When in 0 SD, Mr. Slayer realised his Big Picture to put an end to the Conflict Wars and reorder the Known Universe into the World of Progress, his first action had to be the annihilation of the Conflict Societies – the interstellar factions that had waged these wars against one another, using advanced weapons and biogenetic soldiers sold to them by Slayer.
The means of their destruction were the very weapons and soldiers they had bought. The genetically programmed loyalty of their Stormer legions lay with Slayer. Their weapons ceased working in their hands. The betrayal was complete.
It is common knowledge how this infamous deed laid the ground work for the fame of one of SLA Industries most successful and influential subsidiaries – the biogenetic giant Karma, whose Phantom Pregnancy unit continues to produce the same unwaveringly loyal Stormers that undid the Conflict Societies.
It also led to the rise of a second subsidiary, albeit in secret this time.
The Stormers were the much lauded public face of success. The malfunctioning weapons, however, were its forgotten guarantee. The treason circuits integrated into the booby trapped weapons were so cunningly made as to be undetectable, yet so powerful that they were both impossible to jam and 100% reliable.
Red Ring are the original designers and manufacturers of these devices.
The name Red Ring does not appear on any organisational chart or asset listing, but Mr. Slayer knew better than to let such a powerful tool fall by the wayside. He also knew better than to draw unnecessary attention to it, though. Not only were Red Ring never disbanded but they were remodelled from a mere design team into a further layer in the labyrinthine spider’s web of the SLA Industries security apparatus.
Today, Red Ring are charged with the continued oversight of the development and secret installation of treason circuits in all SLA Industries made weapons and with local command and control of this network of betrayal.
Red Ring is thus at the same time one of the most widely spread organisations within the corporate giant, with agents in place in all major armament subsidiaries as well as in the field, and perhaps the most isolated one, cloaked in absolute secrecy since before the inception of the World of Progress itself. Over nearly a millennium, Red Ring has accumulated an archaic and almost feudal structure steeped in ritual and tradition.
Easily identified by those knowing what to look for, Red Ring agents openly display the corporate logo heraldry of red rings in violet diamonds on their clothing or equipment. The hereditary agents are able to make any SLA Industries manufactured weapon – be it a firearm, powered melee weapon, or more exotic hardware – malfunction, as long as they are aware of the weapon’s presence. Higher ranking members of Red Ring can also cause blanket effects, shutting down all weapons – other than specified exemptions – in an area.
Being a Red Ring agent is an advantage with no ranks worth 50 points at character creation (due to the hereditary nature of Red Ring, it is impossible to acquire this advantage during play). The advantage also comes included with the equivalent of Bad Info at Rank 10 at no additional cost.