Vocation of Protection

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Vocation Structure

  Each great city has its own Vocation of Protection There’s one vocation complex building that manages the administration side of things. Each city has multiple field offices in order to split up the non-administrative work and reduce travel time.    The person in charge is the Deputy of Protection. They oversee the choices that affect the vocation as a whole. They’re the primary means of communication with the Council of Thirteen. The deputy has a Tier-III from each branch who works for them, giving them relevant information, and helping them manage the workload.    Each branch has a lead Tier-III. How many Tier-IIIs they have beyond that depends on the size of the branch. Tier-IIIs are upper management and subject matter experts.   Tier-IIs are middle managers and people trusted to work with less oversight. This depends on the branch. Some don’t allow any independent work for safety reasons.   Tier-Is are learning and putting in on-the-job training time. The more senior Tier-Is may supervise the junior members and have more independence.    It’s optional for members to move into the next tier. There’s higher pay with each, but the nature of the job is likely to change. Not everyone is willing or able to take on those responsibilities. The vocation wants competent and willing people.   Typically, when it’s time for a person to move into a Tier-II position, they’re able and encouraged. Regardless of vocation, most Tier-Is put in seven sols before they can promote. If there’s a significant gap or someone shows an impressive aptitude, then occasionally advance early. It’s not common.     The time requirement for Tier-III is five sols and requires an opening to be available. It’s typically more competitive than Tier-II. The only exception is a vacancy and no one with the required time. An early Tier-III promotion is rare, more so than with Tier-II.   When it’s time for a new deputy, the entire vocation votes for the next person. Normally it goes to a former Tier-III, but there have been a few Tier-IIs who have taken the position. There’s no record of a Tier-I being voted in. It’s a position that requires a lot of knowledge about the Vocation. The deputy can stay in that position as long as they like, unless the Tier-IIIs find them incompetent. A 75% majority is required to vote out a deputy.  

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Investigation

  Designated with white stripes on a black shoulder band. The white is to signify neutrality. Investigation has investigators as well as admin personel. The investigator armbands have a white five pointed star (signifying the five branches) on their armbands designating their postion.   Investigation branch handles criminal investigations. These include any crime that’s not specific to the environment. Child Advocacy primarily handled crimes against children. If there’s an abduction or murder involved, then they’ll call Investigation.   Protection doesn’t employ any form of patrolling law enforcement. They act only on reports and requests. If someone dies, there will always be a request. If not generated by an individual, then Health Services or Ouroboros will file one if the cause of death is unknown.   Talitha Harbor doesn’t have a high violent crime rate. Investigators typically spend more time dealing with citizen complaints. They may be complaints against another individual or complaints against a Vocation.   When there're cases of resource smuggling, they’ll sometimes team up with Preservation to assist, depending on the crime. They’ll also team up whenever someone dies and the cause may be environmental.   Each city keeps only thirty to thirty-five Tier-I and Tier-II investigators at a time. It’s a sought-after and highly competitive duty. There are only five Tier-III supervisors. Investigators that become highly specialized in a technique are sometimes promoted to Tier-III. These are educators and consultants, and spend less time in the field. Most investigators stay Tier-II until they retire.   The admin side of the house has four Tier-III supervisors, one in each district of Anunitum. There are also three Tier-III specialist positions, and occasionally an extra one or two made when the need arises. These are for data management. These specialists look for defects in the vocational system that cause a lot of citizen complaints.  

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Child Advocacy 

  They do what their name implies. Child abuse isn’t very common in Talitha Harbor. The schoolhouse caretakers teach children to advocate for themselves from a young age. Parents can also leave their children at a schoolhouse for extended periods of time without question. mental health services are provided to all. They also have excellent birth control and the option to end a pregnancy, lowering the number of unwanted children.   Parental disputes are more common than negligence. Child Advocacy plays a significant role in these. They help determine the best situation for the child. They try to ensure the child spends as much time as possible with each parent. Poly relationships are common, and parentage isn’t always decided by DNA. It depends on the situation, how long the adult has been in the child’s life, if parental rights have been given to non-biological parents prior to the disagreement and other factors.    Child Advocacy and Health Services also provides children with disabilities or other challenges the resources and care they need. The schoolhouses are fairly well equipped to deal with a variety of things. Occasionally a child will attend with a rare illness, or one the schoolhouse simply hasn’t seen for some time. Child Advocacy will make sure they have an equal opportunity to grow and learn as well as they can.   

