Civil Protection

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> Everywhere I travel, I am reminded that our kind aren't considered worthy of funerals or so much as the basic courtesy of remembrance. This world rejects us for who we are. We, who had the prudence to march in lockstep when the drums of a new order began to beat. We, who had the foresight to break ranks as soon as that terrible din stopped. For our 'treachery', the people of this world will try to erase any memory of us. I don't plan on forgetting, though. Too much of me is wrapped up in the things I did. I can't let our digits fade into nothing, even as this all comes down around us.
>
> ―Anonymous

**Civil Protection** or **CiviPro** is the premiere security agency operating under the auspices of the Combine Overwatch, functioning as the 'face' of the occupation. Initially created to lessen the appearance of an overt military occupation as a token police force, the responsibilities afforded Civil Protection have grown in the ensuing years, pushing the organization into a role as a jack of all trades. As such, members are said to be drawn from all walks of life, each with their own reasons for throwing their lot in with an undeniably oppressive and politically-stringent organization. Unique in that it is the portion of the Combine Overwatch composed of the most sapient personnel, it is thus the most subject to peculiarities, such as the ability to temporarily subsume Synthetic assets under its organizational umbrella, as well as the ability for its personnel to be granted commands of varying lengths and extents over Transhuman soldiers by Dispatch.

One part fascist paramilitary, one part law enforcement, and one part counter-terrorism force, Civil Protection has found itself quite literally torn apart by the onset of the Uprising as the organization is drawn to contend with simultaneous, strengthening sources of operational pressure, often failing to perform with the calloused efficiency once associated with it. Desertions have thus reached record highs as entire cities are lost, providing a growing source of consternation among Outlander communities as they are force to contend with the consequences of a quickly growing population of so-called 'Rogues'.

## History

### The Occupation

The predominance of the Conscripts as the primary security force of the Combine presence had proven to be a folly for the nascent government of Wallace Breen, as their presence in the cities had only grown to stoke tensions between the government and the remaining civilian population by appearing as an explicitly occupational force. Additionally, the Conscripts' explicit ties to pre-7HW armed forces had begun to emerge as a problem, as mutinies such as the Radioman Revolt had proven that a replacement for what was originally intended as a provisional security force was beyond sorely needed. As much was mandated by the Advisors and put upon the shoulders of the Global Administration, whose appointed bureaucrats set to work laying out the groundwork for a security agency that could contend with an emerging threat of dissidents while remaining politically reliable and efficacious.

The resources afforded to the newly-formed occupational authorities was not enough to expand the purview of the already-extent yet still very much nascent Overwatch Transhuman Arm, as every individual Transhuman required a substantial amount of resources to produce and one of the overarching goals of this reorganization was to lessen what were potentially volatile tensions between the civilian population and the state. As such, with the guidance of the Advisors and the rubber-stamping by Wallace Breen's regime through the Security and Integrity Act, Civil Protection was legally formed as the newest arm of the Combine Overwatch. Utilizing Conscripts who had proven their political reliability and the Index to reach out to anyone with a law enforcement background before the invasion, the ranks of Civil Protection immediately swelled with recruits, eager to be the ones to hold the cudgel of justice themselves.

The responsibilities of Civil Protection from the outset were sweeping, as the Metropolitan Police Force and the Outland Pacification Force were both granted a sweeping mandate when it came to the dispensation of the state's will in the cities and in the Outlands respectively. It was this sweeping mandate and the physical and psychological separation encouraged by the authoritative, rigid mindsets instilled and encouraged in new recruits that created a culture in this organization unlike any other among the various arms of the occupation. A profoundly elitist culture was intentionally engendered among newly-graduated Ground Units following CiviPro's formation, one that would only fester as the occupation progressed and the separation between citizen and unit was entrenched by their sole allegiance to Dispatch. While Conscripts were often reviled as traitors and abuses were never in short supply, they were, in a twist of irony, at least thought of as more 'human' given that the trappings of pre-7HW armed forces were still plainly visible.

Almost immediately after Civil Protection's inception, it immediately became the target of infiltration efforts by various Resistance networks around the world, the most prominent of which was Entropy, the most powerful of any dissident network. Failing to pre-empt this, the Directorate for Societal Integrity was forced into perpetually playing catch-up, exacerbating the already tense atmosphere within Civil Protection by encouraging the formation of an internal affairs organ through the VICE Metropolice Division as a means of limiting the growing threat of infiltrators in the nascent CiviPro. The growing threat of Entropy across other points of conflict encouraged the development of VICE as a tool to groom new operatives in response to a corresponding need to check the growth of this increasingly sprawling and dangerous network. This would turn out to be too little, too late.

