The Articles of Organization

a proposed constitution for STF.

Article II, Ranks and Positions.

Section A, The Commanding Officer, Executive Officer and Second Officer.
This section details the jobs of the CO, XO and 2O on each ship and starbase in STF.

p1. Commanding Officer (CO) and Base Commanding Officer (BCO).: The CO's primary RPG duty is to command the ship or starbase and take charge of every situation as it develops, applying Federation law and good judgement in order to resolve each crisis in the best way. By way of "paperwork," he is in charge of making sure the crewmembers stay active, submitting an active crewlist to his FComm or PDir whenever requested, and keeping a Ship's (or Base's) Log if he so desires. The CO reports directly to his FComm. The CO has the power to promote his crew to ranks including but not exceeding Lieutenant-Commander. Most COs hold the rank of Captain, although there is no rank prerequisite and no rank is conferred automatically upon becoming a CO. The CO is responsible for maintaining both the Ready Room of his ship (as an office where his subordinates can voice their concerns) and an optional personal quarters for character development.
p2. Executive Officer (XO).: The XO, in RPG situations, is most often the leader of landing parties. While it is the CO's duty to safeguard the lives of his crew, it is the XO's duty to watch out for the CO. The XO is also responsible for suggesting promotion prospects to the CO and serving as a liaison officer between the CO and the rest of the crew. If the CO becomes unable to discharge his duties, the XO steps in and assumes the role of aCO, "acting Commanding Officer." The XO's major areas of posting include any Away Team site as well as optional quarters, and of course the Bridge.
p3. Second Officer (2O).: Mostly just a formalization of succession, the Second Officer is usually the most senior Department Head, whose job it is to basically take a leading role in educating younger officers about RPing. When the XO takes the job of aCO (acting CO), or if the XO is unable to do his job, the 2O steps up and adds aXO to his list of duties. The 2O's areas of activity vary in accordance to his "other" job, as 2O is not a full-time position.
p4. First and Second Officers on Starbases.: STF Starbases do not have the position of Second Officer, and the title of "Base Executive Officer" (BXO) is conferred upon a trusted Department Head in the same manner as 2O on starships. Like the 2O position, BXO does not carry any extra duties, only a formalization of succession.

Section B, The Department Heads -- Starships.
This section details the duties of the various Department-Head positions aboard an STF starship.

p1. Chief Engineer (CE).: The Chief Engineer is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure of the ship. The CE is expected to know every detail of the ship on which he serves. The CE is expected to maintain, for purposes of RPG advancement, either a "Chief Engineer's Office" subject or a "Main Engineering" subject. The CE may also maintain an Engineering Log if he so desires. Chief Engineers rarely report in person to the Bridge unless Main Engineering has been contaminated.
p2. Chief Medical Officer (CMO).: The Chief Medical Officer is the head doctor on board the starship, and is responsible for the health of every crewmember. The CMO may, with the concordance of the XO, pronounce the CO "unfit for duty" if he exhibits odd or dangerous behavior. The CMO should maintain a "Sickbay" or a "CMO's Office," and can maintain a CMO Log if he wishes. The CMO is almost never on the Bridge, but often on landing parties because of his medical expertise.
p3. Chief Science Officer (CSO).: The Chief Science Officer is (in general) responsible for maintining the sensor system of the ship and aiding in Starfleet's mission of exploration. Because of the varying facilities on each class, the CSO's duties are different throughout the fleet. On Heavy and Light Cruisers, the CSO normally has his hands full with the many experiments and data-gathering projects in operation. On Dreadnoughts, such as the Nimitz class, the CSO often works with the CE and the Chief of Security in maintaining the readiness of some of the more high-tech weapons, in addition to some research. In both Dreadnoughts and in smaller Destroyers and Scouts, the CSO takes on all of the duties of the Operations Manager. The CSO is usually found either on the Bridge or in an optional "Science Lab" or "CSO Office" subject he could maintain, if he so wishes, for RPG purposes.
p4. Chief of Security (COS).: As with the CSO, the COS's duties vary depending on the type of ship. On a Cruiser or Science vessel, the COS is in charge of both external and internal security, with a large support staff to help. On ships primarily for defense, Dreadnoughts, Destroyers, and the like, the COS is only in charge of internal security. Areas of posting for the COS include the Bridge, the Brig, and the Security Office, the last two of which are optional and the COS's responsibility to maintain.
p5. Chief Tactical Officer (CTO).: On warships -- ships built primarily for defense, not exploration -- the Chief Tactical Officer takes up the role of studying the sector(s) in which the ship is traveling, advising the CO on treaty law, political and social reality, and Federation interest while planning strategy, and operating the ship's weapons in battle. In short, the CTO complements the COS by being the chief of external security. The CTO is almost always on the Bridge, and, unlike the COS, is rarely on Landing Party detail.
p6. Counselor (Cslr).: On exploratory ships where First Contacts, or any diplomatic events, are likely, a role- playing Counselor is included on the ship's roster (the only current exception to the rule is the Trafalgar class). The Counselor is an expert in psychology and, in addition to handling the emotional well-being of the crew, the Counselor offers invaluable help to the CO regarding alien races and advises him on diplomacy. The Counselor is frequently on the bridge but is also responsible for maintaining an optional "Counselor's Office."
p7. Operations Manager and Flight Control (Ops Mgr, Conn).: The two forward positions on a Galaxy-class ship, Ops Mgr and Conn, are not staffed in STF. Most of the duties of the Operations Manager are divided among the Chief Engineer, Chief Science Officer, and Chief of Security/Chief Tactical Officer. Operations Manager does not exist on STF ships; the related position of Chief of Operations on starbases is, however, staffed. Flight Control (Conn), the ship's pilot, is "staffed" by Non-Player Characters (see Article I, Section B, Paragraph 4).

