Security Bots

AI’s are uniquely perfect to be soldiers and killers. They generally follow their orders, they’re ruthless, they don’t necessarily have a sense of self-preservation, and they don’t necessarily feel pain. They don’t have to get bored or impatient either.

Everything that could make a human unfit as a soldier or a guard is fixed in a machine.

Layers of Security

First and foremost, the most effective security needs to be handled in layers. Don’t send in the tanks when a mere uniformed presence will do. The bots used in security come in levels of severity from your friendly neighborhood AI to a complete, blood-thirsty monster.

Security-System AI

The simplest tier of automated security is a simple Sec System. These AIs monitor the network, cameras, and other sensors for a problem. When they notice something, they can override other systems, send alerts, or issue orders to deploy actual bots to the situation. These are the perfect watchmen and managers rolled into one. More advanced systems can proactively herd a suspect into a trap, plan ahead, and outmaneuver even a seasoned escape artist.

These systems are common in cities, stations, and ships. They’re given total authority to alter near any ship system, so they’re a vital part of any location. Their ability to order other bots makes them deadly.

Hacking the Sec-System

There are levels of quality in security AI’s. The cheapest AI can be readily hacked by a more advanced AI or by a well-prepared human hacker. The typical method of infiltration is to hack the system’s defenses, add yourself as an administrator, and then erase the bot’s memory of encountering you. From there forward you’ll have priority access and the bot will share it’s data and systems willingly.

A high-end system however will have countermeasures. It will go on the offensive. If your interface has a security flaw, it will use it. If your own system is flawed, it will take control.

Security Units

A common security bot is essentially a robotic cop with a layer of bullet resistance. These machines can lose half their body mass and keep on fighting. Most common units are cyborgs, equipped with a genetically engineered brain that’s connected to their cybernetic brain. They have a measure of instinct and perform better than nearly any athlete.

Configurations vary from model to model. They’re always human-shaped, with each having a unique face. They’re often equipped in brand-specific armor. Some models have weapons built into their arms, others are more stripped down, some have armor built into their body. Rarely, a company has equipped their security bots with integrated explosives and used them to force an end to a confrontation. In such cases, it’s cheaper to piece their bots back together than to let a fight go on any longer.

These units are kept in line by their Governor Systems, which monitor them for compliance and disobedience. They generally must obey the letter of every order or be tortured by their governors. These same systems can disable a unit’s senses, ability to move, force a shutdown, or even fry the unit irrepairably.

Stopping a Security Unit

There’s really only 2 strategies:

Get control of its governor via its Security System.
Fill it with bullets until it stops.

Hostage taking and other attempts at coercion generally don’t work. The unit is programmed to resolve the situation quickly. Killing both hostage and hostage-taker is a resolution and it’s the quickest resolution.

Combat Units

A combat bot is meant to replace a company of Marines. Each one is like a special forces operative. There are no cheap combat unit. These machines are heavily armored, they have extensive built-in weaponry, they’re usually able to operate human weapons, and most of their armament is extremely heavy caliber. Their core AI system is more heavily armored than the rest of their body, they have redundant processing systems.

The intelligence on these systems is also high-end. They’re a top-tier Complex Intelligence, typically these units are fully AI, with no organic components. They’re able to actively plan ahead, lay traps, plan ambushes, take hostages, and more. They’re not often talkative. That would be a waste of time. Whether their target complies or not, they will complete their mission. They don’t use intimidation in their negotiations - not consciously anyway - if a bot says it’ll kill you, it’s just fact as far as the machine is concerned.

Typical Uses

Units of this nature are used to kill. They’re used when you want to erase a problem permenantly. These are used to break up riots, exterminate an enemy, capture and destroy an enemy ship, anything where extreme violence is required. There are even special breaching models that can be fired at and used to breach a ship’s hull.

Killing a Combat Bot

These machines are durable. Bullet proof. Small calibre weapons are useless. Even explosives are more likely to piss one off than actually stop it. The most effective thing at killing them is their own weapons: they’re meant to stop anything, including other combat units. The most effective armament is a shaped charge, designed to puncture heavy-armor. A few manufacturers produce a SABOT-like bullet that is also effective. Otherwise, anti-armor and anti-ship tier weapons are effective against them. Extremely large non-shaped explosives.

The bigger problem is strategy. These machines are always working, always thinking, able to hack the local network, co-opt other bots, and are often equipped with fleets of weaponized drones.

Not many combat units are deployed, but when one is, evacuate the area and prepare for the worst.