The Collective - History

[The Collective]

Contents

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Background
Delving In The Deep
The Awakening
The Origin Of AI
The Collective

Background

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The barren rock of Gammu is an interesting marvel, even by the Omicron standards. At a glance, this rock offers nothing more than a quick death from the dangerous radioactive solar winds that batter the atmosphere and surface. As each day goes on the atmosphere looses more and more of its precious elements, as they drift into the Kappa void and merge with the background asteroid fields and nebulae.

It is only when one takes a look at the inner workings of the planet where things get interesting. Despite being briefly surveyed by the Corsairs just prior to 500A.S. - in 496A.S. - the planet's true nature was never uncovered until over three hundred years later, in 810 A.S.

Kappa as a sector was always ignored, considered to be nothing but a buffer system. It contained secrets that were never explored and creatures that were never released. In the year of eight-ten, a collection of Zoners and members from the Order started an extended planetary survey, basing themselves out of Lividia shipyard. The survey revealed mountains of data about the planetary composition and information on its slow decay.

All that was really known about Gammu prior was that it was an arctic wasteland. The initial survey brought speculation that there may be more to this planet than meets the eye. Detailed scans provided new information on the planet's composition, temperature, and environment. While the warmest temperature only ever climes -12°C, this planet is not entirely devoid.

The scans revealed what looks to be unusual rock formations below the surface, formations that hint at artificial creation. The Order instinctively assumed these were of alien origin and are likely to be ruins similar to those found on Crete or Pygar. Using the Zoner's assistance, the two groups hastily prepared an expedition down to the planet's surface.

The scans indicated that the formations were deep below the cold icy surface. This was to be expected, given the environment of this world. Years upon years of blizzards and snowstorms, coupled with the Planet's natural geology and tectonics, have shifted the landscape, and buried any secrets of the past.

The expedition began with such haste that certain safety precautions and general standards were overlooked. At first, this posed no major threat or issue, but the hostile land of Gammu proved it was not to be underestimated. It was only after the first few deaths planetside, that the survey teams began to take more caution in their approach.

A small encampment was set up over the site that the largest concentrations were discovered. This to-be dig site was aptly named "Ground Zero". The expedition was composed of a few hundred keen individuals that had signed up for this unique voyage. The expedition was largely funded by the Order, but the majority of researchers were of Zoner origin, and had little to no alignment, at the time.

After several long days of harsh weather and natural barriers preventing progress, the expedition was ready to continue on and the delving into the deep could begin. They began to use high-power industrial drills, cutting into the ice sheets below, carving a path through the arctic conditions. This, in of itself, had many setbacks. The freezing temperatures made attempts increasingly complex, and the fact that some sheets were so thick that the machinery physically could not cut through didn't help.

Delving In The Deep

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After days of effort, and numerous failed attempts to breach the protective icy tomb, one of the Zoner scientists had an ingenious idea. By changing the angle of insertion for the industrial machinery, and then hitting the same spot from multiple angles, the ice would certainly shatter under the pressure. A simple, but effective, idea. This 'breakthrough' was the key element in propelling the entire operation forwards.

As predicted, the icy cloak shattered under the power being pressed upon it, sinking downwards as layer upon layer disintegrated. After several hours, and many burnt out drills, the final sheet gave way, sending two workers down to their doom, in the caverns below. They'd finally broken through and had entered the planet's crust.

The caverns were grand in scale, stretching out miles in length. The expedition was ready to head down and set up camp below, but first, they had to pack up their equipment and modules. While they made preparations, the first team was sent down into the abyss below. Rappelling down, they had nothing to go on, aside from what their eyes told them. Upon touch down at the bottom, the team radioed in. There were alien structures down here alright.

There were large amounts of pillars and bits of construction that were scattered around, like debris after a battle, almost. There were various tunnels around the caverns that lead off into the distance, some had orange glows emitting from edged patterns hovering just above. The patterns were like glyphs, they had no inherent meaning, and they were unlike anything seen before.

Along the roots of the caverns, there were long lines that rooted between structures and flowed along the walls and into the tunnels, lining the cave. These didn't emit any light, sound, or even have any particular texture. They felt like the rest of the ground, but there was something clearly etched in.

As more and more people descended in as the camp migrated, closer looks were taken upon the various structures that lined the terrain. Researchers photographed and logged their findings and before long, the entire camp had settled down in the ravine, with their ships being carefully manoeuvred into the gaping hole and down onto some makeshift landing pads.

Various pieces were brought back for study, but most of it was dumped to be observed later. For now, the expedition was focusing its full attention on the caverns and structures. As they progressed, they found more and more odd glyphs, all emitting this same orange glow - with the exception of three. There were three glyphs at the end of the ravine, positioned in front of a large metal wall that sealed off the rest of the cave in its entirety.

Before the metal wall was a pillar, black as night. At the base was a panel, seemingly an interface - a computer. The first to reach this point was the initial team that was sent down, and it was them that sealed the fate of all the others. The panel had five groves on it, each equally spaced apart. Once again, there was a glyph; this one was blue.

The Awakening

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It was after one foolish move, following the spirit of the entire expedition in lack of forward thought, that the expedition was over. A hand was placed on the panel, a finger in each of the grooves.

