Space Law

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Guide to Security

If you're looking for a guide on playing Security, check out the Guide to Security page.

What is Space Law?

Space Law is a collection of rules and regulations enacted by Nanotrasen which has oversight through CentCom and is enforced by the Security Officers on the Space Station. That is to say, these are in-character rules.

Space Law applies to all ranks and positions on station, from the lowliest Assistant to the highest Captain, all are equal under the eyes of the Law and ultimately answer to her.

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Space Law Quick Reference

MXX - Modifier 0XX - Infraction CXX - Corporate 1XX - Minor 2XX - Moderate 3XX - Major 4XX - Capital SXX - Security XX Special 250cr fine 5-10 minutes 5-10 minutes 10-15 minutes 20-25 minutes Permabrig Demotion 01 Aiding/Abetting Minor Battery Insubordination Major Battery Aggravated Battery Attempted Murder Murder Excessive Force 02 Compliance Public Nuisance Wrongthink Moderate B&E/Trespass Major B&E/Trespass Severe B&E/Trespass Mutiny Privacy Violation 03 Self-Defense Defacing Dereliction Negligence Gross Negligence Abuse of Authority Station Destruction False Arrest 04 Good Samaritan Loitering, Rubbernecking Embezzlement Larceny Major Theft/Sabotage Corpse Abuse Escaping Permabrig Favoritism 05 Deconversion/Re-Education Public Indecency Impersonation Vandalism Animal Cruelty Grand Theft/Sabotage Biological Terror Improper Handling 06 Escaping Confinement Refusal to Identify Unauthorized Piloting Kidnapping/Subversion False Proceedings Accepting Bribe 07 Enemy of Corporation Harassment Vigilantism Contraband: Moderate Contraband: Major

_{The rules and regulations herein are not absolutes, instead they exist to serve mainly as guidelines for the law and order of the dynamic situations that exist for stations on the frontiers of space, as such some leeway is permitted.}

→Quick Redirect to Contraband

Sentencing

When sentencing for a crime, only pick the most severe offense committed by a criminal. Use the timer next to each brig cell to assign the appropriate time.

The arresting Security Officer (or Warden) can approve alternative punishments (such as Interrogation) as they see fit.

An arrested subject's timer begins as soon as they enter the brig, the timer does not stop if the prisoner requires medical treatment. A subject cannot be held for more than 10 minutes without a stated charge.

In the case of a conflict, the Head of Security has final say over security matters and sentencing.

The Warden has the first choice of sentencing, and must be consulted for any sentencing if they are present -- if they are not present the arresting security officer has the first choice of sentencing and similar consultation,

the HOS may overrule any sentencing decisions made, with near absolute authority,

and the captain may overrule the HOS with sufficient reasoning, and preparation to defend their reasoning before CentCom.

Pardons and Parole, for example issued in cases of compliance, operate under the same system as sentencing.

However, security is allowed to arrest the Head of Security if it is clear that they are being abusive, or dangerous to the station's well-being.

Other command staff are not in charge of security unless they are acting captain without an existing Head of Security. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the Head of Security to properly handle abusive security. A Head of Security that is enabling Security to violate procedure or encouraging them to do so can be charged with aiding and abetting in security crimes.

Crime Stacking

Crimes do not stack; only the highest crime committed applies when determining sentencing. See Sentencing FAQ for more information.

When an employee breaks Space Law, only the highest sentence is applied. This is always true, with one important detail: for every time an employee must return to the brig, all crimes committed should be applied at the next highest tier with regards to punishment. Two tiers up for two times, three tiers up for three times, et cetera.

There is no tier of crime beyond a Capital crime, any crime committed past that point should result in a summary execution.

• For example, a minor crime becomes a moderate crime if they have been to the brig before. If they go and commit a major crime afterwards, it should be treated like a capital offense. This also explicitly applies to cases where someone commits a minor crime, and then is caught later committing a major crime, justifying their delivery to the permabrig.

Permabrig

Permabrig is a location on the station manned by the Corrections Officer (or CO). It is used as a punishment for Capital offenses or for when traditional punishments are inadequate. Orange-suited interns are forced to slave away growing food and printing license plates for the rest of the round... or, to try and escape.

• Please note that you must have strong, IC reason and/or OPFOR to attempt to escape the Permabrig as a prisoner, and doing so means you are allowed to be killed. Joining as a prisoner just to escape is against prisoner job policy.

Gulag/Labor Camp

The gulag, or Labor Camp, is an area on Lavaland meant to serve as an alternative to brigging. Force interns to mine out ore for the station in exchange for their freedom, rather than having them rot in a cell, and find the station richer for it.

