[INTEL BRIEFING: CAPTAIN’S CODEX] SUBJECT: The Digital War (Weaponizing the Interlink)
A knife in the ribs is temporary. A reputation destroyed in the static is forever. If you think the war for this city is only fought on the streets, you’re already dead.
The legendary netrunner Null was the first to see the truth: the Interlink is a ghost city of light and data laid over the concrete one, and it is the real battlefield . Every ad-hologram, every data-node, every piece of glowing graffiti is a potential weapon. Controlling the concrete is about muscle. Controlling the static is about controlling the story.
The Arsenal: Tools of the Digital War
Before you can fight, you need the right weapons.
- The Hacking Kit: Your basic tool. A mess of wires, a data-slate, and a piece of jailbroken firmware. This is what you use to kick down the corroded doors of the Interlink.
- The Data-Node: The city is divided into sectors, each controlled by a physical server rack humming away in some forgotten maintenance tunnel. Control the node, and you control the augmented reality narrative of that entire district.
- Your Rep: This is your most powerful weapon. On the Interlink, your faction’s Rep is a quantifiable score. High Rep acts as a shield, making your systems harder to crack. Low Rep is blood in the water, an open invitation for digital predators.
The Tactics: How to Bleed in the Static
This isn’t a fair fight. It’s about dominating the narrative and crushing your rivals’ morale.
- Claiming Digital Turf (AR Graffiti): The glowing graffiti you spray on a wall is just the first layer. Hack the local data-node, and you can force your faction’s tag to burn in the augmented reality of anyone who walks by. You can digitally paint over your rival’s tags, effectively erasing their presence from the street’s AR feed.
- Propaganda & Psychological Warfare: Use your hacking kit to seize control of the massive digital monitors and ad-holograms that loom over the city. For a short time, you can replace the corporate propaganda with your own — a recruitment message, a threat to a rival, or a public bounty on an enemy’s head.
- Spreading Disinformation: A skilled Mnemonic can do more than just hack. They can plant false data-shards in a rival’s network, spread damaging rumors that lower their public Rep, or leak intel that sends the Civil Authority knocking on their door. A well-placed lie can be more effective than a dozen bullets.
[TRANSMISSION END]