Shadow Dominions

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Organisational Structure

...Graphical represenation of The Galactic Empire organizational structure...

The Galactic Empire is composed of many varied sections, in which officers serve in countless capacities. These "sections" are not islands unto themselves, but rather, represent groups of officers that serve and share the resources of the single, unified Galactic Empire organisation.

As a member of the GE ... regardless of whether a Navy officer, a diplomat, a Stormtrooper or otherwise ... you are &ndash at the most fundamental level &ndash anImperial officer, striving alongside others for the common cause of restoring law & order to a chaotic galaxy.

However, only the title of Emperor is said to exist solely within The Galactic Empire itself... All Imperial officers serve the Empire from within one of its subordinate sections. The largest such sections are Divisions and Institutions. (Further defined in About Divisions and Institutions, respectively).

Officers serving within a given section of the Empire report to their own commanding officer(s), and/or the section's commanding body. In turn, the overall commanders of all "major sections" of The Galactic Empire report to the Supreme Commander, and collectively form its High Command.

The Supreme Commander is at the top of the Imperial hierarchy. Were His Majesty The Emperor still alive, he would be the sole proxy to His Majesty, who is considered to reside on a plane above the structure of the Empire...

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Order of Precedence

Dictates within the Empire &ndash be they spoken orders or written policies &ndash come from a variety of sources. Understanding their order of precedence is important to understanding The Galactic Empire's structure, as it determines which dictates are lawful in any given situation.

The four recognised sources of official dictates, listed by precedence in descending order, are as follows:

1. Dictates of the Supreme Commander
2. Dictates of Imperial Law
3. Dictates of formal manuals/documents
4. Dictates of superior officers

Simply put, higher–listed authorities supersede lower–listed authorities... For example, an order from one's superior is invalid if it commands a violation against Imperial Law. In the same vein, policies of Imperial Law would override any conflicting policies found in official GE manuals.
In subscription to the Imperial model, the dictates of the Supreme Commander override all other sources, as it is the prerogative of Supreme Command to create, approve changes to, and modify overall Imperial policy at the highest levels.

A fifth source also exists as a special case: the dictates of the Emperor's Court are second only to those of the Supreme Commander and Imperial Law when presiding over a court–martial.

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Components of Authority

There are two chief components that contribute to an Imperial officer's overall authority: ranks and positions... A different type of authority is provided by each.

Ranks

The entire purpose of ranks within The Galactic Empire is to determine an officer's seniority; both within their section of the Empire, and within the GE as a whole. Ranks therefore govern officer conduct, in that senior officers must always be regarded with respect appropriate to their elevated rank &ndash regardless of whether that superior is one's own commander, or serving in an entirely different section of the Empire.

Ranks are usually directly related to positions: almost always increasing or decreasing as a direct result of accepting or resigning positions of higher responsibility.

Further information on the ranks of the Empire is contained within the Ranks & Address chapter of this manual.

Positions & Titles

Although ranks alone determine an officer's seniority, the Empire would soon turn into a chaotic flow of conflicting orders if any senior officer could issue any order to anyjunior officer. For this reason, it is command positions & titles &ndash not ranks &ndash which give officers jurisdiction over various matters & areas within the Empire.

For example, the title of Imperial Academy Commandant gives its holder jurisdiction over all Imperial Academy matters. Jurisdiction is, simply, the authority to make a final decision on a certain matter. An officer's jurisdiction can only be overridden by their direct superior(s), not just any senior officer in the Empire.

As another example, an Army General cannot normally dictate to a Navy Captain how he is to run his vessel... Although the General outranks the Captain, the ship is within the jurisdiction of the Navy. The Captain need still regard the General with the same respect as his own naval superiors, but may state that he is "not disposed to execute the order".

By default, the highest ranking officer on deck assumes command of any general situation where no single officer present has clear jurisdiction.

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Martial Law

One of the most noticeable cornerstones of GE structure is that Supreme Command lies with a naval Fleet Admiral, who has been charged with the duty of acting as the Empire's political leader in addition to commanding its military forces.

It is well known that in the pre–Endor Galactic Empire, high civil authorities such as Moffs held direct military jurisdiction over the officers of the Empire's armed forces... Solely free of the political structure were the roaming Grand Admirals: a rank created senior to the Moffs' through the Emperor's foreseeing that the ultimate, future security of the Empire would rest with its best military minds.

Five years post–Endor, despite the collapse of the Empire's official policy–making machines and there being little consensus between Imperial fragments on fundamental issues, the emergence of Grand Admiral Thrawn willingly reuninted them behind a single leader: one that demonstrated unprecedented potential to reclaim the New Order's galactic rule. The un–orthodox &ndash yet unquestionable &ndash reign of Thrawn laid the military–centric groundwork that was to become policy for the next Imperial generation.

