Voyagers Book III
Space Fleet Regulations
Regulation 1
As the right of each sentient species to live in accordance with its normal cultural evolution is considered sacred, no Space Fleet personnel, Fleet citizen and/or representative may interfere with the normal and healthy development of alien life and culture. Such interference includes introducing superior knowledge, strength, or technology to a world whose society is incapable of handling such advantages wisely. Space Fleet personnel may not violate this Regulation, even to save their lives and/or their ship/installation, unless they are acting to right an earlier violation or an accidental contamination of said culture. This directive takes precedence over any and all other considerations and carries with it the highest moral obligation.
Regulation 2
If there exists eyewitness testimony by senior officers or similar verifiable evidence that an individual, military or civilian, has violated Regulation 1, said individual may be relieved of duty by a duly sworn representative of the Fleet government and placed under immediate arrest. The governmental representative shall then take such action as he deems necessary to minimize the results of the violation.
Regulation 3
A commander of a Space Fleet vessel or installation, military or auxiliary, may grant political asylum to any individual without first being given express permission to do so by a representative of the Fleet government. However, said decision may and can be overturned by a superior officer or representative of the Fleet government pending a reviewal of circumstances.
Regulation 4
No Space Fleet personnel shall use unnecessary force, either collectively or individually, against members of the Fleet, their duly authorized representatives, spokespersons, or designated leaders, or members of any sentient non-member race, for any reason whatsoever.
Regulation 5
The sovereignty of each Fleet member being respected in all things, Space Fleet personnel shall observe any and all statutes, laws, ordinances, and rules of governance currently in effect within the jurisdiction of a member planet. Violators of such ordinances will be subject to such punishments or corrections as shall be determined by local governmental bodies.
Regulation 6
All Space Fleet personnel and/or Fleet civilian contractors shall follow a superior’s order to the best of their ability, unless said orders should conflict with the regulation laid out in these orders. Special dispensations are granted in emergency situations as per specific orders, with the exceptions of General Orders 1, 4, or 5.
Regulation 7
If contact is made with hitherto undiscovered intelligent lifeforms, under no circumstance shall Space Fleet personnel, either by word or deed, inform said lifeforms that worlds other than their own or intelligent life-forms other than their own exist outside the confines of their own space or answer questions by said lifeforms pertaining to the existence of other species outside said space.
Regulation 8
In cases of extreme emergency, Fleet special representatives are empowered to assume emergency powers to deal with a condition or circumstance that is deemed hazardous to the welfare of Fleet citizenry. Within the scope of these emergency powers, duly authorized civilian personnel may assume temporary command of Space Fleet vessels, installations, and/or personnel to deal with the emergency. Space Fleet personnel must submit to their authority for the duration of the crisis.
Regulation 9
The request for emergency assistance from Fleet citizenry or non-aligned persons demands unconditional priority from Space Fleet personnel. Such personnel shall immediately respond to said request, postponing all other activities. This responsibility extends to current governments at odds, actively or passively, with the Fleet.
Regulation 10
Upon sighting a warship within Fleet space and identifying it as belonging to a foreign power, the commander of the Space Fleet vessel/installation shall determine the reason(s) for that craft’s presence in the vicinity. If there is conclusive evidence that the vessel has hostile intentions, the Fleet vessel may take appropriate action to safeguard the lives and property of Fleet members or other non-aligned persons under current Fleet protection. In such cases, the commander may use their discretion in deciding whether to use force to disable the hostile vessel. However, care should be taken to avoid unnecessary loss of sentient life.
Regulation 11
Space Fleet officers with command-level rank or higher are granted full authority to negotiate conditions of agreement and/or treaties with legal representatives of non-Fleet planets. In such circumstances, the acting officer carries de facto powers of a Fleet Special Ambassador. Any and all agreements arranged in this manner are subject to approval by the Chief of Space Fleet Operations, the Secretary of Space Fleet, and the Fleet Council.
Regulation 12
When approaching a vessel with which communication has not been established, all Space Fleet vessels are to maintain maximum safety precautions, regardless of the origin of said vessel, be it a foreign power, an hitherto unknown ship, or a Space Fleet vessel.
Regulation 13
Space Fleet members of command rank are authorized to make alliances with any non-hostile force to aid in the repair or refit of their ship, provided that any outside individual be shielded from access to classified materials or data.
The Captain of any Space Fleet Vessel has the right to seek repairs of his vessel should said vessel be severely damaged. These repairs may be negotiated with any planet, Fleet member or not. Ships capable of making it to earth in a reasonable time frame should take that option.
Regulation 14
Except when orders state to the contrary or in accordance with Regulation 6, Space Fleet personnel will respect the territorial integrity of independent planetary systems and governments within and without the confines of the Fleet’s borders, and will not violate territorial space belonging to such worlds.
Furthermore, when within the territorial borders of another sentient culture, Space Fleet Members shall adhere to the laws and regulations upon which that society is governed, provided they do not conflict with Space Fleet Regulations.
Regulation 15
Space Fleet personnel may intervene in local planetary affairs to restore Regulation and to secure the lives and property of Fleet citizens only upon receiving a direct order to do so from a civilian official with the effective title of governor or higher.
Regulation 16
No officer of command or flag rank shall travel into a potentially hazardous area without suitable armed escort.
Regulation 17
Space Fleet personnel may extend technological, medical, or other scientific assistance to members of foreign powers or previously unrecognized sentient species only if such assistance in no way compromises Regulation 1 or the security of the Fleet or Space Fleet.
Regulation 18
The commanding officers of Space Fleet vessel and installations are to consider the lives of their crew members and/or civilian population as sacred. In any potentially hostile situation, the captain will place the lives of his crew above the fate of his ship.
