Space Station Nigala
United Federation of Planets
United Space Federation
Starfleet Command
Commanding Officer
Current: Rylan Jacob Hirsch
Character Responsibilities: The Commanding Officer of a USF sim holds the rank of Captain or higher and is responsible for the execution of Starfleet orders and policies, as well as for the interpretation of Federation law as it applies to particular situations. Starfleet orders are of paramount importance to a CO, who must sometimes make difficult sacrifices in order to ensure that these orders are executed.
USF Responsibilities: COs, carefully selected from the host ranks by USF High Command (HC), are entrusted with the well-being of the sims they are appointed to host and are ultimately held accountable by High Command for the conditions aboard those sims. In order to aid them in fulfilling this obligation, COs have a marked degree of independence in sim matters, so they can ensure that their sims provide enjoyable environments for their crews. The post of Commanding Officer, therefore, balances power and responsibility, and is arguably one of the most important and challenging positions the USF has to offer.
In-Sim: The CO is generally the chief writer of a given week's plot and, as such, possesses a rough idea of the outcome of the sim. S/he will guide the crew toward this outcome, often delegating responsibilities to the XO and the various departments. The CO distributes mission briefings to the crew prior to the sim; these documents contain the information necessary for the crew to fully participate. The CO is also empowered with the use of the ACTION command, which represents a sim-wide event and is generally used to propel the plot forward. Finally, just as a Starfleet CO would expect his or her orders to be followed by the crew, so too are the orders of a USF CO to be obeyed by his or her subordinate simmers. Regardless of a CO's rank, s/he may properly be addressed as "Captain."
Executive Officer
Current: Ruari Aine McKee
Character Responsibilities: The Executive Officer of a USF sim holds the rank of Commander (or higher, but always subordinate to that of the CO) and is the second-in-command of the ship. Under the direction of the CO, s/he is responsible for the execution of Starfleet orders and policies, but the XO's ultimate responsibility lies with the crew. The XO serves as a liaison between the CO and the crew while being concerned with the crew's welfare above all. As a result, conflicts will sometimes arise between CO and XO: should the CO lead this dangerous away mission? (Of course, should these conflicts arise in-sim, please remember that they result from the hosts playing their characters and not actual behind-the-scenes tension.)
USF Responsibilities: All USF Hosts, with the exception of those who join the USF along with pre-existing sims, start as XOs, selected for promotion by their future CO and confirmed by High Command. The XO serves as a junior partner to the CO: should the two reach an irreconcilable disagreement, the CO would have the final say. However, the specific responsibilities and degree of command held by an XO are determined by the CO/XO team, who work together to make the sim successful and enjoyable for the entire crew. Should the CO be absent or otherwise unable to execute his or her duties, the XO will assume temporary command. Similarly, if the CO departs the sim, the XO will act as CO until a replacement can be found by High Command.
In-Sim: The XO will often write the sim plots, or assist the CO in doing so, and will thus have a rough idea about the outcome of the sim. The specific relationship between CO, XO, and crew will be determined by the host team, but generally the XO will aid the CO in guiding the crew towards that outcome. The XO is also empowered with the ACTION command. Much like the CO, the XO's orders to subordinates are to be obeyed. The XO will generally lead most Away Teams.
Helm
Character Responsibilities: The helm officer controls the speed and direction of the ship. The helmsman can also handle sensors, access communications, and monitor ship-wide status, should the need arise. However, those responsibilities are more usually left to Ops or Tactical.
In-Sim: As with Ops, Helm is generally not a department, consisting instead of a lone officer who serves on the bridge. This position can be slow at times, especially if the ship is simply in orbit around a planet, so it is often considered acceptable to work with Ops and Tactical in slower situations. During high-risk maneuvers, helm is one of the key positions on the ship.
Security
Chief Security/Tactical Officer: Alexander Mundy
Security/Tactical Officer: Slith Cloudchaser
Security/Tactical Officer: Takaguchi Hidewara
Character Responsibilities: Security officers oversee all necessary security measures, both on the vessel or installation on which they are stationed and on those occasions in which crew members need to leave the ship/installation on official business, such as away team duty. Security officers are responsible for handling intruders, supervising security on away teams, providing unobtrusive but safe escort for diplomats, etc. Security oversees any aspects of a mission involving the personal safety of those involved as well as the safety and security of any persons or objects in their care.
In-Sim: The Security officers should work on all aspects of security within the sim including (though not limited to) registering weapons, maintaining the brig, providing security for guests, escorting away teams, and conducting routine patrols. A sim's Chief of Security will generally coordinate these actions.
