Corporate charter

Preamble

Umbrella Corporation was founded by physicians and research chemists who believed that medicine should anticipate disease rather than react to it. When the first jump points opened, they went to the frontier instead of waiting for its dangers to reach the core worlds.

That decision still defines the Corporation. Humanity’s expansion into space must not outpace its ability to survive there. As settlement reaches further, the distance between a colony and the help it needs grows with it, and Umbrella exists to close that distance: in supply lines, in research, and in the security that protects them both.

The Corporation therefore adopts this Charter. It states why Umbrella exists, the standards its people keep, and the authority by which it is governed. It binds every Officer and every member of the Corporation’s personnel, and it prevails over any policy, order or custom that conflicts with it.

Article I. Name and identity

1.1 Name. The organization is Umbrella Corporation, referred to in this Charter as “Umbrella” or “the Corporation.”

1.2 Motto. The Corporation’s motto is “Our Business Is Life Itself.”

1.3 Emblem. The Corporation’s emblem is the Umbrella: eight segments, red and white in alternation, with a red segment centred at the top and a black rim. The emblem, the wordmark UMBRELLA CORPORATION and the motto are the Corporation’s marks. They are reproduced only in their approved form and only on the Corporation’s business.

1.4 Seat and record. The Corporation was founded on Earth. Its public office is its website, umbrellacorporation.space. A notice published there, or on the Corporation’s internal channels under the authority of this Charter, is an official notice of the Corporation.

1.5 Definitions. In this Charter:

• Personnel means every person admitted to the Corporation under Article IV, whatever their grade.
• Board means the Board of Directors established under Article V.
• Officer means the Chief Executive Officer, a Director, or any other person holding an office created under Article V.
• Division means one of the operating divisions established under Article VI.

Article II. Purpose and mission

2.1 Mission. The Corporation exists to bring medicine to every world humanity reaches. Its governing principle is that humanity’s expansion into space must not outpace its ability to survive there.

2.2 Objects. In pursuit of that mission, the Corporation:

1. supplies medical goods wherever humanity operates, from core‑world hospitals to independent mining stations months from the nearest port, and keeps the cold chain unbroken to do so;
2. studies the biology of new worlds before it can harm the people settling them, in remote facilities under strict containment;
3. protects its convoys, facilities and research materials, and responds to contamination events that threaten nearby populations;
4. recruits, trains and equips the pilots, logistics crews, medical professionals, researchers and security personnel that this work requires.

2.3 Priority of the frontier. Frontier settlements receive priority supply at reduced cost. No colony should fail for lack of medicine.

2.4 Biological security. The Corporation regards biological security as a duty owed to every system in which it operates. No commercial, research or operational objective overrides that duty.

2.5 Defensive mandate. The Corporation uses force only in defence. Its armed services exist so that what Umbrella builds, ships and studies reaches its destination intact and never falls into the wrong hands.

Article III. Values and standards of conduct

3.1 Corporate values. Umbrella’s personnel work to three standards:

• Discipline. Containment, cold‑chain and escort procedures are followed exactly, every time. On the frontier there is rarely a second chance.
• Integrity. Personnel act on the Corporation’s duty of biological security when no one is watching, and report what they see, including their own mistakes.
• Discretion. Research materials are among the most sensitive cargo in space. What Umbrella studies stays within the walls built to contain it.

3.2 Professional conduct. Personnel represent the Corporation wherever they are identifiable as Umbrella. They treat colleagues, clients, allies and rivals with courtesy, and they raise disagreements through the chain of authority rather than in public.

3.3 Respect. Harassment, discrimination, threats and abuse are prohibited, whoever they are directed at. This applies on every channel the Corporation uses and in every place where personnel act in its name.

3.4 Fair dealing. Personnel honour the contracts, escorts and agreements the Corporation enters into. They do not cheat or deceive, and they do not use the Corporation’s name, ships or resources for personal gain.

3.5 Duty to report. Personnel report any breach of containment, of security or of this Charter to their superior or to an Officer without delay. No one is penalized for a report made in good faith.

Article IV. Personnel

4.1 Eligibility. The Corporation admits individuals. Each person applies for themselves; no organization joins Umbrella as a body. Partnerships with other organizations are governed by Article IX.

4.2 Application. Applications are accepted only through the Corporation’s website. The applicant gives the name they go by, their Discord username, their time zone, and the career area they wish to work in: flight operations, logistics, medical, research or security, and may give an email address. Every applicant must also join the Corporation’s Discord server, where recruitment takes place; an application is considered only once its applicant has joined.

4.3 Admission. Every application is read by the recruiters for the chosen career area, who decide on it. Admission proceeds in four steps:

1. Application, through the website.
2. Conversation with a recruiter about the applicant’s experience, time zone and best fit.
3. Onboarding with the receiving Division, from escort procedures to containment protocol.
4. First assignment to a crew, clinic, laboratory or site team.

4.4 No fees. The Corporation never asks an applicant or any of its personnel for payment, valuables or login details. Anyone who asks for them does not speak for Umbrella and should be reported to an Officer.

