User:Studenterhue/Security Assistant

IT'S NOT FINISHED

SECURITY STAFF
Security Assistant
Security Assistant	Difficulty: Medium Requirements: Play 5 rounds, see here for details. Access Level: Security, Brig, Maintenance, Firearms Carry Permit, Handling of Contraband Permit Additional Roleplay Access Level: N/A Supervisors: Head of Security, Captain, Nanotrasen Security Operative, Security Officer, Detective Subordinates: None Responsibilities: Assist Security personnel, learn the in's and out's of Security Guides: Contraband, Forensics, Space Law, A Treatise on Space Law

Welcome to the force, trainee. NanoTrasen is glad to have you onboard. As Security Assistant, you are a primarily an auxiliary; your main duties are to assist Security personnel in any way you can while also learning the fundamentals of being a good Security Officer or Detective. As you are geared more towards investigation and coordination rather than combat, you are encouraged to retreat and call for backup rather than fight and make arrests.

While you are not required to play Security Assistant to be able to play Detective or Security Officer, it is highly recommended you do so. Its low responsibilities and relatively safe work environment are designed to help you acclimate to how Security works on Goonstation, without the stress and perils of the main Security Officer role. As such, it's both good for newbies looking to branch into Security and veterans looking for a laid-back Security role.

Like Security Officers, Security Assistants cannot spawn as antagonists. They cannot be converted over to the revolution, and they cannot join a Gang, though they can be mindslaved (though there isn't much reason to do so). This is also one of the handful of roles that has a timelock, meaning you need to play on the server for a while to be able to play the role. See more in the next section.

When Can I Play Security Assistant?

Security Assistant requires 5 rounds played. You can play as whatever job you'd like, and what server you played on and whether the server was RP or not don't matter either. The important thing is that a round counts for the timelock if:

• For both RP and non-RP servers, you connected to the server and declared ready before roundstart
• For the non-RP servers, you joined the round after roundstart before the 40 minute mark while there was no shuttle on route
• For the RP servers, same as above but before the 60 minute mark.

If 5 rounds doesn't like a huge barrier to entry, that's the point. There's a time requirement in the first place because the role's is a little more intense than more relaxed newbie-friendly roles like Janitor and Botanist, but since it's a trainee role that isn't meant to be too intense, it's a lot lower the requirement for Security Officer, which is 30 rounds. This isn't a knowledge gate; you can still be learning some things! It's just there to make learning other things about this role easier.

By the time you have those rounds, you hopefully have a good grasp of the controls, because if you think trying to learn how to be a good Space Law enforcer is hard, imagine trying to learn it when you don't even know how to put on a pair of shoes or what a Traitor is, much less whether a Traitor should get jailtime or fines for stealing shoes--and imagine how hard it is for your teacher! Moreover, the work environment is somewhat dangerous, since you can expect to see combat and maybe die, and people sometimes have unrealistic expectations of you, both things you probably won't like when starting out.

Basically, the timelock is there to help ease you into a role that, while relatively low-profile compared to full Security roles like Security Officer or Detective that have much more responsibilities, can still be fairly challenging (in multiple ways) and demands more from you than something like say, Chef. It's not about producing someone who has encyclopedic knowledge of game mechanics or an exemplar rules-abiding citizen, but knowing a few things about the game and being familiar with the Goonstation's Rules definitely still helps.

Your Gear

Starting Equipment

You spawn wearing the standard Security Assistant uniform: red beanie/knit hat, fingerless gloves, brown shoes (no boots for you, they're for the Security Officers and higher-ups), and, of course, the iconic "security assistant uniform" jumpsuit (Yes, it looks exactly like what you think you're seeing: a Staff Assistant jumpsuit). You probably look a little silly in the getup (most people do), and that's sort of the point. After all, you're a rookie learning the ropes in a laid-back trainee/aide position, not a hardened veteran carrying the chains of commanding like the Head of Security.