Tactical
Character Responsibilities: Tactical officers are in charge of ship, station, starbase or outpost offensive and defensive capabilities. These officers have direct control of phasers, photon torpedoes, shields and any and all other weapons or defense mechanisms. They also control tractor beams, give damage reports and status reports in regard to weapons, defense, and ship integrity, and can control communications if necessary. Some of these secondary duties may be given to Ops if both posts are present in the sim.
In-Sim: This can be one of the more exciting positions on the ship because Tactical is heavily involved with the action packed starship battles that take place from time to time. Tactical officers tend to be suspicious about unknown vessels that come into contact with their ship or station. This is entirely in keeping with their duties, as they have the responsibility to see that no enemies catch them unawares. Leave the diplomatic duties to the CO and XO: the Tactical officer is all about offense and defense.
Engineering
Chief Engineer: Rrhuann
Engineer: Logan Thorne
Engineer: Maxx Hirsch
Character Responsibilities: The engineers are the mechanics of the ship: they are responsible for the upkeep of all ship's systems including, among others, power generation, the computer, and propulsion.
In-Sim: The engineers are often considered the miracle workers of the ship; when the CO asks for the impossible he very frequently looks to his engineers to pull it off. Engineers are usually found in Engineering, but they can work on the bridge at a computer console if necessary—they also journey throughout the ship to perform repairs. Engineers may often join away teams to lend their unique expertise. The Chief Engineer is in charge of Engineering—oftentimes even the CO will be reluctant to challenge his Chief's authority in this environment.
Operations
Currently Open
Character Responsibilities: A ship's Operations Manager is a utility officer who does a little of everything, including running sensor scans, handling communications, and monitoring ship-wide status and functions. Additionally, s/he can pilot the ship, control tractor beams and transporters, and even arrange power distribution to major systems during emergency situations. A jack of all trades, the Operations Manager is a key figure, and anyone functioning as an Operations Manager should take care to monitor all happenings in the sim because the CO will often rely heavily upon the information Ops can provide.
In-Sim: Generally Ops is not a department and consists of a lone officer who serves on the bridge. Ops should coordinate with Helm, Engineering and Tactical and report any suggestions to the XO or the Captain. This position can be challenging during battle situations.
Medical
Chief Medical Officer: Solik
Medical Officer: Tyler Marshall
Character Responsibilities: A ship's medical officers are responsible for maintaining the health and physical well-being of the crew as well as treating the injured, pronouncing the dead and performing autopsies when required.
In-Sim: This is undoubtedly one of the most challenging positions, as sim plots do not frequently involve medical problems, so medical officers are forced to rely on common sense and creativity to find ways to keep their characters busy in sim without interfering with the main plot. If, for example, the crew's health is generally good and there are no injured personnel in sickbay, a medical officer may have no situations directly requiring his/her involvement. The medical team should make sure that the crew is in good health by performing routine physicals. Medical personnel are almost always in sick bay but will frequently join away teams, especially when casualties are reported or expected or when the away team is expected to perform a medical function, such as providing aid to victims of a disaster or investigating an outbreak of disease. The Chief Medical Officer is generally the most experienced doctor aboard the ship.
Counselor
Currently Open
Character Responsibilities: Responsible for the mental and emotional well-being of the crew members. The Counselor periodically consults with each crew member to evaluate his or her mental and emotional well-being, similar to the physicals performed by the medical staff. The Counselor will also hold voluntary sessions with crew members who have mental health concerns.
In-Sim: Counselors often possess empathic or telepathic abilities, though many do not. This position can be very dramatic and interesting and the counseling sessions can often lead to interesting joint logs and subplots. The Counselor will generally be busiest during the sim when communicating with non-Federation species and advising the CO regarding what s/he senses. S/he will also play an important role in diplomatic missions and in situations involving those with strong emotional difficulties. On many sims, the Counselor exists independently from the other departments; on others, the Counselor is considered part of the Medical department.
Science
(Acting) Chief Science Officer: Kiah MacKenzie Walsh
Science Officer: Alexis Anne Mitchell
Science Officer: Adam Garcia
Science Officer: Gregory Marcus Monroe
Character Responsibilities: Science personnel routinely use sensor readings, tricorders and any other analytical equipment at their disposal in order to gain an understanding of the unknown. Science officers will often be charged with finding solutions to these problems once they are identified.
In-Sim: Along with Medical, this is one of the most challenging sim positions. This position generally calls for strong creative and improvisational abilities, especially when faced with unknown substances and species, as well as an ability to work closely with the command staff. Science officers frequently join away teams, and their responsibilities are delegated by the Chief Science Officer.