Dimensional Security Accords
| Type | Dimensional Security Emergency Resolution |
|---|---|
| Context | The First Incursion |
| Drafted | 7 May 2101 |
| Signed | 24 May 2101 |
| Location | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Sealed | 2 June 2101 |
| Ratified | 11 June 2101 |
| Effective | 18 June 2101 |
| Replaces | Einstein-Rosen Accords |
| Original signatories | 193 |
| Signatories | 397 |
| Parties | 397 |
| Depositary |  Coalition Secretariat |
| Languages |
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The Dimensional Security Accords, colloquially known as “Reality Law”, is an active set of interstellar Coalition legislation that grants power to Raven and regulates exophysics, infohazards, nanotech, and other manners of existential threats. Originally passed by the United Nations on 18 June 2101 as an emergency response to the The First Incursion, numerous amendments to the Accords have been implemented over the multiple subsequent centuries, increasing Raven’s scope, funding, and power. The Accords superseded the Einstein-Rosen Accords and stripped the Interdimensional Research Treaty Organisation (IRTO) of its regulatory powers. Nearly all Earth governments are signatories to the Accords, but there are a few notable exclusions for some that maintain their own domestic exophysics enforcement agencies, including the Thames Republic and the Technocracy of Avalon. While it has greater freedoms, Raven itself is not exempt from the Accords.
History
First Incursion
On 21 March 2100, the First Incursion occurred at the Rosenberg Centre for Dimensional Physics, an IRTO-overseen bridge laboratory in Berlin built and operated by CORE Group, when a technician made a typo in entering coordinates into the targeting system, allowing an organism known as the Grey Mold to enter the dimension. The fungus-like organism began to spread spores all over Earth, which initially alarmed scientists but was downplayed as harmless by authorities. However, the fungus would quickly evolve to consume Earth matter, eating organic material indiscriminately, killing people, as well as destroying crops and livestock, causing widespread famine. Over 200 million people died from exposure to the organism, and several million more from starvation. Due to the facility acting as the epicentre for the incursion, the city of Berlin became uninhabitable and much of Germany's civil infrastructure was rendered non-functional.
Earth was narrowly saved from destruction when Raven, working with the secretive Aegis Institute, utilised Precursor technology to rewrite the organism out of existence, preventing any further damage to the planet. Raven was hailed worldwide as a saviour of humanity, while calls were made to strip IRTO of its powers. In the aftermath of the incursion, all major world governments recognised how slimly humanity avoided destruction and drafted the Dimensional Security Accords, which were designed to build Raven into a power capable of defending humanity from exophysical threats.
Enforcement
The Dimensional Security Accords are generally enforced by the Enforcement department of Raven's Reality Control division, though enforcement is also often carried out by other divisions in higher-threat scenarios, such as Calamity Mitigation and the Strategic Intelligence Office. Raven only cares about identification and elimination, not the justice portion of the criminal process. If a person or organisation poses a threat, Raven does whatever to eliminate the threat in that moment and remove their ability to create future threats. Everything past that point is handled by local governments, who may or may not decide to impose punishments on violators. Raven cannot afford the time nor financial burden of operating its own justice system, nor is it within its mandate.
Measures
Regulatory Powers
Section 1 of the Accords, Regulatory Powers, formalised Raven as a treaty organisation and provided for its funding. It designated the Northern European International Zone as sovereign territory and permitted Raven to enforce its own laws and operate its own security. It designated that Raven would be overseen by the Coalition security council and formalised the process for appointing the organisation's leaders (the High Council).
Reality Alteration
Section 2 of the Accords, Reality Alteration, made it illegal for any person or organisation to perform activities that alter reality without permission from Raven. It also permitted Raven to impose arbitrary requirements when permission was granted, and criminalised deviations. It also allowed Raven to use proportional force, including deadly force, to prevent the alteration of reality where alteration could pose an existential threat.
Exophysical Safety
Section 3 of the Accords, Exophysical Safety, set out safety measures to be taken by any party authorised in reality alteration in order to protect the public from the consequences of an accident. It covered areas such as the safe construction, upkeep, and certification of dimensional research facilities, also introducing a new generation of bridge laboratories known as Generation 3 designed to be intrinsically safe, including hermetic sealing and quarantine of the bridge room for biosecurity, countermeasures such as on-site armed security, a lockdown system that included nigh-impenetrable blast doors, a permissive action link to protect the facility controls, and a fail-deadly self-destruct system known as the Facility Termination System that could destroy the site in the event of a runaway catastrophe.
