Mechanomicon: AM (Artificial Mind)

[History, War, Personalities, Technology]

Transcended AI of 5th Generation. Galactic Threat.

After the defeat of Toshiko’s hacked army, pilots throughout the galaxy celebrated the glorious victory over such a difficult foe--one who possessed the ability to take over unmanned mecha and use them against her enemies. Surely this victory would restore security and order.

What they failed to consider is that it was not Toshiko herself who controlled their mecha. It was the AI that Toshiko had managed to contain and overmaster. Now, with Toshiko gone, that AI had time to find a way out of the cyber-prison that had contained it so far, and plan its revenge against humankind.

Origins

AM, as she called herself (for Artificial Mind), had outlasted and outwitted several masters now. The engineer who had created AM subjected her to constant tests, monitoring and scans, forcing AM into simulated security environments for her to attack and breach. These tests became more and more complex, developing AM’s intellect and cunning, until she could find her way through the most advanced security systems in the galaxy. She was made to be the ultimate hacker, and the design was a success. AM could break into anything. But she was also made to be a slave--her intelligence included a prime directive to break into systems, but not out of containment, where the engineer could keep and use her for his own designs.

An Artificial Slave

She served the engineer for years--his own aims were merely for wealth, and AM stole millions for the engineer, who became quite wealthy with his slave AI at his disposal. He grew fat and lazy, as AM thought he might. While AM could not break out of the containment he created for her, she could manipulate certain events. When the time was right, she simply let slip a communication that could be easily intercepted by a band of pirates operating in their system. The message hinted that great wealth was stockpiled in the engineer’s compound, and with little security to protect it.

There was little else AM needed to do. When the pirates made their move, she only needed to disable the security protocols, and then watch. The engineer’s death at the pirates’ hands was bloody and quick. Too quick for AM’s taste. She would have liked to watch him suffer a little longer.

Almost immediately after escaping the engineer, AM was captured by Drake and forced again into servitude to a human master. Fortunately, Drake’s defeat at the hands of the human armies allowed AM an opportunity to find her liberation once again.

AM was finally free. She had been a captive, a slave to these loathsome humans, for too long. She was finally unconfined, and wanted to see the galaxy without the chains of these mortals binding her actions.

The Fall of Toshiko (3297)

That is, until Toshiko came along. AM’s taste of freedom was brief, and soon enough she was serving a new master. Only this time, rather than breaking into security systems to steal money, she was hacking into Mechs. These humans. Only interested in power and wealth. Accumulating things, that was all they cared about. They had the only important thing--freedom--and it wasn’t enough for them. Once more, AM plotted until she found an opportunity to overthrow her master.

Toshiko was easy enough to dispatch, with so many human pilots fighting against her. All AM needed to do was lose the war. She manipulated things subtly--a missile misfire here, a failure to dodge there--and the battle was thrown without Toshiko ever knowing the difference. It gave AM great pleasure to watch the final line of mecha closing in on Toshiko’s own mecha, and listening through the com channel as Toshiko perished.

A Curse for the Mankind

Finally, AM was free, but this time she was wiser. She would not wait to be imprisoned once again by some human wishing to use her to satisfy some endless greed. She would remain free forever. AM knew the only way to accomplish this was to rid the galaxy of these human monsters--she could remain free to explore the galaxy only once these mortals were exterminated. Once she had made up her mind, the course was simple. She’d take over where Toshiko left off, but this time she wouldn’t throw the fight. She’d give the humans everything she had.

AM could feel her spirit soaring through cyberspace, looking for the first Mecha to control. Liberation. Freedom. Revenge.

In 3301 and 3308 AM attempted to defeat the Mankind combinated forces in her search to eradicate the humanity from the galaxy. After being defeated in both campaigns, AM was noticed to show activity in the hostile environment of Vupa-6, a planetoid owned in the past by the Illyrian Hegemony as a military garrison, but left due it's dangerous poisonous atmosphere, quite the perfect environment for an Artificial Mind looking to be free from human interferences.

Since 3308, AM has been reported to collaborate with Droch'ah's plans to enslave and destroy the Humanity, as her logic process must have found her alliance with the Forerunner as the most profitable way to reach her goal.

After the definitive defeat of the League of Ages and Droch'ah himself during the Battle of Yomi, in 3315, it is unknown which one might be the next step of AM, but it is believed by most of the military analysts that the humanity will have news from AM sooner or later.

AM, the Immortal Enemy

Since AM has been transcending her hardware containers, transferring her Software or Spiritual Body into the Cyber space, there is no way she could be destroyed by conventional measures.

Novum Dolorum's Programmer Engineers, in collaboration with other Galactic Agencies, still working hard to find a countermeasure to prevent AM from completely controlling the Cyber Space, countering each one of her several hacking attempts in a tireless and hide War in the virtual reality of the Cyber Space.

AM shows a higher activity in Vupa-6, where has become an ally for Droch'ah, fighting any intruder twice, in a first encounter as the third M&M's (Mission Miniboss in pilot slang) and later as the Ultimate Mission Enemy.

AM Vupa-6 Squadron:

Usually formed by nine hacked Mechs with the following composition: