 Agency History:
The Galactic Survey Agency was formed under the same act that converted the United Worlds Alliance to the United Galaxies Council. It exists in a strange, dual-state world of military AND civilian; The ships crews are military, but ships staff and security forces are civilian (no Marines are embarked on any GSA vessel during peacetime, and in wartime are passengers only). The ship's crew run ships operations (this includes posting and recover of Sentinel Buoys) while the civilian staff run the mission priorities (charting the system, surveying the planets, and assessing them for settlement potential- Even under fire, the ship's crew, whenever possible, ¡continues to perform their mission!).The GSA's mission is to chart newly entered systems and survey it's planets; They are not to enter systems that the Clariant Star does not drape over. (This rule is extended to any system not occupied by "an non-aligned state" giving the GSA a bit of latitude; they routinely enter systems claimed by other empires on the pretext that is's "not" their territory as they don't occupy it.)Once surveyed, the GSA prepares a report on suitability for settlement and resource exploitation; In short, how best to colonize the system, if at all. They also consider environmental factors ("Is the local star about to nova?" "Are solar winds and other ambient radiation toxic to life?") and "local species population" ("is one of the planets a possible Core World? If so, will settlement disrupt said development?"). As part of this mission, the GSA posts Sentinel Buoys. These monitor and record system activity, allowing the GSA to continue to develop a "working picture" of the system, even years after the UGC has left the system, possibly forever.In wartime, GSA vessels, especially the Galactica-Class, become Fourth-Rate vessels, towing stricken Capital and other combat vessels (some of which might be SMALLER than the tow ship), serving as hospital and repair ships, ATON maintenance (a CRITICAL mission, and most enemies realize this), escorting other auxiliary vessels (such as the Ryobi-Class cargo ships), post-action cleanup (clearing away debris that may prove to be a hazard to navigation and or health, such as free-floating nuclear and anti-matter reactors), etc. Unlike "most" auxiliary ships, GSA vessels (consisting mostly to the Kobolese Empire-Era Galactica-Class SV's) ARE expected to enter combat to accomplish their missions (but not beyond that- Only the MONTGOLIFIER-Class ATFRS Fleet Salvage/Repair Tug and EMPEROR-Class AGF Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence Ships are expected to enter combat as combatants).The GSA, more so than most agencies, suffers from what's called the "Management/Staff Schizophrenia Effect," as team members argue that they should only follow the written letter of the models "as presented," which discourages settlement more often the encourages it, while team chiefs, under pressure from their own higher ups, try to play down the risks and play up the benefits. This has lead, on occasion, to open public hostility, including the resignation of all but three members of Team 48421 after Team 48421 Chief Jerus COLBALD over ruled her team, and recommended settlement on an "iffy" planet; Team Chief COLBALD was latter promoted very high, eventually becoming an Assistant Director in charge, ironically, of Systems Management (the final authority on what reports are sent to the Council as a whole). The planet in question was FBX 21555320- Her team had recommended against settlement as the original civilization had long-since abandoned the planet (as proven by the overgrown and broken cities) for reasons unknown, but then-Team Chief COLBALD reversed the recommendation due to lack of any evidence of what had happened to the natives. The revealing of the Memorandum recommending against settlement, once public, created a scandal that forced her from office (even though the reason for the decline could never have been foreseen as having anything to do with the insurrection- A fact which even her harshest critics from Team 48421 testified to at Council hearings two years later).General InformationName: Galactic Survey AgencyDirector: Director, Galactic Survey Agency (or "GSA Director").Size and Orientation: Super Agency (200)Features: |
| Good Salary. | Agency Boss: Director, Galactic Survey Agency
Assistant Directors: Varies over time from none to as many as 20.
| Field Supervisors: Survey Team Chief (or "Team Chief"); Each survey vessel has a team chief, who reviews and signs the reports. Team Chiefs are under ENORMOUS pressure from higher-ups to open as many planets to colonization as possible, but routinely receive reports discouraging colonization from subordinates.
| Other Key Staff (R&D specialists, secretaries, etc): Team Members: Team members are divided by specialty and time in service (every five to eight years, they ascend to the next level, following Naval Petty Officer rank model); They do the actual charting and survey work and prepare the reports, based on strict models prepared by the UGC; However, when in doubt, they tend to ere on what they believe to be the side of caution, and discourage settlement. |
