Intervention Doctrine & Escalation Ladder
This doctrine governs all field action taken by HIVE-13 against actors that threaten pollinator life. It defines the five intervention tiers, what each one permits, who may authorize it, and the triggers that move a target up or down the ladder. No field team may exceed the tier assigned to a target without sign-off recorded here.
The Five-Tier Ladder
Every target dossier carries exactly one intervention tier. The tier is the ceiling — field teams may always act below it, never above it. The ladder is cumulative: each tier inherits everything permitted by the tiers beneath it.
Passive monitoring
Definition. Watch and record from a distance. No contact, no footprint, no signal the target could detect.
Permitted. Open-source collection, NectarNet sensor review, public-record research, and passive overflight by Forager recon drones in lawful airspace.
Authorization. Field lead may open and run Observe on their own authority.
Example. Logging the shipping cadence of a suspected pesticide-smuggling depot from public manifests and standoff drone passes.
Build the evidentiary case
Definition. Assemble a defensible, hand-off-ready body of evidence. The goal is a case a court, regulator, or partner authority could act on.
Permitted. Chain-of-custody sampling on public ground, undercover record requests, analyst correlation across dossiers, and preparation of evidentiary packets for Legal.
Authorization. Field lead, with Legal & Compliance review of the evidence plan.
Example. Collecting and sequencing counterfeit-honey samples to tie a syndicate to a named distributor.
Non-destructive obstruction
Definition. Lawfully impede the target's operations without destroying property or harming any person. Expose, freeze, and jam — never break.
Permitted. Public exposure of findings, referral that freezes accounts or permits, logistics interference (rerouting, supply delays), and coordination with regulators to halt a shipment.
Authorization. Directorate (Field Operations director) sign-off required.
Example. Triggering a customs hold on a banned-agrochemical container and publishing the documented trail.
Active field interdiction
Definition. Direct field action by The Swarm and field teams to physically stop an ongoing harm to pollinators. Reserved for active, time-critical threats.
Permitted. On-site interdiction by Hornet-class craft and field teams, seizure or safe-holding of trafficked specimens, and emergency habitat protection — strictly proportionate and aimed at the threat, not at people.
Authorization. Directorate proposes; the Hive Director authorizes each Direct action individually, with Legal in the loop.
Example. Interdicting a live shipment of trafficked HCL-3 hornets mid-transfer and moving them into safe containment.
Sealed — HCL-4 / Director-only
Definition. Actions whose details are sealed at the Directorate level. Existential or HCL-4-class scenarios only. The doctrine for this tier is held outside this document.
Permitted. Defined case-by-case under sealed annex. No standing permissions; nothing is pre-authorized. Same hard limits apply — proportionality and the absolute prohibition on harm to people are never waived.
Authorization. Hive Director only, under HCL-4 protocol, with logged two-person concurrence. Cannot be delegated.
Example. Sealed. Recorded only in the Director's annex; not reproduced here.
Authorization & Rules of Engagement
Authorization scales with the tier. The higher the rung, the higher the authority required and the heavier the review. No tier may be skipped to reach a higher one without explicit sign-off.
| Tier | Who authorizes | Review requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Observe | Field lead | Logged in the target dossier; periodic analyst review. |
| Document | Field lead | Legal & Compliance reviews the evidence plan before collection. |
| Disrupt | Directorate (Field Operations director) | Written Directorate authorization; Legal sign-off on each measure. |
| Direct | Hive Director | Per-action Director authorization; Legal in the loop; after-action review filed. |
| Restricted | Hive Director only (HCL-4 protocol) | Sealed annex; logged two-person concurrence; non-delegable. |
Escalation & De-escalation
Tiers are not destinations. A target moves up only when the evidence and the threat justify it, and moves back down the moment that justification fades.
Triggers to escalate
- Documented, ongoing harm to pollinators that lower tiers cannot stop.
- Evidence threshold met and reviewed by Legal & Compliance.
- No lawful authority is able or willing to intervene in time.
- Time-critical threat to a protected colony, corridor, or trafficked specimens.
- Required authorization for the next tier is obtained and recorded.
Triggers to stand down
- The harm has stopped or the threat window has closed.
- A lawful authority has taken or accepted the case.
- Evidence no longer supports the assigned tier.
- Risk of harm to people, bystanders, or the pollinators themselves.
- Authorization is withdrawn, expired, or was never properly recorded.
Related
Target Dossiers
Every target carries an assigned intervention tier set under this doctrine. Open the Target Dossiers →
Field Operation Reports
Authorized actions and after-action reviews are filed as FOR reports. Open Operations →
Legal & Compliance
The directorate that reviews evidence plans and signs off on each measure. Open Legal & Compliance →
Tiers & Classes
How tiers sit alongside the HCL grades and reality classes. Read the Charter framework →