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Watchers

  Talitha Harbor has a restitution-based judicial system. People who have been found guilty of crime by a jury are called the “guilty,” while they are serving their sentence. Once it’s complete, they’re simply citizens again. There is an exception with those who choose a sentence with the Pure Dawn Collective. That is a life sentence.   Watchers are in charge of the guilty. Restitution sentences are part a separation from society and part repairing what damage they’ve done. Not everything can be fixed directly. Every person found guilty must give back to those they wronged and to society.   Watchers do not wear their tier level on their armbands like most vocations. The bands are solid black, mainly so the people who are being watched don’t know how experienced, or not, their watchers. They’re the only branch in Protection, or any other Vocation, that stays armed while on duty. Each will have a hand staff and a taser. They are the only people in Talitha Harbor allowed to use tasers on another person.    It is the job of the watchers to enact the sentence chosen by the jury. Those with shorter sentences, or who are near the end of a longer sentence, will have three watchers assigned to them. The job of the watchers is to assess the person and determine if they’ve truly served the sentence and are ready to be a part of society. Except for very minor crimes, this is a two sol long process.   Anyone with a sentence longer than two sols goes to a retention facility first. Watchers also run this. If the vocation is short on watchers, then the guilty may end up with extended sentences while they wait for their restitution phase.   Watchers also assist in the transport of anyone who might be violent. It’s not something they do often. But their training makes them the best choice.   Crime rates are not high, but it is a very resource-heavy system. Anyone who seeks to become a watcher can, as long as they can take on the physical demands. It requires a lot of time out of their personal lives as well. They have shortened the standard promotion times. One can become a Tier-II after only five sols, and a Tier-III after only three if there’s an open position.   Few stay in this position for over ten sols, unless they end up as a Tier-III. Watchers who are burnt out may change branches or even Vocations, without any question.  

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Civic Aide 

  The branch’s primary duty is to assist the Council of Thirteen. Tier-IIIs in this branch are trained to represent a specific councillor to help ease their workload so they can take care of the more important tasks. The lower tiers take care of secretarial and administrative duties.    There have been a few Tier-III Civic Aide members who’ve been voted into the councillor position they supported. It’s only happened six times in the entire history of Talitha Harbor.   The duties of Civic Aide also include:  

They work with Premise in managing the Fortress. Civic Aide will give tours if asked, and will always have a person or two at the entrance ready to greet and answer questions. 

Teach classes for the younger children at the Schoolhouse, giving them a basic overview of the Council and what they do

Send information to Education Curators and Coordination Scribes about Council choices and activities

  Civic Aide doesn’t employ many people. Some people seek it out to be closer to the councillors. Sometimes it becomes competitive, and other times it’s not. When there’s a big event in which the Council of Thirteen are front and center, interest goes up.  

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Crisis Management

  This branch covers fire response, search and rescue, and natural disaster response. They are all trained to work in all three, but as they specialize, they spend more time focused on one aspect, especially when they become a Tier-III.   

Fire Rescue - the firefighters. If there is a suspected case of arson, they will call Investigation to assist with the case. 

Search and Rescue - they have a small team trained in conducting search and rescue, but primarily are in charge of organization. The Great Cities of Simmah and Anunitumare both surrounded by dense woods. If someone’s lost, they’ll request help from all the vocations, who will send the people they can. If it doesn’t feel like enough, they’ll put out a citizen request on the city’s digital notice boards.

Protection has small motorboats they can use if it’s someone lost at sea. If they need something larger, or simply more vessels, they’ll contact Vocation of Coordination, which has larger ships, or Pabulum Vocation, which has a mix for fishing.   

Natural Disasters - They are primarily coordinators here as well, making sure rescue efforts are underway, repairs are being managed, additional food resources brought in if needed, etc. The crisis management branches in the three cities will rely on each other if the crisis is bad enough, importing resources from the cities not dealing with a crisis and requesting personnel if needed.

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Credit Integrity

  Three vocations divide the credit system management. Vocation of Virtualization ensures the system’s digital integrity is secure. That people cannot manipulate the data through digital manipulation. Protection checks for signs of fraud or abuse through human manipulation. It is a tedious duty of number crunching, but one that its members take a lot of pride in.    Protection also enforces greed laws. The laws are required to maintain the functional availability of their credit system. They also reinforce the cooperative aspect of their society. These laws require a cap on individual credit accounts. The limit is high enough for Tier-IIIs (the highest paid salary) to save six months of pay without spending a single credit. Everyone has the same limit.   Instead of having an automatic digital limit in place, Protection gets pinged whenever an account goes over that limit without authorization. If someone wants to save up credits above the limit for a project, special family event, they can request a temporary lift on the limit. Sometimes the limits are reached due to illness, grieving, or another life event that has limited their spending. Requests with extenuating or special circumstances are normally granted, as long as it’s an amount the system can handle.  

