The Janus-Hermod Treaty sets forth the legal and diplomatic framework that regulates the use of the Hermod Gate Network. The treaty establishes provisions for each member government to control its own gate network, maintain compatibility with the entire network, and uphold the fundamental principle of the treaty, which is the promotion of free trade and transportation of individuals, goods, and services across the gate network for the collective benefit of all races.
Gate Locations
The consortium installs gates on worlds with high traffic and those without easy access to warp travel. The gates, primarily employed for planetary transit, substantially reduce general interstellar traffic, thereby minimizing the necessity for resource-intensive Antimatter production. Typically, a star system is equipped with one or two gates at most, although a single gate suffices for an entire system in most instances. A single gate in a star system can significantly cut down on resource costs related to travel. While the possibility of having multiple gates in one star system exists, there is concern about the exhaustion of potential address space. Given that six cardinal gates are necessary for a relative gate address, multiple gate locations within a single system prove inefficient.
Supergates are generally unavailable. However, the consortium may grant permission to a political power to construct one or two supergates within their territories.
Gate Addressing
The consortium oversees gate addresses, favoring cardinal gates within the territory hosting a specific gate. Specialized gates - such as those on ships, supergates, and those operated by the consortium - have unique addresses. For instance, supergates, which can be situated in systems where normal gates already exist, are assigned an eighth symbol to prevent confusion. Only supergates can be accessed with this special symbol. Mobile gates on starships also have specialized gate addresses but do not get a special eighth symbol unless requested by the owning government. The Hermes Gate (and thus Hermes Stations) are also assigned special addressing symbols and an eighth symbol. These gates can also serve as cardinal gates.
Cardinal Outposts
The consortium cooperates with signatories to establish special Hermod Outpost, which are considered neutral space. These locations are positioned on the fringes of known space, usually 12-24 such outposts are set up when a new signatory accedes to the treaty. The outposts form the basis for seeding space with cardinal gates, thereby providing ample address space for new gate locations as the network expands. As these outposts are considered neutral space, anyone is welcome there. They are generally unmanned and are placed on planets, large asteroids, moons, or dwarf planets. These stations also provide secure transit points if needed. If no other gate is available and a wormhole needs redirection, these locations can serve as the destination for redirected wormholes if the destination gate encounters unexpected issues impeding the reception of the wormhole. A database of gate addresses leading to hospitable worlds that welcome visitors is made available to travelers by the station computer.
Some outposts serve as research facilities and usually host a crew of 10-20 personnel. Other outposts maintain smaller crews, operating as subspace relay stations or supply depots.
A key provision of the treaty mandates that signatories recognize a legal framework within their borders permitting the use and ensuring the security of the gate network. In accordance with the treaty, a signatory must guarantee that the gate network is not damaged and that gates are not destroyed or tampered with illegally. In return for this principle, each signatory consents to the shared protection of the gate and the sovereignty of each signatory to manage their network as they deem appropriate. This way, the treaty guarantees shared autonomy.
Management
The treaty's terms establish the Hermod Consortium, comprising elected officials from each of the signatories. Functioning as an international body, the Consortium manages the overall health and usability of the gate network. While it acts as a political authority, the Consortium lacks the power to intervene in the internal affairs of a government. However, it does possess the authority to manage the installation and construction of new gates. Approval from the Consortium is necessary for any new gate to be constructed, installed, or relocated to ensure the seamless operation of the entire network. If a gate or series of gates within the borders of a consortium is causing problems in the rest of the network, the Consortium has the authority to blacklist those gates and disconnect them from the network.
Preventing Abuse
The gate software strives to prevent misuse of the gate system. It is designed to block anomalous behavior, such as using a gate to transmit directed energy weapons, explosives, projectile weapons, and other hazardous materials. The Hermod Consortium is responsible for deploying investigative personnel to ensure the gate network is not abused, although local governments are tasked with monitoring and maintaining operational security at gate locations. Use of gates as a weapons platform is strictly prohibited. The consortium has designated "safe gates" in deep space regions far from inhabited worlds. These are used to divert blocked wormhole traffic to if the gate software detects misuse as a weapons platform. In such instances, the wormhole is automatically redirected to these "safe gates" where, theoretically, no one will be harmed.
Other prohibited activities include using a gate for time travel, using a gate to block travel to/from another gate in the network outside of one's political authority, using one gate to destroy another gate, and any other hazardous gate activity. Governments wishing to use the gates for experimental purposes must have their experiments approved by the consortium to ensure they do not pose a potential risk to other gates in the network.
The treaty does not prohibit the use of military personnel by the gate work. However, the local government must authorize and assume responsibility for such travel. Moreover, carrying weapons through the gate is not prohibited by the treaty. Local governments are responsible for ensuring that gates are not used to stage a coup, deploy military forces for offensive purposes, or commit illegal acts under local/interstellar law. Governments may use the gates for military action within their borders but may not deploy military assets through the gates without local government permission outside their borders. The consortium generally adopts a hands-off approach to avoid getting involved in political disputes but will take action on such allegations if requested. This is another reason transfer points are preferred at border crossings to allow governments to maintain border security.
Borders & Transfer Points
While direct dialing any gate on the network is possible, the Hermod network, without special credentials, does not permit direct dialing from one government's gate network to another's. Transfer stations or hubs are set up at political borders to allow for customs, immigration, and general border control. On a basic level, the transfer stations simply have a gate on each side of the border. One can arrive via a gate from one government and apply to enter the gate on the other side of the border according to the laws of the other government. The treaty determines the precise starting and ending points of each signatory's border and a central space governed by interstellar law to act as a buffer. By their nature, these areas are demilitarized, which helps ensure conflicts between the government representatives on each side have a much lower chance of occurring.
Blocking Travel
Governments wishing to block travel from an individual, a group of individuals, or even an entire government are not required to seek approval from the Consortium to do so. However, no government is permitted to illegally detain or hold a person attempting to leave their territory through the gates, as long as they possess a valid and verified passport allowing travel. Any person who wishes to return to their home government and possesses valid/verified documentation (usually by means of an appropriate passport) is allowed to do so unless the government from which the person is leaving has established a legal right to detain said person. The primary means of identifying personnel prohibited from leaving is when the government in question has a valid and legal arrest warrant. This is subject to the laws of the country the individual is in when they are detained.
Individuals can be detained for verification of their legal identity and government affiliation but may not be blocked from returning home unless a valid arrest warrant or other legal document (such as an order from a judge, magistrate, or other official) declares the person should be held. In such cases, the government claiming the right to detain said person must prove their right to do so under the treaty. The individual in question must be held by a neutral third party while any dispute is resolved. Governments may also choose to grant permission for an individual to be detained by a foreign government, which is entirely up to the legal framework any signatory government has for doing so within their borders. The treaty simply ensures that due process is maintained for anyone attempting to return home or to a friendly government.
An individual's home government (the government providing their passport and claiming the individual as a citizen) has the right to demand a person traveling be detained by a foreign government until their officials can retrieve their citizen. In addition to this, those with multiple citizenships may request a hearing to determine which "home" government has the right to detain a citizen. In such cases, the governments in conflict are encouraged to resolve the issue amongst themselves, although the Consortium can be called upon to provide a formal hearing.
Emergency Signal Relay
Under the terms of the treaty, any Hermod Gate system receiving an emergency signal must automatically relay that signal through the network to its intended destination. This is programmed to occur via software without user intervention via the tachyon-subspace network.
Inter-Reality Travel
The treaty permits governments to use the gates to travel between realities. As long as no government attempts to initiate hostilities or claim space already claimed under treaties, laws, or otherwise by governments native to those realities, governments are permitted to use the gates for exploration and travel to other realities. Treaties and other agreements with governments in other realities require the Consortium's approval to be recognized and valid. Exploration and scientific missions are permitted as long as they are conducted with the permission of whoever controls the space for which the wormhole connects.
Under the terms of the treaty, all signatories are bound to respect the laws and customs of realities they travel to, even if they disagree with those laws.
Penalties for Violation
Signatories who withdraw from or otherwise violate the treaty may have their gate networks severed from the rest of the network. Gates within the network will continue to operate in most cases. If the non-aggression provisions of Inter-Reality Travel are violated, the gates can be deactivated by the Consortium and their ability to travel between realities blocked. Under the most extreme conditions, treaty violators can face retribution from governments represented by the Consortium. Such retribution can take the form of political, economic, or even military actions if the Consortium approves such measures.
Signatories
The treaty was originally drafted in 2386 by the Serenity Concord itself. Other signatories follow:
- Avali Illuminate (2387)
- United Federation of Planets (2387)
- 7 Corporations of the Sol System in the HSD Reality (2387)
- MarsCo, Transcendent Technologies Inc, Pulse, ASR, Progenitus, Inner Ring Police Force, and Spyglass