User:Cdb

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement

SFSA(Sol Federal security administration)- SFEC(sol federal enforcement corps) + SFDSI(Sol Federal department of Special Investigations) + SFJA(solfed judicial authority)

Law and Order within the Federation is as one may expect - Brutally "Efficient" and in many cases bureaucratically intense. The Federations willingness to crush opposition beneath their boot extends far past the durasteel-clad assault forces to the myriad of legal agencies under their control.

Broadly speaking, the Federation Justice system is divided into two parts; the Judicial system administered by the SFJA(Solfed Judicial Authority) a wing of the Federation military command and the SFSA(SolFed Security Administration) a branch of the Federation Military that traces its lineage back to the now defunct Sol-Gov Armed Forces.

For the average Citizen, the Criminal Justice system is no doubt a largely inscrutable and cold thing. Though serving within one of the many divisions of Sol-Fed law enforcement is a fairly popular way to spend ones mandatory service the extensive politicking that takes place behind the scenes rarely affords such short-serving citizens any real glimpse at the structures within. For most, their day to day life will include at least one interaction with a member of the Federal Gendarmerie or other Military Police - whether it be while traveling through checkpoints and customs or simply witnessing them keeping the streets safe. The Federation can certainly be said to do an admirable job of keeping the image of their Law Enforcement sanitary iin the minds of the public.

Those who Lack citizenship and those from poor or disenfranchised worlds(particularly those disavowed for their betraying during the first founding) will find their experience markedly different. Many colonies of little strategic significance to the Federation have a minimal presence of Enforcers often clustered around what passes for the systems Garrison and the average denizens interactions with them will be short at best, violent at worst. Additionally, those Fringe worlds that sit on the edge of the Federation have the unfortunate honor of falling within the Jurisdiction of the Colonial Security Division(Or, the Colonial Subjugation Division to some), a wide-roaming task force that investigates reports of dissidence and malcontents within the fringes who may threaten the stability of the Core Worlds.

SFEC - Peacekeeping

Known by many names, the SFEC or Sol-Fed Enforcement Corps serve as the Militant arm of the Solarian justice system and make up the vast majority of Law Enforcement Agents on the ground. The SFEC largely serves in a defense and peacekeeping role within worlds considered Culturally, Financially or Strategically important to the Federation and make up the vast majority of SFSA boots on the ground and serve an important role within the Doctrine utilized by the Sol-Fed Justice system.

SFDSI - Criminal

The solfed department of special investigations serves as the civil branch of the criminal justice system. While outwardly presented as a single cohesive organization, it is in fact made up of numerous smaller departments, sub-departments, task forces and similar. Everything from the Solar system defense forces to colonial security division, and even the many individual anti-pirate/anti-terrorism forces that exist within the core worlds.

The department of special investigations is generally the first line of the federations response to criminal threats. Typically deployed at the request of SFEC or local planetary police forces when their resources are insufficient to deliver a satisfactory result or where concerns individuals of especial importance to the Federation(Amongst the SolFed armed forces it is something of an open secret that the SFDSI spends an inordinate amount of their time conducting investigations in a fashion that is not likely to rouse the ire of particularly wealthy or influential members of the Federation ruling class - Not until sufficient evidence is produced to depose their privileged position.)

Amongst the more notable divisions within the department are the colonial security division, a particularly broad reaching collection of smaller task forces composed of 12 to 40 agent teams operating from Patrol-Frigates that serve as mobile bases. The CSD handles matters of crime within the federation's many integrated colonies and has been known to use a particularly heavy hand when dealing with them, a matter often attributed to the Federations characterization of the Colonies as shiftless and criminal, barely kept from anarchy by the Federations constant attentions. Many colonies will have their first ever interaction with the security administration through these individuals many of whom display a marked lack of respect for the colonies, their people and their laws. Despite this, a handful of systems have expressed a fondness for the CSD owing perhaps to a particularly Pro-Sol outlook, luck in prior interactions or in some cases being designated as "official Solarian colonies"- those worlds colonized by Sol during it's reconstruction era and elevated above the fist founding colonies so oft demonized.

SFJA - Judicial

The SFJA or SolFed Judicial Authority serves as one may guess as the Judicial branch of the Federation, counting amongst its number Judges, Lawyers, Legal experts and a host of bureaucrats who ensure the wheels of law spin frictionless; though whether or not they succeed at that is currently an open question.