4.5 Obligations. Every member of the personnel:

• upholds this Charter and the values in Article III;
• follows the instructions of their superiors, within the limits of this Charter;
• keeps the Corporation’s confidential information under Article IX;
• uses the Corporation’s assets only on the Corporation’s business.

4.6 Property. Ships and equipment that personnel own remain their own. Assets the Corporation assigns to a person are held on its behalf and returned on request.

4.7 Other affiliations. Personnel may belong to other organizations, provided that membership does not conflict with Umbrella’s mandate. No one may act for another organization against the Corporation’s interests.

4.8 Separation. Personnel may resign at any time by notice to their superior. Dismissal is governed by Article VIII. On leaving, a person returns any assigned assets and remains bound by the duty of discretion. A former member may return only by a new application.

Article V. Governance

5.1 Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer is the Corporation’s highest officer. The CEO directs its strategy, represents it to other organizations, chairs the Board, and holds final executive authority within the limits of this Charter.

5.2 Board of Directors. The Board consists of the CEO and the Director of each Division. It is the Corporation’s governing body for every matter this Charter does not reserve to the CEO.

5.3 Powers of the Board. The Board:

• adopts the standing orders, procedures and policies that put this Charter into effect;
• confirms the appointment and removal of Directors;
• approves alliances, partnerships and contracts that commit more than one Division;
• hears appeals under Article VIII;
• proposes and adopts amendments under Article X.

5.4 Directors. Each Director leads one Division. A Director appoints that Division’s managers, sets its priorities within Board policy, and answers to the CEO and the Board for its operations. The CEO nominates Directors and the Board confirms them.

5.5 Meetings and decisions. The Board meets at intervals it sets, and whenever the CEO or any two Directors call a meeting. A majority of its members is a quorum. Decisions are taken by a majority of those present; the CEO has a casting vote on a tie.

5.6 Urgent action. When delay would endanger personnel, cargo or a facility, the CEO, or the Director concerned, may act alone. The action is reported to the Board at its next meeting, which may confirm or reverse it.

5.7 Other offices. The Board may create further offices, such as a Chief of Staff or a head of recruitment, and define their authority. Each such office answers to the CEO unless the Board decides otherwise.

5.8 Succession. If the office of CEO falls vacant, the Directors elect a successor from among themselves by majority vote. Until then, the longest‑serving Director acts as CEO.

5.9 Record. The Board’s decisions are recorded and announced to personnel on the Corporation’s internal channels, except where Article IX requires them to be kept confidential.

Article VI. Divisions

6.1 Organization. The Corporation operates through three Divisions, forming one supply line from the laboratory to the colony. Each is led by a Director under Article V.

6.2 Pharmaceutical Trade. The Pharmaceutical Trade Division delivers medical supplies wherever humanity operates. It runs the fleet of climate‑controlled haulers, keeps the cold chain unbroken across contested and unregulated space, and gives frontier settlements priority supply. Its product lines include trauma stabilizers, radiation countermeasures, long‑duration hibernation compounds and rapid tissue‑regeneration therapies.

6.3 Research & Development. The Research & Development Division studies the biology of new worlds before it can harm the people settling them. Its facilities stand in remote systems, away from population centres. Its priorities are xenobiological safety, regenerative medicine and human adaptation, and all its work proceeds under strict containment protocol.

6.4 Umbrella Security Service. The Umbrella Security Service (U.S.S.) protects the Corporation’s cargo, facilities and research materials. Its mandate is defensive. It comprises three units:

• Escort Wing: fighter and gunship crews who safeguard convoys through pirate‑active and lawless regions.
• Facility Security: permanent garrisons at research and manufacturing sites.
• Biohazard Countermeasure Service (U.B.C.S.): specialist teams who respond to contamination events, secure affected sites and protect nearby populations.

6.5 Career areas. Personnel are recruited into five career areas, each owned by one or more Divisions:

Flight operations

Hauler crews and escort flight crews. Owned by Pharmaceutical Trade and the U.S.S. Escort Wing.

Logistics

Loading, routing and cargo handling for the climate‑controlled fleet. Owned by Pharmaceutical Trade.

Medical

Field‑clinic and ship‑board care. Owned by Pharmaceutical Trade and Research & Development.

Research

Xenobiological safety, regenerative medicine and human adaptation. Owned by Research & Development.

Security

Site security, convoy escort and U.B.C.S. teams. Owned by the U.S.S.

6.6 Joint operations. An operation that draws on more than one Division is commanded by the officer the CEO or the Board designates. Where none is designated, the Director whose Division carries the principal risk commands it.

6.7 New units. The Board may establish, merge or dissolve units within a Division on the Director’s proposal. Creating a new Division requires an amendment under Article X.

Article VII. Grades and advancement

7.1 Grades. Every member of the personnel holds one of six grades, from 1, the highest, to 6:

1. Chief Executive Officer

Leads the Corporation and chairs the Board. Elected by the Directors on a vacancy (section 5.8).