Enough of Civil Protection would be infiltrated by the year of 2004 in order to facilitate the planning and execution of Operation: LONG WALK by Entropy, leading to the activation of a multitude of defectors and sleeper agents among the Elite Protection Units during a counter-insurgency operation. While the catastrophic outcome of this operation for the Combine is undeniable, VICE and their Outlands-based analogue in SUNDOWN would prove their tenacity and political reliability, as very few of the EpUs attached to either of these Divisions would actually defect, proving instrumental in the eventual clean-up of this disaster. As a result, the Directorate would draw upon them to form the core of the Ninth Division of the Directorate, a paramilitary force beholden to them alone. The operations undertaken by Civil Protection following the commencement of LONG WALK would progressively take on a more dangerous nature as the number of Resistance groups, sponsored by Entropy, began to emerge and attempt to strike at the regime. Ironically, it is this phenomenon which ended up forcing Civil Protection into almost the exact same position held by the Conscripts prior to their disbandment as the paramilitary nature of Civil Protection was entrenched by its responsibility to contend with armed dissidents.

The formation of the Congress proved to be a complicated matter for Civil Protection, as many of its veteran personnel found themselves coming to verbal (and sometimes physical) blows with new, ideologically-minded recruits whose superiors struggled to keep their fascinations. This eventually led to a cultural shift among large swathes of the organization made evident by the growing number of units instinctively regurgitating Humanist slogans and admonishing comrades who expressed their exhaustion with these sentiments. This brewing conflict led to an effective split among the upper echelons of the command as more ideologically-inclined personnel ascended the ranks, with some openly Humanist High Command units developing an interest in the affairs of the Congress proper in order to bolster their own positions by encouraging the Public Interest Bureau to begin disseminating propaganda that explicitly framed service in Civil Protection through a Humanist lens. It thus became all too common to see depictions of Father intertwined with symbolism specific to CiviPro, encouraging prospective new recruits to join up in order to preserve civil society, and by extension, the Congress. While exhaustion with this ideological fixation remained a steady fixture of the inter-organizational discourse of Civil Protection, its benefits outweighed these sentiments, leading to broad, albeit tepidly positive consensus on the impact of Humanist Thought on their operations. The growing prominence of the Congress ensured a pool of intrinsically loyal manpower that could be drawn and relied upon for their reliability and compatibility with the already rigid culture of the organization, lessening the risk of infiltration and strengthening any given garrison's position in the event of a major societal upheaval.

As 2008 drew near, augmentations and memory replacements began emerging among Civil Protection. While these efforts were framed by the Congress as part of a shift towards their ever-vaunted Ascension, the need to bolster pacification efforts against an increasingly bold Resistance movement proved to be the real motivation in making these fixtures available. Given the rare, experimental nature of these implements, they would only be offered as optional rewards that one could take in lieu of a promotion or for any other demonstration of merit. While most lowly Ground Units would have to contend themselves with one-to-one replacements for existing limbs, ascending the ranks and assuming additional memory alterations proved a sure way to get ahold of the more exotic and ability-enhancing implants that most likely imagine when thinking of these strange, otherworldly fixtures.

### The Uprising

The prominence maintained by Civil Protection would place the organization at the forefront of dealing with the initial impacts of the Uprising, as Transhuman and Synthetic assets would take time to deploy in their relevant operational zones, thrusting lowly Ground Units armed with nothing more than their sidearms and limited equipment to deal with this threat head-on. Scores of units would lose their lives storming apartment complexes used as sniper nests and machine gun emplacements or in open firefights on the burning streets of the cities that had been designated to fall first by Entropy's planners. Additionally, Entropy would activate perhaps every asset they had cultivated within the organization in order to sow as much chaos as possible, leading to the utter deterioration of Civil Protection garrisons across the planet as infiltrators, or the fear thereof, would paralyze individual garrisons and stoke what was already a firmly paranoid culture through frontline show trials against perceived turncoats.

It would be this organizational paralysis that would score the varied sections of the Resistance, and by extension, Entropy, a series of key early victories that allowed for the formation of the first Edgetowns - formerly Council-held cities now under the auspices of new management. It would be amidst the chaos in these cities and in other locales where the control of the central government had profoundly deteriorated that a crucible would form, one in which the first major wave of post-Uprising defections sprang from. Seeing the hopelessness of their situation, many units opted to remove themselves from these doomed battles and flee. Some saw this as the beginning of a new period of adaptation much like the commencement of the occupation eight years prior, while others saw this as an opportunity for the formation of something new. While Rogues remain a source of consternation for perhaps everyone with a stake in the ongoing conflict, Secessionists have emerged as a minor, if steadily growing headache.

