Hello! Please enjoy this Easter Kitten! He's a little out of season, but he's got the spirit!
As for your question: There are rules, of course, as with any society — no stealing, for instance, and unprovoked or unfair assaults are frowned upon.
However, because these people have had to rely on each other in times of great stress and fear, there is an established foundation of trust and respect among the Adamant's survivors — they are largely permitted to self-govern (think: civilian neighborhood watch rather than a centralized 'police' force), and this includes matters that we would generally see as requiring policing. Most things are settled between affected individuals because We Live In A Society, dangit! If two people get into a fist-fight, there's a sort of 'just let them get it out' mentality, and generally others will only intervene if it looks like one or the other might get seriously hurt!
Most matters are settled in a restorative justice framework. Theft, for instance, is looked down upon — everyone is in the same desperate situation. And while it wouldn't do anything like earning someone jail time, anyone caught stealing (these people generally try to share what they have in terms of food, clothing, resources, etc) would be subject to the collective disappointment of the others and a restorative styled punishment — they may end up doing the less desirable jobs, etc, but once they complete their 'sentence' so to speak there would be no additional communal shaming, they would simply be welcomed back into society. However, because the cultural norm is to share, there is little incentive for people to steal to begin with.
In addition, in any case where there is a wronged party, that party engages with a civilian council (think a jury of peers) to determine the penalty. The above is an example of theft, but for murder, rape, and other violent crime, exile is not uncommon. However, Steve might get an odd look for inquiring about these crimes — they are quite rare. Of course, on a planet like Ethyraia, exile from under the dragon's wings is practically a death sentence. No one can say for sure if anyone who has been exiled survived they're not welcome at the basecamp anymore.
One of the things that is somewhat rigidly enforced is the safety of the basecamp. If someone through direct action (deliberate sabotage) or passive inaction (falling asleep on a perimeter shift) causes harm to the Basecamp's citizenry, there are different ways of dealing with these individuals. For the former, a jury will often resort to exile. To the latter, the individual will spend time in the very cells that the hatchlings were in. The wronged party determines the length of time they are to serve, with the imprisoned is only fed if people choose to bring them food. An example of this might be: if someone falls asleep on perimeter, and this allows a creature to sneak into the camp and kill a member of someone's family, the surviving member would engage with a civilian council to determine the length of their sentence. These sentences are generally not long — they really cannot afford to lock an able-bodied person up indefinitely unless their crimes are especially egregious. Another sentence for this manner of crime may be: having to take on the work or duties of the deceased person for a certain period of time, which is done so that they may understand the full scope of what the community has lost with their error.
Tangentially: Security confiscates communal weapons found among the general NPC population, as they are not permitted to be carried within the basecamp. Even security officers surrender any communal weapons at the end of their shift, as there are no exceptions to this rule. But speaking generally, they would not call themselves a police force, nor are they treated as one by the basecamp citizens. (As the security force determines that characters found weapons in those eggs, they will be deciding what to do about weapons that are clearly not communal, settling eventually on the decision that they won't be seizing anyone's personal property, especially those who have so little to begin with.)
Most people would express disbelief if Steve inquired about any abuses of power. Captain Childe doesn't tolerate that sort of behavior, and she's set the tone for the rest of them to follow. She digs latrines with the best of them, takes the same rations and works the same shifts — and she expects every single person from the Adamant's remaining Naval crew to do the same. The civilians respect the crew and do not feel afraid or nervous around them as a result.
Content Warnings for mentions of assault, police brutality mentions etc.
As for your question: There are rules, of course, as with any society — no stealing, for instance, and unprovoked or unfair assaults are frowned upon.
However, because these people have had to rely on each other in times of great stress and fear, there is an established foundation of trust and respect among the Adamant's survivors — they are largely permitted to self-govern (think: civilian neighborhood watch rather than a centralized 'police' force), and this includes matters that we would generally see as requiring policing. Most things are settled between affected individuals because We Live In A Society, dangit! If two people get into a fist-fight, there's a sort of 'just let them get it out' mentality, and generally others will only intervene if it looks like one or the other might get seriously hurt!
Most matters are settled in a restorative justice framework. Theft, for instance, is looked down upon — everyone is in the same desperate situation. And while it wouldn't do anything like earning someone jail time, anyone caught stealing (these people generally try to share what they have in terms of food, clothing, resources, etc) would be subject to the collective disappointment of the others and a restorative styled punishment — they may end up doing the less desirable jobs, etc, but once they complete their 'sentence' so to speak there would be no additional communal shaming, they would simply be welcomed back into society. However, because the cultural norm is to share, there is little incentive for people to steal to begin with.
In addition, in any case where there is a wronged party, that party engages with a civilian council (think a jury of peers) to determine the penalty. The above is an example of theft, but for murder, rape, and other violent crime, exile is not uncommon. However, Steve might get an odd look for inquiring about these crimes — they are quite rare. Of course, on a planet like Ethyraia, exile from under the dragon's wings is practically a death sentence. No one can say for sure if anyone who has been exiled survived they're not welcome at the basecamp anymore.
One of the things that is somewhat rigidly enforced is the safety of the basecamp. If someone through direct action (deliberate sabotage) or passive inaction (falling asleep on a perimeter shift) causes harm to the Basecamp's citizenry, there are different ways of dealing with these individuals. For the former, a jury will often resort to exile. To the latter, the individual will spend time in the very cells that the hatchlings were in. The wronged party determines the length of time they are to serve, with the imprisoned is only fed if people choose to bring them food. An example of this might be: if someone falls asleep on perimeter, and this allows a creature to sneak into the camp and kill a member of someone's family, the surviving member would engage with a civilian council to determine the length of their sentence. These sentences are generally not long — they really cannot afford to lock an able-bodied person up indefinitely unless their crimes are especially egregious. Another sentence for this manner of crime may be: having to take on the work or duties of the deceased person for a certain period of time, which is done so that they may understand the full scope of what the community has lost with their error.
Tangentially: Security confiscates communal weapons found among the general NPC population, as they are not permitted to be carried within the basecamp. Even security officers surrender any communal weapons at the end of their shift, as there are no exceptions to this rule. But speaking generally, they would not call themselves a police force, nor are they treated as one by the basecamp citizens. (As the security force determines that characters found weapons in those eggs, they will be deciding what to do about weapons that are clearly not communal, settling eventually on the decision that they won't be seizing anyone's personal property, especially those who have so little to begin with.)
Most people would express disbelief if Steve inquired about any abuses of power. Captain Childe doesn't tolerate that sort of behavior, and she's set the tone for the rest of them to follow. She digs latrines with the best of them, takes the same rations and works the same shifts — and she expects every single person from the Adamant's remaining Naval crew to do the same. The civilians respect the crew and do not feel afraid or nervous around them as a result.