HL2RP Wiki
Register
Advertisement


Citizens, collectively referred to as the Civic Populace by the Overwatch Voice, are any humans living under the Combine rule in one of their controlled urban centers on Earth. As opposed to a Rebel or Refugee, who defected from the Combine rule to join the Resistance, and except those who chose to join the Combine. The status was established after the Seven Hour War and the subsequent Combine occupation.

Overview[]

Following their successful invasion, the Combine established their totalitarian rule over Earth, relocating the remaining human population to numbered cities devoid of their original names (e.g., 14, 17). Referred to as "Citizens" within the Combine's occupation, they are systematically suppressed to prevent any interference with the Combine's overarching objectives.

Stringent laws and constant surveillance, result in the stripping away of most of their fundamental rights, including the freedom to assemble, grow food, and have families. In public spaces, they are prohibited from engaging in loud conversations with each other, and their property is routinely confiscated. Disobedience or being in the wrong place at the wrong time can result in severe consequences, ranging from summary execution to forced transformation into Combine Soldiers or Stalkers at Combine facilities. Furthermore, the Combine has also erected a global reproductive suppression field through the Citadel reactor, preventing any procreation.

Physical appearances[]

Citizens collectively form a diverse range of backgrounds and ethnicities, having been relocated from various corners of the world. Most can be seen wearing a standardized and utilitarian outfit provided by the Combine. This attire usually consists of a buttoned-up shirt in either blue or beige, adorned with two white identification patches—one above the right breast and the other at the back below the neck—paired with blue jeans. These practical and unembellished uniforms epitomize the lack of individuality and personal expression permitted under the Combine's rule. However, it is worth noting that Citizens can display a more diverse and individualistic fashion sense. They are also seen sporting an assortment of colored jackets, baseball caps, and other casual apparel, highlighting a greater range of clothing styles.

Living conditions[]

The living conditions for the Citizens are consistently bleak, having been confined to modest flats within categorized apartment buildings labelled as "residential blocks." Inside their living quarters, old furniture and debris accumulate, leading to cramped and unsanitary spaces, often lacking doors due to the frequent Civil Protection raids. Adding to the pervasive atmosphere, small repurposed television sets constantly broadcast Wallace Breen's programs, an ever-present reminder of their oppressive reality.

To prevent the formation of close-knit communities and organizations, Civil Protection authorities tasked with suppressing Citizens frequently transfer them between cities by way of train as much as three times a year. Citizens are issued a "relocation coupon" to validate their transfer. Despite their ability to roam through the streets, their movement within urban centers is heavily restricted by towering walls and other barriers, such as checkpoints equipped with Cameras and Forcefields, requiring them to present their identification to pass through them visibly.

Citizens are granted the bare essentials required for survival, encompassing standardized food. These meals, distributed by machines found in public areas like a train station, often become a subject of common complaints. Additionally; the Combine provides their citizenry with other synthetic food such as gelatinated calorie paste, desiccated sustenance bars; and even breadlines. As a result of constant shortage conditions; several Citizens, particularly Refugees, have resorted to scavenging for their food, relying on old canned goods as well as harvesting from organic sources. Additionally, water is freely available through vending machines, but some Citizens harbor suspicions that the Combine may have tampered with it to facilitate memory erasure as part of their brainwashing efforts.

Workforce[]

Consequently, Citizens are generally coaxed to participate in various work assignments, whether forcibly conscripted or voluntarily joining Combine-affiliated organizations such as Civil Protection. Voluntarily opting for these roles provides them several benefits, including access to superior meals, improved living conditions, and the promise of preserving their families. Within these responsibilities, Combine Workers diligently engaging in a variety of tasks; such as connecting cables and equipment to power sources and Combine reactors, while others take on more dangerous employment for example; hazardous duties, such as combating the growth of the Xen infestation in quarantine zones.

Advertisement