• This technically means prisoners can get out faster than their intended sentence, but there's nothing wrong with that. Use this for prisoners you don't want to sit still, or want to get rid of for a while.
• This alternative is only to be used for sentences longer than 15 minutes. If the sentence is shorter, prisoners should be placed in temporary cells as normal.

Pacification

Pacification is a surgical procedure that makes it so that a subject cannot commit violent acts. It is a lite alternative to Execution, and as such needs the Head of Security's approval, or in their absence, the Captain's. It is a potential solution when a subject commits a capital crime, or is shown to commit violent acts spontaneously and without any real reasoning. Pacification is otherwise only allowed in cases where execution would be, as an alternative.

Isolation

Isolation is exclusively for prisoners who are suicidal, a risk to others in the permabrig, or likely to attempt a breakout. Use it sparingly.

• Do not forget people you leave here; this isn't intended to be a permanent cell. Using Isolation for that purpose risks running afoul of the Rules.

Executions

This should be the last resort where possible. Unnecessary executions are considered Murder, see 401.

In situations where Capital Crimes are committed, and other methods of discipline are inappropriate or ineffective, an execution may be deemed necessary. Executions are only for crew and foreign agents. The Head of Security and Captain must both be notified, if they are alive, and allowed to veto a potential execution.

If these roles are unavailable, the task falls to the Warden, then finally, a group vote by the Security team.

A trial should be performed to allow the criminal to seek clemency wherever possible. However, this can be skipped if reasonable to do so, such as on Red Alert or higher. A prisoner due for execution is allowed to request a type of execution and other accommodations, such as access to a Chaplain; these should be provided for where reasonable to do so.

If an execution is permitted, it should be carried out by the Head of Security or Warden, otherwise the task falls to the most available surrogate.

Legal Representation

Prisoners are entitled to request legal representation and protection, and cannot be punished for doing so. However, security is not obligated to provide.

Give the lawyer a job, especially in ambiguous cases, where time permits, but don’t bend over backwards for obviously obnoxious criminals/lawyers.

Disruptive lawyers may have their access or radio stripped by the Head of Security. Wardens are allowed to ban lawyers from the brig with strong reasoning.

Conducting A Trial

A trial involves the Head of Personnel as magistrate (or, lacking one, the next in the Chain of Command that is not the Head of Security), the Head of Security (or a proper stand-in) as Prosecutor, and a Lawyer serving the Defense. If there is no Lawyer, one will have to be provided for the defendant. Ideally, a jury will be present, but this is not necessary. In a Jury trial, the Jury must unanimously rule. Otherwise, the Judge decides.

Both sides present evidence and witnesses a la Ace Attorney.

MXX - Modifiers

List of Modifiers

Code		Crime
M01		Aiding/Abetting To assist or otherwise directly allow a crime to occur, or to disrupt security officers while they attempt to prosecute a crime. Generally allows a suspect to be charged with the same crime they allowed.
M02		Compliance To cooperate with security officers, Should generally reduce the sentence by half, or more. Additionally, sentences can be reduced or even pardoned in exchange for information on criminal activity, at the discretion of the security team.
M03		Self-Defense To commit a crime (chiefly forms of Battery and potentially Murder depending on case) in an attempt to defend oneself from attack. This is usually reason to fully release the person from the Brig.
M04		Good Samaritan If a person commits a crime to assist another person in need, such as shoving someone aside while dragging a body down the hall. This only applies if the person involved was not actively seeking out conflict. This should result in a full release from the Brig.
M05		Deconversion/Re-Education Being deconverted from Cultist, mindshielded during a Revolution, losing any brainwashing or mental trauma inflicted by any means, such as via parasitic infestation (borers), or reviewed and cleared for release by a consulting role (Psychologist, Chaplain, NT Rep) Result should be immediate release and return to work, or a halved sentence if there is still concern.
M06		Escaping Confinement If a prisoner breaks out of non-perma confinement (see 405 - Escaping Permabrig for that), reset their timer.
M07		Enemy of the Corporation If a criminal is beholden to, a member of, or is funded by any of the following organizations: Hostile boarding parties (Pirates, nukies, et cetera) Wizard Federation Hiveminds (changelings) Cults (Nar'Sie, Ratvar, Mansus) They are to be immediately placed in the permanent brig or executed (as a last resort) upon commission of a crime. This modifier applies chiefly to significant threats-- if a party is not a significant threat, it is likely you are abusing this modifier. Sleeper agents are charged with Wrongthink if no other crime takes priority. Deconversion/Reconditioning is always preferable to execution, IF possible.

