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Acting Commanding Officer Quick Guide

Command Standard Operating Procedure

Command roles are intended to lead and coordinate the station. Command should enable the rest of the crew to do their jobs, and therefore should delegate tasks when reasonable to do so - not overstep and/or push crew out of doing their own roles - and should avoid being in the front line of combat whenever possible. Following these guidelines in good faith is the core of command expectations.

Captain or Acting Commanding Officer

The Captain is the officer legally appointed by Nanotrasen in charge of the station, and is the final word in all station affairs, unless Central Command becomes directly involved. Captain is the formal title, while the legal title is Commanding Officer or CO.

The title of Acting Commanding Officer may only be taken on by the Executive Officer, in the event of no Captain being present, or the Captain becoming incapacitated or otherwise unavailable to lead the station. It is not mandatory for members of command to take on the role of Executive Officer/Acting Commanding Officer in the absence of a Captain, but it is encouraged when possible.

The Captain's primary duty is to ensure the safety and survival of the crew aboard their station. Their secondary duty is to ensure the safety and security of the station itself and its assets. Their tertiary duty is to ensure the smooth operation of the station's various departments. To this end, the Captain should be capable of operating and leading all departments at a passable level of proficiency, to ensure the continued operation of the station in the event of departmental staff shortages.

Captain's Authority:

Due to the complex and unpredictable nature of events that may unfold on any given shift, the Captain (or ACO) is given the right to modify Space Law, Standard Operating Procedure, and Alert Procedure when necessary. Any modification must be announced to the station, and Central Command should be notified of the deviation as soon as possible. Abuse or misuse of this authority will have severe consequences.

Executive Officer

The Executive Officer (XO) is any member of command selected by the Captain to function as a second-in-command of the station. The XO may be delegated tasks and situations to handle by the Captain, or take independent action to preserve the safety of the station and crew during life threatening emergencies.

When acting in an official capacity, operating under direct orders from the Captain to handle a task or situation, the XO's authority is second only to the Captain's, and may give direct orders to all other crew. During non-emergency circumstances, with the Captain available and on-station, and with no task explicitly assigned by the Captain, the XO has no additional authority or duties, and should not overstep into using their expanded access or giving orders outside the scope of their original role.

In the absence of a Captain, the XO is chosen by majority vote of all members of Command. The result of this vote must be stamped and signed by all available members of Command, then faxed to Central Command. Afterwards the elected XO will immediately become the station's Acting Commanding Officer, until a Nanotrasen appointed Captain arrives to take command of the station. The title, access, and equipment of the XO are not immediately revoked by the arrival of the Captain, but may be revoked and a new XO selected at any time if the Captain chooses.

The XO should equip the station's spare master encryption key (found in the vault fridge), modify their ID to have all accesses, and include "XO" or Executive Officer in their title. At their discretion, the XO has the right to requisition and carry a sidearm of their choice on any alert level.

Due to potential conflicts of interest and overlapping duties, the Head of Security is forbidden from becoming the XO/ACO, and the Administrative Assistant should only be considered for XO/ACO duties when no other members of Command are willing to take the role.

Departmental Heads

Departmental Heads are expected to have comprehensive knowledge of the function of their department, and must be ready and able to personally fulfill any task within the department as necessary. However their primary duty is organizing their department and ensuring that it operates smoothly.

Under normal non-emergency circumstances, departmental heads should attempt to delegate the majority of the hands-on work to other members of the department, and focus their own efforts organizing their department, teaching when necessary, and coordinating with the rest of Command.

Administrative Assistant

The Administrative Assistant (AA) is a full member of command, and is intended to act as a coordinator and communicator. The AA's primary duty is managing information and relaying that critical information to command, departments, and the crew. Their secondary duty is to assist in any department, or with any task as requested by the Captain, XO, or department heads.

The AA has a level of access second only to the Captain and XO. However this access is never to be used to do the job of any department, unless specifically requested by the relevant departmental head, the Captain, or the XO.

The AA is especially forbidden from independently acting as security or an investigator for security, or granting security personnel access to departmental restricted areas without permission or request from the relevant department head, Captain, or XO. During red alert or higher, the AA may use their access to grant free movement through the station to security personnel when necessary.

Emergency Spare Captain ID

The emergency spare ID is authorized for use by any member of command during emergency situations. When there is no CO, the emergency spare ID may be used sparingly by any member of command to solve general access issues, such as providing access to anomalies, power, and medical supplies, without taking on the mantle of XO/ACO.

