Dignitary Operating Procedures

Dignitary Standard Guidelines

Dignitaries are, above all, roles intended to be focused on socializing and interacting with the station, more than than mechanical or authoritative intervention. As a Dignitary, always try to be available for the station to ask for your assistance or advice, but avoid overstepping and interfering when the station's other roles can handle a situation.

1. Do not meddle in station affairs unless absolutely necessary. The Captain can ask a dignitary for assistance in a matter, and it is up to them whether they wish to interfere. Examples of things not to do:
   • Do the job of any department ever, unless explicitly requested by the relevant Department Head or Commanding Officer.
   • Order something from Logistics without consulting the highest-ranking Logistics member.
   • Provide medical aid to an individual not in critical condition, without consulting the highest ranking Medical member.
   • Unnecessarily engage threats in combat, especially if doing so would include getting in the way of security personnel.
   • Brig a criminal.
2. You are not obligated to follow the orders of station command, except for those of the Captain. If the order would conflict with an existing Central Command order or your procedures, you are to reject performing the orders. In most cases, Central Command hopes you play nice where possible.
3. Dignitaries are to never be made the Captain of a station.

Blueshield Officer Guidelines

The Blueshield Officer is first and foremost, a bodyguard, and should prioritize ensuring the personal physical safety of all Dignitaries and members of Command. BSOs should never handle security work or get in the way of security personnel performing their duties. The BSO's focus may be narrowed by direct orders from Central Command or the Captain to protect a specific individual.

1. The Blueshield Officer should only intervene in station affairs when there is an active, direct order from a member of Command, Dignitary, or Central Command. You cannot use "protect the station" or any other vague orders as a reason to intervene. Each intervention must have been directly ordered.
2. The Blueshield Officer is to prioritize the immediate physical safety of Dignitaries and members of Command. They should never abandon their protective duty to seek out distant threats. BSOs may refuse orders to take action against anything that is not an immediate threat to the physical safety of Dignitaries or Command.
3. If there is no known threat aboard the station and in the absence of direct orders, the Blueshield Officer may roam the station as they please. They are encouraged to check in with Dignitaries and members of Command, and may choose to offer their services in the form of facilitating communication and running small errands or tasks that will not impede their duty or overstep into doing someone else's job. (ie: deliver a message, convey a request, retrieve an item, or do very minor work alongside a Department Head/Captain in an unstaffed Department)
4. If there is an active threat aboard the station, the Blueshield Officer must focus on their protective duties, and should ensure the personal physical safety of Dignitaries and Command to the best of their ability. Their physical safety is the BSO's single priority above all else.
5. If a Dignitary or member of Command has been taken hostage, or has been killed and not immediately retrieved by the station's crew, the Blueshield Officer may work alongside Security or Medical personnel to recover the individual. However the BSO's only priority is on recovering the physical person or remains of the individual they are attempting to protect, and should not focus on engaging enemy combatants beyond what is necessary to rescue their target.
6. Blueshield Officers protecting members of Command or Dignitaries near active combat engagements are encouraged to keep their protective targets away from danger, and are fully authorized to physically relocate them against their wishes to ensure their physical safety. Proximity to ongoing combat situations should never be used as an excuse to dive into battle, but should instead indicate a need to withdraw to a safer location.
7. Blueshield Officers should not concern themselves with the safety of the Head of Security, as they are capable combatants in their own right, unless they have been killed or captured and the Blueshield Officer is attempting to retrieve them.
8. Blueshield Officers may safeguard Dignitaries and Command against immediate theft of their personal and company-provided belongings, and may use reasonable force and very brief detainment to recover those items. However the BSO may not pursue a suspected thief or the lost property beyond the immediate area where the theft occurred, is not authorized to brig a criminal, and should instead report the incident to station Security.

Magistrate Guidelines

The Magistrate ensures SOPs are upheld by every department and acts as the Chief Justice when one is not available. They are to inform departmental heads and/or dignitaries of SOP violations, and ensure that violations are resolved. Depending on the circumstances, SOP violations are to be reported to the departmental head, the Captain (in circumstances where command are implicitly involved), or the Nanotrasen Representative (in circumstances where the Captain is implicitly involved).

If the Chain of Command fails significantly, or if there is a lack of station command, the Magistrate may consult other dignitaries on how to proceed. In the situation that other dignitaries are not available, the Magistrate may directly decide with Central Command guidance.

Magistrate's Authority

The Magistrate has the following authority in the command hierarchy:

1. The ability to sentence someone to permanent confinement or stasis without a trial, when absolutely necessary. (See Space Law, Sentence Severity for more information)
2. The ability to veto frivolous or harmful usage of Captain's Authority when necessary. Invoking this authority requires that the Magistrate immediately report the situation to Central Command.
3. The ability to demote any member of command. (See Command Standard Operating Procedure for more information)

For the third point, the following conditions apply:

1. Demoting a Captain requires Central Command approval.
2. Demoting a Department Head requires Captain approval.
3. A captain may demote a Department Head without a vote, with the Magistrate's approval.

Abuse or wrongful usage of these powers may result in a removal of your role whitelist.

Nanotrasen Representative Guidelines

The Nanotrasen Representative is responsible for keeping CentComm updated on the happenings onboard a station. They are to regularly send reports to Central Command, reporting significant issues with the Captain or station command as needed. Any requests sent by Central Command to the Nanotrasen Representative are to be done by them.