A Subsidiary of the Department of Firearms Regulatory Service

"The Buck Stops Here" : Motto of Stopping Power

"It is our job to seize and destroy unauthorised firearms on SLA property. We have a long and honourable tradition of service to SLA Industries and to Mr. Slayer. I will not comment on rumours that Commander Cradle has demanded my agency's immediate re-assignment to the Shivers."

Commissioner Dale Rictor, Head of the FREB "Stopping Power", 3rd Eye Public Archive.

"Now you listen to me you little shit, I do not give a fuck what your SCL is 'cause Mr. Slayer says I can bust into your fucking home any time I fucking want to. So don't even think of making a fucking complaint or we'll be checking your fucking apartment regular every Thursday fucking night."

Unidentified FREB Agent, Not for Broadcast

Officially listed as the Firearms Regulation Enforcement Bureau but known by all operatives and employees as Stopping Power this sub-department of the Dept. of Firearm Regulation is charged with enforcing company policy regarding firearms. The FREB is sponsored by Cloak division and is mainly concerned with policing unregulated firearms among the civilian, employee and Shiver population. In it's initial form the FREB was not permitted to go after Ops, that being the preview of Cloak Division. However Cloak had it's hands full on far more important matters so when the DFR contacted Cloak regarding raids on Operatives they would be shunted to a low priority and often by the time a raid was performed the evidence was long gone. This situation was deemed unacceptable so in 763 a formula was reached whereby the DFR retained it's own enforcement division with Cloak level authorisation in specific cases of, "use or possession (or suspected use or possession) of firearms not approved by SLA Industries." A Cloak Division Officer was appointed to head the FREB and experienced Shivers were recruited to staff it. As their rate of pay was regulated on Cloak Division's pay scale the bureau became a well run agency that performed with zeal, tact and efficiency. After the first five years the FREB was declared a complete success. The FREB's charter was confirmed and the problem seemed to be solved.

Unfortunately in a structure as riddled with internal politics as SLA Industries nothing remains fixed forever. When an audit was performed in 820 the accountants were horrified to find Shivers (as the FREB agents were technically classified) drawing the same pay as Cloak Operatives. The DFR managed to stave off a pay cut sitting the efficiency of it's agents in their duties as justification but the pay levels were frozen for two years, subject to review after that time. These pay levels have remained frozen for the past 80 years, meaning that FREB agents now earn only slightly more than their Shiver counterparts.

The FREB of today is a far cry from the efficient, incorruptible force that it was at it's inception. The current head, Dale Rictor, has been with the FREB for his entire career but most agents are recruited from the ranks of the Shivers. Unfortunately these recruits are a far cry from the experienced, motivated men and women who formed the original FREB. The modern agent is usually an embittered former Shiver who has joined the FREB in order to get back at the Operatives and employees who pushed him around during his earlier career. Looked upon with envy and distaste by his former colleagues his only friends are his fellow agents. The abuses to which they put their power are becoming so obvious that several have been summarily executed by Cloak Division. Commander Cradle has claimed that the whole of the FREB is too corrupt to continue and is petitioning Head Office to bring them back into his Shivers. To date no response has come from Head Office. Despite this there is a lot of pressure for the FREB to at least be seen to clean up its act.

Officially the FREB is equipped with black Body Blocker armour and armed with FEN Bully Boy shotguns and standard pacifier batons. In practice, especially when engaged in a raid they carry whatever weapons they can pull from the armoury. This usually includes assault rifles and on occasion MAL Assault Cannons and Power Reapers have been taken on raids on employees. As they are Cloak authorised the FREB can kick down anybody's door at any time. They often use threats and intimidation in order to stifle potential complaints.

The FREB do not admit mistakes. Many promising careers have been cut short by a black mark gained from a mistaken raid by FREB agents that is officially recorded as a RNE (Raided, No Evidence) rather than a raid on the wrong property. On more than one occasion Operatives have been shot and killed by FREB agents raiding in error. These dead Ops are all listed as "Subversive elements killed resisting arrest."

The FREB's nickname, Stopping Power, comes from an early recruitment campaign among Shivers.

Recorded from FREB help line. Not for public release. Copyright 903SD.

V1: "So I understand you'd like to make a complaint?"

V2: "Damn straight I do. Your fucking troops have just raided my sisters house and I want you to come down here right now and fucking apologise to her."

V1: "First of all calm down and tell me what happened then we can sort this out."

V2: "Calm down? CALM DOWN? Listen you fucking piece of shit, what right do your men have to wake my sister up at six in the fucking morning with two MALs pointed at her head. They made her sit in her fucking bedroom whilst they turned the house fucking upside down, searched through all of her private belongings, carted off all her papers and documents, stole her fucking SCL card and kicked her cat through a twelfth store window. Then to top it off you drag her out for a fucking interrogation still wearing her night-dress and don't let her use a phone for eight hours."

V1: "Ah, that'll be the arrest at Pineside villas of a Ms Pansie if I'm not mistaken. So is this Mr Pansie I'm talking to?"

V2: "My name is Blood, Sour Blood and if you don't do something about this I'll come down to your office and rip your fucking throat out."

V1: "Well first of all Mr Blood, the Firearms Regulation Enforcement Bureau had reasonable grounds to-"

V1: "REASONABLE GROUNDS? You tell me who you are you fuck-"

V3: "SHUT THE FUCK UP MR BLOOD. This is Dale Rictor, Head of FREB and if you don't do exactly what I say then I'll get all of your sponsorship, including your Cloak sponsorship, pulled."

---

V3: "Good. First off I have the reports in front of me that say that my department found three DarkNight weapons in your sisters house."

V1: "What the fu-"

V3: "Secondly, if you don't want to be woken up every morning for a month by my men, you'll drop any grievances you may or may not have with my department. Agreed?"

V1: "But you can't-"

V3: "Your sister will be released in the hour and her terrorism charges will be dropped. This time."

V1: "But she wouldn't-"

V3: "If you ever cause us any hassles again, or say anything against us in public, then you can guarantee it won't be your sisters cat who is drop kicked out of a window next time. Do I make myself understood?"

V1: "Yes, but-"

V3: "Good day Mr Blood."