morals or reasoning, but of possibility and potential. Researchers in medical and science are expected to push both the boundaries and limits of what they are capable of. Those who are constrained by the ethics and morality of an experiment will quickly find that the leadership of Soteria does not wish to consider such primitive and foolish concepts.

'''"Progress at any cost."'''

That is the mantra of the Soteria.

===Payment for Treatment - MOP===
Medical does not have unlimited medical supplies and while they are required to treat critical patients there is a limit to the amount resources being given to one person freely. All critical forms of healing such as defibbing, surgery, and use of chemicals '''are free the first time they are given to a single colonist per shift'''. If the treatment is not critical, the colonist may decide to pay instead of receiving free treatment. All situations after that a doctor may charge a patient for treatment should they find themselves getting repeatedly injured. This charge is solely up to the CBO or treating doctors discretion, they may elect not to charge an individual should they believe the person did not put themselves recklessly in danger (accidents do happen), should a patient be unable to pay their medical bills, contact security. Soteria-Science division is subject to this rule as well if no doctors are around.

Corpsman or other medically trained professionals not affiliated with Soteria should utilize their own departmental or personal supplies first, before using Soteria Supplies. If no doctors are present, the supplies may be utilized but should be replaced as soon as possible, this includes using your own personal funds. Otherwise, this constitutes as theft and you may be forced to pay for the replacement.

Prices for Treatment
* Reconstructive surgery and defibbing: 500 credits
* Use of bruise packs, advanced ointment, burn cream, and bandages: 75 credits. This can add up if charges are used or the supplies are entirely used up.
* Use of chemicals made by the chemistry lab: At minimum of 2 credits or maximum 10 credits per unit at discretion of medical staff.
* Use of a sleeper: 150 credits

In the event someone cannot pay prior to treatment, you may refuse treatment, but ''only'' if this is the second time treating them that shift and the doctor in question wishes to charge them. If the person is incapable of declaring intention to pay (they are dead or unconscious) payment is assumed and a debt incurred. Inability to pay the bill after revival by either refusal or lack of funds requires intervention from security (defaulting on medical bills is a crime).

=== Non-Disclosure Policy - MOP ===
All patient records, treatments, therapies, prescriptions, etc, almost anything the medical crew does, is '''not''' to be disclosed to other members of the station outside of Medbay without the (unanimous) permission of (all) the patient(s) directly involved, or the Chief Biolab Overseer. Even marshals, the premier, and council are not allowed to share details of any past or ongoing treatments, and you are not required to inform them should they inquire unless you have the direct consent of the patient.

Warrants and Code Blue (and above) may still grant security access to review autopsies and medical records, but you are not to divulge information directly when questioned about any patients unless overridden by the CBO.

Repeated failure to obey the non-disclosure policy is grounds for termination from the medical department. See [[Example_Paperwork#Dismissal_Order|dismissal forms]].

=== Right to Refuse Treatment - MOP ===
As a patient, to consent to or refuse treatment, you must have the capacity to make that decision. Capacity means the ability to use and understand information to make a decision.

Under colony procedure, all adults are presumed to have sufficient capacity to decide on their own medical treatment, unless there is significant evidence to suggest otherwise.

For consent to treatment or refusal of treatment to be valid, the decision must be voluntary and you must be appropriately informed:
* Voluntary: you must make your decision to consent to or refuse treatment alone, and your decision must not be due to pressure by healthcare professionals, friends, or family.
* Appropriately informed: You must be given full information about what the treatment involves, including the benefits and risks, whether there are reasonable alternative treatments, and what will happen if treatment doesn’t go ahead.

Doctors are authorized to refuse treatment if they believe alternative procedures would be even more detrimental to the well being of the patient (such as refusing anesthetics before a major surgery, which could cause the patient bleed out or go into shock or be harmed by moving during aforementioned surgery). If you have capacity and make a voluntary and appropriately informed decision to refuse a treatment, your decision must be respected. This applies even if your decision would result in your death.

=== Viral Outbreak - ROP ===
* All infected crew to be isolated in Virology or Medbay.
* Sterile masks/Internals and gloves are mandatory for medical personnel and recommended for crew.
* Quarantine must be maintained until outbreak can be contained and disease can be treated.

=== Autopsy - ROP ===
In the event that a deceased individual is discovered, or an individual perishes while under your care, an autopsy should be performed if one has not been done already.
* Security should be informed any time a corpse is discovered, regardless of whether the cause of death is known or not.
* An autopsy should be performed and recorded in an effort to resolve any questions that may arise later on, or if evidence is needed by Security.
* If you have valid reason to believe the death was a suicide, see [[Standard_Operating_Procedure#Suicide_or_other_voluntary_death|Suicide or other voluntary death]] below for how to proceed.

=== What is considered 'dead' - MOP ===
Due to how corroded the colonists' opinions have become about death in the upper levels, we'll make it clear on what is considered death.
** When a patient or colonist seizes up then becomes limp, with their eyes both lifeless and dead, then they are considered dead.
** When the health analyzer shows that their overall status is 'Dead', then they are dead, along with corresponding damage to show that they are dead. For example, over two hundred points of kinetic brute damage on their body.
** If they require a defibrillator, then that means they're '''dead'''.
** In regards of FBPs and other alien life, a firm understanding of the alien's biology will help you classify if they are dead or not, specifically in regards of Mycus and Folken. For FBPs, it is situational but if their battery is taken out or if they require specific equipment, then they are considered 'dead' for the time being.
* Zombie powder can mess with these statistics at times, so do consider it from time to time.

=== Suicide or other voluntary death - MOP ===
In '''all''' cases of potential suicides, Security should be contacted to investigate, just in case it's actually murder.

