Ship Defense Technology

Shield technology was first developed as an evolution of atmospheric shielding.

It then spread rapidly into several shield modes and techs. Many of these technologies are still used on the ground by vehicles and personnel.

In 2325, ships use a very different technology for space defense.

The attack and threat have changed

Missiles, mass drivers, and energy weapons have been used to attack from massive distances in space.

Signals and Countermeasures knowledge was the most important here, considering the distance to target, the amount of anticipation it required and the need to detect threat accurately.

For a time computers have been very effective at detecting threats and calculating attacks and crew capacity became minor.

This all changed when veilspeed was adapted for space weapons, making the first “veilweapons” being used. Veilweapons, or veilspeed weapons, cost a lot of money to make, however in EXODE aliens master this technology perfectly.

Veilspeed Weapons

Veilspeed Weapons completely defeat distance by adapting the veilspeed technology to ammunition and even energy particles.

This makes threats exist immediately at the same time as they hit (and even, technically, before, using one property of veilspeed in spacetime).

Computers have been completely unable to evade and protect from veilweapons and ammunitions, as the damage happens before the threat itself is announced.

They can use estimates and global shield protection (what is called phase shields), which protects the whole ship, and this is what is done by default; but such use is a very ineffective use of energy, and also an ineffective defense against veilspeed weapons.

This means that veilspeed weapons penetrate phase shields quite regularly and cause a lot of damage.

PDC, an adapted Shield Technology

When veilweapons started to appear, even used by humans, adapted defense systems were made.

The most practiced nowadays is the “point-defense-concentration” (PDC), an aspect of shield technology where all defense energy is concentrated on a single point of impact.

PDC has been extremely effective at negating a weapon firing at veilspeed because veilspeed can only hit a single point “at first” when it “connects back” into regular physics.

But it still needed… to anticipate the right point of impact.

Brain-wiring

It was discovered than human brains which have been exposed to veilspeed for some time have developed a property related to spacetime.

The exact event that was causing the “veil effect” to the brain and body, could also be used to anticipate a veilweapon “point of impact”, as “veiled neurons” can be used to anticipate it.

This massive discovery led all defense systems to adapt; for the first time; a response to veilspeed ammunition had been found!

This factor is mainly used by trained crewmen in space, such as military crew, signals specialist and defense specialists; all people regularly exposed to veilspeed have developed it.

In this situation, the computer will wire neurons to what is called the “shield mantle”.

The user will receive drugs to enhance the brain “slowdown effect”, something which can make humans “slow time” in their perception when under adrenaline or stress.

Wiring your brain to the ship mantle is extremely intense and increases stress level a lot.

It can lead to lasting and permanent stress damage, and even death.

Ships usually rotate crew in the ship defense system during a battle, and of course avoid using this if they believe the enemy has no veilspeed weapon.

In 2325 a lot of research was still ongoing to replace humans by other animals and of course to replace organics by software, but in 2325 nothing was found better than the brain-wiring technology.