Quote:Official Zoner Policies


Section I - General Policies: Zoner and Zoner Guard Charters

The Council of Zoners (CoZ) will abide by and claim all rights given by our "Charters", to wit:

Pilots carrying a Zoner ID are Zoners. Pilots carrying a Zoner Guard ID are Zoner Guards, who:
Can trade and escort traders;
Can demand Zoner pilots from any ship carrying them and can attack if the demand is ignored or refused;
Can only attack those who are : directly attacking Zoners or Zoner NPC faction allies, carrying Zoner pilots, diplomatically hostile to Zoners, or those who have violated Freeport neutrality;
(The Council of Zoners reserves the right to declare any vessel or group as "diplomatically hostile" for the purpose of these policies.);
Cannot ally with anyone except against Zoner faction enemies, or to defend Zoners, Zoner bases and Zoner allies;
Cannot participate in any unlawful actions;(The Council of Zoners chooses to define "unlawful actions" as those actions proscribed by any House or major "Governing Faction", but only in the ZoI of the House which specifically declares the action "unlawful".);
Cannot use any ship with more than 3,800 cargo space when having a Zoner ID, while a Zoner Guard ID imposes no cargo limitation;
Cannot fulfill bounty contracts except against Zoner faction enemies;
The Zoner ID as well as the Zoner Guard ID does not make you immune to piracy; pirates may choose at their discretion whether to exempt you from being pirated.

Allowed ships when using the Zoner ID: Fighters, Bombers, Freighters, Transports, Gunboats.

Allowed ships when using the Zoner Guard ID: Fighters, Bombers, Freighters, Transports, Liners, Gunboats, Cruisers, Battleships.

Restricted Zoner Vessels:
Every ship of the following class is restricted to Zoner Guards:
Zoner "Jinkusu" Class Juggernaut
"Aquilon" Class Zoner Carrier
Corvo Deep Space Explorer
Zoner "Fearless" Destroyer
Zoner Borderworld Transport "ZBT-100Z 2"
Special dispensation may be given to non-Zoners by the Council of Zoners (CoZ) and the Authorized Department of Movement and Interstellar Networking of Sirius (//ADMINS).
Ship restriction violation is considered by the Zoner Community to be theft and is subject to investigation, evaluation, and possible action by the CoZ.
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Section II - Zoner Neutrality

Zoner Neutrality, as reflected in these policies, is used to describe the attitude and behaviour of the entire Zoners community rather than the opinion and behaviour of certain Zoner individuals. The entire group of Zoners, remarkably but still not exclusively represented by the CoZ and including Registered Zoner Factions, does not take sides in any conflict of Sirius except for the protection of Zoner Spaces and Zoner Policies.

While Zoners as a group try to avoid contracts with any other party, they appreciate official agreements of mutual support which guarantee:
Zoners respect the laws of bordering powers and can allow their enforcement by lawful, non military factions - if a criminal crosses the border into Zoner Space -, provided the conditions of a Foreign Law Enforcement Treaty with the CoZ are met.
The bordering powers agree to maintain the neutrality of the Zoners and abide by the laws listed below.

The Zoners, as a whole, may never declare any human group as hostile. Neither the Zoners as a whole, nor any individual Zoner are allowed to issue blanket bounties on complete groups. Only individuals are allowed to be declared hostile to Zoners or outlaws in Zoner Space.

While Zoners can never take responsibility for the actions of any Non-Zoner outside Zoner Spaces. Non-Zoner actions inside of Zoner Spaces are subject to Zoner Space Laws.
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Section III - Zoner Space Laws

Zoner Space Laws are divided into four subjects:

A. Non-Zoner Usage
B. No Fire Zones
C. Zoner Restricted Areas
D. Foreign Law Enforcement


A. Non-Zoner Usage

No non-Zoner may use Zoner facilities as bases of operations except with the explicit approval of the facility's owners (if they exist) or the CoZ.
Visitors who have business at a Zoner station are expected to dock, conduct their business and move on.

