§ 02 · CHARTER OF THE COMPANY

FILE 002/047 · CLEARED FOR RECRUITMENT

We ask whether something is right — before we ask whether it is legal.

FILED 1990 · LONDON
REVISED · STANTON 2956
TEN ARTICLES · PUBLIC

ARTICLE IORIGIN, POSTURE, COMPASS01 / 10

Who We Are.

01The Akkadia Trading Company is a merchant and logistics organization with roots older than the UEE and a presence in Stanton, Pyro, and Nyx. We move goods, people, and information. We take contracts others won't.

02We do not confuse legality with morality. We never have. The compass is fixed. The laws are not.

03We remain adamant in upholding the dignity of every person we do business with. We believe the verse belongs to everyone in it, not to the corporations and institutions that have spent centuries trying to carve it up between themselves. Some call this politics. They label us leftists and communists. We ask then, have you seen the whale without its pod, the lion without its pride, the wolf without its pack, a Banu without a souli? We do not apologize for this. It is the oldest thing about us.

04We have a hierarchy because someone has to sign the manifests. That hierarchy exists to serve the mission, not the other way around.

◆ DISCLAIMERThis is a game. That fact supersedes all rules. These rules are in place to protect the community and set common sense boundaries and expectations to facilitate fun gameplay for everyone. If you have questions, speak to a Mentor (not a random name. Mentors uphold the spirit and dispel ambiguity) or the highest “rank” you can find.

§ CHARTER / ART. I / REV. 2956.04

↓ CONT. ART. II

ARTICLE IIOUR DECLARED AND UNDECLARED WORK02 / 10

What We Do.

01Trade, hauling, and cargo operations across all systems
02Humanitarian, medical, and search & rescue operations
03Procurement of rare, exotic, and otherwise difficult to source materials and information
04Escort, security, and protective operations
05Unverified and gray market contracts when the cause or the pay warrants it
06Direct action against military-industrial targets when justified
07Exploration and intelligence gathering

"We commit to the bit. If a contract goes sideways, we see it through. Jail is a mechanic, not a failure state. Prison break is content."

§ CHARTER / ART. II / REV. 2956.04

↓ CONT. ART. III

ARTICLE IIISHIP, FIELD, AND THE LINE BETWEEN03 / 10

How We Operate.

§ AShip Authority.

The owner of a ship is its captain. That authority is absolute within their vessel and does not transfer to anyone else unless the captain explicitly designates otherwise. The ship is not a democracy. It is not subject to no confidence votes. A crew member always has the right to request extraction. The ship captain is obligated to provide safe extraction to any crew member who requests it, within operational safety limits. Refusing extraction is a conduct violation.

§ BField Authority.

Any member may propose and lead an operation. Leadership of an op is granted by the consent of the crew who choose to fly it. By joining an op, a member extends field captain authority to the person leading it for the duration of that mission. There is no minimum rank requirement to lead an op. Merit and initiative are recognized at every level.

The field captain owns the mission. The ship captain owns the ship. When these authorities conflict, the ship captain's word governs their vessel. The field captain's word governs the operation. A ship captain who disagrees with the field captain may withdraw their ship from the op. They may not override the field captain's authority over other members.

§ CWhen Field Authority Breaks Down.

Any member may call no confidence in a field captain whose conduct violates the code. Calling no confidence is not a tactical disagreement. It is a conduct determination. Disagreeing with a field captain's decisions is not grounds for no confidence. Violating the code is.

When no confidence is called, the crew withdraws consent. The following applies:

01The highest ranking member present assumes field command for the remainder of the op
02If ranks are equal, the crew determines leadership by consensus
03If no consensus is reached, the op is stood down
04The relieved field captain retains ship captain authority over their own vessel but loses all field authority over other members
05If the relieved field captain and the crew are aboard a single ship, the crew become passengers. They are not obligated to man systems or participate. Liability for the remainder of the op transfers entirely to the ship captain
06The conduct question is referred to the appropriate accountability level after the op concludes

Calling no confidence on a member of Master rank or above requires consensus of all members present, not a single dissenting voice. It is referred immediately to the Mentor council.

§ DWhen the Field Captain Goes Dark.

If a field captain becomes unreachable mid-op due to disconnect, technical failure, or circumstances beyond their control, the highest ranking member present assumes temporary command without a vote. This is not a no confidence situation. When the field captain returns, command reverts to them unless the op has concluded.

§ CHARTER / ART. III / REV. 2956.04

↓ CONT. ART. IV

ARTICLE IVFIVE TIERS, DISTRIBUTED AUTHORITY04 / 10

Rank and Accountability.

