The Apparatus

Founding of The Apparatus
Our History and Purpose:

The grand alliance of The Apparatus was founded on 8-26-11 by the Original Gears: Randalla of the Amazon Nation, Ezequiel of Status Quo, Maximillian Thorton of The Grand Federation, King Ernie and King Nai of Sajasabie, and Darkslayer of DOG. These alliance leaders came together to begin one of Digiterra's most noble experiments. The Apparatus is a "true" merge of alliances according the actual definition, rather than a simple absorption, out of respect for the various leaders and cultures of each of the previously established alliances. While the Amazon Nation initiated the merge, and the other initial participants happened to be Amazon Territory protectorates, it was not meant to be considered an absorption or assimilation. Long hours of discussion and feisty debate helped to hammer out the most minor of details in order to incorporate all of the most unique and important views of the participants.

Public Charter of The Apparatus
Preamble:

It is the purpose of this grand alliance to promote the advancement of our members, to recognize the individual talents and contributions of every member for the good of the alliance, and to protect our own and our allies from outside aggression. We are a collaborative, cohesive, coherent entity under a single affiliation. We welcome the advancement of our members and other alliances as we incorporate all those who wish to become a part of our own noble experiment.

Code of Conduct Within The Apparatus
Expected Behavior:


 * The Apparatus expects loyalty, respect, support and defense from all members at all times.
 * The Apparatus does not knowingly harbor criminals. Any concerns regarding any applicant, member or official will be resolved promptly.
 * No member may declare war on any other nation, nor employ the use of spies or nuclear weapons without obtaining proper prior authorization.
 * While The Apparatus prefers diplomatic resolutions to all conflicts, it may eventually become necessary to go to war. All members are expected to deploy upon orders without reservation or delay.

Admission
Joining The Apparatus:

Aspiring members may request to join in the following manner:
 * Settle all unresolved issues and outgoing raids.
 * Properly resign all previous connections to any other affiliation, and repay all debts therefrom prior to posting an application to join.
 * A request for mediation to resolve all previous disputes may be made at the time the application is posted.
 * Become a member of the Black Team if not already in a stable, established trade circle.
 * Register and post a membership application on the appropriate forum: http://forum.theapparatus.org/index.cgi?board=welcome

Once the above steps are completed, there will be a brief wait while the application is reviewed, ensuring that any and all pending issues are resolved. During this time, an applicant may be asked various questions by any member or official prior to being accepted. An applicant is encouraged to respond to any and all questions promptly and candidly, in order to hasten the application process.

We welcome all who follow these rules with open arms. However, those who are found flying the affiliation for more than 24 hours without complying with the above listed rules, or without attempting to initiate private contact by any means, will be considered a ghost and will be exorcised accordingly.

Executive Authority
Ruling Body:

Patroness : Holds the term for life or until resignation. The Patroness shall hold the final authority over all matters, including but not limited to declarations of war and approval of peace terms, foreign relations, and the rendering of decisions involving the internal affairs, officers and members of the alliance.

Director : Elected by a simple majority for a term of six (6) months. The Director shall hold authority and approval over matters not handled directly by the Patroness, including but not limited to the appointment of various assistants, veto power over the passage of new laws and amendments, and the formation of panels and civilian task forces.

Executive Departments
Appointed by the Director:

General of the Defense Corps : Responsible for coordinating military strategy and training.

Chief Engineer of the Engineering Corps : Responsible for mechanical and technological advances and improvements concerning the operation of the alliance. Not to be confused with "Tech" or "Technology" which falls under the description of finance, engineering is concerned with such things as forums, calculators, communications, etc.

Emissary of the Diplomatic Corps : Responsible for managing foreign relations, establishing and maintaining foreign and domestic embassies, and creating negotiation dialogue during war time.

Professor of the Civics Corps : Responsible for bringing in and introducing new members to the ideals of the alliance, for assisting in the establishment of tech deals and trade agreements, and for the further economic and educational development of individual members.

Judicial Authority
Apparatus Tribunal:

Justice : Responsible for fairly and impartially administering justice, and settling disputes and accusations brought to trial.

Investigator : Represents the alliance, serving as the prosecutor during proceedings against accused member-nations.

Advocate : Responsible for the defense of accused member-nations.

Legislative Authority
General Members:

Speaker of the Assembly : Representative elected by the general membership to speak on their behalf in order to expedite the various approval processes.

General Assembly : Consists of all regular members not already a part of the executive or judicial branches, who have advanced from the Initiate stage and have been regular Members for at least thirty (30) days.

Council of The Apparatus
Alliance Representatives

Being the product of several different elements and cultures in the alliances that came together to form The Apparatus, it is a goal of this alliance to preserve the best qualities of each. In order to achieve this goal, one representative from each contributor is chosen to serve on the Apparatus Council for purpose of further exchange of information and ideas for the duration of the current election cycle.

Membership
Regular Members:

Upon graduation from the Initiate stage, the new member shall choose their own identifying nickname which may be placed in their nation's Bio and/or Apparatus forum account. The name is to be used in place of a member ID number. The Initiate will then be elevated to full Member level status, which must then be maintained for at least thirty (30) days prior to being able to vote in alliance elections as a member of the General Assembly.

Initiates
Approved Applicants:

New blood and new ideas are the future, the very meaning of The Apparatus. Once an applicant is approved for membership, Initiates are well educated, well informed, and well prepared to enter into the ranks as a full fledged member.

In order to graduate from the Initiate stage to full Membership, the new member shall submit to a nation audit by the Civics Corps in order to ensure that certain benchmarks for growth are met. Upon completion of a successful nation audit, the Initiate will then be elevated to full Member level status, which must then be maintained for at least thirty (30) days prior to being able to vote in alliance elections as a member of the General Assembly.

Peace-Time Declarations
Tech Raids and Training:

Tech Raids as an act of declaring war on a nation for the sole purpose of acquiring tech, land and cash, and any aggressive declarations of war not specifically authorized are strictly forbidden. In lieu of Tech Raids, members will be encouraged and rewarded for defending and assisting fellow members and friends of The Apparatus against rogue attacks, aid thieves, and ghost nations.

Gunners - Members who actively participate in retaliatory actions against rogue and ghost nations shall be awarded the Gunner mask.

Snipers - Members who have successfully neutralized a number of rogue and ghost nations shall be awarded the Sniper mask.

Bounty Hunters - Members who quickly, reliably, consistently and with minimal direction, neutralize any and all threats possible within a given Nation Strength range, shall be awarded the Bounty Hunter mask.

Mercenaries - Members who have earned the Bounty Hunter mask and continue to seek out valid rogue and ghost targets shall be awarded the Mercenary mask, as well as the privilege of seeking out additional valid targets on the Member’s own initiative from sources outside of The Apparatus target list. Any and all targets chosen by Mercenaries are still expected to fall within the alliance’s rules and guidelines.

Should any instance occur in which a non-approved target is attacked through negligence, the member responsible shall be held accountable for making all appropriate reparations. Repeated offenses and continued negligence may result in the removal of certain privileges within the alliance for a period of time to be determined on a case by case basis.

Willful negligence or failure to comply with any laws, or any direction of the officers of The Apparatus, may place your nation at risk and result in expulsion.

Sharing the Vision of The Apparatus
Welcoming Additional Alliances:

As an alliance that began with the true merge of like-minded individuals and ideals, The Apparatus continues to welcome additional assets to our clockwork family. As of May 21, 2012, The Apparatus officially embraced long-time allies and dear friends of The Shadow Accord into the steam-powered family.