B. No Fire Zones

The No Fire Zone exists as a safe zone around all Zoners stations and bases, this means a 5k sphere around the main docking points, so that all factions may come and buy necessary supplies or sell locally produced wares without endangering the civilians hosts onbaord the Zoner station or planet. The NFZ is NOT a security blanket or safety net for pilots or factions to hide behind. If you have business at a Zoner station then dock, conduct your business and move on. As such:

The No Fire Zone is an area in which no offensive actions are allowed. This includes the use of weapons (guns, missles, mines), intentional ramming, or provocative behaviour such as threats, taunting or masked insults.
Any combat between vessels is prohibited within the NFZ. Including but not limited to engaging routine "patrol units" (//NPCs), or pursuing a 'fleeing' vessel into the NFZ to continue combat. All combat must cease and combatants must leave the NFZ immediately.
Vessels fleeing into the NFZ are subject to the Space Rules imposed on all vessels by the Authorized Department of Movement and Interstellar Networking of Sirius (//ADMINS and Server Rules) and are considered as fleeing from combat and docking. The fleeing vessel must dock at the station or planet immediately, and remain docked for no less than 4 hours (//As per Server Rules 5.6 - 5.9).
Self-Defense is allowed, only if absolutely necessary. Assisting individuals defending themselves within the NFZ is explicitly not allowed, unless those individuals are Zoners.
Every CoZ member has the right to end gatherings of non-Zoners at his/her discretion, with minimal warning or explanation. Every CoZ member has the express right to enforce NFZ Policies by whatever means necessary.
The CoZ reserves the right to declare any NFZ violator "Hostile" upon documented evidence of said violation, and to proceed per the "General (ID) Policies".
NFZ Systems:
All of Baffin is declared an NFZ by the TAZ. Violators will be subject to both the "Bafflin' Pentabarf" and Zoner Policies.
All of Omicron-74 is declared NFZ by the ZTC. Violators will be subject to the Zoner Policies.
Penalty/Action taken in case of a violation:
A warning is issued.
The offender is banned from the relevant NFZ for 4 hours.
The destruction of the offender, if the said offender does not comply with orders from Zoner authorities.
The offender is reported to the CoZ for further examination.


C. Zoner Restricted Areas

Zoner Restricted Areas are Pueblo Bonito in Baffin, and the system of Omicron-74 (except for Freeport XV and the direct route between the Theta and the Kappa jumpholes). The following rules apply:
Violating the Zoners' Restricted Areas can lead to immediate prosecution and engagement, with minimal warning or explanation.
CoZ members can restrict access to Omicron-74 at their discretion to everyone without prior notice or further explanation. This includes regularly unrestricted parts such as Freeport XV or the jumpholes in Omicron-74. The TAZ also reserves the right to lock down Baffin without prior notice.
Non-Zoner vessels are required to comply immediately to orders issued by any CoZ or ZRT vessel present.


D. Foreign Law Enforcement

Any regional laws imposed by a local power are not valid in Zoner Spaces. Additional regulations providing support for the enforcement of Zoner Policies by local non-military police powers in according Zoner Spaces are possible but must never violate the following rules:
The according Zoner Space must remain a NFZ.
Individuals except for aliens and their kin are considered to be temporarily neutral when they move into a Zoner Space.
No additional term is allowed to contain regulations that are not primarily or directly suitable to protect Zoner Spaces.
No individual representing a local police power is allowed to initiate hostilities unless granted express permission by the CoZ or individual Delegates of the CoZ, or by meeting the conditions of a signed Foreign Law Enforcement treaty.
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Section IV - Zoner Response Team

The Zoner Response Team (ZRT) is not the Navy of the Council of Zoners, but a voluntary militia dedicated to the protection of Zoner communities.
Ships dedicated to the ZRT may have the suffix (ZRT) added to their transponder ID ( <ship-name>(ZRT) ) and use the Zoner Guard ID and IFF, unless they belong to a Zoner faction which has a different naming and ranking system.
Only vessels under the command of a member of the Council of Zoners may assume ZRT duties and draft Zoner volunteers not on the Council to help.
Due to their civilian nature, the following ship classes are not allowed for dedicated ZRT duty, but may be drafted for defensive purposes only:
"Corvo" Class Zoner Deep Space Explorer
Zoner "Jinkusu" Class Juggernaut
The ZRT's duties include:
Enforcing the Council of Zoners' Official Policies - especially the No Fire Zone Policies - even towards other Zoners and our allies.
May only protect Zoner convoys, single freighters or transports on official CoZ business outside the NFZ.
The ZRT may hunt down and attack any vessel which has been declared "Hostile" to Zoners, but may only enter House or uncontested space (i.e Omicron Gamma, Omicron Minor, Omicron Alpha) with permission from the controlling powers.
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Infringement of ANY of the above Policies can result in banishment from ALL Zoner Facilities, or being officially declared "Hostile" to Zoners.

