Design Monologue 6: Protocols and Designations

The Foundation uses a Security Level system, commonly called SECLEV or just SEC. Every system has an overall SECLEV, and each satellite's local region has its own.

The SECLEV tells you how well-secured the system is, and subsequently how safe or dangerous it is for an average ship. Of course, your mileage may vary, depending on your who your friends and enemies are. SECLEV is used as guideline for planning military and diplomatic expeditions.

SECLEV 1

Completely secure. Not a ship comes or goes without the watchful eye of the Foundation noticing it. Citizens in good security standing can be assured of total safety, as well as near-instant response time if aid is needed from the Foundation. All Core World systems are SECLEV 1.

SECLEV 2

Mostly secure. In a SEC 2 system, it is quite possible to move about without much scrutiny. Of course, high-security installations, such as jumpgates and space stations, will have higher local security. Most Inner Colony systems are SECLEV 2.

SECLEV 3

Partially secure. In a SEC 3 system, security (Foundation or otherwise) is spread thinly, covering only the essential areas. In remote regions, aid may be a long way off. Pirates, smugglers, and other undesirables find it relatively easy to move about. Most DMZ systems are SECLEV 3. Foundation systems rated SEC 3 or lower have relaxed restrictions on shipboard defense systems.

SECLEV 4

Mostly insecure. In a SEC 4 system, even critical security zones, such as jumpgates, may go unprotected. There are almost no Foundation systems with this SECLEV; this is restricted to DMZ systems and beyond, as the local authorities are incapable of securing the system. Most of the Rogue States are considered SECLEV 4 or lower, as the local authorities, even if they run tight security, are considered illegitimate.

SECLEV 5

Virtually zero security. In a SEC 5 system, pirates run rampant, and there is no possibility of aid from a legitimate security organization.

SECLEV 6

War zone. Active wartime enemies hold the region. This designation exists for only one system: Earthgate. During a possible future war, this designation, as well as a possible extension from 7-10, will be used.

A SECLEV rating can be a fractional number. This is typically used when a wide disparity exists in a given sector. For example, a small number of systems in the DMZ, by treaty, have a partial Foundation presence, limited to certain satellites. The SECLEV in the Foundation region is far higher than that of the outlying regions, so the overall system SECLEV is an average.

Every individual has a security standing. This is an overall rating of the danger that particular individual poses to the Foundation and society at large. A person's Security Standing figures into a number of government regulations, such as weapon ownership, spacecraft licensing, and even whether or not the individual is to be arrested on sight.

Courts of law determine an individual's permanent Security Standing. Being suspected of a crime will affect one's temporary Security Standing until conviction or acquittal.

0.0

Clean record.

0.1-0.9

Citizens in this range have a number of minor infractions on their record, such as speeding tickets, disorderly conduct, or disturbing the peace. This does not indicate a pattern of violent behavior.

1.0-1.9

Citizens in this range have one or more minor violent incidents on their record, ranging from brawls to assault. Weapon ownership is restricted for citizens with this standing. Such citizens have restricted freedom in certain high-security zones, such as schools and public installations.

2.0-2.9

Citizens in this range have shown a consistent pattern of violent or abusive behavior, including rape, child abuse, aggravated assault, or manslaughter. A citizen with this standing is prohibited from owning or operating a weapon of any kind, even civilian-grade shipboard weapons. Such citizens have restricted freedom in many high-security zones.

3.0-3.9

Citizens in this range are considered a clear and present danger in normal society. Murder in cold blood will instantly land a citizen a 3.0 security rating. Most such citizens are institutionalized until considered rehabilitated. Those who are not are prohibited from entering high-security zones without police escort.

4.0-4.9

Citizens in this range are considered an enemy of society. This includes citizens who have committed multiple egregious offenses after being previously rehabilitated, as well as known pirates or enemies of the Foundation, usually residing in Rogue space or the DMZ. A 4.0 rating means the Foundation will arrest on sight.

5.0+

This rating is used for only the most violent and dangerous individuals, and means a Kill or Apprehend On Sight order for all Foundation personnel. Bounties are usually offered for the apprehension of such criminals outside Foundation space. Destroying a Foundation vessel or installation typically lands an instant upgrade to 5.0 status.

Enemy combatants in a future war will be rated 6.0 and higher.

