Lateral Branches
Summary
For issues and regulations that overlap with another Intrinsic Branch's expertise, both branches work through a Lateral Branch, whose personnel are experts in the area where the jurisdictions of these two Intrinsic Branches intersect.
Each Lateral Branch procedurally functions like any other branch, with the addition that each Intrinsic Branch appoints three delegates to represent their interests to the Lateral Branch. Decisions made by the Lateral Branch for those issues intersecting under the Lateral Branch's jurisdiction are decided by a vote among the three delegates from each of the two groups represented Intrinsic Branches and the Top Three Officials of the Lateral Branch itself.
Vote Decisions
Voting decisions facing the the Lateral Branch outside of day-to-day operations are caculated by taking the majority vote among each of these three groups first, and then taking the final tally. Each of these groups are considered equal when voting, so that means that each group of three gets one total vote towards the ultimate decision.
For example, if Group A votes (yes, no, yes) = YES, and Group B votes (yes, no, yes) = YES, and Group C votes (no, no, no) = NO, then the final vote is YES. This method of tabulation is critical because if the total votes had been simply tabulated, it would have resulted in 4 votes for yes and 5 votes for no, with the final vote being NO, which is not accurate.
Practical Example
For a practical example of the need for and functioning of a Lateral Branch, consider the intersection of interests between the Defense and Justice branches. The intermediary would be the Defense-Justice Lateral Branch and would have experts in Liminal State and international law, as well as military procedures, procurement, etc. A decision for this Lateral Branch might be the question regarding the legality of blowing up an alleged drug runner's boat in international waters. The three delegates from the Defense Branch would likely not vote in favor of this action, but even if they did the Justice Branch delegates would not, as the action is not justifiable under Liminal State or international law. That would leave the tie-breaker up to the vote from the Top Three Officials of the Lateral Branch.
Reality and Purpose
Because of this structure, there will be many more Lateral Branches than Intrinsic Branches, which means the Intrinsic Branches make decisions on those issues or regulations that fall specifically into their area of expertise, with all decisions and regulations on the fringes being decided in cooperation with the Lateral Branches.
The purpose of this structure is to provide independence to each branch to make the best choices using their unique expertise, while forcing the majority of decisions to go through Lateral Branches, which check each Intrinsic Branch's power against the mutual interest of other Intrinsic Branches and the expertise of that Lateral Branch. This puts the decision making into the hands of those experts best equipped to make tough decisions based on complicated matters, which is the majority of government work.
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