0XX - Infractions

Low issue crimes, typically related to behavior issues or comments. More than one incident stacks to a minor crime.

Choose One:

Fine, no more than 250 cr

Community Service, no more than 5min

Referral to Counseling

List of Infractions

Code		Number
001		Minor Battery To apply unwanted physical contact of any sort to another person. Examples include: Shoving Leg Sweeping Dragging
002		Public Nuisance To be unnecessarily disruptive to the workplace, such as by yelling loudly in public areas, using loudmode excessively over comms, PDA spamming, spreading misinformation or inciting a panic unnecessarily, et cetera. Generally, being annoying in a way that bothers people.
003		Defacing To disfigure, or otherwise damage or hinder the appearance of an object, floor, or wall without approval. Examples include: Spraying graffiti on walls Placing random objects in the deep fryer
004		Loitering/Rubbernecking To linger around a department or person for an extended period of time (typically greater than 5 minutes) without proper justification, OR to assist in, or otherwise be a part of, a crowd that prevents regular crew passage through an area.
005		Public Indecency Engage in sexual or erotically provocative activities in a public space. All genitals must be covered when in public. As with most IC issues, this becomes an OOC issue when the behavior is repeated. Contact admins if you see a character doing this across multiple rounds.
006		Refusal to Identify Not properly displaying Identification for any reason. Hello suspicious man wearing gas mask. Where is your ID?
007		Harassment To do any of the following: Demean, humiliate, sexually harass or intimidate a crewmember in a malicious manner, Making harmful or threatening comments to a crewmember Spread false, dangerous information among the crew No yelling AI rogue over comms unless you're sure the AI is, in fact, rogue.

1XX - Minor Crimes

Crimes that can potentially cause issues for the station.

Choose One:

Jail, 5-10 minutes

Community service, no more than 10min

Referral to Counseling

List of Minor Crimes

Code		Crime
101		Major Battery To harm another crewmember with malicious intent. Examples include: Punching Kicking Goring (such as with horns)
102		Moderate B&E/Trespass Breaking into, or existing within, a departmental area without valid reason. Examples Include: Cargo Bay Engineering Lobby Science Hallway
103		Negligence Creating, causing, or otherwise permitting the presence of a hazard that may reasonably cause harm to crewmembers. Examples Include: Floor pills Slippery spills Flammable liquids
104		Larceny To steal items, or equipment of any kind, or to carry and fail to return a stolen item.
105		Vandalism Causing destruction to station property without intent to fix, or making renovations to a departmental area without permission.
106		Unauthorized Piloting To use a combat-grade mech in non-departmental spaces without approval, outside of Red Alert or higher. Mechs should generally be kept in the Robotics bay until needed. An announcement should be made over comms if they need to be moved, such as for export.
107		Vigilantism To perform the responsibilities and/or duties of a Security member without approval or due cause to act. Essentially, no validhunting.
108		Fine Evasion Refusing to pay a fine for a crime committed. Typically, the result of this is that you serve the time for the crime you committed.

2XX - Moderate Crimes

Crimes that will or have already caused issues for the station.

Choose One:

Jail, 10-15 minutes

List of Moderate Crimes

Code		Crime
201		Aggravated Battery Battery committed with a weapon that can cause serious harm. Examples include: Stabbing Shooting Toolboxing
202		Major B&E/Trespass Breaking into, or existing within, a secure departmental area without valid reason. Examples Include: Brig Xenobiology/Toxins Atmospherics
203		Gross Negligence Creating, causing or otherwise permitting the creation or persistence of a workplace hazard that may seriously kill or injure crew, or that has already done so. Examples include: Engines constructed in a public area Cannons Burning chemical fires
204		Major Theft/Major Sabotage To steal, damage, tamper with, or relocate items or equipment in a secure area, or to steal, damage, tamper with or unlawfully relocate Silicon units without permission Examples include: Head of Staff Lockers Fireaxes Pretty much any minor antag objective, really. Emagging/modifying a cyborg/AI's laws without approval
205		Animal Cruelty To abuse, inflict injury upon, or end the life of a pet or sentient animal of any sort.
206		Kidnapping/Subversion A) To take a crewmember anywhere against their will without proper justification, or B) to subvert, alter or manipulate the will of a crewmember. Crew remain liable for actions taken by an individual whose will they have subverted, altered or manipulated, regardless of prior consent. However, subversion is a complete defense.
207		Possession of Moderate Contraband To be in possession of, or to attempt to distribute, any of the items listed in the Moderate Contraband list.

3XX - Major Crimes

Crimes that severely disrupt station function.