With ambitions as varied as their backgrounds, Secessionist units have managed to secure a degree of political relevance through their ability to appeal to the frustrations of Civil Protection personnel disgruntled with the perceived ideological fascinations of the Civil Humanist Congress and the Council (or lack thereof), leading rebellions and mutinies with the ultimate goal of supplanting the Interim Ruling Council as the true safeguards of the Combine rule. These movements are almost always locally-restrained, often isolated to the very rare few breakaway cities that have managed to achieve a degree of self-sufficiency or lone Outland garrisons, where Metropolice-led Juntas and committees of units govern respectively as semi-relevant regional political actors hamstrung by their disparate views on how to move forward and lack of broad support among the rest of Civil Protection or the Congress. The continued lip service to the idea of a 'Combine' by these groups of units, while certainly indicative of this interdimensional collective's ability to inspire fear and obedience even where it is ostensibly powerless, has proven that there are yet additional complications to contend with by the Directorate as it seeks to assert and reinforce total control over Overwatch, the Combine Civil Authority and the world as a whole.

## Equipment

### Weaponry

The weaponry utilized by Civil Protection is reminiscent of pre-7HW law enforcement, especially with regards to the region where any given garrison is known to exist. The handguns, sub-machine guns and shotguns issued to Civil Protection functionaries vary substantially, corresponding primarily to what was available and manufactured prior to the occupation in any given part of the world. Those transferred between posts will often find themselves forced to grow accustomed with their newly-issued weaponry, lending to a phase of familiarization that many Civil Protection functionaries derisively refer to as 'rehoming'.

The advent of the Uprising has rocked the already disparate and varied system of equipment distribution utilized by Civil Protection, as many postings (such as those in isolated Outland garrisons or besieged cities) have eschewed any pretense of uniformity regarding their equipment, allowing their personnel to regularly equip themselves with weaponry utilized by their enemies. This habit is and was especially common among formations of Civil Protection bound to the Outlands, as self-sufficiency forms a corner stone of the doctrine employed in the creation of these garrisons. Outlanders have and continue to report firefights against Civil Protection personnel armed with weapons such as Kalashnikov rifles, Amalgams and other comparatively exotic implements.

### Gear

The gear given to Civil Protection is not far removed from the kind actively utilized by pre-7HW law enforcement either, with some very apparent caveats. Compared to the weaponry issued to CiviPro personnel, their uniforms and gear are very standardized. The baseline of equipment afforded to Civil Protection personnel is as follows:

* **Stun Baton** - A two-foot long baton built from a carbon steel composite. The edge of this tool is loaded with a copper carbon alloy that allows for an adjustable jolt of electricity powered by a battery.
* **Hard Mask** - The iconic hardened polymer gas mask used by Civil Protection for identity concealment and protection from pollutants caused by fires, smoke grenades and other gaseous hazards through replaceable filters that must be replaced following prolonged usage. It is outfitted with an identity obscuring vocoder, lens-illuminating night vision and a metal backplate that affords a protection rating of Level IIA, facial recognition software, a radio input, as well as a translator capable of processing the top ten most-spoken languages prior to the occupation. Variations of this mask are known to exist, as Elite Protection Units and Civil Protection in the Outlands have their own, more environmentally durable variants.
* **Kevlar/Plate Carrier** - While regular Metropolice are afforded a vest intended to host two plates capable of withstanding .357 Magnum rounds, personnel stationed in the Outlands are issued a derivative of armor utilized by the personnel of the Overwatch Transhuman Arm. This armor is roughly comparable to the PASGT armor system utilized by the US military prior to the occupation. High-ranking Metropolice are known to use this variant as well.
* **Polycarbonate Fabric Uniform** - A slash-resistant jacket and trousers. It protects against environmental extremes and shrapnel, although full-force strikes will cleave through the fabric.
* **Nylon Utility Belt Set w/ Sling** - Fit with magazine holsters and other pouches, tucked around the waist. The sling can be attached to most any weapon, except for handguns, to hang out for easier access.
* **Handheld Radio** - A handheld radio linked by wire to a microphone affixed to the side of the Hard Mask’s backplate.
* **Black Jackboots** - Heavy, black boots. Water resistant and resistant to a small flame at light exposure. Contains steeltoe. CiviPro personnel in the Outlands are issued a hardier variety of footwear akin to those worn by military personnel.
* **Colored Armband** - A colored armband corresponding to a unit's division. Personnel stationed in the Outlands uniformly wear a black armband.