An Your ID comes with Security, Brig, and Maintenance accesses and Firearms Carry and Handling of Contraband permits. For comparision, that's less than a Security Officer. That's enough to enter main Security area and the Security Checkpoints (if there are any) and do most of the Sec duties your job may entail, like storing/transporting confiscated weapons and similar without triggering alarms and putting someone into the brig and setting their timer, but if you want to chase someone, it'd be pretty easy for them to lock you out of a place you don't have access to, and you need someone else's help to enter the Research Sector or the more private parts of Medbay.

Like your garb and card, the gear you spawn with also reflects your job's relaxed duties:

• A Security PDA. It has a bunch of different apps, like a program that lets you access the Security records database, but most importantly, it has a Security Alert module, which gives you a Send Security Alert button in the top left corner of your HUD. If you're in a tough spot and need backup, press it, and it'll send an message to all other Security PDAs stating where you are and that you urgently need help.
• A pair of SecHUDs. These aren't antag-detectors; these show little icons over people that indicate useful Sec-related info, like if they're marked as paroled in the Security records or if they're wielding or wearing (but not necessarily transporting) Contraband. They also shield your eyes from bright lights somewhat. See here for a full guide to the various icons.
• A silver requisition token. You can exchange it for a belt of useful security tools, see see below.
• A copy of Space Law, specifically the book that explains various Security procedures and standards. Don't worry about following the book exactly; it's meant to be interpreted fairly loosely and allows room for your own judgement.
• A "security pouch" with six slots containing:
  • A whistle. You can click on it while it's in your active hand (Hotkey: C for Goon WASD, Z for /tg/-style WASD) to play a loud sound and a big chat message to get people's attention. For example, you can blow the whistle and say "Stop! You violated the law! I am issuing you a ticket!"
  • A single donut, fresh and frosted. Delicious! Since you're part of Security, it heals twice as much (Though that's not saying much since it doesn't heal very much in the first place.)
  • Two flashes, which disorient people with really bright lights. Since you're not expected to do any takedowns, these are more for self-defense. It can be blocked by a variety of sources, so they're good for disciplining misbehavin' crew but not as useful against more well-prepared threats. After five uses, it also has an increasing chance to burn out, necessitating getting a new one at a SecTech. It has two functions:
    • Click on someone right next to you (in this sense, it's basically a melee weapon) to shine it in their eyes, and they'll generally go down within five uses.
    • You can also click on it while it's in your hand to do an "area flash" that's fairly weak but slows people down and makes them easier to target.
  • Two pairs of handcuffs. You're not really expected to make arrests, but they're there in case you need to help a fellow member of Security with one.

The Assistant Loadout

You can redeem the requisition token you started with at a Sec Weapons Vendor for an "Assistant" loadout belt. Since you're not expected to actually be performing takedowns like the big boys, it doesn't have much in the way of weapons. Instead, it focuses on utility with a bit of defense and consists of: a barrier, which is basically an energy shield ; a forensic scanner that analyzes DNA, fingerprints, and other evidence off of people, items, and many other things; and a TicketWriter that, well, lets you give tickets. The uses of these are elaborated on the next couple of sections.

The loadout also comes with a complementary secbelt, which itself is quite useful. It can fit your starting security pouch, freeing up some pocket/backpack/satchel space, and is handy for storing tiny-size items, like doughnuts, pieces of paper, pens, that sort of thing.

The Forensic Scanner

The forensic scanner in the Assistant loadout is a simple yet powerful tool for gathering evidence. Click on something with it, like a person, a pile of blood, a door, or a piece of clothing, and depending on what you scanned, it'll give you a fingerprint code, glove fibers, a blood DNA string, and possibly other things. Then you can click on it while it's in your hand (Hotkey: C for Goon WASD, Z for /tg/-style WASD), and it'll let your search through the database of fingerprints and DNA. Pro-tip: keep the fingerprints, blood DNA, and other info using an external program like Notepad or, if you want a more immersive experience, carry a pen and paper.