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Changing Branches

  Sometimes well into their career, a member will request to change branches. Depending on the change, they may be required to return to the schoolhouse to attend specific classes. Child Advocacy, Civic Aide, and Crisis Management will accept Protection members pretty readily as long as they have a spot. Watchers will accept the request if the person can fulfill the physical aspects of the job. Investigation and Credit Integrity are more difficult to transfer to. For Investigation, it’s a limited availability issue. They are going to save their spots for those who have worked hard for it from day one. Credit Integrity requires specialized knowledge and skill. But if the person can perform, they’ll be allowed to join.  

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Protection is a very disciplined vocation. There’s a lot of emphasis on public perception. They want to be trusted. Talitha Harbor has a strong social norm against seeking power. Protection has rules set up to avoid giving off that perception. The vocation is aware of the Earthian history of distrust and corruption that took place in some of its cultures’ law enforcement. They are careful not to follow those patterns.   Protection also has axioms to avoid any perception that Civic Aide curries them extra favor with the Council of Thirteen. There is a strong policy of separation between their work and the other branches. They receive their credit allowance from Protection. Civic Aide is also invited to family functions and celebrations. The other Vocations will also offer their own people, if there're any concerns, to work in Civic Aide. The person is still a member of their original vocation. It adds balance instead of only having Protection members.   Watchers and investigators are required to take part in physical fitness routines. They are based on physical strength and self-defense. Disaster Response has its own less intense program, focused on basic fitness. If there’s a large-scale disaster or a search party is needed, they will call upon all available members. Because of this, it’s highly encouraged that all members be fit enough to assist in these efforts if the need arises. Those who have a health condition that prevents this are excluded. No matter what happens, they’ll still need people to maintain the basic operation of the vocation.    In an idealistic Talithan world, children who are deciding which vocation’s schoolhouse to join make the choice with no pressure from any of the adults in their life. In the real world, it’s not that simple. Protection has a history of children following their parents. Protection members in Anunitum, especially Investigators, are known for being taller than average. Some believe it’s because of this generational tendency — tall parents having tall children who join the same vocation. There are Protection members of all heights. Investigators being tall is only a trait of Anunitum, in the other great cities, their heights are average.  

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Like all vocations, Protection has its own specialized vocation pads and designated solcars, and both are marked with it. With the cars, it’s a black stripe on the door with their emblem.   Protection can also lock down the nearest solcar in case of an emergency. Only people who need this ability due to their specific duty or job receive it. The only other vocation allowed to take control of any solcar is Health Services.   If physical restraint is required, they have handcuffs, which have something similar to an identity chip built into them. If someone runs with the cuffs on, they’re easily tracked unless they’re completely outside of the city. Doors are programmed to respond to them. If a person with cuffs runs into a building with a chip reader, they’ll be locked inside. If they try to run into a place with vulnerable people, like a school, the doors will lock them out.   Protection only uses full cuffs if the person becomes violent. They also have ankle cuffs, tasers, and reed staffs.   For those who are not violent, there are tracking bracelets. These are also used when a person who is awaiting trial faces charges for a violent crime. As long as the accused doesn’t show additional signs of violence, the bracelet won’t affect their life, aside from being on their wrist. But if there’s any sign that they’re trying to run, or they’re going some place not allowed, then Protection will know.   A person who’s placed under watch will also wear a tracking bracelet constantly. The system is programmed to control their movements, to include keeping them behind locked doors. They still wear them when they’re under house arrest; some may move about, with their Watcher in tow. Their freedoms and restrictions will be programmed into the system, and their building access automatically controlled.   Talitha Harbor doesn’t have a lot of weapons, as in items made purely for that reason. There are knives, tools, and things that can double as weapons, of course. Violence may be low, but it still exists, and Protection still needs to control people from time to time.   Protection will try to de-escalate the situation first, or use hand-to-hand takedowns, and other methods that cause less bodily harm. If this does not work, they have long wooden staffs, shorter single-handed staffs, and tasers. Investigators and Watchers, who practice with them extensively, primarily used them. The staffs are made out of reed and left their natural color. The tasers, however, are painted black to show their ownership.    