## Culture

### Humanism and the Congress

While individual units might vary in their attitudes towards the ideological prescriptions of Humanism, there exists a broad, positive consensus towards its prescriptions of tight societal control and reverence of authority. It should thus come as no surprise that the slight majority of Civil Protection personnel possess at least some kind of vague personal alignment with Humanist Thought, coinciding with a substantial recruitment surge that occurred just as the Blueprint was made widely available. Fanatics are known to exist among those who still cling tightly to their Combine identity, even among those who have found themselves isolated from the wider remnant as a result of the Uprising, forming some of the most tenacious holdouts against the Resistance in areas where Combine control has been largely destroyed. Contrary to popular perception, the VICE and SUNDOWN Divisions of Civil Protection, as internal policing sub-organizations, are functionally not as concerned with the fineries of ideological adherence as much as they are with a baseline of ensuring allegiance to the state. This attitude exists throughout Civil Protection, as many units continue to carry out their duties to the wider Combine without so much as a passing familiarity with the Blueprint's prescriptions or reverence for Humanism's Father construct, merely carrying orders for one reason or another.

Originally existing separately from the Congress, the constituent organs of the Combine Overwatch were exempt from the whims of the civilian bureaucrats appointed to govern through the Combine Civil Authority, as Overwatch itself only owed its final and overriding allegiance to Dispatch. It is through this exemption that Civil Protection have viewed themselves above even those who oversee the grand experiment of the Congress, with many units viewing these bureaucrats as occasionally useful pencil-pushers at best and as meat shields at worst. Even so, the covert control exerted by the Directorate for Societal Integrity over Dispatch and the occupational authorities ensures a limited kind of interplay between both the Congress and Civil Protection as part of an effort meant to bolster the appearance of a functional, accountable government apparatus. This interplay manifests both through the existence of the Liaison Committee and the Social Bureau, both of which interact frequently with sapient Overwatch personnel.

The Liaison Committee, originally existing as a rubber stamping organ intended to veil the very stark institutional division between Overwatch and the civilian government, has developed into a source of genuine chagrin among higher-ranking Civil Protection functionaries, as this Congress sub-organization has begun to assert a greater deal of control as a result of the Directorate's attempts to portray the Interim Ruling Council as an overarching authority to unite around. Overarching objectives devised by the Directorate will be passed down to the aforementioned Council, who will then develop more specific goals and directives that will be handed down to the Liaison Committee to pass along to Civil Protection. Because of the Directorate's control over the functions of Dispatch, these orders will always be corroborated by said system, thus creating the perception that this newfound central government is sanctioned by the Combine proper and is to be obeyed. Because of the Liaison Committee's growing relevance in the Directorate's schemes, it is not uncommon for local bureaucrats associated with this sub-organization to push their luck with Civil Protection personnel, sometimes attempting to fabricate orders or engaging in acts of disrespect that result in more than a few broken teeth. While these incidents remain rare, concerns have arisen among the upper echelons of the Congress regarding the increasingly tense relationship between civilian bureaucrats and Metropolice functionaries, as both find themselves profoundly affected by the consequences of the Uprising.

Alternatively, the Social Bureau exists within a much more amiable arrangement with Civil Protection, as the interplay that exists between these two organizations is one of cooperation against dissident elements. Given that the Social Bureau is charged with ensuring societal cohesion on a local level, cooperation between the two organizations exists as a non-negotiable aspect of their relationship, as actually prosecuting discovered dissidents is a matter still left to Civil Protection itself, while actually finding them is often contingent on the efforts of the Social Bureau. It is this relationship that has fostered a begrudging respect between the two organizations, as the two rely on each other to cover their weaknesses. The VICE Division in particular often cooperates closely with the Social Bureau, sharing intelligence and access to informant networks. Operations conducted jointly by the Social Bureau and the Metropolice are not unheard of, usually targeted at sizable or otherwise noteworthy dissident elements.

### Rogues

The collapse of Combine authority over large swathes of the planet has ushered in what many deem to be a cull among the more ideologically-adherent elements of Civil Protection, as those deemed 'weak' or otherwise untrustworthy find themselves purged from the wider apparatus of Overwatch through one way or another. Remaining garrisons of Civil Protection, especially those in Council-held territories, are proportionally more fanatical in their loyalty to both the system and Humanist Thought than prior to the Uprising. To the chagrin of perhaps everyone involved on the ground-level of the conflict, however, many of those 'culled' by the initial violence managed to survive whatever trials they were presented with, reinforcing what was up to then a very small population of Civil Protection personnel who had, for one reason or another, found themselves no longer affiliated with the Combine.

The term 'Rogue' has become popular when referring to these individuals, who in the manner of their parent organization, have developed a reputation for infamy among Outlanders. In order to qualify as a Rogue according to the most popular interpretation of the term, one must still don the majority of their uniform and/or wear the mask, as well as retain the socially rigid and domineering attitudes often demonstrated by Civil Protection functionaries. It is this combination that has made the presence of these individuals anywhere a matter of contention, as these behaviors are reminiscent of their prior affiliation with an organization widely reviled by anyone outside of the Combine system. The elitism that Civil Protection is infamous for, while largely defined by a disdain for those deemed unworthy of the mask, contained an sentiment of exceptionalism so potent that it is not uncommon to hear out of Rogues who lack any real remorse for their tenure as units. Those who reveal these sentiments will often remark upon a sense of longing for their now-sundered brotherhood, holding themselves and their fellow runaways in high esteem for expressing a keen survival instinct for 'adapting' to the occupation, and later, the Uprising. Rogues thus represent an additional dimension to the ongoing conflict between the Combine and those opposed to their rule, as this newly-burgeoning 'community' is infamous for eschewing any overarching alignment given how varied and complex the circumstances can be behind every individual Rogue's departure from Civil Protection.

