Use the KISS method and not over complicate the situation at hand. We use this saying many times in the military.

KISS=Keep It Simple and Stupid.

Your going to be in the battle and you don't have time for all the multiple friendly fire orders. The battle still going on, it doesn't call a time out. So getting silly out in battlefield and having to go through multiple friendly fire steps is going to disrupt the battle plan. Possibly get you & others killed in the battle quicker.

Plus you may need that ship in the battle plan. And that specific ship /s/ might have a special role and needs to continue with their orders according to the battle plan.

Since the full game has not been launched. Both parties back off and separate keeping distance between them, so the friendly fire doesn't keep happening between them sound good for now.

Then if time and battle permits them to say sorry for hitting you, I was aiming on the enemy and you flew in front of my firing arc.

Have been in this situation in large ops! With voice and communication, well laid out protocols on how to handle. This only takes a few seconds to deal with a situation like this in combat. Training and familiarity with protocols is the key. Just becomes reaction. Like firing a missile at a hostile while getting shot at. Job done. Preparation is the key! Looking forward to this. Taking some fire before it begins just helps me to personally prepare for this.
Thanks Sailor67 for reminding me of this and thanks for the prep work on this topic. Only thing i might add for simplicity or policy is the Trident thing. I believe any assaults on battle group (from Trident), should call for recall to MFAP. *(Reinforcements are already there.) Wait for them to come back out of the jump point and slaughter the traitors as a group.
I don't like this idea because unless we are keeping track of who's who we won't know who were shooting coming back through. *Thus, the need to just keep track of traitors. My 2 cents.
Any other input on how to handle this?
Love the plan guys!

Request for Clarification on Official Policy re Griefers/Gankers...

Clarification: This is before the fleet starts massing, while we're still in our individual Gear Up phases, from this thread: https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/218782/do-you-think-cig-will-make-us-work-together#latest

I'd hope we'd stick together in response to one of our own being griefed or ganked, but in light of CIG prohibiting "hit lists" I wanted to ask for official clarification on handling such vile creatures--is it "once one Forker gets the kill, case is closed unless the offender chooses to re-initiate hostilities", or something else?

I ask because one of the mods over there is throwing a fit interpreting something I said as intent to form a "hit list", and I'm looking for something I can quote to give Custard a clearer picture of things.

https://operationpitchfork.com/forums/index.php?topic=528.msg3232#msg3232
No hit list intended! I intend of following this procedure. We will need to keep track of incidence though for posterity of OP.
Maybe this helps? We can remove them from OP affiliation also I believe. When it goes beyond blue fire incident.

Thanks--to be clear, though, I'm not talking Blue-on-Blue but when a non-Forker attacks one of us and what kinds of support we can expect to offer one another.

For example, speaking for myself, if someone pulls an EVE-style ganking on a fellow Forker, even one who I might not be favorably disposed toward outside OP, AFAIC the ganker is one-time-only fair game if I get the opportunity to light 'em up. Kinda like how on my old FL server, we had a rule about posting bounties on other players where one-kill posts were OK, but no Repeat Kill terms unless otherwise authorized by server admin. You post the contract, someone vapes the target once, they IMMEDIATELY post and that's it for the matter unless and until they give cause for a new contract, which is a separate matter.

I think Custard may have confused my desire to have a Run-the-Hell-AWAY-From list for its direct opposite...

Although it seems like a lot to take in at first, it's simple enough. I'll make sure to keep all my guys informed and make sure they know at least the basic outlines of this.

I assume that the messages between the persons involved can be short, quick messages so that they can return to duty as quickly as possible?

nice idea but in my humble opinion way to complex and to irresponsive for combat situations:

1. If you were hit by accident, randomly or with some minor shots or no significant damage occured - ignore it!
2. If you were hit consistently or you've received major damage -> warn the shooter ONCE
3. If he still persists -> Treat him as foe
4. If some else in your party got killed by the attacker -> Treat him as foe

Simple and easy! Three strikes system: Shoot first, investigate later!