2. Director

Leads a Division and sits on the Board. Nominated by the CEO and confirmed by the Board.

3. Manager

Leads a unit or standing team within a Division. Appointed by the Director.

4. Supervisor

Leads a crew, clinic, laboratory team or site team. Appointed by the Director on a Manager’s recommendation.

5. Specialist

Fully qualified in a career area. Appointed by a Manager at the end of probation.

6. Associate

Newly admitted, in onboarding and probation. Appointed on admission under section 4.3.

7.2 Probation. New personnel join as Associates. An Associate becomes a Specialist once they have completed onboarding and their first assignments to their Manager’s satisfaction.

7.3 Merit. Advancement rests on demonstrated competence, reliability and conduct. Neither length of service nor the ships, equipment or funds a person owns or contributes earns a grade.

7.4 Functional titles. A Division may give its people working titles, such as flight lead or site commander. Each working title corresponds to one grade, and the grade alone determines authority under this Charter.

7.5 Command on operations. On an operation, authority follows the assignment. The lead named for the operation commands it, whatever the grades of those taking part.

7.6 Changes of grade. Promotions and appointments are recorded and announced to personnel. A person may ask to step down to a lower grade at any time. Any other reduction in grade is made only under Article VIII.

Article VIII. Discipline and review

8.1 Principle. Discipline at Umbrella is fair, proportionate and prompt. Its purpose is to protect the Corporation’s people and work, not to punish for its own sake.

8.2 Grounds. Disciplinary action may follow a breach of this Charter, including the standards in Article III, a disclosure contrary to Article IX, or conduct that acts against the Corporation’s interests.

8.3 Measures. In ascending order of severity:

1. guidance from a superior;
2. a formal warning, entered in the record;
3. suspension from operations or from the duties of a grade;
4. reduction in grade;
5. dismissal from the Corporation.

8.4 Procedure. Before any measure beyond guidance, the person concerned is told what is alleged and is heard. The decision and its reasons are recorded. Measures are imposed by the person’s Director, or by a Manager with the Director’s approval. Dismissal requires a Director and the concurrence of the CEO.

8.5 Immediate suspension. Where conduct puts personnel, cargo or a facility at risk, or amounts to serious harassment, any Officer may suspend the person at once. The procedure in section 8.4 then follows without delay.

8.6 Impartiality. No one decides a matter in which they are a party, a witness or the subject of the complaint.

8.7 Appeal. A person may appeal any measure beyond guidance to the Board within 14 days of the decision. Those who took the original decision do not sit on the appeal, and a majority of the members who do sit is a quorum. The Board’s decision is final.

8.8 Officers. The Board disciplines Directors under this Article. The CEO may be removed from office only by a unanimous vote of the Directors.

Article IX. External relations and confidentiality

9.1 Representation. Only the CEO, or an Officer the CEO authorizes, speaks for the Corporation to other organizations or makes agreements in its name.

9.2 Alliances and partnerships. The Board approves every alliance and partnership, records its terms, and may end it. A partnership never transfers authority over Umbrella’s personnel to another organization.

9.3 Contracts. A Director may accept escort, supply and medical contracts within the Division’s mandate. Contracts that commit more than one Division require the Board’s approval under section 5.3.

9.4 Use of force. Consistent with section 2.5, the Corporation engages in hostilities only to defend its personnel, its cargo, its facilities and the clients it is contracted to protect.

9.5 Confidential information. The following are confidential: research findings, convoy routes and schedules, facility locations, security procedures, personnel records, and Board deliberations the Board marks confidential. Personnel share them only with those who need them for their work, and only on the Corporation’s internal channels.

9.6 Personal information. Information about applicants and personnel is used only for recruitment and the Corporation’s administration, as the privacy notice on the website describes. Access to the Corporation’s administrative systems is granted by role and withdrawn when the role ends.

9.7 Recruitment and public statements. Recruitment takes place only through the Corporation’s website, and official statements are made only through the website and the channels the Board designates. No one may recruit for Umbrella anywhere else.

9.8 Rules beyond this Charter. Umbrella Corporation is a player organization in the Star Citizen universe. Personnel also abide by the terms of the platforms on which the Corporation operates, including those of Star Citizen and Discord. Where those terms conflict with this Charter, they prevail.

Article X. Amendment, interpretation and adoption

10.1 Amendment. Any Officer may propose an amendment. The proposal is published to personnel at least seven days before the Board votes on it. An amendment passes with the votes of two‑thirds of the Board’s members, the CEO among them, and takes effect when published.

10.2 Interpretation. The Board interprets this Charter. Its interpretation binds the Corporation until the Board revises it or the Charter is amended.

10.3 Severability. If any provision of this Charter cannot be applied, the remaining provisions stand.

10.4 Review. The Board reviews this Charter every six months, in April and October.

10.5 Adoption. This Charter takes effect when the CEO and a majority of the Directors have adopted it and it has been published to personnel.