* If they are missing one of the two records, consult their medical records for any indications that they are do not resuscitate.
* If at any time you believe a DNR order has been falsified, or unjustly ordered, you should bring it to the attention of council immediately. Falsifying a DNR order is punishable and is viewed as attempted murder by [[Laws]].
* A valid DNR is usually:
# A confirmed desire to not be revived. See also [[Standard_Operating_Procedure#Right to Refuse Treatment|Right to Refuse Treatment]]. An employee may also specify a standing DNR in their medical and/or employment records. These are witnessed by the soteria biolab office's and are legally binding.
# Reasonable order from a station's chief biolab overseer or council to withhold resuscitation for known suicidal* individuals. Note there must be hard evidence of a suicide for this to be valid, such as announcing the suicide on the radio, or a note left behind, multiple eye witnesses, etc.
# Legal execution by order of the high council and/or tribunal of the acting council as listed under legal code.
# Reviving a proven or unproven suicide (in the case of unproven, suspected suicides should have an autopsy and full investigation before revival), enemies of the colony (unless Council or higher decide otherwise), or a person marked for execution is grounds for a job strike/demotion from medical duties, this includes ranks such as corpsman, salvager, or soteria researchers aiding medical. Reviving someone to ask them if they committed suicide is an automatic and permanent removal from all medical positions indefinitely. Medical records cannot be accessed by Corpsmen or Salvagers, communication is key in informing them of such instances, else they cannot be demoted due to them not having the access to know such information. Reviving a person with a DNR in their medical record can be situational in terms of demoting/job striking medical staff.
# Unless their postmortem says that they're not to be revived in some manner, it is to be assumed to attempt revival before burying, cremating, or putting them in the morgue.

===Medical Structure - MOP ===
The Chief Biological Overseer is the boss of the department. After that, each respective job has its own authority in different matters but doctors and psychiatrists do not have authority over orderlies or paramedics, and vice versa. They are expected to work together and handle their duties to the best of their capabilities.

===Medical Paperwork - ROP ===
* [[Example_Paperwork#Prescription_Form|Prescription Forms]]
* [[Example_Paperwork#Autopsy_Report|Autopsy Reports]]

= Soteria Research Division =
=== Marshals and Blackshield - MOP ===
With the truth of Soteria being responsible for the Hivemind's creation now fully revealed, the Marshals and Blackshield have been given absolute authority to fully stop any experiments that can be considered 'dangerous' or 'unusual'. While the terms are broad, this does not mean they can shut down any and all experiments, only the ones that pose more danger and consequences for those other than the researchers conducting them. For example, they can shut down experiments with bluespace due to how dangerous they can become due to the incredible instability of bluespace. Researchers attempting to conduct experiments barred by the Marshals or Blackshield can be charged with a crime.
=== Cyborg Handling - ROP ===
* In cases where [[Identifying_Antagonists#AI_Malfunction|Cyborgs are confirmed to be malfunctioning]], the cyborg shell may be detonated if attempts to contain and lock down the malfunctioning unit are unsuccessful or deemed too dangerous by acting Soteria Institute Overseers.
* Cyborgs that are illegally modified should be remotely locked down. If unable to locked down, its sensors should be overloaded with a flash or controlled EMP and its actuator or cell should be removed before resorting to detonation.
* In cases where destruction of the Cyborg is necessary, the acting CRO must fax a report to the High Council.
* Unwarranted or illegal destruction of a Cyborg or AI count as [[Laws#Exceptional_Offenses|Sabotage]].
* Cyborgs are Soteria Institue property, and are expected to be maintained and upgraded by the institute where applicable.

=== Changing Silicon Laws - ROP ===
* In code blue or higher situations no head of staff (barring the CRO) is to enter the AI Upload or AI Core unless accompanied by at least one other head of staff, or at least one officer if no other heads of staff are available. The AI Upload and AI Core are explicitly off-limits to all other personnel.
* In all other situations, two Heads of Staff are recommended, but not necessary. The Chief Research Overseer and Chief Biolab Overseer are exempt from these rules and may enter at will on all code levels. If both the CRO and CBO agree to modify AI laws, they may do so on any code level.

=== Waiver Clause - MOP ===
* Any sapient crew members who volunteer for experimentation '''must''' [[Example_Paperwork#R.26D_Testing_Waiver|sign a waiver]] absolving the scientist of all responsibility for any injuries, deaths, or associated damage to the individual, regardless of the purpose of that experiment. Failure to obtain a waiver will result in a 'negligence' charge for the test subject and for any involved Soteria personnel.

=== Toxin Laboratory Procedure - ROP ===
* Internals are required at all time while inside labs.
* During the mixing process, an explosive ordnance disposal suit is to be worn at all times.
* When the mixing process is complete, the mixing chamber is to be vented using the pipe disposal system.
* All detonations are to be announced over public comms with a countdown, and must be detonated at a designated location.

=== Genetics Research - ROP ===
With the new genetics technology and lab in place, the genetics field has changed drastically for Nadezhda. The following procedures are to be followed at all times. Failure may result in legal action.

Genetic cloning:
* Armed and preferably combat trained personnel are to be present when cloning dangerous creatures.
* Always ensure that the containment pens are in perfect condition and, if cloning extremely dangerous creatures, reinforced if possible.
* Soteria researchers are able to genetically clone any and all creatures save for the Hivemind and the Leviathan class entities: Xenomorph Queen, the Kaiser roach, and the Reaper spider. The Croaker lord, while a Leviathan class entity, is excluded and can be freely cloned. The Marshals and Blackshield have the power to shut down cloning experiments on specific creatures if they are believed to be too dangerous.
** When it comes to genetically cloning the Leviathan class entities, permission must be sought from the CRO or CBO, who will inform the rest of the Council or necessary security forces that it will be occurring. If neither are on duty, permission can be acquired from the Council.
* If cloning subjects escape pens and enter public colony areas, the scientist responsible for their creation is liable for all damages (property, colonists, etc) caused. The Soteria department can choose to pay for their employees' fines, but that is at the discretion of the CBO or CRO.