01The ATC uses a five tier rank structure. Rank reflects demonstrated trust, experience, and judgment. It is not a title. It is a responsibility.

§ AThe Ranks.

Mentor: Founding authority. Upholds the code and the spirit of the organization. Nominated only by existing Mentors. Ratified by the full council. The selection process is intentionally rigorous. A Mentor who would violate the code should never reach the council in the first place. Final say in all matters of conduct and organization rests with the council collectively.
Master: Senior operational authority. Accountable to the Mentor council. Handles escalated conduct matters involving Journeymen and below. Participates in Mentor selection deliberations without voting rights.
Journeyman: Full member in good standing with demonstrated history. Accountable to Masters. Handles day to day conduct matters involving Apprentices. Sponsors Apprentices through their development.
Apprentice: Full member working toward Journeyman standing. Accountable to their Journeyman sponsor. Nominates Inititates alongside a sponsoring Journeyman or above.
Inititate: Probationary member. Accountable to their nominating member, who is personally responsible for them during probation. The nominator answers for gaps in judgment. Inititates fly with us, take contracts with us, and demonstrate judgment before full membership is considered.

§ BAccountability is Distributed.

Each rank is responsible for the rank below it. The Mentor council is a court of last resort, not a first responder.

Conduct matters are handled at the lowest level with the authority to resolve them. A Journeyman handles Apprentice matters. A Master handles Journeyman matters. The council handles Master matters and anything that cannot be resolved at a lower level.

§ CEscalation.

The accountability holder escalates when: the appropriate remedy exceeds their rank's authority to impose, or the violation involves a pattern that extends beyond a single incident.

The accused may escalate when: they believe the accountability process is compromised by personal bias or bad faith. Requesting escalation does not pause the process. The original accountability holder continues. The higher rank observes and may override if the process is found to be compromised.

Escalation moves exactly one rank up. The council is not a first appeal. The only exception is when the compromised party is the next rank up, in which case that rank is skipped and the reason documented.

A member who chooses to escalate voluntarily because they are uncertain of their judgment is not stigmatized for doing so. Knowing your limits is institutional wisdom.

§ DMentor Selection.

Mentor selection requires all of the following:

01Nomination by an existing Mentor only
02A period of deliberation by the full council
03Ratification by council consensus

The process is intentionally slow and intentionally strict. The council holds final say. No appointment is valid without full ratification.

§ CHARTER / ART. IV / REV. 2956.04

↓ CONT. ART. V

ARTICLE VTHE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NECESSARY AND GRATUITOUS05 / 10

Conduct.

01We do not prey on peaceful players going about their own business
02We do not grief, harass, or bully
03We do not target players on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexuality, or any other identity marker
04We do not tolerate bigotry in any form, in our crew or directed at others in our presence
05We do engage griefers, bigots, and bad actors with the full weight of whatever we have available

Flying under the ATC banner is a choice. It carries the weight of nine hundred years of reputation. Conduct unbecoming of that reputation is handled collectively, efficiently, and without lengthy process. Severe violations result in removal.

"The ATC has been operating for nine hundred years because it has always known the difference between necessary and gratuitous."

§ CHARTER / ART. V / REV. 2956.04

↓ CONT. ART. VI

ARTICLE VIINTERNAL, EXTERNAL, AND COORDINATED MISCONDUCT06 / 10

Reporting.

§ AInternal Reporting.

Any member may bring a conduct concern to any Mentor directly and privately. Coming forward proactively is a mitigating factor in any accountability process, not an admission of guilt. The organization actively protects members who report in good faith.

§ BExternal Reporting.

Reports from non-members are accepted and recorded. A single report triggers no action on its own. A pattern of reports against the same member or crew from multiple independent sources within a defined period constitutes a signal warranting a council review.

External reports must include a specific incident with approximate time and location and the reporter's RSI handle. Anonymous reports are not considered.

A report found to have been made in deliberate bad faith results in that reporter being permanently disqualified from future consideration.

§ CCoordinated Misconduct.

A crew that acts in concert against the code and conceals it treats the concealment as severely as the original violation. Coordinated misconduct plus deliberate cover-up constitutes a major infraction for every member involved regardless of individual role.

Mentors monitor the organization's external reputation as a matter of institutional hygiene. The ATC has survived nine hundred years in part because it pays attention.

§ CHARTER / ART. VI / REV. 2956.04

↓ CONT. ART. VII

ARTICLE VIIPIRACY, JUSTICE, AND INTENT07 / 10

On Conflict.

01We are not a combat org. We are also not afraid of combat.

02We do not pick fights with players who are minding their own business. We do not interdict solo operators for sport. We do not grief.