While most Rogues will often attempt to keep to their own kind and eschew affiliations with Outlander communities or Combine garrisons, there exist a number of exceptions on both counts. Given that many of these individuals have been divested of their affiliations with much of their gear intact, some of them have managed to etch out a niche for themselves as hired guns and mercenaries. Using their old uniforms, masks and gear to bolster an aura of intimidation, many of these Rogues have managed to market themselves as controversial, if not effective security providers that many merchants and other holders of valuables have grown to appreciate. While rarer, groups of Rogues have opted to band together as part of ad hoc mercenary formations reputed for their augmentations as well as their expertise in the realm of brutality. These formations owe their allegiance to nothing but the comforts showered upon them by their patrons, putting them at the behest of anybody- even those who still ostensibly fight under the mandate of the Combine, so long as they're capable of paying. It is not unheard of for Outland garrisons, hamstrung by supply and communication issues and desperately bereft of needed reinforcements, to lean on these disparate formations to bolster their forces, leveraging some combination of Combine technology, de facto and localized amnesty and lingering loyalist sentiments to keep the loyalty of these bands of cutthroats. Discussions of their trustworthiness is often conducted with a degree of mockery, as their categorization quite literally implicates their duplicity and rumors (alongside many very many real instances) of banditry and criminal behavior committed by Rogues have reached a new height of circulation.

Despite this sordid reputation, there are those among their rank that attempt to strive for a new conviction of some kind. Many have taken their break with the Combine as a new opportunity to make amends for past misdeeds, either acting as independent vigilantes or as part of pre-existing groups explicitly opposed to Combine rule. Attitudes on accepting these individuals is as varied as there exist reasons for someone finding themselves as a Rogue, as a plurality of Outlander communities remain starkly opposed towards accepting these individuals, often at gunpoint, while a minority have begun to tepidly and conditionally accept these individuals. These associations often exist under a shroud of profound suspicion, as rumors of infiltration by loyalists masquerading as Rogues with the intent of forwarding the Council's agenda have begun to circulate. While many Rogues intend on making amends for past deeds, there are those who merely seek to survive and continue as they were, sometimes priding themselves on their perseverance in adapting to both the paradigm of the Combine and now the paradigm of a new world ostensibly set to brush them aside and bury any memory of them. While this attitude is seen as especially conniving, those who still hold or even act out on loyalist sympathies are perhaps the most reviled by those who never donned the mask.

## Structure

### Ranking

#### Global Command

* **Oversectoral Commander (OvC)** - An often-overlooked position at the top of the Civil Protection hierarchy, the OvC's authority supersedes even that of the Sectoral Commanders underneath them. A grand total of ten exist, each of which oversees an arbitrarily partitioned slice of the planet known as an Oversector, a vast stretch of land that encompasses multiple existing Sectors. It is this immense degree of authority that makes these individuals among the most elusive on the planet, as their personalities, names, locations and capabilities are entirely unknown to most.
* **Sectoral Commander (SeC)** - Assuming total operational control over the Overwatch assets in a Sector, to say that the SeC is a force to be reckoned with is an understatement. Unique in that their rank is also institutionally entrusted with a measure of enshrined control over Overwatch assets so long as its exertion does not contravene the active directives of Dispatch, the mere utterance of this rank evokes notions of authority and raw power. Despite the heavy mythologizing that surrounds this position in the hierarchy, a Sectoral has never once been involved in a direct combat confrontation where their abilities have been put on display for onlookers to behold, although speculation as to their abilities among the Resistance and Civil Protection's Ground Units is rampant.

#### High Command

* **Designated Force Provost (DfP)** - Each 'Force' of Civil Protection in a Sector is managed by one of two Provosts designated by the Sectoral Commander, who act as the overall manager of either the MPF or the OPF. The DfP of the former is considered to have operational command of every MPF asset within a city, whereas the DfP of the latter is entrusted with the same level of authority over the forces of the OPF scattered throughout their Sector. It is at this rank that communications with Dispatch become very commonplace, lending to situations where Provosts are able to request and are often pre-emptively given temporary operational control over Synthetic assets under the umbrella of Civil Protection in circumstances where Sociostability has profoundly deteriorated, or whenever else Dispatch deems such a measure necessary.
* **Elite Protection Unit (EpU)** - Existing independently of the hierarchy of Civil Protection, the role of the EpU is one intrinsically tied to accomplishing special tasks. Taking orders only from the Sectoral Commander of their home Sector, an EpU is entrusted with the ability to act autonomously in the field while holding no administrative role or responsibilities. While their ability to command units 'underneath' them is an entirely informal matter, anyone finding themselves on the receiving end of an EpU's 'suggestion' would do well to follow through. Their loyalty is considered invaluable, as each EpU is individually extremely capable within their niche, and a single defection could spell doom for an entire operation.
* **Squad Proctor (SrC)** - Proctors are widely known as the highest ranking official that the average Ground Unit will ever interact with, as they are responsible for the direct allocation of personnel into the Divisions they command and the squads within. Informally known as 'Divisionals', these individuals act as the administrative backbone of Civil Protection, coordinating large numbers of personnel through the system of Divisions that defines much of Civil Protection's multi-faceted approach to its responsibilities.
* **Inspector (InP)** - Entrusted with managing the day-to-day affairs of their Division and coordinating the efforts of the multiple squads within, Inspectors are at the forefront of the planning of Civil Protection's usual course of operations in the context of either the Outlands or a city. Often only receiving orders from their Proctor, Inspectors are regularly entrusted with the planning and enactment of operations geared around rooting out dissident elements, be it through cleaning out apartment blocks of suspected arms caches or through meticulously planning a coordinated assault against a fortified hideout in the Outlands. It is through this expansive mandate that the Inspector serves as the operational backbone of Civil Protection, as capable middle management proves an increasingly valuable commodity in the wake of the Uprising.

#### Low Command

* **Adjutant (AdU)** - A unit afforded operational command over a squad of units, often leading the spearhead of sweeps into the more dangerous portions of a city or assaults onto insurgent bases and settlements in the Outlands. Capable of issuing equipment inspections as well, Adjutants are considered the first 'real' officer rank. Given the choice of wearing a trenchcoat, Adjutants are often quietly mocked by their subordinates as little better than peacocking dilettantes that serve as decent cover, and little else. Despite this derision, as the name suggests, Adjutants are responsible for maintaining frequent communication with the Inspectors positioned above them, acting as their eyes and ears in the field, as well as advisors during the planning of operations.
* **First Intention (i1)** - Considered the lowliest of any 'officer' rank, First Intention units are only granted provisional authority over their squad of units, should the leading Adjutant become incapacitated or otherwise unable to lead the formation. Despite this meager degree of command, to hold this rank alone is to be considered a prime candidate for a leadership position down the line, lending to a culture of subdued elitism within this bracket among those who are keenly aware of the favoritism bestowed upon them by their discerning superiors.

#### Ground Units

* **Second Intention (i2)** - Famed for being the rank to open the most doors, a unit who reaches Second Intention is not only reasonably experienced, but experienced enough to request a transfer (or to have on thrust upon them by a superior) to the Outland Pacification Force. Additionally, this rank serves as the final barrier towards achieving a Low Command posting, although those responsible for handing out these promotions will likely have observed, tracked and planned for the rise of suitable candidates a few ranks prior. While their responsibility to mentor lower-ranking units is no longer a formal obligation, these personnel remain valuable sources of insight for their subordinates as they await a promotion to the Low Command or a transfer to the Outlands. Augmentations become more substantial and visible by this rank.
* **Third Intention (i3)** - This rank is considered the ultimate test of a unit's ability to handle the managerial duties inherent to the ranks of the Low Command and higher, as a Third Intention unit is encouraged to actively mentor and provide reports on the personnel assigned to them. Their ability to form patrols and lead personnel into the more dangerous portions of the city are vital to this process, providing valuable demonstrations to their subordinates of the fundamentals of their duties.
* **Fourth Intention (i4)** - Defined by its greater autonomy compared to the rank below it, Fourth Intention units are granted the ability to roam safer areas without any direct supervision, although they remain shackled to these districts and the commands of their Third Intention overseers. Despite these lingering limitations, Fourth Intention personnel are at the first rank where augmentations are granted to them. Not only can these bodily alterations replace limbs, but can expand upon their pre-existing functionality. Granted, the extent to which this is true is often on the smaller end, largely serving as an incentive for the units of this rank to strive for the greater recognition required to ascend further.
* **Fifth Intention (i5)** - While no longer a Recruit, these units are firmly without the autonomy granted to their more senior comrades. Fifth Intention personnel are often assigned to patrols within safer districts of the city. This sleepier posting is often derided by those saddled with it as 'Lamppost duty', leading to those of higher ranks and outside of Civil Protection to refer to these units accordingly. Despite the limited responsibilities afforded to this rank, those seeking to ascend the hierarchy would do well to observe the mentorship of the Intention Three units assigned to oversee them, as opportunities to distinguish oneself must be seized upon ably.
* **Recruit (ReC)** - Hardly counting as a Ground Unit, a Recruit is considered the lowliest of Civil Protection. The personnel afforded this rank seldom hold it for long, as the rank only lasts for the duration of a unit's basic training. While officially requiring a three-week long training course on the fundamentals of law enforcement responsibilities, creative interpretations of existing regulations and a pressing need for manpower across some Sectors in the wake of the Uprising have resulted in compressions of this period as short as three days. Divisional assignment is possible here with the demonstration of proportional merit and additional training.