The scanner really lets you put the "Assistant" in "Security Assistant". The Head of Security and Security Officers are sometimes too busy with other affairs to slow down and conduct forensics, and the Detective can always use an extra set of eyes and hands for investigations. While a lot of people assume forensics involves lots of wandering around hoping for clues, this isn't the only way to use it. For example, if you're watching the cameras and see a masked figure hack open the public Bridge entrance, you can scan the doors for fingerprints/glove fibers, and then relay your findings to the rest of the team. Or, if you're helping a Security Officer process a detainee, you could scan their gear while the officer interviews them and see if the forensics matches up with their story.

Forensics can be really powerful in the right hands. See this article for more details!

The Barrier

In lieu of a weapon, the Assistant loadout belt comes with a barrier, an advanced energy shield that'll help you weather whatever Space Station 13 has in store for you. For it to actually function as a shield, you need to click on it in-hand (Hotkey: C for Goon WASD, Z for /tg/style WASD). When the barrier is active, it slows you down somewhat but provides four benefits.

First, it passively reduces damage from both melee and ranged weapons, but not thrown items. That's right, passively, so just by holding it, it protects you. (For the sake of abstraction, the game doesn't care about what direction you're facing.) More specifically, it does the following:

• Decreases damage from melee attacks by 9, indirectly also reducing stamina and/or bleeding those may cause. As an example, that means punches and toolboxes do pretty much minimal damage, and it'll take a lot more bops with a extinguisher to take you down--if you can maintain your hold on the barrier.
• Reduces damage from both kinetic and energy weapons by 60%. To put it in perspective, with this kind of protection, you can survive 4 point-blank shots from a Predator revolver before the 5th will send you into critical condition (when you're below 0 HP, and your body is dying), whereas without it, you'd only be able to take just one. The shooter could of course just fire more shots (or switch to AP ammo), but in this game, a few seconds can be all the difference between successfully alerting your Sec buddies for backup and lying on the floor in your own blood alone and forgotten.
• Lessens the effect of certain stuns. More specifically, it lowers duration of incoming Disorient debuffs by at least 50% and also tempers the stamina drain sources of Disorient tend to cause. It won't make you immune, and it might be hard to really appreciate the difference, but if someone, say, steals a couple flashbangs and tries to use them on you, it'll take more than just one to turn you horizontal.

Second, blocking (Hotkey: Z for Goon WASD, C for /tg/-style, both are tied to the Resist hotkey) very slightly reduces the effect of explosions and also boosts the protection from ranged weapons from 60% to 66%. Blocking in this game is a passive state/"stance" that's toggled rather than a dedicated move, so just entering a block is enough to give you the benefits.

Third, hitting someone with it has a high chance of knocking them back and possibly throwing them onto the floor too, essentially functioning as a shield bash. This does hurt them a bit, but it takes quite a few hits to actually kill someone with it. It's not really enough to keep someone down for an arrest, but it's good for playing keep-away while waiting for your Sec buddies to actually take them down.

Lastly, clicking a tile at least two squares away from you while on Disarm or Harm creates an energy barrier in the direction you're facing that reflects projectiles! This includes stuff like lasers and shotgun pellets but also rockets and fireballs. The downside is that you must stay still to keep the energy wall up, essentially trading mobility for enhanced protection, and any melee attack can break it down. You can imagine it's good for fighting against nuke ops; stand near an entrance to the bomb location, deploy the reflective barrier when they fire, then run to cover to let your comrades fire back. It's also pretty fun to play barrier "dodgeball" and otherwise see what silly hijinks you can do with it.

The Security TicketWriter 2000

Summary: The Security TicketWriter 2000 is for jokes

As you can probably expect from the name, the Security TicketWriter 2000 writes tickets. Just click on it while it's in your active hand, and it'll then prompt you for a recipient and then a reason. It then prints out an actual physical ticket, which you can then give to someone, so they can then make it into a hat or roll a joint with it. True to its name, it only handles tickets; it doesn't do fines.