When people think starships, they think "boats in space". This is evident by typical image of enormous, lumbering ships firing cannons (or phasers) and torpedoes at one another. Everyone on board has a naval rank, even pilots of small craft.

This is a convention begun by Star Trek, but is often misused in other science-fiction worlds. Star Trek, notably, does not have small craft, thus the naval analogy is more appropriate. Those which feature space carriers model themselves after the naval equivalent, but this assumes that, like aircraft carriers, space carriers host a completely different type of aircraft than airfields do. The realities of landing jet aircraft on a ship at sea necessitate a completely different type of craft, and different skills, naturally leading to shifting pilots of said craft into the Navy, rather than the Air Force. Those same differences would unlikely apply in space, so an Air Force analogy is more appropriate.

Any science fiction world aiming to be realistic, however, would likely draw upon the fact that the United States' space program began with the Air Force, and all of the first astronauts were highly decorated Air Force test pilots. While ultimately a space fleet would necessitate its own branch of the armed forces, it would likely be styled more after the Air Forces of the world, not the navies.

That being said, the Foundation fleet uses a ranking system similar to today's NATO ranks. The armed forces are divided into three services: Fleet Command, Air Command, and Ground Command. The ranks are modeled after the Navy, Air Force, and Army, respectively.

All military personnel are either Officers or Enlisted men. Each division has 10 ranks, designated O-1 through O-10, and E-1 through E-9, with a higher number signifying a higher rank. Names such as "general" are assigned to various ranks. Rank also determines pay grade. All ranks of the same designation are equal in authority and pay grade across the three services.

O-10 is an honorary or wartime rank, used only for past or present supreme commanders.

For Rear Admirals, LH and UH refer to Lower Half and Upper Half, respectively. These are divisions of the fleet which have a corresponding level of prestige and importance.

An interesting distinction is the lack of a "captain" rank in Fleet Command. This is because "captain" is an honorary title given to any officer in charge of a ship, and is interchangeable with the officer's actual rank. Ships of varying size and mission necessitate different ranks for their captain, but he or she is always a "captain".

Capital ships are considered mobile military installations. Typically, they serve as a platform for air/space craft and ground forces. As such, they are typically joint operations between the three forces. The Fleet Command representative directs the operations of the ship itself, while the Air Command representative directs the activities of the air/space craft and associated personnel, while a Ground Command representative is responsible for the troops stationed on the ship.

Even in the Earthgate War, and especially in peacetime, ship-to-ship combat is quite rare compared to air and ground operations, making the most important position on a capital ship typically the Air Command or Ground Command representative, depending on the mission of the ship.

A typical heavy carrier would be the flagship of its own small fleet. The carrier itself would be captained by an O-5, though his duties would be mostly managerial, as an O-6 (or greater, depending on the mission importance) would reside on the flagship and command the activities of the entire fleet.

Similarly, an O-6 (or higher) would reside on the flagship and sit in command of all air and space craft based on the fleet. An O-5 would command the forces of individual ships, or "bases" as they are usually called by airmen.

In a predictable manner, an O-6 would command all ground forces based on a fleet, while O-5 officers would head the individual regiments.

Depending on a fleet's mission, one of the three officers is designated the Chief Command Officer, and is thus directly responsible for the mission. While there are three officers on a given fleet, typically of equal rank, it is not a democracy or tribunal; the Chief Command Officer is in charge.

Technically, the Homeworlds are a confederation of independent states, having adopted a common constitution, and sharing in mutual defense and enrichment by treaty.

That treaty is the Homeworlds Foundation Charter. It was a treaty signed by the original three Homeworlds, as well as several smaller colonial governments. It established the following:

