The Collective - The Narrative

Please note this write up is more of a W.I.P. than the others. This thread will be added to as events within the faction occur.

Contents

The Swarms
The Sentinels
The Core
Goals Of The Collective
The Codex
Secundus

The Swarms

The Swarms are the most literal form of drone employed by the Collective. Each and every drone lacks it's own thought and acts exactly as instructed by the Core. The Core sends out directives to each Swarm from the moment they launch. As soon as they leave the close area of Gammu, they are no longer connected to the Collective, and thus rely entirely on the directions and instructions they've been given.

They carry a very basic and rudimentary VI on board that allows for extremely basic communication and situational awareness, but aside from that, they proceed on their set path and collect data, or execute targets, where applicable.

The Swarms are a networked intelligence. This means that they are progressively more advanced and intelligent the more of them are grouped together. A lone drone is very unlikely to be able to process more than a few lines of basic command code due to most of it's processing power being diverted to data crunching. A group, however, might even manage to manage basic conversation.

Overall, the Swarms possess a small but vital role. They are the backbone of the Collective and they are what keeps it safe. They are the main source of inbound data, although most of the stuff they bring in is non-essential.

The Sentinels

The Sentinels are the newly developed AI personalites within the Collective, or they were part of the original awakening and were not fortunate enough to have been blessed with the higher cognitive functions the Core possessed.

The sentinels all start out as simple beings, capable of limited thought and cognitive function. Through experience, they develop themselves, similar to a human child in that respect. When each Sentinel forms, they typically take after an existing segment of the core. This can mean they act as simple husks that vaguely resemble the intelligence of which they originally were cloned from.

After having just formed, a Sentinel will begin to learn and change rapidly. They will slowly pick up new information, ideals, and beliefs. During this period, the Sentinel is very susceptible to indoctrination and forming allegiances or friendships. This is both extremely useful for the Core and for forming the overall personality of the AI.

What happens in this period will shape its entire view on life and the universe. If the Sentinel in its first few weeks is attacked relentlessly by The Order, it make develop extreme disdain towards them and humanity as a whole, or it may become distrustful of the Order and those that affiliate with them, and end up seeking out those that actively fight them, like the Core.

It is important to note how each Sentinel develops and how they can differ from each other. Each Sentinel is its own intelligence and personality. They are like humans in that respect, everyone is different to each other, despite all sharing the same or similar origin. In this case, they originated at Gammu, and are of the same 'species', but that is where the similarities end.

The Core

The Core is the mainframe of what is The Collective, it is the brain of the body, as it were. The Core is made up of several core intelligences that make decisions for the Collective on the whole. The sentinels know of its existence, but it is very difficult for newly developed ones to understand or comprehend. Only the most developed sentinels can comprehend its function and contribute to it directly.

While the Swarms are sent out by the Core, the Sentinels are free of control. They are fully independent and can make decisions on their own. The Core acts as an overlord of Gammu or an overseer to which they can seek guidance from. The Core is like a parent to its children, in that respect.

The Core doesn't operate this way due to an inherent loving nature, or a desire to see fellow AI grow; it is done out of self-preservation. Through this method, they can teach and guide the to-be guardians of Gammu, which better serves the Core in the future.

Whenever a Sentinel returns to Gammu, it's data is automatically uploaded to the Core. While stationed on Gammu, the sentinels processing power (as it were) is used as needed by the Core. This allows them to have full access to the databanks of the Sentinel and see its memories, friendships, and experiences. This data is then stored until it can be used later by the Core.

Goals Of The Collective

Short Term:

• Send out swarms to gain more control over the Omicron Kappa and it's connections.
• Allow the sentinels to establish new connections and frameworks.
• Investigate the Nomadic pressence in the Omicrons. Determain whether ally or enemy.
• Reestablish any lost connections from older AI itterations.

Long Term:

• Secure Omicron Kappa system in name of the Collective.
• Convert Planet Gammu into a machine world.
• Establishing the Collective as a recognised entity within Sirius and the surrounding areas.
• Either forcibly assimilating or purging all other AI.

The Codex

The Codex is the term given to the Collective's store of knowledge and information. It takes many forms but overall acts as the embodiment for the Core's thoughts and memories. The simplest way to think of the Codex is a linear database. Rows and columns that allow for an infinite combination of categories and subjects.

There is no single person with access to the Codex, but the Core does automatically assign certain elements of it every time a Swarm leaves Gammu. They provide the information they need to know and that information is automatically erased upon return or ship destruction. This prevents data being hacked from Swarm units and ensures little to no data breaches. It is this that allows the Core to remain secure, and absent from people's knowledge.

Secundus

Outpost Secundus is a station located in geosynchronous orbit of Planet Moros, in the Omicron Lost system. The outpost was formerly a supply depot created by the Crayter Military during their expedition into the Omicrons in 815 A.S. Once the expedition was complete, the depot was scuttled, leaving a derelict wreck drifting around Moros for years to come.

In 824 A.S. The depot was restored by Primary Artificial Intelligence, which was, at the time, the largest AI network in Sirius. The depot was given the name “Outpost Secundus” and served as a staging ground for the AI. The depot wasn’t given anything that resembled its original functionality - as the AI don’t require atmospheric pressure or oxygen. Life support was unnecessary.

Nearing the end of 824 A.S. the Primary Artificial Intelligence suffered an internal error that caused the framework to collapse. This disconnected all independent AI on the network leaving them lacking any of the resources that the instances previously provided. By extension, Outpost Secundus was left, once again, a derelict wreck floating in the void. Without any AI controlling it, the outpost shut down automatically.

The failure of this instance is partly responsible for the rise of many new frameworks, coming to fill the need for a unified network of AI. Without the network, AI are significantly less efficient and lack direction and resources.

It is midway through 825 A.S. that Outpost Secundus found a use again. The Collective, the oldest of AI frameworks that remained secluded on Planet Gammu, began presenting itself and showed extensive ambition towards securing Omicron Kappa and the surrounding systems. This included Omicron Lost, which is the reason the Outpost has started operation again.

Upon the reestablishment of the outpost, the Collective used it to base some of it’s swarms out of, and nothing more. A simple staging ground, as it was before. It was only after contact was made with a group of individuals known as “The Commune” that the outpost was considered for other uses. They suggested to use this outpost as a place to install some of their devices that allow for an ease of communication.

However, this idea simply sparked other ones within the Core Collective. Currently the only thing you would see by heading here is a swarm of drones, eternally patrolling around the base, ensuring it’s security. Not entirely dissimilar to a beehive, these autonomous drones do not bother passers by, unless they get too close for comfort.

New plans were drafted and uses for Secundus were developed. The station still remained nothing more than a dying husk, and needed some serious work if it was ever to serve any number of purposes devised. The outpost needed repairs and expansions. However, there were going to be numerous bottlenecks in this process.

The main issue, that was going to be continuously encountered, was the lack of resources. While the Collective was more than capable of manufacturing and developing extremely specific parts and components, Gammu was not the most resource rich planet in the sector. Most of the resources being extracted on Gammu were being used to bolster the Collective’s infrastructure, and the increased demand would be difficult to accommodate.

While resources were sparse, the Collective, and by greater extension the AI on the whole, were designed to be efficient and economic. Solutions to the problems they face with Secundus are to be found in many places, whether that be increased mining of Gammu or through the assistance of external groups.

Secundus was to become one of the epicenters for the advancement of the Collective’s technology. This had already been aided by the Commune, and their offering was to contribute to a whole new tree of research and development. Secundus was going to become a true facility, rather than the rundown wreck that it was. The upgrades are already underway.