### The Forces

Composed of two distinct branches, Civil Protection's wide range of responsibilities are tackled in a manner befitting of their surroundings. Each branch is headed by a Designated Force Provost, who independently oversees the affairs of their Force in a Sector at the behest of their Sectoral Commander. While cooperation between the branches is not unheard of, especially as the Uprising quite literally demolishes the barriers between the two organizations, an inter-service rivalry of sorts is said to exist. Granted, this rivalry seldom manifests as anything other than distant saber-rattling over the perceived inadequacies and stereotypes of the opposing organization as the two are seldom meant to ever interact.

#### Metropolitan Police Force

Serving as the state's primary means of exerting control over the remaining civilian population, as the name suggests, the Metropolitan Police Force is the main law enforcement organization under the Combine Overwatch. The maintenance of public order within the cities falls under their purview, thereby granting them a sweeping, authoritative mandate when it comes to the dispensation of what the Interim Ruling Council deems as 'justice'. Recent developments in the form of the Uprising and reforms to the organization made ostensibly under the mandate of the aforementioned council have forcibly pushed the Metropolice into a more overtly militarized role, reminiscent of the now-defunct Conscripts. In spite of these attempts to have the organization compensate for the insurrectionary violence that has paralyzed much of the regime, this Force continues to be derided by its Outlands-based comrades for its political unreliability, lax recruitment standards, unpreparedness for urban warfare, and overall 'softness' with some degree of fairness.

##### MPF Divisions

* **UNIFORM** - Operating at the forefront of most MPF operations, UNIFORM is a division defined by its brutal prominence. Often derided as mere 'beat cops', the Ground Units of this division are responsible for the day-to-day administration of justice within cities under Council control. Their role can be best thought of as that of conventional law enforcement, albeit with a greater proclivity towards regular brutality and an even greater degree of danger, should a unit ascend the ranks and thereby assume a greater deal of responsibility. As of late, ascending the ranks has grown into an even stronger guarantee that a unit will be torn from conventional law enforcement duties, thrusting them into the role of a counter-terrorism operative courtesy of the pressure exerted by the Uprising. It is this development, courtesy of recent reforms mandated by the Council, that have begun to alter the perception of UNIFORM as more than a mere dumping ground for those who are violently-inclined yet bereft of additional skills, although this new perception will assuredly take time to set in. They wear a Blue armband.
* **HELIX** - Famous for their skill with medicine, HELIX operate alongside every other wing of the Metropolitan Police Force in order to ensure that its personnel are operating at the peak of their health. Using advanced implements courtesy of their former benefactors and civilian allies in the Congress, HELIX personnel are considered perhaps the most valuable out of any potential frontline asset within Civil Protection. As such, it is not unheard of for Resistance elements to spare the lives of captured HELIX units in order to make use of their extensive skillsets for treating their own wounded. Conversely, they have steadily developed a reputation over the course of the occupation as tenacious defenders of their patients, lending to friendly, if teasing comparisons drawn between them and animals known for their matronly inclinations by their erstwhile comrades (and foes). They wear a Teal armband.
* **GRID** - At the intersection of every other division and a number of civilian organizations, GRID is an organization with nearly limitless indispensability. From actively collaborating with VICE personnel on the construction of devices relevant to ongoing interrogations and information extraction procedures to working in an advisory capacity with the Materials Bureau on vital projects, there are few spaces where the expertise of this division have yet to find purchase or the gratitude of benefitting collaborators. Despite the importance inherent to the activities of this organization, many view GRID as too concerned with the integrity of their inventions, as disputes between disgruntled mechanics and their less-than-concerned allies have developed into the object of many an inside joke within the wider apparatus of Civil Protection. This is often to the chagrin of GRID personnel, who are additionally ridiculed for their reticence by the more physically-involved divisions to join the fray. They wear an Orange armband.
* **VICE** - Perhaps clad in the most intrigue, VICE is the division responsible for interrogations, internal surveillance and any other conceivable information gathering operation under the sun that Civil Protection believes it stands to gain from. The units working for VICE are the most well-vetted in terms of their soft skillsets, as the division is noted for its especially stringent requirements with regards to political reliability and the ability to leverage inter-personally relevant skills, including but not limited to the ability to form and maintain informant networks or process interrogations. Carrying a reputation as aloof, unscrupulous professionals, VICE personnel are viewed by the rest of Civil Protection with a combination of well-warranted fear and gratitude, as this organization has developed into one of the most vital instruments of the regime in maintaining the political integrity of an organization now mired with desertions. This mixed perception is well-earned, as the division is covertly used by the Directorate for Societal Integrity as one of its primary recruitment pools, subtly using the organization as a grooming tool for future operatives. They wear a Red armband.