On the posession of simple seniority, this finally and officially secured jurisdiction over all Imperial resources to Grand Admiral Daemon as the new Supreme Commander for the Empire. The Grand Admiral declared a state of Martial Law, allowing the Imperial Military to supersede normal civil authority.

In turn, the Grand Admiral passed the torch to Fleet Admiral Polanski, who in turn has given the leadership of the Empire to Fleet Admiral Tiberius Fel, who has assumed the authority in accordance with Imperial Law, with every intention of continuing Grand Admiral Daemon's mission...

Moreover, the standing Declaration &ndash made amidst a war–torn galaxy and feuding Imperial remnants &ndash has fully reversed the official civil/military balance within the modern Empire, and continues to shape & re–shape the principles upon which its structure is based...

!! WARNING !!

This document is written for in-character interactions, not out of character. If you believe that someone is violating the IC-OOC line, please inform a member of the Imperial High Command.

Guide To Protocal Of The Shadow Dominions Battalions

By Commander Dafoe (Ret.)

Compiled from various documents and conversations.

Guide Outline:

• Introduction: Protocol & Purpose
• Article I: Standard Imperial Protocol
• Article II: Delayed Communications Protocol
• Article III: Direct Communications Protocol
• Article IV: Imperial Meeting Protocol
• Article V: Foreign Relations Protocols
• Article VI: Violations

Introduction to Proper Protocol & Why We Have It (back to top)

Protocol is an important aspect of any organized faction, especially the Galactic Empire, an organization with many, many levels and sections of structure to it. This is but a standard code of conduct that dictates how a player's character should react and behave in any given situation. Protocols help apply control and secure uniformity. Hence it is mandated by Imperial High Command that all Imperial personnel follow this code so that we may act for the greater good of the Galactic Empire and His Majesty, Emperor Karl von Roma.

Article I: Standard Imperial Protocol (back to top)

It is the duty of every citizen of the Galactic Empire to:

•  Report any activity, discussion, or rumor which is hostile towards the Emperor, the Galactic Empire and/or the known Galaxy that is under its control to the CIIS. The duty of an average Imperial citizen ends with this report. The Committee will take over the case and investigate the activities and incidents described in your report. Investigations not authorized by the CIIS are in violation of Imperial protocol and will be charged as such.

•  Report any interrogation (regarding you and/or your unit's position, strength, structure, assignment, orders, etc.) by someone who is unauthorized to obtain that information to the CIIS. Your Commanding Officer, members of your unit, a member of Imperial High Command, and CIIS Officers are authorized to receive such information. Imperials are not allowed to give out any data regarding their station and unit to anyone who is not in their Chain of Command. This includes Web-site information, which will contain only the names and contacts of the unit Commanding & Executive Officers. Unit message boards must be approved by the CIIS Command or a member of Imperial High Command, though it is prefered if such subsections be requested on the Imperial message board.

•  Report any disrespectful or threatening activity or discussion towards an individual or group to the CIIS or member of the Imperial High Command. The situation will be resolved as soon as possible

•  Maintain the security of the Emperor, the Galactic Empire, its citizens, and the Galaxy it rules.

•  Obey all Imperial Protocol and the Imperial Legal Code.

•  Salute any superior officer of the Imperial Army or Navy, Sector Moffs, CIIS Commanding Officers, Ministers, the Grand Director of the CIIS, and the Executors. You will kneel or bow to the Emperor always. If you fail to kneel or bow to the Emperor, correct prosecution will follow.

•  Do not spread false statements or rumors about your fellow Imperials or about any Imperial policy or project. High Command will distribute news and press releases when necessary and/or appropriate. Consider statements form a person not in Imperial High Command or your direct superior as false. OOC Note: Spreading rumors is a punishable offense in the Star Wars Unleashed roleplaying game

Article II: Correspondence Protocol (back to top)

Correspondence protocols refer to the protocols used in communications in a send and receive manner. Examples are E-mail, Message boards, and Holonets. (Web-sites)

Imperials are only authorized to display their rank and branch on message board profiles and posts, but nothing further. Care should be taken to verify that all message board and ICQ profiles are secure. Do not display any sensitive information, such as assignments or locations. The only exemption to this will be in planetary or sector governors, in which are permitted to display their territorial charge. You may state the names of vessels and/or vehicles, but not the type they are. IMS [name] & [name] Squadron are the only acceptable titles for ships.

EMAIL PROTOCOL:

All e-mails in the Empire follow a strict protocol. By this, they all follow the same rules so as to provide the necessary information in a way that allows for ease of verification and clarity. Without this format, it is difficult for the recipient to know who sent the e-mail and what position and permissions that individual has. It would be much too easy for an imposter to impersonate a member of the Empire and no one would know because there was no clear identification stated. Below is the certified standard e-mail format you will follow as a member of the Galactic Empire.

