Clear Statement Regarding Taking Research Off-Station

[Zer0Winds]

Earlier today, or I suppose yesterday considering the time I am posting this, there was a discussion relating to taking Xenoarchaeological Artifacts off-station with permission from Command Staff. I had been under the impression that based on the wording of the Guidelines, in the RnD Section in particular, that it was fine should you get permission, especially for something as harmless as an artifact, Note: Artifact, not Anomaly but it apparently turns out that that is not the case.

"Qualified researchers in a given field of science are authorized to conduct experiments in any way they deem appropriate. However, unless authorization for their release is granted by command staff or an emergency situation requires it, the works and derivatives of the research- department are to remain within their respective labs and testing areas."

Notably it doesn't specifically say that you can't take them off the station, to the Odin. It says you can take them out of your lab, and that technically applies to the Odin. I spoke with one of the CCIA about this, and when they confirmed that you are under no circumstances supposed to take artifacts or anything from science to the Odin, I felt like it was important we should probably have that mentioned somewhere. They did make a point about bloat due to the amount of regulations and directives, but this is one that I feel is misleading entirely and is important to be mentioned as a lot of Command Players don't even seem to know this, with the amount of times I gain permission to take artifacts to the Odin ICly.

I suggest that the procedure is made clear that you are not at all to take Research material to the Odin, unless in an emergency and you are trying to literally save the research materials in an emergency. I also feel like the fact corpses are not to be taken to the Odin, unless they need to be transported immediately should be made clear as well, considering how often that happens in rounds.

I don't feel like "bloat" is a good reason to be withholding information that can potentially have IC consequences. Sure, CCIA may just let you off with a warning if you just didn't know, but to be honest, we should know. It needs to be common knowledge, and I feel like either I'm a fool that happened to be surrounded by similarly misinformed people, or it isn't commonly known that these restrictions apply.

Maybe I'm overreacting though. I'm curious what anyone else thinks, however.

[NerdyVampire]

I don't get what the IC reason even is to bring anything research related off the actual research station.

In fact, I don't think there is any reason to take anything other than personal items off Aurora, except through the cargo shuttle made for exactly that. The security checkpoint should in an ideal situation enforce that crewmen leave all non-personal times behind because why the hell should they bring it!

It is not your items just because you have worked with them, they are assets and property of the NSS Aurora. Instead of rewording the policy you are referencing, I would prefer to have a new one reminding people to leave Aurora stuff on the Aurora, including research things.

And it does specifically say you can't bring them out of their respective labs or testing areas, so the only valid reason save an emergency would be to argue Odin to be a test area? I think it is specific enough that most players realize it, even if it isn't properly enforced by command.

[KingOfThePing]

It's in my head canon that stuff that gets put into the Anomaly Lab's storage/archive is being collected regularly and brought elsewhere after the shift ends 

[goolie]

There’s no way you’d have permission or get away with sneaking out an artefact. Some of those things tear your skin off! Can you imagine the hysteria at the Odin checkpoint? It’d be pretty funny but I doubt it’ll hold up canonically.

[Lmwevil]

best case you manage to get potentially dangerous artefacts off station secretly, worst case you get fired for stealing research 

i mean bringing phoron off station is technically also smuggling and a big nono icly (i've done it as a miner before :^) )

[Zer0Winds]

Alright, as I've mentioned before, it specifically says you can't take things out of their labs without command permission. That is vague as it just encompasses the lab, and all you need to do to bypass that, is show your respective RD or Captain that "Look at this cool artifact, it literally doesn't do anything, its a 300 year old mask made of quadrinium with cool emerald spikes. Can I display it in the Library Display Area or something" and boom, that directive is no longer an issue, assuming the RD says sure And there's actually a librarian to put it in the display area.

Thing is, off the Aurora falls under that category, with that being Vague. I have gotten permission from Command to take artifacts off station. These were done frequently, as well, before CCIA said in OOC on a relatively high pop round that you can't, as I'm fairly certain that it wasn't well known, and as I said, the directive is simply "don't without permission" and I was being good and asked permission. Never the ones that melt skin off mind you, simply mundane artifacts, with the IC reason to either straight up attempt purchase of the artifact + donation to a museum or further study in private. I even had written paperwork to show that the RD/Captain authorized it.

I do think that while a large number of people may know now, thanks to that OOC talk, but that's still limited to whoever was there that even saw that, with OOC enabled. Similarly, to extra people made aware that it's a hard rule, not just a "well in my headcanon". I think it wouldn't be a problem, to just append to the directive that says to not take them off station, as to include something along the lines of "and under no circumstances should research materials be taken off the station." Just a single sentence that changes it from the vague "Don't take them outside the lab without permission" to "Do not take them off station with or without permission."

After all, it's not "just my headcanon" that things are transferred between shifts from the storage and whatever, that's how it is. It's technically punishable then, for both Command and the Scientist who weren't aware and gave or was given permission to take some mundane artifact off-station.