Renegade Rodian
- Intent: To further ingrain the Helix Syndicate into the fabric of the Pentastar Alignment.
- Image: Sci Fi Metal Refinery 01 by chromaTinker
- Canon: Nope.
- Links: N/A
- Name: Helix Syndicate Electronics Factory
- Classification: Electronics Factory
- Locations: Anemcoro, Cantras Gola, Moltok, Dubrillion, Entralla, New Bakstre, Yaga Minor
- Affiliation: Helix Syndicate
- Population:
[x001] H01 Artificial Intelligence - [x050] Helix Syndicate Enforcers
- [x100] Trajan-Class War Droids, Mk. I
- [x050] Helix Syndicate Support Staff
- [x250] Sallust-Class Service Droids
[*]Accessibility: No one is permitted inside the factory itself, or even within the perimeter of its fence, without proper clearance. Syndicate battle droids patrol the exterior frequently and man checkpoints at the entrances and exits. These buildings are not inherently difficult to locate and can often be found, plainly labeled, in the industrial district of the city they reside in.
SECURITY
Each factory is surrounded by an electric security fence. There are four entrances, all of which sport a checkpoint manned by Syndicate Enforcers. Other than that, droid patrols circle the building frequently.
Once inside, security is more lax. There are more battle droids and more Enforcers to be found, but most are stationed in one area or another. Patrols are infrequent. Most doors are kept locked at all time, but employee as long as you have an employee keycard, they can be opened. Security cameras are present throughout the facility.
Unlike other Helix Syndicate facilities, auto-turrets and retinal scanners are only present in and around the control room. The auto-turrets only activate when intruders are detected and will open fire on anyone not logged into the facial recognition system or carrying a valid keycard.
DESCRIPTION
There is not much of interest going on at a Helix Syndicate Electronics Factory, unless you’re one of the few that count the usual mundane industrial processes as interesting. Like the canneries, the factories have lax security compared to other properties owned by the Syndicate. Still, compared to other factories run by more typical corporations… It does seem a little more robust than usual.
So why is the Syndicate manufacturing its own electronics? As it turns out, the best way to further increase the size of a growing network of compromised electronic devices that can be used to blackmail people is to sell devices that are already compromised. The Syndicate’s electronics factories are actually contracted to produce products for actual electronics companies for dirt cheap prices. These devices are then mailed directly to customers or sent to retail outlets to be sold alongside non-compromised devices.
These devices are commonplace enough and don’t do anything atypical. These are commlinks, datapads, holocommunicators… Anything used to transmit or receive information. Even droid parts come off the assembly line every so often. They function just as well as their non-compromised counterparts, but they also allow the Helix Syndicate to remotely monitor the device at any given time. A datapad manufactured in one of these facilities could, at any point, be remotely accessed. Files could be stolen or tampered with, communications made - a servant droid controlled from the other side of the galaxy - that sort of thing.
Compromising is typically done through the Crimson Horse, a special type of malware used in conjunction with the Syndicate’s Crimson Codex.
Are the electronics companies who have subcontracted out part of their manufacturing to the Helix Syndicate aware of their clandestine activities? It’s possible. The Helix Syndicate has many ways of either bribing or bullying them into complicity if they do ever become aware. As for the ones who don’t, it’s likely they’re too enthralled by the greatly reduced cost of production to really care.
POINTS OF INTEREST
- Section Aa: Shipping and receiving, ground level. This section is a large garage and partial storage unit. Cargo speeders come through here frequently, importing needed materials and exporting product. Security oversight in this section is high.
- Section Ab: Warehouse, ground level. Anything not yet scheduled to be shipped or canned is stored in this section. It is a large and spacious room, only dimly lit since the most frequent visitors to this section are droids who have low-light vision anyway. Everything is stored in giant pallets on large racks. Security oversight in this section is low.
- Section B: Production floor, ground level. This section is crowded various machines, all chugging away in industrial harmony. Various electronic devices are churned out and packaged in this area. These are mostly communications and holonet devices, such as (but not limited to) commlinks, holocommunicators, terminals, droid memory units, and datapads.
- Section Ca: Administration, second floor. The production floor is remotely monitored from here. Data is also collected on production and adjustments to production speed are issued from here. If something on the production floor is in danger of breaking, it’s usually the people in this section who are the first to know. There is also an employee lounge on this level. Security oversight is moderate.
- Section Cb: Control room, second floor. While administration handles the production floor, the control room oversees the entire facility. It requires a retinal scan to gain entrance and is monitored by auto-turrets. It is run by a smaller team of technicians, working in tandem with a H01 Artificial Intelligence. Security oversight is high.
- Section Da: Armory, basement level. This section serves as an employee lounge for the Enforcers as well as an equipment room. It requires a retinal scan to gain entrance and is monitored by auto-turrets in addition to the usual security cameras. This is the smallest section in the facility.
- Section Db: Droid station, basement level. When necessary, security and worker droids go down to this level for repair, recharging, general maintenance, and memory wipes. Security oversight in this section is low.
These factories are another symptom of the Syndicate’s quest to dominate the region through blackmail and spying. Manufacturing does not take place here profit - it is done out of a constant need to spy on the residents of the Pentastar Alignment. They are a recent development, suggested by one of the Syndicate’s executives, Felix. The Syndicate made the necessary deals to acquire land and permits, then procured clientele. These factories opened shortly after the completion of the Vulcanal Array and have shown no signs of stopping since.