#### Outland Pacification Force

In comparisons between the OPF and the MPF, the person who initially drew said comparison will likely cite the OPF as the actual 'military' component of the 'paramilitarized' nature of Civil Protection, as the organization explicitly operates under a combative mandate. Its name is considered ironically more to the point about its purpose than its analogue in the cities, as the process of 'pacifying' somewhere as vicious as the Outlands will require a unit just as uncompromising as their surroundings. Originally made up of former Conscripts who had proven their unshaken loyalty to the regime, the OPF has grown to include Metropolice, who upon reaching the rank of Second Intention and possessing the kind of skillset (or murderous drive) required to survive in the Outlands, were shunted away by their superiors. Often the result of the latter seeking to avail themselves of an unruly subordinate, potential rival, or out of a genuine belief in the compatibility of the unit in question with the OPF, the pronounced diversity evident in this formation is said to be a microcosm of the variation in background across the wider organization, albeit tinted with the baggage of inter-organizational politicking.

##### OPF Divisions

* **RANGER** - The most militarily-inclined out of any subset of Civil Protection divisions, and perhaps the most famous, RANGER is a division comprised of perhaps some of the most dangerous individuals throughout the entire organization. Doctrinally functioning as a kind of elite infantry, RANGER personnel are directly responsible for confronting the more concerning manifestations of the Resistance that exist in the Outlands. Usually working away from anywhere with easy resupply, RANGER has developed a reputation for deadly resourcefulness and tenacity, although this reputation exists alongside another perception of the division as the most bloodthirsty among all of Overwatch's sapient formations, often drawing directly from the ranks of UNIFORM. Thus, RANGER, because of its prominence, is often seen by those outside of the division as a collection of useful, if gratuitously violent sociopaths who either requested or had to have an indefinite reassignment to the Outlands forced upon them by a responsible Provost. It is this usefulness that has become synonymous with the OPF at large, as members of other divisions are often referred to as 'Rangers' in spite of their divergent affiliation (and chagrin).
* **APEX** - Medical treatment in the Outlands is made an order of magnitude more difficult to achieve as a result of the total lack of relevant infrastructure, a fact not lost upon the scions of the vaunted APEX division. These personnel function as a hardier variant of their city-based analogue, working to leverage the Outlands itself in service of their assigned garrison. Apart from overseeing standard medical duties and the more harsh obstacles presented by the harsher conditions of their locales, APEX personnel are also expected to keep meticulous records on both the local flora and fauna as well as their efforts to actively leverage them in service of their comrades. Xenian exploitation serves as an important cornerstone of APEX activities, from everything to recovering nutrients lost in the process of cooking Headcrab meat to discovering how to amplify the healing factor of Antlion grub excretions.
* **PRESSURE** - Without the easy supply of the city to bolster their activities, PRESSURE personnel quickly learned to adapt to their surroundings in the Outlands, an adaptation that has grown to define the functions of this division. PRESSURE is not only responsible for conventional maintenance duties and putting themselves at the disposition of their garrison for whatever an objective might entail, but for turning the weapons of the Resistance against it. Learning from, studying and cataloguing existing examples of proprietary technology developed following the 7HW, PRESSURE personnel are expected to devise countermeasures of their own. While more mundane examples, such as the creation of makeshift traps utilizing scavenged materials are common, PRESSURE units are more than capable of developing signal jammers, modified hopper mines, repurposing captured vehicles, or on especially rare occasions, constructing Amalgam weapons.
* **SUNDOWN** - An extension of the Combine regime's pervasive desire for control, even among the Outlands, the arrival of a SUNDOWN unit to any given posting is said to be a bad omen- a grim portent of things to come by veteran OPF personnel. Serving as the Outlands-based analogue of VICE, it is said that the scrutiny exercised by SUNDOWN is an order of magnitude greater than that practiced in the cities owing to the greater danger inherent to an OPF posting with compromised political integrity. The dangers of the Outlands, the sensitive nature of their work and a distrust of the independent nature often exercised by OPF cadres has encouraged the deployment of SUNDOWN operatives under a clandestine mandate, with many operating undercover ostensibly as part of other divisions while conducting investigations.