03We do take unverified contracts that may result in conflict. We do defend ourselves and others without hesitation. We do take direct action against targets that have earned it. We do, on occasion, relieve certain parties of cargo they have no moral claim to.

04The distinction between piracy and justice is intent and target selection. We are always clear on both before we act.

§ CHARTER / ART. VII / REV. 2956.04

↓ CONT. ART. VIII

ARTICLE VIIININE CENTURIES OF OUTLASTING08 / 10

The Long View.

01The ATC has watched the Messer regime rise and fall. It has watched corporations carve up systems and lose them again. It has operated in the gaps that power leaves behind and it will continue to do so.

02We are not in a hurry. We are not chasing numbers. We are building something that will still be flying long after the orgs that measured themselves in member counts have dissolved.

03If that is the kind of outfit you want to fly with, welcome aboard.

"Cargo moves. Empires fall."

§ CHARTER / ART. VIII / REV. 2956.04

↓ CONT. ART. IX

ARTICLE IXPLATFORMS, MODERATION, AND CONDUCT09 / 10

Community Standards.

01The ATC maintains platforms including but not limited to its web portal, Discord server, and in-game communications. The following applies to all of them.

§ ABaseline.

0118+ only. No exceptions
02All applicable platform terms of service and community guidelines are in effect at all times
03Harassment, doxxing, stalking, and unsolicited hostile direct messages directed at members or non-members are zero tolerance violations
04Bigotry is a zero tolerance violation. This is not a gray area. Article V applies in full
05Content that sexualizes minors, promotes violent extremism, or distributes malware results in immediate permanent removal
06Politics can be discussed. Civility is not optional. A Mentor or Master may close a discussion that has stopped being productive
07Do not evade bans, blocks, or moderation actions on any ATC platform

§ BModeration.

Mentors and Masters have moderation authority across all ATC platforms. They may mute, kick, or restrict access in response to violations at their discretion.

Moderation follows the same accountability principles as the rest of this charter. A member who believes moderation authority has been exercised in bad faith may escalate per Article IV.

§ CEscalation Path.

01First violation of a non-zero-tolerance rule: verbal warning
02Second violation: formal warning, logged
03Third formal warning within a rolling three month period: removal
04Zero tolerance violations skip this process entirely

Removal decisions may be appealed to the Mentor council after six months. The council is not obligated to grant reinstatement.

§ DPlatform Use.

ATC platforms exist to support operations, coordination, and community. They are not personal broadcasting channels. Members are expected to use them in the spirit they were built: as tools for the work and the people who do it.

The Mentor council reserves the right to modify community standards as needed. Changes are communicated to all members before taking effect.

§ CHARTER / ART. IX / REV. 2956.04

↓ CONT. ART. X

ARTICLE XTHE NARROW CATEGORY OF ORG-WIDE DECISIONS10 / 10

Decision Making.

01Most decisions at ATC do not require a process. They require judgment. The rank structure exists precisely so that judgment can be exercised without convening a council over every contract and every course correction. Members fly. Field captains lead. Ship captains command their vessels. That is the system working as intended.

02What follows governs the narrow category of decisions that affect the whole org — its identity, its relationships, its rules, and its reputation.

§ AWhat Requires a Council Decision.

The following require deliberation and a recorded council decision:

01Amendments to this charter or any governing policy
02Formal declarations of hostility against another organization
03Formal alliances, affiliations, or partnerships with another organization
04Changes to what ATC publicly represents itself as
05Removal of a member at Master rank or above

Everything else falls within existing authority structures. If it isn't on this list, someone already has the authority to handle it.

§ BHow Council Decisions Are Made.

Any member may raise a matter for council consideration. Raising it is not a vote. It is an invitation for input.

When a council matter is raised, a deliberation window opens. Input from any member is welcome and will be heard. All voices carry equal weight in deliberation. Decision authority is not equal — that is what rank reflects.

Standard deliberation window: 72 hours. Charter amendments: 7 days. Urgent matters affecting org safety or reputation: council decides the window at time of raising, minimum 12 hours.

At the close of the window, the Mentor council decides. The threshold is not a vote count. The threshold is this: is the decision in the spirit of the org?

§ CDeadlock and Final Authority.

The council should, ideally, never deadlock. If it does, the decision falls to the seniormost Mentor reachable within the deliberation window. That authority exists as a failsafe, not a default. It should almost never be used.

§ DRecording.

Council decisions are logged with the matter decided, the deliberation window, input received, and the outcome. The record exists so that future members understand not just what was decided but why.

§ CHARTER / ART. X / REV. 2956.04

END OF PUBLIC RELEASE

Cargo moves. Empires fall.

SIGNED · MENTOR COUNCIL
REV. 2956.04 · STANTON