aegisforce | Frequently Asked Questions

What is Aegis' mission?

Aegis is tasked with protecting civilian life and preserving security among the imPort community and the natives of the Porter Cities, with Maurtia Falls as its primary area of responsibility. It pursues this purpose through a broad range of tasks, including patrols, investigations, government assignments, crisis response, imPort training and conflict mediation. Aegis members- called 'agents' or 'operatives'- don't have a standard uniform, but must display the unit's INSIGNIA somewhere on their person while they are on-duty. The government has also issued medals that Aegis can use to identify themselves at public events.

One of Aegis' top priorities is to investigate and defeat the Otherworld Technologies Organization (OTO), an international corporate menace responsible for serious threats to the imPort community and global security.

Where did Aegis come from?

Aegis is a successor organization to the Rogue imPort Suppression Enforcement (RISE), the first government-funded effort at imPort policing established in 2015. Aegis is intended to replace and upgrade RISE across the board. It was approved by the government after a proposal submitted by Jacob Taylor and backed by Maurtia Falls Ambassador Padme Amidala.

Who leads Aegis?

Aegis is led by its founder, Commander Jacob Taylor, aka 'The Protector.' More about Jacob's hero career as an imPort can be found on his journal. Other characters can help in a leadership capacity by signing up for the 'Commander' role on the Roster.

Who does Aegis answer to?

Aegis answers to the United States government and the imPort community, as represented by the office of the Maurtia Falls Ambassador. These entities can hear complaints and concerns about the team, and can launch an inquiry or cut the team's funding if Aegis needs to be put in check.

In addition, it is Aegis' policy to maintain maximum transparency about its activities and actively cultivate public support. The team issues regular press releases on its recent doings that appear each month in the Majority Report. Aegis also cooperates with other heroes and shares information on critical investigations, so long as the recipient is deemed trustworthy.

Aegis members are held to a sworn code of conduct that stresses personal integrity, restraint in the use of force, following lawful orders, the defense of civilian life and property, and loyalty to fellow team members. Each Aegis member is expected to uphold these values in both their own behaviour and among their comrades. Agents found in violation of this code will face disciplinary action, including possible suspension of pay, expulsion from the team, assignment to dull space station duty, or even arrest and criminal charges.

Is Aegis a military force of the government?

Aegis is considered part of the National Security apparatus, which cooperates with local emergency services. They are not quite soldiers, not quite police, but with elements of both worlds in their objectives and approach. It is Aegis policy to contribute to government assignments issued to imPorts, to promote cooperation with the authorities within the community, and to be available for approved international missions. Characters who do not support a particular assignment are able to opt-out ICly as a conscientious objector.

Who can join Aegis?

Aegis membership is open only to imPorts who are Registered Heroes with the government. Applicants must pass a training exam for their chosen role, as well as an ethics test, a psychological evaluation, a background check, and the contacting of at least two character references (who can be imPort or native). They can also volunteer to undertake a lie detector test or psychic scan to verify their trustworthiness, but this is not mandatory. ImPorts with criminal pasts can join the team, but only if their evaluators are satisfied they have fully mended their ways and don't pose a risk. Evaluations can be played out or handwaved as players prefer.

A player signing their character up with Aegis will have to select a ROLE they play in the team, and the DUTIES they have, as well as whether they are a PART-TIME volunteer who sets their own hours and missions, or a FULL-TIME employee who is paid a salary and benefits, but must accept assignments. Aegis members can organize themselves into units and partnerships within the broader force. For more information, see the ROSTER POST and its SUPPLEMENT.

It is also Aegis policy to cooperate with other heroes it has no reason to distrust, and build alliances with other teams that can be included in its missions.

Are any local citizens part of Aegis?

Aegis has a small number of NPC members as part of its base staff, serving support roles such as administration, security, maintenance and more. Their profiles can be found here.

Where is Aegis based?

Aegis is based in the city of Maurtia Falls, within the fortified Helix Station, also known as Aegis HQ.

How does Aegis operate?

