COMBINE CIVIL AUTHORITY: CIVIL PROTECTION
INTRODUCTION
The term Civil Protection refers to the human arm of the Combine Civil Authority tasked with keeping order within the cities. Civil Protection is not a military organisation and nor are they a police force, instead they sit closer to militia, although even this term does not truly do them justice. There are a number of crucial differences between Civil Protection and a militia, the most significant of which relate to purpose and background.
Civil Protection is not an organisation one joins for the love of a cause, for quite simply it does not cater to those who have humanities best interests at heart. Again I stress that Civil Protection is not a police-force, its job is not to lay down the law; it is to ensure humanities’ submission through force. Instead Civil Protection is an outlet for two very different mind-sets: Firstly those that selfishly wish for a better life, the perks of which I will speak about in more detail later and secondly for those that desire an outlet for their own frustrations and unashamedly don the mask of a playground bully.
Civil Protection are not masters of the world, nor do they have any real power save for that over their fellow citizens, for at the end of the day they are still human beings, they are still nothing more than resource to the Combine and they still have a ticket waiting to be called. For an analogy from history regarding who Civil Protection are behind those masks then the best example I can give would be of the Jewish Sonderkommando during the holocaust (this is not a history lesson, if you want to discuss the holocaust take it elsewhere). Civil Protection is made up of individuals forced to betray their own species not out of survival, but out of the faint hope for survival. Although they may well be have given authority over their fellow man, along with some basic perks, but they are still human beings and they still have a date with transhumanisation.
RECRUITMENT
Recruitment to Civil Protection is done on a voluntary basis by individual citizens. These citizens may be motivated by any number of reasons however they would all be fully aware of exactly what they were getting into. To ask to join the ranks of Civil Protection is to do nothing short of sacrifice your life for the vain hope for a tomorrow where you can no longer imagine who you were before. You may naively believe the lies told on the broadcasts, you may already be a monster looking for a place to vent or you may simply be someone looking for a decent meal. It is however important to note that by applying to join Civil Protection you are giving up all rights to freedom and you are willingly setting yourself down upon a path that will destroy your humanity.
Once accepted as a Recruit you can expect brutal treatment from the start, treatment that far surpasses what you have likely already seen on the street. Here you stand; fresh-faced and wide-eyed amidst a true nest of vipers, vipers whose immediate purpose is to utterly break you, to remove any misconceptions that you might have had about helping others, or about just getting by. They do this because it was done to them, they do this so that they can lash back at their own mistreatment and most of all they do this so they can live with themselves. You would quickly realise that during your service to the Union you are going to be under constant peer-pressure to keep up with your comrades, whilst knowing full well that to show weakness would be to invite certain death.
Should you fail your probationary period the chances of you being sent back to the streets are slim to say the least, the best you can hope for is to be killed. Failure can come from multiple angles, be it genuine incompetence, a lack of will or simply a superior smelling weakness on you. You will be shown no mercy for failure.
THE PEOPLE
As alluded to in the above sections the people within Civil Protection are put simply, not nice. To be absolutely clear this is not an organisation that caters to anyone of a sensitive disposition, nor does it cater to those careerists who wish to stand aloof above the pack, for you are going to have to get your hands dirty. Once again Civil Protection is best summed up as a collection of bullies and thugs.
Now that isn’t to say that those within Civil Protection are all two-dimensional beings incapable of anything greater than /me swings baton and grunts, on the contrary within the ranks of Civil Protection we will find a whole range of unique characters each with their own story to tell and reasons for rationalising their actions. The only difference here is that these individuals are forced to wear a mask, both literally and figuratively, whoever they were before they joined the ranks is still within there, only suppressed whilst on duty. Deep down that unit who had just cracked that man’s skull in front of his laughing comrades may well have had a good heart once, they may well return home each night to fits of self-hatred and tears of anguish at what they have become. What makes all the difference is the shared identity of each of them whenever they put on that featureless mask, for by choosing to wear it they leave behind who they were before it and instead become a ‘unit’, a single part of a collective ruled by brute force and little more. By and large units are not friends, for the Combine rid them of that intimacy, they do however share a bond that can and will lead to all kinds of relationships and power plays.
At the end of the day Civil Protection is made up of people just like you and I, the only difference is they have developed in a world devoid of resources and hope, a world without freedom and a world with only the bare essentials to survive. Each for their own reasons have made a conscious decision to betray the species itself. I would like to ask people to please bare that in mind when creating their unit characters; you are not joining the police and neither are you are going the SS, you are joining Civil Protection and your job is nothing short of beating humanity into submission. Not out of sadism, not out of belief, but out of survival.
PERKS
A unit within Civil Protection can come to expect a number of benefits over their fellow citizens, most of which come as standard and others which may be given as a reward for specific actions their superiors warrant note-worthy.
Rations
The simplest perk, and the one that draws most people in, is the guaranteed improved rations. Citizens are kept just above the starvation line at all times and for many this simply isn’t enough to ward off near constant hunger pains. Once within Civil Protection however one can expect a dramatic improvement, for rather than being given just the bare means to survive units are instead given packets which contain additional nutrition which although little better in flavour is packed with enough nutrients to ensure they are able to remain physically fit. Units may also be given from time to time may also find additional treats such as coffee, milk, chocolate and more. As standard units are also given a supply of alcohol with each pack, punishments for drinking whilst on duty however are severe.
Housing
A secondary but no less appealing perk is the right to better accommodation. Although no individual under the Combine regime privately owns any property units are given priority when it comes to assigning the best real estate. Moreover there is nothing to say that backhanded deals couldn’t happen between Civil Protection and the Civil Housing Authority.
Personal possessions
Unlike the general citizenry units have available to them various items which would otherwise be considered contraband. These items will be detailed under the rewards section.
REWARDS
Second to the perks mentioned above the Combine Civil Authority also maintains a points-based rewards system which units may use to obtain additional benefits on an ad hoc basis. These ‘sterilized credits’ (not to be confused with standard civilian credits) are issued by superiors and given to units they feel have gone above and beyond what is expect of them, or for solid performance. Credits may also be given as a reward for other achievements such as promotions and long-service. Points may be redeemed to purchase additional perks such as extra-rations and various pre-approved luxuries:
Items available for purchase (other items may be available):
- Approved literature
- Approved music
- Various items of electrical equipment
- CD/Cassette players
- Cameras
- Loyalist clothing
- Superior quality furniture
- Automatic access to prescribed medicine
- Pornographic materials
Additional Leave
As standard Civil Protection units are given little in the way of free time, the Civil Authority does however appreciate the regrettable need for units to occasionally ‘recharge’, it is for this reason that points may be redeemed for time off subject to sign off from a unit ranking 01 or above (for the sake of roleplay approval for a character to take leave will not need to be sought, instead members should feel free to play their off-duty unit whenever they feel).
Non-Mechanical-Reproduction-Simulation
Whilst the Combine’s ultimate goal is to move-away from this particular instinct the Civil Authority recognises that Civil Protection units are still subject to all of humanities base flaws. As units are forbidden to fraternise amongst each other and are strongly advised against fraternisation with civilians 100 sterilized credits will permit a unit to engage sexually with a citizen of their choice detained within their local nexus.
NOTE – We fully appreciate the dark nature of this euphemism and it is strictly forbidden for anyone to force this particular type of RP on another RPer without their explicit OOC consent. I would like to remind everyone to respect each other’s boundaries whilst at the same time reiterate that this world is not pretty.
RANK AND STRUCTURE
Civil Protection is organised in a bureaucratic and machine-like fashion ultimately directed by OVERWATCH. Although OVERWATCH may from time to time issue specific directives it has no direct involvement in the day-to-day management of Civil Protection. These duties instead come down to the human members themselves which are organised into the following ranks:
• RCT – Recruit –Subordinate to all other ranks without exception or question
• 04 – The standard and most common unit with no command responsibilities
• 03 – The equivalent of a corporal with basic responsibilities, primarily during beat patrols
• 02 – Responsible for small to medium patrols, may act as a section leader during combat
• 01 – Section leader, the 01 will coordinate larger sector sweeps and conduct raids. In most cases the 01 will be the direct line-manager of all lower subordinate ranks within their squad.
• CMD – Squad Commander, responsible for discipline, recruitment, identity, resource management and ensuring that their squad remains an effective force at all times.
Units may apply for promotion at any time however they should always bear in mind that they will need endorsement from a superior. Ultimately it is down to each individual squad’s command structure to approve and deny promotions at their own discretion.
As for in-squad violence, although murder is certainly a de-serviceable offense (if caught), fighting amongst individual units is not an infrequent occurrence, for there exists a pack-like mentality that leads to the strong praying on the weak and units constantly searching for cracks and ways to exploit their so-called comrades, with the intention of making sure that someone other than themselves is at the bottom.
CIVIL PUNISHMENTS
The Combine do not have a consistent list of codified rules and punishments, nor do they have a judicial system or prisons. What they do however have is a set of directives which are by and large open to interpretation. Although it is mostly up to the individual unit’s discretion the Combine do have the following guidelines:
Level 4 – A level 04 is issued for minor infractions. This includes a stern reprimand and may include minor physical harm.
Level 3 – For more serious infractions which the unit feels they are able to rectify immediately and without follow-up action. At minimum this consists of a beating, the severity of which should be dependent upon the supposed crime. The beating involved should not be to a degree as to threaten the perpetrator’s life.
Level 2 – For cases which are unable to be resolved immediately or that require more extreme corrective measures. The offending citizen is to be detained within the local CCA nexus for questioning and interrogation. The duration of the stay and the methods of interrogation used should directly relate to the infraction. Level 2s may also be applied as to gather information from suspect citizens through whatever means necessary. As with the Level 3 this punishment should not result in the citizen’s death.
Level 1 – Reserved for the most severe crimes, this will result in the immediate removal of citizenship or permanent off-world relocation.
It should again be noted that although the above guidance should be followed when possible certain units may take it upon themselves to abuse the system. Secondly if appropriate alternative measures may be taken at the unit’s discretion.
