Combine Civil Protection

The Civil Protection is the urban police employed by the Combine forces to maintain order and quash dissidence. The Civil Protection is notable as it is comprised of human volunteers, as opposed to the Combine's "transhuman" Overwatch soldiers. As a result they often receive better treatment and protection, as well as authority over fellow citizens. Designed to conceal their human features, the Civil Protection is organized to intimidate and brutalize. This focus resulted in poor organization, though, as they were infiltrated by Resistance member Barney Calhoun and many were killed by Gordon Freeman, who was later deemed "Anticitizen One" by the Civil Protection soldiers.

Battle vs. Peacekeepers (by El Alamein)
Peacekeepers: 

Civil Protection:

The ruined shell of a city echoed with the sporadic tatters of gunfire, punctuated by the occasional explosion and dominated by the ever-present whistling wind of despair that spun its way down the streets and alleys of a land once home to a burgeoning peoples. The once-vibrant cityscape was now a desolate, bleak wasteland. Homogenous tones of muted gray and dirty brown dotted the few buildings that clung to their last vestiges of pride and stood amidst the destruction--the rest was heaps upon heaps of rubble, ashen black strewn across an uneven ground pockmarked with craters. Tall pillars of smoke, testaments to the horrors that continued to plague the city, spiraled up ominously, reaching greedily upward and disappearing into the clouds. The only life left here was fiercely, desperately seeking to end all other.

Beneath the crumbling skeleton of a building in what used to be the business district walked five members of the Combine Civil Protection. Standing upright but advancing in a loose and undisciplined excuse of a formation, they made idle chatter, their hands resting on weapons that had been used primarily on defenseless targets. They stopped suddenly, though, and immediately took to a knee as a group of men clad in white suits turned the corner and took position on the opposite street. As the Civil Protection leader started to issue a verbal command, the five men in white--Panem's Peacekeepers--commenced an attack with a burst of fire from automatic weaponry. The Civil Protection members broke under the assault. Two of them gave half-hearted attempts to return fire while the rest dashed for cover inside the building. Seeing their comrades fleeing, the two Civil Protection members still in the streets got up to follow their squadmates. One of them didn't make it. Caught up in a hail of bullets, he jerked as the rounds tore through his body before dropping to the ground.

The Peacekeepers stopped firing and checked their magazines. The squad leader motioned for his men to advance, and they moved in a tight formation down the street, approaching the building. It was a large office building, several stories in height and with enough structural integrity to warrant its utility as a fortified position. Quickly sweeping into the doorway and into the lobby, the Peacekeepers immediately found themselves under heavy fire from the Civil Protection, who had taken up positions on the landings that overlooked the ground floor. One of the Peacekeepers was shot several times through but the rest of the squad was able to dig in behind cover. The Civil Protection members continued to fire erratically as the Peacekeepers attempted to return fire.

Over the din of the gunfire sounded a whirring buzz that grew louder and louder. A Manhack, deployed by the Combine troops, tore its way through the lobby, clanging off of one of the walls and bouncing over a reception desk on its way over to the Peacekeepers. Panem's troops concentrated their fire on the approaching weapon, panicking as the blades swung closer and closer. Careening right into one of the Peacekeepers, it slammed into his torso and shredded through the armor, damaging itself irreparably in the process. Bleeding profusely, the Peacekeeper stumbled back and crashed hard into the wall behind him. At the same time, another Peacekeeper was shot through the head as the Civil Protection tried to capitalize on their advantage. One of the two remaining Peacekeepers laid down covering fire while the squad leader moved over to check on the wounded soldier. The man was alive but his breathing was ragged and sharp.

Up on the landing, the Civil Protection soldiers were driven into a battle frenzy. Two of them pulled back and took to the stairwell, intent on engaging the Peacekeepers on the ground floor. With their submachine guns out, they sprinted down the stairwell and turned the corner, only to run into a Peacekeeper with a flamethrower. One of the Civil Protection members froze in shock while the other turned to run back up the stairs, but it was too late. In an instant both were engulfed in a cone of flame that fanned up the narrow stairwell. It sucked the oxygen out of the air and cooked the two Combine soldiers slowly, melting their organs on the inside while scorching their extremities on the surface. In a matter of seconds that lasted for an agonizingly torturous eternity, the Peacekeeper's victims had collapsed to the ground, charred beyond recognition.

The Peacekeeper's squad leader had extracted the blades of the Manhack from his injured soldier's body and started to drag him from cover, intent on evacuating him from the building. Using the flamethrower as a distraction, he had managed to move his soldier almost through the doorway when he noticed one of the Civil Protection soldiers aiming down with a large energy orb pointed his way. The squad leader dived out of the way moments before the dark energy ball crashed into the downed Peacekeeper. In an instant the man was consumed by the energy, seemingly disintegrating before his horrified leader's eyes. Unloading his P90's magazine at the Combine soldier, the Peacekeeper advanced up to the stairwell under his own covering fire.

The Combine Civil Protection soldiers retreated deeper into the rooms of the upper level of the building, disappearing right as a hail of gunfire chased them. The Peacekeepers advanced, drawing their pistols for the close confines of the office rooms. Entering a cubicle-coated maze of an office, the flamethrower-wielding Peacekeeper was instantly downed by several shots from a USP-toting Civil Protection member. The Peacekeeper squad leader returned fire with his Vector pistol, hitting his opponent through the cubicle walls and injuring him. In a rage, he advanced, following a trail of blood as the wounded Civil Protection soldier crawled, dragging himself and trying to find better cover that didn't exist. Kicking his downed opponent hard in the ribs, the Peacekeeper followed up with two smart shots to the back of the Combine soldier's head.

Suddenly a heavy blow cracked the Peacekeeper across the back of his legs and sent him crashing to the floor. Springing back up and whipping out his shock baton, he glared menacingly at the Civil Protection squad leader, who brandished his stun baton. It glowed with electric power at the tip. The Peacekeeper gave a forward jab, but this was easily dodged. Raising his hand high for an overhead strike, the Civil Protection soldier was quickly countered by a kick to the stomach by the Peacekeeper, sending him stumbling back a few steps and crashing over a cubicle wall. As the Peacekeeper advanced, the Civil Protection soldier charged forward, diving low and tackling the Peacekeeper to the ground. Pinning his opponent, the Civil Protection soldier mercilessly landed blow after blow on the Peacekeeper's head. After a few strikes it was clear that the man was dead, but still the harsh attacks continued. Finally, standing up, breathing heavily, the Civil Protection soldier stood up in the dark office. Raising his stun baton high in the air, he bellowed in victory.

Expert's Opinion
The Peacekeepers had better training and were more disciplined, which definitely dragged out the fight, but the Civil Protection's superior combat experience, coupled with a greater tactical versatility offered by the Manhack and a technological edge with their Dark Energy weapons, enabled them to triumph over their more organized opponents.

To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here.