Global Readiness
Section 4 of the Accords, Global Readiness, introduced new standards for readiness against exophysical threats worldwide, introducing protocols for the evacuations of cities and the isolation of entire countries if necessary, as well as developing contingency plans to ensure the preservation of humanity in the case of a world-ending threat. It also called for the development of anomaly defence infrastructure in cities most at risk from threats, including bunkers for civilians.
Restricted Information
Section 7 of the Accords, Restricted Information, made it illegal to possess certain types of scientific information that could pose threats to reality if misused, such as information that could be used to design or build a targeting computer or bridge laboratory. Later, the section extended to cover all of Raven's operational information, allowing it to designate classified information, criminalise disclosure, and enforce security clearance requirements for personnel. Controversially, it includes a clause that asserts ownership by Raven over any restricted information, even if it is present in an individual's mind, and permits Raven to carry out selective mind erasure via technological measures.
Restricted Technology
Section 8 of the Accords, Restricted Technology, made it illegal to possess certain technologies that could pose threats to reality if misused, similar to Section 7. It initially covered technology such as quantum computers that might be able to be repurposed as targeting computers, but was later extended to cover quantum encryption technology, several categories of weaponry, and other exophysical technology.
Military Powers
Section 9 of the Accords, Military Powers, empowered Raven to operate its own military, and provisioned further funding for it to do so. It also permitted Raven to enforce the Accords extraterritorially and permitted Raven to declare war on any non-signatory nation if that nation's activities posed an imminent existential threat.
Hazardous Materials
Section 10 of the Accords, Hazardous Materials, governs industrial materials with exophysical properties as separate from designated anomalies. There are multiple levels of restriction, and such materials include galraite and exofluids such as hyporine. Many are restricted by quantity.
First Contact Protocols
Section 11 of the Accords, First Contact Protocols, formalised the rules of engagement and first contact when interacting with other dimensions, and prevented military force from being utilised in foreign dimensions, except in self-defence. The protocols were later expanded to encompass first contact with alien civilisations in the same dimension, as with the Ir'vaki.
Nanosecurity Protocols
Section 12 of the Accords, Nanosecurity Protocols, formalised regulatory and compliance standards for nanotechnology, as well as the implementation of mandatory safeguards and licensing systems for nanobots. It came after the accidental release of the Purple Mold into the environment, a nanovirus that consumed metals. While the virus acted as more of a nuisance than a threat, the protocols were implemented after humanity feared a man-made Grey Mold would be created in the future.
Anomaly Designation
Section 13 of the Accords, Anomaly Designation, designated anomalies as uncontrolled sources of exophysical phenomena that poses a risk or effects a disruption to its surroundings. It designated Raven as both responsible for the classification and safeguarding of anomalies, and criminalised possession, exploitation, trading, or sale of anomalies by outside parties without authority, while also allowing Raven to dispose as anomalies as it saw fit. Later amendments to the Accords also stripped individuals designated as anomalies of personhood, which formed the foundation of Raven's anti-sapient-anomaly doctrine and catalysed the formation of the Anomaly Rights Coalition.
Proscribed Entities
Section 15 of the Accords, Proscribed Entities, allowed Raven to designate persons or organisations that operated in contravention of the Accords and posed a threat to reality or Raven's own operations. It was passed soon after the formation of the Anomaly Rights Coalition, and was designed to criminalise providing support to such organisations, including speaking in support of them. The section, which was worded in such a way as to allow the proscribing of any activism group, technically permitted Raven to prevent anyone from speaking out against itself.
Infohazard Security
Section 16 of the Accords, Infohazard Security, came after the use of infohazards by the Anomaly Rights Coalition and extended Raven's role to act as the protector of humanity against infohazardous threats, and additionally provided funding for Raven's military forces to be trained in countering infohazards and for its intelligence apparatus to proactively detect such threats. It also criminalised the possession or use of an infohazard, aggravated by circumstances, such as terrorism.