General Shielding Systems: An Ubiquitous Defense

Often referenced, but not always understood. General shielding is a technology that has long been in existence, but heavily streamlined by Z-Forge technology. In prior ages, soon after the adoption of Autonomous Repair, a similar technology began to be utilized by starship formations as well. This technology would use small machines that could move freely and follow a target, as opposed the original development of Autonomous Repair which utilized physically embedded systems to institute repairs. These freely moving machines would maintain a constant observation of the immediate area, and watch out for signs of imminent harm. When such was detected, the machines would respond in a way that provided an effective mitigation to the oncoming threat.

This technology has remained in existence, only to have grown and expanded over time. With Z-Forges making the use of disposable nano-machines so prevalent, it is not difficult for almost anyone to adapt general shielding to their own personal use. General shielding when applied by an individual being aptly named personal shielding.

The strength of a given shielding is dependent on a few things. The more intelligent the shielding system, the less ‘brute force’ it needs to use to stop an attack, in the form of higher energy output or more nano-machines. The amount of brute-force it has is also a factor; more power and more nano-machines means it can increase its output by a direct proportion. Shielding often uses specific responses to specific threats, making some shields more attractive than others at defending against specific threats; an example being a shield designed to refute energy weapons being more effective against Hazard weapons than a typical axion Frag pistol. And lastly, the goal of the shielding will also directly affect how it performs, as a shield designed to mitigate damage before it hits armor will often behave differently to a shield that intends to protect an unarmored target from all damage.

The major constraints of a shielding system are fairly easy to understand. They are twofold:

The first facet to consider is how smart a shielding system is. A basic shielding program can be run by any personal computer, or loaded as a scripted function to a Z-Forge, requiring no further input. That being said, such shields are among the most rudimentary, and least efficient. They also tend to be the least feature-rich, recognizing fewer threats and responding to them more poorly when they do. These are contrasted with varying degrees of specific shielding systems that can be made or acquired s their own item. Each with different levels of logic, ascending towards a lofty summit which can operate at the level of an Sapient Inorganic – if it isn’t one itself. This upwards scaling has an immediate impact on the amount of computing power required to run the shielding system, but little else, usually.

The second face to consider is how much brute force a shielding system can maintain. These restrictions are purely physical, and often tied to an amount of matter dedicated to the task. Setting aside some matter from a general-purpose Z-Forge tends to be the worst. All the way up to having a very large stow of matter and power on one’s person exclusively for the use of shielding. Such can be applied to any level of shielding with very little effort. Very plug-and-play. Though some shields of higher intelligence, or which have certain forms of shielding available, will require more base-line matter and energy requirements than others. Additionally, some may want their shields to be able to project for a continuous period of time in a certain area, such as like a personal bubble around them or in front of them in battle, instead of just immediately going back to idle after being threatened.

An additional facet to consider is how these shields can be implemented, and how they can be obfuscated by an outside source. Shielding, for all its features, is highly desirable in almost all societies; even the most disarmed. It can provide the benefits of armor without visually projecting one’s own force or readiness to commit violence, while additionally not providing any physical aid to committing violence. Most people opt for convenient, simple shielding, and even in the most disarmed of societies, such is seen as a net-gain for personal safety and well-being, and not substantial enough to warrant security threats via insurgency or uprising.

Especially since when one uses a shielding system, they light up brightly on effectively all surveillance systems, even the most basic civilian ones in a disarmed society. Some shielding systems lean towards being ‘silent on idle’, but such are often very expensive, and not always as trustworthy when you try to skimp in the price-tag.

Hacking shields are effectively impossible, but sabotage often works well on shields of low-intelligence. Sabotage can trick simple shields into dedicating or using up power against low-threats or non-threats, opening them up to a lesser-regarded attack, or expending themselves outright.

When speaking of the different damage types a shielding system obfuscates, or is designed to recognize in the first place. A few specific terms are often used. Mainly as a marketing tool, but also as effective jargon among combatants:

Wards or warding is often described as a shield’s capacity to resist physical impacts or damage. Shields with good warding resist physical projectiles better, have a better ability to recognize debris or objects of large mass, and some of the best warding shields have an ability to mitigate melee weapon swings while not idling. Shields of all kinds have issues (see: Blacklance Phenomenon) dealing with the swings of melee weapons, particularly from organics, but inorganics also; the top level warding shields give you an ability to lessen their impact, but never stop them.

Barriers or barring is often described as a shield’s capacity to resist energy effects or damage. Shields with good barring resist energy projectiles better, have a greater ability to prepare for energy blasts, can protect from a broader variety of energies and plasmas, as well as some of the best barring shields being able to identify hacking or sabotage attempts whilst shutting them out. All shields are susceptible to sabotage at some level, even as it becomes progressively minor up the quality ladder; the top level barrier shields give you the best chances of resisting it, and can help reveal those responsible.

An Aegis, Aegises, or Aegising is often described as a shield’s capacity to resist harmful pressures or environments. Only present in the top-quality rung of shields. Shields with Aegis functionality can help resist the depressurization caused by sudden exposure to the vacuum of space in an insulated area, resistance to implosive or atomization caused by a detonation reaction, or similar environmental disasters. In the case of pressurization or depressurization, an Aegis can be designed to acclimate you to levels tolerable for your organic species if possible, or simply maintain you at the normal until safety arrives, or your shield dies out. Aegises work a little differently, in that when they kick on, they kick on until about a minute after the threat’s gone, or until the shielding system is out of steam. Activing an Aegis lights up on surveillance like a Christmas Tree. And while the shield does have the capacity to resist physical or conventional energy weapons in this state, often it’s not as good at either. So while it can potentially save your life in a big way (or what’s left of it), it can potentially expose you thereafter.