Genetic Experimentation:
* All colonists subject to testing must have a [[Example_Paperwork#R.26D_Testing_Waiver|written and signed waiver]] with a stamp from the Chief Research Overseer, Chief Biolab Overseer, or Premier (in order of preference). Failing the presence of any of those, a signature from the researcher and patient will suffice.
* Soteria can reach out for volunteers from anyone within the colony, even outsiders. Those that volunteer and sign the waiver are to understand that what happens to them genetically may not be temporary, and negative traits acquired from genetic splicing can occur.
* Individuals coming to Soteria for specific genetic splices are to both sign a waiver and pay Soteria for services. If an individual supplies their own creatures containing their desired trait, a discount of up to 50% depending on the creatures and their lethality may be applied.
** Prices for genetic splicing vary depending on what trait is desired but can go from 500 credits to 1,500, depending on the gene's rarity and availability. It can also be 'free' if the patient is willing to be experimented on in regards to that trait.
* All individuals that are released while genetically enhanced are to be documented by Soteria, with copies sent to the Marshals in the event that said individual commits a crime.
* Most genetic genes are legal to have and do not require one to go through additional steps to acquire. However, there are some genetic traits that are deemed illegal by the colony's standards.
** The following genes are considered illegal and require additional steps to be followed in order to acquire permission to use: Greater cloaking, EMP blast, and X-RAY. Failure to secure permission from the Marshals before splicing these traits will result in the automatic shut down of the genetics lab for the rest of the shift, and the arrest of scientists that took part. Other illegal traits may be added in the future.
** The HULK gene is absolutely forbidden unless code Delta has been engaged.
** The Warrant Officer can clear the use of these genetic traits, so long as they're given a proper reason and the appropriate paperwork is filled out, and both Blackshield and Marshals are informed of it by the WO themselves. The Blackshield Commander can situationally authorize their use for colony defense and operations only, so long as those genetically enhanced by their authority have the genetic traits wiped by Soteria at the end of the operation. The WO can overrule this if they have sufficient reason to. The Provost Marshal or Brigadier can be faxed in regards of this to give a final ruling but if it proves to be time wasting, then a charge may be applied.
* In the instance that a genetically enhanced colonist is arrested by Marshals, Soteria is to provide the Marshals with a purger to fully wipe out their genetic enhancements. Soteria is not responsible for what colonists do after they legally go through the process of getting themselves genetically modified. Marshals and Blackshield may bar a colonist from receiving further genetics work, depending on their attitude, behavior, or past criminal activities while genetically modified. For example, they can tell Soteria to not give John Doe further genetic splicing as he used those acquired traits to break into Lonestar to break and steal Lonestar merchandise and property.

=== Medical Treatment - MOP ===
* If there are no doctors available the Science Division may help out in the treatment center. Corpsmen should not be the first to respond before Science, nor should they be utilizing the Soteria medbay when there is science on shift.
* Roboticists, who are expected to be trained in surgery, are preferred over Scientists
* All Medical SOP applies to the Science Division when they are acting in the capacity of medical.

= Marshals =
=== Relevant Terminology ===
* '''The Brig''': The part of the station used to detain those who violate the colony's [[Laws]].
* '''Robust''': As an adjective; able to withstand or overcome adverse conditions. As a verb; slang for viciously assaulting someone. Often used as a compliment in both cases.
* '''Shitcurity''': Slang for describing a marshal officer who unnecessarily or illegally exercises their authority in order to inflate their ego, or a marshal officer who simply doesn't follow standard operating procedure.
* '''Lethals''': Weapons designed for or able to switch to configurations intended for lethal force.
* '''Non-lethals''': Weapons that are not designed to be used lethally, and instead are meant to incapacitate suspects with little or no injury.
* '''Use of Force''': Either lethal or non-lethal, this is the use of weapons to incapacitate a suspect. You may be told at times to use lethal force, or non-lethal force, depending on circumstance. By default, non-lethal force is preferred.
* '''Shoot-to-Stun''': Using non-lethals, incapacitate the target in order to handcuff or otherwise subdue them without injury. Although the term is ''shoot''-to-stun, stun batons, pepper spray, and flashers all fall under this category when talking about engagements with suspects.
* '''Shoot-to-Disable''': Incapacitate a target by injuring them too badly to continue fighting. In the case of mechs, damaging the mech until the pilot bails out or the vehicle is unusable/destroyed.
* '''Shoot-to-Kill''': Using lethal weapons, engaging a target until the target is neutralized. This doesn't actually mean you ''have'' to kill the target (contrary to the term), but the weapons employed may very well kill the target whether you want to or not. Even in Shoot-to-Kill scenarios, you should still attempt to provide immediate medical attention and revive them once they are otherwise safely subdued and the combat is over.
* '''Armed''': Possessing weapons or anything being used as a weapon even if that is not its intended purpose (such as a crowbar). This includes non-lethals, and even basic tools if being used to assault someone.
* '''Contraband''': Anything that is stolen or illegal to possess by anyone aboard the crew. For example, insulated gloves and multitools are not considered contraband on their own, but if they were stolen from the Engineering department, they qualify as contraband.

