Mandate

A mandate is not a request. The Crimson Fleet's patrol vessel carries two autocannons and enough armor to shrug off return fire — considerably more combat capability than any empire's patrol doctrine calls for. When the Solarian Confederacy formally protested that the Mandate-class exceeded treaty limits for law enforcement vessels, the New Pact responded that the guns were "inspection equipment" and the armor was "weather protection." The integrated scanner is technically functional. Checking your documentation is a formality that occurs after the autocannons have already made their point. The official hail is one word: "Halt."