Zeale Advanced Projects Division
Police Investigating Greed Squad, Precinct 13, Maincastle Prison. 8:15 pm
Warden Kurt Ribblet stared out the window of his office. The light from the desk lamp behind him reflected its feeble yellow light against the glass. He studied the bright security lights of Maincastle Prison that trimmed the complex that filled the view outside. Slowly, he chewed the unlit cigar between his teeth.“You heard?”Ribblet glanced over his shoulder at the gravelly voice. Detective Morgan Hock stood in the doorway to the warden’s office. The garish florescent lights of the outer hallway tried to flood into the room around the detective.“I heard.” Ribblet replied with a sigh. “Hammy escaped again.”Hock walked inside, then shut the door behind him.“He’ll come for ‘em. You know he will.”Ribblet gnawed on his cigar, eyes focused on the night sky outside.“The Sons of Swine? You can bet your snout he will. When he does, it’ll be loud. Explosive. Probably poisonous. He does like to play with toxic chemicals.”“So, what? We trap him when he tries to show up? How do you want to handle this?”Ribblet shrugged while he removed the cigar from his mouth. He studied it a moment, then lifted two fingers.“Two ways. First. We out think him. You and I have caught him before. We just have to follow the clues of what he’s up to this time, and how he’ll try to make it happen.”“What’s the second thing?”Ribblet grinned at the detective.“We get ZAPD.”
The Zeale Advanced Projects Division, or Z.A.P.D., is the chief technology arm of Zeale Enterprises. They are a research and development subsidiary that is famous for their personal defense and deterrent products. Most, but not all, are for sale to the public.
ZAPD, even though being a wholly owned subsidiary of Zeale Enterprises, is a force to be reckoned with on its own. Despite fierce competition from WyrmCo Enterprises, ZAPD is the leader in dedicated research and development across Sow Terra. Their most well-known contacts are with the Police Investigating Greed Squad, but they have current contracts in both the public and private sectors across the Hogsburg metro area.
APT Beginnings
The Technology of Tomorrow, for the Hogs of today!
ZAPD was originally founded as Associated Project Technologies, or A.P.T., by Jamison Bacon in 1971. Jamison envisioned APT as a free thinking research company, one that was not leashed by the dogma of a traditional research corporate workplace.
Privately, he started APT in reaction to WyrmCo Enterprises’ attempt to form a monopoly in the R&D business sector. WyrmCo Enterprises’ buyouts, and suspect business practices, put many top scientists and technologists out of work. Bacon was quick to sniff out and hire those brilliant minds for APT.
But the Hogsburg business is lethal, and WyrmCo is not to be taken lightly. After ten years of closed door deals, WyrmCo attempted a hostile takeover of APT. The effort was almost successful until a last-minute deal by Zeale Enterprises took APT out from WyrmCo’s vengeful, greedy hooves.
APT to ZAPD
The quick buyout was a timely one. Crime was on the rise in Hogsburg, and B. R. Zeale’s Police Investigating Greed Squad was struggling to keep up. Organized crime syndicates had collected their own disgruntled inventors; strange devices based on ill-advised science flooded the streets.
A.P.T. was re-branded to the Zeale Advanced Projects Division and given its first task: equipment for the PIGS to defend themselves and Hogsburg. Laser-focused, the brilliant Z.A.P.D. minds went to work.
In a matter of months, with their own high-tech resources, the Police Investigating Greed Squad turned the tables. They put the syndicates on the run and restored order to the streets.
Following that success, ZAPD soon branched out. The research division opened its doors to private contracts. Products from that work are offered for sale to the public or given to the PIGS.
Taking Aim At Tomorrow
The inventor, Tina Rasher, is the current chief of ZAPD. Her aggressive leadership style follows in the hoofprints of both Jamison Bacon and B. R. Zeale, and sets the lightning pace for organization.
Under Rasher’s guidance, ZAPD has grown beyond its simple roots. Today, the organization provides a steady supply of equipment for the Police Investigating Greed Squad, and research for corporate or government customers. But they also release fruits of their research as products for a device greedy public.
ZAPD’s products for the public range from personal defense to communication technology.
In the ‘personal defense’ market, ZAPD hit the pigseye with the Zeale z-12 “Thunder-cudgel” shock baton. To this day, that remains their top selling item. The success of the Thundercudgel inspired ZAPD to pursue the market. They have an extensive catalog that includes:
As for communication devices, ZAPD hasn’t been idle. Their well-known products challenge the best WyrmCo offers.
Only the Best for Law and Order
It’s no secret that ZAPD is the engineering and technical know-how behind the Police Investigating Greed Squad. Crime doesn’t rest, neither do the PIGS. The more astounding devices, weapons, and armor are reserved for the squad. These range from small standard issue sidearms to the more elaborate and specialized devices in case of a major crime outbreak.
For the standard issue items, ZAPD maintains a common “load-out” for the squad. Each new member is assigned a ZAPD Pack that contains:
But in case of emergency, ZAPD provides a wide list of devices, such as:
Get ZAPD!
Type
Corporation, Research & Development
Alternative Names
Z.A.P.D.
Parent Organization
Location
Organization and Locations
ZAPD’s most famous location is attached to Maincastle prison. But this isn’t their only office. Even though they are a division, ZAPD operates as a semi-independent business; a wholly owned subsidiary of Zeale Enterprises.
To focus their efforts, ZAPD has many locations throughout Hogsburg and Sow Terra itself. Some are known to the public. Others are kept secret because of the research they conduct. The publicly known locations are:
Maincastle Prison
This facility researches specialized anti-crime equipment for the PIGS.
Meadow Heights
Meadow Heights specializes in research into psychology and psionics. In addition, this location is one of the two known to provide medical treatment to PIGS and their allies.
Deg Hogbur
A high-security location in the Avarice Peaks, it specializes in energy-based technology, physics, and meteorology. Famous for the location that invented the Ice Laser Freeze Blaster.
Hoofgrow Gardens
This small, innocent two story office specializes in computer science, engineering, and researching theories into digitizing matter.
Abundance Cove
This unusual facility is along the shore where the Forest of Abundance meets the Distended Sea. It maintains an office complex on land, then an underwater office offshore. A maglev train tunnel connects the two. This location specializes in marine research.
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