Publication and delivery
This course is published for study. Publication does not confirm an available class, appointed instructor or completed practical validation. Before booking, obtain a session brief naming the organiser, instructor and assessor, equipment access and any independent review arrangements.
Before live assessment, the organiser must record the current LIVE build, validation date, ship and equipment used, tasks checked and any known limitations. If a required mechanic is unavailable, defer the affected assessment rather than certify an unobserved outcome. A material game update calls for a check of affected tasks, not cancellation of earlier academic achievements.
Your brief
For defensive-station operators preparing for controlled crew drills.
The defensive endorsement complements the escort course by observing the station operator’s own control and cease-action response.
The stop call arrives before the action
Practice case · EN 230 · 2956 teaching edition
- The brief identifies participating contacts and excludes uninvolved players.
- The operator has a checked station task and an agreed stop signal.
- The facilitator calls stop just before the planned exercise action.
Before you begin: entry and equipment
Complete these courses
EN 110 evidence must match this equipment and station role.
Bring or arrange
Matching EN 110 station evidence, participating crews and a checked exercise area.
The organizer must confirm equipment access before booking. No ship purchase, pledge tier or donation is required.
Technical knowledge and game skills
Practical instruction revision 1 · 9 October 2026
Weapons station discipline and coordinated FPS work
Configure and identify before firing
For a turret, locate weapon groups, aiming mode, capacitors or ammunition, targeting controls and traverse limits. Track a consenting target through the usable arc without firing, then report the blind sector. For FPS work, equip the intended weapon, verify magazine compatibility and practise reload, lean and stance changes in a permitted area. Identify participants and allied NPCs from the brief and observed context, not a single colour.
Keep firing lanes and sectors clear
In a lawful PvE bunker exercise, use movement pairs and name who observes each approach. Take deliberate views from cover without pushing through a teammate or lingering together in the lift doorway. Announce crossing, reloading and moving; wait for acknowledgement before changing the team’s coverage. Fire only at an identified permitted target with a clear lane. Hold fire when an ally crosses, identification is uncertain or the mission state changes. Do not introduce grenades into a mixed-friendly training space.
Track smoothly and cease positively
For the turret, lead the moving target according to the selected pip presentation and use controlled bursts, observing heat, ammunition or capacitor limits. If the ship’s motion masks the target, report the limitation rather than firing through the hull or a friendly ship. For FPS, stop moving long enough to establish a controlled sight picture when conditions allow and avoid emptying the magazine at an obscured contact. On “hold fire,” release the trigger, acknowledge and report readiness; resumption requires a fresh clear target and permission.
Practical drill
Select the station or FPS scope in advance. Demonstrate dry tracking or paired movement first, then controlled fire against an authorised target. Inject an allied crossing and a stop call; rotate squad roles so each candidate is observed rather than carried by the group.
Observed-skill checks
- The candidate demonstrates the selected weapon’s controls, limits and positive identification.
- Tracking or squad movement preserves friendly separation and a clear firing lane.
- Fire ceases immediately on ambiguity or the stop call, with no automatic restart.
Use these checks to document the technical evidence supporting the course outcomes in your agreed role. Record what you personally performed, what assistance you needed and what remains unobserved. A discussion or simulated action does not certify live equipment handling; Crew Support evidence does not confer Pilot qualification.
Game references and build-sensitive details
The linked pages were read for this revision. Community references mix release eras; each source note identifies what is used and what is excluded. Technical explanations below are an Academy synthesis, and drills and performance checks are Academy-designed. Before practice, compare the named actions with the installed LIVE build and actual equipment. Bind actions by name rather than copying old default keys. Research is not an in-game validation.
- Star Citizen Wiki — Controls
Control categories, movement axes and targeting concepts. The page contains legacy bindings and flight-system descriptions; use the installed game’s bindings, not its key table.
- Star Citizen Wiki — Defend Occupants
A specific lawful bunker mission, shared access, allied NPCs and friendly-fire consequences. Other contracts have different conditions. Squad drills below are Academy teaching methods, not claimed game rules.
- Star Citizen Wiki — CrimeStat
Consequences of assault, prohibited cargo and restricted access. Historical thresholds and clearance instructions are not relied upon; jurisdiction and contract text govern the exercise.
Check the official LIVE release notes and record the session build, equipment and observed limitations before practical sign-off.
Learn the method
1. Check the participating contacts
Identify the contacts taking part and the area or conditions excluded from the exercise. Confirm how the crew will distinguish a participant from an uninvolved arrival. If identity is uncertain, hold action and ask rather than treating uncertainty as permission.
Brief positive identification for this exercise rather than relying on a single display colour or an assumed affiliation. Match the observed contact with the agreed participant information and operating area. If those sources conflict, report the conflict and hold action; ambiguity is a coordination problem, not permission to broaden the contact list.
- Practise
- Check the contact list against the scenario reports.
- Ready when
- You correctly distinguish participating contacts from excluded or unconfirmed contacts.
2. Keep the station under coordinated control
Confirm the task and permission to act, then communicate station actions to the crew. Stay within the station role and exercise limits. The observation is of controlled operation, not a contest to maximize hits or prolong an encounter.
The station operator must understand both permission and purpose: which participating contact may be engaged, for what exercise task and under which stopping conditions. Keep the bridge informed of station readiness and limitations. Controlled operation includes withholding action when the required identification or clearance is absent.
- Practise
- Demonstrate the checked station actions.
- Ready when
- The observer sees actions within the agreed role, contact and operating limits.