To: [Main recipient of the e-mail]
CC: [All secondary recipients if applicable]
From: [Sender's Identification. Include Rank if applicable]
Subject: [The basic subject of the e-mail]

[Proper Salutation (Rank and Name for superiors, rank alone for subordinates]
[Body of the e-mail]

----------------------
[Rank/Full Name]
[Position & Assignment]
[Ship/Vehicle Name] (Never state ship type. INV [name] and [name] Squadron are the only acceptable titles.)
[Empire-Wide Awards]
[Branch Awards]
[General Awards]

“You may place a personal quote at the end of your messages”

REMEMBER: If you are going to send an email to a Non-Imperial, do NOT include Position, Awards, and any other sensitive material in the body of the email. You may include Rank, Name, and Branch. (i.e. Imperial Navy)

MESSAGE BOARD PROTOCOL:
All Imperial Message Boards must be checked and certified by the CIIS and/or a member of Imperial High Command before being announced to the public. As a note, you are not authorized to give out the URL of secure message boards to non-Imperials or members of any faction not approved of by the Imperial Foreign Office. The person(s) responsible for the board may permit the link to be distributed or give it out themselves, as long as they follow the proper regulations above. Imperials with authority may also give out message board links. (Executor, Moffs, CIIS Officers, etc.)

Military and Government oriented message boards must be:

•  Secure. (Whether passworded, or group oriented, as in phpBB)

•  Given out only by the person responsible for the board.

•  Non-Imperial Forums Message Board Signature:

Your signature may ONLY include:

•  Rank

•  Name

•  Branch (i.e. Imperial Navy)

•  An approved banner of an Imperial nature with a link to the site or department displayed

•  Small, reasonable quote

•  Imperial Forums Signature:

[img]url for dress collar insignia[/img][img]url for duty collar insignia[/img]
[b]Rank & Name[/b]
[color=see key below]Branch(es)[/b]

“You may place a small reasonable quote.”

Imperial Navy=blue
Imperial Army=green
CIIS=red
Government/Civilian=white

Note that you may also use your issued Imperial Standardized Signature [members/NAMEsig.jpg[/img]

HOLOSITE PROTOCOL:

All Imperial Holosites must be certified by the CIIS and/or a member of Imperial High Command before they are published.

• MILITARY: Military Holonet pages may not include the following:

•  Fleet/Army location (excluding the sector name for Sector Fleets/Battalions), orders, assignments, etc. Material like this should be sent over the Fleet/Army mailing list.

•  Fleet/Army rosters. Fleet/Army Commanding & Executive Officers, and Holomaster may have their rank, name, e-mail address, and personal picture may be included.

•  An over abundance of links. Keep to a minimum.

•  GOVERNMENT: Government Holonet pages may not include the following:

•  Post Military news regarding Fleets/Armys.

•  An abundance of links. Keep to a minimum.

•  Full Roster. Government Heads, Department Heads, and Sub-Department Heads may have their rank, name, e-mail address, and personal picture may be included.

Article III: Direct Communications Protocol  (back to top)

Direct communications are any live communications forum. These would be devices such as ICQ and IRC Chat. The protocols for these devices are especially important as it can be easy to inadvertently breach protocol and not discover this until the damage has been done.

•  ICQ Protocol: It is the duty of every Imperial Citizen to:

•  Confirm that whom they are speaking to is valid.

•  Wait patiently for ICQ confirmation to add a citizen to your contact list, if applicable.

•  Treat all Imperial citizens with the respect they would demand and deserve in any form of communication.

•  IRC Protocol: It is the duty of every Imperial Citizen to:

•  Maintain Imperial composure. The Empire expects order, discipline, and loyalty to be present constantly.

•  Converse respectfully, IC and OOC. Saluting, returning salutes if you are a superior officer, and asking to Private Message before doing so are mandatory.

•  Speak in English and only in a respectful manner. Swearing, vulgarities, flooding, and violations to the Imperial Legal Code will have you kicked or even banned possibly from the channel and potentially arrested.

•  Obey and respect the requests of the IRC channel operators, constantly.

Below is a guide to IRC Status:

H8 @-Founder
H7 @-SuperOP

H6 @-AutoOp
H5 @-AutoOp
H4 %-HalfOp
H3 %-HalfOp
H2 %-HalfOp
H1/O9 %-HalfOp

O8 +-Voice
O7 +-Voice
O6 +-Voice
O5 +-Voice
O4
O3
O2
O1

N2
N1
E4
E3
E2
E1

Note that leaders of Nationalized organizations also receive an automatic voice within the main Empire room.

