The main theme of Beyond Mars Crimson Fleet is out of control technology.  One does not have to look far to see this.  In the story. Extos - a bio-AI - monitors and controls everything. In the last two weeks, Stuxnet, the computer worm, has wreaked havoc in both Iran and China, infecting millions of computers around both countries. Stuxnet is feared by experts around the globe as it can break into computers that control machinery at the heart of industry, allowing an attacker to assume control of critical systems like pumps, motors, alarms and valves. It could, technically, make factory boilers explode, destroy gas pipelines or even cause a nuclear plant to malfunction. This is the future world governments striving for a "New World Order" are making.