While in real life, tickets are somewhat serious, on Goonstation, tickets are essentially a joke punishment, often used for situations that don't warrant a serious response. You can enter just about anything for recipient and reason, including things that aren't real crimes or things that aren't people, for comedy purposes. Did the Clown tell a really groan-worthy pun? Ticket their sense of humor! Don't like the drink you got from the Bartender? Ticket them, or better yet, ticket your beverage. See a window get knocked out by a meteor shower? Ticket the window for failing to dodge a meteor and thus endangering the crew in its gross incompetence. Go crazy; tickets aren't meant to be serious at all.

One of the cool things about tickets is that they're saved to a special section on the official Goonstation website. Not only does everyone on the server get to see your ticket(s) at the end of the round, but so do future visitors browsing the Goonhub!

Other Things

You spawn with the Security Training trait. It doesn't make you run faster or do sick martial arts moves or identify antags, but it does let you handcuff people faster. You are not supposed to go out and make arrests by yourself, but you might need to help restrain a suspect by cuffing them. That's where the Security Training comes in handy.

Because you're part of Security, all donuts heal twice as much. The donut in your pouch, the donuts in snack machines, the donuts that be hand-crafted in the Kitchen, all of them!

Since you are in a somewhat dangerous line of work, you also have a security issue health implant. In addition to the perks of regular health implants, like being able to tell if you're irradiated, the security issue ones also send PDA alerts with the area you're in and current health to fellow Security members (in addition to Medical personnel) if you die or enter critical condition (i.e. start dying), so they can hopefully bail your striped ass out. You have a cloning data disk for similar reasons. Give this to a Medical Doctor or similar, so they can put the data into the cloner's database. That way, if you die, they can just clone you from the cloning computer, instead of having to go find your body and scan it. Not needing a body also means you can come back after being gibbed too!

Lastly, you also get a badge in your backpack, just like other Security personnel. You can click on it while it's in your active hand (Hotkey: C for Goon WASD, Z for /tg/-style WASD) to flash it to people like in the movies (as you would an ID card) and prove you're an actual member of Security.

A Day in the Life

Prep Up

Summary: Introduce yourself to other people in the Security department and redeem your requisition token at a security weapons vendor for your assistant loadout

As soon as you spawn, identify yourself over the Security channel. You don't need to pepper your first words with tactical lingo or whatever. Just saying something like "Hi everyone, I'm [name], sec assistant" is fine. If you want to follow someone around, this is a good time to ask too. If you're joining well after a round's started, it's a good idea to ask what's happened in the round so far and generally get caught up to speed.

Once you've that out of that way, you ought to redeem for your requisition token for your assistant loadout belt. You might have some difficulty at first, but that's okay; you'll get used to it with practice. If you're having trouble at any step of this process, don't be afraid to ask. Getting the hang of this will prepare you for Security Officer, which has a very similar system.

1. Find a Security Weapons Vendor . You can find a bunch of them in the main Security area, usually alongside several other weapons and clothing items, and if the map you're on has Security Checkpoints, each one usually has a vendor too.
2. Click on the vendor with your silver requisition token .
3. Click on the vendor with an empty hand to access its interface.
4. You'll probably see a bunch of options, but the only one you can actually buy is the "Assistant" option; click on that, and it should give you a secbelt with a handful of items.
5. To put on the secbelt , just click on the belt slot icon. If that doesn't work, press either V if you're on Goon WASD or E if you're on /tg/-style WASD to put it on.

Along the way, you'll probably find a whole bunch of other stuff, like a riot launcher or two, donut boxes, flashbangs, lots of things. You're probably wondering if you should pick them up. Some people like to grab everything they can so they're prepared for anything, while others pride themselves on having the simplest, most minimalist getup possible. At this stage, just focus on learning the role, rather than worrying about whether you picked the "right" or "most robust" option. Ask others if they find a certain thing useful, and try it out for yourself if you feel like it.

Assist Security

• Watching the Security cameras. They don't have 100% perfect coverage of the station/ship, but they can
• Guarding prisoners in the Brig. This can either be very easy or very hard. A rather depressing amount of people quit the game and go braindead as soon as they are brigged or even as soon as they are arrested, you might as well be guarding house plants. On the other hand, some people might get rowdy and try to break out or, worse, try to rile the crew up into breaking them out or attacking Sec, so calling in backup and some flashings might be in order.

Arrests?

Summary: A Security Assistant could and is allowed to make arrests, but they are generally discouraged from doing so. It is okay to retreat, and they can still assist in capturing criminals in many other ways.

Can a Security Assistant make arrests? They certainly are capable of doing so, but they are usually urged not to. This does not mean a Security Assistant can never-ever-absolutely-positively-no-ands-ifs-or-buts arrest people, and that does not mean a Security Assistant could be fired or banned if they tried. Rather, the server rules and Space Law regulations don't require or expect Security Assistants to make arrests, and their self-defense-oriented loadout reflects such. It's sort of like how a first-year medical resident is not expected to suddenly do open-heart surgery all alone with no guide; they're just rookies learning the ropes, so why lay on the heavy stuff?

If, for example, a Security Assistant was following a Security Officer, and someone managed to ambush and stun the officer, a Security Assistant would be allowed to take the officer's gear and try to take the assailant down. However, they could also take many other routes. They could deploy their barrier and play keep-away with the crook until the Security Officer recovers. They could also use their Alert module to request backup and pull their comrade-in-arms away, perhaps administering aid. Or, they can simply scram. Strange as it may seem, not every encounter has to be won, and sometimes it is better to retreat and prepare than to recklessly charge in.

Moreover, as a Security Assistant, you can help catch crooks in many other ways that don't necessarily involve combat. You could set a perp to arrest using the sec computers so the secbots can chase after them and they are marked by SecHUDs. You could watch the cameras and relay info; this can be particularly useful if the AI has been subverted to disobey orders from Sec. You could scan doors, blood stains, clothing, etc. for fingerprints and DNA with your forensic scanner and try to piece together what the suspect looks like and how they behave so Sec has a better chance of finding them. You might basically be a noncombatant, but you're not useless.

The Chain of Command and You

Summary: Try to listen to people who have more Security experience and/or expertise than you and do what they say if it's reasonable. If it breaks the Rules or Space Law, you can question it or disregard it.

As a member of the Security, you need to respect the department's Chain of Command. Your place in the Security hierarchy is as follows:

• Head of Security, Captain, with HoS generally trumping Captain when it comes to Security matters.
• Nanotrasen Security Operative
• Security Officer, Detective
• Security Assistant (That's you.)

If the phrase "Chain of Command" makes you anxious about having orders barked at you like it's a military regiment, don't be. The CoC generally doesn't come into play much. It's not a rigid policy that demands you blindly obey certain people, but rather a manifestation within the game's fictional universe of a simple principle everyone is taught at some point or another: if someone who has more experience or knowledge than you asks you to do something, it's likely in your best interests to do what they say. When you hear an order, think less "where on the chain is the person giving the order?" and more "is this order reasonable?/does it make sense to carry it out?"

If the CoC does come into play, it's usually in the context of conflicting orders. Say you're helping a Security Officer process a detainee, and the Captain asks you two to throw them out an airlock while the Head of Security requests you brig them. The Chain of Command would tell you to follow the HoS's orders over the Captain's. While it's true that the HoS outranks the Captain in this specific situation, focus less on that and more how HoS typically has more Security knowledge and experience than the Captain and usually takes a more active involvement in Security matters, so it makes sense the HoS's order has more weight.

But, remember, the Chain of Command isn't about blindly obeying orders. You are allowed to question and dissent. You can suggest different punishments or ask either head why they think what they prescribe is the best course of action. Who knows, you make make them realize there's a better alternative, and even if you don't drastically change things, you still learned something.

Moreover, the law and the Rules still triumph. If, for example, the Head of Security suddenly starts ordering everyone be perma-brigged with their headsets removed, you are allowed to refuse and try to work against them. After all, no one is above the law. In fact, you should intervene, because that's not only excessively punitive and thus against Space Law, but it's also Grief.