Category:Calibre

From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe

Calibre
Founder: Classified
Basics
Side:	Hero
Motto:	No Small Harm.
Leader(s):	Classified. Field Commander Martel, Communications Director Swivel.
Logo:	A Black Shield
Group Colours:	Black and dark purple
Playerbase
Levels:	All
Play style:	Casual to regular
Roleplay:	Required
Timezone(s):	Mostly UTC+10, all welcome
Recruiting:	Indifferent
Contact:	@TalenLee or @Fox Lee
Organisation details classified under Section 9 of the Metahuman Military Operations Act, 2003.

Calibre are a metahuman counter-terrorism organisation based in Paragon City, with further operations extending around the rest of the United States. It is primarily concerned with responding to threats within the US, but also reaches further - sometimes even for pre-emptive strikes - where necessary.

Calibre is dangerous primarily due to its autonomy. Though originally spawned by the US government, it now operates outside governmental authority. As the organisation's creed states, the only reasonable response to terrorism is anger; Calibre, answering to no-one, can retaliate in ways that a civilised nation cannot. A kind of policing tenure, as it were.

This is not to say that Calibre uses the end to justify the means. It recognises that sometimes there will be consequences to doing its job, but it does not deliberately compromise the innocent or uninvolved. Calibre would be a more effective defender of the state if it was more ruthless; it would have greater influence on world politics if it was more heartless. However, without those elements of compassion, and the will to strive for the difficult solutions, it wouldn't really be Calibre any more.

History

The organisation now known as Calibre technically owes its existence to the Might For Right act, one of the darker chapters in the country's history. While the majority of that unpleasantness has been repealed, it included a number of clauses to prevent certain organisations formed under it from being dissolved without an official edict from very specific sources. One such organisation was MeSCOp (Metahuman Subversion Counter Operations). Essentially a CIA-created failsafe to deal with the 'metahuman gap', it was designed to be self-contained and self-determining, protected from certain legislation that would hamper its functionality.

Unlike most Might For Right era initiatives, MeSCOp actually focused on removing "threats" within the US, rather than those posed by adversaries like the Soviet Union. At first, it was a secret police force neutralising supposedly dangerous metahumans who would not submit to the will of the government. In time, however - due to the increased paranoia and fear of the Soviet meta-state - its role was altered to incorporate general antiterrorism efforts in the United States and abroad.

As politics rolled on and support for the Might For Right Act waned, MeSCOp's existence became an increasing liability for the government. With a post-60s swell of support for grass-roots heroes, the cultural zeitgeist became less about security and more about community. The decision was made to sever MeSCOp's connection to the Government, effectively shutting it down while at the same time disclaiming responsibility for its actions. Its agents dispersed and went to ground, many eager to assume normal lives, while others waited for their skills to be needed again.

Thirty-four years later, with the first Rikti invasion, this calm was shattered. As the US moved onto the defensive again, the last surviving MeSCOp agent - now over sixty years old - found that the organisation, lost between administrations and eventually forgotten, still held its rights and its autonomy. Here was the chance to use MeSCOp's framework to build something new and better, to turn it from a government strongarm to a defender and protector. Thus it was reformed with a new core and a new name - Calibre.

Related Articles

• Calibre RP: In-character background information, plus advice and ideas for roleplaying with Calibre.
• Calibre Lore: In-character events and lore information, for more RP hooks.