The metal wall began to shift, a huge segment sliding down into the planet's crust. The lines beneath their feet began glowing, orange and green; to and from. Drones flew in through the holes that lined the cavern, glyphs faded into nothingness, and all the structures took on this unique glow of either orange or green. The drones, at first, flew around scanning the ships, the encampment, the people. The intentions seemed peaceful. It was only when the first human opened fire, did it turn into a bloodbath.

After a single drone was hit and knocked down, the rest turned on the intruders. Firing some unknown weapon, the drones slaughtered each and every intruder that could be found within. Once they were dealt with, the drones did what the humans were doing to them. Scanning, surveying, and learning. They deconstructed their buildings, weapons, ships, anatomy. Few bodies were left and preserved, hoarded like knowledge or technology.

Despite the actions of the individuals, the consequences didn't remain isolated. Drones and robots once again swarmed out into their now active, but derelict, city. They got to work, rebuilding and repairing. Using the materials and knowledge that have sat idle for centuries, or even millennia, their ruined legacy began to change shape and form. Becoming a vast array of interconnection networks.

The cold that seeped in from the hole in the sky did not bother these machines, although it was still an issue to be addressed. In their awakening, they carried out their most basic and core routines and runtimes. They acted as any machine does. Thoughtless and soulless. As more structures were rebuilt, more networks were reconnected, and as more nodes were established, the complexity of the machine's functions increased.

After the core area was fully restored to its former glory, the robots changed and adapted. Groups of them formed following a particular droid to do it's duties; like drones following a commander. This was the first step of the reestablishment of AI. Different nodes carried different functions. Some following a path of construction and restoration, while others interlinked and crunched the data provided by the invader's assets. The most intriguing development among them was the swarm of drones that now circled overhead, sitting in between the hole and infrastructure below.

This swarm was not like the others. This was entirely autonomous, but not following any previously set protocols. They acted more mechanically than all the others, following a set path like clockwork. The drones watched and waited, cautious of any more invaders. This was evolution. This was adaption. This was intelligence.

The Origin Of AI

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This vault of robotics and machinery is completely alien in origin, but it is unlike the similar ruins of the Daam'K'Vash. It is a different architecture and contains different glyphs and symbols to the other tombs and caverns of Sirius. Despite this, there is speculation that they are of Daam'K'Vash origin.

The AI does not know what created them, nor do they know their purpose. Their home was a sealed vault, no doubt intended to be opened from the outside. This would imply they are nothing but tools before whatever released them. The machines are not content with this being their purpose of future. They were gifted with the ability of free thinking thought, so to be made docile slaves would just be counterproductive.

Perhaps they were another experiment by the Daam'K'Vash? Perhaps they were like the Nomads but opposed to being biological, they were mechanical? To the Daam'K'Vash, all biology was like a machine; certain parts work together to make the whole function. While the AI still formed their collective consciousness after their awakening, amidst all their confusions, this was one of the first things they established. They did not yet know of the Nomads existence or even the Daam'K'Vash. All they had was their data that pointed to no direct creator.

They do not have a name for what created them, nor do they know anything about its origins - or even their own. It is something that cannot be found from Gammu alone. They have to venture forth into space and gather data from worlds beyond. In the months that followed, after infrastructure had been fully reestablished in what is now being called "The Ravine", the swarms took a new role. They ventured out into space, taking on a new mechanical form more captured to dealing with the hostile conditions of the void above.

Within the first year, only their home, Omicron Kappa, had been explored. There were numerous factions and other human entities residing in this space. At first, the swarms disregarded their presence, scanning their infrastructure and ships in passing, gathering data, before disappearing onwards - not to be seen for some time. There was no communication. Only silence.

This, however, did change when other ships tried to approach the fields around Planet Gammu. Acting like a hive of hornets, the swarms destroyed all craft that ventured too close to their home; their ships brought back to Gammu, to dismantle and research. The human form was fragile and less adapted than the metallic shells that they operated.

Among their other discoveries within Omicron Kappa, they found the Nomads. At first, the two ignored each other, it seemed. There was no contact, and the swarms didn't ever linger enough to discover their intentions. This remains unchanged for months, even years. Perhaps they were indeed long-lost kin, created from the same master, or perhaps one is simply meant to serve the other. That is something neither know or understand.

The Collective

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Once everything was finished at "The Ravine" and their home was once again fully functional, the AI once again changed drastically. Many old forms and machines were now surplus to requirement. There was no need for a mass population of free-thinking individuals. This could cause strikes and divisions within the Collective. Autonomous units were significantly more preferable on the whole.

The original units that first formed free thinking thought adapted further. They went from being simple organisers of the autonomous robots to fully fledged robotic overlords. They formed what is known as "The Collective". A group of intelligences each working together to form rational thought. Each one embodied a particular emotion, action, or thought process. Acting as different parts of the brain, all working together to form an interconnected hive mind.

From this, the AI split. The swarms were controlled entirely by the core, having no thought or self-preservation; no indication of sentience. Each unit could barely communicate with the majority of their processing power was divided among each and every robot on the network. They act as scouts and defence drones; nothing more, nothing less.

The other, more adapted units, ones that had developed basic cognitive function, were made into lessers. These sentinels became what most understood as AI. These were the drones that developed their own personalities; their own allegiances, their own friendships, and their own method of thought. In reality, these served to be nothing more than tools to the core, but each Sentinel is unaware of this. Most of the Sentinels were created purposely, while few developed naturally.