Choose One:

Jail, 20-25 minutes

List of Major Crimes

Code		Crime
301		Attempted Murder To purposefully harm a crew member such that they are put into critical condition.
302		Severe B&E/Trespass Breaking into, or existing within, a critical area without strong reason. Examples Include: Vault Teleporter Armory Engine Room
303		Abuse of Authority To, as a member of Command, provide unlawful orders, and/or orders that directly harm the station and/or its crew. Central Command should be notified of any such occurrence, but need not respond.
304		Corpse Abuse To knowingly prepare and serve a member of a sapient species to another sapient species without forewarning, or to knowingly mutilate the corpse of a sapient individual. This includes all species, as well as catatonic or SSD individuals. In the latter case, contact admins.
305		Grand Theft & Grand Sabotage To steal, damage, tamper with, or to unlawfully relocate, critical items to the Station or the Company. Examples include: Gravity generator Nuclear Authentication Disk Telecomms
306		False Proceedings To lead, or take part in, unlawful assembly to determine guilt without oversight. Basically, no lynchmobs.
307		Possession of Major Contraband To be in possession of, or to attempt to distribute, any of the items listed in the Major Contraband list.

4XX - Capital Crimes

Crimes that destroy, or have destroyed the station and/or its crew.

Choose One:

Permabrig

Exile via Gateway

Pacification

Execution (Use only as a last resort! See Executions)

List of Capital Crimes

Code		Crime
401		Murder To intentionally cause the death of a Crewmember, regardless of Revival status OR to intentionally commit battery against someone in critical condition.
402		Mutiny To knowingly lead at least two individuals with intent to unseat the current chain of command. This is for you, revolutionaries.
403		Station Destruction To attempt to destroy the station or critical portions of it. Examples of critical portions include: Brig Vault Engine Room
404		Escaping Permabrig To break out of the Permabrig after having been placed there. Nanotrasen advises execution for prisoners if this happens more than once.
405		Biological Terror To knowingly release, cause, or otherwise cause the station to be affected by a biological agent, or to yourself be a biological agent. Examples Include: Space vines/Kudzu Any virology disease Xenomorphs (non-hybrid)

CXX - Corporate

Actions that actively support agendas that do not agree with the station, or NanoTrasen as a company. These laws apply only to Crew on the Manifest, not to non-crew. These are more Operating Procedure crimes, and can only be elevated to a demotion.

Choose One:

5-10 minutes in brig

List of Corporate Crimes

Code		Crime
C01		Insubordination Statements or comments against your departmental head in public, or refusing to properly follow a legal order from your Head of Staff in an emergency. Complaints about Heads of Staff should be delivered to the Captain, Nanotrasen Representative, or Central Command in case of failure.
C02		Wrongthink To profess dangerous intentions against the company, or to accept a contract from a Syndicate company. Essentially, unionizing, being outed as a traitor, et cetera.
C03		Dereliction Failing to do or abandoning one's job in times of need. Or for one to leave the station as a member of Command for a non-emergency.
C04		Embezzlement To misappropriate, steal, or otherwise use corporate funds (such as the ones in department budgets) to self-serving or non-corporate ends. Stop buying yourself guns, Quartermaster.
C05		Impersonation To pretend to be someone you aren't. Carries a heavier sentence than Refusal to Identify, as Refusal to Identify can be someone just forgetting their ID.

[C03] What constitutes abandoning or failing? An engineer saying they will not fix the Supermatter Engine. A security officer refusing to obey a direct order from the Head of Security. A miner refusing to mine ore for the station and only prioritizing megafauna loot. Furthermore, a time of need should constitute; someone is dying, the station is at risk of disaster should this not be helped, or the provided work is something expected to be done in a reasonable time frame (RnD doing RnD, Chemists doing Chemistry). This should establish some common sense for this.

SXX - Security Crimes

Crimes that can be charged to members of the Security department, department guards, or Heads of Staff that deal with the Security department. This includes Blueshields and deputized crew.

In the case that these laws are violated, the victim is to be compensated as is reasonable and released.

Security crimes count as moderate crimes, but if they have to be elevated, then demote the officer.

