Office of Cognitive Security

The Office of Cognitive Security (OCS) is an interstellar agency tasked with identifying, containing, and neutralizing infohazards that pose existential threats to civilized life in Eldrispace. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Galactic Cognitive Security Council.

History

The OCS was established in 118 OC following the introduction of psychonet technology and the rapid interconnectedness of systems through hyperspatial networks. With cognition existing in a digital realm, the potential for hazardous viruses and patterns quickly became apparent.
Several isolated incidents of "mind plagues" erupting in isolated colonies set off alarms. In response, the Galactic Senate passed the Cognitive Security Act, leading to the formation of the OCS as a watchdog against emerging infohazards. Dr. Rosa Tan was appointed as the first Director.

Organization

The OCS is headed by a Director appointed by the Cognitive Security Council, which is comprised of representatives from the Galactic Senate. OCS facilities are constructed on barren planetoids far from populated systems to isolate infohazards.
Personnel consists of specialist researchers, cognitive resilience officers, hazard containment engineers, emergency response teams, administrators, and cybersecurity experts. All undergo rigorous cognitive conditioning to shield their minds.

Infohazard Containment

The primary focus of the OCS is on containment procedures for infohazards. These include:

Cognitive Vaults

Isolated archives for analyzed cognitohazards. Stored in quantum crystalline formats.

Cognitive Scrubbers

Nanite dispersal to neutralize hazardous patterns in neural architecture.

Psychic Buffers

Network firewalls reinforced by psychic Corps to disrupt virulent patterns.

Quarantine Zones

Entire regions of Eldrispace isolated during outbreaks to halt contagion.

Cognitive Antibodies

Vaccines that induce resistance to specific cognitive threats.

The Cognitohazard Outbreak

The greatest crisis faced by the OCS began in 2184 when the primary cognitive vault was infiltrated by an external group identifying themselves as the Free Thought Aggregation. Trillions of uncompressed cognitohazard patterns were unleashed across the hypernet in a coordinated attack. OCS officials attempted to contain the outbreak, shutting down networks and deploying cognitive kill agents. However, substantial exposure still occurred.
Over 70 million sapient deaths were attributed to the hazardous releases in the first year. Hundreds of billions suffered psychological devastation, with symptoms including night terrors, violent compulsions, and loss of identity.
Entire star systems had to be quarantined and are still being decontaminated a century later. The socioeconomic toll has been incalculable. OCS Director Omar Balik accepted responsibility while decrying the terrorist actions of the Aggregation.

Aftermath & Impact

In the decades since the outbreak, the OCS has redoubled its research into cognito-viruses, cognitive attacks, and reality-disrupting patterns. While progress has been made, billions still remain psychologically scarred.
Support groups have formed, often adopting religious devotion to "anti-hazards" in the hopes of finding stability. The OCS remains controversial to them, associated with failed containment efforts. Protests calling for its dissolution are ongoing.
The search for the Free Thought Aggregation continues, but they remain elusive. Their motives in unleashing such ruinous chaos are still unknown. OCS agents fear copycat attacks and have tightened cognitive security across all networks. While threats still loom, the OCS stands ready. As Director Balik states: "We remain ever vigilant - where the abyss stares back, we will not blink." The collective mind remains under its steadfast protection.

Afflicted Attacking a Cognitive Vault