Section C, Department Heads -- Starbases
This section details the various duties of the Department-Head positions aboard an STF starbase.

p1. Chief of Operations (COO).: The head Engineering officer on a starbase is the Chief of Operations. The COO is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure of the base and overseeing all docking, shipbuilding, construction, transportation, and cargo-moving operations. The COO's duty station is on the Bridge or Operations Center of his base.
p2. Base Medical Officer (BMO).: The BMO is responsible for the physical and emotional well-being of the crew and can, with the concurrence of the BXO, declare the BCO unfit for duty (if the BMO is the BXO, then he can declare the CO unfit for duty with the concurrence of the next-senior officer on the base, by rank). In some cases, the BMO may also be called upon to serve as Starfleet's liaison to civilian hospitals on the base. The BMO works in an "Infirmary" on smaller starbases or a full-fledged "Sickbay" or "Hospital" on larger ones.
p3. Chief of Station Security (CSS).: The CSS is in charge of the internal police force of the starbase. Operating from his office, usually located near the center of civilian activity on the base, he is responsible for the safety of both Starfleet officers and civilians on the station, as well as the inspection of materials imported to the station.
p4. Base Science Officer (BSO).: The head of the station's Science department is called the "BSO." He maintains the internal and external sensor systems (with the help of the COO, CSS, and SOO) and operates any Science Labs on-board, although his main duty station is on the Bridge or Ops Center.
p5. Strategic Operations Officer (SOO).: The SOO's job is similar to that of the CTO on STF warships, but obviously less mobile. Because the SOO's starbase does not change sectors like the CTO's warship, the SOO has more in-depth knowledge of the political, economic, and strategic situation of his home sector. Also like the CTO, the SOO is in charge of the station's external security system. The SOO is almost always on the Bridge or in the Ops Center while on duty, unless he is inspecting the defense arrangements.
p6. Civilian Liaison Officer, Planetary Liaison Officer (CLO, PLO).: In starbases that have substantial civilian or non-Federation populations, Starfleet often sends a CLO or PLO. These liaison officers are ordinarily either Starfleet officers with some connection (e.g. birth, childhood home, long-term diplomatic assignment, etc.) to the particular civilian or foreign culture, or members of the planetary or national military or political organization, in cases of Planetary Liaisons. Starbases located on, near, or in orbit of a planet are assigned PLOs; starbases with large civilian populations living on the 'base but no nearby planet recieve CLOs.

Section D, The "Dash-Ones."
This section details the duties of the Assistant Department Heads, or "Dash-ones."

p1. Dash-One Justification.: While the jobs of the Department Heads are easy enough that only one officer is required, oftentimes another officer -- an Assistant Department Head -- is assigned to the same department on the same ship. There are only two reasons why any officer should be assigned a Dash-one position:
p2. Engineering (Eng-1, Ops-1).: The Eng-1 is the Engineering understudy, who often serves as the CE's liaison to the bridge, sitting at the "Engineering" station. The Eng-1 is, of course, in charge of Main Engineering and the well-being of the ship should the CE become incapacitated or should the CE go on landing party duty. The Ops-1 officer is the assistant to the Chief of Operations on a starbase and therefore has a larger range of duties, including dock management and shipbuilding.
p3. Medical (Med-1).: Depending on medical knowledge, the Med-1 may be either another Doctor in sickbay or a nurse. If the ship or starbase has no counselor, the Med-1 may also serve as a psychologist.
p4. Science (Sci-1).: The assistant to the Science officer.
p5. Security/Tactical (Sec-1, Tac-1).: On multipurpose and science ships, the COS may decide to split internal and external security jobs between himself and the Sec-1. Alternatively, the Sec-1 could be used as another internal policeman. The Tac-1 only appears on warships and starbases where a Strategic Operations Officer or Chief Tactical Officer takes over external security.
p6. Dash-Twos & -Threes.: During times when there are many more members than Department Head and Dash-One positions in a given field, Dash-Twos are acceptable, as are Dash-Threes, but at this point the Presidency should consider commissioning a new ship or two.

Section E, Transfers.
This section defines "transfers" and provides a protocol for them.

p1. Definition.: A "Transfer" is any movement of any crewman from one job to another. A move from Eng-1 to CE on the same ship is a transfer, as is a move from CE on the USS Acme to XO on the USS Foobar.
p2. Same-Ship Transfers.: Most transfers within a ship follow the pattern given above, of a dash-one being "promoted" to Chief Engineer, or of a Department Head being made XO. For a same-ship transfer to be official, there must be a vacancy in the "to" position and the CO must advise the Personnel Director and the FComm that a transfer is being made. Note that if a Department Head goes AWOL (Absent Without Official Leave, or Absent WithOut Leave), any dash-one serving under him becomes an acting Department Head; Official confirmation by the CO is necessary to make the aDH a permanent DH. All transfers are subject to veto by the Fleet Commander. No member may be transferred against his will, except in the case of a ship decommissioning.
p3. Two-Ship Transfers.: The reasons for two-ship transfers are very much the same as those for same-ship transfers (advancement), and the qualifications are the same also. Note, however, that for a two-ship transfer both COs must approve and the FComm can veto. If the transfer involves two fleets, either FComm may veto the transfer.
p4. Transfers Because of Decommissionings.: When a ship is decommissioned or otherwise taken out of active service, all personnel aboard the ship must be reassigned. Because the President is actively involved in the decommissioning process, he will normally take a role in finding a new ship for the victims of the decomm, but it is ultimately up to the FComm of the fleet to find the necessary openings. Note that certain officers (ordinarily the CO and XO) may need to take subordinate positions on their new ships.