Regulation 19
Upon being accused of treason against the Fleet, Space Fleet personnel may demand a trial conducted by the Fleet judiciary or representative Judge Advocate General for that sector. If the individual is acquitted, Space Fleet Command shall have no further legal recourse against the accused in said matter.
Regulation 20
Except in times of declared emergency, Space Fleet personnel may under no circumstances convey personnel or material between planets or planetary systems when there is reason to believe that said personnel or material may be used to conduct aggression, whether against Fleet members or other non-aligned worlds. This order applies to independent worlds within the Fleet as well as to Fleet members.
Regulation 21
Officers and personnel of Space Fleet Command may employ whatever means necessary to prevent the possession, transportation, sale, or commercial exchange of sentient beings held against their wishes within the boundaries of Fleet space. This includes temporary violations of Regulation 12, but not of Regulation 1.
Regulation 22
No Space Fleet personnel, either officer or enlisted, may offer his services to an independent foreign government without the express authorization of the Fleet Council. If said government is a potential ally, and is being attacked by another non-Fleet member, the Captain has the right to assist; however, in the event of a Civil War, Space Fleet shall remain neutral during the conflict. Should implementation of this Regulation cause a violation of any higher Regulation, this Regulation shall be suspended for that instance only.
Regulation 23
As the rights of individual expression and free discourse are considered sacred, Space Fleet personnel may debate the policies, decisions, and actions of their governmental representatives privately at any time, to the extent that such discussions do not violate their command oath or specific duties to the Fleet per these General Orders or Space Fleet regulations.
Regulation 24
When verifiable proof is presented to the senior commanding officer of a Space Fleet vessel or post that a Fleet representative may currently be acting or have acted in the past to violate Regulation 1, the officer may relieve said representative of office, then assume the full powers of that office pending a full investigation by governmental officials.
Regulation 25
If a commanding officer deems that a planet has been culturally contaminated to a point where correction is no longer viable and said culture now poses a direct threat to Space Fleet personnel or Fleet civilians, he may order the destruction of a planet’s surface to occur within a time limit set upon invocation.
Regulation 26
Civilian and military personnel whether a citizen of the Fleet, a non-aligned world, or a foreign power taken into custody by Space Fleet personnel during times of extreme emergency shall be accorded proper treatment consistent with their rank or station, insofar as such treatment does not compromise the security of the Fleet or Space Fleet.
Regulation 27
No member of a ship’s complement or other ground-based installation can be held directly accountable for the actions of their superiors. Similarly, no member of a ship’s company or other Space Fleet personnel will share in disciplinary measures taken against the Commanding Officer(s) if said individuals were not directly involved in the actions leading to disciplinary measures. This order extends to conditions involving proven violations of Regulation 1, where proof of such violations exist. However, failure to attempt to halt the actions of said superiors is a violation of the order and as such is punishable by general court-martial.
Regulation 28
No member of Space Fleet shall be required by the assignment of standard duties and responsibilities to undergo extended separation from his family if family members can be reasonably provided for aboard ship or as a part of an existing Space Fleet installation.
Regulation 29
No officer of command rank shall be removed from command status unless such action has the complete and unqualified agreement of at least three senior officers present per Space Fleet Procedural Order 104, sections B and C. Whenever possible, such officers shall include the ship’s First Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Counselor, and one junior officer of command station.
Regulation 30
The primary responsibility of the commander of any Space Fleet vessel or installation is the welfare and safety of his crew, including any civilian members. No action may be taken that creates an unwarranted threat to the safety of those individuals under the officer’s charge, except in the line of duty and when otherwise unavoidable. This is a concurrent order with Regulation 16.
Regulation 31
Space Fleet Command recognizes the right of each ship commander to interpret the specifications of Regulation 1 as he sees fit, consistent with the conditions of other existing general orders in effect and based upon circumstances that may arise in dealing with newly discovered sentient races. However, said decision may and can be overturned by a superior officer or representative of the Fleet government pending a reviewal of circumstances.
Regulation 32
The conditions and specifications of Regulation 1 shall henceforth apply to all sentient lifeforms discovered, whether they are of natural or artificial origin.
Regulation 33
If a commanding officer deems that an individual or group of individuals pose a direct threat to the safety of Space Fleet personnel, Fleet citizens, or those under current Fleet protection, they may take any actions necessary to safeguard the lives of those threatened. In such cases, the commander may use their discretion in deciding whether to use force. However, care should be taken to avoid unnecessary loss of sentient life.
Regulation 34
Should the entire personnel of a Space Fleet vessel or installation become severely incapacitated or deceased due to an environmental or medical contaminant, said vessel is to be destroyed within a 24-hour period from initial discovery of cause to prevent spread of the epidemic agent.
Regulation 35
No Fleet vessel, whether civilian or Space Fleet, is allowed to visit a planet or star system placed under quarantine by Space Fleet or the Fleet Council unless the visitation falls under the jurisdictional actions accredited by Regulation 1, 8, and 9.
Regulation 36
Space Fleet personnel shall respect binding contracts, agreements, and bondings made by the Fleet government and/or Space Fleet itself and shall operate within the boundaries & governances of said treaties, especially in matters dealing with the co-signatories of said treatise.
Regulation 37
In the event of the death, absence, or incapacitation of the commanding officer of record, command of a ship or installation falls to the First Officer. In the absence of the First Officer, it will fall to next highest-ranking crewmember, regardless of position in the command structure. When two or more officers in the line of succession are of comparable rank, command first falls upon the officer with command experience; barring that requirement, command will fall upon the officer with seniority.
Regulation 38
An officer or crewmember may be removed from active duty status if they are judged to be incapable of fulfilling their obligations as a member of Space Fleet, whether for medical or psychological reasons, by either the Chief Medical Officer or by the two ranking command staff officers.