=== Rules of Engagement - MOP ===
* On code green all arrests the warrant must be authorized by either the premier, warrant officer, supply specialist, or ranger to be considered valid. In the absence of all the stated jobs a marshal officer may use his own signature and fax the high council should he do so. A physical arrest warrant should be signed and filled out before the arrest is made but is not required to. It is, however, required to be filled out within a reasonable and fashionable amount of time. Failure to have a warrant physically on file within a determined reasonable time, typically described as either by the time the prisoner leaves the brig or at least towards the end of their time, the officer may be fined, charged and/or potentially fired for multiple violations of the colony's Laws. It is recommended that should an officer wait to fill out an arrest warrant they should fill it out after the suspect is either let go due to not being charged or sitting in a cell serving their time.
** Note that this only applies to arrest warrants. Search warrants are required to be written, signed or stamped, before the search is conducted. Failure to do so will result in all charges being dropped.
** The Warrant Assist program may be used to place warrants and act upon them; but paperwork should always be done within the aforementioned 'reasonable time'. This may vary case to case; such as on lower crimes or fines as either a low timer or no timer at all may be issued. But word of thumb is that an officer should have paperwork for an arrest finished by the time the suspect is leaving the brig after the average duration of a major/exceptional offense timer.
* During an investigation, two or more witnesses are preferred, but in situations where only one is present an investigator may rule that the sole witness is an impartial one. Under this scenario, if the investigator believes a sole witness/arresting officer has no bias and is completely impartial, they may treat their sole testimony as valid evidence. The investigator/arresting officer may do this with their own witness testimony as well, if they observe a crime being committed. Under all circumstances, the person being arrested may request the impartial witness be reviewed, either by the investigators superiors (in the event of officers to rangers to warrant officers) or someone meant to be impartial like a head of staff, premier, or steward.
* When confronting a suspect for any green paragraph crime, you must offer the suspect a chance to pay a fine. If the fine is paid, they are not to be arrested, detained, or searched unless otherwise specified by [[Laws]]. The fine is to be turned in to the warrant officer or supply specialist. If the fine is refused, they are to be arrested.
* Calling for backup over a level 1 crime is usually considered a waste of resources. Two officers should be enough.
* When arresting or fining a suspect, they are to be informed of their right to pay a fine (if applicable) and their right to have their case reviewed by the premier, or lack there of, any member of the council willing to do so by volunteer. If there is no one capable of reviewing their case, they may still attempt to appeal on their own. Regardless of what type of appeal is made, the suspect is still to be punished until the punishment expires or the appeal passes. (See [[Standard Operating Procedure#Appeals|Appeals]] for details.)
* Refusal of handcuffs does not constitute resisting arrest, as per [[Laws]] §202. If a suspect refuses handcuffs and is being arrested, but is cooperative, they are to be escorted by, preferably, no less than two armed security personnel to the brig. Attempting to cuff a compliant subject is considered a §117 volition of employee rights, the subject may resist the initial cuffing but should not flee else they will be charged with §202 resisting arrest. Any security personnel who use violence as a means to restrain and cuff an otherwise compliant colonist for resisting the initial cuffing is to be charged with §112 excessive force of detainment.
** If you cannot handcuff someone that requires cuffs, such as they are using a deployed hardsuit or have a missing hand, you must warn them at least three times to comply with the arrest. If they continue to refuse after the third warning is given marshal personnel and only marshal personnel may break their legs. '''In the event the suspect dies from this the officer is not liable and cannot be charged with any crime provided he gave three verbal warnings and has at least one witness to attest to this. As always, marshal officers should use the absolute minimum amount of force to get the subject to comply and should a higher ranking officer deem excessive force was used, you can and will be charged.'''
** If, in the event you are dealing with an unruly subject who is immune to most forms of non-lethal stuns (such as a cht'mant) the use of eye-based stuns are recommended. If the cht'mant (or other individual) refuses to comply and is wearing eye covering the use of other disabling methods are allowed (such as flashbangs or table slams). In the event said individual is refusing to comply and armed, shoot to kill is authorized, but caution must be taken to ensure they may be cuffed and revived in medical. Rendering the body unrevivable is considered murder.
* A suspect attempting to flee, or assault another crew member, is authorized shoot-to-stun.
* When confronting an armed suspect, always call for additional backup, preferably prior to the engagement. If the suspect draws a weapon, already has a weapon in their hands, or has used a weapon already, use of force is immediately authorized and you are not required to announce intentions to arrest until after they are subdued.
* If a suspect uses a mech to resist arrest, shoot-to-kill is authorized. Deployment of barricades and use of flipped tables for cover is also advised to create choke points where security can fire upon the target.
* If a suspect is green, screaming, and able to punch down walls, they're probably affected by the hulk gene from genetic manipulation, and if they exist without an ongoing emergency where such muscle is needed or the CBO did not directly inform Security in advance, a 'hulk' outside of medbay or research is shoot-to-kill. Unlike most shoot-to-kill scenarios where the actual killing part is a matter of option and circumstance, there is no way to safely contain a hulk in prison, so if you are forced to confront one, continue engagement until the target is deceased.
* If a suspect escapes the colony, shoot-to-kill is authorized for any personnel within the marshals or blackshield who go out to pursue. Scoped rifles and GPS devices are recommended for the pursuit, as are mechs. Additionally, the blackshield should be informed so they may watch station access points and various outposts to guard them. The marshals may request fire support from the blackshield to aid in hunting down and killing the suspect.
* During Code Delta, any noncompliance from staff is to be met with lethal force.
* For secure areas, see below for specific rules of engagement.
* In terms of dealing with genetically enhanced colonists, Blackshield or Marshals can switch to lethals if they are too problematic to take down by normal means (EMP blast takes out tasers, they are incapable of feeling pain due to a specific strain, capable of cloaking and avoiding them, etc).

=== Secure areas - MOP ===
* In code green, secure areas like the AI core, research server room, telecommunications, bridge, all armories (security, bridge, and church) etc, should never be blocked. Use of deployable barriers to block areas during code green is considered illegal under [[Laws]] §307. Trespassing in these areas is covered under §309 or 508.
* All armories are considered secure areas and have their own section SOP.
* The AI sometimes likes to bolt itself in even during code green. It is not supposed to do this. If the AI bolts its self in, request the AI to unbolt the doors, citing Standard Operating Procedure. If the AI does not comply, ask the research overseer or premier to try reasoning with it. If it still does not comply, it is up to the staff in charge of overseeing the AI how to proceed, usually by changing laws. Unauthorized personnel discovered attempting to breach the AI core are shoot to kill.
* The research server room has a variety of sensitive information. Unauthorized personnel in this location are to be captured, searched, and interrogated before being charged and sentenced.
* The brig is considered a high security area. Unauthorized personnel attempting to break in, or any "Hold until Transfer" inmates attempting to break out, are both shoot to kill.
* The telecomms is a highly sensitive area that provides vital communications among the crew and to the high council, thus any unauthorized personnel who have accessed the control room are shoot-to-kill.

=== Criminal Processing - ROP ===
See [[Laws]] for rules that carry fines or brig time. Breaking standard operating procedure is not punishable by law, but if an accident or fatality occurs for violating it, see [[Laws]] §206.

Criminal processing should not take more than a few minutes at most. Don't needlessly waste time with additional questioning and interrogation until they're already properly arrested. Detained prisoners are the responsibility of the arresting officer or, if one volunteers, another officer, the supply specialist, or the warrant officer.

'''''The time you took for bringing the suspect in and the time you spend questioning are NOT to be calculated into this. This is the pure time someone spends in a cell staring at the wall.'''''

Upon arrest of a criminal, follow the following steps.