While theoretically a separate and sovereign agency from the SFSA it is something of an open secret to much of the Federation that the two are essentially sides of the same coin, though to speak of such would no doubt be perceived as terribly gauche- Or Particularly dangerous thought. While such a system is markedly efficient at processing "criminals" at speeds once thought impossible it is not without its downsides. Though the SFJA does hold trials and tribunals alike to determine guilt and allow the accused a chance to plead their case these run a predictable gamut from 'Highly Biased' to 'Flagrantly Extrajudicial' and in spite of the best efforts of the Federation the Courts biases are known and acknowledged with hushed tones at all levels of society, having a particularly poor reputation with political dissidents for its constant overreach of Judicial Authority.

Though Officially the Federation boasts a sort of Freedom of Expression, this claim rings largely hollow in the face of functional Thought Crimes; What one might call a "reasoned critique of the Federations failings" the Judiciary may well call "Terroristic Misinformation", what many would agree are "Whistleblowing against military authority that has overstepped its bounds" the Judiciary would call "Treason, Breach of State Secrets and Military Privacy". For these reasons, and more - landing in front of the court is perceived as something of a 'Game Over' for those without both extravagant wealth and massive political clout within the Federations Military. While to some this may appear as an Anathema to the idea of justice, it serves as a potent deterrent and a crucial piece of the Federations Good cop/Bad cop/Worst cop approach to law - Paying a hefty tithe to the SFEC and spending a dozen years in a penal colony may not appeal, but when the alternative is public shaming by trial followed by being placed against the wall many will choose the lesser of two evils.

Despite these many baked in failings, The SFJA does serve one arguably legitimate purpose within the scope of the federation, and that is as an arbiter between the federation's many military and civil departments. Disagreements, jurisdictional concerns and similar that cannot be ironed out between these departments, ultimately fall to the SFJA who the Solar military will often find to be reasonable and even handed in their application of the law as written. This blatant hypocrisy and favoritism is not widely known to the populace who tend to only see the courts harsh handling of dissidents, terrorists and similar malcontents with a common adage being that 'Justice is a Harsh Mistress'.

While the SFJA does maintain a wide array of lawyers and other legal experts who fill in a variety of administrative roles within the federation, they very rarely see court. Largely it is the judges and magistrates within the federation who serve within the court and cases are left to be litigated by the DSI or enforcement corps.

The accused are in theory allowed a legal counsel. However, it is very rare that low-prestige lawyers lacking political connections will take up cases from those who are not already highly situated within federation society. It is seen as something of career suicide to represent a malcontent. However, those with the political pull or funds will find that the justice system can be made to bend towards something more closely resembling fairness and justice - if only barely.

In addition to serving administrative, legal functions and judicial functions, the SFJA also maintains a number of the smaller legally oriented departments within the federation- including the judicial affairs group, The federation military and law enforcements internal affairs department. Made up of both SFEC and SFDSI with a proven track record of loyalty to the federation and storied career, the JAG are largely concerned with investigating reports of disloyalty, insufficient application of the law and softness on radical elements. Within the law enforcement divisions of the federation they have a mixed reputation, being made up of many who of those within the law enforcement divisions considered heroes Francis certain prestige to the department, but they're often single-minded pursuit of perceived justice and paranoia, even in the face of their quote" brothers and sisters means that many within the SFEC and SFDSI do not trust them

Within the Military of the Federation they have something of a mixed reputation. While many of the men and women who serve within the JAG are hailed as heroes across a dozen worlds or more, their single-minded pursuit of perceived Traitors and abject Paranoia even in the face of their Brothers and Sisters in arms leaves a sour taste in the mouth of many.

Enforcement Doctrine

Though Solarian Enforcement Doctrine is spelled out in rigid terms throughout tens of thousands of pages of documents, manuals and guides, painting a picture of a harsh but fair system where the Enforcement Corps keep the peace, the DSI investigates wrongdoing and the Judiciary try accused to determine guilt through strictly objective means - those within the Judicial and Law Enforcement branch and count themselves amongst the upper echelons or who have spent extended periods within service to Sols Justice often find that Justice is guided less by the words on a page and more by a variety of incentives and common cultural beliefs within these agencies. Those who often draw the ire of the federation and, for one reason or another fail to earn a messy death might even manage to suss out the details of a system that rewards the swift more than the just and which grinds down all within its path.

Escalation broadly occurs as such with the Local unfederated police forces serving as the first point of contact where concerns matters of legality. The means in which these local forces handle such matters are as broad ranging as they are poorly standardized - The federation is often all too happy to allow two systems of law to exist side by side(After all, that offers potentially twice as many opportunities to drop the sword of Damocles on their many enemies) and thusly it is a fools errand to attempt to categorize them in this way. Should the local forces find themselves unable or unwilling to handle a matter due to issues of resistance, financial or political complication or in some cases the complexity of the alleged criminal act itself - the matter may be raised to the SFDSI for inquiry.

