The Civil Defence Initiative is a civilian security militia that falls under the purview of the Bretonian Police Authority.
Bretonia has shambled from crisis to crisis over the last two decades, finding itself the subject of multiple wars of aggression, a genocide, separatism and widespread popular unrest. It has resorted to a range of desperate measures to defend itself and the sovereignty of the House, including rationing, conscription, imperial expansion, colonising Sprague... and the CDI.
As the Armed Forces insatiably consumed qualified pilots, it cannibalised the best the BPA had to offer, while simultaneously pulling out of dangerous frontiers like Dublin and Omega-3 to reinforce the front line. To plug this dangerous security void, a militia of Special Constables was founded, largely consisting of poor and lower class pilots from Sprague, corporate escorts, and those excluded from military service by age, medical status, temperament or citizenship.
These pilots were frequently thrown into the worst environments Bretonian policing had to offer, with a reflective casualty rate. While those dark days of carnage are now (largely) behind the CDI, the post-war BPA remains a shadow of its former self, gutted of years of hard-won institutional knowledge and experience by war losses. Due to this, the political will to abolish the CDI has not yet coalesced, despite frequent criticisms of poor performance, lack of training and corruption. Despite this, the CDI remains a useful pool of manpower to throw at problems to this day.
2. Creating a Constable:
When joining the CDI, you're first and foremost creating a character, a human being with motivations and history. Not just a ship with guns on it. To help with that, we've listed a few different backgrounds or features that CDI pilots might have in common. You can use these as inspiration or a starting point for your own creation:
You're a part time corporate escort for BMM, Bowex, Gateway or possibly IMG, only flying for the militia when not doing the 'day job'.
You're a displaced refugee from Leeds who signed up with the CDI to escape from the horrible conditions on Planet Sprague.
You're a patriot who wants to fight, but are ineligible to serve in the BPA or BAF. This could be for medical or age reasons, or because you'd ahem fail the background check.
You're not a patriot, but do like the idea of having power over others and handling funds from fines that might go 'missing'.
You're a foreigner (likely from Rheinland) who came to Omega-3 looking for work, and ended up in the militia as a sort of mercenary.
You're a militia conscript from during the war who survived, made a career of it and decided to stick around.
What was your character doing during the war? Did they serve in some way?
Which planet do they come from? Were they a refugee? How does this affect their view on things?
Would they take a bribe, or do other unscrupulous things?
What motivates them to fly for a decrepit outfit like the CDI? How do they feel about the current state of Bretonia?
How do they feel about the pretty horrible conditions BMM makes people live and work under?
How do they feel about the horrendous amount of pollution in New London and Leeds?
How do they feel about rationing and various other emergency measures that make life harder for the common people?
3. Application Form:
Code:
[color=#342C7A][b]Name:[/b][/color]
[color=#342C7A][b]Age:[/b][/color]
[color=#342C7A][b]Place of Birth:[/b][/color]
[color=#342C7A][b]Place of Residence:[/b][/color]
[color=#342C7A][b]Professional Experience (if any):[/b][/color]
[color=#342C7A][b]Motivation for Enlisting:[/b][/color]
Name: Timothy Appletree Age: 37 (Looks like he has 50) Place of Birth: New London Place of Residence: New London Professional Experience (if any): chronically unemployed Motivation for Enlisting: Without a known profession, Timothy has only known misery and a bad life.
With an addiction to losing bets and a certain degree of alcoholism, he ended up in a recruiting office trying to prevent some thugs from beating him for delaying the payment of a debt.
Timothy sees the service as an easy way to make money by receiving bribes and keeping part of the fines.
He is 37 years old, but a life of excess and poverty has left him old and skinny. His first objective after joining will be to pay his debts, spend the rest of the money on whores and gambling, and if there is anything left over, get his front teeth. what they are missing and correct his pronounce a th sound as an s when speaking
Name: Sian Breacon Age: 30 Place of Birth: Graves Station Place of Residence: Planet Cambridge Professional Experience (if any): I've flown with Bowex's ExSec for a proper stretch for a few years ago, spent a few months with boots on the ground on Leeds after the relief run Bowex made. I took a round, and after recovery have been babysitting transport captains since. Boring. Motivation for Enlisting: I'm keen to get back into a cockpit and doing what I can to keep folks safe. I've got some old mates in the CDI and seems to me like the best place to do some 'good works'. Tagging along with Hudson, I've been given a taste of the 'Blues and Two's' and I doubt theres any going back from that. So, stop reading this tosh of my swanning myself and give me a badge already. Let's get knocking some skulls together.
Posts: 6,064
Threads: 303
Joined: Aug 2007
Staff roles: Story Dev Economy Dev
From: Dan Rawkins, CDI.
To: Timothy Appletree.
Topic: Enlistment process
Mr Appletree
Thank you for your application to enlist in the Civil Defence Initiative. Having reviewed your application, I am happy to invite you for appraisal and processing on Planet Sprague. Please make your way to Stanbrook Hall, Wharerdale and we will run you through the necessary steps with one of the sergeants.
If you require assistance with transit, please let me know and we will arrange reimbursement of your public transit costs from a Bretonian planet or station of your choosing. Once your assigned sergeant is content that you are fit for service, you will be issued with a warrant card and instated as a special constable.
Thank you for your application to enlist in the Civil Defence Initiative. Having reviewed our service records, I can see you previously held a militia warrant as a contractual extension of an employment with Border World Exports ExSec. We've received a copy of your Bowex personnel file, and contingent on that good reference, we are happy to reinstate your warrant with a rank of sergeant.
Please make your way to Stanbrook Hall, Wharerdale and we will run you through the necessary steps to get things moving. If you require assistance with transit to Planet Sprague, please let me know and we will arrange reimbursement of your public transit costs from a Bretonian planet or station of your choosing. Once you have met with your duty inspector, you will be issued with your reactivated warrant card.
Name: Travis Felts Age: 25 Place of Birth: New London Place of Residence: New London Professional Experience (if any): Short employment in the Armed Forces Motivation for Enlisting: After I was deemed "no longer necessary to the war effort" and given the "privilege to return home" by the Armed Forces following the end of the war, I have no where else to use the only experience I got, which was a hastened training and small background in the Forces. I am definitely not returning back home to spend the rest of my life in some factory on the planet. Independent freelancing and contracting isn't cutting it anymore, and I figure you lot will offer the best chance to get me back on my feet, through whatever bounty money I can make, taking down criminals.