Executive Officers are authorized to use this spare ID to update their own ID card to all-access. In the event of an emergency where the ID cabinet is locked but inaccessible to Command IDs, Command Staff are fully authorized to breach the ID cabinet by force. The spare ID should be returned and locked in its cabinet when not immediately needed for active use.

Combat Involvement

Members of Command should generally prioritize their own safety and the safety of the crew over directly engaging enemy combatants.

The Captain, XO, and in dire circumstances, other armed Command members, may attempt to provide covering fire or otherwise support Security personnel while minimizing personal risk. However Command should always endeavor to not impede Security personnel by taking to the front lines of conflict, and should try to utilize their command remote to open doors or enable emergency access to grant Security access whenever possible and appropriate.

The Head of Security should focus on coordinating their department, and avoid the front lines of combat situations when other security personnel are readily available. However considerably more leeway is afforded to the Head of Security than other members of Command, for directly engaging in combat as needed.

If the station's Security personnel have fallen in combat, it is far more important for Command to take steps to lead the station to safety, than to directly engage the enemy combatants. This can include notifying Central Command of the emergency situation and requesting aid, taking steps to deputize and arm the crew, or attempting to get the crew to safety by calling for evac.

Restricted Equipment

Departmental Heads may delegate the use of their exclusive equipment to any crew member as they deem necessary, and should (but are not required to) write a permit for the equipment. Captains may delegate their exclusive equipment to other members of Command, Security, or Dignitaries, but must stamp and sign a permit for its usage, and send a copy of this permit to Central Command as soon as possible.

Command Staff may dispense their own exclusive equipment without reprimand if they feel that it will actively prevent loss of life amongst the crew and/or critical station damage. Should the Nuclear Authentication Disk be lost or stolen, Central Command must be notified immediately.

High Security Areas

High Security Areas are defined as: Department Head, Dignitary, and Captain's Quarters, Armory, Vault, Tech Vault, AI Core, Holding Cells, Genpop/Perma, and the Bridge.

Members of Command and Dignitaries are forbidden from allowing guests to loiter in High Security Areas, other than their own personal quarters, without a strong reason. Notably this does not cover the Conference Room or Command Bar, which may be used for discussion and to entertain guests unless it becomes disruptive to other members of Command.

Hiring & Dismissal

Department Heads

Department Heads may be hired by the Commanding Officer. Whenever possible, Acting Department Heads should be chosen from existing members of that department. Acting Department Heads must be fitted with mindshield implants.

Nanotrasen appointed Department Heads may only be dismissed from their position by majority vote of all active Command members , or at the discretion of the Commanding Officer, with the Magistrate or Central Command's agreement. Acting Department Heads may be dismissed from their position at any time by the Commanding Officer.

If an Acting Department Head has been hired and a Nanotrasen appointed Department Head arrives on station, all powers, accesses, and exclusive items given to the Acting Department Head should be returned. However, the Nanotrasen appointed Department Head may at their discretion choose to retain the Acting Department Head in their position and share the role's responsibilities.

Crew

Crew may be hired into any department by the relevant Department Head, or by the Commanding Officer in their absence. Crew may be simultaneously employed in multiple departments, if needed and agreed upon by the relevant Department Heads and/or Commanding Officer in their absence.

Crew may be dismissed from their employment for the shift at any time, at the relevant Department Head discretion, or in their absence the Commanding Officer's discretion. Dismissal should only be done with cause, such as criminal activity, company policy violations, etc. The Commanding Officer may not overrule a Nanotrasen selected Department Head's decision in this regard, unless taking the drastic step of invoking Captain's Authority.

Mutiny

Removing a Commanding Officer is considered an act of mutiny, but may be necessary in some situations. Legally removing a Commanding Officer requires a strong cause (criminal activity, gross incompetence, dereliction of duty, etc) and majority vote of Command members, or a Magistrate's decision with Central Command's approval.

The decision, including the reasoning for it, must be signed and stamped by all Command members who are in agreement, and sent to Central Command immediately. Following the removal of the Commanding Officer, a new Executive Officer should be selected, following the procedures laid out in the Executive Officer section of this document.

All personnel, and especially security, are required to follow the orders of the new Executive Officer/Acting Commanding Officer, and ignore those of the previous Commanding Officer. Failure to do so must be immediately reported to Central Command.