The Hornet's Nest

"The Hornet's Nest is single handed the most sophisticated hacking system in the galaxy. Get seven Wizard-class Hackers in there, get two A.I.s hooked up to each other and keep it mobile, and you can shut down an entire planet. No joke."

- CODENAME: SLATEBACK

is a heavily modified Buffalo HSV, used by the SPARTANS of Bravo Company as a mobile command centre, and mobile cyber warfare system. Initially conceived by SPARTAN-013, it was funded, built and programmed by him and number of other SPARTANS from all the generations and Doctor Catherine Halsey. Built on a requisitioned Buffalo Heavy Support Vehicle, the trailer has been changed for a compatible trailer, with increased internal space. Inside has been fitted with over half a million Credits worth of military and civilian equipment, including some of the most powerful computing systems available. Internally, it has been outfitted with a number of stations, most of which are a hybrid of military and civilian computers, prompting huge amounts of network patches for the conflicting operating systems. There are six operator stations, from which the operator can access the extra-net or the UNSC War Net, and can be used for a variety of purposes, including sensor analysis, cyber attack or command and control. As such, it is classified as a C5I vehicle, its capabilities including Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat systems and Intelligence. There are six ancillary stations, with multiple monitors, analogue and haptic interfaces and a single, interlinked neural interface, which can upload and download vast amounts of data from the neural implants of the user. In the centre of the trailer is a large holo tank, linked into the systems, and its capable of showing detailed 3D images, including terrain, objects and data, allowing the users to direct forces, or perform briefings. There is one, central computer system, with a single neural interface, linked to two superconducting matrices, intended for two separate A.I.s, though one can make use of both. This matrices are contained in two super chilled server stacks, and boost their processing power phenomenally, allowing them greater freedom and processing power. This central unit has immense processing power and is comparable to most high-end super computers, and can launch successful brute force attacks on sophisticated military grade firewalls.

Externally, the trailer has increased armour, with bolted on ceramic plating, and can be upgraded with non-explosive reactive armour and slat armour, or can be painted to blend in more easily. It has an external MASER dish, capable of high-speed communications with orbital sources, and with appropriate coverage can communicate near instantly with any unit on a planet. It also has a large, erectable mast that can operate as a wireless/radio receiver and broadcast mast, allowing the Nest to quietly listen in, or directly link in. Both frequently hop frequencies, making it difficult to track them down. The trailer also has three M980 point defence LASERs, capable of knocking down incoming ordnance in case they are discovered. It also has external data ports for linking in to the extra-net directly through ground based cables or ports. It carries two ports capable of launching a AQ-606 Wasp drone, with crews on-board capable of rearming and refuelling the drone, and with a external data port allowing them to link directly to the A.I.s and systems inside the Nest.

While a sophisticated cyber attack system, its defence systems are equally impressive. All external systems are linked through one data port, which only leaves one method of attack. This data port is protected by layers upon layers of home made, and extremely deadly firewalls, including defence, maze, dummy and attack barriers, in linked series and parallel, and designed with complex, mutating algorithms, intended to confuse repeated attacks. In case these are breached, the Hornet's Nest as a single manual partition system, which consists of pulling the plug. Each station can also be individually partitioned from the rest.

The Hornet's Nest is used by Bravo Company for a variety of purposes, including command and control, gathering and disseminating intelligence, cyber and electronic attack and surveillance. The Hornet's Nest is also loaned to other Spartan companies on a regular basis, when not in use, or another company requires it's need more. This has led to a SPARTAN tradition of writing graffiti in the driver's cab for the next unit to find.