Quote:Vessels fleeing into the NFZ are subject to the Space Rules imposed on all vessels by the Authorized Department of Movement and Interstellar Networking of Sirius (//ADMINS and Server Rules) and are considered as fleeing from combat and docking. The fleeing vessel must dock at the station or planet immediately, and remain docked for no less than 4 hours (//As per Server Rules 5.6 - 5.9).

Quote:- A term explicitly prohibiting people basing off Freeports bordering house space for the purposes of committing an act or multiple acts of piracy and terrorism. Currently, this is implied but not specifically stated.

Quote:As for fleeing into the NFZ. If the Liberty lawful faction ( I think in this case we are referring to the Liberty Navy and Liberty Security Force) can provide rock solid proof that their quarry was engaged outside the NFZ and then fled into the NFZ (which is also against policy) we would overlook said trespass. We would need unedited pictorial proof of said situation. A picture of the engagement outside the NFZ and a picture that shows the subject fled into the NFZ. Now only the LN and LSF would get this compromise, as the LPI would be way out of their jurisdiction.

Quote:Loiterers will continue to be handled by Zoners. Now proof that a someone was loitering would be appreciative and would allow us to deal with transgressors.

Quote:While we do realize that installations will sustain damage during their life span, we choose to try to limit that as much as possible. Usually no life is harmed if no objects are damaged or destroyed. This is the benchmark for Zoners of how to ensure the security of people.

Quote:What you stated reads as already well-established Zoner policy, something which is currently not in our interest to endorse due to its potentially protective nature of dangerous criminals and terrorists. We are all aware of Zoner neutrality, but we are still adamant that our law enforcement should be able to carry out their duties unhindered, even in Zoner no-fire-zones.

Quote:Your ownership of that space is self-imposed and is only recognized because of the generous element within our government. Apart from our generosity, we have no incentive to respect that ownership, but we currently do anyway.

Quote:Once again we offer that if the pursuing ship can show evidence that the "criminal" fled into our NFZ, they will be able to continue pursuit and use force. Now if Liberty has knowledge and proof that there are certain elements staging from our stations, provide proof and we will eject them.

Quote:Now we are at a potential impasse. You do not seem to realize that this is a negotiation. You make a request, we counter, and we go back and forth till we both get a little of what we want. Now we started with no one being able to violate our policies, we made a concession to allow your lawful forces to do so if they provided proof. Now if your forces can not be bothered with actually gathering proof before making arrests or even killing a "criminal" I feel very sorry for Lady Justice in Liberty.

Quote:Yes I admitted an wording error on our part about anyone staging attacks on anyone else from our stations. Your comment pointed out to us that it was not clear enough. It is being fixed. Yet you throw that in our face and accuse us of not budging. Yet you have refused to change your stance at all.

Quote:Now the main areas of space we are talking about are outside Liberty. Truthfully it is no ones territory and there are no laws in that region. We have rules that folks must abide if they want to use our stations. If they do not, then they are asked to leave, forcefully if necessary, and black listed from that freeport. If their violation is bad enough they will be forbidden from the use of any Zoner installation.

You want to be able to violate those rules, freely with no proof of wrong doing, in an area of space that is not yours. Space where your laws do not hold sway. You ask for trust but give none in return and threaten our very existence in these systems. Is this how the Liberty government works? With threats? You want to be able to carry out your duties in a system where your laws mean nothing. Outside your sovereign space.

Quote:If you truly believe that all the criminals of Liberty are based out of Ames and Freeport 2 then you have more issues then just our little 5k around our stations. Why would criminals run to our stations when they can go to their own?

Quote:If we allow you to violate our No Fire Zone when you wish, then we would have to allow everyone to do so. That is not acceptable. You want to police the independent systems when you have enough issues within your own house. To give you free reign in the NFZ would open too many problems and threaten our very existence through out Sirius.

Quote:Once again we offer that if the pursuing ship can show evidence that the "criminal" fled into our NFZ, they will be able to continue pursuit and use force. Now if Liberty has knowledge and proof that there are certain elements staging from our stations, provide proof and we will eject them. Now in return we would like Liberty to ratify our policies and recognize that Zoners have sovereign claim over their stations and the 5k around them. Now we can either get back to a give and take situation, or we continue to toss around bravado and get no where.

Quote:There are no laws in the independent worlds region of space. Something that I may recommend the Liberty Navy to look at changing in the future.

Quote:I would contend the notion that our laws hold no sway in the independent worlds. They hold as much sway as there are naval and security force patrols in those areas, and of course, the frequency of those patrols are subject to change.