By the 25th Century, mankind has left it's comfortable cradle of birth and taken to the stars. With that, the common conception of nation states has disappeared, as it became increasingly apparent that security was no longer determined by the earth-bound senators, presidents and dictators, but by Corporate Executives and their trans-world Industries. The cosmos was a brand new frontier, free from the regulations and restrictions of Earth; a brave new world where the corporations could freely flex their muscles, exploit riches and claim territories. It was only a matter of time before these human companies formed hegemonies that spanned not just planets, but entire systems and sectors. Earth, and it's various governments, simply could not manage to outperform the rapid expansion of the trans world Corporations, and became little more than a neutral world, used only as an agreeable safe-haven, for refugees and diplomats.

So, Earth itself became a backwater, as the companies large and small fled the planet in search of galactic riches, robbing humanity's birth place of it's remaining resources and capital, leaving the once-blue planet, a small floating desolate rock, in an ever-growing universe.

Most decided that a life of servitude to one of these inter-planetary corporations, was preferable than the veritable barbarism one would have to endure living on earth. Life under the security umbrella of these corporations was hard. Labor was tough, and long. Families worked as slaves, more or less, being provided food and basic necessities, and a small stipend for tiny luxuries. But the corporations were not heartless - there was always the promise (and actual possibility even) for advancement of hard-working individuals. Then, of course, there were the corporate militaries and police forces, who tirelessly stood as vanguard, both guarding their workers and ensuring that the producers produced. This constant vigil, was usually enough to keep the workers working.

However, the threat of invasion by rival companies was ever present. Planets, rich in minerals or precious water were constant targets. They were the largest treasure chests that existed in the galaxy. And corporations owned dozens upon dozens of them, guarding them jealously. Corporate warfare is eternal, and omnipresent. Since mankind's venture into space, conflict has been constant. There are no government sanctions, and no overarching bodies to govern the corporations - they owe nothing to anyone but themselves; and the death count couldn't bother them less.

Tanaka Corporation was the first to pioneer the complete and total defense system that could literally, and autonomously defend entire planets. The defense system was a multi-layer, multi-trillion dollar project called the "Mid-orbital Active Defense Deployment System" or "MADDS." MADDS is a combination of a system of orbital satellites and skybases, computer link-nets, ground and air force controllers, drones, cryo-cyborg cells, and a central transfer hub. Together, all these elements form a single, dedicated MADDS, the most devastating and effective defense system ever known to mankind.

LOW ORBITAL SATELLITES

Any good corporation's first line of defense against either invasion or rebellion is a healthy supply of LOS nets, or Low Orbital Satellites Networks. Satellites have been in use since the late twentieth century, and have only gotten more advanced in the 25th. Satellites come complete with cameras that can see through cloud cover, can take high-resolution, infra-red video in real time, and relay the images to other satellites in it's network.

A network of satellites can, in turn, share data to create a three dimensional image, assess the level of immediate danger by calculating any number of circumstances, and plan primitive contingency plans based on their area of view. Satellites are also armed with a number of point defense weapons, as well as being surrounded by the usual minefields of radio-mines, which detonate on impact with any ship not broadcasting company frequencies.

SKYBASES AND LINK-NETS

Every LOS-Net is accompanied by a small orbital fortress known as a Skybase. Skybases are usually unmanned, but in some cases may be operated by a small number of security personnel. Skybases have one purpose, and one purpose only: to house all date streamed from LOS-Nets, and relay it to the Central Transfer Hub. This is done through the Link-Net, a hyper-secure data transfer protocol that is located in every Skybase. All skybases transmit serial data in parallel, rather than an uninterrupted circuit. This means that if one Skybase drops off the grid during an attack or due to technical issues, the other Skybases can react, either by shifting LOS-Nets to cover the affected area and resume surveillance, or utilize the security measures of offline Skybases in the event that it's respective Skybase has been debilitated or destroyed.

Data does not remain in the skybases memory storage for long. Optimally, all data is quickly funneled away from the Skybases and into the Central Transfer Hub, where it is stored for safe keeping, making a hijack of the base somewhat less of a security liability. It does go without being said that these fortresses are suitably armed, surrounded by not only point defense weapons, but automated High-Orbital Drones (see below.)

CENTRAL TRANSFER HUB

The only fully part of MADDS that is fully manned is the Central Transfer Hub, where all data is viewed, evaluated and stored. While most of the evaluation of data can be handled by computers, the facility is manned by engineers and computer technicians, to ensure that diagnostic systems are working properly and that data transferred to and from the hub is running smoothly.