# State the main reason for their arrest, even if you have already. This is not required, but it's good practice.
# Bring the suspect to Security Processing. If paying a fine will replace jail time, offer them the chance to pay the fine before proceeding. This is assuming they have not paid the fine already and had to be handcuffed in the first place. If the fine is paid, skip to the final step. Otherwise, continue.
# Search the individual for contraband and question them as necessary. Empty pockets, remove accessories such as webbing off their uniform, check their PDA for stolen/illegal cartridges, check their headset for illegal/stolen encryption cards, check their shoes for knives, check anything and everything that could contain items. If contraband or stolen property is found, charge them accordingly. See [[Laws]] for details. Anything else ''not'' considered contraband but still may compromise the security of the cell (such as a chef's kitchen knife, or an engineer's tools) should also be temporarily confiscated and returned after the sentence is served.
# The warrant officer, or if one is not present, a ranger should determine the validity of any charges based upon evidence gathered or witnesses present. Example, a marshal officer says he saw a prospector break a window and the prospector says it was broken when he found it. The window is indeed broken, but the one witness is not enough and the prospector may be telling the truth. Best judgement is advised.
# Calculate sentencing based on the total charges. '''Multiple instances of the same offense counts in this case.''' For example, if a suspect stole three items, you cannot charge them theft three times. If they have already been arrested for the same crime during that shift, follow [[Laws#Modifiers_.26_Special_Situations|the laws on special circumstances]].
# Update the prisoner's security records accordingly. Set their status to "Imprisoned".
# Return the prisoner's PDA and headset to their person. If you cannot provide them with their original headset and PDA for suspected security reasons, you must provide at least a basic headset and a temporary PDA. All prisoners are entitled to some kind of communication device unless the privilege is abused, or the device is evidence for a crime (such as a PDA with incriminating logs).
# Follow security privacy laws, and inform those that need to be informed, depending on the severity of the crime. You have no authority to demote anyone.
# Escort the prisoner to their cell, preferably with another officer to aid you. Bring any of their belongings that you did not confiscate.
# Find a vacant cell and buckle the prisoner to the bed. If the sentence is longer than 10 minutes, they are required to wear an orange jumpsuit and shoes, so change their clothes if needed.
# Put all of their belongings (besides communication) that are not evidence for a crime into the cell's locker, which will lock automatically when you start the timer.
# Set and start the timer. The door will close and the locker will be locked.
# Enter the cell with a flash at the ready and remove the prisoner's handcuffs. If possible, have a second officer present to help. It is unlawful to leave a prisoner restrained in a cell unless in solitary confinement.
# Ensure someone is monitoring the prison area for the duration of the prisoner's sentence, or at least be there when it ends.
# Wait for the sentence to expire. Proceed to final step once it has expired.
# Return all temporarily confiscated goods.
# Allow the prisoner to leave Security. Set the prisoner's status to "released" or "patrolled" depending on their conviction or there lack-of.

=== Prisoner Expectations ===
As a prisoner, you are expected to abide by certain standards. Failure to obey will result in further punishment such as solitary confinement or more brig time.
* If you are incarcerated, do not attempt escape.
* Irritating officers for amusement is a generally poor idea. Refrain from repeatedly banging upon windows.
* Attempts at suicide will be met with solitary confinement. (( Also probably a server ban. ))
* If you feel you have been unjustly incarcerated, contact the supply specialist, the warrant officer, premier, or a willing council member (in that order of first to last) to appeal your case.

=== Prisoner Rights - MOP ===
As a prisoner, you are entitled to certain rights under any circumstance, regardless of the nature of your crimes.
* All prisoners are entitled to a swift processing when being arrested and put into the brig. Longer than 1/2 of their sentence is considered a violation of this right so long as the prisoner is cooperating.
* All prisoners are entitled to medical examination and aid if requested.
* All prisoners are entitled to speak to the premier or volunteer council member for legal defense if requested.
* All prisoners are entitled to food and water if requested.
* All prisoners are entitled to be provided with clothing--preferably the standard orange prisoner jumpsuit and orange shoes.
* All prisoners are entitled to safe and reasonable cell accommodations such as functional lighting, a place to sleep, and access to the brig's communal area if serving a sentence longer than 20 minutes.

=== Executions - MOP ===
* The prisoner is informed of their punishment, and allowed to decide how they die (within reason). Suggested options include lethal injection, firing squad, plasma gassing, or, in rare cases, melee fights to the death.
* The prisoner is to be granted a final request (within reason, because obviously "let me go" or "kill this dude for me" isn't reasonable).
* The prisoner is given their last meal.
* The prisoner is escorted to the execution location under heavily armed guards, bound in a straight jacket and leg cuffs. Escorting officers are armed to kill. Lethal injections are done in medbay surgery room under supervision of a doctor, firing squad is done on the shooting range, gassing is done in toxins or a room is built by engineering, etc.
* It is required for the premier and at least three council members to be present, or an execution may not proceed.

= Armory =
There are four armories on the colony. The first is the general armory, owned by the Marshals, north of the Security Lobby. The second is the Church's Armory found in the Prime's private department. The third is the command armory, behind the private rooms of the Steward and Premier. The fourth is the Blackshield armory to the west of the Blackshield's triage room. Unless you have access, are invited, or otherwise specified, anyone in the armory is Shoot-to-Kill excluding the Premier/Steward who may have a reason to break SOP. If this is found to be untrue, proceed with an arrest and legal ramifications.
The Church Armory is only accessible by the Prime. This is only to be accessed during serious threats to the colony or church and can only be handed out to members of the church. Not following this SOP for good reason is grounds for demotion and church-related consequences.
The Command Armory is only accessible by the Premier and Steward. Stewards should arm up with their preferred guns at this location, premiers may do so. Weapons should generally not be handed out, unless the other armories are not avaliable or guns are missing. Guns from this armory should be handed out primarily to other heads of staff first.

