The Circle of Icarus

The Circle of Icarus is a Black Team alliance that resulted in a merge between active members of The Ravyns, several members of LoSS, and a few members from other alliances. Later, the Trilateral Commission merged into TCI. They are a protectorate of Sparta.

= History of TCI =

Stats
July 29, 2009: TCI reaches 500k NS July 30, 2009: TCI reaches 1 mil NS and 30k average NS

Event History
July 29, 2009: TCI is founded, TriCom merges into TCI

= Charter of TCI =

Preamble
As the founding members of The Circle, we bring into effect this charter, in order to outline our ideals and vision for The Circle of Icarus (herein TCI).

Article 1 – Admission
Any nation may be granted membership of TCI, providing they are not a member of any other sovereign alliance and are not engaged in aggressive attacks on any other nation or alliance.

Every applicant nation to TCI must submit the following oath: I, (Applicant Name), as a member of The Circle of Icarus, agree to uphold and protect the interests of The Circle. I will respect and support my fellow members, regardless of rank, and vow to defend my alliance when required. I will do everything in my power to strengthen The Circle and repay all that is invested in my nation.

The Alliance Affiliation ‘The Circle of Icarus’ must be displayed upon your nation page in order to be a member. Failure to do so will result in immediate expulsion from The Circle.

Any application can be refused by the Scout, the Officer, or any Upper Circle member.

The Upper Circle
The Upper Circle itself are the highest ranking members in TCI. There can only be five members of The Upper Circle at any one time, forming a council who provide the primary decision making body of TCI. All members of The Upper Circle have equal power and influence in decision making. All decisions of this body must be passed by a majority vote of three out of the five. Should any member of The Upper Circle resign from their post, the remaining members will appoint a successor. Applications to become the successor can be made by any member, and these will be taken into account by the remaining members when they make their decision. A member of the Upper Circle may also hold any Ministerial position with the permission of the majority of the Circle. In order to affliate TCI with another sovereign alliance, through any type of treaty, a unanimous Upper Circle vote must be achieved before the treaty can be passed.

Elders of Icarus
Any member of the Upper Circle who resigns from duty can become an Elder should the remaining members choose to grant them the title. Elders have access to all governmental debates, so their experience and expertise can be drawn upon, however will have no authority to vote on any Upper Circle or government matters. Their role is purely advisory.

Ministers
The Ministers are the heads of department within TCI. They have control over the appointment and direction of the deputies in their respective departments. The Ministers are directed by The Upper Circle and are responsible for implementing governmental decisions in their departments. There will be one minister to each department, who will have access to general governmental affairs. In this area discussions and decisions The Upper Circle deem necessary will take place. Any decisions made here will require a simple majority decision. These ministers will be elected by the general membership in quarterly elections. Any member can put themselves forward for any ministerial election. An appointment will be made by the Upper Circle if no viable members put themselves forward for election.

Grand Emissary of Icarus
The Grand Emissary will be charged with the foreign affairs ministry of TCI. They will be responsible for directing and training TCI’s diplomats in a bid to ensure that TCI is a widely known and well respected organisation. This is their primary focus.

Architect of Icarus
The Architect will be responsible for the growth and financial workings of The Upper Circle. They will be responsible for directing and training their deputies and will be primarily focused on the growth of our new smaller nations, and will be responsible for improving the strength of TCI.

General of Icarus
The General is charged with the military duties of TCI. They are responsible for the organisation of any military campaign and must ensure that all members are equipped with the best possible battle knowledge. They are responsible for the organisation of battalions, appointment of assistants, role calling and all other necessary military activities.

First Officer of Icarus
The First Officer is responsible for the internal affairs of TCI. They take charge of the administration of TCI’s communication channels, masking new members and dealing with foreign diplomats. They also work alongside the Scout in the vetting of new members. The Officer may also employ assistants at their will.

Scout of Icarus
The Scout is in charge of the recruitment efforts of TCI, managing all recruitment assistants and ensuring their effectiveness. They, alongside the Officer are also responsible for vetting all new members for activity within the first two weeks of joining. With agreement of the officer they may expel any member within their first two weeks in TCI, in a bid to promote activity.

Assistants
The assistants are appointed deputies to the ministers, employed by the ministers at their discretion. The position allows the less experienced members to gain deeper insight into the ministry in which they serve. Each ministry is allowed a maximum of three assistants; however an application for further help can be made to the Upper Circle.

Election Process
The election of all Ministers will occur every three months. Any candidate can put themselves forward for a position; however a majority vote of the Upper Circle can deny any candidate the right to run in the election. The election process will take place in the following order: • Submission of platform followed by public discussion and debate. Period lasting 48 hours in which time the Upper Circle will vet candidates. • Public voting takes place over a 48 hour period. • The candidate with the most votes wins the election. In the event of a draw, the Upper Circle will pick a victor by majority verdict.

Legal Rules
Any member found in breach of the Charter, or any other official doctrine of TCI will be the subject of a legal enquiry. The punishment for being found liable for any breach of an official document of TCI can range from a warning to punishment by ZI, depending on the severity of the case, and any relevant aggravating and mitigating factors.

All judicial proceeding will be co-ordinated, heard and decided through majority vote by the Upper Circle. Once a decision has been made all other cases representing the same facts must be decided the same way forming a system of precedent.

Legislation can be proposed by any Minister or Upper Circle member and will be decided upon after debate by a majority verdict of the Upper Circle, unless the Upper Circle decides to put a judicial decision to a full government vote.

The Upper Circle may void any legislation, except the Charter, with a majority vote.

Impeachment of Upper Circle Member
Any member of The Upper Circle may be voted out of power by a unanimous vote of the other four councillors.

Impeachment of Ministers
The Upper Circle may remove any minister from office during their term by a unanimous vote to ensure the effective running of the alliance.

Impeachment of Assistants
The Upper Circle can at any time with a majority vote, remove any assistants if it becomes apparent they are not contributing to the effective running of the alliance.

Offensive Warfare
A decision to go to initiate an offensive war will be made by the entire government of ministers and Upper Circle Members. Only a member of the Upper Circle can propose entry into an offensive war, and a majority verdict of all government will be required for the motion to pass.

Warfare via. Treaty
In the event of an ally with relevant treaty requiring TCI to enter a war, TCI must adhere to the terms of the treaty, absolving itself from its duty under no circumstances. The only avenue for avoiding this action is cancellation of the treaty itself.

The War Council
In the event of any offensive or defensive warfare, a war council constituting of the five Upper Circle members, the General of Icarus and one of the Generals assistants will be assembled in order to manage the situation. Any decision of this council will require a majority decision.

Tech Raiding
Tech raiding is an expressly prohibited act, unless consent for such action has been provided by at least one Upper Circle member, or the General of Icarus. Anyone in breach of this rule will receive a single warning, before being expelled from the alliance in the event of a repeat offence.

Article 7 – Amendments
Any member of TCI may propose an amendment to the Charter, which will then be voted upon by the Upper Circle and the Elders. In order to pass the amendment must receive support from the majority of the Upper Circle, and support of the majority of the Elders.

= Foreign Affairs = {| border="1" cellpadding="5" width: 100%; border: 1px solid #999; margin: 0; ont-size: 95%; background-color: #000; ext-align: center; order-collapse: collapse;
 * Treaty||Type||Signatories||Status
 * Old Friends Spread Their Wings Treaty || Protectorate || Sparta and TCI || Active
 * Old Friends Spread Their Wings Treaty || Protectorate || Sparta and TCI || Active
 * Old Friends Spread Their Wings Treaty || Protectorate || Sparta and TCI || Active