Aether

Military Battlefield Command and Control System

What it is: Nanotechnology. Wireless communication and networking. Robotics. Holographics. Matter/energy/data storage and exchange.

The Aether is a military battlefield command and control system, which primarily consists of intelligent (though not A.I.), interlinked aerostat drones. The drones are microscopic, and they can control their height in the air via buoyancy. They have mechanical propulsion to position themselves as well, in the form of electrical fans, much like modern drones . The aerostats can link-arms and form more complex structures or specialized equipment. What can they form? The limits are your imagination. From holographic signs floating in the air, to lung-cancer-causing vaporous clouds for your enemy, to microscopic, multi-sensor remote intelligence gathering stations.

Field Stations
Control of the aerostats is via field stations. Field Stations can take many forms, from vehicles to office complexes to spaceships. Most field stations have visible antennas, which are used to communicate and control the drones via radio frequency, microwave and laser transceivers. Also, the field station (if it is functional) has to have the equipment to launch, retrieve and maintain the aerostats—otherwise, the drones will eventually breakdown or self-destruct when they have, the result can look like fine powder on the ground or dust in the air.

Aether Functionality:
– enemy location tracking and attrition for the US military (top secret in 21st century)
– real-time command and control for military commanders, with full, virtual, high-definition sensors
– powerful psy-op capabilities (can create simulated, real-world nightmares for the enemy (Miasma system)
– triage for battlefield medics and doctors (greatly extends soldier fighting capability, even when soldier has suffered massive, life-threatening wounds)
– Aether broadcast sub-systems use civilian “cell phone” towers to hide in plain sight
– there are super-secret Aether command locations which can be used to “modify the program”.
– Aether completely saturates the AO, so complete surveillance and command and control of an enemy can be accomplished. Traps, and ambushes can be set right on top of or underneath—like shooting fish in a barrel. A major outburst of Aether energy can take out a large concentration of enemy troops, or command structure.
– Aether can be used as an Active Denial system, or turned up to 11, can microwave cook anything in an arbitrary 3-dimensional space.
Built-in optical and audio sensors, to spy on any (active, Aether-enabled) part of the battlefield. Can be programmed to look or listen for certain signatures, like gunshots or people of a certain description (like enemy leader’s voice-print), which can then be targeted.

Modes

Standby: Disabled, Friendly: The zone is considered friendly. Anyone not identified in the database is considered friendly, unless they take action against a person or equipment who is identified as friendly or an ally. System testing, soldier training and command training are good uses for this mode.

Defense: Anyone not identified as friendly in the database is considered hostile. Psi-ops at a variable 25 to 50 percent. The Aether is messing with you. Mirages, strange noises, strange sensations on your skin, changes in temperature. The Aether won’t let you sleep well or think too deeply without interrupting you. If you are in a group, it may attempt to separate/isolate the members from each other, getting them lost and turned around. The system isn’t actively trying to kill you, but you aren’t having a great day, either. Most will die of thirst or starvation, if they don’t commit suicide

Active Denial: Anyone not identified as friendly in the database is considered hostile. Psi-ops at 75%. The enemy cant trust what they see or hear. All enemies are considered targets of opportunity. All enemies are tagged and tracked, and the system tasks automated units for harassment or kill missions. If you are solo, the system will wound you and let you suffer before dying. If you are in a group, the system will disable one or more members to slow you down or demoralize you. Then, later, will swoop in for the kill.

War: All bets are off. The shit has hit the fan, and anyone categorized as an enemy gets both barrels. Psi-Ops at 100%. Enemy combatants are living in a sensory nightmare. Their skin will feel like it’s burning or freezing or both. The person’s vision and hearing will be completely subverted with repeating, chaotic hallucinations. When the system is done having its fun, they will be tagged and hunted relentlessly until killed. Suicide will be actively denied—it just won’t work. Why should they be able to take the easy way out?
Role in Story: The fog cloud of the Forbidden Land is the Aether in defensive mode, protecting the airspace above Eternal Taiga, the Phoenix storage depot facility (activated just before the bombs fell in 2023). To outsiders, it’s a wall of fog 200-feet in height, and appears to have dark shapes and strange fractal patterns moving within. If you get close, it will have a mirror-like effect, showing your reflection. But it will mess with you, warping and twisting your image. (even before you enter, it’s messing with your mind)