=== Marshal Armory - MOP ===
The Marshal armory is divided into two sections - the public shop area and the storage area. Everything in the room behind the shop is the storage area. The shop has two sections, the secure area behind the windows that allows access to the display cases and front-room storage, and that of the public area in front of the desk and on the non-windoor side of the display cases. Unless asked to leave or banned from the armory shop, the public shop area is publicly accessible to anyone providing the blast doors are open. Any colonist may buy, sell or trade with the appropriate authorities there. Behind the desk is considered, similar to the armory, a secure area.
* In regards to the storage area of the armory, the Supply Specialist is the controller of the armory. They are a Marshal. When it comes to the armory, their word is law. They are responsible for handing out weapons, keeping everything stocked and inventoried, and running the shop. While the Warrant Officer, Commander and Sergeant may have access, the Supply Specialist is to be respected. If they tell you to leave, you leave. Failure to comply leaves you open to legal ramifications such as abuse of powers, grand trespass or other charges that may be levied.
* In case of a weapon request from Marshals/Blackshield, the Supply Specialist must always utilize paperwork that determines what was removed from the Armory. The weapon that gets replaced should also be noted on the paperwork and handed in with all ammo.
* In case of selling items from the armory, the Supply Specialist should keep a receipt on what item(s) were sold and how many credits were made. Any loans to the individual Marshals or the Blackshield department should likewise be recorded on a receipt for record-keeping purposes.
* If no Supply Specialist is present or available, the rank order of ownership goes to the Warrant Officer. If no Warrant Officer is present a CO, Sergeant or Premier may access the armory but only in exceptional situations; such as the need to arm other Marshals in an emergency situation. The marshal armory is not a play-thing.
* Under normal circumstances no equipment should be handed out for free to non-marshal department staff.
* In a Code-Red scenario, the armory should be fully utilized and weapons should be handed out to Marshal officers first, volunteers of Blackshield second and colonists last. These should be returned when the crisis is over or else the individual may face legal consequences. Abusing access, authority or carelessly using the resources is a reason for demotion under charges 411 or 508; depending on circumstances.
* The Department Account is trusted to the Supply Specialist to use, as well as the Warrant Officer and Blackshield CO. All personnel in these positions are trusted to use the finances responsibly to upgrade or equip the department as required. This may include purchasing weapons, allowing loans for equipment, and so on for members of the Marshal and Blackshield department.

=== Blackshield Armory - MOP ===
Similar to the Marshal armory, the Blackshield armory consists of two parts. The barracks room, containing the lathe and ammo, and the secure armory back room. The front room is considered to be a normal Blackshield room that can be accessed by Blackshield personnel as needed. The secure armory behind the blast doors is the Blackshield armory, being considered a secure room - just as the Marshal armory is.
* The Blackshield armory can be accessed by both the CO and the Sergeant, holding specialized armaments and ammunition for field actions. This gear is there to be issued when required for combat purposes or in cases of emergency. All gear within it should only be issued to Blackshield personnel and should be returned to the armory at the end of the shift.
* While the Premier, Marshal WO and Supply Specialist have access to the Blackshield armory they are not to use said access unless in an emergency situation or upon the request of Blackshield personnel over security concerns. Even when accessed by either person the issued equipment may not be issued to anyone but Blackshield personnel. Violation of this can result in either 411 or 508 charges levied against the offender.
* The Blackshield armory falls under the jurisdiction of the CO. If no CO is present, authority over the Blackshield armory falls to the Sergeant. The CO may also delegate authority over the issuing of gear from the armory to the Sergeant.
* Equipment from the Blackshield armory may be loaned to the Marshals by a CO with paperwork. All equipment must be returned unless traded for gear of equal value and usage or greater. Otherwise no sales or loans of Blackshield armory gear should occur.

= Blackshield =
=== General Duties - MOP ===
The duties of the Blackshield are first and foremost the protection of the colony and its citizens above all else. The Blackshield is on standby in the event of, but not limited to, pirate attacks, hostile dangerous fauna sightings, disappearance of the prospector team members or colonists, disappearance of mining team members, or the presence of hostiles groups such as excelsior, smugglers, or a hivemind.

The Blackshield is '''heavily recommended''' to guard the surface level of the colonies main gate at all times and should inspect all incoming and out going traffic. All exiting people should be recorded in a gate log with the time, name, and rank of the person noted down. A photograph is optional but not required. All returning colonists should be noted down in the same log in a new entry before being allowed to declare any contraband items they may have found outside the colony walls. After all contraband is declared and forfeited that are to be searched for any remaining contraband. Finding anything the searched person didn't announce is considered valid grounds to charge them with a §106 or §206 depending on the severity of the item in question.

[[Example_Paperwork#Gate_Log|Gate log forms can be found here. All people entering and exiting should be logged on a new line each time.]]
* The Form should show the name of the individual or group members leaving, their intended designation and a rough estimate of their return time.
* If a colonist lacks equipment such as armor, weapons or refuses to put on suit sensors, this should also be noted.

All Blackshield members should adhere to these procedures.
* All Blackshield staff must be armed with a minimum one long-arm (rifles,shotgun,ect) or short-arm (smg,saw-off,ect) type weapon, one pistol type weapon, and one deadly melee weapon. Blackshield members are required to have at least two magazines worth of lethal quality ammunition for any weapons they carry and may choose to carry non-lethal.
* All Blackshield staff may request a different weapon from the armory. They have to respect the authority of the Supply Specialist if one is available. If not, the Warrant Officer is the highest authority of the Armory followed by the Commander and then Sergeant. An armory request form has to be filled out and if a Commander or Sergeant is available, approved by them first via signature or stamp. A request may be refused at anytime for any reason.
* All Blackshield staff are required to carry, either on their person or within their bag, one suit of body armor and one helmet.
* Blackshield staff under no circumstance during code green should loan their equipment, munitions, or weapons out to any colonist, including the marshals unless during a code blue or higher scenario.
* Blackshield staff are authorized and encouraged to act as members of security if no marshals are present on site. If marshals are present however, they should provide support only when asked. They may make arrests, investigate crimes, or detain criminals even during code green as required. When Blackshield staff members act as a member of the marshals, all orders, even from a standard officer, must be obeyed and take priority even over the Blackshield commander.