Matters raised to the SFDSI for inquiry are, typically....immediately sent back down the chain, barring exigent circumstances or matters involving the politically or financially connected(A general belief that local forces are more likely to interfere with Federation business where concerns the wealthy and important is widespread within the DSI). If such buck-passing proves infeasible for one reason or another the DSI may launch a formal investigation and assign one or more of their many task forces to head the matter. Among dozens or hundreds of sub-divisions within the DSI there are a few shared tactics - Strong-arming, High-pressure interrogations and extensive threats of escalation are all particularly popular, even the potential threat of an SFEC raid is often enough to urge any involved parties to cave to the DSIs demands(Typically, immediate surrender and admission as well as full cooperation with their investigation).

Should such ploys fail, or should by some chance the DSI themselves be repelled via force - or simply not cooperated with. They will typically call for one of their own many "specialized"(see; militarized) task forces to take point, or in the case of especially potent resistance; Request a SFEC 'Special Situation Resolution' team. While it is not unheard of for individuals or groups to escape such efforts it is not common. By the time one has roused the Federations ire it is typically too late to simply walk away and in cases of violent resistance ones fate is quite likely to perish or fall into federation hands in a raid. Should one escape, they will find themselves hounded by CSD Manhunters who will stop at nothing to return the accused to Federation space and wash the blemish of their escape from the Federations record.

If one is so unlucky as to not die in such a raid, they will typically be brought before whichever individual engineered their capture, at which point they may have one of several choices. It is a commonly accepted tactic amongst those on the wrong side of the law to 'tithe' wealth towards the SFEC/SFDSI/SFJA simultaneous to offering full cooperation moving forward - Procedural loopholes exist and are easily exploited to allow the department responsible for capturing a suspect to keep any wealth extracted from them during the course of the investigation except in truly extraordinary cases. Should this fail to occur, the individual in question will either be given a summary judgement or taken before the SFJA who will themselves consider the case and render a judgement.

Being brought before the SFJA is typically the end of the line for any who have trespassed severely against the federation. While those of especially great wealth and connection may be able to leverage these connections to assure a proper trial- The only truly fair trials are reserved for the Military and typically only in cases of mediation, not prosecution. The trial of a criminal accused of crimes against the Federation is a typically very public affair, designed as much to serve as reinforcement of the Federations power and authority as it is a mass public shaming. Assuming the accused has offered no violent or forceful resistance being brought before a Magistrate will typically return a guilty verdict without fail with penalties ranging from forced labor at best and going up from there. For those who have, demonstrably utilized any amount of force against Federation law enforcement, there is typically only one outcome; Public execution by firing squad and the seizing of all assets.

A curious and enigmatic peoples. The Aulvae have been thrust onto the stage of Nadezhda only in recent years following their discovery deep within the bowels of the lower colonies many xenoarcheological digs. 'Slimes', 'Slime People', or 'Goo' if you will. While some might see a kind and curious(If oft naïve) people, others see roiling cauldrons of acidic and toxic compounds that seek to suborn any digestible energy they come across as they bound about seeking to sate a curiosity just as pernicious as their seemingly bottomless hunger.

Quick-Start Guide.

• Their biology is unlike any other organic race, working off a macrocellular structure that is created and maintained by their core.

• They come in a myriad of colourations, with certain hues being indicative of specific sub-strands.\'

• Touch and taste are entwined into a single taste in which they experience the world through.

• They receive increased burn and brute damage but sources that would either heal or cause toxin damage are reversed and many forms of healing chem are less efficient on them.

• Aulvae are a particularly adaptable species. Though lacking bonus stats from their race their homeworld provides a +4 to all stats.

• Being an organic of novel composition your body will tend to respond differently to chems. Toxins will tend to heal, anti-toxins will tend to hurt and most basic healing chems will be less efficient.

• Your flexible limbs can reach into any bag without taking it off and are incapable of experiencing breaks! Sadly, the downside to this is that your limbs can only take so much punishment before bursting and thus requiring regeneration.

• Additional quirks of your anatomy include; fewer total organs with a tendency to have slightly haver efficiency, much higher max nutrition, slightly higher NSA cap and a significantly higher need for food. Lastly, if your nutrition is kept above 50% you'll have a small amount of natural regeneration!

• Nutrition is key to a growing slime! Whether to keep your natural regeneration going, or to power your active abilities(all of which will eat through large amounts of nutrition) you'll want to make sure you're staying topped off. Don't forget that you're not a human! You have no need to eat "good" food. Anything and everything is fair game so long as it isnt 'anti-toxic'.

