Extraterrestrial Extradition
Circulation Study
Inhabitants of the space station are free to travel wherever they can (i.e., where they can breathe, gravity they can withstand, etc) save for the Administration areas (save for the reception area or if the inhabitant has an appointment), the Bridge (unless for a sanctioned tour). As a form of politeness, they should not go into the business/private parts of establishments. Inhabitants may lock their quarters for privacy, but generally when not wanting privacy, inhabitants will allow others into their quarters. They should still announce themselves though :^)
Inhabitants waiting for trial (i.e., the player) may not access the Transportation Deck. Any inhabitant may sit in or observe a trial remotely.
As it is a space station, most of the paths are fixed (i.e., very fixed boundaries). Only in the garden/park area do the inhabitants get to wander and have freedom of choosing a path. I.E., only in the garden/park is there any sense of freedom. There are many ways to get to elevators and many elevators to choose from on each level in order to minimize traffic areas and provide alternate routes should an elevator be down for maintenance or other reasons.
Likewise entrances and exits are all very clear and all internal. The only external exit is to outer space and that is bared from the player (although they will enter through it). The garden/park area will have clear entrances but less clear exits in order to try to minimize the “space station��? feel and help make it seem more open.
Rules & Laws
Well, I have this slated for later in my schedule (as it is integral to the plot). So I will only do a rough treatment here.
The rules and laws were created by the governing body similar to the U.N., called the United Species Council (USC :^) But the name is temporary until I think of a better name). The space station was built as a base to facilitate inter-species interaction. It is on well used trade-routes and serves as a center of trade as well (with particular attention to trade of different species goods). It houses the USC’s best learning center, used to help teach species about each other. As such, first contact races are usually sent to have a Embassy on this station. It is not the main location of the courts however. But aliens being tried who have no knowledge of other species or the language are sent to this station in order to make use of the learning center until they know enough to be tried. If possible, the trial will be done locally on the station, but large or special cases are send out to the bigger courts on other stations/planets.
The USC is a democratic board when every race have representatives. Not every member of the USC is on this space station, they are spread out among the allied planets/stations. At least one representative from every species needs to be present in order to vote on a motion (more may be required depending what is being voted on). It is not unusual for it to take years for them to discuss, analyze, and finally vote on something. All of the members are intellectuals of their kind and are respected. Any individual may challenge the USC, with the USC reviewing the discussion (generally an old one) and if they still disagree, they may be brought to court for a special trial to determine the result. The USC strives to be fair and understanding of all its inhabitants. It does not deal with local law unless a specific species is performing genocide or similar acts (even to other species native to their own planet). Otherwise it deals only with inter-species issues.
Penalties for transgression vary depending on what law is broken. Generally the manner laws (behavior towards different species) are not punished save for asking the transgressor to review the correct behavior. Constant failure will be met with the transgressor put on trial with a large group of entities serving as a jury to determine what needs to be done (in extreme cases, suspension from the space station, but normally just a forced class on how to be polite to different species). So small or simple transgressions are for the most part just given a ‘warning’, but worse transgressions are immediately put before a trial.
Sample Rules:
1. You should be Polite to All Entities following standard guidelines
2. If Possible, you should be polite as determined by the other entity’s culture
3. Ignorance actually is an excuse (for small things, i.e., not murder). But you’ll be sent to school.
4. You can not impinge on the freedom of another entity (obviously the court systems can though). This includes the freedom to live.
5. You should be understanding if another entity insults you. Please request that the entity read up on your species or explain to them why what they did was wrong.
6. Entities are required to wear the proper gear when entering an area not zoned for their species (i.e., wearing a mask as the atmosphere is unbreathable for them, etc). Failure to do so may result in death.
7. Some entities are just jerks. Petty grievances should not be brought to trial unless it results in the entity breaking rule 5.
8. Bring anything to the attention of USC officials for advice and consul.
9. Entities on trial will not be allowed access to the transportation zone until after their trial.
10. You may do what you wish to you private quarters as long as it is not in place specifically to bring harm to visitors. Should something be specifically dangerous to a species (not on purpose, but say you use latex paint and it’s dangerous to some species), a warning on the door must be posted to alert entities of that species. Please alert the quarter master when additions have been done so you cans schedule a quarter-inspector to determine what is dangerous.
11. Be respectful in the park. Many entities use it to relax. A smaller glen may be reserved for parties or functions.
12. Any un-sanctioned work on the space station (it’s mechanics, facilities, electronics, etc) will be dealt with harshly. If you wish to learn about the station, in-depth virtual models, maps, and manuals are available for perusal. If you are interested in working on the station, please see the Career Coordinator.
Blank Space:
The corridors would be pretty boring and repetitious I imagine. There probably are some back-access places of the station (ventilation ducts, what have you) but I sure aren’t going to use them :^).