Since satellites can evaluate data within certain parameters, this stored data is not necessarily concerned with just defense. It can be production data, provided that the satellites in the LOS-Net is equipped with sensors to evaluate any given region's production output by evaluating workforce and the integrity of it's production facilities. It may be resource saturation, if the LOS-Nets are equipped with chemical-seeking sensors that may detect the levels of certain subterranean mineral deposits. But primarily the Central Transfer Hub is a security center - a centralized dispatch area.

The data storage of these facilities are immense (sometimes two or three square miles,) usually located far beneath the surface of the planet, where the servers are submerged in liquid coolant, which remains at low temperatures despite the operations of xenobites upon xenobites of data being transferred every hour.

DRONE CONTROLLERS AND CRYO-CYBORGS

Should something go wrong, the first response is by the Drone Controllers. Drone Controllers are massive platforms, usually several miles wide, that orbit Skybases, usually four or five per base. Drone controllers are completely unmanned, and all instructions delegated by the Cryo-Cyborg brains that serve as the tactical data-processors. Cryo-Cyborg brains are perfected, human clone brains kept in special refrigerated environments, that have been grown and genetically engineered to think logically and tactically. Without the need to handle auxiliary functions like circulation and respiration, or nutrient intake (These are all done by computer subsystems) the Cryo-Cyborg brain is completely focused on broadcasting tactical orders to it's Drones. Broadcasts are done via encoded orders over encrypted channels, to all drones under it's command, simultaneously.

Using the three-dimensional images of the LOS-Nets and utilizing point defenses provided by the Skybases, Cryo-Cyborg brains can link up with each other from their Controller Platforms and multiply their number crunching abilities to form a near impenetrable defensive wall. They can determine odds, acceptable losses and collateral damage (in dollars) for any action before they send out the order. It's a merciless, ruthless and impossibly logical system that has become the cornerstone for all defensive warfare. Cryo-Cyborg Controllers can on the fly reallocate Drones as they proceed outside of their own ranges, though one Cryo-Cyborg brain may overheat with a processing load that is too large. High temperatures over time literally melt the Cyborg brain, resulting in momentary "Link-Death" of the Cryo-Cyborg's Drones, until they reconnect to another Controller.

DRONES

Drones are semi-organic soldiers which are used to fight most battles. Human soldiers are often times unpredictable and unreliable (something that makes them equally valuable in fights with Cryo-Cyborgs which can only think logically) which makes them somewhat inferior in large scale battles. Emotions and ethics usually result in colossal loss of battlefield superiority, or worse, loss or damage of company property. Drones have no such qualms. They are usually comprised of a smaller Cryo-Cyborg brain, one that receives and executes orders, a much simpler version of the large Cryo-Cyborg brains found in the Controller Platforms.

These brains are housed in metallic frames, either a variety of High-Orbital Space Craft, or terrestrial Mechanical Infantry, Air-Superiority Craft of Armor. Spacecraft Drones come in Four Variations, Fighter Drones, Corvette Drones, Cruiser Drones or Bomber Drones, whereas Terrestrial Drones come in many more variations, including light and heavy ground trooper, landers, high-altitude drop ships and the accompanied HALO Troopers, as well as an assortment of self-piloted armors. Every single drone is at all times receiving orders from it's Cryo-Cyborg Controller, and thus coordinated strikes from many different angles by drones of many different types is easy and smooth.

If at any time, the Cryo-Cyborg controller is destroyed or become inoperative, troop loads are re-delegated on the fly, as another Controller takes the reigns on a percentage of the momentarily "Link-Dead" Drones. Link Death does not mean that Drones cease to function - they simply can only operate on the environment they can evaluate. Normally, this means they act like fairly clumsy human soldiers, without receiving any intelligence from it's veritable eye in the sky. They become open to mistake, as they can no longer watch their back and they can only share data with their immediate allies, who are likely link-dead as well.

The MADDS is brutally efficient and incredibly reliable. Effectively disarming a fully engaged MADDS planets requires a massive task force and systematic destruction of all controllers and LOS-Nets, a task which is a substantial effort in it's own right. MADDS was engineered to be the impenetrable fortress of the future, a system which not only acts autonomously, but thinks and evaluates tactical and situational data on the fly, and can issue a logical reaction in a fraction of the time the best trained human could. MADDS is has been, and will always be, the Defense System of the Future.

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