• A common constitution, officially called the Constitution of the Homeworlds Foundation
  • This constitution includes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• A military force, superior to all forces of constituent governments, and comprised of technology and personnel of all signatory states, known officially as the Homeworlds Foundation Security Force. Its mission is to defend the sovereignty of the Homeworlds, and to keep the peace within the borders of the Foundation.
• A council, called the Homeworlds Foundation General Assembly, tasked with discussing and resolving issues of governance within the member states. This assembly is not a federal government, but rather a council of representatives from the member states, who have the authority to draft resolutions, by which member states are bound (per the treaty).
• A number of special councils with limited membership and specific roles, including:
  • The Security Council, comprised solely of the original three Homeworlds, tasked with matters of defense, warfare, and resolutions regarding member states' right to arm themselves.
  • The Unified Economic Community Council, a council only somewhat smaller than the General Assembly, tasked with matters of economic and social growth and equality.
  • The Secretariat, a council which provides studies, information, and facilities needed by the Homeworlds Foundation.
  • The Supreme Court of the Homeworlds, a court superior to all courts in member states, which hears cases regarding the Constitution of the Homeworlds Foundation, and matters pertaining to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• A Unified Economic Community, mandating:
  • A common currency, officially the Homeworlds Foundation Credit, more commonly just "credit".
  • A bank which handles exchanges of currency between member states, and acts as a reserve bank for the unified economic community.
  • A monetary fund, with minimum and maximum donation amounts for each member state determined by the General Assembly and updated every 5 years, from which is deducted the funds for expenses incurred by the Homeworlds Foundation
  • A set of regulations governing trade between member states, limiting the ability of states to impose tariffs, restrictions, and embargoes by good or trading partner. This reinforces the strength of the General Assembly's ability to draft sanctions.

In many (and hopefully obvious) ways, the Homeworlds Foundation is much more similar to the United Nations than to any modern national government, with the notable exception that they have a much more powerful military force, the de facto armed force for all wars involving the Foundation.

Each of the major branches of the Homeworlds Foundation has a leader:

• The General Assembly (led by the Delegate-General of the Homeworlds Foundation General Assembly)
• The Security Council (led by the Minister-General of the Homeworlds Foundation Security Council)
• The Secretariat (led by the Secretary-General of the Homeworlds Foundation Secretariat)
• The Supreme Court (led by the Justicar-General of the Supreme Court of the Homeworlds)
• The Unified Economic Community Council (led by the Comptroller-General of the Homeworlds Foundation Unified Economic Community Council)

The Homeworlds Foundation as a whole has a supreme leader, the President-General of the Homeworlds Foundation.

The President-General is an elected official, elected by a mixed vote comprised of:

• A popular vote of all citizens of the Homeworlds Foundation (50%)
• An electoral vote of all delegates in the Homeworlds Foundation General Assembly (50%)

The popular vote is a simple one-person-one-vote system. The electoral vote is weighted by population, but adjusted to inflate the representation of smaller states at the expense of large ones. Each state comprises a certain percentage of the vote, and their contribution to the vote is determined by the results of the vote within the delegates of that state.

The President-General can serve a maximum of two 5-year terms. He or she must be a Homeworlds Foundation citizen in good security standing (less than 1.0), of at least age 30. No specific requirements for previous political experience exist; that is left to the judgment of the voters. Typically, candidates have 5 or more years experience as an executive officer or speaker of an assembly in either the Foundation government or that of one of the member states.

The President-General is an executive officer, held personally responsible for the implementation of the will of the Homeworlds Foundation. This includes the day-to-day administration of the various resolutions of the General Assembly, as well as the general economic and social policies of the Foundation, and, crucially, command of the military. The President-General is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Homeworlds Foundation Security Force.

While this democratic structure, based on 21st century Earth governments, is widely approved by the member states, many of said member states have wildly different internal governments.

Let's start with the obvious one.

Koruun

The Korrunites long ago organized themselves into clans. Once close-knit tribes, the clans have become vast networks of families distantly related to one another. Each family has a position within the clan, though the leaders of the clan are often from multiple families. Families and clans trace their lineage to the original tribal forefathers. The mantle of leadership is usually a system of primogeniture, preferably on the matrilinear side, with elements of meritocracy also having influence.

The clearest analog for the Korrunite system is feudalism. The ruling clan maintains its power, usually for many generations, in a dynasty of (typically) matrilinear succession. Effectively, the leader of the ruling clan is the supreme executive of all Korrunites, having powers of rule by decree and no term limits. Unlike most medieval feudalism, however, there is no concept of divine right.

Per the analogy, lesser clans owe fealty to the ruling clan, who has proved itself superior in all ways. Each clan retains a large degree of independence, owing military service and tribute to the ruling clan, which, in turn, provides protection and prosperity to all clans.

In a manner typical of feudalism, lesser clans often vie for position beneath the ruling clan, or even attempt to supplant them (with occasional success). Tensions can exist between the ruling clan and its inferiors, as enough inferior clans united against the ruling clan would surely spell destruction. The ruling clan attempts to limit the military power of lesser clans as much as possible while maximizing its own.