Captain

• Access: Everywhere, except HoS' office and Armory
• Additional Access: N/A
• Difficulty: Very Hard
• Supervisors: Space Law and Corporate Officials
• Duties: Be responsible for the ship, manage your Heads of Staff, Keep the crew alive, be prepared to do anything and everything or die horribly trying.
• Special Equipment: All Access ID, Root Access Disk, Hand Teleporter, Energy Gun, Command Door Remote, Captain's SWAT Suit, Captain's Jetpack.

You are the Captain, the top of the Chain of Command. It is your duty to ensure the stability and productivity of the ship, as well as carrying out directives from CorpComm. The Captain has usually spent some time as a Commander, and should have a good understanding of the various jobs on the ship. You are responsible for the Root Access Disk, which arms the self-destruct device, and have the greatest access of any crewmember. You are responsible for keeping the Heads of Staff on task and ensuring they handle problems properly, as well as directing the course of the ship.

The Captain has spacious quarters, complete with a personal arcade machine, a well-kept bonsai tree, an ID computer, Communications Console, a Jetpack, a hand teleporter, the Root Access Disk in a secured briefcase, an SSU with a spaceworthy suit of armor and helmet, an energy gun, and a pressurized and humidity controlled display case with your pride and joy, an antique laser gun.

It's probably best to leave the laser in its case, as the case has been outfitted with a handy anti-theft system. You'll probably also be mocked if you carry it around with you.

There is also a locked wooden box in your office filled with medals. These can be awarded to your crew to commend them for exemplary service.

At the start of the shift, take the Root Access Disk with you - you will need it to activate the self-destruct system in emergencies, and you don't want anyone else to pick it up. Once you've done that, get out there and command your crew.

You are the Judge, the final word, the Big Guy. You have the ultimate veto power over all matters and you are the only person who can authorize an execution without a trial. Anyone who questions your authority can technically be tried for mutiny. There really is no way to tell you exactly how to run things as many people have different leadership styles. However, as Captain, here are some guidelines you should keep in mind:

• Do not involve yourself when there is somebody else available to do the job. Why have a Head of Security if you're going to involve yourself in every security matter? If there isn't a head for a specific department, promote a new one. It will make your life so much easier.
• Delegate whenever you can. You should never have to do any manual task yourself. If someone says 'Captain, there's a plasma leak!' then you should order your Chief Engineer to go fix it. Do not attempt to fix it yourself, as you will put yourself unnecessarily at risk.
• Follow the Chain of Command. You command the Heads. The Heads command their departments. Try not to skip them in the decision making process as they are the ones who should know their own departments best.
• Remember your allies, the Commander and the Executive Officer. The Commander should be ready to handle things for you when you're not on the Bridge, and the Executive Officer should be ready to mobilize your Security or Military forces should boarders find their way onto your ship. Both should be trusted personnel in case something goes wrong while you're visiting the Bar.
• Stay alert. You have a big target on your back. It is likely you'll be a prime target just for your all-access ID. With this in mind, you may want to spend a fair bit of time lounging in the security of the Bridge.
• Keep calm and carry on. As Captain, be prepared to deal with any or all of the following: Incompetent or absent Heads, traitors and angry crew members banging down the bridge door trying to get in, corrupted AIs on a war path and the occasional aftermath of an Armageddon against the station, thanks to a range of the above. And it's your job to manage it all. Good luck.

Uploading Laws to the AI isn’t something you should be doing lightly. Do not get angry with the AI if it does not want you uploading a new law, as NovusCorp has made certain that they are sensitive to law changes. Besides, CorpComm hates when one of their spacecraft goes rogue.

AIs are programmed to recognize laws in hierarchical order. That is, in the event of a conflict, Law 1 is considered higher priority than Laws 2, 3, 4, etc. Adding a Law 4 telling the AI to kill all Revolutionaries isn’t going to work. A Law 4 classifying Revolutionaries as Nonhuman and that they must be eliminated works much better, as would a Law 4 classifying Revolutionaries as inherently harmful. Law priority is enforced by the order they are listed. A law is invalid if it disagrees with previous laws in the form of conflicting orders, or challenges the procession of law priority.