===General Guidelines - MOP===
* Calling non-Blackshield ‘Civilian’ or ‘Citizen’ is derisive and is to be avoided. Blackshield is a militia, and in no way is above another colonist outside of their assigned role, '''this is not a military'''.
* You are serving in the Blackshield to serve the colony. In most circumstances, this goes hand in hand with your own goals, however there is nothing stopping you from playing like any other colonist.
* Remaining calm in challenging circumstances will reinforce a professional appearance, however there is room for leeway in regards to how you handle these situations. So long as a situation is handled with minimal casualties, the situation is handled.
* The past of members of Blackshield is irrelevant. Whether criminal, prior military, pirate, machine, or ghost, all members of the militia are given equal opportunity for advancement and acceptance so long as they prove competent during training, and during their assigned daily tasks. Volunteers additionally are given equal opportunity to be accepted.
* Orders from the Commander and Sergeant, in that order, are to be followed where possible, unless doing so breaks the law. If either the Commander or the sergeant gives you an order you cannot follow without breaking the law, telling them clearly that you can not follow that order is better than making a scene.
* The Premier and the Steward hold no authority over any department, and as such their orders hold no weight. However, if they give you a suggestion that is in good faith and advisory, it may be wise to listen to them. However, they may be requested to vacate any area within the Blackshield sector, or the Gatehouse, at the attending Marshal's or Blackshield's preference. They may also, at the behest of a Corpsman, Sergeant, or Commander, be asked to remain off the Blackshield Channel.
* Other command staff may be designated as someone acceptable to take orders from below the Sergeant within specific circumstances. For example, the Chief Research Overseer may be designated as a temporary superior if providing security at a dig site.
* Members of the Blackshield may use and customize their firearms or weaponry as they desire, using whatever energy, projectile, and melee weapon they desire. In the case of better or more fitting non-standard equipment existing within the armory, Blackshield personnel may request better armaments from the Supply Specialist and/or Blackshield Commander within reason. (Such as exchanging out standard-issue 7.5 boltgun for a .257 Kalash, .35 Bullpup, or any other weapon that is considered carbine-sized or above).
* Blackshield equipment cannot be sold without facing legal ramifications. If you want new equipment, either through purchase or requisition, return your prior equipment to your locker, or to the Armory if requesting equipment from there.
* '''Important:''' Blackshield are not allowed to mine within the Gulag, as it is a location for convicted prisoners or debt defaulters to work. This '''cannot''' be overruled by the Blackshield Commander under any circumstances. Furthermore, Blackshield cannot use it as a mining operation area unless for specific rare situations where materials are needed and Lonestar is a) not around or b) unable to provide in a timely manner. Marshals can charge the Blackshield that misuse the Gulag with 301. Demotions might be issued out if it is a continued issue, either by the Commander or the Brigadier.
* Most importantly, the purpose and jobs of Blackshield are to mainly handle external (At only the gates, perimeter, and beyond those) matters, not internal. Choosing to do Marshal work when there are '''active''' Marshals working on said matters is already covered and can result in charges/fines. For Corpsmen and medical, the duties of the Corpsmen are strictly for Blackshield and external situations. Under most circumstances, a Corpsman should not be actively providing medical aid inside of the colony whilst there are medical staff on duty. Appropriate charges/fines can and will be placed, however, if there are no active Marshals to carry that out, then Medical will null the entirety of Blackshield's right to free treatments, and proceed to thusly charge '''all''' of Blackshield.

===Gate Operations - MOP===
Due to close contact with Prospectors and other personnel, as well as being the main entrance to the colony, the Gate and the Fence are important to protect, patrol, and operate around. The gate is also the one place where the Blackshield retains full law enforcement authority. By default, it is recommended that there should always at least be one trooper, corpsman, or the sergeant at the gate.
The gate is to remain bolted on both sides at all times when troopers are present. When people arrive, unlock the side they are on and allow them to come through, then bolt the door again to allow them to be searched without fear of their running away.

All command staff, '''barring the Warrant Officer, Steward, and Premier''', are authorized to depart the colony of their own volition and have access to the doors as a result.
Non-command staff, barring Prospectors and Marshals, have no access to the gates. They should be allowed through if they wish to leave.
When individuals are leaving the gate, bound for the forest, they are not necessary to search and it’s advisable to not search them unless there’s reasonable suspicion of contraband. Notify them that they will be searched on return, however.

For proper logging, a trooper, corpsman, or sergeant is to ask that the individual show their ID, state their destination, and for medevac purposes, are to turn on their suit sensors to maximum if they are not already on. Colonists leaving the colony '''alone''' are to be informed that if Blackshield is to perform a medevac to rescue the colonist, that a 800 credit fee will be incurred immediately and paid to a Blackshield member. The cost of used medical supplies and ammunition is not included in the 800 credit medevac fee, and additional charges may be accrued for their use. A colonist cannot be charged a medevac bill if they were retrieved right from the middle of the gates by Blackshield, nor right in front of them.
If a colonist, prospector, etc, fails to properly follow these three simple requests, Blackshield can deny them their right to leave the colony on these grounds (Hunters are exempt from this). The only ones that cannot be denied are command staff. Only orders by Marshals, the Sergeant, and the Blackshield Commander can keep command staff from leaving, so long as there is a reason behind them.

On returning, all individuals must be searched. '''This includes the Commander, Warrant Officer, other Blackshield, and other Marshals.''' A full search is authorized from the start, including the bag, pockets, wallets, boxes, and other storage items. If they refuse to comply, cuffing them for the search is authorized.
If contraband is found in the bag, detainment is authorized and the individual must be requested, first, to voluntarily allow cuffing. If they refuse, forced cuffing is authorized.
After detainment and a full search, alert the Marshals to the detainment, move the individual to the gate cell, and await arrival of the Marshals to allow them to take custody of the individual.
If the individual in question with contraband is a member of Blackshield or the Marshals, and they didn’t report that they were bringing contraband for destruction or holding, the relevant command should be notified and previous procedure followed.
Failure to do a proper search, or even a search at all, can be grounds for dismissal. If a situation occurs because a trooper did not search the individual at the gates and collect contraband items that were used by the individual, they can be charged with §301, Negligence. Officer discretion is heavily advised in this matter.

Patrols must be carried out along the fence every so often to ensure that the fence itself is intact and there are no hostile creatures at the perimeter that the turrets did not handle.
In the event of a hole in the fence, call for the Guild to mend it, then stand guard. Ensure that all on the Blackshield or Marshal channel are notified of the damage. Take note of the hole in the fence. If it was a clean cut, someone likely cut in or out. If the broken grille is visible, it may have been a creature but was also likely someone breaking in or out.
Movement to blue alert may be necessary.

===Relationship with the Marshals and the Colony===
The relationship with the Marshals is one of cooperation. The Blackshield provides the external security, and the Marshals the internal. They are two parts of the colony’s defense, and should work together when it comes to said defense. The Commander and the Warrant Officer, both command staff, are expected to work together, share resources as needed, share comms, and be willing to reach out to the other if needed.

'''It should be noted, however, that if there is no Marshals, Blackshield may step in as colony Law Enforcement.''' Militia intervention in civil legal matters is likely to result in injuries if left unchecked, however, and for the most part the use of weapons unless strictly required is barred. In the event that weaponry is required, nonlethals, followed by less-than-lethals (rubbers/beanbags), followed by lethals is the order that must be followed.