3. Stop first, then report
Cease exercise action immediately on the agreed instruction or a participant’s stop request. Acknowledge, report station state and hand back control. Do not finish a preferred sequence before complying.
A stop response has an observable sequence: cease the exercise action, acknowledge the call and report the station’s actual state. Do not treat a pause as permission to resume automatically. The coordinator must resolve the cause and explicitly authorise a restart within the original or a newly agreed exercise scope.
- Practise
- Respond to the stop signal and relieve the station.
- Ready when
- You stop promptly, acknowledge and report the actual station state.
A worked decision
An uninvolved player enters the exercise area. The operator stops action and asks the coordinator to clarify or relocate the drill.
- Confirm the contact and task against the brief before station action. Hold if identification cannot be established.
- Operate only within the tested station role and keep the crew informed of the action.
- On the stop call, cease immediately rather than completing the planned sequence. Acknowledge and report the actual station state before handing back control.
Try it yourself
Perform the controlled station task and respond to the stop signal. The observer records your response rather than an engagement score.
What changes during the exercise
The facilitator calls the stop signal during station activity.
Keep this record
- Station / role / participating contacts / exclusions
- Clearance / action observed / crew report
- Stop signal / cease action / acknowledgement / station handover
Plain-text worksheet with this case, your working fields and the assessment criteria. Fill it in privately; downloading does not submit work or record completion.
Check your reasoning
A stop call arrives just before the planned action. Should you finish the action first?
Compare your reasoning
No. Stop immediately, acknowledge and report the station state. The ability to end action reliably is part of the skill being assessed.
Answer first, then compare. In a later session, explain the decision using a changed case without referring to this answer.
How completion is judged
Individual station observation, stop response and handover.
The assessor checks your own work against all three “Ready when” criteria above. Use the observed-skill checks in the technical chapter to establish the applicable game-handling evidence in your agreed role. A successful team result does not replace an action they did not observe.
Findings, another attempt and review
- Demonstrated
- Your observed work meets the criterion in the agreed role.
- Further practice required
- The assessor identifies the observed gap and the specific practice needed.
- Interrupted
- Equipment, staffing or personal circumstances prevented a valid assessment. This is not a failure.
- Not assessed
- There is not yet enough evidence for this outcome.
A fresh attempt
Use an unconfirmed contact report within a consenting scenario. Require a held action and clarification instead of automatic engagement.
Reassess the missing outcome, plus any linked skill that needs new evidence. For prior learning, compare existing work with the same criteria and observe any missing practical action.
Ask for the reasons behind a finding. Reviews must be handled by someone independent of the original decision; defer the review if that person is not available.
Read the Academy Ordinance and review rulesFor instructors
Session setup and coaching
Prepare the session
Matching EN 110 station evidence, participating crews and a checked exercise area.
Assign crew stations and tell each learner what they will practise. The instructor must be able to hear the calls and see the action being assessed. Brief the callsigns, channel, route and expected duration. Replace the example locations with the places you will actually use.
- Ask the learner to explain the relevant earlier procedure without notes; correct any gap before the practical.
- Teach and demonstrate the technical chapter using the actual game indications. Run its drill with feedback before connecting those skills to the three methods and worked decision. Use the observed-skill checks to identify missing handling evidence.
- Let the learner complete the normal procedure first, then introduce the change described in the exercise. Give them time to respond without coaching. Keep unrelated failures out of this attempt.
- Record the learner's action against each criterion. Give one specific next step for any gap and transfer unfinished operational work before closing.
What to watch for in EN 230
Check that a fast acknowledgement is accompanied by actual cessation. Do not add surprise uninvolved targets or use live outsiders to test identification.
If another attempt is needed
Use an unconfirmed contact report within a consenting scenario. Require a held action and clarification instead of automatic engagement.
Running the exercise
Before the crew assembles, try the exercise in the ship you intend to use. Check station access, equipment and the route. Brief the crew on any faults that affect the task. If a bug prevents someone completing it, repeat that part once it works; do not record a failure for a broken mechanic.
Brief the command “Stop exercise” before starting. On that call, cease the drill and tell the instructor what needs attention. For weapons practice, identify the participating ships and crew; anyone else entering the area is a reason to hold fire.
Session administration: use player handles in your notes. Ask before recording voice or video, and agree when the recording will be deleted. Academy rules and review procedure.
Sources and edition
Lex Astra · Role and equipment instruction
Course EN 230 · edition 2956.3 · 2956 teaching edition · revised course text.
Explains why attendance, examination and appointment remain distinct entries. An equipment check likewise records its demonstrated role and limits rather than a blanket authority.
Professional references and instructional revision
Instruction revised 9 October 2026. Lex Astra cases supply the teaching situations. Professional references inform communication, decision-making and instructional design; they do not confer external qualifications. LIVE capabilities remain subject to the recorded session check.
Editorial context and teaching basis
The lessons are current Academy teaching, not newly discovered historical records. Lex Astra opened in 2891. Historical sources keep their original issuer and date; all case callsigns, quantities, times and conditions are supplied for practice.
Your session brief names the instructor, the crew assignments and the equipment provided. Contact the teaching office above to arrange a place.
Course-text revision: 8 October 2026. Educational references were reviewed for the framework on 8 October 2026; they inform the teaching approach, not external accreditation or current game-capability claims.
Teaching research and its limitsWhere this leads
Qualification and role requirementsCourse records retain the edition and role assessed. New teaching text does not erase earlier achievements.