Keep in mind that if the AI announces you are in their upload, changing laws without a good reason, people will likely form a lynch mob.

With your fancy title, medals, and luxurious excesses it's easy to forget that there is an outside, higher power scrutinizing your every move.

Direct contact with Corporate Command may be few and far between, but you're expected to follow any directives issued by them. CorpComm will usually issue directives and updates on activities in your sector through the Communications Console located on the Bridge and your office.

If you're unlucky, you might have to deal with a visit from an Official or Inspector, whether corporate or government. These visits vary from standard performance reviews, internal investigations, inspections, preparation for an act of war, or some other kind of meddling. Whatever the case may be, it is important that you try and keep the Official happy throughout their visit. If all else fails, just make sure you can't be blamed for anything that goes wrong.

However, keep in mind that you still hold authority over any Officials on your station. That is, as long as you're still the legitimate Captain. If you piss off the wrong guy you might find yourself relieved of command. If the Official is causing trouble, though, you are well within your right to have them arrested, and then contact THEIR superior with a complaint.

Contacting CorpComm on your own is possible through the use of Communications Consoles, but unless the transmission is urgent it will likely get caught up in CorpComm's notorious bureaucracy and may not receive an immediate reply. Fortunately, their response to emergency requests is faster, at least.

Contacting SolGov is even more of a crapshoot, as the people most likely to answer your communications are the least likely to actually be able to do anything helpful for you; furthermore, requests for assistance are unlikely to be answered unless a patrol ship is in the area.

You are ultimately responsible for the ship you operate. It is not uncommon for Captains to be court-martialled or even executed if they should decide to abandon their ship, regardless of condition. As they hold the ultimate responsibility for the ship and its crew, losing them could likely be perceived by your superiors as desertion, mutiny and/or sedition.

So keep this in mind when you are facing disaster. Permit no evacuations without your explicit authorization. You should be doing your utmost in keeping the ship up and running – lest you go down with the ship, either one way or the other.

• As Captain, you should always be carrying the Root Disk.
• The Root Disk can fit in a wallet. Now the operatives have to search yet another storage container on your person! Root Disk into a wallet, wallet into a box filled with wallets, in a backpack full of boxes, in the AI upload.
• Never, NEVER, put the Root Disk into your safe. Anyone who needs to steal it WILL be able to easily steal it with a emag or similar. Likewise, your secured briefcase isn't very secure if someone can get it away from you.
• Never, NEVER loan the Root Disk to anyone. The potential harm caused is not worth it. For the same reasons, remember to take the disk with you when you are done using it in a console.
• The default Captain's Hat is both heavily armored and spaceworthy, making it both a fashionable and robust choice of headgear.
• Don't go nuts and run off by yourself. You are not a Marine, you are not Security, you are not a one-man army, and no one else on the station has your level of access. Rushing headlong into a crisis in Medbay, only to discover the rest of security doesn't have access to follow through the front doors to help you, can quickly lead to disaster.

In the unlikely event that you're chosen as a Traitor, your objectives will be 'interesting' indeed. You have more freedom than anyone could ever dream of. With your access and authority you can pretty much take anything you want, and dispatching a lowly subordinate shouldn't take much effort at all. Chances are you won't even need to open your syndicate uplink.

You have the Root Access Disk, which is better than an emag, and as such can make practically any machine on the ship do your bidding, and your rank lets you order any person on the ship to do the same. Will you liberally hand out execution orders, release and pardon criminals, give all-access to the clown, let the ship fall apart, reprogram the AI to fuel your ego, or just generally act mad with power and demote anyone who gets in your way? Just make sure that you're at least trying to be subtle, or at least make sure anyone who could depose you is safely eliminated.

The only person with more potential to fuck things up for everyone is the AI, and they’re probably not going to do that. So watch your step, your back, and your crew, or you may just end up floating through space wondering why your oxygen tank is filled with plasma.

As a special note, the admins tend to notice the actions of the captain quite a bit more often than they do anyone else.