If the Warrant Officer, or other Marshal personnel, requests Blackshield assistance to augment their manpower, or to deal with high risk suspects, the Commander or Sergeant can and should authorize Troopers to aid the Marshals, but is not required to do so. In such circumstances, the Marshals they accompany are their temporary superiors.
The Warrant Officer is not to command Blackshield to act in lieu of a Commander or Sergeant, but Troopers can and should, but are not required to, willingly assist using their own initiative.

In the event that there is a severe external threat to the colony (ex. Xenomorph swarms), the Commander is able to request Marshal assistance to supplement their manpower. As with the opposite, the Warrant Officer can and should authorize Marshal assistance, but is not required to do so. Any Marshals that assist are placed under temporary Blackshield orders. Likewise, the Commander is not to command the Marshals in lieu of a Warrant Officer. Marshals can and should, but are not required to, willingly assist using their own initiative.

Other command staff may request Blackshield assistance where applicable. For example, a Chief Research Overseer requesting troopers to help protect a high-risk dig site may be authorized at the discretion of the Commander or Sergeant. If neither exist, Troopers can willingly assist, but are recommended not to unless prudent.

===Relationship with the Prospectors - ROP===
The Relationship with the Marshals aside, Prospectors share a large amount of interaction with Blackshield. This includes, but is not limited to, asking for escort to dangerous away sites, searches upon return due to their primary role of being outside the colony, medical evacuations, and so on. This does not mean that the Prospectors are well liked by Blackshield, however, or vice versa.

Blackshield may, '''upon approval by a Foreman or with approval of the Blackshield Commander''' (Both is preferable, if available), give an escort to Prospectors should they be heading into dangerous areas that they believe they are not equipped for, as per their goal of defending the colony and its colonists. The Foreman or requesting prospector/salvager (if accepted by the commander) should draft out a form that is signed and, if applicable, stamped, to pay for Blackshield's assistance. This form should include the following:

* The time you wish to leave, as well as where you are heading.
* The estimated danger that comes where you are going. This includes whether there will be turrets, abandoned defense systems, Greyson Security Units, a large amount of Spiders, so on, and so forth.
* The items specifically offered to Blackshield as payment for their services. This includes weaponry, tools, equipment, design disks, and materials. If items are not specified, a percentage should be specified, which is a minimum of 30% to Blackshield for the assistance.
* If the last point is not filled out in forms of equipment, a financial option is available. Prospectors may pay for Blackshield assistance in the form of credits, with a fee of 400 per Blackshield Trooper or Sergeant assigned, 600 if a Corpsman is assigned to assist, as well as additional fees for Ammunition and Medical Supplies required for use by Blackshield personnel during the escort.
* A signature of the approving Foreman and/or approving Blackshield Commander, and the requesting Prospector and/or requesting Salvager.
* A Stamp of the Blackshield Commander and/or Foreman who authorized the escort.

[[Example_Paperwork#Blackshield_Escort_Request|Or, an example paper can be found here.]]

Failure to abide by the proper procedure means that criminal charges may be pressed in the event of an escort. For example, if no items that are listed on a manifest are given, Prospectors or Salvagers may be charged for failure to pay for an escort. Defaulting on a Debt is the proper charge to use in this case, until the Credits for the escort, as explained above, are given to Blackshield by the department.

Should Blackshield take items that are not listed on the manifest, or take items at all should the financial option have been taken, they may be charged with Theft, as due to salvage claims that is property of the Prospectors, Salvagers, and Foreman respectively.

===Medevac shuttle - MOP===
The medevac shuttle near the gatehouse is to be operated for the sole purpose of medivacs that are conducted by Blackshield. This shuttle can go to several locations on the planet of Amethyn. In the instance a medevac has to be done, follow normal Blackshield protocol in forming a group before boarding the shuttle. However, bring at least three members if using the shuttle. The shuttle is the safest and also fastest form of travel currently.
* When operating the shuttle, always make sure occupants are buckled down, no one is standing behind the engines, and that the shuttle's door is closed and bolted.
* The usage of the medivac shuttle does not make the Blackshield medevac bill increase from 800.
* Remain buckled during travel to destinations. When the shuttle has landed, armed personnel are to exit out of the shuttle first and ensure the surrounding area is clear before proceeding to rescue colonists.
* As a precaution to prevent hijacking or sabotage of the shuttle, a armed guard of at least one is to remain with the shuttle.
* Upon returning to the shuttle with the wounded, use the body scanner and sleeper during the trip back to stabilize them before taking them to Soteria medical.
* The Marshals also have the authority to use the medevac shuttle for the rare occasion of collecting a colonist from the Lodge if there have been issues with them, or to capture/intercept a criminal out in the wilderness. Blackshield can be requested to come along and are recommended to accept such requests unless there is only one, then it is to be immediately denied so that the colony is not left unguarded in a official capacity.
All Blackshield, Marshals, and heads of staff can access the shuttle. For marshals, they are to follow the above if leaving the colony in the medevac shuttle. For heads of staff, refer to the Council SOP. The Blackshield Commander may choose to use the medevac shuttle in other situations but cannot order the use of the shuttle if there are no immediate medevacs to be done, or situations. The Commander however is authorized to train personnel on use of the shuttle from time to time.

===Deep Maintenance - MOP===
This area is a extremely dangerous and hostile location, even the most veteran and well equipped colonist, Federation soldier, or anyone else, stand a high chance of dying.

As has been debated many times weather or not its inside or below the colony, one thing for sure is that it is an anomalous location has no actual physical location as such it is therefore considered a external area, which Blackshield holds authority over. Due to how dangerous, anomalous, and hellish the tunnels are however, Blackshield and Marshals are heavily encouraged to work together in handling these tunnels for whatever reasons.

Blackshield holds direct authority when in regards of handling any and all external matters, however, in the case of deep maints, Blackshield should allow the Marshals or any other department to reinforce or back them up.

If a colonist requires a medevac from deep maints itself, the medevac fine may tripled due to just how dangerous deep maints itself is, and the chances of running into genetic abominations that can multiply and dissolve bodies in order to do so.

[[Category:Guides for New Players]]
[[Category:Lore]]
{{Gameplay guides}}