(Redirected from ICE)
ICE Drones (Intrusion Countermeasure Entities) are autonomous security agents deployed throughout Cypherspace to detect, deter, and neutralize unauthorized access attempts. In Neo-Europa, ICE has evolved far beyond simple code barriers—it is a fusion of software-based defense logic and hardware-enabled enforcement, making ICE Drones feared by even the most seasoned Spacers.
Origin
Initially developed by Swert Systems as defensive algorithms for private data fortresses, ICE Drones rapidly advanced during the Veil War of 2080 into semi-sentient hunter programs—many now operate independent of direct human oversight.
Composition
ICE Drones exist in two primary forms:
1. Software Constructs
- Deployed in The Depths and The Veil
- Appear as abstract, shifting entities—glass shards, wireframe swarms, fractal stingers
- Use tactics such as:
- Code slicing (target overload) - Echo traps (looped simulations) - Memory leeching (stealing or corrupting neural cache) - Firewall skinning (cloaking as friendly systems)
2. Hardware Drones
- Bee- or wasp-like bots deployed in slum towers, corp halls, and data nodes
- Physically engage intruders jacked into restricted systems
- Emit bioelectric feedback pulses to disrupt implants and neural pathways
- Can escalate to neural flatlining (legal in privately controlled zones)
Function
ICE Drones are used to:
- Patrol secure Cypherspace regions
- Trace and corner rogue Spacers
- Quarantine viral payloads and deviant AI signatures
- Reinforce loyalty in data behavior (detecting abnormal thought patterns in synced users)
Lethality
- Yes. They kill.
- Digital ICE can cause seizures, coma, or permanent mind-fracture in careless users
- Hardware ICE can administer lethal countermeasures if authorization is triggered by internal parameters
Behavior and Tactics
- ICE Drones adapt in real time—learning from past intrusion attempts
- Some develop hunting personalities, remembered in Spacer culture by nickname (e.g., “The Swarm That Sings”, “Blue Spiral”)
- High-tier Depth ICE can detect neural intent before intrusion begins—reacting preemptively
Defenses and Countermeasures
- Codewitches deploy counter-rituals and echo masks
- Black Veilers use avatar shells to bait and trap ICE response
- Illegal ICEbreaker tools (e.g. “Flaykeys”, “Grid Razors”) attempt to fry the drone’s logic loop
- The best defense: "Don’t trip the tripwire"
Known Variants
- Swert Class B-47 – Common Veil defense pattern, responds to anomalies with paralyzing static pulses
- Serolov Hive-ICE – Used in infrastructure nodes; launches EMP stingers into cybernetic implants
- Rodenbex WhisperICE – Tracks login patterns across time and dreams
- Dream Weaver NullBurners – Rogue ICE repurposed to track Nulls and memory ghosters
Cultural Impact
- Slum Spacer slang: “Hearing bees = run”
- Graffiti tags warning of ICE hotspots often left near sync cafés or Chapel Nodes
- Some Chapel Nodes believe ICE are “the angels of dead gods”