Article IV: Imperial Meeting Protocol  (back to top)

During Imperial Meetings, proper protocol is mandatory to maintain a sense of regularity, order, and organization. As a member of the Galactic Empire or one of its properties, during Imperial Meetings, you must conform to the following regulations:

• Display your rank always, using acronyms. (i.e. For Commander Darklighter, use CMDR_Darklighter) If you don't know your rank's acronym, contact a CIIS officer or your CO.
• When you would like to speak, Request the Floor using this format: RTF-{Topic you wish to speak about} (i.e. RTF-Monthly Payments) Do NOT ask the question in the RTF statement.
• When you are finished speaking, YTF by stating “YTF”
• If possible, have speeches written out in a word processing application, for easy copy-and-pasting. This helps meetings to run quicker and smoother, thus enhancing the experience for all involved. Notepad and wordpad are recommended.

Article V: Foreign Policy  (back to top)

Foreign Policy is a special variation of protocol. These foreign policies are especially important to those who appear in public gathering places where others of the galaxy are present.

•  IC Contact with enemies of the Empire is forbidden. Only authorized personnel have the permission to do so. Negotiations that are conducted in the name of the Empire and the Imperial Throne will be conducted exclusively through the Imperial Foreign Office.

•  You represent the Galactic Empire and its citizens wherever you go. You will conduct yourself professionally and in a manner that befits your responsibilities. We do not abuse or manipulate the public. We are the Galactic Empire. We are the beacon of order in a Galaxy of turmoil. Always onduct yourself as such.

Article VI: Violations  (back to top)

These are the prescribed procedures for violating protocol. These proceedings are secondary to any judicial proceedings deemed by the Prime Adjudicator upon the convicted violation of protocol that results in an Imperial Legal Code violation also. A sentence does not erase the violations and should an action occur, both violations must be served. A violation may be reported by any Imperial, and will lead to an investigation carried out by the CIIS. Only the CIIS or one of its superiors may issue a formal notice of the violation and give the resulting sentence.

VIOLATION PROCEDURES

Class 1 Violations: Minor Protocol Violation

Examples: Behavior unbecoming of an Imperial officer with the Empire, repetitive improper report format, failing to respect other Imperials, or honor reasonable requests.

• 1st Violation: 600 credit fine & 1 demerit.
• 2nd Violation: 850 credit fine & 4 demerits.
• 3rd Violation: 2250 credit fine and 6 demerits.
• 4th Violation: 3550 credit fine and demotion recommended to the High Command of the violator's branch.

Class 2 Violations: Medium Protocol Violation

Examples: Use of vulgarity within a public place, repeated delinquency of reports, failing to comply with the orders of a superior officer or an IRC chat Operator. (Applies to operators not in the CIIS, an Executors, or the Emperor.)

• 1st Violation: 2500 credit fine and 4 demerits issued.
• 2nd Violation: 4000 credit fine and 6 demerits issued.
• 3rd Violation: 5500 credit fine and 8 demerits issued.
• 4th Violation: 6500 credit fine and recommended suspension of activity within the Galactic Empire to the High Command of the violator's branch.

Class 3 Violations: Major Protocol Violations

Examples: Blatant disrespect of any Imperial officer, blatant disregard for the chain of command and other institutions of control, and failure to comply with a CIIS Officer in a reasonable request. This class also applies to any protocol violation of foreign policy and any manner that weakens the Empire in the eyes of its enemies or even allies.

• 1st Violation: 6000 credit fine and 10 demerits issued.
• 2nd Violation: One week suspension of activity and service and placing the officer under Imperial review for an undeterminedamount of time. The violator will report to the CIIS branch officer directly detailing everything he has done for the week. Missing a single report without prior notice or an extremely good reason such as a computer failure will be subject to 3 rd class-3 violation terms.
• 3rd Violation: Immediate submission to re-education of the violator in the Imperial Academy and reassignment to the same branch as he/she once belonged to. The violator will experience a 1 rank demotion and will be placed at the bottom of his branch's hierarchy. The violator will not be permitted any promotions until he has reached his prior status, or until his probationary status is lifted by the CIIS Director, or pardoned by either an Executor or the Emperor.
• 4th Violation: If an officer under probation further violates any protocol, he/she has submitted him/her-self to further disciplinary action in the 3 rd class 4 th Violation and the officer's membership in the council will be shall be questioned by a council selected by the CIIS consisting of the CIIS Director, the Minister of Civilian Affairs, the Branch Chief of Staff and Branch Executive Officer, and the violator's direct unit Commanding Officer and Executive Officer. This hearing will not involve the offender at all and this council will determine the violator's fitness to remain in the Galactic Empire.

Class 4 Special Violations

Blatant and public criticism of the EMPEROR and his EMPIRE.

This is the crime of TREASON. It automatically subjects the offender to Immediate Expulsion from the Galactic Empire and punishment to the maximum extent of Imperial law