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Protection is one of the original vocations. Talitha Harbor started out with eight and slowly added the others as the population grew. The color designations started with the first set, something already established on the colony ship. Protection has always been black.   Early Protection, which was small, mainly consisted of the Talitha Colony Ship's security detail. It was law enforcement and safety focused. Unlike the modern version, they were more proactive, watching out for crime instead of waiting for a citizen complaint. As the population and culture developed, so did worries about a single vocation vying for power. Protection wasn’t the only vocation people worried could gain too much power, but they would possibly have an easier time gaining it. So, Protection shifted their law enforcement response to citizen complaint only, giving the people of Talitha Harbor more space to govern themselves. Between the Schoolhouses and Health Services, Child Protection had its eyes and ears, excellent resources to file those complaints.   As their population grew, the law enforcement and the safety side split. They became Investigations and Safety and Disaster. Later, the Watchers and Trial Advocates branched out from Investigation. The need and the numbers were there for more specialization.   Child Advocacy came soon after, taking relevant safety duties from Safety and Disaster. They focused on parental education verse only being punitive, depending on the situation.   The Talithans built their culture and Anunitum for thirty-five sols with manageable disagreements. Then things went downhill. The Council was formed, voted on by the population at large, and tasked with reforming the system. Part of this reform was moving around some responsibilities, which had all been stacked for convenience. The vocations wouldn't be able to isolate as much and were forced to rely on each other more. The Council moved Trial Advocates to Communication. Protection took on additional duties by managing part of the credit system, originally part of Coordination.    Civic Aide came last. The early Council simply borrowed from the vocations if they needed help with work. As the city grew, so did their task list. Eventually, the Council requested dedicated employees.   The vocations experimented with a few different versions. Originally, all the vocations donated a few people. But, in the end, having a single educational track for them made the most sense. It was easier for one vocation to manage this. Protection was not large in terms of their numbers or the duties they covered.   Location   Protection was originally based at Anunitum Fortress. They stayed after the first reformation, which moved some of the larger vocations out. There was a second, and smaller, realignment fifty-three sols later. During this change, the rest of the vocations moved out of Anunitum’s Fortress.   For many sols, Protection and Preservation shared a large dome that was once part of the Talithan. A colony ship that was built to split apart and make a small starter town. As both vocations grew in number, plans were made to move one out. The dark stone from the dormant Anunitum volcano was used to create a replica of the dome. Protection moved into the replica, which has stayed the headquarters for the City of Anunitum’s Protection. The dome sits next to it's twin, Protection and Preservation. The vocation that protects the people and the vocation that protects the environemnt. is in the Fortress district, the northernmost part of the city, and only a couple of blocks from the Fortress itself.    The Other Great Cities   The Great City of Simmah was the first city after Anunitum. The Talithans built the system for setting up future great cities off that experience. Anunitum’s Protection continued to fund and assist the organization of Simmah’s until they had 25% of their members. As soon as they hit that mark, Simmah’s Protection vocation became its own entity, and its credit allowance was moved to Simmah.   For The Great City of Pangu, Simmah and Anunitum equally supported the vocation until they had their numbers.    Simmah’s Protection headquarters is near the center of the city and Simmah's Fortress.    Pangu’s is similarly situated. Pangu's districts are named after Vocation colors. They, however, don’t have thirteen districts. There is no black district, which most of Pangu’s Protection members have been fine with.  

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Most Talithan children receive their early education in schools run by the Vocation of Education. They will stay in primary school until they’ve met all the required education and developmental milestones. Typically, this is between the ages of ten and thirteen, most closer to twelve than ten. They’re asked to pick three vocations in order of most wanted to least. Caretakers, parents, and vocation representatives will decide where the students will spend their next stage of schooling among the three choices.    Each vocation runs its schoolhouse differently. They all continue the basic education of reading, writing, math, science, and community. But they also teach skills specific to their vocation. After three sols, the children, now adolescents, can change vocation.  

Protection Specific

  In their first three sols, Protection students learn physical fitness, self-defense, leadership, and the specifics of what the different branches do. There are overview classes for each branch. They’ll learn history, important milestones, and what the modern version of each branch does. Instructors teach the structure of the Council of Thirteen and how laws work in more detail than some of the other vocations. They also continue their basic education.    At the end of their third sol, there is a small Intention Ceremony where they’re asked if they would like to stay. If they say yes, they’re asked which branch they want to join. In this ceremony, they chose only one. They will continue their education in their branch of choice. However, that’s not a guarantee they’ll stay there when they graduate. If it’s a poor fit, then the Vocation will work with them to find a better station. If there are no positions available, they may temporarily work at a branch that needs people. Typically, they’re doing some sort of admin work until a spot opens up.    In Protection, most students have graduated by the time they reach their mid-twenties, most closer to eighteen. Branch plays into this with Investigation having the longest school track.    When they graduate, they will become Tier-I. The first few sols are additional education, as on-the-job training. There’s no set timeline. They’re given additional duties, and are no longer considered in training when their supervisor thinks they’re ready.  

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