Choose One:

10-15 minute brig time,

Immediate demotion

List of Security Crimes

Code		Crime
S01		Excessive Force To use improper force when detaining or handling a suspect. Generally applies to the practice of "harmbatoning," or shooting at criminals who do not warrant a lethal response, outside of Red Alert. Does not necessarily require the offending officer to hit their shot.
S02		Privacy Violation To either: use unauthorized sensory aids (such as thermals, x-rays, or cybernetic ears), or to perform a random search or implant check without reasonable suspicion.
S03		False Arrest To make an arrest with a reason not specified, or made up later in the brig. A reason for an arrest must be stated by the arresting officer before making an arrest, and a subject cannot be held for more than 10 minutes without a charge.
S04		Favoritism To willfully ignore, or apply a lesser crime to, a favored individual.
S05		Improper Handling To fail to deliver or return enemy equipment or Contraband to its proper place in good time outside of Amber or Red Alert, or to excessively abuse prisoners.
S06		Accepting a Bribe To willfully accept enrichment of any sort in exchange for assistance or preference from the security team, generally goes in tandem with other security crimes.

Contraband

Contraband should be immediately confiscated, and delivered to the contraband room, or to its original holder, whichever is more reasonable. Crewmembers and Security alike are discouraged from the use of these dangerous items unless when absolutely necessary, such as in the heat of the moment when it is dropped, or during intense threat, Red Alert scenarios. Note: Any used contraband should match the given threat to the station. One's careful judgement must be exercised, and loading oneself up excessively as Security may be seen as powergaming by game staff.

Example of approved contraband: Security gear kit. Example of illegal contraband not fit for Security use: eswords, emags, dart pistols. Use common sense when deciding what equipment you carry on your person.

Need some examples? Check out our Contraband Examples page for specifics.

Prison sentences should be applied based on officer's discretion, with respect to 207 - Moderate Contraband, and 307 - Major Contraband.

	207 - Moderate Contraband		307 - Major Contraband
	Combat-Enhancing Drugs Any drug that is used to give an advantage in combat, such as Methamphetamine or Stimulants. Should be delivered to Chemistry for safe-keeping, or otherwise flushed.		Hazardous/Explosive Chemicals These do not include regular medicine that can cause harm, but instead cover things like black powder, EMP or other deadly grenades, liquid plasma, outside of a controlled environment like Chemistry or Toxins. Should be delivered to Chemistry to be flushed, or safely stored.
	Enemy Technology Unknown or Syndicate tech. This can be anything ranging from a Syndicate implant, to a Ninja's blade, to a golden power cell.		Hazardous Gasses Gasses that can potentially cause harm if mishandled, with exceptions for races that need these gasses to breathe. A plasmaman cannot be arrested for carrying a double-plasma tank. These should generally be held in Atmospherics, or more likely, ejected into the vacuum of space.
	Weapons (without Permit) Any deadly weapon held without a proper permit, Security Officers and Heads of Staff have this permit by default. This goes without saying. Deliver to the armory.		The Nuclear Authentication Disk A disk used to authenticate the Vault's self-destruct device. This is an extremely important item. It should be delivered to the Captain or whoever is acting Captain at the time.
	Combat Implants Implants generally for combat use or that have severe risk of being a hazard to other crew. These should generally be removed in Medical and taken to their proper department (such as implants going to robotics) This includes, but is not limited to: X-ray or thermal eyes, mantis armblades, and anti-drop/CNS rebooters.		Weapons of Mass Destruction Any weapon or implant able to deliver explosive force (such as a grenade launcher, rocket launcher, maxcap, et cetera) or otherwise able to cause extreme damage to the station. These should generally be delivered back to the relevant department from which they originated, stored in the armory, or most likely incinerated.
	Any Security Equipment Security equipment is generally defined as equipment available within the Security vendors other than basic clothing, as well as batons and bolas and other such things. Just because something is protective doesn't mean it's major contraband. Obviously these go back to the armory.		Captain's Spare The Captain's Spare is a golden ID card typically in a safe on the bridge. This should generally be returned to its safe or a trusted holder. Looking at you, Blueshield.
	Biological Hazards These should generally be contained in xenobiology, or held in medical for examination.		Virus Cultures Virus cultures should be incinerated at the nearest opportunity, or stored in Virology.
	Supernatural/Occult Objects Any object of seeming or occult origin, generally these should be delivered to the Chaplain for investigation, otherwise secured in the contraband locker.		Skub Skub is a cream available in the loadout. This should be INCINERATED.
	Entry Tools Any tool that is used, or CAN be used, to gain illegal access to a department. This chiefly includes, but is not limited to, the Jaws of Life, prybars, handheld teleporters, bluespace crystals, and Security breaching tools. These should be recycled, stored in Engineering, or secured in the contraband locker, depending on the item.
	Non-Issued Identification Any ID that isn't yours, really.

_{It is recommended that Security secures all illegal equipment obtained by hostile organizations rather than using it themselves unless it is absolutely necessary. This can make an unfair situation that can be classified as a violation of Roleplay Rule 5.}