Above Ares and various other valuable colony worlds, Orbital Defense Platforms are parked in geosynchronous orbit over their national territory on the ground below. Most were built (and continue to be built) after the widespread attacks by the [[Severnite Alliance|Severnite Alliance]] in 1403 PC. No one believes that the [[Orbital Strike Treaty]] will keep death from raining down forever. Beyond local threats, humanity has long developed defenses against potential alien attacks. Many began as simple defensive satellites or space stations, and were later expanded. As they continued to grow, fleet docks, repair facilities and living areas were added. A thousand years later and some have become truly gargantuan structures several kilometers across. Most are flat, maximizing external space for facilities and weapons systems. While minimizing the internal space which requires life support. Some may be more spherical, ovular or just a jumbled mess of modules stacked together over the centuries. All of them have large rotating habitat sections maintaining near standard gravity. --- All of them are bristling with weapons. Many hundreds of [[Laser Emitter|laser emitters]], thousands of [[Missile|missiles]], scattered [[PACS]] and [[L-PADS]], and [[Mass Driver|mass drivers]] for close in threats. Some also have [[Railgun|railguns]]. Despite being illegal, some may have [[Kinetic Impactor|kinetic impactors]]. But most of those are housed in satellites dressed up as surveillance or communications satellites in lower orbits. Each platform is designed to repel many tens of warships, possibly destroying a great many of them. As well as defending themselves from direct attack or by ground based anti-satellite missiles. --- So far, none of these platforms has been tested in battle. Much like many of the current era spacecraft, much of their design is based on theoretical engagements. No one really knows what might happen if all-out war were to break out.