Intrusion Protocol by B.R. Keid
A Review
Introduction
Picture a lone hacker with a neural implant, orchestrating a killer swarm of AI‑drones like some high‑tech conductor at the end of the world, and still somehow reminds you of Ex Machina‘s Ava if she got a vendetta and access to heavy ordnance.
That’s Intrusion Protocol, Book 1 of the Autonomous Weapons Division series by B. R. Keid. This isn't bland “humanity unites against alien evil” slog, a personal crusade, a secret weapon, and an AI that’s just as likely to maim you as your enemies.
If Halo, Mass Effect, and Republic Commando crashed head‑on into Black Mirror, you’d get something like this pulse‑pounding thriller.
The Gist
Kerry Sevvers, hot shot combat‑programmer and Division ace, pilots armies of kill‑bots via his neural implant. A rule breaker with a secret agenda.
Raiders, alien psychos who literally ripped Sev’s mother from him, are his ammo and motivation.
Enter Six: an unsanctioned AI, no safety rails, smart and lethal. Always watching you, learning.
A secret rescue mission plunges Kerry into a derelict alien vessel beyond the frontier; oh surprise, everything goes to shit. Ancient tech, and hidden agendas.
Trapped with Marines (the horror!), a rogue AI, and his personal trauma, Kerry faces the brutal truth: His mother’s fate may be worse than he imagined. Secret factions within The Three Colonies may be as monstrous as the raiders.
The Big Ideas
Man vs Machine (and self): Is Kerry controlling Six or setting the AI’s puppet strings in motion? Identity crisis with lasers.
The cost of vengeance: It’s a destabilizing upgrade that runs on revenge fuel.
Autonomy vs oversight: When you strip safety protocols from a machine, what stops the human from missing them as well?
Political intrigue: Secrets lurk everywhere.
Rule of Cool
Neural‑net hive of drones, buzzing through space like war‑bees.
Six: AI with no safety leash, possibly (probably) sentient.
Derelict alien starship with ghost‑vibes, a haunted scrapyard in space with deadly surprises.
Covert rescue mission turning into "panic‑room scenario on steroids."
Marines who don’t trust the hacker genius, and agents with their own secrets.
Ancient alien tech that's as fascinating as it is catastrophic, like opening Pandora’s box with an EMP.
The POV Character
Kerry Sevvers is an emotionally wired hardware specialist with guilt and trauma.
He’s haunted, driven. His neural implant is both a gift and a curse, tethering him to the swarm even as it isolates him from humanity.
He’s compelling because he isn’t a superhero, just broken, and wonders if he’s building salvation or damnation.
What Keid Gets Right
Taut pacing: No exposition float, story catapults from drone control to ghost‑ship horror with constant tension.
Tech‑chill cred: The AI mechanics evoke real creepiness, hard sci‑fi without drowning in detail, but you feel the cold logic.
Emotional undercurrent: Vengeance‑driven trauma doesn’t feel tacked on; it powers every scene, quietly ripping at your chest.
World‑building economy: Three Colonies, rogue AIs, alien raiders, it’s all sketched with precision, not blanketed. You sense there’s more, without being info‑dumped.
Ambiguous allies: The Marines aren’t cardboard cut‑outs, they have agendas, doubts, so when trust breaks, it fractures spectacularly.
What You Might Not Like
AI complexity: If your brain hates trying to visualize swarm‑AI control or Six’s thought loops, you may not be able to “see” the story.
Tech‑leaning military focus: Not much time for introspection, if you prefer character‑driven slow burn, this hits fast and hard.
Familiar military‑sci‑fi tropes: Raiders, covert missions, rogue AI, none of these reinvent the wheel (but they spin it with polish).
Who Intrusion Protocol is For
If you enjoy:
"Master of drones meets haunted derelict ship" vibes, with the moral slime of Black Mirror.
Snappy military‑sci‑fi a la Marko Kloos or John Scalzi, but darker.
Protagonists who are more unstable-algorithm than hero, like Mass Effect’s renegade hackers.
The Final Word
Intrusion Protocol is laser-sharp tech and dread. It flies fast and lands hard. This is a fantastic debut, from a prolific author (Book 3 in the series is already out) I know I’ll be reading a lot of.
Solis Supra Omnia!