Squadron X (Virtue Supergroup)

Squadron X

Squadron X is a small school that was founded to help young mutants control, develop, and understand how to use their special abilities for the benefit of mankind. With the presence of mutant gangs like the Outcasts, officials at GIFT needed an alternative for young mutants who felt isolated because of their abilities, or worse yet were driven away from their families and communities due to stereotypes and discrimination against mutants. GIFT was also concerned that many young mutants possess powers they cannot initially control, powers that can and sometimes do bring harm to innocent people and property when these abilities manifest.

GIFT was also concerned about the number of mutant youths being thrust into the roles of "super heroes" at young and immature ages. Not only did GIFT want to prevent these teenagers and children from accidentally harming others with their powers, GIFT was also concerned with any legal liabilities that occur when children, even when they are mutants, are expected to be put into harm's way and assist adult super heroes in their law-enforcement efforts against super powered criminals and gangs. It is bad enough when a mutant child accidentally burns a bystander with her powers, but it is another situation entirely when GIFT or other members of the community expects that child to apprehend a member of the Skulls - and she winds up dead.

In order to address these two concerns, Professor Andrea Keller of Paragon City University approached GIFT with a program designed especially for young and teenage mutants. The program would serve two purposes. The first would be the continuing education of young mutants in an environment where they could fit in more appropraitely with other mutants their age. Even if these mutants have no desire to become "super heroes" they could still obtain a high school and university level education in an environment that does not question their abilities or cast suspicion upon them. Second, the program would help mutants to train and develop their abilities in a safe and responsible manner. Not only would mutants learn how to contain their powers and refrain from using them casually, but they could also learn how to use them effectively should they desire to become super heroes or members of the Paragon City Police Department, fire department, medical, science, or legal communities.

With support from Antonio Nash in City Hall, GIFT approved of the idea. Professor Keller was appointed the Dean of the new program. Although the scholastic program is called the Paragon City Academy for Gifted Students, the more advanced program for young mutant heroes-in-training is known as Squadron X.

The Faculty

The faculty at Squadron X has three levels of administration. The Dean is responsible for ensuring all school functions and programs are run efficiently, and that the other faculty members are performing their duties in a manner according to the school's contracts with GIFT. Below the Dean are the Administrators who have high-level duties within the school such as Facilities and Maintenance, Public Relations, Guidance and Counseling, Academic Programs, and Physical Education. The Professors report to the Administrators and are responsible for their weekly lesson plans for the students.

The members of the faculty are all mutants themselves, older and more experienced men and women who share an interest in helping younger mutants from choosing a negative and often self-destructive path in life. At this time there aren't any ordinary humans on the faculty, but GIFT representatives may seek positions within Squadron X at any time.

Current Faculty Members

• Polarias (Virtue), a.k.a. Andrea Keller, Dean
• Morisco (Virtue), Professor of Technology

The Students and Alumni

Most of the students enrolled in Squadron X are under the age of 18 years and are completing their junior high school and high school educations. Those who seek to advance onto college and university level studies may do so within the school as well, and older students tend to be up to 24 years in age. Upon graduation from their secondary education students are more commonly referred to as Alumni. At this point they may remain with the school and assist the Professors in their lessons, they may become Professors or Administrators, or they may enter the public or super hero communities as they see fit.

Current Students

• Alejandra (Virtue)
• Hyperjack (Virtue)
• Icecore (Virtue)
• Ironbound (Virtue)
• Danica King (Virtue)
• Martial (Virtue)
• Nairobi (Virtue)
• Suttee (Virtue)

The Campus

The campus for Squadron X is a small facility that is currently under development. Funding has been acquired through GIFT but is dependent upon the successful participation and activities of the faculty and students. As they continue to show GIFT that the program is working successfully Squadron X will receive additional funding that will be used to expand the campus and increase the facility's number of classrooms.

Uniform

Squadron X does not issue an official school uniform to its students or faculty. Most students dress in whatever attire they feel comfortable in, and for the most part they appear no different than their non-mutant counterparts in other schools throughout Paragon City. Even though Squadron X is a training program for future heroes in Paragon City, the faculty does not want to give the image that they seek to put students in harm's way - dressing them up in traditional super hero costumes will only make them a target for criminals and others who seek to undermine and harm super powered beings.

Squadron X Enrollment

Squadron X is always looking to expand its enrollment and will always take in a young mutant who needs some guidance. The school is also in need of more Professors and faculty to help educate and train these students.

Who We Are Looking For

Below is some information on the types of heroes and players we are looking to join Squadron X. Please send a message to @Major Paragon during game play.

• Origin: Applicants to Squadron X should ideally be Mutants in origin, but some considerations are given for heroes with other origins and backgrounds. For example, Morisco (Virtue) has a Technology background but he is a mutant with the power of hyper-invention or hyper-engineering. Morisco (Virtue) can build, repair, or otherwise understand any type of technology he can study. It made more sense for him to have a Technology origin instead of a Mutant origin - and the Taser Dart is more appropriate for him than the Mutagen. Heroes who are Natural humans with no "super powers" can also enroll as faculty members if their origins include a history with GIFT or working with mutants or super powered beings in some fashion. Someone like Antonio Nash is a good example. A Peacebringer or Warshade that merged with a mutant works well, as does a mutant who also has a Magic origin in their background. If your mutant looks better using Throwing Knives instead of the Mutagen, that will also work!
• Mature Roleplayers: Squadron X is a roleplaying-based supergroup, so players who enjoy roleplaying their heroes rather than just focusing on gaining security levels quickly and maximizing their PvP potential are encouraged to join. It's great to gain levels and kick butt in PvP - we'd just like to get a little more involved than that. We also want players who are mature in their behavior, will treat others with respect, and realize that this is just a game and meant to be fun for everyone.
• Biographies: You don't have to go crazy, but coming up with a good background and history for your hero just makes them more interesting - especially in a game where dozens of other players use heroes with the same power sets your hero has. Differentiate your hero with a unique story, and she will be that much more memorable.
• Hero Names: Names that are spelled properly or easily are the most accepted; take a look at some of the names in the Faculty and Student lists above to get some ideas. A good benchmark is what we call the Comic Book Test for names. If the hero's name is something that you can pronounce and it looks like it fits in an actual comic book then it is probably a very good name. Names spelled in L33T formats, names that are silly (like Superpants), or those that have awkward spellings won't likely be considered (maybe because someone already took Powercharge, so you spelled it like P0wercharge or Powerrcharge).
• Active or Casual Players: It's ok for casual players to join Squadron X, but please try to play at least once per week to maintain some contact with other players. We're not gung-ho about being on every day and you won't get kicked from the supergroup for too much inactivity (unless you're gone for more than 45 days - at which point we'll assume you stopped playing with that hero for the moment).

What We Would Like to See

• Prestige: Since Prestige is what is used to construct and develop a Base, it is important for members to earn Prestige for their supergroups. Some players are set against earning Prestige, however, even though they still want to enjoy the benefits of teleporters, medbays, and worktables that only Prestige can afford. Squadron X will never mandate that players earn Prestige for the supergroup, but it is appreciated.