• At the end of the day, you are a strang creature thrust into a strange world both new and unfamiliar. Your past is little more brief flashes and partial notes of songs long since forgotten. But that's alright! You wouldn't be an Aulvae if you weren't flexible.

Fun facts! (AKA, not-so-quick start factoids.)

• For an Aulvae, taste and touch are one in the same and meld into a singular experience and they have a particularlyt developed sense of both.

• Aulvaes resemblance to the very same slimes found in the depths of maintenance and xenobio is no coincdence! Early studies support the theory that Aulvae are infact an ancient ancestor-cousin to the adorable little cancer-inducing blobs we love so well. Aulvae might respond with anything from bemusement to terror at the revelation that all that remains of their genetic line are a rare and novel pest and xenobiological curiosity!

• Aulvae come in a wide variety of colors, many of which are indicative of developmental factors indicating distinct 'strands' with particular physiological features. Though all Aulvae have a 'natural' hue, many display an ability to adjust their appearance and hue given sufficient effort.

• The Aulvae harken from a long* lost* empire* for which very little is known. What few belongings they were found with were of a make that would be just as unlikely to survive as a fossil record as their own gelatinous form and despite having been left in a fairly advanced form of cryostorage they universaly display some degree of amnesia regarding their past.

• Despite having been maintained in a fairly advanced form of cryosleep, all Aulvae display an extensive retrograde amnesia. Many are able to recall only minor but personally significant details from their past - The face of their first love, their passion in life or even the moments leading to their interment within the ground.

• With a few notable exceptions, the Aulvae revived by the colony from the archeological dig were stricken with one form of incurable illness or another resulting in their being placed within the cryo-casket.

• Aulvae can be particularly long lived, though prior to their arrival on the colony seemed prone to death via a form of crystaline 'core-cancer' that was resistant to most forms of primitive treatements. They will generally be anywhere from eighteen to one hundred though no upper-limit has yet been found and age-dating Aulvae has proven a complicated task.

Biology

The majority of the Aulvae's biology is completely alien and incomprehensible to Soteria researchers, requiring ongoing experiments and research. So far it’s theorized that their crystalline core constantly exudes their slime-like tissue that forms into shape either consciously or subconsciously, the outer layer becoming semi-solidified and acting as an epidermis. Inner tubes of solidified slime act as a reinforcing bone-like structure that aids in keeping their humanoid form more cohesive and able to carry its own weight.

Unlike most biological creatures, for the most part Aulvae don't have anything resembling organs, instead localized groups of their tissue will temporarily form micro-structures that perform tasks as organs would. This means that even though their body is susceptible to damage, they can sustain themselves with insurmountable levels of damage to their integrity, with other parts of their body acting to transport nutrients, digest biological matter or repair their epidermis.

Culture

With no real history and their culture lost to time. The Aulvae have found themselves in an alien world completely devoid of any of their own creations. Despite this, they have shown themselves to be incredibly malleable when it comes to their culture, ethics and values, meaning they are easily integrated into foreign environments.

History

The existence of slimes has been known since the age of interstellar travel. Small, simple organisms with an incredibly unstable genome. These traits were usually researched and used as tools to create a wide variety of boons to soteria and other science-centric groups. What was not known was their origins, where said creatures came from or what type of life forms they’re related to.

After an extensive archeological dig on the east side of the mountain that housed the colony. A soteria work team happened upon what seemed like dated, completely archaic ruins. With automatic doors that seemed to work with a complete lack of power and flickering screens scrawling with an unknown script. Despite the majority of the ruins still being under strict and continued research, the one thing that was immediately taken under emergency review was an enclosed chamber filled with stasis pods.

The technology that held the stasis fields was remarkably found to still be viable, the specimens within seemed to closely resemble the slimes that the team had been well acquainted with. The main, and rather obvious distinction was their humanoid appearances, albeit alien facial features.

Upon retrieval and subsequent revival, it was found that these specimens had been as sentient as the other races found in their arm of the galactic spiral. The reasoning for their status quickly became apparent upon testing, with their genetic structure rapidly decaying. This quickly led to the conclusion that the stasis was a last-ditch effort to stave off their genetic malus.

With Soteria's own advanced research and development into genetic manipulation, it didn't take long for them to find a cure to what had caused the genetic decay that had seemingly devolved the specimens into the very slimes we know today. Out of the thirty eight initial attempts twenty five were successful, with full recovery and revival. These successes paving the way to not only revive the remainder of those still frozen within stasis, but to reverse the atavism found in their devolved descendants