Aegis operates according to four main DUTIES that members can engage in:
-PATROL means making a regular circuit of an area within Maurtia Falls on the lookout for crimes to stop or people who need help.
-INVESTIGATION means actively pursuing information on crimes and mysteries related to the imPort community or national security, with the goal of bringing a suspect(s) to justice and resolving a case.
-RESPONSE means staying on stand-by in Helix or Panoply Station, monitoring media and emergency services channels, ready to deploy if a crisis develops.
-MEDIATION is a duty to proactively resolve conflicts in the imPort community and beyond through diplomacy, training and communication.

What happens when Aegis arrests a character?

ImPort due process exists in a strange legal grey area due to the government's system of rapid sentencing and light probation. Most of the time imPorts arrested by Aegis who are caught red-handed in supervillainy will go straight to probation. However, for players interested in playing out legal dramas, Aegis will run TRIBUNALS when there is a question of an imPort's culpability. These tribunals will have a flexible structure, depending on which characters are available to serve as advocates, witnesses, and judges. Aegis' Helix Station contains a brig with power-nullifying technology that can contain 2 - 3 superpowered individuals at a time until they are turned over to the authorities, but these cells are for temporary holding, not serving sentences.

What is the extent of Aegis' authority over the Porter cities and other characters?

Aegis is currently an experimental pilot project with authority to patrol Maurtia Falls, and whose scope of investigations is limited to only cases involving imPorts, metahumans, or national security issues. Agents are not expected to focus on run-of-the-mill murders or petty theft, for instance, although they will not be penalized if they, say, intervene in a robbery they come across.

Aegis members have no IC authority over characters except in the sense that they are able to investigate, intervene in, and make arrests in crimes and disasters. Aegis requires Ambassadorial or government permission to deploy in force to other Porter cities, although individual members can still take action as concerned individuals.

What kind of resources and assets does Aegis have?

Aegis receives significant funding from the United States government, specifically the Department of Defense, and is considered part of the National Security apparatus. This funding helps to maintain the Helix Station, Panoply Station, and the the Danger Room, and pay the salaries and benefits of full-time Aegis members. Aegis also has access to an ready access to police and tactical equipment such as medical supplies, firearms, radios, protective gear, and forensics kits. The team can requisition additional vehicles and gear as-needed from the military, including helicopters and hover-cars.

After proving themselves, the government has also awarded Aegis a status parallel to Ambassadorship in representing and leading the imPort community, and encouraging imPort cooperation with the government. This comes with more funding and more paperwork.

How does Aegis Force train?

Hard! Aegis agents are expected to train regularly, not only for their designated roles but also for general fitness and self-defence in case of an emergency. Aegis headquarters is equipped with mundane training equipment such as a weight room and a shooting range, but most team exercises are held in the 'Danger Room', a holographic virtual reality chamber engineered from X-men technology. The Danger Room can simulate almost any kind of dangerous scenario for agents to pit themselves against and tracks the performance of participants, but also has built-in safeguards to prevent serious injury or death.

As a general rule, it's easier for the sim to generate things that exist or have happened in MoM's setting than to generate things from programmer description. If a user wanted to create a simulation of an entire city in their home universe, that would take a huge amount of programming and description, because the system doesn't 'know' what that place is like the same way it knows what, say, Nonah is like. Also, while the simulations are highly realistic, they are not self-evolving, and NPCs are programmed for training-related purposes only- don't expect deep conversations with the holograms you meet in the Danger room!

How can I get my character involved with Aegis plotting?

To consult past Aegis-related events, see the archive post. To sign up with Aegis, see the Roster Post. To plot with Aegis, see the Casefile Post. To talk to Aegis, see the Contact Post. Beyond that, there will be regular team mingling logs for Aegis members, featuring a team meeting at Helix HQ, a mission in the field, and a training exercise in the Danger Room. Be advised that there no particular Network filter for Aegis Force, in keeping with the rules of the game.

What if I have more questions about Aegis?

Comment here, or PM

darkpants_warmfeeling and your question will be answered! You can also friend or follow the team plurk